'Illegal, terrorist in nature': Iran Drags Netanyahu, Trump To U.N. Over 'Assassinate Khamenei' Plot
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News18
7 hours ago
- News18
Calls To End Gaza War Boosting Hamas, Says Netanyahu As Protests Grow Against Offensive
Last Updated: Netanyahu hit back against widespread protests in Israel demanding an end to the conflict and the release of all hostages, saying they were boosting Hamas' position. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday slammed protesters calling for an end to the war with Hamas in Gaza, saying they were effectively boosting the position of the Palestinian group in negotiations. He was referring to demonstrators across Israel calling for an end to the Gaza war and a deal to release hostages still held by Hamas militants, more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City. 'Those calling today for an end to the war without the defeat of Hamas not only harden Hamas's position and draw out the release of our hostages, but also ensure that the horrors of October 7 will reoccur," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday, according to a statement from his office. 'We insist that not only must Hamas be disarmed, but also that Israel will enforce the demilitarisation of the Strip over time by continuous action against any attempt at rearmament and reorganisation by any terrorist element whatsoever," he said, adding that Hamas is demanding Israeli removal from Gaza so that it can 'reorganise, rearm and attack us again". Netanyahu defended the Security Cabinet's decision to occupy Gaza City, saying Israel is determined to implement it. 'Therefore, both to advance the release of our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel, we must complete the work and defeat Hamas." Netanyahu's remarks came after widespread protests were held across Israel, calling for an end to the war and the release of hostages. Demonstrators also blocked roads, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where they set tires on fire, according to local media footage. At least 30 protesters were arrested for disturbing public order. Organisers also called for a general strike on Sunday. A huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in Tel Aviv's so-called Hostage Square, a focal point for protests during the 22-month war. At least 49 hostages remain in Gaza, including 27 Israel says are deceased. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group said in a statement that protesters would 'shut down the country today (Sunday) with one clear call: Bring back the 50 hostages, end the war". This came after videos released by Hamas and its allied militant groups heightened concern for the fate of the hostages. Israeli plans to expand military operations into Gaza City and surrounding refugee camps have triggered both international condemnation and growing domestic criticism. UN-supported experts have raised alarms about a deepening famine across the region, where Israel has significantly restricted the flow of humanitarian aid. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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First Post
8 hours ago
- First Post
What are the challenges of a new Palestine state?
Australia is set to recognise the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly this year, joining the UK, Canada and France. While recognising a Palestinian state is symbolic, the formation of a future Palestinian state consisting of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem is far more difficult to achieve. Here's why Palestinians see East Jerusalem as an indispensable part of any future state. File image/AP Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly meeting in September, joining the United Kingdom, Canada and France in taking the historic step. Recognising a Palestinian state is, at one level, symbolic – it signals a growing global consensus behind the rights of Palestinians to have their own state. In the short term, it won't impact the situation on the ground in Gaza. Practically speaking, the formation of a future Palestinian state consisting of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem is far more difficult to achieve. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Israeli government has ruled out a two-state solution and reacted with fury to the moves by the four G20 members to recognise Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision ' shameful'. So, what are the political issues that need to be resolved before a Palestinian state becomes a reality? And what is the point of recognition if it doesn't overcome these seemingly intractable obstacles? Settlements have exploded The first problem is what to do about Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the International Court of Justice has declared are illegal. Since 1967, Israel has constructed these settlements with two goals in mind: to prevent any future division of Jerusalem and expropriate sufficient territory to make a Palestinian state impossible. There are now more than 500,000 settlers in the West Bank and 233,000 in East Jerusalem. Palestinians see East Jerusalem as an indispensable part of any future state. They will never countenance a state without it as their capital. In May, the Israeli government announced it would also build 22 new settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem – the largest settler expansion in decades. Defence Minister Israel Katz described this as a 'strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel'. The Israeli government has also moved closer to fully annexing the West Bank in recent months. Geographical complexities of a future state Second is the issue of a future border between a Palestinian state and Israel. The demarcations of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem are not internationally recognised borders. Rather, they are the ceasefire lines, known as the 'Green Line', from the 1948 War that saw the creation of Israel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, in the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel captured and occupied the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula (since returned), and Syria's Golan Heights. And successive Israeli governments have used the construction of settlements in the occupied territories, alongside expansive infrastructure, to create new 'facts on the ground'. Israel solidifies its hold on this territory by designating it as ' state land', meaning it no longer recognises Palestinian ownership, further inhibiting the possibility of a future Palestinian state. For example, according to research by Israeli professor Neve Gordon, Jerusalem's municipal boundaries covered approximately seven square kilometres before 1967. Since then, Israeli settlement construction has expanded its eastern boundaries, so it now covers about 70 square km. Israel also uses its Separation Wall or Barrier, which runs for around 700km through the West Bank and East Jerusalem, to further expropriate Palestinian territory. According to a 2013 book by researchers Ariella Azoulay and Adi Ophir, the wall is part of the Israeli government's policy of cleansing Israeli space of any Palestinian presence. It breaks up contiguous Palestinian urban and rural spaces, cutting off some 150 Palestinian communities from their farmland and pastureland. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The barrier is reinforced by other methods of separation, such as checkpoints, earth mounds, roadblocks, trenches, road gates and barriers, and earth walls. Then there is the complex geography of Israel's occupation in the West Bank. Under the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, the West Bank was divided into three areas, labelled Area A, Area B and Area C. In Area A, which consists of 18 per cent of the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority exercises majority control. Area B is under joint Israeli-Palestinian authority. Area C, which comprises 60 per cent of the West Bank, is under full Israeli control. Administrative control was meant to be gradually transferred to Palestinian control under the Oslo Accords, but this never happened. Areas A and B are today separated into many small divisions that remain isolated from one another due to Israeli control over Area C. This deliberate ghettoisation creates separate rules, laws and norms in the West Bank that are intended to prevent freedom of movement between the Palestinian zones and inhibit the realisation of a Palestinian state. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Who will govern a future state? Finally, there are the conditions that Western governments have placed on recognition of a Palestinian state, which rob Palestinians of their agency. Chief among these is the stipulation that Hamas will not play a role in the governance of a future Palestinian state. This has been backed by the Arab League, which has also called for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in Gaza. Fatah and Hamas are currently the only two movements in Palestinian politics capable of forming a government. In a May poll, 32 per cent of respondents in both Gaza and the West Bank said they preferred Hamas, compared with 21 per cent support for Fatah. One-third did not support either or had no opinion. Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority, is deeply unpopular, with 80 per cent of Palestinians wanting him to resign. A 'reformed' Palestinian Authority is the West's preferred option to govern a future Palestinian state. But if Western powers deny Palestinians the opportunity to elect a government of their choosing by dictating who can participate, the new government would likely be seen as illegitimate. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This risks repeating the mistakes of Western attempts to install governments of their choosing in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also plays into the hands of Hamas hardliners, who mistrust democracy and see it as a tool to impose puppet governments in Palestine, as well as Israel's narrative that Palestinians are incapable of governing themselves. Redressing these issues and the myriad others will take time, money and considerable effort. The question is, how much political capital are the leaders of France, the UK, Canada and Australia (and others) willing to expend to ensure their recognition of Palestine results in an actual state? What if Israel refuses to dismantle its settlements and the Separation Wall, and moves ahead with annexing the West Bank? What are these Western leaders willing or able to do? In the past, they have been unwilling to do more than issue strongly worded statements in the face of Israeli refusals to advance the two-state solution. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Given these doubts around the political will and actual power of Western states to compel Israel to agree to the two-state solution, it begs the question: what and who is recognition for? Martin Kear, Sessional Lecturer, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Russia, Ukraine launch drones before Zelensky-Trump summit
Kyiv and Moscow launched attack drones at each other Sunday, a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due in the United States for talks with President Donald Trump on ending three years of war with Russia. Fighting has continued to rage during a flurry of diplomatic moves to end Moscow's invasion. Kyiv's air force said Russia attacked Ukraine with 60 Iranian-made Shahed and other drones as well as an Iskander missile. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo The governor of the embattled eastern Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin, said Russian attacks killed five people in the area on Saturday. In Russia, the defence ministry said Kyiv launched 46 drones at the country, mostly over border regions but also over the Nizhny Novgorod region east of Moscow, hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine. Live Events The acting governor of the border Kursk region, Alexander Khinstein, said a Ukrainian drone attack killed a man in his car. The governor of the southern Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, said a railway worker was wounded by a drone in the region. Ukraine has launched drones into Russia throughout Moscow's full-scale offensive, which has killed thousands of people and displaced millions. Zelensky is due in Washington on Monday, three days after Trump hosted Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska for talks. Following the Putin meeting, Trump dropped his push for a ceasefire in Ukraine in favour of pursuing a peace deal -- a position that Moscow has been pushing for. Putin launched the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Moscow's forces now occupy large swathes of the south and east of the country.
