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Aujourd’hui — 19 mars 2024Middle East Eye

Biden warns Netanyahu not to go 'smashing into' Rafah

Par : MEE staff
Biden warns Netanyahu not to go 'smashing into' Rafah
Biden and Netanyahu and had a 'businesslike' call after simmering tensions burst into the open over humanitarian aid and Rafah invasion
MEE staff
National security advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during a news briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on 18 March 2024 (Anna Moneymaker/AFP)

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that a major ground offensive in Gaza's Rafah would be a "mistake", as the two leaders spoke for the first time in a month amid growing tensions. 

The call came as Biden and Netanyahu took a series of veiled swipes at each other over the last several days, with Biden saying in a hot mic moment last week that he would have a "come to Jesus meeting" with the Israeli leader.

White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday that Biden and Netanyahu had a “businesslike” call and that Netanyahu agreed to send a technical team of senior military, intelligence and humanitarian officials to Washington in the coming days to discuss the next stages of the war.

First and foremost on Biden’s agenda is preventing a full-scale Israeli invasion of Rafah, the southern Gaza border town where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in squalid conditions.

“The president explained why he is so deeply concerned about Israel conducting major military operations on Rafah,” Sullivan said.

Israel threatened to invade Rafah in early February. The Biden administration pushed back against the plan but stopped short of issuing a full red line over an assault, saying Israel first needed to ensure a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians.

On Monday, Sullivan told reporters that “Israel has not presented us or the world with a plan for how or where they would safely move those civilians and ensure basic access to things like sanitation”.

Sullivan said Biden warned Netanyahu against a full-scale invasion of Rafah. 

"A major ground operation there would be a mistake, it would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in Gaza, and further isolate Israel internationally," he said. 

'Deepen anarchy'

Monday marked the first call between Netanyahu and Biden since 15 February. In the past month, the White House has seen Israel frustrate many of its policy goals, including allowing more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

The call comes as talks to reach a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel stall. The Biden administration has hoped that a six-week truce that allows for the release of hostages could give them space to work out a longer-term ceasefire and de-escalate tensions in the region, ahead of the November US presidential election.

The US dips its toes back into Palestinian politics, but has trouble finding its feet
Read More »

Biden has provided Israel unconditional military and political backing since 7 October, but his support has riled progressives, along with Arab and Muslim Americans who have voiced their frustration at the ballot box, casting “uncommitted" votes in big numbers in the recent Democratic primaries in Michigan and Minnesota.

More than 31,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed by Israel’s offensive. Meanwhile, the UN is warning that northern Gaza is on the brink of famine.

As the situation deteriorates, the Biden administration has become more vocal on Netanyahu. Biden praised a speech last week by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer calling for elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu.

On Sunday, the Israeli leader fired back in a CNN interview, calling the speech "inappropriate". Netanyahu has vowed to follow through with an assault on Rafah and has pointed to the backing of Israel’s public for an invasion.

Responding to criticism that the White House was slipping in its support of Israel, Sullivan said Biden “rejected the straw man, that raising questions about Rafah is the same as raising questions about defeating Hamas”, adding that an invasion would “deepen the anarchy” in Gaza.

Netanyahu said in a statement after the call that he had reiterated "Israel's commitment to achieving all of the war's objectives".

The Israeli premier cited the objectives as eliminating Hamas, releasing all the hostages and "ensuring that Gaza will never present a threat to Israel".

He also pointed to the provision of "essential humanitarian aid that helps achieve these aims”.

Sullivan said Israel could achieve its war aims without “smashing into Rafah”, and said the US and Israeli technical teams would discuss targeted operations to eliminate Hamas fighters in Rafah.

Why people think the US bill to ban TikTok is linked to pro-Palestine content

Par : MEE staff
Why people think the US bill to ban TikTok is linked to pro-Palestine content
Journalists, rights experts and social media users say move to ban TikTok is being pushed by pro-Israel lawmakers
MEE staff
Representative Robert Garcia speaks at a news conference about TikTok, on 12 March 2024 in Washington DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via AFP)

After a bill in US Congress was overwhelmingly passed to ban the social media app TikTok, social media users outraged online and linked the move to pro-Israel groups trying to curb the surge of pro-Palestinian content on the platform.

The bill, which passed in the House by a 352-65 vote, requires that TikTok be sold to an American company or face a ban in the US.

To become law, it still needs to be passed by the Senate, which the Biden administration has been pushing to happen quickly.

The legislation was the culmination of a year-long effort and has been largely attributed to lawmakers with hawkish views on China. TikTok was created by ByteDance, a company that was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs. While the app is owned by TikTok LLC, a company headquartered in the US, TikTok's ownership falls under ByteDance.

While US opposition to China helped launch the bill, journalists, experts, and social media users pointed to several issues since October that they say show pro-Palestinian content was a part of the issue behind the bill's resurgence.

"The deranged hysterical push to ban TikTok is driven by the Zionist propaganda complex," said one user on X.

One of the instances they pointed to was a reportedly leaked recording of Jonathan Greenblatt, who is the head of the Anti-Defamation League, in which he said, "We really have a Tik-Tok problem".

Another example users cite is that one of the major donors for Mike Gallagher, the Republican congressman who introduced the bill, is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).

In a leaked recording, ADL said Israel has a "TikTok problem".

The top donor to Rep. Gallagher, author of the bill to ban TikTok, is AIPAC.

The war parties don't care that 2/3 of US voters want a ceasefire, but they sure work fast when the Israel lobby wants to ban TikTok. https://t.co/RoZ8VRDWzT

— Dr. Jill Stein🌻 (@DrJillStein) March 15, 2024

The Wall Street Journal also reported last week that there was "new momentum in part because of anger over TikTok videos about the Israel-Hamas conflict".

In another report by the WSJ, Democrat Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said it was the war in Gaza that led him to support a ban on TikTok.

Krishnamoorthi said “Oct 7 really opened people’s eyes to what’s happening on TikTok”.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to the Biden administration in November calling for the ban of TikTok. In the letter, he specifically cited the "ubiquity of anti-Israel content on TikTok" as one of his main reasons for advocating for the ban.

"Every serious news account of how this 'ban TikTok bill' suddenly gained momentum - seemingly out of nowhere - emphasizes Oct. 7, when Bipartisan DC became enraged so many Americans were allowed to criticize Israel," said Glenn Greenwald, a prominent American journalist and co-founder of The Intercept. He is now the host of an independent news programme called, System Update.

Others pointed to the idea that the goal of pro-Israel groups is not to ban the social media giant, but for a pro-Israel entity to purchase the application.

Last week, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he is putting together a group of investors to try and buy TikTok. 

"They are not trying to ban #TikTok. They are trying to use government power to force TikTok to be taken over by pro-Israel ownership to silence criticism of #Genocide and #apartheid," said Craig Mokhiber, the former director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Activists warn New Jersey bills applying IHRA antisemitism definition could stifle free speech

Par : MEE staff
Activists warn New Jersey bills applying IHRA antisemitism definition could stifle free speech
New Jersey Senate is considering a law that would equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism, stirring warnings from rights groups
MEE staff
People participate in a demonstration and march to demand that Israel end its war in Gaza and agree to a cease-fire, on 2 March 2024 in New York City (Spencer Platt/AFP)

The New Jersey State Senate is considering two laws that equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism, triggering warnings from advocates for Palestinians and activists who say the measure could restrict freedom of speech.

The two bills lean heavily on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and note “useful examples of discriminatory anti-Israel acts that cross the line into anti-semitism”.

The controversial IHRA definition was formulated in 2004 and published in 2005 by antisemitism expert Kenneth Stern in collaboration with other academics from the American Jewish Committee, a pro-Israel Jewish advocacy organisation founded at the beginning of the 20th century and based in New York.

Critics say some of the examples conflate antisemitism with criticism of current and historical policies that led to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 - known to the Palestinians as the Nakba or "catastrophe", when hundreds of thousands of indigenous Palestinians were expelled from their homes - plus the continuing human rights abuses against Palestinians and the occupation of their lands by Israel.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) warned that the bills risk suppressing “legitimate advocacy and free speech”, particularly in cases where pro-Palestinian voices want to express their perspectives.

“The IHRA definition, along with its examples, is driven by political motives, aiming to silence Palestinians and their allies while shielding the Israeli government from accountability for its blatant disregard for human life,” Cair said in a statement reviewed by Middle East Eye.

Stern, one of the original drafters, has in the past criticised what he calls the "weaponisation" of the definition, especially on university campuses.

Sadaf Jaffer, a former New Jersey assemblywoman, wrote on the social media platform X, that New Jersey could turn to other definitions to craft a law on antisemitism.

“While addressing anti-semitism is laudable, the IHRA definition isn’t appropriate because it doesn’t allow for critique of Israeli government policy. If anti-semitism is to be defined, there are better options,” she said.

For those in NJ who value your free speech rights to speak out against Israeli government policy: two bills enshrining the IHRA definition of antisemitism are up for a vote in the New Jersey Senate’s State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation committee on Monday…

— Dr. Sadaf Jaffer 🕊 Former Asw. (NJ LD16) (@sadafjaffer) March 16, 2024

One definition promoted in response to the IHRA example is the Jerusalem Declaration, which defines antisemitism as “discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews”.

Pro-Palestinian and free speech advocates favour this definition because it says that opposing Zionism, criticising Israel's policies, and boycotting Israeli products are not inherently antisemitic acts.

The bills the New Jersey Senate is considering say that the State ranked third in the US in antisemitic incidents in 2023, and noted “systemic, broad and deep” antisemitism on university campuses.

But the bill comes as pro-Palestinian activists say they are being silenced for criticising Israel’s war on Gaza.

In Florida, the group Students for Justice in Palestine has been banned. Similarly, late last year Columbia University moved to ban the two groups SJP and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Earlier this year, a Congressional committee called the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in for a contentious congressional briefing in December over the large number of pro-Palestine rallies taking place on campus. The House committee is using the IHRA definition of antisemitism in its probe.

Hier — 18 mars 2024Middle East Eye

War on Gaza: Christian Americans mobilise for Gaza ceasefire and against Zionism

Par : MEE staff
War on Gaza: Christian Americans mobilise for Gaza ceasefire and against Zionism
Christians for a Free Palestine coalition organises demonstrations at 20 congressional offices around the United States
MEE staff
Reverand Margaret Ernst leads a memorial service for those killed in Gaza, as activists block road to a subsidiary of Elbit Systems in Pennsylvania, on 29 February 2024 (Supplied)

A coalition of hundreds of Christian Americans is mobilising on Monday across local congressional offices in 20 US cities to call on their elected officials to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Washington's arms sales to Israel.

The campaign is led by a group called Christians for a Free Palestine, and in addition to calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, organisers want to tell their representatives to reject Christian Zionism, an ideology that bases its political support for Israel on Biblical prophecies.

"Christianity should not be used to prioritise weapons of war over the peace and safety of people in our own local communities and across the world," Cicia Lee, an organiser with Christians for a Free Palestine, said in a statement shared with Middle East Eye.

"Christian Zionism and Christian Nationalism work side by side - both are ideologies that justify violence against others, fueling antisemitism and anti-Muslim violence, and currently enabling a genocide. We instead turn to the liberating path of Jesus, who fought against empire and proclaimed 'Blessed are the peacemakers'."

The group says that Christian Zionism is a "major political and financial force that supports the genocide of Palestinians".

The coalition includes Christians from a range of backgrounds, including Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Lutherans, as well as allies including Quakers.

The action on Monday is one of several lobbying efforts that have been taking place in recent weeks to advocate for an end to the war in Gaza.

The war in Gaza began on 7 October, when Hamas led a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking at least 240 hostages back to the besieged enclave. In response, Israel declared war, launching a full-scale military operation that began with a devastating and indiscriminate bombing campaign followed by a ground invasion of Gaza.

So far, Israeli forces have killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, laid siege to and attacked hospitals, targeted other civilian infrastructure, including schools and mosques, and attacked medical workers.

War on Gaza pits Palestinian liberation theology against Evangelical Zionism
Read More »

While the Biden administration has fully backed Israel's war efforts, demonstrations calling for an end to both the war and Israel's occupation of Palestine erupted across the US.

The Christian-led action, however, is one of the few that is condemning Christian Zionism.

The ideology of Christian Zionism centres around the belief that the modern state of Israel is a manifestation of prophecies in the Bible - and that the very fate of the US is prophetically linked to Israel.

Christian Zionists, who number about 20 million in the United States, have poured millions of dollars over the past decades seeking an expanded Israel. Christians United for Israel (CUFI), founded by Pastor John Hagee, is one of the largest Christian Zionist organisations and claims to have over 10 million members.

Christian Zionists have sponsored the migration of thousands of Jews from Russia, Ethiopia, and other countries.

They have also contributed millions towards the construction of new settlements in occupied Palestinian areas to accommodate the migrants.

"Christian Zionism is not a fringe ideology of [a] minority of Christians. It’s a widely held position, and politically and financially powerful," Jonathan Brenneman, a Palestinian Mennonite on the national leadership of Christians for a Free Palestine, said in a statement shared with MEE.

"But as today’s actions show, there will always be those in our faith who speak out against this hateful ideology."

Christian Americans mobilise for Gaza ceasefire and against Zionism

Israel’s al-Shifa raid: What’s happening and how we got here

Israel’s al-Shifa raid: What’s happening and how we got here
As Israeli forces launch a new raid on the hospital, besieging around 30,000 people, we take a look at the site that has been at the centre of Israel's campaign in Gaza
Mohammed al-Hajjar
Palestinians who were wounded in Israeli fire while waiting for aid, according to health officials, rest on beds at Al Shifa hospital on 1 March 2024 (Reuters)

Around 30,000 Palestinians are currently under siege at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, following an overnight raid by the Israeli army on Monday. 

The military launched the raid, with tanks advancing towards the hospital as they shelled it, just as Palestinians sheltering in the building were about to have their pre-dawn Ramadan meal before starting the day's fast.

Initial reports said that several people have been killed and wounded in the latest ongoing raid.

At least 80 people have been arrested during the night raid at the site that has been the centre of key events and attacks since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. 

The hospital is located in Gaza City, and is made up of a complex of buildings and courtyards, less than half a mile away from the Mediterranean coast.

Many of the displaced Palestinians sheltering in the hospital had been forced out of their homes from the Shati refugee camp and the Rimal neighbourhood, which sit at either side of the complex. 

Despite the Geneva Conventions that forbid military operations against hospitals “unless they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian duties, acts harmful to the enemy,” this is not the first time the hospital has been raided. 

What is the situation like now? 

The situation in the hospital has already been described as “catastrophic” before the latest raid. 

Thousands of people, with no homes to go back to, have sought refuge inside the hospital, with the number growing due to the attacks that are displacing people daily from nearby areas.

Recent Israeli attacks on nearby areas, including al-Rashid Street, Salah al-Din Street, and Kuwait Roundabout, where 118 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded as they waited for aid last week, have increased the number of displaced Palestinians at al-Shifa.

The hospital is barely functioning as a medical centre. There is little to no medicine or equipment, while the hospital currently relies on trainee doctors. Many tools such as x-rays and ultrasounds cannot be used due to the lack of electricity.

"This may be my last video"

Journalist Wadeaa Abu al-Saoud reports from al-Shifa hospital in Gaza when Israel launched a sudden attack in the early hours of Monday. pic.twitter.com/BOGuU5nRXC

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) March 18, 2024

Bayan Sultan, a journalist on the ground who is living at the hospital, told Middle East Eye that at around 1pm on Saturday people heard sounds outside the building that they assumed were aid trucks being delivered. 

