Latest news with #EmbassyofIsrael
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Glastonbury and Israeli government slam Bob Vylan over 'death to the IDF' chants
Bobby Vylan chanted on stage during yesterday's set. Glastonbury and the Israeli government have slammed Bob Vylan over the "death to the IDF" chants during their performance at the festival yesterday. In a statement, festival organisers said they were "appalled" by the rap punk duo's actions during Saturday's set, which has since been pulled from BBC iPlayer. Bobby Vylan led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: "Free, free Palestine" and: "Death, death to the IDF". Their performance ran just before that of controversial Irish group Kneecap. Glastonbury Festival's statement said: "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence." Glastonbury's comments came after Vylan was also criticised by the Israeli government on social media site X, formerly Twitter, over the incident - and urged the festival organisers to act. The UK Embassy of Israel wrote: "The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival. "Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out—especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms. "Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. "When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence. "We call on Glastonbury Festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred." Health Secretary Wes Streeting also blasted the antics, with the Labour MP warning that both the BBC and Glastonbury had "questions to answer". He went on to brand it a "pretty shameless publicity stunt". He told Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: 'I thought it's appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens. "But I also think it's a pretty shameless publicity stunt, which I don't really want to give too much indulgence to for that reason." He said what people should be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza is the humanitarian catastrophe. He added: "The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival, when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. He also mentioned Israeli settlers attacking a Christian village this week and added: "Whether it's a Palestinian or an Israeli, whether it's a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim, all life is precious. "All life is sacred. And I find it pretty revolting we've got to a state in this conflict where you're supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it's a football team." Asked if the BBC should have cut the live feed, he said the broadcaster has questions to answer, but that he did not know what the editorial and operational 'challenges' are of taking such action. Meanwhile, the Israeli embassy said that it was "deeply disturbed" by the scenes on Saturday. Police are investigating the incident after a member of Bob Vylan was seen shouting out the phrase to the crowd, with videos of the moment circulating on the internet. They had been performing on stage ahead of Irish act Kneecap, whose member Mo Chara as recently in court after brandishing a Hezbolla flag on stage during a gig, The Mirror reports.
Scoop
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Embassy Of Israel In Wellington Closes Amid International Conflict
Article – RNZ It's part of a worldwide closure of the country's diplomatic missions. The Israeli embassy in New Zealand has shut as part of a worldwide closure of the country's diplomatic missions,. The closures comes as tensions remain high in the region – Israel launched an attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday, which Iran responded to with attacks of its own. The Embassy of Israel – on Brandon Street in Wellington – services Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue, as well as New Zealand. It also operates a consulate office in Auckland. A message on the embassy's website announced the decision: 'In light of recent developments, Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided,' it said. 'An online form is available for Israelis abroad to report their location and current status.' The message also issued general safety guidelines for Israelis abroad – encouraging them to avoid displaying Jewish or Israeli symbols in public spaces and avoid attending large gatherings or events associated with Israel or Jewish communities. An 'unpublish' date on the message indicated it was intended to appear on the website until the end of July. In a statement sent to RNZ on Saturday morning, the Israeli embassy said Iran was 'only moments away from a nuclear weapon' and Israel 'had no choice'. 'Iran accumulated large amounts of highly enriched uranium that are sufficient for more than nine nuclear bombs. A third of which was enriched and accumulated in the last three months alone – a drastic increase of production volume. ' Israel has for years said Iran was working towards obtaining nuclear weapons. The embassy said the recent 'accelerated effort has not been seen in the last two decades'. 'Israel has the right to defend itself, and it has launched a precise self-defense campaign as a last resort.' It accused Iran of targeting civilian populations in its retaliatory attacks, saying Israel only 'targeted senior military commanders and nuclear weapons developers'. 'Israel will not allow a regime that openly calls for its destruction to possess nuclear weapons or vast stockpiles of advanced ballistic missiles.' The embassy closure came as part of a global shutting of Israeli embassies. Israel's embassy in Sweden said the country would close its diplomatic missions around the world and that consular services would not be provided at about 11pm on Friday night (NZ), Reuters reported. It did not say how long the missions would be closed. Correction: This story earlier said Iran launched 100 drones towards Israel, which was unconfirmed. It has been changed since to 'responded to with attacks of its own'.
