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South Korea President Clashes with Israel on Rights, Disinfo Claims

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with representatives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country's two major umbrella labor unions, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 10 April 2026. (EPA/Yonhap)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with representatives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country's two major umbrella labor unions, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 10 April 2026. (EPA/Yonhap)
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South Korea President Clashes with Israel on Rights, Disinfo Claims

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with representatives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country's two major umbrella labor unions, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 10 April 2026. (EPA/Yonhap)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with representatives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country's two major umbrella labor unions, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 10 April 2026. (EPA/Yonhap)

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday accused Israel of failing to "reflect" on allegations of rights abuses by its forces, after Israel decried him for amplifying social media "disinformation".

The Seoul leader irked Israel's foreign ministry this week with his comments on a social media video with a caption purporting it showed Israeli soldiers torturing and pushing a "Palestinian kid" off a roof.

"I need to look into whether this is true, and if so, what measures have been taken," Lee said Friday on X.

AFP was not able to immediately identify provenance of the video, which has been widely shared on social media.

However, it appeared to show the different angle of an incident captured by AFPTV in the West Bank two years ago, when reporters saw an Israeli soldier use his foot to push the body of an apparently dead adult man off a roof.

In 2024 the White House called the footage "deeply disturbing" and said it had demanded an explanation from Israel amid its intensifying raids on the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday the incident was already "investigated and addressed".

"President Lee Jae Myung, for some strange reason, chose to dig up a story from 2024 and to cite a fake account that falsely presented it as a current event," said a ministry social media statement.

"This account is notorious for spreading anti-Israeli disinformation and falsehoods about Israel," it added.

South Korea's foreign ministry attempted to defuse the escalating social media confrontation.

In a statement it said Lee's post -- which drew parallels between alleged Israeli abuses and historical atrocities against Jews and Koreans -- was a call to "universal human rights rather than an opinion on any specific issue".

But on Saturday Lee issued another pointed social media missive, commenting on a news article detailing Israel's backlash against his remarks.

"It's disappointing that you don't even once reflect on the criticisms from people around the world who are suffering and struggling due to relentless anti-human rights and anti-international law actions," he said.

"When I am in pain, others feel that pain just as deeply."

South Korea, an ally of Israel's biggest international backer the United States, has generally maintained a balanced stance on strife in the Middle East, without backing any one side in the conflict.

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World

German FM, in Call with Iranian Counterpart, Demands Hormuz Reopening

An IRGC boat participates in an operation to intercept vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on April 23 (AFP)
An IRGC boat participates in an operation to intercept vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on April 23 (AFP)
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German FM, in Call with Iranian Counterpart, Demands Hormuz Reopening

An IRGC boat participates in an operation to intercept vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on April 23 (AFP)
An IRGC boat participates in an operation to intercept vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on April 23 (AFP)

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he on Sunday demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and give up its nuclear weapons programme in a telephone call with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, AFP reported.

"I emphasized that Germany supports a negotiated solution," Wadephul said in a post on X about the call.

"As a close US ally, we share the same goal: Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately open the Strait of Hormuz, as also demanded by" US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

 

 

 

 

World

Rubio to Visit Vatican, Rome after Trump Row

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, at the State Department, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, at the State Department, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
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Rubio to Visit Vatican, Rome after Trump Row

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, at the State Department, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, at the State Department, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Rome and the Vatican this week, an Italian government source said Sunday, weeks after President Donald Trump's stinging criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

Italian media reported that Rubio would meet the US pontiff himself on Thursday.

The government source told AFP that Rubio would meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

The meetings come just weeks after Trump's extraordinary criticism of Pope Leo over the Catholic leader's anti-war rhetoric.

The source said Rubio had asked for a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of Trump's closest European allies, whom he turned on after she defended the pope.

Media reports said he was also due to meet Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, amid a deepening rift in transatlantic ties over the Middle East war.

Leo, 70, will on Friday mark one year as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, after being elected by cardinals on May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis.

As the first ever pope from the United States, his words have arguably carried more weight in Washington than previous pontiffs -- and he has used them, criticising notably the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.

But it was the pontiff's increasing anti-war rhetoric, particularly following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, that triggered Trump's ire.

Leo declared Trump's threat to destroy Iran "unacceptable" and urged Americans to demand that US lawmakers "work for peace".

The US president slammed the pontiff in a social media post as "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy".

Trump also said he was "not a big fan of Pope Leo" and that he does not "want a pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

The pontiff responded by saying he had a "moral duty to speak out" against war -- and then sparked more headlines with a speech in Cameroon lambasting "tyrants" ransacking the world.

However, he insisted afterwards that the remarks were written long before the row, and said he had not intended to start a new debate with the US president.

Christians across the world expressed their solidarity with the pope, and Meloni condemned Trump's remarks as "unacceptable" -- prompting the president to turn his fire on her.

"I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," the US president said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

He accused Meloni -- a far-right leader who has sought to act as a bridge between diverging US and European views -- of failing to help the United States with NATO.

Trump has threatened to pull US troops from Italy, saying Rome "has not been of any help to us" in the Iran war.

He has made a similar threat towards Spain, while the Pentagon has announced it will withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany.

As of December 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany, there were 36,436.

World

Israel Court Extends Detention of Gaza Flotilla Activists

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026. Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026. Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)
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Israel Court Extends Detention of Gaza Flotilla Activists

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026. Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila gestures upon his arrival at a court in Ashkelon on May 3, 2026. Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)

An Israeli court has extended by two days the detention of two activists arrested aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece, their lawyer said on Sunday.

Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were detained by Israeli authorities late on Wednesday and brought to Israel, while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists aboard the boats were taken to the Greek island of Crete.

A court spokesperson confirmed that their remand had been extended until May 5.

The governments of Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday calling their detention illegal.

The activists were part of a second Global Sumud flotilla, launched in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance. The ships had set sail from Barcelona on April 12.

Israeli authorities requested a four-day extension of their arrest on suspicion of offences that include assisting the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation, and the transfer of property for a terrorist organization, said rights group Adalah, which is assisting in the activists' defense.

Hadeel Abu Salih, the men's attorney, said that the two deny the allegations. Their arrest was unlawful due to a lack of jurisdiction, she told Reuters at the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court after the hearing, adding that the mission was meant to provide aid to civilians in Gaza, not to any militant group.

Abu Salih said that Abu Keshek and Avila were subjected to violence en route to Israel and kept handcuffed and blindfolded until Thursday morning.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel's foreign ministry had on Thursday called the flotilla organizers "professional provocateurs".

"Israel will not allow the breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza," it said.