However, half an hour later, the Israeli army ordered people sheltering in the hospital to leave, as Israeli forces bombed the area until around 5pm.

The bombing over the weekend destroyed a number of homes in al-Rimal neighbourhood, close to the hospital.  On Monday afternoon, the area was covered in thick plumes of black smoke and ash.

The Israeli army arrested a number of journalists during the ongoing raid, including Al Jazeera's Ismail al-Ghoul, as well as destroying the broadcasting vehicles of press crews at the site. 

The area has, once again, quickly become a danger zone, with the Israeli army dropping leaflets ordering residents in the al-Rimal neighbourhood to leave towards the south, where the majority of Gaza's population has been forced to relocate to.

Is this the first raid at the site?

Al-Shifa and its surrounds have been raided at least four times since the start of the war on 7 October, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The first raid on the hospital took place in early November, followed by another a few days later, with the Israeli military alleging that it housed a Hamas command centre beneath it. 

On 11 November, Israeli fighter jets and tanks shelled the outside of the hospital, causing the surgery, the intensive care and paediatric departments to stop working. 

War on Gaza: I was buried alive beneath the rubble and awoke in a 'graveyard'
Read More »

Israeli forces encircled the hospital with patients, medical staff and around 15,000 displaced Palestinians still inside. Among those in the hospital were 36 premature babies and 22 intensive care patients. 

Following the raid, several reports and investigations showed that the evidence produced by the Israeli army fell short of its claims that Hamas was operating from the site.

A BBC investigation found that videos of the Israeli army finding weapons in the hospital had been edited. It also said that footage of an Israeli army spokesperson showing the discovery of a bag containing a gun in the hospital had been filmed hours before the arrival of the journalists who he was showing it to. 

Numerous investigations following the November raid found that Israeli and US accounts were not conclusive proof that Hamas was using the hospital, leading the UN High Commissioner Volker Turk to call for an independent investigation. 

The general director of the Ministry of Health, doctor Munir al-Bursh, said that during the raid, Israeli soldiers used loudspeakers to order people out of al-Shifa, and around 30 people were taken to the courtyard, stripped of their clothes and blindfolded. A warehouse of medicine and medical equipment was also blown up. 

How is it still functioning?

Al-Shifa hospital seized to function after the November raid, gradually turning into a displacement shelter for Palestinians. 

Since Israel has cut off all electricity, aid, fuel, water and food since 9 October, the hospital has been running on a limited number of generators.

According to Aurelie Godard, the head of Doctors Without Borders’ medical activities in Gaza, minimal shipments of fuel arrived in Gaza in an aid convoy in January that has kept the hospital afloat. 

gaza
A Palestinian man is treated in the al-Shifa Hospital (MEE/ Mohammed al-Hajjar)

She added that the hospital is badly damaged and barely functional, with ceilings ripped open and IV bags hanging directly on the walls of the hospital.

Medical teams have managed to salvage equipment and keep the emergency room running with limited equipment. The staff, many of whom volunteers, have however not been able to re-open the intensive care unit.

There is a severe shortage of hospital beds, forcing some to share beds, while others sleep on the floor. 

What’s behind the latest raid?

There has been much speculation and unconfirmed reports about the timing and reasoning behind the latest raid on the hospital.

The raid came at the same time as an Israeli delegation was expected to arrive in Qatar to review a Hamas ceasefire proposal. 

War on Gaza: Prominent Gaza tribes refuse to cooperate with Israel for aid distribution
Read More »

The negotiations are set to be mediated by Egypt, and will need to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli media reported. 

Meanwhile, a Palestinian police general was also killed by Israeli forces on Monday morning. According to Al Jazeera, he was in charge of securing the entry of aid trucks into northern Gaza. 

Citing unnamed sources, the Qatar-based network said Faiq Mabhouh, the director general of Gaza's police operations, was credited for the recent coordination between tribal leaders and Unrwa to secure and distribute aid coming from the south. 

His efforts resulted in the safe entry of aid trucks for two nights in a row, following weeks of Israeli targeting of convoys and aid seekers.

The Israeli military said that Mabhouh was killed during an exchange of fire with troops during a raid on al-Shifa hospital and west Gaza City. 

The killing comes after reports said that civilian tribes in Gaza, who rejected any cooperation with Israel regarding the distribution of aid, had recently met at the courtyard of the hospital.

In the meeting, the tribes said that they are willing to cooperate on the distribution of aid on the condition that it is done in collaboration with security services and government officials in Gaza.

The tribes met following Israeli media reports that detailed Israel’s plans to divide Gaza into areas governed by tribes, who would assume responsibility for distributing aid there. 

London
Gaza City

War on Gaza: Israel kills police officer in charge of securing aid convoys

Par : MEE staff
War on Gaza: Israel kills police officer in charge of securing aid convoys
Faiq Mabhouh's efforts were credited for recent coordination between local leaders and Unrwa to secure aid from the south
MEE staff
Palestinians flee the area after Israeli bombardment in central Gaza City on 18 March 2024 (AFP)

The Palestinian police general killed by Israeli forces on Monday morning was in charge of securing the entry of aid trucks into northern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

Citing unnamed sources, the Qatar-based network said Faiq Mabhouh, the director-general of Gaza's police operations, was credited for the recent coordination between local leaders and the UN Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, to secure and distribute aid coming from the south. 

His efforts resulted in the safe entry of aid trucks for two nights in a row, following weeks of Israel targeting convoys and aid seekers.

Over two dozen aid trucks entered Gaza City over the weekend and reached isolated areas in the north for the first time in months. 

According to the Israeli military, Mabhouh was killed during an exchange of fire with troops during the ongoing raid on al-Shifa Hospital and west Gaza City. 

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has said that around one in three children are now acutely malnourished and two in 10,000 are dying of starvation.

Over half of the population who are on the verge of famine are in the northern governorates, where humanitarian access is extremely limited.

War on Gaza: Why air-dropping aid on Gaza is doing more harm than good
Read More »

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said on Monday that famine is expected in northern Gaza anytime between now and May.

Israel has denied restricting the entry of aid to Gaza, claiming that the UN is responsible for blocking aid deliveries.

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only gateway in and out of the strip not controlled by Israel, has been subject to tight restrictions and multiple Israeli air strikes since 7 October, creating a bottleneck of aid trucks at the border.

As of 21 October, limited humanitarian aid has been allowed to trickle through the crossing, with some aid allowed through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza in late December.

The crossing was closed again in January amid Israeli protests blocking aid into the strip.

Israel kills police officer in charge of securing aid convoys

War on Gaza: Al Jazeera journalist beaten, arrested by Israeli forces from al-Shifa hospital

Par : MEE staff
War on Gaza: Al Jazeera journalist beaten, arrested by Israeli forces from al-Shifa hospital
Ismail Alghoul and a number of other journalists were taken to an unknown destination
MEE staff
A picture posted on Ismail Alghoul's X account showing him reporting to Al Jazeera Arabic TV from al-Shifa hospital in Gaza (X)

Israeli forces arrested one of the last remaining correspondents of Al Jazeera Arabic in Gaza during a raid on al-Shifa hospital on Monday, the Qatar-based network said. 

Ismail Alghoul was "severely beaten" before he was seized from the besieged hospital, Al Jazeera said, quoting eyewitnesses.

Tweets posted on Alghoul's X account said the Israeli army had stormed the journalist's room, "where he was with other journalists, where they were severely beaten and dragged before they were arrested and taken to an unknown destination."

Al Jazeera said in a statement that Alghoul was attacked while performing his journalistic duties and demanded his immediate release, along with the release of the other journalists who were detained with him.

"The targeting [of Alghoul] is an attempt by the occupation army to intimidate journalists to stop them from reporting its crimes against civilians in Gaza," Al Jazeera said.

Israeli forces also destroyed Al Jazeera’s vehicle, cameras and equipment.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned Alghoul's arrest.

“Journalists play an essential role in a war. They are the eyes and the ears that we need to document what’s happening and with every journalist killed, with every journalist arrested, our ability to understand what’s happening in Gaza diminishes significantly,” Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive officer of the CPJ, told Al Jazeera.

The media monitor said it was alarmed by the Israeli assault on Alghoul and other staff members, and called for their immediate release.

“The IDF should immediately release Al-Ghoul and other detained Palestinian journalists and take steps to protect the members of the media covering this war,” CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said. 

Alghoul was covering Israel’s new raid on al-Shifa hospital in the early hours of Monday, just as Palestinians were preparing to have their pre-fast Ramadan meal before dawn. 

War on Gaza: What it’s like to be a journalist in Gaza right now
Read More »

The attack started shortly after 2 am local time with tanks surrounding the hospital before shelling some of its buildings, including the surgery department, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

At least 30,000 people were inside the hospital at the time of the attack, including displaced families, patients and medical staff. 

Al Jazeera described Alghoul’s arrest as part of "a series of systematic attacks on Al Jazeera by the occupation authorities, which included the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh, Samer Abu Daqqa, and Hamza al-Dahdouh, the bombing of its office in Gaza, the deliberate targeting of a number of its journalists and their family members, and the arrest and intimidation of its crews."

Al Jazeera journalists Abu Daqqa and Dahdouh were killed in an attack that targeted their car as they were travelling in with two other journalists. Hamza Dahdouh's father, Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, was also wounded in a separate attack.

At least 90 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza and three in Lebanon since the war broke out on 7 October, according to preliminary investigations by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Al Jazeera journalist beaten, arrested by Israeli forces from al-Shifa hospital

'Divest from genocide': Students protest Cambridge University's investments in Israeli arms firms

'Divest from genocide': Students protest Cambridge University's investments in Israeli arms firms
Trinity College has invested millions of dollars in companies involved in Israel's war on Gaza and businesses that benefit from the occupation of Palestine
Imran Mulla
Protestors outside Trinity College in Cambridge, UK. (Varsity)
Protesters rally outside Trinity College on 16 March 2024 to demand the institution divest from companies profiting from Israel's war on Gaza (Varsity)

Scores of students held a protest outside the University of Cambridge's wealthiest college on Saturday to demand the higher seat of learning divest millions of dollars from companies "arming, supporting and profiting" from Israel's war on Gaza.

Demonstrators carried signs reading "Ceasefire now!" and "Divest from genocide" outside Trinity College following a story published by Middle East Eye last month which found that the college had invested £61,735 ($78,089) in Israel's largest arms company, Elbit Systems.

Based in the city of Haifa, Elbit produces at least 85 percent of the drones and land-based equipment used by the Israeli army. The company's weapons have reportedly been used in Gaza since 7 October and are also reported to have been used in the occupied West Bank and southern Lebanon.

MEE also revealed that Trinity has investments worth approximately $3.2m in Caterpillar, a US-based heavy equipment company that has long been the target of boycott campaigns for its sale of bulldozers to the Israeli army.

At least one of the banners held up at Saturday's protest explicitly referenced Elbit and Caterpillar's roles in the occupation of Palestine.

"As a world-leading educational institution, Trinity must not be investing in companies causing so much death and destruction that may amount to genocide, and instead should be supporting the College's mission of advancing education and research," the protesters said in an open letter.

Pressure has been mounting on Trinity College to divest from companies complicit in Israel's war on Gaza after the UK-based International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) issued a legal notice to the insititution warning that "officers, directors and shareholders at the college may be individually criminally liable if they maintain their investments in arms companies that are potentially complicit in Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity".

On 9 March, an activist from Palestine Action spray-painted then slashed a 1914 painting of Lord Balfour at Trinity.

The Balfour painting we destroyed was inside Trinity College, University of Cambridge — who invest in Israel's largest weapons firm, Elbit Systems #ShutElbitDown https://t.co/d2H5DjgezJ

— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) March 9, 2024

The incident, which was condemned by Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, is now under police investigation.

To date, more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed and at least 70,000 wounded in Israel's war on Gaza.

War on Gaza: UK committee head calls out Israeli spokesperson over aid blocking claims
Read More »

The UN announced earlier this month that 80 percent of Gaza is now uninhabitable, while the hunger rate stands at 100 percent.

The UN and several aid agencies have repeatedly warned that Gaza is on the brink of famine and have pressed Israel to allow aid in.

At least 25 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration since the start of the war, including a 10-year-old child with cerebral palsy. 

Last month, the UK joined JordanEgypt, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Germany and France in coordinating aid drops with Israel in different areas of the blockaded Gaza Strip.

However, the besieged Palestinians have said that airdropped aid quantities are too small to deal with the needs of a starving population in Gaza.

Famine in Gaza expected 'anytime' from now, says UN agency

Par : MEE staff
Famine in Gaza expected 'anytime' from now, says UN agency
New data reveal that the entire population in Gaza is facing 'acute' food insecurity and half the population could be suffering famine
MEE staff
A Palestinian boy is bottle-fed at Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital, while Gaza residents face crisis levels of hunger and soaring malnutrition, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip 24 January 2024 (Reuters)
A Palestinian boy is bottle-fed at Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, while Gaza residents face crisis levels of hunger and soaring malnutrition, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, 24 January 2024 (Reuters)

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Monday that famine is expected in northern Gaza anytime from now.

"Famine is projected to occur anytime between now and May 2024 in the northern governorates," the UN agency said, citing a new analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on Gaza.

According to the IPC report, the entire population of Gaza, estimated to be around 2.3 million, is enduring "acute" food insecurity, while half the population suffers from a greater level of food insecurity classified as "catastrophic".

The UN and other aid agencies have warned that Gaza is on the brink of famine due to Israel's prevention of the entry of life-saving aid through the enclave's land crossings.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Joseph Borrell, said on Monday that Israel was provoking starvation and using starvation as a weapon of war, adding that the humanitarian crisis is "man-made".

"The support is there waiting. Trucks are stopped, people are dying while the land crossings are artificially closed," Joseph Borrel said on Monday.

War on Gaza: UK committee head calls out Israeli spokesperson over aid blocking claims
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"We send parachutes to a place that is one hour by car from the next airport. Why do we not send it to the airport? Because they do not let it."

The UN's FAO said the IPC analysis showed that food insecurity in Gaza has "deepened and widened" since the latest analysis conducted in December.

An estimated 79 percent of the population in Gaza fell into "catastrophic levels of hunger" from mid-February to mid-March, and 92 percent is expected to do so between now and July, the FAO said, based on the IPC analysis.

"If no steps are taken to cease hostilities and to provide more humanitarian access, famine is imminent," said FAO deputy director-general Beth Bechdol.

"It could already be occurring. Immediate access is needed to facilitate delivery of urgent and critical assistance at scale."

Worsening hunger

The review follows another IPC report in December that found that 17 percent of Gaza's population was on the verge of famine, and warned that there was a risk of famine by the end of May 2024 if the Israeli onslaught continued.

The latest report reveals a sharp increase on these figures, with 30 percent of households in Gaza experiencing "catastrophic" levels of hunger, the most severe stage on the IPC's five-phase metric for measuring famine. The threshold for famine is crossed when food security, nutrition and mortality conditions affect at least 20 percent of the population. 

'Eighty percent of the children have infectious diseases; 70 percent have diarrhoea. They don't have enough food...it's a perfect mix for malnutrition to have devastating impacts'

Vincent Stehli, Action Against Hunger

Over half of the population who are on the verge of famine are in the northern governorates, where humanitarian access is extremely limited.

According to the latest analysis, since the December report, the conditions to prevent famine had not been met, with continued conflict and restricted access to the northern governorates for humanitarian organisations and aid trucks "likely to compound heightened vulnerabilities and extremely limited food availability… as well as healthcare, water and sanitation".

