As if it were a delayed Christmas present, last December 26 Israel recognized Somaliland, a territory in East Africa, as an independent state. It was what Somaliland had pursued for more than three decades, since it separated Financial Times in mid-March. in mid-March the president of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.Somaliland is a few kilometers from Yemen, where the Houthis, a Shiite group opposed to Israel and supported by Iran in the so-called Axis of Resistance, operate. In statements to Bloomberg, two Somaliland officials confirmed the rumors: the territory will allow Israel to gather information about the Houthis and carry out operations against them. A local politician linked to the presidency did not rule out, in the same article, that Israel could establish a base there. This position on the Red Sea is also key due to the proximity of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the entry point for ships heading for the Suez Canal. Any blockade of this point would force ships sailing between Asia and Europe to go around southern Africa, which would contribute to inflation in Europe. As we have seen in the Strait of Hormuz, the power gained from controlling such areas is invaluable. Israel is making a move against its enemies, and Somaliland finally has the recognition it needed. In return, it risks the element that has made it an exception: peace.

A few days ago, it was done by letter, also signed by Ireland and Slovenia, and next Tuesday the Spanish government will formally request that the European Union break its association agreement with Israel. This was announced by the president of the executive, Pedro Sánchez, from Andalusia, where he participated in an electoral event with the socialist candidate, María Jesús Montero. According to Sánchez, Benjamin Netanyahu's government cannot continue to be a preferred partner of the EU because it "is violating international law" and, therefore, "the principles and values of the EU". It will be at the meeting of Foreign Affairs ministers where the Spanish government's request will be formalized.

The residents of Bages have organized this weekend to demand that the company ICL –Israel Chemicals Limited– leave the territory. A thousand people spent the night in a camp in Callús as part of a mobilization driven by Revoltes de la Terra to denounce the environmental and social impact of this company that has been exploiting the region's salt mines since 1998. The intention is to stay for the entire weekend.

Since the start of the war, Israel's international position has been subjected to growing diplomatic pressure and a progressive reconfiguration of its alliances, with increasingly visible fractures in different regions. In this context, Spain has positioned itself among the most critical voices in Europe. Pedro Sánchez's government has prohibited the use of the Rota and Morón US bases for operations against Iran and has withdrawn the Spanish ambassador to Israel. The escalation has intensified in recent weeks: Israel has excluded Spain from the multinational center overseeing the ceasefire in Gaza, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Madrid that countries that "wage a diplomatic war" against Israel "will pay an immediate price." Sánchez, for his part, has insisted on the need to suspend the association agreement between the EU and Israel.But the Spanish case is not an exception, but part of an ever-widening fracture in Europe. Even traditionally close governments, such as Italy, have begun to distance themselves. The government of Giorgia Meloni has suspended a defense cooperation agreement with Israel, in force since 2006 and automatically renewed every five years. “There is a significant change not only in the European perception of Israel, but also in the global one”, explains to ARA Dr. Leonie Fleischmann, an expert in international politics and human rights at Saint George's University of London. The EU, she says, has gone so far as to consider measures that could partially suspend the free trade agreement with Israel, a qualitative change in the relationship. Although there are signs of international isolation, Fleischmann qualifies that the European response is uneven: Germany and Hungary are hindering any progress in the relationship, while Greece or Cyprus are strengthening ties, especially military ones.In the Middle East, tension is structural, especially with Turkey, one of the main regional powers. The relationship between both sides has deteriorated significantly since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the start of the offensive in Gaza. Ankara has repeatedly accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes and trying to make it its next regional enemy, and Israel has criticized Turkey for its proximity to Iran and for its repression against the Kurds. In this climate, a couple of days ago, Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs went as far as to call Netanyahu the "Hitler of our time".Washington's favor and doubts in the Gulf

