Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Israel&rsquo;s government is facing renewed political turmoil after an ultra-Orthodox party threatened to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s coalition over delays to a controversial military draft-exemption bill, Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The ultra-orthodox Degel HaTorah party warned it could push for early elections if legislation exempting Haredi Jewish men from military service is postponed until after the next national vote.&nbsp;&nbsp;The dispute centers on long-running demands by ultra-orthodox parties for legal protections allowing religious students to avoid compulsory military service.&nbsp;The issue has become increasingly contentious during Israel&rsquo;s ongoing regional conflicts, with many Israelis arguing that military service obligations should apply equally across society.&nbsp;&nbsp;Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael together form the United Torah Judaism alliance, a key partner in Netanyahu&rsquo;s right-wing coalition government.&nbsp;The alliance controls seven seats in the 120-member Knesset and is reportedly seeking support from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which holds 11 seats.&nbsp;&nbsp;Exemption law must waitIsrael&rsquo;s public broadcaster KAN reported that Netanyahu and his aides informed Haredi parties that the exemption law could not currently pass in its existing form and may need to wait until after the elections.&nbsp;&nbsp;That position reportedly angered ultra-orthodox leaders, who are now considering moves to obstruct legislation in parliament and accelerate efforts to dissolve the Knesset.&nbsp;Party leader Moshe Gafni is said to have met Netanyahu&rsquo;s chief of staff this week to discuss the crisis, though doubts remain over whether the coalition has enough support to pass the bill.&nbsp;&nbsp;The controversy follows a 2024 Israeli Supreme Court ruling ordering the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men and ending state funding for religious institutions whose students refuse military service.&nbsp;&nbsp;Haredi groups have continued to protest the decision, arguing that full-time Torah study is central to their religious identity and they should be exempt from conscription.

Middle East

Israeli ultra-orthodox party threatens to topple Netanyahu’s coalition over delays to a military draft exemption bill, deepening political tensions around Haredi conscription and government stability.

Netanyahu coalition faces collapse over conscription bill delay

WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the war on Iran had achieved more than half its aims, without putting a timeline on when it would end. &quot;It&#39;s definitely beyond the halfway point. But I don&#39;t want to put a schedule on it,&quot; Netanyahu told the conservative US broadcaster Newsmax. He added that he meant the war was more than halfway &quot;in terms of missions, not necessarily in terms of time.&quot; President Donald Trump, who launched the war with Netanyahu on February 28, initially said the operation would last for four to six weeks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the war would last &quot;weeks&quot; further instead of months, amid wide US public opposition to a conflict that has sent oil prices soaring. Netanyahu said the war had achieved goals including killing &quot;thousands&quot; of members of Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards. Israel and the United States are also &quot;close to finishing their arms industry,&quot; he added. &quot;Just the whole industrial base -- wiping out all, you know, just plants, entire plants, and the nuclear program itself,&quot; he said. Netanyahu and Trump have repeatedly alleged that Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, a claim not supported by the UN nuclear watchdog and that comes despite Trump saying he &quot;obliterated&quot; key sites in attacks last year. Netanyahu also voiced confidence that Iran&#39;s Islamic republic would fall, though he said again that this was not the goal. &quot;I think this regime will collapse internally. But at the moment, right now, what we&#39;re doing is just degrading their military capacity, degrading their missile capacity, degrading their nuclear capacity and also weakening them from the inside,&quot; Netanyahu said. The war came weeks after Iranian authorities clamped down on major anti-government demonstrations, killing thousands of people. Trump in recent days has said the war has effectively achieved &quot;regime change&quot; by empowering other figures within the cleric-run state who Trump says may be more accommodating.

Says the war on Iran has achieved more than half its military aims, including major damage to Iran’s forces and arms industry, while US officials say fighting could continue for weeks despite growing public opposition.

