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Israel summoned Spain’s top diplomat in the country for a formal reprimand Monday after Spanish Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego declared that Spanish society supports a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” triggering another sharp escalation in the already badly strained relationship between Yerushalayim and Madrid.
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Spanish chargé d’affaires Francisca Pedrós was called to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, where Israeli officials lodged a formal protest over Rego’s remarks. Israel and Spain have been represented at the chargé d’affaires level amid the deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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Rego made the remarks at an event in Madrid attended by Palestinian Ambassador to Spain Fadi Elhusseini. During her address, she defended Spain’s approach toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pointed to steps Madrid has taken against Israel, including its recognition of a Palestinian state and measures involving arms sales.
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The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Rego had asserted that the Spanish public supports a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” a slogan referring to the territory stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Israel and many Jewish organizations have long condemned the slogan as a call for the elimination of the Jewish state, while some pro-Palestinian activists maintain that they use it as a call for Palestinian freedom.
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The Foreign Ministry said Rego’s latest comments were part of what it described as a broader pattern by the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, accusing Madrid of pursuing a “systematic anti-Israel policy”.
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Israeli officials also pointed to Rego’s reaction following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, noting that she refused to condemn the attack and made statements defending what she characterized as Palestinian resistance.
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Israel subsequently barred Rego from entering the country in September 2025. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz was also barred from entering Israel as relations between the two governments deteriorated further.
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“The Spanish government has lost its moral compass,” the Foreign Ministry said, accusing Madrid of turning Israel into “a punching bag for its foreign policy.”
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The ministry further accused the Spanish government of embracing a position that “entails the destruction of the State of Israel” while simultaneously condemning Israel for defending itself against Iran and Hamas.
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The latest confrontation was another chapter in a diplomatic dispute that has intensified steadily since the October 7 massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza.
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In November 2023, Israel summoned Spain’s ambassador after Sánchez accused Israel of violating international law and carrying out indiscriminate attacks in Gaza.
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“Israel is violating international law and is carrying out indiscriminate killings in Gaza.”
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Several months later, in April 2024, Sánchez again sharply criticized Israel’s military campaign, describing its response to the Hamas attack as “disproportionate” and warning that it could “destabilize the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world”.
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Tensions increased further the following month when Spain formally recognized a Palestinian state. Sánchez’s government maintained that the move was intended to advance a two-state solution and was not directed against Israel.
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Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares subsequently called for international sanctions against Israel over its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, further straining ties between Madrid and Yerushalayim.
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Relations reached another low point in 2025 when Sánchez announced additional measures against Israel, including steps to strengthen Spain’s arms embargo. Israel responded by banning Rego and Díaz from entering the country.
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The dispute has extended beyond traditional diplomacy. Spain boycotted the Eurovision Song Contest because Israel was participating, a decision Sánchez defended by saying that Spain was on “the right side of history”.
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Sánchez also publicly supported FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal after the soccer star displayed a Palestine Liberation Organization flag during celebrations following the club’s La Liga championship.
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Monday’s reprimand of Spain’s chargé d’affaires underscored the extent of the diplomatic rupture between the two countries. With relations already severely strained and both governments having taken retaliatory measures against the other, Rego’s “from the river to the sea” remarks opened yet another front in the increasingly bitter dispute between Israel and Spain.

Health officials in the Tampa Bay area have declared local states of emergency amid a major outbreak of dengue fever, with Florida reporting 190 cases this year and confirming the death of an elderly woman from the mosquito-borne disease.
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The declarations were issued in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties as officials intensified efforts to control mosquitoes and urged residents to eliminate standing water around their homes.
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Dengue is a viral infection transmitted primarily through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. The illness is sometimes known as “breakbone fever” because of the severe muscle, bone and joint pain that can accompany an infection.
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While dengue has traditionally been far more prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions outside the continental United States, Florida has experienced a sharp increase in cases this year.
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The Florida Department of Health has recorded 190 cases in 2026, making it the state’s second-highest annual total on record. Only 2023, when 199 cases were reported, had a higher number.
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The increase has been particularly pronounced compared with 2025, when Florida recorded 62 dengue cases. The current total is therefore more than three times the number reported during all of last year.
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“This is wildly unusual for us,” a Hillsborough County spokesperson told ABC News.
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The outbreak has also resulted in at least one confirmed death. An elderly woman died after contracting dengue, according to health officials.
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Dengue infections can range from mild or even asymptomatic cases to severe illness. Typical symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and rash. A smaller percentage of patients develop severe dengue, which can cause internal bleeding, shock and, in rare cases, death.
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Officials have been particularly concerned about the conditions that have allowed mosquito populations to thrive. Florida’s persistent heat, periods of heavy rainfall and humid climate create favorable breeding conditions, while the state’s extensive travel connections with areas where dengue is endemic can provide opportunities for the virus to be introduced into local mosquito populations.
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Florida’s proximity and extensive travel links to Puerto Rico have also been cited as factors contributing to the risk. Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean have experienced substantial dengue activity, while the virus also circulates widely across Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Pacific island nations.
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Most dengue cases diagnosed in the United States have historically involved people who became infected while traveling abroad. Local transmission occurs when a mosquito in the United States bites an infected person and subsequently transmits the virus to another person.
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Health authorities in the affected Tampa Bay counties urged residents to take immediate steps to reduce mosquito breeding around their properties. Residents were advised to empty standing water from buckets, garbage cans, gutters, flowerpots and other outdoor containers where mosquitoes can lay eggs.
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Officials also advised homeowners to keep swimming pools properly maintained and chlorinated and to report significant mosquito activity to local mosquito-control agencies.
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Residents were encouraged to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing clothing that covers exposed skin when practical and ensuring that doors and windows have intact screens.
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The outbreak comes amid broader concern about the expanding geographic reach of mosquito-borne diseases. Health experts have warned that warmer temperatures and changing rainfall patterns can lengthen mosquito seasons and create conditions in which mosquito populations capable of transmitting dengue can flourish.
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The current outbreak is especially notable because large dengue outbreaks have historically been uncommon in the continental United States. The last major U.S. outbreak outside the Texas-Mexico border region occurred in 2009.
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Florida, however, has experienced sporadic locally acquired dengue cases and outbreaks over the years, particularly in areas where the mosquitoes capable of carrying the virus are established.
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With 190 infections already recorded this year, officials continued mosquito-control operations across the affected counties while urging residents to take precautions and eliminate potential breeding sites around their homes.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States was closing in on victory in its war with Iran, declaring that his decision to confront Tehran prevented what he described as the potentially catastrophic consequences of a nuclear-armed Iranian regime.
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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he expected the conflict to be resolved quickly, even as U.S. and Iranian officials continued communicating separately with mediators in an effort to find a path toward ending the war.
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“We’re going to win, as far as I’m concerned, it’s going to ‌be ⁠one way or the other,” Trump said, adding, “It’s going ⁠to go pretty quickly.”
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Trump also predicted that energy prices, which have risen sharply amid the conflict and disruptions to shipping in the region, would fall significantly once the war ended, saying gasoline prices would “come tumbling down” following an American victory.
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The president used his remarks Monday to again defend his decision to enter the war, arguing that the overriding objective was preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
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“If you want to see turmoil, let them take out a city with a nuclear weapon. I’m not only talking about Israel and big parts of the Middle East. Let them hit us with a nuclear weapon, for all those stupid people that think it’s okay,” said Trump.

Trump described Iran’s leadership in particularly stark terms as he insisted that allowing Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons was never an acceptable option.
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“They are crazy. There’s no question about it. They are very crazy people. I tell them all the time. I say, ‘You are crazy, man.’ But they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
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Trump said that concern was at the heart of his decision to commit the United States to military action against Iran.
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“I went to war to stop what could be one of the worst things that could ever happen to the world – to us, but to the world,” Trump continued. “Israel would be wiped out right now. There would be no Israel, there’d be no Middle East, and then the rockets and the bombs would start coming our way and Europe’s way. And I stopped it.”
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Trump’s comments came as diplomatic efforts continued behind the scenes despite a wide gap between Washington and Tehran over the terms of any agreement.