"The civilian population is increasingly desperate. We have received reports of people eating animal food, including hay, straw and other feed fit for cattle, goats and sheep," Vincent Stehli, Action Against Hunger's director of operations, said in a statement.

Stehli said the food insecurity in Gaza is unprecedented over his 20 years of work in the enclave. "Eighty percent of the children have infectious diseases; 70 percent have diarrhoea. They don't have enough food. Health services can't function. It's a perfect mix for malnutrition to have devastating impacts. This is just the beginning," he added.

The IPC report emphasised that, in order to prevent famine, "an immediate political decision for a ceasefire together with a significant and immediate increase in humanitarian and commercial access to the entire population of Gaza" was needed.

"All efforts must be made to ensure the provision of food, water, medicines and protection of civilians, as well as to restore and provide health, water and sanitation services, and energy," it said.

'I am seeing my son dying'

The report comes days after the UN warned that one in three children under the age of two in northern Gaza are now suffering from acute malnutrition, a rate that has doubled since January.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 23 children in Northern Gaza Strip have died from malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks, adding to a death toll of about 13,450.

War on Gaza: What do Palestinians think about airdropping aid, and will it end the famine?
Read More »

Nutrition screenings conducted by Unicef in the north in February revealed that 4.5 percent of the children in shelters and health centres are suffering from "extreme wasting," the most deadly form of malnutrition that exposes children to other diseases.

Save the Children said in a press release on Monday that the one-year-old nephew of a staff member is suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

“He has a swollen belly and irregular breathing due to an upper respiratory tract infection," the staff member was quoted as saying.

"This ordeal began two months ago when he was forced to relocate to a tent in Rafah. Shortly after, he started experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhoea."

The rights group cited the child's mother as saying: “I am seeing my son dying and can’t do anything, it’s really heartbreaking.”

Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, head of the paediatric department at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north of Gaza, reported that 25-30 children are admitted to the hospital daily, half of them suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.

"One child, two months old, died today because of dehydration and malnutrition. Other children are on the same trajectory unless the situation is addressed soon," he told Save the Children.

A man-made crisis

Since the IPC's previous analysis in December, access to aid has dropped significantly, especially in Gaza's north. In January 2024, only nine humanitarian missions to the northern governorates were facilitated, falling to six in February.

The flow of humanitarian aid into the strip has been impeded by Israeli restrictions at border crossings.

'We send parachutes to a place that is one hour by car from the next airport. Why do we not send it to the airport? Because they [Israel] do not let it'

- Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief

According to the report, between January and September 2023, a daily average of 150 food trucks entered Gaza, compared to a minimum of 300 trucks a day needed to address the burgeoning humanitarian crisis.

Between 8 October and 9 March, the number dropped to an average of 65 trucks a day.

Before October, the strip relied on 500 trucks entering the crossing daily.

Israel has denied restricting the entry of aid to Gaza, claiming that the UN is responsible for blocking aid deliveries.

According to a February report from Al Jazeera, aerial and satellite footage showed more than 2,000 aid trucks waiting to cross at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Since 7 October, the crossing has been subject to tight restrictions and multiple Israeli air strikes, creating a bottleneck of aid trucks at the border.

By 21 October, limited humanitarian aid was allowed to trickle through the crossing.

Since the opening of the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza in late December, there was an initial uptick in the flow of aid. 

This dropped in February after the crossing was closed again in January amid Israeli protests blocking aid into the strip.

Gaza aid crisis: UK funds for Unrwa still frozen as Australia shifts stance
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On Monday, British member of parliament Alicia Kearns said that Israel was failing to meet its legal obligation to help aid get into the besieged enclave, citing the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

"I've just returned from the aid staging location in Egypt, thousands of trucks are sat waiting to deliver aid," she said.

On Monday, Oxfam released a report accusing the Israeli government of deliberately blocking the passage of aid into the strip.

Unable to deliver aid by land, Arab and western countries including the US began airdropping aid along Gaza's coastline on 26 February.

The IPC report criticised the airdrops as "erratic, small scale...and primarily accessible to populations locations near the coast.

Israeli forces have targeted aid convoys and civilians seeking food from them in multiple attacks, killing over 400 Palestinians awaiting shipments of flour.

Famine in Gaza expected 'anytime' from now, says UN agency

War on Gaza: Israel 'endangering’ Marwan Barghouti’s life in prison

Par : MEE staff
War on Gaza: Israel 'endangering’ Marwan Barghouti’s life in prison
Barghouti, one of the most prominent Palestinian political prisoners, is being isolated and tortured, a senior Palestinian official says
MEE staff
Israeli security officers walk next to a mural depicting jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghuti, at the Israeli Qalandiya checkpoint, between Jerusalem and Ramallah in July 2014 (AFP)

Marwan Barghouti, one of the most prominent Palestinian political prisoners, is reportedly being subject to isolation and tortured in an Israeli prison, a senior Palestinian official said.

Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the PLO executive committee, on Monday accused Israeli authorities of endangering Barghouti’s life in prison. 

Sheikh wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Barghouti was being exposed to "isolation, torture and attempts to coerce, humiliate and beat him, putting his life in danger". 

Barghouti, 64, has reportedly been beaten by Israeli prison guards in recent days, according to Qadura Fares, the head of the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs. 

Fares said the targeting of Barghouti is part of a campaign of repression against Palestinian prisoners that has escalated since the start of the month of Ramadan.

Punitive measures include "severe beatings, insults, humiliation and confiscation of the Quran from cells". 

"The situation has become more dangerous than anyone could imagine, as the lives of the prisoners have become threatened in the true sense," Fares said. 

He added that another high-profile prisoner facing increased attacks recently is Thabet Merdawi, an Islamic Jihad leader who has been in jail since 2002.

"We call on the international community, institutions and international organisations to intervene immediately and urgently in order to stop the repressive measures against our prisoners and our leaders in the occupation prisons, protect them, and release them immediately," Sheikh said. 

Solitary confinement 

Barghouti, 64, has been in prison for over two decades, despite growing calls for his release over the years. 

Last month, Israel’s far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that Barghouti had been placed in solitary confinement.

"I’m glad that the Israel Security Service is implementing my very clear policy towards terrorists in prisons and today transferred the murderer Marwan Barghouti from Ofer prison to isolation following information about a planned uprising," he said on X.

שמח ששב"ס מיישמים את המדיניות המאוד ברורה שלי כלפי מחבלים בבתי הכלא והעבירו היום את רב המרצחים מרוואן ברגותי מכלא עופר להפרדה בעקבות מידע על התססה מתוכננת - נגמרו הימים שמחבלים ניהלו את בתי בכלא!

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) February 14, 2024

The reports of the prison assault come amid a renewed push by mediators to find an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war on Gaza and swap prisoners, which could potentially include the release of Barghouti. 

Barghouti was a prominent leader in the first and second Intifada, making him one of the most high-profile prisoners in Israeli detention

Israel accused Barghouti of having founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the early 2000s and indicted him on 26 charges of murder and attempted murder attributed to the group. 

Barghouti remains a popular Palestinian figure, particularly after offering no defence in the courts and refusing to recognise the authority of the Israeli court. 

According to opinion polls since his imprisonment, he remains the favourite presidential candidate for the Palestinian people.

A survey carried out in December showed him to be ahead of the current leader Mahmoud Abbas, who has been in office as president of the Palestinian Authority for almost 20 years and cancelled planned elections in April 2021. 

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

Israel 'endangering’ Marwan Barghouti’s life in prison

War on Gaza: Israeli forces launch another raid on al-Shifa hospital

Par : MEE staff
War on Gaza: Israeli forces launch another raid on al-Shifa hospital
Around 30,000 people, including patients and displaced Palestinians, said to be under siege in the medical complex
MEE staff
Palestinian wounded by Israeli gunfire receives treatment at Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital on 15 March 2024 (MEE/Mohammed al-Hajjar)
Palestinian wounded by Israeli gunfire receives treatment at Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital on 15 March 2024 (MEE/Mohammed al-Hajjar)

Israeli forces launched a new raid on Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital on Monday, just as Palestinians were preparing to have their pre-fast Ramadan meal before dawn. 

The attack started shortly after 2 am local time (12 am GMT) with tanks advancing towards the medical complex under the cover of heavy aerial bombardment. 

Tanks surrounded the hospital before shelling some of its buildings, including the surgery department, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

Initial reports say several people were killed and wounded but medical teams have not been able to reach them due to heavy Israeli fire in the hospital's courtyards. 

"The occupation army invaded al-Shifa Hospital for the fourth time since the beginning of the aggression against Gaza, directly shooting the specialised surgery building with bullets and targeting it with missiles," the ministry said.

The entrance of the hospital also caught fire due to the heavy shelling, it added, warning that patients and families sheltering at the site were besieged. 

At least 30,000 people were inside the hospital at the time of the attack, including displaced families, patients and medical staff. 

Heavy Israeli bombardment in the vicinity of the Shefa hospital in Gaza city. pic.twitter.com/nArp5xx9xh

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) March 18, 2024

Mohammed Eliwa, a journalist reporting from al-Shifa hospital, told Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli forces were shooting anyone moving in the courtyards. 

Hamadah Abdel Hadi, an activist also inside the hospital, said Israeli forces broke into the hospital and immediately targeted Al Jazeera staff. 

Ismail Alghoul, the network's correspondent, was beaten and dragged before getting arrested. Broadcast vehicles in the hospital were also destroyed, Al Jazeera said. 

The Gaza-based government media office condemned the raid as a "war crime" and part of a "deliberate" Israeli policy to "eliminate the health sector and destroy hospitals". 

It said the Israeli army stormed al-Shifa with tanks, heavily armed soldiers and drones, "and began shooting inside the complex, which sparked fear and panic among the wounded, sick, and displaced".

"This threatens the lives of thousands of people inside," it added. 

The Israeli military said the operation in al-Shifa was launched based on information that Hamas officials were in the area and repeated claims that the hospital was recently being used as a "command centre".

How and why did Gaza hospitals become primary targets?
Read More »

It later said 80 people were detained from the hospital and that troops had "established control" over the facility. 

Middle East Eye could not independently verify any of the military's claims, which were not backed by evidence. 

Hamas said the raid on al-Shifa hospital was an expression of "confusion, chaos and hopelessness" by the Israeli army amid its inability to achieve the stated military goals. 

Al-Shifa hospital, the biggest in the Gaza Strip before the war, was brought to its knees last year following a weeks-long Israeli raid in which doctors were detained and key medical equipment was destroyed. 

The hospital has been providing basic first aid services since Israeli forces withdrew from its vicinity earlier this year. 

The Monday raid comes as the Israeli government prepares to send a delegation to Qatar to participate in renewed indirect negotiations with Hamas. 

The Palestinian group put forth a new proposal for a deal to end the war in stages and swap prisoners. 

Since the war started in October, Israeli forces have killed 31,600 Palestinians, including at least 13,000 children.

Over 73,000 have been wounded and an estimated 8,000 are missing and believed to be buried dead under rubble.

Palestinian attacks have killed more than 1,400 Israelis in the same period.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

Israeli forces raid Gaza hospital providing shelter to 30,000 Palestinians

How the Muslim Council of Britain was left out in the cold

How the Muslim Council of Britain was left out in the cold
The MCB is the UK's largest representative Muslim organisation whose young female leader says it stands for the 'shared values of Britain'. So why does the government refuse to engage with it?
Imran Mulla
The MCB's secretary general, Zara Mohammed. (X)

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is the UK’s largest body representing British Muslims. But the British government refuses to engage with it.

More than that, it has withdrawn funding from a major interfaith charity because one of its trustees was an MCB member.

Most recently, it was reported that the government was considering designating the MCB an "extremist" organisation, using a new definition of the term announced last week by Communities Secretary Michael Gove.

Gove did not name it among a number of Muslim organisations which he told parliament the government planned to assess and "hold to account", but the MCB nonetheless said it was concerned that some of its affiliates could be targeted, and joined human rights, civil liberties and equality campaigners in condemning the definition.

Zara Mohammed, the MCB's secretary general, said: "Since its inception, the Muslim Council of Britain has championed the common good, urging its affiliates to make positive contributions to our nation, foster unity, and advocate for justice for all communities. These are the shared values of Britain, even if certain members of the government fail to recognise them."

The MCB was established in 1994. Today, it is an umbrella organisation with over 500 members - including mosques, schools, local and county councils, professional networks and advocacy groups. 

It is funded through affiliation fees from members, as well as donations and grants. 

MAB, Cage and Mend: Who are the Muslim groups Michael Gove accuses of extremism?
Read More »

Much of the MCB’s work is in local communities. Its national initiatives include an annual conference of mosque leaders and volunteers, and the Centre for Media Monitoring, established in 2018 to assess and analyse British media coverage of Muslims and Islam. 

The MCB describes itself as “cross-sectarian”, with both Sunni and Shia members, and it aims to remove “barriers to integration” for Muslims.

It encourages a defence of the UK’s “liberal democratic traditions and enviable civil liberties” and maintains that it does not seek “special rights or privileges” for Muslims.

In January 2021, in what was widely seen as a landmark moment for the organisation, the MCB elected its first female leader - 29-year-old Zara Mohammed, a training and development consultant from Glasgow.

"I hope it will inspire more women and young people to come forward to take on leadership roles," Mohammed said at the time. "They are the future of this organisation and our society.”

Over its history, MCB leaders have worked with civil servants and all major political parties. They have appeared at events alongside members of the royal family. They have also collaborated with the Church of England and worked on initiatives with the National Health Service.

The organisation also has a long record of supporting Muslim involvement in the UK’s armed forces.

Cut off from government engagement

Conventionally, the British government and local authorities engage and work with civil society groups representing different communities, or sections of communities.

But since 2021, the MCB has found itself cut off from government engagement. 

The Conservative government’s official reasoning for this is that “previous MCB leaders have taken positions that contradict our fundamental values and these have not been explicitly retracted”.

In 2021, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson said there had been a “longstanding policy since 2009” to boycott the MCB - but the reality is more complicated.

I sued the government over 'extremism' and I know the game Gove is playing
Read More »

The MCB was briefly boycotted by Gordon Brown’s Labour government in 2009 after its then deputy secretary general, Daud Abdullah, signed the so-called Istanbul Declaration in Turkey. According to the government, the declaration called for attacks on Royal Navy vesseks if they tried to stop weapons for Hamas entering Gaza. 

The declaration said: “The obligation of the Islamic Nation [is] to regard the sending of foreign warships into Muslim waters, claiming to control the borders and prevent the smuggling of arms to Gaza, as a declaration of war, a new occupation, sinful aggression, and a clear violation of the sovereignty of the Nation. This must be rejected and fought by all means and ways.”

But Abdullah said the statement “made no specific mention of attacks on British troops. The statement does say if foreign troops enter Gaza's territorial waters, it is the duty of Muslims to resist, as it would be seen as assisting the siege.” That was hypothetical, he maintained.

“I did not and do not condone calls for attacks on British troops.”

The MCB denounced the statement, which it said was signed by Daud in a strictly personal capacity. Daud resigned and the Labour government resumed engagement with the organisation. 

Conservative ministers also held meetings with the MCB between 2010 and 2015. Civil servants continued to meet with the MCB until March 2020.

'There is no replacement. [The government] left a gap because we are the leading Muslim representative body that is trusted, so there is no one'

- Zara Mohammed, MCB

That was when the organisation produced a dossier outlining what it said was evidence of Islamophobia against more than 300 individuals, including Conservative MPs, councillors, party members and special advisers inside 10 Downing Street.

Shortly afterwards, civil servants broke off relations with the organisation. Robert Jenrick, then communities secretary, sent a letter to government departments saying they were banned from engaging with the MCB.

