Latest news with #Israeli-occupied
Nahar Net
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
MP says Hezbollah has 'nothing to offer' before govt. honors 'commitments'
by Naharnet Newsdesk 31 May 2025, 11:41 Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah on Saturday said 'the stances we're hearing from some of the government components do not only contravene the Ministerial Statement, but are against it and its total opposite.' These stances 'evade the responsibilities that were pledged to the Lebanese people,' Fadlallah added. He noted that the first three clauses of the Ministerial Statement talk about post-war reconstruction, deterring Israel and taking steps to liberate Israeli-occupied Lebanese territory. 'But what have they done regarding these three clauses? Has the government implemented what it had committed itself to in the reconstruction file? There are five or six clauses that should be implemented before tackling the issue of defending Lebanon, which requires a national security strategy,' Fadlallah added, referring to the thorny issue of Hezbollah's arms. 'Let no one ask us to implement the Ministerial Statement in a reversed manner, in a way putting the cart before the horse. Implement your obligations first and then request things from us, because we no longer have anything to offer to anyone in any form, neither in south Lebanon, nor outside south Lebanon, nor in any region, because we have offered what we have and we've implemented what we had committed ourselves to on all levels,' the lawmaker went on to say. 'According to the constitutional and legal texts, the incumbent government is obliged to implement the stipulations of this Ministerial Statement, and we have no other words about anything else. When they implement these clauses we would talk about the other things,' Fadlallah added.
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Ben & Jerry's rips Israel for ‘genocide' in Gaza amid fight with parent company Unilever
Ben & Jerry's stoked controversy on Thursday after its independent board issued a statement labeling the conflict in Gaza a 'genocide' — placing renewed strain on its already tense relationship with parent company Unilever. 'We stand with all who raise their voices against genocide in Gaza—from petition-signers to street marchers to those risking arrest,' the left-leaning ice cream maker's board said in a statement that was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. 'When humanity is at stake, silence is not an option, now is the time to speak truth to power.' Advertisement 4 Ben & Jerry's stoked controversy after its independent board issued a statement labeling the conflict in Gaza a genocide. In Pictures via Getty Images The statement marks one of the most forceful corporate condemnations of Israel's conduct in Gaza since the conflict began, and could further deepen the divide between Ben & Jerry's progressive board and the more cautious multinational that owns it. Ben & Jerry's has long used its brand to champion progressive causes. In 2021, it stopped selling ice cream in Israeli-occupied territories, citing inconsistency with its values — a move that triggered backlash, shareholder divestment and legal disputes with parent company Unilever. Though the matter was settled in 2022, a new lawsuit alleges Unilever has again tried to silence the brand's support for Palestinian rights. Advertisement Unilever on Thursday quickly moved to distance itself from the board's remarks. 'The members of Ben & Jerry's social mission board do not speak for anyone other than themselves,' a Unilever spokesperson told the Journal on Thursday. 'We call for peace in the region and for relief for all those whose lives have been impacted.' Advertisement The response is the latest indication of a longstanding and fraught dynamic between the Vermont-based brand and its London-based owner. 4 An Israeli soldier stands on a tank as it is taking position in front of the northern Gaza Strip on March 18. Getty Images Last month, Unilever said it had no intention of selling Ben & Jerry's — despite a bid by the founders of the popular ice cream brand to buy back the company. Unilever also recently threatened to cut its $5 million annual funding to the Ben & Jerry's Foundation unless it agrees to a fast-tracked audit of its donations, escalating tensions over the brand's progressive activism. Advertisement In March, Ben & Jerry's accused its corporate owner of ousting the ice cream maker's chief executive over the brand's anti-Trump political activism. When Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry's in 2000, the deal included a unique arrangement: the company's independent board retained authority over the brand's social mission and marketing. That unusual structure has led to numerous public clashes in recent years, particularly over the Israel-Palestinian dispute. 4 A woman holding a baby cries as Palestinians check the site of an overnight Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip on Friday. AFP via Getty Images In legal filings, Unilever has criticized the board's 'decision to continue to embroil B&J's and Unilever in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one of the most divisive and polarizing topics of our time.' Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen made headlines earlier this month when he and other activists disrupted a Senate health committee hearing. As he was removed by security, Cohen shouted: 'Congress is paying to bomb poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US.' The latest statement comes amid renewed scrutiny of Unilever's ice cream division. Advertisement The company recently announced plans to spin off its ice cream business entirely in order to streamline operations and focusing on higher-growth areas. Analysts have noted that Ben & Jerry's activism — and the backlash it frequently generates — has added complications for the broader Unilever brand. 4 Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen was removed by Capitol Police on May 14, 2025, during a Senate Health Committee hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services budget. REUTERS Tensions between the two entities reached a boiling point in 2021 when Ben & Jerry's announced it would stop selling its products in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — citing inconsistency with its values. Advertisement That decision prompted legal and financial consequences for Unilever, which was accused of violating anti-boycott laws in several jurisdictions. The backlash led to lawsuits, sanctions and the withdrawal of hundreds of millions of dollars in Unilever stock, according to a March legal filing by the company. In response, Unilever sold its Ben & Jerry's business in Israel to a local distributor — an effort to ensure continued sales across Israel and the West Bank. Advertisement Ben & Jerry's then sued its parent company, alleging that the sale breached the terms of the acquisition agreement and undermined the board's control over social impact decisions. The Post has sought comment from Ben & Jerry's and Unilever.
