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Could Biden copy Obama with December surprise at UN to punish Israel's Netanyahu?

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Could Biden copy Obama with December surprise at UN to punish Israel's Netanyahu?

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JERUSALEM — After 10 non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council proposed a binding resolution that would impose an end to Israel’s war to root out Hamas terrorists in Gaza, there is growing concern that the Biden administration could embrace the measure to send a strong parting message to the Netanyahu government.

Relations between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been tense since Israel launched its self-defense war against the U.S.-designated terrorist movement on Oct. 7, 2023.

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U.N. experts are speculating that Biden might seek payback against Netanyahu at the U.N., just as President Obama did in 2016 when they let an anti-Israel resolution pass weeks before President-elect Donald Trump was to take office.

UN, ISRAEL AT ODDS OVER CAUSE OF DECLINE IN AID DELIVERIES: ‘FALSE NARRATIVES BY INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’

President Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu and former President Obama (Getty Images)

“Without a doubt, this is a calculated effort to Trump-proof the failed Biden agenda. Once a Security Council resolution is adopted, the Russians and the Chinese would veto any attempt to revoke it. Americans of all political stripes need to remind President Biden’s lame-duck administration that they didn’t come out to vote only to hand over control to the Russians, the Chinese and the United Nations,” Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital.

The proposed Security Council draft resolution fails to secure the release of more than 100 hostages being held by the terrorist organization, including Americans. The anti-Israel measure recalls President Obama’s punitive council action against Israel in the lame duck phase of his administration.

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A version of the draft was leaked to Al Jazeera, which the Israel Defense Forces has accused of employing Hamas terrorists as reporters.

Israel’s ambassador to the world body, Danny Danon, told Fox News Digital, “It’s shameful that this proposed resolution fails to link the call for a cease-fire with the release of all 101 remaining hostages still held in brutal captivity by Hamas in Gaza. It is a one-sided resolution and shouldn’t pass.”

U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power abstains as the other 14 members of the Security Council raise their hands in affirmation of Resolution 2334, which demands an end to Israeli settlements, at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Dec. 23, 2016. (Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Russia’s mission to the U.N. on Wednesday wrote on X that it “expresses its full support for the draft resolution on Gaza introduced by ‘the ten’ non-permanent members of the UNSC, which contains a direct demand for an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire and the release of all hostages. We also call for this draft to be put to a vote without further delay.”

Russia, along with the U.S., China, France and Britain are the five permanent members of the body.

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US, ISRAEL AT ODDS OVER DECLINE IN AID DELIVERIES 

Israel accused former President Obama of permitting passage of a council resolution in 2016 that censured Israel for the building of Israeli residences in Judea and Samaria, known more widely as the West Bank. There are growing fears among supporters of the Jewish state that the White House will use its lame-duck period to punish Israel again.

Danon told a group of journalists on Thursday, “While I don’t think the U.S. would let the resolution pass, there might be other attempts to alienate and delegitimize Israel during the transition period, like we saw in 2016.”

Protesters rally against the government in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sept. 1, 2024. (Reuters/Florion Goga)

However, when asked at a press briefing last week if the Biden administration plans to replicate President Obama’s enabling in 2016 of what was deemed as an anti-Israel resolution by the Jewish state and many Trump officials shortly before Obama left office, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “So you should not read this – into this answer I’m about to give anything. You shouldn’t read in one way or the other. I cannot speculate on how we will vote on resolutions that are not yet even before the Security Council. Obviously, we will look at any resolution that comes up before the Security Council and make … our judgments based on the interests of the United States, as we always do.”

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BIDEN ADMIN ISSUES WARNING TO NETANYAHU AS ISRAEL HOLDS EMERGENCY MEETING ON GAZA AID

Palestinian refugees carry flour in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Jan. 28, 2024. (Abed Zagout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital sent a press a query to the State Department about the newly proposed draft resolution.

