Parliamentary security director Aaro Toivonen confirmed a death occurred within the building but declined to provide additional details to Newsweek. The incident took place during parliament's summer recess period, which continues until September.

"The death of Eemeli Peltonen deeply shocks me and all of us," Social Democratic Party parliamentary group chair Tytti Tuppurainen stated. "He was a very well-liked member of our community, and we will miss him greatly. A young life has ended far too soon. We share in the grief of his loved ones and wish them strength in the midst of their sorrow."

Peltonen had recently disclosed health struggles through social media, revealing kidney disease treatment and subsequent secondary infection complications that required medical leave from parliamentary duties. His final Instagram post detailed these medical challenges affecting his legislative service.

The young lawmaker secured his parliamentary seat in the 2023 elections with 5,747 votes, subsequently joining the administration and legal affairs committees. Beyond national politics, Peltonen served on Järvenpää City Council and held the position of City Board Chairman, making him the youngest person ever to hold that role after first winning election at age 18.

Centre Party chair and former defense minister Antti Kaikkonen honored Peltonen's memory through a social media tribute. "I also came to know him as a warm and sympathetic person," Kaikkonen expressed. "The news of Eemeli's passing is shocking and deeply saddening. I extend my deepest condolences to Eemeli's family and loved ones. Wishing them strength in their great sorrow."

Iltalehti newspaper initially reported the parliamentary death, with Ilta-Sanomat providing subsequent confirmation. Public broadcaster Yle sought verification from security officials, who did not dispute the reporting from other media outlets.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo conveyed shock and sadness regarding his colleague's death, Ilta-Sanomat reported. Parliament officials issued a statement acknowledging the death while noting that "Parliament will not comment further on the case while the coroner's investigation is ongoing."

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A radical Islamist preacher alleged over the weekend that the assassination of Tory MP David Amess on Friday may have been due to his pro-Israel stance. 

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"The rumors are that he [Amess] was pro-Israel," Anjem Choudary told the Mail on Sunday from his home in East London. "Many people believe that [Israel] is a terrorist state, and who would possibly be a friend of Israel after you see the carnage that they carried out against Muslims in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and continue to do with the appropriation of properties?" he said.  Amess was a member of the pro-Israel group "Conservatives Friends of Israel" and expressed strong support of the Jewish state during his long term in Parliament, dating back to 1983. 

Choudary further stated that while "no one in their right and rational mind would support such a state," it nevertheless "does not give anyone the justification to kill."

The 54-year-old cleric is the former leader of the proscribed group Islam4UK. He also served two years in prison, between 2016 and 2018, for inviting support for the Islamic State. He was originally given a five-and-a-half-year sentence but was released early. He lived under license restriction until July this year but is free to preach again. 

Nevertheless, security forces have said that if Choudary continued to preach extremism in Britain, he could be put under house arrest and tried again on terrorism and hate law charges.

His comments drew criticism from British officials and intellectuals alike. 

"Not only is it outrageous and repugnant, but the whole motive of the attack is a matter for the police – not Mr. Choudary," British Professor Anthony Glees, an expert on extremism, said. "'Like all brainwashed radicalizers, Choudary will do everything he can to carry on making his poisonous comments. This is an attempt to radicalize others."

A 25-year-old British man – reportedly called Ali Harbi Ali – has been arrested in connection with the attack on Amess. Police have called his alleged action terrorism and have said that there were indications that his actions drew "potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism."

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Iran's hardliner-dominated parliament voted Wednesday to approve most of the ministers proposed by newly elected President Ibrahim Raisi, state TV reported.

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Lawmakers voted in favor of 18 of 19 ministers proposed by Raisi after five days of hearings. They did not approve Hossein Baghgoli, nominated for education minister, whose experience was disputed during discussions.

Raisi had appealed to lawmakers to vote quickly to approve his nominees so the government can get to work dealing with the pandemic and economic situation in the country suffering from years of sanctions by the US.

The president has said that his foreign policy will focus on engagement with all nations and the removal of US sanctions. New Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who received 270 out of the 290 votes from lawmakers, said his ministry "would not run away from the negotiating table" and will do its best to remove all sanctions imposed on the country.

