
Israeli writer Etgar Keret: 'The war in Gaza must stop now'
The whole world appears to want an end to this horror: from Europe and the U.S., to Australia and China, people see the famine and death in Gaza and they want it over. But Netanyahu is staying the course. After promising his voters fifteen months ago that he was "a mere step from total victory," he is now leading us toward what some members of his messianic government ecstatically call "eternal war."
The war in Gaza must stop now. As he continues to drag Israel into committing war crimes in the name of democracy, Netanyahu has seized international attention, but as far as he's concerned, everyone can keep barking. From mass protests on Israeli streets to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the voices of opposition seem powerless to stop the crimes and injustices.
When the minister of defense, the chief of staff, the director of security service, and the Supreme Court of Israel, as well as every head of state in Europe, demand a plan or an explanation, there's always an easy solution: the ministers and the generals and the directors can be fired, and the European leaders can be told – as Netanyahu's own son so tactfully put it – to fuck off [in a message posted on the social network X addressed to Emmanuel Macron, after France recognized the State of Palestine].
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Euronews
40 minutes ago
- Euronews
466 arrested in protests backing banned group Palestine Action
British police have arrested 466 people at a protest in central London in support of a recently banned pro-Palestinian group on Saturday. The Metropolitan police reported on their X account that an additional eight people were arrested for other offences including five for assaults on officers. Ahead of the protest Civil Rights Group Amnesty International released a statement urging the Met police not to make arrests on peaceful protesters. In early July, Parliament passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a criminal offence to publicly support the group. The move followed an incident in June when activists broke into Royal Air Force base and damaged two tanker planes to protest against Britain's support for Israel's offensive in Gaza. Supporters of Palestine Action say the ban unlawfully limits free speech. They have held protests across the UK over the past month. On Saturday, more than 500 people gathered in Parliament Square, many holding signs reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Police had said on their X account that they were "preparing for a busy three days of protests and events". Protest organisers Defend Our Juries claimed in a statement that only a small number of protesters were detained and that most were quickly released. They called the arrests a "major embarrassment to (the government), further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government's own crimes.' The Metropolitan Police rejected this, insisting that anyone openly showing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or in the process of being arrested. Officers also noted that many in the square were passers-by, media or people not carrying placards. Police said the protest was unusual because many participants wanted to be arrested to put pressure on the justice system. Palestine Action has previously targeted Israeli defence companies and other sites in the UK linked to the Israeli military. The government says its ban follows the RAF base incident on 20 June, when activists sprayed red paint into the planes' engines and damaged them with crowbars in protest of British military support for the Israel-Hamas war. Supporters are challenging the decision in court, arguing the government has gone too far treating Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. Defend Our Juries said on its website, 'Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead,'. The arrests took place during a weekend of protests in London linked to the war in Gaza and immigration. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched to Downing Street on Saturday, accusing the government of not doing enough to stop the war. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state later this year. On Sunday, other groups plan to march through central London calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Police are also preparing for protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, which have seen recent clashes between anti-immigration activists and counterprotesters. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the scale of the events would 'put pressure' on police resources.
LeMonde
10 hours ago
- LeMonde
Thousands protest in Tel Aviv against the Israeli government's move to expand the war in Gaza
Thousands took to the streets in Tel Aviv on Saturday, August 9, to call for an end to the war in Gaza, a day after the Israeli government vowed to expand the conflict and capture Gaza City. Demonstrators waved signs and held up pictures of hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory as they called on the government to secure their release. AFP journalists at the rally estimated the number of attendees to be in the tens of thousands, while a group representing the families of hostages said as many as 100,000 people participated. Authorities did not provide an official estimate for the size of the crowd, though it dwarfed other recent anti-war rallies. On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet greenlighted plans for a major operation to seize Gaza City, triggering a wave of domestic and international criticism. Foreign powers, including some of Israel's allies, have been pushing for a negotiated ceasefire to secure the hostages' return and help alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Despite the backlash and rumors of dissent from Israeli military top brass, Netanyahu has remained defiant over the decision. In a post on social media late Friday, Netanyahu said "we are not going to occupy Gaza − we are going to free Gaza from Hamas". Netanyahu has faced regular protests over the course of 22 months of war, with many rallies calling for the government to strike a deal after past truces saw hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead. 'A new crime' The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Saturday lambasted Israel's plan to expand its operations in Gaza. Help us improve Le Monde in English Dear reader, We'd love to hear your thoughts on Le Monde in English! Take this quick survey to help us improve it for you. Take the survey According to a statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, PA president Mahmud Abbas said the plan "constitutes a new crime," and stressed "the urgent need to take action to stop it immediately." He also emphasized "the importance of enabling the State of Palestine to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip." In the same meeting that approved the Gaza City plan, the security cabinet adopted a set of principles for ending the war in Gaza that included establishing a new "administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority." The PA, conceived as a first step towards a Palestinian state, exercises limited administration over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but does not have a presence in Hamas-run Gaza. A statement issued Saturday by the foreign ministers of Italy, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom again criticized the decision to occupy Gaza City. "This will exacerbate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of hostages and increase the risk of a mass exodus of civilians," they said. Russia also condemned the Israeli plan to take control of Gaza City in a statement Saturday. Implementing such plans "risks worsening the already dramatic situation in the Palestinian enclave, which shows all the signs of a humanitarian disaster," said a foreign ministry statement. Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 37 people were killed by Israeli fire across the territory on Saturday, including 30 civilians who were waiting to collect aid. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, figures the United Nations says are reliable.


Euronews
13 hours ago
- Euronews
Ukraine and Europe present counter to Russian ceasefire proposal
Ukraine 'will not give Russia any rewards for what it has done' and 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. US President Donald Trump earlier suggested a peace deal could include 'some swapping of territories.' A Russian ceasefire proposal has suggested to trade the Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk for a full ceasefire. Citing two European officials familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Ukrainian and European officials have responded to Russia's ceasefire proposal with a counterproposal. The proposal, presented to US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg and Steve Witkoff, reiterates Ukraine and Europe should be involved in any negotiations held with Russia, while also demanding a ceasefire be implemented before further steps are taken. It was put forward in a meeting with top US officials in the UK on Saturday, according to the officials. It comes after Trump said Friday that he would meet with Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelenskyy. The Trump-Putin meeting, scheduled for next Friday in Alaska, is seen as a potential breakthrough in the more than three-year war. Zelenskyy dismissed the planned summit, warning that any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine must include Kyiv. 'Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work,' he said. In a statement posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's territorial integrity, enshrined in the constitution, must be non-negotiable, and emphasised that lasting peace must include Ukraine's voice at the table. European leaders came to Zelenskyy's side with statements posted on social media. French President Emmanuel Macron said "Ukraine's future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians" in a post on X, adding that "Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez echoed the sentiment, adding that "we must reach a just and lasting peace that respects Ukraine's independence and sovereignty." Zelenskyy also spoke with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, thanking him for his support. "Ukraine and Finland have the longest borders with Russia in Europe, and our people know very well what threats this brings," he said in a post on X. The war grinds on Meanwhile, two people died and 16 were wounded when a Russian drone hit a minibus in the suburbs of the Ukrainian city of Kherson on Saturday, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Two others died after a Russian drone struck their car in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. Russian troops also fired drones at the city of Kharkiv. One of them hit a furniture store and injured five people, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov reported. Among the injured was a 17-year-old girl, and three women were hospitalised, all suffering from shrapnel wounds. Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets across 15 different locations. It also said it shot down one of the two missiles Russia deployed. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight and 21 more Saturday morning.