Latest news with #Jewish-Israeli
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Israel launches unprecedented verbal escalation against Macron
The defense minister struck first. On Friday, May 30, Israel Katz visited the north of the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967. In a video, he addressed French President Emmanuel Macron directly: This serves as "a clear message to Macron and his friends. They will recognize a Palestinian state on paper — and we will build the Jewish-Israeli state on the ground."He added: "That paper will be thrown into the trash bin of history, and the state of Israel will prosper and flourish." These comments confirmed, incidentally, Israel's policy of annexation of the West Bank. Katz spoke from the former settlement of Sa-Nur, dismantled along with three other Jewish settlements surrounding the Palestinian city of Jenin as part of the 2005 disengagement plan, which also led to the withdrawal of the Israeli army and settlers from the Gaza Strip. However, the Israeli government has moved to massively accelerate settlement expansion throughout the West Bank, approving on Thursday the construction or legalization of 22 settlements, including Sa-Nur, all considered illegal by the international community.
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
It took an Oscar winner's ordeal for the west to see the truth of settler violence. This is how to stop it
Imagine a group of a dozen armed men storming your village at nightfall. They assault you and your neighbours, throw stones at your house, beat you. If you try to defend yourself, or document the violence, they attack you. When the military arrive, they detain you. Some of them join in with the violence. This harrowing scene is not a story from Tsarist Russia or Jim Crow America. Last Monday, this was exactly what occurred in the Palestinian village of Susya in the occupied West Bank. The attackers who arrived in Susya were neither Cossacks nor Klansmen but Jewish-Israeli settlers accompanied by soldiers. Indeed, when the attacks commenced, three Palestinians were seized by the Israeli military, detained, and then subjected to police interrogation. Such violent raids are far from unique in West Bank, especially in the areas of South Hebron Hills, Masafer Yatta and the Jordan river valley. Since the start of this year, the Centre for Jewish Non Violence has documented more than 40 violent settler attacks in the village of Susya alone. Most go unnoticed by the rest of the world. But this time was different. One of the Palestinian victims was the award-winning director Hamdan Ballal, whose film, No Other Land, which covers the destruction of Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, won best documentary at the recent Academy Awards. For hours, the military didn't officially disclose his whereabouts, and attempts to locate him failed. When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) finally issued a statement, they absurdly labelled him and his fellow villagers terrorists. This facade of justice, when law is nothing but an empty shell, is typical of how the Israeli occupation works. Under its veneer of legality, the most brutal savagery is legitimised and the role of criminal and victim inverted. In the past three years I have submitted numerous complaints to the Israeli Ministry of Defence and Israel's attorney general about settler violence. Nothing has ever happened. My experience is only one of many that indicates how the Israeli legal system makes a farce of justice and allows settlers to terrorise Palestinian communities with impunity. After the attack on Gaza began in 2023, the reign of terror in the West Bank has only intensified. According to B'Tselem (the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), settlers have forced at least 18 Palestinian communities – more than 1,000 people – to flee their homes since October 2023. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has found that settler violence, intimidation and harassment have displaced at least 300 Palestinian households, including hundreds of children. Benjamin Netanyahu's government hasn't just stood by passively and allowed this to happen. It has actively allocated funding and weaponry to illegal settlers. Last June, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data initiative (Acled) found that armed settlers, some of whom have formed their own quasi-military forces, had received a 'considerable amount' of weapons and munitions, including thousands of pistols, M-16 semi-automatic rifles and machine guns from the Israeli military, while regional councils had coordinated with the IDF and the national security ministry to buy hundreds of additional rifles. As that report put it: 'the lines between settlers and the military are increasingly blurring', and 'the difference between civilian aggressors and the Israeli state apparatus is fading even further'. While civilian security squads are supposed to act only in self-defence, the truth remains that Israel is unwilling to tackle those vicious gangs, and that senior government ministers advocate in their favour. Only last week, Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to recognise 13 Jewish settlements in the West Bank as independent. 