Latest news with #BritishMandate
The Guardian
30-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
An affecting account of four years in Israel and Palestine
I was so moved by Bethan McKernan's article on her time as the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent over the last four years ('I worried I might start finding it normal. But I never did' – what I learned as the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent, 29 May). Her experience of feeling a 'maddening cognitive dissonance' in Tel Aviv/Jaffa from seeing people 'out and about, doing pilates, walking their dogs, as if everything was fine – when just 50km down the road, on the same stretch of the Med, was an open-air prison' is exactly how I felt when I first visited Jerusalem in 2018 after spending time in the West Bank. I had decided to take my young family there to show them where my Palestinian father grew up under the British Mandate and see if we could find the home he'd lost in 1948. But I was also keen to ensure my children had a balanced view and understood the whole story, educating them about what the Jewish people had been through. I had come from Jordan via Bethlehem and Ramallah and been so touched by the generosity of the Palestinians I met who, despite living under very difficult conditions, were such wonderful hosts, inviting my family in to chat and share delicious home-cooked food. But arriving in lush Jerusalem from the barren West Bank, where Palestinians are treated like cattle, penned in by the wall and multiple checkpoints, was a striking contrast. After walking a few steps through the centre of Jerusalem with its gleaming shops, surrounded by people ostensibly living their best life, I broke down and cried at the injustice of it all. Growing up in London, people would sometimes tell me they were going on holiday to Israel. 'Have you been?' they would ask. 'It's wonderful.' They didn't know my background, but I was left shocked that they only saw one side of it. What I loved about Bethan's article is that over the last four years she has immersed herself in life there and deeply felt the positions of both Israelis and Palestinians. If we are going to make progress and reach a fair outcome, we have to put ourselves in each other's shoes and deeply understand each other's LucasLondon Jonathan Freedland describes Hamas's actions on 7 October 2023 as 'slaughter', while Israel's bombardment of Gaza ever since is just 'killing' Palestinians (A biblical hatred is engulfing both sides in the Gaza conflict – and blinding them to reason, 23 May). The difference in outrage portrayed in these words reflects the lack of equivalence between the life of an Israeli and that of a Palestinian which has been at the heart of the conflict since the MatthewsLondon Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
New Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
UK suspends trade talks with Israel over new Gaza offensive
LONDON: Britain on Tuesday paused free trade talks with Israel, summoned its ambassador, and announced further sanctions against West Bank settlers as its foreign minister condemned a "monstrous" military escalation in Gaza. The Israeli military announced the start of a new operation last week and medics in Gaza say Israeli strikes have killed more than 500 people in the past eight days. Israel has also blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March, prompting international experts to warn of looming famine, although some trucks were allowed to enter on Monday. Foreign minister David Lammy said the offensive was "a dark new phase in this conflict", called for Israel to end the blockade of aid and condemned comments by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich on the possible cleansing and destruction of Gaza and relocation of its residents to third countries. "It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms," a visibly angry Lammy told lawmakers, adding the operation in Gaza was "incompatible with the principles that underpin our bilateral relationship." "Today, I'm announcing that we have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement." Israel said Britain had not advanced the trade talks, which started formally in 2022 under a previous Conservative British government, for some time. "The British Mandate ended exactly 77 years ago," a spokesperson for its foreign ministry said. "External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction." Britain has said it is committed to Israel's security and argues it has a right to self-defence following the deadly attack on Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas. However, Lammy said the new offensive would not secure the release of remaining hostages and that January's ceasefire had shown the better path that Israel should follow. Earlier Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "horrified by the escalation" after issuing a joint statement with France and Canada. Lammy said Britain would take further action if Israel pursued its military offensive. Netanyahu has said his country is engaged in a "war of civilization over barbarism" and vowed it would "continue to defend itself by just means until total victory." Israel's ground and air war has devastated Gaza, displacing nearly its entire population and killing more than 53,000, according to Gaza health authorities. Britain suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licences with Israel last year over the risk that equipment could be used in serious violations on international humanitarian law. Britain on Tuesday also sanctioned a number of individuals and groups in the West Bank who it said had been linked with acts of violence against Palestinians, building on sanctions on a number of settlers and settler organisations imposed in 2024. Most countries deem Jewish settlements built on land Israel occupied in a 1967 Middle East war as illegal, and their expansion has for decades been among the most contentious issues. —AFP
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Broaden the rates base and fresh new takes on the state of Israel
