Latest news with #SecurityCabinet
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
This Israeli government thrives on provoking the global community
Some prefer to hear the good news first, others the bad, but does it really matter? The good news about the Israeli government is that it no longer tries to hide its true intentions regarding the Palestinians. The bad news is that the ruling coalition is ill-intentioned to the core. There is no longer any pretense of a desire for peaceful coexistence through a historic compromise agreement that would divide the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea so that it could accommodate a Jewish state and a Palestinian state. In an act of sheer defiance of the international community and international law, and demonstrating a complete absence of common sense, Israel's Security Cabinet has approved a motion, put forward by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for the establishment of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Not all of these settlements are entirely new; some are while others are existing outposts that were built illegally, even according to Israeli law. Two of the planned settlements, Homesh and Sa-Nor, were evacuated in 2005 during the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, as part of a wider plan to also disengage from some parts of the West Bank and create space for what should have become a Palestinian state. But that was then. Now, Katz has been explicit in his assertion that the latest move 'prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.' No hiding now of this government's true objective: to bury once and for all the prospect of a two-state solution, and with it the right of Palestinians to self-determination. A quick glance at a map of the West Bank and East Jerusalem reveals the extent of settlement expansion since 1967. From not a single Jewish community there to — according to Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now — 141 settlements which were officially established by the government, and a staggering 224 outposts, including farms, that have been established since the 1990s without government approval and so are illegal under Israeli law. The number of settlers in these communities, together with Jewish neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, exceeds 700,000. All of the proposed new settlements are deep within the West Bank, to prevent the establishment of a future, contiguous Palestinian state. Much has been said about the illegality of all the settlements in the eyes of international law because they are built on occupied land, and an occupying power is forbidden from transferring its own population to such areas or, in the context of what is being said by some Israeli Cabinet ministers, removing indigenous people from them. However, you can rely on Smotrich to tell it like it is when he states: 'Settlement in the land our ancestors inherited is a protective wall for the State of Israel, and today we have taken a huge step for its strengthening. The next step — sovereignty!' Or, in other words, annexation. What makes this decision even more extraordinary than previous decisions to build settlements — and in less than three years the government has decided to build 49 of them, since taking power in December 2022 — is that ministers appear to be completely oblivious to the fact that this act of sheer folly brings Israel ever closer to international sanctions and its becoming a pariah state. The current Israeli government, led by Netanyahu, has no respect for human rights. Yossi Mekelberg At a time of mounting international criticism, including from close allies, of the way Israeli authorities are conducting the war in Gaza — which has so far resulted in the killing of 54,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians and including at least 16,500 children — and for preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the territory, despite repeated warnings that the population there is on the verge of starvation, the best that Israel can do to try to improve its image in the world is to announce the building of new illegal settlements. Most observers of the conflict between Israel and Palestine agree that the single most damaging issue that is hindering a peace agreement based on a two-state solution is the Israeli settlement project in its entirety. The situation is made worse when settlements are built in the heart of large Palestinian population centers or close by. For the government to legalize the outposts, which are home to some of the most extreme Jewish supremacist settlers, is to encourage one of the most lawless segments of Israeli society, one that rather than abide by the law of the country prefers to adhere to the rulings of their rabbis, or to their distorted religio-nationalist version of Judaism while becoming increasingly violent, verbally and physically, toward Palestinian neighbors. Legalizing the outposts will only encourage Israel to continue in this vein and so it is an act of sheer provocation, against the Palestinians and the international community, that can only result in further condemnation while legitimizing the calls to impose sanctions on Israel. This development is also a further illustration of the unchecked power accumulated by the messianic ultra-right within Israel's governing coalition, in the face of a weak prime minister who looks like he will be sticking with them all the way to what will probably be his very bitter political end. Consequently it would be next to impossible, even for the most ardent supporters of the Jewish state, to fend off demands for sanctions while Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu continues to treat the international community, and its values and institutions, with utter contempt and complete disdain, as if begging to be punished. Much of the support Israel has enjoyed in the international arena through the years has stemmed from a perception that it was a thriving liberal democracy, even if at times this aspect has been somewhat exaggerated considering the oppressive occupation of land that is home to millions of Palestinians, and a state that desired peace and was prepared to make painful concessions in order to achieve it. This state of affairs was already long gone and is now officially history. The current government has no respect for human rights, and insufficient common sense to see that its defiance of the international norms of behavior at a time when it is still at war, and desperately needs international support, is self-harming. Given that on the issues of building settlements, annexing occupied Palestinian land, and depriving Palestinians of their right to self-determination, this Netanyahu government likes to say what it means and means what it says, with no nuance, it will have very little reason to complain when the response of the international community is equally honest and robust. This response is likely just around the corner. • Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg
Bloomberg
29-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Israel Approves New Settlements to Obstruct Palestinian State
Israel will build 22 new settlements in the West Bank including some along its eastern border with Jordan to strengthen its grip on the territory and block the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The plan, which has been approved by the security cabinet, comes as Israel is facing mounting pressure from European allies to end its 19-month war in Gaza, which has destroyed large parts of the coastal enclave, killed tens of thousands and sparked a hunger crisis. The expansion of settlements is a violation of international law, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office.