Despite tensions, Israel is not alone. The United States remains its main ally, with key military and strategic cooperation. However, Beth Oppenheim –of the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations– points out to this newspaper that the war with Iran could erode the relationship in the long term. As she explains, American public opinion is changing, both within the MAGA movement and the Democratic Party, with a growing perception that Israel is dragging Washington into a conflict contrary to its interests.In parallel, Israel is trying to consolidate ties with the Arab countries with which it normalized relations under the Abraham Accords of 2020, such as the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain. Netanyahu has once again insisted that Israel is "forging alliances with Arab countries willing to fight alongside it," but has not specified which ones.However, several analysts warn that the room for maneuver is limited. Some Gulf countries have hardened their stance towards Tehran, such as the United Arab Emirates, while others, like Saudi Arabia, continue to condition normalization with Israel on progress in the Palestinian issue. “Israel may find that its expectations of rapprochement and a new security architecture with Gulf actors have been exaggerated. Gulf leaders remain deeply skeptical of Israel, which they see as a destabilizing power,” Oppenheim concludes. Furthermore, public opinion in these countries remains largely critical of Israel, a factor that limits the political room for maneuver of their governments.

]]>

The initial reaction in Israel after the announcement of the ten-day ceasefire with Lebanon has been marked by outrage and deep mistrust, both within the government and among the opposition and the population, especially in the north of the country. Now, all eyes are on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: political and military pressure rests on him.Several ministers in his government have complained that they learned of the agreement through a publication on Donald Trump's social media, or through the media, and have questioned how a truce could be announced without the backing of the security cabinet. According to the White House, Netanyahu would have already accepted the truce on Wednesday night during a conversation with Trump.Despite accepting the ceasefire, the leader insisted that his demands remain: the disarmament of Hezbollah and a “sustainable peace based on strength”. He also stressed that Israeli troops will remain in southern Lebanon in an “expanded security zone” of about ten kilometers. At the same time, he stated that he has rejected the conditions of the Shiite group –such as a total withdrawal to the international border or a “calm for calm” ceasefire–, leaving open the interpretation that attacks could be reactivated at any moment. This Friday he reiterated this stance: “In one hand I carry a weapon and in the other, a signal of peace,” he said.Avalanche of criticism

The announcement of the truce has triggered an avalanche of criticism from the opposition, which accuses the prime minister of having given in to American pressure and of having placed Israel in a position that could erode its security. The leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, has assured that the government once again demonstrates the fragility of its promises and has stated that the fighting in Lebanon can only end by definitively eliminating the threat to the north, which, according to him, will not be possible with the current executive.

]]>

The breeze barely manages to soften the tension that can be felt in the improvised camps next to the Beirut promenade. Under tarpaulins held up with ropes and scraps of wood, dozens of families continue here, a few meters from the sea, although the ceasefire has been in effect for hours. No one is dismantling anything, yet. Few seem willing to believe that this time it will last.

]]>

"This is not defense, it's an endless spiral. We are normalizing war as if it were the only option," says Michael, holding a purple sign written in Hebrew and Arabic: the only way out is through agreements. "What we are doing is barbarism." In Paris Square in Jerusalem, next to the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the protest that has been repeated for six weeks has been gaining intensity, although it remains a minority. But what defines these mobilizations is not only their political content, but also the police response they receive. Since the beginning of the offensive against Iran, the Israeli police have been controlling demonstrations more closely: limiting the number of participants, cordoning off public spaces, dispersing gatherings, and making almost immediate arrests.

]]>

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has announced that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon, Benjamin Netanyahu and Joseph Aoun, will speak this Thursday for the first time in 34 years, a meeting that was later confirmed by Likud, the party of the Israeli Prime Minister. But a little later Aoun has made it a condition that a ceasefire be agreed before any direct conversation takes place. "The ceasefire that Lebanon demands from Israel would be the natural starting point for any negotiation," he said in a statement.

]]>

Donald Trump is increasingly isolated in Europe. The estrangement between the US president and the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, widened this Tuesday. Trump has accused Meloni of not having enough "courage" to give military support to Washington in the war in Iran, after the prime minister criticized Trump for his attacks on the Pope.

]]>

Different civil society organizations have filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office against the board of directors of the company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), as well as against directors of six of its subsidiaries, for the company's involvement in the construction, operation and maintenance of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR), which according to the complainants has allegedly contributed "to the consolidation of the illegal annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel; to the maintenance and expansion of Israel's illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, and to the maintenance of discriminatory and inhumane practices by Israel against the Palestinian population".