Time to broaden the municipal rates base The DA in eThekwini has formally called for a report from the Municipality's Legal and Compliance Unit to the Finance Committee on the status of the High Court application concerning the levying of rates on land owned by the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB). This request was made during the meeting of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (Mpac) on May 6, 2025. At a prior Mpac meeting on March 13, 2025, when the issue of outstanding rates claimed from the ITB was raised, it was revealed that the ITB had taken the view that responsibility for the rates should fall either on the Traditional Councils occupying the land or the Department of Land Affairs. The Department had, in other municipalities, paid rates on such land and was thus expected to do the same in eThekwini. It was also reported that the Municipality had approached the High Court to obtain a declaratory order to determine which of these parties, the ITB, the Department of Land Affairs, or the Traditional Councils, should be liable for these rates. The DA has now requested that the Legal and Compliance Unit submit a full report to the Finance Committee, detailing the positions and arguments of all parties involved in the litigation. It is critical to note that eThekwini Municipality currently bears the costs of infrastructure development and maintenance in these areas, this includes roads, water networks, and electricity supply, despite receiving no rates revenue from the ITB properties that benefit from these services. The DA remains concerned that the Municipality's rates base is not broad enough to support the equitable delivery of services across the metro. A large proportion of the municipality consists of rural and peri-urban areas, which places strain on municipal resources. More than five years ago, the Municipality resolved to introduce a flat monthly rate of R100 on properties in these rural and peri-urban zones. However, the implementation of this decision has continually stalled due to administrative and logistical difficulties. In the interests of transparency and fairness to the ratepayers who do contribute to the municipal fiscus, the DA calls on the Municipality to clarify its position and demonstrate genuine intent to integrate ITB land into the formal rates base. | Councillor Warren Burne DA eThekwini Councillor Let's be clear about Israel conflict Israel's borders were defined in 1920 at San Remo, when the British Mandate for Palestine was created as the reconstituted homeland of the Jews. In 1922, the League of Nations ratified the San Remo accords. In 1923, Britain severed 78% of the mandate to create Transjordan. In 1945, article 80 of the UN charter solidified that what was promised the Jews could not be over-ridden. The 1947 UN partition plan (resolution 181) was a recommendation to split the mandate between Jews and Arabs. The Zionists agreed, but the Arabs, under the leadership of Nazi War criminal, Haj Amin al-Husseini, refused and launched a war to 'drive the Jews into the sea'. Five Arab armies joined in. They failed. Their humiliation was a 'Nakba' – a catastrophe. The advancing armies had demanded the Arab residents leave so they could blast the Jews away. The leaders promised they would soon return and take over. The armies spread the story of a Jewish massacre at Deir Yassin, which never happened, but it struck terror into the population and 700 000 residents fled into neighbouring countries. Islamists have turned history on its head. They claim the Zionists forced out the 700 000 Arabs, precipitating the war, when in truth, it was the war that created the refugee migration. Fighting lasted from 1947 to 1949, ending with an armistice. Jordan and Egypt illegally occupied Judea, Samaria and Gaza. 30 000 Jews were killed or forced out of these areas, their synagogues destroyed and their properties turned over to Arab squatters. Israel recaptured the area in 1967 and offered to make peace, but Arab leaders in Khartoum vowed 'no peace, no negotiations and no recognition of Israel'. | Len Bennett Ottawa, Canada We have all been missing the point The war in Gaza has been polarising. We've seen it on Piers Morgan's show, on Al Jazeera, SABC and CNN, to name but a few. I have come to the conclusion that all this bickering about who is right and who is wrong has less to do with land and more to do with who the true Israel really is. As a Christian, I always believed that Israel was a chosen nation of people meant to reflect God to the world and to have dominion over the earth, but it h as taken until now for me to take the time to reflect, and ask myself who the people of Israel really are. We all have these assumptions of who God's chosen people are, yet we never question what the purpose was of God creating man, and woman in His likeness? Was it to see who would over-power who over a piece of land? I don't think so. Think a bit deeper! Then there's the issue of what it means to be a Jew, or a Gentile. In the Old Testament, the Jews were the ones who, by birthright, automatically qualified as God's people, yet their hearts were filled with bitterness, like a stone. They lacked having a true relationship with God and got caught up in activities, much like some religions today require of their followers. Thus, the birth and the life of Jesus, the Messiah – God's one and only Son, brought about a massive change. Some would call it 'going against the grain', but He had truly flipped the script, which He did by performing miracles, challenging the so-called Biblical experts, the Pharisees and Saducees, by answering their most difficult questions, with His own questions. This caused a huge rift among the people of the time, and even today, we have Jews living in Israel who still hold onto the idea of an Almighty God, yet, do not believe, like many today, that Jesus is the Messiah. They still believe in old Testament rituals and earning their way to the Father, through works. While we argue about Israel 'stealing' land in Gaza and committing 'genocide', have we ever asked if Israel was really only established in 1948, or have they always been God's chosen people? The answer is that it is not the people who physically live in Israel, but all those who believe in God the Father and have acknowledged the Son, Jesus Christ, as Saviour. We are fixating on a people who occupy land in the Middle East, while God has been trying to teach us that only through a relationship with Him we can be saved. The Israel that we read about in the Word of God is not modern-day Israel, but those who believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. | L Oosthuizen Durban
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel fires back at UK over suspended trade talks, rejects ‘external pressure'
