Two children die of malnutrition in Gaza as starvation continues
French minister calls for foreign press access to Gaza
Israeli soldier killed in southern Gaza, says army
Gaza on verge of catastrophe, Palestinian PM warns
At least 59,029 Palestinians killed and 142,135 wounded since Gaza war began
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Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
US calls Saudi and French-led conference on two-state solution a 'publicity stunt'
The United States on Monday lashed out at a United Nations conference promoting a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict that was hosted by its close allies France and Saudi Arabia. The US State Department labelled the three-day event "unproductive and ill-timed", as well as a "publicity stunt" that would make finding peace harder. The diplomatic push is a "reward for terrorism", the statement said. The US deployed even harsher words against French President Emmanuel Macron, calling his decision to recognise a Palestinian state last week 'counterproductive', saying its Nato ally's decision 'undercuts our diplomatic efforts'. France is hoping that the UK will follow its lead. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters More than 200 British members of parliament voiced support for the idea on Friday, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resisted. Middle East Eye has revealed that the US pressured both the UK and France against recognising Palestine earlier this year. The conference kicked off on Monday in New York City, with participants reaffirming that there is "no alternative" to the conflict besides a two-state solution. France and Saudi Arabia's leadership of the event underscores how the US's unchecked support for Israel's war on Gaza is putting its diplomacy at odds with key partners. "Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said at the start of the three-day meeting. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said at the meeting that "the two-state solution is farther than ever before", decrying Israel's "creeping annexation" of the occupied West Bank and "the wholesale destruction of Gaza". The meeting comes as Gaza descends into famine as a result of Israel's siege of the enclave. Hundreds of starving Palestinians have been killed trying to obtain food from the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that is backed by the US and Israel. Deaths from famine and malnutrition have soared in recent days. US asked Saudi Arabia to send missile interceptors to Israel during Iran conflict. Riyadh refused Read More » US President Donald Trump was asked about the famine on Monday and did not dispute it. 'That's real starvation stuff,' Trump said. 'I see it, you can't fake that.' 'Those children look very hungry,' he said. 'We have to get the kids fed.' But Trump has continued to fault Hamas for the crisis, claiming the group is stealing aid despite a US government assessment contradicting that accusation. More than two dozen of the US's allies - including countries traditionally close to Israel - have accused it of 'drip feeding' aid into Gaza. The Trump administration has clashed with Israel on several issues - including striking an independent ceasefire with the Houthis in Yemen and condemning Israeli strikes on Syria - but has given it full backing for Israel to wage war on Gaza. Last week, Trump announced that the US was pulling out of ceasefire talks. He blamed Hamas for the impasse, a move analysts say was in keeping with more than two years of US messaging to provide cover to Israel for acts of genocide in Gaza, according to two major Israeli human rights groups and scores of western organisations. "It's widely understood that there are no real strategic objectives to fulfill militarily unless the ultimate goal is displacement," Michael Hanna, a Middle East expert at the International Crisis Group, told MEE previously. "In the meantime, it appears the US is willing to stand by as famine deepens throughout Gaza." Even as the US criticised the UN summit, its top participants tried to entice Trump back to talks. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said Trump could be a "catalyst" to ending the war in Gaza and jump-starting the two-state solution. Trump has regularly said he wants to strike a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel, building on the 2020 Abraham Accords, which he considers a signature foreign policy achievement. Riyadh says to achieve that goal, Israel would need to take irreversible steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state, with a ceasefire in Gaza the first precondition. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said publicly that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Beyond facilitating conditions for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the three days of meeting will focus on three other issues, including the reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and normalisation of relations with Israel by Arab states as part of a two-state solution.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
UK told to reconsider refusal to help Gaza family come to Britain
