Latest news with #BinyaminNetanyahu
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Israel has ‘no choice' but to attack Gaza City, says Netanyahu, as hostage families call strike
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has insisted his country had 'no choice' but to approve a plan to attack Gaza City in order to topple Hamas's remaining stronghold. 'Our goal is not to occupy Gaza but to liberate it from Hamas,' he told a news conference on Sunday night. He also outlined the creation of a new governing body for the enclave. 'We will work to establish a civilian authority that is not affiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority,' he said. READ MORE Mr Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel is 'approaching the end of the campaign' against those who sought to destroy it. 'We are working to defeat the remnants of the Iranian axis and to free all our hostages,' he said. The plan to attack Gaza City will entail the forced transfer of more than 800,000 Palestinian civilians, many of whom have already been displaced multiple times over the past 22 months of fighting. The Israeli attack on Gaza City is planned to start on October 7th, leaving almost two months for the army to mobilise the required forces for the operation. The army has been authorised to call up more than 400,000 reservists, but it is not clear exactly how many extra soldiers will be required. The military says civilians will be moved to the Muwasi humanitarian zone over the next six weeks and, in parallel, Israel says it plans to significantly increase aid deliveries. It says daily lorry convoys carrying humanitarian aid will increase from 300 to 1,200, with intensified aerial drops and the setting up of additional distribution centres. Some commentators believe the plan to attack Gaza City is designed to exert pressure on Hamas to resume negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage-release deal. A Hamas delegation reportedly arrived in Cairo on Monday as efforts by international mediators to break the deadlock continue. [ What is behind Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City? Opens in new window ] Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he no longer believes Mr Netanyahu is willing to do what it takes to win the war in Gaza, calling the security cabinet's approval of a plan to conquer Gaza City a 'half-measure'. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The war was triggered when 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage into Gaza during a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. Families of the hostages have declared a one-day general strike for Sunday, the first day of Israel's working week, as part of their campaign for a ceasefire aimed at bringing back all 50 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. However, the Histadrut trade union federation announced on Monday that it would not order its members to join the strike. After talks with business leaders and relatives of hostages, Histadrut leader Arnon Bar-David argued that joining the strike would politicise the question of the hostages. 'If I knew that a strike – not just for one day but longer – would end the matter, stop the war and bring back the hostages, I would go for it with full force,' he said. 'Unfortunately, and although my heart is bursting with anger, it has no practical outcome.' [ Trump should use influence with Netanyahu to stop war in Gaza, says Taoiseach Opens in new window ] He did, however, promise to encourage employers to allow workers to attend protests and rallies without risking their employment rights. Israeli police on Monday, meanwhile, arrested a 27-year-old Jerusalem man suspected of spray-painting anti-war slogans, including 'there's a holocaust in Gaza', on a section of the Western Wall in Jerusalem's old city and at the city's main synagogue. The action was condemned by politicians from across the political spectrum.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, August 11th: On two sides to attacks on Gaza, an emergency planning court, and RTÉ