Egypt Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Egypt condemns Israel's decision to establish 22 settlements in West Bank
A Palestinian woman reacts in front of Israeli forces as Israeli machineries demolish a house, near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 25, 2020. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma CAIRO – 30 May 2025: Egypt has issued a strong condemnation of the Israeli occupation's decision to establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. This move is seen by Cairo as a grave violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, further undermining the prospects for a just and lasting peace. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this decision represents a significant escalation and a blatant disregard for international legitimacy. It warned that such actions exacerbate tensions, fuel further violence, and undermine efforts to achieve a two-state solution, which Egypt firmly believes is the only viable path to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Egypt reiterated its unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish an independent and sovereign state on their national soil, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Cairo called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to take immediate and decisive action to halt Israel's settlement expansion policies and to ensure the implementation of international resolutions aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace. The statement emphasized that the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and constitute a major obstacle to any meaningful peace negotiations. Egypt called for an immediate cessation of all settlement activities and urged a return to direct negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a final and comprehensive settlement based on internationally recognized parameters.
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Unilever's Ben & Jerry's calls war in Gaza a ‘genocide'
The independent board of Ben & Jerry's said the conflict in Gaza is a genocide, escalating a bitter feud between the ice cream maker and its longtime London-based corporate parent Unilever. 'Ben & Jerry's believes in human rights and advocates for peace, and we join with those around the world who denounce the genocide in Gaza,' the board said in a statement viewed by Reuters. 'We stand with all who raise their voices against genocide in Gaza, from petition-signers to street marchers to those risking arrest.' Unilever and Ben & Jerry's have been at odds since at least 2021 when the Chubby Hubby ice cream maker said it would stop selling in Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry's sued its owner last year over its alleged attempts to silence it on Gaza and criticise US President Donald Trump. Its statement on Gaza is unusual for a major US brand. A Unilever spokesperson said the comments reflect the views of the independent social mission board of Ben & Jerry's, and they do not speak for anyone other than themselves. 'We call for peace in the region and for relief for all those whose lives have been impacted,' the spokesperson said. Unilever asked a US judge to dismiss Ben & Jerry's lawsuit. The company is also in the process of separating out its ice cream business, including Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's, to an independent company this summer. Ben & Jerry's has said its year 2000 merger agreement with Unilever gave its independent board 'primary responsibility' to pursue the company's social mission. The crux of the dispute between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever is how much leeway the board has.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Israel unveils plans to create 22 new settlements in West Bank
Israel has already built well over 100 settlements across the territory that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small hilltop outposts to fully developed communities with apartment blocks, shopping malls, factories and public parks read more Maale Adumim is a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where over 400,000 Israelis live alongside 2.6 million Palestinians. (Photo: Reuters) Israel said on Thursday it would establish 22 Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the legalization of outposts already built without government authorization. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war and the Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to resolving the decades-old conflict. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the settlement decision 'strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria,' using the biblical term for the West Bank, 'anchors our historical right in the Land of Israel, and constitutes a crushing response to Palestinian terrorism.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added it was also 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.' Jewish settlements in occupied West Bank Israel has already built well over 100 settlements across the territory that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small hilltop outposts to fully developed communities with apartment blocks, shopping malls, factories and public parks. The West Bank is home to 3 million Palestinians, who live under Israeli military rule with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers. The settlers have Israeli citizenship. Israel has accelerated settlement construction in recent years — long before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in Gaza — confining Palestinians to smaller and smaller areas of the West Bank and making the prospect of establishing a viable, independent state even more remote. U.S. support to Israel During his first term, President Donald Trump's administration broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy by supporting Israel's claims to territory seized by force and taking steps to legitimize the settlements. Former President Joe Biden, like most of his predecessors, opposed the settlements but applied little pressure to Israel to curb their growth. The top United Nations court ruled last year that Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called on it to end, and for settlement construction to stop immediately. Israel denounced the non-binding opinion by a 15-judge panel of the International Court of Justice, saying the territories are part of the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Israel withdrew its settlements from the Gaza Strip in 2005, but leading figures in the current government have called for them to be re-established and for much of the Palestinian population of the territory to be resettled elsewhere through what they describe as voluntary emigration. Palestinians view such plans as a blueprint for their forcible expulsion from their homeland, and experts say the plans would likely violate international law. Israel now controls more than 70% of Gaza, according to Yaakov Garb, a professor of environmental studies at Ben Gurion University, who has examined Israeli-Palestinian land use patterns for decades. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The area includes buffer zones along the border with Israel as well as the southern city of Rafah, which is now mostly uninhabited, and other large areas that Israel has ordered to be evacuated. The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, in which militants stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas still holds 58 hostages, around a third of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.
