Tag: Israel

UN top court holds hearings on Israel’s Rafah operations

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The United Nations’ top court opens two days of hearings on Thursday into a request from South Africa to press Israel to halt 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 access for U.N. officials, humanitarian organizations, and journalists to the Gaza Strip, and to report back within one week on how it is meeting these demands.

During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza and said it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas militants. It says Hamas’ tactic of embedding in civilian areas makes it difficult to avoid civilian casualties.

In January, judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction, and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.

In a second order in March, the court said Israel must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel, and other supplies to enter.

Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since fighting began.

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.

South Africa initiated proceedings in December 2023 and sees the legal campaign as rooted in issues central to its identity. Its governing party, the African National Congress, has long compared Israel’s policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to its own history under the apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most Blacks to “homelands.” Apartheid ended in 1994.

On Sunday, Egypt announced it plans to join the case. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israeli military actions “constitute a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the protection of civilians during wartime.”

Several countries have also indicated they plan to intervene, but so far only Libya, Nicaragua, and Colombia have filed formal requests to do so.

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Israeli defence chief challenges Benjamin Netanyahu over post-war Gaza plans

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was publicly challenged about post-war plans for the Gaza Strip on Wednesday by his own defence chief, who vowed to oppose any long-term military rule by Israel over the ravaged Palestinian enclave.

The televised statement by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant marked the most vocal dissent from within Israel’s top echelon against Netanyahu during a seven-month-old and multi-front conflict that has set off political fissures at home and abroad.

Netanyahu hinted, in a riposte which did not explicitly name Gallant, that the retired admiral was making “excuses” for not yet having destroyed Hamas in a conflict now in its eight month.

But the veteran conservative premier soon appeared to be outflanked within his own war cabinet: Centrist ex-general Benny Gantz, the only voting member of the forum other than Netanyahu and Gallant, said the defence minister had “spoke(n) the truth”.

While reiterating the Netanyahu government’s goals of defeating Hamas and recovering remaining hostages from the October 7 cross-border rampage by the Islamist faction, Gallant said these must be complemented by laying the groundwork for alternative Palestinian rule.

“We must dismantle Hamas’ governing capabilities in Gaza. The key to this goal is military action, and the establishment of a governing alternative in Gaza,” Gallant said.

“In the absence of such an alternative, only two negative options remain: Hamas’ rule in Gaza or Israeli military rule in Gaza,” he added, saying he would oppose the latter scenario and urging Netanyahu to formally forswear it.

Gallant said that, since October, he had tried to promote a plan to set up a “non-hostile Palestinian governing alternative” to Hamas – but got no response from the Israeli cabinet.

The format of his broadside, a pre-announced news conference carried live by Israeli TV and radio, recalled Gallant’s bombshell warning in March 2023 that foment over a judicial overhaul pursued by Netanyahu was threatening military cohesion.

At the time, Netanyahu announced that Gallant would be fired – but backed down amid a deluge of street demonstrations. Some defence analysts believe Gallant’s prediction was borne out by Hamas’ ability to blindside Israeli forces a few months later.

Asked on Wednesday whether he was worried he may again face being ousted, Gallant said: “I’m not blaming anyone. In a democratic country, I believe, it’s appropriate for a person, especially the defence minister who holds a position, to make it public.”

Gallant’s Gaza criticism recalled that of Israel’s chief ally, the United States, which has sought to parlay the war into a role for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority (PA), which wields limited governance in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu has refused this, describing the PA as a hostile entity – and repeated this position in a video statement he issued on social media within an hour of Gallant’s remarks.

Any move to create an alternative Gaza government requires that Hamas first be eliminated, Netanyahu said, finishing with the demand that this objective be pursued “without excuses”.

Netanyahu’s ruling coalition includes ultra-nationalist partners who want the PA dismantled and new Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Those partners have at times sparred with Gallant, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, over policy.

Netanyahu has said Israel would retain overall security control over Gaza after the war for the foreseeable future. He has stopped short of describing this scenario as an occupation – a status Washington does not want to see emerge – and has signalled opposition to Israelis settling the territory.

