"Most Israelis don't know what's going on in Gaza and don't want to know what's going on"
Gideon Levy, Israeli journalist and columnist with Haaretz, assesses Israel's position after the German Chancellor criticised the level of attacks in Gaza.
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Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Irish senator who waved off Madleen Freedom Flotilla says crew predicted arrest
The ship has since been intercepted by Israeli forces, with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, arrested around 2am and now heading to a port in Israel. Senator Ruane said: 'Due to the fact the last Flotilla – Conscience – was attacked in international waters the general feeling was if they were going to take sail it was highly likely that there would be an interception this time round two." The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza. The minister called the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted on X: 'The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.' All passengers were safe and unharmed, it later added: "They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over." But this evening Ms Butterly, who is a member of the land co-ordination team of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, has called for more action. She said: 'We have received so many messages from you from across the world expressing support, solidarity, love and concern and asking what you can do. More than anything at this point, as well as focusing on the well-being and the eventual release of all of those who are now detained, the need is to focus on Gaza. 'We need to sail those winds and those seas, those waves of solidarity that have been so beautifully present as a beacon of hope over the past ten days onwards into Gaza and that means action – more ships, more organising, more mobilising. We need people behind the scenes, all of these missions including this one took months almost a year to prepare for one ship alone.' ADVERTISEMENT Senator Ruane added: 'Everything that the Flotilla stands for is something people get behind and support, the fact that there is no aid is reaching into Gaza, they knew at some point the Israeli authorities would want to intercept them and it's an illegal interception. 'The Freedom Flotilla has various different countries that have organising committees, you can see them on the boat – there are several different nationalities. There's a huge level of co-ordination involved and there have been Irish people involved in the coordination over the years.' Before the Flotilla set sail Ms Butterly shared a photo of herself with Greta Thunberg who was spotted wearing a Bohemians x Fontaines DC jersey. Lyrics from the band's latest album along with the words 'Saoirse don Phalaistín', which in Irish means 'Free Palestine' are emblazoned on the top. The shirt was designed by guitarist Carlos O'Connell, with 30pc of profits going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. In a statement this afternoon, Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Madleen was 'an effort to get food and medicine to the starving people of Gaza; an unarmed civilian effort in the midst of devastation and catastrophic humanitarian conditions'. He added: "But it was much more than that; it was a powerful symbol of the urgent and essential need to end the blockade on humanitarian aid.'
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Putin could attack Nato by 2030, alliance boss warns as ‘Europe needs to build its own Golden Dome defence system'
VLADIMIR Putin could launch an assault on NATO by 2030, an alliance chief has warned. 6 The NATO chief warned the end of the war in Ukraine won't stop the Russian threat Credit: AP 6 The alliance boss warned of Russia's threat to the UK and other European countries Credit: Getty 6 Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke about Russia's looming threat at Chatham House Credit: PA The NATO head said that the alliance would need to take a "quantum leap" in building up its defence systems as Speaking at the world-leading policy institute, Chatham House, he urged European leaders to increase their air and missile defence capabilities by a staggering 400 per cent. Europe should also be prepared to protect its skies, as He said: "The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence. "The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our "The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends." In an urgent plea to leaders, he called for militaries to be armed with thousands more vehicles and tanks, and millions more artillery shells. He also insisted allies double their resources supporting military power including logistics, transport and medical aid. Most read in The Sun Terrifyingly, Rutte also hinted at a potential triple threat - with Mad Vlad teaming up with despot leaders in China, North Korea and Russia currently produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year, he said. Russia's ambassador to the UK 'blames Britain' for Ukraine's daring drone attack & warns of 'WWIII risk' China is also modernising and expanding its military, with its battle force expected to increase to 435 ships by 2030. He warned: "Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger. "Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance." The alliance chief's comments came as he pushed for NATO members to commit to ramping up defence spending at a key summit of the western military alliance later this month. Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure. The proposal is a compromise deal designed to satisfy US President Donald Trump, who has demanded that allies each spend 5 percent of economic output on defence, up from a current commitment of two percent. Rutte said he "expects" leaders to agree to the proposal at the summit of the 32-country alliance on June 24-25 in The Hague. 