Bayefsky added, “Strip away the facade of faux peace, and you find a United Nations and an embittered Biden administration making big plans to do permanent harm to the state of Israel. President Obama produced the template for an end run around a Trump presidency in 2016: enable the U.N. to do the dirty work during the lame-duck term. The endgame is simple: Thwart Congress and the election results by bending American sovereignty to the will of the United Nations.”

 

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IDF troops enter Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, searching for hostages. (Israel Defense Forces)

“To be very clear, a U.N. Security Council resolution that demands right now an unconditional and permanent cease-fire before the release of every single hostage, before the end of Hamas rocket fire, with Hamas still armed and hell-bent on genocide, is not pro-peace,” Bayefsky continued. “It’s a guarantee of more war. There has never been a cease-fire that Hamas hasn’t broken. So the truth is that the U.N.’s idea of a cease-fire is actually directed at a party of one: Israel. Israel ceases and Hamas fires. A democratic United States needs to shut down these negotiations, period.”

The 10 non-permanent members of the council are Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland.

“The Security Council Trump-proof plan involves setting up a continual barrage of U.N. reports and endless meetings on Israel’s ‘compliance’ with the resolution,” Bayefsky said. “… make no mistake: A Trump-proof production line of secretary-general reports ensures that the U.N. will be constantly throwing gasoline on any American attempt to put out the fire. U.N. reports, meetings and press conferences are not mere hot air. They fan the flames of hate and antisemitism until they blow up not only in Israel and Europe but right here on the streets and campuses of the USA.”

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War, latest news. Trump: agreement with Iran to be signed soon. Tehran media: approval likely from top officials

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War, latest news. Trump: agreement with Iran to be signed soon. Tehran media: approval likely from top officials

Oxfam: ‘Over 540 settler attacks in the West Bank in the first few months of 2026’

A new analysis by Oxfam highlights the exponential rise in attacks by Israeli settlers and military forces in the occupied West Bank: in the first few months of 2026 alone, there were over 540 incidents and “in three years, the number of Palestinian civilians killed has exceeded that of the previous 17 years”, mainly children. According to the report, based on an analysis of data provided by the United Nations, “it is clear that Israel’s annexation plan is accelerating, with mass forced displacements, increased restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement and an unprecedented escalation of violence by settlers and the army”. A plan of ethnic cleansing and annexation that, since 2023, has caused over 46,000 people to be displaced, the construction of over 925 barriers that impede the movement of 3 million people, and an unprecedented wave of violence that has claimed over 1,200 lives, including nearly 270 children. In particular, between 2006 and 2022, Oxfam points out, there were 1,036 victims, including 225 children, whilst since 2023 alone, 1,244 have been recorded, with 268 children killed. This means that, over the last 20 years, one in five killings involved a child, around 22 per cent. By contrast, in the first 17 years under review, 86 Israeli settlers were killed by Palestinians, including 12 children, whilst there were 43 victims, including 10 children, between 2023 and 2025. “The massacre of civilians we are witnessing is painful and disturbing,” said Paolo Pezzati, spokesperson for humanitarian crises at Oxfam Italia – “Whilst the eyes of the world were rightly focused on the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza, following the atrocities committed by Hamas and other armed groups in 2023, an unprecedented wave of violence was unfolding across the West Bank, which has now escalated into a systematic plan of ethnic cleansing. In this context, we are therefore launching an urgent appeal for all necessary diplomatic pressure to be brought to bear on Israel to halt the ongoing annexation plan,” concludes Pezzati.

US: third Iranian oil tanker breaching the blockade neutralised

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The US Central Command stated on X that it had intercepted an oil tanker, the third in a week, accused of violating the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command says it struck the M/T Jalveer, flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau, “as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman”. “A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles at the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly refused to obey orders from US forces,” Centcom said.