Sir, – Sonia Harris Pope's expansive article is deeply disturbing to read (' As an Irish Jew my Star of David is no longer a badge of pride but a mark of shame ,' August 9th). Describing her Irish Jewish heritage on her father's side, Ms Harris takes aim at the Jews whom she perceives to be complicit in the actions of the Netanyahu government, namely those she deems not outspoken enough against Israel. In her lament, she tells us that wearing her Star of David makes her ashamed. Not once does she refer to Hamas, funded by Qatar and Iran, whose stated aim is the destruction of Israel, content to immiserate their own civilian population in the process and, like Israel's prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, need the conflict to continue for their own political survival. READ MORE And no mention of the hostages still held captive. She makes several references to history, before dismissing them as meaningless, when people are starving in Gaza. I am Jewish (on both sides). I am utterly devastated by the horror inflicted by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, by Israel's ferocious and disproportionate response and by the shocking level of cruelty this war continues to inflict on innocent civilians. While my horror at Netanyahu's disregard for the law has reached new heights, so has my desire for Israel to survive, to flourish as a liberal democracy and to be the one place where Jews can live free from anti-Semitism. In December 2023 I put on my Star of David for the first time in 45 years. My sense of identity will not be shaped by the distortions of Netanyahu's brand of ethno-nationalism nor by the subsequent tidal wave of anti-Semitism, nor the divisions in the diaspora. I suspect that Ms Harris has little awareness of how difficult it has been for those of us in the Jewish community who wish to speak up. We are demonised, accused of being indifferent to Palestinian suffering. We are lectured on anti-Semitism while often subjected to language that is unvarnished anti-Jewish racism. Our voice is increasingly silenced; you hardly hear a Jewish voice on broadcast media anymore. My mother was forced to wear a yellow Star of David in the Warsaw Ghetto as an infant. Her uncle and 11- year-old cousin were murdered in their attempt to escape the Ghetto. My aunt came to Israel in 1949, part of the miserable human residue of the Holocaust; it was her only refuge. Under Nazi occupation, the yellow Star of David became the symbol of shame and denigration for the Jews of Europe. Never again will I be shamed for wearing my Magen David nor will I ever hide my identity. Might I suggest Ms Harris, in the comfort of a life absent of such a challenge, reflect on the privilege of having the choice to display her identity. Jews are no more responsible for the actions for the Israeli government than Catholics are for the crimes of the Catholic Church. – Yours, etc, OLIVER SEARS, Holocaust Awareness Ireland, Dublin 2. Sir, – I wish to express my support to Sonia Harris Pope for her courageous and honest article. I am appalled by the Israeli disproportionate response to the initial vicious attack by Hamas. Palestinians are among the most disadvantaged peoples on earth. However, there is a widespread failure by commentators and observers to distinguish between the political views and actions of the Israeli government, and the religious belief of the Jewish people. Israel is an independent state with many non-Jewish citizens and it should be possible to criticise its politicians' actions without being described as anti-Semitic. Ms Harris Pope has done a huge service in clarifying the distinction between Israeli politics and Jewish religion in such an enlightened manner. – Yours, etc, DECLAN MURPHY, Greenshill, Kilkenny. Sir, – Israel's stated task has been to bring the hostages home and to eliminate Hamas, a murderous organisation which cruelly exploits its own people. Some successes have been achieved, but many failures too. Those of us whose hearts have always been with Israel must now ask ourselves the question: do Hamas' crimes make Israel's subsequent actions right? Does the end always justify the means? – Yours, etc, HEATHER ABRAHAMSON, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14. Sir, – Hamas proved itself in the attack of October 2023 and with its subsequent imprisonment of hostages to be a brutal, callous and cynical organisation. The government of Israel, by its killing of thousands of civilians, its continuing devastation of infrastructure and its withholding of food for Gaza, has proved itself to be equally brutal, callous and cynical. The difference is that Hamas was (in the west) already widely proscribed and regarded as a terrorist organisation, whereas Israel has been regarded by many as a democratic state which supposedly upholds 'civilised' values. Both have repeatedly broken international law and been responsible for the deaths of vast numbers of innocent people. Hamas and the Netanyahu government have reached the point of totally dehumanising the 'other', to the extent that holding people captive in basements and shooting dead children queueing for food are considered legitimate strategies. There will be no peace or security in the region, for Israel or its neighbours, if Hamas continues to play a role in governing any part of Palestine, and if the government of Netanyahu remains