Latest news with #TheTimesofIsrael
Middle East Eye
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli military says it 'completed mission' in northern Gaza
The Israeli army says its 98th Division has completed its operations and withdrawn from the northern Gaza Strip following several months of operations in Khan Younis and Gaza City's Shujaiya and Zeitoun neighbourhoods, according to The Times of Israel. The military said that "the forces are now preparing for additional tasks". Four other divisions remain inside Gaza.
Yemen Online
a day ago
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Official: Israeli envoy to UAE ‘crossed a huge red line' in Abu Dhabi bar
New details emerged on Wednesday about the conduct of Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Yossi Shelley, after Israeli television reported that the political appointee would be replaced. Shelley crossed 'a huge red line in a place like Abu Dhabi,' an official with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel. Channel 12 news reported last week that Shelley had been out on a Friday night in Abu Dhabi with several friends and acted in an 'undignified' manner. The Emirati government heard about the alleged incident and communicated its anger to Israel through unofficial channels. 'Shelley's behavior was not acceptable and even harms our honor,' the Gulf state reportedly told Israel through an intermediary. Shelley's bodyguards witnessed the incident and reported it to their superiors, according to Channel 12. An official who worked in the Gulf told The Times of Israel that the Emiratis did not want Shelley as ambassador. Since their priority is defense technology, they wanted a former senior defense official, such as Avi Dichter or a retired general. 'He's a lame duck now,' said the official. 'No one will meet with him.' The Foreign Ministry declined to comment or make Shelley available. The Kan public broadcaster first reported last week on the tension between the ambassador and the Emirati government. A subsequent Channel 12 report quoted three sources familiar with the incident as saying that Shelley 'crossed the boundaries of personal space.' Kan reported Wednesday that Shelley, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fumed at members of his security detail when they insisted that he give them two hours' notice before leaving his residence in the evening, saying, 'What am I, in prison?' He also loaded guests into his car without them being identified by his security detail, the report said, and compromised his security by announcing that he was Israel's envoy in situations where it was unnecessary to do so. The Foreign Ministry and Emiratis both talked to Shelley about his behavior, which his hosts saw as disrespectful, Kan reported. According to the Wednesday report, Netanyahu associates are already looking for a new role to give Shelley once he is stripped of his ambassadorship. The Prime Minister's Office denied this, however, saying in a statement: 'Contrary to reports, Prime Minister Netanyahu has not decided to return the Israeli ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Yossi Shelley, to Israel.' Last week, an Emirati source described as close to the government and familiar with the details, told Channel 12: 'This incident did not showcase the behavior expected of someone who is supposed to symbolize the tightening bonds between the two countries, and certainly not someone who is supposed to represent their shared interests.' Were it not for Shelley's position, the UAE would have ordered him to leave the country, the source said. In a statement last week, Shelley said he had been made aware of conduct that the Emiratis interpreted as disrespectful. He stressed that it took place at a private event and was not related to his work as ambassador. In light of the concern raised, he said he has considered the matter. In a previous, unrelated incident last September, on a flight to New York, Shelley suddenly hugged one of the female flight attendants on Netanyahu's Wing of Zion plane while she was moving through the journalists' section. 'Shelley is a friendly and sympathetic person, but more than once he has crossed lines and this is not legitimate, especially when it comes to touching,' said a journalist in the delegation. 'I have seen him touch women inappropriately more than once, whether it is a flight attendant on Wing of Zion or a journalist whose shoulders he hugs and pulls her to him. This is inappropriate and can definitely be disturbing.' Shelley, 65, is a Netanyahu confidant and Likud activist. He served as ambassador to Brazil from 2017 to 2021, and was also director general of the Beersheba Municipality. Shelley was ridiculed in 2019 during his stint in Brazil for attempting to conceal the fact that lobster — one of the foods forbidden by Jewish dietary laws — was served during a meeting with the country's then-president Jair Bolsonaro, by photoshopping an image of the meal. He was barred from public office for three years, from 2012 to 2015, after admitting he had not declared his political affiliation despite being a Likud member while he acted as chairman of the Israel Postal Company's board of directors and director general of the Beersheba municipality.
Epoch Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
UN Conference Backs Hamas Disarmament, Two-State Solution
High-level representatives at a UN conference on July 29 issued a declaration calling for terror group Hamas to disarm and for the international community to support a long-term resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict by implementing a two-state solution. According to copies of the document obtained by The Times of Israel, the 'New York Declaration' states that conference co-chairs France and Saudi Arabia, along with the European Union, the Arab League, and 15 countries that led the working groups, agreed 'to take collective action to end the war in Gaza' and 'achieve a just, peaceful, and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution.'
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli military arrests eight in Masafer Yatta overnight after Israeli settler killing of Palestinian activist
Eight residents of the Palestinian hamlet of Umm al-Kheir in Masafer Yatta, in the occupied West Bank, were arrested overnight after an Israeli settler killed activist Awdah Hathaleen on Monday, The Times of Israel reported. According to Peace Now, the village head was among those detained when the military entered the hamlet at around 4.30am on Wednesday. Hathaleen was part of the Oscar-winning No Other Land film crew. Yinon Levi, the settler sanctioned by the US and other countries, was placed under house arrest on Tuesday. A video shared on Instagram on Monday by the co-director of No Other Land showed Levi firing indiscriminately at Palestinians in Umm al-Kheir. Four men arrested for throwing stones at Levi's bulldozer remain in Israeli detention.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Netherlands imposes entry ban on Israel's far-right ministers Smotrich, Ben Gvir over Gaza
Jerusalem: As part of measures to place pressure on Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Netherlands has banned far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering the country, as per reports. In a letter to Netherlands lawmakers, the Netherlands' Foreign Minister Caspar Valdekamp said the decision that has been taken against Smotrich and Ben Gvir "is because they have repeatedly incited violence by settlers against the Palestinian population and… called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip", The Times of Israel reported, citing local newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. Reacting to the decision, Ben Gvir, in a post on X, said: "Even if I'm banned from all of Europe, I'll keep working for our country and demanding that we topple Hamas and back our fighters. Our enemies are violent, murderous rapists. But in Europe… the one who goes on the offensive is guilty. In a place where terrorism is tolerated and terrorists are welcome, a Jewish minister from Israel is unwelcome. Terrorists are free and Jews are boycotted." The decision to ban Ben Gvir and Smotrich from entering the Netherlands comes a day after the Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that his government was 'considering taking national measures' against Israel, apart from supporting a European Union proposal to partially suspend funding for Israeli researchers. Last week, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that the military will carry out a "local tactical pause of military activity" in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip, starting from 10 a.m. (local time) to 8 p.m. (local time). The military said that the "pause" will be implemented "every day until further notice" in areas where the IDF is not currently carrying out operations with ground troops, including Deir al-Balah, al-Mawasi and Gaza City. According to the military, the decision has been taken "in accordance with directives from the political echelon, and as part of the IDF's ongoing effort, led by COGAT, to increase the scope of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip". The Israeli military said that the decision was coordinated with the UN and international organisations following discussions regarding the matter. In addition, the IDF said "secure routes" will be designated from 6 a.m. (local time) to 11 p.m. (local time) to enable the safe passage of United Nations and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine among the people in the Gaza Strip.
