Latest news with #JeremyDiamond
Time Magazine
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
The Violent Gaza-ification of the West Bank
With all eyes on Gaza and on the fallout from Israel's war on five other fronts—Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq, as well as Iran itself—few have noted the unprecedented uptick in violence in the West Bank. Even the murder earlier in July of Saif Musallet, an American citizen, and the attack on CNN's Jeremy Diamond as he was on his way to visit the family of the slain American—both by violent West Bank settlers—did little to attract attention to what is an increasingly unstable tinderbox, fanned by convergence of troubling factors Although President Donald Trump's early January decision to lift sanctions on settlers sent the wrong message, a series of significant developments on the ground have triggered the dramatic increase in West Bank violence: Israeli extremists seizing what they see as an opportunity; their leaders using government platforms to provide support; the IDF looking the other way; and many Palestinian youth becoming radicalized. Looming over it all is the shadow of two of the most extreme leaders of the annexationist minority in Israel, entrusted, since late 2022, by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with portfolios directly relevant to West Bank policies. One, Itamar Ben Gvir, a self-proclaimed Jewish Supremacist, controls the national police force. Since entering office, he has enacted a 'hands of' policy concerning Jewish settler terrorists, relaxed the prerequisites for owning weapons and, prioritizing West Bank settlers, launched a campaign for Israelis to arm themselves. The other, Bezalel Smotrich, employs his dual position as minister of finance and as a minister in the ministry of defense in the service of his three publicly declared objectives: rapid expansion of Jewish settlements, increase pressure on Palestinians to emigrate, and financially choking the Palestinian Authority to bring about its collapse. A third, Minister of Defense Israel Katz, added fuel to the fire on Nov. 22, 2024, by depriving the Shin Bet (Israel's Internal Security Agency) of a vital instrument in dealing with Jewish detainees: administrative detention. With settlers following legal advice not to cooperate with investigators and as evidence obtained by clandestine means cannot be used in an open court lest it exposes sources, court-supervised administrative detention has long proved essential in fighting terrorism—from extreme settlers or otherwise. Emboldened by their leaders' serving in such powerful positions, extremist settlers—by now organized and armed—have made the most of the situation as the Israeli public and the world at large focuses on Gaza. The result: The number of incidents involving armed settlers assaulting Palestinian villages has increased dramatically over the past three years, doubling during the first half of 2025 as compared to the same period the previous year. An additional factor relates to the IDF. Its manpower stretched to the limit, and the top brass consumed by tending to simultaneous challenges from several fronts, lower-rank commanders of units deployed to the West Bank are often reluctant to confront violent settlers, primarily because of the support they enjoy from senior government circles. Last, but hardly least: With West Bank Palestinians harassed by settlers day and night, Palestinian youth, who are being put at risk, find neither the IDF nor the nearly bankrupt Palestinian Authority protecting their families. Images of the endless suffering of Gazans add to the combustible mix. With no hope for a better future, certainly not independence—which the current Israeli government vehemently opposes—their elders, scarred by the pains of the Second Intifada, have no persuasive argument to dissuade them from repeating what the elders have long concluded was a mistake: armed resistance. Consequently, young West Bank Palestinians are increasingly inclined to join militant groups or form their own, and take to arms. Thus, Israeli extremists and radicalized Palestinians feed on each other, using each other to justify violence, killing innocents, vandalizing property, and risking a major conflagration in the process. 'Terrorism is terrorism, regardless of religion, race, or gender,' declared a recent urgent letter to Israel's Minister of Defense. Sent on behalf of Commanders for Israel's Security (CIS)—Israel's largest group of retired generals and diplomats, of which I am a member, it alerted the Minister to the dire consequences of 'organized Jewish groups…setting the area ablaze.' 'Resources must be mobilized,' we urged, 'so that those guilty of terrorism are apprehended, investigated, and swiftly brought to justice.' Although even the murder of an American citizen did little to change the dynamics, recent settlers' assaults on IDF soldiers deployed to protect them, might have. Even those who shamefully looked the other way when the victims were Palestinians—PM Netanyahu included—suddenly realized that this lawlessness could not be tolerated. 'No civilized country can tolerate violent and anarchic acts of burning a military facility, damaging IDF property and attacking security personnel by citizens of the country,' said Netanyahu. In contrast, opposition leader Yair Lapid described the events as 'Jewish terrorists, gangs of criminals, who feel backed by the (governing) coalition.' Time will tell whether this wakeup call triggers effective measures to end Jewish terrorism, which is as immoral as any other kind of terrorism. It also undermines Israel's security and legitimacy. What is certain, from my vantage point, is this: if it does not spark those measures, this cycle of violence will only lead to the Gaza-ification of the West Bank, with tragic consequences for both peoples and further destabilizing effects well beyond the Israeli-Palestinian arena.
CNN
2 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Jeremy Diamond gives an update on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza as food and supplies dwindle
CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond joined The Situation Room to discuss the rapidly worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, which led to the death of a four-year-old in central Gaza over the weekend. Razan Abu Zaher died from complications brought on by hunger and malnutrition, according to a medical source.
CNN
7 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israeli airstrikes on Syria threaten security talks
Syria condemns Israel for fatal strikes on several government buildings in Damascus. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports from Jerusalem.
CNN
7 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israeli airstrikes on Syria threaten security talks
Syria condemns Israel for fatal strikes on several government buildings in Damascus. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports from Jerusalem.
New York Post
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
CNN crew allegedly attacked in West Bank by Israeli settlers while reporting on death of US citizen
Israeli settlers attacked a CNN news crew over the weekend as it traveled to the Palestinian town of Sinjil in the West Bank to report on the death of a US citizen, according to the network's Jerusalem-based correspondent Jeremy Diamond. Diamond, a veteran journalist and former CNN White House correspondent, said he and his crew were targeted while on assignment investigating the death of 20-year-old Florida native Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat. Musalat was visiting family in Sinjil when he was allegedly beaten by Israeli settlers. His relatives say settlers also blocked ambulances from reaching him as he lay dying from his injuries. Advertisement 4 CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond posted an image of a vehicle used by his crew after the alleged attack by Israeli settlers. @JDiamond1/X 'As we were covering this story, my team & I were attacked by Israeli settlers. The back window of our vehicle was smashed, but we managed to escape unharmed,' Diamond wrote Monday night in a post on X. He shared an image of the damaged vehicle, adding: 'This is just a sliver of the reality many Palestinians face in the West Bank amid rising settler violence.' Advertisement A CNN spokesperson declined to comment. The Post has sought comment from the Israeli government. The death of a US national in the West Bank prompted the Trump administration's top envoy in Israel to ask the government to investigate. 'I have asked @Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death,' US Ambassador Mike Huckabee wrote on X. 4 Diamond, a former White House correspondent for CNN, is based in Jerusalem. He was reporting on the death of a US national allegedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers. CNN Advertisement 'There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old.' The attack on Diamond's team comes amid a documented rise in violence against journalists working in the West Bank. The Jerusalem-based Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents 400 media professionals covering Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, issued a statement Tuesday condemning the incident. 'This is the second settler attack on foreign journalists in Sinjil this month,' the FPA said. Advertisement 'On July 4, a Deutsche Welle team was chased by settlers while filming. A window of DW's car was smashed with stones, and its bodywork dented. In each of these incidents, settlers struck in broad daylight. Yet so far, we are unaware of any arrests being made.' 4 A group of Israeli settlers is pictured above. According to Diamond, the settlers followed his crew and then ambushed them. CNN The association said the situation reflects a broader pattern of hostility and violence faced by journalists, particularly Palestinians, in the region. 'This is taking place at a time when our Palestinian colleagues routinely face threats, intimidation and violence at the hands of settlers and security forces, while the foreign press is routinely vilified by some Israeli public figures,' the FPA said. Before the CNN crew was attacked, the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also issued a statement on July 8 reporting a rise in violence against both Palestinian and international journalists by Israeli settlers and soldiers. One of the cases cited by the IFJ involved Palestinian journalist Issam al-Rimawi, who was attacked in the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah. Al-Rimawi was beaten so severely by settlers that he lost consciousness. In another incident in Jenin on May 28, Israeli soldiers fired warning shots near a car clearly marked 'press' that was carrying French journalist Amira Souilem of France 24 and Radio France Internationale, Palestinian journalist Mohammed Mansour and three other Palestinian journalists. On June 2, a group of international reporters attempting to visit Masafer Yatta — an area in the southern West Bank featured in the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' — was stopped by masked Israeli soldiers. Advertisement 4 The CNN crew was on assignment investigating the death of 20-year-old Florida native Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat. AFP via Getty Images The journalists had been invited by the film's co-directors, Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, who later documented the obstruction by the army. According to the FPA, the Israeli military has also prevented journalists from entering refugee camps in the northern West Bank, which the FPA says have seen tens of thousands of Palestinians expelled. 'These phenomena have led to a worrying and rapid shrinking of the space and freedom to report on Palestinian lives,' the FPA said in its statement. 'We call on Israeli authorities to uphold the country's stated commitment to freedom of the press by ensuring the safety of journalists and prosecuting, not protecting, their assailants.' Advertisement Access to Gaza remains severely restricted. International journalists are currently banned from entering the territory unless as part of a rare embed with the Israeli military. In early June, more than 200 press freedom organizations and global newsrooms issued an open letter demanding that foreign journalists be granted 'immediate, independent and unrestricted' access to the Gaza Strip.