Over the last week, Israeli ground forces have returned to some areas of northern Gaza that they overran and quit in the first half of the war. Israel describes the new missions as planned crackdowns on efforts by Hamas holdouts to regroup, while Palestinians see evidence of the tenacity of the gunmen.

Briefing reporters on Tuesday, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari was asked whether the absence of a post-Hamas strategy for Gaza was complicating operations.

“There is no doubt that an alternative to Hamas would generate pressure on Hamas, but that’s a question for the government echelon,” he responded.

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Israel strike kills Indian staff member of the UN in Gaza: Reports

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Israel military fired at a UN aid vehicle in Rafah, Gaza killed an Indian national Colonel Waibhav Kale, the UN’s first foreign staff member, as per multiple media reports. Kale had joined as a security coordination officer at the UN just two months ago. In 2022, he took premature retirement from the Indian Army, the reports stated.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for a full investigation, Al Jazeera reported.

Guterres on social media platform X said a UN vehicle was struck in Gaza, resulting in the death of one person and the the other suffering injuries.

He condemned all attacks on UN personnel and called for an immediate ceasefire in his post.

Today a @UN vehicle was struck in Gaza, killing one of our colleagues & injuring another.
More than 190 UN staff have been killed in Gaza.
Humanitarian workers must be protected.
I condemn all attacks on UN personnel and reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian…

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 13, 2024

Kale, who was with the 11 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles (11 J&K Rif), killed in Rafah is the “first casualty” among international UN staff in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict following the October 7 terror attacks.
Another DSS staffer was injured in the incident when their UN vehicle was struck as they travelled to the European Hospital in Rafah.

Al Jazeera reported heavy ground fighting in the south of Rafah and the north of Jabalia of the Gaza Strip. Citing the UN, it reported that at least 3.6 lakh Palestinians fled Rafah as Israel continues its military operation in the city.

Responding to questions on the incident during the press briefing, Haq said at this point, “We are in the process of informing the relevant governments and the relevant family members, so I wouldn’t share any names or nationalities.” He added that they were “international staff.” Haq confirmed that “this is, in fact, the first international UN casualty.”

While there have been international casualties involving workers for the World Central Kitchen in Gaza, Haq said that “of UN staff, I believe I’ve not been previously aware of an international casualty.” Haq added that the vehicle was headed to the hospital “as part of their regular work, they go to different locations to assess security conditions.

And this was the European hospital in Rafah. When asked for details about how their vehicle was struck, Haq said “This happened fairly recently. We’re still accumulating details. We expect to get reports, including from the relevant authorities.”

He added that close to around 190 UN personnel have been killed in Gaza since October 7, “most of them national staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA.” Haq added that the UN is “going to set up measures for accountability. A lot of that… requires ultimately for an end to the conflict so that we can work these out, but we will be working with the authorities on the ground to get a restitution for all of those who have been killed.” Haq said he did not have the full details of whether the vehicle that was struck was part of a large convoy.

“I believe it was in a convoy that was moving, and this was the DSS vehicle that was hit.” Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X, “We are devastated to learn about the death” of a UN humanitarian worker and injury of another in Gaza.

“Too many civilian and humanitarian lives have paid the price for this war. Ceasefire and work towards peace,” the WHO chief said.

Meanwhile, the White House has said the Joe Biden administration does not view the killing of Palestinians in Gaza by Israel as genocide.

The US military chief for the Middle East also visited Israel to discuss the Gaza war, mainting that US opposes a full-scale attack on Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

Earlier, Israel troops also attacked food aid trucks at Tarqumiyah checkpoint in Hebron, preventig them from reaching the Gaza.

In April, seven members of the World Central Kitchen were killed in an IDF strike in Gaza. One of those killed in the airstrike was Zomi Frankcom, who was of Indian descent, according to reports.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that between October 7, 2023, and May 12, 2024, at least 35,091 Palestinians have been killed and 78,827 injured in Gaza.

More than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 33 children, have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel.

According to sources from the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), “Col Waibhav Kale was serving with the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS).”

His vehicle, en route to a hospital, came under attack in Rafah, and another UN staff member was injured. Col. Kale is the first international UN casualty since the beginning of the Israeli-Hamas conflict, it added.

The Indian Army has not issued an official statement regarding this incident yet. However, they are expected to provide an update on the repatriation of Col. Kale’s mortal remains when possible. The United Nations has called for an investigation into this attack, sources said.

“More than 190 UN staff have been killed in Gaza, most of them national staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency & UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East),” it said.

With inputs from PTI

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Eurovision Song Contest: Switzerland won jury vote, while viewers favoured Croatia, Israel

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Swiss artist Nemo won the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, beating 24 rivals with the song “The Code”, while Israel’s Eden Golan finished fifth despite calls for a boycott over the war in Gaza.

The winner of the annual music competition was decided by votes from television audiences in Europe and around the world in combination with juries of music professionals in each participating country.

Each jury awarded points to their 10 most favoured songs, with a maximum of 12 points going to their top choice. Votes by viewers were converted to the same scale so that each country could award a maximum of 24 points to a single act.

WHO WERE THE TOP 5 IN THE FINAL?

1. Switzerland: Nemo with 591 points

2. Croatia: Baby Lasagna with 547 points

3. Ukraine: Teresa & Maria with 453 points

4. France: Slimane with 445 points

5. Israel: Eden Golan with 375 points

HOW DID THE EXPERT VOTE COMPARE TO THOSE OF VIEWERS?

The jury votes often deviate sharply from those of viewers.

Music professionals ranked Switzerland as the number one act with 365 points, ahead of France with 218 points. Israel was only 12th with 52 points.

The popular vote ranked Croatia first with 337 points, ahead of Israel with 323 points and Ukraine in third with 307 points. France came fourth with 227 points while overall winner Switzerland was fifth with 226.

HOW MANY PROFESSIONAL JURIES AWARDED 12 POINTS TO NEMO?

In total 22 juries gave a full score to Switzerland’s Nemo.

None of the national juries gave 12 points to Eden Golan and her song ”Hurricane”.

IN HOW MANY COUNTRIES DID ISRAEL WIN THE POPULAR VOTE?

Israel won the popular vote in 15 countries, including Britain, France and Germany as well as in the “rest-of-the-world” category, more than any other contestant.

Croatia won the popular vote of nine nations.

DID NEMO WIN THE POPULAR VOTE IN ANY COUNTRY?

Only viewers in Ukraine awarded Switzerland’s Nemo the full 12 points.

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Israel may have violated international law, US report says

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Biden administration said Israel may have violated international law in its war against Hamas but won’t stop the flow of weapons and bombs to a key ally.

The State Department said in a highly anticipated report Friday that although Israel’s reliance on US weapons in Gaza means it’s likely that it breached obligations under international law, it has been unable to verify specific instances.

It’s “reasonable to assess” that US weapons “have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm,” the department said in the report, using an abbreviation for international humanitarian law.

“The nature of the conflict in Gaza makes it difficult to assess or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents,” it said.

Aid Access

The department also said the US had “deep concerns” over Israel allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a situation that’s still “insufficient” but improved.

However, it said in the report “we do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance” consistent with the Foreign Assistance Act.

The findings were included in a report that was sent to Congress Friday. Some Democratic legislators have pressed the Biden administration to suspend shipments of military aid to Israel over its handling of the war.

In February, President Joe Biden signed a memorandum looking into the issues of US weapons and aid in Gaza, including requiring counties that receive US weapons give “credible and reliable” assurances that the hardware isn’t being used to violate international law. The State Department on Friday said Israel provided those assurances.

President Joe Biden around that time had blasted Israel’s Gaza campaign as “over the top.” That criticism has grown, particularly over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to expand operations in Rafah, where about 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.

Delayed Shipment

Earlier this week, Biden announced the US was withholding a shipment of bombs to dissuade Netanyahu. The US has long argued that a full offensive in Rafah would be a humanitarian disaster, but Israel sees it necessary to finish off several remaining Hamas battalions.

