Avi Shlaim: Benjamin Netanyahu Has Changed Israel Forever

29 Oct 2026 | Avi Shlaim, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford and one of the leading historians of the Arab-Israeli conflict, examines Netanyahu’s impact on Israel, the destruction of Gaza and the future of Palestine.

Shlaim argues that Britain bears significant historical responsibility for the conflict, tracing the story back to the 1917 Balfour Declaration and British rule in Palestine. He examines the legacy of the Nakba, in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians became refugees in 1948 and argues that Britain has never properly acknowledged its role.

The conversation turns to Netanyahu’s legacy, Israel’s growing international isolation and the role of international law. Shlaim discusses the International Court of Justice’s rulings on the occupation and genocide case, as well as the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

But what comes after Netanyahu? Shlaim believes the two-state solution is no longer viable. Instead, he argues for a single state in which Israelis and Palestinians have equal rights, regardless of religion or ethnicity.

What Israel's Election Means for Netanyahu, Gaza and Palestinian Statehood | Global News Podcast

Oct 28, 2026 | With counting almost complete in Israel's first general election since the 7th October attacks by Hamas and the start of the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is in the lead. But neither Mr Netanyahu, nor his main opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, have enough support to form a government. They will now have to seek out fresh political alliances, or coax opposition members onto their side.

We'll take a look at how that could play out, and where this election leaves the Palestinian people. Would a coalition led by Mr Eisenkot take a different tack on Gaza, the occupied West Bank or Palestinian statehood?

'Israeli President Trying to Form Unity Govt: They Will Not Need Arab Parties Nor Orthodox Parties'

Oct 28, 2026 | Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Tamar Sebok, correspondent for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, based in France. In an Israeli election marked by political uncertainty, unusually high voter participation and a significant mobilisation of Arab voters, the struggle for power extends far beyond the ballot box. As Sebok explains, the decisive question is not necessarily which party wins the most seats, but which political leader can assemble a viable governing coalition. “You don't know until the coalition is formed who really won,” Sebok explains, capturing the fundamental uncertainty of Israel's parliamentary system. “It's not a question of having the most mandates. It's the question of what kind of acceptance you get from the other parties.”

Israel’s Elections: Why Are Young Voters Leaning Conservative? | BBC News

Oct 27, 2026 | The polls suggest a tight race in Israel’s upcoming election. Candidates are doing all they can to win the approval of young and first-time voters, who are set to play an influential role.

Israel’s security is front and centre in the campaign, as are the events of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. And polls suggest that young Israelis are increasingly supporting right-wing and far-right parties. In an outcome that will likely be determined by fine margins, that’s important.

In this episode we speak to the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson, who has been following the candidates on the campaign trail and speaking to young voters.

What Happens If Netanyahu Can't Form a Government? | BBC News

Oct 28, 2026 | With most of the votes counted, Netanyahu's bloc is slightly ahead - but neither it nor the opposition are on track for a majority.

Netanyahu is calling for a strong right-wing government and his party, Likud, is set to be the biggest. His rival, Gadi Eisenkot insists Israel voted to end Netanyahu's term.

Either way, it could take days or weeks before we know who will form the next governing coalition and the direction the country will go in from here.

Netanyahu Loses Majority in Israel - But No Clear Election Winner. What Now? | BBC News

Oct 27, 2026 | Israel’s general election is too close to call, as exit polls suggest that Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc has won the most seats, ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Eisenkot leads the newly formed Yashar party and is the main figure in the "change bloc", a group of opposition parties with the shared goal of ousting Benjamin Netanyahu from power.

Israeli elections can be decided by just a handful of seats, the exit polls have not always been reliable and counting the votes may take several days. All 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, are up for grabs, but no party has won an overall majority in the past and governments have been made up of coalitions.

It’s Israel's first legislative election since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023 and the issue of Israel’s security has dominated the campaign. Netanyahu's challengers have criticised security failures that led to the 7 October attacks, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages. Despite that, Netanyahu has again portrayed himself as the strongman protecting Israel, and claiming a series of military victories.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Lucy Williamson and Lyse Doucet.

Netanyahu Looms Like a Giant Toad': Is ‘Bibi’ Facing the End of Power? | Josh Glancy

Oct 25, 2026 | "[Israel] is in a state of perpetual conflict at the moment.”

Israel is preparing for an election that could finally end Benjamin Netanyahu’s 17-year grip on power, “it is really a referendum on his time in power and the man that is Bibi Netanyahu”, says The Sunday Times’s associate editor, Josh Glancy.

Netanyahu Short of Majority in Last Poll before Israeli Elections

Oct 24, 2026 | “In the polls right now, they're deep in the red.”

Netanyahu’s bloc is polling “around 50 seats”, short of the 61 needed for a majority Israel correspondent for The Economist and biographer of Benjamin Netanyahu Anshel Pfeffer.

Israels Staatspräsident Yitzhak Herzog rechnet mit Europa ab

Yitzhak Herzog weist im Gespräch mit der NZZ internationale Kritik zurück und bezeichnet sein Land als Puffer, der Europa vor dem jihadistischen Islam schütze. Vor den anstehenden Parlamentswahlen betont er, dass die Gesellschaft vor allem um die Vertrauensfrage zu ihren Nachbarn ringe, und kündigt zugleich ein entschiedeneres Durchgreifen gegen radikale Siedler im Westjordanland an.
Hier teilt Yitzhak Herzog seine Meinung zur komplexen Lage im Nahen Osten und warnt vor den Gefahren für Europa.

Michael Lambert: How Can Senior UK Labour Politicians Take Money From Israeli Supporting Donors?

Oct 9, 2026 | Having just become a grandfather to the most beautiful child in the world I couldn't stop thinking about her future and about the future of children less fortunate than her. Above all I thought about the children in Gaza. Many thousand have been killed, traumatised, and mutilated. Most hospitals and schools have been severely damaged or destroyed, there have been food and water shortages — and the horrific incidents at schools, aid convoys and humanitarian zones, from the Al Tabari school strike to the World Central Kitchen workers killed.

Above all, I ask how senior Labour figures can be neutral when so many have taken money and funded trips linked to pro-Israel donors — from the £50,000 to Keir Starmer from Trevor Chinn, to over £100,000 to David Lammy, to £210,000 to Yvette Cooper for staff, plus donations to Wes Streeting, Bridget Phillipson and others detailed in the register.

Above all I don't see how this can happen in the 21st century. It's just not right. …


Very well said. The way those poor Gazans are suffering is a disgrace. And it is particularly disgraceful that the little children are having to suffer so badly. The West has lost its moorings. We are no longer a civilization to be respected and copied. Just look at America! Just look at Hegseth's announcement of livestreaming an execution! Never in my life would i have thought that the West would stoop so low as to behave as badly as the perpetrators of any crime. And as for Gaza, politicians just sit around and let the atrocities happen. The concept of the punishment fitting the crime has clearly been lost, forgotten, or is being ignored. Probably—nay, almost certainly— for money! — © Mark Alexander

Democracy Now! "Grotesque": Ex-Israeli Negotiator Daniel Levy on Netanyahu's U.N. Speech & Israel's Impunity

Sep 25, 2026 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a half-empty chamber at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, after dozens of delegations walked out in protest at the start of his speech. Netanyahu assailed his critics as "antisemites," defended his country's conduct in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, and lavished praise on President Trump for joining Israel's strikes on Iran.

Why Is Argentina Reigniting the Falklands Dispute? | Inside Story

Sep 5, 2026 | It's been dormant for decades... But the row between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands has been revived. It started with a joint British-Israeli oil exploration project off the archipelago's north coast -- to which Buenos Aires vehemently objected.

President Javier Milei has now threatened to impose sanctions on companies operating there. His push to reclaim the islands was bolstered by Donald Trump's comment that he may reconsider Washington's position on the territory.

Britain and Argentina went to war over the islands more than four decades ago. Could the dispute escalate into another armed confrontation

Presenter: Cyril Vanier

Guests:
Diego Guelar -- Former Argentinian ambassador to the U.S., EU and China
Christopher Sabatini -- Director of the Latin America Programme at Chatham House
Javier Farje -- Journalist and historian specialising in Latin American affairs

Abbas wirft Israel „genozidalen Krieg“ vor – wie reagiert Netanjahu?

BERLINER ZEITUNG: Palästinenserpräsident Mahmoud Abbas erhebt vor der UN schwere Vorwürfe gegen Israel und warnt vor einer dauerhaften Teilung der Palästinensergebiete. Benjamin Netanjahu spricht wenig später.

Palästinenserpräsident Mahmoud Abbas hat Israel vor der UN-Generalversammlung einen „genozidalen Krieg“ vorgeworfen und eine politische Wiedervereinigung des Gazastreifens mit dem Westjordanland und Ost-Jerusalem gefordert. Die Palästinenser erlebten „eine der gefährlichsten Zeiten“ ihrer Geschichte, sagte Abbas am Donnerstag in einer vorab aufgezeichneten Videobotschaft.