]]>

While diplomatic channels are discreetly activated, in southern Lebanon the war continues with an intensity that belies any sign of a truce. The paradox is not new in the Middle East, but it is rarely so evident: talks are beginning, but the front does not stop.

]]>

The corruption trial against Benjamin Netanyahu has been postponed again after the Jerusalem District Court canceled the sessions scheduled for this week, following a new request from the prime minister's defense. The argument: "Classified security and diplomatic reasons" linked to the regional situation. According to the document filed with the court, Netanyahu will not be able to testify "for at least the next two weeks." The decision maintains the process, which had already been frozen for more than a month due to the military escalation with Iran, formally active but repeatedly interrupted.The case, which represents the first time an Israeli head of government is prosecuted while in office, is in the full phase of testimonies of the well-known cases 1000, 2000, and 4000. Case 1000 investigates the alleged receipt of 260,000 euros in gifts from businessmen such as Arnon Milchan and James Packer. Case 2000 analyzes an alleged negotiation with the editor of the newspaper Yediot Aharonot, Arnon Mozes, to obtain favorable coverage in exchange for limiting the influence of the rival newspaper, Israel Hayom. Case 4000, the most serious, focuses on alleged regulatory favors to businessman Shaul Elovitch in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla! portal, and includes the accusation of bribery.What was to be resumed these days was not unimportant sessions, but the prosecution's cross-examination, a key moment in which the narrative built by Netanyahu is tested since the beginning of the case in 2020. Netanyahu has denied all accusations and has called the case a "witch hunt" and a conspiracy by the "deep state". He even asked for a pardon in November to the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, arguing that the judicial proceedings hinder his ability to govern and would benefit the unity of the country. The pardon remains pending resolution.In this context, the war with Iran has been interpreted by various analysts as a possible smokescreen for the trial. “I am sure that this is one of the main reasons for the timing of the offensive against Iran, not only because of the trial, but also because he is still partly held responsible for the events of October 7, 2023”, the Israeli historian and political scientist, Ilan Pappé, tells ARA.Along the same lines, the Arab Center Washington points out that the prolongation of the conflict serves Netanyahu for a double objective: to maintain internal political control in an uncertain electoral context and, at the same time, to divert public attention and delay his judicial processes. In fact, shortly after the start of the offensive against Iran on February 28, Netanyahu himself called his trial an "absurd circus" and asked for it to be suspended to focus on the war.According to a source in the prime minister's coalition cited by the newspaper The Times of Israel, the leader was confident that a “victory narrative over Iran” would boost his re-election chances and shift attention from October 7th. He considered that a regime change in the Persian country and a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia would be enough to reinforce this scenario.Hit popularity and political tensions

Netanyahu's popularity was severely affected after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Several sectors of Israeli society accuse him of avoiding responsibility for a serious security lapse, while he rejects any blame and insists on military successes against the armed group. Furthermore, public trust has also been eroded by his insistence on pushing for a government-controlled investigation instead of an independent commission.Meanwhile, the government faces growing internal tensions over the reform of the military recruitment law, especially regarding the exemptions demanded by ultra-Orthodox parties. Military service in Israel is mandatory, but Netanyahu's ultra-Orthodox allies are pressuring to maintain these privileges. A law of this kind, currently stalled due to the regional situation, would be highly unpopular among the majority of the population.The ceasefire in Iran weakens Netanyahu

In the early stages of the conflict with Iran, the war strengthened the prime minister's leadership image. In a context of high tension, more than 80% of the Jewish population supported the offensive, and a large part of the political spectrum rallied behind the government. Some analysts pointed out that a quick end would have consolidated Netanyahu as the great political winner, and several polls indicated a slight improvement in voting intention.With Wednesday's ceasefire, considered by political and social sectors an unsatisfactory result, and the feeling that objectives such as the neutralization of Iran's nuclear and ballistic program or a regime change are far from being achieved, the success narrative has weakened.The latest polls reflect this trend. Likud, the prime minister's party, would go from 28 to 25 seats according to the poll by Israel's public broadcasting corporation, Kan, while Netanyahu's coalition would be around 51 seats, far from the 61 needed for a majority. In parallel, opposition parties would approach 59 seats. A significant part of this drop is explained by the rejection of the ceasefire with Iran, with 56% of respondents disagreeing.In this context, the elections scheduled before October 27 are shaping up as a referendum on three simultaneous fronts: the corruption trial, the management of the war, and the credibility of Netanyahu's leadership.