Scoop
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Embassy Of Israel In Wellington Closes Amid International Conflict
The Israeli embassy in New Zealand has shut as part of a worldwide closure of the country's diplomatic missions,. The closures comes as tensions remain high in the region - Israel launched an attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday, which Iran responded to with attacks of its own. The Embassy of Israel - on Brandon Street in Wellington - services Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue, as well as New Zealand. It also operates a consulate office in Auckland. A message on the embassy's website announced the decision: "In light of recent developments, Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided," it said. "An online form is available for Israelis abroad to report their location and current status." The message also issued general safety guidelines for Israelis abroad - encouraging them to avoid displaying Jewish or Israeli symbols in public spaces and avoid attending large gatherings or events associated with Israel or Jewish communities. An 'unpublish' date on the message indicated it was intended to appear on the website until the end of July. In a statement sent to RNZ on Saturday morning, the Israeli embassy said Iran was "only moments away from a nuclear weapon" and Israel "had no choice". "Iran accumulated large amounts of highly enriched uranium that are sufficient for more than nine nuclear bombs. A third of which was enriched and accumulated in the last three months alone - a drastic increase of production volume. " Israel has for years said Iran was working towards obtaining nuclear weapons. The embassy said the recent "accelerated effort has not been seen in the last two decades". "Israel has the right to defend itself, and it has launched a precise self-defense campaign as a last resort." It accused Iran of targeting civilian populations in its retaliatory attacks, saying Israel only "targeted senior military commanders and nuclear weapons developers". "Israel will not allow a regime that openly calls for its destruction to possess nuclear weapons or vast stockpiles of advanced ballistic missiles." The embassy closure came as part of a global shutting of Israeli embassies. Israel's embassy in Sweden said the country would close its diplomatic missions around the world and that consular services would not be provided at about 11pm on Friday night (NZ), Reuters reported. It did not say how long the missions would be closed. Correction: This story earlier said Iran launched 100 drones towards Israel, which was unconfirmed. It has been changed since to 'responded to with attacks of its own'.
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Israeli embassy closes in Wellington
By Soumya Bhamidipati of RNZ The Israeli embassy in New Zealand has shut as part of a worldwide closure of the country's diplomatic missions. The closures comes as tensions remain high in the region - Israel launched an attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday, which Iran responded to with the launch of 100 drones. The Embassy of Israel - on Brandon Street in Wellington - services Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue, as well as New Zealand. It also operates a consulate office in Auckland. A message on the embassy's website announced the decision: "In light of recent developments, Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided," it said. "An online form is available for Israelis abroad to report their location and current status." The message also issued general safety guidelines for Israelis abroad - encouraging them to avoid displaying Jewish or Israeli symbols in public spaces and avoid attending large gatherings or events associated with Israel or Jewish communities. An 'unpublish' date on the message indicated it was intended to appear on the website until the end of July. In a statement sent to RNZ on Saturday morning, deputy chief of mission Yael Holan said Iran was "only moments away from a nuclear weapon" and Israel "had no choice". "Iran accumulated large amounts of highly enriched uranium that are sufficient for more than nine nuclear bombs. A third of which was enriched and accumulated in the last three months alone - a drastic increase of production volume. " Israel has for years said Iran was working towards obtaining nuclear weapons. Holan said the recent "accelerated effort has not been seen in the last two decades". "Israel has the right to defend itself, and it has launched a precise self-defense campaign as a last resort." She accused Iran of targeting civilian populations in its retaliatory attacks, saying Israel only "targeted senior military commanders and nuclear weapons developers". "Israel will not allow a regime that openly calls for its destruction to possess nuclear weapons or vast stockpiles of advanced ballistic missiles." The embassy closure came as part of a global shutting of Israeli embassies. Israel's embassy in Sweden said the country would close its diplomatic missions around the world and that consular services would not be provided at about 11pm on Friday night (NZ), Reuters reported. It did not say how long the missions would be closed.
Scoop
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Statement from the Embassy of Israel: False Claims Regarding IDF Fire in Gaza
The Embassy of Israel in New Zealand would like to address and clarify recent reports regarding allegations of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fire toward Gazan civilians near a humanitarian aid distribution site. These claims are false An initial IDF inquiry confirms that no fire was directed at civilians in or around the humanitarian aid distribution area. The incident in question occurred approximately one kilometre away from the distribution site and outside of its operating hours. During that separate event, IDF troops responded with warning shots toward individuals approaching their position under suspicious circumstances. There is no connection between this defensive action and the false claims circulating in the media. Hamas continues to exploit humanitarian aid efforts The IDF is working in coordination with the American humanitarian organisation GHF and international agencies to facilitate the delivery of aid intended for Gazan civilians — not Hamas. We wish to remind the public and the media that Hamas is a brutal terrorist organisation that deliberately endangers the lives of Gazan civilians in order to preserve its control over the Gaza Strip. Hamas systematically undermines humanitarian aid operations by seizing supplies, attacking aid convoys, and violently obstructing access to food. It uses disinformation as a strategic weapon — manipulating the media and public opinion to conceal its crimes and shift blame. Drone footage released by the IDF today shows armed individuals in southern Khan Yunis firing at Gazans trying to collect looted aid. These gunmen, identified as Hamas operatives, are seen obstructing access to food and basic necessities. You may view the footage here: We urge all members of the media to treat unverified claims from Hamas-affiliated sources with extreme caution. In past incidents, such disinformation has led to serious misreporting, ultimately harming the prospects for stability and humanitarian relief on the ground. We remain committed to supporting the safe and effective delivery of aid to Gaza's civilian population and to countering those who would weaponise suffering for political gain.