Die israelischen Streitkräfte hätten in Gaza Tod, Zerstörung, Hunger und Vertreibung verursacht, sagte Abbas. Er sprach von einem „genozidalen Krieg“, der eine „beispiellose humanitäre Katastrophe“ geschaffen habe. Die Bezeichnung ist Abbas’ Bewertung. Israel weist den Vorwurf eines Völkermords zurück und erklärt, seine militärischen Operationen richteten sich gegen die Hamas.

Abbas verwies zudem auf die Lage im besetzten Westjordanland einschließlich Ost-Jerusalems. Dort beschleunigten sich nach seinen Worten der israelische Siedlungsausbau, Landnahmen, Hauszerstörungen und Angriffe von Siedlern. Israel versuche, seine Kontrolle über palästinensisches Gebiet weiter auszudehnen, sagte der 90-Jährige. » | Alexander Schmalz | Donnerstag, 24. September 2026

Falklands: Milei Is 'Harassing' Us, Say Locals

Sep 9, 2026 | “If someone's polls start failing, if the president starts doing badly and losing popularity, we become a national bastion to try to stand behind, which is incredibly harassing.”

Argentina President Javier Milei’s constant questioning of the Falkland Islands sovereignty is “physiologically traumatising” for the people of the Island says former member of the Falklands Islands legislative assembly, Tesyln Barman.


Interesting Informamtion:

The name "Malvinas" means "people from Saint-Malo." It is a Spanish translation of a French name used to describe the origin of the sailors who first colonized the territory.

The Etymology Trail:

The name evolved through a chain of languages and historical events:

1. St. Malo (The Saint): The root of the name comes from St. Malo (also known as Maclou), a 6th-century Christian evangelist traditionally believed to have been born in Wales before founding a city in Brittany, France.

2. Saint-Malo (The Port): This French port city was named in his honour. Residents and mariners from this specific town are called Malouins.

3. Îles Malouines (The French Name): In 1764, French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville founded the first human settlement on the islands. Because his crew and colonists departed from the port of Saint-Malo, he named the archipelago Îles Malouines (literally, "The Malouin Islands").

4. Islas Malvinas (The Spanish Name): When Spain later took control of the French settlement, they adapted the French phonetic sound into Spanish, turning Malouines into Malvinas.

[Source: Google AI]

Tucker Carlson : “This Is Evil”

Norman Finkelstein: ”Netanyahu is a perfect reflection of Israeli society.”

Iran Declates "No Negotiations" Until Its Terms Are Met – w/ Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi

September 12, 2026

Peter Oborne: Britain Has FINALLY Stood Up to Israel

Sep 9, 2026 | Peter Oborne, journalist with Middle East Eye, joined Ava earlier in the week to discuss Ed Miliband's plans to sanction illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. He tells us that Ed Miliband finally has Labour on the right side of public opinion.

Peter Oborne's book Complicit: Britain's Role in the Destruction of Gaza is out with OR Books now.

UK Accuses Israeli Government of "Ethnic Cleansing" as Diplomatic Crisis Unfolds in Middle East

Sep 9, 2026 | The UK Labour government, led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, has executed a historic shift in Middle East policy. In an address to the House of Commons, Britain officially declared Israel’s occupation of the West Bank unlawful in its entirety, accusing state-backed settler groups of committing "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians.

To enforce this stance, the UK announced an import ban on all goods originating from illegal West Bank settlements, alongside sanctions prohibiting UK businesses from providing construction, financing, or advertising services for settlement expansion. In response, Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, slammed the measures as "morally distorted," ordered the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem, barred 12 British MPs from entering Israel and terminated security cooperation.


ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here »

UK Bans Trade with West Bank Settlements as Israel Hits Back

Sep 8, 2026 | The UK has announced measures targeting trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in a major shift in foreign policy.

Andy Burnham has issued a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Mark Carney, stressing an “unwavering commitment to Israel’s security” alongside a “safe and secure” Palestine.

But the Chief Rabbi has called it a “dark day for Britain’s Jews”, warning that the measures could embolden those who use hatred as a weapon against the Jewish community.

Michael Lambert: Why Andy Burnham Can't Save Britain without Europe

Sep 4, 2026 | Andy Burnham is widely seen as competent and decent - but can he actually turn Britain around without confronting Europe?

In this video I argue that unless Burnham faces up to Brexit, any recovery plan is doomed. From trade deals to growth to living standards, Britain is on a downward trajectory that 30 India deals won't fix.