Israeli strikes kill 22 in Gaza, church late pope often called is damaged
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Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Prince Andrew book edits out claims about Melania Trump's relationship to Jeffrey Epstein
The book, called Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, written by Andrew Lownie, has made headlines in recent weeks after making claims about the disgraced duke's life. An entire chapter is dedicated to Prince Andrew's infamous friendship with Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. The chapter also included a claim that Donald Trump and his wife had been introduced by the disgraced financier - which has now been edited out of future editions. The president and first lady have long said they were introduced by Paolo Zampolli, a modelling agent, at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. A HarperCollins UK spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that several passages from Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie have been removed in consultation with the author. Entitled is published in the UK by HarperCollins. In the US the book is self-published by Mr Lownie.' It is understood that the changes will appear in all future print editions of the book and that the e-book and audio book have already been updated to reflect these changes. However, it is estimated to have been printed in around 60,000 copies of the book already. The decision comes after Mrs Trump threatened to sue Hunter Biden, the son of former US President Joe Biden, for claiming Epstein introduced her and Mr Trump in the late 1990s. The statements are false, defamatory, and 'extremely salacious,' Melania Trump's lawyer, Alejandro Brito, wrote in the letter to Biden. The letter demanded that Biden walk back the claim and apologise or face legal action for 'over $1bn in damages'. ADVERTISEMENT It also accuses the former president's son of having a 'vast history of trading on the names of others' and repeating the claim 'to draw attention to yourself.' Hunter Biden has refused to apologise after the first lady threatened legal action. Democratic strategist James Carville was also forced to take down parts of a podcast episode that alleged a connection between her and Jeffrey Epstein, following involvement from the first lady's lawyer earlier this month. 'First Lady Melania Trump's attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, Melania,' a spokesperson for the first lady's office previously told The Independent. The book has included a number of accusations about Prince Andrew, including claims of affairs, fights with Prince Harry and of being 'unbelievably cruel' to royal staff. One passage says Andrew called a staff member in the Royal Household a 'f***ing imbecile' for not referring to the Queen Mother by her full title in 2005. According to the book, Prince Andrew's catchphrase when dealing with royal staff was 'I want this done and I want this done now. Do it!'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
‘I will not enlist in an army that is committing genocide': Israeli teens refusing Benjamin Netanyahu's war
As Israel plans to expand its offensive in Gaza, a growing number of young people are choosing jail terms over military conscription Demonstrators block a road near Jerusalem, Israel, during a protest calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City. Photo: AP Yona (19), an Israeli activist, burned her military conscription papers knowing she would be immediately sentenced to jail. She is blunt in her reasoning for doing so. 'I am refusing because my country is committing genocide and I will not enlist into an army that's committing genocide,' she said. 'I have no doubts in my mind that this is the right thing to do.' She is part of a growing movement of Israeli teenagers refusing the draft and taking a stand against the Israeli government's 22-month devastating bombardment of Gaza. Shortly after burning her papers outside the enlistment centre in Haifa at the weekend, she was sentenced to 30 days in prison. Speaking to The Independent just before being incarcerated, Yona, a transgender woman, said she knew prison wouldn't be easy: the last transgender woman 'refusenik' was held in solitary confinement. But she remains determined. 'I think it's a very simple moral and political question,' she said. "The imperative is that we withhold ourselves as a resource from the state. That we do everything in our power to resist and end this horrible crime.' She is part of a movement of youth, most of them members of Mesarvot – or 'refusers' in Hebrew – that supports conscientious objectors, that are horrified by Israel's war in Gaza. They have staged regular protests, publicly burning their papers and marching towards the border crossing with Gaza to break Israel's blockade on the besieged strip. Demonstrators block a road near Jerusalem, Israel, during a protest calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City. Photo: AP Alongside the refuseniks, there has also been a parallel surge in soldiers reusing to show up to reserve duty – with reports in Israeli media saying in the last major offensive that as many as 100,000 have effectively deserted. Fury over the war increased inside Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet controversially recently green-lit an expansion of the current offensive in Gaza. The