6 h. ago ANDY DOLAN: So what it's like in area said to be the UK's 'worst integrated'?

With its Asian grocery stores and jewellers, a West Indian bakery and even a branch of the Bank of India, the main Soho Road through Handsworth certainly seems multicultural.

Politics

23 h. ago This war of revenge has lasted two nightmare years. There’s only one hope for peace: Israel recognising Palestine | Raja Shehadeh

Donald Trump’s proposals are in play, but here in the West Bank we live in fear that the devastation of Gaza is coming our wayBeing an eternal optimist, I hoped that the events of 7 October 2023 – Hamas’s attack on southern Israel and breaking of the Israeli siege of Gaza – might precipitate a reappraisal of Israeli strategy towards the Palestinians. I hoped Israeli leaders would come to realise the futility of protecting their country by building walls, however impregnable.Instead, the attack did the opposite. It led to a war of revenge that has now lasted for close to two years, killing more than 65,000 Palestinians and causing the widespread devastation of Gaza, including destroying 92% of its residential buildings. Initially, I was shocked by this, and the dehumanisation of the people of Gaza which immediately came from Israeli leaders – Yoav Gallant, who was defence minister at the time of the attack, justified the war by declaring: “We are fighting human animals and are acting...

Politics

25 h. ago PHOTO ESSAY: 18 young lives have been lost in the West Bank this year

One child was sitting on her mother’s lap. Another had just stepped outside his home. Another was picking almonds.

Culture

40 h. ago ‘A club nobody wanted to be a part of’: Families of Americans killed by Israel face uphill climb to justice

Dozens of American citizens have been killed by Hamas and Israel – but the US government has taken a very different approach to the latterWithin hours after they were told that Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi had been killed by an Israeli sniper while at a protest in the West Bank last year, her family was on a phone call with the parents of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza more than two decades ago.The families were introduced by a mutual contact in Washington state, where both Corrie and 26-year-old Eygi had lived. There were other parallels in their stories: Corrie was protesting against the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in Rafah when a soldier drove over her; Eygi was at a protest against settlement expansion near Nablus. Both had traveled to the region with the International Solidarity Movement, a group that for years has brought foreign activists to stand with Palestinians against Israel’s occupation. An Israeli ...

Society

4 d. ago The only protester still locked up after Trump’s campus crackdown breaks silence: 'I feel helpless'

A Palestinian activist arrested by the Trump administration in March says she feels helpless as she remains jailed while her family in Gaza suffers amid ongoing conflict

Politics

1 week ago Netanyahu tells UN that Israel ‘must finish the job’ in Gaza after dozens of delegates walk out in protest

Israeli PM rebuked Western nations for embracing Palestinian statehood after scores of delegates left the hall in protestPalestinians living in poverty were also affected, the Palestinian prime minister’s spokesperson Mohammad Abu al-Rob told Agence France-Presse (AFP), with their numbers rising by more than 150% since the start of the Gaza war, and with cash assistance not paid out in more than two months.An increase in the number of Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank, and a reduction in work permits for West Bank Palestinians seeking work inside Israel have had a drastic impact. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Benjamin Netanyahu addresses UN general assembly as dozens of delegates walk out

Israeli PM is addressing the United Nations in New York Palestinians living in poverty were also affected, the Palestinian prime minister’s spokesperson Mohammad Abu al-Rob told Agence France-Presse (AFP), with their numbers rising by more than 150% since the start of the Gaza war, and with cash assistance not paid out in more than two months.An increase in the number of Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank, and a reduction in work permits for West Bank Palestinians seeking work inside Israel have had a drastic impact. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump says he ‘will not allow’ Israel to annex West Bank after lobbying from allies

British officials said they feared Trump would recognise Israeli control over the West Bank in retaliation for the UK, Australia, France and other recognising PalestineDonald Trump has said he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, rejecting calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over the area and snuff out hopes for a Palestinian state.“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding “There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump ‘promised Arab leaders he would not let Israel annex the West Bank’

Israeli ministers have called for the annexation of the occupied territory in retaliation for the growing global recognition of a Palestinian state

Politics

1 week ago Trump pledges to prevent Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank

US president makes promise to Arab and Muslim leaders in meeting on sidelines of UN General Assembly

Politics

2 w. ago As Western nations recognize Palestinian statehood, Palestinians doubt its impact

Palestinians across the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank are welcoming news that some Western countries have recognized a Palestinian state

Politics

2 w. ago British officials fear Trump could recognise Israeli West Bank settlements

Government insiders say move would be a serious blow to prospect of a two-state solutionMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritish officials fear Donald Trump could recognise Israeli control over illegal settlements on the West Bank in retaliation for the UK, France and others deciding to recognise Palestine.Government insiders believe the US president is considering granting official recognition to the Israeli communities there, which would be a serious blow to achieving a two-state solution. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Why recognising a Palestinian state – and doing nothing else – might be pointless

The fear is that without international action deterring Israel from annexing the occupied West Bank or destroying Gaza, there won’t be any Palestine left to recognise

Politics

2 w. ago Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu vows retaliation for Palestinian statehood push at UN

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper urged Israel's Prime Minister not to retaliate for the statehood push by annexing more of the West Bank - after the UK and other Western allies mounted a coordinated effort to back Palestinian statehood

Politics

2 w. ago Arab and Muslim leaders to meet Trump to discuss peace plan for Gaza

Talks on UN-led stabilisation force follow recognition of Palestine by France, Canada and the UKMiddle East crisis – live updatesArab and Muslim leaders are to meet Donald Trump in New York to discuss their plan for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force in Gaza after France joined the UK, Canada and Australia in recognising Palestine as a state.Israel has warned that it might respond to the recognition of Palestine by annexing the West Bank, citing claims from Hamas that recognition by allies of Israel was a victory for the terror group. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Israeli ministers call for annexing of West Bank after UK recognises Palestinian state

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has warned Israel not to retaliate

Politics

2 w. ago Fury at UK's 'performative' recognition of Palestinian state as Yvette Cooper pleads with Israel not to respond by settling more territory

The US has joined the backlash at the 'performative' move, which has been condemned as a 'reward' for Hamas terrorism.

Politics

2 w. ago UK warns Israel not to retaliate in response to Palestine recognition

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says Israel ‘must not’ expand settlements in the West Bank in retaliation at Palestine state recognition

Events

2 w. ago KEVIN MAGUIRE: 'Starmer deserves credit for doing was previous PMs bottled'

Netanyahu’s authority seems determined never to accept a free Palestine between the river and the sea, seemingly determined to ethnically cleanse Gaza and colonise occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank

Politics

2 w. ago UK, Canada and Australia announce formal recognition of Palestine, with wave of Israel’s allies to follow

Partly symbolic move by up to 10 states comes amid fears Israel could respond by annexing parts of West BankA wave of Israel’s allies are announcing their recognition of the state of Palestine, as part of a wider manoeuvre designed to ostracise Hamas and challenge attempts by the Israeli government to erase the chance of a Palestinian homeland.But the delicate and partly symbolic move by as many 10 states, pioneered largely by the French government, has the potential to lead to a negative spiral of further confrontation amid fears Israel will respond by annexing parts of the West Bank, leading in turn to European trade sanctions and further political isolation for Israel, including an ultimate possible suspension from the UN. Continue reading...

Politics