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Bennett Reverses Netanyahu’s Decision to Release Palestinian Prisoners

Palestinian protesters argue with Israeli soldiers during a protest marking Palestinian Prisoners' Day in Maasara village, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem April 17, 2015. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Palestinian protesters argue with Israeli soldiers during a protest marking Palestinian Prisoners' Day in Maasara village, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem April 17, 2015. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
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Bennett Reverses Netanyahu’s Decision to Release Palestinian Prisoners

Palestinian protesters argue with Israeli soldiers during a protest marking Palestinian Prisoners' Day in Maasara village, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem April 17, 2015. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Palestinian protesters argue with Israeli soldiers during a protest marking Palestinian Prisoners' Day in Maasara village, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem April 17, 2015. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Army Reserve General Moshe Tal revealed Sunday that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed twice to conclude a prisoner swap deal with Hamas but then backed out.

However, he affirmed that PM Naftali Bennett has reviewed the file and figured that the deal includes releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, so he refused to proceed with the matter, hindering its implementation.

Tal, a former army official responsible for prisoners, resigned from his post on Tuesday. He left the army intelligence in 2019 and remained as the chief-of-staff’s representative for dealing with captives and missing soldiers at the Prime Minister’s Office.

In an interview with Army Radio, Tal said he resigned because he felt Israel doesn’t want to return the Israeli prisoners held by Hamas, especially the political leadership, which gets to decide in this matter.

The Israeli decision-makers do not have enough “will and motivation to carry on the process,” Tal said, noting that when the former leadership reached an agreement to release Gilad Shalit in exchange for Israel releasing 1,050 Palestinian prisoners it was due to a great public pressure.

“However, the situation is currently in favor of Hamas and pressure is being exerted on us (Israel).”

Tal further referred to several missed opportunities to release Israeli soldiers and citizens, even with military operations against the Gaza Strip to put pressure on Hamas.

He pointed out that the replacement of the US administration had eased pressure, and that the Egyptians are pushing for a deal.

When asked about Bennett, and whether he had changed his predecessor's approach to this issue, Tal said, “if he is a leader, he must make decisions.”

He underlined the obligations of previous governments that agreed to release many Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas is holding the bodies of soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed in the 2014 Gaza War, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.

Israel has presented the return of the captives and missing soldiers as a condition for making any progress in negotiations over the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the repair of infrastructure damaged during May’s hostilities with Hamas.

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Arab World

France, Iraq Deepen Energy, Defense Ties During Al-Zaidi Visit

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hand with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (L) during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hand with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (L) during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
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France, Iraq Deepen Energy, Defense Ties During Al-Zaidi Visit

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hand with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (L) during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hand with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (L) during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris on September 14, 2026. (AFP)

France and Iraq on Monday called for a "diversification of export routes" for oil and gas in the Middle East in response to the instability generated by the conflict between the United States and Iran, following talks in Paris.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stressed the importance of "regional interconnections" and export route diversification to "ensure regional energy security", in a joint statement.

Zaidi visited the Elysee Paris on his first trip to Europe since taking office in May and is also expected in Berlin on Tuesday.

The visit comes as the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, with the Iran-backed Houthi militants cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Friday, adding to the crisis of Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and driving oil prices up.

On Monday, French energy giant TotalEnergies signed a memorandum of understanding with Iraq on liquefied natural gas supplies and agreed to discuss further energy projects.

TotalEnergies chief Patrick Pouyanne "affirmed the company's readiness to cooperate with Iraq in the oil and energy sectors", noting the company planned to increase its investments in Iraq to $16 billion from $12 billion, during a meeting with Zaidi.

The two countries, which in recent years have been involved in the fight against the ISIS extremist group, also agreed to deepen defense cooperation.

They signed a strategic roadmap on the acquisition of French military equipment as Iraq seeks to modernize its armed forces and strengthen its sovereignty capabilities.

French drone company Harmattan AI separately signed a letter of intent with Iraq's defense ministry concerning autonomous air-defense systems.

Several other agreements were signed in areas including development assistance, education, civil aviation and electricity infrastructure.