6 The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system has protected the state from missile attacks Credit: AP 6 Donald Trump recently unveiled plans to build a Golden Dome over America "It will be a NATO-wide commitment and a defining moment for the alliance," he said in his speech. Russia condemned Rutte's comments before he took to the stage, denouncing NATO as "an instrument of aggression". NATO "is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. This follows Rutte's meeting with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer - their second Downing Street talk since the Labour leader came into power last year. Starmer's government this year pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, but has not yet set a firm timeline for further hikes. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada would hit two percent this year. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said last week the allies were close to an agreement on the split five-percent target . "That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up," he said on Thursday. Space rockets & hypersonic interceptors…Trump unveils half-a-trillion dollar Golden Dome air defence to be ready by 2029 DONALD Trump has unveiled plans for a high-tech "Golden Dome" missile defence system, which the president claims should be operational by the end of his term in office. The futuristic concept announced by Trump would see American weapons put in space for the first time ever. Trump had already signalled his intent to set up a Golden Dome following his return to the White House, calling missile attacks the "most catastrophic threat facing the United States". The idea is modelled on Israel's Iron Dome defence system, which uses radar to detect incoming missiles and calculates which ones pose a threat to populated areas. But the Golden Dome would be an infinitely bigger project, not least because the United States is more than 400 times larger than Israel. During his announcement in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said his new Golden Dome would be "capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world". NATO members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump's return to the White House in January, and question marks over his commitment to European security, has added urgency. Rutte warned: "Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. "We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full." Read more on the Irish Sun He added that if countries cannot commit to 5 percent for defence spending "you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries, their health systems, the pension system, etc, but you better learn to speak Russian. I mean, that's the consequence". Britain announced plans last week to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to what it said were threats from Russia. 6 He urged Europe to build its own Golden Dome Credit: SWNS
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Irish senator who was onboard Freedom Flotilla says crew predicted arrest
The ship has since been intercepted by Israeli forces, with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, arrested around 2am and now heading to a port in Israel. Senator Ruane said: 'Due to the fact the last Flotilla – Conscience – was attacked in international waters the general feeling was if they were going to take sail it was highly likely that there would be an interception this time round two." The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza. The minister called the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted on X: 'The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.' All passengers were safe and unharmed, it later added: "They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over." But this evening Ms Butterly, who is a member of the land co-ordination team of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, has called for more action. She said: 'We have received so many messages from you from across the world expressing support, solidarity, love and concern and asking what you can do. More than anything at this point, as well as focusing on the well-being and the eventual release of all of those who are now detained, the need is to focus on Gaza. 'We need to sail those winds and those seas, those waves of solidarity that have been so beautifully present as a beacon of hope over the past ten days onwards into Gaza and that means action – more ships, more organising, more mobilising. We need people behind the scenes, all of these missions including this one took months almost a year to prepare for one ship alone.' ADVERTISEMENT Senator Ruane added: 'Everything that the Flotilla stands for is something people get behind and support, the fact that there is no aid is reaching into Gaza, they knew at some point the Israeli authorities would want to intercept them and it's an illegal interception. 'The Freedom Flotilla has various different countries that have organising committees, you can see them on the boat – there are several different nationalities. There's a huge level of co-ordination involved and there have been Irish people involved in the coordination over the years.' Before the Flotilla set sail Ms Butterly shared a photo of herself with Greta Thunberg who was spotted wearing a Bohemians x Fontaines DC jersey. Lyrics from the band's latest album along with the words 'Saoirse don Phalaistín', which in Irish means 'Free Palestine' are emblazoned on the top. The shirt was designed by guitarist Carlos O'Connell, with 30pc of profits going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. In a statement this afternoon, Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Madleen was 'an effort to get food and medicine to the starving people of Gaza; an unarmed civilian effort in the midst of devastation and catastrophic humanitarian conditions'. He added: "But it was much more than that; it was a powerful symbol of the urgent and essential need to end the blockade on humanitarian aid.'
