Latest news with #TheSettlers
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK trade representative visits Israel after Britain suspends talks
A British trade envoy has visited Israel to "promote trade" between the two countries - a week after the UK suspended talks. Lord Ian Austin, who is the UK government's trade envoy to Israel, was welcomed to Haifa on Monday, just days after Foreign Secretary David Lammy paused negotiations. The British Embassy in Israel said Lord Austin had visited a number of projects - such as the Customs Scanning Centre, Haifa Bayport, and the Haifa-Nazareth Light Rail project - to "witness co-operation at every stop".The independent peer said he was visiting Israel to "meet businesses and officials to promote trade with the UK". "Trade with Israel provides many thousands of good jobs in the UK and brings people together in the great multi-cultural democracy that is Israel," he said. Last Tuesday, the government confirmed it was suspending its trade negotiations with Israel in the wake of an accelerated military offensive in Gaza and the country's decision to limit the amount of aid allowed into the territory. Mr Lammy told the Commons that Israel's actions were "egregious" and amounted to a "dark new phase in this conflict". But despite the suspension of any new trade talks with Israel, Number 10 has insisted that the UK still has a trading relationship with the country. A spokesperson for the prime minister said: "We have always had a trading relationship, but are pausing any new ones." The UK has sanctioned a number of individuals and groups in the West Bank which it said have been linked with acts of violence against Palestinians - including Daniella Weiss, a leading settler activist who was the subject of Louis Theroux's recent documentary The Settlers. Israel criticised the UK government action as "regrettable" and said the free trade agreement talks, which ministers have now backed out of, were "not being advanced at all by the UK government". Lord Austin has previously stressed the importance of the UK's trading relationship with Israel, claiming it is "worth billions and brings massive benefits to Britain". Writing for e, he said: "It is in our national interest, and the decision this week by the government to pause negotiations on a new Free Trade Agreement does not change that. "The situation in Gaza is terrible, as it is in all wars, and the quickest way to get the aid in and save lives is for Hamas to stop fighting and release the hostages. That would end the conflict immediately."
Belfast Telegraph
7 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Met Police are setting an unaffordable precedent for the PSNI - who will cough up the cash?
Hypocritical of UK police forces to charge over Hezbollah flag but not UVF or UDA Let's Recap. After all the outrage over the 'kill your local MP' comment 18 months ago, police in London have decided that their biggest issue with Kneecap is...a fleg. Back home however, the issue is not the flag… it's the gig. Today's LucidTalk poll shows half of people in Northern Ireland want to see Kneecap booted off the Boucher Road bill. Maybe those who think that Kneecap should be banned from performing at a sold-out gig at Belfast Vital would be better off spending the 60 or so minutes they'll be on stage watching a documentary about what's going on in the Middle East and re-evaluating their priorities. I recommend Louis Theroux's The Settlers.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As Israel faces diplomatic 'tsunami', Trump is staying quiet
A headline in Israel's liberal daily Ha'aretz this week put it starkly: "Diplomatic tsunami nears," it warned, "as Europe begins to act against Israel's 'complete madness' in Gaza." This week's diplomatic assault has taken many forms, not all of them foreseen. From concerted international condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza, to the shocking murder of two young Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, this has been, to put it mildly, a tumultuous week for the Jewish state. The waves started crashing on Israel's shores on Monday evening, when Britain, France and Canada issued a joint statement condemning its "egregious" actions in Gaza. All three warned of the possibility of "further concrete actions" if Israel continued its renewed military offensive and failed to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. They also threatened "targeted sanctions" in response to Israel's settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. A statement from 24 donor nations followed, condemning a new, Israeli-backed aid delivery model for Gaza. But that was just the start. On Tuesday, Britain suspended trade talks with Israel and said a 2023 road map for future cooperation was being reviewed. A fresh round of sanctions was imposed on Jewish settlers, including Daniela Weiss, a prominent figure who featured in Louis Theroux's recent documentary, The Settlers. Israel's ambassador in London, Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned to the Foreign Office, a move generally reserved for the representatives of countries like Russia and Iran. To make matters