Meloni: the Council should reflect on the direction of relations between the EU and Israel

“Not only because of what is happening in Lebanon, but also given the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, it is clear that the European Council will need to reflect on the direction of relations between the European Union and Israel.” This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Chamber of Deputies, in her address ahead of the EU Council meeting. “On this,” she added, “I would like, for once, to see a debate here that goes beyond the emphasis on facile polemics, which certainly yields an immediate return in terms of visibility, but does not reflect the strategic importance that the issue holds for Italia.”

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Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to 30 years over North Korea drone flights

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Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to 30 years over North Korea drone flights

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A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison Friday in a case that accused him of ordering drone flights over North Korea in an effort to justify his declaration of martial law.

Yoon, 65, was sentenced alongside former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun by the Seoul Central District Court.

The ousted president was previously sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection following his declaration of martial law in December 2024.

North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets on three occasions in October 2024.

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SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKERS SUPPORT SUSPENDING PRESIDENT’S POWERS AFTER SHORT-LIVED MARTIAL LAW DECLARATION

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Feb. 11, 2025. (Lee Jin-man/AP)

Then-Defense Minister Kim initially issued a vague denial before South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations.

Although tensions between the two Koreas escalated following the incident, the drone flights did not lead to any military clashes.

Prosecutors accused Yoon of attempting to create a crisis with North Korea while plotting an authoritarian power grab aimed at removing political opponents and consolidating control.

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SOUTH KOREAN COURT RULES EX‑PRESIDENT YOON SUK YEOL GUILTY IN INSURRECTION TRIAL

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally outside the Seoul High Court in Seoul on April 29, 2026. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

Before declaring martial law, Yoon delivered a televised address accusing liberal lawmakers of sympathizing with North Korea.

Yoon has argued that he possessed the constitutional authority to declare martial law and said the move was intended to draw attention to what he viewed as obstruction by opposition parties.

His attempt to impose martial law lasted roughly six hours before lawmakers voted to overturn it amid mass public protests.

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Yoon was arrested in July 2025 and continues to face multiple criminal proceedings.

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South Korea’s ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at Seoul Central District Court in Seoul to attend his trial on charges related to declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2025. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

The insurrection verdict has been appealed by both Yoon and prosecutors, who had sought the death penalty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nigeria killed more than 13,000 ‘terrorists’ in past year, president says

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Nigeria killed more than 13,000 ‘terrorists’ in past year, president says

President Tinubu takes victorious tone despite recent mass kidnappings by armed groups across the country.

Nigeria’s military has “neutralised” more than 13,000 “terrorists” in the past year, the president says, as armed groups and criminal gangs continue to carry out mass attacks and kidnappings in the country.

In a televised national address on Friday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the death toll from Nigeria’s fight against armed rebels is down 81 percent since he took power in 2023.

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Tinubu added that “124,000 fighters and dependants have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor,” a programme aimed at rehabilitating repentant armed group members who voluntarily lay down their arms.

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Tinubu’s speech was in commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day, which marks the end of several years of military rule and the restoration of democracy in 1999.

However, despite the victorious tone of his speech, Africa’s second-biggest economy is in the throes of a spiralling insecurity crisis that has seen armed groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, as well as criminal gangs, abduct citizens for ransom money.

Soft targets, including schools, churches and mosques, particularly in vulnerable rural communities with limited state security presence, have been particularly at risk.

While armed groups initially limited their operations to the country’s north, they have begun spreading through thick forest corridors to attack targets in the country’s southwest.

Officials say the groups are shifting base because of military pressure on their locations.

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Following unfounded allegations of a “Christian genocide” in the country by US President Donald Trump late last year, the United States military has since begun supporting Nigeria in conducting precision strikes on armed group locations. In February, 100 American soldiers were deployed to Nigeria.

Scores of people have been abducted since January alone, including teachers and pupils as young as four years old. The latest incident in May saw 46 people kidnapped from a school in southwest Oyo state.

On Monday, the Nigerian military said it rescued 360 people kidnapped by ISIL-linked Boko Haram and held in a remote mountain hideout in northern Borno State.

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