Tag: israel

Starmer ‘can no longer claim antisemitism is under control’ after Golders Green attack, Israel says

Israel has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s efforts to tackle antisemitism in the wake of another suspected attack in London, declaring the UK “can no longer claim this is under control”.

Two Jewish men were stabbed in what appears to be an antisemitic attack in Golders Green on Wednesday, following a series of incidents targeting Jewish sites in London.

The prime minister said the attack was “deeply concerning” and told the Commons that the government is “absolutely clear in our determination” to tackle such incidents.

But in a scathing criticism of Sir Keir, Israel’s foreign ministry said the prime minister’s statements on the issue “are no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism” across the country.

“After attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions, community ambulances and now Jews targeted in Golders Green, the UK government can no longer claim this is under control,” it said in a post on X.

“Prime minister Keir Starmer’s statements are no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism festering across United Kingdom. British Jews should not need security patrols and emergency volunteers to live openly as Jews.

“Enough words. The UK must act decisively and urgently.”

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Israel ‘weaponizing’ water in Gaza – medical charity

Israel has used access to water as a weapon and a form of “collective punishment” against Palestinians in Gaza, according to a report by international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Israel has rejected the claims as baseless.

The organization said in a report released Tuesday that Israel has “engineered” water scarcity in the strip, creating “conditions incompatible with human dignity and survival.” Access to water, sanitation and hygiene has been “severely undermined” since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza in October 2023, it stated.

The report highlights a sharp rise in water-shortage-related diseases, including diarrhea, skin infections, lice, and infected wounds. Additionally, the lack of clean water and sanitation is also worsening malnutrition and severely affecting mental health.

Gaza has no natural freshwater sources, relying instead on groundwater and seawater, both of which require treatment. Much of the infrastructure, including desalination plants, boreholes, pipelines, and sewage systems, has been rendered inoperable or inaccessible, according to MSF.

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Far Right Israeli Settler Movement Enters Syria in a Push for “Greater Israel”

yrian journalist Oudai Efnikher is deeply familiar with life under Israeli occupation. He was born in Kafer Hareb, a village in Syria’s Golan Heights, from which he and his family were expelled after Israel seized the territory during the 1967 Six-Day War.

Now he is once again facing down Israeli forces, as they “take our land, kill our crops, and abduct our fathers.”

“This is a slow occupation, but soon, we will lose what they have not yet taken,” Efnikher told Truthout.

After Bashar al-Assad was ousted by Syrian rebels in December 2024, Israeli forces wasted no time before launching a massive aerial bombardment campaign on the country, destroying almost 80 percent of the military capacity left behind by the Assad regime.

Israeli forces also entered the demilitarized buffer zone established by a UN Security Council resolution in 1974 between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syria. They seized the territory and then established a “security buffer” beyond the last demarcation line administered by UN observer forces.

The area now under Israeli military control is off-limits to Syrian civilians and government forces. Farmers have been unable to tend to their land, and landowners have little hope they will ever be able to access it again

In total, Israel now occupies an additional 177 square miles of Syrian territory than it did before the fall of Assad.

“Maybe Israel will take it all. They already have a safe zone in southern Syria, so that could ultimately be the best option for Israel,” Syrian political analyst Issam Khoury told Truthout.

But what is most concerning for Efnikher is not the Israeli military’s presence in Syria, but what has become regular incursions by Israeli settlers.

On April 22, a group of roughly 40 settlers affiliated with the far right Halutzei HaBashan movement, or the Pioneers of Bashan — a reference to the name in the Torah for the fertile territory located northeast of the Sea of Galilee, which the Torah says was once ruled by the tyrant King Og before Moses defeated him — entered Syrian territory and asked the Israeli government to legalize settlement activity there.

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Israel Deployed Iron Dome and Troops to Support UAE Defense Amid Iran Attacks — First Deployment Abroad

Israel quietly deployed its Iron Dome air defense system along with dozens of IDF troops to the United Arab Emirates in the early days of the Iran conflict, according to reporting, marking the first operational use of the system outside Israel and the United States as Tehran unleashed a sustained and intense missile and drone barrage against the Gulf state.

According to reports published Sunday by Axios and The Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the deployment early in the conflict following a call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, directing the Israel Defense Forces to send an Iron Dome battery, interceptors, and several dozen operators to help defend the country as Iran escalated its attacks across the region.

The move represents an unprecedented step in Israeli defense policy, with officials confirming it was the first time an Iron Dome system had been transferred abroad for active use. A senior Israeli official said the UAE became the first country outside Israel and the United States to deploy the system operationally, with another official noting it intercepted dozens of incoming threats.

Iran’s barrage on the UAE was among the most intense of the conflict, with more than 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and over 2,200 drones launched at the country — more than at any other nation, including Israel — with numerous strikes hitting civilian infrastructure, residential areas, and economic hubs in what analysts say reflects Tehran’s effort to pressure U.S.-aligned regional partners.

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US and Israel Claimed to Be Fighting for Iranian Minorities — While Bombing Them

Iranians of all stripes have been affected by the U.S.-Israeli war on their country, and the civilian cost of the conflict has yet to be fully understood. The United Nations Development Programme has raised the alarm about the “development in reverse” pushing more than 32 million people back into poverty globally, and economists have warned that 10 to 12 million Iranians, representing nearly half of the country’s workforce, are now on the brink of unemployment.

But the effect of the U.S.-Israeli aggression on Iran’s religious minorities has received comparatively little attention. Beset by years of neglect and underrepresentation at home, faith groups are now coming to grips with the cruelty of war and the devastation it has inflicted on their vulnerable institutions and houses of worship.

In Tehran, U.S.-Israeli airstrikes damaged two major churches, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Mary, drawing condemnation from Tehran’s Christian communities. Although there have not been many updates on the status of the Church of Saint Mary, St. Nicholas Church, which is a major Russian cultural site in Iran, was reportedly closed on Easter due to the extent of the damages.

One day before the U.S.-Iran ceasefire went into effect on April 8, a 68-year-old synagogue in the Iranian capital was damaged in airstrikes for which the Israeli military claimed responsibility. The Israeli military said it was trying to target a military commander living nearby and regretted the destruction, which it referred to as “collateral damage.”

The attack put further strain on Iranian Jews as they navigate the challenges of a war waged by the United States and Israel under the pretenses of bringing liberation to the country. Iranian Jewish politicians and community leaders have been vocal in criticizing the attacks targeting houses of worship and civilian sites.

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IDF probes video showing soldiers destroying solar panels in Christian-Lebanese village

The IDF has launched an investigation into a video in which Israeli soldiers are seen destroying solar panels in a village in Lebanon, Israeli media reported on Saturday night.

The destruction took place in the village of Debel, the same village in which an IDF soldier was photographed smashing a statue of Jesus last week.

KAN also reported that the solar panels were civilian infrastructure, being used by hundreds of residents of the village who had not been evacuated from their homes, with the IDF’s permission.

“The actions seen in the video are not in line with the IDF‘s values and the conduct expected of its soldiers,” the IDF told KAN. “The incident is under investigation. Based on its findings, command measures will be taken accordingly.”

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The Emerging Push To Extend Some US Veteran Benefits To IDF Soldiers

A real policy push has emerged in the United States to extend certain legal protections to Americans who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In 2024, members of Congress introduced H.R. 8445, a bill that would amend federal law “to provide for the eligibility of United States citizens who serve in the Israeli Defense Forces for certain protections relating to such service.” 

Under current law, US veterans’ benefits are tied to service in the US armed forces. The statutory definition of “veteran” appears at 38 USC § 101(2) and limits eligibility to those who served in U.S. military forces or narrow statutory exceptions. The proposal in H.R. 8445 would move away from that framework.

