French PM slams EU-US trade deal as ‘submission'
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Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Israel closes majority of military abuse cases without charges, report finds
LONDON: Israel has closed 88 percent of investigations into alleged war crimes and abuses by its forces in Gaza and the West Bank without any charges or findings of wrongdoing, according to a report by conflict monitor Action on Armed Violence (AOAV). The UK-based group reviewed 52 cases reported in English-language media between October 2023 and June 2025, involving the deaths of 1,303 Palestinians and injuries to 1,880 others, The Guardian reported on Saturday. AOAV said only one case had resulted in a prison sentence, with just five others concluding with violations found. The remaining 46 cases, seven of which were closed with no fault found, and 39 still unresolved, amounted to what AOAV described as a 'pattern of impunity.' Iain Overton and Lucas Tsantzouris of AOAV said: 'The statistics suggest Israel was seeking to create a 'pattern of impunity' by failing to conclude or find no fault in the vast majority of cases involving the most severe or public accusations of wrongdoing by their forces.' Among the unresolved cases is the February 2024 killing of at least 112 Palestinians queueing for flour in Gaza City, an airstrike that killed 45 people at a Rafah tent camp in May, and the June 1 killing of 31 civilians heading to a food distribution point in Rafah. While the Israel Defense Forces initially called reports of the latter 'false', it later told The Guardian that the incident was 'still under review.' The IDF said it investigates 'exceptional incidents that occurred during operational activity, in which there is a suspicion of a violation of the law,' using internal fact-finding assessments (FFA) and military police inquiries in line with domestic and international law. According to the IDF: 'Any report … complaint or allegation that suggests misconduct by IDF forces undergoes an initial examination process, irrespective of its source.' Cases may then be passed to the FFA team to determine 'whether there is a reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct'. Critics say the process is opaque and slow. Human rights group Yesh Din told The Guardian that of 664 IDF inquiries linked to previous Gaza operations between 2014 and 2021, only one led to a prosecution. In August 2024, the IDF reported the FFA had reviewed 'hundreds of incidents' related to the current Gaza war, with the military advocate general opening 74 criminal investigations. Of those, 52 involved detainee mistreatment or death, 13 focused on looting, and others related to civilian property destruction or excessive force. The only prison sentence to date came in February 2025, when a reservist received seven months for the aggravated abuse of bound and blindfolded Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman detention centre. One of the highest-profile cases involved the April 2024 airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers. While the IDF called it a 'grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification', the charity said the rapid investigation lacked credibility. Despite public commitments, AOAV said the IDF's response has become 'more opaque and slow-moving' as civilian casualties mount. The organization said unresolved cases still include four incidents in the past month alone in which Palestinians were killed at or near food distribution points.
Saudi Gazette
8 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Trump fires US labor statistics chief after weak jobs report
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has dismissed Erika McEntarfer, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), just hours after the release of weaker-than-expected jobs data that intensified concerns over his tariff policies. In a post on social media Friday, Trump accused McEntarfer of having 'RIGGED' the jobs figures 'to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' The move — unprecedented in modern US politics — drew swift condemnation from lawmakers, economists and former government officials, who warned it risked undermining public trust in official economic data. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Trump 'a bad leader' who 'shoots the messenger' when confronted with unfavorable statistics. The BLS report showed that US employers added just 73,000 jobs in July, well below forecasts of 109,000. The agency also revised down employment growth in May and June by a combined 250,000 jobs, reinforcing signs of a slowing labor market amid uncertainty over Trump's trade tariffs. McEntarfer, appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate nearly unanimously, described her tenure as 'the honour of my life' and defended the agency's work as 'vital and important.' She had worked in government for more than two accused Trump of politicizing independent data collection. Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said, 'Firing the head of a key government agency because you don't like the numbers they report ... is what happens in authoritarian countries, not democratic ones.'Friends of BLS, a group including two former commissioners, warned that politicizing economic statistics could 'destroy public trust in all official statistics and in government science.'The Labor Department said Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski would serve as acting commissioner during the search for a defended the decision, telling reporters before departing the White House for his New Jersey golf club: 'Why should anybody trust numbers? I believe the numbers were phony ... so you know what I did? I fired her.'The move came as Trump pressed ahead with new tariffs on imports from multiple countries, raising rates on some goods to as high as 50%. Economists say the trade policy shift has unsettled markets and hurt business stock indexes closed sharply lower Friday following the jobs report and McEntarfer's dismissal. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
8 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Trump orders deployment of two US nuclear submarines after Medvedev warning
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Friday he has ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to be deployed 'to the appropriate regions' following what he called 'highly provocative statements' from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. In a social media post, Trump said the move was precautionary, adding, 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.' Speaking to reporters before departing the White House for his Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey, Trump said, 'A threat was made by a former President of Russia (Medvedev), and we are going to protect our people.' Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, lashed out at Trump on Monday, warning that U.S. pressure on the Kremlin over the war in Ukraine risked escalating into a wider conflict between Washington and Moscow. On X, Medvedev wrote, '50 days or 10 ... He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road!' He escalated his remarks in a separate Telegram post, invoking the Soviet-era 'Dead Hand' nuclear system — an automated launch mechanism designed to retaliate if the country's leadership were incapacitated. The system is widely believed to remain operational. — Agencies
