Therefore, in the official's view, the Israeli prisoner cannot free himself from prison. What's needed here is tough love from Washington. Well, President Trump has no intention of doing anything like that, quite the opposite. In a series of statements, he has already outflanked Benjamin Netanyahu and his government from the right. On the Ukraine war issue, he zigzagged; on the Gaza issue, he is painfully consistent, to the point of boredom: a decision as fast as possible, as painful as possible. "To win, you need to play," he explained his doctrine this week. This week, rumors again spread about a big deal with Arab states – a multinational, multi-Arab force that would rule the Strip.

Even before the campaign has begun, it's already possible to determine that there has never been such a big parking lot, so active, as the one in the Israeli center-Right. If Benny Gantz manages to lose a million and a half voters in polls within a year and a half, and drop from 37 seats to 0, this isn't even short-term parking. It's more "park and go."

Bennett's venture is much more far-reaching – a triple union with Liberman and Eisenkot, one right wing and one left wing, each one compensates for the electoral weaknesses of his two rivals. This won't decide the election results, but will certainly make the Opposition bloc a done deal.

For example, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav (Poli) Mordechai, suspected of contact with a foreign agent and bribery in the same Qatargate. Mordechai holds an extremely sensitive position, deputy to Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, who is in charge of the hostages and missing persons issue. And here, it turns out that the man has no problem with the fact that someone suspected of receiving bribes from Qatar holds a sensitive position that naturally touches on negotiations with that same Qatar. Here, there are no demonstrations; here, the police don't go out of their way for his removal from the sensitive front; here, there's no concern about obstruction of justice, and no media campaign.

Almost no one attacks the IDF when it rallies behind him for his benefit in a special statement: "The acquaintances of Maj. Gen. (res.) Mordechai with the Arab world and Qatar, and his business activities have been known to his commanders since the beginning of the war, including proper disclosure that was made on the subject. Since the beginning of the war, Mordechai has been fully harnessed to the hostage headquarters. He does not conduct direct negotiations with the mediators, but his contribution is most significant and sometimes even critical to the effort. All along, professional positions were courageous and without bias, and contributed greatly to the work. The IDF thanks him for his investment in the 19 months that have passed and expects he will continue his important contribution."

If only it would really be decided to cut out the Qatari cancer growth in the heart of the security and political establishment in Israel. For example, when it becomes clear why the heads of the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad were hosted in the VIP box in the World Cup quarterfinal. They all claimed then that it was a professional visit for security purposes, because it's known that one can oversee spectators' security only from a premium box at $8,000 per head with free whiskey.

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Crucial elections scheduled for February 23 in Germany will shape the future of Europe's most influential nation and the European Union. The early elections were triggered by the collapse of the "traffic light" coalition (named after the party colors) between the Social Democrats (SPD), Free Democratic Party (FDP), and the Greens, following disputes over government economic policy.

While the left-wing parties – the Social Democrats and the Greens – demanded the government increase its budget deficit, Finance Minister and center-right FDP leader Christian Lindner refused to deviate from the "black zero" policy, which requires the government to maintain a nearly balanced budget. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leader of the Social Democratic Party, ultimately dismissed Lindner from the government.

Unlike the September 2021 elections, where climate change dominated the campaign following floods that claimed about 200 lives two months earlier, immigration and Islamic terror threats have become the central issues this time. Two recent attacks carried out by Muslim immigrants – a December attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg that left six dead and 300 injured, and last week's attack in Munich that injured dozens – have intensified public criticism of immigration policies.

Many Germans now recognize that former Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to open the country's borders to millions of Middle Eastern refugees in the summer of 2015 was devastating. Merkel, who led the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) and governed Germany from 2005 to 2021, initiated a refugee policy that continues to generate controversy. The refugee issue intersects with economic concerns, another key campaign focus. Many Germans are frustrated with the rising cost of living and question why the state continues to fund the massive refugee project that began under Merkel and continued under the traffic light coalition.

While the left maintains illusions that immigration is part of the solution for Germany's aging population, the right calls for clear measures against it. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) led by Friedrich Merz, who according to all predictions is expected to become the next chancellor, advocates for significant immigration reduction. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), led by Alice Weidel, demands an immediate halt to immigration and deportation of illegal immigrants. This hardline stance has made AfD the second-largest party in Germany according to polls, with 22% support, while CDU/CSU leads with 30%. Together, these parties command 52% of public support, up from their combined 34% in 2021 (24% for CDU/CSU and 10% for AfD).

