Germany's next Middle East policy? ‘Nothing good'
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German-Palestinian leader says election candidates 'outbidding each other' to show loyalty to Israel
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Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Exclusive: UK pushed Arab states to condemn Hamas in UN conference statement
Britain strongly pushed for a United Nations conference statement to demand the disarmament of Hamas and its withdrawal from Gaza, Middle East Eye has learnt. A UN conference in New York last week, attended by more than 100 countries and co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, aimed to advance momentum for a two-state solution. The New York Declaration, released afterwards, demands that Hamas end its rule over Gaza and hand its weapons to the Palestinian Authority. Numerous diplomatic sources told MEE the UK was pivotal in pushing for these demands to be included in the statement, as well as the inclusion of strong language condemning the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. The statement marked the first time that Arab League states have end0rsed such positions at the UN. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters It was described as "both historic and unprecedented" by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. He hailed that for "the first time" Arab and Middle Eastern countries "condemn Hamas, condemn 7 October, call for its disarmament, call for its exclusion from any form of participation in the governance of Palestine, and clearly express their intention to maintain normalised relations with Israel in the future and to join Israel and the future state of Palestine in a regional organisation". MEE has contacted the British Foreign Office for comment. UK and France to recognise Palestinian statehood During the conference, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the UK intends to recognise Palestinian statehood in September, following France's commitment that it would do so days earlier. Barring a dramatic diplomatic reversal, France and Britain will become the first G7 countries to recognise Palestine. But these moves, and the UN conference, are unlikely to create any significant momentum towards a two-state solution. Will the UK recognising the State of Palestine make any difference? Read More » Neither the US nor Israel attended the conference, which the US State Department described as a "publicity stunt" that would "prolong the war, embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace". France's announcement on 24 July that it would recognise the state of Palestine in September provoked the ire of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who "strongly condemned" what he called a decision that "rewards terrorism". On 23 July, the Israeli parliament passed a non-binding motion calling on the Israeli government to annex the occupied West Bank. And on 4 August, unnamed sources close to Netanyahu briefed local media that he is now pushing for the full occupation of the besieged Gaza Strip. Channel 12 quoted "senior figures in the Prime Minister's Office" as saying: "The decision has been made, Israel is heading towards the occupation of the Gaza Strip." This would involve expanding ground operations into areas where captives are believed to be held, and into locations where Israeli troops have not operated for over a year, including western Gaza City and the central refugee camps. In these circumstances, a viable Palestinian state is highly unlikely to materialise.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Britain affirms support for Palestinian state under 1967 borders
The British government has released new details of its plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly session in September. In a newly published memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian Authority, the government said Britain is committed to "the two-state solution based on 1967 lines" and "does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as part of Israel." "The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, must be reunified under its sole authority," the memorandum declares. In a significant statement of British support for the Palestinian Authority, the document insists that the PA "must have the central role in the next phase in Gaza on governance, security and early recovery." British officials have previously demanded that Hamas should disarm and end its rule in Gaza. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The move opens an unprecedented gulf between British and Israeli policy and comes after the UK imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were sanctioned over "their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian communities" in June. On 23 July, the Israeli parliament passed a non-binding motion calling on the Israeli government to annex the occupied West Bank. And on 4 August, unnamed sources close to Netanyahu briefed local media that he is now pushing for the full occupation of the besieged Gaza Strip. Channel 12 quoted "senior figures in the Prime Minister's Office" as saying: "The decision has been made, Israel is heading towards the occupation of the Gaza Strip." This would involve expanding ground operations into areas where captives are believed to be held, and into locations where Israeli troops have not operated for over a year, including western Gaza City and the central refugee camps. 'Commitment to PLO principles' The memorandum further calls for "inclusive general elections in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza" to take place "within the shortest feasible timeframe". It adds that "the UK affirms the inalienable right of the Palestinian people of self-determination, including to an independent state. "The two-state solution remains the best way to achieve Palestinian statehood and to guarantee that Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace and security with mutual recognition." Will the UK recognising the State of Palestine make any difference? Read More » Also implicitly rejected are US proposals for a takeover of Gaza. Instead the UK expresses support for "Palestinian-led planning for recovery and reconstruction in Gaza". Last week the British government announced it intends to recognise Palestinian statehood in September, following France's commitment that it would do so just days earlier on 24 July. Barring a dramatic diplomatic reversal, France and Britain will become the first G7 countries to recognise Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded to Britain's announcement by saying on X: "Starmer rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. A jihadist state on Israel's border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW." Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes, mainly related to the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Middle East Eye
4 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Al-Aqsa Mosque: Palestinians proven right again as Israel ramps up violations