Israeli government has repeatedly denied there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza or that the military has committing any crimes in the enclave. But it is facing growing backlash internationally and from inside Israel. Palestinian health officials say Israel's bombardment and blockade has now killed over 62,000 people. The United Nations says the war has sparked unfolding famine and seen more than 90pc of the 2.3 million strong population forced to flee their homes. On Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding an end to the war and the immediate ceasefire deal to secure the return of the remaining 50 hostages and captives held by Hamas in Gaza. At the protests, family members of the hostages are publicly calling for reservists to refuse to serve in the upcoming military escalation. For the youth, they are protesting about even joining the army in the first place. The death toll among IDF soldiers is now nearing 900. At least 20 refuseniks have served prison time since October 2023, explained Iddo Elam (19), another Israeli activist who refused to enlist in November and was jailed before being handed an exemption on mental health grounds. We are almost two years into this genocide – or war, as many Israelis call it – but nothing has been achieved. Nothing has changed. Nothing He had a strong message for his fellow teenagers: 'It'll be on your record that you were an IDF soldier, or that you were a refusenik... 'Think whether or not you want to go around the world as a former IDF soldier. We are almost two years into this genocide – or war, as many Israelis call it – but nothing has been achieved. Nothing has changed. Nothing. 'We cannot stop terrorism. We cannot stop attacks on the Israeli state as long as we participate in – and basically live with – the occupation and oppression of millions of [Palestinian] people.' While Iddo and Yona admit those refusing to fight because of the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza is a relatively small number, it is growing. Tal Mitnik, another activist from Tel Aviv, turned 18 shortly after war erupted and so was the first public conscientious objector. He spent six months in prison, which was 'nothing like what the Palestinian prisoners are dealing with'. He said he was on his own at the beginning but that has changed: 'I think an important thing to say is that what we lose with Israeli society is what we gain with Palestinian society.' Earlier this month, Netanyahu and his security cabinet pushed through a controversial plan to expand the war in Gaza, stating that the ultimate goal was to disarm Hamas, return the hostages and to exert 'Israeli security control' over the besieged strip – a boots-on-the-ground occupation. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Reuters It has faced fierce resistance from the international community, as well as opposition from within. Sources said even the army's chief of staff Eyal Zamir rejected the plan. Many in Israel fear it will not only embroil the Israeli military in a costly, protracted and unwinnable conflict, but also serve as a 'death sentence' for the 20 remaining hostages who are still believed to be alive. It could also crush the hopes of retrieving the bodies of 30 more slain captives who remain in the hands of militants. The Israeli military declined to comment on the numbers of those who have refused reserve service or their conscription papers. They said the military 'cherishes' all of its soldiers, expressing 'deep appreciation for their great contribution'. 'In this challenging security reality, the contribution of the reservists is essential to the success of missions and to maintaining the security of the country,' they said in a statement. According to Kan, Israel's national broadcaster, during the last offensive in May, over 40pc of soldiers did not show up to reserve duty – a stark contrast to the start of the conflict, when Israeli media reported that 135pc of people showed up. Ishai Menuchin, spokesperson for Yesh Gvul – an Israeli movement that also supports refuseniks and reservists who do not want to fight – said their hotline, which usually only gets 30 calls a year, has received more than 200 calls since January alone. It's the highest wave of refusal since we were founded at the start of the 1982 Lebanon war 'It's the highest wave of refusal since we were founded at the start of the 1982 Lebanon war,' he said, explaining how he himself spent 35 days in prison for refusing service. He said the true number of refusniks is difficult to calculate as the military is now pushing through exemptions: 'There is a policy not to deal with ideological refusal – they are afraid of the numbers.' Iddo agreed, saying they are now exempting refuseniks on mental health grounds rather than jailing them, as they 'would rather give young people exemptions than to deal with hundreds of people in prisons'. He had a strong message for Israel's western allies, including the UK and the US, to take a stand against the Israeli military and impose arms embargoes. 'At the end of the day, the butterfly effect to stop this genocide will just start with one phone call from each leader – and one phone call from Trump telling Netanyahu to stop,' he said. 'We cannot do it alone. We have to have international help.'
The Journal
4 days ago
- The Journal
Madonna claimed Pope Leo 'cannot be denied entry' to Gaza. Is she right?