Despite those rising tensions, US officials have long pushed back against accusations that Israel may have committed war crimes or violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

Instead, the US has blamed Hamas, a US-designated terrorist group, for embedding fighters and military hardware within civilian infrastructure. The report on Friday notes that Israel has faced an “extraordinary military challenge” as Hamas fighters used Palestinians as “human shields.”

Although the US believes it’s reasonable to assess there have been possible violations of international humanitarian law, the US has not assessed that in any one particular case, a senior State Department official told reporters on Friday.

There are numerous ongoing US government assessments of specific incidents during the conflict, and there are several open inquiries with the Israeli government asking for more information, the official added.

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Israel attacks eastern parts of Rafah, Benjamin Netanyahu vows will fight alone even without help from US

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli troops bombarded areas of Rafah in Gaza on Thursda, news agency Reuters reported. This comes on the back of Israel PM dismissing US President Joe Biden’s threat to withold weapons from Israel if it attacks the southern Gaza city

In Gaza, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said their fighters fired anti-tank rockets and mortars at Israeli tanks massed on the eastern outskirts of the city, Reuters reported.

The news agency also quoted a senior Israeli official saying that the latest round of indirect negotiations in Cairo to halt hostilities in Gaza had ended and Israel would proceed with its operation in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip as planned.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also struck a defiant tone against US President Joe Biden after the US withheld a shipment of bombs as a warning to its top Middle East ally not to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

In a first, punchy clip on the social media site X, Netanyahu said: “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone” and “fight tooth and nail.” He then pivoted to a more conciliatory approach when chatting with Phil McGraw, the American talk show host known as Dr. Phil.

“I’ve known Joe Biden for many years, 40 years and more,” Netanyahu said in the interview Thursday on “Dr. Phil Primetime” broadcast on Merit Street Media. “We often had agreements, but we’ve had our disagreements and we’ve been able to overcome them. I hope we can overcome them now.”

Netanyahu said Israel must go into Rafah to finish off the remaining battalions of Hamas, the US-designated terrorist group that killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped about 250 last Oct. 7. He said Hamas will “murder again and again” if allowed to survive in Rafah.

“We have to achieve victory,” he said. “That means we have to destroy all these battalions, which we will. We face very strong opposition to that, but we’re going to overcome it.”

Netanyahu said Israel would do its utmost to make sure civilians leave Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering, before any attack. He also criticized the “madness” of pro-Palestinian rallies on US college campuses, saying protesters are “supporting genocide,” adding that this reflected “the sorry state of American higher education.”

On Wednesday, Biden said he would halt additional shipments of offensive weapons to Israel if it launches a ground invasion of Rafah, decrying the potential loss of civilian life as “just wrong.”

“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” Biden said in an interview with CNN, referring to air-defense weaponry. “But it’s just wrong. We’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”

Like Netanyahu, US officials followed sharp criticism with more conciliatory remarks on Thursday.

White House officials insisted the US stands by its ally, while urging Netanyahu to refrain from an assault that could worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Spokesman John Kirby reiterated that the administration paused, but didn’t cancel, the shipment of about 3,500 bombs, which he said was limited to specific munitions that could add to the civilian death toll in Gaza.

“The arguments that somehow we’re walking away from Israel flies in the face of the facts,” Kirby told reporters.

There were also indications that the White House hadn’t sought an open confrontation with Netanyahu.

US officials initially planned to inform the Israeli government privately that the US intended to pause the bomb shipment, in order to ramp up pressure on Netanyahu — but not to follow through unless there was a major incursion into urban areas of Rafah. But that plan was foiled when Israeli officials leaked it, people familiar with the situation said.

With inputs from Bloomberg and Reuters

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Israel says a ceasefire plan backed by Hamas falls far short

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal for the Gaza Strip, but Israel’s war cabinet unanimously rejected it as “far from Israel’s necessary demands,” dashing hopes for an immediate pause in the fighting.

