French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that France will recognize Palestine as a state, amid snowballing global anger over people starving in Gaza. Macron said in a post on X that he will formalize the decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″ The French president offered support for Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and frequently speaks out against antisemitism, but he has grown increasingly frustrated about Israel’s war in Gaza, especially in recent months. ″Given its historic commitment to a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the state of Palestine,” Macron posted. ″Peace is possible.” He also posted a letter he sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the decision. France is the biggest and most powerful European country to recognize Palestine. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including more than a dozen in Europe. France has Europe’s largest Jewish population and the largest Muslim population in western Europe, and fighting in the Middle East often spills over into protests or other tensions in France. The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment. France’s foreign minister is co-hosting a conference at the U.N. next week about a two-state solution. Last month, Macron expressed his “determination to recognize the state of Palestine,” and he has pushed for a broader movement toward a two-state solution, in parallel with recognition of Israel and its right to defend itself. Thursday’s announcement came soon after the U.S. cut short Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar, saying Hamas wasn’t showing good faith. Momentum has been building against Israel in recent days. Earlier this week, France and more than two dozen mostly European countries condemned Israel’s restrictions on aid shipments into the territory and the killings of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach food. The Palestinians seek an independent state in the West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and Gaza, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel’s government and most of its political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood and now say that it would reward terrorists after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Israel annexed east Jerusalem shortly after the 1967 war and considers it part of its capital. In the West Bank, it has built scores of settlements, some resembling sprawling suburbs, that are now home to over 500,000 Jewish settlers with Israeli citizenship. The territory’s 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited autonomy in population centers. (AP)
Despite being mired in the longest and most intense military conflict in its history, Israel’s financial markets are booming — and breaking records. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has become one of the world’s best-performing markets in 2025, even as the country endures multi-front wars, mounting defense costs, and geopolitical uncertainty. According to newly released data, Israel’s main stock indexes have surged well ahead of global benchmarks. The TA-125 has jumped 34.6% this year, while the TA-35 index of blue-chip companies is up 33.6%. The TA-90, which tracks mid-cap stocks, leads with a remarkable 36% increase, outpacing the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and other major indices. The Israeli shekel, too, has strengthened sharply, climbing 8% against the dollar during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, reaching a two-year high. That rally came even as the country grappled with heavy missile barrages, widespread destruction, and the economic toll of a drawn-out military campaign. Investor confidence is reflected in the numbers. In the first half of 2025, Israeli retail investors funneled more than NIS 8.2 billion ($2.45 billion) into the stock market — more than double the amount seen in the second half of 2024. Foreign investors added another NIS 9.6 billion ($2.86 billion) during the same period, up from NIS 3.9 billion in the previous half-year. The investment focus has been broad: banks benefiting from high interest rates, insurance companies, construction firms, infrastructure players, and airlines have all seen increased interest. Crucially, tech funding has also rebounded, hitting a three-year high in the first half of 2025 — a critical boost for an economy where high-tech accounts for 20% of GDP and roughly half of all exports. This bullish trend comes despite serious macroeconomic headwinds. The war effort has left a massive fiscal hole, with soaring defense spending, billions allocated for reconstruction, and compensation packages for reserve soldiers and victims’ families. Moody’s has maintained a negative outlook on Israel’s credit rating and warned that economic risks from the war with Iran may be worse than currently assessed. Israel’s economy contracted sharply at the end of 2023 but has since rebounded. After shrinking 20.8% in Q4 2023, the economy grew by 1% in 2024 and is projected to expand by 3.3% this year, according to the Bank of Israel. Moody’s is more cautious, forecasting just 2% growth in 2025. Still, markets appear to be looking past the immediate costs. The prospect of a ceasefire with Hamas — still being negotiated — and a broader regional realignment, including potential normalization with Saudi Arabia, has generated substantial investor enthusiasm. For decades, the specter of Iranian aggression and regional instability cast a long shadow over Israel’s economic outlook. But analysts now say that era may be shifting. If the momentum from recent military operations leads to a more stable Middle East — and if Israel can capitalize on diplomatic and economic openings — the current market rally may be just the beginning. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A new poll confirms that socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani as leading a fractured four-way New York City mayoral race — but failing to win over a majority of an electorate still deeply divided over the idea of a socialist running America’s largest city. The poll, conducted by Wick Insights, shows Mamdani holding a strong lead with 39% support against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo trails with 21%, followed by Sliwa at 18%, while Adams — once the city’s top Democrat — has collapsed to a humiliating 9%. But the numbers expose serious vulnerabilities beneath Mamdani’s lead. Despite finishing first, he remains a polarizing figure. Just 46% of voters say they would welcome a socialist mayor, while 44% remain opposed, and 10% are unsure. More damningly, a slim majority — 53% — believe his leftist vision is unworkable in the real world. Mamdani’s favorability rating stands at 43%, identical to his unfavorability score — a sharp warning that while he may be ahead, he’s far from being embraced by the city at large. In a potential one-on-one showdown with Cuomo, the race tightens dramatically. The former governor edges out Mamdani 42% to 41%, within the poll’s margin of error — and a stark contrast to Mamdani’s dominance over Adams and Sliwa in head-to-head matchups. “This is a race,” said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi, pouncing on the new data. “Governor Cuomo is talking directly to voters about making New York City affordable, safe, and well-run — in sharp contrast to Mamdani’s substance-free slogans and Adams’ trail of mismanagement and alleged corruption.” Mamdani’s rise has stunned political insiders. He crushed Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June, defying every major poll but one. He pulled off a 56–44 upset — winning more primary votes than any Democrat in a citywide race in over 30 years. Even so, his failure to consolidate support post-primary underscores a lingering skepticism among New Yorkers — and a potentially volatile general election landscape. The poll also shows voters deeply disenchanted with the current mayor. Adams’ 9% support, paired with his plummeting favorability, confirms his freefall from political relevance. Once hailed as the law-and-order moderate, Adams is now widely viewed as a liability to his own former allies. The next three months could be decisive. With both Adams and Sliwa lagging behind, pressure is mounting for candidates to drop out and consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote — a move that could drastically reshape the race and threaten the democratic socialist’s path to power. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Taliban have tortured and threatened Afghans forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan because of their identity or personal history, a U.N. report said Thursday. Pakistan and Iran are expelling millions of Afghans who they say are living in their countries illegally. Afghan authorities have urged nationals to return, pledging amnesty for anyone who left after the Taliban seized power in 2021. But rights groups and the U.N. have repeatedly warned that some of those returning are at risk of persecution because of their gender, links to the former Western-backed administration or profession. Thursday’s report from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said some people have experienced serious human rights violations, while others have gone into hiding or relocated for fear of Taliban reprisal. The violations include torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest, and threats to personal security at the hands of the Taliban, according to the report. A former government official told the U.N. mission that, after his return to Afghanistan in 2023, he was detained and severely tortured with sticks and cables. He was waterboarded and subjected to a mock execution. A non-binary person said they were beaten severely, including with the back of a gun. Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said nobody should be sent back to a country where they faced the risk of persecution on account of their identity or personal history. This was even more pronounced for Afghan women and girls, who were subjected to a range of measures “amounting to persecution based on their gender alone,” he added. The Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan girls and women, cutting off education beyond sixth grade, most employment and access to many public spaces. Responding to the report, Taliban authorities denied mistreating Afghan returnees and rejected allegations of arrest, violence, intimidation or retaliation against people because of their identity or personal history. Afghans returning from neighboring countries were provided with facilities related to documentation, transportation, resettlement, and other legal support, they said, while the Interior Ministry provides a “warm welcome.” They called on the U.N. mission to prevent forced deportations, adding the United Nations as a whole “should not hesitate” in providing basic needs to refugees, such as food, medicine, shelter and education. Afghans who left their homeland in the millions over the decades are either being pushed out in expulsion campaigns, like those in Iran and Pakistan, or face an uncertain future because of reduced support for refugees. On Monday, thousands of Afghans in the U.S. lost protection from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s decision to end their legal status. Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better. But groups helping Afghans with this status say the country is still extremely dangerous. The Trump administration’s January suspension of a refugee program has left thousands of Afghans stranded, particularly in Pakistan, and a travel ban on Afghans has further diminished their hopes of resettlement in the U.S. (AP)