'We continue to lead a revolution of normalisation and regulation in the settlements. Instead of hiding and apologising – we raise the flag, build and settle,' said the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. The atrocity that happened in Susya is only one example of the countless injustices committed under this criminal occupation. It shouldn't take an Oscar winner for international audiences to notice these acts of violence. The Palestinian people deserve safety and liberation from the occupation, and sovereignty and independence. The international community must play its part in pursuing this. In recent months, a number of governments have issued sanctions against Israeli settlers. This is a good start, but these sanctions must be far stronger if they are to have an effect. The sanctions should include established illegal settler municipalities. Those imposed by the UK, for example, only target three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported the settlers. The established municipalities, such as Shomron regional council, which oversees 35 settlements that are home to an estimated 47,200 people, are the driving force behind violent attempts to take control of more Palestinian territories. Personal sanctions against government ministers who block counter-terrorist measures against violent settler groups are also essential. The UK can play a leading role in coordinating this response, particularly given the moral depravity of Donald Trump's administration. As Washington DC cancels sanctions against violent settlers, London could present the world with a different and more righteous path. When I arrived in Susya on Tuesday after the attack, I knew exactly what I wanted to tell its people. I said that we want to live together, Arabs and Jews, as brothers and sisters. That we are not the enemy of one another, as we struggle together for freedom. A mere day after a gang of criminal Israeli settlers terrorised this village, its villagers welcomed me, an Israeli member of the Knesset, and my message for peace. This proves that the real conflict is not between nations, but between those who seek justice and those who vow bloodshed. The government of Israel has chosen the path of bloodshed, ethnic cleansing and war. It is up to all of us – and to you – to choose a different path. Dr Ofer Cassif is a member of the Knesset, representing the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) since 2019
Sky News
15-03-2025
- Sky News
'It felt like my own personal October the 7th': Gang jailed for kidnapping Jewish-Israeli music producer
A Jewish-Israeli music producer said he felt like he experienced his own "personal October 7" when he was kidnapped by a gang in West Wales and held captive. Faiz Shah, 23, from Leeds, Mohammad Comrie, 23, from Bradford, and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20, from Wallington, were jailed at Swansea Crown Court on Friday. The court heard they had lured Itay Kashti to a remote property in the Brynteg area of Llanybydder on 26 August, posing as representatives from a reputable music production company and inviting him to a music workshop. During sentencing, Judge Catherine Richards said the planning was "significant and highly sophisticated", targeting an "entirely innocent, hard-working music producer" based on the gang's understanding of his wealth and his Jewish heritage. The group - who all pleaded guilty to kidnap - each received a sentence of eight years and one month. The court heard they meticulously plotted the attack on a Telegram group chat. They used false identities to rent out a cottage and organised a taxi to transport Mr Kashti to Wales from his London home. When the taxi arrived, Mr Kashti was immediately attacked by the three masked men, suffering bruising and extensive facial injuries. Messages recovered from the defendants show they planned to incapacitate the victim with ketamine, while an imitation pistol was found at the scene. Mr Kashti was able to slip the chains from the radiator pipe and flee the property, later alerting the police. Officers found the three defendants hiding in nearby fields. Craig Jones, for the prosecution, said messages exchanged between the defendants referred to Mr Kashti having been on "pro-Israeli marches". They also made allegations about "Palestinian land" and said they had "no remorse" for what they were going to do. In a statement, Mr Kashti told the court: "As an Israeli, this incident felt like my own personal October the 7th. "I was kicked to the head several times, handcuffed to a radiator and forced to lie down on the floor. I was threatened and told if I were to try and escape, I'd be killed. "The awful attack of 7th of October was flashing through my mind as I lay restrained on the floor in handcuffs." Planning for the kidnap included the defendants using stolen identities and financial documents, multiple mobile phones, the development of escape routes and processes to launder any money extorted from the victim. The judge told them: "It seems to me that you justified your actions against the victim based on his background, as if he was less worthy of your respect and compassion. That is utterly abhorrent. "I have no doubt that the victim was targeted due to his Jewish heritage." Inspector Gareth Jones, of Dyfed-Powys Police, described the "harrowing" impact of the crime on the victim and his family. "This sentence today reflects the severity of this offence and the ordeal the victim suffered - and we hope it gives the victim a sense of justice," he said.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Three men jailed for kidnapping Jewish-Israeli composer in west Wales
A Jewish-Israeli music producer who was lured from London to west Wales by a gang who then kidnapped him and handcuffed him to a radiator has described how the incident felt like his 'personal October 7'. Faiz Shah, 23, Mohammad Comrie, 23, and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20, meticulously plotted the attack on a Telegram group chat before carrying it out on August 26 last year. They posed as representatives from a reputable music production company and invited the victim to a workshop at a remote property in the Brynteg area of Llanybydder, west Wales. Swansea Crown Court heard on Friday afternoon how the men used false identities to rent out the cottage for one week, as well as organising a taxi to bring the unsuspecting victim to them. They donned masks and attacked the victim and taxi driver when they arrived at the scene but fled when they realised the taxi driver had escaped and would raise the alarm. Police discovered the three defendants hiding in nearby fields and they later pleaded guilty to charges of kidnap. Judge Catherine Richards jailed Shah, of Leeds and Comrie, of Bradford, for eight years and one month, and sentenced Ogunnubi-Sime of Wallington, to eight years and one month in detention. The judge told them that the case was 'motivated by events taking place elsewhere in the world' and imposed a 15-year restraining order. She said: 'This offence involved significant and highly sophisticated planning. None of you knew the victim. 'He was an entirely innocent, hard-working music producer that you had identified as a victim based on your understanding of his wealth and his Jewish heritage.' The judge said the victim was contacted by the defendants, posing as a music production company, and did 'due diligence' but was persuaded by their sophisticated deception. Planning for the kidnap included the defendants using stolen identities and financial documents, multiple mobile phones, the development of escape routes and processes to launder any money extorted from the victim. 'The victim was driven hundreds of miles from his home to an isolated location,' the judge said. 'His ability to defend himself or seek assistance was intended to be impossible. It would have added to his sense of fear and desperation. 'Upon arrival at the property, he was immediately assaulted by the three of you, who were wearing masks. He was told he would be killed if he tried to escape.' Messages recovered from the defendants show they planned to incapacitate the victim with ketamine, while an imitation pistol was found at the scene. The judge added: 'He thought he was going to die. The whole ordeal remains something he has to live with.' She said the offending was aggravated by the defendants' plan to extort money from the victim, as well as their targeting of him because of his Jewish heritage. The judge told them: 'It seems to me that you justified your actions against the victim based on his background, as if he was less worthy of your respect and compassion. That is utterly abhorrent. 'I have no doubt that the victim was targeted due to his Jewish heritage.' Prosecuting, Craig Jones said the victim is a London-based music producer and composer who received an email inviting him to a music workshop from August 26 to September 2 last year. The defendants exchanged messages on how to communicate with the victim to seem 'professional', as well as updating a shopping list, and detailing how they would use cryptocurrency to launder any money they extorted from him. Items on the shopping list included face masks, gloves, rental cars, a gag, blindfold, handcuffs and cable ties. Mr Jones quoted messages referring to the victim having been on 'pro-Israeli marches' and made allegations about 'Palestinian land', with the defendants saying they had 'no remorse' for what they were going to do. In a statement, the victim told the court: 'As an Israeli, this incident felt like my own personal October the 7th. 'I was kicked to the head several times, handcuffed to a radiator and forced to lie down on the floor. I was threatened and told if I were to try and escape, I'd be killed. 'The awful attack of 7th of October was flashing through my mind as I lay restrained on the floor in handcuffs.' After realising his attackers had left the property, the victim managed to free himself from the radiator and hid in nearby bushes where he rang his horrified wife who alerted police. Images released after the case showed the victim's blood on the floor of the cottage, along with cable ties used to restrain him. Mr Jones said the man was subjected to 'significant violence' by the defendants, suffering facial injuries and bruising. Speaking after the case, Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust (CST), which has supported the victim and his family, thanked prosecutors for their work in the case. He said: 'The combination of criminality and anti-Jewish hatred could easily have resulted in a far worse, perhaps even fatal outcome. 'We will continue to work with the police and all other partners to ensure the safety of our Jewish community and to bring perpetrators of antisemitism to justice.' Inspector Gareth Jones, of Dyfed-Powys Police, described the 'harrowing' impact of the crime on the victim and his family. 'This sentence today reflects the severity of this offence and the ordeal the victim suffered – and we hope it gives the victim a sense of justice,' he said. 'We thank him for his strength, bravery and patience whilst we carried out a thorough investigation into what was an extraordinary crime.'
