Israel's leadership has voiced indignation after reports that Washington intends to announce sanctions against an Israeli military battalion.  The Israeli government has responded with indignation after a report that the United States plans to sanction a West Bank unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Under the reported plan, members of the Netzah Yehuda unit — which is accused of human rights breaches — would be barred from receiving US military support or training. A report by the US news outlet Axios said it had information from three US government sources that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would announce the sanctions within days.  The decision is based on incidents that all took place in the West Bank and occurred before the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, the report said. The unit was withdrawn from the West Bank in 2022. It reportedly comes after an assessment of several IDF and police units accused of human rights violations. The other units will not be sanctioned after they remedied their behavior, Axios said. The decision would comply with the 1997 "Leahy Law," which bans foreign aid and defense training programs for foreign security and military units that are credibly guilty of human rights violations. "Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X.  He added that his government would oppose such measures with all possible means. "At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose sanctions on an IDF unit is the height of absurdity and a moral low," Netanyahu wrote. Member of the Israeli war Cabinet Benny Gantz said imposing the sanctions would send the wrong message "to our common enemies" and set a dangerous precedent. "The 'Netzah Yehuda' battalion is an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces," he wrote on X. "It is subject to military law and is responsible for operating in full compliance with International law."   

US lawmakers will vote on a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The package has been stalled by political infighting and comes amid repeated calls from Kyiv for assistance. The US House of Representatives will on Saturday hold a long-awaited and crucial vote on a major aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Voting on the foreign aid and arms bill, valued at $95 billion (€89 billion), is expected to begin at 1 p.m. local time (1700 GMT/UTC). If the vote in the House is successful, the package will then head to the Democrat-controlled Senate, where passage in the coming days is all but assured. US President Joe Biden has promised to sign off on it immediately. Why has the aid package stalled? Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has faced an uphill battle from hardline Republicans over the bill, with continued financing of Ukraine's defensive effort against Russia's invasion hanging in the balance for months. Republicans hold a thin majority in the House.  The foreign aid legislation is similar to a measure passed by the Senate in February, but it contains some differences designed to win over House conservatives.  Republicans opposed to the bill have demanded that stronger controls first be put in place to curb the arrival of migrants at the southern US border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has meanwhile been making desperate attempts to try and shore up support among allies as resources and ammunition stockpiles dwindle. The package includes around $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, a much-needed shot in the arm for Kyiv. Where will the rest of the funding go? Around $14 billion has been allocated for Israel as it continues its fight against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, while around $9 billion would be for providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank. The bill also covers reimbursement for US military operations in the region in response to recent attacks. The rest of the funds are set aside for US partners in the Pacific to counter China, with some $3.3 billion allocated toward the development of submarine infrastructure.  

Israel's top diplomat thanked "friends for their support and assistance" and said Iran needed to be stopped before it was too late. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday welcomed news that EU leaders would widen sanctions against Iran. "This is an important step to pull the teeth out of the snake," Katz wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He thanked "all our friends for their support and help." Katz wrote: "Iran must be stopped now be stopped now before it's too late."  In the early hours of Thursday morning, European Council President Charles Michel announced that the EU would widen the scope of sanctions on Iran, specifically targeting its drone and missile producers. EU leaders have been meeting at a two-day summit in Brussels to discuss Middle East tensions, following Iran's weekend attack on Israel involving hundreds of drones and missiles, among other issues. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has tasked his staff with drawing up new measures. It is not a simple step, however, as the EU has already targeted those responsible for making drones that Iran has sold to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.  Borrell said that proxy forces backed by Iran in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria could also be targeted with sanctions.  