In contrast, the traffic light coalition, which won 52% in 2021 (26% for SPD, 15% for Greens, and 11% for FDP), is expected to collapse in the upcoming election. Polls show SPD likely dropping to 16%, the Greens weakening slightly, and FDP at risk of not clearing the 5% threshold. The far left, which ran as a united list in 2021 and received 5%, has split into two parties that barely poll above the threshold, with at least one expected to enter parliament.

Polls indicate that forming a coalition will be complex, challenging, or nearly impossible. The natural move would be to form a full right-wing government led by the Christian Democrats and Alternative for Germany, but AfD faces a boycott over allegations it resembles a certain party that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945.

Interestingly, regarding support for Israel, antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment actually come from the German left, which holds negative views toward Israel and supports the Palestinian struggle against the Jewish state, while the German right sees Israel as the last bastion of Western civilization in the Middle East. One thing is certain – a political crisis due to internal boycotts would be devastating for Germany.

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As Britain heads to the polls, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer stands on the cusp of a remarkable political turnaround. Poised to become the next prime minister with a substantial majority, Starmer's journey from human rights lawyer to political reformer has been nothing short of extraordinary. His mission: to reshape the Labour Party and, ultimately, Britain itself.

Just five years ago, the Labour Party was in disarray, reeling from electoral defeat and internal strife. Enter Keir Starmer, a relative newcomer to politics who has engineered a stunning revival. "Sometimes, to be a good leader, you need to be ruthless," Starmer remarked in a November interview. "I changed the Labour Party. If I'm privileged enough to be given the opportunity, I'll change the country too."

Starmer's rise is a testament to his tenacity and strategic acumen. Born in 1962 to working-class parents, he became the first in his family to attend university, studying law at Leeds and Oxford. His career as a human rights lawyer took an unexpected turn when he was appointed director of Public Prosecutions in 2008. Dominic Grieve, former Conservative Shadow Home Secretary, praised Starmer's impartiality: "He was very easy to work with. I never saw political leanings creep into his considerations."

Upon assuming Labour leadership, Starmer inherited a party plagued by infighting and accusations of antisemitism. He swiftly moved to address these issues, issuing a public apology to British Jews and purging antisemitic elements from the party. His personal connection to Judaism – his wife Victoria comes from a Jewish family – has likely influenced his approach to both domestic and international issues.

Starmer's policy platform is characterized by pragmatism rather than radical promises. He supports a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and advocates for a permanent ceasefire, contingent on the release of hostages and the exclusion of the Hamas terrorist organization from any future Palestinian government. Domestically, he faces the challenge of addressing the housing crisis and reforming public services without increasing taxes or the deficit.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled his country with an increasingly firm grip for 20 years, was locked in a tight election race early Monday, with a make-or-break runoff against his chief challenger possible as the final votes were counted.

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The results – whether they come within days or after a second round of voting takes place in two weeks – will determine if a NATO ally that straddles Europe and Asia but borders Syria and Iran remains under Erdogan's control or resumes the more democratic path promised by his main rival, Opposition Leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Speaking to supporters in Ankara, Erdogan, 69, said he could still win but would respect the nation's decision if the race went to a runoff vote in two weeks. "We don't yet know if the elections ended in the first round. ... If our nation has chosen for a second round, that is also welcome," Erdogan said early Monday, noting that votes from Turkish citizens living abroad still need to be tallied. He garnered 60% of the overseas vote in 2018.

This year's election largely centered on domestic issues such as the economy, civil rights and a February earthquake that killed over 50,000 people. But Western nations and foreign investors also awaited the outcome because of Erdogan's unorthodox leadership of the economy and often mercurial but successful efforts to put Turkey at the center of international negotiations.

With the unofficial count nearly completed, voter support for the incumbent had dipped below the majority required for him to win reelection outright. Erdogan had 49.3% of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu, had 45%, according to the state-run news agency Anadolu.

"We will absolutely win the second round ... and bring democracy" Kilicdaroglu, 74, the candidate of a six-party alliance, said, arguing that Erdogan had lost the trust of a nation now demanding change.

Turkey's election authority, the Supreme Electoral Board, said it was providing numbers to competing political parties "instantly" and would make the results public once the count was completed and finalized. The majority of ballots from the 3.4 million eligible overseas voters still needed to be tallied, according to the board, and a May 28 runoff election was not assured.

