Israeli army kills 5 Palestinians after pregnant Israeli settler killed
The military said it was searching for those responsible for Wednesday's shooting - whom it did not identify - though it was not immediately clear whether the Tamoun operation was linked.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting, which occurred amid one of the largest Israeli military operations in the West Bank in two decades and while the Israeli military continues to bombard Gaza.Gunfire could be heard in Tamoun on Thursday, while Reuters footage showed flames and black smoke on the top floor of a house as Israeli soldiers stood on the street outside. The Palestinian WAFA news agency said the Israeli military was demolishing the house where the Palestinian men had been killed.advertisementThe Israeli military said soldiers had identified the "terrorists" in a building during an overnight operation in Tamoun and the nearby city of Tubas.It did not say how it determined they were terrorists but said soldiers had discovered rifles used by them. The military also said three armed individuals had been arrested in Tubas.The Palestinian health ministry said the military had taken the bodies of four of the deceased. The local Red Crescent said it had recovered a fifth body from a burning building.DEMAND FOR RETRIBUTIONGez, the pregnant woman, was shot near the Brukhin settlement while travelling to hospital with her husband to give birth. She was pronounced dead at the hospital where her baby was delivered by caesarean section, Israeli media reported.The baby was reportedly in a serious but stable condition, while Gez's husband Hananel was lightly injured.As retribution, Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said the nearby Palestinian towns of Bruqin and az-Zawiya should be destroyed just as cities in Gaza have been."Just as we are flattening Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza (in the Gaza Strip), we must also flatten the terror nests in Judea and Samaria," Smotrich said on X, employing the term often used in Israel for the West Bank.advertisementIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped the security forces would quickly find those responsible for Gez's death, while President Israel Herzog expressed his condolences to her family.The chief of Israel's general staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, visited the troops searching for Gez's killer on Thursday near Brukhin.The Israeli military has killed dozens of Palestinians and destroyed many homes since it launched an operation in January in the West Bank city of Jenin to root out militants.Those killed have included members of Hamas and other militant groups but also some civilians, including women and children.Must Watch
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27 minutes ago
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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.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Hamas rejects Israel's Gaza relocation plan
Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel's plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a 'new wave of genocide and displacement' for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area. The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel into southern Gaza was a 'blatant deception'. The Israeli military has said it is preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of the enclave 'to ensure their safety'. Hamas said in a statement that the deployment of tents under the guise of humanitarian purposes is a blatant deception intended to 'cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute'. Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre. The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, which is home to about 2.2 million people. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. About 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to be still alive. Israel's subsequent military assault against Hamas has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced most of Gaza's population and left much of the enclave in ruins.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Melania's emotional plea to Putin: Trump personally delivers First Lady's letter to Russian leader. Read full text
Melania Trump reportedly sent a personal letter to Vladimir Putin, appealing for the protection of Ukrainian children affected by the war. The letter, delivered by President Trump before a summit in Alaska, urged Putin to "restore their melodic laughter." Despite the emotional plea and the high-stakes meeting, no breakthrough was achieved, leaving the conflict unresolved. The 'peace letter' was written before the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska — the first major meeting between the US and Russia since June 2021 Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Melania's personal letter to Putin: Full text revealed Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Trump-Putin Alaska meeting President Donald Trump hand-delivered a personal letter rom first lady Melania Trump to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which addressed the ongoing crisis of abducted Ukrainian children. The First Lady reportedly made an emotional appeal to Vladimir Putin, urging him to protect children and "restore their melodic laughter."The letter, reportedly written by Melania, expresses deep concern over the forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-controlled areas. The 'peace letter' focused on the war's detrimental impact on children caught in the crosshairs and was handed to Putin by President Trump before their 'high-stakes' summit in Alaska to discuss the immediately read the letter while American and Russian delegations watched on. Trump administration officials told Reuters the letter mentioned the abductions of children following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in News made the text of the letter online and it no reference at all to the abductions or transfer of children from Russian-occupied Ukraine to Russia.'Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger,' the first lady wrote in a letter obtained by the outlet.'As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation's hope. As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few.'"Yet in today's world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future. Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter," Melania pleaded."In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone you serve humanity itself. Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today. It is time," the letter comes as Melania is hailed an 'undercover agent' as her role in the changing US stance on Ukraine is outlined. However, Trump revealed earlier this year that Melania had been influential in pushing him to attempt to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.'My conversations with him [Putin] are always very pleasant. I say, isn't that a very lovely conversation? And then the missiles go off that night,' Trump said at the White House last month. 'I go home, I tell the first lady: 'I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation'. She said: 'Really? Another city was just hit'," he was indicted by the international criminal court in 2023, and still faces arrest in 125 countries, for his alleged role in the war crime of abducting those children and transferring them from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian 'peace letter' was written before the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska — the first major meeting between the US and Russia since June 2021, a mere eight months before the war started. Still, the US and Russia have been in frequent communication primarily over the phone, and especially in recent months as Trump has tried to broker an end to the deadly and Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday (August 15) for a summit aimed at negotiating an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine. While the event drew significant international attention, it ended without a breakthrough, leaving the war in Ukraine unresolved and raising questions about the effectiveness of direct negotiations between the two nearly three hours of closed-door talks, the meeting concluded without a concrete agreement. Both leaders described the discussions as "productive" but offered no specifics on any progress emphasized the need for Ukraine to agree to a deal, stating, "There's no deal until there's a deal," while Putin reiterated Russia's position on addressing the "root causes" of the conflict and ensuring Ukraine's told reporters that the summit in Alaska was 'extremely productive' but that no firm agreement about the cease-fire was reached. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with Trump in Washington, DC on Monday, where they are supposed to cover the details of his meeting with Putin.