in place. – Yours, etc, NICK CAVAN NORTH, Co Donegal. Emergency planning court Sir, – When paramilitary terrorism threatened the security of the State, the emergency was addressed with the establishment of the Special Criminal Court. Successive governments have reviewed and decided to retain the court as an instrument in tackling ongoing threats from paramilitaries and criminal gangs. During the Covid pandemic emergency powers were enacted that restrained how far from their homes people could walk. I was stopped at a Garda checkpoint near my home demanding to know where I was going. It felt very intrusive but I accepted it. As a democracy we consent to the erosion of individual rights when needed to protect and advance the interests of wider society. We now have a housing emergency and potentially crippling infrastructure deficits, as mentioned, for example, in your headline 'Intel warns over energy cost and planning obstacles,' August 5th, but our existing planning laws clearly make it impossible to build the necessary houses or infrastructure. If Government Ministers could dispense with disingenuous clichés like 'the target is 50,000 units next year, but it will be challenging,' (which means impossible) and tell the truth, that it is a true emergency, then a game-changing intervention would be to establish a special planning appeals court, equipped with binding emergency powers to remove obstacles to progress on critical projects. Anything less and we are doomed to 'hoping against hope'. – Yours, etc, EDDIE MOLLOY, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Sir, – The Netherlands has a population of about 18.4 million people living in a country that spans 41,542km². Ireland (the Republic) has a population of 5.4 million people living over 70,273km². Homelessness figures in the Netherlands are about 30,000 and over 15,000 in Ireland (and increasing). Our figures are clearly not related to having enough 'space' to build homes. I asked my nine-year old son what he would do – just build more houses Mummy! – Yours, etc, CAROLINE HYNES-RYAN, Co Dublin. Rural transport Sir, – The Government's National Development Plan, which has been more hyped than Oasis in Croke Park next month, has once again neglected the transport needs of rural Ireland. Bus passengers outside of Dublin, our other cities and larger towns, deserve parity of treatment from our Government. We all pay our taxes and should not be discriminated against once more when it comes to vital services just because of where we live. This is why the planned expansion of free travel for children under nine years old must include commercial operators, given that we provide the vast majority of scheduled services across the country. Public transport and reducing car dependency are central goals of the Government's relaunched National Development Plan. Yet, it remains more expensive and more difficult for people in many parts of rural Ireland to take a bus than to drive. While the expansion of free public transport is a noble objective, the exclusion of commercial operators from such schemes has created a two-tier public transport system, with passengers outside of Dublin once again being forgotten. Including commercial operators in the scheme would cost the Government as little as ¤1 million, a modest investment in this context, that would bring significant societal benefits, help to reduce our emissions, and act as a meaningful cost-of-living measure. I think it's also fair to ask: why is the Government preparing to spend over ¤2 billion on a metro system for Dublin, while simultaneously neglecting the everyday transport needs of rural communities? I hope the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien, will act to correct this stark injustice and ensure that all commuters, regardless of location, are treated equally. – Yours, etc, DAVID CONWAY, Chairperson, Coach Tourism and Transport Council of Ireland (CTTC), Dublin 2. Weighing in on SUVs Sir, – Over the last decade, big bulky sports utility vehicles have become the most popular cars on Irish roads, with the Irish car market in 2024 showing a clear preference for SUVs. Now, the Government is considering a tax on SUVs among a number of options ahead of Budget 2026 – a move that has the potential to cause the Irish consumer to ditch their weighty love affair with SUVs. This year to date, 23 pedestrians and nine cyclists have lost their lives on Irish roads. Recent data from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) showed that in 2024, Ireland ranked seventh in Europe for the number of road deaths per million population. The fact that SUVs are higher off the ground gives the car a higher centre of gravity, increasing the risk of rolling. Evidence