The government has also faced calls to further ostracise the MCB from neoconservative commentators and allies.

In his contentious review of Prevent, published last year, William Shawcross identified engagement between the MCB and police as a cause for concern, while Robin Simcox, who would become Britain’s commissioner for countering extremism in 2022, argued in 2019 that the MCB should be “left out in the cold”.

Simcox argued that engagement with the organisation and similar groups “is one of those zombie policies that always seems to return”.

Military chaplains

However, the MCB has continued to work with some official institutions. 

The MCB's deputy general secretary is currently a member of the Crown Prosecution Service London Scrutiny and Involvement Panel, as well as the Police Islington Advisory Group.

Until recently, the MCB also worked with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by serving as a referee for imams applying to become military chaplains.

'It seems our civil society participation is a fast-track way of attracting hostile attention from ministers and government departments'

- Hassan Joudi, former MCB assistant secretary general 

But this was not public knowledge. In late October 2023, the Telegraph revealed that the MCB was working with the MoD. As a result, in early November, government ministers ordered the MoD to cut all ties with the MCB. 

“It is barking,” the MCB’s secretary-general Zara Mohammed told the Guardian. “There is no replacement. [The government] left a gap because we are the leading Muslim representative body that is trusted, so there is no one.”

Rabbi Warren Elf, a Jewish faith leader in Manchester, criticised the government’s approach to engagement with Muslims in February.

“If anyone says something in keeping with their role as a Muslim leader that the government doesn’t like,” he told the Religion Media Centre, “they drop them.”

In recent months, the government has taken further steps to target the MCB.

A major interfaith charity, the Inter Faith Network (IFN), was forced to close in February after Gove withdrew its funding - because one of its trustees is an MCB member.

The IFN, founded in 1987, described itself as working “to promote understanding, cooperation and good relations between organisations and persons of different faiths in the UK".

It counted a range of religious and community associations among its member bodies. Gove told the IFN on 19 January that he was “minded” to withdraw its funding due to the “reputational risk” posed to the government by an MCB member serving as one of the IFN’s trustees.

Myriam Francois on UK government, Gaza and media coverage
Read More »

The MCB member in question was Hassan Joudi, formerly an MCB assistant secretary general. 

The IFN responded in a statement that its board did not seek Joudi’s resignation and “affirmed his role as a valued colleague”. On 24 February, it announced that it was headed for closure. 

Afterwards, Joudi denounced “Gove’s willingness to undermine decades of interfaith capacity-building in local communities across the UK, by attempting to dictate and coerce the composition of a charity’s board of trustees to suit ministerial biases".

He added that for young Muslims, “it seems our civil society participation is a fast-track way of attracting hostile attention from ministers and government departments”.

The IFN’s closure could make it difficult for the MCB to work with other civil society groups in the future.

In an interview last week, Zara Mohammed told the Guardian that Muslims in the UK and the organisations representing them had become "a very suitable political punchbag”.

“Surely engaging with us is a great thing because we represent so many Muslim communities. And if we engage, we can do more work together. But you’re isolating us and marginalising us.”

Sudan war: Army and RSF both profiting from smuggling of vital goods

Sudan war: Army and RSF both profiting from smuggling of vital goods
Sudan's warring parties are both involved in the smuggling of food, fuel, medicine and Starlink internet devices
Mohammed Amin
Supporters of the Sudanese armed popular resistance, which backs the army, ride on trucks in Gedarif in eastern Sudan on 3 March 2024 (AFP)

Fighters from Sudan’s two warring parties are exploiting the ongoing conflict to profit from the smuggling and sale of vital goods including food, fuel and medicine. 

Under the pretence of confiscating their enemy’s supplies, associates of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been at war since April last year, are also looting merchants, robbing civilians, accepting bribes and imposing levies on goods at roadside checkpoints.

According to multiple sources, officers and soldiers from the army and RSF are directly involved in the smuggling of an array of goods, as well as in renting Starlink satellite internet devices to civilians in areas in which access to the internet has been cut. 

Sudanese traders, local eyewitnesses and businesspeople all spoke to Middle East Eye about this wartime economy, as the one-year anniversary of the conflict approaches on 15 April.

The war has displaced over eight million people and the current humanitarian situation in many parts of Sudan is dire, with children dying every day and 25 million suffering from hunger or malnutrition.

There has, for several months, been a critical shortage of medicines and medical equipment in the capital Khartoum, Darfur, el-Gezira state and other areas either directly affected by the war or held by the RSF. 

A trader in pharmaceutical drugs, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told MEE that most medicines in Sudan now are smuggled in from neighbouring countries and sold on the black market.

“Around 70 to 80 percent of medicines coming into Sudan right now come from neighbouring countries and are being smuggled illegally by traders with the help of soldiers and offices from the army or RSF,” the trader said.

Looted goods for sale in Sudan's 'Dagalo' markets
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According to the trader, there are many different routes these products take, including from Chad into Darfur, the vast western region of Sudan that is the powerbase of the RSF, or from Central African Republic (CAR) to Um Dafuq in South Darfur. The drugs are then taking to markets across the region.

Other routes include those from South Sudan through an area known as “the Boot” up into Sudan’s White Nile state, and from Ethiopia into Sudan’s eastern Gedarif state. “There is also a route for medicines and food smuggling from Egypt to the northern and eastern states of Sudan,” the trader said.

Another trader, from el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, which has been under an intermittent RSF siege since last summer, said that smuggling networks are either run directly by army or RSF soldiers, or are run with their protection, for which the fighters are paid a commission.

“These smuggling networks are supplying North Kordofan and other neighbouring states with the medicines. RSF soldiers are bringing them from a place called Alnaam on the South Sudan-Sudan border, then bringing them to the west of el-Obeid, where the medicine traders come and buy them to distribute them inside and outside the city,” the trader from el-Obeid told MEE.

A pharmacist from el-Obeid said that the smugglers are mainly army or RSF soldiers or officers, adding that ordinary merchants are also involved in the smuggling and are getting protection or cover from fighters from either warring party. 

Neither the army nor the RSF responded to Middle East Eye’s requests for comment.

Army and RSF cooperation 

Another trader who spoke to MEE confirmed that the warring parties are responsible for the food markets that exist in the areas they control.  

“The RSF is bringing in the food it needs through South Sudan, Chad and CAR to the areas it controls, especially in Darfur and Kordofan, while its soldiers are trading food and other supplies widely,” Mahmoud Hussien, a trader from Gedarif told MEE.

Hussien said that army officers are involved in smuggling food and groceries from Ethiopia or Egypt, which border army-controlled areas in eastern and northern Sudan.

'Sometimes we buy fuel from the RSF, as they are selling the fuel from the refinery they seized'

- Sudanese fuel smuggler

“The normal or civilian smugglers - or even the traders - need to have the cover of the RSF or SAF, according to the area they want to bring the goods to,” Hussien, who has brought food in from Ethiopia to Gedaref, explained.

There is also “a lot of evidence” of coordination between army and RSF checkpoints on the ground, Hussien said, adding that taxes are imposed on any goods or vehicles passing through checkpoints controlled by either side.

Alhadi Mohamed, another trader, told MEE that he brought groceries from Ethiopia to Ad-Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, but that an army checkpoint outside the city had confiscated the shipment, accusing him of helping the RSF.

“They clearly looted me,” Mohamed said, “with the excuse being that I’m supporting the RSF, which is totally incorrect as I’m a normal trader and I brought these items from Ethiopia like the other traders. But this hasn’t just happened to me, it’s happened to others as well.

“Other traders I know brought items to el-Gezira state but had them confiscated by the RSF, which accused them of helping the SAF by bringing supplies to them,” he said.

Another trader in Gedarif state, who asked not to be named, said that a shipment of pesticides and agricultural seeds had been confiscated by army soldiers after the trader was accused of working for the RSF. 

The fuel trade

The shortage of fuel brought about by the war has been such that some Sudanese have returned to a traditional form of transport: the donkey cart. 

But fuel is also a main feature of illicit smuggling networks. Not only is it being brought in from outside the country; fuel from a refinery controlled by the RSF on the outskirts of Khartoum is being sold on the black market.

One fuel smuggler, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told MEE that they had been smuggling fuel from Ethiopia and South Sudan to army- and RSF-controlled areas, striking different deals with checkpoints on both sides.

“We brought the fuel - which is very expensive in Sudan - from Ethiopia and South Sudan and we need to increase the prices to cover the expenses of the transportation, as well as the money that we paid to the SAF or RSF checkpoints along the road,” the smuggler said.

'The RSF is using the Starlink internet and they are even trading the Starlink devices'

Hassan Ahmed, eyewitness

“We have another source of fuel because sometimes we buy it from the RSF, as they are selling the fuel from the refinery they seized in Khartoum many months ago,” he said.

“Some RSF officers managed to steal the fuel from the refinery in the el-Jeili area. We bought it from them at a low price and sold it in neighbouring states, including some army-controlled areas in Gedaref and Kassala states,” the smuggler told MEE.

“You can just pay and pass through any checkpoint with whatever you are carrying.”

Nasr Aldin Adam, a trader from el-Fasher in North Darfur, said that the smuggling of fuel from Libya had flourished across Darfur since the war began.

“After the war erupted, most fuel and other supplies to Darfur comes from Libya. The RSF is mainly bringing the fuel through Kufra in southeastern Libya and selling it in Kutum, Kabkabiya or el-Fasher in Darfur,” he said. “When the traders smuggle it themselves, they have to deal with the RSF or pay their checkpoints.”

In neighbouring Libya, eastern commander Khalifa Haftar has been facilitating the supply of the RSF. Both military operations are supported by the United Arab Emirates. 

Starlink rental service

With the internet cut in some parts of Sudan (accusations of blame have been thrown around by both sides), Starlink satellite internet devices, which are made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, have also become part of illicit trading networks.

Zain telecommunication company has succeeded in restoring the network in Port Sudan and other states in the east and north of Sudan controlled by the army, promising that coverage will return to the entire country soon. 

How the UAE kept the Sudan war raging
Read More »

An eyewitness from el-Gezira state said that the RSF has exploited the internet blackout –for which many blame the paramilitary group – to trade in Starlink devices, which can deliver broadband internet via satellite and are the only form of communication in the state right now.

“They are using the Starlink internet and they are even trading the Starlink devices… they are selling the service for 3,000 Sudanese pounds [$5] per hour and are making a huge amount of money from it,” Hassan Ahmed said. 

“People need to communicate with each other and with their relatives, and even depend on the internet to get some transactions from their friends or relatives elsewhere through mobile banking services,” he said. 

Ahmed, who fled to neighbouring Gedaref state, said that because they are the only people in el-Gezira state with cash, RSF soldiers are trading in these mobile transactions and are “taking a big commission. If you complain, they take all your money.”

In al-Hasaheisa, a city in el-Gezira, there are now four internet service shops run by RSF soldiers, he said.

Mohamed Taj Aldin, from el-Geneina in West Darfur, told MEE that the entire state’s internet service was controlled by the RSF, as they are bringing Starlink devices in from Chad, South Sudan and CAR. 

“All the devices have been smuggled into the state by RSF soldiers or through traders close to the RSF, or those who get protection from the RSF. We paid between 2,000 and 3,000 Sudanese pounds per hour for using the internet,” he told MEE.

Smuggling and Starlink: How Sudan's army and the RSF profit from war
À partir d’avant-hierMiddle East Eye

Netanyahu brands US senator's call for election in Israel 'inappropriate'

Par : MEE staff
Netanyahu brands US senator's call for election in Israel 'inappropriate'
Israeli prime minister accuses Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of interfering in Israeli democracy
MEE staff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in Tel Aviv on 31 December 2023 (Abir Sultan/AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that calls from US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for new elections in Israel are "inappropriate".

Schumer on Thursday had called for Netanyahu's government to be unseated, saying new leadership was needed in the country.

"As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me [that] the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7," he said, referring to the Hamas attack in southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of almost 1,200 people.

"The world has changed radically since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past."

On Sunday, Netanyahu hit back at Schumer, saying his comments were "totally inappropriate" and amounted to an interference in Israeli democracy.

"I think what he said is totally inappropriate. It's inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there," Netanyahu said in an interview on CNN.

Political leaders in the US have reportedly been increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu's leadership in Israel, particularly his insistence on pushing ahead with a planned assault on Rafah in Gaza, which currently hosts 1.5 million mostly displaced Palestinians sheltering near the Egyptian border.

Netanyahu reiterated his plans to attack the city on Sunday, vowing to uproot what he says are Hamas operatives.

The US dips its toes back into Palestinian politics, but has trouble finding its feet
Read More »

Israel's assault on Gaza has killed at least 31,645 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the enclave's health ministry.

Netanyahu dismissed growing international pressure on Sunday, accusing them of forgetting the deaths on 7 October.

"To our friends in the international community I say: is your memory so short? So quickly you forgot about 7 October, the worst massacre committed against Jews since the Holocaust?" he said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting.

"So quickly you are ready to deny Israel the right to defend itself against the monsters of Hamas?"

Prior to 7 October, Netanyahu's government had been rocked by mass demonstrations by Israelis angry about his planned reforms to the judiciary in the country.

Though the war on Gaza has led to a decrease in the anti-Netanyahu protests, disapproval of his government over the reforms and his handling of the war has persisted.

Egypt signs $8bn deal with EU to stem immigration from North Africa

Par : MEE staff
Egypt signs $8bn deal with EU to stem immigration from North Africa
EU officials promise aid to cash-strapped country set in 'difficult neighbourhood'
MEE staff
A man carries a tray of freshly baked bread in the old quarter of Cairo on 6 March 2024 (Amir Makar/AFP)

The EU has signed an $8bn package of loans, grants and energy cooperation deals with Egypt as it aims to prevent the flow of immigration from North Africa.

A senior European Commission official told reporters that the deal with Egypt, which is undergoing a financial crisis, is set to include billions in loans over coming years, and aims to step up Egyptian energy imports to help Europe "move further away from Russian gas".

"Egypt is a critical country for Europe today and for the days to come," said the commission official, who asked not to be named, according to AFP.

He added that the country occupied an "important position in a very difficult neighbourhood, bordering Libya, Sudan and the Gaza Strip".

Earlier in March, Egypt signed a $8bn deal with the International Monetary Fund after months of speculation.

The World Bank estimated that nearly 30 percent of Egypt's population was poor in 2019 and many millions more were at risk of falling below the poverty line. 

Egypt's headline inflation reached 33.7 percent in December, and is expected to reach a peak of 45 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to Oxford Economics think tank.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was expected in Cairo on Sunday, along with the leaders of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Italy, to sign deals later in the day with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Women asylum seekers in Europe caught between pushbacks and smuggler abuse
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The EU has for years been concerned with limiting migration across the Mediterranean from North Africa and has signed deals with numerous countries bordering the sea for that purpose.

According to the UN's International Organization for Migration, Egypt already hosts around nine million migrants and refugees, including four million Sudanese and 1.5 million Syrians.

The EU official told reporters that the new deal would include steps on "security, counter-terrorism cooperation and protection of borders, in particular the southern one", in reference to Sudan, which is currently mired in conflict.

Human Rights Watch has warned of "arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees by Egyptian authorities" and has slammed "the EU's cash-for-migration-control approach" which it said "strengthens authoritarian rulers while betraying human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and activists whose work involves great personal risk".

Syria: Sixteen truffle hunters killed by suspected Islamic State landmine

Par : MEE staff
Syria: Sixteen truffle hunters killed by suspected Islamic State landmine
A group of hunters' vehicle was hit while searching for truffles in the Raqqa desert, says UK-based monitor
MEE staff
A customer buys a desert truffle from a merchant in a market in Syria's rebel-held northern city of Raqa on March 14, (Delil Souleiman/AFP)

At least 16 people have been killed in northern Syria while hunting for truffles, according to a UK-based monitor.

