TEL AVIV: The new British foreign secretary called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday, his second international trip since Labour’s resounding victory in elections earlier this month.
David Lammy said the ongoing war in Gaza is “intolerable” and stressed in meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leadership that Britain wants to assist with diplomatic efforts “securing a ceasefire deal and creating the space for a credible and irreversible pathway toward a two-state solution.”
Lammy met Sunday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday. During his visit, Lammy will also meet with families of hostages currently being held in Gaza who have ties to the UK He called for the release of all hostages and a dramatic increase in the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Lammy demanded Israel halt settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and said that the Palestinian Authority needs to be “reformed and empowered.”
Both Lammy’s Labour Party and the previous Conservative government initially avoided calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war, using phrases like “humanitarian pause.” But the language has got stronger. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Netanyahu last week there was a “clear and urgent need for a ceasefire.”
Labour’s stance on the Gaza war cost it votes in this month’s UK election. Although the party won in a landslide, pro-Palestinian independents defeated Labour candidates in several seats with large Muslim populations.
Lammy’s comments came the day after Israel said it had targeted Hamas’ shadowy military commander in a massive strike Saturday in the crowded southern Gaza Strip that killed at least 90 people, including children, according to local health officials.
Top Hamas officials said on Sunday that the negotiations for a possible ceasefire deal had not been halted because of the attack. Hamas also denied that Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, the target of the strike, was killed and said Israel’s “false claims are merely a cover-up for the scale of the horrific massacre.”
Deif and Hamas’ top official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, are believed by Israel to be the chief architects of the Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and kidnapped 250, triggering the Israel-Hamas war.
Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed more than 38,400 people in Gaza and wounded more than 88,000, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
UK Foreign Secretary visits Israel and West Bank and calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
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UK Foreign Secretary visits Israel and West Bank and calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
- Lammy met Sunday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Israel’s president condemns ‘pogrom’ after deadly attack by Jewish settlers on Palestinian village
- "This is not our way and certainly not the way of Torah and Judaism," Herzog posted on X, formerly Twitter
- He urged law enforcement officials to "act immediately against this serious phenomenon and bring the lawbreakers to justice"
JERUSALEM: Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday condemned a “pogrom” after a Jewish settler attack on a village in the occupied West Bank that the Palestinian Authority said killed one Palestinian and wounded another.
Mahmoud Abdel Qader Sadda, 23, “was martyred, and a citizen was critically injured in the chest by settlers’ bullets” in the village of Jit, west of Nablus, a Palestinian health ministry statement said.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing local sources, said “armed colonists” attacked the western part of the village, “setting several vehicles ablaze.”
The Israeli military said “dozens of Israeli civilians, some of them masked,” entered Jit and “set fire to vehicles and structures in the area, hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails.”
Videos of the "attack" posted on social media showed homes burning in the village of Jit, east of Qalqilia in the West Bank.
One Israeli was taken for questioning, said a military statement, which did not confirm the Palestinian man’s death.
“I strongly condemn this evening’s pogrom in Samaria,” Herzog wrote on X, formerly Twitter, using the name of the biblical province corresponding to the northern West Bank.
“This is an extreme minority that harms the law-abiding settler population and the settlement as a whole and the name and position of Israel in the world during a particularly sensitive and difficult period.
"This is not our way and certainly not the way of Torah and Judaism. Law enforcement officials must act immediately against this serious phenomenon and bring the lawbreakers to justice," he said.
Pogrom, of Yiddish and Russian origin, refers to an organized massacre of a particular ethnic or religious group, according to various dictionaries. Herzog's use of the term on Jewish settlers is significant as the Jewish people in Russia or eastern Europe were the target of pogroms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “takes seriously the riots that took place this evening,” according to a statement from his office.
“Those responsible for any criminal act will be caught and prosecuted,” the statement said.
Violence in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 and separated from the Gaza Strip by Israeli territory, has surged since the Gaza war started on October 7.
Israeli settlement there — considered illegal under international law — has also hit new records.
Netanyahu, head of the conservative Likud party, has governed Israel since December 2022 with the support of far-right formations advocating more Israeli settlements in the West Bank or even outright annexation.
His right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an architect of the upsurge in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, wrote on X that the attackers in Jit had “nothing to do with the settlement and the settlers.”
“They are criminals who must be dealt with by the law enforcement authorities with the full force of the law,” he added.
Since October 7, at least 633 Palestinians have been killed in violence with settlers or Israeli troops, according to the Palestinian authorities.