has shown that SUVs have an 11-times increased risk of rolling over in an incident and children in SUVs are twice as likely to die in that incident. Blind spots and high bonnets make SUVs particularly dangerous for pedestrians. When they do strike pedestrians, they are more likely to cause serious injury and death, especially over 30kph. One country is leading the charge to disincentivise purchase of heavier vehicles with both higher parking fees as well as taxation. France has introduced a tax on cars according to weight – the tax is due to get even weightier in 2026. It is time to ditch our love affair with SUVs. A weight tax would be a good place to start. – Yours, etc, CATHERINE CONLON, Ballintemple, Cork. RTÉ not on the money Sir, –Your report ' RTÉ pays out €360,000 on guest fees for appearances over past year ', August 11th, makes for interesting reading. Most of the 'guest' appearances seem to be other RTÉ employees or contract workers pulled from the canteen to plug their own programmes. I just wonder how the figure seems so high ? – Yours, etc, MIKE MORAN, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Sir, – I note that RTÉ will not buy the rights to televise the Shels v Rijeka Europa League match, citing a rights fee of €70,000 and an audience of only 120,000 for the previous Euro match Shels v Linfield. A little arithmetic might assist RTÉ: the €160 licence fee multiplied by 120,000 viewers equals €19.2 million. Subtract €70,000 and RTÉ would have a surplus of €19.13 million. But, as we all know, financial acumen is not a particular strength of RTÉ. For those interested, watch the match live on LOITV, who were brave enough to buy the rights and who are a blessing for all league fans throughout the year. – Yours, etc, MICHAEL McGOVERN, Walkinstown, Dublin 12. Sir, – Now that Tubs has returned the famous €150,000 could RTÉ please restore 'What it says in the papers,' on weekend mornings? – Yours, etc, JOHN O'CONNELL, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Prescribing opioids and pain Sir, – A new research study has found that GP prescriptions for opioid painkillers are on the rise in the Republic (' Irish doctors increasingly prescribe highly addictive opioids for pain, new study finds ', August 7th). There are concerns that this increase could lead to drug dependency. Is the problem the risk of addiction from certain painkillers or is it a failure to address the crisis of chronic pain in this country? As someone who has chronic pain all my life, I can honestly say that I will try anything that might alleviate my pains. I have been on numerous painkillers, including opiates. I chose to take them in order to work and have some quality of life. Indeed, I would argue that most people with chronic conditions will try any drug to relieve their pain even if there are side effects and a risk of over dependency. Undoubtedly, modern pain medication has contributed greatly to the alleviation of pain. I, for one, could not function without them. At the same time, I am also aware that they are not a panacea. They can only alleviate pain to a certain degree, have serious side effects and can interact negatively with other drugs. There also appears to be little biomedical science involved in matching an individual patient with the complex range of painkillers available. It is still largely a case of 'try this one and see how you get on'. It is estimated that at least one in five people have chronic pain in the Republic. Our public health system struggles to address the problem. Last year I was told as an urgent public patient that I would have to wait 2½ years to see a pain consultant. The reason given for the delay was an increase in demand and lack of specialists. If we are serious about addressing the chronic pain crisis in this country then I would argue two things need to happen. First, we need more research to understand the complex causes, impact and treatment of chronic pain. Also, the influence of body, mind and socio-environmental factors on pain. There is also much to be learned from people with chronic pain and they should be active participants in this research. Second, we need speedy access to pain specialists working within interdisciplinary teams located across the country and who view chronic pain holistically. – Yours, etc, MARTIN HOBAN, Dromasta, Drimoleague, Co Cork. Judge for yourself Sir, – I read that a senior judge has called for the 'dumbing down' of court language so that a lay person can understand what was said or written. Perhaps a future judgment might read: ' Well, like, the first dude was so totally wrong and the other dude was sort of right so, like, that dude wins – know what I mean?' – Yours, etc, GERARD CLARKE, Dundrum, Dublin.
Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Times
Netanyahu says Gaza takeover ‘best way' forward as anger grows at home
Binyamin Netanyahu defended his plan for Israel's military to take over Gaza City as 'the best way to end the war' despite calls from his domestic opposition for a general strike to demand a deal. Addressing journalists in a rare live press conference on Sunday, Netanyahu said a security zone would be established near the Gaza border, with a civilian administration led by neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority, to live 'in peace with Israel' and prevent 'future terrorist incursions'. Military expansion into Gaza's two remaining Hamas strongholds, Gaza City and the central refugee camps where the militants are holding Israeli captives, was 'the best way to end the war, and to speedily end the war', the Israeli prime minister said. The offensive has provoked widespread international condemnation but is also increasingly angering Israelis, who have called for a nationwide strike next Sunday, the first working day of the week. Private companies, organisations, businesses, workers' unions, left-wing politicians and individuals are expected to participate in an economic shutdown from 7am. 'Now the government has decided to expand the war and push deeper into Gaza. Every invasion, every bullet, every airstrike could cost him his life,' Lishay Miran Lavi, whose husband is held in the areas the army is set to besiege, said on Saturday night at a rally of tens of thousands in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv. 'This isn't just a military decision. It could be a death sentence.' Of the 251 hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, more than 40 were already dead when they were taken into Gaza. The majority have been freed in ceasefire deals, although six were shot dead in a tunnel in Rafah and another three were killed by Israeli friendly fire. Others, including Yossi Sharabi, were thought to have been killed by Israeli bombardment of places where they were being held. Israel says 49 hostages are still held in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. Israeli protesters also disrupted a live broadcast of the country's Big Brother reality TV show on Saturday night. Activists said the war on Gaza was 'killing all of us'. 'While the hostages are abandoned to their deaths and children are starving just an hour's drive away from the Big Brother studios, the media is not telling the nation what is going on in Gaza,' a statement from Standing Together, an Arab-Jewish social justice movement, said. Italy's foreign minister joined a chorus the condemnation on Sunday, saying 'the invasion of Gaza risks turning into a Vietnam for Israeli soldiers'. Within Netanyahu's coalition, his plans were criticised for not going far enough. Bezalel Smotrich, his far-right finance minister, said they did 'not aim for a decisive resolution'. He told Kan radio: 'It is possible to achieve victory. I want all of Gaza, transfer and colonisation. This plan will not endanger the troops.' More extreme members of Netanyahu's cabinet, including Smotrich, have held considerable sway throughout the war, their support seen as vital to holding at least 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority. The Israel military has been dropping in supplies by parachute MOIZ SALHI/ANDALOU/GETTY IMAGES During his press conference Netanyahu defended the plan, which was voted on by the security cabinet over the weekend, to send soldiers into the last areas outside of Israel's control. Gaza City is the largest urban centre of the Gaza Strip. Its population swollen with Palestinians seeking shelter, it is home to some one million people. Netanyahu said designated safe zones would provide food, water and medical care for those forced out of the north and centre of the Strip and into al-Mawasi, which is already teeming with displaced civilians who have little access to basic facilities and sanitation. Aid organisations say too little is reaching those who need it and have criticised the new aid mechanism, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and overseen by Israel. They say it weaponises essential supplies and has proved unsafe for desperate Palestinians in search of food. • Israel could cut UK security ties if Keir Starmer recognises Palestine Israel has also begun air drops of aid into Gaza, a method that has been criticised for being deadly and ineffective. On Saturday, a teenage Gazan was crushed to death by a falling crate. The Israel Defence Forces said they continued to improve the humanitarian response in Gaza while 'refuting the false claims' of deliberate starvation and said that more than 130 food aid packages from the UAE, Jordan, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Italy were dropped into Gaza on Sunday. At an emergency UN security council meeting on Sunday, Miroslav Jenca, the UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, central Asia and the Americas, said continued war endangered both Palestinians and the hostages. 'We are already witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe of unimaginable scale in Gaza,' he said. 'If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings and destruction, compounding the unbearable suffering of the population.' Netanyahu, standing before pictures of starving children emblazoned with red stickers saying 'fake', said that while there were issues of deprivation in Gaza, stories of starvation and malnutrition were Hamas 'lies'. The Israeli prime minister's office confirmed on Sunday that Netanyahu had spoken to President Trump about his offensive. 'The two discussed Israel's plans to take control of the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza to bring an end to the war by securing the release of the hostages and defeating Hamas,' Netanyahu's office said. Some army officials believe that entering Gaza City is crucial to defeating Hamas and poses a lesser risk to the hostages, who are in central camps which are, for now, off the agenda. Brigadier General (Reserve) Oren Solomon said those army leaders opposed to the offensive were 'captives of the concepts of October 6'. 