May 21 (Reuters) - European Council President Antonio Costa on Thursday said he was "appalled" by the treatment of aid flotilla members attempting to enter Gaza by Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir.
Video on Wednesday showed Israeli police forced activists who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs as Ben-Gvir looked on and commented about them.
By Jana Choukeir and Humeyra Pamuk
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - Iran said on Thursday it was reviewing Washington's latest position on ending the war after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he was prepared to wait a few days to "get the right answers" from Tehran but warned of renewed attacks if it did not agree to a deal.
"We have received U.S. views and are reviewing them," Iranian state-run agency Nour News quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
SEOUL, May 21 (Reuters) - South Korea's presidential Blue House said on Thursday that some of its nationals who had been in held in Israeli custody had been released.
Seoul, which had earlier expressed strong regret over Israel's seizure of an aid vessel bound for Gaza and the arrest of its nationals, welcomed their release, a presidential spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)
By Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration threatened to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations if the Palestinian ambassador refuses to end his candidacy for the vice presidency of the U.N. General Assembly, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.
May 20 (Reuters) - The United States has removed Francesca Albanese, a U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, from its list of sanctioned individuals, according to the U.S. Treasury Department website.
The removal comes a week after a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by imposing the measures after she criticized U.S. ally Israel’s war in Gaza.
(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los Angeles and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto)
BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) - The European Commission found the treatment of the Gaza flotilla activists shown in a video released by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is "completely unacceptable", a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
"Every detained person must be treated with safety, dignity and according to international law," spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said in a post on X. "We call on the Israeli government to ensure the protection and dignified treatment of these activists, including several EU citizens," he added.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that talks with Tehran were "on the borderline" between a deal to end the Middle East war and a resumption of strikes on Iran.
Trump has given conflicting signals since announcing on Monday that he had called off renewed attacks to give time for negotiations, veering between optimism about an agreement and threats of more action.
"It's right on the borderline, believe me," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington when asked where the talks with Iran stood.
ANKARA, May 20 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. President Donald Trump in a call on Wednesday he welcomed the extension of a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, adding he believed contested issues between the sides could be resolved, according to the Turkish presidency.
NATO member Turkey, which neighbours Iran, has been in close contact with Washington, Tehran, and mediators Pakistan to seek an end to the war. It has called for an end to the conflict and passed messages between the sides.
By Emily Rose
JERUSALEM, May 20 (Reuters) - Israeli police on Wednesday forced activists who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs while a minister looked on, drawing criticism from foreign leaders and even from inside Israel's own government.
The activists were detained after their flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Tuesday and later taken to an Israeli port.
By Jana Choukeir and Humeyra Pamuk
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran were "in the final stages", while warning of further attacks unless Tehran agrees to a peace deal.
Six weeks since Trump paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have shown little progress. Trump said this week he came close to ordering more attacks, but held off to allow time for negotiations.
