Gaza Freedom Flotilla solidarity protests around the world
People protest in front of the Israeli embassy in Athens, Greece, in support of the Freedom Flotilla vessel Madleen that was intercepted by Israeli forces while on its way to deliver aid to Gaza. Reuters
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The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Israeli hard-liners Ben-Gvir and Smotrich hit by UK-led sanctions
Two senior Israeli cabinet ministers have had sanctions imposed in a British -led move, leading to a major diplomatic fallout. Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich face travel bans and financial restrictions from the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. In an official statement, the British government said the pair were 'now sanctioned for their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians, effective immediately'. We expect the UK government to recognise the state of Palestine. This is good but does not get us to that point Husam Zomlot In a joint statement with foreign ministers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now – to hold those responsible to account. 'We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas, which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution.' It is a significant escalation in political pressure against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. The souring of relations with friendly western countries was further cemented after a senior Israeli cabinet minister condemned the sanctions as 'outrageous' and 'unacceptable'. The US State Department also condemned the sanctions against the two Israeli ministers. 'We find that extremely unhelpful,' department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. 'It will do nothing to get us closer to a ceasefire in Gaza. 'If our allies want to help, they should focus on supporting special envoy Steve Witkoff's negotiations and back the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation when it comes to food and aid.' Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian m ission to the UK, welcomed the government's response to the ministers repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities. Speaking exclusively to The National, he called the move a 'significant step in the right direction'. 'These two ministers have been publicly calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, not only by words but by deeds,' Mr Zomlot said. 'These two ministers have been literally physically arming illegal settlers [who are] going on the rampage, committing all the crimes that the world has been following.' 'Sanctioning these ministers is absolutely the right step in the right direction.' Mr Zomlot called on London to make further changes to its policy in response to developments across the Palestinian territory. 'This is not a substitute for the arms embargo, not a substitute for sanctions on the entire ecosystem of illegality, including settlements, and not a substitute for the recognition of the state of Palestine.' With a French and Saudi-sponsored conference on advancing the two-state solution taking place on June 17 to 20 at UN headquarters, Mr Zomlot said the opportunity was looming for the UK to announce that step. 'We are awaiting that conference next week, we expect the UK government to recognise the state of Palestine. This is good but does not get us to that point.' But Israel's renewed Gaza offensive, which has seen the death toll of Palestinians increase to 55,700, has turned international opinion against Israel. British MPs from all parties have in recent weeks become angry at Israel's actions and condemn the UK government's failure to impose sanctions or recognise the Palestinian state. Mr Lammy and Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer have faced accusations of Israeli killings and inhumane treatment of Palestinians. From January last year to April this year extremist settlers have carried out more than 1,900 attacks against Palestinian civilians, the UK government said. The diplomatic fallout began even before the sanctions were officially announced with Israel's government reacting furiously after Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar condemned the 'British sanctions list'. 'It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures.' Mr Netanyahu will hold a special government meeting early next week 'to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision', he added. Mr Ben-Gvir posted a message on X, saying: 'We survived Pharaoh, we will also survive Keir Starmer. I will continue to work for Israel and the people of Israel without fear or intimidation.' In further retaliation to the sanctions Mr Smotrich allegedly threatened to stop transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority. Even the pair's political foe, Benny Gantz, said that while he 'deeply' disagreed with their views, the sanctions were a 'profound moral failure and a bad message to the entire world' that he claimed would 'fuel global terrorism'. Tuesday's action could have a unifying effect on the Israeli government, which is comprised of a fragile coalition that includes hard-right and ultra-Orthodox figures. This has allowed Mr Smotrich to approve the expansion of illegal West Bank settlements while he has also vigorously campaigned against allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, He caused outrage after stating that he would allow 'not even a grain of wheat' to enter the territory and only last month stated that Gaza would be 'entirely destroyed'. He also referred to ethnic cleansing by suggesting that Palestinians should 'leave in great numbers to third countries'. His colleague Mr Ben-Gvir, who was convicted of incitement to racism in 2007, has also stoked fires by advocating the replacement of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem with a synagogue. He has also called for Palestinians to be expelled from Gaza and stated that 'there is no need to bring in aid, they have enough'. Among senior MPs who have called for stronger action against the pair has been Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the foreign affairs committee. 'I and others have been calling for sanctions on these extremist Israeli ministers for the better part of a year,' she posted on X. 'The government is finally doing the right thing.' In reference to the summit jointly hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, she argued that the sanctions 'must be a precursor to recognising a Palestinian state next week – not an alternative to it'.
Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
Blackstone to invest $500bln in Europe over next decade, Bloomberg reports
Blackstone plans to invest up to $500 billion in Europe over the next decade, CEO Steve Schwarzman told Bloomberg Television in an interview on Tuesday, underscoring market confidence in the region's prospects. Schwarzman said Europe represents a "major opportunity" for the world's largest alternative asset manager, which oversees assets worth over $1 trillion. There has been a surge in investor optimism about the region, driven by European governments' push to increase military spending and revive a sluggish private equity market. With U.S. President Donald Trump reshaping global alliances and trade policies, Europe is actively pursuing new avenues for economic growth, potentially creating promising investment opportunities for firms such as Blackstone. The European Union, for example, is ramping up its defense spending to revitalize a sector historically overlooked by private investors. Since 2020, the U.S. and Canada have attracted 83% of all private equity and venture capital-backed aerospace and defense investment, according to S&P. Europe is starting to change its approach, "which we think will result in higher growth rates. So this has worked out amazingly well for us," Schwarzman told Bloomberg. Schwarzman supported Trump in the U.S. presidential election last year, according to a report from Axios. He has long been viewed as an ally of the president. Trump's whiplash tariffs have, however, prompted several businesses to optimize their supply chains to reduce U.S. exposure. "The U.S. administration's tariffs - combined with any retaliatory measures from its trading partners - will deliver a supply shock to the U.S. and a demand shock to the rest of the world, including China and Europe," said Blerina Uruçi, chief U.S. economist at T. Rowe Price. ($1 = 0.8753 euros)
Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
United Nations (UN) expert urges Saudi Arabia to halt imminent execution of 26 Egyptian nationals for drug-related offences
The Government of Saudi Arabia must immediately halt the reportedly imminent execution of 26 Egyptian nationals sentenced to death for drug-related offences, in violation of international law, an UN expert said today. 'The Government's claim that applying the death penalty for offences such as smuggling, receiving and distributing narcotic substances under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act complies with international law is incompatible with its legal obligations under International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,' said Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. 'The right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life is a fundamental tenet of international law, from which no derogation is permitted,' Tidball-Binz said. The 26 Egyptian nationals, currently held on death row in Tabouk prison, have reportedly been informed that their executions will take place shortly after the Eid al-Adha holidays. This follows the execution of two other Egyptians from the same group, carried out on 24 and 25 May respectively, without prior notification to their families. UN experts previously raised these cases with the Government of Saudi Arabia in a formal communication, to which the Government responded. 'The death penalty for drug-related offences fails to meet the threshold of the 'most serious crimes, and lacks conclusive evidence of serving as an effective deterrent,' the expert said. According to court documents reviewed by the expert, some of the Egyptian prisoners were denied legal representation, while others were convicted based on self-incriminating statements which they later retracted in court, claiming that they were made under coercion. 'The right to effective legal representation must be ensured at all stages of criminal proceedings – during interrogations, preliminary hearings, trial, and appeal – and constitutes an effective safeguard against torture and other forms of ill-treatment,' the expert said. 'Violations of fair trial guarantees leading to the imposition of the death penalty render such sentences arbitrary and unlawful,' he added. Since the beginning of 2025, Saudi Arabia has reportedly executed 141 individuals, approximately 68 of whom were foreign nationals. The vast majority were reportedly executed for non-lethal drug offences, in clear violation of international law. Imposing death sentences and carrying out executions for such offences significantly increases the number of people worldwide subjected to punishments fundamentally incompatible with human rights norms, and amounting to arbitrary deprivation of life. 'I urgently call on the Government of Saudi Arabia to halt the planned executions of the 26 Egyptian nationals, to abolish the death penalty for drug-related offences, and to ensure that its drug control policies fully comply with its international human rights obligations, notably the right to life,' the expert said. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
