More than 10 western nations ‘express willingness' to recognise Palestinian statehood
The foreign ministers of the more than 10 countries issued a statement in which they reiterated their dedication to the two-state solution and expressed their "determination to work on an architecture for the 'day after' in Gaza which guarantees the reconstruction of Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from the Palestinian governance".
Earlier on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK would move towards recognising a Palestinian state unless Israel ends the Gaza war.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that his could would recognise Palestine as a state, as anger mounts over the death toll in Gaza and the growing number of people starving in the coastal enclave.
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Middle East Eye
16 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Gaza starvation: Protests erupt at Egyptian embassies worldwide
Activists accusing Egypt of refusing to let aid into the Gaza Strip amid a mounting starvation crisis in the Israeli-blockaded territory have launched protests at Egyptian embassies around the world. From Sweden, Ireland, the UK, Spain and Finland to South Africa, Libya and Turkey, a string of protests has erupted worldwide demanding Cairo 'break the siege' by opening the Rafah crossing to allow aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave. The movement began on 21 July, when 27-year-old Egyptian activist and content creator Anas Habib chained shut the entrance to the Egyptian embassy in the Netherlands in a solo protest. Live-streaming the event, he said that if Egypt keeps the Rafah crossing closed, then its embassies will remain closed "until Gaza opens'. "For two years, they've participated in their [Palestinians'] killing and starvation... lying to the poor people who live there, telling them: 'No, the crossing is closed from the [Israeli] side, not from ours," he said in his video. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Two days later, new protesters locked the same embassy again. Soon after, activists around the world followed suit, using metal chains and locks at the entrances of Egyptian embassies. The Rafah crossing is the only entry point to Gaza that does not border Israel and has served as a vital lifeline for humanitarian aid. At least 154 Palestinians, including 89 children, have died from malnutrition, according to Palestinian health officials. On Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world's leading hunger monitoring body, warned that the 'worst-case scenario of famine' is unfolding in Gaza due to the Israeli-imposed starvation. 'Latest data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City,' the UN-backed experts warned. Global protests In London, protesters gathered outside the Egyptian embassy on 26 July, banging pots and pans to symbolise the mass starvation in Gaza. They called on the government to "break the siege" and allow the flow of humanitarian aid. 'Send in the aid. Stop starving the Gazans,' said one protester. Others at the demonstration locked the embassy with a wooden stick and marked the walls with red handprints. In Pretoria, South Africa, protesters spray-painted '[Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-]Sisi is a traitor' on the outer wall of the embassy on 29 July. 'Sisi sold Gaza,' they chanted. Social media users weighed in to extend their support to the demonstrators. 'It's amazing to see people come together for a cause and put pressure on people to make things happen,' one user said regarding the London protesters. Another user wrote: 'Sisi's role in keeping Rafah closed makes him complicit in Gaza's suffering. When borders are weaponized and people starve, it's not just a siege on Gaza, it's a betrayal of regional solidarity and human decency.' The anger is real and justified. Sisi's role in keeping Rafah closed makes him complicit in Gaza's suffering. When borders are weaponized and people starve, it's not just a siege on Gaza, it's a betrayal of regional solidarity and human decency. — Elder Speech (@elderspeech) July 29, 2025 Last week, Egypt condemned 'unjustified accusations' that it is contributing to the siege of the Gaza Strip, calling it a 'malicious propaganda campaign'. In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cairo said that "Rafah has remained open from the Egyptian side. Israeli forces control the Palestinian side and block access". In June, Egyptian authorities detained nearly 200 activists who arrived in the country to participate in the Global March to Gaza, an international action intended to break Israel's siege of Gaza and pressure the international community to force Israel to end its assault on the strip.
Middle East Eye
16 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
UK's largest Jewish body condemns weaponisation of food in Gaza
The largest organisation representing Jews in the UK has warned against the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza and called for 'a massive and sustained flow of aid' into the besieged Palestinian enclave. At a special meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews discussed the organisation's response to developments in the Middle East, including 'the desperate humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the latest UK announcement in relation to recognition of a Palestinian state'. Earlier on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK will recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip by then. The announcement followed France's decision to officially recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Growing diplomatic pressure on Israel comes as more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in its war on 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 An increasing number of civilians, including many infants and children, have been starved to death in recent days due to an Israeli-imposed blockade on the strip. More than 1,000 Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli forces while trying to access food in Gaza at distribution centres managed by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the United Nations said last week. In a statement issued after the deputies' meeting, Phil Rosenberg, the board's president, highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need for urgent action. More than 220 UK MPs urge Starmer to recognise Palestinian state Read More » 'The suffering we are witnessing in the Gaza Strip demands a response. The new measures announced by Israeli authorities to address the humanitarian crisis are essential if long overdue,' he said. His comments referenced the announcement on Friday that Israel would allow foreign governments to carry out aid drops to feed Palestinians. Rosenberg asked for 'a rapid, uninhibited, and sustained increase in aid through all available channels' and warned against the weaponisation of food. 'As we have been saying for months, food must not be used as a weapon of war, by any side in this conflict,' he said. Stressing that the Board of Deputies' 'solidarity remains with the Israeli people', its president condemned some statements and actions by Israeli leaders and settlers. 