The civilians were killed when their vehicle hit a mine in a former stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

"Sixteen civilians including at least nine women were killed in the explosion," the monitor said, adding that "others were seriously injured". The incident occurred in the desert in Raqqa province.

IS, which took control of entire sections of the country from 2014, was territorially defeated in March 2019 by an international coalition led by the United States and Kurdish forces.

But cells linked to the group scattered across the desert regularly carry out deadly attacks, particularly during the rainy season between February and April, the only time of year when sand truffles can be collected.

Sand truffles fetch high prices in Syria, which has been in the midst of an economic crisis after almost 13 years of war.

IS militants often attack residents who go looking for truffles in isolated areas, according to SOHR.

Despite frequent warnings from authorities, the high-risk activity continues.

Eighteen people, most of them civilian truffle collectors, were killed on 6 March in an attack attributed to IS in eastern Syria.

Sixteen truffle hunters killed by suspected Islamic State landmine in Syria

War on Gaza: UK committee head calls out Israeli spokesperson over aid blocking claims

Par : MEE staff
War on Gaza: UK committee head calls out Israeli spokesperson over aid blocking claims
British MP Alicia Kearns demands proof from Eylon Levy over claims UN was blocking aid entry to Gaza
MEE staff
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid slated for Gaza await clearance at the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) border crossing on 14 March 2024 (Jack Guez/AFP)

The head of the UK's Foreign Affairs Committee called out an Israeli government spokesperson who claimed the UN, rather than Israel, was responsible for blocking aid deliveries into Gaza.

British member of parliament Alicia Kearns said on X (formerly Twitter) that Israel was failing to meet its legal obligation to help aid get into the besieged enclave, citing the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

"I've just returned from the aid staging location in Egypt, thousands of trucks are sat waiting to deliver aid," she wrote.

In response, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy claimed that the crossing was "currently closed on Saturdays at the request of the UN because there is so much undistributed aid piling up on the other side".

Kearns asked for evidence from Levy, pointing out that his claim was the "opposite" of what she had been told by the UK government, Egyptian government and the UN.

An arrangement may have been made, but the statement your spokesperson made was that the UN requested it.

That is the opposite of what I have been told by the UK Government, Egyptian Government and the UN. They are clear the Israeli Govt requested no deliveries on a Saturday.…

— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) March 14, 2024

"They are clear the Israeli Govt requested no deliveries on a Saturday," she wrote.

Levy has yet to respond.

Brink of famine

The UN and other aid agencies have warned that Gaza is on the brink of famine due to Israel's prevention of the entry of life-saving aid from the enclave's land crossings. 

The ongoing Israeli assault and siege on Gaza has killed more than 31,000 people, including at least 25 from starvation, most of them children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israeli forces block thousands from Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Read More »

Following an application from South Africa, the International Court of Justice in January delivered an interim ruling calling on Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

The court did not order Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza, one of South Africa's key demands, and also did not immediately rule on whether Israel was committing genocide.

But it did rule on several provisional measures, voted for by the vast majority of the court's 17 judges, one of which required Israel to facilitate the delivery of aid.

Rights groups say that, so far, Israel has failed to adhere to the ruling.

UK committee head calls out Israeli spokesperson over Gaza aid blocking claims

On the frontline of war, Lebanon's journalists fear being Israel’s next victim

On the frontline of war, Lebanon's journalists fear being Israel’s next victim
Many journalists are reporting from areas targeted by Israeli attacks without guidance or prior safety training
Bilal Ghazeye
Mourners attend the funeral of two journalists killed in an Israeli strike on Tair Harfa the previous day, Beirut, 22 November 2023 (AFP)

In December, Ibrahim Dawi was driving with a group of other journalists on an empty road between the coastal town of Naqoura and Tayri in south Lebanon when they narrowly survived an Israeli attack.

“Israel is specifically targeting journalists to curb the truth. I will need to be more vigilant, but I have no intention to scale back on my reporting,” said Dawi, a 21-year-old reporter for the independent broadcaster Radio Sawt El Shaab.

The incident recalls several others where journalists have been involved in life-threatening experiences when Israel struck areas where they had been reporting on the growing border tension between Israel and Hezbollah.

In total, Israeli attacks have so far claimed the lives of three Lebanese journalists.

On 13 October, an Israeli attack on the border town of Alma al-Chaab struck a group of journalists, including Dawi, killing Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and wounding six others.

“I was near Abdallah when he was killed. The image of his body and dismembered leg being handed to the Civil Defence has since been imprinted on me,” the journalist recalled. 

Israel has repeatedly targeted journalists in Gaza and Lebanon since 7 October, killing at least 90 journalists in Gaza, according to the latest data released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

For the journalists covering the conflict in south Lebanon, the fear of being the next target has grown as Israel now strikes areas that were previously thought to be relatively safe.

Meanwhile, many reporters say they are sent into the field with no appropriate safety guidance and no hostile environment training.

'Full-fledged danger'

The attack on the journalists in Alma al-Chaab was described by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as a war crime

But while the attack led to widespread condemnations and calls for a transparent investigation by the Israeli military, a month later, an Israeli strike killed two more journalists in south Lebanon, Farah Omar and Rabih Maamari, who were on assignment for the pro-Iran channel Al Mayadeen.

Israel-Palestine: Israeli killing of Lebanese journalist 'appears to be war crime'
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A United Nations inquiry determined in a report released on Wednesday that the shelling that killed Abdallah - an attack that hit a group of "clearly identifiable journalists" - was in breach of international law.

Despite witnessing Abdallah’s brutal death, Dawi, a journalist from the town of Zawtar in the Nabatieh province, says he is determined to carry on reporting and documenting all the Israeli violations, even as Israeli fire grows closer. 

“Towns on the borders were relatively safe at the beginning of the war, as the attacks were not close to residential areas… but now that the conflict in the south has expanded, the situation has deteriorated into full-fledged danger as homes are being bombed,” he told Middle East Eye.

On 14 February, an Israeli air strike killed seven civilians from the same family when it hit a residential building in Nabatieh, a city that lies 50 km away from the border with Israel and hosts around 18 percent of the 90,000 people who have fled their homes since the escalation of cross-border tension in October.

The same Israeli attack on the Nabatieh residential building reportedly killed a Hezbollah commander and two fighters. 

‘Torn between duty and life’

At the beginning of the war, Sally Korfaly, 29, a reporter for Al-Iraqiya Broadcasting Television Network, found herself thrust into conflict reporting without any prior experience covering hostile environments.

Her impromptu transition from writing on politics and social topics to reporting from a conflict zone meant she was left to work out what safety precautions to take by herself, risking her safety and life in the process. 

As the security situation worsened, Korfaly decided to scale back on reporting and avoid areas of exceptional violence. But it was not an easy decision.

“I was torn between choosing my safety, and my duty as a journalist to report on the war,” Korfaly said. “I decided not to report every day and dodge highly dangerous zones.”

Lebanese journalist Sally Korfali reporting on an Israeli attack in south Lebanon (provided)
Lebanese journalist Sally Korfali reporting on an Israeli attack in south Lebanon (provided)

She said she was lucky to have her organisation’s backing and was eventually offered safety training to enable her to be better prepared for the dangers of reporting in a conflict zone. But despite this, she says she does not feel any safer.

“Even during times of peace, laws failed to protect us as journalists performing our jobs. The situation only worsened with the war,” the journalist said.

Korfali added that laws intended to protect journalists are frequently disregarded in Lebanon, and reporters are often harassed if they tackle a politically sensitive subject. 

But while Korfali can rely on her organisation for some support at least, independent journalists are facing insurmountable challenges entirely on their own. 

'I have decided to steer clear of dangerous areas because we are offered no safety kits'

- Sally Korfali

Mohamed al-Zanaty, 35, an independent journalist working for multiple regional and international media outlets says that the lack of guarantees, including social and health insurance, adds an additional layer of uncertainty to his work. 

“Working for international media outlets is more financially rewarding, however, I have decided to steer clear of dangerous areas because we are offered no safety kits and it is always a challenge to obtain permits as a freelance journalist,” he said.

He added that the risk is made worse by the impunity that he says Israel enjoys.

“We are reporting on the conflict with [Israel] that has shown no respect to international laws and no intention to avoid targeting journalists,” Zanaty said. 

Veterans step in

Al Jazeera journalist Ayman al-Mawla has been covering wars and conflicts for 34 years, including the 2000 withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon, and the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“There are journalists who lack experience of covering conflicts, and I have become their contact point to offer safety advice, as well as psychological and mental support,” Mawla said. 

Veteran journalist Ayman al-Mawla has been covering wars and conflicts for 34 years (provided)
Veteran journalist Ayman al-Mawla has been covering wars and conflicts for 34 years (provided)

Mawla and another Al Jazeera reporter, Ehab Al Aqdi, have started an initiative to support their less experienced colleagues in southern Lebanon as they cover the conflict.

Their WhatsApp group, which they created in the earlier days of the war and named "We will cross over”, now includes 62 Lebanese and foreign journalists.

The group offers guidance on how to safely reach reporting areas and has set up and shared the location of eight meeting points, all pinned on Google Maps, where journalists in southern Lebanon can gather, helping to create a sense of comradery, both on and off the field. 

'To this day, journalists in the Arab world still lose their lives to conflicts and they are completely disregarded'

- Ayman al-Mawla, journalist

“This [WhatsApp] group has become a safe refuge for journalists, they not only share professional news but they have also bonded together, leaving them feeling safer amid the ongoing conflict,” Mawla said. 

But despite his experience - and taking extra precautions - Mawla only just survived a recent Israeli strike on one of the meeting points he helped set up, where he said everyone was visibly identified as journalists.

Although shocking, the attack came as no surprise. “International laws fail to protect journalists. To this day, journalists in the Arab world still lose their lives to conflicts and they are completely disregarded,” Mawla said.

‘Safety is indisputable’

Because of the lack of proper hostile environment training for journalists with assignments in southern Lebanon, several organisations have stepped in to offer support, including the Samir Kassir Foundation

Widad Jarbouh, a researcher at Samir Kassir Foundation, told MEE that the foundation provides training for an average of 35 journalists from across the region every year. 

The training, which was first offered six years ago, includes workshops that teach journalists to better navigate dangerous situations, as well as offering psychological support to those who have had horrendous experiences while covering wars and conflicts. 

War on Gaza: What it’s like to be a journalist in Gaza right now
Read More »

“In theory, journalists are civilians protected by all international humanitarian laws, but this is a fact that is repeatedly disregarded by Israel,” Jarbouh said. 

In another workshop organised by the International Lebanese Press website in collaboration with the Lebanese Civil Defence, journalists interested in covering conflicts are trained to become war correspondents.

The workshops, which began running in May last year, have so far trained 32 journalists on how to deal with phosphorus attacks, how to protect themselves if a building collapses, and how to perform basic first aid. 

Organiser Khaled Ayyad said that all journalists should be properly trained before they attempt conflict reporting. 

“The safety of journalists should be indisputable,” he said. 

This story was published in collaboration with Egab

Beirut

New York City police raided vendors selling Islamic goods ahead of Ramadan: Report

Par : MEE staff
New York City police raided vendors selling Islamic goods ahead of Ramadan: Report
The nearly 12 vendors on a block in the borough of Queens sold goods like prayer mats, caps, hijabs and Islamic texts, THE CITY reported
MEE staff
Members of the Muslim community gather at Times Square for the first Tarawih prayer of Ramadan in New York City, on 10 March 2024 (David Dee Delgado/AFP)

The New York City Police Department raided a street in the city's borough of Queens, just two days before the start of Ramadan, where Bangladeshi street vendors were selling Islamic goods.

According to a report from THE CITY, the bustling stretch where approximately twelve vendors typically offer Islamic goods in the New York City borough was notably devoid of crates and tables laden with religious texts, prayer mats, and hijabs on Thursday.

This was after police officers instructed them to vacate the area on 8 March, issuing them tickets for unlicensed street vending, THE CITY reported. 

One street vendor told the news outlet that the police officer told him to stop vending and gave him a $250 ticket. He, and others who were affected, expressed fear about returning to the area.

Several of them have now lost their entire source of income, leaving them grappling with the challenge of covering rent and grocery expenses, the news outlet wrote.

“My biggest fear is that I’ll get arrested for working without a license,” street vendor MD Nasir Uddin, who supports his family of five including his three younger siblings, told THE CITY.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to help my family or provide for them anymore - that’s my biggest fear.”

New York City's Halal food vendors brush off hate and forge forward
Read More »

Currently, there are over 11,920 people on a waiting list for a merchandise vendor licence. According to one report, there are currently over 20,000 vendors working in the city - a large portion without licences. 

The licence is required for anyone who sells, leases or offers to sell or lease goods or services in a public space that is not a store.

Vendors are currently calling for the city to raise the number of licences granted to product merchants. This cap has remained fixed at 853 citywide for non-veteran sellers for decades.

In February, councilmember Pierina Ana Sanchez reintroduced a bill to the City Council.

If passed, it would mandate the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to issue 1,500 merchandise vendor licences each year for the following five years. After this period, the cap would be completely lifted.

“When I look at this space, it looks empty right now,” Uddin told THE CITY. “It’s a tough time for us. We had been looking forward to the customers.”

Gaza aid crisis: UK funds for Unrwa still frozen as Australia shifts stance

Gaza aid crisis: UK funds for Unrwa still frozen as Australia shifts stance
Foreign office had said on Tuesday that Australia, the UK and other countries would await investigation reports to make decisions
Dania Akkad
A man collects trash while wearing a jacket bearing the Unrwa logo in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin in January (AFP)

The UK government said on Friday that it has no plans to follow Australia's lead by resuming funding for Unrwa, the United Nations' embattled agency for Palestinian refugees.

On Tuesday, Andrew Mitchell, a British foreign office minister, had named Australia among countries that he said alongside the UK were waiting to see interim reports on two investigations looking into Israeli allegations against Unrwa before making funding decisions.

The other countries named by Mitchell were the US, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands.

But on Friday, Penny Wong, Australia's foreign minister, said her country was reinstating its funding amid concerns about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“Of course, it’s a prime consideration in restoring funding to ensure that Australian funding is used appropriately and we are doing that,” Wong told reporters.

“I would also say it is a prime consideration to recognise that we have children and families who are starving. We have a capacity, along with the international community, to assist them and we know that Unrwa is central and vital to delivering that assistance to the people who need it.”

Wong said Australia's National Security Committee made its decision after input from the UN, Unrwa, Australian government lawyers, and partners like the EU and Canada.

"The best available current advice from agencies and Australian government lawyers is that Unrwa is not a terrorist organisation," she said.

Australia joins the EU, Canada, and Sweden which have all reinstated or proceeded with funding for Unrwa this month.

But the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Friday told Middle East Eye that its future funding for Unrwa remained paused while acknowledging that the agency had a vital role to play.

Mixed messages

Israel alleges that 12 Unrwa staff members took part in the Hamas-led 7 October attacks. Upon learning of the allegations, the agency dismissed 10 of the employees (two others were dead) in a process that the head of the agency admitted amounted to "reverse due process".

Sources in touch with the FCDO have told MEE in recent weeks that there is a sense that many in the agency want to restore funding immediately.

A parliamentary source with direct knowledge of the matter said last week that the government has a plan in place to resume funding.

Another source who was in a meeting with Foreign Secretary David Cameron in early February said Cameron had acknowledged that the UK's decision to suspend funding had been "too hasty" and that he was looking for face-saving measures to reinstate it.

