Politics · July 2026

Israel, July 6 — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing back against U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s characterization of the United States as Israel’s “only ally,” saying “we have some other friends, like India.” Ahead of President Trump’s departure for Turkey, Netanyahu also argued that Ankara should not receive F-35s or fighter jet parts. The Israeli government is openly defying the High Court, threatening to ignore a ruling on the appointment of a media regulator, which critics call a constitutional crisis. Meanwhile, a former general has emerged as Netanyahu’s chief rival in upcoming elections. The Chinese Embassy in Israel refuted certain Israeli media reports about China's law on ethnic affairs, calling them false. Gaza's Board of Peace outlined three paths to reconstruction, but Israel is blocking all of them, according to reports. An Israeli aid team in Venezuela is assessing earthquake-damaged buildings but not conducting rescues, as the delegation returned home after a week of operations. Israel’s Katz warned Iranian leaders amid the funeral of former Supreme Leader Khamenei, while Netanyahu accused Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot of backing Hamas’s terms in the war cabinet.