Diplomacy

The bloc's foreign ministers struck a political agreement on new punitive measures targeting violent Israeli settlers in Judea and Samaria.

EU foreign ministers gather Monday as hostile member states see their opening: settler sanctions, trade restrictions, and a multibillion-euro agreement all on the line at once.

4 figures are eyeing the role of the next UN secretary-general, from Rafael Grossi, head of the nuclear watchdog and the best-known figure on the list, to Jewish candidate Rebeca Grynspan, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and former Senegalese President Macky Sall. These are each candidate’s prospects, agenda and position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

US and Gulf states are advancing a new draft resolution after a Russian-Chinese veto. The proposal focuses on Iranian actions to disrupt freedom of navigation and lay mines in the critical waterway. The issue is being presented as a threat to global trade and as a basis for possible enforcement measures. 

President Donald Trump is pushing for a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, but in Lebanon officials say conditions for a summit between the two leaders have not yet matured. Lebanon is expected to seek a one-month extension of the ceasefire during the trilateral meeting.

The new resolution focuses on reopening the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of intensive talks and repeated efforts to forge agreed wording among the powers. According to a New York Times report, the draft has already gone through four different versions. The current text is far softer, but it too appears at risk of a veto.

Diplomatic sources in the region and in the US confirm that Israel is holding contacts with countries that do not currently maintain formal diplomatic relations with it. The groundwork being laid is intended to produce a series of regional agreements in security, defense, commerce and politics under a US umbrella.

Beijing's new Tel Aviv embassy hosted first major event since Gaza war ended, marking Year of the Fire Horse. Ambassador Xiao Junzheng praises Israeli resilience and bilateral trade that reached historic $33 billion in 2025.

After Ariel Seidman was declared persona non grata , Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Sa'ar respond by ordering South African representative out within 72 hours.

According to a senior Israeli source, President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is pressing for a diplomatic track with Iran, even as intelligence and testimony point to severe abuses by the regime. The source said the envoy presented Trump with a message from Iranian officials in an effort to delay a potential military strike.