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Campaign banners for two Jewish parliament members who are running for re-election in Canada's upcoming elections were vandalized with swastikas.

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On Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for the current government to be dissolved with new elections to be held on Sept. 20. Among those running for re-election are current ministers of Parliament Rachel Bendayan and Anthony Housefather, both of Montreal. It was their banners that were defaced.

"It is absolutely sickening to see this vile antisemitism targeting Jewish election candidates," said Michael Levitt, president and CEO of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center. "There's no place for this Jew-hatred in the city of Montreal or anywhere else in Canada. This symbol of hate and genocide must be rejected by all Canadians, regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum."

Reactions came swiftly from the candidates, who on Tuesday posted photos of the vandalized posters online.

Housefather, a Parliament member for Mount Royal, wrote on Twitter: "Pretty sad to see antisemitism hitting the campaign on Day 3. I can assure whoever did this that no swastika is going to scare me or stop me from speaking up for Jewish Canadians."

"Whatever your political views, spreading hateful and violent messages is not the way to go," Bendayan posted on social media. "We've seen the road that the politics of the far-right leads us to in the US and around the world. That is not us. That is not our Canada."

The vandalism comes as Canada deals with high numbers of antisemitic incidents.

"Disgusted by the targeting of Jewish candidates with the most vile of antisemitic symbols of hatred – swastikas," tweeted Irwin Colter, founder and chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. "There is no room for such antisemitic hate in Canada, or anywhere, and certainly not in a democratic electoral process."

Also concerned about the vandalism is Trudeau, whose government recently held a forum on antisemitism in the country and promised to do more to protect Canadian Jews.

"It is completely unacceptable," Trudeau wrote on Twitter. "I stand in solidarity with Rachel and Anthony, and the entire Jewish community, against this type of hatred."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Bristol University in the United Kingdom has launched an investigation into a professor suspected of making comments targeting Jewish students at the university.

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In a statement issued on Tuesday, the university said: "We can confirm that the university has already initiated an investigation into this matter. The investigation is being carried out in accordance with the university's internal process and, as we have explained in a previous statement, that process is confidential."

"The university's clear and consistently held position is that bullying, harassment and discrimination are never acceptable," the statement continued. "We remain committed to providing a positive experience for all our students and staff, including by providing a welcoming environment for Jewish students, and to fostering good relations and an inclusive university community.

Sociology professor David Miller has called for "the end" of Zionism and claimed that "it's fundamental to Zionism to encourage Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, too," according to the student-run publication The Bristol Tab. He also accused Jewish students of being "directed by the State of Israel" to pursue a "campaign of censorship" that endangers Muslim and Arab students.

On Feb. 18, Miller said the attacks on him are "directed by the State of Israel."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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While exit polls published immediately after the polls closed Thursday show the Conservatives winning 368 seats, with a majority of 86 MPs – 50 more than the party won in the 2017 election, when Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, was forced to establish a minority government that was unable to move ahead with Brexit – the party won an actual 320 seats, according to the official results published early Friday.

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Boris Johnson said, "Thank you to everyone across our great country who voted, who volunteered, who stood as candidates. We live in the greatest democracy in the world."

"I think this will turn out to be a historic election that gives us now, in this new government, the chance to respect the democratic will of the British people," Johnson said after winning his seat of Uxbridge.

He said the Conservatives appeared to have won "a powerful new mandate to get Brexit done."

Meanwhile, Britain's Jewish community appears to be breathing a sigh of relief. Labour, which under current leader Jeremy Corbyn has been awash in accusations that it has failed to investigate or combat the swell in anti-Semitism seen among its MPs and activists, won only 194 seats, 67 fewer than it had in the most recent Parliament and the lowest number of seats for Labour since 1935.

"This is obviously a very disappointing night for the Labour Party with the result that we've got," Corbyn said after being reelected in his own north London electoral seat. He said he would not lead the party in any future elections.

Weary Labour candidates taking in the scale of their defeat said his leadership had played a major role in the defeat.

A member of the Labour shadow government called the election results catastrophic for the party and for Britain as a whole.

It appears that the third-largest party in Parliament will be the Scottish National Party, which won 44 seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats, who won a mere 13. The Greens secured one seat, and independent candidates won 22.

