Israel furthers plan for settlement that divides the West Bank
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CTV News
41 minutes ago
- CTV News
Druze demand self determination in largest protest held since deadly clashes in Syria
Residents walk past a burned-out military vehicle after sectarian clashes in the Druze-majority town of Sweida, Syria, on Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) BEIRUT — Hundreds of people demonstrated in Syria's southern city of Sweida and elsewhere on Saturday to demand the right to self determination for the Druze minority, in the largest protests to take place since deadly clashes in the area last month. Some of the protesters waved Israeli flags to thank Israel for intervening on their side during heavy clashes in mid-July between militias of the Druze minority and armed tribal groups and government forces. Saturday's demonstration comes as Syria grapples with deep ethnic and religious divisions following the collapse of the Assad family rule last December. The transition has proven fragile, with renewed violence erupting in March along the coast and in July in Sweida, a city with a significant Druze population, highlighting the continued threat to peace after years of civil war. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian war monitor, said the protesters expressed their rejection of the interim central government in Damascus and demanded that those responsible for atrocities against Druze be brought to justice. The Observatory said some of the protesters called on Israel to intervene to support their demand of self determination. Rayyan Maarouf, who heads the activist media collective Suwayda 24, said Saturday's demonstration in Sweida was the largest since last months's clashes, and that there were similar gatherings in areas including the nearby towns of Shahba and Salkhad. He added that this is the first time people protested under the slogan of self determination. 'This is an unprecedented change for the Druze in Syria,' Maarouf told The Associated Press. Clashes erupted on July 13 between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes in Sweida. Government forces then intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up essentially siding with the Bedouins against the Druze. Israel intervened in defence of the Druze, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and even striking the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus. Atrocities were committed during the clashes that left hundreds of people dead. The new interim government set up a committee last month tasked with investigating attacks on civilians in the sectarian violence in the country's south. It is supposed to issue a report within three months. The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. The Associated Press
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
In their words: Israeli leaders support the mass relocation of Palestinians from Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the U.S. Independence Day reception, known as the annual "Fourth of July" celebration, hosted by Newsmax, in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP) U.S. President Donald Trump has said little about his idea of relocating many of the Gaza Strip's two million Palestinians to other countries since he stunned the world by announcing it in February. But Israel's leaders have run with it, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at one point listed it as a condition for ending the 22-month war sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. He and other Israeli officials present it as a humanitarian measure allowing Palestinians to flee war and hardship, and say it should be voluntary. Israel has been in talks with African countries — many of which are themselves wracked by war and at risk of famine — about taking Palestinians in. Palestinians say there would be nothing voluntary about leaving part of their homeland with no guarantee of return after an occupying power has rendered much of it uninhabitable. Rights groups and much of the international community say it would amount to forcible expulsion in violation of international law. The issue is likely to take on greater urgency as Israel widens its military campaign to the last parts of Gaza that it hasn't taken over and largely flattened, and as large numbers of Palestinians flee once again. 'This is our land, there is no other place for us to go,' said Ismail Zaydah, whose family has remained in Gaza City throughout the war, even after much of their neighborhood and part of their home was destroyed. 'We are not surrendering,' he said. 'We were born here, and here we die.' Here's what Israel's leaders have said, in their own words. Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a Feb. 6 post on X 'I have instructed the (Israeli military) to prepare a plan that will allow any resident of Gaza who wishes to leave to do so, to any country willing to receive them. ... The plan will include exit options via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air.' Netanyahu, addressing a Cabinet meeting on March 30 'Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to leave. We will see to the general security in the Gaza Strip and will allow the realization of the Trump plan for voluntary migration. This is the plan. We are not hiding this and are ready to discuss it at any time.' Netanyahu, in a public address May 21 Israel will create 'a sterile zone in the southern Strip to which the civilian population will be evacuated from the combat areas, for the purpose of defending it. In this zone, which will be Hamas-free, the residents of Gaza will receive full humanitarian assistance.' 'I am ready to end the war — according to clear conditions that will ensure the security of Israel. All of the hostages will return home. Hamas will lay down its weapons, leave power, its leadership, whoever is left, will be exiled from the Strip, Gaza will be completely demilitarized, and we will carry out the Trump plan, which is so correct and so revolutionary, and it says something simple: The residents of Gaza who wish to leave — will be able to leave.' Netanyahu, in an interview with Israeli media on Aug. 12 'I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there.' 'Give them the opportunity to leave! First, from combat zones, and also from the Strip if they want. We will allow this, first of all inside Gaza during the fighting, and we will also allow them to leave Gaza. We are not pushing them out but allowing them to leave.' Joseph Krauss, The Associated Press
CTV News
17 hours ago
- CTV News
Israeli flag installed outside town hall in Hampstead, Que. stirs local debate
Outside the Hampstead Town Hall, the addition of the flag of Israel is raising concerns among some residents. The Israeli flag has flown outside Hampstead's town hall since October 2023 — and it's getting mixed reactions from residents of the Montreal suburb. Among them is 25-year-old Adam Ben David, who says the flag doesn't belong on the municipal property. 'I think it's inflammatory to have a foreign flag that is not representative of every single person in this community, which is very diverse,' he said in an interview. The flag replaced Hampstead's municipal banner, taking its place alongside the Canadian and Quebec flags. Mayor Jeremy Levi told CTV News the move was suggested by the town's then–director general and supported by council. 'Every other government across the world had done so,' Levi said. 'We never told the DG how to do it or to remove the Hampstead flag. If Hampstead residents feel so patriotic towards the Hampstead flag, we can always install a fourth flagpole — I just don't think it's a great use of resources.' Residents split on the issue For some residents, the flag is a symbol of solidarity, but for others it's an inappropriate political statement for municipal grounds. CTV News approached several people outside town hall and in a nearby park, but the vast majority declined to speak publicly. Among those who did, opinions were divided. One woman, who asked not to be identified, said she supports keeping the flag. She described it as a sign of support, acknowledging how many communities in the Middle East are going through tragic times. 'I see nothing wrong in putting it up because it's reflecting that there's something terrible going on in Israel and we're all in mourning for that situation, collectively,' she said. Sisters Keren and Bénédicte Paka, who have lived in Hampstead for two years, saw it differently. 'It's problematic because there are many international students here, international workers, Quebecers and other people — I don't think it has its place here,' said Keren. Bénédicte added: 'I think to make everyone feel comfortable, the flag should be taken down — so that each person feels free and not oppressed by one community or another.' While there's division, Levi has been clear that he will not remove the flag. 'It doesn't matter to me if there's two signatures or 2,000 signatures,' he wrote in a statement to CTV News. 'My position will not change.' He also said he has never received a formal complaint from residents about it and, on the contrary, has received 'many compliments.' Petition for flag removal Ben David began knocking on doors this summer to build support for removing the flag. He has gathered roughly 40 signatures so far and said he plans to continue canvassing as the weather cools. 'The Israeli flag represents a whole host of things: politically, religiously, ethnically,' Ben David said. 'In my opinion, it's unfair for the mayor to hoist it on behalf of 7,000 people — because a flag can incite all sorts of things: happiness and joy, but also fear and despair.' Ben David told CTV News that some residents who agreed with him refused to sign publicly. 'They're afraid of either being chastised by the mayor or other people in our community,' he said, emphasizing that 'it's an incredibly difficult time to be Jewish.' He also questioned why the flag needed to remain permanently. 'I don't understand why it has to be permanent considering that we are a diverse plurality here,' he said. For his part, Levi rejected the allegation that residents feared harassment. 'I have never harassed or shamed a private resident and would never do so,' Levi wrote, adding that he believed the petition was politically motivated ahead of municipal elections in less than three months. He said residents who want the flag removed should take it up with council, which holds the vote. He insisted he will 'never back down from supporting Israel and the Jewish community,' adding: 'If residents are unhappy with that position, November 2, 2025, is their chance to make a change.' It's a position Levi also made clear in a post on X in late July, in which he wrote: 'I will never take down the Israeli flag, if that's a problem for you, vote me out next election.' Despite him standing firm on the decision, others, like Ben David, say they intend to push forward with their demand for the flag to come down. Ben David said he intends to bring the matter to town council next week. With the latest census data showing about 40 per cent of Hampstead residents are not Jewish, the flag remains a lightning rod in the small, predominantly Jewish suburb.