Netanyahu says Iran war goals achieved 'beyond halfway point'

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would not allow arch-foe Iran to restore its ballistic missile programme, just days after US President Donald Trump issued a similar threat.&nbsp;&quot;We will not allow Iran to restore its ballistic missile industry, and certainly we will not allow it renew the nuclear programme that we significantly damaged,&quot; Netanyahu told lawmakers.&nbsp;&quot;If we are attacked, the consequences for Iran will be very severe,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Netanyahu&#39;s threat comes days after Trump threatened to &quot;eradicate&quot; Iran&#39;s nuclear and ballistic missile programme, after the two leaders met in Washington last week.&nbsp;Israeli officials and media have expressed concern in recent months that Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile arsenal after it was adamaged during the 12-day war with Israel in June.&nbsp;Trump said Iran &quot;may be behaving badly&quot; and was looking at new nuclear sites to replace those targeted by US strikes during the same conflict, as well as restoring its missile stockpiles.&nbsp;&quot;I hope they&#39;re not trying to build up again because if they are, we&#39;re going have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that buildup,&quot; Trump said, adding that the US response &quot;may be more powerful than the last time.&quot;&nbsp;But Trump said he believed Iran was still interested in a deal with Washington on its nuclear and missile programmes. Tehran denies that it is seeking nuclear weapons.&nbsp;Netanyahu, meanwhile, said the protests in Iran had &quot;expanded greatly&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;It is very possible that we are at a decisive moment -- a moment when the Iranian people will take their destiny into their own hands,&quot; he said in parliament.&nbsp;Protests erupted in Iran on December 28 when shopkeepers in the capital Tehran staged a strike over high prices and economic stagnation.&nbsp;They have since spread to other cities and expanded to include political demands.&nbsp;On Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel stood in solidarity with the Iranian people during the ongoing demonstrations.&nbsp;&quot;We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice,&quot; Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu warns Iran against rebuilding ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities, citing severe consequences, and voices support for ongoing Iranian protests demanding economic and political reforms.

Netanyahu says Israel won't let Iran restore ballistic missile programme

JERUSALEM: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave Hamas an ultimatum of &quot;three or four days&quot; to accept his plan to end the war in Gaza &quot;for their own good&quot; or face severe consequences. Trump&#39;s plan, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. That would be followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself. Hamas reviewing terms&nbsp;World powers, including Arab and Muslim nations, welcomed the proposal, but Hamas has yet to issue a response as it reviewed the terms. &quot;We&#39;re going to do about three or four days,&quot; Trump told reporters when asked about any timeframe. He later warned Hamas it would face severe consequences if it refused. &quot;We have one signature that we need, and that signature will pay in hell if they don&#39;t sign,&quot; Trump told US generals and admirals gathered at a military base in Quantico, Virginia. &lsquo;Several days&rsquo;&nbsp;A Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Hamas had begun consultations, and &quot;the discussions could take several days due to the complexities.&quot; Qatar, which hosts Hamas&#39;s exiled leadership, said it would hold a meeting with Hamas officials and Turkey later Tuesday. &quot;It is still too early to speak about responses, but we are truly optimistic that this plan, as we said, is a comprehensive one,&quot; a Qatar foreign ministry spokesman said. Upon returning from his meeting with Trump at the White House on Monday, Netanyahu said he would brief his cabinet on a deal that would achieve &quot;all the war aims we have set.&quot; His comments came as Israel continued its offensive in Gaza, with the territory&#39;s civil defense agency and hospitals saying 46 people had been killed, including 15 in Gaza City. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;End in tears&#39;</h2>Trump&#39;s proposal demands that Hamas fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in the government, but those who agree to &quot;peaceful co-existence&quot; would be given amnesty. It would also see a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza after nearly two years of war. But in an earlier video after the press conference with Trump, Netanyahu said the Israeli military would stay in most of Gaza, and claimed he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks in Washington. Still, Israel&#39;s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Netanyahu&#39;s coalition government, blasted the plan as a &quot;resounding diplomatic failure.&quot; &quot;In my estimation, it will also end in tears. Our children will be forced to fight in Gaza again,&quot; Smotrich said. Trump&rsquo;s plan&nbsp;Trump&#39;s plan includes the deployment of a &quot;temporary international stabilisation force&quot; and the creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump himself, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. But during his press conference with Trump, Netanyahu cast doubt on whether the Palestinian Authority, which nominally runs population centers in the occupied West Bank, would be allowed a role in Gaza&#39;s governance. He also warned that &quot;If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.&quot; Trump said Israel would have his &quot;full backing&quot; to do so if Hamas did not accept the deal. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Unrealistic&#39;</h2>Washington&#39;s European allies, including Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, expressed strong support, while China and Russia also declared their backing. But in Gaza, people were skeptical. &quot;It&#39;s clear that this plan is unrealistic&quot;, 39-year-old computer programmer Ibrahim Joudeh told AFP from his shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza. &quot;It&#39;s drafted with conditions that the US and Israel know Hamas will never accept. For us, that means the war and the suffering will continue,&quot; he said. &lsquo;Sincere and determined efforts&rsquo;The Palestinian Authority welcomed what it called Trump&#39;s &quot;sincere and determined efforts.&quot; But Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said the plan would fuel further aggression against Palestinians. &quot;Through this, Israel is attempting &mdash; via the United States &mdash; to impose what it could not achieve through war,&quot; the group said. Israel&#39;s war has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed 66,097 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

