11 h. ago Israeli government issuing ‘illegal’ orders that must not be obeyed, say IDF intelligence officers

In letter to Netanyahu, 41 signatories say hostages given ‘death sentence’ and Israel waging ‘unnecessary’ warMiddle East crisis – latest updatesIsrael’s government is issuing “clearly illegal” orders that must not be obeyed, a group of Israeli military intelligence officers have said, announcing they will no longer participate in combat operations in Gaza.In a letter addressed to Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister, Israel Katz, and the head of the military, the group of 41 officers and reservists said the government was waging an “unnecessary, eternal war” in Gaza. Continue reading...

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11 h. ago Israeli army officers refuse to serve in ‘unnecessary, eternal war’ in Gaza

In letter to Netanyahu, 41 signatories say government’s orders are ‘clearly illegal’ and hostages have been given ‘death sentence’Israel’s government is issuing “clearly illegal” orders that must not be obeyed, a group of Israeli military intelligence officers have said, announcing they will no longer participate in combat operations in Gaza.In a letter addressed to Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister, Israel Katz, and the head of the military, the group of 41 officers and reservists said the government was waging an “unnecessary, eternal war” in Gaza. Continue reading...

Events

14 h. ago Netanyahu's government faces possible collapse as the opposition seeks to dissolve it

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government faces a major test on Wednesday after the opposition submitted a bill to dissolve the government

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31 h. ago MPs call for UK to recognise Palestine after Government sanctions ministers

Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs all call for the UK to recognise Palestine at UN conference in New York next week

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35 h. ago Independent Scotland would cut ties with Israel, says SNP Westminster leader

Stephen Flynn said he was ‘deeply upset and angry’ about the situation in Gaza.

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36 h. ago Greta Thunberg breaks silence after being 'kidnapped' on 'selfie yacht' by Israeli forces

The climate change activist and 11 other crew members on board the 'selfie boat' was arrested by Israeli officials and was shipped back to Sweden via France earlier today

Politics

37 h. ago UK to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben

Move would mark first western sanctions against government ministers from Israel

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37 h. ago UK sanctions two Israeli ministers as it ramps up pressure over Gaza

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, will be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze.

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57 h. ago Israeli government blasts Greta Thunberg and her ‘selfie yacht’ for ‘feeding her ego’

The Israeli government has slammed a Gaza-bound ship carrying 12 activists, including Greta Thunberg, as a “selfie yacht” that exists simply to “feed her ego”.

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62 h. ago Macron must lead the EU push to end Israel’s war on Gaza | Jo

The Israeli government is assailing the French president – but visible economic and political action is the only hope for peaceEmmanuel Macron has become enemy No 1 for the Netanyahu government. That’s because the French president aims to create momentum for a Palestinian state beside Israel encompassing the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the Gaza Strip, reviving what is fast becoming an out-of-reach possibility – a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.That’s why Macron has earned the fury of an increasingly unhinged Israeli prime minister. France is expected to co-chair an organizing conference at the United Nations in New York in mid-June, taking advantage of heads of state already in North America for the Canadian-based G7 summit a few days earlier. He hopes this conference will include the all-important Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Continue reading...

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63 h. ago Greta Thunberg arrested: Has Greta Thunberg been kidnapped? The activists on board 'selfie yacht' Madleen

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was on board the yacht Madleen when the vessel was detailed by Israeli authorities.

Events

3 d. ago Greta Thunberg Madleen boat branded 'a selfie yacht' as Israel hits back at activists

After Greta Thunberg said she and the 11 other activists on Madleen had been "intercepted and kidnapped," Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs took a swipe at the campaigners

Politics

5 d. ago Netanyahu defends arming Palestinian clans accused of ties with jihadist groups

PM says it ‘saves lives of Israeli soldiers’ despite accusations government is giving weapons to ‘criminals and felons’The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas, following accusations that members of these criminal gangs allegedly looted humanitarian aid and have ties to jihadist groups.Netanyahu’s comments came after Israeli media reports quoted defence sources as saying Netanyahu had authorised giving weapons to a clan reportedly led by a man known as Yasser Abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his involvement in criminal activity. Israel allegedly provided Abu Shabab’s group, which calls itself the “Anti-Terror Service”, with Kalashnikov assault rifles, including weapons seized from Hamas. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago British Palestinians urge action from Government as relatives starve in Gaza

The group is asking the Government to impose comprehensive economic and diplomatic sanctions on Israel.

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7 d. ago Starmer labels Israel's action in Gaza 'appalling' and dubs conduct of Netanyahu's Government 'intolerable'

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has blasted Israel for the recent actions of Netanyahu's government in Gaza describing it as 'counterproductive', 'intolerable' and 'appalling'.

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7 d. ago Gaza facing ‘dark days’, Starmer says, as he vows to consider ‘further action’

At the despatch box, the Prime Minister described the Israeli government’s conduct in the 25 mile-long strip as ‘counterproductive and intolerable’.

Politics

8 d. ago I told the truth about the West Bank and was threatened and assaulted. Now I'm relying on you to act | Issa Amro

Our lives are blighted by illegal settlements, and Israel has just approved 22 more. Without concrete action, we will be erasedIssa Amro is a Palestinian human rights defenderEach of the 22 illegal settlements approved by Israel last week is another nail in the coffin of the peace process, hammered in by the complicity of western governments and corporations. Israeli settlements are not benign civilian neighbourhoods – they are primary instruments of dispossession, control and apartheid. Settlements are closed militarised zones on Palestinians’ stolen land, cutting off our access to our resources, our farms, our schools, our jobs and each other. Palestinian lands rapidly shrink, our livelihoods are devastated, our rights are systematically violated and our identity is undermined.Western lawmakers look on, expressing commitment to peace through a two-state solution but choosing to do nothing to achieve this goal. Instead, their policies and inaction enable yet further settlement acti...

Events

1 week ago Starving Palestinians, gunfire and deadly stampede: Horror in Gaza as Israel’s aid plan descends into chaos

Israel Defense Forces admits to firing warning shots at food distribution sites in war-ravaged Gaza as the Israeli government approves 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Nedal Hamdouna from Gaza and Bel Trew report on the growing crisis

Events

1 week ago Europe will never agree on Israel – but here’s a way it can act to help Gaza | Nathalie Tocci

The EU is Israel’s biggest trading partner – and that gives it leverage to finally change the course of this brutal warEuropean consciences have started waking up to the Israeli government’s crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories – and it is about time. What has caused this long and slow awakening? Is it Israel’s killing of more than 54,000 Palestinians since Hamas’s horrific attack on 7 October 2023? Thousands of babies at risk of dying from starvation and malnutrition? Civilians burning alive? Israeli ministers’ plans to reoccupy and recolonise the Gaza Strip, expelling Palestinians? Or perhaps it’s the Israeli army firing shots at diplomats, including Europeans, in the West Bank – or the racist chanting, during a state-funded march in Jerusalem, of “death to the Arabs” and “may their villages burn”?It’s probably a combination of all the above, as well as the recognition that principled pressure on Israel will certainly not come from Washington. Whatever the triggers for i...

Politics

1 week ago It’s time for Israel to halt its war of devastation in Gaza | Ehud Olmert

The indiscriminate, cruel and criminal killing of civilians may see us be banished from the family of nations and summoned to the ICC, with no good defenseThe government of Israel is currently waging a war without purpose, without goals or clear planning, and with no chances of success. Never since its establishment has the state of Israel waged such a war. The criminal gang headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel’s history in this area, too.The obvious result of Operation Gideon’s Chariots is, first and foremost, the confused activity of Israeli military units deployed around Gaza. This is true particularly in neighborhoods where our soldiers have already fought, were hurt and fell while killing many Hamas combatants, who deserve to die, and many more innocent civilians. These have joined the statistics of pointless victims among the Palestinian population, reaching monstrous proportions.Ehud Olmert is a former prime minister of IsraelThis op-ed ori...

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