Ya Libnan
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
UK, France, Canada threaten sanctions if Israel continues new offensive into Gaza
A group of independent UN experts warn famine has spread throughout Gaza after 20 months of war. International pressure has been building on Israel over its new military offensive in Gaza that has left hundreds dead in just the last few days. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada threatened to take 'concrete actions' on Monday, including targeted sanctions, if Israel does not stop its renewed military offensive and continues to block aid from entering Gaza. Israel launched a new devastating ground offensive in Gaza over the weekend just as US President Donald Trump departed the region without sealing a ceasefire and hostage deal. The Israeli military said its forces moved into northern and southern Gaza over the past day as part of the 'Gideon's Chariots' operation, which Israel warned would take place if Hamas doesn't agree to a new hostage deal on its terms. The ground operation came after days of heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which according to health authorities there have wiped out entire families. Israel has said it will allow a 'basic amount of food' into the besieged enclave, a move which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted was due to intense pressure from allies, and on Monday the Israeli agency that approves aid shipments into Gaza said five trucks had entered the enclave. However, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher described the delivery as 'limited' and a 'drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.' The latest developments come after Hamas and Israel began indirect talks in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday. Here's what we know about Israel's new offensive and what it means for Gazans. What is Israel's new operation in Gaza? Israel's Security Cabinet approved the new military offensive in Gaza on May 5. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said the aim of the operation was to achieve 'all the goals of the war in Gaza,' including defeating Hamas and securing the release of remaining hostages in the territory. On Monday, Netanyahu said that Israel plans to 'take control of the entire Gaza Strip.' The warring parties failed to reach a deal during Trump's visit last week, and Israel pressed on with its operation over the weekend. This began with a series of intense airstrikes last week and was followed by an expanded ground offensive on Sunday. The Israeli military said Sunday that over the past week, it struck more than 670 'Hamas targets' in a wave of preliminary airstrikes across the enclave. Early Monday morning, Israeli forces struck the medical supplies warehouse of the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza's Khan Younis neighborhood, damaging some of the medical supplies that had been provided to the center by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), according to the UK-based organization. On Tuesday, health officials in Gaza said that Israeli strikes killed at least 49 people across the enclave overnight. On Monday, health officials said that Israel's operation had killed at least 136 people in 24 hours, and shuttered the last functioning hospital in the enclave's north. Entire families were killed while sleeping, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. More than 400 people have been killed and over 1,000 others injured since Thursday, according to a CNN count of health ministry data. More than 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its war on October 7, 2023, according to the ministry, which added that the majority of the dead are women and children. Large swaths of Gaza are no-go zones Around 71% of the Gaza Strip has been designated as an Israeli-militarized zone or placed under evacuation orders since the end of the ceasefire on March 18. Since fighting restarted, an estimated 436,000 people have been displaced inside the territory. What's happening with Gaza aid? On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that due to the 'operational need,' Israel will allow a 'basic amount of food' to enter Gaza to prevent famine in the enclave, which Israel says would jeopardize its military operation. The United Nations acknowledged on Monday that several of its trucks were allowed in through the Kerem Shalom crossing but that much more aid was needed. Earlier on Monday, Gaza's Government Media Office said at least 500 aid trucks were needed daily to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Netanyahu has also hinted that his country could lose the support of its closest allies, including the United States, if it doesn't lift its 11-week blockade on the territory, which has further exacerbated a humanitarian crisis on the ground that aid agencies have said could lead to widespread famine. The UN had warned that Gaza's entire population of over 2.1 million people is facing a risk of famine following 19 months of conflict and mass displacement. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada have called on the Israeli government to stop its military operations in Gaza and allow the entry of humanitarian aid. 'If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,' a joint statement from the leaders read. Those actions could include targeted sanctions, they warned. Netanyahu responded by accusing the leaders of 'offering a huge prize' to the Hamas fighters who attacked Israel on October 7 and 'inviting more such atrocities' to follow. In a separate joint statement, foreign ministers from 23 countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the UK, and EU representatives urged Israel to allow 'a full resumption' of aid into Gaza immediately and to enable the UN and humanitarian organizations 'to work independently and impartially to save lives.' 'Whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid, Israel blocked humanitarian aid entering Gaza for over two months. Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza's people must receive the aid they desperately need,' the joint statement Monday said. On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Israel's easing of humanitarian aid access to Gaza is insufficient. 'It is totally insufficient… Immediate and massive aid is needed,' Barrot told France Inter radio. Earlier Monday, Netanyahu had conceded that if 'a situation of famine' arose in Gaza, Israel 'simply won't receive international support.' 'Even our closest allies in the world – US senators I know personally and who have been staunch, unconditional supporters of Israel for decades – are coming to me and saying: 'We are giving you all the support to achieve victory – weapons, support for your efforts to eliminate Hamas, protection at the UN Security Council – but there's one thing we cannot accept: images of mass starvation… If that happens, we won't be able to support you anymore,'' Netanyahu said in an address posted to Telegram. Netanyahu's explanations were largely aimed at mollifying his right-wing supporters who adamantly oppose the entry of any humanitarian aid to Gaza, including to civilians. Asked when aid will start entering into the enclave, Netanyahu's office said 'it will happen in the near future.' (CNN)
Saudi Gazette
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
International pressure builds on Israel over Gaza
JERUSALEM — International pressure has been building on Israel over its new military offensive in Gaza that has left hundreds dead in just the last few days. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada threatened to take 'concrete actions' on Monday, including targeted sanctions, if Israel does not stop its renewed military offensive and continues to block aid from entering Gaza. Israel launched a new devastating ground offensive in Gaza over the weekend just as US President Donald Trump departed the region without sealing a ceasefire and hostage deal. The Israeli military said its forces moved into northern and southern Gaza over the past day as part of the 'Gideon's Chariots' operation, which Israel warned would take place if Hamas doesn't agree to a new hostage deal on its terms. The ground operation came after days of heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which according to health authorities there have wiped out entire families. Israel has said it will allow a 'basic amount of food' into the besieged enclave, a move which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted was due to intense pressure from allies, and on Monday the Israeli agency that approves aid shipments into Gaza said five trucks had entered the enclave. However, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher described the delivery as 'limited' and a 'drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.'The latest developments come after Hamas and Israel began indirect talks in the Qatari capital Doha on what we know about Israel's new offensive and what it means for Security Cabinet approved the new military offensive in Gaza on May 5. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said the aim of the operation was to achieve 'all the goals of the war in Gaza,' including defeating Hamas and securing the release of remaining hostages in the Monday, Netanyahu said that Israel plans to 'take control of the entire Gaza Strip.'The warring parties failed to reach a deal during Trump's visit last week, and Israel pressed on with its operation over the weekend. This began with a series of intense airstrikes last week and was followed by an expanded ground offensive on Israeli military said Sunday that over the past week, it struck more than 670 'Hamas targets' in a wave of preliminary airstrikes across the Monday morning, Israeli forces struck the medical supplies warehouse of the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza's Khan Younis neighborhood, damaging some of the medical supplies that had been provided to the center by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), according to the UK-based officials in Gaza said on Monday that