The Department of Homeland Security awarded more than $25 million in federal grants to organizations with ties to Islamist extremism between 2013 and 2023, according to a damning new report from the Middle East Forum. The report accuses DHS of funneling taxpayer dollars to groups affiliated with Iran’s regime, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other entities previously linked to terrorism or extremist ideology — some of which were connected to individuals involved in the September 11 attacks. “This is not a case of bureaucratic oversight — it’s a systematic failure of vetting and accountability,” said Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum. “Americans have the right to know their tax dollars went to institutions that are ideologically aligned with foreign adversaries.” The investigation focused on three federal funding streams — the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) initiative, and the Disaster Relief Fund — and cross-referenced grantees with MEF’s archives of groups tied to radical ideologies. Among the report’s key findings: $750,000 in grants were earmarked for mosques in Michigan and Texas that the report says are “operating on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran or its proxies.” The Islamic Center of San Diego, awarded $370,000 in federal grants between 2015 and 2023, was frequented by two 9/11 hijackers who allegedly received logistical support from worshippers — including help obtaining IDs and accessing funds from a relative of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, according to the report. The Turkish American Community Center in Maryland — described as a North American outpost of the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs and aligned with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — received $150,000 in NSGP funding. A Michigan-based nonprofit, Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities, received CVE funds despite board members with reported pro-Hezbollah affiliations. ICNA Relief, the charitable wing of the Islamic Circle of North America — which the report says has “ideological ties” to the U.S.-designated terrorist group Jamaat-e-Islami — was granted $10.3 million in disaster aid. Another Texas-based recipient, the Muslim American Society Katy Center, tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, received more than $90,000. Roman said the report also highlights DHS’s ongoing partnership with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terror financing case. CAIR has drawn attention more recently for inflammatory statements following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack, including blaming Israel for the massacre. “These grants represent more than just misused funds — they’re a national security breach hiding in plain sight,” Roman said. “We have shared our findings with executive agencies and Congress and are pushing for immediate rescission of funds and deep structural reform.” The Middle East Forum is urging Congress to impose stricter transparency requirements and overhaul DHS’s vetting process for grantees, warning that the current system leaves the door open for extremist infiltration under the guise of community outreach or disaster relief. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which the report identifies as the primary source of questionable funding, grew from a modest $10 million in 2012 to a staggering $454 million by 2024. Critics say that growth occurred without corresponding safeguards. The report does note that in some cases it is unclear whether all earmarked funds were ultimately disbursed, but insists that the grant approvals themselves reflect a dangerous […]
Syria and Saudi Arabia announced 47 investment agreements, valued at over $6 billion, in Damascus on Thursday, marking a significant step in rebuilding Syria’s war-battered economy. The agreements signed at the Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum cover a wide range of sectors, including real estate, telecommunications and finance. The planned projects include housing, the reconstruction of war-damaged areas, the development of tourism, medical and entertainment sites, skyscrapers, and three new cement factories. Syrian Minister of Information Hamza al-Mustafa said the deals are expected to create around 50,000 direct and 150,000 indirect job opportunities. Saudi Arabia has been strongly supportive of the interim government in Syria led by former insurgent commander President Ahmad al-Sharaa since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive. The country faces major economic and social challenges. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least $250 billion to rebuild Syria after years of civil war. Some experts now say that number could reach at least $400 billion. The Saudi deals come as a political boost to Syria’s interim government at a moment when the country is reeling from a new round of sectarian violence that broke out in the southern province of Sweida earlier this month. Clashes broke out on July 13 between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and armed groups of the Druze religious minority, and government security forces who intervened to restore order ended up siding with the Bedouins. Members of the security forces allegedly killed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Druze armed groups later launched revenge attacks on Bedouin communities. Israel also intervened, launching strikes on convoys of government forces and on the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in Damascus, which Israeli officials said were in defense of the Druze religious minority. Hundreds have been killed, and the U.N. says more than 130,000 people have been displaced. The fighting has stopped as a ceasefire takes hold, but tensions remain high and the violence has further shaken the trust of religious minorities in the new government. (AP)
Clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border continue into the night, with footage showing a Royal Cambodian Army RM-70 multiple-launch rocket system firing at targets inside Thailand.
