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Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US Senate rejects bids to block arms sales to Israel over Gaza
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A view of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 29, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/ File Photo WASHINGTON - Two resolutions that would have blocked arms sales to Israel in response to civilian casualties in Gaza were blocked in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, although they garnered more support than similar measures earlier this year. The two resolutions were introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent aligned with Democrats. They failed by 73 to 24 and 70 to 27 in the 100-member chamber in voting late on Wednesday night. Similar measures, also introduced by Sanders, failed by 82-15 and 83-15 in April. A decades-long tradition of strong bipartisan support for Israel in the U.S. Congress means resolutions to stop weapons sales are unlikely to pass, but backers hope raising the issue will encourage Israel's government and the U.S. administration to do more to protect civilians. All of the votes for the resolutions came from Democrats, with all of President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans opposed. Sanders said in a statement he was pleased that a majority of the Democratic caucus had backed the effort. "The tide is turning. The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza," Sanders said. "The Democrats are moving forward on this issue, and I look forward to Republican support in the near future." Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was one of the Democrats who opposed the Sanders-backed resolutions in April but voted for them this time. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia US-Malaysia tariff deal expected after Trump-Anwar phone call on eve of Aug 1 deadline Asia Trump says US will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports under new deal Singapore Driver in 2024 Tampines crash that killed 2 set to plead guilty in October Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge Singapore Wegovy and beyond: Will weight-loss drugs change the way people look at obesity? Singapore $10 million Toto results to be announced on July 31, after no winners in last 3 draws Business US Fed holds rates steady despite Trump's pressure, with two governors dissenting Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made Shaheen said in a statement that Israel has a right to defend its citizens, but added: "it is clear that the Government of Israel has not conducted its military operations in Gaza with the necessary care required by international humanitarian law. It is also clear that the Government of Israel has failed to allow adequate humanitarian assistance into Gaza, resulting in unbelievable suffering." The resolutions would have blocked the sale of $675 million in bombs and shipments of 20,000 assault rifles. Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a speech opposing the resolutions that the militant group Hamas was to blame for the situation in Gaza. "It is in the interest of America and the world to see this terrorist group destroyed," he said. Israel has consistently said its actions in Gaza are justified as self-defence and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields, a charge Hamas denies. The U.S. Senate vote came as France and Canada have indicated they plan to recognize a Palestinian state amid growing international outrage over the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Britain has also said it would recognize the state at September's U.N. General Assembly meeting if the fighting in Gaza had not stopped by then. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, destroyed much of the enclave and led to widespread hunger. A global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in the enclave. The war began after Gaza's dominant Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Israel's subsequent air and ground campaign has leveled entire neighbourhoods in Gaza and displaced most of the population of 2.3 million. Israel says its operations are aimed at dismantling Hamas' military capabilities and securing the release of hostages. REUTERS
The Wire
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Amid Mass Starvation in Gaza, 109 NGOs Issue Urgent Plea to Allow in Aid
'The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death.' Palestinians hold onto an aid truck returning to Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Photo: AP/PTI. Two months since Israel took the reins of reaching aid to Gaza – a territory that the same government has been relentlessly attacking – more than 100 aid agencies, including Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières, have released a joint statement urging for aid to be allowed into the territory under siege. "The starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime," the letter says. The full text and the signatories are below. § As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families. With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes. Exactly two months since the Israeli government-controlled scheme, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, began operating, 109 organisations are sounding the alarm, urging governments to act: open all land crossings; restore the full flow of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items, and fuel through a principled, UN-led mechanism; end the siege, and agree to a ceasefire now. 'Each morning, the same question echoes across Gaza: will I eat today?' said one agency representative. Massacres at food distribution sites in Gaza are occurring near-daily. As of July 13, the UN confirmed 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food, 201 on aid routes and the rest at distribution points. Thousands more have been injured. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have forcibly displaced nearly two million exhausted Palestinians with the most recent mass displacement order issued on July 20, confining Palestinians to less than 12 per cent of Gaza. WFP warns that current conditions make operations untenable. The starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime. Just outside Gaza, in warehouses - and even within Gaza itself - tons of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sit untouched with humanitarian organisations blocked from accessing or delivering them. The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death. An aid worker providing psychosocial support spoke of the devastating impact on children: 'Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.' Doctors report record rates of acute malnutrition, especially among children and older people. Illnesses like acute watery diarrhoea are spreading, markets are empty, waste is piling up, and adults are collapsing on the streets from hunger and dehydration. Distributions in Gaza average just 28 trucks a day, far from enough for over two million people, many of whom have gone weeks without assistance. The UN-led humanitarian system has not failed, it has been prevented from agencies have the capacity and supplies to respond at scale. But, with access denied, we are blocked from reaching those in need, including our own exhausted and starved teams. On July 10, the EU and Israel announced steps to scale up aid. But these promises of 'progress' ring hollow when there is no real change on the ground. Every day without a sustained flow means more people dying of preventable illnesses. Children starve while waiting for promises that never arrive. Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions. It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage. The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access. Governments must stop waiting for permission to act. We cannot continue to hope that current arrangements will work. It is time to take decisive action: demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire; lift all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions; open all land crossings; ensure access to everyone in all of Gaza; reject military-controlled distribution models; restore a principled, UN-led humanitarian response and continue to fund principled and impartial humanitarian organisations. States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition. Piecemeal arrangements and symbolic gestures, like airdrops or flawed aid deals, serve as a smokescreen for inaction. They cannot replace states' legal and moral obligations to protect Palestinian civilians and ensure meaningful access at scale. States can and must save lives before there are none left to save. Signatories: 1. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) 2. A.M. Qattan Foundation 3. A New Policy 4. ACT Alliance 5. Action Against Hunger (ACF) 6. Action for Humanity 7. ActionAid International 8. American Baptist Churches Palestine Justice Network 9. Amnesty International 10. Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz 11. Associazione Cooperazione e Solidarietà (ACS) 12. Bystanders No More 13. Campain 14. CARE 15. Caritas Germany 16. Caritas Internationalis 17. Caritas Jerusalem 18. Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) 19. Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) 20. CESVI Fondazione 21. Children Not Numbers 22. Christian Aid 23. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) 24. CIDSE- International Family of Catholic Social Justice Organisations 25. Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud (CISS) 26. Council for Arab‐British Understanding (CAABU) 27. DanChurchAid (DCA) 28. Danish Refugee Council (DRC) 29. Doctors against Genocide 30. Episcopal Peace Fellowship 31. EuroMed Rights 32. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) 33. Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e.V. 34. Gender Action for Peace and Security 35. Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) 36. Global Witness 37. Health Workers 4 Palestine 38. HelpAge International 39. Humanity & Inclusion (HI) 40. Humanity First UK 41. Indiana Center for Middle East Peace 42. Insight Insecurity 43. International Media Support 44. International NGO Safety Organisation 45. Islamic Relief 46. Jahalin Solidarity 47. Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC) 48. Kenya Association of Muslim Medical Professionals (KAMMP) 49. Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation 50. MedGlobal 51. Medico International 52. Medico International Switzerland (medico international schweiz) 53. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) 54. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) 55. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 56. Médecins du Monde France 57. Médecins du Monde Spain 58. Médecins du Monde Switzerland 59. Mercy Corps 60. Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) 61. Movement for Peace (MPDL) 62. Muslim Aid 63. National Justice and Peace Network in England and Wales 64. Nonviolence International 65. Norwegian Aid Committee (NORWAC) 66. Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) 67. Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) 68. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) 69. Oxfam International 70. Pax Christi England and Wales 71. Pax Christi International 72. Pax Christi Merseyside 73. Pax Christi USA 74. Pal Law Commission 75. Palestinian American Medical Association 76. Palestinian Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) 77. Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) 78. Peace Direct 79. Peace Winds 80. Pediatricians for Palestine 81. People in Need 82. Plan International 83. Première Urgence Internationale (PUI) 84. Progettomondo 85. Project HOPE 86. Quaker Palestine Israel Network 87. Rebuilding Alliance 88. Saferworld 89. Sabeel‐Kairos UK 90. Save the Children (SCI) 91. Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund 92. Solidarités International 93. Støtteforeningen Det Danske Hus i Palæstina 94. Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) 95. Terre des Hommes Italia 96. Terre des Hommes Lausanne 97. Terre des Hommes Nederland 98. The Borgen Project 99. The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) 100. The Glia Project 101. The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P) 102. The Institute for the Understanding of Anti‐Palestinian Racism 103. Un Ponte Per (UPP) 104. United Against Inhumanity (UAI) 105. War Child Alliance 106. War Child UK 107. War on Want 108. Weltfriedensdienst e.V. 109. Welthungerhilfe (WHH) The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Middle East Eye
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Family seeks US probe after Palestinian-American killed in West Bank
A 20-year-old Palestinian-American man has been killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, his family said on Saturday, demanding that Washington launch a probe into his death. Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was beaten to death on Friday in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said. Musalat's family said his death was "an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face." "We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice." The US State Department on Saturday confirmed to AFP that an American citizen had died in the West Bank and offered its "sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones on their loss". The department "has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas," a spokesperson said, referring "questions on any investigation to the Government of Israel."
