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Israeli election: 'Netanyahu did not win, he lost dramatically,' former PM Barak says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "did not win" this week's election in Israel but "lost dramatically", and that his rival Gadi Eisenkot should ally with Arab parties. Barak also suggested that claims of Qatari funding for an Arab party aimed to distract from an ongoing corruption scandal, and warned that Netanyahu was ready to strike Iran to stay in power.

World

Dalai Lama appointed by China 'is going to be a fake one', exiled former Tibetan leader says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, exiled former Tibetan leader Lobsang Sangay said any successor to the Dalai Lama appointed by China "is going to be a fake one". He also likened Beijing's ethnic unity law to "an ethnic erasure", said Tibetan concerns had been "downgraded a bit" in US-China talks and accused China of failing to warn of the deadly August floods on the Nepal-Tibet border.

World

US sanctions on ICC are 'a shock' and 'unacceptable', Nobel peace laureate Navi Pillay says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay described the US sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court (ICC) hours after her award as "a shock" and "unacceptable". The South African judge also defended the UN commission of inquiry she chaired which concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza: "We didn't come to that conclusion lightly." Rejecting claims that the ICC targets Africa, she said "the court is not selective".

Politics

Election delay 'a terrible disappointment', Palestinian activist Samer Sinijlawi says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Palestinian activist Samer Sinijlawi called the postponement of the first legislative elections in 20 years to September 2027 "a terrible disappointment" for a generation that has never had a chance to vote. He also dismissed the citing of Israeli restrictions as an excuse, pointing instead to a "rejection" of change among ageing Palestinian leaders.

Politics

Palestinians gained 'nothing' from October 7, Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris called the October 7 attacks a "horrible act of terrorism" that brought Palestinians "only destruction", while warning of an "expansionist" Israeli government. He also said that the economic fallout from the Iran war is already "happening", defended doubling his UAE investment despite the regional conflict, and praised Syria's new president.

World

'We were naive' about Hamas, Israeli ex-hostage Shoshan Haran says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Israeli former hostage Shoshan Haran said "we were naive" about Hamas before the October 7, 2023 attack on her kibbutz. Held in Gaza for 50 days, she recalled refusing to "show weakness" to her captors. She also called the accusations of genocide against Israel "a lie" and shared her late husband's last words.

World

US continues to be 'a very significant partner', UN peacekeeping chief says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the US continues to be "a very significant partner", despite owing $3 billion to peacekeeping. With the UN forced to cut about 25 percent of its capacity, Lacroix defended missions that cost just 0.2 percent of global military spending: "Peacekeeping is a good deal really."

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World

'Iran has dragged us into this conflict,' top Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash says

In an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Anwar Gargash, senior diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said Iran "has dragged us into this conflict", after the UAE was "the target of 3,300 missiles and drones" fired by Iran. After US President Donald Trump said he could either negotiate with or "obliterate" Iran, Gargash warned that the "current situation of no war, no peace is not sustainable".

World

Each side feels it 'could get a decisive military victory' in Sudan, Trump's Africa envoy says

In an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump's Africa envoy Massad Boulos said that each side in Sudan feels it "could get a decisive military victory". Asked about Western Sahara, he acknowledged there is no "imminent solution that we can feel or touch". He also rejected Rwanda's accusations of bias over US sanctions, saying they "can easily be reversed".

Topic: Tête à tête | RocksNews