An explosion occurred at a weapons and ammunition depot at Al-Anad Air Base, controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognized government in Lahij Governorate. Local media report it was caused by an electrical short circuit.
Border Czar Tom Homan: “NYPD wants to help us. The officers on the ground want to help us, but it’s a sanctuary city that was created by Bill de Blasio and supported by the City Council… Letitia James is wrong — New York is NOT helping us with criminals.”
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced Thursday that the United States is pulling its negotiators out of the ceasefire talks in Doha, accusing Hamas of deliberately derailing efforts to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages. “We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,” Witkoff wrote in a post on X. “While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.” The move marks a major setback for the high-stakes negotiations that have been underway for weeks, with Qatari and Egyptian mediators working alongside U.S. and Israeli officials to hammer out a framework for ending hostilities and freeing the remaining hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel. Witkoff added that Washington will now “consider alternative options” to resolve the crisis and return the hostages, though he did not specify what those options might be. “It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way,” he said. “We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.” The envoy’s comments suggest growing impatience within the Trump administration over Hamas’s unwillingness to engage constructively in the talks. The statement also signals that U.S. officials may be recalibrating their diplomatic strategy after months of deadlock. Israel has also recalled its delegation from Doha, reflecting similar concerns. Behind the scenes, the picture appears murkier. An Arab diplomat involved in the mediation, speaking to The Times of Israel, disputed Witkoff’s assessment, saying Hamas’s latest response was “constructive enough to enable the sides to move forward.” A second source familiar with the talks echoed that view, suggesting that despite ongoing gaps, progress was still possible. The public breakdown of the talks comes at a critical moment in the Gaza war. Israeli forces continue to operate in Gaza, where humanitarian conditions have deteriorated and international pressure for a ceasefire has intensified. Meanwhile, U.S. officials have faced growing criticism at home and abroad for their handling of the conflict and inability to bring it to a close. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Four international media outlets issued a statement on Thursday claiming that their journalists in Gaza are starving and it is Israel’s fault, omitting any mention of Hamas, which regularly commandeers the humanitarian aid that enters the Gaza Strip and on Wednesday evening, even launched a rocket at an aid distribution site. It should be noted that at least two of the outlets, the Associated Press and Reuters, employed photographers in Gaza who were embedded with brutal Hamas terrorists from the first moments of the October 7 attack and photographed atrocities, including the lynching of an IDF soldier’s body, abductions, and the abuse of dead bodies. “We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” said a joint statement by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the BBC. “For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.” “We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there.” Meanwhile, reports of starvation in Gaza are false, and any shortages are caused by Hamas, not Israel. Israel, which provides aid for a population bent on destroying it, allows trucks full of aid to enter the Gaza Strip and Hamas does its best to steal the aid or sabotage efforts to distribute it to civilians. The IDF spokesperson reported on Thursday morning that on Wednesday evening, Hamas launched a rocket at one of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF said that the rocket attack “adds to the attempts by the terror organizations, who operate cruelly and systematically, to sabotage the aid distribution sites program… while attempting to disrupt the distribution of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip.” Earlier this week, the IDF released footage of thousands of pallets of aid that were brought to Gaza by Israel, with the UN failing to distribute them. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
BREAKING: White House envoy Steve Witkoff said the U.S. is pulling its team from Doha after Hamas’s latest response showed no real interest in a Gaza ceasefire. He criticized Hamas for acting in bad faith and said the U.S. will now explore other ways to secure the hostages and stabilize the region.
Israeli airstrikes hit multiple locations in southern Lebanon, both north and south of the Litani River. According to the IDF, the strikes targeted Hezbollah military positions, including weapons storage sites and a rocket launcher.
