
Israeli opposition leader criticises killing ‘children as a hobby'
NewsFeed Israeli opposition leader criticises killing 'children as a hobby'
Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan criticised the government at a press conference on Tuesday, which was called to address comments he made in an interview where he accused the government of killing 'babies as a hobby'.
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Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel's Smotrich could collapse Palestinian economy by ending bank waiver
Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has cancelled a waiver that Palestinian banks rely on to operate hours after five Western governments announced he faced sanctions, along with fellow ultra-nationalist Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for inciting violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Warnings have previously been raised that Israel's ending of the waiver could have devastating consequences for the Palestinian economy, which is dependent on the Israeli banking system as the Palestinian Authority (PA) does not have its own central bank or currency. 'Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has instructed Accountant General CPA Yali Rothenberg to cancel the indemnity provided to correspondent banks dealing with banks operating in Palestinian Authority territories,' Smotrich's office said in a statement on Tuesday, announcing the changes. The statement also directly linked Smotrich's decision to the PA's international advocacy against the establishment of illegal settlements in the occupied territories, which the minister's office described as the 'delegitimisation campaign against the State of Israel internationally'. Smotrich's decision to end the waiver came hours after Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom announced sanctions against him, as well as against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for their 'incitement of violence' against Palestinians. The sanctions were not publicly linked to Smotrich's targeting of the PA, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank and represents Palestine at international forums, including the United Nations and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, Smotrich has a history of blaming the PA and punishing the 2.7 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in retaliation for international condemnation of Israel's illegal occupation. 'For every country that unilaterally recognises a Palestinian state, we will establish a settlement,' Smotrich said in July 2024, as he announced that Israel was 'recognising' five illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank after five more countries – Norway, Spain, Ireland, Armenia and Slovenia – announced they were recognising Palestinian statehood. He has also called for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank if the ICJ ruled that Israeli settlements are illegal. The end of the waiver could have a devastating impact on the finances of Palestinians, particularly in the occupied West Bank, which has already suffered multiple economic blows over the past two years. The overwhelming majority of exchanges in the West Bank and Gaza are in shekels, Israel's national currency, because Palestine is not allowed to have its own central bank or print its own currency, which means that Palestinian banks are reliant on Israeli banks to operate. But Israeli banks only continue to work with the Palestinian banks because of the government waiver, which protects them from potential legal action relating to transactions with their Palestinian counterparts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has repeatedly threatened to end the waiver in the past, prompting rebukes from even Israel's closest allies. Janet Yellen, the United States Treasury Secretary in former President Joe Biden's administration, warned in May last year that 'to cut Palestinian banks from Israeli counterparts would create a humanitarian crisis'. In July, G7 countries urged Israel to 'take necessary action' to ensure the continuity of Palestinian financial systems. The UN has also warned that 'unilaterally cutting off Palestinian banks from the global banking system would be a violation of the fundamental principles of international law'. Under this pressure, the Israeli government has agreed to extend the waiver for short periods. However, far-right ministers like Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have always objected. After one vote in November last year, Ben-Gvir, who has been convicted in Israeli courts of possessing a 'terror' organisation's propaganda material and supporting a 'terror' organisation, wrote in a post on X that he had a 'principled objection' to indemnifying the Israeli banks. The Palestinian Authority should be completely cut off and 'collapsed', he said.


Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Israel kills dozens of Palestinian aid seekers in central Gaza
Israeli forces have shot and killed at least 25 aid seekers at a food distribution site near the so-called Netzarim Corridor, south of Gaza City, according to medical sources cited by our colleagues at Al Jazeera southern Gaza, at least four Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli drone attack on a tent for displaced people in the al-Mawasi area near al-Qarara town, north of Khan Younis city, according to a Nasser Hospital source speaking to Al Jazeera has deported four out of 12 activists on board the intercepted Gaza-bound aid boat, the Madleen, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for 'inciting extremist violence' against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West war on Gaza has killed at least 54,981 Palestinians and wounded 126,920, according to Gaza's Health estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive. Update: Date: 1m ago (06:35 GMT) Title: At least 25 aid seekers killed in central Gaza Content: Israeli forces have opened fire near an aid distribution point by central Gaza's so-called Netzarim Corridor, according to medical sources speaking to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic. This incident is the latest in a string of deadly shootings near aid distribution sites since the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation assumed control of aid operations in late May. This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Update: Date: 6m ago (06:30 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Thank you for joining our live coverage of Israel's war on Gaza, as well as its attacks in the occupied West Bank and the wider region. Follow this page for continuous updates and analyses of the latest developments


Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
The Take: Was hope of aid for Gaza seized with the Freedom Flotilla?
The seizure of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters has not deterred other aid convoys from heading towards Gaza. Palestinian-American writer Ahmad Ibsais explains how humanitarian aid has become a politically charged weapon of war. In this episode: Episode credits: This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, Chloe K Li and Haleema Shah, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Sari El Khalili, Mariana Navarette, Kisaa Zehra and our host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube