
We must match the courage of Issa Amro in standing up to Israel and settlers
If individuals who have no protection dare to speak up and defend themselves against decades of oppression and dehumanisation, risking their lives and those of their loved ones, surely our governments have a duty to act, not just issue words of condemnation. These words still fall short of calling appalling acts like starving civilians genocide, and calling the decades of policies and violence against Palestinians ethnic cleansing.
Our governments have the power to make a difference, but still they provide arms to and stand by a state that violates international law.
All of us who numb ourselves to reports of the numbers of innocent people murdered (though it is not called that either) will have to live with the knowledge that we didn't do enough. We must protest, inform ourselves about which companies are complicit and boycott them. I am hanging my head in shame that I voted for this government. I am astounded, disgusted and appalled.Alison BlakeHove, East Sussex

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BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Gaza truce talks on verge of collapse, Palestinian officials say
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar on a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are on the brink of collapse, according to Palestinian officials familiar with the details of the senior official told the BBC that Israel had "bought time" during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week and deliberately stalled the process by sending a delegation to Doha with no real authority to make decisions on key points of include the withdrawal of Israeli troops and humanitarian aid he left the US on Thursday, Netanyahu had maintained a positive tone, saying he hoped to complete an agreement "in a few days". He said the proposed deal would see Hamas release half of the 20 living hostages it is still holding and just over half of the 30 dead hostages during a truce lasting 60 days. Since last Sunday, Israeli and Hamas negotiators have attended eight rounds of indirect "proximity" talks in separate buildings in have been facilitated by Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and senior Egyptian intelligence officials, and attended by US envoy Brett mediators have relayed dozens of verbal and written messages between the Hamas and Israeli delegation, which has included military, security and political on Friday night, Palestinian officials familiar with the negotiations told the BBC they were on the verge of collapse, with the two sides deeply divided on several contentious said the most recent discussions had focused on two of those issues: the mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza and the extent of the Israeli military has insisted that humanitarian assistance must enter Gaza and be distributed via United Nations agencies and international relief on the other hand, is pushing for aid distribution via the controversial Israeli- and US-backed mechanism run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).According to mediators involved in the process, there has been some limited progress on bridging the divide over this issue. However, no formal agreement has been second major sticking point is over the extent of the Israeli the fifth round of talks, Israeli negotiators reportedly handed mediators a written message stating that Israel would maintain a limited "buffer zone" inside Gaza that was between 1km and 1.5km (0.6-0.9 miles) according to a Palestinian official who attended at least two of the rounds of talks, viewed this proposal as a possible starting point for when Hamas requested and received a map outlining Israel's proposed withdrawal zones, the document contradicted the earlier message, showing far deeper military positions. The map was said to indicate buffer zones that were up to 3km deep in certain areas and confirmed a continued Israeli presence in vast swathes of covered all of the southern city of Rafah, 85% of the village of Khuzaa east of Khan Younis, substantial parts of the northern towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, and eastern neighbourhoods of Gaza City, such as Tuffah, Shejaiya and officials saw the map as a bad-faith manoeuvre by Israel, further eroding trust between the officials accused the Israeli delegation of deliberately stalling to create a positive diplomatic backdrop for the Israeli prime minister's recent visit to Washington."They were never serious about these talks," one senior Palestinian negotiator told the BBC. "They used these rounds to buy time and project a false image of progress."The official also claimed that Israel was pursuing a long-term strategy of forced displacement under the guise of humanitarian alleged that Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz's plan to move Palestinians to a "humanitarian city" in Rafah was part of a broader effort to permanently relocate them."The goal of concentrating civilians near the Egyptian border is to pave the way for their expulsion either across the Rafah crossing into Egypt or out through the sea," the official Monday, Katz briefed Israeli reporters that he had instructed the military to prepare a plan for a new camp in Rafah that would initially house about 600,000 Palestinians - and eventually the whole 2.1 million to the plan, the Palestinians would be security screened by Israeli forces before being allowed in and not permitted to both domestically and internationally, have condemned the proposal, with human rights groups, academics and lawyers calling it a blueprint for a "concentration camp".With the talks at a critical juncture, the Palestinian side is calling on the US to intervene more forcefully and pressure Israel to make meaningful such intervention, mediators warn, the Doha negotiations could collapse is a scenario that would further complicate regional efforts to reach a durable ceasefire and avert a broader humanitarian catastrophe in in Doha say there is still a narrow window for compromise, but that the situation remains fragile."This process is hanging by a thread," one regional official said. "Unless something changes dramatically and quickly, we may be heading towards a breakdown."The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 57,823 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.


