Netanyahu's coalition is rattled as ultra-Orthodox party announces exit over military draft law
United Torah Judaism's two factions said they were bolting the government over disagreements surrounding a bill that would codify broad military draft exemptions for their constituents, many of whom study Jewish texts instead of enlist to the military. The issue has long divided Jewish Israelis, most of whom are required to enlist, a rift that has only widened since the war in Gaza began and demands on military manpower grew.
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Atlantic
26 minutes ago
- Atlantic
Food Aid in Gaza Has Become a Horror
Capping off all the other horrors in wartime Gaza is the food-distribution situation that has prevailed since late May. Famished Palestinian civilians must approach one of very few aid-distribution locations under the auspices of the Israeli and United States governments. A shocking number of civilians seeking aid have reportedly been shot dead by Israeli soldiers or shot at by U.S. contractors on their way to these sites. According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in this scramble for sustenance since May 26. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke the last cease-fire in the Gaza war on March 18 by launching air strikes that killed more than 400 Palestinians in 36 hours, a reported 183 of them children. He had also imposed a total blockade on March 2, allowing no aid whatsoever into the Strip from March until late May. The resulting situation was untenable. But the Israeli government did not trust any of the international institutions with experience in humanitarian-aid distribution, so together with its U.S. backers, it cooked up an alternative: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a nonprofit registered in Delaware and funded with $30 million from the Trump administration. According to one report, GHF has billed itself as seeking, among other aims, to ' facilitate President Trump's vision ' for the Gaza Strip. Trump has said a variety of things about that vision, but one prospect he has articulated includes the forced removal of all Palestinians from the territory and its transformation into a 'Riviera' for 'international people.' According to The Washington Post, some for-profit companies are behind GHF, including McNally Capital, a Chicago private-equity firm. Among the entities initially involved with the group, some have since withdrawn, including the Boston Consulting Group. The foundation's initial head, Jake Wood, resigned on account of humanitarian concerns. GHF is now run by Johnnie Moore Jr., a pro-Israel evangelical activist and former aide to Jerry Falwell, and John Acree, a former USAID official. GHF began operations on May 26 in the south of Gaza, near Rafah. Since then, it has operated four main aid-distribution centers (compare this to the more than 400 that the UN and other traditional aid agencies once ran). The aid boxes themselves have been described by Palestinians as woefully inadequate as Gaza continues its slide toward outright famine. The food distribution points have practically become shooting galleries. Israeli troops told reporters from the newspaper Haaretz that they had been ordered to open fire on Palestinians with live ammunition as a means of crowd control. The newspaper quoted one soldier as describing the zones as a 'killing field.' The report singled out Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, commander of Division 252, which operates in northern Gaza. Vach reportedly told his men that ' there are no innocents in Gaza.' Some suggested that using live fire to disperse crowds in northern Gaza, for fear they would rush UN aid trucks, was Vach's policy more than that of the Israeli military command or government. But reports have also circulated about U.S. contractors deliberately shooting Palestinians and boasting about direct hits. Israel refuses to allow outside journalists into Gaza, making these and other related accounts difficult to confirm or disprove. What is indisputable is that GHF has an effective monopoly on delivering humanitarian aid into an ever more desperate Gaza Strip. Virtually all of the traditional distributors of aid have been barred by the Israeli authorities. And by most accounts, the results are ghastly. The UN relays that a third of the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza go days without eating, and credible reports suggest that infants and the elderly are dying of malnutrition and dehydration—according to one issued by a group of international nonprofits, more than 100 people have died of hunger, including 80 children. Agence France-Presse says that its local journalists are now in danger of imminent death from starvation. Israel claims that it is allowing ample food, water, and medicine into the Strip, but if that's the case, the supplies are apparently not reaching those who need them most. Much of the world is appalled by these conditions. On Monday, 30 governments, many friendly to Israel, plus the European Union, demanded an end to the war and condemned 'the drip feeding of aid' to the Palestinians in Gaza whose suffering, the group noted, had 'reached new depths.' More than 100 aid agencies have signed a letter demanding that Israel allow additional food, water, medicine, and other supplies into Gaza immediately. Far from ameliorating Gazans' suffering, GHF has instead established a system that presents them with an impossible dilemma. Palestinians are drawn in desperation to four centers, where they must risk their lives in order to gain the supplies they need to live. Many also walk away disappointed but uninjured. There is no evidence that GHF, its founders, or its backers intended to create death traps rather than alternative distribution centers. But for many weeks, this is how the sites have functioned, and GHF's response has been to simply carry on as before. What GHF may have begun inadvertently, it now perpetuates without correction and with full awareness. Palestinians face a Hobson's choice between starvation and the real possibility of being shot down for no intelligible reason. For that there is no excuse—and quite possibly criminal culpability.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Taxes, Tariffs, ‘Scandals' … And Why Messaging Matters in Washington
The latest FOX News poll reveals that Americans have mixed feelings about President Trump's execution of his agenda, showing increased optimism about the economy but expressing doubts about his tariff strategy. FOX News Sunday Anchor Shannon Bream joins the Rundown to discuss the numbers and explain why messaging will be crucial for the White House and Republicans in promoting their policies this summer. Bream also shares her insights on the Jeffrey Epstein case, DNI Tulsi Gabbard's accusations, and the controversy surrounding anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil's meeting with Democrats. Every five years, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services release the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is advocating for the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement and could make significant changes to those guidelines, including encouraging people to increase their dairy consumption. Food and science journalist Nina Teicholz, author of The Big Fat Surprise, joins the Rundown to discuss the current guidelines, the changes the administration is considering, and why she believes 'outdated' guidelines have contributed to Americans' poor health. Plus, commentary from the host of 'Tomi Lahren is Fearless' on Outkick, Tomi Lahren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
International Criminal Court refers Hungary to its oversight body for failing to arrest Netanyahu
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A panel of judges at the International Criminal Court reported Hungary to the court's oversight organization for failing to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited Budapest in April, saying the move undercut the court's ability to bring suspects to justice. The Israeli leader received a red carpet welcome from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during a state visit, in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are accused of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza. Israel is not a member of the court and staunchly rejects the charges. In a filing released late Thursday, the three-judge panel wrote that 'the obligation to cooperate was sufficiently clear to Hungary' and the failure to arrest Netanyahu 'severely undermines the Court's ability to carry out its mandate.' The ICC has no police force and relies on countries around the world to execute arrest warrants. The court's oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties has limited powers to sanction Hungary. It will consider the next steps during its annual meeting in December. The Hungarian leader, regarded by critics as an autocrat and the EU's most intransigent spoiler in the bloc's decision-making, has defended his decision to not arrest Netanyahu. During the visit, Orbán said his country's commitment to the ICC was ' half-hearted ' and began the process to withdraw Hungary from the court. Orbán signed the Rome Statute, the treaty which created the court, in 2001 during his first term as prime minister. The court dismissed arguments from Hungary that Parliament never incorporated the court's statute into Hungarian law, writing 'it was Hungary's responsibility to ensure that such legislation was in place.' The decision comes as Gaza's population of more than 2 million Palestinians is in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, now relying largely on the limited aid allowed into the territory. Netanyahu and Gallant are accused of using 'starvation as a method of warfare' by restricting humanitarian aid, and of intentionally targeting civilians in Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. It's the third time in the past year that the court has investigated one of its member states for failing to arrest suspects. In February, judges asked Italy to explain why the country sent a Libyan man, suspected of torture and murder, home on an Italian military aircraft rather than handing him over to the court. In October, judges reported Mongolia to the court's oversight organization for failing to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visited the Asian nation.
