US slams France's move to recognise Palestinian state
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Two rights groups are first Israeli voices to accuse Israel of genocide
JERUSALEM - Two Israeli human rights organisations said on Monday Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the first major voices in Israeli society to level the strongest possible accusation against the state, which vehemently denies it. Rights group B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel released their reports at a press conference in Jerusalem, saying Israel was carrying out "coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza strip". "The report we are publishing today is one we never imagined we would have to write," said Yuli Novak, B'Tselem's executive director. "The people of Gaza have been displaced, bombed and starved, left completely stripped of their humanity and rights." Physicians for Human Rights Israel focused on damage to Gaza's healthcare system, saying: "Israel's actions have destroyed Gaza's healthcare infrastructure in a manner that is both calculated and systematic". Israel has fended off accusations of genocide since the early days of the Gaza war, including a case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned as "outrageous". A spokesperson for the Israeli government called the allegation made by the rights groups on Monday "baseless". "There is no intent, (which is) key for the charge of genocide ... it simply doesn't make sense for a country to send in 1.9 million tons of aid most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide," said spokesperson David Mencer. A spokesperson for Israel's military did not immediately respond to request for comment. Accusations of genocide have particular gravity in Israel because of the origins of the concept in the work of Jewish legal scholars in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust. Israeli officials have in the past said using the word against Israel was libellous and antisemitic. When Amnesty International said in December that Israel had committed genocidal acts, Israel's foreign ministry called the global rights group a "deplorable and fanatical organisation". The 1948 Genocide Convention, adopted globally after the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis, defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group". Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities across the border on October 7 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel has often described that attack, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, as genocidal. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins, and displaced nearly the entire population of more than two million. Israel has consistently said its actions are justified as self-defence, and Hamas is to blame for all harm to civilians, for refusing to release hostages and surrender, and for operating in civilian areas, which the group denies. PALESTINIAN PLIGHT GAINING ATTENTION International attention to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza has intensified in recent weeks, with U.N. agencies saying the territory is running out of food for its 2.2 million people. Israel, which controls all supplies in and out of Gaza, says it has let enough food in, and blames the U.N. for failing to distribute it. Israel shut off all supplies into Gaza in March for nearly three months, reopening the territory in May but with new restrictions it says are needed to prevent aid from ending up in the hands of fighters. Since then, its forces have shot dead hundreds of Gazans trying to reach food distribution sites. Israel has announced measures in recent days to increase aid supplies, including pausing fighting in some locations, allowing airlifts of food and safer corridors for aid. Throughout the conflict, Israeli media have tended to focus mainly on the plight of Israeli hostages in Gaza, with less attention given to Palestinian civilians. Footage widely broadcast in other countries of destruction and casualties in Gaza is rarely shown on Israeli TV. That has been changing, with recent images of starving children having a little more impact, said Oren Persico from The Seventh Eye, a group that tracks trends in Israeli media. "It's very slowly evolving," he said. "You see cracks." But he did not expect the genocide allegation would spark a major shift in attitudes: "The Israeli perception is: 'what do you want from us? It's Hamas' fault, if it would only put down its weapons and (release) the hostages this could all be over'." In an editorial on the mainstream news site Ynet last Monday, journalist Sever Plotzker said images of Palestinians rejoicing over the October 7 attacks and abusing hostages had made Israelis "blind to Gaza". The Israeli public "now interprets the destruction and killing in Gaza as a deterrent retaliation and therefore also morally legitimate". In a comment in the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, Dani Dayan, the chairman of Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, said it was not accurate to accuse Israel of committing genocide. "But that does not mean we should not acknowledge the suffering of civilians in Gaza. There are many men, women, and children with no connection to terrorism who are experiencing devastation, displacement, and loss," he wrote. "Their anguish is real, and our moral tradition obligates us not to turn away from it." REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘No alternative' to two-state solution for Israel, Palestinians: France's Foreign Minister
