Page 18 - Palestine

Gaza war: Israeli tanks push into heart of Rafah amid bombardment

Fire that killed 45 was caused by secondary blasts, says Israel military

Spain, Norway formally recognise Palestine as EU rift with Israel widens

Spain and Norway moved to formally recognise a Palestinian state with Ireland to follow suit on Tuesday in a coordinated effort by the three western European nations. Israel slammed the diplomatic move that will have no immediate impact on its grinding war in Gaza but adds to international pressure on Tel Aviv to soften its devastating response to last year's Hamas-led attack. Prime Minister Pedro Snchez said the Spanish Cabinet will recognise a Palestinian state at its Tuesday morning meeting. This is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace, Snchez, standing at the gates of the prime minister's palace in Madrid, said during a televised speech. Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz lashed out at Spain on X, saying Snchez's government was being complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement that for more than 30 years, Norway has been one of th

Netanyahu admits 'mistake' after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a tragic mistake had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people, according to local officials. Israel has faced surging international criticism over its war with Hamas, with even some of its closest allies, particularly the United States, expressing outrage at civilian deaths. Israel insists it adheres to international law even as it faces scrutiny in the world's top courts, one of which last week demanded that it halt the offensive in Rafah. Israel's military had earlier said that it launched an investigation into civilian deaths after it struck a Hamas installation and killed two senior militants. Sunday night's attack, which appeared to be one of the war's deadliest, helped push the overall Palestinian death toll in the war above 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish .

Norway hands over papers for diplomatic recognition to Palestinian PM

Norway on Sunday handed over diplomatic papers to the Palestinian prime minister in the latest step toward recognising a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel. Ireland and Spain made a concerted pledge with Norway to recognise a Palestinian state, a historic move that increases Israel's isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. The handover of papers by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to the prime minister was made in Brussels, where Mohammad Mustafa is also meeting with foreign ministers of European Union nations and high-level EU officials on Monday to drum up support for the Palestinians. Norway itself is not part of the EU. The diplomatic move by the three nations was a welcome boost of support for Palestinian officials who have sought for decades to establish a statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls. The ..

Sirens sound in Tel Aviv as Hamas says it fired rockets from Gaza

Rocket sirens sounded across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv, for the first time in months on Sunday and Hamas claimed to have fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza. The militants have continued to fire projectiles at communities around Gaza more than seven months into the war. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the latest barrage.

Scuffles erupt as protesters demand return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza

Scuffles between Israeli police and protesters erupted in Tel Aviv after thousands gathered to demonstrate against the government and demand that it bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile, a small US military vessel and what appeared to be a strip of docking area washed up on a beach near the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, not far from the US-built pier on which the Israeli military said humanitarian aid is moving into the Palestinian territory. Also on Saturday, Israeli bombardments were reported in northern and central Gaza. Some protesters in Tel Aviv carried photos of the female soldiers who appeared in a video earlier in the week showing them soon after they were abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 started the war between Israel and Hamas. Some held banners reading Stop the war and Help. They called on the government to reach a deal to release the dozens of hostages still in captivity. The protesters also called for the resignation

ICJ Gaza ruling: Why Israel fears another legal bombshell after ICC move

International Court of Justice to rule on Friday on South Africa's request to order Israel to implement ceasefire in Gaza

Can recognition by European nations bring Palestine closer to statehood?

"We're not going to allow the possibility of the two-state solution to be destroyed by force," said Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister

Two-state solution for Palestine should come through direct talks: Biden

Sullivan called Israel's decision to withhold funds from Palestinian authority 'wrong', noting that withholding funds destabilises the West Bank and undermines the search for security

Norway, Ireland and Spain recognise a Palestinian state in a historic move

Norway's prime minister says Norway is formally recognising Palestine as a state. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Wednesday, There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition. Gahr Store said the Scandinavian country will recognise a Palestinian state as of May 28. Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region. Norway which is not a member of the European Union but mirror its moves, has been an ardent supporter of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel, the Norwegian government leader said.

Three more join the club: Which nations recognise Palestinian state so far?

Norway, Spain and Ireland have announced they will officially recognise Palestine as an independent state by May 28

Pro-Palestine protesters rally in rain in DC to mark painful past, present

Hundreds of protesters rallied within sight of the US Capitol, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and voicing criticism of the Israeli and American governments as they marked a painful present the war in Gaza and past the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from what is now Israel when the state was created in 1948. About 400 demonstrators braved steady rains to rally on the National Mall on the 76th anniversary of what is called the Nakba, the Arabic word for catastrophe. In January, thousands of pro-Palestinian activists had gathered in the nation's capital in one of the larger protests in recent memory. There were calls in support of Palestinian rights and an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. No peace on stolen land and End the killings, stop the crime/Israel out of Palestine, echoed through the crowd. Protesters also focused their anger on President Joe Biden, whom they accuse of feigning concern over the death toll in Gaza. Biden ..

