Belgium, which currently heads the rotating EU Council presidency, reportedly seeks to gather support for new trade sanctions against Israel from other European Union member states.

The Western European nation is Israel’s fourth largest European trading partner, with an extensive focus on the diamond trade. Belgium has also been one of Israel's harshest critics in the European Union for years.

The Biden administration has frozen a planned arms shipment to Israel, according to a report Sunday, raising concerns among Israeli leaders of a major shift in American policy vis-a-vis the Jewish state.

Two Israeli officials told Axios and Walla that the Biden White House last week froze a weapons shipment to Israel, which includes ammunition and other American-made arms.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Friday that the U.S. military intends to deploy fighter jets, reconnaissance planes and armed drones to the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar. The move is reportedly designed to circumvent restrictions on airstrikes conducted from an airbase located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

An unnamed Emirati official explained the restrictions on U.S. aerial strikes in the region.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — Anyone who watches the evening news or cable news outlets in the United States might conclude that Americans have turned against the Jewish state and support the Hamas terrorist organization instead.

But a new Harvard/Harris poll makes it clear that such a conclusion would be wildly inaccurate.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Wednesday that Turkey has decided to officially join South Africa's lawsuit against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. The lawsuit accuses Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“We presented the results of our assessments today to our president, and in accordance with the political decision that was made, I would like to announce for the first time that we have decided to intervene in the case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice,” Fidan said at a press conference, alongside the Indonesian foreign minister.

(May 2, 2024 / JNS) Colombia’s president announced on Wednesday that his country will be breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel due to the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

“Here in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic, announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel…for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal,” said President Gustavo Petro in Bogota.

(April 30, 2024 / JNS) Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction has reiterated its desire to reconcile with Hamas, China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday following talks in Beijing.

Representatives of Fatah and Hamas recently held negotiations in the Chinese capital with a view to forging a Palestinian unity government.

(April 30, 2024 / JNS) At least five European Union countries will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state by the end of May, the E.U.’s top diplomat revealed on Monday.

Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia and Malta are expected to make the move, Josep Borrell said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.

(April 30, 2024 / JNS) Saudi Arabia has decided to normalize relations with Israel and is debating the timing of the announcement, a foreign diplomat familiar with the details told Haaretz on Monday.

According to the source cited in the article by the daily’s diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Lis, Riyadh is discussing whether to make the move in the coming weeks or after the U.S. presidential election this November, in which either Democrat Joe Biden will continue to lead the country or his challenger Republican Donald Trump will return to the White House.

(April 22, 2024 / JNS) Iran is in contact with the Biden administration about restarting moribund talks on a new nuclear agreement amid a direct military confrontation between Tehran and U.S. ally Israel, the dpa German news agency reported on Sunday, citing a report in the Iranian Shargh newspaper.

Knowledgeable sources told Shargh that the Islamic Republic’s U.N. mission is coordinating the talks with the Americans and that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri is no longer leading the negotiations. Instead, Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani is doing so.

US President Joe Biden released a Passover message on Sunday night that began well, focusing on the Biblical aspect of the Jewish holiday. It stayed focused on Jews and Israel, condemning the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Hamas. But Biden strayed off course, claiming that he was working to bring about a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza, both of which benefit Hamas.

“Tomorrow night, Jews around the world will celebrate Passover, recounting their miraculous Exodus story from hundreds of years of enslavement in Egypt and their journey to freedom,” the statement read. “This holiday reminds us of a profound and powerful truth: that even in the face of persecution, if we hold on to faith, we shall endure and overcome.”

Saudi Arabia, a country that was on the verge of normalization with Israel before the October 7th massacre, helped not only with intelligence but may have also assisted in neutralizing missiles fired from Iran overnight on Saturday according to one report.

Many of the drones and missiles had to travel through Jordanian and Saudi airspace to reach Israel.