Israel's Bigotry
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Blinken greets protesters in Israel demanding return of Gaza hostages
US Secretary of State of State Antony Blinken shook hands and chatted on Friday with demonstrators in Tel Aviv demanding Israel focus on the release of hostages held by Hamas, promising them that he was working to bring them home.
Several dozen people, including some family members of hostages, gathered outside a Tel Aviv hotel where Blinken's delegation was based, holding banners calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which has been under bombardment since Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages on Oct 7.
Security Council to vote Saturday on immediate Gaza ceasefire: sources
The Security Council will vote Saturday on a new draft resolution that seeks an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, diplomats have said, but the United States has indicated it may veto it, AFP reports.
The vote on the resolution, led in part by Algeria, the Arab nation currently on the 15-member Security Council, is expected at 10am (1400 GMT), three diplomats said.
The draft resolution, seen by AFP, “demands an immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing holy month of Ramazan that leads “to a permanent sustainable ceasefire” respected by all sides.
It also demands both the “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages seized in the October 7 attack by Hamas and humanitarian access in the battered Gaza Strip.
Three European nations — Malta, Slovenia and Switzerland — are co-sponsoring the resolution, along with Mozambique, Guyana and Sierra Leone.
Netanyahu tells Blinken Israel will 'do it alone' in Rafah push
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the top US diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday that Israel is prepared to continue its war against Hamas alone, amid tense relations between the two allies over the six-month-old Gaza conflict.
Blinken met one-on-one with Netanyahu in talks aimed at ensuring more food flows into Gaza, the top US diplomat's sixth diplomatic swing through the Middle East since the war began on Oct 7.
Russia assails US resolution on Gaza ceasefire as ‘typical hypocritical spectacle’
Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, has said that the United States is doing nothing to rein in Israel, mocked Washington for speaking of a ceasefire after “Gaza has been virtually wiped off the face of the Earth” and assailed the country’s resolution on a stop to the fighting in Gaza as a “hypocritical spectacle”, AFP reports.
“The American product is exceedingly politicised, with the sole purpose being to play to voters and throw them a bone in the form of some kind of a mention of a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.
The resolution will “ensure the impunity of Israel, whose crimes are not even assessed in the draft.”
UN Security Council fails to pass US resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
The United Nations Security Council has failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China, who are permanent members, voted against the measure proposed by the United States, Reuters reports.
The resolution called for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said it was exceedingly politicised and contained an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah.
UNSC to meet shortly to vote on US-drafted resolution for ‘sustained ceasefire’ in Gaza
The UN Security Council will meet at 9am New York Time (6pm PKT) to vote on a US-sponsored draft resolution that would “determine the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in Gaza and Israel.
Palestinian ministry slams Israel over new settlement plan
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Israel’s claim to 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley is a “crime” that is part of an “official policy racing against time to annex the West Bank and eliminate the possibility of creating a Palestinian state”.
“There are no morals, values, principles or international resolutions that can stop the extremist right,” the ministry said in a statement according to Al Jazeera.
It added that the plan by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to develop hundreds of housing units near the Israeli settlement of Yafit was once again an indication that Israel “denies the existence of our people and incites their extermination and displacement”.
“Israel’s continued impunity provides the fascists with the necessary time to complete the slaughter and extermination of our people, the theft of their homeland and their displacement from it,” it said, adding that international complicity with Israel’s crimes was “the crime of the century”.
Blinken to push for more aid for Gaza in talks with Israel's Netanyahu
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at talks aimed at ensuring more aid flows into Gaza, amid increasingly tense relations between the two allies over the six-month-old war with Hamas.
In Gaza, Israel claimed to have killed or captured hundreds of Hamas fighters in a five-day operation at the Al Shifa hospital complex, one of the only medical facilities even partially functioning in the north. Hamas and medical staff deny fighters were present there.