The global economy has so far shrugged off the Iranian strike on Israel. Important markets like oil had already priced in a possible attack, while gold and stock markets only moved slightly. Many investors are holding their breath after Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel starting on April 13. The aerial strike was the first direct attack launched from Iranian territory and came the same day Iran's Revolutionary Guards forcefully detained an Israel-linked container ship near the Strait of Hormuz.  The Iranian attack had been largely anticipated after Israel destroyed part of the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. Still, experts are waiting to see if the conflict between the two countries escalates, even as the United Nations and the United States put pressure on Israel to show restraint. Most businesses don't like uncertainty and the possibility of wider open warfare has the region on edge.   Middle East oil and energy prices If the conflict grows and engulfs more of the Middle East, the biggest risk for the global economy is the response in the energy markets, especially oil prices. "A rise in oil prices would complicate efforts to bring inflation back to target in advanced economies but will only have a material impact on central bank decisions if higher energy prices bleed into core inflation," Neil Shearing, group chief economist at consultancy Capital Economics, wrote in a note to clients. So far, though, oil prices have not moved much since the attack. It seems that the market had already taken the current unstable situation into account and was not spooked over the weekend by the retaliatory strike. OPEC+ and its spare capacity In fact, Brent crude oil prices rose from $83 per barrel a month ago to over $90 per barrel last week where they have stayed, "spurred in part by concerns about supplies and geopolitical risks from conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine," wrote Shearing. The economist pointed out another reason for calm on the oil market is a push by some OPEC+ members to increase production quotas. "A rise in oil supply will obviously help to limit any rise in its price," whether because of increased tensions or supply chain problems like dangerous Red Sea shipping routes. Jorge Leon, a senior vice president at energy analyst Rystad Energy, agrees. Though OPEC+ has a complicated job to coordinate and manage the oil market, it is likely to unwind voluntary production cuts at a meeting in June, he wrote in a note on Monday. This could release six million barrels a day in spare capacity to limit price pressures, since it is in the group's interest to avoid a global energy crisis.  Inflation could impact growth If oil prices did go up and remained high it could fuel global inflation at a time when several countries are suffering from long-term high inflation. This "sticky inflation" is "something that could create a dilemma for central banks, as we also found out after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022," argued Deutsche Bank analysts in a note to clients.   "On the one hand, there is the risk that a geopolitical shock hurts growth, bringing forward the timing of rate cuts," according to the bank. Investing in all that glitters As for stocks, when markets opened on Monday, many Asian equity indices like the Nikkei were lower. "But that partly reflects a catchup to the selloff that already took place on Friday after they'd closed, when headlines came through suggesting that an attack could happen," wrote the Deutsche Bank analysts. For their part European markets opened higher. Overall, the analysts don't see much change among key assets since Friday "with investors hopeful that any escalation will prove contained." One small sign of investors looking for a safer investment was the increase in the price of gold. On Monday, it was up 0.51% to just over $2,356 (€2,211) an ounce. It is still early and the conflict could widen and pull in other countries, lead to more US sanctions on Iran, or damage or destroy oil infrastructure. Some Western airlines temporarily suspended flights into the region, other have rerouted flights to avoid Middle Eastern airspace. If Iran or Houthi rebels continue to target Israel-linked ships in the important trade route through the Strait of Hormuz, "a risk of false targeting and collateral damage exists," according to Ambrey, a maritime risk management company. This or another aerial attack could further pull in the US, drive up global shipping costs and cause havoc for the world economy.    

The United States has restricted travel for its embassy personnel in Israel amid fears of an attack by Iran. The US embassy said staff had been told not to travel outside the greater Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Beersheba areas "out of an abundance of caution". Iran has vowed to retaliate, blaming Israel for a strike on its consulate in Syria 11 days ago, killing 13 people. UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has phoned his Iranian counterpart to urge against further escalation. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the consulate attack but is widely considered to have been behind it. Iran backs Hamas, the armed Palestinian group fighting Israel in Gaza, as well as various proxy groups throughout the region, including some - such as Hezbollah in Lebanon - that frequently carry out strikes against the Israelis. Those killed in the consulate attack included a senior commander of Iran's elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, as well as other military figures. The attack came at a time of continuing diplomatic efforts to prevent the war in Gaza spreading across the region. Speaking on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden warned Iran was threatening to launch a "significant attack" and vowed to offer "ironclad" support to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was ready to meet any security challenge, warning that Israel would harm any country that caused it harm. "We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively," he said. The commander responsible for US operations in the Middle East, Erik Kurilla, has travelled to Israel for talks with officials on security threats. The Pentagon said the visit had been scheduled previously but had been brought forward "due to recent developments". Following a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Lord Cameron said he had "made clear... that Iran must not draw the Middle East into a wider conflict". "I am deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculation leading to further violence," he said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to the foreign ministers of China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to argue that further escalation is not in anyone's interest. Following the call, China urged the US to play "a constructive role" in the Middle East, while also condemning the strike widely believed to have been carried out by Israel on Iran's consulate building in Damascus. It is not clear what form any reprisal attack would take nor whether it would come directly from Iran or via one of its proxies. On Sunday an Iranian official warned Israel's embassies were "no longer safe", suggesting a consulate building could be a possible target.   Source: BBC