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U.S. and Iranian officials held separate discussions with mediators Monday in the latest attempt to end the seven-month conflict. Qatar has played a central role in carrying messages between the two governments, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meeting with Qatari mediators in New York.
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The discussions centered on an amended version of a seven-day proposal Iran presented during the United Nations General Assembly. Under Tehran’s proposal, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and nuclear negotiations would resume within a week if Washington agreed to a series of Iranian demands.
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Those demands included ending the U.S. naval blockade, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports, unfreezing Iranian assets and restoring a ceasefire. Washington, however, has insisted that Iran’s nuclear program and uranium stockpile must be addressed as part of any broader agreement rather than left for later negotiations.
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Trump rejected Iran’s initial proposal Saturday, with U.S. officials arguing that Tehran was seeking major concessions up front while offering only a commitment to negotiate afterward.
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Iranian officials, meanwhile, sent mixed signals Monday about the status of the diplomatic effort. Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s delegation in New York had no plans for direct negotiations with the United States, while Araghchi continued discussions with Qatari intermediaries.
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The disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the principal obstacles to an agreement. Washington has sought guarantees preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and has pressed for inspections and restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities. Iranian leaders have maintained that the country is entitled to a civilian nuclear program and have resisted American demands they regard as infringing on that right.
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Trump had delivered a similar assessment of the war Sunday, saying that the military and economic pressure being applied to Tehran had already dramatically weakened the regime.
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“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to win this war very soon,” he said, adding that stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was “key to the whole thing.”
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“We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint,” the President added, while making clear that U.S. military operations were not necessarily over.
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In additional remarks Sunday, Trump said the United States was succeeding both militarily and economically against Iran, pointing to the severe deterioration of the Iranian economy and currency as evidence of the pressure facing Tehran.
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At the same time, Trump refused to guarantee that the United States would refrain from carrying out additional military strikes before the November midterm elections.
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“I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that,” he said.
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Iran, for its part, has publicly warned that it remains prepared for a prolonged confrontation if negotiations fail. Araghchi said over the weekend that Tehran was prepared for a “doomsday war,” even while maintaining that Iran remained open to a diplomatic resolution.
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The current negotiations follow contacts last week in New York involving U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Araghchi, with Qatar serving as an intermediary. Those exchanges produced Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations within seven days if its conditions were accepted.
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The Strait of Hormuz has become a central focus of efforts to end the conflict because disruptions to shipping through the strategic waterway have sent shockwaves through global energy markets. The narrow passage is one of the world’s most important routes for oil and natural gas shipments, making the dispute a concern extending far beyond the United States, Iran and Israel.
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Trump has repeatedly argued that the combination of American military pressure and Iran’s deteriorating economic position will ultimately force Tehran to accept terms that permanently prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
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For the president, however, Monday’s message was that whatever diplomatic negotiations ultimately produce, the fundamental objective of the war remains unchanged: Iran cannot be permitted to possess a nuclear weapon, and Trump maintains that his decision to go to war prevented precisely that outcome.

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher sought Monday to shut down speculation over the party’s willingness to help establish a government headed by Gadi Eisenkot, declaring that UTJ’s position will be determined by one overriding issue: securing the status of bnei yeshivos.
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“United Torah Judaism has no desire to bring down or crown anyone, and we do not act out of revenge or other interests,” Asher said.
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According to Asher, the party’s position is dictated by the instructions of the Gedolei Yisroel, rather than by loyalty to or opposition toward any particular candidate for prime minister.
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“The only thing that guides us is the instruction of the Gedolei Yisrael, according to which United Torah Judaism, with all its components, will not support or enter any government without regulating the status of Torah learners,” Asher said.
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The statement followed reports that senior figures in Ger believe Agudas Yisroel chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf could abstain rather than vote against a minority government headed by Eisenkot.
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Those reports fueled intense political speculation that Agudas Yisroel could be preparing to break from the political alignment it has maintained with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in recent years, particularly following the bitter dispute over the failure to pass legislation protecting bnei yeshivos from the draft.
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Goldknopf responded to the reports by emphasizing that Agudas Yisroel would not assist any future government unless its demands on the draft issue are met.
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“Agudat Yisrael will not support the establishment of a government and will not provide outside support to any government without resolving the status of yeshiva students and passing a draft law without sanctions and without quotas,” Goldknopf said.