There is something deeply unsettling in the way Arab and Western diplomats continue to dismiss Israeli political declarations as mere rhetoric. Equally puzzling is the extent to which Israeli politicians have proven honest and explicit about their intentions. Now, 21 months into Israel's genocide in Gaza, we can look back and see how Israel has, step by step, implemented nearly all the promises it made on 8 October 2023, while the world has stood by and watched as entire cities were wiped off the face of the earth. Over time, the global consensus has shifted toward acknowledging that what is happening in Gaza is a campaign of extermination and starvation, but only after the catastrophe has taken place. Yet, even as the world follows this unfolding horror, Israel presses on. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The rhetoric has not stopped, nor has its implementation. In the Occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, and particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel continues to advance a policy of irreversible annexation and provocation. Unilateral actions In the past month alone, the Israeli Knesset passed a symbolic but politically significant bill endorsing de facto annexation of the West Bank. Then, in late July, the Ministry of Defence transferred administrative control of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, second-largest mosque in Palestine, from the Palestinian Waqf and local authorities to the Kiryat Arba Religious Council. Since the 1997 Hebron Protocol, part of the Oslo II Accords, Palestinian authorities - specifically the Islamic Waqf and the Hebron Municipality - were responsible for civil matters concerning the mosque's Muslim section, including safety infrastructure, electricity, sanitation and surveillance systems, while Israeli forces controlled security and Jewish access. However, these administrative and legal constraints, which had previously limited Israeli authorities from altering management structures or making physical changes without Palestinian consent, have now been bypassed or removed by the Israeli military's Civil Administration. Al-Aqsa Mosque: The significance of one of Islam's holiest sites Read More » This shift paves the way for unilateral changes, including construction projects and settler oversight, and is widely condemned as a violation of international law and the long-standing status quo agreement at the site. Over the weekend, Jewish settlers, under heavy police protection, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in unprecedented numbers. They were led by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who then conducted prayer services inside the complex itself. This marked his eighth such intrusion since the genocide began, and his eleventh since taking office. Whereas in the past, police had restricted Jewish visitors to the eastern plaza and prevented them from praying. Although, according to official Jewish religious authorities, there is a prohibition on Jews entering Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, and despite the status quo arrangement established after the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 - which prohibits Jews from praying there and leaves its administration in the hands of the Islamic Waqf, allowing only Muslims to pray there - this time, Jewish settlers were allowed access to the entire complex and pray freely. What made this visit even more significant was Ben Gvir's statement during his march to the mosque on Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples. He declared that the day should not only be one of grief but of "building" - the building of the Third Temple. This declaration came only months after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video from tunnels excavated beneath Al-Aqsa Mosque - a decades-long project Palestinians have repeatedly warned threatens the structural foundations of the mosque. They have linked visible erosion and damage to the ongoing Israeli excavation. Palestinian warnings unheeded What's even more frustrating is the international and Arab disregard for what the Palestinians say and warn about. Time and again, the Palestinians have warned about Israeli intentions - especially regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque- and time and again, their warnings were dismissed as baseless. Palestinians' warning that Israel intends to alter the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque is now unfolding before our eyes And now, tragically, the Palestinians were right, as reflected in the press statement from the Jerusalem Governorate that stated: "Today, the spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque has begun in an open and dangerous manner, and we warn of a religious war in the region." For decades, Palestinians have warned that Israel intends to alter the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Today, this is unfolding before our eyes and we stand witness to these changes. Despite all these developments, a dismissive attitude persists in international diplomatic circles, based on the false assumption that Israel's actions are exaggerated or unserious. Yet each year brings a new level of transgression. Whereas the police once prohibited Jewish prayer inside the mosque complex, today the minister in charge of the police leads it himself. The genocide in Gaza has proven that Israel is not only capable of mass atrocities but it is also emboldened by global impunity. Over the past 21 months, Israel has violated hundreds, if not thousands, of international laws and conventions. Other than the United States, no country would be allowed to behave as Israel does. Even Russia, due to its invasion of Ukraine, remains under heavy sanctions despite its economic and energy importance to Europe. Yet Israel, despite global protests and mass public outcry, continues to enjoy Western and Arab support as it proceeds with the genocide. Rewarding brutality Western countries are still supplying Israel with weapons. Arab regimes are increasingly exploring normalisation, in what can only be interpreted as a reward for Israel's brutality. This reality demands a strategic recalibration from the Palestinians: what does power look like in the 21st century, and how do we confront a world in which genocide is not punished but incentivised? Israel is now pursuing a long-held plan: the mass transfer of Palestinians from Gaza. The only missing component is a willing host country or countries. Since the beginning of the war, Israel has openly floated this plan, and following US President Donald Trump's endorsement of the idea during his presidency, Israel has poured resources into making it a reality. The belief that Israel will simply fail without facing resistance is nothing more than a delusion. Trump's special envoy to the middle east, Steve Witkoff, visited Israel and Gaza recently and declared there is "no famine in Gaza", even as American soldiers and aid workers report catastrophic failures on the ground. If the world continues to dismiss the statements of Israeli politicians, they will not stop at the genocide in Gaza The same envoy continues to support the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Israeli-controlled organisation managing humanitarian flows, despite overwhelming evidence of its complicity. The developments on the ground only reaffirm that the Palestinian people are alone in this struggle, forced to confront a state to which international law does not apply - a state capable of committing genocide and starvation with the support of western governments. Israel is now exploiting the situation to engineer the demography and geography of the land from the river to the sea, and seemingly also within Al-Aqsa Mosque. It's true that Israel has not succeeded in achieving all of its objectives and continues to pay a price in the form of soldiers' lives and social instability. I am convinced that international public opinion will eventually translate into political action in the future. More importantly, the purpose of this text is not to say "we told you so", but to warn you: if the world continues to dismiss the statements of Israeli politicians, they will not stop at the genocide in Gaza. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