Arab World

Taiz on Alert to Confront the Houthi Threat

A member of the Yemeni government forces, including National Army and Taiz Axis forces, sits in an armored vehicle at a position along the Kadha frontline west of Taiz in western Yemen on September 13, 2026. (AFP)
A member of the Yemeni government forces, including National Army and Taiz Axis forces, sits in an armored vehicle at a position along the Kadha frontline west of Taiz in western Yemen on September 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Taiz on Alert to Confront the Houthi Threat

A member of the Yemeni government forces, including National Army and Taiz Axis forces, sits in an armored vehicle at a position along the Kadha frontline west of Taiz in western Yemen on September 13, 2026. (AFP)
A member of the Yemeni government forces, including National Army and Taiz Axis forces, sits in an armored vehicle at a position along the Kadha frontline west of Taiz in western Yemen on September 13, 2026. (AFP)

Yemen’s Taiz governorate has raised its readiness to counter threats from the Houthi militia as the group intensifies its movements across the province's western, northern, and southern fronts in an attempt to achieve field breakthroughs.

These advances aim to tighten the siege on Taiz city and its liberated countryside, while threatening supply lines connecting the city to its western rural areas.

The mobilization coincided with fierce battles fought by government forces across several locations, during which they managed to recapture positions that the Houthis had infiltrated in the western part of the governorate.

Government troops also advanced toward new areas, while airstrikes targeted Houthi positions, reinforcements, and vehicles across multiple fronts.

The group has been attempting, since the start of the escalation in early September, to exploit the widening scope of confrontations along the western coast, southern Hodeidah, and western Taiz. These maneuvers aim to redraw the lines of contact around the governorate, allowing the militia to pressure Taiz city from several directions and sever supply and movement routes leading to the coastal areas.

During the past few hours, government forces announced the recapture of positions overlooking the Jurdad area in al-Shamayatayn district, as well as an advance toward the Ghail Bani Omar region.

These developments followed clashes with Houthi fighters who had infiltrated several locations in the western part of the governorate.

Official military sources said that government forces managed to seize Houthi military equipment during the operations, while inflicting casualties among Houthi ranks.

The government also intensified airstrikes on Houthi positions and movements in various parts of the governorate. According to military sources, the strikes targeted military vehicles and gatherings in the districts of Dhubab, al-Waziyah, and Hayfan, as well as a gathering of militants in the Al-Afeerah area of Jabal Habashi district, killing at least ten militants and destroying several vehicles and a medium-weapons ammunition cache.

Meanwhile, the local authority in Taiz moved to mobilize the internal front to counter the escalation.

Governor of Taiz Nabil Shamsan met with sheikhs, notables, dignitaries, and social figures in the al-Shamayatayn, as part of efforts to strengthen internal cohesion and unify the local stance behind government forces.

Shamsan stressed that Taiz will continue to stand firm against the Houthis, praising the role the governorate has played during the years of war in preserving state institutions, as well as the Saudi support provided to the government and the Yemeni people in confronting the group.

The Human Rights Ministry said 150 civilians have been killed and over 200 wounded between September 3 and 13 since the escalation intensified. Some 85,000 have been displaced.

Arab World

Portugal Says Israel Undermining Palestinian State Through Settlement Expansion

Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Varsin Aghabekian Shahin (L) and Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel (R) attend a press conference after a meeting at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, 14 September 2026. (EPA)
Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Varsin Aghabekian Shahin (L) and Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel (R) attend a press conference after a meeting at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, 14 September 2026. (EPA)
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Portugal Says Israel Undermining Palestinian State Through Settlement Expansion

Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Varsin Aghabekian Shahin (L) and Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel (R) attend a press conference after a meeting at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, 14 September 2026. (EPA)
Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Varsin Aghabekian Shahin (L) and Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel (R) attend a press conference after a meeting at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, 14 September 2026. (EPA)

Portugal's ‌foreign minister said on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion and economic pressure in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem were undermining prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said Israel's E1 settlement plan was "extremely pernicious" because ‌it would ‌divide the West Bank, ‌isolate ⁠East Jerusalem and ⁠was incompatible with a two-state solution.

Israel's withholding of Palestinian tax revenues amounted to a "brutal strangulation" of the Palestinian Authority's finances, preventing the economy from ⁠functioning, he said after meeting ‌Palestinian Foreign ‌Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin in Lisbon.

‌Rangel also cited the closure ‌of Christian schools in East Jerusalem as evidence of worsening conditions there.

Portugal recognized the State ‌of Palestine a year ago.

Rangel said the two-state ⁠solution ⁠was the only way to guarantee peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel said last week it was closing Britain's consulate in East Jerusalem in response to plans by the UK, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.