A judge has told the UK government to reconsider its decision not to support a Palestinian family's attempts to leave Gaza after they were told they could join a family member in Britain. The family of six, which includes two children under 10, were granted entry clearance to the UK in January, subject to them attending a visa application centre and providing biometric information. They need consular support to leave Gaza, which the Foreign Office refused to provide on several occasions, most recently on June 6. Their case came under the spotlight in February when it emerged the family had successfully applied to come to the UK through a scheme designed for Ukrainian refugees. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the time he wanted to close a 'loophole' that had allowed the Palestinian family the right to remain in the UK. The family's lawyers told the High Court in London this month that the decision not to provide support was unlawful and that the Foreign Office should be ordered to take 'all reasonable steps' to help them leave Gaza. The department defended the claim, with its lawyers telling the court that the decision was 'rational'. In a ruling on Monday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said the decision would be sent back to the Foreign Office for reconsideration. 'The challenged decision of June 6, 2025 is flawed and cannot stand. It will have to be reconsidered,' he said. 'This does not mean that the Foreign Secretary is obliged to decide in the claimants' favour, just that he must think again.' In his ruling, the judge said the family's apartment block was destroyed in October 2023 after they were given a 10-minute warning from the Israeli military and they now live in a tent. He said they have 'very little food and no effective sanitation', and remain 'at constant risk of injury or death'. Three of the family members have been fired upon by Israeli forces close to an aid distribution site and one was hit by shrapnel from a tank shell but was unable to access proper medical treatment, said the judge. They applied to join a relative who lives in the UK in January last year but the Home Office refused their bid in May 2024. After appealing the decision, they were granted permission to enter the UK in January this year. But when it emerged the family had applied through a Ukrainian refugee scheme, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons the decision was wrong. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said decision to allow them to come to the UK 'cannot be allowed to stand'. Mr Justice Chamberlain said the Home Office is due to appeal the decision to allow the family to enter the UK in January 2026. At the hearing this month, Tim Owen KC, for the family, told the court the decision to refuse consular assistance was 'reached by a process which was procedurally unfair' and 'constitutes a disproportionate interference' with their rights. Julian Milford KC, for the Foreign Office, said the decision was 'rational and lawful' and that consular support was 'only offered in exceptional circumstances'. Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled the decision did not interfere with the family's human rights and that entry clearance being granted 'did not in and of itself give rise to any obligation to provide consular assistance'. But he said the consequences of the decision were 'certainly grave' and that it was 'irrational'.
Zawya
3 hours ago
- Zawya
Tunisia: Mass convictions in ‘Conspiracy Case 2' deepen rule of law crisis
The mass conviction of opposition figures in Tunisia's 'Conspiracy Case 2' is a new example of the Tunisian authorities' ongoing restrictions on civic space and erosion of judicial independence and fair trial guarantees, Amnesty International said today. The case, based on vague terrorism and state security charges, is the latest in a series of politically motivated prosecutions that appear designed to silence peaceful dissent and intimidate and crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied's government. 'This case illustrates how Tunisia's criminal justice system is being misused to suppress peaceful dissent and persecute people simply for exercising their human rights. The expanding use of counter-terrorism legislation to punish peaceful dissent is a deeply troubling pattern that Amnesty International has been documenting since 2023,' said Sara Hashash, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. 'The convictions in 'Conspiracy Case 2' are a grave injustice and a blatant assault on Tunisia's human rights obligations. All individuals detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, and political activity must be immediately released. 'Authorities must immediately end the ongoing crackdown on human rights including the targeting of critics under the guise of national security and restore judicial independence and the rule of law and put in place effective safeguards to prevent the abuse of counter-terrorism and national security laws as tools of repression.' Amnesty International calls on the Tunisian authorities to quash all sentences issued in 'Conspiracy Case 2' and immediately release those arbitrarily detained. Authorities must ensure that any new trials are held in full compliance with international human rights law. This includes ensuring that future trials are open to the public, with full access granted to family members, lawyers, journalists, and independent monitors. Tunisia is a state party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and is legally bound to uphold the rights