The US, Germany and other countries are seeking answers after an airstrike in Gaza killed seven aid World Central Kitchen aid workers. Israeli PM Netanyahu said the strike was "unintentional." Israeli military chief says strike was a 'grave mistake' Israel's top military commander said the strike that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza was a "grave mistake." "It was a mistake that followed a misidentification, at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened," Halevi said during a video statement released on Wednesday.. The military chief made the comments after having been presented with the initial findings of a preliminary investigation that was initiated after the deadly strike. Halevi said the Israeli military will "continue taking immediate action to ensure more is done to protect humanitarian aid workers." "Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK," Halevi said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces “unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip” in comments on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, in the last day, there was a tragic incident where our forces unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip. It happens in war, and we are thoroughly investigating it. We are in contact with the governments and will do everything to prevent such occurrences in the future,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu’s remarks came after at least seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers were killed in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces earlier on Tuesday said they were investigating the strike “at the highest levels.” In the same statement, Netanyahu said he is being released from the hospital after undergoing surgery to treat a hernia this weekend. Source: CNN  

Nicaragua has filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Germany for financial and military support it provides to Israel. A hearing could take place within weeks. Nicaragua has accused Germany of facilitating "genocide" in Gaza in a case filed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday. The Nicaraguan government said Germany provided financial and military aid to Israel and halted funding for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). It said because of these measures, "Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide and, in any case has failed in its obligation to do everything possible to prevent the commission of genocide." There was no immediate comment from Berlin about the case. What is the case about? Germany is one of the largest arms exporters to Israel along with the United States. Nicaragua asked the ICJ to issue emergency measures that would require Berlin to suspend its military aid to Israel. This is in order to avoid "participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law and other peremptory norms of general international law occurring in the Gaza Strip." Israel has repeatedly denied accusations of genocide and human rights violations. Germany was also among 16 countries that temporarily halted funding to UNRWA following Israeli allegations that 12 of the agency's employees were involved in the October 7 terror attacks in southern Israel, in which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 240 more hostage. But Nicaragua said UNRWA provides "essential support to the civilian population." "Germany is acutely aware of the deadly consequences for the Palestinians, particularly those at present in Gaza, that will result from the suspension of funds to UNRWA," Nicaragua said in its filing. What's next? When emergency measures are requested, the ICJ usually sets a date for a hearing within weeks of a case being filed. Nicaragua's case builds upon a separate case filed by South Africa in December, which accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The court ruled that Israel needs to take all possible measures to prevent genocide but did not force the country to end its military operation against Hamas militants in the enclave. ICJ rulings are legally binding but the court has no power to enforce them.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented his plan for governing Gaza after the war, which involves full military control and shutting down the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA. Here's what we know so far. For the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented his Security Cabinet with a plan for managing the Gaza Strip after the end of the war against the militant Islamist group Hamas. The Israel-Hamas war began after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli figures, around 1,160 people were killed and some 250 hostages were taken to Gaza. Israel believes that around 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, Israel and other states. The Palestinian death toll since the start of the war has exceeded 29,500, with close to 70,000 wounded, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Widespread destruction has led to dire humanitarian conditions. Who will govern? The loosely worded plan states that Gaza should be administered by "local officials" who have administrative experience, and would "not be identified with countries or entities that support terrorism and will not receive payment from them." The Palestinian Authority, which currently governs the occupied West Bank, is not mentioned in the paper, but also not explicitly ruled out. Israeli military to handle security According to national dailies The Times of Israel and Haaretz, the Israeli military would take over security control of the entire Gaza Strip. This would mean the dismantling of all Hamas military structures and grant unlimited freedom for Israeli military operations. Media reports also said Israel hopes a new road dividing the Gaza Strip into north and south would improve security control. But observers fear Israel could also use this road to prevent Palestinian refugees who fled to the south at the beginning of the war from returning to the north. Haaretz reported that the plan also includes the establishment of a buffer zone between Gaza and Israel, which would be controlled by the Israeli army, with no civilians allowed to return. Such a buffer zone would reduce the already cramped habitable area in the enclave. Israel also wants to operate a "southern closure" on the border between Egypt and Gaza to curb smuggling into the area, The Times of Israel reported. An end to the UNRWA? Another postwar aim is the closure of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which Netanyahu has accused of being infiltrated by Hamas. He has alleged that several employees of the aid organization were involved in the October 7 attacks. The UN has dismissed those in question and initiated internal investigations. Meanwhile, a number of countries, including the United States and Germany, have suspended their payments to UNRWA. Far-right demands Netanyahu did not accommodate demands made by far-right ministers in his cabinet. Among other things, they had called for Gaza to be used for Israeli settlers. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had also called for the Palestinian population to be settled outside Gaza. The prime minister had already rejected the idea to use the Gaza Strip for settlements in January. The plan was criticized by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said that expanding settlements in Palestinian territories would prevent peace. No two-state solution Netanyahu continues to reject a two-state solution, despite urging from international supporters including the US. Washington has also backed a reorganized Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas, who would be tasked with taking back the administration of Gaza. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority rejected Netanyahu's plan. "Gaza will only be part of the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," he said, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. "If the world wants security and stability in the region, it must end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and recognize the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," he added.

