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PUPPET REGIME: Netanyahu forced to apologize to Qatar
How it actually went down. #PUPPETREGIME
Watch more PUPPET REGIME!
Bedouin women walk on a road in the Nuseirat refugee camp area in the Gaza Strip on September 29, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Hamas ponders Gaza proposal, US government shutdown is nigh, “Gen Z” revolt in Madagascar, US-Africa trade deal to expire
All eyes on Hamas after Trump and Netanyahu announce Gaza deal
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday announced a proposal to end the war in Gaza. Under the plan, Israel would withdraw from Gaza in phases, and a group of Arab and Muslim-majority nations would oversee a Palestinian administration of the strip. Hamas would return all the remaining hostages and its fighters would get amnesty if they disarm. There was only a vague reference to Palestinian statehood. Arab and European leaders lauded the proposal but Netanyahu’s far right coalition partners have slammed it. The key question: will Hamas accept? The militant group said it would look at the deal in “good faith,” but has also suggested the deal is too favorable for Israel. The clock is ticking: Trump gave Hamas until Thursday to accept, warning that otherwise he would give Netanyahu “full backing” to continue his attempt, so far unsuccessful, to eliminate Hamas.
This US government shutdown could be different
With yet another federal government shutdown looming at midnight tonight, talks between congressional Democrats, Republicans, and the White House have stalled. Republicans want a short-term funding bill before negotiating one for the full fiscal year, while Democrats want to reinstate certain health care subsidies. Since any funding bill requires 60 votes in the Senate, the Democrats still have leverage even though the GOP has 53 seats. Under a shutdown, “non-essential” federal workers (think park rangers and social security administrators) are suspended until a deal is reached. But this time could be different: Trump is threatening to use any shutdown as an excuse to permanently fire thousands of federal employees. Who will blink first?
Madagascar’s Gen Z protests force government shake-up
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina says he’ll dissolve his government after days of “Gen Z” protests over chronic water and power outages. The demonstrations, led mostly by young people under the slogan “We want to live, not survive,” have spread to eight cities in the African island nation, and turned deadly. The UN says at least 22 people have been killed and 100 injured in clashes with security forces, though Madagascar’s government disputes those numbers. The protests mark the biggest test of Rajoelina’s rule since winning reelection in 2023. He apologized for government failures and promised a new cabinet within days.
Major US-Africa deal expires today
The African Growth and Opportunity Act, a 25-year old trade deal that has given African exporters preferential access to the US market, is set to expire today, leaving billions of dollars of trade and hundreds of thousands of jobs across the continent in limbo. Read Zac Weisz’s recent explainer on the economic (and geopolitical!) implications here.
Israel is facing real consequences over Gaza annexation plans
“The UAE saying they’d leave the Abraham accords … that’s a consequence that matters,” Ian notes.
President Trump has also called West Bank annexation a “red line,” while European nations weigh boycotts, visa restrictions, and other steps that could leave Israelis feeling isolated. All this has the potential to undermine Netanyahu’s upcoming election chances.
“The elections won’t be about a Palestinian state, but they might be about Israel’s isolation.”
US President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on September 29, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Netanyahu and Trump talk Gaza, Europe nabs a win out east, Peru faces “Gen Z” revolt
Bibi pays yet another visit to the White House
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House today to discuss postwar Gaza. The Trump administration proposed a plan last week involving a coalition of Arab and Muslim-majority nations overseeing a Palestinian committee’s governance of the strip, as well as the release of the remaining hostages from Gaza. Trump hinted on Sunday that a deal to end the war was close, while Bibi said of the White House proposal that he hoped Israel could “make it a go.” With Trump and those around him growing increasingly impatient with Netanyahu, will there finally be a breakthrough?
Europe gets a win the East
Moldova’s pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity, led by President Maia Sandu, won a narrow parliamentary majority despite alleged Russian efforts to sway the vote towards a Kremlin-friendly opposition party. Opposition protests followed the vote, but European Union leaders welcomed the result, which strengthens Moldova’s bid to join the EU and rebuffs pro-Russian parties that campaigned on anger about high gas prices and fears of wider war and conflict with Russia stemming from Western backing for Ukraine. The election – seen as a referendum on Europe versus Russia – drew global attention to the tiny country due to its strategic position between Romania and Ukraine.
Peru is the latest subject of “Gen Z” protests
Following on from Southeast Asia, South America became the latest continent to experience recent “Gen Z” revolts, as protests erupted in Lima, the Peruvian capital, against President Dina Boluarte. Demonstrators clashed with police, and roughly a dozen were injured. The spark was the government’s move to require everyone over 18 to join a pension provider, which many oppose because it places extra financial burdens on young people when they already face economic insecurity. But tensions have been simmering in the country of 34 million people over corruption scandals, rising crime, and a lack of accountability after Boluarte’s security forces killed protestors in 2022-2023. Boluarte’s approval rating lies at just 3%. The country is scheduled to have elections next year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City, USA, on September 26, 2025.
Netanyahu’s UN bombast belies bigger problems
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t mince his words during his fiery 40-minute address at the United Nations, lauding his country’s military efforts over the last year.
“We’ve hammered the Houthis, including yesterday. We crushed the bulk of Hamas’ terror machine. We’ve crippled Hezbollah, taking out most of its leaders and much of its weapons arsenal,” said Netanyahu.
“We destroyed Assad’s armaments in Syria. We deterred Iran’s Shiite militias in Iraq. And most importantly, and above anything else that I can say to you that we did in this past year – in this past decade – we devastated Iran’s atomic weapons and ballistic missiles program.”