'It is a decision to take control of Gaza City, which is more than a symbol as the capital of the Gaza Strip, and it is the command centre of Izz ad-Din Haddad, the commander of Hamas's military wing. Therefore, it is important to occupy and take control of Gaza City, which in professional language is a 'centre of gravity', meaning a place of strategic importance,' he said. Solomon said once the population had left Gaza City, electricity, water and aid had to be cut off before ground troops entered. Netanyahu said that Israel, which has since the start of the war barred access to Gaza for foreign journalists, has instructed its military to 'bring in' some. International condemnation of Netanyahu's plan continued on Sunday. Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister, claimed Israel's political leaders should heed its army's warnings. 'The invasion of Gaza risks turning into a Vietnam for Israeli soldiers,' Tajani said in an interview with Il Messaggero newspaper.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Gaza, world's most attention-demanding theatre of war
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's plan to seize Gaza City and the southern enclave is primarily personal. His timing is significant. He made this announcement ahead of the August 15th two-decade anniversary of the launch of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza of settlers and soldiers ordered by his predecessor Ariel Sharon. As Netanyahu opposed the evacuation of Gaza, his motive is at least in part delayed revenge against Sharon. Netanyahu also seeks revenge against Hamas which he favoured over many years by allowing funds to flow into his (its) coffers. His aim was to foster a counterweight to Fatah and promote the split between Gaza and the West Bank, dividing the Palestinian resistance front. Hamas paid him back by mounting its October 7th, 2023, raid into Israel, killing 1,139 and abducting 251. This amounted to tragedy for Israel and humiliation for Netanyahu. He wants to wreak revenge on the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza by driving them from homes he destroyed or damaged and imposing a months-long starvation blockade. He blames Gazans for tolerating Hamas which seized control of the strip from Fatah in 2007. He does not take into account that many Gazans have turned against Hamas for both starting a war it could not end and failing to protect Palestinian civilians. Netanyahu is also taking revenge against Israelis who have opposed his unending Gaza campaign which has carried on for 22 months although Israel has seriously weakened Hamas and could have reached a deal to end the war late last year and in March 2025 and freed the hostages when the latest ceasefire expired. Most Israelis call for an immediate halt to hostilities. Israeli and international rights organisations are also in line for punishment as they have dubbed Netanyahu's war on Palestinians in Gaza "genocide" and have filed a case charging Israel with "genocide" at the International Court of Justice. The International Criminal Court has issued warrants charging Netanyahu and ex-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant with war crimes, potentially limiting their travel to countries that are not signatories of the court's statute. Netanyahu is ready to punish senior army officers who have opposed prolonging the war and, especially, waging an offensive to occupy the final 25 per cent, including Gaza City, not yet held by Israel. Hundreds of active officers and reservists have written a letter to US President Donald Trump — who has backed Netanyahu — to ask him to exert pressure on Netanyahu to stop the war. They argue this not only endangers the lives of the hostages but also has put constant strain on the military which is used to fighting limited campaigns lasting a few days, a week, or two. This is Israel's longest war. The army command proposed an alternative plan involving bombing and besieging Gaza City but not moving in and occupying the largest urban centre with a population of 660,000 plus tens of thousands of displaced people. Netanyahu is said to be giving Gaza City residents until October 7th, the second anniversary of the Hamas attack, to evacuate. This could also give him time to change his mind. Netanyahu is determined to defy Israel's traditional Western allies by prosecuting his war for as long as he likes. Unfortunately for him, his war has been waged not only in the air and on the ground of Gaza but also on the airwaves of the world via live coverage on satellite television channels. Wounded and starving Gazan children are pictured daily on television screens everywhere and anywhere, giving little respite from Israel's deadly devastation of Gaza. As a result, Israel has lost "victimhood," being seen as a victim of aggression, a precious public relations tool which has previously preserved Israel from criticism and condemnation. Tiny Gaza has become the globe's most attention-demanding theatre of war. This has stirred protests across the world and sharp criticism of Trump and other European leaders who have taken no action to end Netanyahu's war. Despite sensitivities over the World War II Holocaust which killed six million Jews, Germany has finally responded by halting deliveries of weapons currently in use in Gaza. Germany is the second largest provider of arms imports for Israel; the US is the first. Trump would not dare follow Berlin's example due to opposition by Israel, its US Israel lobby, and the military-industrial complex which benefits from weapons sales. Finally, Netanyahu seeks to postpone the reckoning which will come once the war ends. Many blame