the operation had killed at least 136 people over the past 24 hours, and shuttered the last functioning hospital in the enclave's north. Entire families were killed while sleeping, according to the Palestinian Ministry of than 400 people have been killed and over 1,000 others injured since Thursday, according to a CNN count of health ministry than 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its war on October 7, 2023, according to the ministry, which added that the majority of the dead are women and Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that due to the 'operational need,' Israel will allow a 'basic amount of food' to enter Gaza to prevent famine in the enclave, which Israel says would jeopardize its military has also hinted that his country could lose the support of its closest allies, including the United States, if it doesn't lift its 11-week blockade on the territory, which has further exacerbated a humanitarian crisis on the ground that aid agencies have said could lead to widespread United Nations had warned that Gaza's entire population of over 2.1 million people is facing a risk of famine following 19 months of conflict and mass leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada have called on the Israeli government to stop its military operations in Gaza and allow the entry of humanitarian aid.'If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,' a joint statement from the leaders actions could include targeted sanctions, they responded by accusing the leaders of 'offering a huge prize' to the Hamas fighters who attacked Israel on October 7 and 'inviting more such atrocities' to a separate joint statement, foreign ministers from 23 countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the UK, and EU representatives urged Israel to allow 'a full resumption' of aid into Gaza immediately and to enable the UN and humanitarian organizations 'to work independently and impartially to save lives.''Whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid, Israel blocked humanitarian aid entering Gaza for over two months. Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza's people must receive the aid they desperately need,' the joint statement Monday Monday, Netanyahu had conceded that if 'a situation of famine' arose in Gaza, Israel 'simply won't receive international support.''Even our closest allies in the world – US senators I know personally and who have been staunch, unconditional supporters of Israel for decades – are coming to me and saying: 'We are giving you all the support to achieve victory – weapons, support for your efforts to eliminate Hamas, protection at the UN Security Council – but there's one thing we cannot accept: images of mass starvation... If that happens, we won't be able to support you anymore,'' Netanyahu said in an address posted to explanations were largely aimed at mollifying his right-wing supporters who adamantly oppose the entry of any humanitarian aid to Gaza, including to when aid will start entering into the enclave, Netanyahu's office said 'it will happen in the near future.'A controversial American-backed organization, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), tasked with delivering aid to the territory, welcomed the Israeli announcement about allowing food aid as a 'bridging mechanism' until the group is fully foundation is meant to run a new, tightly controlled mechanism for aid deliveries that has been approved by Israel and the US, which both countries say is designed to prevent Hamas from 'stealing' that the initial sites would only be in southern and central Gaza, the UN warned, this could be seen to be encouraging Israel's publicly stated goal of forcing 'the entire Gazan population' out of northern Gaza, as Defense Minister Israel Katz put it earlier this Wood, the foundation's executive director, said Israel has also agreed to allow it to establish two sites in northern Gaza, which he believes can be up and running within the first 30 days of its told CNN that he did not yet know when or how many aid trucks Israel would allow into Gaza and said he believes much of the humanitarian community's opposition to the mechanism is based on advocates say the US and Israeli-backed plan would militarize aid, endanger civilian lives and encourage their forced Monday, the UN's children's agency's top chief described the new GHF mechanism as 'unworkable,' saying the scheme would 'weaponize humanitarian aid for children and women.''Israel as the occupying power, has a legal responsibility actually to provide aid,' James Elder told CNN's Becky Anderson on Connect the World. 'Despite more aid workers being killed than any other conflict... brave people are ready to do that job. They need to be allowed to do it.'It came after the UN's aid chief, Tom Fletcher, insisted there's no need for an alternative Gaza aid plan. 'Let's not waste time: We already have a plan,' he said on one of the strongest condemnations of Israel's war by a high-ranking UN official, Fletcher said the international community must prevent 'genocide' in the enclave. 