The number of Americans filing for jobless aid fell for the sixth straight week, hitting the lowest level since mid-April. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending July 19 fell by 4,000 to 217,000. That’s fewer than the 227,000 new applications analysts were expecting. Applications for unemployment aid are viewed as representative of layoffs. Earlier in July, the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added a surprising 147,000 jobs in June, adding to evidence that the American labor market continues to show resilience despite uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The job gains were much more than expected and the unemployment rate ticked down 4.1% from 4.2% in May. Though the job market is broadly healthy by historical standards, some weakness has surfaced as employers contend with fallout from Trump’s policies, especially his aggressive tariffs, which raise prices for businesses and consumers. Most economists believe the import duties make the economy less efficient by reducing competition. They also invite retaliatory tariffs from other countries, hurting U.S. exporters and potentially driving businesses to freeze hiring or cut staff. The deadline on most of Trump’s stiff proposed taxes on imports were extended again until Aug. 1. Unless Trump reaches deals with countries to lower the tariffs, economists fear they could act as a drag on the economy and trigger another bout of inflation. Companies that have announced job cuts this year include Procter & Gamble, Workday, Dow, CNN, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Microsoft, Google and Facebook parent company Meta. The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, declined by 5,000 to 224,500. The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits for the week of July 12 remained stable, rising by just 4,000 to 1.96 million. (AP)
UTJ chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf spoke about the Chareidi draft law crisis in an interview with the Religious Zionist Makor Rishon newspaper. When asked if he understands the pain of the reservists who are leaving for another round of reserve duty, Goldknopf responded, “I don’t understand; I didn’t decide he needs to go. If this person decided that this is his way and he wants to go, then he goes. Don’t transfer the pain [of the Religious Zionists] to the Chareidim. Each sector has their own burden.” Makor Rishon: “Isn’t this a mandatory war?” Goldknopf: “I was told that there are 100,000 draft dodgers in Tel Aviv, in the Gush Dan area.” “I don’t suggest anyone arrest talmidei yeshivos,” Goldknopf continued. “It will cause an upheaval to Am Yisrael and the whole world. I don’t suggest anyone in the State of Israel to act in these ways. It’s a breaking of all conventions and crossing a red line.” Regarding the sanctions against bnei yeshivos, he said, “If there is no choice and they have to leave the country, then they will leave the country. There will be a state without Chareidim. The Chareidim will not change their lifestyle because there is an army and a war. There is an army, and there are also those who will go to the army. If you say you are missing 50,000 soldiers, take those who evade the draft. I’m not talking about Chareidim.” Regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu, he said, “If he wanted to and had put his weight behind it like other things, there would be a draft law. When the prime minister wants something, he enters a room and sits everyone around one table and reaches a compromise.” “If Netanyahu wants us next time, he will have to prove so by his actions even before the government is formed. I can’t come today and say that Netanyahu promises—which of the Rabbanim will buy that?” “Have you closed the door on Netanyahu?” Goldknopf: “I don’t close or open doors. We are committed to our public, and whoever knows how to obtain what our public asks for will get us. Whoever only knows how to say and say, then let him suffice with saying it to someone else. In the meantime, Netanyahu in this term has only said.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The terrorist in the Beit Lid terror attack this morning has been identified as 27-year-old Arkan Khaled from Tayibe. Police are asking for the public’s help in locating him.
Israel’s Health Ministry reported that since the measles outbreak began three months ago, 245 cases have been diagnosed—91 of them currently active, with nearly half identified in the past week, mostly in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. Around 87% of patients are unvaccinated children, and 12 are hospitalized, including three in intensive care and one on ECMO support.
A pre-trial panel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that Hungary breached its obligations to the Court and hindered its ability to function by failing to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu during his visit in early April.
The Royal Thai Army has released footage of drone strikes carried out earlier today targeting Cambodian Army positions and ammunition depots near the Thai border. The attacks were conducted using FPV drones armed with M261 and M472 mortar shells, along with improvised air-dropped bombs.
