Stepped up Israeli strikes kill more than 150 in Gaza – DW – 05/17/2025
Joel Dullroy
05/17/2025
May 17, 2025
As Israel continues a major new offensive in Gaza with the stated goal of dismantling Hamas, more than 150 have been killed by airstrikes in 24 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry reports. Israel has also blocked aid supplies from entering the Palestinian territory since March.
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2 days ago
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What does US President Donald Trump's new travel ban mean? – DW – 06/05/2025
From June 9, most nationals from 19 countries will not be allowed to enter the United States. What are the reasons and who is exempt? This time it is not a new executive order but a presidential proclamation that is causing a worldwide stir. The policy signed by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday is entitled "Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats" and due to take effect on June 9. Like executive orders, presidential proclamations are one of the instruments with which a US president can implement the administration's will, particularly regarding national security and immigration. Unlike laws, these documents do not require the approval of Congress. However, they must be based on powers granted by law. In terms of content, Trump's new proclamation ties in with previous travel bans imposed during his first term as president, which the Supreme Court upheld in 2018. Which countries are affected? The proclamation bans entry to the US for all nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, regardless of their reasons for travel, unless the State Department deems their entry into the US to be in the national interest. In addition to these 12 countries, there are seven more whose nationals will face partial restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Stricter visa checks and restrictions will apply, but these will also be case-dependent. A wealthy businessperson might be allowed to enter, while tourists or students could face higher hurdles. Trump cites Boulder, Colorado attack In a video published on social media, Trump cited Sunday's attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted." He also said that nationals from certain countries posed "significant risks" of overstaying their visas. An Egyptian man has been charged with injuring several people when he hurled Molotov cocktails at a demonstration calling for the release of Hamas-held hostages in Gaza. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, he had overstayed his tourist visa. Egypt is not listed in Trump's newest proclamation. In the proclamation, the Republican president argues that the countries affected by the new travel ban do not provide enough information on their nationals to assess potential security risks. Some countries listed — Iran and Cuba, for example — the US designates as "State Sponsors of Terrorism." This new ban will tighten up already existing measures. The Trump administration has criticized the fact that some countries do not take back their nationals when the US requires them to leave. However, critics have speculated that the ban has political and economic reasons, pointing out that Saudi Arabia and other countries, with which the Trump family has close business ties, will not be affected. Donald Trump said that other countries could be added to the list in future Image: Leah Millis/REUTERS Who will be exempt from the new restrictions? • Green Card holders • Dual nationals with a US passport • Athletes and coaches participating in "major" competitions in the US • Afghan nationals, who worked for or on behalf of the US government or ISAF, with Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) • Iranian nationals with immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran • Foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations on official visits to the US • Close relatives of US citizens (parents, children, spouses) • Adopted children of US citizens • Certain foreign national employees of the US government who have served abroad for at least 15 years • Those who were granted asylum or admitted to the US as refugees before the ban came into effect If not exempt, those nationals from the banned countries will no longer be able to enter the US from June 9 for business trips, educational travel or family visits. The decision is also likely to have economic repercussions. The poorer countries on the list in particular, such as Haiti and Yemen, have benefitted from trade ties with the US, as well as remittances sent by people living and working in the US. Human rights groups have slammed the travel ban as being racist and discriminatory, pointing out too that refugees and asylum-seekers from conflict regions will now lose access to protection programs in the US. Harvard students from China and Taiwan in limbo To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Harvard University targeted Trump also announced specific measures to block new foreign students from attending Harvard University, whom he accused of developing "extensive entanglements with foreign countries, including our adversaries" and flouting "the civil rights of its students and faculty." In his proclamation, he stated: "I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University. " Initially, entry to almost all foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in educational programs at Harvard will be suspended for six months. The suspension period could be extended. The US State Department will be directed to examine whether to revoke the existing visas of students at the university. In a statement, Harvard said this was " yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights." Earlier this year, Harvard President Alan Garber wrote that the university, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, would not "surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights." This article was translated from German.