The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
The significant sum spent by Glasgow on hotels for homeless
That amounts covers April 1, 2025 to June 1, 2025, and therefore the annual sum will be significantly higher. Private companies running the hotels were paid in excess of £122 million over the last five years. The city spent £36,122,088 in the 2024-25 financial year up to February 2025, according to the Glasgow Times. That is more than double the £16,320,680 spent by council officials in 2021-22. So, what is behind the hefty cost? Read more: Simply put, Glasgow City Council does not have enough homes to use as emergency accommodation, but the authority is duty bound to help those impacted by homelessness. The council told The Herald it uses more than 50 hotels to accommodate those who fall under this criteria, while also using in excess of 2,600 places of emergency accommodation within temporary accommodation and supported accommodation. Freedom of information data requested by the Scottish Tenants' Association found that 2,117 homeless people were living in a hotel or B&B on June 9, 2025. That includes 322 women and 86 families with children. But it also includes 1,527 refugees who have been given 'leave to remain' in the UK. Leave to remain allows non-UK citizens to reside in the UK indefinitely. Read more: Local authorities across the country have faced intense housing demands in recent years following changes to the UK Government's asylum system. Once a leave to remain decision is granted to an asylum applicant, they must leave Home Office funded accommodation and must present to the council as homeless. Glasgow alone witnessed a 96% increase in homelessness applications from households granted leave, up from 1,300 in 2022-23 to 2,600 in 2023-24. However, that has a knock-on effect on housing supply, leading the local authority to rely on hotel accommodation, which can be classed as unsuitable. The use of hotels meant Glasgow City Council has breached the unsuitable accommodation order 1,465 times between January 1 2025 and June 9 2025. However the reliance on hotels more widely is caused by a shortage of housing in Scotland, with the government declaring a national housing emergency in May 2024. Guidance from Shelter Scotland suggests hotel use for homeless individuals should be limited to seven days. Unsuitable accommodation can include overcrowding or leaving residents with limited space and limited or shared access to kitchen, toilet and living space. Glasgow City Council told The Herald it was "duty bound" to provide temporary accommodation however the authority admitted that increased demand mean there "are times when we haven't been able to do so". A spokeswoman said: "This happens when there is no accommodation available despite using more than 50 hotels to accommodate those who we have a duty for. 'We purchase a high number of hotel and bed & breakfast accommodation as we attempt to meet the extraordinarily high demand for accommodation to avoid people having to sleep rough. We also use in excess of 2600 places of emergency accommodation within temporary furnished flats and supported accommodation. 'There is no quick alternative. We are in continual dialogue with both Governments about these challenges and to seek the additional resources necessary to address the challenges we are facing.'


Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
EU "deeply regrets" U.S. sanctions on UN expert on Palestinians, says EU spokesperson
BRUSSELS, July 11 (Reuters) - The European Union "deeply regrets" the U.S. decision to impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, an EU spokesperson said on Friday. "We deeply regret the decision to impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese", spokesperson Anouar El Anouni told reporters during a daily EU briefing, adding that the European Union "strongly supports the United Nations human rights system." On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Albanese would be added to the U.S. sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court. Albanese has been a vocal critic of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, and recently published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some U.S. firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.