Latest news with #IsraeliSecurity
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starmer faces call to ‘sit this one out' on Gaza amid US-UK ‘disagreement'
Sir Keir Starmer has faced a call to 'sit this one out' on Gaza, after the Prime Minister warned the Israeli government against pursuing its plan to take control of Gaza City. Washington's ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also suggested that Sir Keir would have lost Britain the Second World War, had he been in No 10 at the time. Earlier on Friday, US vice president JD Vance described a 'disagreement' about how the US and UK could achieve their 'common objectives' in the Middle East, and said Donald Trump's administration had 'no plans to recognise a Palestinian state'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has unveiled new principles for military action which include 'the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip', 'Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip' and 'the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'. The Israel Defence Forces 'will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones'. After Sir Keir described the decision as being 'wrong' and called for a 'surge in humanitarian aid', Mr Huckabee wrote: 'So Israel is expected to surrender to Hamas and feed them even though Israeli hostages are being starved? 'Did UK surrender to Nazis and drop food to them? Ever heard of Dresden, PM Starmer? 'That wasn't food you dropped. If you had been PM then UK would be speaking German.' In a follow-up post, the ambassador suggested Sir Keir 'ought to sit this one out'. In a statement, Sir Keir had said: 'The Israeli government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. 'This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed. 'Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. 'What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. 'Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm. 'Together with our allies, we are working on a long-term plan to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a brighter future for Palestinians and Israelis. 'But without both sides engaging in good faith negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our eyes.' Sir Keir has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the war in Gaza. These include taking 'substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza', 'agreeing to a ceasefire, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank'. At Foreign Secretary David Lammy's grace-and-favour retreat in Kent, Mr Vance said the UK 'is going to make its decision' on Palestinian recognition. 'We have no plans to recognise a Palestinian state,' he said. 'I don't know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state given the lack of functional government there.' Mr Vance added: 'There's a lot of common objectives here. There is some, I think, disagreement about how exactly to accomplish those common objectives, but look, it's a tough situation.'
New York Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Israel Approves Gaza City Takeover, and Trump to Deploy Federal Agents in D.C.
Hosted by Tracy Mumford Produced by Will Jarvis and Ian Stewart Edited by Ian StewartJessica Metzger and Tracy Mumford Featuring Tejal Rao Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plan to Take Control of Gaza City, by Adam Rasgon, Natan Odenheimer, Ronen Bergman and Isabel Kershner Trump Orders Surge of Law Enforcement in Washington, D.C., by Chris Cameron As Trump Administration Plans to Burn Contraceptives, Europeans Are Alarmed, by Jeanna Smialek and Stephanie Nolen How One Company Maintained a Monopoly on U.S. Fire Retardant, by Chris Hamby What Can MLB Learn From the Savannah Bananas? A Lot, It Turns Out, by Brittany Ghiroli Tune in, and tell us what you think at theheadlines@ For corrections, email nytnews@ For more audio journalism and storytelling, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Special thanks to Stephanie Saul.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
More than 600 former Israeli security chiefs urge Trump to end Gaza war
More than 600 former Israeli security chiefs have urged United States President Donald Trump to bring an end to Israel's war on Gaza as deaths of dozens of Palestinians from Israeli-induced starvation have caused global outrage. The appeal was made in a letter sent to Trump on Sunday. Its signatories include former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon and former deputy Israeli army chief Matan Vilnai. They called for pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the nearly two-year conflict, which has devastated Gaza. The letter was sent as a furore grows over videos released by Palestinian groups showing two emaciated Israeli captives held in Gaza, where more than two million Palestinians are struggling to survive the starvation crisis. 'Everything that could be achieved by force has been achieved. The hostages cannot wait any longer,' the Commanders for Israel's Security (CIS) group said in a post on X, where it shared the letter. The letter said the Israeli army has achieved two of its three objectives by force, 'dismantling Hamas' military formations and governance', but the third, bringing back all Israeli captives, can 'only be achieved through a deal'. 'Stop the Gaza War! On behalf of CIS, Israel's largest group of former [military] generals and Mossad, Shin Bet, Police, and Diplomatic Corps equivalents, we urge you to end the Gaza war,' the letter read. 'You did it in Lebanon. Time to do it in Gaza as well,' it added. אנו נמצאים בחלון הזדמנויות נדיר להובלת מהלך אזורי ובינלאומי לשינוי יסודי ברצועה.לטראמפ יש את היכולת לעשות זאת. בשם 550 בכירי עבר מכל זרועות הביטחון ושירות החוץ שלחנו מכתב לנשיא טראמפ: עצור את המלחמה והשב את החטופים. כל מה שניתן להשיג בכוח – הושג. החטופים לא יכולים להמתין עוד.… — מפקדים למען ביטחון ישראל (@cisorgil) August 3, 2025 Translation: We are at a rare window of opportunity to lead a regional and international move for a fundamental change in the Gaza Strip. Trump has the ability to do this. On behalf of 550 former senior officials from all branches of security and foreign service, we sent a letter to President Trump: Stop the war and bring back the hostages. Everything that could be achieved by force has been achieved. The hostages cannot wait any longer. This is the moment of truth. We call on President Trump to exert his full influence and do this – now! The security chiefs said Trump's credibility rests on his ability to steer Netanyahu 'in the right direction'. Gaza turned into rubble On Sunday, Hamas said it was open to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delivering aid to Israeli captives in Gaza after Netanyahu said he requested the Geneva-based international organisation to step in. Netanyahu has denied starvation is taking place in Gaza among Palestinians, instead claiming that Israeli captives held there are facing 'systematic starvation'. The Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, has said the captives 'eat what our fighters and all our people eat'. 'They will not receive any special privilege amid the crime of starvation and siege,' the group's spokesman, known as Abu Obeida, said. Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has conducted a war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, killing more than 60,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The military campaign has reduced the enclave to rubble and brought it to the verge of famine. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. Multiple rights organisations have called Israel's war a genocide.
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Hundreds of Israeli ex-security officials call on Trump to end Gaza war
More than 600 retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged US President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war in Gaza. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday, calling on Trump to "steer" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's decisions.
Khaleej Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Israeli ex-security chiefs urge Trump to help end Gaza war
More than 600 retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged US President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war in Gaza. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday, calling on Trump to "steer" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decisions.