According to the exit polls, some 5.4% of Labour voters cast ballots for the Conservative Party on Thursday, the largest-ever migration across that party line.

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Hassan Nasrallah said the current unity government should instead bring "a new spirit" to tackling the economic crisis fueling the demonstrations. His televised speech did nothing to soothe protesters in the streets, who included Nasrallah in their chants listing senior figures they blame for corruption and mismanagement.

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The spontaneous protests are Lebanon's largest in five years, spreading beyond Beirut. They are building on long-simmering anger at a ruling class that has divvied up power among themselves and amassed wealth for decades but has done little to fix a crumbling economy and dilapidated infrastructure.

On Saturday night, a Lebanese Christian leader asked his four ministers in the cabinet to resign, saying he no longer believes the current national unity government headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri can steer the country out of the deepening economic crisis.

The resignation announced by Samir Geagea, who heads the right-wing Lebanese Forces party, is another test for the government but does not collapse the 30-member cabinet.

Earlier Saturday, thousands gathered in central Beirut chanting against all politicians for hours past nightfall. There were smaller protests in other towns and cities.

"Thieves, thieves," they chanted and named almost every senior Lebanese politician, cursing them or demanding they step down.

"All of them, and Nasrallah is one of them," they shouted. The black-turbaned figure with a large Shiite following is normally a taboo, but outraged protesters have spared no one from their criticism, aiming at the entire ruling class.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah dominates the current cabinet through its party and its allies. Both Nasrallah and Hariri, who spoke on TV the night before, presented an image that they each support the protesters' aims but that others in government are blocking a reform agenda.

Nasrallah said it would be "a waste of time" for the current national unity government to resign since the same political factions would have to haggle over forming a new one.

"If this government resigns, we won't have a new one for a year or two," he said in a televised speech, pointing to perpetual political divisions that delayed forming the current cabinet for nine months. He said the deeply-indebted economy doesn't have the luxury of time.

"Let this government continue but with a new spirit and new way of working and let it learn its lessons from the last two days of popular outburst," said Nasrallah, denouncing political rivals, without naming any, who shirk their responsibility amid the crisis.

Protests erupted after the government proposed new taxes criticized for hitting low income groups the hardest. The taxes included a flat $6 monthly fee for using the free voice and call services of Whatsapp. Public anger had already been growing for months over an austerity budget that hiking multiple taxes and curbed government pensions and employment benefits at a time when many struggle with high prices and unemployment.

The nation came to a standstill amid the large-scale protests, which have brought people from across the sectarian and religious lines that define the country.

On Saturday, protesters carrying Lebanese flags massed at a security barricade piled with barbed wire outside the government's offices. "The people want to bring down the regime," was the uniting refrain.

Mia Oueini, a 15-year-old in the crowd, said politicians should bear the responsibility of the protests.

"This is not our fault. They are the thieves," she said, pulling at a gas mask she had over her mouth in case of police tear gas. "My message [to them] is ... Please stop lying, stop stealing and just give us what we need."

In his speech Friday night, Hariri gave his partners in the government a 72-hour ultimatum to come up with convincing solutions to the economic crisis. On Saturday, Hariri said he was meeting cabinet ministers to "reach what serves the Lebanese."

Friday night, some demonstrators went on a rampage, smashing window shops and bank exteriors in Beirut's glitzy downtown. Security forces eventually responded by firing tear gas and water cannons. Dozens were arrested.

Amnesty International called on police to stop the use of "excessive force," pointing to the large amount of tear gas as well as beatings and harassment at gunpoint of protesters.

On Saturday, Lebanese Al Jadeed TV said protests in the southern city of Tyre turned violent when supporters of longtime Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri attacked protesters who named him among those corrupt officials who should step down. His party said it is investigating the violence.

Nasrallah told the protesters their message was heard and that he too was against increasing taxes that directly impact the poor. But he warned the protesters against being pulled into political rivalries, saying that would derail their message.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain called on their citizens to leave Lebanon amid the unrest, underscoring the risk of the unrest to an economy already on the verge of collapse.

Lebanon has the third-highest debt level in the world, currently standing at about $86 billion, or 150% of its gross domestic product.

