Netherlands declares Israeli hardliner ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir persona non grata - War on Gaza
"They repeatedly incited settler violence against Palestinians, promoted illegal settlement expansion, and called for ethnic cleansing in Gaza," Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament in a letter released late Monday.
In June, the Netherlands backed a Swedish proposal to impose EU sanctions on the far-right Israeli ministers, but the initiative failed to gain unanimous support in the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
Smotrich said in a post on X that European leaders had surrendered to "the lies of radical Islam that is taking over" and the "rising antisemitism".
Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if they ban him from entering "all of Europe".
"In a place where terrorism is tolerated and terrorists are welcomed, a Jewish minister from Israel is unwanted, terrorists are free, and Jews are boycotted," he wrote.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
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Islamic Jihad publishes video of Israeli captive held in Gaza - War on Gaza
The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad published a video Thursday of an Israeli-German captive who was abducted to Gaza in October 2023. In the six-minute video, the male hostage, speaking in Hebrew, is seen watching recent news footage of the hunger crisis in Gaza. He identifies himself and pleads with the Israeli government to secure his release. AFP was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the video nor the date it was filmed, but was able -- along with several Israeli news outlets -- to identify the captive as Rom Braslavksi, a German-Israeli dual national. Islamic Jihad announced last week that it had lost contact with the captive and repeats this in commentary at the beginning of the latest video, suggesting the images were filmed more than a week ago. A previous video of Braslavski was released on April 16. The footage, distributed by the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, shows the young man watching an Arabic-language television channel broadcasting a report on hunger in Gaza. Israel's war on Gaza has been ongoing since October 2023, but a truce from January 19 to March 17 allowed the return of 33 captives to Israel, eight of them dead, in exchange for the release of approximately 1,800 Palestinians from Israeli jails. Families of the remaning captives - numbered 20-50 including dead or alive - have been pleading with the Israeli government and taking part in protests in Tel-Aviv, asking for a ceasefire and captive exchange, whereby the Israeli government would release detained Palestinians in exchange for the remaining hostages. Negotiations for a ceasefire broke down last week when the American and Israeli delegations withdrew from talks with Hamas. Despite Hamas's stated willingness to continue talks, Witkoff claimed: 'While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.' Hamas, which has consistently demanded a permanent ceasefire, an end to Israel's blockade, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, said it was surprised by Witkoff's 'negative remarks'. In a separate statement, the group said it had shown responsibility and flexibility during the negotiations and was 'keen to reach an agreement that ends the aggression and the suffering of our people in Gaza.' *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt Foreign Ministry debunks 10 false claims on Rafah crossing, aid delivery into Gaza - Foreign Affairs
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This has been impossible since the Israeli army occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing and completely prevented the passage of individuals and trucks, in addition to targeting the Palestinian side of the crossing militarily more than once. Claim 3: Egypt has closed the Rafah Crossing. Fact: This is a false claim. The crossing has not been closed on the Egyptian side since the beginning of the brutal war in Gaza. The Rafah Crossing gate on the Egyptian side is open, but the closure of the Palestinian gate prevents the entry of aid (there is no possibility of entering Gaza except through the Palestinian gate). Although the Rafah crossing is designated for the passage of individuals only, not trucks, Egypt has been able to allow thousands of trucks through it since the start of the war to expedite the delivery of aid. Claim 4: Egypt is participating in the blockade of Gaza. Fact: This is a deliberate lie. 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Al-Ahram Weekly
4 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
El-Sisi commends UK stance on Palestinian statehood in phone call with Starmer - Foreign Affairs
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