Irish rap group Kneecap at court for waving Hezbollah flag on stage
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Under Geneva Convention, Russia has no automatic claim to territory simply by virtue of occupying it
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Israel set to approve settlement project that could divide the West Bank
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Miss Palestine to compete in Miss Universe pageant for the first time
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Israel defence minister approves plan to conquer Gaza City
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Texas GOP unveils new congressional map
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'In principle, there are always justifications for limiting & curtailing threats to nat'l security'
UK
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LeMonde
12 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Israel's plan to expand settlements in the West Bank is 'unacceptable,' say 21 countries
Britain and France were among 21 countries to sign a joint statement on Thursday, August 21, calling Israel's approval of a major settlement project in the West Bank "unacceptable and a violation of international law". Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometer (five-square-mile) parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem on Wednesday. "We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms," said the statement of foreign ministers, whose signatories also included Australia, Canada and Italy. Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden also signed the statement, as did the European Commission's foreign affairs chief. "This brings no benefits to the Israeli people," the foreign ministers said. "Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace. The government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan," they added. The statement noted that Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the plan "will make a two-state solution impossible by dividing any Palestinian state and restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem". The plan seeks to build around 3,400 homes on the ultra-sensitive tract of land, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. All of Israel's settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are considered illegal under international law, regardless of whether they have Israeli planning permission. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) has slammed the latest move, which has also been criticized by UN chief Antonio Guterres and the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini. The project would "completely cut off the northern and central West Bank from the southern West Bank – meaning that there would no longer be any territorial contiguity", said Lazzarini. He said Israel was taking decisions that would make the creation of two states "increasingly impossible". Britain on Thursday summoned Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely to the foreign ministry to protest the decision. "If implemented, these settlement plans would be a flagrant breach of international law and would divide a future Palestinian state in two, critically undermining a two-state solution," the foreign office said in a statement.
Euronews
7 hours ago
- Euronews
Von der Leyen 'extremely saddened' by situation of Gaza children
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is "extremely saddened by the situation of the children in Gaza", Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta told reporters on Thursday. "She is extremely saddened by the situation children are facing in Gaza. The president has said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is appalling," the spokesperson said in response to a question on the situation in Gaza. Podesta said that Von der Leyen stood for the protection of children everywhere in the world, noting that she had spearheaded a call for the release of abducted Ukrainian children from Russian custody alongside US first lady Melania Trump. "She has indeed raised the topic of the Ukrainian children abducted by Russia with President Trump the other day in the presence of the European leaders and President Zelenskyy. This is, of course, a very important cause dear to her heart," Podesta said. According to the Commission, Von der Leyen called relentlessly for a ceasefire in Gaza to protect the civilian population and to safeguard the right to the protection of children. The European Commission also commented on the start of the operation of the Israeli Defence Forces to gain control over Gaza City and to expel its population in order to fight the remaining strongholds of Hamas, which has prompted international criticism. The spokesperson said that von der Leyen denounced the operation at the beginning of August, calling on the Israeli government to reconsider its decision to occupy Gaza, whilst at the same time calling for all hostages to be released by Hamas. The United Nations' UNICEF agency has said more than 50,000 children in Gaza have reportedly been killed or injured, and many of these through malnutrition. Another UN agency, UNRWA, has claimed that 20% of children in Gaza City were malnourished ahead of the military operation.
LeMonde
9 hours ago
- LeMonde
Netanyahu's manipulation of antisemitism is unworthy
As he struggles to remain in power through an alliance with nationalist and religious far-right parties, Benjamin Netanyahu has shown he considers all means acceptable, including the manipulation of the poison of antisemitism. In a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, the Israeli prime minister said he was concerned about "the alarming rise of antisemitism in France" and claimed the French president's "call for a Palestinian state is fueling this antisemitic fire." He accused Macron of a "lack of decisive action" to counter antisemitism and linked the July announcement of France's intention to recognize Palestinian statehood to recent antisemitic incidents in France. The rise of antisemitism in France, as in many countries around the world, is an indisputable reality. It has persisted for many years and worsened sharply following Hamas's barbaric attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The number of antisemitic acts recorded by France's national human rights consultative commission, the CNCDH, soared by 283% in 2023 and remained at a high level in 2024. Headlong rush A sense of solitude, misunderstanding, and even fear has taken hold among Jews in France, as manifested by the conversations avoided, the kippas hidden, the mezuzahs removed from doors, and the moving out from certain neighborhoods. While prejudices and even hostility toward Jews exist on the left, especially among supporters of radical-left La France Insoumise, the CNCDH affirms such views are far more pronounced among those close to the far-right Rassemblement National. Accusing the French president of weakness in the fight against antisemitism makes little sense, given how often the government has issued clear statements and taken unambiguous political decisions on the subject. It is, above all, false and dishonest to present the announcement of recognition of the Palestinian state as a source of antisemitism. Netanyahu, who is under an International Criminal Court arrest warrant and whose offensive has led to the deaths of tens of thousands in Gaza, is seeking to portray as anti-Jewish any criticism of his policies and any attempt to chart a political path for the Middle East, as was the aim of Macron's announcement. By pushing the idea that Jews worldwide identify with his far-right policies, it is in fact he who is fueling antisemitism, in France and elsewhere. The Israeli prime minister, who has shown no hesitation when it comes to sacrificing the lives of the hostages held by Hamas for his own political survival, has hardly shown more regard for Jews in the diaspora, whom his reckless actions contribute to putting at risk. In reality, Netanyahu is furious over France's announcement it will recognize Palestine, a long-standing orientation whose belated enactement has taken on particular significance at a time when Israel, precisely in order to render such recognition meaningless, is engaged in a bloody campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and is openly intent on expanding its settlement policy in the occupied territories of the West Bank. The fact that other countries, such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, have followed France's lead has only intensified the Israeli leader's ire, accentuating the relevance of the French initiative. By resorting to the ultimate accusation of antisemitism against those who challenge his policies, Netanyahu has added unworthy rhetoric to his disastrous course for Israel.