International donors demand that Lebanon implement economic changes in order to get loans and grants pledged at the CEDRE economic conference in Paris in April 2018. International donors pledged $11 billion for Lebanon but they sought to ensure the money is well spent in the corruption-plagued country.

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Throughout his tenure, a high percentage of Israel's electorate has consistently supported and voted for Netanyahu's Likud party, with more than 1 million Israelis voting this week for Likud. The high number of votes is significant because they were cast despite of, or perhaps in response to, the ongoing charges against him by Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit.

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In addition to Netanyahu's pending legal woes, it's the right-wing flank – Netanyahu's natural coalition partners – that has been imploding and defecting, now leaving the prime minister short of a parliamentary majority.

In November 2018, a year before the government's term was to end, Avigdor Lieberman resigned his post as defense minister and pulled his six-seat Yisrael Beytenu party out of a stable, right-wing and religious coalition totaling 67 seats. Lieberman charged that the government (of which he was part) was reacting too weakly to ongoing conflict with Gaza at Netanyahu's instruction.

Lieberman's resignation left the government with a 61-seat right-wing majority. Rather than continue to lead a narrow government until elections pre-scheduled for November 2019, Netanyahu called early elections in the spring in an effort to strengthen his mandate to continue leading the country while simultaneously fighting corruption charges.

Just prior to the April 9 election, Mandelblit announced that he intended to indict Netanyahu on three separate counts of breach of trust, pending hearings that are now tentatively scheduled to commence in the coming weeks.

The looming charges, which Netanyahu has insisted are intended to push him from office, did little to deter Likud's core voters. In April's polls, Netanyahu's Likud received 35 seats, a five-seat increase over the previous elections in 2015.

Despite the significant electoral increase, Netanyahu surprisingly found himself unable to form a right-wing government. The right-wing and religious parties together received 65 seats in the April election, with the heads of each party recommending that Netanyahu be charged with forming the government.

Lieberman, whose resignation forced the collapse of the previous government, ultimately refused to join a Netanyahu-led government over a clash with the religious parties on a law that would increase the number of haredi conscripts to the army. Without Yisrael Beytenu's five seats, Netanyahu was left with only 60 MKs – one short of a majority. Rather than empower another Knesset member to form a coalition, he convinced the 65 members of the right-wing bloc, including Lieberman, to vote to dissolve the newly elected Knesset and head to second elections.

The defection of Lieberman's party from a right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu was not the only move that prevented a right-wing majority for Netanyahu.

Prior to the April elections, longtime Habayit Hayehudi leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked decided to break off and create the New Right party, which focused on attracting secular right-wing voters. Early polls had shown that together, Habayit Hayehudi and New Right would significantly increase their seats. The gambit was a tremendous failure, as New Right failed to cross the 3.25% minimum electoral threshold by 2,000 votes. Crossing the threshold would have given New Right four seats. Had the New Right entered the Knesset and supported Netanyahu, Lieberman's defection would still have left Netanyahu with a small majority.

In September, Bennett and Shaked crawled back to Habayit Hayehudi with their New Right faction. However, the far-right faction Otzma Yehudit, which had joined Habayit Hayehudi in April, was jettisoned and so ran on its own. They, too, fell short of the four seats required to cross the electoral threshold. Had they joined Habayit Hayehudi, the two seats worth of votes they received would have gone to the right-wing bloc, with at least one of the seats likely coming at the expense of left-wing challengers.

The right-wing nationalist parties, of which Habayit Hayehudi is a mainstay, have a history of internal divisions that have kept their MK totals steady and on the far fringe of Israeli politics for decades, despite a constituency with among the highest birthrates in the country.

Further adding to Netanyahu's coalition difficulties was the implosion of the center-right Kulanu party. In 2015, then-former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon established the moderate right-wing alternative to Likud, winning 10 seats. Kulanu joined Netanyahu's government with Kahlon receiving the finance ministry. In April, Kulanu fell to barely four seats, just above the Knesset threshold. Facing extinction in Tuesday's elections, Kahlon merged back into the Likud party. Together, Likud and Kulanu had 39 seats following April's polls. In September, Likud, now including Kulanu, received only 31 seats.

