The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday’s events as they unfold.

NY governor vows ‘solidarity with the Israeli people’ on Independence Day

New York Governor Kathy Hochul marks Israel’s Independence Day with a statement of solidarity.

“New York is proud to be home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel,” Hochul says in a statement.

“As we recognize Yom Ha’atzmaut and celebrate Israel’s Independence Day, we’re reminded of the strong bond that New York and Israel share,” she says. “We’re proud to stand in solidarity with the Israeli people.”

The statement of unequivocal support stands out because Hochul is a Democrat running for reelection against pro-Israel Jewish Republican Bruce Blakeman, as the Democratic party grows increasingly hostile to Israel, according to polls.

There are more than twice as many Democrats as Republicans in the state.

The election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an anti-Zionist, was seen as evidence that anti-Israel politics could be a boon in New York.

Hochul has close ties with New York Jewish communities and is generally supportive of Israel, although she has voiced criticism of the Gaza war and taken some fire for her cordial relationship with Mamdani.

Pakistani PM thanks Trump for agreeing to his ceasefire extension request

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanks US President Donald Trump for accepting his request to extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran, which was supposed to expire in the coming hours.

Sharif expresses his hope in a statement on X that the sides will respect the ceasefire and reach a comprehensive “peace deal” during a second round of talks in Islamabad, without specifying when those negotiations will be held.

The talks were first planned for Tuesday and then pushed to Wednesday before being delayed indefinitely, as the US and Pakistan await Iran’s response to the latest American proposal.

Trump doesn’t mention stalled Iran talks during public appearance at White House

US President Donald Trump wraps up his remarks at a White House event for college athletes without mentioning the stalled Iran talks.

Trump has weighed in on the Iran war in just about every public appearance he has made since the US began the conflict on February 28.

On Monday, several of Trump’s aides told CNN that the US president’s constant public remarks were harming efforts to secure a deal with Iran.

Moments before appearing at the White House event, Trump announced he was extending a two-week ceasefire with Iran to give more time for what he called a fractured Iranian leadership to respond to the latest proposal for a deal to end the war.

The move amounted to a major about-face for Trump, who repeatedly insisted — as recently as as earlier Tuesday — that he would not issue an extension of the ceasefire, which was supposed to expire at around 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 a.m. Israel time).

Palestinian homes torched by extremist settlers in northern West Bank — report

Several Palestinian homes have been torched amid a reported Israeli settler raid in the northern West Bank village of Beit Imrin.

There are no immediate reports of injuries, but residents of the village have taken to social media to plead for help.

Earlier Tuesday, a settler reservist reportedly shot dead a 14-year-old Palestinian boy and a 32-year-old young man in the central West Bank village of al-Mughayyir. The reservist has been suspended from duty but not arrested — a step that is highly rare in cases of settler violence, which take place with near impunity on a daily basis.

مستوطنون يضرمون النيران بعدد من المنازل في بلدة بيت امرين شمال غرب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/ex5skDI6t8 — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 21, 2026

مستوطنون يضرمون النيران بعدد من المنازل في بلدة بيت امرين شمال غرب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/ex5skDI6t8

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 21, 2026

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