Israel army orders evacuation of northern Gaza neighborhoods
The Israeli military on Saturday called for Gazans to evacuate from neighborhoods in the north of the Gaza Strip, where it said rockets had been fired from.
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Arab News
32 minutes ago
- Arab News
This Israeli government thrives on provoking the global community
Some prefer to hear the good news first, others the bad, but does it really matter? The good news about the Israeli government is that it no longer tries to hide its true intentions regarding the Palestinians. The bad news is that the ruling coalition is ill-intentioned to the core. There is no longer any pretense of a desire for peaceful coexistence through a historic compromise agreement that would divide the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea so that it could accommodate a Jewish state and a Palestinian state. In an act of sheer defiance of the international community and international law, and demonstrating a complete absence of common sense, Israel's Security Cabinet has approved a motion, put forward by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for the establishment of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Not all of these settlements are entirely new; some are while others are existing outposts that were built illegally, even according to Israeli law. Two of the planned settlements, Homesh and Sa-Nor, were evacuated in 2005 during the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, as part of a wider plan to also disengage from some parts of the West Bank and create space for what should have become a Palestinian state. But that was then. Now, Katz has been explicit in his assertion that the latest move 'prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.' No hiding now of this government's true objective: to bury once and for all the prospect of a two-state solution, and with it the right of Palestinians to self-determination. A quick glance at a map of the West Bank and East Jerusalem reveals the extent of settlement expansion since 1967. From not a single Jewish community there to — according to Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now — 141 settlements which were officially established by the government, and a staggering 224 outposts, including farms, that have been established since the 1990s without government approval and so are illegal under Israeli law. The number of settlers in these communities, together with Jewish neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, exceeds 700,000. All of the proposed new settlements are deep within the West Bank, to prevent the establishment of a future, contiguous Palestinian state. Much has been said about the illegality of all the settlements in the eyes of international law because they are built on occupied land, and an occupying power is forbidden from transferring its own population to such areas or, in the context of what is being said by some Israeli Cabinet ministers, removing indigenous people from them. However, you can rely on Smotrich to tell it like it is when he states: 'Settlement in the land our ancestors inherited is a protective wall for the State of Israel, and today we have taken a huge step for its strengthening. The next step — sovereignty!' Or, in other words, annexation. What makes this decision even more extraordinary than previous decisions to build settlements — and in less than three years the government has decided to build 49 of them, since taking power in December 2022 — is that ministers appear to be completely oblivious to the fact that this act of sheer folly brings Israel ever closer to international sanctions and its becoming a pariah state. The current Israeli government, led by Netanyahu, has no respect for human rights. Yossi Mekelberg At a time of mounting international criticism, including from close allies, of the way Israeli authorities are conducting the war in Gaza — which has so far resulted in the killing of 54,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians and including at least 16,500 children — and for preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the territory, despite repeated warnings that the population there is on the verge of starvation, the best that Israel can do to try to improve its image in the world is to announce the building of new illegal settlements. Most observers of the conflict between Israel and Palestine agree that the single most damaging issue that is hindering a peace agreement based on a two-state solution is the Israeli settlement project in its entirety. The situation is made worse when settlements are built in the heart of large Palestinian population centers or close by. For the government to legalize the outposts, which are home to some of the most extreme Jewish supremacist settlers, is to encourage one of the most lawless segments of Israeli society, one that rather than abide by the law of the country prefers to adhere to the rulings of their rabbis, or to their distorted religio-nationalist version of Judaism while becoming increasingly violent, verbally and physically, toward Palestinian neighbors. Legalizing the outposts will only encourage Israel to continue in this vein and so it is an act of sheer provocation, against the Palestinians and the international community, that can only result in further condemnation while legitimizing the calls to impose sanctions on Israel. This development is also a further illustration of the unchecked power accumulated by the messianic ultra-right within Israel's governing coalition, in the face of a weak prime minister who looks like he will be sticking with them all the way to what will probably be his very bitter political end. Consequently it would be next to impossible, even for the most ardent supporters of the Jewish state, to fend off demands for sanctions while Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu continues to treat the international community, and its values and institutions, with utter contempt and complete disdain, as if begging to be punished. Much of the support Israel has enjoyed in the international arena through the years has stemmed from a perception that it was a thriving liberal democracy, even if at times this aspect has been somewhat exaggerated considering the oppressive occupation