]]>

The Brazilian Thiago Ávila (1986) is one of the coordinators of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the new international flotilla that seeks to break the blockade of Gaza and the largest yet. Ávila, an activist and political analyst, was part of a previous flotilla, which was intercepted last year. The mission plans to mobilize more than eighty vessels and more than 1,000 participants from about a hundred countries. It sets sail from Barcelona in an even more dangerous context of regional war and will be accompanied, up to the exclusion zone imposed by Israel, by the ships of Open Arms and Greenpeace. Its objective: to reactivate international mobilization in support of the Palestinian people. After the farewell events this weekend at Moll de la Fusta, 41 vessels will set sail from Barcelona in the coming days bound for Gaza, when weather conditions permit. In Sicily, more boats from France and Italy will join, and more vessels will be added along the rest of the route through the Mediterranean.

]]>

The same day that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran came into effect, the Israeli army redoubled its attacks on Lebanon. In just ten minutes, more than 160 bombs fell on Lebanese territory, leaving more than 300 dead in a single day. The deadliest attack in decades. Added to this situation is the Israeli military presence in the south of the country for weeks, with the stated objective of creating a supposed "security zone" against the Hezbollah group up to the Litani River, about thirty kilometers from Israel's northern border. In this context, with various fronts opened by Israel, not only in Lebanon, but also in Gaza and the West Bank, and with both air attacks and military presence on the ground, an idea that has hovered over the region since the origin of the Zionist movement is regaining strength: that of building the so-called Greater Israel.The concept of Greater Israel, inspired by the Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, speaks of a territory that would extend from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, a vision already evoked at the end of the 19th century by Theodor Herzl, considered the father of political Zionism. In practical terms, it would imply that Israel would incorporate the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, parts of Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia as its own. That is, nearly 25% of the Middle East. In this scenario, Israel would go from its current 20,770 km² of surface area, recognized by the international community, to controlling about 500,000.The idea of Greater Israel is also found in the early days of the State of Israel. In 1947, Zionist leaders initially accepted the UN partition plan, with a Palestinian and a Jewish territory, but the then Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion made it clear at the time that he considered it only a first step: "After the formation of a large army as a result of the creation of the state, we will abolish the partition and expand." In 1948, this became a reality in part with the Nakba, when about 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes.The movement gained more strength after the 1967 war, when Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), and the Golan Heights (Syria), territories it continues to occupy today, with the exception of Sinai, returned to Egypt in 1982. From that moment on, the concept of Greater Israel gained relevance, especially among religious Zionists, who considered these territories a right granted by God.Since the current Israeli government came to power in 2022, and especially after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, various analysts point out that references to Greater Israel have become more frequent and visible.Netanyahu's objective

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated on several occasions that he identifies "fully", and last year he even said it is a historic and spiritual mission. According to Professor of International Relations at Oxford's St. Antony's College, Avi Shlaim, Netanyahu pursues "the dream of Greater Israel", within the "most right-wing, xenophobic, messianic, and openly racist government in Israel's history". In fact, in 2025 the Israeli parliament approved a non-binding motion calling for the annexation of all of the West Bank, declaring it an "inseparable part of the Land of Israel". In the same vein, Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced several times that Israeli forces will remain indefinitely in parts of Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon with the justification of creating "security zones". Furthermore, one of the main promoters of Greater Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, displayed a map a couple of years ago that included Israel, the West Bank, and all of Jordan as Israeli territory. Since then, he has repeatedly defended the annexation of the West Bank and has even suggested an expansion that would include Damascus, the capital of Syria.The opposition also gives its support