For all the harsh rhetoric and usual props – the Israeli leader conducted a pop quiz from the dais using giant cue cards – Netanyahu’s speech masked what has otherwise been a difficult week for him. His flight from Tel Aviv to New York avoided mainland Europe, presumably over fears that he would be arrested by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of war crimes. Several Western countries – including some who have historically backed Israel – recognized Palestinian statehood. There were also coordinated walkouts ahead of Netanyahu’s speech, just like last year, while Netanyahu’s supporters lauded the prime minister from the gallery.
Meanwhile, the war in Gaza is set to reach the two-year mark. Israel will once again mourn the 1,200 lives lost in the terroristic attack on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as the hundreds who were taken hostage by Hamas on that day.
“It is time, as we approach the Jewish high holidays that speak of taking score of what you did and what you did not do over the last year, that maybe [Netanyahu] also has time to reflect and understand that it is time for him, as well, from a Jewish perspective, to do the right thing,” Ruby Chen, whose son Itay was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, told GZERO at the United Nations, “Which is getting a deal to allow 48 families to be reunited with their loved ones again.”
Itay’s remains are still in Hamas hands.
Israel’s invasion of Gaza post-Oct. 7 has garnered international condemnation and accusations of genocide. Yet Netanyahu’s mission is incomplete: Hamas lives on, albeit in weakened form, and 48 hostages – 20 of whom are believed to be alive – remain in captivity. All the while, the Israeli leader’s standing in the international arena, even within the MAGA camp, has diminished – as he acknowledged during his address.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, is hoping to push Bibi to finally end the brutal war – one that has left over 65,000 Gazans dead, per the Hamas-run health ministry. The White House presented a peace plan to Arab and Muslim leaders at the UN this week that includes the immediate return of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and an international advisory group overseeing a Palestinian administration of Gaza. The plan also says that no Gazans can be forcibly removed from the enclave. Washington is hoping that it can leverage its personal relationships with Gulf states to press Israel and the Palestinians to accept its terms.
“I think that's a fantastic plan and very well thought out,” Albert Tamman, a finance worker who travelled from London to attend Netanyahu’s speech, told GZERO. “It’s good that it’s other Muslim countries that take over, so the population can relate to their leaders.”
Netanyahu, however, has resisted recent efforts for a ceasefire, frustrating his allies, electorate, and adversaries alike. It’s unclear whether he or the Palestinians will accept the latest US proposal. The Israeli leader’s speech, though, suggested he still has plans for Gaza.
“Free the hostages now,” he said, in a message that was being streamed to cellphones in Gaza. “If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down.”
For more on Israel’s increasing international isolation, see Ian Bremmer’s quick take from earlier this week.
Is Israel risking global isolation over Gaza?
In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer unpacks a tense UN High-Level Week dominated by Israel-Palestine.
“The two state solution…is dead,” Ian argues, with Netanyahu’s government opposing it and Europe shifting to recognition of Palestinian statehood.
At home, Israelis largely oppose a two state deal but “don’t want a forever war.” They want hostages freed and troops out which Ian says isn’t what the Israeli leadership is doing.
The pivotal question: will Netanyahu move toward formal West Bank annexation? Ian warns of sharp backlash from the UAE and says “many European states would start to put punitive, direct, bilateral economic measures… restrict investment and the like into Israel.”
Israel attacks and targets Hamas leadership in Qatar
How will Israel's attack in Qatar strain US alliances?
In this episode of Ask Ian, Ian Bremmer unpacks Israel’s attack against Hamas leadership in Qatar.
“Recent attacks on Qatar, a major ally of the United States, didn’t succeed in taking out Hamas’ leadership,” Ian explains. But that move, he notes, has “agitated President Trump pretty significantly,” given America’s close ties to Qatar and the wider Gulf states.
While the US shows no signs of breaking from Israel, evidenced by refusing to grant visas to Palestinian officials, Ian warns that the Trump administration’s support carries risks. With Israel shifting from “deterrence to threat removal,” US allies like the UAE are drawing red lines, even threatening to exit the Abraham Accords, which Ian says "would be a big slap to President Trump directly."
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City, on August 27, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Trump to talk Gaza plan, Niger’s anti-colonial crusade gives Russia an opening, Australia follows the money to Tehran
There is a US plan for Gaza
US President Donald Trump will convene a “large meeting” at the White House today to discuss a plan for managing Gaza once the war there ends. US special envoy Steve Witkoff even appeared to acknowledge that the US had a plan, adding that he hopes the war is resolved by the end of the year. The meeting comes as an inquest begins into Monday’s double Israeli strike on a hospital in Khan Younis that killed 20 people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “tragic mishap.”
Russia uses Niger to go nuclear on France and the West
Russia may be focused on its invasion of Ukraine, but that hasn’t stopped it from making other moves to weaken the West: Moscow has offered to build a nuclear power plant in Niger that could hurt parts of France’s nuclear industry. Niger, a uranium-rich nation in the Sahara Desert, has previously exported the metal to France for further refining, but the ruling military junta has been cutting ties with the former colonial power ever since overthrowing the government in 2023 – and Russia eyes an opportunity. The plan is fraught with challenges, though, and the plant may never come to fruition.
Australia identifies Iran funding to synagogue attackers
Australia is following the money in its investigation of the antisemitic attack on a Melbourne synagogue last year, with officials saying Wednesday that the funds that the alleged perpetrators received traced back to Iran. It’s possible that those charged didn’t even know Tehran was involved. This revelation comes after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that Iran orchestrated this terrorist attack, as well as another in Sydney. Australia isn’t the only country probing the role of Iran’s government in carrying out terrorism: British and Swedish security forces have also warned that the Islamic Republic were attempting to use proxies to commit attacks in their countries.