EARLIER THIS WEEK, pop icon Madonna called on Pope Leo XIV to visit Gaza 'before it's too late'. Madonna, who was raised Catholic, called on the Pope as a 'Man of God' to 'bring your light to the children'. She claimed that Leo is the 'only one of us who cannot be denied entry'. Politics Cannot affect Change. Only consciousness Can. Therefore I am Reaching out to a Man of God. Today is my Son Rocco's birthday. I feel the best gift I can give to him as a Mother - is to ask everyone to do what they can to help save the innocent children caught in the… — Madonna (@Madonna) August 11, 2025 'There is no more time,' said Madonna in her post to social media. 'Please say you will go.' 'Moral weight' Colleen Dulle is a Vatican correspondent with the Catholic media outlet America Magazine and author of 'Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter.' She told The Journal that Madonna is 'sorely mistaken' in her claim that Pope Leo is the 'only one of us who cannot be denied entry'. 'Israel has complete control over the country's borders and would have to facilitate the pope's entry, which it is highly unlikely to do,' said Dulle. And while some religious leaders have occasionally been allowed in, such as after a recent Israeli strike on a Catholic church in Gaza , foreign heads of state have not. 'Nor have foreign journalists,' noted Dulle, 'whose travel with the pope is practically mandatory, as it is a key part of how the Vatican covers the cost of papal trips.' However, the new pope has yet to venture outside Italy since becoming pontiff and Dulle said it would 'certainly be a powerful gesture for the pope to enter Gaza, or even to publicly demand entry'. She also noted that there are precedents of popes not being able to enter conflict zones due to security concerns, such as when Pope John Paul II was prevened from visiting Iraq in 2000 due to an air exclusion zone over part of the country . However, Pope Francis did visit an active war zone in 2015 when he visited the Central African Republic. Pope Francis visits the Central African Republic in 2015 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo In a show of solidarity, he visited a mosque that had been under siege from armed Christian militias in the capital Bangui and delivered a message of peace and reconciliation. 'Although some positive steps were made, including free and fair elections at the end of that year, the conflict has continued to this day,' said Dulle. Meanwhile, Dulle remarked that she is 'struck that at a time of crisis, when people feel powerless to stop the violence and starvation, they still see the pope as someone with the moral weight to make it stop'. While Pope Leo may not be able to stop the conflict, such a visit would cement the Vatican's increasing role as a diplomatic power. Ukraine In February, it seemed as though the relationship between the US and Ukraine was broken beyond repair after Donald Trump berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House. But around two months later, St Peter's Basilica became the location of an impromptu peace summit between Trump and Zelenskyy, minutes prior to the late Pope Francis's funeral. Trump and Zelenskyy meeting inside St Peter's Basilica. Ukrainian Presidential Press Office Ukrainian Presidential Press Office Trump would even go on to suggest the Vatican as a location for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian president Vladimir Putin, something Pope Leo said he was willing to facilitate. Relations between the Vatican and Israel However, a trip to Gaza would be sure to irk Israel, a state which has long been at odds with the Catholic Church. In 1987, Pope John Paul II met with Yasser Arafat, who was then the chair of the Palestine Liberation Organisation – he met with Arafat on 10 occasions in total. During a visit to Bethlehem in 1999, Pope John Paul II, in the presence of Arafat who was by now president of Palestine, reaffirmed what he said was the Palestinians' 'natural right to a homeland.' Advertisement Pope John Paul II, left, greets Yasser Arafat at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo on 2 September 1995. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Then during Pope Benedict's papacy, a 2010 gathering of Bishops called for the 'end to the occupation of different Arab territories'. Israel's then-Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon claimed that this gathering of Bishops had been 'hijacked by an anti-Israel majority'. Benedict went on to endorse a move by the Vatican to recognise the State of Palestine. It was Pope Francis who then formally recognised the State of Palestine and signed an accord between the Church and Palestine in 2015 , something which angered Israel. Pope Francis meets Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas during an audience three days before the Vatican announced that it was preparing to sign its first treaty with Palestine. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Israel described it as a 'hasty step' that 'damages the prospects for advancing a peace agreement'. Israel also claimed the accord was 'one-sided' and 'ignored the historic rights of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and to the places holy to Judaism in Jerusalem'. The Vatican accord supported a State of Palestine that included all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as East Jerusalem. Israel also warned that the accord could have 'implications for future cooperation between Israel and the Vatican'. Pope Francis's visit to the Holy Lands The year before the Church recognised Palestine, Francis visited Israel and the West Bank and angered Israel by making an unscheduled stop to pray before the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, surrounded by a group of young Palestinians. In his memoir, Hope, Francis said the unplanned stop 'caused a few security worries'. Pope Francis made a surprise stop at the Israeli separation wall on 25 May 25, 2014. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The following day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested that Francis make another unscheduled stop at a memorial to Israeli victims of terrorism. This was seen as an attempt by Netanyahu to appease people who were angered with Francis's stop at the separation wall. Netanyahu posted to social media after the visit: 'I explained to the pope that building the security fence prevented many more victims that Palestinian terror planned to harm.' Holy Family Church Meanwhile, Francis revealed in January of this year that he had been in daily contact with the only Catholic parish in Gaza since 9 October, 2023, two days after the bombings began in the region. He continued these calls to the Holy Family Church despite his lengthy hospitalisation prior to his death in April. Pope Francis calling the Holy Family Church in Gaza in January Vatican News Vatican News Last month, an Israeli strike on the church killed three people in the parish Francis called daily. Israel claimed that the strike on the complex, sheltering around 600 displaced persons of different faiths, the majority of whom are children and 54 of whom have additional needs, was a 'mistake'. However, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic official in the Middle East, publicly disputed this and said that 'they hit the church directly'. He noted that Catholic churches had been struck at other points during the war and that the explanation 'every time' is that it was a 'mistake'. Image of the damaged Holy Family Catholic church in Gaza Pizzaballa, who was a front-runner to become pope, added that Israel's actions in Gaza are 'unacceptable and morally unjustifiable'. He made a four-day visit to Gaza following the attack on the Holy Family Church and arrived with 500 tonnes of aid. However, he later said 'not a gram' had been able to enter the region. Pope Leo spoke on the phone to Netanyahu following this strike and expressed concern about the 'tragic humanitarian situation for the population of Gaza, whose children, elderly and sick are paying an agonising price'. Meanwhile, Francis went so far as to label some of Israel's actions in Gaza as 'terrorism'. Related Reads Will more countries recognising Palestine make any real difference? Opinion: Defending the rights of Palestinians does not mean turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism In his memoir, Francis described the Hamas massacres of 7 October, 2023 as 'diabolical and brutal'. He then went on to recount the deaths of Nadha Khalil Anton and her daughter, Samar Kamal, who were killed by gunfire from an Israeli army sniper as they approached the convent of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. 'Others too were killed in cold blood in the parish precincts,' said Francis. 'This too is terrorism.' Elsewhere, some people felt that Francis expressed support for Palestine by praying before a nativity scene last December which included a wooden figurine of the baby Jesus swaddled in a keffiyeh. Pope Francis prays in front of Nativity Scene crafted in the West Bank city of Bethlehem in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The keffiyeh, a headdress worn in the Middle-East, is worn by many as a symbol of support for Palestine. Palestinian artisans created last year's 'Nativity of Bethlehem' which was displayed in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall. Representatives from the Embassy of the State of Palestine were present for its inauguration on 7 December, as were those who created the Nativity. As is customary, the figurine of Jesus was then removed from the Nativity scene until Christmas Eve. However, when the public was next able to view the Nativity scene in the Paul VI Hall on 4 January, the keffiyeh had been removed. 'Friend of Palestinian people' When Francis died in April, Israel was notable in its muted response. The Prime Minister of Palestine, Mohammad Mustafa, attended Francis's funeral and described the late pontiff as a 'friend of the Palestinian people'. 'Pope Francis shared in the sufferings of the Palestinian people and always supported their right to self-determination,' said Mustafa. Israel however sent a low-level ambassador to Francis's funeral and it took four days for Netanyahu's office to send a two-sentence message of condolence. It read: 'The State of Israel expresses its deepest condolences to the Catholic Church and the Catholic community worldwide at the passing of Pope Francis. May he rest in peace.' Prior to his death, Francis gave his blessing for the popemobile he used on his 2014 visit to the West Bank to be converted into a mobile health clinic for children in Gaza. Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives to give Mass in the West Bank on 25 May, 2014 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'Yes, it's a beautiful idea, go for it,' said Francis when the initiative was brought to him for approval. However, the vehicle has not yet been granted entry into Gaza. Security concerns A trip to Gaza for Pope Leo would likely come with a heightened security risk. However, this was not something that deterred his predecessor. Francis had said he was 'determined' to visit Iraq in 2021 and to 'meet those people who have suffered so much'. 'Almost everyone advised me against the journey,' said Francis. Pope Francis on 7 March, 2021 near the ruins of four churches damaged during Iraq's war against ISIS. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The day before he flew to Iraq in 2021, British security services informed the Vatican of two assassination plots – one involved a female suicide bomber, the other a truck full of explosives. The journey went ahead regardless and Francis said he was informed later by Iraqi police that the two 'bomb attackers' had been 'intercepted and exploded'. 'This shocked me deeply,' wrote Francis. 'This too was the poisoned fruit of war.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. 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