of land that is home to millions of Palestinians, and a state that desired peace and was prepared to make painful concessions in order to achieve it. This state of affairs was already long gone and is now officially history. The current government has no respect for human rights, and insufficient common sense to see that its defiance of the international norms of behavior at a time when it is still at war, and desperately needs international support, is self-harming. Given that on the issues of building settlements, annexing occupied Palestinian land, and depriving Palestinians of their right to self-determination, this Netanyahu government likes to say what it means and means what it says, with no nuance, it will have very little reason to complain when the response of the international community is equally honest and robust. This response is likely just around the corner. • Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza, Airstrikes Kill 95
Israel said Saturday that it had retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, as the Israeli military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. Nattapong Pinta's body was returned to Israel in a special military operation. Pinta came to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel's government said that he was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early in the war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023. Thailand's foreign ministry reported that the last Thai hostage in Gaza was confirmed dead, and said the bodies of two others are yet to be retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza. Israel says more than half are dead. Families were rallying again Saturday evening in Israel, calling for a ceasefire deal that would bring everyone home. Israel's defense minister said that Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area in southern Gaza. The army said that he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that also took two Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved on Thursday. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas. Many of the agricultural workers lived on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas fighters overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the war, according to Thailand's foreign ministry. Separately, Hamas issued an unusual warning about another hostage, Matan Zangauker, saying Israel's military had surrounded the area where he's being held and that any harm that came to him during a rescue attempt would be Israel's responsibility. Israel's military didn't immediately comment. Israel continues its military offensive Four Israeli strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital 'Stand up, my love,' one weeping woman said, touching the shrouded bodies. Another strike in Gaza City killed six members of a family, including two children, according to the Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals. Israel said that it was responding to Hamas' 'barbaric attacks' and dismantling its capabilities. It said it takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Reports say some of the dead tried to get food aid Staff at Nasser hospital, which received the bodies of six people over the past 24 hours, said that they were killed while on their way to get food aid. Much of Gaza's population of more than 2 million relies on aid after widespread destruction of agriculture and markets as well as a recent Israeli blockade. Experts have warned of famine. Israel's army said that despite warnings that the aid distribution area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours, several suspects attempted to approach troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight 'in a manner that posed a threat." The army said that troops called out, but as the suspects continued advancing, they fired warning shots. An army official who couldn't be named in line with military procedures said that the shots were fired about a kilometer from the distribution site. Over the past two weeks, shootings have occurred frequently near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel's military has said that it fired warning shots or, in some instances, at individuals approaching troops. The hubs are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants GHF to replace humanitarian groups in Gaza that distribute aid in coordination with the United Nations. A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group's rules, said that it didn't feed Gaza residents on Saturday and blamed Hamas threats. There was no immediate Hamas response. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid under the UN-led system. The UN and aid groups deny there's significant diversion of aid to militants and say the new system, which they have rejected, allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and won't be effective. The UN says it has been unable to distribute much aid under its own system because of Israeli military restrictions on movements and insecurity. Separately, Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza City for handouts on the second day of Eid al-Adha. 'I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need,' said the waiting Farida al-Sayed, who said she had six people to feed. 'I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.' Death tolls since the war began Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Hamas-run Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Saudi crown prince urges international community to end Israeli aggression in Gaza
MINA: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday urged the international community to play a bigger role in ending the repercussions of Israeli aggression in Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Prince Mohammed made the comments during a speech to dignitaries and officials marking Eid Al-Adha in Mina. 'The suffering of our brothers in Palestine continues as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression, he said. 'We reaffirm the importance of the international community's role in ending the disastrous consequences of this aggression, protecting innocent civilians, and working toward a new reality in which Palestine can enjoy peace in accordance with international legitimacy and relevant resolutions,' he added.
