Criticism of Israel grows as aid trickles into Gaza
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
UN investigator says US sanctions over her criticism of Israel will seriously impact her life
ROME (AP) — An independent U.N. investigator and outspoken critic of Israel's policies in Gaza says that the sanctions recently imposed on her by the Trump administration will have serious impacts on her life and work. Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, is a member of a group of experts chosen by the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. She is tasked with probing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories and has been vocal about what she has described as the 'genocide' by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. Both Israel and the United States, which provides military support to its close ally, have strongly denied that accusation. Washington has decried what it called a 'campaign of political and economic warfare' against the U.S. and Israel, and earlier this month imposed sanctions on Albanese, following an unsuccessful U.S. pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post. 'It's very serious to be on the list of the people sanctioned by the U.S.,' Albanese told The Associated Press in Rome on Tuesday, adding that individuals sanctioned by the U.S. cannot have financial interactions or credit cards with any American bank. When used in 'a political way,' she said the sanctions 'are harmful, dangerous.' 'My daughter is American. I've been living in the U.S. and I have some assets there. So of course, it's going to harm me,' Albanese said. 'What can I do? I did everything I did in good faith, and knowing that, my commitment to justice is more important than personal interests.' The sanctions have not dissuaded Albanese from her work — or her viewpoints — and in July, she published a new report, focused on what she defines as 'Israel's genocidal economy' in Palestinian territories. 'There's an entire ecosystem that has allowed Israel's occupation to thrive. And then it has also morphed into an economy of genocide,' she said. In the conclusion of the report, Albanese calls for sanctions against Israel and prosecution of 'architects, executors and profiteers of this genocide.' Albanese noted a recent shift in perceptions in Europe and around the world following an outcry over images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of dozens of hunger-related deaths after nearly 22 months of war. 'It's shocking,' she said. 'I don't think that there are words left to describe what's happening to the Palestinian people.' The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people captive. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians but says more than half the dead are women and children. Nearly 21 months into the conflict that displaced the vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million people, the United Nations says hunger is rampant after a lengthy Israeli blockade on food entering the territory and medical care is extremely limited.
Toronto Sun
5 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
UCLA reaches $6M settlement with Jewish students and professor over campus protests
Published Jul 29, 2025 • 3 minute read Demonstrators walk in an encampment on the UCLA campus after clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups in Los Angeles, May 1, 2024. Photo by Jae C. Hong / Files / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The University of California, Los Angeles, reached a $6 million settlement with three Jewish students and a Jewish professor whose suit against the university argued it violated their civil rights by allowing pro-Palestinian protesters in 2024 to block their access to classes and other areas on campus. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The settlement comes nearly a year after a preliminary injunction was issued, marking the first time a U.S. judge had ruled against a university over their handling of on-campus demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza. UCLA had argued that it had no legal responsibility over the issue because protesters, not the university, blocked Jewish students' access to areas. The university also worked with law enforcement to thwart attempts to set up new protest camps. But U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi disagreed and ordered UCLA to create a plan to protect Jewish students on campus. The University of California, one of the nation's largest public university systems, has since created system-wide campus guidelines on protests. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. How the university handled dispersing the encampment in the spring drew widespread criticism. One night, counterprotesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray, with fighting that continued for hours, injuring more than a dozen people, before police stepped in. The next day, after hundreds defied orders to leave, more than 200 people were arrested. Trump administration joins lawsuit filed by Jewish students In March, the Trump administration joined the lawsuit filed by the Jewish students and Jewish professor as it opened new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at Columbia University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; Northwestern University and Portland State University. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Last week, Columbia agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than $400 million in research grants. The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities, with financial penalties that are now seen as an expectation for future agreements. Government finds UCLA violated civil rights of Jewish students On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division found UCLA violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 'by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'UCLA failed to take timely and appropriate action in response to credible claims of harm and hostility on its campus,' said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. The university has said that it's committed to campus safety and will continue to implement recommendations. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement or the DOJ announcement Tuesday. UCLA agrees to granting students equal access As part of the settlement agreement, UCLA must ensure Jewish students, faculty and staff are not excluded from anything on-campus. The $6.13 million settlement will pay the plaintiffs' damages and legal fees and go toward eight Jewish organizations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A group of 35 pro-Palestinian students, faculty members, legal observers, journalists and activists also has filed a lawsuit against UCLA, alleging the university failed to protect those who participated in the demonstrations. Some Jewish students have also taken part in protests on campuses around the country against Israel's war in Gaza. During the 2014 protests at UCLA, at least 15 pro-Palestinian protesters were injured and the tepid response by authorities drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups. MLB Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons Canada Canada
