The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they happen.
German election victor Merz says he will strive for Europe’s ‘real independence’ from US
Friedrich Merz, set to become Germany’s next chancellor after his opposition conservatives won the national election, vows to help give Europe “real independence” from the US as he prepares to cobble together a government.
Merz, 69, faces complex and lengthy coalition negotiations after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to a historic second place in a fractured vote after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unloved three-way alliance.
Mainstream parties rule out working with the AfD which enjoyed the endorsement of prominent right-wing US figures including Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and ally of President Donald Trump.
Merz, who has no previous experience in office, is set to become chancellor with Europe’s largest economy ailing, its society split over migration and its security caught between a confrontational US and an assertive Russia and China.
He takes aim at the US in blunt remarks after his victory, criticizing the “ultimately outrageous” comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia.
“So we are under such massive pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now is to achieve unity in Europe. It is possible to create unity in Europe,” Merz tells a roundtable with other leaders.
Merz’s broadside against the US comes despite Trump welcoming the election outcome with a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration, that has prevailed for so many years,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Hitherto seen as an Atlanticist, Merz says Trump had shown his administration to be “largely indifferent to the fate of Europe”.
Merz’s “absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can achieve real independence from the USA step by step,” he adds.
White House backs Israel’s decision to delay releasing 600 Palestinian security prisoners
The White House says that it supports Israel’s decision to delay releasing 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing the “barbaric treatment” of Israeli hostages by Hamas.
Delaying the prisoner release is an “appropriate response” to the Palestinian militant group’s treatment of the hostages, a statement from National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes says.
President Donald Trump is prepared to support Israel in “whatever course of action it chooses regarding Hamas,” he adds.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday morning that Israel will not release the 602 prisoners that had been slated for release Saturday until Hamas provides guarantees that it will end the “demeaning” ceremonies it has held to mark the transfer of Israeli hostages.
Houthis launched missile at US fighter jet but missed, officials say
Yemen’s Houthis launched surface-to-air missiles at an American fighter jet and MQ-9 Reaper drone this week, but did not hit either, two US officials tell Reuters.
The officials, who speal on condition of anonymity, do not specify if the attacks occurred over the Red Sea or Yemen itself.
One says the incidents can suggest the Houthis were improving their targeting capabilities.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who leads the Iran-backed rebel group, said in a televised speech on February 13 that the Houthis would intervene with missiles and drones and attack vessels in the Red Sea if the United States and Israel tried to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force, after Trump presented his plan to displace the enclave’s population and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Anti-Israel activists hold funeral event for terror chief Nasrallah in NYC
Several dozen anti-Israel protesters hold a funeral for Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah in New York City.
The protest takes place in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park on the same day as Nasrallah’s funeral in Lebanon.
The protesters chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine is almost free,” “Settlers settlers go back home, Palestine is ours alone,” and “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada.”
Several people in the crowd hold photos of Nasrallah and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. A Hezbollah flag hangs at the head of the group.
Several dozen pro-Israel counterprotesters blow air horns, wave Israeli and American flags and chant, “USA.” Police separate the two groups.
“Fuck Palestine,” a passerby shouts.
Unlike most anti-Israel rallies in the city, there appear to be more pro-Israel counterprotesters.