August 25, 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 25, 2026UpdatesIsraeli decision to bar Dutch officials bears no effect, diplomat tells HaaretzU.S. troops at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, in October. Credit: Olivier FitoussiU.S. troops at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, in October. Credit: Olivier FitoussiThe Netherlands doesn't expect Israel's decision to bar Dutch officials from the U.S. base that oversees the Gaza cease-fire to have any practical effect, a senior Dutch diplomat told Haaretz.According to the diplomat, there are no Dutch officials assigned exclusively to the center in Kiryat Gat, and the Netherlands has other ways of keeping abreast of developments in the West Bank and Gaza, including through its representative office in Ramallah.Staff from the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv visit the Gaza coordination center in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, once a week to attend briefings, the diplomat told Haaretz, adding that no Dutch representative is currently expected to leave Israel as a result of the decision.Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he decided to "immediately expel" Dutch representatives from the U.S. base over "a series of anti-Israel moves by the Dutch government."Read the full articleForty members of U.S. Congress urge Israel to release Palestinian-American studentIsraeli forces raid Birzeit University, near Ramallah, West Bank, in January. Credit: Birzeit University FacebookIsraeli forces raid Birzeit University, near Ramallah, West Bank, in January. Credit: Birzeit University FacebookU.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib and 40 U.S. Congress members signed a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging Washington to pressure Israel into releasing a 20-year-old U.S. citizen it holds.According to the letter, Israeli forces detained 20-year-old Sama Safi during a raid on her West Bank house "as part of a series of raids targeting Birzeit University students."The student "has described horrific conditions and violence by guards in Israeli military detention, including frequent physical assault, gas and stun grenades thrown in overcrowded cells, and lack of food and water," the representatives wrote in their statement, adding that she suffers from a "severe chronic health condition."According to the signatories, "Every day that Sama remains wrongfully detained in these inhumane conditions, she is at greater risk of irreversible and life-threatening repercussions."Palestinian Authority urges UN Security Council meeting over Israeli raid on UNRWAPalestinian Preisdent Mahmoud Abbas, in 2023. Credit: Amr Nabil / APPalestinian Preisdent Mahmoud Abbas, in 2023. Credit: Amr Nabil / APPalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office called for the UN Security Council to adopt measures against Israeli attacks on UN facilities after Israeli forces raided an UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem.Israeli police raided an UNRWA vocational training center in northern Jerusalem on Tuesday for the seventh time in recent months, ordering staff to evacuate and shutting the facility in what National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said was an effort to permanently close it.The center, located near the Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab, was the last UNRWA facility still operating in the city, training hundreds of young people from West Bank refugee camps in professions including carpentry and auto electrical work.Abbas' office described attacks on UN facilities in the Palestinian territories as "a serious escalation and a blatant violation of international law."Read the full articleIsrael removes Dutch officials from U.S. Gaza base over decision on settlementsForeign Minister Gideon Sa'ar at the Knesset, Jerusalem, June. Credit: Danny Shem Tov / Knesset Spokesperson's OfficeForeign Minister Gideon Sa'ar at the Knesset, Jerusalem, June. Credit: Danny Shem Tov / Knesset Spokesperson's OfficeIsraeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he decided to "immediately expel" Dutch representatives from the U.S. base in the country's south, which oversees the Gaza cease-fire, over "a series of anti-Israel moves by the Dutch government."In a statement posted on X, Sa'ar said his decision is backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and follows the enactment of a Dutch law prohibiting trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights."The representatives were asked to leave Israel within a week," he wrote, adding that "the Dutch government's anti-Israel policy is accompanied by an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts in that country. " Sa'ar added, "Our message is clear: Whoever acts against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow steps against it without a response."Last month, a senior Dutch diplomat told Haaretz that the Netherlands will ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements starting September 22. According to the diplomat, the move is intended to bring the Netherlands' trade policy in line with international law, which considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal.Read the full articleTrump says U.S. Navy destroyed Iranian mines in Hormuz, will bomb ships laying moreU.