The Greater Israel idea is not questioned by the opposition to the government either. The main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, argued before the start of the war against Iran that territorial expansion based on "biblical" criteria should be carried out, despite having supported the two-state solution in the past.“Israel is expanding its borders and moving beyond its proper Israeli territory. In Gaza, it controls 53% of the territory; in Lebanon, it is at least 8 to 10 kilometers north of the Blue Line [a de facto border drawn by the UN between Lebanon and Israel]; and in Syria and the West Bank, it has also had a presence for years”, explains to l’ARA Dr. Ahron Bregman, an Israeli historian specializing in Middle East conflicts and a former officer in the Israeli armed forces. According to him, since the attacks of October 7, 2023, two trends have consolidated in Israel: a military mindset that advocates for broad control zones for purely defensive reasons, and a settler movement that takes advantage of the army's advance to consolidate civilian presence in new territories. A clear example would be the settler group Uri Tzafon, which claims to expand into southern Lebanon due to biblical and historical ties with this area.Unlike in 1967, when these ideas were more confined to certain branches of religious Zionism, today they have a greater presence in various sectors of Israeli society. “It has become a more central idea due to political and social changes, with a shift to the right after the Hamas attacks and increased influence of settlers in the media, the army, and the government,” Bregman concludes.

]]>

"Being anti-Zionist in Israeli society is basically like a betrayal. It puts you at odds with friends and family. It's going against your own identity. They see you as crazy." Nadav Finebooch, of Israeli nationality but residing in Madrid since 2023, thus summarizes for ARA the contradiction and ostracism generated by being a dissident in Israel and raising a voice against the "genocide" perpetrated by Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Finebooch, far from a community in which he felt "as if I were living inside George Orwell's book1984, has joined a group of Israelis established in Spain who are calling on the international community to sanction Israel. Although they celebrate that Pedro Sánchez's government has so far championed the opposition to Netanyahu with the Gaza war, they ask him to act even more "forcefully".

]]>

They waited until the second day to flee. Experience, even in a war, counts for something. The first time Sara Ajami and her family had to leave their home, a small village near Tyre in southern Lebanon, due to Israeli shelling, they had to queue for 15 hours. In 2024, under the shadow of the Gaza war, Israel invaded Lebanon, thousands of people from the south had gathered on the roads leading north. This time, on March 2, under the shadow of the Iran war, Israel launched the offensive in Lebanon, Sara and her family stayed home one more night, exposing themselves to danger, to avoid the queues.

]]>

In the Ain al-Mreisseh neighborhood, next to the Beirut marina, the silence is only broken by the metallic sound of shovels and the crunch of concrete. Amidst the rubble of a building reduced to dust by Wednesday's bombings, Civil Defense teams continue searching. Four people are still trapped. They could be children. A rescuer points to a specific spot. A few hours ago, a hand was found. Now they are preparing body bags. Barely twenty-four hours have passed since, in less than ten minutes, more than a hundred air attacks hit different points in Lebanon. Beirut, which for months had served as a relative refuge, is no longer one.

]]>

John Irving (New Hampshire, 1942) has been a writer much loved by Catalan readers for decades. Although he has just turned 84, he has no intention of retiring: Reina Esther (Edicions 62/Tusquets; Catalan translation by Ernest Riera) has just arrived in bookstores, a novel that revisits one of the most emblematic settings of his fiction, the St. Cloud's orphanage where The Cider House Rules (1985) took place. It is there, at the beginning of the 20th century, that a surly girl of Jewish origin, Esther Nacht, arrives. Readers will accompany her on her long life journey, which begins in Vienna, continues in the American state of Maine and, after passing through Europe again, ends in Israel in the early eighties.

]]>

The scope of the consequences of the war in Iran are still unpredictable. The joint attack by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic on February 28, and the reactivation of Tel Aviv's offensive in Lebanon, have left thousands dead, have set the Middle East ablaze, and have caused an earthquake in the world economy. But how did we get here? Why have the US embarked on a conflict that has lasted almost six weeks? And above all: at what point did Trump decide it was a good idea?

]]>

Around two in the afternoon, while a warm sun illuminated the Corniche, Beirut's seaside promenade, and hundreds of Beirutis were strolling by the sea after days of tension, the sky broke with a roar. In a few minutes, a series of explosions and the flyover of fighter jets turned an afternoon that many hoped to enjoy into an afternoon of confusion and fear. What some interpreted in the morning as a sign of a pause, after the announcement of a ceasefire for two weeks between the United States and Iran, turned into the largest air offensive in Lebanon since the start of the war.

]]>