Latest news with #IsraeliPrimeMinister
The National
27-05-2025
- General
- The National
Netanyahu appears in controversial tunnel network under East Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister spoke from a tunnel that runs near Al Aqsa Mosque compound and under a heavily Palestinian neighbourhood
The National
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Netanyahu appears in controversial tunnel network under Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister spoke from a tunnel that runs near Al Aqsa Mosque, as he spoke of attempts to free hostages
The National
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Netanyahu appears in tunnel under revered Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister sparks criticism by visiting tunnels controversially dug under the place of worship, as he spoke of attempts to free hostages
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Hungarian lawmakers approve bill to quit ICC
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the ICC was 'a political court'. (EPA Images pic) BUDAPEST : Hungary's parliament approved a bill on Tuesday that will start the country's year-long withdrawal process from the International Criminal Court, which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government said has become 'political'. Orban's government announced the move on April 3, shortly after Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit in a rare trip abroad, in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. The ICC's Presidency of the Assembly of State Parties expressed concern at the move. The ICC was set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Orban said last month the ICC was 'no longer an impartial court, a rule-of-law court, but rather a political court.' Hungary has rejected the idea of arresting the Israeli prime minister and has called the warrant 'brazen'. Hungary is a founding member of the ICC and ratified its founding document in 2001. However, the law has not been promulgated. The bill to withdraw from the ICC passed on Tuesday with 134 members voting in favour and 37 against. 'Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organisations – in particular criminal courts – as instruments of political influence,' the bill, submitted by deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjen, said on parliament's website. Netanyahu called Hungary's decision to leave the ICC a 'bold and principled decision'. The Israeli prime minister faces an ICC arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza as Israel expands its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu has denied the allegations. A country's withdrawal from the ICC comes into effect one year after the United Nations secretary-general receives a written notification of the decision.
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Israel calls on Qatar to ‘stop playing both sides' in Gaza talks
People protest in Tel Aviv, demanding an end to the war and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. (AP pic) CAIRO : Israel called on Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, to 'stop playing both sides with its double talk and decide if it's on the side of civilisation or if it's on the side of Hamas', the Israeli prime minister's office said on Saturday. Qatar rejected the statements as 'inflammatory'. Despite efforts by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to restore a ceasefire, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Israel, which wants the return of 59 hostages still held in Gaza, has insisted Hamas must disarm and be excluded from any role in the future governance of the enclave, a condition that Hamas rejects. It has insisted on agreeing a lasting end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces as a condition for a deal that would see a release of the hostages. 'The state of Qatar firmly rejects the inflammatory statements issued by the Israeli prime minister's office, which fall far short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility,' Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari posted on X early on Sunday. Al-Ansari criticised the portrayal of the Gaza conflict as a defence of civilisation, likening it to historical regimes that used 'false narratives to justify crimes against civilians.' In his post, Al-Ansari questioned whether the release of 138 hostages was achieved through military operations or mediation efforts, which he said are being unjustly criticised and undermined. He also cited the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza represented by what he called a suffocating blockade, systematic starvation, denial of medicine and shelter, and the use of humanitarian aid as a tool of political coercion. On Friday, Israel's security cabinet approved plans for an expanded operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported on Friday, adding to signs that attempts to stop the fighting and return hostages held by Hamas have made no progress. Israel's campaign was triggered by the devastating Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw 251 taken hostage. It has so far killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and devastated Gaza where aid groups have warned the Israeli blockade risks a humanitarian disaster.
