New Palestinian state must recognize Israel to ensure peace: Italy's FM
'A Palestinian state that does not recognize Israel means that the problem will not be resolved,' Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a meeting of his conservative Forza Italia party in Rome.
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Arab News
15 hours ago
- Arab News
Germany should consider Israel sanctions, senior lawmaker says after trip
BERLIN: A senior lawmaker in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition on Monday said Berlin should consider sanctions on Israel including a partial suspension of weapons exports or the suspension of a European Union-wide political agreement. The call by Siemtje Moeller, the deputy leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary faction, reflects a sharpening of rhetoric from Berlin against Israel which has yet to yield any major policy changes however. Moeller, whose SPD joined a coalition with Merz's conservatives this year, wrote a letter to SPD lawmakers after returning from a trip to Israel with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul last week. 'My assessment is that the Israeli government will move little without pressure. If such concrete improvements fail to materialize in the near future, there must be consequences,' she said in the letter, seen by Reuters. Recognition of a Palestinian state should not be 'taboo,' she said, adding that Israeli statements that there were no restrictions on aid to Gaza were not convincing. At the same time, Moeller demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas. She said Hamas must no longer play a role in a political future in Gaza. 'It must be disarmed, its reign of terror must end.' Western nations have intensified efforts to exert pressure on Israel, with Britain, Canada and France signalling their readiness to recognize a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory at the United Nations General Assembly this September. Israel has criticized France, Britain and Canada, saying their decision will reward Hamas. Critics argue that Germany's response remains overly cautious, shaped by an enduring sense of historical guilt for the Holocaust and reinforced by pro-Israel sentiment in influential media circles, weakening the West's collective ability to apply meaningful pressure on Israel. The Gaza war began when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in a cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's air and ground war in densely populated Gaza has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to enclave health officials. A growing number of civilians are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and intensifying criticism of Israel over its curbs on aid into the enclave. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza but, in response to a rising international outcry, it announced steps last week to let more aid reach the population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, approving air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys.
Arab News
16 hours ago
- Arab News
Why the delay in judging Israeli war crimes?
The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem released a comprehensive report on July 27 describing the Israeli war on Gaza as genocide. However, the delay in publishing such an indictment is troubling and adds to an existing problem of politically motivated decision-making processes that have, in their own right, prolonged Israeli war crimes. The report accused Israel of committing genocide, a conclusion reached after a detailed analysis of the military campaign's intent, the systematic destruction of civilian life, and the government-engineered famine. This finding is significant because it adds to the massive body of legal and testimonial evidence affirming the Palestinian position that Israel's actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. Moreover, the fact that B'Tselem is an Israeli organization is doubly important. It represents an insider's indictment of the horrific massacres and the government-engineered famine in Gaza, directly challenging the baseless argument that accusing Israel of genocide is an act of antisemitism. Western media were particularly interested in this finding, even though numerous firsthand Palestinian reports and investigations are often ignored or downplayed. This double standard continues to feed into a chronic media problem in its perception of Palestine and Israel. Claims by Palestinians of Israeli war crimes have historically been ignored by mainstream media or academia. Whether the Zionist militia's massacre of Tantura in 1948, the actual number of Palestinians and Lebanese killed in the massacres of Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon in 1982, or the events resulting in the Jenin massacre in the West Bank in 2002, the media has frequently ignored the Palestinian account. It often gains a degree of validation only if it is backed by Israeli or Western voices. The latest B'Tselem report is no exception. But another question must be asked: Why did it take almost two years for B'Tselem to reach such an obvious conclusion? Israeli rights groups, in particular, have far greater access to the conduct of the Israeli army, the statements of politicians, and Hebrew media coverage than any other entity. Such a conclusion, therefore, should have been reached in a matter of two months, not two years. This kind of intentional delay has so far defined the position of many international