Ultimatum raises pressure on Netanyahu to make postwar plans for Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from his own War Cabinet and his country's closest ally over postwar plans for Gaza, even as the war with Hamas shows no sign of ending. On Saturday, Benny Gantz, a member of the War Cabinet and Netanyahu's main political rival, said he would leave the government on June 8 if it did not formulate a new war plan including an international, Arab and Palestinian administration to handle civilian affairs in Gaza. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, the third member of the Cabinet, has also called for a plan for Palestinian administration, and said in a speech this week that he wouldn't agree to Israel governing Gaza itself. The United States has meanwhile called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza with assistance from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states ahead of eventual statehood. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is expected to push those plans when he visits Israel on Sunday. So far, Netanyahu ha

First aid shipment sent across newly built US pier into Gaza Strip

Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built US floating pier into the besieged enclave for the first time on Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hinder food and other supplies reaching people there. The shipment is the first in an operation that American military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day entering the Gaza Strip as Israel presses in on the southern city of Rafah as its 7-month offensive against Hamas rages on. But the US and aid groups also warn that the pier project is not considered a substitute for land deliveries that could bring in all the food, water and fuel needed in Gaza. Before the war, more than 500 truckloads entered Gaza on an average day. The operation's success also remains tenuous due to the risk of militant attack, logistical hurdles and a growing shortage of fuel for the trucks to run due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip since Hamas' October 7 attack on

Israel to address charges at UN's court post South Africa's cease-fire plea

Israel will respond to charges of genocide at the United Nations' top court on Friday, after South Africa filed an urgent request with the court to order a cease-fire in Gaza. It's the third time that the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, has held hearings on the Israel-Hamas war since South Africa filed proceedings at The Hague-based court in December. On Thursday, South Africa told the court that the situation in Gaza has reached a new and horrific stage, and urged the 15 judges to take urgent action. Israel must totally and unconditionally withdraw from the Gaza Strip, said Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa's ambassador to the Netherlands. South Africa has submitted four requests for the ICJ to investigate Israel. According to the latest request, the country says Israel's military incursion in Rafah threatens the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza. During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it does all it can to spare .

South Africa urges UN's top court to order immediate cease-fire in Gaza

South Africa urged the United Nations' top court on Thursday to order a cease-fire in Gaza during hearings over emergency measures to halt Israel's military operation in the enclave's southern city of Rafah. It was the third time the International Court of Justice held hearings on the conflict in Gaza since South Africa filed proceedings in December at the court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, accusing Israel of genocide. The country's ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, urged the panel of 15 international judges to order Israel to totally and unconditionally withdraw from the Gaza Strip. The court has already found that there is a real and imminent risk to the Palestinian people in Gaza by Israel's military operations. This may well be the last chance for the court to act, said Irish lawyer Blinne N Ghrlaigh, who is part of South Africa's legal team. Judges at the court have broad powers to order a cease-fire and other measures, although the court does not h

California Univ prez suspended for agreement with pro-Palestinian group

The chancellor of the California State University system has suspended the president of its Sonoma campus for announcing an agreement with pro-Palestinian activists to pursue an academic boycott of Israeli institutions as well as divestment strategies. The message by Sonoma State University President Ming-Tung Mike Lee was issued without the appropriate approvals, said Mildred Garca, chancellor of the 23-campus CSU system, in a statement Wednesday. For now, because of this insubordination and consequences it has brought upon the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative l?eave, Garca said. Lee quickly issued an apology for the agreement he announced Tuesday after meetings with students who set up a campus encampment, one of many that have appeared at colleges to protest Israel's actions in the war with Hamas and to press schools to cut ties with Israel and businesses that support it. My goal when meeting with students at the encampment was to explore opportunities to

Top UN court holds hearing on Israeli military's incursion into Rafah

The United Nations' top court opens two days of hearings on Thursday into a request from South Africa to make sure Israel halts its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population has sought shelter. It is the fourth time South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice for emergency measures since the nation launched proceedings alleging that Israel's military action in its war with Hamas in Gaza amounts to genocide. According to the latest request, the previous preliminary orders by The Hague-based court were not sufficient to address a brutal military attack on the sole remaining refuge for the people of Gaza. Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last stronghold of the militant group, brushing off warnings from the United States and other allies that any major operation there would be catastrophic for civilians. South Africa has asked the court to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah; to take measures to ensure unimpeded acce

Yemen's Houthi rebels claim attacking US Navy destroyer, commercial ship

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Wednesday claimed targeting a U.S. Navy destroyer and a commercial ship in the Red Sea. However, the attack on the warship apparently happened nearly two days earlier and saw the vessel intercept the missile targeting it. The latest statement from the Houthis comes as their attacks on shipping, which have disrupted trade through a vital corridor leading onto the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, have slowed in recent weeks. Though the rebels have not acknowledged the slowdown, the U.S. military has suggested its airstrikes and interceptions of Houthi fire have disrupted their assaults and chewed into their weapon stockpiles. Recently, the Houthis have been claiming days-old attacks. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the rebels targeted the USS Mason with missiles and launched an attack on a ship he identified as the Destiny. Multiple vessels have that name in shipping registries. The Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile ...

UN mourns death of ex-Indian Army officer in Gaza, blames Israeli tank

The United Nations condoled and expressed apologies to India over the killing of a former Indian Army officer, who died in war-torn Rafah in Gaza when the vehicle he was travelling in was attacked by shots fired from what it believes was an Israeli tank. Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale, 46, who retired prematurely from the Indian Army in 2022, joined the world body as a Security Coordination Officer in the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) two months ago. He was killed, and another DSS staffer from Jordan was injured when their UN-marked vehicle was struck when they were travelling to the European Hospital in war-torn Rafah in Gaza on Monday morning. Kale, who had commanded the 11 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles in Kashmir, is the "first international casualty" for the world body since the Israel-Hamas conflict started last year. We also express our apologies and our condolences to the Government and people of India, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio ...