Latest news with #Western-backed
Kuwait Times
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Zionist govt approves 22 new settlements
RAMALLAH: Zionist government has approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, its finance minister said on Thursday, a move that could deepen divisions with some allies who have threatened sanctions over such moves. Bezalal Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist advocating for Zionist sovereignty over the West Bank, wrote on X that the settlements would be in the northern West Bank, without specifying where. Zionist media cited the Defense Ministry as saying that among the new settlements, existing 'outposts' would be legalized and new settlements would also be built. A spokesperson for Defense Minister I Katz did not respond to a text message seeking comment on the announcement. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited rule in the West Bank, and the largely Gaza-based Islamist militant group Hamas condemned the decision. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said it was a 'dangerous escalation', accusing Zionists of continuing to drag the region into a 'cycle of violence and instability'. 'This extremist government is trying by all means to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,' he told Reuters, urging US President Donald Trump's administration to intervene. Palestinians regard the expansion of settlements as a hindrance to their aspirations to create an independent state in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. There is a growing list of European countries demanding that Zionists end the war in Gaza, while Britain, France and Canada this month warned Zionists they could impose targeted sanctions if Zionists continued to broaden settlement in the West Bank. Britain's Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, condemned the approval of new settlements, calling it a 'deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood'. 'Settlements are illegal under international law, further imperil the two-state solution, and do not protect Zionist entity,' Falconer wrote on X. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal. The government deems settlements legal under its own laws, while some so-called 'outposts' are illegal but often tolerated and sometimes later legalized. — Reuters B'Tselem, a leading human rights organization, accused the right-wing government of advancing 'Jewish supremacy through the theft of Palestinian land and the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank.' In a statement, B'Tselem also criticized the international community for 'enabling Zionist crimes.' The decision was praised by Yisrael Ganz, chairman of the Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlements and has close ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ganz said the move countered the Palestinian Authority's bid to establish a state. 'This historic decision sends a clear message - we are here not only to stay but to establish Zionist entity here for all its residents and to strengthen its security,' he said. Around 700,000 settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Zionists captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. Zionists later annexed East Jerusalem, a move not recognized by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank. Settlement activity in the West Bank has accelerated sharply since the outbreak of the Zionist-Hamas war in Gaza, now in its 20th month. Zionist entity has also stepped up military operations against Palestinian militants in the West Bank and settler attacks on Palestinian residents have increased. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Thursday's decision was part of 'the war led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people'. He urged the United States and European Union to respond to the announcement by taking action. — Reuters
United News of India
a day ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Russia to continue military campaign in Ukraine until resolution of core causes
Moscow, May 31 (UNI) Russia will not halt its military campaign in Ukraine until the underlying causes of the conflict are resolved and peace agreements are formally ratified, senior Russian officials have said. Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma's Defence Committee, ruled out any unconditional ceasefire, stating that Moscow would continue its assault unless things are not 'put into writing'. 'We will not agree to a ceasefire just for the sake of it,' he said on the country's federal TV agency Channel One, according to Russian-state-media-TASS. 'Only if everything is put in writing, passed into law, ratified by parliaments, and becomes part of a genuine, lasting agreement—only then can peace be considered. Until then, the special military operation will continue.' Stating that the Kremlin won't be deterred by any "false assurances", he referenced the West's 'empty promises' to Moscow in prior negotiations, and said Russia would not be 'deceived again by golden illusions". At the United Nations, Russia's ambassador Vassily Nebenzia echoed the same stance, stating that Moscow is willing to consider a ceasefire 'in principle", but only if Kyiv takes tangible steps toward a long-term settlement. 'A simple ceasefire is not enough,' he told the UN Security Council, reports Sputnik. 'We stood at this crossroads before with the Minsk agreements, which were consistently violated by Western-backed Ukraine.' Nebenzia added that Russia's military is capable of escalating operations if necessary. 'The Russian Armed Forces can continue and ramp up military operations for as long as it takes,' he said. Accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately prolonging the conflict to avoid facing democratic accountability and corruption allegations, Nebenzia said, 'Ending the war means elections, scrutiny, and questions about where the money went.' He also accused some 'warmongers' in Europe of stalling any peace talks, misleading the US and forcing them to stay engaged. 'European warmongers are determined to keep America in this,' he said. UNI ANV RN
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
US, allies press IAEA to declare Iran non-compliant on nuclear commitments
Shafaq News/ The US, joined by the UK, France, and Germany, launched a high-level push to persuade the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to formally declare that Iran is failing to meet its nuclear commitments, diplomatic sources told Shafaq News. The move, considered the most serious escalation in nearly two decades, comes ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors' quarterly meeting on June 9. The meeting will coincide with the release of new IAEA reports on Iran's nuclear activities and compliance with non-proliferation agreements. Diplomats said the Western-backed draft resolution aims to pressure Iran to clarify the presence of uranium traces found at undeclared sites, amid mounting concern over the rapid progress of Tehran's nuclear program. While previous IAEA board statements have urged Iran to boost transparency and cooperation, this new draft would be the first to formally declare Tehran in non-compliance, signaling a major diplomatic escalation. Observers warn that this step could complicate ongoing diplomatic efforts, including indirect talks between Iran and the US aimed at reviving understandings around Iran's nuclear program, which have faltered since the 2015 deal collapsed.
Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Israel authorises more Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank
Israel said on Thursday it would establish 22 Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the legalisation of outposts already built without government authorisation. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war and the Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to resolving the decades-old conflict. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the settlement decision "strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria,' using the biblical term for the West Bank, "anchors our historical right in the Land of Israel, and constitutes a crushing response to Palestinian terrorism.' He added it was also "a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.' Smoke rises during an Israeli army operation in Jenin, West Bank. File/Reuters Israel has already built well over 100 settlements across the territory that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small hilltop outposts to fully developed communities with apartment blocks, shopping malls, factories and public parks. The West Bank is home to 3 million Palestinians, who live under Israeli military rule with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers. The settlers have Israeli citizenship. Israel has accelerated settlement construction in recent years - long before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in Gaza -- confining Palestinians to smaller and smaller areas of the West Bank and making the prospect of establishing a viable, independent state even more remote. Associated Press
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Israel says it will establish 22 new Jewish settlements in occupied West Bank
They would include new settlements and the legalisation of outposts already built without government authorisation. Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, killed 13 people overnight, health officials said. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and the Palestinians want it to be the main part of their future state. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to resolving the decades-old conflict. Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said the settlement decision 'strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria', using the biblical term for the West Bank, 'anchors our historical right in the Land of Israel, and constitutes a crushing response to Palestinian terrorism'. He added it was also 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel'. Israel has already built well over 100 settlements across the territory that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small hilltop outposts to fully developed communities with blocks of flats, shopping centres, factories and public parks. The West Bank is home to three million Palestinians, who live under Israeli military rule with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centres. The settlers have Israeli citizenship. Israel has accelerated settlement construction in recent years – long before Hamas's October 7 2023 attack ignited the war in Gaza – confining Palestinians to smaller and smaller areas of the West Bank and making the prospect of establishing a viable, independent state even more remote. During his first term, US President Donald Trump's administration broke with decades of US foreign policy by supporting Israel's claims to territory seized by force and taking steps to legitimise the settlements. Former president Joe Biden, like most of his predecessors, opposed the settlements but applied little pressure to Israel to curb their growth. The top United Nations court ruled last year that Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called on it to end, and for settlement construction to stop immediately. Israel denounced the non-binding opinion by a 15-judge panel of the International Court of Justice, saying the territories are part of the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Israel withdrew its settlements from the Gaza Strip in 2005, but leading figures in the current government have called for them to be re-established and for much of the Palestinian population of the territory to be resettled elsewhere through what they describe as voluntary emigration. Palestinians view such plans as a blueprint for their forcible expulsion from their homeland, and experts say the plans would likely violate international law. Israel now controls more than 70% of Gaza, according to Yaakov Garb, a professor of environmental studies at Ben Gurion University, who has examined Israeli-Palestinian land use patterns for decades. The area includes buffer zones along the border with Israel as well as the southern city of Rafah, which is now mostly uninhabited, and other large areas that Israel has ordered to be evacuated. The war began with Hamas's October 7 attack, in which militants stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas still holds 58 hostages, around a third of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israeli strikes killed at least 13 Palestinians overnight in Gaza, according to local hospitals. Four were killed in a strike on a car in Gaza City late on Wednesday and another eight, including two women and three children, were killed in a strike on a home in Jabaliya. A strike on a built-up refugee camp in central Gaza killed one person and wounded 18. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants are embedded in populated areas.