At least 18 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in attacks involving Palestinians, according to official Israeli figures.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, some 490,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank alongside roughly three million Palestinians.
UN laments rising death toll in Gaza, says children ‘attacked by rodents and insects’ at night
- ‘Grim milestone’ of 40,000 Palestinians killed is ‘overwhelmingly’ the result of Israel’s failure to respect rules of war, says human rights chief
- UN officials warn that because so many victims could be buried under rubble, ‘this number may if anything be an undercount’
NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s high commissioner for human rights on Thursday lamented the loss of Palestinian lives in Gaza, after reports that the death toll in the conflict between Israel and Hamas has reached 40,000, most of them women and children.
This “unimaginable” toll, reported by the Gazan Health Ministry, is “overwhelmingly” the result of the failure of the Israeli Defense Forces to respect the rules of war, Volker Turk added.
“Today marks a grim milestone for the world,” he said. “On average, about 130 people have been killed every day in Gaza over the past 10 months.
“The scale of the Israeli military’s destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship is deeply shocking.”
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said UN officials are aware “this number is an approximation” and “given the large number, and disturbing number, of people who remain unaccounted for, who may be trapped or dead under the rubble, this number may if anything be an undercount.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday that grieving Palestinian families have no time to mourn their dead, as survivors face “death, pain, hunger and thirst on a daily basis.”
The hostilities and recurrent Israeli evacuation orders are driving a “seemingly endless cycle of displacement” that is making it difficult for people in Gaza to access the humanitarian assistance they need to survive.
A humanitarian team that was able to reach two sites in Khan Younis on Thursday and talk with displaced families found that in addition to shortages of food and high prices for what little is available, a lack of cleaning and hygiene products is causing cases of skin infections to spread, with children particularly badly affected.
Displaced families have to construct their own shelters “with whatever fabric, pieces of wood, cartons they find,” the team said. “Children are attacked by rodents and insects at night due to poor shelter conditions. And yet they might have to leave again and start it all over again.”
Turk said: “International humanitarian law is very clear on the paramount importance of the protection of civilians, and civilian property and infrastructure.”
His office has documented serious violations of these laws by both the Israeli military and armed Palestinian groups, including Hamas, he added.
“As the world reflects on and considers its inability to prevent this carnage, I urge all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, lay down their arms and stop the killing once and for all,” Turk said.
“The hostages must be released. Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be freed. Israel’s illegal occupation must end and the internationally agreed two-state solution must become a reality.”
French foreign minister in Beirut applauds Lebanon’s ‘self-restraint in difficult period’
- PM Mikati: ‘We must now practice silence, patience, and prayer’
- Incendiary phosphorous shells used on southern Lebanese towns
BEIRUT: France’s Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne on Thursday expressed appreciation for Lebanon’s “self-restraint in this difficult period” in the region.
Sejourne reiterated that France “supports Lebanon amid the concerning situation.”
He stressed that France was keen on extending UNIFIL’s mandate during the UN Security Council’s session at the end of this month for another 12 months.
Sejourne arrived in Beirut for a short visit to Lebanon that lasted several hours.
His trip to the region includes Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.
In his meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Sejourne also said he hopes for continued non-escalation from Lebanon.
“We can only be silent, patient, and praying in this difficult period,” Mikati said following the meeting
Sejourne’s visit came a day after US mediator Amos Hochstein’s visit to Lebanon and a day before the expected visit of the Egyptian foreign minister to Beirut.
The visits are part of the intense efforts aiming to reach a diplomatic solution that would achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and de-escalate the situation on the southern front between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The French foreign minister also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Following the meeting, he affirmed that his message “reiterates France’s support to Lebanon amid the concerning regional situation.”
He said: “What matters to us is working on de-escalating the situation. This message was addressed to Lebanese authorities and will also be addressed to other countries in the region, hoping things will calm down during these highly sensitive times.”
He added: “Our message is one of support, solidarity and responsibility. France will always support Lebanon in achieving peace in the region. Above all, a ceasefire in Gaza is an essential and indispensable element if we are to discuss peace in the region.”
According to his media office, Berri affirmed “Lebanon’s commitment to the rules of engagement and its right to self-defense against the Israeli aggression.”
Israel “targets civilians, media personalities and paramedics, in addition to using internationally forbidden weapons, including phosphorus bombs, to target agricultural fields and forests,” Berri said.
He emphasized Lebanon’s dedication to “the necessity to extend UNIFIL’s mandate in southern Lebanon for a new term under the French proposal and UN Resolution 1701.”
Sejourne also met with Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
According to statements by people he had met, US mediator Hochstein had warned the Lebanese officials during his visits on Wednesday against “the risks of a full-scale war.”
He added that “the current Doha negotiations are a final and precious opportunity that can be used to stop the war in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.”
The region is still waiting for the Iranian response to Israel’s assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, in addition to Hezbollah’s response to the killing of its senior military commander Fouad Shukur, in Beirut’s southern suburbs hours before Haniyeh’s death.
Hezbollah said in a statement on Thursday that “it will unwaveringly continue to defend Lebanon and its people with courage and full strength, employing all its capabilities and surprises.”
In commemoration of what Hezbollah calls the “July 2006 War Victory,” the group reaffirmed “its commitment to resistance and its unwavering support for the Palestinian people.”
Hezbollah on Thursday targeted the Shamir settlement for the first time with Katyusha rockets.
The group said that the attack was in response to “the Israeli enemy’s hostilities against Jdeidet Marjayoun Wednesday night, which caused casualties.”
According to the updated toll of the Health Ministry’s emergency operations center, the unprecedented Israeli attack on the Jdeidet Marjayoun village “killed one person and severely injured another, who suffered a cardiac arrest.”
The center added that “upon the patient’s arrival to the hospital, he underwent a very critical surgery following the CPR performed by the medical staff.”
Around eight people — including a three-year-old boy — were also injured as a result of the attack.
The child underwent surgery in the Marjayoun Governmental Hospital.
He was subsequently transferred to the Saint George Hospital University Medical Center in Beirut due to his critical condition.
His father, whose condition was also critical, was transferred to the same hospital.
Three other people were moderately injured, while two women and a Syrian national were treated in the hospital.
Israeli artillery on Thursday targeted the town of Khiam with internationally banned phosphorus bombs, as well as the town of Qabrikha, resulting in the injury of two members of the Islamic Risala Scout Association in Khiam, as well as injuring a 10-year-old child in Qabrikha.
The Israeli shelling also reached the outskirts of the towns of Naqoura and Deir Mimas, which were targeted with incendiary shells.
Hezbollah, according to its statements on Thursday, “targeted the Ma’ayan Baruch site with artillery shells” and “a positioning point for Israeli soldiers at the Al-Malikiyah site.”
It also launched “an air attack with a squadron of assault drones on the Khirbet Ma'ar site, targeting the positions of enemy officers and soldiers.”
Hezbollah mourned two of its members: Mohammed Ali Jihad Badr Al-Din, aged 30, from the town of Harouf in southern Lebanon, and Hussein Yassin Sheito, aged 29, from the town of At Tiri in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military, in anticipation of the visit of the US envoy Hochstein to Lebanon, used bunker-busting bombs for the first time in Kfarkela.
It also announced the crashing of an assault drone in an open area near Arab Al-Aramshe on the border with Lebanon without causing any injuries.
Israeli media reported that a settler was injured in Kiryat Shmona.
US criticizes Israel settlement on West Bank heritage site
- “Every single one of these new settlements would impede Palestinian economic development,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said
- “We find that to be inconsistent with international law”
WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday condemned Israel’s approval of a settlement on a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Bethlehem, pointing to its harm to prospects for a Palestinian state.
Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the move on Wednesday, openly saying that Israel hoped to create new “facts on the ground” to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.
“Every single one of these new settlements would impede Palestinian economic development and freedom of movement and undermine the feasibility of a two-state solution,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
“We find that to be inconsistent with international law, and we certainly oppose the advancement of settlements in the West Bank,” he said.
The United States has stepped up criticism of Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, far-right members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who oppose a plan by President Joe Biden aimed at ending the 10-month Gaza war.
All of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are considered illegal under international law.
The Biden administration has repeatedly criticized the expansion of settlements, including before the Gaza war, although it has not taken direct retaliatory measures against its close ally.
The previous administration of Donald Trump broke with US precedent by saying that it did not see the settlements as illegal.
Iraq says announcement on date for end to US-led coalition mission postponed
- Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces
CAIRO: Iraq said on Thursday that an announcement on the date for an end to the US-led coalition’s mission has been postponed due to the “latest developments,” the foreign ministry said in a statement without elaborating.
A rare ally of both the US and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. It has witnessed escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the Israel war in Gaza erupted in October.