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The wording of the statement did not specifically rule out Eisenkot or any other candidate for prime minister. Instead, Goldknopf placed the focus squarely on the draft law and the status of bnei yeshivos.
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That distinction has become particularly significant because Eisenkot has taken a sharply different position on the draft issue. He has repeatedly said that broadening military service will be a fundamental condition for a government he heads and has said that he would prefer another election rather than compromise on the issue.
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The two positions therefore leave a substantial gap between Eisenkot and the chareidi parties even as reports continue to raise the possibility of new political alignments after the election.
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The controversy erupted after reports attributed to senior figures in Ger suggested that Goldknopf would not necessarily vote against an Eisenkot minority government. According to those reports, he could instead abstain, potentially making it easier for such a government to receive the confidence of the Knesset.
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An abstention would be politically significant because an incoming Israeli government does not necessarily require 61 affirmative votes if fewer than 120 MKs vote for or against it. Abstentions can therefore affect the balance between supporters and opponents during a confidence vote.
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At the same time, neither Goldknopf nor Asher has announced that UTJ would facilitate an Eisenkot government. Their public statements instead establish the draft issue as the condition that would have to be resolved before the party would support or enter any future coalition.
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Asher’s statement is also significant because it was issued in the name of United Torah Judaism as a whole, amid deep internal divisions within the chareidi political establishment and the widening dispute inside Agudas Yisroel itself.
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The message from Asher was that personalities and longstanding political alliances will not determine the party’s position following the election. According to his statement, the decisive issue will be whether a prospective government agrees to protect the status of those learning Torah in accordance with the directives of the Gedolei Yisroel.
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With coalition calculations already dominating Israel’s political campaign, the declaration adds another major condition to the formation of the next government: for United Torah Judaism, Asher says, there will be no coalition support without first resolving the status of bnei yeshivos.

{Matzav.com}

Light rail service in Yerushalayim was partially suspended Monday after an electrical cable was damaged near the Monster Park area, disrupting service during a busy travel period and forcing passengers to rely on replacement bus routes.
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Maintenance crews were dispatched to repair the damaged cable and worked at the site in accordance with the required safety procedures. During the disruption, light rail trains operated only between Neve Yaakov North and Denya Square.
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Passengers traveling toward Hadassah Ein Kerem, or heading from the hospital toward central Yerushalayim, were directed to alternative bus services.
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For passengers traveling toward Hadassah Ein Kerem, several replacement options were made available from the Hechalutz stop on Ish Shalom Road at the corner of Farbstein Street. Routes 27 and 27A served stops from Yefeh Nof through Hadassah Ein Kerem, Route 33 operated to Yefeh Nof and Har Herzl, Route 35 served stops between Yefeh Nof and Monster Park, Routes 91 and 505 traveled to Yefeh Nof, and Route 16 was available for passengers heading to Har Herzl.
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For those traveling in the opposite direction, Route 27 operated from Hadassah Ein Kerem to Denya Square. Route 19 served the route from Hadassah Ein Kerem through Monster Park and continued toward the downtown area at Davidka. Route 35 operated from Monster Park to Denya Square, while Route 16 ran from Har Herzl on Hapisgah Street and Yefeh Nof to Denya Square. Route 91 also operated between Yefeh Nof and Denya Square.
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Additional replacement service was made available from the Central Bus Station. Routes 27 and 27A traveled from the station through Kiryat Moshe, Hechalutz, Yefeh Nof and Har Herzl before continuing to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Route 39 served Kiryat Moshe, Yefeh Nof and Har Herzl.
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In the direction from Hadassah Ein Kerem, Route 27 operated to the Central Bus Station, while Route 19 ran through Monster Park and continued to Davidka in the city center. Route 35 operated from Monster Park to Hechalutz, Route 39 from Yefeh Nof to the Central Bus Station, Route 16 from Har Herzl through Yefeh Nof and Denya Square to Hechalutz, and Route 91 from Yefeh Nof through Denya Square to Hechalutz.
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Officials said at the time that full light rail service would resume once repairs to the damaged electrical infrastructure were completed.