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
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Pope Francis' Popemobile Prevented From Entering Gaza to Deliver Aid Despite Palestinians Facing 'Risk of Famine'
A modified Popemobile carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza was blocked from entering the war-torn enclave, even as the United Nations warns the entire population faces the threat of famine. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, international aid groups and religious leaders have ramped up efforts to deliver food and medical supplies. Before his death, Pope Francis, who repeatedly called for peace and aid access in Gaza, authorized the donation of a Popemobile-turned-ambulance to transport relief through the border. The Popemobile ambulance, bearing Vatican insignia and loaded with essential supplies, was recently denied entry at the Rafah border crossing, the Catholic News Agency reported. Israeli authorities reportedly blocked the vehicle despite widespread reports of starvation and critical shortages in Gaza. The aid group traveling with the Popemobile emphasized the mission was intended purely for humanitarian purposes and expressed frustration over the roadblock. The denial comes amid mounting international criticism over restricted aid flows into Gaza. UN officials have warned that every one of Gaza's 2.2 million residents is now facing acute food insecurity, with children particularly at risk of dying from malnutrition. The initiative aimed to offer symbolic and material support to Palestinians trapped in a region increasingly described as the "hungriest place on Earth," according to The Guardian . Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the area was "a country or defined territory within a country – where you have the entire population at risk of famine. One hundred percent of the population at risk of famine." Harout Bedrossian, press officer for Caritas Jerusalem, told CNA that they remain "working in coordination with government agencies to ensure the popemobile enters Gaza." However, Bedrossin believes that "it will not be possible in the near future" due to intense permit requirements implemented by the Israeli government. Getting sufficient aid distribution in Gaza has been an issue the area has faced since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Over the past week, more than 600 people have been injured or killed while trying to receive aid at U.S.-backed distribution sites. Originally published on Latin Times
DW
2 days ago
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Germany vows continued support of Israel as FM visits Berlin – DW – 06/05/2025
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, but reiterated that Germany will continue to deliver weapons to Israel during a visit to Berlin by counterpart Gideon Saar. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, in Berlin on Thursday. The meeting took place a day after Wadephul promised that Germany would send more arms to Israel despite growing international calls for a weapons embargo. Speaking at a press conference with his counterpart, Saar, Wadephul criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. The German minister said he had renewed his "urgent request to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza" without restrictions as required by international law. Wadephul also decried the Israeli government's announcement that it would allow 22 more settlements in the West Bank. He said that the German government "rejects" the creation of new Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law. Meanwhile, Saar appealed to Germany to give a chance to an alternative foundation to distribute humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is controversial because it is supported by Israel and the United States. It circumvents United Nations aid agencies and other initiatives, and it has been accused of endangering civilians in the process. "This effort has the potential to free the Palestinian population from Hamas's stranglehold and end this war," Saar said, adding that this type of distribution could prevent Hamas from appropriating the aid. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU, the US and some Arab states. Wadephul reiterates Germany's support for Israel However, Wadephul stressed that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas and other enemies, and that "therefore Germany will of course continue to support Israel with arms deliveries, that was never in doubt." Wadephul also said that recognizing a Palestinian state now would send "the wrong signal," adding that negotiations between Israel and Palestine must conclude before a Palestinian state is recognized. He added that the European Union should maintain its pact governing political and economic ties with Israel, which was placed under review last month due to the situation in Gaza. Thursday's meeting was the second official meeting between the two ministers. The first took place on May 11 in Israel. Several human rights groups and non-governmental organizations held a rally in front of the Foreign Ministry to protest Israel's war in the Gaza Strip Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance During Saar's visit to Berlin, dozens of demonstrators protested Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. The protests began in front of the German Foreign Ministry in the morning under the slogan "Red Line of International Law." Participants waved Palestinian flags and carried banners with slogans such as "No support for war crimes in Gaza," "Stop the arms deliveries," and "Stop the deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza." Ministers commemorate the victims of the Holocaust Earlier in the day, the two top diplomats laid a wreath at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, which commemorates the 6 million Jews killed in Europe under Germany's Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945. "The fight against antisemitism, standing up for Jewish life in Germany and the commitment to the security and peaceful future of the state of Israel is and will remain our obligation," Wadephul said as he laid a wreath at the memorial in central Berlin with Saar. The memorial "reminds us Germans to remember the victims, to honour the survivors and to learn the lessons from the crimes against humanity of the Shoah," he added. Wadephul said the Holocaust memorial reminds Germans to remember the victims, honor the survivors, and learn from the crimes against humanity of the Shoah Image: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance For his part, Saar said that 80 years after the end of the Holocaust, "the lessons seem to have been forgotten." "In Germany, there's an antisemitic incident once every hour," the Israeli minister said, referring to a report published by a monitor on Wednesday. Wadephul said he was "deeply ashamed" that anti-Semitic offenses in Germany have reached a new high. Wadephul's apparent reversal on arms deliveries for Israel Wadephul's promise of more arms deliveries to Israel on Wednesday came as an apparent reversal of comments made to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung last week. There, he suggested that further arms shipments to Israel were dependent on a government review of whether Israeli actions in Gaza complied with international humanitarian law. Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to raids led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and some 250 hostages were taken. The country is now coming under increasing international pressure to stop its military operation in view of the desolate humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory. Gazan health authorities estimate 54,000 people have been killed, Germany debates whether to keep supplying weapons to Israel To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Wesley Rahn