Howard Eissenstat, an associate professor of Middle East history and politics at St. Lawrence University in New York, said Erdogan was likely to have an advantage in a runoff because the president's party was likely to do better in a parliamentary election also held Sunday. Voters would not want a "divided government," he said.

Erdogan has governed Turkey as either prime minister or president since 2003. In the run-up to the election, opinion surveys had indicated the increasingly authoritarian leader narrowly trailed his challenger. With the partial results showing otherwise, members of Kilicdaroglu's Center-Left, pro-secular Republican People's Party, or CHP, disputed Anadolu's initial numbers, contending the state-run agency was biased in Erodgan's favor.

Omer Celik, a spokesperson for Erdogan's Justice and Development, or AK, party, in turn accused the Opposition of "an attempt to assassinate the national will." He called the opposition claims "irresponsible."

While Erdogan hopes to win a five-year term that would take him well into his third decade as Turkey's leader, Kilicdaroglu campaigned on promises to reverse crackdowns on free speech and other forms of democratic backsliding, as well as to repair an economy battered by high inflation and currency devaluation. Voters also elected lawmakers to fill Turkey's 600-seat parliament, which lost much of its legislative power after a referendum to change the country's system of governance to an executive presidency narrowly passed in 2017.

Anadolu news agency said Erdogan's ruling party alliance was hovering around 49.3%, while Kilicdaroglu's Nation Alliance had around 35.2% and support for a pro-Kurdish party stood above 10%. "That the election results have not been finalized doesn't change the fact that the nation has chosen us," Erdogan said.

Over 64 million people, including the overseas voters, were eligible to vote and nearly 89% voted. This year marks 100 years since Turkey's establishment as a republic – a modern, secular state born on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

Voter turnout in Turkey is traditionally strong, despite the government suppressing freedom of expression and assembly over the years and especially since a 2016 coup attempt. Erdogan blamed the failed coup on followers of a former ally, cleric Fethullah Gulen, and initiated a large-scale crackdown on civil servants with alleged links to Gulen and on pro-Kurdish politicians.

Internationally, the elections were seen as a test of a united Opposition's ability to dislodge a leader who has concentrated nearly all state powers in his hands and worked to wield more influence on the world stage. Erdogan, along with the United Nations, helped mediate a deal with Ukraine and Russia that allowed Ukrainian grain to reach the rest of the world from Black Sea ports despite Russia's war in Ukraine. The agreement, which is implemented by a center based in Istanbul, is set to expire in days, and Turkey hosted talks last week to keep it alive.

But Erdogan also has held up Sweden's quest to join NATO while demanding concessions, contending that nation was too lenient on followers of the US based cleric and members of pro-Kurdish groups that Turkey considers national security threats. Critics maintain the president's heavy-handed style is responsible for a painful cost-of-living crisis. The latest official statistics put inflation at about 44%, down from a high of around 86%. The price of vegetables became a campaign issue for the opposition, which used an onion as a symbol.

In contrast with mainstream economic thinking, Erdogan contends that high interest rates fuel inflation, and he pressured the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey to lower its main rate multiple times.

Erdogan's government also faced criticism for its allegedly delayed and stunted response to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that left 11 southern provinces devastated. Lax implementation of building codes is thought to have exacerbated the casualties and misery.

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In his election campaign, Erdogan used state resources and his domineering position over media to try to woo voters. He accused the Opposition of colluding with "terrorists," of being "drunkards" and of upholding LGBTQ+ rights, which he depicts as threatening traditional family values in the predominantly Muslim nation.

In a bid to secure support, the Turkish leader increased wages and pensions and subsidized electricity and gas bills, while showcasing Turkey's homegrown defense and infrastructure projects.

"Paychecks, or putting food on the table doesn't necessarily surmount the identification one feels for one's own political party," Eissentat, the university professor, said. "Erdogan's efforts at polarization, demonization of the opposition as traitors and as terrorists, the use of culture wars, ... that's all made to play on those dynamics."

Kilicdaroglu's Nation Alliance pledged to return Turkey's governance system to a parliamentary democracy if it won both the presidential and parliamentary ballots. It also promised to restore the independence of the judiciary and the central bank. "We have all missed democracy so much. We all missed being together," Kilicdaroglu said after voting at a school in Ankara.