'No evidence has been put in the public domain. It's extraordinary'

- Chris Doyle, Council for Arab-British Understanding

Cameron told the House of Lords last week that the allegations against Unrwa had to be properly investigated, but that if the UK wanted aid delivered, it was the "only body with a distribution network".

Chris Doyle, director of the UK-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, said the seemingly mixed messages reflect the difficult situation that the UK government finds itself in as a result of its swift decision in January.

Instead of pausing funding, he said, the UK should have said it would review funding if an investigation determined that Unrwa was guilty of complicity.

"They've got everything the wrong way around and in the wrong order," Doyle told MEE.

It remains unclear what, if any, evidence formed the basis of the decision of the UK and other countries. On Friday, the EU's top humanitarian aid official said neither he nor anyone in the EU executive to his knowledge, had seen any evidence from Israel to back up its allegations.

"It has been since January and we are now in the middle of March and no evidence has been put in the public domain," Doyle said. "It's extraordinary."

Doyle said he suspects the final decision on the matter lies with 10 Downing Street, the office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, because the funding of Unrwa has become, "whether true or not, bound up with a focus on terrorism and extremism". There would also, he said, be pressure to stay in line with the US.

Countries froze Unrwa funds without seeing evidence of Israeli claims
Read More »

US officials meanwhile are reportedly bracing for their funding pause to become permanent as a result of opposition in Congress.

Doyle said this was "a huge problem" and would be a return to 2018 when the Trump administration cut all funding to the agency.

"Unrwa will be begging to other donors to try to make up the difference with the loss of its largest funder," he said.

If funding had not been paused, the next British payment would be due in April.

Juliette Touma, Unrwa's director of communications, said on Friday that the agency is currently $380m in deficit as a result of the 13 countries whose funding remains suspended.

"Not having Unrwa fully funded will have significant circumstances on millions of people in Gaza and around the region," she told MEE. 

"Unrwa provides public services and humanitarian supplies to one of the most vulnerable communities in the world - the Palestinian refugees." 

Iran: Supreme Leader Khamenei says his son won’t replace him. But don’t rule it out

Iran: Supreme Leader Khamenei says his son won’t replace him. But don’t rule it out
Conservative sources say Mojtaba still has a chance at succeeding his father, despite the briefings suggesting the opposite
MEE correspondent
Son of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019 (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei in 2019 (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)

As Ali Khamenei grows older, and no clear favourite to replace the 84-year-old as Iran’s supreme leader emerges, speculation has increased around a possible succession by his son Mojtaba.

Yet a member of the Assembly of Experts, the body of senior figures that elects supreme leaders, has insisted Khamenei opposes the idea of his son one day leading the Islamic Republic.

Khamenei rejects talk of the assembly even considering the possibility of one of his four sons becoming supreme leader, Mahmoud Mohammadi Araghi said in an interview with the ILNA news agency last month.

He recounted an occasion where discussion arose about one of the supreme leader's sons, who, according to Araghi, possesses high-level Islamic fiqh expertise, meaning knowledge of sharia.

According to Araghi, Khamenei intervened, deeming it akin to raising the possibility of hereditary leadership, and forbidding any further examination of his suitability.

Araghi then shared another anecdote, in which Khamenei made clear that he opposes the close associates of senior leaders, especially their children, from accepting any official positions.

In November, a member of the Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Rahim Tavakol, revealed a secret three-person commission had been set up to draft a list of people who could succeed Khamenei.

Qualified candidates undergo an evaluation before consultation with Khamenei, Tavakol said.

It is believed that it was during discussions in this commission that the supreme leader made his feelings known about Mojtaba.

The rise of Mojtaba

The debate over Khamenei’s succession has grown increasingly heated.

Critics of the supreme leader - both at home and abroad - have accused the establishment of paving the way for Mojtaba to replace him.

There have been rumours since 2005 that Mojtaba, Khamenei’s second of four sons, plays a leading role in decision-making, whispers that have only grown over the years.

During the 2005 elections, reformist leader Mehdi Karroubi wrote to Khamenei urging him to curb Mojtaba’s influence.

He warned the supreme leader about what he perceived as "Mojtaba's interventions in support of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad" and called on Khamenei to confront them.

Ali Khamenei casts his votes in the Assembly of Experts elections on 1 March in Tehran (Reuters/Sobhan Farajvan)
Ali Khamenei casts his votes in the Assembly of Experts elections on 1 March in Tehran (Reuters/Sobhan Farajvan)

Following the 2009 disputed election that was declared for Ahmadinejad, thousands of Iranian protesters chanted "Mojtaba you will die, but won't be the leader" in cities across the country.

Mir Hossein Mousavi, the reformist leader under house arrest since declaring the 2009 elections rigged, issued a statement two years ago warning against "hereditary leadership".

"Have the 2,500-year-old dynasties in Iran returned for a son to ascend to power after his father?" he said.

"For 13 years, we've heard about this conspiracy. If they are not truly pursuing it, why don't they once deny such intentions?"

In an indirect response, the Assembly of Experts then insisted that the supreme leader’s selection process would be based on "meritocracy and choosing the most qualified".

Pathway blocked?

A well-informed conservative source was left in no doubt that Araghi’s intervention was not made off the cuff.

"Mohammadi Araghi is also the little-known chairman of the leader's office in Qom, and what he said was undoubtedly pre-planned - a decision to test society's reaction and make the public less sensitive to Mojtaba," he told Middle East Eye, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"I believe Khamenei may say whatever regarding his son, but this doesn't necessarily mean blocking Mojtaba's path to leadership. Moreover, if the Assembly names him as leader, it would be considered a democratic election by members voted in by the people, thereby bypassing concerns of a monarchistic nature."

Another conservative figure, who worked within the Iranian ruling establishment, noted that Khamenei didn’t actually deny in Araghi’s anecdote that Mojtaba had the requisite jurisprudential and political qualifications to become supreme leader.

'The key point is that Khamenei has practically affirmed the political and jurisprudential capabilities of Mojtaba'

- Conservative source

“Rather, he only expressed concerns about the hereditary semblance of leadership determination. Therefore, this could merely be a political formality. The key point is that Khamenei has practically affirmed the political and jurisprudential capabilities of Mojtaba," he said.

"Suppose the leader is opposed to this idea, but whatever is decided now can change later, especially since Mojtaba now holds significant power and allies.”

The source raised the example of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah naming Mohammed bin Nayef as a deputy crown prince to direct future lines of succession. Yet, the source noted, Mohammed bin Salman was able to remove Mohammed bin Nayef in 2017 and replace him as crown prince. “Therefore, nothing can be finalised and certain.”

The conservative source said he had also heard Khamenei had blocked Mojtaba’s path to the leadership.

“He had found out that Mojtaba was planning for such a position by publishing a manuscript of his fatwa book. But the leader stated that he didn't want the Islamic Republic to turn into a monarchy," he said.

"Despite all this, I believe that after the leader's death, everything can change, and Mojtaba could rise to power."

Ultraconservative efforts

Earlier this month, Iranians voted in elections for the 88-member Assembly of Experts. It’s expected to be the last election for the body before Khamenei’s death, when it will be tasked to choose the next leader.

The poll and the vetting of candidates by the Guardian Council were widely seen as indicators of who might eventually come out on top. Notably, the Guardian Council controversially barred former president Hassan Rouhani and other moderate figures.

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Among those jockeying for power, according to a prominent cleric based in the holy city of Qom, is a group of ultra-conservative “radicals” known as the Endurance Front.

Established in 2012 by ultra-conservative Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazidi, who led the group until his death in 2021, the Endurance Front has members and supporters across Iranian institutions, holding a significant presence in parliament.

“I've learned that they harbour ambitions and lobby for someone very close to Mesbah Yazdi to become the next leader," he said.

This person was not President Ebrahim Raisi, he added.

However, Raisi nonetheless has his ambitions. According to an editor at a conservative newspaper, Raisi's team and his inner circle, including his sons-in-law, want to position him as a possible successor to Khamenei.

Yet the editor told MEE he believes Raisi has no chance due to perceived incompetence, which has tarnished his image in recent years. "Any slight chance he may have had is now considered lost," said the editor.

"Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the former judiciary chief and a conservative, used to be a strong candidate. But he is now excluded from the game by others."

Rouhani’s role

Though conservatives have a firm grip on the government and the most powerful Iranian institutions, reformist and moderate figures have not given up hope of becoming supreme leader.

According to a well-connected reformist activist, both Rouhani and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, see themselves as potential leaders.

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The establishment tried to pre-empt this, the activist said, by rejecting their candidacy for the Assembly of Experts before the last election.

Nothing is certain, he stressed, noting that being disqualified from the Assembly of Experts does not disqualify a candidate for supreme leader. Rouhani's adept lobbying skills could sway Assembly members when the right time comes.

Personally, however, “Rouhani's chance [of becoming supreme leader] is very low and he needs some sort of miracle."

Amid all this speculation comes another anecdote, once again coming from Mahmoud Mohammadi Araghi.

According to Araghi, Khamenei said that when he was selected as supreme leader to replace the late Ruhollah Khomenei, Ahmad Khomeini, the late leader's son, told the Assembly:

"You've chosen someone very good. You've chosen a young leader. For now, there is no need to choose another leader soon."

Mojtaba, it should be noted, is just 55.

Tehran
Iran’s supreme leader says his son won’t replace him. But don’t rule it out

Islamic State: Turkish women prisoners in Iraq ask to be tried in Turkey

Islamic State: Turkish women prisoners in Iraq ask to be tried in Turkey
A letter signed by 37 women expresses regret for joining militant group and asks to be repatriated
Levent Kemal
A woman looks on at the Jadaa rehabilitation camp, where refugees and displaced live alongside families linked to the Islamic State, near Mosul, Iraq, on 11 May 2022 (AFP)

Dozens of Turkish women held in a high-security prison in Iraq for being members of the Islamic State (IS) are calling on Turkey to repatriate them and let them stand trial in their own country.

In a video message that was apparently recorded at the Rusafa prison in Baghdad, 37 women expressed regret for joining IS, saying that they had “made mistakes” while they were very young.

They also denied ever having participated in armed or non-armed struggle and asked the Turkish government to repatriate them.

In 2013, IS launched a brutal campaign to establish a so-called Islamic Caliphate, capturing swathes of territories in Syria and Iraq, and killing thousands of people over five years until its defeat in 2019.

More than 200 Turkish women surrendered to Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the Tal Afar region in late 2017, and have since been held in the Rusafa prison.

In phone conversations with Middle East Eye, some of the women said that they were transferred to Baghdad by the Peshmerga forces.

Iraqi judges had sentenced the underage girls to five years in prison, while the rest were first sentenced to death and then to life imprisonment, they told MEE.

They also said that there were no fair trials conducted in Iraq and that they wanted to be tried in Turkey instead.

In a separate statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, the 37 Turkish women claimed that their ties to IS had been completely severed due to the lengthy judicial process and the harsh conditions at the prison, signing a letter that said they now see IS as a terror group.

Lütfen sesimize kulak verin.. @zyapicioglu@HurDavaPartisi @sehzadedemir
@FarukDinc21@AvSerkanRamanli https://t.co/p1xFP0vZ0h pic.twitter.com/IFZB8bAALl

— RUSAFA/Temsilci Ayşegül D. (@bagdat_rusafa) February 10, 2024

Aysegul Dindar, one of the prisoners, told MEE that the women had started their campaign to express remorse in the hope of receiving the amnesty that was rumoured on social media in January.

Firat Avci, founder of the Savasin Magdur Kadinlari ("War’s Women Victims") platform that aims to bring Turkish women back to Turkey for a fair trial, said that there are more women who express remorse for joining IS, but they are scared of retribution by the militant group.

Yonca Yilmaz, who started working in the textile industry at a young age, told MEE that a pro-IS friend convinced her to move to Iraq, arguing that she would escape the financial difficulties she had been facing.

She said she later realised her mistake and repeatedly tried to escape without success.

Another woman, Sena, 24, said that she went to Iraq with her family when she was a child and was not aware of the situation she was heading into.

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Earlier this month, Turkey and the United States said in a joint statement that it was important to repatriate IS-affiliated detainees and displaced persons from northeast Syria to their countries of origin, “where they can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities of origin, and, as appropriate, brought to justice".

The statement gave hope to the Turkish prisoners in Baghdad, leading Dindar to thank the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on social media.

Turkish sources familiar with the discussions told MEE that the Turkish prisoners in Iraq could also be considered as part of this process.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US partner group in Syria that is viewed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, also holds approximately 70,000 people who are allegedly affiliated with IS in the Roj and al-Hol camps, including an estimated 120 Turkish citizens.

Although there have been rumours from time to time within the international anti-IS coalition that Turkey will take back IS suspects who are Turkish citizens, no progress has been made so far.

Some IS prisoners and their families at the camps in Syria have claimed that the SDF has taken blood and DNA samples from them in recent months.

MEE was unable to verify these claims from official authorities.

Istanbul, Turkey
Turkish female Islamic State members held in Iraq ask to be tried in Turkey

Israeli forces block thousands from Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli forces block thousands from Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Even the elderly turned away as thousands blocked from entering Jerusalem from the West Bank on the first Friday of Ramadan
Mosab Shawer
Worshippers pray at al-Aqsa on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan (Reuters)
Worshippers pray at Al-Aqsa on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan (Reuters)

Israeli restrictions have prevented thousands of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank from going to Friday prayers at occupied East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, including elderly and female worshippers.

Typically, the first Friday of Ramadan would see tens of thousands of worshippers travel to the mosque from across the West Bank.

However, Israeli forces blocked roads since the early hours of the morning, according to local media, even preventing medical teams from entering the site. 

The Palestinian Red Crescent said: “Israeli forces prevented all ambulances and crew members, as well as all medical teams, from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Several military checkpoints were established on the roads between the West Bank and Jerusalem. Witnesses told Middle East Eye that Israeli forces were particularly heavily deployed around the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, as well as in Zaytouna and Bethlehem. 

Thousands of worshippers were sent back after being denied entry through the checkpoints. 

While Israel initially said elders would be allowed to cross, some speaking to Middle East Eye said they were denied entry. Many were sent away under the pretext of not having "prayer permits".

'I am 90 years old, what is your problem with me?'

- Palestinian worshipper

“They told me to go back," one man said after being turned away in Bethlehem. "I am 90 years old, what is your problem with me?”

The man, filled with sadness, said he would make another attempt to be allowed in. 

Hanan, a 50-year-old woman told MEE she left her village of Arab al-Rashayda, a roughly 80km drive to Bethlehem, right after finishing suhoor, the meal Muslims consume before fasting starts at dawn. She was also told she needed a permit.

“We used to enter normally, this year they have tightened [their restrictions]," she said.

Many remain determined to go, despite Israeli restrictions.

jeru
Women wait in Bethlehem, hoping to be granted access to Al-Aqsa Mosque (Mosab Shawer/MEE)

"We need to get to Al-Aqsa," said an old man waiting in line in his wheelchair. "Even if I must die, even if it were the last day of my life, I must reach Al-Aqsa, God permitting."

Iron barricades

On Thursday, Israeli forces could also be seen installing iron barricades in the Old City of Jerusalem in streets leading to Al-Aqsa, to control and limit the numbers of people allowed to enter. Nearby roads were also closed off. 

Rania Abu Safiya, 38, told local media that she tried to go to Al-Aqsa from Ramallah, but was told that she was not allowed. 

BREAKING| Israeli forces start installing steel barricades on the entrances to Al Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/wv7WJ1V8h9

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 14, 2024

"We wait for the month of Ramadan every year to enter the city of Jerusalem and pray. Today we were prevented due to the restrictions imposed," she said. 