to a fair trial, freedom of expression, association and liberty. The trial took place amid an ongoing rule of law crisis in Tunisia. Since President Saied's power grab in July 2021, the country has witnessed an erosion of the rule of law, including through the dismantlement of judicial independence guarantees that have resulted in increased interference by the executive in the judiciary and a wave of prosecutions targeting opposition figures, journalists, civil society activists, and former officials, further constricting the space for fundamental human rights and freedoms. Mass sentences following a politically motivated trial The trial opened on 24 June 2025 and concluded with mass conviction on 8 July of 21 out of 24 individuals including senior political leaders from Ennahdha Party, former government and security officials, lawyers, and other opposition party members. Sentences ranged from 12 to 35 years imposed on 21 individuals. Only one defendant was acquitted while two others are still waiting on the decision to appeal their indictment. Among those convicted was Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahda party, who received a 14-year sentence in absentia after refusing to participate in the trial. Other Ennahdha senior members, including Habib Ellouz, Samir Hanachi and Fathi Elbedoui, were sentenced to 12 years, while exiled Ennahdha members Mouadh Kheriji, Lotfi Zitoun, were among those sentenced in absentia to 35 years. Flawed evidence and due process violations The investigation originated in May 2023, following a report from an anonymous informant who claimed the existence of a covert network led by Ghannouchi aimed at 'changing the structure of the state,' with the assistance of former Ministry of Interior official Kamel Ben El Bedoui. The informant also alleged the recruitment of security personnel and coordination with other defendants. These allegations were later supplemented by additional statements from security officials, one of whom was also anonymous. The charges were based on allegations of 'conspiracy against state security,' largely relying on anonymous witness testimony, intercepted communications, and documents seized during police raids. Much of the material consisted of political criticism and private communications critical of President Saied dating back to between 2011 and 2022, but with no concrete evidence of criminal conduct. The authorities' central claim that certain opposition politicians operated a clandestine 'security apparatus' remains unsubstantiated by any independently verifiable evidence. The prosecution relied heavily on anonymous allegations amplified by state-aligned media and security unions, yet failed to present material documentation, institutional investigation, or independent verification to back this claim. No formal inquiry into alleged wrongdoing has been presented, including during the cross examinations of the defendants. Trial marred by serious due process violations The trial was marred by serious violations of due process and fair trial rights. In late February, the Tunis Court of First Instance decided that upcoming terrorism trials would proceed with detainees attending online from prison, citing the existence of unspecified 'real dangers.' The court proceeded to later renew the decision, without further elaboration. Hence, the defendants held in pre-trial detention were forced to participate via remote video link, severely limiting their ability to communicate with legal counsel or engage with the court, according to their lawyers. Similar to other high-profile cases, access to the courtrooms was tightly restricted under security pretexts, with independent journalists, families, and independent observers barred from attending the proceedings, severely undermining the transparency of the trial. 'These trials lack fairness, credibility and transparency. The heavy reliance on anonymous sources and secretive procedures makes the trials a sham and the convictions and sentences a travesty of justice,' said Sara Hashash. 'The Tunisian authorities must end their misuse of the judiciary to target political opponents, respect the rule of law and uphold the human rights of everyone in the country.' Broader crackdown on peaceful dissent The trial took place amid an ongoing rule of law crisis in Tunisia. Since President Saied's power grab in July 2021, the country has witnessed an erosion of the rule of law, including through the dismantlement of judicial independence guarantees that have resulted in increased interference by the executive in the judiciary and a wave of prosecutions targeting opposition figures, journalists, civil society activists, and former officials, further constricting the space for fundamental human rights and freedoms. Background Since July 2021, when President Kais Saied consolidated power, Amnesty International has consistently documented an escalating crackdown on dissent in Tunisia. The organization has previously documented how authorities have abused the justice system, including their reliance on vague charges, and severe fair trial violations in cases against opposition figures. This includes a series of politically motivated prosecutions, arbitrary detentions, and harassment targeting political opponents, independent journalists, lawyers, activists and human rights defenders. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