Israel's Foreign Ministry issued a fiery statement after the U.K. suspended free trade talks over Jerusalem's handling of the war in Gaza. The U.K. simultaneously imposed new sanctions on the West Bank as it condemned the "persistent cycle of serious violence undertaken by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank." The ministry claimed that talks for a new U.K.-Israel free trade agreement were already at a standstill before London's announcement on Tuesday. Additionally, it accused the U.K. of harming its own citizens due to its "anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations." "Even prior to today's announcement, the free trade agreement negotiations were not being advanced at all by the current UK government," Israel's Foreign Ministry wrote. "More than that, the agreement would serve the mutual benefit of both countries. If, due to anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations, the British government is willing to harm the British economy – that is its own prerogative." Israel also slammed the additional sanctions on the West Bank in light of the recent death of Tzeela Gez, an Israeli woman who was shot and killed in a terror attack while she was en route to the hospital to give birth. The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted that doctors are still "fighting for her newborn's life." Israeli Ambassador Lashes Out At Un Official, Condemns Uk, France, Canada Statement On Aid The ministry dismissed the U.K.'s threats toward the end of the post, saying, "[T]he British Mandate ended exactly 77 years ago. External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction." Read On The Fox News App Hamas Captivity Survivors Appeal To Netanyahu, Trump After Edan Alexander's Release U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy announced the suspension of trade talks as he addressed British lawmakers, saying Israel's latest offensive in Gaza, Operation Gideon's Chariot, marked a "dark new phase in this conflict." In his announcement, Lammy said "the Netanyahu government's actions have made this necessary." Lammy reiterated U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's demand that Israel allow aid to flow into the Gaza Strip. In a joint statement from the U.K., France and Canada, the countries urged Israel to work with the United Nations to "ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles." "If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response," the statement read. Israel stopped the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip 11 weeks ago, but has resumed allowing limited aid. Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told Fox News that the NGOs that are being allowed to distribute aid have ensured that Hamas has not infiltrated their ranks or taken aid meant for civilians. Israeli Foreign Minister Slams Un, Calls It 'Rotten, Anti-israel, And Antisemitic Body' While aid is being allowed to enter Gaza, Israel has faced backlash over the stringent restrictions, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot saying it was "insufficient." Tom Fletcher, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator who recently accused Israel of committing genocide, described the aid as "a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed" and called for "significantly more aid" to Gaza. "We have been reassured that our work will be facilitated through existing, proven mechanisms. I am grateful for that reassurance, and Israel's agreement to humanitarian notification measures that reduce the immense security threats of the operation. I am determined that our aid reach those in greatest need, and that the risk of theft by Hamas or other armed groups is minimized," Fletcher said in a statement. Efrat Lachter contributed to this article source: Israel fires back at UK over suspended trade talks, rejects 'external pressure'
See - Sada Elbalad
20-05-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
UK Freezes Trade Talks with Israel Over Gaza Offensive
By Ahmad El-Assasy The United Kingdom has suspended free trade negotiations with Israel and summoned Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely in protest over the latest Israeli military escalation in Gaza. The announcement on Tuesday also included new sanctions targeting West Bank settlers involved in violence against Palestinians. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza, calling it a 'new and dark phase in the conflict.' Over 500 people have been killed in the past eight days alone, according to local medics, as Israel launches a new ground and air campaign in the densely populated enclave. UK Slams Israeli Remarks and Imposes New Sanctions Lammy also strongly criticised recent comments by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for Gaza to be 'cleansed,' destroyed, and for its population to be relocated to third countries. Speaking in Parliament, Lammy labelled the remarks 'disgusting extremism' and a 'barbaric act.' In response, the UK government has paused trade deal negotiations with Israel and imposed sanctions on individuals and entities in the West Bank linked to settler violence. This move follows similar sanctions introduced last year. Deepening Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Israel has barred the entry of medical supplies, food, and fuel into Gaza since March, prompting warnings from international experts of an impending famine. On Monday, a limited number of aid trucks were permitted entry. Palestinian health officials report that Israel's offensive has devastated the territory, killing over 53,000 people and displacing nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents. Mixed Reactions from the UK and Israel While the UK maintains its support for Israel's security and right to self-defence following Hamas' attack on 7 October 2023, Lammy argued that the latest military actions are not the path to securing the release of hostages. He pointed to the temporary ceasefire in January as a more effective approach. In a joint statement with France and Canada, Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed deep concern over the escalation. Lammy added that further measures may be taken if Israel continues its offensive. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded defiantly, saying, 'The British Mandate ended 77 years ago,' and affirmed that Israel would not be swayed by foreign pressure when it comes to its national defence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is engaged in a "war of civilisation against barbarism" and vowed to continue the campaign until 'complete victory' is achieved. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies
