Israel launches unprecedented verbal escalation against Macron
The defense minister struck first. On Friday, May 30, Israel Katz visited the north of the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967. In a video, he addressed French President Emmanuel Macron directly: This serves as "a clear message to Macron and his friends. They will recognize a Palestinian state on paper — and we will build the Jewish-Israeli state on the ground."He added: "That paper will be thrown into the trash bin of history, and the state of Israel will prosper and flourish." These comments confirmed, incidentally, Israel's policy of annexation of the West Bank.
Katz spoke from the former settlement of Sa-Nur, dismantled along with three other Jewish settlements surrounding the Palestinian city of Jenin as part of the 2005 disengagement plan, which also led to the withdrawal of the Israeli army and settlers from the Gaza Strip. However, the Israeli government has moved to massively accelerate settlement expansion throughout the West Bank, approving on Thursday the construction or legalization of 22 settlements, including Sa-Nur, all considered illegal by the international community.
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France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Cambodia says to file complaint with ICJ over Thai border dispute
"Cambodia hopes that the Thai side will agree with Cambodia to jointly bring these issues to the International Court of Justice... to prevent armed confrontation again over border uncertainty," Hun Manet said during a meeting between MPs and senators. Military clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted in 2008 and have led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths. The most recent occurred Wednesday, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a location known as the Emerald Triangle -- a joint border area between Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. The day after, Cambodia's foreign ministry sent a letter to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh demanding "an immediate and thorough investigation" into the "unprovoked attack". Describing the incident as "a violation of Cambodian sovereignty", Phnom Penh said it remained committed to resolving the issue through "peaceful and diplomatic avenues". Prime Minister Hun Manet said that even if the Thai side did not agree on bringing the issue to the ICJ, Cambodia would still file the complaint. He added that the border dispute was being "incited by small extremist groups in both countries", which could lead to further clashes. Thailand's ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. Cambodia's military had said they were attacked first in Wednesday's incident, while the Thai side said their soldiers were responding to gunshots. The Thai and Cambodian militaries met the following day, agreeing to ease tensions. Thailand says a Joint Boundary Committee will meet in the next two weeks to resolve the issue. The Emerald Triangle is among the areas that will be named in the ICJ complaint, Hun Manet said. Another is Ta Moan Thom Temple, the backdrop for a video posted on social media earlier this year showing a woman singing a patriotic Khmer song which led to Bangkok lodging a formal protest to Phnom Penh. Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800-kilometre-long (500-mile) border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. The 2008 military clashes erupted over a patch of land next to Preah Vihear Temple, a 900-year-old structure near their shared border.
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- LeMonde
Several injured, possibly with burns, in a Colorado attack the FBI is investigating as terrorism
Several people were injured and some may have suffered burns on Sunday, June 1, in what the FBI immediately described as a "targeted terror attack" at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, where a group had gathered to raise attention to Israeli hostages held in Gaza. One man who authorities did not immediately identify was taken into custody. Video from the scene showed a witness shouting, "He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails," as a police officer with his gun drawn advanced on a bare-chested suspect with containers in each hand. The attack took place at a popular pedestrian mall in Boulder where demonstrators with a volunteer group called Run For Their Lives had gathered to raise visibility for the hostages who remain in Gaza as a war between Israel and Hamas continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. It occurred more than a week after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington by a Chicago man who yelled "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza" as he was being led away by police. FBI leaders in Washington said they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism, and the Justice Department − which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious, racial or ethnic motivations − decried the attack as a "needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans." "This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence and witness accounts. We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X. Police in Boulder were more circumspect about a motive. Police Chief Steve Redfearn said it "would be irresponsible for me to speculate" while witnesses were still being interviewed but noted that the group that had gathered in support of the hostages had assembled peacefully and that injuries of the victims − ranging from serious to minor − were consistent with them having been set on fire. Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police. The scene shortly after the attack was tense, as law enforcement agents with a police dog walked through the streets looking for threats and instructed the public to stay clear of the pedestrian mall. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement that he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable."
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Multiple burn injuries in attack at Gaza hostage protest in US
Police in the city of Boulder said a man was taken into custody. They were more cautious in presuming a possible motive for the attack, which multiple sources said was committed against members of the Jewish community during a peaceful gathering. Local media cited eyewitnesses describing a man throwing something resembling a homemade Molotov cocktail at the group. In one video apparently of the attack, a shirtless man holding clear bottles in his hands is seen pacing as the grass in front of him burns. He can be heard screaming "End Zionists!" "Palestine is Free!" and "They are killers!" towards several people in red t-shirts as they tend to a person lying on the ground. Other images showed billowing black smoke above a park. "We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado," FBI chief Kash Patel said on X. The White House said President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident. Asked if it was a terror attack against the protesters, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn insisted it was "way too early to speculate motive" behind the violence, which took place shortly before 1:30 pm (1930 GMT). He told reporters that "initial callers indicated that there was a man with a weapon and that people were being set on fire." "When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured, with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries," Redfearn said. Police on the scene "immediately encountered that suspect, who was taken into custody without incident," he added. 'Antisemitic attack' The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish activist group, said on X that the attack occurred at Sunday's "Boulder Run for Their Lives" event, a weekly gathering of the Jewish community in support of the hostages seized during Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, voiced outrage at the incident. "Terrorism against Jews does not stop at the Gaza border -- it is already burning the streets of America," he said in a statement, describing how people marching for the return of hostages were attacked by someone "throwing... Molotov cocktails." "Make no mistake -- this is not a political protest, this is terrorism." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in, like Patel describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack." "Terror has no place in our great country," Rubio said. Several organizations decried the apparent hate-fueled violence. "Today, during a peaceful walk on Pearl Street in Boulder to raise awareness for the hostages still in Gaza, our community was targeted in a violent, antisemitic attack," the Israeli-American Council said in a statement. "This is an attack on all of us -- and we will not stay silent," it added. The Boulder violence comes almost two weeks after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, where a 31-year-old suspect who shouted "Free Palestine" was taken into custody by police.
