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  Despite internal criticism, analysts argue Ben-Gvir holds a mirror to much of Israeli society. In recent weeks, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has shown the world a version of “modern Israel” it had preferred not to see. From telling the press that he would “ not allow ” a United States ceasefire deal with Iran that was bad for Israel to his  televised harassment  of bound activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla, Ben-Gvir’s actions have drawn outrage on a global stage. It had been convenient to cast the far-right leader of the Jewish Power party as a political outlier within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. This allowed domestic critics of the far-right factions in Israel to continue supporting the government, and companies and countries outside to continue trade despite growing condemnations of the Israeli government. After public rebukes of Ben-Gvir’s taunting of the predominantly European activists by the United Kingdom, Franc...

  The   New York Knicks   began their pursuit of their first title since 1973 on Wednesday night in a matchup against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs  clung to a seven-point lead at halftime, setting up a back-and-forth second half and a tight fourth quarter. But amid the tension of a tightly contested fourth quarter, an overexcited fan briefly stole the spotlight in pursuit of what he hoped would be a once-in-a-lifetime photo. The unidentified fan ran onto the court midway through the game's final quarter, appearing to try to take a selfie next to Wembanyama. The fan came from the sideline opposite the team benches, starting from behind the play and running into San Antonio’s offensive end. The person was quickly pulled from the court by two security guards, and it did not appear the person made any contact with Wembanyama or any New York players. Play was stopped for about a minute before the game resumed with a jump ball. The fan was taken o...

  The ceasefire is contingent on a complete cessation of fire from the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia and the evacuation of all its operatives from the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Israel’s military will continue to carry out operations in Lebanon for the time being and will not be withdrawing from the country, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday, despite the  announcement of a new ceasefire . Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday agreed to a new ceasefire following talks mediated by the United States. Under the agreement,  Lebanese militant group Hezbollah , which did not participate in the talks, is to stop all attacks on Israel and withdraw its fighters from the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. In a statement, Katz said that Israel’s military would remain in swathes of southern Lebanon it is occupying as part of what Israel’s government describes as a buffer zone meant to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah att...

  Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire and create a number of "pilot" security zones inside Lebanon in which Hezbollah operatives would be banned, the US state department has announced. A joint statement  said the agreement was "contingent on a complete cessation" of attacks by the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, among other conditions. The three countries also "rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon's future hostage". The agreement was announced in Washington on Wednesday, after Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel. Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes continued in the south of Lebanon on Thursday, with at least one strike causing casualties. Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim militia, political party and social movement, is Lebanon's most powerful group. With support from Iran, it has built an armed force m...

  Four Republicans join Democrats in a rare public rebuke of the president. But Congress is still far from being able to stop him from attacking Iran again. The United States House of Representatives has voted in favour of measures to halt President Donald Trump’s war on Iran as the conflict drags into a fourth month and both sides remain at loggerheads in peace negotiations. The vote on Wednesday marks the first successful effort by lawmakers to force the US to end a conflict that has had mounting catastrophic effects, from thousands of civilian deaths to global trade disruptions. It also comes as opposition to the conflict has grown significantly within camps of Trump’s Republican Party due to the effects on Americans themselves and Trump’s failure to swiftly secure a concrete, lasting deal with Iran. But for now, the vote will remain largely symbolic because of Trump’s own presidential veto power on legislation and because of Republican dominance in the House and Senate – even t...