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Miami Herald
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Israel's Katz: New settlements aim to halt Palestine state
Israel will build 22 new settlements in the West Bank including some along its eastern border with Jordan, a development the nation's defense minister said would "strengthen its grip on the territory" and "prevent the establishment of a 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 what international aid agencies say is a hunger crisis. The expansion of settlements is a violation of international law, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office. The move could harden attitudes against Israel ahead of a U.N. summit co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia in New York next month that aims to rally support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Homesh and Sa-Nur settlements in the northern West Bank, which were evacuated two decades ago when Israel also disengaged from the Gaza Strip, will be reconstructed, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Thursday. Additional sites in the Jordan Rift Valley along Israel's eastern border, an area that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long considered a strategic stronghold, have been earmarked for development. Israel has also begun erecting a security fence that will run for some 400 kilometers (250 miles) along the entirety of its eastern border with Syria and Jordan, a project that was budgeted for in the government's latest fiscal plan. About 500,000 Israelis, roughly 5% of the population, live in settlements in territory that was occupied more than five decades ago, with over half of them concentrated in 13 large communities in the West Bank. Katz described the construction of the new settlements as a "once-in-a-generation" development that would "prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel, and serve as a buffer against our enemies." Bezalel Smotrich, a hard-line West Bank settler who serves as Israel's finance minister, called for the government to reassess the "sovereignty" of the territory, an apparent reference to the option of annexing all or part of it. Opposition within Israel to Palestinian independence has hardened since Hamas attacked the south of the country in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250. Israel responded with an air and ground assault that has claimed the lives of more than 54,000 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which doesn't distinguish between between fighters and civilians. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union. On Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel had killed Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas's leader in Gaza, in an attack earlier this month. Israel had previously said it thought Sinwar, who replaced his assassinated brother Yahya last October, was dead. It's unclear who'll now run Hamas. Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a Palestinian State last year and Israel has been lobbying other European nations such as France and the U.K. not to follow suit. The U.S., Israel's main ally, hasn't recently expressed a clear stance on the matter. While President Donald Trump's appointed officials have in the past advocated for Israel annexing the West Bank and Gaza, he has been ambiguous about where he stands. --------- -With assistance from John Bowker and Ethan Bronner. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Mint
29-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
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. The move could harden attitudes against Israel ahead of a UN summit co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia in New York next month that aims to rally support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Homesh and Sa-Nur settlements in the northern West Bank, which were evacuated two decades ago when Israel disengaged from part of the territory and the Gaza Strip, will be reconstructed, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Thursday. Additional sites in the Jordan Rift Valley along Israel's eastern border, an area that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long considered a strategic stronghold, have been earmarked for development. Israel has also begun erecting a security fence that will run for some 400 kilometers along the entirety of its eastern border with Syria and Jordan, a project that was budgeted for in the government's latest fiscal plan. About 500,000 Israelis, roughly 5% of the population, live in settlements in territory that was occupied more than five decades ago, with over half of them concentrated in 13 large communities in the West Bank. Katz described the construction of the new settlements as a 'once-in-a-generation' development that would 'prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel, and serve as a buffer against our enemies.' Bezalel Smotrich, a hard-line West Bank settler who serves as Israel's finance minister, called for the government to reassess the 'sovereignty' of the territory, an apparent reference to the option of annexing all or part of it. Opposition within Israel to Palestinian independence has hardened since Hamas attacked the south of the country in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250. Israel responded with an air and ground assault that has claimed the lives of more than 54,000 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which doesn't distinguish between between fighters and civilians. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union. Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a Palestinian State last year and Israel has been lobbying other European nations such as France and the UK not to follow suit. The US, Israel's main ally, hasn't recently expressed a clear stance on the matter. While President Donald Trump's appointed officials have in the past advocated for Israel annexing the West Bank and Gaza, he has been purposely ambiguous about where he stands. With assistance from John Bowker and Ethan Bronner. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
India Today
22-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
Shattered childhoods: Gaza's children first face bombs, then hunger
In 2014, Palestinian poet Khaled Juma wrote a painful verse about the 'Rascal Children of Gaza' amid Israel's bombardment of the Strip. Juma lamented how he yearned for their mischief and laughter. More than a decade later, the children of Gaza seem to have nowhere left to the beginning of the present conflict in October 2023 and May 20 this year, about 18,000 Palestinian children were killed in Israeli strikes. More than 800 of them were infants under the age of one. And at least 274 were born and killed in the past 19 violence shows no sign of slowing: more than 950 children have been killed in the last two months of children Children who have survived airstrikes and bombardment now face hunger. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, more than eleven weeks into the blockade on humanitarian aid by Israeli authorities, Gaza's food crisis has reached catastrophic levels. Over 50 children have already died from starvation, and many others are on the verge of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned two days ago that without immediate intervention, as many as 14,000 infants could die within just 48 of May 14, over 90 per cent of children aged between six and 23 months, along with pregnant and breastfeeding women, were not meeting their nutritional to the State of Palestine Nutrition Cluster, more than 1.2 million people in Gaza have required lifesaving nutrition interventions and malnutrition prevention services in 2025 alone. This includes approximately eight lakh children under the age of five, and over three lakh pregnant or breastfeeding women. More than 60,000 children under the age of five need acute malnutrition, and nearly three lakh children need supplementary feeding and micronutrient 16,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are suffering from acute malnutrition, 1.5 lakh require preventive supplementation, and 20,000 need cash-based assistance to stave off quality of life for the livingAs of May 14, more than 13,000 school students and 663 education workers have been killed, and around 22,000 students and 2,825 teachers have been injured. Education has been upended for 6.6 lakh school-aged children and 8,700 tertiary students, who now lack access to formal learning health support is another urgent need. Over 1 million children now require psychosocial and mental health support due to sustained trauma. According to a World Health Organisation report, Palestinians in Gaza, children and adults alike, suffer from high rates of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and acute stress report cited various studies, one of which estimated that 54 per cent of children in Gaza had PTSD, with comorbid depression (41 per cent) and anxiety (34 per cent), due to traumatic events like bombings and loss of loved January, UNICEF noted that between 13,455 and 17,550 children in the Gaza Strip have life-changing injuries, requiring major rehabilitation, and that between 3,105 and 4,050 limb amputations have occurred since October Watch
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
SC questions plea on Rohingya deportation, cites lack of credible evidence
The Supreme Court on Friday (May 16, 2025) criticised petitioners who claimed 43 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, were dropped in the Andaman sea for deportation to Myanmar. 'When the country is passing through a difficult time, you come up with fanciful ideas,' Justice Surya Kant asked them. The Bench, also comprising Justice N. Kotiswar Singh, questioned the authenticity of materials placed before it by petitioner Mohd Ismail and others, represented by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves. It refused to stay further deportation of Rohingyas, remarking that similar relief had been denied by the court earlier. The court refused to take into account the materials placed by petitioners, saying they appeared to have been taken from the social media. The Bench said recording of an alleged phone call conversation between those who were deported and the Delhi-based petitioner was not verified. Mr. Gonsalves referred to a report of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner taking note of the issue. However, the Bench was not impressed. Nevertheless, the Bench asked Mr. Gonsalves to serve the copy of the petition on the offices of the Attorney General and the Solicitor General for transmitting it to the authorities concerned in the government. It posted the hearing before a three-judge Bench on July 31.
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Business Standard
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
SC slams petitioners over 'fanciful ideas' on Rohingya deportation claims
The Supreme Court on Friday rapped the petitioners who claimed 43 Rohingya refugees including women and children were dropped in the Andaman sea for deportation to Myanmar and said "when country is passing through a difficult time, you come out with fanciful ideas". A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh also questioned the authenticity of materials placed before it by petitioner Mohd Ismail and others and refused to stay any further deportation of Rohingyas saying similar relief was denied by the court. "When the country is passing through a difficult time, you come out with such fanciful ideas," the bench told senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioners. It said the materials placed by petitioners appeared to be taken from social media and termed the averments of torture and deportation of Rohingyas by throwing them into sea as "mere allegations". "Where is the material substantiating the allegations?" Justice Kant asked. The bench said recording of the alleged phone call conversation between those who were deported and the Delhi-based petitioner was not verified. "Did anyone verify these phone calls that they originated from Myanmar? Earlier, we heard a case where calls were made from Jamtara in Jharkhand from phone numbers of US, UK and Canada," Justice Kant scoffed. When Gonsalves tried to refer to the report of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner saying it had also taken note of the issue and started an inquiry into the matter, the bench said, "People sitting outside cannot dictate our authorities and sovereignty." The bench, however, asked Gonsalves to serve the copy of the petition to the office of the attorney general and the solicitor general for the purpose of transmitting it to the authorities concerned in the government and posted the hearing before a three-judge bench on July 31. "There is absolutely no material in support of the vague, evasive and sweeping statements made. Unless the allegations are supported with some prima facie material, it is difficult for us to sit over an order passed by a larger bench," it said. The top court termed the averments made in the petition as "beautifully crafted story using flowery language" and said it would comment on the report of the UN body while sitting in a combination of three-judge bench. Gonsalves was further asked, "Every day you come with a new story. What is the basis of this story? Where is the material to substantiate your allegations?" He alleged that after the last hearing on May 8, several Rohingyas were deported after being taken to Andaman and they were dropped in the sea. He said they are now put in a "war zone" facing the risk of getting killed. He said they have got a phone call from one of them, which has been recorded and put on record. On May 8, the top court said if Rohingya refugees in the country were found to be foreigners under Indian laws they would have to be deported. The court then referred to its order and remarked the identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) may not be of any help to them under the law. The top court was informed that some refugees having UNHCR cards, including women and children, were arrested by police authorities late last night and deported, despite a hearing on May 15. "If they (Rohingyas) are all foreigners and if they are covered by the Foreigners' Act, then they will have to be dealt with as per the Foreigners' Act," it said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, referred to the April 8, 2021 order of the court and said it bound the government to take deportation action in accordance with law. Referring to the UNHCR cards, Mehta said India was not a signatory to the refugee convention. The April 2021 order said the rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 are available to all persons who may or may not be citizens but the right of not to be deported, is ancillary or concomitant to the right to reside or settle in any part of the territory of India guaranteed under Article 19(1)(e).
