Israeli far right discusses Gaza ‘riviera' plans
The meeting, titled 'The Riviera in Gaza: From Vision to Reality', was held in the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, under
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Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to Editor: cycleways, Gaza, mining
Today's letters to the editor include criticism of Cr Jim O'Malley over reactions to a cycle way, the war in Gaza, and discussion around Santana mining. Councillor O'Malley and his lost anatomy Poor Councillor Jim O'Malley. He's facing a life ahead of him without an important part of his anatomy, his backside, having "worked his arse off" on the Albany St cycleway committee, only to have people, God forbid, disagree with him. Spectacularly tone deaf to the pleas of the business community's complaints of more disruption, the loss of 68 valuable parking spaces on campus, and the cycling community stating they don't need or want it, Jim seems mainly offended by the suggestion that his conclusions might just be wrong. He is so aggrieved he's threatening to give up politics. Yeah, right. It may be time for the councillor to realise that committees alone don't make a bad idea good, and that the everyday operation of the city may be more important than costly and damaging leisure and vanity projects for a tiny minority. Ian Pillans Dunedin Stand up Wars may be far away, but their repercussions will affect us now and into the future. New Zealand's mild remonstrances on the Gaza genocide do not reflect our strong stances in the past, where we stood up against South African apartheid, nuclear armed ships and the white supremacy of the mosque attacks. We are allowing Israel to destroy a people and a culture. It is conceivable that a Trump-like character might arise in Australia in the future, who fancies a bit of choice agriculture land across the Ditch. Who will protect us — not the US, whose leader covets Greenland among other places? There are alternatives. The Hague Group is standing up for international law with real action. BRICS is an alternative non-aligned trading group that is trying to bypass the extractive US dominated WTO and IMF. These countries are not perfect, but why are we following the US which continually dabbles in regime change and endless failed wars around the world? Peace and diplomacy are rhetorical flourishes at the moment. Building trust is a hard road which requires listening to the perspectives of others, especially when they are in danger of annihilation, and not pattern-matching our own misconceptions. Ann Mackay Oamaru [Abridged — length. Editor.] Take the offer Cole Martin lists many reasons why there's no peace in the Holy Land (14.7.25) but omits the most obvious. Solely blaming a supposed "system of domination," he ignores critical historical context, ongoing Palestinian violence, and Palestinian leadership's refusal to recognise Israel. The West Bank was occupied by Jordan from 1948 to 1967. Israel gained control of it in a defensive war. Large portions of it are governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), created through the 1990s bilateral Oslo Accords with the goal of establishing a Palestinian state. Those hopes were dashed when Palestinian leaders rejected generous Israeli peace offers that would have given them control over most of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Instead, they launched the Second Intifada, a wave of terrorism that left thousands dead and hardened attitudes on both sides. The violence and restrictions Martin laments largely stem from these actions. Palestinians were offered more opportunities for sovereignty than other Middle Eastern minorities. Yet, they squandered each one, attempting to destroy Israel rather than pursuing statehood. Real change can only come when Palestinians choose to stop the violence, recognise Israel, and build the state they were repeatedly offered. A. Levy Dunedin [Abridged — length. Editor.] Historic tale of ironclad ship battle questioned Tuesday's Today in History (8.7.25) describes in 1862 the use of the novel gun turret on USS Monitor being used "to good effect in a decisive battle with CSS Virginia". Wrong on both counts — the ships fought at close range for three hours, inflicting minimal damage on each other, then returned to their bases. Ineffective and indecisive, black-powder muzzle-loaders firing solid shot achieved little in this historic engagement, the first between ironclad vessels. Richard Lea Clough St Leonards [Today In History is based on old ODT files and is updated annually. We welcome reader feedback on omissions and possible inclusions.] Debt and Covid response RE R John Wilson's letter (15.7.25), what would he have done different so as not get into debt? Remembering every other country spent their way out of Covid. Henry Schakelaar Dunedin Saving our species but losing land Wonderful to read of the "Tireless work to save our native central species" (Central Otago News 3.7.25). Sad then to also read of the proposed Santana Minerals Open cast gold mine with its blasting, digging, trucking and carting away of hillsides to leave "open pits a kilometre wide and hundreds of metres deep" across a swathe of our outstanding natural landscapes (Opinion ODT 9.6.25). Sad as we'll lose the stunning landscape many thousands of tourists fly in to admire or millions of people view on TV. Expecting a second series of the murder mystery drama A Remarkable Place to Die to be shot here from November till the end of April, will be