The top UN court hands down an initial decision Friday in a case against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza, a landmark ruling closely watched in the Middle East and around the world.   The top UN court hands down an initial decision Friday in a case against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza, a landmark ruling closely watched in the Middle East and around the world.     The International Court of Justice could order Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza, sparked by the unprecedented October 7 attacks by Hamas, or to facilitate humanitarian aid.     The court will not however pass judgement on whether or not Israel is actually committing genocide in Gaza.     At this stage, the ICJ will hand down emergency orders before considering the wider accusation of genocidal acts in Gaza -- a process that will likely take years.     The case has been brought by South Africa, which says that Israel is in breach of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, set up in the ashes of World War II and the Holocaust.     "South Africa does not need to prove that Israel is committing genocide," said Juliette McIntyre, international law expert from the University of South Australia.     "They simply need to establish that there is a plausible risk of genocide occurring," she told AFP.     Over two days of hearings earlier this month in the gilded halls of the Peace Palace in the Hague, a world away from the violence in Israel and Gaza, robed lawyers argued over the technicalities of the Genocide Convention.     "Genocides are never declared in advance," declared Adila Hassim, a top lawyer for South Africa.     "But this Court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention that justifies a plausible claim of genocidal acts," she added.     - 'World is upside down' -     The case has sparked fury in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that "the world is upside down".     Israel's lawyer Tal Becker dismissed Pretoria's case as a "profoundly distorted factual and legal picture" and a "decontextualised and manipulative description of the reality" on the ground.     Showing the court images of the brutal Hamas attack, Becker said that "if there have been acts that may be characterised as genocidal, then they have been perpetrated against Israel".     Becker denied that Israel's operations were aimed at the citizens of Gaza. The army's aim was "not to destroy a people, but to protect a people, its people, who are under attack on multiple fronts", he said.     The ICJ's rulings are binding on all parties, but it has no mechanism to enforce them. Sometimes they are completely ignored -- the court has ordered Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine for example.     Netanyahu has already suggested he does not feel bound by the court, saying "no one will stop us -- not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil and no one else".     - 'Huge' symbolic impact -     "It is conceivable that an order by the court would not have any significant influence on Israel's military operation," said Cecily Rose, assistant professor of public international law at Leiden University.     But if the court decides there is a risk of genocide in Gaza, it could still have a ripple effect, notably on other nations that back Israel politically or militarily.     "It makes it much harder for other states to continue to support Israel in the face of a neutral third party finding there is a risk of genocide," said McIntyre.     "States may withdraw military or other support for Israel in order to avoid this," she added.     In addition, she noted the "huge" symbolic impact of any ruling against Israel under the Genocide Convention, given its tragic history.     In its submission to the court, South Africa acknowledged the "particular weight of responsibility" of accusing Israel of genocide but said it was bound to uphold its duties under the Convention.     Israeli lawyer Becker retorted that "there can hardly be a charge more false and more malevolent than the allegation against Israel of genocide".     The October 7 Hamas attack resulted in the death of around 1,140 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.     At least 25,700 Palestinians, around 70 percent of them women, young children and adolescents, have been killed in the Gaza Strip in Israeli bombardments and ground offensive since then, according to the Hamas government's health ministry.