Without the relative comfort and stability of his natural right-wing partners, Netanyahu currently has a bloc of only 55 Knesset members supporting him to form a government – six seats short of a majority.

Netanyahu's opposition, led by Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, now holds 33 seats – two more than Likud – placing it in pole position to form a government. Still, their natural partners to the left-wing will give them a bloc of only 44 seats. Even if Lieberman's right-wing Yisrael Beytenu were to cross party lines to join Blue and White, the center-left bloc would only secure 52 seats, still trailing behind Netanyahu's remaining right-wing bloc.

The deadlock now increases the likelihood of a national unity government comprised of both Likud, and Blue and White. But Gantz has said that he refuses to sit in any government led by Netanyahu, and Netanyahu is thus far unwilling to yield the prime minister's chair to his challenger or to another member of the Likud party.

Unless Netanyahu can find defectors from across the aisle – or convince Lieberman and his now-eight seats to return to the camp – not only is Netanyahu's rule in jeopardy but so are the years of right-wing governments.

And if party leaders to either the Right or Left together cannot build a coalition of at least 60 MKs, Israel may yet find itself in another election in the months ahead.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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"I'm alone here, but I know the issue better than anyone," Habib declared.

"This little state [Israel] is barely the size of 2% of the territory of France," Habib added and said he wondered whether all the problems of the world stemmed from the Palestinian territories: "There is so much hypocrisy in the region. I'm begging, open your eyes," Habib, who represents French citizens overseas – including those who live in Israel – told his fellow MPs.

During the discussion, MP Christian Hutin spoke out against U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and special adviser Jared Kushner, who is helping broker the administration's "deal of the century" for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

"Let's try and keep things balanced. One people has a state and the other doesn't. Trump's son-in-law certainly isn't the person to do anything about the matter, since he is already biased in favor of one side," Hutin said.

Habib responded by asking, "Because Kushner is Jewish?" which sparked an argument between Habib and a female MP from French President Emmanuel Macron's party, who shouted: "You're just a representative of the Likud – you aren't a representative of the French."

Habib left the committee after telling her that the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks at the Hyper Cacher supermarket and in the city of Toulouse had "killed in the name of Palestine."

Later in the meeting, MP Jean-Paul Lecoq referred to Israel as an "apartheid state" and claimed that "in France, there is a lot of talk about the apartheid policy in that territory. The Israel policy, and you won't stop me from thinking this, right now, is one of terrorism."

Lecoq added that it was unclear whether this was "terrorist politics," but said that "the policy is one of scaremongering, so there won't be any Palestinian identity or citizenship."

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But perhaps the more relevant example to what is currently happening with the coalition crisis in Israel is the double election compromise of 1974, which proved that a victor's determination can pay off if he is willing to take a calculated risk. In 1974, the British Parliament included 635 seats. In the election that was held in February of that years, the Conservatives – under then-Prime Minister Edward Heath – were voted out, winning 297 seats, compared to 301 for the Labour party under Harold Wilson. Wilson was named prime minister after the Liberals refused to sit with the Conservatives in a coalition. Interestingly, one of the main issues in that election was the conditions under which Britain would join the EU, which was then known as the European Community.

Either way, Wilson led a minority government that found it difficult to function. He sought a repeat election at the earliest possible date, and in October of that year, another election was held. This time, his party won 319 seats, which made things easier for him. In March 1976, Wilson announced he would be leaving politics because he was "mentally and physically exhausted." Some think that Wilson resigned because his doctor has spotted early signs of Alzheimer's. However, there is no doubt that the internal strife in his party over Britain joining Europe contributed to his decision. Indeed, history repeats itself.

There was a precedent for Wilson's determination in 1974. In 1964, he was voted prime minister for the first time, but Labour under his leadership at the time won such a tiny majority that it could not function. Wilson eventually decided to move the election forward, and it was held in 1966. His gamble paid off, and Labour won another 47 seats.

It is no simple thing to decide on an early election. Other than the 1974 election in Britain, it's hard to find instances of two general elections being held in a single calendar year. There are many examples, however, of leaders who decided to move up a general election finding that it boomerangs. But sometimes, a leader has no choice. The Wilson instances from 1966 and 1974 proved that gutsiness can pay off.

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