Latest news with #Jerusalem-based
Days of Palestine
6 days ago
- Business
- Days of Palestine
Israel Pushes Vertical Expansion in Jerusalem Settlements Amid Land Seizure
DayofPal– Israeli authorities have approved the construction of new settlement units in occupied East and West Jerusalem, this time taking a vertical approach with high-rise towers due to limited available land, according to a Jerusalem-based expert. Last week, the Planning and Building Committee of the Israeli-run Jerusalem Municipality approved two major settlement expansion plans comprising 493 new housing units. Of these, 278 will be built in the Armon Hanatziv settlement in East Jerusalem, and 215 in the Kiryat Menachem settlement in the western part of the city. The plan for Armon Hanatziv includes two residential towers, each rising 26 stories and housing 278 units, alongside 430 square meters of commercial space. According to Khalil Tufakji, a Palestinian expert on mapping and settlement affairs, the expansion in Armon Hanatziv is part of a broader Israeli strategy to alter the demographic balance in Jerusalem, especially in the eastern sector, by increasing the number of Jewish residents and reducing the Palestinian presence. 'This vertical construction is a reflection of the current spatial limitations. Over 87% of East Jerusalem is under Israeli control, and more than 52% has been designated as green zones where building is prohibited,' Tufakji daid. 'As a result, Israel is shifting towards building upwards.' Armon Hanatziv was established in 1970 following one of the largest land seizures in East Jerusalem, encompassing 2,240 dunams (about 553 acres) from the Palestinian villages of Sur Baher and Umm Tuba. It currently houses approximately 15,000 settlers. The new expansion will take place in the southwestern area of the settlement. Simultaneously, hotel projects are planned in its northern part, and sections of the controversial 'American Road' are being developed to serve its residents. The second expansion project will be located in Kiryat Menachem, in western Jerusalem, on land belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Ein Karem, which was ethnically cleansed in 1948. This plan involves constructing a 39-story tower containing 215 new housing units on a 2.2-dunam (0.54-acre) plot that currently hosts 56 housing units. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion has previously announced his intention to oversee the construction of at least 100,000 new housing units in the city, 70,000 of which will be part of urban renewal projects. However, while Israeli settlements continue to expand and new skyscrapers take shape, Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem face increasing threats of home demolitions. Over 140 demolitions were documented in the first half of 2025 alone, according to Al Jazeera. Of these, 91 were carried out by the municipality's bulldozers, while 49 homes were demolished by their Palestinian owners under pressure to avoid steep municipal fines. Currently, about 300 Palestinians in three East Jerusalem communities, Umm Tuba, Al-Nu'man, and Batn Al-Hawa in Silwan, face imminent forced eviction from their homes and lands. The vertical expansion underscores not just a change in architectural strategy, but a deepening of Israel's long-term efforts to entrench control over East Jerusalem, a move that remains illegal under international law and widely condemned by the international community. Shortlink for this post:
Newsroom
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsroom
How do you get back to NZ when you're stranded in hell?
It is dangerous, diplomatically delicate and extremely expensive. Getting a New Zealander out of a war zone can cost $1 million if they're injured. It often takes high-level negotiations with top-secret contacts, and New Zealand often has to ask favours of other friendly countries to get its citizens to safety. 'It's a very tricky business to exfiltrate or extract or save New Zealanders abroad in other countries' jurisdictions,' says Stephen Hoadley, retired Auckland University professor of political science. 'They are hosts to New Zealanders but they don't expect that to be abused by New Zealand flying in and moving around the countryside ignoring local sensitivities.' Hoadley says the New Zealand government faces pressure from many corners when citizens are caught in conflict zones and it often has scant information about an operation because things are changing by the hour. 'About half of New Zealanders never bother to register in a foreign country and of course they're vulnerable, more at risk because Mfat cannot contact them, their families cannot contact them often and then the families will ring up the Minister of Foreign Affairs desperate to contact their son, daughter, brother, sister in a war zone and this puts a lot of pressure on the minister, the ministry, the bureaucrats and others.' Jerusalem-based Samoan Vincent Schmidt tells The Detail how he used his contacts as a security officer for the United Nations to get a young Samoan student to safety after she was stranded in Israel last week. But it took several days and involved the Samoan ambassador in Belgium and the government back in Apia to get Polino Falevaai home. Schmidt explains how they all communicated by WhatsApp, as Falevaai travelled by bus for four to five hours over the border into Egypt, encountering a number of checkpoints before she faced a two-day wait in a chaotic Cairo airport. 'There were a couple of flights that got cancelled a couple of minutes before she had to board the plan but because of the checkpoints they got delayed, there was a miscommunication with the school. Yeah, there were a lot of challenges,' says Schmidt. ReliefAid humanitarian agency founder Mike Seawright recalls a high-risk situation in Syria under the brutal Assad regime when he had to evacuate 100 workers at a hospital close to the front line. They had to flee in minutes but one doctor refused to go. 