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UN expert asks states to cut trade ties with Israel over Gaza situation

UN expert asks states to cut trade ties with Israel over Gaza situation

Reuters5 hours ago
GENEVA, July 3 (Reuters) - A U.N. expert on Thursday called on states to impose an arms embargo and cut off trade and financial ties with Israel, which she alleged is waging a "genocidal campaign" in Gaza.
In a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council presenting her latest report, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese accused Israel of being responsible for "one of the cruellest genocides in modern history".
Israel has rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza, citing its right to self-defence following the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
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Nandy demands ‘accountability at highest levels' after Bob Vylan broadcast
Nandy demands ‘accountability at highest levels' after Bob Vylan broadcast

South Wales Guardian

timean hour ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Nandy demands ‘accountability at highest levels' after Bob Vylan broadcast

Lisa Nandy told the Commons she has heard from the BBC but was 'not satisfied with the response'. Punk duo Bob Vylan led chants of 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' during their Worthy Farm set last weekend, and face an investigation by Avon and Somerset Police. London's Metropolitan Police is also investigating the two Bobs – who perform using the aliases Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan – for allegedly making similar comments at Alexandra Palace in May. Conservative shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew told the Commons: 'Given the BBC are seemingly able to pull live broadcasts when things go wrong at football matches, for example, it's extraordinary that this didn't happen on this occasion. 'Can the Secretary of State update the House on the discussions she's had with the BBC, and why the same thing didn't happen on this occasion? 'What due diligence was carried out by them about the acts that were performing? 'And given as she's said we're still waiting for a response to the previous Hamas documentary, is she satisfied with those conversations she's had and the urgency that the organisation are taking?' Ms Nandy replied: 'No, the answer is that I'm not satisfied with the response that I've had.' The Culture Secretary previously made a ministerial statement in the Commons on Monday, when she said 'it should have been foreseeable that there would be problems with broadcasts'. She told MPs then that she wanted 'rapid action to make sure this cannot happen again'. In Thursday's update, Ms Nandy told MPs: 'I have received a reply to the very many questions that were raised by colleagues on all sides. 'I'm not satisfied with that, and I have gone back to the BBC leadership to ask for further information, in particular, as he mentioned, about the failure to pull the live feed, about the due diligence that was done prior to deciding to screen this act, and also about the level of senior oversight that took place in the BBC during the Glastonbury weekend. 'I think the BBC leadership will hear and have heard the strength of feeling in this House about this, and I expect further answers to be forthcoming imminently.' The corporation removed the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone from its online iPlayer platform in February after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. In a follow-up question, Mr Andrew said: 'I'm as disappointed as she is that they haven't been able to come back with even basic facts. 'There were hundreds of BBC staff there and not being able to identify who ultimately had the final decision on whether to broadcast or not is not acceptable, and I think the chairman (Samir Shah) needs to inform her as a matter of urgency who that was and what action they are going to take. 'While I absolutely understand the independence of the BBC, just as artists can't hide behind artistic expression for vile commentary, neither can the BBC hide behind independence for accountability, and I hope she knows she has the full support of this side of the House as she pushes them for clarity.' Ms Nandy said she was 'grateful' that Mr Andrew had made 'the very important distinction between independence and accountability'. She continued: 'Given the seriousness of what happened – and particularly we heard in the House and I was able to bring to the House the absolute shocking stories of the impact that this has had on the Jewish community in this country – given the seriousness of this, I would expect there to be accountability at the highest levels.' The BBC board met on Tuesday 'to hear what actions will now be taken' in response to the broadcast, according to Mr Shah. 'I am satisfied that the executive is initiating a process to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for the failings in this incident,' he said. Bob Vylan's performance was not made available to watch or listen to again on the iPlayer or Sounds platforms, but the live feed remained up until it was amended shortly after 8pm. 'Any music performances deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live,' according to a BBC statement. 'Editorial policy support will always be available on site at major music festivals and events, to improve compliance processes and the speed of available advice, and we will provide more detailed, practical guidance on the threshold for withdrawing a live stream.'

Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza
Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza

Reuters

timean hour ago

  • Reuters

Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza

CAIRO/GAZA, July 3 (Reuters) - Hamas is seeking guarantees that a new U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza would lead to the war's end, a source close to the militant group said on Thursday, as medics said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed scores more people. Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire deal and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began. Efforts for a Gaza truce have gathered steam after the U.S. secured a ceasefire to end a 12-day aerial conflict between Israel and Iran, but on the ground in Gaza intensified Israeli strikes continued unabated, killing at least 59 people on Thursday, according to health authorities in the territory. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war. Hamas is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war's end, the source close to the group said. Two Israeli officials said that those details were still being worked out. Ending the war has been the main sticking point in repeated rounds of failed negotiations. Egyptian security sources said Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working to secure U.S. and international guarantees that talks on ending the war would continue as a way of convincing Hamas to accept the two-month truce proposal. A separate source familiar with the matter said that Israel was expecting Hamas' response by Friday and that if it was positive, an Israeli delegation would join indirect talks to cement the deal. The proposal includes the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, sources say. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive. A senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said preparations were in place to approve a ceasefire deal even as the premier heads to Washington to meet Trump on Monday. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who sits on Netanyahu's security cabinet, told news website Ynet that there was "definitely readiness to advance a deal." In Gaza, however, there was little sign of relief. At least 17 people were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a school in Gaza City where displaced families were sheltering, according to medics. "Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning. We don't know what happened," one witness, Wafaa Al-Arqan, told Reuters. "What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?" According to medics at Nasser hospital farther south, at least 20 people were killed by Israeli fire en route to an aid distribution site. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports and that its forces were taking precautions to mitigate harm to civilians as it battled Palestinian militants throughout Gaza. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, while displacing most of the population of more than 2 million, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins. Israel says it won't end the war while Hamas is still armed and ruling Gaza. Hamas, severely weakened, says it won't lay down its weapons but is willing to release all the hostages still in Gaza if Israel ends the war.

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