9 hours ago
By acknowledging 'starvation' in Gaza, Trump sharpens Western pressure on Netanyahu
In what humanitarians are calling a make-or-break week for saving Palestinians from famine, Donald Trump's I see it moment may be a tipping point. Humanitarian organizations have for months warned that Israel's restrictions on the flow of aid were bringing Gaza to the brink of famine. The latest warning from a UN-backed hunger monitor said Tuesday that famine was now unfolding across the enclave. Yet as recently as last weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly stated there is no starvation in Gaza. He accuses Hamas of stealing available aid. Trump himself seemed indifferent until Monday when, while in Scotland, he publicly disagreed with Netanyahu, saying he'd seen the images of starving children. That's real starvation, he said. I see it — and you can't fake that. With the conflict in Gaza at a stalemate — and the civilian population paying an increasingly steeper price, including the Israeli hostages still in Hamas's hands — what Israel's allies, especially Trump, do or say is key to bringing the bloodshed to an end. Enlarge image (new window) Palestinians, mostly children, push to receive food at a charity kitchen in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on July 22. Photo: AFP / Getty Images The growing chorus of calls this past week, sharpened by voices from G7 countries including Canada, for Israel to open the crossings into Gaza had already started to lead to change on the ground. Israel, which had insisted on its own controversial means of distributing aid, was forced at least to resume air drops and to slightly ease the movement of aid trucks into Gaza. It also paused the fighting in three areas daily to allow the flow of aid. Trump's public acknowledgement gave an urgency to those calls that could only come from Israel's staunchest ally, and which could help nudge Netanyahu to do more to ease Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Within hours, Netanyahu's office had issued a statement that Israel would continue to work with international agencies and other countries to ensure large flows of aid into Gaza. More West Bank settlements How Trump plans to persuade Netanyahu to pursue what the president described as a different way to bring home the 50 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza is going to be much harder. Trump was keen on making a deal that would see all the hostages released, and Israel's attacks on Gaza ended. But the U.S. and Israel withdrew their teams from the latest talks in Rome, accusing Hamas of negotiating in bad faith. WATCH | UN group warns of 'worst-case scenario' in Gaza: Those familiar with the talks suggest one of the biggest obstacles to a lasting ceasefire is that Hamas wants a permanent one, while Israel refuses to leave Gaza with Hamas still in charge. Another is Netanyahu's opposition to a two-state solution. Settlements have multiplied in the West Bank under Netanyahu, and in a non-binding vote in the Israeli Knesset last week a majority called for the annexation of the West Bank altogether. It is why Israel's closest Western allies have recently reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution — also a longtime cornerstone of Canada's Mideast policy — with some promising to recognize a Palestinian state this fall. France announced last week it intends to recognize such a state at the UN General Assembly in September. Enlarge image (new window) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is no starvation in Gaza, while claiming Hamas has been stealing food aid. Photo: Reuters / Jack Guez/Pool Under pressure from within his own government, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday also said he would recognize a Palestinian state in September — unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire, takes steps to make clear there is to be no annexation of the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution. The U.S. is far from doing the same. But if other Western allies, maybe even Canada, join the chorus (147 other countries already recognize a Palestinian state) Trump may be forced to at least acknowledge the shift. Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the latest developments. Netanyahu condemned France's declaration and is likely to receive the British decision similarly, arguing that they reward terror, in the wake of Hamas's killing of about 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, and abducting 250 others. But Britain preempted such accusations and again called on Hamas to release the 50 remaining hostages. Hamas are not the Palestinian people, and there is no contradiction between support for Israel's security and support for Palestinian statehood, said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Possible sanctions Some critics however are skeptical that such declarations will do anything to meaningfully move the needle on solving either the immediate or the larger conflict. Such gestures alone are not going to do any lasting change to Israeli behaviour, said Michael Lynk, a former UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories. Enlarge image (new window) Palestinians collect aid that landed in the Mediterranean Sea after being airdropped over central Gaza, at the shore of Zawaida, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. Photo: Associated Press / Abdel Kareem Hana Countries in the global north are going to have to take a significant step forward by looking at sanctions on Israel in order to make any lasting progress on achieving a Palestinian state. France, Canada and the U.K. signed a joint statement in May promising to not "stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response. It was not made clear what those actions might be, but Lynk says they could include sanctions. Only sanctions with respect to military sales and economic relationships with Israel are likely to have any chance of changing Israel's behavior, he said. Trump did not immediately comment on the British decision, but last week he belittled Emmanuel Macron's statement. What he says doesn't matter, he said of the French president. It's not going to change anything. How this all plays out now that Starmer has added his voice may largely depend on how Trump sees it. Nahlah Ayed (new window) · Host of CBC Ideas Nahlah Ayed is the host of the nightly CBC Radio program Ideas. A veteran of foreign reportage, she's spent nearly a decade covering major world events from London, and another decade covering upheaval across the Middle East. Ayed was previously a parliamentary reporter for The Canadian Press. Video by Nahlah Ayed (new window)