Palestinian ministry says preventing access to Al-Aqsa Mosque a ‘crime against humanity’
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says preventing Palestinians from praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque is a crime as well as a violation of Netanyahu’s pledge to grant access to the compound during the month of Ramadan.
The ministry condemned the deployment of a large number of Israeli soldiers as well as physical barriers preventing access to Palestinians, saying this risked precipitating the situation into “a spiral of violence that cannot be controlled”.
In a statement, it added that while Netanyahu had promised not to implement additional changes from previous years, he had broken that pledge and breached international law by introducing additional restrictions.
“Preventing Palestinian residents from reaching Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray is a crime against humanity,” the statement said.
Israel claims another 2,000 acres in Jordan Valley, announces settlement plans: Report
Israel has claimed 8,000 dunams (1,977 acres, 800 hectares) of land in the Jordan Valley, paving the way for new development projects, Israel’s Kan broadcaster reports.
There are plans to develop hundreds of housing units in the area, which is located near the Israeli settlement of Yafit, as well as a business and industrial district, according to the broadcaster.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who oversaw the settlement expansion move, said it was an “important and strategic issue”.
“While there are those in Israel and the world who seek to undermine our right to Judea and Samaria and the country in general, we promote the settlement movement with hard work and in a strategic manner across the country,” said Smotrich in comments carried by The Times of Israel.
US Congresswoman Tlaib: Israeli government using ‘starvation as weapon of war’
Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of the US Congress, has accused the Israeli government of committing some of the worst crimes against humanity “of this century” in its war in Gaza.
“This isn’t a tragic accident,” Tlaib said in a speech from the House floor on Thursday. “What we are witnessing, all around this world, is the Israeli government using starvation as a weapon of war. The starvation is a result of the total siege on Gaza and the intentional targeting of local food production, infrastructure and obstruction of aid convoys.”
Tlaib said there would be “nothing humanitarian” about a temporary ceasefire that simply delayed the onslaught of Palestinian civilians and instead called for a “lasting, permanent ceasefire” as the only solution to the war.
“Palestinian children deserve to live. They are not disposable,” Tlaib said.
UK, Australia call for fighting to stop in Gaza
Britain and Australia have declared the need for an “immediate cessation of fighting” in Gaza.
The call came after a meeting of Australian and UK foreign and defence ministers in the Australian city of Adelaide.
The allies issued a statement that stressed the “urgency of an immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza to allow aid to flow and hostages to be released”.
Arab ministers call for all Israel-Gaza crossings to open for aid
A joint statement issued by a collection of foreign ministers from Arab countries has called for the “removal of all barriers imposed by Israel” on humanitarian aid reaching Gaza in order to “address the dire needs of over two million Palestinians facing famine”.
“Ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have jointly called for the opening of all border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip to allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” the statement said.
The Arab foreign ministers met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Thursday to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
Israeli protesters march near Netanyahu’s home demanding early election
Israeli protesters marched on Thursday night near the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea, south of Haifa, demanding the return of captives in Gaza and for national elections to be held early.
Footage from the demonstration, published by Al Jazeera Arabic, shows the protesters marching to the sound of drums and horns, waving Israeli flags and holding a sign saying “Bibi – stop killing Israel”.
Blinken to meet with Netanyahu and Israeli war cabinet
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet today, the Times of Israel reports, citing an anonymous Israeli official.
Blinken, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East, met with Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Wednesday, before flying to Cairo to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Arab foreign ministers on Thursday.
Blinken will fly to Israel today, where he is expected to discuss ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli defence minister to bring wish list of US weapons to Washington: Report
Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant will arrive for meetings in Washington, DC, next week with a wish list of US weapons that Tel Aviv wants to receive in an expedited manner, outlet Axios reports, citing two anonymous Israeli and US officials.
Gallant, who is expected to arrive in Washington on Sunday, reportedly told US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on a phone call that the weapons will include not only short-term requests related to Israel’s war on Gaza, but long-term purchases such as F-35 and F-15 fighter jets.
Axios reports that Israel is concerned the US could “slow-walk” the delivery of weapons in light of mounting scrutiny the Biden administration is facing for arming Israel’s war on Gaza.
On Thursday, Israel submitted written assurances to the State Department that weapons it has received from the US are not being used to violate international law in Gaza, as part of a new national security memorandum issued by Biden in February.
US military airdrops humanitarian aid into Gaza
The US military’s Central Command said US aircraft dropped “50,600 US meal equivalents” into northern Gaza on Thursday as part of a humanitarian effort to relieve severe food shortages in the besieged enclave.
CENTCOM said in a post on X that of the 80 bundles delivered, the parachutes for five bundles did not deploy, but “landed in a non-populated area and caused no damage”.
Jordan and the US, along with other allies, have been leading aid airdrop operations over Gaza in recent months. Israeli restrictions and inspection delays have limited the amount of humanitarian aid entering the besieged enclave via land routes, leaving northern Gaza on the verge of famine.
UN rapporteur: Israeli crimes in Gaza could keep ICC ‘busy for the next five decades’
The UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory has said that “accountability is more needed than ever” over Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
“The colossal amount of evidence concerning [international] crimes committed by Israel in Gaza just over the past 6 months could keep the [ICC] busy for the next five decades, especially at the current proceedings pace,” Francesca Albanese said in a post on X.
She was responding to footage of four Palestinian men being killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
Israeli military says ‘fighting continues’ inside al-Shifa hospital
The Israeli military has said that there will be “several more days” to its deadly siege on the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
“The fighting continues inside the hospital buildings. There are Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who … are currently barricading themselves in the area of the emergency room,” Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
“We continue to call upon the terrorists in the building to surrender, those who surrender will stay alive,” he said, adding that the Israeli military is “evacuating” about 220 patients trapped in the building to another location.
Hagari said that the Israeli military has arrested more than 500 suspects in al-Shifa, “358 of which are Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists”. He said that the Israeli military has arrested “very senior officials” who will be named once they are interrogated.
Hamas has denied having combatants at al-Shifa or using the hospital as a base. International law states attacking health facilities is a war crime.
US military destroys Houthi antiship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that it destroyed two antiship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) and one unmanned surface vessel (USV) launched from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen towards the Red Sea on Thursday.
It said there were no injuries and no damage to vessels was reported.
Israeli military bombs home in Khan Younis, killing 3: Wafa
An Israeli air attack has killed at least three people and injured more in the city of Khan Younis, the Wafa news agency reports.
The air strike targeted a home in the Nassr neighbourhood of the city in southern Gaza.
We will bring you more information on this story when we have it.
Blinken says 'progress' made on Israel-Saudi normalisation
CAIRO (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the path towards normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, delayed by the war in Gaza, was seeing "very good progress".
Blinken said at a press conference in Cairo that his visit to the Gulf kingdom on Wednesday had yielded "a very good discussion" with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Day four of Israeli raid on Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital: What we know
GAZA (AFP) - Israel's army was on Thursday four days into a raid at Gaza's largest hospital, where the military says Hamas was operating from among patients and displaced civilians.
Here is what we know about the fighting at and around Al-Shifa medical centre that the Israeli army says has killed more than 140 Palestinian militants.
Blinken warns against Rafah offensive amid fresh push for Gaza truce
CAIRO (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday a major military operation by Israel in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah would be "a mistake", adding that a truce agreement was "possible".
Blinken said "gaps are narrowing" in ongoing ceasefire and hostage release talks in Qatar, where the head of Israel's spy agency was due to meet his American and Egyptian counterparts Friday.
US to bring resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza for United Nations vote on Friday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will ask the UN Security Council on Friday (Mar 22) to back a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an Israel-Hamas hostage deal, increasing pressure on its ally Israel to allow more humanitarian aid and better protect civilians.
Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations, said on Thursday that the resolution resulted from "many rounds of consultations" with members of the 15-seat Security Council.