so incongruous with the noisy polluting open-cast gold mining and the arsenic and cyanide that'll leak from the unlined toxic sludge dam it leaves. Or maybe they can incorporate this and the waste of native habitat for native birds and lizards in the series for the German, American, Australia and New Zealand audiences? Lynne Stewart Earnscleugh Overseas plunder RE Gavin Dann's letter (18.7.25), His points re jobs, boost to local economy etc, are valid, to a degree. However, if one is to google Tui Mine Tailings Dam, there is a prime example of the perils of an overseas company mining in New Zealand. Since the days of flax and kauri, we have allowed Australian interests to plunder our resources with little return and no regard for the consequences. By all means, allow mining but not at the expense of our environment, and pay well for the privilege. Jerry Lynch Mosgiel
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Which countries recognise the state of Palestine. What would statehood look like?
By Zena Chamas Moroccans chant slogans and wave the Palestinian flag during a march to express their solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Rabat on 19 July, 2025. Photo: AFP As of 2025, there are about 147 countries that officially recognise the state of Palestine. France is set to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, bringing the total to 148 countries. Currently, there is no Palestinian state. Instead, there are the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which include Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Only the Jewish state - Israel - exists. Some Palestinians live in Israel as citizens. Others live as refugees in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. As of March 2025, the state of Palestine has been recognised as a sovereign nation by 147 of 193 member states of the United Nations, about 75 percent. In 2024, a group of UN experts called on all United Nations member states to recognise the State of Palestine, in order to bring about an immediate ceasefire in Gaza amid the Israel-Gaza war. Since then, nine countries - Armenia, Slovenia, Ireland, Norway, Spain, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados - formally recognised the State of Palestine. Most of the Middle East, Africa and Asia recognise Palestinian statehood. On Thursday (local time), France's President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise a Palestinian state in hopes it would bring peace to the region. In response to Macron's move, Netanyahu said that such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy". "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel - not to live in peace beside it," Netanyahu said in a post on X. In other parts of Europe, Slovenia, Malta and Belgium are yet to recognise Palestinian statehood. Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea also do not. Australia does not recognise a Palestinian state. On its website, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade states Australia is: "Committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders." Public outrage as the Palestinian death toll has climbed has been followed only slowly by official statements from governments reluctant to criticise Israel - until now. The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) has argued that Australia symbolically recognising Palestinian statehood would mean "establishing a formal diplomatic relationship with Palestine". Australia currently has an ambassador to Israel, but only a representative to Palestine. In recent comments, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not refer directly to recognising Palestine, but pointed to Australia's long-standing ambitions around recognition. "Recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia," Albanese said. "The reason a two-state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it. "Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally recognised borders." Last year, Foreign Minister Penny Wong indicated Australia was considering recognising a Palestinian state as part of a peace process, rather than at the endpoint. This week, Australia joined 27 other countries demanding an immediate end to the war. In November 2024, Australia voted in favour of a draft United Nations resolution recognising "permanent sovereignty" of Palestinians and the Golan Heights to natural resources in the Occupied Territories for the first time in more than two decades. A total of 159 countries voted in favour of the draft resolution in a UN committee, including Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Germany and Japan. The State of Palestine was formally declared by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) on 15 November, 1988. It claims sovereignty over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. According to senior lecturer in law at the University of South Australia, Juliette McIntyre, a state has certain defining features under international law. These features include a permanent population, a determinate territory, an "effective" government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. "In some ways, the most important thing is recognition by other states - this enables entering into diplomatic relations, and membership of international organisations," McIntyre said. She added that the governance of a Palestinian state could look like "free and fair elections for all Palestinians exercising their right of self-determination". "It is up to the Palestinian people to elect their representatives and decide on their form of governance," she said. Recognising a Palestinian state could mean the beginning of a "two-state solution" where both a Jewish state and an Arab state would exist at the same time. "A two-state solution requires two states. Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory has been found to be unlawful. "Recognition of Palestine is not hostile to Israel, Israel is an established state and recognition of Palestine does nothing to impact on this," McIntyre said. The two-state solution is still widely regarded by world leaders as the only way to end the conflict, but is not as popular in Israel and parts of the occupied Palestinian territories. "The territorial integrity of both states should be respected, and new borders could only come about by treaty agreement between both states," McIntyre said. What are the one-state and two-state solutions? Photo shows Benjamin Netanyahu stands in front of two Israeli flags. Benjamin Netanyahu stands in front of two Israeli flags. On Wednesday, Israel's parliament, the Knesset, voted 71-13 in favour of annexation of the West Bank, raising questions about the future of a Palestinian state. The non-binding vote was backed by members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, as well as some opposition members of parliament. In a recent post on X, Netanyahu said: "Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel." Both Netanyahu and other members of Israel's parliament have shown their lack of support for a two-state solution. This year, the UN, which largely supports a two-state solution, will hold an international conference on the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution in New York from 28 to 29 July. The United States has opted out of attendance. - ABC
Scoop
16 hours ago
- Scoop
UN Experts Call For End To Israeli State And Settler Violence In The West Bank
GENEVA (24 July 2025) - UN experts* today expressed grave concern over systematic and ongoing violations by Israeli settlers and Israeli security forces against Palestinian peasants and rural workers in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. "We are deeply troubled by alleged widespread intimidation, violence, land dispossession, destruction of livelihoods and the resulting forcible displacement of communities, and we fear this is severing Palestinians from their land and undermining their food security,' the experts said. "The alleged acts of violence, destruction of property, and denial of access to land and resources appear to constitute a systemic pattern of human rights violations," they said. The experts noted a disturbing pattern of attacks targeting West Bank communities, including assaults on civilians, destruction of homes and livelihoods, and the forcible displacement of families. 'Settler violence has reportedly involved arson, livestock theft, and the poisoning or destruction of water sources, severely undermining the ability of Palestinians to sustain their agricultural way of life,' the experts added. 'The demolition of Palestinian-owned structures has further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, leaving families homeless and vulnerable.' They said the continued attacks targeting Palestinian Bedouin, peasant and rural communities do not appear to be incidental, but rather an intentional strategy to erase their presence in key agricultural areas, undermine their food security and food sovereignty and ultimately sever Palestinians from their land. Hundreds of Bedouin families, including a significant number of children, have been displaced due to settler violence and intimidation. These attacks have caused significant economic harm, including an estimated USD $76 million in direct agricultural damages in the West Bank between October 7, 2023, and late 2024. It is estimated that the West Bank GDP declined by more than 19 per cent, and the unemployment rate rose to 35 per cent. "Israel, as the occupying power, bears the obligation to take necessary measures to safeguard Palestinian communities at risk of displacement and violence," the experts said. "This includes stopping the violence immediately, halting illegal settlement expansion, holding effective and impartial investigations into violations, prosecuting those responsible, and guaranteeing victims access to justice and reparations." 'It is essential that the West Bank be kept under Palestinian control, based on the rights to self-determination of the Palestinian people and full respect of international law,' they said. 'Israel must promptly bring to an end its unlawful presences in the West Bank, and ensure its compliance with the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice issued on 19 July 2024, including by evacuating all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.' The experts called on the international community to act with urgency to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure that violent settlers and armed forces cannot continue to operate with impunity. 'Silence and inaction only embolden further violations. We call on all States to uphold their obligations under international law—including through targeted measures, sanctions, and diplomatic pressure—to end these systematic abuses and protect Palestinian lives, livelihoods, and fundamental rights. The time for justice is now,' they said. * The experts: Carlos Arturo Duarte Torres, Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas; Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