"We only came to pray. Where is the freedom of movement and freedom of worship? We are prevented from accessing the holy places during the month of worship.”

aqsa
A couple show their identification to Israeli guards in Bethlehem (Mosab Shawer/MEE)

Many elderly people were also turned away after hours of trying to reach the mosque. Israel usually allows the elderly to access Al-Aqsa Mosque even when it imposes strict restrictions on worshippers.

Sadiq, 71, from the town of Huwwara near the West Bank's Nablus, said he was “sent back under the pretext that I didn’t have a security card and prayer permit”. 

“At this age, why am I being asked for a permit, and where are the facilities to help? This is an Israeli policy aimed at preventing Palestinians from entering Al-Aqsa under the pretext of security,” he added.

He said that this is the first year he has been prevented from entering the holy site during Ramadan, and that it “felt like a slap”.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" the Israeli restrictions.

It accused Israel of militarising Jerusalem after "hundreds" of iron barriers were set up in the city and thousands of Israeli officers were deployed. 

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

London
Bethlehem, occupied Palestine

Why is everyone talking about Shaun King?

Par : MEE staff
Why is everyone talking about Shaun King?
The activist's conversion to Islam has resurfaced old accusations that King's past advocacy for the Black Lives Matter movement was insincere
MEE staff
Shaun King accepts an award onstage during Rihanna's 5th Annual Diamond Ball benefitting The Clara Lionel Foundation in New York City, on 12 September 2019 (Dave Kotinsky/AFP)

Shaun King, an American writer and activist, has been in the news again this past week. His recent conversion to Islam, which he did along with his wife, kicked off a storm on social media. 

"Grifter extraordinaire, Shaun King aka Talcum X, takes the shahada literally 24hrs ago, and already he is monetizing it. Are some Muslims really that stupid?" one person wrote on X. 

King, wearing a keffiyeh, and his wife Dr Rai King, both embraced Islam at a community centre in Texas one day before the start of Ramadan, with Omar Suleiman, a well-known imam, by their side. Many Muslims on social media rejoiced.

King credited his decision to the “past six months of suffering, pain and trauma that we’ve seen in Gaza”, referring to Israel's war on the enclave.

“It has touched me in the most profound ways to see people right now in the most dangerous, traumatic place on the planet still be able to sometimes look at nothing but rubble and the remains of their family, and still see meaning and purpose in life.”

“Their faith and their devotion to Islam has not only opened my heart but has opened the hearts of millions of people around the world,” he said when he converted.

But then, others began posting on social media.

“In Islam, you have to seek forgiveness from the person or people you’ve harmed, you can’t just expect Allah’s mercy when you haven’t addressed the harm you’ve caused,” one person wrote on X. 

“Shaun King's grift with the Christian church is over, so now he's converting. He's such a con,” wrote another.

But why has King elicited such strong backlash in the first place? 

Controversies 

King is the CEO of The North Star and the executive director of the Grassroots Law Project, a nonprofit organisation that has collaborated since 2020 with progressive district attorneys in Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco to establish commissions focused on tackling systemic harm stemming from law enforcement and prosecutors in those urban areas.

In the past, King has raised money for the Black Lives Matter movement. Throughout his years as a social justice activist raising awareness for various injustices around the US and the world, King has faced criticism over his fundraising efforts.

Middle East Eye reached out to King for comment on his conversion and the criticism he has received, but he did not respond by the time of publication. 

King has been highly successful in raising funds for the families of certain victims and for his own projects, a factor that has prompted some to label him as a grifter, despite never facing charges of misappropriating funds.

In 2013, King allegedly charged people $49.99 for "Life Goals University", where he said he would teach people how to take charge of their lives. He was accused of not following through on those commitments and the website shut down.

Then in 2014, Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy was killed by police in Ohio for carrying a toy gun. In 2021, King posted an article he wrote regarding a conversation with Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir. 

In a discussion with theGrio at the time, King described his conversation with Rice as “positive and warm”. He explained that the encounter was arranged following interactions between members of their teams who aimed to see Tamir's case reopened.

King noted that the meeting led to daily communication between their staff thereafter.

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Then, Rice released a statement, saying: "I never gave you permission to raise anything."

She added, "Along with the United States, you robbed me for the death of my son.”

Someone who attended the Zoom meeting later posted screenshots of the meeting, defending King. 

In 2019, King sent an email to a young Black activist, warning that unless she deleted a tweet about him mishandling fundraisers that he deemed "defamatory", he intended to take legal action against her.

Within this email, he mentioned retaining the services of four attorneys to proceed with the lawsuit against her.

According to his critics, he did not actually hire any of those lawyers “but instead used their names and his relationship with them to threaten Clarissa into submission”, in reference to Clarissa Brooks, the activist.

“The fact that we still have to yell about Shaun King being a bad person after all these years is proof that no one has ever listened to Black women when it comes to anything actually important. He’s the most transparently insincere person, this is stupid as hell,” one person wrote on X. 

But despite the allegations, King has never been charged with misusing funds. In fact, he encourages people to reach out to the police or their district attorney if they have any proof that he has misused funds. 

In 2019, King offered his critics “an unfettered look at his finances”, detailing the $34.5m collected since the inception of the Black Lives Matter movement, through a “team of experts” named the Shaun King Financial Review Board. 

This board asserted that there was “absolutely no evidence” of misconduct by its founder.

The board elaborated at that time, “We searched, and we asked.” 

They said that, “No single family, charity, cause, or campaign said Shaun was ever compensated directly or indirectly for his online fundraising.”

'Griftar'

A day after his public conversion, he announced the Uncensored Iftar tour with professor and author Khaled Beydoun - who is no stranger to controversy himself - with general admission costing $60 and premium tickets costing up to $120. 

People began to tell others not to spend that much money, labelling the event with the pun, "Griftar". King defended himself on Facebook, saying that 100 percent of the money raised goes to the charity, Human Concern International, and would go straight to Gaza.

“All of it. We never touch it. We say this at every event. The charity says this. They have even removed their own fees and percentages to make sure that 100 percent of the money donated at each event goes ONLY TO GAZA.  We’ve raised millions. And are proud of it,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

“The idea that me and Khaled Beydoun are pocketing the money we raise at these events is outrageous. The charities themselves would NEVER go for it.”

Hassan Wadi, the global director at Human Concern International, wrote on Instagram that money raised through the events has gone to Gaza.

“I would suggest you attend and observe before you judge especially in the month of Ramadan. Let’s be positive and not push people away please," he wrote.

He added that the events are nothing lavish; they are done “theatre style” and there are no fancy decorations, “just a banner”.

10-minute takedown clip of all of Shaun King's scams over the years, targeting marginalized communities.

Via @_iamblakeley on Instagram pic.twitter.com/thP7AVhb7X

— Ghada Sasa | غادة سعسع PhD(c) 🇵🇸 (@sasa_ghada) March 13, 2024

 

King also launched a LaunchGood page raising money to provide hot meals for those fasting in Gaza. So far, the page has raised over $1m.

People on social media, both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, caused a storm. But why? They argued that there is no guarantee that the donations will even go to Gaza. 

King defended himself on Facebook and said: “I have people in my life that I am accountable to. Boards. Mentors. Staff. Compliance officers. Family. I will NEVER attempt to prove to anyone online that I am ‘really a Muslim.’ I am putting my heart and soul into Islam and it is now the centre of my life.”

“Stealing from people or causes or charities is a crime. If you believe I am doing this, TURN ME IN. But if all you do is make Instagram posts saying I’m a thief, you are showing off for attention. Call the police. Call the attorney general or district attorney of your city and state,” he added. 

How a disparate group of volunteers galvanised pro-Palestine advocacy in NYC

Par : Azad Essa
How a disparate group of volunteers galvanised pro-Palestine advocacy in NYC
An army of volunteers has worked tirelessly to mobilise protests and disruptive actions to raise consciousness for Palestine in the biggest city in US
Azad Essa
Janee, of Cuban heritage, says the volunteer meetings have given her a chance to be part of something bigger (Azad Essa/MEE)

Ziyaad Zeineldine was walking past The People's Forum in New York City one afternoon in November when he spotted a Palestinian flag in a window.

Unaccustomed to seeing Palestinian symbols in midtown Manhattan, he stepped into the sprawling office on 37th Street and discovered one of the city's key hubs for mobilisation and action on Palestine.

The organisers inside invited him to join what they called a "volunteers meeting" the following Monday. 

Aggrieved by the devastating loss of life in the war on Gaza - by early November around 10,000 Palestinians, including more than 4,000 children and 2,700 women had already been killed by Israel in the besieged Strip, today it is over 31,000 dead - Zeineldine agreed to return.

In doing so, Zeineldine became part of an army of hundreds of volunteers across the five boroughs in New York as well as across the Hudson River in New Jersey, where Zeineldine lives, making their way each Monday evening to Manhattan to discuss, plan actions, and mobilise others to bring an end to what they say is a "genocide" in Gaza.

Zeineldine has since helped to organise several actions across the city, lending his "obnoxiously loud voice" - as he calls it - to protests.

"I feel a beautiful level of solidarity when I am here," Zeineldine, of Egyptian heritage, told Middle East Eye at a volunteer meeting in March.

"It feels like our souls are connected together in one place. And it gives me a sense of purpose on a weekly basis," he added.

Volunteers at the peoples Forum NYC (MEE/Azad Essa)
Ziyaad Zeineldine leading chants for Palestine in Teaneck, New Jersey, on 9 March 2023 (Azad Essa/MEE)

Volunteers come every Monday evening to The People's Forum to discuss and plan actions for Palestine (MEE/Azad Essa)
Volunteers come every Monday evening to The People's Forum to discuss and plan actions for Palestine (Azad Essa/MEE)

The People's Forum, based in Manhattan, calls itself "a movement incubator" that promotes social and economic equality in the US and across the globe.

According to Layan Fuleihan, education coordinator at The People's Forum, the original impetus for the volunteer meetings came during November's National March to Washington, which saw around 500,000 people descend on the US capital to rally for Palestine.

Having witnessed the level of energy and interest among activists to organise and become involved, Fuleihan said The People's Forum - along with allies like the Palestine Youth Movement, Al Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, and others - would try to harness these energies across different communities to continue to build a self-sustaining and flourishing movement for Palestine.

Fuleihan said they also recognised that public sentiment towards Palestinians among young Americans was starting to shift during the period, and wanted to build on that.

Still, it wasn't clear how many, if any at all, would respond to the open call for volunteers.

But hundreds arrived. Almost five months later, the numbers are increasing, with each volunteer brimming with ideas and a drive for action. 

A number of events in New York City over the past five months were either planned there or brought to life out of the interactions between people coming to the Forum.  And it started with the city-wide shutdown of businesses on 17 November. 

Volunteers mapped out the city, identifying and approaching businesses to shut down in support of Gaza and Palestinians in the war on the enclave. The shutdown was a resounding success with hundreds of businesses closing their doors.

Since then, the volunteer meetings on Mondays have functioned as a circuit for getting information out, as well as mobilising others to take action: the set of Palestine stickers on the light pole or that poster at a New Yorker's local bodega or bus stop calling for a protest in Manhattan or in Brooklyn; that random person on the street handing out flyers or offering a 90-second pitch for Palestine between stations on the subway, urging people to care and to take to the streets.

"Every week we picked on a new skill. Pickets, door knocking, strikes. They built on other tactics to get the word out and to get more people involved," Fuleihan says. 

Many of the more imaginative actions have come from the volunteers themselves.

For one week in November, protesters hung outside Senator Chuck Schumer's house, striking pots and pans at 0430 in the morning local time.

In another action, others camped outside Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin's home on Christmas morning to protest against US military support for Israel.

Not only have the efforts led to effective mobilising, it has led to another outcome: an organising infrastucture.

Volunteers at the peoples Forum NYC (MEE/Azad Essa)
Volunteers discuss ideas and methods to reach new people to help spread the word about Palestine (Azad Essa/MEE)

Volunteers at the peoples Forum NYC (MEE/Azad Essa)
Discussions revolve around building a self-sustaining and flourishing movement for Palestine in New York City (Azad Essa/MEE)

Over several weeks, MEE observed as hundreds of volunteers descended to the venue each Monday, breaking up into groups based on locality, with sub-groups of students and artists taking shape.

The groups discussed actions from the previous week, successes and failures, and prospects for the coming weeks. They also discussed in detail what would be meaningful action for them to target as a community.

In one meeting, volunteers exchanged ideas on how to approach businesses to put up posters or request them to close their business as part of a city-wide shutdown for Palestine that took place earlier this week.

“Most of the bodegas I have approached understand immediately. I don’t have to say much," one volunteer said. 

Another suggests approaching smoke shops.

“Yeah, especially since those are legal now, too,” another replied with a smile.

In another break-out, volunteers would talk about elected officials who need to be held to account - and so disruptions are planned. 

The network of volunteers from different backgrounds, some in graphic design or public relations or tech or business management, means a plethora of skill sets.

The volume of people from different localities means there's a ready-made infrastructure of capable and connected volunteers willing to mobilise for Palestine at a moment's notice.

Volunteers describe the interactions as both a way to help them cope with the devastating events around them as well as work towards potentially laying the foundation to put an end to them.

"I find purpose coming here," said Areej Khan with the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation-Al Awda (PAL-Awda) NY/NJ.

"I don't feel like I have done anything with my day until I have done something for Palestine," Khan said.

Another volunteer, who asked to remain anonymous due to her immigration status, told MEE that "as an Arab and a Muslim she felt it was important to show up in the belly of the beast, as we call it".

“We are finding a lot of people are sympathetic to the cause. And I have been organising for a long time and we didn’t see this type of presence for Palestine. If you go to lower-income neighborhoods you will see stickers and posters everywhere; people wearing keffiyehs,” the organiser added.

Others like Janee, a volunteer who only offered her first name, said she felt it was important to be around like-minded people and in a place where she can learn how to better organise for the issues she cares about. 

"I feel like I am learning about the history [of Palestine], about the compassion that other people have," Janee, whose family hails from Cuba, told MEE.

Khan agrees.

She says the diverse conversations naturally lead to questions and these questions provide an opportunity for more political education. 

"There is a way to support Palestine that is more true to the Palestinians because it's led by them. The political education is from Palestinians, the political messaging is from Palestinians.

"It is not from other people. It is not from allies. It is not from people who think they understand the Palestinian cause. It's directly people talking to people from Gaza and bringing these messages to us," Khan added.

Fadi Quran, a Palestinian campaigner with Avaaz living in the occupied West Bank, who came by one of the open meetings in March, said he was in awe of the level of organising in the city.

"For decades we have felt alone. And watching all of these organisers come together from such different backgrounds, ethnicities, it gives us hope that freedom is possible in this lifetime," Quran told MEE.

(MEE/Azad Essa)
 The break-out groups have brought local expertise and context to organising around the city (Azad Essa/MEE) 

Volunteers at the peoples Forum NYC (MEE/Azad Essa)
 Volunteers say they feel a sense of community attending the weekly meetings (Azad Essa/MEE)

New York City has always been a vibrant home to protest and public dissent.

Several other organisations, like Within Our Lifetime (WOL), have also been at the forefront of nonstop direct actions in the city, for months leading daily protests in different locations across the five boroughs.

WOL, led by Palestinian-American Nerdeen Kiswani, has been routinely attacked and censored for their actions in support of Palestine.

Since February, WOL has been permanently banned from Instagram.

Others, like Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), have arranged several sit-ins, vigils and protests, too. 