Israel vowed to continue “its operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas” but also said it will send a delegation to meet with mediators “to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement.” In a statement later Monday, the Israel Defense Forces announced fresh airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Rafah area.

The Israeli response followed hours after Hamas had posted a statement to Telegram saying that Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political office, had accepted a Qatari and Egyptian cease-fire proposal. Questions were raised almost immediately about the details, with both US and Israeli officials saying they were studying the Hamas response.

Benny Gantz, a centrist who joined the war cabinet, said in a post on Telegram that the proposal offered by Hamas “does not correspond to the dialogue that has taken place so far with the mediators and has significant gaps.” He said an Israeli delegation nonetheless will meet with negotiators in Cairo.

Hamas and Israel have been negotiating via Qatar, Egypt and the US on an agreement that would see the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. It would also include a pause in fighting.

Israeli cabinet minister Itamar Ben Gvir was the first Israeli official to address the Hamas response to the cease-fire proposal, saying it was no more than a trick. “Hamas’ shenanigans have only one answer: an immediate order to occupy Rafah! Increasing military pressure, crushing Hamas, and proceeding to its ultimate defeat,” Ben Gvir said in a post on X.

Tensions Increased

Those talks had stalled over the weekend over the Iran-backed militant group’s insistence that any truce be permanent, leading to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Israel has said it must eliminate Hamas before ending the war.

Tensions also increased after Hamas killed four Israeli soldiers with a rocket barrage on Sunday on the border crossing of Kerem Shalom, one of its worst missile attacks in weeks. Israel has insisted on a phased approach to any cease-fire, saying Hamas must first commit to the release of about three dozen hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

“I want it to succeed, but the cold, sort of cool analyst in me says the fundamental divide between the two combatants — Israel and Hamas — make it more likely that we’ll see many more weeks, if not months, of violence than we’ll see some sort of off-ramp to a diplomatic settlement,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute who previously worked at the US National Security Council.

At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will go ahead with its invasion of Rafah, in Gaza’s south, where Israeli forces say Hamas still holds sway. Earlier Monday, Israel told some civilians to move out of parts of Rafah, a possible prelude to a long-expected attack on the city where more than a million Palestinians have sought shelter from the war.

The Israel Defense Forces “will act with extreme force against terrorist organizations in your areas of residence,” a spokesman said on X on Monday morning. He urged residents of eastern Rafah to go north to an “expanded humanitarian area” near Khan Younis, another city in Gaza.

Large numbers of people started leaving Rafah in cars, on foot and on horse-drawn carriages. A spokesman for the Israeli military said its Air Force struck 50 targets in Rafah Monday.

President Joe Biden has called a Rafah invasion a “red line,” and he and other top US officials have repeatedly warned that Israel must not launch such an attack without protecting civilians. During a visit to Tel Aviv last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “we’ve not seen such a plan.’

Biden and Netanyahu spoke on Monday. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden had again made clear the US view about “operations in Rafah that could potentially put more than a million innocent people at greater risk.”

If a cease-fire had been reached, it would have brought about a halt in fighting between Israel and Hamas for the first time since a similar accord in late November. The impasse could allow talks to begin regarding a permanent truce, while letting much-needed aid be delivered to Gaza’s war-ravaged population. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.

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Israel orders Al Jazeera to close its local operation and seizes some equipment from channel

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israel ordered the local offices of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network to close, escalating a long-running feud between the broadcaster and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line government as Doha-mediated cease-fire negotiations with Hamas hang in the balance.

The extraordinary order, which includes confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites, is believed to be the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet.

Al Jazeera went off Israel’s main cable provider in the hours after the order. However, its website and multiple online streaming links still operated on Sunday.

The network has reported the Israeli-Hamas war nonstop since the militants’ initial cross-border attack October 7 and has maintained 24-hour coverage in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s grinding ground offensive that has killed and wounded members of its own staff. While including on-the-ground reporting of the war’s casualties, its Arabic arm often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region.

“Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against soldiers,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “It’s time to remove the Hamas mouthpiece from our country.” Al Jazeera issued a statement vowing it will “pursue all available legal channels through international legal institutions in its quest to protect both its rights and journalists, as well as the public’s right to information.”

“Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law,” the network said. “Israel’s direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera.” Israeli media said the order allows Israel to block the channel from operating in the country for 45 days.

The Israeli government has taken action against individual reporters over the decades since its founding in 1948, but broadly allows for a rambunctious media scene that includes foreign bureaus from around the world, even from Arab nations. That changed with a law passed last month, which Netanyahu’s office says allows the government to take action against a foreign channel seen as “harming the country.” Israeli Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi later published footage online of authorities raiding a hotel room Al Jazeera had been broadcasting from in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to one day have for their future state. He said officials seized some of the channel’s equipment there.

“We are finally able to stop Al Jazeera’s well-oiled incitement machine that harms the country’s security,” Karhi said.

The ban did not appear to affect the channel’s operations in the occupied West Bank or Gaza Strip, where Israel wields control but which are not sovereign Israeli territory.

The decision threatens to heighten tensions with Qatar at a time when the Doha government is playing a key role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza, along with Egypt and the United States.

Qatar has had strained ties with Netanyahu in particular since he made comments suggesting that Qatar is not exerting enough pressure on Hamas to prompt it to relent in its terms for a truce deal. Qatar hosts Hamas leaders in exile at a political office in Doha.

The sides appear to be close to striking a deal, but multiple previous rounds of talks have ended with no agreement.

In a statement on Sunday, Hamas condemned the Israeli government order, calling on international organisations to take measures against Israel.

The Foreign Press Association in Israel criticised the order.

“With this decision, Israel joins a dubious club of authoritarian governments to ban the station,” it said. “This is a dark day for the media.” Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine director, criticized the Israeli order as “an assault on freedom of the press.” “Rather than trying to silence reporting on its atrocities in Gaza, the Israeli government should stop committing them,” he added.

Shortly after the government’s decision, Cabinet members from the National Unity party criticized its timing, saying it “may sabotage the efforts to finalize the negotiations and stems from political considerations.” The party said that in general, it supported the decision.

Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias. Relations took a major downturn nearly two years ago when Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank.

Those relations further deteriorated following the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas on Oct. 7, when the militant group carried out a cross-border attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Since then, the Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed over 34,000 people, according to local health officials there, who don’t break figures down into civilians and combatants.

In December, an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera cameraman as he reported on the war in southern Gaza. The channel’s bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Dahdouh, was wounded in the same attack. Dahdouh, a correspondent well-known to Palestinians during many wars, later evacuated Gaza but only after Israeli strikes killed his wife, three of his children and a grandson.

Al Jazeera is one of the few international media outlets to remain in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting bloody scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres.

Criticism of the channel is not new, however. The US government singled out the broadcaster during America’s occupation of Iraq after its 2003 invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein and for airing videos of the late al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

Al Jazeera has been closed or blocked by other Mideast governments. Most notably in 2013, Egyptian authorities raided a luxury hotel used by Al Jazeera as an operating base after the military takeover that followed mass protests against President Mohammed Morsi.

Three Al Jazeera staff members, Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed received 10-year prison sentences but were released in 2015 following widespread international criticism.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Truce Talks shift to Qatar as Hamas hits Israel border crossing

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israel closed the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing into Gaza on Sunday after a rocket barrage was fired. by Hamas, as weekend talks on a potential truce broke up inconclusively.

The status of the talks was unclear after the latest round in Cairo: Hamas officials said their negotiators had returned to Qatar to consult with the group’s political leadership. CIA Director William Burns was also leaving Cairo for consultations in Qatar, Reuters reported.

Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for weeks through mediators toward a potential truce that would include the release of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. At the same time, Israel has threatened to launch an operation in Rafah, where it says Hamas battalions remain intact, and where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians are sheltering.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to have lunch at the White House on Monday with King Abdullah II of Jordan, underscoring the broader desire to contain the nearly seven-month conflict.

On the ground, the Israeli army said about 10 projectiles were fired at Kerem Shalom, a corridor for humanitarian aid transfers that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited last week. Israel has been criticized for not allowing enough aid into the Gaza Strip, where US officials say a famine is deepening.

Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility for the attack. Three Israeli soldiers were killed in the barrage and three others were seriously injured, the military reported. Israel says it isn’t restricting aid into Gaza.

The attack came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is prepared to temporarily halt the war in Gaza to gain the release of the hostages held there, but won’t agree to the Hamas demand to end the war completely. Israel’s defense minister warned that its forces continue to prepare for a potential assault on Rafah in southern Gaza.

Netanyahu’s cabinet on Sunday also approved a decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s broadcasts out of Israel under a recently-passed law, drawing condemnation from the Qatar-based network and the Foreign Press Association.

Netanyahu doubled down on his position on Sunday.

“We are not ready to accept a situation in which the Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threatening the citizens of Israel in the surrounding settlements, in the cities of the south, in all parts of the country,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday. Hamas, not Israel, is preventing a deal, he added.

Giving in to Hamas’ demands would be a “terrible defeat” for Israel, a huge victory for Hamas and Iran, and would project a “terrible weakness” to Israel’s friends and enemies alike, Netanyahu said.

This weakness would distance any further peace agreement, Netanyahu said, in an apparent reference to potential normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement that the group, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, brought “seriousness and positivity” to the current talks.

Netanyahu, he said, wanted to “invent constant justifications for the continuation of aggression, expanding the circle of conflict, and sabotaging efforts made through various mediators and parties.”

Hamas is still keen to reach a comprehensive agreement that guarantees the withdrawal of Israel forces and achieves a serious exchange deal of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, Haniyeh added.

In response, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he sees indications that Hamas doesn’t want a deal, which would open the door to “intense” military activity in Rafah.

“IDF forces are ready for a powerful operation all over Gaza and especially in the Rafah area,” he said in a post on X.

Earlier on Sunday, an air strike blamed by Lebanon on Israel killed four civilians and wounded two others in a village in south Lebanon, prompting Hezbollah to fire rockets back across the border.

Israeli warplanes targeted Mays al-Jabal, causing “massive destruction,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported. There was no comment from Israel.

Tens of thousands of Israelis and Lebanese have fled their homes near the borders due to cross-border fighting. That erupted around the time Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and triggering the war in Gaza that’s destroyed much of the enclave and killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. More than 100 Israelis captured by Hamas are still being held in Gaza, although it’s unclear how many are still alive.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India eases advisory for Indians travelling to Iran, Israel as conflict in West Asia de-escalates

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

India has eased a travel advisory for its citizens journeying to Iran and Israel amid escalating tensions in West Asia. Citing developments in airspace policies, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted that both the countries “have opened their airspace,” PTI reported. Jaiswal urged Indian nationals to exercise vigilance while visiting these nations and to maintain contact with the Indian Embassy.

The advisory, issued on May 3, follows heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, triggered by an alleged Israeli airstrike on a building on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus on April 1.

The strike resulted in the death of seven individuals, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In retaliation, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel on April 13.

Also read | Booking says room reservations to slow amid Middle-East conflict

What followed was the advisory issued by India urging all Indians to refrain from traveling to Iran or Israel until further notice. It also advised Indians residing in these countries to register with Indian embassies and exercise caution for their safety.

India has communicated its concerns directly to both Iran and Israel. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed India’s message during a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahin and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

The easing of the travel advisory comes amid efforts to de-escalate tensions between Iran and Israel. There has been a noticeable decrease in tensions between the two countries, which is reason behind the relaxation of airspace restrictions. Additionally, Israel has expressed a desire to ease travel restrictions due to plans to hire thousands of Indian construction workers. However, the earlier advisory had disrupted travel plans for over 6,000 Indian workers expected to be sent to Israel in April.

Also read | Tehran to issue visa on arrival to Indian tourists: Check the top 10 places to visit in Iran

There have also been appeals from Indian citizens in Iran for the easing of travel restrictions, particularly students wishing to return to India. These developments underscore India’s nuanced approach to navigating tensions in the region while ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow