European Union leaders must recognise that the most pressing challenge they face is an internal one — not possible disagreements with Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former national security advisor, Jacob Nagel, told Euronews.

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His comments come as EU-Israel ties are coming under strain. Earlier this month, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, severed all contact with the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, due to alleged comparisons of Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is under pressure from some of its member states to propose a range of options to restrict EU trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“At the end, I think that also the EU countries will come to their senses and will realise who are the good guys and who are the bad guys,” Nagel, who served for more than 40 years in Israel’s Defence Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office and is now a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), said onEuronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes With.

He argued that the EU “is not relevant” — even though the bloc remains Israel’s largest trading partner — echoing a statement made to Euronews by Netanyahu last year.

Nagel went on to state that the EU and its leaders should focus on different, more pressing issues.

“See some of the countries inside Europe, and I don’t want to say names, you go in the streets, there is terror,” he said.

“There are some European countries that understood it, and they took their fate into their hands, but some have already lost the war against the immigrants. I think Europe is facing a big problem that it has to solve, and its problem is not Israel.”

US ‘remains our best friend’

Asked if US-Israel relations had recently come under strain over the latter’s military operation in Lebanon, Nagel acknowledged there may have been some tension but insisted that “Israel and the US are the best allies. They are our best friends.”

On the Israeli side, while Netanyahu avoided direct public criticism, some government and opposition figures denounced Washington’s apparent sidelining of Israel in the US ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran, signed on 17 June, and for dragging the Jewish state out of the conflict before it achieved its goals.

On the US side, Trump reportedly angrily berated Netanyahu at the start of June over Israel’s threats to resume airstrikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs, jeopardising talks with Iran, which were ongoing at the time.

Later, Vice-President J.D. Vance told Israel it was isolated on the international stage, saying Trump is Israel’s only ally left in the world.

While stressing he understood Trump’s reasons for engaging with Iran, Nagel said the US president was nonetheless “making a mistake” by prioritising domestic interests, particularly the economy — the biggest concern for US voters — over securing a more favourable deal to end the Iran conflict and preventing the Islamic Republic from eventually acquiring a nuclear bomb.

“Iran is now getting exactly what it wants and needs,” he said, pointing to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the temporary waivers for Iranian oil exports, which means that Iran will, at least during the 60-day negotiation period provided by the MoU, receive direct, conventional hard-currency payments.

Experts estimate that selling oil legally could generate roughly $8 billion (around €7 billion) during this initial 60-day window alone.

“Trump is now listening to his close allies like Vice-President J.D. Vance, [Steve] Witkoff and [Jared] Kushner, and not listening to [Defence Secretary Pete] Hegseth and [State Secretary Marco] Rubio and others, and he decided to prioritise the American interests; he wants to bring down the price of oil.”

Both Hegseth and Rubio have been advocating a more hawkish line on Iran to limit its power and guarantee US security and that of its allies, including Israel.

However, Nagel recognised that Trump’s ‘America first’ drive and focus on bringing down the price of oil is “legitimate” given November’s mid-term elections and rising fears among Republicans over a Democratic takeover of Congress.

“The people in the US, they don’t know where Iran is, where Israel is, what enriched uranium is. They just know how much they are paying for a gallon of oil when they go to the gas station,” he said.

“We would very much like the US to be with us, but sometimes they have their own interests,” Nagel also said, adding that this is merely a temporary shift in attitude.

“The US will come to its senses very soon. We work together with them. At the end, they will understand who the Iranians are, and they will go back to make sure that the work is finished.”

Each year, Taiwan’s Golden Melody Festival conferences, which take place before the Golden Melody Awards, bring together local and international music industry experts across a series of keynotes and panels covering topics ranging from the global market and music production to extended economic value and industry trends.

The festival’s first market presentation, titled “The Rise of Asia’s Live Music Economy,” featured Justin Sweeting, co-founder and head of music at Hong Kong’s outdoor music and arts festival Clockenflap, and Mia Min Yen, founder of Woozi Studio, LLC, an agency that bridges the gap between East and West, who shared their perspectives on the evolving landscape of Asia’s live music market.

At the presentation, Sweeting made the structural case for Asia as a key touring destination. Rising costs in Europe and North America are pushing artists and promoters to look eastward, while the region’s geographic proximity and well-connected transportation networks make multi-country routing far more practical than it once was. Collaborative projects like Sunset Rollercoaster’s AAA Tour, he noted, have shown how teams across Asia can pool resources, align on market strategies, and collectively expand what is possible for touring across the region. He also stressed that government support, solid infrastructure, and cultural awareness – knowing when not to schedule, whether around Lunar New Year or Ramadan, and when to lean in during peak festival seasons – are just as critical to long-term success.

“The pandemic reset many people’s relationships with live music. I’d argue there’s a depth of appreciation now which was amplified after being taken away for so long,” Sweeting tells Variety.

Sweeting painted a picture of a region whose time has come. “Broadly speaking, Asia is very much a growth story and I’d say this is the result of several factors coming together. On the audience side, the region has a massive, youthful middle class across Southeast Asia, China, South Korea and India with rising disposable income and a genuine hunger for live experiences,” he says.

Yen agrees the ground has shifted. “Fans’ listening habits and ways of discovering music have evolved, driving a dramatic shift in festival curation over the last ten years. Today’s audiences prioritize community, shared identity and experience, over traditional, commercial, or genre-based lineups,” she tells Variety.

That emotional investment has translated into higher spending and higher expectations. “No longer is a fan just buying a ticket, but investing in a memory. From the queue experience to merch offerings, everything needs to be considered and to feel special,” Sweeting adds.

On the question of sustainable growth, Yen is direct. “I think there needs to be room for local promoters to thrive. The live music industry cannot be a monopolistic market. Furthermore, a clearer division of labor is essential, and the role of Asia-focused booking agents/agencies will undoubtedly become more prominent,” she says.

Sweeting is equally candid. “Asia is not homogeneous, and it is its diversity that presents both challenges as well as what makes the region so exciting. Distinct cultures, languages, geopolitical factors, currencies, tax and visa regulations and more, mean that there are complexities throughout,” he says.

Looking five years ahead, Yen says: “The Southeast Asian market is set to bloom, language barriers will continue to diminish, emerging sounds from this region will become increasingly prominent, [and] more Western artists will be drawn towards this market.”

Families watched in horror as a skydiving plane crashed in France moments after takeoff Sunday, killing all 11 people aboard, according to French officials.

The single-engine Pilatus PC-6 crashed shortly after taking off from the Nancy-Essey Airfield near the city of Nancy in northeastern France. Officials said the victims included five skydiving instructors, five first-time jumpers and the pilot.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said some victims’ relatives watched the aircraft fall from the sky.

“Some of the victims’ families witnessed the aircraft falling with their own eyes,” Nuñez said. “So there is tremendous emotion and an even greater psychological trauma.”

MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS

Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefect Yves Séguy said the aircraft suffered an apparent malfunction and “fell almost vertically,” narrowly missing a populated area after crashing roughly 300 yards from the runway.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft banked left after takeoff before disappearing from radar less than a minute into the flight.

France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), the country’s aviation accident investigation agency, said on X that it had opened a safety investigation into the crash involving the Pilatus PC-6. The agency said four investigators and one first-response investigator were dispatched to the scene.

MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS

Authorities have not determined what caused the crash, and officials cautioned that it is too early to speculate while investigators examine the wreckage.

Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein called the crash “an immense shock that has plunged the Greater Nancy area into mourning” in a Facebook post, offering condolences to the victims’ families and those who witnessed the tragedy.

Klein said he visited the crash site alongside regional officials and praised the “remarkable professionalism and commitment” of rescue, medical and security personnel. He also announced that Greater Nancy would open a gathering space at Marcel Picot Stadium where residents could pay their respects and show solidarity with the victims’ families.

MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS

The Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture said it activated a public information center Sunday afternoon to assist victims’ families and said the hotline would reopen Monday morning as recovery efforts and the investigation continue.

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Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot described the crash as the country’s deadliest skydiving aviation accident in roughly three decades.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.