LiveLive Updates August 19, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeAugust 19, 2026UpdatesFrance says sanctions on Ben-Gvir justified by West Bank settler violenceFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot condemned on Wednesday violence in the West Bank by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, and added that this justified France's recent sanctions against Israel's far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir."What is happening today in the West Bank is utterly disgraceful and should fill us all with revulsion," Barrot wrote on X. "This is why we have sanctioned Israeli minister Ben-Gvir, whose recent comments are unacceptable and inhuman," added Barrot.Ce qu’il se passe aujourd’hui en Cisjordanie est proprement indigne et devrait tous nous révulser. C’est la raison pour laquelle nous avons sanctionné le ministre Ben Gvir dont les propos récents sont insupportables et inhumains.
C'est aussi pourquoi j'ai poussé pour que desShow moreIn May, France announced it was banning Ben-Gvir from French territory. Barrot reiterated that new sanctions could be implemented against Israeli settlers deemed to be involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.In June, Britain, Canada, France and Norway announced coordinated sanctions against Israeli networks involved in financing, enabling and carrying out violence in the West Bank. Israel's foreign ministry rejected the June measures and said the governments imposing them had failed to control antisemitism and were fuelling it with such sanctions.Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have settled among millions of Palestinians in land captured by Israel in a 1967 war. Nearly all countries and a range of UN bodies consider that such settlements violate international law, although Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.Sources: Mossad chief spoke with Syria's foreign minister, discussed Turkish military deployments before strikesThe head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, Roman Gofman, held a phone call with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani last week in which they discussed Turkey's military presence in Syria, three people familiar with the matter said.Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman Credit: IDF Spokesperson's UnitMaj. Gen. Roman Gofman Credit: IDF Spokesperson's UnitThe call, which the sources said took place on August 14, came days before Israel launched airstrikes on a Syrian military airbase in the north of the country on Tuesday.It marks one of the highest-level contacts yet between Israel and the new Syrian government since the fall of former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2014.The Israeli prime minister's office, which handles queries regarding Mossad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for Shaibani.Yair Golan condemns Israeli strike on Syrian air base, says it 'brings us closer to conflict with Turkey'The Democrats party leader, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, at a party event in Tel Aviv in July. Credit: Moti MilrodThe Democrats party leader, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, at a party event in Tel Aviv in July. Credit: Moti MilrodYair Golan, leader of the center-left the Democrats party, condemned the Israeli strikes on a Syrian air base that took place shortly after a Turkish delegation had reportedly visited the site on Tuesday."The strike in Syria is a provocative and dangerous move that brings us closer to a confrontation with Turkey and deepens the rift with our allies, chief among them the United States," Golan, who is a former IDF deputy chief of staff, wrote in a post on X.התקיפה בסוריה היא מהלך מתריס ומסוכן, שמקרב אותנו לעימות עם טורקיה ומעמיק את הקרע עם בעלות הברית שלנו, ובראשן ארה״ב.
