
German foreign minister tells Israeli counterpart to allow more aid into Gaza
BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in Berlin on Thursday, again calling for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into the enclave.
Wadephul also decried the Israeli government's announcement that it would allow 22 more settlements in the West Bank.
Germany would continue to deliver weapons to Israel, he added, saying the country needed to defend itself.
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Activist boat says rescues migrants en route to Gaza
ATHENS: A vessel organized by an international activist coalition to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has rescued several migrants from the sea near Crete, a support group in Greece said on Friday. The Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said it had received a distress signal from a boat in the Mediterranean, forcing it to change course off the coast of Crete. The Madleen has 'a 12-member crew of peaceful activists' headed for Gaza 'with the aim of breaking the blockade of Palestine by the state of Israel,' the March to Gaza Greece group said. 'Upon arrival (at the scene), it discovered that the boat was sinking with approximately 30-35 people aboard.' At that point, the Madleen was approached by a ship that initially identified itself as Egyptian. 'The activists aboard the Madleen quickly realized that this was a false identification and that the ship was, in fact, a Libyan coast guard vessel,' they said. 'Libya is not considered a safe country and for this reason some of the refugees jumped into the sea to avoid being returned there. 'The Madleen rescued four Sudanese individuals who had jumped into the water and brought them aboard.' After several hours of calls for assistance, a Frontex vessel eventually picked up the rescued individuals, the group said, referring to the European Union's border and coast guard agency. The Madleen sailed from Sicily on Sunday. Those on board include climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians. It combines humanitarian aid with political protest against the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the critical humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. It blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2. The United Nations warned on May 30 that the entire population of more than two million was at risk of famine. Fighters from Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. A total of 1,218 people died, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Since October 2023, Israel's retaliatory war on Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people there, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The United Nations deems the health ministry figures to be reliable. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.


Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Palestinian nationalism must be saved
When the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the UAE wanted to visit the Palestinian city of Ramallah last weekend, their goal was not a photo op in the city's Al-Manara Square. It was a clear show of support for Palestinian nationalism. As preparations for the June 17-20 Saudi-French high-level conference on the two-state solution in New York accelerate, Israel is intensifying its efforts to delegitimize Palestinian nationalism. Behind its campaign against Hamas lies a deeper strategy to deny Palestinians their inalienable right to self-determination. The Arab-Muslim ministerial visit to Ramallah was not simply about bolstering an unpopular Palestinian president. Its genuine purpose was to express solidarity with the Palestinian presidency. To be fair, President Mahmoud Abbas has undertaken modest reforms that deserve public support. While insufficient, these reforms should not be dismissed outright, especially not by an Israeli government that works relentlessly to undermine the very existence of the Palestinian Authority. Ironically, Israel transmitted its rejection of the visit by way of Hussein Al-Sheikh, the new Palestinian vice president, who has been a supporter of security cooperation with Israel. The Israelis are engaging in a one-way process in which they gain security cooperation while failing to reciprocate by respecting the very institution that is providing this cooperation. Unilateral Israeli attacks and permanent occupation of Palestinian refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nablus are not the way to encourage two-way cooperation. Behind Israel's campaign against Hamas lies a deeper strategy to deny Palestinians their inalienable right to self-determination. Daoud Kuttab Furthermore, Israel continues to withhold Palestinian tax revenues it collects under the Israel-Palestine Memorandum of Understanding. While this agreement, often referred to as the Oslo Accords, allowed a 3 percent administrative handling fee, Israel is legally obligated to transfer the remainder of the monies collected to the Palestinian government. Instead, it is unjustifiably holding 7 billion shekels, roughly $2 billion. President Abbas and his newly appointed deputy, Al-Sheikh, have bent over backward to address Israeli objections, including the unpopular cessation of stipends to families of prisoners and martyrs. But even this painful concession has not resulted in the release of funds. As a consequence, Palestinian public servants have been forced to accept a fraction of their salaries just ahead of the Eid Al-Adha holiday. The multifaceted Israeli campaign — against refugee camps, the Palestinian government and any role for Ramallah in postwar Gaza — is aimed at crippling, if not eradicating, the Palestinian national entity centered in Ramallah. Arab and Muslim leaders, along with the global community, must persist in upholding Palestinian national rights. Daoud Kuttab By the end of 2024, the state of Palestine had been recognized by 146 countries, with several others, including Western nations, preparing to follow suit. The international community must do far more to uphold Palestinian nationalism and the right of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem to live in freedom, free of occupation, settlements and colonial control. The plans for Arab and Muslim leaders, traveling by Jordanian military helicopter, to visit the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah were blocked by the Israeli occupying powers. This unprecedented move — targeting officials from countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel — was a grave insult to those who defied public opinion at home to sign peace treaties and normalize ties with Israel, even while it occupied Palestinian and Arab lands. The response should not be limited to a video call with Abbas. It must include intensified political and economic support for Palestine. Countries capable of investing trillions globally must step up to support the Palestinian people and critical UN agencies like UNRWA. The Palestinian leadership, for its part, must exceed the bare minimum reforms that are being asked of it. Abbas must lead the effort to reunite Palestinians under the Palestine Liberation Organization umbrella and renew his legitimacy through an inclusive process involving both Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and the diaspora. While national elections are essential, immediate steps can be taken to heal divisions and rebuild the Palestinian national movement. This will require compromise, including a strategic shift by armed factions from military struggle to unified political and popular resistance. Arab and Muslim leaders, along with the global community, must persist in upholding Palestinian national rights. The denial of the foreign ministers' entry to Ramallah should not be forgotten but rather serve as a reminder that this conflict did not begin in October 2023. And that the fate of detainees on both sides is not the only barrier to a just and lasting peace. Palestinian statehood is the most logical and lasting solution to the decades-long conflict in the Middle East.


Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
16 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza
JERUSALEM: Sixteen Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military in Gaza on Friday, according to local health authorities, as a US- and Israeli-backed group said it had handed out aid in the enclave after earlier saying that its distribution sites were closed. Health authorities said strikes had killed people in Gaza's Jabalia, Tuffah, and Khan Younis areas. Witnesses and medics said that Israeli planes and tanks had intensified strikes on Jabalia and nearby Beit Hanoun since the early hours. The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents of parts of Gaza City on Friday ahead of an attack, as it presses an intensified campaign in the battered Palestinian territory. 'This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike,' army spokesman Avichay Adraee said. The army 'will strike all areas from which rockets are launched.' The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said by email it had delivered aid on Friday, despite earlier announcing on its official Facebook page that its distribution sites were closed until further notice and that people should stay away from the sites 'for their safety' after a series of deadly shootings. The GHF opened two sites in southern Gaza on Thursday after closing all of its centers the previous day in the wake of shootings in the vicinity of its operations. It has so far operated four distribution centers. The organization bypasses traditional relief agencies and has been criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the UN, for alleged lack of neutrality, which it denies. Palestinians collecting aid from GHF sites said there was no clear distribution system, describing the process as disorganized and chaotic. Footage released this week by the organization has shown similar scenes at one of its sites. GHF halted distributions on Wednesday and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site over three consecutive days. The Israeli military said on Sunday and Monday that its soldiers had fired warning shots. On Tuesday, it said, forces also fired warning shots before firing toward Palestinians that it said were advancing toward troops. GHF has said that aid was safely handed out from its sites without any incident.