worse for Israel, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a "strong majority" of the bloc's members favoured reviewing the 25-year-old Association Agreement with Israel. The reasons for this flurry of diplomatic condemnation seemed clear enough. Evidence that Gaza was closer to mass starvation than at any time since the war began, following Hamas's attack in October 2023, was sending ripples of horror across the world. Israel's military offensive, and the rhetoric surrounding it, suggested that conditions in the stricken territory were about to deteriorate once more. Addressing MPs on Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy singled out the words of Israel's hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who had spoken of "cleansing" Gaza, "destroying what's left" and relocating the civilian population to third countries. "We must call this what it is," Lammy said. "It's extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous. And I condemn it in the strongest possible terms." Smotrich is not a decision-maker when it comes to conduct of the war in Gaza. Before now, his incendiary remarks might have been set to one side. But those days appear to be over. Rightly or wrongly, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen as in thrall to his far-right colleagues. Critics accuse him of relentlessly pursuing a war, without regard for the lives of Palestinian civilians or the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza. Countries that have long supported Israel's right to defend itself are beginning to say "enough is enough." This week was clearly a significant moment for Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, a staunch defender of Israel (he once said "I support Zionism without qualification") who faced strong criticism from within the Labour Party for his reluctance last year to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. On Tuesday, Sir Keir said the suffering of innocent children in Gaza was "utterly intolerable". In the face of this unusually concerted action from some of his country's strongest allies, Netanyahu reacted furiously, suggesting Britain, France and Canada were guilty of supporting Hamas. "When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice," he posted on X. "You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history." Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar went further, suggesting there was a "direct line" between Israel's critics, including Starmer, and Wednesday night's killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, the two Israeli embassy employees gunned down outside the Jewish Museum in Washington. But despite the outpourings of sympathy following the shooting, the Israeli government seems increasingly isolated, with western allies and prominent members of the Jewish diaspora all voicing anger – and anguish – over the war in Gaza. Lord Levy, former Middle East envoy and advisor to Tony Blair, said he endorsed the current government's criticisms, even suggesting they might have come "a little late". "There has to be a stand, not just from us in this country but internationally, against what is going on in Gaza," he told BBC Radio 4's The World at One, describing himself as "a very proud Jew…who passionately cares for Israel". But silent, throughout all this, is the one man who could, if he wanted, stop the war. At the end of his recent tour of the Gulf, Donald Trump said "a lot of people are starving". White House officials indicated the US president was frustrated with the war and wanted the Israeli government to "wrap it up". But while other western leaders release expressions of outrage, Trump is saying almost nothing.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Metro
'Godmother' of Israeli settler movement from Louis Theroux documentary sanctione
'What is on my mind all the time is how to bring more people to settle the Palestinian land.' This is what Daniella Weiss, often referred to as the 'godmother' of Israel's settler movement, proudly told Louis Theroux during his BBC documentary 'The Settlers'. The 79-year-old is among several people sanctioned by the UK today over inciting or carrying out violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Foreign secretary David Lammy said about the measures: 'The sanctioning of Daniella Weiss and others demonstrates our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation at the hands of extremist settlers. 'The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions. 'Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.' Weiss is the founder and leader of Nachala, a radical settler organisation, and a former mayor of Kedumim, an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank. For more than 50 years, she has been prominent in the creation of illegal settlements on territory captured by Israel in the Middle East war in 1967. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Nachala's ambition is for Israel to annex both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Weiss also believes that Lebanon, Jordan and parts of Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq are all part of Greater Israel. The UK government described Weiss as a 'high-profile extremist settler' and said she is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification. It added: 'Weiss has been involved in threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting, acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals.' Nachala, which has been involved in 'facilitating, inciting, promoting and providing logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts and forced displacement of Palestinians' is now subject to an asset freeze. In Theroux's 'Settlers', Weiss is shown promoting the expansion of Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza. She described settlements as a fulfilment of a divine mission and made no apology for the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The activist told the British filmmaker that peace would only come through 'Jewish control' of the land. When Weiss said that she 'does not think' about Palestinian villages in the West Bank such as Beita, Theroux called her stance 'sociopathic'. Weiss' inclusion on the sanctions list marks a rare move against a leading ideological figure in Israel's settlement project. More Trending Eliav Libi and Zohar Sabah, as well as two illegal settler outposts and two organisations 'supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank' have also been targeted. 'These individuals and entities are now subject to measures including financial restrictions, travel bans, and director disqualifications, and will follow 18 other individuals, entities, and companies already sanctioned relating to serious violence against communities in the West Bank,' the press release read. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Aisling Bea struggles with family's 'shameful' past in tonight's Who Do You Think You Are MORE: 'My BBC drama did something rarely seen before on TV' MORE: Huge update as EastEnders character charged with murder in early iPlayer release
Irish Examiner
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: I hope the 'Irish Examiner' continues to ask the hard questions
'The whole world should be reporting what they have learned up to this point. The whole world owes the journalists and people that documented and appealed to stop a war mongering regime.' Those were the words of US-born Palestinian writer Mariam Barghouti in Elaine Loughlin's searing analysis on where the world now stands on Gaza ('Do you ever wonder why you're not seeing as many reports from Gaza?'). Whether it is Louis Theroux's shocking BBC documentary, The Settlers, on the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank or last year's Oscar-winning film No Other Land, Israel is unquestionably a pariah state. The Irish Examiner rightly asks: What more can be done by Ireland and the international community to try and bring a stop to the murderous campaign of vengeance on defenceless people in the ever dwindling Gaza strip? Why not doorstep Bono or even Bob Geldof, who have been noticeably silent on the massacre unfolding before our eyes? Or the Tipperary brothers, the multi-billionaire Collinsons — one of whom posted on social media recently: 'Great to be back in Tel Aviv.' I hope the Irish Examiner continues to ask the hard questions — not just of our politicians, but also the celebrities and industrialists who are complicit in the horrors of Gaza and the West Bank through their silence and inactions. Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry Shame on the hypocrites We sadly live in a world of twisted values where, on one hand, we can rightly celebrate and recognise the sacrifice of those who fought to liberate Europe 80 years ago from the Nazis and, at the same time, we witness the hypocrisy of the US, Britain, the EU, and Nato as they continue to shamelessly arm, finance, and collaborate with the belligerent Israeli occupiers of Palestine. Shame on them all with their entitled mindset and their double speak on freedom and democracy, as they deny life and liberty to the Palestinians while giving political cover to Israel — which continues to control and deny access to the free press who would expose their ghastly lies and war crimes. In every country, all free peoples must act to liberate the Palestinians by righteous actions — including: Challenge the narrative which portrays an apartheid Israeli state as a normal democracy and allows them to promote their lies and propaganda; Seek the truth from reliable sources such as the UN, Amnesty International, Israeli human rights groups, and independent news media; Demand a referendum on sanctions if our political leaders do not act to cut all political, economic, and travel links with the Israeli regime; The UN should remove Israel from the assembly and proscribe their military as a brutal terrorist organisation; Boycott Israeli goods; Support the banning of all Israeli football and sporting fixtures at international events in freedom-loving nations; Remove Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest until they respect international laws; Church leaders of all dominations should use their moral authority to challenge the active support of members of their congregations for the extremes