Latest news with #NaftaliBennett
Al Bawaba
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Bennett breaks ranks Israeli starvation tactics in Gaza turning US against Tel Aviv
Published August 5th, 2025 - 11:14 GMT "Among many Americans, Israel is increasingly perceived as a burden to the United States," Bennett stated, criticizing the Israeli government's failure to grasp the scale of the public relations disaster. The total death toll from Israeli military actions since October 2023 now stands at 61,020, with more than 150,671 injured. ALBAWABA- In a striking admission, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has warned that Israel's global reputation, particularly in the United States, is rapidly deteriorating. Speaking out amid mounting criticism of Israel's war in Gaza, Bennett said the country's standing in the U.S. is 'collapsing,' and that Israel is increasingly viewed as a 'pariah state.' Bennett pointed out that Israel has effectively lost the support of the Democratic Party and is beginning to lose the once-reliable backing of the Republican Party. He added that Israel's starvation policy in Gaza has taken on 'enormous proportions' and is now seen by much of the American public and key influencers as a grim and undeniable reality. 🚩אזעקת אמת🚩*מעמד ישראל בארה״ב בקריסה*אני מסיים עשרה ימים בארה״ב: בניו יורק, בוושינגטון די.סי, ובמקומות נוספים. כמי שהתגורר כאן, עשה כאן עסקים, פעל כאן בהסברה למען ישראל משך שנים, אני יכול לקבוע: המעמד של ישראל מעולם לא היה גרוע כל כך. ישראל הולכת ומתבססת כאן כמדינה… — Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) August 5, 2025 "Among many Americans, Israel is increasingly perceived as a burden to the United States," Bennett stated, criticizing the Israeli government's failure to grasp the scale of the public relations disaster. 'We don't have a proper media strategy, and there are no clear answers for the growing number of questions being asked. The careless gossip of some of Netanyahu's ministers is deeply damaging and will haunt our soldiers as they travel the world.' These comments come as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, eight more Palestinians, including a child, have died from starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours. The total number of deaths attributed to starvation since October 7, 2023, has now reached 188, including 94 children. In the same period, Israeli military assaults have killed 52 Palestinians and injured 352 others. The total death toll from Israeli military actions since October 2023 now stands at 61,020, with more than 150,671 injured. Since the resumption of Israeli hostilities in March 2025 alone, 9,519 Palestinians have been killed and 38,630 wounded. International criticism continues to mount. The British Consulate in Jerusalem expressed sorrow over the killing of Palestinian human rights activist Odeh al-Hadalin by settlers in the West Bank, calling for the immediate return of his body for a proper burial. 'Settler violence in the West Bank cannot go unchecked. Impunity must end,' the consulate said in a statement. Meanwhile, the European Commission has described the situation in Gaza as 'intolerable,' reiterating its demand that Israel allow urgent humanitarian aid into the besieged territory. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Mint
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
New York Times building in Manhattan defaced using red paint? Video and photos go viral
The New York Times headquarters in Manhattan was vandalised today, reportedly in response to a report on Gaza. The videos of the vandalised building went viral online, showing 'NYT lies, Gaza dies' written in bold white letters, along with red paint smeared on the publication's logo. The clips and images shared by the residents and locals on X (formerly Twitter) associated the vandalism with pro-Palestinian activists. Along with the NYT headquarters, a Starbucks logo near the office in Manhattan was also smeared with red paint. According to a report by the Jerusalem Post, the vandalism took place after the NYT revised its article about starvation in Gaza on Tuesday, where a child reported in the story and on the front page, Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, had a preexisting medical condition influencing his appearance. 'Children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as New York Times reporters and others have documented. We recently ran a story about Gaza's most vulnerable civilians, including Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, who is about 18 months old and suffers from severe malnutrition. We have since learned new information, including from the hospital that treated him and his medical records, and have updated our story to add context about his pre-existing health problems. This additional detail gives readers a greater understanding of his situation,' NYT posted a statement on X. Former prime minister of Israel Naftali Bennett reacted to the publication's clarification and wrote on X, 'This is simply unbelievable. After generating a tsunami of hate towards Israel with that terrifying picture, the NYT now quietly admits that the boy has pre-existing conditions.' Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon commented on NYT's statement during an interview shared on his X handle. He said,"The photo was a lie, which the newspaper retracted. But the way they retracted it was also shameful."
Middle East Eye
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Former Israeli prime minister urges Gaza withdrawal for captive deal
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called for a full withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for the release of all captives held by Hamas. Speaking to Channel 12, Bennett proposed what he described as a 'comprehensive deal' to break what he called a 'terrible stagnation.' 'In light of the terrible stagnation, I suggest we go for a comprehensive deal: releasing all the hostages and deploying the IDF on the Gaza Strip perimeter,' he said, in a report carried by the Israeli daily Haaretz. Bennett also argued that the task of dismantling Hamas should be left to Israel's next leadership. 'Netanyahu must step down. Twenty years in power is unhealthy... The people want quiet, they want a government that runs the country,' he added.
The National
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Netanyahu's party gets small popularity boost after Iran war, poll shows
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's Likud party gained a small increase in popularity after the country's 12-day war with Iran, although his far-right coalition remains a long way from being able to win a majority. Likud was forecast to get 26 seats, a small climb that would largely come at the expense of parties already in his coalition. This is a worrying prospect for the Prime Minister, whose popularity has fallen since the October 7 attacks and who has struggled to make political alliances with parties other than those on the most extreme right and religious wings of Israeli politics since his continuing corruption trial began. Sources close to Mr Netanyahu told Israeli network Channel 12, which carried out the poll after Tuesday's ceasefire, that he was disappointed with the numbers. Unlike the Gaza War, the campaign against Iran enjoyed overwhelming support among Jewish Israelis. The coalition was forecast to get 49 seats, well below the number needed to get a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Mr Netanyahu won the last election, in late 2022, with a coalition of 64 seats. According to the numbers, Mr Netanyahu is tailed closely by former prime minister Naftali Bennett, with 24 seats. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they would prefer Mr Netanyahu as prime minister, with Mr Bennet getting 35 per cent. Left-wing party The Democrats come in third with 12 seats. The poll put the total number of seats won by opposition parties at 61, excluding parties that represent Palestinian citizens of Israel. They do not usually join governing coalitions, although some did in the previous government. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the most extreme members of the current coalition, would not win sufficient votes to enter the next parliament, although similarly extreme National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party would win six seats. Elections are due to be held in October 2026. Channel 12's report suggested Mr Netanyahu's disappointment at the numbers could stop him from trying to call an early election, after he appeared to hint he might do so during a press conference on Sunday. Israeli outlet Haaretz reported on Wednesday that Mr Netanyahu is not seeking an early election, at least not before an end to the Gaza War and the return of hostages held in the strip. He also wants 'the Saudi channel, with normalisation and trade agreements with it and other countries such as Indonesia', a source, described as a close adviser, told the paper. 'After this achievement, it is reasonable to assume he will choose to move up the election,' the source said. Mr Netanyahu has long touted normalisation with Saudi Arabia, as well as other Muslim states, as a key foreign policy goal.
The National
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israeli politicians laud US strikes on Iran
Israeli politicians across the ideological spectrum have welcomed US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, with only a minority of left-wingers warning that an open-ended war could have devastating consequences for the Middle East. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, widely viewed as one of the strongest challengers to current leader Benjamin Netanyahu in the next elections, described the strikes as 'a historic action that crushes the nuclear head of the Iranian octopus'. 'The President of the United States, Donald Trump, displayed the might of the United States in the face of evil and his uncompromising leadership against the danger to the entire world,' Mr Bennet said in a post on X. The praise of politicians such as Mr Bennet reveal quite how single-minded most Israeli politicians are in the campaign against Iran and how the strikes have, for now, secured Mr Netanyahu's political future, despite him being in the midst of political and legal crises before the war with Iran began. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who at one point nearly quit Mr Netanyahu's government over a Gaza ceasefire deal, wrote on X: 'God Bless President Trump. God Bless America. God Bless the United States Army. God Bless the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.' Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel's opposition and one of Mr Netanyahu's highest-profile critics, said: 'Thank you President Trump for your historic decision. Israel, the Middle East and the world are now safer.' Democrats leader Yair Golan, who heads arguably the most dynamic party on Israel's beleaguered and dwindling left, described the US strikes as 'impressive, important and justified'. He continued with a call for peace: 'And as President Trump wrote: Now is the time for peace. For a comprehensive agreement, for the release of the hostages, for an end to the war, for regional normalisation, for real security for the citizens of Israel.' 'And for the citizens of Israel - complex days lie ahead." Far-left criticism Politician Ofer Cassif, on the far left, criticised the US attack, saying it worsens an 'already harsh reality'. 'The attack on Iran will, in the not-so-distant future, be revealed, as happened with Iraq in 2003, as a deception serving those in power, paid for by the peoples – in Israel, in Palestine, in Iran, and throughout the region,' he said. Many politicians called on the Israeli public to stick to civilian rules issued by the military and to seek shelter during Iranian barrages. Israel further tightened the rules after the American strikes. Sarit Zehavi of the Alma Research and Education Centre, an Israeli think tank, said Iran's missiles were 'very different' to those fired by groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in other conflicts. 'Hezbollah rockets would destroy a room or a home. Iran missiles [mean] a street destroyed,' she said. 'The missiles of Iran appear to be very accurate. What is happening now is that you have 30 missiles in a barrage you need to intercept,' said Ms Zehavi, which differs from previous barrages when many less accurate rounds would hit open areas. She added that the current rate of Iran's fire 'can still continue for at least a month, in a worst-case scenario'.