Who Is Pushing for It and What They Are Saying

The legislation was introduced by Representatives Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) and Max Miller (R-OH). In their official statement, they said the bill is intended to support Americans serving in Israel and noted that “over 20,000 American citizens are currently defending Israel.” They added that the legislation would “ensure we do everything possible to support these heroes.” 

The proposal explicitly frames IDF service as deserving of treatment similar to US military service for certain protections. Reporting summarizing the bill states that it would treat Americans serving in the IDF “in the same manner as service in the uniformed services” for specific legal protections. 

What Exactly They Are Trying to Extend

The bill focuses on extending two core legal protections that apply to US servicemembers.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides protections such as limits on interest rates, protections against eviction and foreclosure, and relief in certain legal proceedings. 

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) guarantees that individuals who leave civilian employment for military service can return to their jobs and are protected from discrimination. 

H.R. 8445 would extend these protections to Americans serving in the IDF, effectively treating that service as qualifying military service under US law for those purposes.

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Israel Awaits U.S. OK to Attack Iran; State Dept. Admits U.S. Went to War at Israel’s Request

Israel is preparing to renew its attack on Iran, and awaits only the “green light” from the United States, the country’s defense minister said.

Israel Katz said the upcoming attack will erase the Khamenei dynasty and blow Iran back to the “age of darkness and stone,” reiterating U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow in early April to bomb Iran back to the “Stone Ages.” Katz threatened the attack as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced a visit to Islamabad, where peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have been going on but failing miserably.

Katz’s remarks, former U.S. counterterror chief Joe Kent said, show that Israel is attempting to force the U.S. to continue attacking Iran. Days ago, the State Department admitted what Secretary of State Marco Rubio said early on: Israel dragged the U.S. into the war. 

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Israel Appoints Its First Ever ‘Special Envoy to Christian World’ After Controversial Incidents

Israel announced on Thursday the appointment of its first “special envoy to the Christian world” following some recent embarrassing incidents directed at the faith’s adherents.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar appointed veteran diplomat George Deek to the newly created role, saying the move is “intended to deepen Israel’s ties with Christian communities around the world.”

“He is a member of the Arab-Christian community in Jaffa and has been active in this society since a young age. His father, Yosef Deek, was the chairman of the Christian-Orthodox community in Jaffa and Israel for many years,” the Foreign Ministry said of George Deek.

“The State of Israel attaches great importance to its relations with the Christian world and with its Christian friends around the world. I am confident that George, an esteemed and experienced diplomat, will contribute greatly to deepening the friendship and strengthening the ties between the State of Israel and the Christian world,” Sa’ar said, according to a translation.

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Israeli lawmaker proclaims supremacy of ‘Jewish race’

A lawmaker from the ruling Likud party said Wednesday that the “Jewish race” is the smartest in the world and possessing of the “highest human capital,” which is why, he said, the Israeli public did not buy into the allegations of wrongdoing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

MK Miki Zohar made the comments during a radio debate with veteran political journalist Dan Margalit about the corruption investigations in which Netanyahu is either a suspect or has given testimony.

His assertions led to a Twitter spat with Joint (Arab) List party MK Ahmad Tibi, who noted Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews as a race during the Holocaust.

Citing recent opinion polls that show Netanyahu enjoying strong support despite being a suspect in three graft investigations, Zohar argued that the media focus on the probes has not convinced the Israeli public that the prime minister is unsuited to lead the country.

“I can tell you something very basic,” Zohar said during the Radio 103FM debate. “You can’t fool the Jews, no matter what is the media writes. The public in Israel is a public that belongs to the Jewish race, and the entire Jewish race is the highest human capital, the smartest, the most comprehending. The public knows what the prime minister is doing for the country and how excellent he is at his job.”

Tibi, in response, tweeted a picture of Zohar with the message: “An elected official in ‘the Jewish state’ presents: race theory.”

Tibi, whose party and its members have often raised ire among their Jewish colleagues with their open support for the Palestinian cause, followed that tweet up with a photo of himself reading Amos Elon’s book “The Pity of It All,” which examines how the Holocaust brought an end to German-Jewish culture.

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