of Israel's ultra-nationalists; Provide financial support to NGOs and the UN — who supply humanitarian aid to the suffering, trapped, and starving people of Palestine. Michael Hagan, Dunmurry, Co Antrim Challenge to ban The New Zealand government is looking to ban social media access for people under the age of 16 by 2026. This will come as a great surprise for them as they probably don't read newspapers and social media sites might not publicise their own partial demise. A number of countries are working on restricting access to social media, but with little success so far. Banning anything is difficult given the freedoms most countries promote and protect. Banning social media will be more difficult given some — probably most — will lie or cheat to maintain their youthful drug of addition, likes, and followers. Social media has broadened to include dangerous Instagram challenges and videos of the consequences. Any technological bypass will be sent around the world before their parents can finish a nice cup of tea. Social media, once the realm of cat videos and family photos, has broadened to include dangerous Instagram challenges and videos of the consequences. It has great potential — as did nuclear power, although the ex-citizens of Chernobyl might see a different future. Rather than ban, Governments should monitor, clean, and promote the positive while punishing the negative. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia Dying at home End-of-life care can make a huge difference to those in their last months of life. Recent research from the Irish Hospice Foundation tells us that more than seven out of 10 Irish people would wish to die in their own home. However, we learn that getting access to palliative care at home or to hospice care can sometimes be difficult . I was emboldened to glean that the Irish Hospice Foundation is now hoping to address the gaps in home care in their strategy, Dying well at home, over the next five years. We have a growing population in Ireland and, over the next two decades, we will see an increase in Irish deaths. It would be true to say that not everybody will require specialist palliative care. This is where the role of other healthcare and social care professionals will kick in. I applaud the Irish Hospice Foundation in highlighting this emotive subject. John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Leo's teachings The election of a relatively unknown cardinal, Robert F Prevost, to the papacy has catapulted another Augustinian to world fame. History will judge if his pontificate is to be as influential as the actions of two other Augustinian friars: Martin Luther — much influenced by St Augustine, who spearheaded the Reformation — and Gregor Mendel — who in his monastic garden, experimenting on peas, laid the foundation for the science of genetics. It may also be noteworthy that Leo XIII (died 1903) lived into his 94th year — successor to Pius IX (died 1878), who reigned for 32 years — the record to date. Of further interest is that this Leo, in 1892, appointed the first apostolic delegate to the US. Pope Leo XIV. Picture: Alessandra Tarantino/AP This was followed in 1899, however, by his censuring of 'Americanism' — which sought to adapt Catholicism to contemporary ideas and practices. When, on May 8, cardinal Prevost accepted his nomination as pope, he was doubtless aware of these considerations — in addition to having probably anticipated the somewhat exaggerated plaudits now directed at his predecessor's most famous encyclical (he devoted 11 to the Virgin Mary), Rerum novarum. Leo XIII also supported the study of the natural sciences and said that Catholic historians should write objectively about topics. These initiatives continue to be relevant in a world plagued by 'alternative realities', as the new pope will surely appreciate. Peter Keenan, Kinsale, Co Cork Pledge to reform The new Pope, Leo XIV, promises to follow in the reforming steps of the late Pope Francis. It is reliably reported that at a pre-conclave meeting of the assembled cardinals in Rome, it was agreed that clerical sex abuse must be one of the first challenges to be faced by of the incoming pope. From his time as Bishop of Sufar and apostolic administrator of Chiclayo, Peru, and as a Peruvian citizen he must be painfully aware of the controversy of clerical abuse and its fallout that continues unabated in Peru. Indeed the scandal of sexual abuse followed him to Rome in the person of Cardinal Cipriani, former Archbishop of Lima, and a member of the traditionalist Opus Dei organisation who has been accused of sexual abuse — a crime of which he declares he is innocent. Francis accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Lima, but imposed several penal restrictions on him — which he has largely ignored —including the wearing of the distinctive red robes and the associated regalia of a cardinal. In spite of this prohibition, he attended pre-conclave meetings and public events in the Vatican in his cardinal attire. This is just one example of the serious challenges that Pope Leo faces. Hopefully, he will confront them with courage and tenacity. Brendan Butler, Drumcondra, Dublin 9