Also seeking the presidency was Sinan Ogan, a former academic who had the backing of an anti-immigrant nationalist party and more than 5% of votes tallied so far.

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Computer engineers and tech-inclined political scientists have warned for years that cheap, powerful artificial intelligence tools would soon allow anyone to create fake images, video, and audio that were realistic enough to fool voters and perhaps sway an election.

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The synthetic images that emerged were often crude, unconvincing, and costly to produce, especially when other kinds of misinformation were so inexpensive and easy to spread on social media. The threat posed by AI and so-called deepfakes always seemed a year or two away.

No more.

Sophisticated generative AI tools can now create cloned human voices and hyper-realistic images, videos, and audio in seconds, at minimal cost. When strapped to powerful social media algorithms, this fake and digitally created content can spread far and fast and target highly specific audiences, potentially taking campaign dirty tricks to a new low. The implications for the 2024 campaigns and elections are as large as they are troubling: Generative AI can not only rapidly produce targeted campaign emails, texts, or videos, but it also could be used to mislead voters, impersonate candidates, and undermine elections on a scale and at a speed not yet seen.

"We're not prepared for this," warned A.J. Nash, vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm ZeroFox. "To me, the big leap forward is the audio and video capabilities that have emerged. When you can do that on a large scale, and distribute it on social platforms, well, it's going to have a major impact."

Some possible scenarios include automated robocall messages, in a candidate's voice, instructing voters to cast ballots on the wrong date; audio recordings of a candidate supposedly confessing to a crime or expressing racist views; video footage showing someone giving a speech or interview they never gave. Fake images designed to look like local news reports, falsely claiming a candidate dropped out of the race.

"What happens if an international entity – a cybercriminal or a nation state – impersonates someone? What is the impact? Do we have any recourse?" Petko Stoyanov, global chief technology officer at Forcepoint said. "We're going to see a lot more misinformation from international sources."

Legislation that would require candidates to label campaign advertisements created with AI has been introduced in the House by Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., who has also sponsored legislation that would require anyone creating synthetic images to add a watermark indicating the fact. Clarke said her greatest fear is that generative AI could be used before the 2024 election to create a video or audio that incites violence and turns Americans against each other.

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Turks voted on Sunday in one of the most important elections in modern Turkey's 100-year history, which could either unseat President Tayyip Erdogan and halt his government's increasingly authoritarian path or usher in a third decade of his rule.

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The vote will decide not only who leads Turkey, a NATO-member country of 85 million, but also how it is governed, where its economy is headed amid a deep cost of living crisis, and the shape of its foreign policy, which has taken unpredictable turns.

Opinion polls give Erdogan's main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who heads an alliance of six opposition parties, a slight lead, but if either of them fails to get more than 50% of the vote there will be a runoff election on May 28.

Voters will also elect a new parliament, likely a tight race between the People's Alliance comprising Erdogan's conservative Islamist-rooted AK Party (AKP) and the nationalist MHP and others, and Kilicdaroglu's Nation Alliance formed of six opposition parties, including his secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), established by Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will close at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT). Under Turkish law, the reporting of any results is banned until 9 p.m. By late on Sunday there could be a good indication of whether there will be a runoff vote for the presidency.

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Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed up enough parties for a coalition with a parliamentary majority on Thursday but requested more time to present the new government, citing a need to agree on roles for his designated partners before an official vote of confidence and a swearing-in takes place.

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Netanyahu was tasked with forming a government after his conservative Likud and likely religious-nationalist partners triumphed in a Nov. 1 election. That mandate is due to expire on Sunday.

In a letter to President Isaac Herzog that Likud circulated to the media, Netanyahu requested the full 14-day extension allowed by law. Herzog's office had no immediate response.

"Some issues related to roles have yet to be agreed upon" in coalition negotiations, Netanyahu wrote in the letter.

The centrist opposition has urged Herzog not to grant an extension, accusing Netanyahu of buying time to pass controversial legislation. One such bill would enable Arieh Deri of the ultra-Orthodox party Shas to serve in the cabinet despite his criminal record.

Earlier on Thursday, Likud said in a statement saying it had reached a coalition deal with Shas, making it the fifth party to join Netanyahu and giving him comfortable control of 64 of the Knesset's 120 seats.

