Wes Streeting says Israel need to get their 'own house in order'
"I'd also say to the Israeli embassy: get your own house in order"Health Secretary Wes Streeting says he wishes the Israeli embassy would "take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously".
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Hamilton Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ontario paramedic shouldn't have been fired over Israel comments: union, law experts
The Centre for Free Expression is calling for the reinstatement of a York Region paramedic whose union says she was fired over a social media post criticizing Israel's military operations in the Middle East. An open letter from James L. Turk, the director of the centre at Toronto Metropolitan University, and a group of lawyers and professors, expresses 'deep concern' that the dismissal of Katherine Grzejszczak violates her Charter right to freedom of expression. The letter, addressed to York Region Paramedic Services and several Regional Municipality of York officials, says the municipality has an obligation to uphold that right – even if it disagrees with the paramedic's comments. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says Grzejszczak, who has been a paramedic since 2010 and is a member of CUPE Ontario's executive board, was fired on June 20 over a Facebook comment that criticized Israel. A screenshot of the comment on a union post shared by CUPE shows Grzejszczak criticized Israel's bombing of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, and accused the country of starving Palestinian children and killing health-care workers. The post also hailed CUPE for organizing a demonstration against Israel's bombing of Iran. Patrick Casey, a spokesperson for the Regional Municipality of York, says officials launched an investigation into an employee's 'concerning comments on social media' on June 19 and that person is no longer working for the municipality as a result. 'York Region remains committed to fostering welcoming and inclusive communities, as affirmed by the Inclusion Charter for York Region,' Casey wrote in a statement. But Turk said people should not be losing their jobs for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. 'We wanted to speak out to say this way of responding to disagreement about a political matter is an unacceptable way to do so in a democracy,' he said in a phone interview on Monday. He said some people might find Grzejszczak's comments 'reprehensible' but they could challenge her views and offer the opposite perspective, instead of 'summarily' firing her. The paramedic did not engage in hate speech nor call for violence against any particular group, he added. 'We're always concerned when the constitutional limits are respected, but still people are penalized,' he said. Turk said he has seen an increasing number of people in Canada being penalized or fired over their comments since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, 'and this seemed an egregious case of that.' The war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages. Gaza's Health Ministry said that another 88 people had been killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours, raising the war's toll among Palestinians to 56,500. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas government, doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians in its count, but says more than half of the dead are women and children. The United Nations entity UN Women estimated in May that more than 28,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza since the start of the war. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas. CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn says the decision to fire Grzejszczak is 'deeply problematic.' 'It's clear to us that Katherine, as a paramedic, has dedicated her professional life to actually helping to save lives, to reducing harm, that's her job,' Hahn said. Hahn said Grzejszczak's case has broader implications, as it might deter other workers from freely expressing their views. 'When people speak out against injustice, and war and genocide, they ought not to fear for their own livelihoods,' he said. Hahn has faced criticism himself over social media posts related to the Israel-Hamas war but he rejected calls for his resignation last year. He said the union has filed a grievance in Grzejszczak's case and believes the employer's 'very wrong' decision will be overturned. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025. — With files from The Associated Press Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
The Hill
34 minutes ago
- The Hill
Iran: 900 killed in war with Israel
Iran said that over 900 people were killed in its nearly two-week war with Israel, which ended shortly after the U.S. carried out strikes on three of Iran's underground nuclear facilities. The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported Monday that Asghar Jahangir, an Iranian Judiciary spokesperson, said the war's death toll had reached 935 in Iran. Of those killed, 38 were children and 102 were women, Jahangir said, according to IRNA. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists over the weekend estimated that 1,190 people had been killed by Israeli strikes, including 436 civilians, 435 military and 319 not yet identified. Israel launched a devastating series of aerial attacks on Iran starting on June 13, taking out some two dozen military commanders and nuclear scientists, while also targeting military and nuclear facilities. In retaliation, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted. Those that made it through Israeli air defenses damaged at least one hospital and killed 28 people across the country. Trump had reportedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the attacks on Iran, but quickly came out in support of Israel's military campaign. He blamed Tehran for failing to reach a deal within the 60-day window he had set for nuclear negotiations, ultimately arguing that strikes were necessary to stamp out Tehran's potential nuclear threat. It remains unclear how far the U.S. strikes set back Iran's nuclear capabilities. Trump has suggested he's willing to resume talks with Iran over a permanent deal to rein in its nuclear program, though he's also said it's not 'necessary.' Qatar has said that it expects the Israel-Iran ceasefire will hold, with government spokesperson Majed al-Ansari telling The Hill's sister network NewsNation last Thursday that every 'ceasefire anywhere in the world is fragile.' 'But we have great confidence in President Trump's push for this to happen. We have seen on the ground what the resolve of President Trump did,' al-Ansari added. Trump on Monday denied reports that he is exploring a $30 million civil nuclear deal with Iran.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Netanyahu to head to Washington next Monday as Trump presses for a ceasefire in Gaza
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next Monday, according to two U.S. administration officials. The visit comes as the U.S. leader has begun stepping up his push on the Israeli government to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly on the visit that hasn't been formally announced and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Netanyahu's visit comes after Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer's visit to Washington this week for talks with senior administration officials on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran and other matters. The president in public comments has signaled he's turning his attention to bringing a close to the fighting between Israel and Hamas, since the ceasefire to end 12 days of fighting between Israel and Iran took hold a week ago. Trump on Friday told reporters, 'We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire' in Gaza, but didn't offer any further explanation for his optimism. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier on Monday said Donald Trump and administration officials were in constant communication with Israeli leadership and bringing about an end to the Gaza conflict is a priority for Trump. 'It's heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end,' Leavitt added. 'He wants to save lives.' The timing of the visit was first reported by Axios. Trump will embrace Netanyahu as he pushes back against skeptical questions from Democratic lawmakers and others about how far U.S. and Israeli strikes have set back Iran's nuclear program. A preliminary report issued by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, meanwhile, said the strikes did significant damage to the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites, but did not totally destroy the facilities. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on CBS' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday that the three Iranian sites with 'capabilities in terms of treatment, conversion and enrichment of uranium have been destroyed to an important degree.' But, he added, 'some is still standing' and that because capabilities remain, 'if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.' He said assessing the full damage comes down to Iran allowing inspectors access. Trump in recent days has also inserted himself into Israeli domestic affairs, calling for charges against Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial to be thrown out. Trump's in a social media post last week condemned the trial as a 'WITCH HUNT,' and vowed that the United States will be the one who 'saves' Netanyahu from serious corruption charges. The decision by Trump to plunge himself into one of Israel's most heated debates has unnerved some in its political class. Meanwhile, the Trump administration on Monday approved a new half-billion-dollar arms sale to Israel to resupply its military with bomb guidance kits for precision munitions. The State Department said the sale is worth $510 million. It includes more than 7,000 guidance kits for two different types of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs. The deal is relatively small given that the U.S. provides Israel with more than $3 billion annually in military aid. But Israel has relied on JDAMs and other related US weaponry in its war against Hamas in Gaza and its recent strikes against Iran. 'The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,' the department said in a statement. 'This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.' ___ AP writer Matthew Lee contributed reporting.