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy has destroyed mines placed in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the U.S. military will attack any vessel placing more mines."Through Space Force, we are watching every square inch of the Strait, as we are, also, with Pickaxe Mountain and the already destroyed three other Nuclear sites," Trump wrote on his Truth Social network."There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect."Netanyahu says he ordered to evacuate UNRWA compound, blames agency for Oct. 7Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Shin Bet detail exit the Irgun militia museum in Tel Aviv, Monday. Credit: Moti MilrodPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Shin Bet detail exit the Irgun militia museum in Tel Aviv, Monday. Credit: Moti MilrodPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the evacuation of the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem's Kafr Aqab, accusing the UN agency of involvement in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023."In accordance with my instructions and in furtherance of the law we passed, the evacuation of the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, Jerusalem, began today," Netanyahu said in a statement."The State of Israel will not allow an organization whose employees were involved in terrorism and the October 7 massacre to operate on its territory and will use all means necessary to act against it," he added.Read the full articleReport: Pakistan's army chief submits U.S. proposal during Tehran visit Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir submitted a U.S. proposal during his Tehran visit Monday, offering to lift the naval blockade and sanctions in exhange for Iran's opening of the Strait of Hormuz and ordering its proxies to cease their attacks, Al Arabiya English reported, citing a senior source. Munir met with Iran's top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, Al Arabiya reported, saying the meeting was "clear and decisive." According to the report, Munir urged Iran to return to talks on the memorandum of understanding signed in June. Five Palestinians wounded in Israeli settler attack near Bethlehem, medics sayFive Palestinians were wounded by Israeli settlers in the village of Jannatah near Bethlehem and are being treated by medics, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.The settlers attacked peace activists and journalists, beating them with clubs, throwing stones, and spraying them with pepper spray.Jannatah has been subject to daily attacks by settlers from the nearby Kochav Yehuda farming outpost, which has been evacuated dozens of times, most recently two days ago, before settlers rebuilt it within hours.Several activists were injured, including one who was struck in the face with a club and required medical treatment. Settlers also vandalized vehicles belonging to activists and media crews, smashing windows and puncturing tires.Israeli forces at the scene did not arrest any attackers. Instead, soldiers tried to remove the activists and confiscate their cameras, saying they were in a "closed military zone" without presenting a military order.Trump says Iran is unable to pay military salaries, killing protestors U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the Iranian government was unable to pay military salaries, "while at the same time killing protesters, even when they are not protesting."In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump described the situation as a "humanitarian crisis of epic proportions," adding that it "must be stopped."RECAP: Far-right lawmaker smashes Palestinian memorial; Three Palestinians wounded in settler attackHere are Tuesday's latest updates:■ Far-right lawmaker Tzvi Succot took a hammer to a Palestinian memorial in the West Bank village of Madama, south of Nablus, while under the protection of Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers.■ In response to the assault by the far-right lawmaker, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said public officials should not "take the law into their own hands" as it "prevents the IDF from focusing on its missions against terrorism and incitement."■ Three Palestinians men were wounded in a settler attack in the Palestinian village of Za'atara, east of Bethlehem, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, saying several residents were severely beaten.■ Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa thanked the United States for formally removing Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism after the order went into effect on Monday■ Pakistan and ⁠Iran made "significant ‌progress" in talks that focused on ‌the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and a path to ⁠peace, Pakistan's interior minister said at ⁠the end of a visit to Tehran.■ The U.S. ⁠State Department is ‌preparing to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East ‌that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran, the ⁠New York Times reported, citing an internal State Department document.■ The ⁠U.S. ‌Navy aircraft carrier the USS ‌Abraham Lincoln will dock in ⁠Thailand next week, following a prolonged ⁠deployment in the Middle East during the Iran war, a Thai official said.In the NewsMan Says Police Beat Him, Left Him Wounded in Remote Location in Southern IsraelIsrael Bars Dutch Officials From U.S. Base Overseeing Gaza Over Settlement BanHasan Piker Isn't Trying to Hide Anything. That's What Makes Him DangerousJewish Michiganders Face a Very Tough Choice. Here's What I Plan to DoNetanyahu Guards Pointing Guns at Beachgoers Shows How He Sees Israeli CiviliansRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryHasan Piker Talks Hamas, anti-Zionism and Why Americans Are Fed Up With IsraelBeing Israeli Abroad Has Become Embarrassing. You Don't Talk About ItDavid Remnick on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Israel's 'Failure to Face' GazaGermany Found Its Israeli Villain. Will It Continue to Ignore What Produced Him?AIPAC's Last-minute Spending Spree Fails to Block California Progressive