September 26, 2025, 5:11 PM View Comments ()

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at dwindling global support for Israel’s war in Gaza, South Korea firing warning shots at a North Korean ship, and hurdles to ongoing U.S.-China trade talks.

Bibi’s No Good, Very Bad Week

Before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could begin his speech at the United Nations on Friday, representatives from dozens of nations walked out of the General Assembly hall in protest. Although Israel’s own delegation tried to counteract the boycott with raucous applause, the demonstration signaled growing international anger toward Israel—capping off a difficult week for Netanyahu.

Much of this week’s high-level summit has centered on the Israel-Hamas war and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. On Monday, France and Saudi Arabia co-hosted a conference to discuss a two-state solution, and several Western countries—including some that have historically backed Israel—recognized an independent Palestinian state.

“Your despicable decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere,” Netanyahu said on Friday, specifically calling out Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. “It will be a mark of shame on all of you.”

But those nations’ diplomatic moves were only the beginning of Netanyahu’s U.N. woes. According to flight radar, the Israeli leader’s plane ride from Tel Aviv to New York City on Thursday largely avoided mainland Europe, in what experts suggest could have been in an effort to avoid the jurisdiction of countries that belong to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Israel and the United States, which hosts the U.N. General Assembly, are not ICC members.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last November. Although some member nations, such as Hungary, have disobeyed the warrant—despite being obligated to enforce it under the Rome Statute—several others, such as Slovenia, have banned the prime minister from entering their countries.

Yet even Israel’s closest allies may be growing frustrated with the country’s actions. Throughout the prime minister’s speech on Friday, Netanyahu praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his “bold and decisive action” to defend Israel against Iran’s “axis of evil” and his efforts to combat incidents of antisemitism, which have increased since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

However, Netanyahu and Trump may no longer be on the same page regarding all points of the conflict. Israeli officials have suggested that the country may annex portions of the occupied West Bank in response to new Palestinian state recognition. But on Thursday, Trump vowed not to let Netanyahu do this—signaling a potential break in the historically close friendship. Trump will host Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.

Still, Netanyahu used his Friday address to paint a picture of Israeli victory—not just in Gaza but across the Middle East. “We’re not done yet,” the Israeli leader said. Directly addressing the Hamas militants holding the remaining Israeli hostages, Netanyahu echoed the Jewish biblical figure Moses: “Let my people go,” he said. “Free the hostages now. If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down.”

Today’s Most Read

• Lula and Trump’s Backstage Breakthrough by Andre Pagliarini
• Trump Told the U.N. the Hard Truth: It Failed by Matthew Kroenig
• Trump to U.N.: ‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’ by Christina Lu

What We’re Following

Warning shots. South Korean forces issued an audio warning and fired shots on Friday to drive away a North Korean merchant ship that briefly crossed the two countries’ disputed western sea boundary, known as the Northern Limit Line. Such tactics are a common strategy to repel North Korean patrols or commercial vessels in the area. Initial reports did not show any retaliatory actions.

The incident marked the first time that a North Korean vessel has crossed the Northern Limit Line in three years. The last such crossing occurred in October 2022, when a South Korean warship chased away a North Korean merchant vessel. In January 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang will not recognize the Yellow Sea’s demarcated line.

Friday’s interaction came just one day after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung warned that Pyongyang is close to developing a nuclear-carrying intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the continental United States. “Only one final step remains: so-called atmospheric reentry technology,” Lee said. “That, too, is likely to be solved soon.”

Undermining trade talks. Trade tensions between China and the United States remain high despite the two nations preparing for a leaders’ summit in South Korea later this year. On Thursday, Beijing sanctioned six U.S. companies for engaging in “so-called military-technical cooperation with Taiwan” and undermining China’s national security.

That same day, China’s Commerce Ministry spokesperson responded to a question on whether Beijing plans to purchase U.S. soybeans by saying that Washington should instead remove its high tariffs on Chinese goods and create conditions to expand bilateral trade. Soybeans were once the United States’ biggest export to China, with sales reaching $12.6 billion last year. That has all but stopped, though, as Beijing has not purchased any U.S. soybeans since May.

Whether Trump’s newest slew of tariffs, announced on Thursday, will further deteriorate trade talks with China is yet to be seen. But experts suspect that they could snarl supply chains and encourage foreign partners to turn to China for imports.

Protests turn violent. Madagascar issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital of Antananarivo on Thursday after large demonstrations over extensive power outages and water shortages turned deadly. The curfew—in effect from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time—will remain in effect through Friday, said Gen. Angelo Ravelonarivo, who heads a joint military-police security body.

Thousands of mostly young protesters took to the streets on Thursday to demand the restoration of reliable water and electricity across the country. But demonstrations became violent when some marchers barricaded the roads with burning tires, began looting retail stores, set fire to several stations in the country’s new cable car system, and targeted the homes of three politicians close to President Andry Rajoelina.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters to try to quell the violence, and at least five people were killed in Antananarivo. The curfew has since been extended to the city of Antsirabé, where clashes also erupted.

What in the World?

Trump on Tuesday issued a stunning reversal on U.S. Ukraine policy. He claimed that Kyiv could not only win its war against Russia but achieve something more remarkable. What did he suggest?

A. Ukraine could topple the government in Moscow
B. Ukraine could dismantle most of Russia’s energy infrastructure
C. Ukraine could reclaim all its Russian-occupied territory
D. Volodymyr Zelensky could be president of Russia

Odds and Ends

Tourists and residents in the Italian city of Bolzano may need to start carrying spare change if they want to have their four-legged friends with them. That’s because local authorities are weighing a bill that would charge $1.75 per day for bringing dogs to the Tyrolean Alps. This policy would replace unpopular DNA testing that the city requires to identify dogs that pooped on public property as well as animals that were struck by cars or attacked others. But not everyone is happy with the potential legislation. “We would be dogs to impose a tax on dogs,” Mayor Claudio Corrarati said.

And the Answer Is…

C. Ukraine could reclaim all its Russian-occupied territory

Trump said Kyiv could return to its “original form” and asserted that a “Real Military Power” could have toppled the Ukrainian government in less than a week, FP’s Sam Skove reports.

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