him for the failure of Israel's military and civil intelligence to act on reports of Hamas' preparations for war and pre-empt and prevent October 7th. These reports were sent to commanders by young women soldiers, known as "watchers," who were posted along the Israel-Gaza border. Their reports were not taken seriously by their male officers or commanders — perhaps because they were women. Furthermore, ground troops and pilots took their time to respond to Hamas' attack early that morning. Lives coulGazad have been saved and hostages rescued before entering Gaza if the Israeli army response had been prompt. While complaisance in the military was responsible for this failure, Netanyahu was also to blame as he has served as prime minister for nearly 30 years. During this time, he has overseen wars on Gaza in 2008-2009, 2021, and from 2022 until now. Netanyahu been investigated for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust and was in 2019 indicted by the Jerusalem District Court. While his trial began in May 2020 his testimony was repeatedly postponed by the war until July 2024, when the judges no longer accepted that he could not appear because he was too busy running the war. He faces fines and possible jail time if convicted. On June 26th of this year, Trump called for the immediate cancellation of Netanyahu's trial, but the court rejected Trump's illicit interference in Israel's judicial processes.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘They are fanatic': Thousands rally in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu's new Gaza plan
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv in Israel on Saturday night to oppose prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu 's plan to escalate the nearly two-year Gaza war , demanding an immediate end to the campaign and for the release of the hostages. A day earlier, the prime minister's office said the security cabinet, a small group of senior ministers, had decided to seize Gaza City , expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory despite widespread public opposition and warnings from the military the move could endanger the hostages. 'This isn't just a military decision. It could be a death sentence for the people we love most,' Lishay Miran Lavi, the wife of hostage Omri Miran told the rally, pleading to US president Donald Trump to intervene to immediately end the war. Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis favour an immediate end to the war to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza. Israeli officials believe about 20 hostages are still alive. READ MORE Photograph: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP The Israeli government has faced sharp criticism at home and abroad, including from some of its closest European allies, over the announcement that the military would expand the war. The full cabinet is expected to give its approval as soon as Sunday. Most of the hostages who have been freed so far emerged as a result of diplomatic negotiations. Talks toward a ceasefire that could have seen more hostages released collapsed in July. 'They (the government) are fanatic. They are doing things against the interests of the country,' said Rami Dar, 69-year-old retiree, who travelled from a nearby suburb outside of Tel Aviv, echoing calls for Trump to force a deal for the hostages. Tel Aviv has seen frequent rallies urging the government to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas , who ignited the war with their October 2023 attack. Saturday's demonstration attracted over 100,000 protesters, according to organisers. Photographer: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg 'Frankly, I'm not an expert or anything, but I feel that after two years of fighting there has been no success,' said Yana, (45), who attended the rally with her husband and two children. 'I wonder whether additional lives for both sides, not just the Israelis but also Gazans, will make any difference.' Around 1,200, mostly Israelis, were killed and 251 were taken into Gaza during Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023. More than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since then. Protesters waved Israeli flags and carried placards bearing the images of hostages. Others held signs directing anger at the government or urging Mr Trump to take action to stop Mr Netanyahu from moving forward with plans to escalate the war. A small number of protesters held images of Gazan children killed by the military. Israel's military has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians in the war, according to the Gazan health ministry, which said on Saturday that at least 39 had been killed in the past day. Palestinians at a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Saturday. Photograph: Saher Alghorra/The New York Times Some of the prime minister's far-right coalition allies have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza. The military has warned this could endanger the lives of the hostages in Gaza. Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, a proponent of continuing the war, issued a statement on Saturday criticising Mr Netanyahu and called for the annexation of large parts of Gaza. Mr Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview that aired on Thursday that the military intended to take control of all of Gaza but that Israel did not want to keep the territory. The announcement from the prime minister's office early on Friday said the military would take Gaza City, but did not explicitly say if Israeli forces would take all of the enclave. Tal, a 55-year-old high school teacher, told Reuters at the rally in Tel Aviv that expanding the war was 'terrible,' warning it would result in the deaths of both soldiers and hostages and insisting that the war should end with the military withdrawing. 'We don't have anything to do there. It's not ours.'- Reuters