institutions, organizations, and individuals whose moral authority would have helped Palestinians establish the facts of the genocide globally much earlier. For example, despite the International Court of Justice's historic ruling on Jan. 26, 2024, that determined there are plausible grounds for South Africa's accusation of Israel of committing genocide, the court is still unable, or unwilling, to produce a conclusive ruling. A definitive ruling would have put significant pressure on Israel to end its mass killing in Gaza. Instead, for now, the ICJ expects Israel to investigate itself — a highly unrealistic expectation at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises his extremist ministers that Israel will encourage the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. The same indictment of intentional and politicized delays can be attributed to the International Criminal Court. While it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Nov. 21, 2024, no concrete action has been taken. Instead, it is Karim Khan, the ICC's chief prosecutor, who finds himself attacked by the US government and media for having the courage to follow through on the investigation. Individuals, too, especially those who have been associated with 'revolutionary' politics — the likes of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, among others — have been reluctant to act. On March 22, 2024, Ocasio-Cortez refused to use the term genocide in Gaza, going as far as claiming that while she saw an 'unfolding genocide,' she was not yet ready to use the term herself. Sanders, on the other hand, who has spoken out repeatedly and strongly against Netanyahu, describing him in an interview with CNN on July 31 as a 'disgusting liar,' has had repeated moral lapses since the start of the war. When the term genocide was used by many far less 'radical' politicians, Sanders doubled down during a lecture at a university in Ireland. He said that the word genocide 'makes him queasy,' and he urged people to be 'careful about it.' Delays born of political calculation and fear of retribution have given Israel the critical space it needed to carry out its genocide. Dr. Ramzy Baroud These are not simply lost opportunities or instances of moral equivocation; they have had a profound and direct impact on Israel's behavior. The timely intervention of governments, international institutions, high courts, media, and human rights groups would have fundamentally changed the dynamics of the war. Such collective pressure could have forced Israel and its allies to end the war, potentially saving thousands of lives. Delays born of political calculation and fear of retribution have given Israel the critical space it needed to carry out its genocide. Israel is actively exploiting this lack of legal and moral clarity to persist in its mass slaughter of Palestinians. This must change. The Palestinian perspective, their suffering, and their truths must be respected and honored without needing validation from Israeli or other sources. The Palestinian voice and their rights must be truly centered, not as an academic cliche or political jargon, but as an undeniable, everyday reality. As for those who have delayed their verdict regarding the Israeli genocide, no rationale can possibly absolve them. They will be judged by history, and by the desperate pleas of Gaza's mothers and fathers, who tried and failed to save their children from the Israeli killing machine and the world's collective silence or inaction.
Leaders
a day ago
- Leaders
West Bank's Palestinians Protest against Gaza War
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank protested on Sunday against the war in Gaza and to show solidarity with Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, according to AFP. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the main square in Ramallah and waved the Palestinian flags in one of the largest marches held on Sunday. They carried photos of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel, along with photos embodying the hunger crisis unfolding in the Palestinian enclave during the 21 months of war. 'My son is in (Israel's) Megido prison and he suffers from many things, such as the lack of medicine the lack of food,' Rula Ghanem, a Palestinian academic and writer who took part in the march, told AFP. Since the beginning of Gaza War, the number of Palestinians jailed by Israel have skyrocketed due to violent acts or posting political statements on social media. 'The international community is a partner in all this suffering, as long as it does not intervene quickly to save the Palestinian people and save the prisoners inside the prisons and detention center,' the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and Ex-Detainees' Affairs' spokesman Thaer Shriteh told AFP. Other major Palestinian cities such as Nablus in the north and Hebron in the south also witnessed wide protests with several government employees receiving a day off to attend the demonstrations. Dozens of Gazans including children have lost their souls due to malnutrition throughout the war that started in October 2023. Since the beginning of Hamas-Israel War, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 60,332 Palestinians and wounded over 145,870, according to Gaza's Health Ministry . Related Topics: Hamas Ready to Cooperate with ICRC If Israel Opens Humanitarian Corridors in Gaza Belgium Air Force Airdrops Humanitarian Aid over Gaza Sydney's Historic March for Gaza: Tens of Thousands Call for Ceasefire Short link : Post Views: 6