'Will you act – decisively – to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead, 'we did all we could?'' he told the UN Security visited Gulf Arab states last week, including Qatar, where his negotiating team was engaged in ceasefire and hostage president said this month that he wanted an end to the 'brutal war' in Gaza and did not visit Israel during his tour of the region, which he had already twice bypassed this month in reaching bilateral deals with regional militant Wednesday, Trump denied that Israel had been sidelined. 'This is good for Israel,' he said. But on Thursday, he said he wanted the US to 'take' Gaza and turn it into a 'freedom zone.'He also told Fox News on Saturday that he is not frustrated with Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime minister has got 'a tough situation.' While in the Gulf, Trump also acknowledged that people are starving in Gaza and said the US would have the situation 'taken care of.'On Sunday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told ABC News that the issue with getting aid into Gaza is primarily logistical. 'It is logistically complicated and the conditions on the ground are dangerous,' he Defense Minister Katz said Saturday that the new military operation in Gaza is what pressured Hamas to return to negotiations in Qatar last week. But analysts and officials say it's more likely that the militant group agreed to restart the talks following Trump's Middle East Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu confirmed Saturday that 'negotiations without preconditions' had started in Doha, according to Hamas-run al Aqsa is unclear how well the discussions are progressing in Doha. Israel on Sunday indicated its openness to ending the war in Gaza if Hamas surrenders, a proposition the group is unlikely to accept as long as Israel continues to insist on Hamas Hamas officials have given conflicting comments about the on Sunday, a senior Hamas leader told CNN that the group had agreed to release between seven and nine Israeli hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 300 Palestinian prisoners and later, another senior Hamas leader, Sami Abu Zuhri, denied and contradicted that proposal, posting a statement on Al-Aqsa TV's Telegram: 'There is no truth to the rumors regarding the movement's agreement to release nine Israeli prisoners in exchange for a two-month ceasefire.'Zuhri went on to say: 'We are ready to release the prisoners all at once, provided the occupation commits to a cessation of hostilities under international guarantees, and we will not hand over the occupation's prisoners as long as it insists on continuing its aggression against Gaza indefinitely.'CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Mostafa Salem, Abeer Salman, Eyad Kourdi, Ibrahim Dahman, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Tim Lister, Mick Krever, Euegnia Yosef, Dana Karni, Tala Alrajjal and Sana Noor Haq contributed reporting. Khader Al-Za'anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, also contributed. — CNN
India Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
UK, France, Canada threaten sanctions against Israel over Gaza offensive
The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a joint statement on Monday condemning Israel's handling of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and warning of 'further concrete actions,' including targeted sanctions, if Israel does not halt its renewed military offensive and allow more humanitarian aid into the Israel's limited resumption of aid deliveries 'wholly inadequate,' the leaders said the country's failure to provide for the civilian population 'is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law.' They urged Israel to work with the United Nations to restore consistent aid access in accordance with humanitarian pressure comes after Israel's decision Sunday to allow a 'basic amount of food' into Gaza for the first time in over two months. On Monday, five aid trucks entered the Strip, the first since March 1, when Israel blocked shipments in a bid to force Palestinian militant group Hamas to release dozens of hostages. Israeli officials earlier argued that sufficient aid had entered during a temporary ceasefire and accused Hamas of diverting supplies. However, some Israeli military officials have recently warned that starvation is imminent in parts of Netanyahu ReactedIn response to the joint criticism, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Western governments of 'offering a huge prize' to Hamas and said their statements risk encouraging further attacks on the Israeli military has launched a new ground campaign in Gaza, dubbed 'Gideon's Chariots.' The operation, approved by Israel's Security Cabinet on May 5, aims to defeat Hamas, destroy infrastructure, and secure control over Gaza. The military has indicated it plans to retain captured territory and relocate northern Gaza residents southward. The campaign follows heavy airstrikes and a humanitarian crisis that UN officials have described as Watch