'I'm saying to the guy, 'You don't get an option here, you are relocating no matter what you think. Get on that truck, you're putting other lives at risk here, we'll come back as soon as we can but at this point we don't know if hell on earth is going to open up around this clinic, this hospital',' says Seawright. Until recently, he says, it was impossible to get insurance for his workers in hotspots like Ukraine, Gaza and Afghanistan, making the delivery of aid and the care of his team even more costly. That added to the complications of managing teams of workers that were both local and international. Seawright says Gaza is by far the riskiest location right now. 'When we started in Gaza we started with a team of nine in the north … of the nine, seven are now dead, and two are severely injured. Even our team in Ukraine and our team in Syria … they tell us to be careful in Gaza. Even places like Ukraine which in itself is extremely dangerous.' Security expert James Robertson of International SOS says working with clients in the Middle East has been 'intense'. One of the challenging parts is pulling together a disparate group of people and preparing them for a difficult border crossing. 'When you're trying to coordinate lots of different clients, each of whom has a different risk tolerance, a different appetite for uncertainty and friction, I suppose, trying to coordinate them together to make a response on the ground can be pretty tricky.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Jennifer Griffin vs Pete Hegseth: Why Trump's Defense chief lashed out at Fox journalist
President Donald Trump's defense chief, Pete Hegseth, clashed with one of the senior-most reporters at the Pentagon and his former colleague, Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, during a press conference on Thursday. Tensions rose as Hegseth was addressing 'intelligence leak' claims days after the US' strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Pete Hegseth clashed with Fox News' Jennifer Griffin at a press conference (AFP and X) The Pentagon boss said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved any of its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. "I'm not aware of any intelligence that I've reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be, moved or otherwise," he said. Read More: Trump drops F-bomb again before NATO summit? Lip reader reveals details Griffin asked Hegseth about the movement of enriched uranium from the Fordo site. The former Fox host did not answer the question, but instead attacked the correspondent. Pete Hegseth also ripped into the media, saying: 'Because you cheer against Trump so hard, in your DNA and in your blood, cheer Against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy." 'Are you certain none of that highly enriched uranium was moved?' Griffin asked Hegseth. The defense chief was quick to respond, saying: 'Jennifer, you've been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.' 'I take issue with that,' the Fox reporter noted. Who is Jennifer Griffin? Jennifer Griffin is a veteran American journalist and Fox News Channel's chief national security correspondent, based in Washington, D.C. Born in 1969 in Baltimore, Maryland, Griffin grew up in a military family, with her father serving in the US Navy. Read More: World leaders caught mocking Trump at NATO summit, lip reader reveals: 'What a tosser' She graduated from Harvard University in 1992 with a degree in comparative politics. Griffin began as a reporter for the Sowetan newspaper in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1994. She later worked as a freelance correspondent in the Middle East, reporting from Israel and Gaza for outlets like NPR and US News & World Report. Joining Fox News in 1999 as a Jerusalem-based correspondent, Griffin covered major conflicts, including the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. She became chief national security correspondent in 2007.
Mint
20-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Israel's war on Iran is costing hundreds of millions of dollars a day
Israel faces steep costs to repair hundreds of buildings damaged in Iranian missile strikes, including in Tel Aviv. Israel's conflict with Iran is costing the country hundreds of millions of dollars a day, according to early estimates, a price tag that could constrain Israel's ability to conduct a lengthy war. The biggest single cost are the interceptors needed to blow up incoming Iranian missiles, which alone can amount to between tens of millions to $200 million a day, experts say. Ammunition and aircraft also add to the price tag of the war, as does the unprecedented damage to buildings. Some estimates so far say that rebuilding or repairing damage could cost Israel at least $400 million. The mounting costs add up to pressure on Israel to wrap up the war quickly. Israeli officials have said the new offensive could last for two weeks, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown no indication of stopping before Israel achieves all of its goals, which include the elimination of Iran's nuclear program and its ballistic-missile production and arsenal. But the war is expensive. 'The main factor which will really determine the cost of the war will be the duration," said Karnit Flug, a former governor of the Bank of Israel and now a senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based think tank Israel Democracy Institute. Flug said she thought Israel's economy could sustain a short campaign. 'If it is a week it is one thing," she said. 'If it is two weeks or a month it is a very different story." An interceptor responds to an incoming missile this week in the skies above Tel Aviv. Over the last few days, Iran has launched more than 400 missiles at Israel, according to the Israeli government, which require sophisticated air-defense systems to stop. More missiles usually means more interceptors. The David's Sling system, developed jointly by Israel and the U.S., can shoot down short-to-long range missiles, drones and aircraft. It costs around $700,000 each time it is activated, assuming it uses two interceptors, normally the minimum launched, according to Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies. Arrow 3, another system being used, shields against long-range ballistic missiles that leave the earth's atmosphere, at a cost of around $4 million per interception, Kalisky said. An older version of the Arrow, known as Arrow 2, costs around $3 million per interceptor. Other military expenditures include the cost of keeping dozens of warplanes, such as F-35 jets, in the air for hours at a time some 1,000 miles away from Israeli territory. Each costs around $10,000 per hour of flight time, according to Kalisky. The cost of refueling jets, and ammunition including bombs such as JDAMs and MK84s, also must be factored in. 