New Straits Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
US-Palestinian man beaten to death by Israeli settlers in West Bank, family demands justice
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: A US-Palestinian man has been killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, his family said on Saturday, demanding that Washington launch a probe into his death. Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was beaten to death on Friday in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said. Musalat, born and based in Florida, travelled to the West Bank last month to spend time with relatives, his family said in a statement issued by lawyer Diana Halum following the deadly attack. The Palestinian health ministry said a second man, Mohammed Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot during the attack and "left to bleed for hours." Israel's military said violence flared after Palestinians threw rocks at a group of Israelis, lightly injuring two, the latest in a spate of clashes involving settlers in the West Bank. Musalat's family said they were "devastated" at his death, describing the 20-year-old as a "kind, hard-working and deeply respected" man who was deeply connected to his Palestinian heritage. They said he was "protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it." According to the family's statement, settlers blocked an ambulance and paramedics from reaching Musalat as he lay injured, and he died before making it to hospital. His death was "an unimaginable nightmare and in justice that no family should ever have to face", they added. "We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice." The US State Department on Saturday confirmed to AFP that an American citizen had died in the West Bank and offered its "sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones on their loss." The department "has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas," a spokesperson said, referring "questions on any investigation to the Government of Israel." Rights groups have denounced a rise in violence committed by settlers in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The United Nations has said that such attacks against Palestinians are taking place in a climate of "impunity." Last week, AFP journalists witnessed clashes between dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians in Sinjil, where a march against settler attacks on nearby farmland had been due to take place. Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the West Bank from north to south. Violence in the territory has surged since the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas triggered war in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank have killed at least 955 Palestinians – many of them fighters, but also scores of civilians – according to Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 36 Israelis, including both troops and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to Israeli official figures.--AFP
RTÉ News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Calls for probe after Israeli settlers kill American in West Bank
A US-Palestinian man has been killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, his family has said, demanding that Washington launch an investigation into his death. Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was beaten to death by Israeli settlers yesterday in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said. Mr Musalat, born and based in Florida, travelled to the West Bank last month to spend time with relatives, his family said in a statement issued by lawyer Diana Halum following the deadly attack. The Palestinian health ministry said a second man, Mohammed Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot during the attack by Israeli settlers and "left to bleed for hours". Israel's military claimed violence flared after Palestinians threw rocks at a group of Israeli settlers, the latest in a spate of clashes involving settlers in the West Bank. Mr Musalat's family said they were "devastated" at his death, describing the 20-year-old as a "kind, hard-working and deeply respected" man who was deeply connected to his Palestinian heritage. They said he was "protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it". Israeli settlers blocked an ambulance and paramedics from reaching Mr Musalat as he lay injured, and he died before making it to hospital, according to the family's statement. His death was "an unimaginable nightmare and in justice that no family should ever have to face", they added. "We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice." The US State Department confirmed to AFP that an American citizen had died in the West Bank and offered its "sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones on their loss". The department "has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas," a spokesperson claimed, referring "questions on any investigation to the Government of Israel." Rights groups have denounced a rise in violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The United Nations has said that such attacks against Palestinians are taking place in a climate of "impunity". Last week, AFP journalists witnessed clashes between dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinian people in Sinjil, where a march against settler attacks on nearby farmland had been due to take place. Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the West Bank from north to south. Violence in the territory has surged since the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas triggered Israel's war in Gaza. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 955 Palestinian people, according to Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 36 Israelis, including both troops and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to Israeli official figures.
