France investigating Jewish death threats against Macron
The move drew criticism from Israel and the US. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the UK would also recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel changes course in Gaza. Fifteen other countries later issued a joint statement, echoing support for a two-state solution as the only way to end the war. As of March, 147 of the 193 UN member states – including Russia – officially recognize Palestine. Moscow's position dates back to 1988, when the Soviet Union recognized the Palestinian declaration of independence. Russia 'has always adhered to a two-state solution' as the only way to resolve the issue, according to the Kremlin. The conflict erupted in 2023 after the militant group Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. West Jerusalem's response has left at least 60,000 people dead – mostly civilians – over 21 months, according to the enclave's Health Ministry.
On Friday, Israel approved plans to seize Gaza City. The move could pave the way for a full takeover of the enclave, despite warnings that it could endanger hostages held by Hamas and prolong the war.
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Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Russia Today
France investigating Jewish death threats against Macron
France has launched a criminal investigation into alleged death threats against President Emmanuel Macron which were made by a rabbi critical of his stance on Palestinian statehood, Le Parisien reported on Friday. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed that a probe had been opened after a video surfaced showing a French-speaking rabbi – believed to be living in Israel – launching a furious verbal attack on the French leader. In the video, posted last week on YouTube, a man identified as rabbi David Daniel Cohen reportedly accused Macron of rewriting history by planning to recognize Palestine, calling the move a 'declaration of war against God' and a sign of 'deep-seated' antisemitism. 'This French president … He'd better prepare his coffin,' Cohen was quoted as saying in the now-unlisted video. France's top Jewish religious authority condemned the rabbi's words as 'abject and intolerable.' Macron announced last month that Paris would formally recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, describing it as a 'historic commitment to a just and lasting peace.' The move drew criticism from Israel and the US. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the UK would also recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel changes course in Gaza. Fifteen other countries later issued a joint statement, echoing support for a two-state solution as the only way to end the war. As of March, 147 of the 193 UN member states – including Russia – officially recognize Palestine. Moscow's position dates back to 1988, when the Soviet Union recognized the Palestinian declaration of independence. Russia 'has always adhered to a two-state solution' as the only way to resolve the issue, according to the Kremlin. The conflict erupted in 2023 after the militant group Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. West Jerusalem's response has left at least 60,000 people dead – mostly civilians – over 21 months, according to the enclave's Health Ministry. On Friday, Israel approved plans to seize Gaza City. The move could pave the way for a full takeover of the enclave, despite warnings that it could endanger hostages held by Hamas and prolong the war.
Russia Today
9 hours ago
- Russia Today
Germany suspends arms supplies to Israel over Gaza
Germany has suspended arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza, following Prime Minister Netanyahu's security cabinet's approval of a plan to occupy the Palestinian enclave's capital. The Israeli prime minister's office announced the plan as part of a broader push to disarm Hamas, demilitarize Gaza and return hostages home. Just hours earlier, Netanyahu said that he was aiming to gain full military control of the enclave. The move has been criticized as potentially putting Israeli hostages in Gaza in danger. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stressed that while Berlin supports the Jewish state's struggle 'against Hamas' terror' and prioritizes the return of Israeli hostages, it remains unclear how the new military push will achieve those goals. 'Under these circumstances, the German Government will, until further notice, authorize no military equipment exports that can be used in the Gaza Strip,' he said in a statement on the Federal Government website on Friday. He added that Berlin is 'profoundly concerned' about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, and stressed that amid Israel's new offensive, it now bears an even greater responsibility to ensure Palestinian civilians receive humanitarian aid. The UN has increasingly warned of a dire food situation in the enclave and has accused the Jewish state of obstructing the flow of humanitarian supplies. The Israeli prime minister's office has said that Netanyahu called the German leader and expressed 'disappointment with Merz's decision to embargo arms to Israel.' 'Instead of supporting Israel's just war against Hamas,' Berlin is 'rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel,' the office said in a statement on X on Friday. The militant group attacked the Jewish state in 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 captives back to Gaza. The death toll from Israel's subsequent military operation has now surpassed 61,000 Palestinians, the Gaza Health Ministry recently halting arms exports to Israel over fears of civilian harm in Gaza, Merz has pushed for increased military aid to Kiev in the Ukraine conflict—a stance criticized by some in his own party and viewed by Russia as prolonging the hostilities.
Russia Today
16 hours ago
- Russia Today
China slams Israel's plan for Gaza occupation
China has condemned Israel's plan to place Gaza City under military control, calling it an 'integral part of the Palestinian territory.' In a Friday statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian urged Israel 'to stop the dangerous move at once.' 'Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people,' Lin said, while calling for an immediate ceasefire. Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that the country's security cabinet had approved his plan to seize Gaza City – a move that could lead to a full takeover of the enclave. In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Netanyahu claimed, 'We don't want to be [in Gaza] as a governing body, we want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly.' Late last month, China's Special Envoy on the Middle East, Zhai Jun, said any effort to forcibly change Gaza's status 'will not bring peace,' while reaffirming Beijing's support for a two-state Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also criticized Israel's decision, as has France and the UK. The war between Hamas and Israel began in October of 2023 following a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel that left 1,200 people dead, with 250 hostages taken. Since then, more than 60,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry. UN spokesperson Olga Cherevko told RT earlier this month that 'a catastrophe of unthinkable proportions has developed and is developing even further' in Gaza, while accusing Israeli forces of blocking food deliveries to civilians.