'It is clear that our community overwhelmingly rejects the appalling rhetoric and unacceptable proposals from some Israeli ministers, particularly in relation to the forced displacement of Gazans, as well as the intolerable violence perpetrated by extremist settlers in the West Bank, all of which are in complete contradiction to our values,' Rosenberg said. Growing condemnations The board's statement comes a month after it suspended five of its elected representatives - including the vice-chair of its international division - for two years after they criticised Israel's conduct in Gaza. In April, 36 members of the board signed a letter published in the Financial Times in which they strongly condemned Israel's assault on the Palestinian enclave and its withholding of food and aid. 'The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out,' they wrote. Leaders of the board accused the 36 deputies of 'misrepresenting our community' and launched disciplinary proceedings against them. A former head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency reportedly intervened in support of the members facing disciplinary action. Why so many young Jewish Americans are anti-Zionist Read More » Their eventual suspension from the board came after one of its members, Daniel Grossman, resigned in May over what he described as the failure of its leaders to explicitly criticise 'the Israeli government's ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza'. Before Tuesday's emergency meeting, dozens of deputies had written to the board leadership saying it must appeal to the Israeli government to 'end this suffering', The Guardian reported. 'Nothing could be more damaging to the British Jewish community than staying silent in this moment,' they said. In the statement, Rosenberg reiterated the board's long-term support for 'a negotiated two-state solution that ensures a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian State' but warned that 'recognising a Palestinian State without a diplomatic agreement risks putting gestures ahead of substance'. 'We are therefore seeking clarification that the UK Government will not recognise a Palestinian State while Hamas fails to meet UK demands, including accepting a ceasefire and releasing the hostages,' he said. He also evoked the consequences of the war in Gaza on British Jews. 'This war … is also taking a toll on our own community, including through the unacceptable proliferation of hatred and discrimination directed at Jews in this country.' The Board of Deputies' statement is part of a growing movement of criticism of the Israeli government by Jewish organisations and personalities worldwide. Last week, more than 400 rabbis from around the world accused Israel of 'callous indifference to starvation' and urged it to allow international aid into Gaza, halt settler violence and pursue peace. 'The Jewish People face a grave moral crisis, threatening the very basis of Judaism as the ethical voice that it has been since the age of Israel's prophets,' they wrote. 'We cannot remain silent in confronting it.'
Middle East Eye
16 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli settler accused of killing No Other Land activist released under house arrest
An Israeli court has released to house arrest a settler suspected of killing a Palestinian activist in the occupied West Bank on Monday. Yinon Levi, a settler sanctioned by the US for violent attacks against Palestinians, is facing charges of manslaughter and unlawful use of a firearm in connection with the death of Awdah Hathaleen. Hathaleen, 31, was an English teacher and a peaceful anti-settlement activist. He also worked on the production team of the Academy Award-winning documentary No Other Land. The Magistrate's Court declined to keep Levi in custody, despite video evidence showing him firing at an unarmed Palestinian crowd in the hamlet of Umm al-Khair, in Masafer Yatta near Hebron, where Hathaleen was killed. The court's decision was not challenged by the police, who are investigating Levi for Hathaleen's killing. The police also made the unusual decision to allow the suspect to meet with his family prior to the hearing, according to Haaretz. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Meanwhile, four unarmed Palestinians arrested during Monday's confrontation, which led to Hathaleen's death, are due to appear before a military court on Thursday, where authorities will seek to extend their detention. They are suspected of stone-throwing and property damage. Two foreign activists detained at the scene are also facing deportation. Additionally, Israeli forces arrested eight Palestinians from Umm al-Khair on Wednesday, including the head of the village. Palestinian activist who worked on Oscar-winning film 'No Other Land' killed in occupied West Bank Read More » Hathaleen was killed after he confronted a group of settlers during the demolition of Palestinian property. In a recorded video of the incident, Levi is seen brandishing a gun and shooting at Palestinians behind the camera. While it is unclear who filmed the footage, several Palestinians were in the vicinity. After Levi begins shooting at targets off-camera, others in the background start screaming inaudibly in Arabic. One man runs into view and shouts to the crowd: "For God's sake, get back" - seemingly attempting to de-escalate the situation. Behind Levi, an active bulldozer can be seen – a clear indication of what appears to be another demolition of Palestinian property by Israelis to make way for further settlement expansion. Such demolitions and settlements are illegal under international law. An illegal Israeli settler shot and critically wounded Odeh Hadalin, a prominent Palestinian activist featured in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, in Masafer Yatta, in the occupied West Bank. Odeh was rushed to hospital and later died, according to his friends.… — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 28, 2025 Levi has previously been sanctioned by several countries, including the US, for his violent attacks on Palestinians and their property. The Trump administration lifted those Biden-era sanctions earlier this year. He has been featured in multiple news reports documenting the impact of sanctions on Israeli settlers. While settler violence is not a new phenomenon in the occupied West Bank, attacks have spiked since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. More than 700,000 settlers live in over 200 settlements across the West Bank - all in violation of international law. Restrictions on graves Following his killing, Hathaleen's body was taken by Israeli police for an autopsy. On Tuesday, officials informed Hathaleen's family that he would not be allowed to be buried in his home village of Umm al-Khair. According to +972 Magazine, the Israeli army is likely enforcing a ban on all Palestinian construction in the village - including the placement of gravestones. Mourners were also prevented from holding a public gathering. Israeli troops forced family and friends to dismantle mourning tents that had been set up at the village's community centre to honour the late activist. Hathaleen is survived by his wife, Hanady, and their three children, all under the age of 10. He was an English teacher, writer and a footballer who played for the local club in Masafer Yatta. Friends and colleagues described him as a devoted father and committed peace activist. In a tribute posted on X, the US-based group Jewish Voice for Peace said: "To know Awdah Hathaleen is to love him. "Awda has always been a pillar among his family, his village, and the wider international community of activists who had the pleasure to meet him."