"We have completed another step towards the formation of a right-wing government that will act to serve all of Israel's citizens," Netanyahu said in the statement.

According to the agreement, Deri will head the interior and health ministries during the first half of the government's term, then take up the Finance Ministry in the second half. Deri will also serve as deputy prime minister under Netanyahu.

Deri, a veteran politician, was convicted of tax fraud last year but spared jail in a plea deal. His inclusion in the new government, alongside two far-right parties, has stirred concern in Israel and abroad.

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US President Joe Biden on Monday congratulated Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu on his election win and commended Israel's free and fair elections.

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Biden "reaffirmed the strength of the US-Israel bilateral partnership, based on a bedrock of shared democratic values and mutual interests, and underscored his unwavering support for Israel's security," a White House statement said.

Netanyahu's spokesman said the conversation lasted eight minutes, and that Biden said, "We are brothers; we will make history together … My commitment to Israel is unquestionable."

After the call, Netanyahu wrote on Twitter that he had told Biden that they can "achieve more peace agreements and deal with the threat of Iranian aggression." He was referring to the US-brokered Abraham Accords, as part of which Israel normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020 during Netanyahu's previous term.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Washington would continue to "closely monitor the government formation process," as Netanyahu works on forming a coalition that will likely include religious and far-right parties.

Biden and Netanyahu agreed to speak again at the conclusion of the government formation process, the White House statement said. The process could take weeks as the incoming prime minister is yet to be officially asked by President Isaac Herzog to build a government.

Netanyahu was also congratulated by the leaders of Ukraine, France, and Britain.

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Israeli forces on Sunday shot and killed a Palestinian motorist who slammed his car into a bus stop near Jericho in Judea – the latest in a monthslong wave of deadly violence that shows no signs of slowing.

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The incident came a day after a Palestinian terrorist killed an Israeli man near Kiryat Arba, and just two days before Israel holds national elections.

In Sunday's violence, the Israeli military said the Palestinian driver drove his car toward a group of soldiers at a bus stop near the Palestinian town of Jericho, and then continued to a nearby intersection where other soldiers were standing. It said a total of five soldiers suffered light or moderate injuries. It said an Israeli police officer and armed civilian were at the scene and shot the motorist.

An amateur video showed the car veering off the highway and slamming into a bus stop at high speed. Several people are seen running away as a security guard jumps out of a pickup truck and rushes toward the car.

In another video, two Israelis are seen firing over a dozen bullets at the man as he stands outside his vehicle. Another video appeared to show an Israeli soldier on the ground writhing in pain. The suspect was pronounced dead at an Israeli hospital. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified him as a 49-year-old resident of Azariya, a Palestinian town east of Jerusalem. Palestinian terrorists have carried out dozens of attempted stabbings, shootings and car rammings in recent years.

Dramatic security camera video showed the assailant firing his assault rifle outside a grocery before a security guard rammed him with his truck and pinned him to the ground. An off-duty military officer then opened fire and killed the assailant, later identified as Mohammed Jaabri, 35. The attack took place between Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, and Kiryat Arba, a nearby Israeli settlement. Jaaberi was from Hebron. The military said Sunday it arrested one of Jaabri's brothers and mapped out the family home in a first step toward eventual demolition.

Israel routinely demolishes the homes of Palestinian assailants, arguing that it serves as a deterrent against future violence – even though the military had halted the practice for years after concluding it was counter-productive. Human rights groups have denounced punitive demolitions as collective punishment. This year is on track to be the deadliest in the West Bank since the United Nations started monitoring fatalities in 2005.

It remains unclear what, if any, impact the violence might have on Tuesday's Israeli election, which opinion polls say is too close to forecast. While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the central issue of the campaign, a rise in violence tends to help right-wing parties that advocate harsh measures against Palestinians. The fighting has surged since a series of Palestinian attacks killed 19 people in Israel in the spring. The Israeli army says most of the Palestinians killed have been terrorists.

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In an atmosphere wrought with tension amid scathing political attacks from rivals and public outcry from left-wing groups, former French TV pundit Eric Zemmour held his first presidential campaign rally near Paris on Sunday, a few days after the Jewish candidate formally declared his candidacy in a video that highlighted his anti-migrant and anti-Islam views.

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Speaking in front of some 15,000 supporters, Zemmour announced his new party's name – "Reconquest" – a name Zemmour said harkened the period of history known as the Reconquista, when Christian armies drove Muslims from the Iberian peninsula.

"What's at stake is huge," Zemmour said. "If I win the election, it won't be one more [political[ changeover, but the beginning of the reconquest of the most beautiful country in the world."

Supporters at the rally sang France's national anthem, shouted "Zemmour, president!" and "We will win!" while brandishing the tricolor French flag.

As his supporters cheered and waved French flags in a northern suburb of the capital, thousands of others took to the streets of Paris to denounce what they call a xenophobic platform.

France is holding its presidential election on April 10, with a runoff if needed on April 24. Zemmour has drawn comparisons in France to former US President Donald Trump because of his rabble-rousing populism and ambitions of making the jump from the small screen to national leadership.

The 63-year-old also unveiled his campaign's slogan: "Impossible is not French," a quote attributed to Napoleon.

With echoes of Trump's first campaign for US president, Zemmour promised to slash immigration and taxes.

"I am the only one defending freedom of thought, freedom of speech," he declared, dismissing allegations of fascism, racism and misogyny. In the past, Zemmour has been convicted of hate speech.

Zemmour supporters threw punches and chairs at several protesters wearing anti-racism T-shirts trying to stand on chairs as Zemmour gave his speech. Five protesters were injured, their association said afterward.

Separately, as Zemmour moved through the crowd towards the stage to give his speech, a man lunged and grabbed him briefly by the neck before being tackled by security and later put in custody by police.

Although Zemmour went on to deliver his speech, his team said afterward that he had been injured in the incident and a doctor had ordered a nine-day rest, Le Monde newspaper reported.

Before the rally started, police arrested several dozen anti-Zemmour protesters and chased away others near the giant convention hall north of Paris.

"I'm not racist," Zemmour said. "We are defending our country, our homeland, our ancestral heritage (to) ... transmit our children France as we have known it."

The politician also railed against political elites and the media. Several times the crowds booed members of the press gathered in the arena.

Reporters from a French television show were booed and insulted by Zemmour's supporters ahead of his speech, leading them to be briefly escorted outside the room by security guards.

"They are making up polemics about books I wrote 15 years ago, they snoop into my private life, call me all sort of names... My adversaries want my political death, journalists want my social death and jihadists want my death," he said.

Zemmour wants foreigners to "assimilate" French culture rather than keeping their identities. He wants to ban parents from giving children foreign names and restrict choices to typical French names Zemmour also wants to end nationality being acquired by birth on French soil and to deport foreign criminals and foreign job seekers who don't find employment within six months.

"France is back, because the French people stood up. The French people stand up against those who want to make it disappear," he said.

In the past, Zemmour has also made it clear that he stands by Israel and that the two-state solution belongs to the past, calling for an updated French policy on the matter.

According to Zemmour, the real fault line in the Middle East is the one dividing Shiites from Sunnis.

"If Israel says Jerusalem is its capital, then it's the capital," the journalist and author told the international news outlet. He has also shied away from calling himself a Zionist. "I am a French citizen. If Zionism is the view that Israel should have the right to self-defense, then I am in."

He noted that seeking a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was an outdated approach. "I don't believe in it; the Palestinians lost the battle and there will never be a Palestinian state," he said. "The biggest clash in the Middle East is that between Shiites and the Sunnis, as is the case between Saudi Arabia and Iran."

Zemmour was born to Jewish immigrants from Algeria and is married to a Jew.

"I don't care if Zemmour is Jewish or Christian," said a 21-year-old supporter at Sunday's rally. "He wants to make France strong again, and that's what matters."

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Zemmour has gained strength on France's political scene in recent months, starting to siphon off supporters from right-wing National Party leader Marine Le Pen, who has long said she would run for the French presidency next year.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who defeated Le Pen in the 2017 presidential runoff, is expected to seek a second term but he has yet to declare his candidacy.

The far-left leader of the Rebel France party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is seeking the presidency for the third time, also staged a rally on Sunday, gathering several thousand supporters in Paris.

Other presidential candidates on the left include Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo for the Socialist party and Yannick Jadot, a former Greenpeace activist, for the Greens.

Those attending rallies for Zemmour and Mélenchon were not required to show French COVID-19 health passes, in line with a decision from the Constitutional Council that said the passes should not be used to restrict access to political meetings.

Wearing a mask is mandatory in French public gatherings, yet many Zemmour supporters defied the restriction.

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