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Ex-Israeli premier urges removal of Netanyahu ‘with sticks, stones’ if elections are sabotaged

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Former Israeli Prime Minister and leader of Israel Democratic party, Ehud Barak speaks at the Party’s Election campaign event in Tel Aviv on July 17, 2019. [Gili Yaari/NurPhoto via Getty Images]

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be removed “with sticks and stones” if he attempts to undermine the upcoming general election, Anadolu reports.

Barak, who served as Israel’s prime minister from 1999 to 2001, made the remarks in an interview with Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.

“I fear Netanyahu may try to sabotage the elections, and he can do it very easily,” Barak said. “If he tries, we will have no choice but to remove him with sticks and stones.”

Netanyahu, 76, has led the current government since late December 2022. His coalition has been widely described as the most right-wing since Israel was established on Palestinian territories in 1948.

The Knesset’s current term expires in October 2026, with elections expected to be held in September or October.

Barak argued that Netanyahu “could sabotage the elections by launching operations in Lebanon that would provoke retaliation from Hezbollah and Iran.

“Netanyahu wants an endless war because he understands that ending it would accelerate his trial,” Barak said. “Just as he obstructed some prisoner-exchange deals (with Hamas), he also blocked the possibility of progress in Lebanon.”

READ: Netanyahu’s Likud drops to lowest level since August 2025, poll shows

Netanyahu is currently standing trial in Israel on corruption charges and is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2024 on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Barak also criticized the emerging agreement between the US and Iran. “In one word: bad. In two words: very bad,” he said.

He warned that “Israel is paying the price for Netanyahu’s arrogance and lack of foresight,” adding that the arrangement under discussion was “not an agreement, but a memorandum of understanding that failed to address either missiles or Iran’s regional allies.”

Barak argued that “none of the objectives of the war against Iran have been achieved.”

The remarks drew immediate criticism from Netanyahu’s allies.

Boaz Bismuth, a Likud lawmaker and chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, called for a criminal investigation into Barak for what he described as legitimizing violence against the prime minister.

“He should be sent to a psychiatrist, and if he is found mentally fit, a criminal investigation should be opened against him immediately,” Bismuth said in a post on US social media company X.

While US President Donald Trump said an agreement with Iran that would open the Strait of Hormuz would be signed on Sunday, Tehran has disputed the timeline and says the signing could happen in the coming days.

Since the April 8 ceasefire mediated by Pakistan, efforts aimed at ending the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28 have continued.

READ: Iran threatens to halt US negotiations if Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Continue ReadingEx-Israeli premier urges removal of Netanyahu ‘with sticks, stones’ if elections are sabotaged

Trump says Israeli strike on Beirut ‘should not have happened’ amid Iran peace talks

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United States President Donald Trump walks toward the White House upon his arrival in Washington, DC, from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, on March 23, 2026. [Celal Güneş – Anadolu Agency]

US President Donald Trump on Sunday criticized an Israeli attack on Beirut, asserting that the strike should not have occurred while Washington is on the verge of a peace agreement with Iran, Anadolu reports.

“This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a peace deal,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

He argued that the incident Israel was responding to was “small and meaningless,” resulting in no casualties, and urged all parties to “stand down” to avoid disrupting the diplomatic process.

“We are very close to a deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon,” he said, calling for an immediate halt to all Israeli attacks in Lebanon, as well as a cessation of strikes by Hezbollah.

READ: 3 killed as Israeli army launches airstrikes in Lebanese capital in new ceasefire violation

“This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it,” added Trump.

Earlier, Axios, citing Israeli and US officials, claimed Israel had informed US Central Command before the Beirut attack.

Trump on Saturday said that a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, even as Tehran disputed the timeline. Sources in Tehran told the Fars News Agency that the proposed memorandum of understanding remains “under consideration” and no final decision has been announced.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, accused Washington on Sunday of lacking the “will or ability” to meet its obligations, citing continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

While Iran has called for ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon, release of its frozen assets and end of the US blockade of its ports; the US is demanding that Tehran halt its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

READ: Iran threatens to halt US negotiations if Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Continue ReadingTrump says Israeli strike on Beirut ‘should not have happened’ amid Iran peace talks

US claims 125 million barrels of oil escorted through Strait of Hormuz

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U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. [Kyle Mazza – Anadolu Agency]

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested on Sunday that Washington has maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz, successfully guiding millions of barrels of oil through the strategic waterway despite regional tensions, Anadolu reports.

“Project Freedom never stopped, and we have run 125 million barrels of oil through the straits, and Iran could not do anything about it,” Hegseth told CBS News.

He claimed that not a single Iranian vessel managed to transit the American blockade, asserting that US President Donald Trump’s administration holds “absolute leverage” in ongoing diplomatic negotiations from a position of strength.

READ: Iran threatens to halt US negotiations if Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon

The defense chief warned that the US military posture will remain active to ensure Tehran complies with the memorandum of understanding within the next 60 days. He noted the military has developed plans to ensure nuclear material is “down blended, destroyed, or removed.”

Hegseth said the document on table stipulates that Tehran “will never have a nuclear weapon, won’t seek one, won’t buy one, won’t have one.”

Trump on Saturday said a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, even as Tehran disputed the timeline.

Sources in Tehran told the Fars News Agency that the proposed deal remains “under consideration” and no final decision has been announced.

OPINION: Trump’s Strategic Mistakes in His War Against Iran

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Continue ReadingUS claims 125 million barrels of oil escorted through Strait of Hormuz

Zack Polanski owns Elon Musk after billionaire labels Green leader a ‘scumbag and traitor’

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/zack-polanski-owns-elon-musk-after-billionaire-labels-green-leader-a-scumbag-and-traitor-406983/

Zack Polanski has owned Elon Musk after the pair were involved in a war of words on social media.

Earlier this week, Musk once again stuck his oar into British affairs and tried to incite hate and violence in the wake of the horrific Belfast knife attack.

The Tesla CEO shared an inflammatory post on X about “murderous migrants” as violent riots took place on the streets of Belfast.

READ NEXT: Belfast local calls riots exactly what they are in powerful message

The post was condemned by many, including Green Party leader Polanski, who labelled Musk a threat to British democracy.

He wrote: “Blaming a group of people for the awful actions of an individual leads us to a very dark place. Musk, Lowe, Farage, Robinson – these men don’t give a s**t about this country, they want to rip us apart.”

…

Article continues at https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/zack-polanski-owns-elon-musk-after-billionaire-labels-green-leader-a-scumbag-and-traitor-406983/

Continue ReadingZack Polanski owns Elon Musk after billionaire labels Green leader a ‘scumbag and traitor’