'Per day it is much more expensive than the war in Gaza or with Hezbollah. And it all comes from the ammunition. That's the big expense," said Zvi Eckstein, who heads the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy at Reichman University in Israel, referring to both defensive and offensive munitions. According to an estimate by the institute, a war with Iran that lasts one month will amount to around $12 billion. The arrivals hall at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv was largely empty on June 13 after Israel closed its airspace to takeoffs and landings. Israeli military spending has gone up since the war began yet economists don't foresee a recession at this point, Eckstein said. Much of Israel's economy has shut down in recent days as a result of the Iranian strikes. Only workers in essential industries were called to work, and many businesses such as restaurants were closed. The country's main international airport was closed for several days and has now opened for limited flights back to Israel for those stuck abroad. On June 16, S&P released a risk assessment for the Israel-Iran escalation but didn't change its credit outlook. Israeli markets rose to record highs Wednesday, continuing to outperform U.S. benchmarks despite the conflict with Iran, betting that the war will end in Israel's favor. Some economists say that the markets appear to think that Israel's economy will prove resilient as it has demonstrated over the past 20 months of war in Gaza. Still, the damage inflicted by Iranian missile attacks will add up. Engineers say that the destruction caused by the large ballistic missiles is unlike anything they have seen in recent decades of war in Israel. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed or heavily damaged, and they will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild or repair, said Eyal Shalev, a structural engineer who has been called to assess the damage to civilian infrastructure. Shalev estimated it would cost at least tens of millions of dollars to repair a single newly-built skyscraper in central Tel Aviv, which was affected by the strikes. More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes because of missile damage, and some are being housed in hotels paid for by the state, according to Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate. Targeting of critical infrastructure has been a top concern in Israel. Two strikes on Israel's largest oil refinery in northern Israel led to its shutdown and killed three of the refinery's employees. Some employees who work in sensitive or critical infrastructure industries have been told in recent days not to come to work, according to Dror Litvak, CEO of ManpowerGroup Israel, which supplies over 12,000 employees in Israel to different sectors. On Wednesday, Israel's home front command said it would partially lift a ban on gatherings—allowing up to 30 people in total to meet—and that workplaces in much of the country could reopen as long as there is a nearby shelter. But with schools still closed, many parents are struggling to juggle working from home and entertaining their children amid yet another military campaign. Ariel Markose, 38 years old, a chief strategy officer for an Israeli nonprofit, now holds her morning work calls from a park in Jerusalem where she spends several hours with her four young children. She heads home at around 4 p.m. and continues to work while her husband takes over with the children. 'There are families that are completely collapsing under this," she said. Iranian missiles have hit critical Israeli infrastructure, and some homes have been damaged, as in Ramat Gan. Write to Anat Peled at
New York Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter expressed growing concern that the US was ‘turning against Israel' years before evil attack
Accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter expressed fears the US was 'turning against Israel' years before he allegedly carried out a sickening political assassination, a former work acquaintance claimed. Boelter, 57, appeared to become increasingly frustrated by society in the years leading up to the twisted attack and had warned that the US was losing its 'Judaic/Christian foundations,' Charlie Kalech, CEO of a web design firm commissioned by Boelter, told ABC News. 3 Vance Boelter has been charged in connection with the shootings of high-ranking Minnesota Democrats and their spouses. via REUTERS Advertisement Kalech's firm, J-Town, was chosen by Boelter because they are Jerusalem-based and he wanted to show support for Israel, he said, adding that he worked with Boelter for more than a decade doing web design for various projects. While working on a concept for a book Boelter had written called 'Revoformation,' Kalech said the accused assassin said American leadership 'is slowly turning against Israel.' 3 The assassin wore a rubber mask before the horrific shootings. FBI 'I am very concerned that the leadership in the US is slowly turning against Israel because we are losing our Judaic/Christian foundations that was [sic] once very strong,' he wrote in a PowerPoint presentation he sent to Kalech in September 2017 about 'Revoformation.' Advertisement Kalech took the name of the book to be a mashup between 'revolution' and 'reformation.' 'I believe that if the Christians are united and the people who are leading this Revoformation are a blessing to Israel that it will be good for both Israel and the US,' the presentation continued. 3 Boelter expressed concern that the US was 'turning against Israel' in the years leading up to the assassination. AP Advertisement Boelter remains in federal custody on charges of murdering Minnesota Democrat Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and of trying to assassinate state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette on Friday night.
