https://www.scmp.com/rss/522944/feed The latest news and top stories on Gideon Saar, the Foreign Minister of Israel since November 2024. He has held numerous ministerial positions, including Minister of Education, Minister of the Interior, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Justice. A former Member of Knesset for Likud, he later founded the New Hope party. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Israel’s national security minister drew a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and triggered a backlash abroad, after releasing videos taunting detained flotilla activists who tried to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, telling them they should be imprisoned for a long time. Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters”, the way National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the activists was “not in line... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354277/israeli-minister-posts-video-flotilla-activists-threatens-jail-them-long-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354277/israeli-minister-posts-video-flotilla-activists-threatens-jail-them-long-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 14:06:15 +0000 Dewey Sim,Khushboo Razdan Dewey Sim,Khushboo Razdan Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held rare face-to-face talks, facilitated by Washington, on Tuesday, with all sides agreeing to launch “direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue”. “Israel expressed its commitment to engage in direct negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and achieve a durable peace that will strengthen security, stability and prosperity in the region,” as per a readout issued by the US State Department. The statement said that Lebanon called for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350092/israel-lebanon-talks-rare-historic-moment-amid-hopes-conflict-resolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350092/israel-lebanon-talks-rare-historic-moment-amid-hopes-conflict-resolution?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:41:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, an area Defence Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday described as a “security zone”, spelling out for the first time Israel’s intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a 10th of the country. At a meeting with the military chief of staff, Katz said Israeli forces would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani,” a river that meets the Mediterranean about 30km (20 miles) ‌north of Israel’s border. Lebanon’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347801/israels-military-occupy-swathe-southern-lebanon-amid-widening-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347801/israels-military-occupy-swathe-southern-lebanon-amid-widening-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 04:48:04 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi urged his Israeli counterpart to help bring about an immediate end to the war in Iran during a call on Tuesday, reportedly held at Israel’s request. The call came three days after Israel and the United States launched a massive attack on Tehran, killing its Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his wife and senior Iranian officials, prompting largely ineffective Iranian counter-attacks across the Middle East to date. “China opposes any military strikes launched by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345325/china-urges-israel-end-war-iran-regional-tensions-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345325/china-urges-israel-end-war-iran-regional-tensions-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:08:00 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan China is expected to rebalance its ties with Israel as US-Israeli air strikes on Iran reshape the region’s security landscape, but analysts say it is unlikely to abandon its long-standing “balanced diplomacy” in the Middle East. The strikes began on Saturday after nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran reached a stalemate and tensions spiralled. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 86-year-old cleric who had dominated the Islamic Republic’s political system for nearly four... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345308/how-will-china-adjust-israel-ties-us-led-strikes-iran-reshape-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345308/how-will-china-adjust-israel-ties-us-led-strikes-iran-reshape-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain US President Donald Trump declared the war in Gaza “over” at his inaugural “Board of Peace” meeting on Thursday, even as regional analysts warned that Israeli military operations could resume within weeks. At the gathering in Washington, attended by senior officials from more than 20 countries, promises of reconstruction and a “bright future” for Gaza were coupled with blunt US warnings that the alternative to disarmament would be a return to war. Outside the meeting, Israeli officials... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344087/trump-says-gaza-war-over-analysts-warn-fighting-could-resume-within-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344087/trump-says-gaza-war-over-analysts-warn-fighting-could-resume-within-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:33:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Israel and China should avoid letting political disagreement hijack cooperation, an Israeli senior diplomat has said, amid growing signs that the two strategic partners are moving to repair ties following the Gaza war rift. “We do not let [ties] be hijacked by the political sphere and we continue our ongoing activities on the bilateral,” said Aviv Ezra, the Israeli foreign ministry’s deputy director general for Asia and the Pacific. Ezra was in China last week for a working visit, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342302/china-ties-must-not-be-marred-politics-israeli-diplomat-aviv-ezra?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342302/china-ties-must-not-be-marred-politics-israeli-diplomat-aviv-ezra?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Israel’s ambassador to China has hailed the historical connections between the two countries and called for closer socioeconomic ties in a rare column for Chinese state media. Eli Belotserkovsky’s signed Chinese-language article for state news agency Xinhua comes amid global conversation over the Board of Peace, US President Donald Trump’s newly created body to tackle the Palestinian issue. The Jewish and Chinese civilisations had amassed rich historical wisdom and knowledge over millennia,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342002/israels-china-envoy-calls-deepen-historical-ties-rare-state-media-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342002/israels-china-envoy-calls-deepen-historical-ties-rare-state-media-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:29:56 +0000 Reuters Reuters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on ‍Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to ⁠government policy. It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted ‍Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment. The board, unveiled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340285/israel-objects-composition-trump-led-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340285/israel-objects-composition-trump-led-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 18:05:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Somalia and the African Union reacted angrily on Friday after Israel formally recognised its northern region of Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” – the first country to do so. Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has for decades pushed for international recognition, which has been the main priority for President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi since he took office last year. But a Somali foreign ministry statement warned the decision was a “deliberate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3337854/israel-becomes-first-country-formally-recognise-somaliland-independent-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3337854/israel-becomes-first-country-formally-recognise-somaliland-independent-state?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 17:18:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Sunday for Jews in Western countries to move to Israel to escape rising antisemitism, one week after 15 were shot dead at a Jewish event in Sydney. “Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience. “Today, Jews are being hunted across the world,” Saar said at a public candle lighting marking the last day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. “Today I call... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337254/israeli-foreign-minister-urges-jews-move-israel-week-after-sydney-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337254/israeli-foreign-minister-urges-jews-move-israel-week-after-sydney-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 21:11:13 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Divisive rhetoric and AI-driven misinformation are undermining international cooperation in the wake of the deadly Bondi Beach attack, a leading counterterrorism expert has warned. Adam Hadley, the founder and executive director of Tech Against Terrorism, an advisory organisation supported by the United Nations, said a “dangerous convergence” of interests between hostile states and terrorist groups like Islamic State was being fuelled by populist agendas and commercial interests, with artificial... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337192/how-bondi-beach-attack-became-flashpoint-global-disinformation-and-ai-driven-hate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337192/how-bondi-beach-attack-became-flashpoint-global-disinformation-and-ai-driven-hate?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 07:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades on Wednesday under the auspices of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism, though Lebanon’s premier cautioned the new diplomatic contact did not amount to broader peace discussions. The two sides met at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Lebanon’s Naqura near the border with Israel, where the guarantors of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah regularly convene. Lebanon and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3335094/first-direct-lebanon-israel-talks-decades-spark-hopes-peace-amid-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3335094/first-direct-lebanon-israel-talks-decades-spark-hopes-peace-amid-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:46:36 +0000 dpa dpa Germany will lift its partial embargo on weapons exports to Israel as of November 24, reversing a decision taken in August in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said that the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been in effect since October 10, was a key reason for lifting the ban. Kornelius said the ceasefire had “stabilised in recent weeks”. The spokesman also cited efforts to achieve a lasting peace... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333126/germany-lift-curbs-arms-exports-israel-reversal-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333126/germany-lift-curbs-arms-exports-israel-reversal-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:54:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel’s military said Monday it had killed a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon, a region that has witnessed several attacks despite the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed group. “Yesterday evening (Sunday)... The IDF struck and eliminated Hezbollah terrorist Muhammad Ali Shuweikh in the Mansouri area in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement. The army said the targeted operative was the local representative for Hezbollah in the area. “He was responsible for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333015/lebanon-says-israeli-strike-killed-principal-resulted-martyrdom-citizen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333015/lebanon-says-israeli-strike-killed-principal-resulted-martyrdom-citizen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 23:28:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state after protests by far-right coalition allies over a US-backed statement indicating support for a pathway to Palestinian independence. Netanyahu spoke two days after Israel’s key ally the United States and many Muslim-majority nations endorsed a draft UN resolution backing US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying the process offered a route to Palestinian statehood. The 15-member UN... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332999/netanyahu-government-threatened-over-us-statement-palestinian-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332999/netanyahu-government-threatened-over-us-statement-palestinian-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 14:24:38 +0000 Agencies Agencies Spanish authorities say more than 100,000 people took part in a pro-Palestinian protest that interrupted the final stage of the Spanish Vuelta and forced organisers to cut the race short on Sunday, capping a campaign of disruptions to the Grand Tour cycling event. The central government’s representative for the Madrid region said authorities estimated that more than 100,000 people joined Sunday’s protest. The number could not be independently verified. The opposition accusing the leftist... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325519/over-100000-pro-palestinian-protest-which-forced-early-end-spanish-vuelta-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325519/over-100000-pro-palestinian-protest-which-forced-early-end-spanish-vuelta-police?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 21:07:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel’s army said it had intercepted a missile on Thursday fired from Yemen, a day after Israeli forces carried out air strikes there that killed 35 people and wounded more than 130. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the missile attack on Israel. But the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since their Palestinian ally Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war. “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325092/israel-attacks-yemens-houthi-rebels-day-after-it-targeted-hamas-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325092/israel-attacks-yemens-houthi-rebels-day-after-it-targeted-hamas-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:04:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it would act with “great force” in Gaza City and told residents to leave as it stepped up its deadly assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest urban centre. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a similar warning, as Israel intensified its bombardment in preparation for an operation to seize Gaza City despite global calls to end the war. “To all residents of Gaza City … the defence forces are determined to defeat Hamas and will act with great force... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324833/netanyahu-warns-leave-now-israel-intensifies-gaza-city-bombardment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324833/netanyahu-warns-leave-now-israel-intensifies-gaza-city-bombardment?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 04:37:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel on Monday accused Spain of antisemitism and barred two government ministers from entry after Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez announced measures aimed at stopping what he called “the genocide in Gaza”. The spat marks a new low in relations over the devastating Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory, launched after an unprecedented Hamas attack in Israel in 2023. Sanchez, one of the most virulent critics of Israel’s military campaign, said the nine measures aimed to “stop the genocide... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324790/spain-israel-ties-hit-new-low-after-madrid-moves-stop-gaza-genocide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324790/spain-israel-ties-hit-new-low-after-madrid-moves-stop-gaza-genocide?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:43:30 +0000 dpa dpa Israel and Denmark plan to establish a joint team to explore new ways to evacuate patients from the Gaza Strip, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a press conference on Sunday with his Danish counterpart Lars Løkke Rasmussen in Jerusalem. “I hope that we can work something out which is doable and actually have some real impact,” Rasmussen said. Rasmussen criticised Israel’s previous approach to the issue: “It would, of course, have been much easier if you would allow transport of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324660/israel-denmark-explore-evacuation-gaza-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324660/israel-denmark-explore-evacuation-gaza-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 10:50:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters A post-war plan for Gaza is circulating within US President Donald Trump’s administration that would see the United States administer the war-torn enclave for at least a decade, the relocation of Gaza’s population and its rebuilding as a tourist resort and manufacturing hub, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. The newspaper said that, according to a 38-page prospectus it had seen, Gaza’s 2 million population would at least temporarily leave either through “voluntary” departures to another... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3323838/post-war-plan-sees-us-administering-gaza-least-decade-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3323838/post-war-plan-sees-us-administering-gaza-least-decade-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 18:54:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel’s foreign minister on Monday said he had revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority, following a decision by Canberra to recognise a Palestinian state and cancel an Israeli lawmaker’s visa. The Australian government said it had cancelled the visa of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition who had advocated against Palestinian statehood and called for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322281/israel-revokes-visas-australian-diplomats-over-palestinian-recognition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322281/israel-revokes-visas-australian-diplomats-over-palestinian-recognition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 15:08:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel must “complete” the defeat of Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of the remaining hostages, days ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss an updated war plan. Recent footage of weak and emaciated captives has sparked outrage in Israel, while UN experts also warn of an unfolding famine for Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli media have said the premier is considering ordering the total occupation of Gaza, even as international pressure mounts for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320861/israels-netanyahu-faces-backlash-over-new-gaza-war-plan-hostage-families-hamas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320861/israels-netanyahu-faces-backlash-over-new-gaza-war-plan-hostage-families-hamas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 13:22:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hamas on Wednesday said it would release 10 hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire talks after Israel struck an upbeat note about the prospects for a deal to stop the fighting in the embattled Palestinian territory. The Islamist group’s statement came after four days of indirect talks brokered by Qatar and as the United States signalled its belief that agreement for a 60-day truce would be struck before the end of the week. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said part of the deal would be the return of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317609/hamas-agrees-release-10-hostages-difficult-gaza-truce-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317609/hamas-agrees-release-10-hostages-difficult-gaza-truce-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 21:44:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel has attacked Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports and a power plant, the Israeli military said early on Monday, marking the first Israeli attack on Yemen in almost a month. The strikes on Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif ports, and Ras Qantib power plant were due to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel, the military added. Hours after the strikes, the Israeli military said two missiles were launched from Yemen and attempts were made to intercept them, but the results of interception were still... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317165/explosions-heard-yemens-hodeidah-port-after-israel-issues-evacuation-orders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317165/explosions-heard-yemens-hodeidah-port-after-israel-issues-evacuation-orders?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 21:52:01 +0000