Gideon Sa'ar
Photo: Sharon Gabay, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
Headlines and summaries are written by AI. How it works
- Oct 18
Romanian parliament approves pro-EU Niculescu government after five-month deadlock
Parliament voted 280 in favour and 58 against the cabinet of Luca Niculescu, a 55-year-old diplomat, ending months without a government with full powers. Representatives of the Social Democrats, the liberals and the Hungarian minority back the team, but its stability remains uncertain.
- Oct 16
Israeli police detain 10 over settler attacks on US photojournalist and European diplomats
Israeli police said on Monday, 19 October, that they had detained ten people over settler violence in the occupied West Bank, including the assault on a US photojournalist and an attack on a European diplomatic delegation the day before.
- Oct 15
EU voices deep regret as Abbas postpones Palestinian elections into 2027
The Palestinian Authority has postponed legislative elections due on 28 November 2026 and the presidential vote planned for early 2027. The EU said it deeply regretted the decision, and France, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia issued a joint statement of their own.
- Oct 14
Colombia opens embassy in Jerusalem, drawing Saudi and Palestinian condemnation
Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, becoming the tenth embassy in the city. Israel welcomed the move, while Saudi Arabia called it a violation of international law.
- Oct 10
Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections to September 2027, first vote since 2006
The decree moves the legislative vote due on 28 November 2026 to 11 September 2027, the same day as a presidential poll. Palestinian officials blame Israeli restrictions and conditions in Gaza and East Jerusalem.
- Oct 6
European Parliament investigates MEP Rima Hassan over toppled Israeli and EU flags at memorial
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola initiated a disciplinary inquiry after French MEP Rima Hassan removed an Israeli flag and knocked over an EU flag at an October 7 memorial in Strasbourg.
- Oct 5
Britain keeps Jerusalem consulate open as a smaller UK Mission after Israeli order
Seven diplomats will remain in East Jerusalem after Britain agreed to rename its consulate a UK Mission, a compromise that avoids a full closure ordered by Israel over West Bank settlement sanctions.
- Oct 4
Green Party of England and Wales equates Zionism with racism, prompting Israeli entry ban on leader Zack Polanski
Members at the Green Party conference in Brighton voted 1,022 to 813 to endorse a single-state policy in historic Palestine, sparking pushback from European allies and four of the party's five MPs.
- Sep 27
Netherlands summons Israeli envoy after Israel revokes credentials of Ramallah diplomats
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen summoned the Israeli ambassador in The Hague after Israel revoked the diplomatic status of eight Dutch officials based in Ramallah in response to a Dutch ban on settlement goods.
- Sep 8
Israel closes British consulate in Jerusalem after UK and 11 allies sanction West Bank settlements
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced four retaliatory measures against London after 12 Western nations restricted trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
- Aug 21
Western allies condemn Israeli tender for 1,234 settlement units in E1 corridor
Israel opened contractor bidding for 1,234 settler housing units east of Jerusalem, triggering diplomatic protests and potential European sanctions ahead of October elections.
- Jul 28
Ukraine and Iran step back from brink after Caspian Sea ship strike
Foreign ministers spoke after a Ukrainian drone killed an Iranian sailor; Iran had considered a retaliatory missile strike on a Ukrainian port.
- Jul 26
Israel approves Trump-backed international stabilization force for Gaza's Rafah pilot zone
Israel's Security Cabinet voted Sunday to allow the International Stabilization Force to enter the Rafah area, clearing the way for a U.S.-brokered pilot zone that will test a Palestinian technocratic government under a 20-point plan.
