Politics · July 2026

On July 16, 2026, US Vice President JD Vance said some in the Israeli government sought to influence US policy on the Iran nuclear deal. The US House of Representatives defeated an amendment to end military aid to Israel, though nearly half of Democrats voted in favor. Over 100 Democrats supported cutting the $3.3 billion in annual aid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed a planned trip to Washington for Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral. The Israeli parliament passed a law protecting ultra-Orthodox religious students from military conscription, while a court ordered Likud to postpone a vote on expanding Netanyahu's control over the party slate. Israel works to restore diplomatic and economic ties with Colombia's incoming government, whose next foreign minister said Bogota will open an embassy in Jerusalem. UN chief 'deeply alarmed' by Israel granting city status to an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank. Germany may make it illegal to deny Israel's right to exist, and the Israeli parliament passed a new media law.