Trump gives Hamas "three or four days" to accept a Gaza ceasefire plan involving disarmament, hostage release, and phased Israeli withdrawal. Hamas is reviewing terms of the plan.

Trump gives Hamas '3 or 4 days' on Gaza deal

Trump's Gaza peace plan has international oversight body 'Board of Peace'; Netanyahu says did not agree to a Palestinian state; Hamas will review the 'plan in good faith, provide a response'.

Trump says he is waiting for Hamas to accept peace proposals

WASHINGTON: After days of speculation, the White House on Monday released a 20-point plan for ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, releasing hostages held by Hamas, and outlining Gaza&rsquo;s future. Speaking alongside President Donald Trump at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave cautious backing to plan. Here is the plan, as released by the White House: 1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors. 2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough. 3. If both sides agree to this proposal,&nbsp;the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal. 4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned. 5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th&nbsp;2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans. 6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries. 7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads. 8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement. 9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the &ldquo;Board of Peace,&rdquo; which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump&rsquo;s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment. 10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza. 11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries. 12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza. 13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors. 14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people. 15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties. 16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat. 17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF. 18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace. 19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people. 20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.&nbsp;

Americas

The US proposed 20-point peace plan is aimed at ending the war in Gaza, release of the Israeli hostages, providing aid and redevelopment of the Palestinian territory. 

What is Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan?

TEL AVIV: On the eve of meeting with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is working on a new ceasefire plan with the White House, but details are still being sorted out. Netanyahu has come under heavy international pressure to end the war, especially during the ongoing offensive in Gaza City. The death toll in the Israeli war on Gaza has topped 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry said Sunday. &lsquo;We&rsquo;re working on it&rsquo;In Monday&rsquo;s White House meeting, Trump is expected to share a new proposal for ending the conflict. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re working on it,&rdquo; Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Sunday Briefing.&rdquo; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not been finalized yet, but we&rsquo;re working with President Trump&rsquo;s team, actually as we speak, and I hope we can -- we can make it a go.&rdquo; Arab officials briefed on the plan say the 21-point proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not been formally announced. Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas is destroyed. But he repeated an offer to allow Hamas operatives to leave Gaza as part of a deal ending the conflict. &ldquo;If they finish the war, release all the hostages, we let them out,&rdquo; he said. Growing international pressure on IsraelTrump has so far stood behind Israel. But the US leader has shown signs of impatience lately, particularly after Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas&rsquo; political leadership in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month.&nbsp; Ceasefire talks have stalled since, despite growing international and domestic protests. Key Western allies have joined a list of countries recognizing a Palestinian state over Israeli objections.&nbsp; The European Union is considering sanctions and there are growing moves for a sports and cultural boycott against Israel. Netanyahu told fellow world leaders Friday at the UN General Assembly that his nation &ldquo;must finish the job&rdquo; in Gaza. Trump&rsquo;s 21-point ceasefire planTrump&#39;s ceasefire proposal would include the release of all hostages within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, according to three Arab officials briefed on the plan.&nbsp; The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks, said the proposal is not final and changes are highly likely. Trump discussed the proposal with Arab leaders in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. A Hamas official said the group was briefed on the plan but has yet to receive an official offer from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Hamas has said it is ready to &ldquo;study any proposals positively and responsibly.&rdquo; The official said the group had previously said it was willing to release all hostages in return for an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip. Nonstop explosions&nbsp;Local hospitals in central Gaza said at least 10 people were killed when at least two strikes hit homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry said in its daily report the death toll has climbed to 66,005, with a further 168,162 wounded since the war started.

On the eve of meeting Trump, Netanyahu said Israel is working on a ceasefire plan amid international pressure over the Gaza war, which has killed over 66,000 Palestinians; Trump’s 21-point proposal includes hostage release.

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