Find out what's new on ST website and app. French President Emmanuel Macron had announced that he would formally recognise a State of Palestine in September 2025. There is 'no alternative' to a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, France told a UN conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia on July 28. 'Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative,' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said at the start of the three-day meeting. Days before the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would formally recognise a State of Palestine in September 2025. In an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche, Mr Barrot said that other European countries will confirm 'their intention to recognise the state of Palestine' during the conference, without confirming which. 'All states have a responsibility to act now,' said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa at the start of the meeting, calling for an international force to deploy to help underwrite Palestinian statehood. 'Recognise the state of Palestine without delay.' France is hoping that Britain will take this step. More than 200 British members of Parliament on July 25 voiced support for the idea, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated that recognition of a Palestinian state 'must be part of a wider plan'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Cambodia, Thailand agree to 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire' to de-escalate border row Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Road recovery works progressing steadily, tests under way Singapore ST Explains: What we know about the Tanjong Katong sinkhole so far Singapore Foreign workers who rescued woman from sinkhole given tokens of appreciation Asia Gunman kills 5 near Bangkok's Chatuchak market before taking own life Business SIA Q1 profit falls 59%; airline group sees volatile times ahead Singapore Man exposed daughter's identity despite court order after she was removed from his care Singapore Over 6 years' jail for conman who cheated 13 victims of more than $1.2m According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states – including France – now recognise the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988. In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states – one Jewish and the other Arab. The following year, the state of Israel was proclaimed. For several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution, Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side. But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could be geographically impossible. The current war in Gaza started following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel, which responded with a large-scale military response that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives. This week's conference comes at a moment when 'the prospect of a Palestinian state has never been so threatened, or so necessary,' Mr Barrot said. Call for courage Beyond facilitating conditions for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the meeting will focus on three other issues – reform of the Palestinian authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalisation of relations with Israel by Arab states. However, no new normalisation deals are expected to be announced at the meeting, according to a French diplomatic source. On the other hand, 'for the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament,' Mr Barrot said. The conference 'offers a unique opportunity to transform international law and the international consensus into an achievable plan and to demonstrate resolve to end the occupation and conflict once and for all, for the benefit of all peoples,' said Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, calling for 'courage' from participants. Israel and the US were not taking part in the meeting, amid growing international pressure to mount on Israel to end nearly two years of war in Gaza. Despite 'tactical pauses' in some military operations announced by Israel, the humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged coastal territory is expected to dominate speeches by representatives of more than 100 countries as they take the podium. Mr Bruno Stagno, chief advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch, said 'more platitudes about a two-state solution and peace process will do nothing to advance the conference's goals, nor to halt the extermination of Palestinians in Gaza'. AFP
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Major Israeli rights groups brand Gaza campaign 'genocide'
JERUSALEM: Rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel said on Monday (Jul 28) that they had concluded the war in Gaza amounts to a "genocide" against Palestinians, a first for Israeli NGOs. Both organisations are frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language in their reports issued on Monday was their most stark yet. "Nothing prepares you for the realisation that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us," B'Tselem executive director Yuli Novak told a news conference unveiling the two reports. "As Israelis and Palestinians who live here and witness the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible," she said. "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians." A spokesman from the Israeli prime minister's office, David Mencer, denounced the allegation. "We have free speech here in Israel but we strongly reject the accusation," he said. "Our defence forces target terrorists and never civilians. Hamas is responsible for the suffering in Gaza." Israel's war in Gaza for the past 21 months began in response to an unprecedented attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct 7, 2023. The Israeli assault has left much of the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, in ruins, and according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry has killed at least 59,921 people, most of them civilians. All Gazans have been driven from their homes at least once since the start of the war, and UN agencies warn that residents face a growing threat of famine and malnutrition. The International Court of Justice, in an interim ruling in early 2024 in a case lodged by South Africa, found it "plausible" that the Israeli offensive had violated the UN Genocide Convention. The Israeli government, backed by the United States, fiercely denies the charge and says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. The reports from B'Tselem - one of Israel's best-known rights groups - and Physicians for Human Rights Israel argue that the war's objectives go further. B'Tselem's report cites statements from senior politicians to illustrate that Israel "is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip". Physicians for Human Rights Israel's report documents what the group says is "the deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza's healthcare system".