While the public nature of the meetings at The People's Forum has given unprecedented access to a new generation of activists, thinkers and doers, it has also brought about the prospect of infiltrators and troublemakers looking to destabilise their efforts.

Rallies have also brought several incidents of police repression and intimidation.

The Peoples Forum, along with the activist group Code Pink, has also been accused of being a front for Chinese state-sponsored propaganda.

Organisers say they won't be cowed by what they describe as "the new McCarthyism that is targeting peace activists, critics of US foreign policy, and Chinese Americans".

On Monday, the first day of Ramadan, volunteers stopped and waited for their Muslim colleagues to open their fast, before continuing with their discussions and planning for daily and weekly actions.

The coalition says they are now preparing for a massive protest on 30 March.

The organiser from Brooklyn, who asked to remain anonymous, says the movement has already heightened consciousness.

“One of the things we keep on chanting at protests is that we are all Palestinians. And people in this movement really believe that.”

“Gaza is not just fighting for Gaza. Gaza is fighting for every oppressed person everywhere. And people here know that. And when you fight for Palestine, you are inevitably conscious of other things and have conviction for them,” she added.

Zeineldine, the activist from New Jersey, agrees.

"We are building something here. InshAllah, even after this genocide ends. I don't think this movement will end. 

"We are not calling for a ceasefire. We are calling for full liberation. And an end to the occupation. From the River to the Sea," he added.

New York City

Two Palestinian women barred from boarding EasyJet flights to Cairo at London airport

Two Palestinian women barred from boarding EasyJet flights to Cairo at London airport
The women were refused boarding on two separate EasyJet flights in February and March by staff citing 'rule changes' due to 'recent events'
Katherine Hearst
Rana Baker is a a lecturer in the history of the Middle East at King’s College London who was travelling to Cairo for a work trip (Rana Baker/X)

Two Palestinian women have reported that they were refused boarding on easyJet flights from London to Cairo in February and March by staff citing recent "rule changes".

Rana Baker, a lecturer in the history of the Middle East at King’s College London, who was travelling from London Luton to Cairo on 7 March for a work trip, was denied boarding and informed that policy changes now required her to have a visa in order to travel to Egypt.

Baker, who has family in Cairo and is in the UK on a work visa, regularly travels to the Egyptian capital and has previously only been required to obtain an entry visa on arrival.

"I know that these are not the rules, I go multiple times a year," Baker told Middle East Eye. "I told them that I go to Cairo all the time, I was there in December, I don’t need a visa to go.

"I'm very used to going to check in and staff members calling someone or looking on the system, and then they always see that a prior visa needs to be held by Palestinian men, not women. I explained this, and I said, just check, I've done this a million times, and they kept giving me the same answer.

"I felt like there was something else going on.

'I thought, I'm stranded in London forever, and how am I going to see my family?'

- Rana Baker, academic

"If I want to go home to Gaza, I need to go to Cairo first. It would be really odd if they had this rule that I need to go through this process because that’s just how I get home." 

Baker spoke to multiple staff members who all confirmed that she was required to obtain a visa before travel.

Finally, one staff member admitted that "rules had been changed" following "recent events" in Palestine, referring to the five-month-long Israeli assault on Gaza that began on 7 October.

"I don't understand how these events are relevant when just before my flight there was a plane full of Israelis going to Tel Aviv and there seemed to be no problem," Baker said.

"I kind of believed it for a second," she said. "I was like, rules have changed and I'm not aware of it and maybe I actually need a visa. So then I thought, I'm stranded in London forever, and how am I going to see my family?"

A ‘misunderstanding’

Baker then went to Heathrow to try to catch an EgyptAir flight. The airline staff told Baker there had been no rule changes for visas and allowed her to board the flight and obtain her visa in Cairo.

Home Office refuses visa for Palestinian refugee supported by prestigious UK scholarship
Read More »

In a series of emails to Baker, easyJet admitted they had wrongly denied Baker boarding but repeatedly failed to acknowledge the rule changes and insisted that "staff were only following the information provided". 

On 6 March, the airline informed her that they would be conducting an investigation into her case, promising to call her on 13 March with the outcomes of the investigation. Baker did not receive the call.

On 15 March, Baker contacted the airline threatening legal action and promptly received a call from easyJet promising that the investigation would be launched imminently and that her ticket would be refunded in full, along with payment of compensation and reimbursement of expenses.

EasyJet had initially only refunded Baker the tax amount of her ticket, despite telling MEE that they would "refund her for her original flights, reimburse her expenses and provide the compensation she is due."

During the phone call, the easyJet staff member said she was not "entirely sure" why Baker was denied boarding.

In response to a request for comment regarding Baker's case, easyJet denied that staff had cited policy changes and attributed the incident "to a misunderstanding of travel documentation requirements by our ground handling provider".

MEE reached out to EasyJet's ground handling provider at London Luton, Menzies Aviation, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

A precautionary measure

Alia, who asked for her real name not to be revealed, was also barred from boarding an easyJet flight with her three children from London Luton to Cairo on 22 February.

"I'm here on a [UK] spouse visa. So I've got my residence permit with me, but they said no, you cannot travel with us without getting a visa," she told MEE.

"They told me the rules had changed recently, without mentioning the recent war."

Alia then went to the Egyptian consulate who informed her that the rules had not changed and she did not need a visa to fly, but advised her that as a precautionary measure, she should obtain visas before travel because some airlines were not familiar with the rules.

"Even for my kids, I put [the visas] in their passports. They are British citizens and have British passports. But the consulate told me that it's better to put it now for them," she said.

Alia contacted the airline twice requesting a full refund, which they refused, only offering to refund the tax amount. 

Easyjet did not provide comment on Alia's case by the time of publication.

War on Gaza: Over 20 killed in new massacre of Palestinians waiting for aid

War on Gaza: Over 20 killed in new massacre of Palestinians waiting for aid
Israeli helicopters fired on crowd of thousands waiting to receive aid, eyewitnesses say
Mohammed al-Hajjar
Dead bodies arrive at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza following an Israeli attack on people waiting to get aid (MEE/Mohammed al-Hajjar)

At least 20 Palestinians were killed and over 100 wounded by Israeli fire on Thursday evening while they were awaiting aid in northern Gaza, eyewitnesses have said.

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said that 20 dead bodies and 155 wounded people have arrived at al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza alone. It said that it is working to retrieve more dead bodies.

The ministry added that it expects the death toll to rise because of "the seriousness of the injuries" of individuals reaching Gaza's hospitals.

A journalist with Al Jazeera Arabic reported that nearly 50 Palestinians were killed. Several news outlets also reported that dozens more were wounded. MEE could not independently verify the figure.

The attack took place when an Israeli helicopter fired on a crowd of thousands of Palestinians waiting for aid at the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City.

Mohammed, a local resident, told Middle East Eye they typically gather in the area around sunset to collect flour for their children from the aid trucks. 

“We gathered and we were all shot at, there was no mercy,” he said.

“We were slaughtered, they killed my brother. There are over 50 people killed, all severed limbs. There was no mercy at all. It was all just for some flour.”

gaza
Palestinians wait to be seen in the al-Shifa Hospital following the attack (MEE/Mohammed al-Hajjar)

He described bodies being taken to hospital in parts following the attack.

“We are not going to kill, we’re just going to get food for children,” he wailed, distraught.

“It was a massacre, we were slaughtered, and there was no mercy,” he added, saying his brother’s children will have no one to care or provide for them anymore. 

By the morning, Mohammed said that dogs had gathered around the dead bodies because they were not able to take them away. 

'Daily massacres'

Amjad Ahmed, a young Palestinian who was queuing up to get aid at the time of the attack, said that Israeli jets circled above them. He says that his cousin was one of those who were killed in the attack.

“Who is going to get food for the children now?” he asked, adding that white phosphorus was also used. 

According to Ahmed, the attack happened at around 9 pm but they had to wait until Friday morning to collect the bodies of the dead. 

A doctor from the emergency department at al-Shifa Hospital told MEE that most of the people who were brought to the hospital after the attack needed to be operated on.

“By three in the morning, we had around 120 people, and 25 were killed. Most of the people had been shot in the stomach and chest,” he said. 

He added that some of those had also been crushed due to chaos and the amount of people at the site. 

“We don’t have x-rays or ultrasounds at the hospital, the electricity was also cut during the night,” he added.

gaza
Dead bodies are taken to a mortuary following an Israeli attack on Palestinians waiting to get aid in Gaza (MEE/Mohammed al-Hajjar)

Ismail Al-Thawabta, the director general of the government media office in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that "the Israeli occupation continues to commit daily massacres against those waiting for aid," in the area.

"We hold the American administration responsible for its failure to stop the genocidal war against our Palestinian people" he added.

The Palestinian foreign ministry also denounced the attack, calling it the "bloodiest massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces against citizens at the Kuwait Roundabout," and that such attacks have been committed "almost daily before the eyes of the international community".

A spokesperson for the ministry added that "the massacres are committed in broad daylight and are documented and do not require any investigations to prove their ugliness and the perpetrators".

In Gaza City, a Palestinian man, speaking to Al-Jazeera, reveals a blood-stained bag of flour amidst Israeli helicopter and artillery attacks targeting civilians queuing for aid. At least 20 Palestinians were killed, with over 155 injured in the attack. pic.twitter.com/CiteEabiv2

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) March 15, 2024

In video footage of the attack shared online, bags of flour can be seen stained by the blood of those killed.

An eyewitness who was queuing up to get flour told Al Jazeera Arabic that the attack “hardly left anyone alive” and the bag of flour that he was holding belonged to someone who was killed.

“A soul has been killed just for a bag of flour… the blood on the bag is from a man who was killed,” he said.

'A soul has been killed just for a bag of flour… the blood on the bag is from a man who was killed'

- Eyewitness

Wael Al-Mamlouk, who was also at the scene of the attack, told MEE that it was an “unjust crime".

“These are the martyrs who were just going to get bread, enough injustice. There are tanks, guns, and helicopters, if this is what it takes to get aid, then stop it,” he told MEE.

“Every day there are massacres, we break our fast with a piece of bread, it’s enough… no one speaks to the Israelis. Where are the Arabs and human rights? We have no one but God,” he added.

The attack was condemned by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, which warned that Israel was "escalating the killing of Palestinian civilians" trying to seek humanitarian assistance amid rising levels of famine and disease in Gaza.

'Flour massacre'

The attack on Thursday was the latest of several Israeli attacks on aid-seeking Palestinians that have taken place in the past few weeks and comes as the humanitarian situation further deteriorates in northern Gaza, where aid access has been limited.

Late last month, Israeli forces fired at a crowd of Palestinians gathered at al-Rasheed Street in Gaza City, while waiting for aid to be distributed.

The incident, dubbed the "flour massacre", as the residents were awaiting a shipment of flour, killed more than 100 Palestinians and was widely condemned by aid groups, the UN, and several countries.

Israel has killed over 400 people waiting for aid in Gaza
Read More »

Thursday's attack also comes days after the Israeli military bombed a food distribution centre in Rafah, killing several including a staff member of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Unwra).

The Gaza government media office said in a statement on Tuesday that more than 400 people had so far been killed by Israeli attacks on people seeking aid.

The shootings also come as northern Gaza continues to be isolated from humanitarian aid by Israeli forces. The US, France, Jordan, and other countries have participated in missions to airdrop aid into the enclave.

But Palestinians have criticised those efforts for only providing a tiny amount of the aid that could enter if Israel were to open its crossings into Gaza.

More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war on 7 October, while 70,000 have been wounded. The UN announced on Saturday that 80 percent of Gaza is now uninhabitable, while the hunger rate stands at 100 percent.

At least 25 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration since the start of the war, including a 10-year-old child with cerebral palsy. 

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

Washington
London
Gaza City, occupied Palestine
Over 20 killed in new massacre of Palestinians waiting for aid

The US dips its toes back into Palestinian politics, but has trouble finding its feet

The US dips its toes back into Palestinian politics, but has trouble finding its feet
Ties between the US and the Palestinian Authority have been reduced to security cooperation. Now the US is hunting for a leader that can govern Gaza
Sean Mathews
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chairs a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on 15 September 2018 (Abbas Momani/AFP)

“He thinks he's gonna live forever,” mafia boss Michael Corleone says in Godfather II, summing up his ageing nemesis, Hyman Roth.

It’s a description that perfectly captures Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, which the Biden administration is staking the future of the Gaza Strip on, a former senior US official told Middle East Eye.

“Mahmoud Abbas doesn’t tolerate succession planning,” the former official, who has met with Abbas said. “He believes in perpetual resurrection.”

The 88-year-old leader’s view has been borne out.

When US President Joe Biden visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in 2022, he spent barely one hour with Abbas. Minus the time spent in translation between the two octogenarians, their conversation lasted 30 minutes, former senior US officials and Palestinian analysts told MEE.

“For the US, the Palestinian Authority was basically irrelevant. The authority wasn’t asking for much and the administration had little interest wasting political capital on them,” Diana Buttu, a former Palestinian peace negotiator, told MEE.

That changed after the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on southern Israel and the subsequent Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

'The most the PA can do right now is serve as a fig leave for an Israeli occupation of Gaza'

- Former senior US official 

The US wants the PA to govern Gaza as part of its “day after” plan for when the war ends. On the sidelines of a think tank event in Turkey earlier this month, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said there was “no doubt” the PA would be the one ruling Gaza.

But the PA is deeply unpopular at home, where it is viewed as a corrupt Israeli collaborator. Underscoring the challenge of winning over Palestinian society, a poll late last year showed 90 percent of Palestinians want Abbas to resign.

Aware of its deep unpopularity, the White House is pushing the PA to enact reforms inside the West Bank in the hope it will boost their credentials and make them more effective in governing Gaza.

'Bankrupt organisation'

The PA was borne out of the Oslo peace talks. Its leadership comes from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, which waged a decades-long violent struggle against Israel. In return for limited self-government in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, the PLO recognised Israel’s right to exist and renounced armed resistance.

Today, the authority founded by keffiyeh-wearing Yasser Arafat is staffed with creaky grey-haired technocrats and middling spy chiefs who belong to Fatah, Arafat's secular party and main rival to Islamist Hamas.

A former senior US official familiar with the Biden administration's thinking said the White House views the PA as a “completely bankrupt organisation”.

“The most the PA can do right now is serve as a fig leaf for an Israeli occupation of Gaza, and potentially be a conduit for aid,” the former official told MEE, on condition of anonymity. 

In its early days, the PA enjoyed high-level attention from Washington.

Palestinian Authority
Protesters shout as they are confronted by Palestinian Authority security forces during a protest in Ramallah, on 10 January 2024 (Marco Longari/AFP)

After Oslo, American NGOs and diplomats flocked to the occupied West Bank. And during the Second Intifada, CIA director Bill Tenet took the lead in negotiating directly between the PA and Israel.

One of the challenges for the Biden administration, as it looks to bolster the PA, is that it has few seasoned diplomats invested in the group. Hady Amr is the US special representative for Palestinian affairs, but he is largely confined to meeting minor Palestinian business leaders and lacks a real mandate from Washington, according to former senior US officials.

MEE reached out to the State Department for comment on this article but didn’t receive a reply by the time of publication.

'Spy games in the West Bank' 

Already deeply unpopular at home, the PA was dealt a major blow by the Trump administration, which bypassed it altogether to seal normalisation agreements between Arab states and Israel as part of the Abraham Accords.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, despised the PA and attempted to stifle any US cooperation with the body. Abbas, known as Abu Mazen, cut off diplomatic ties with the US after Washington moved its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

The US also stopped appointing a consulate general in East Jerusalem, the equivalent of an ambassador to the PA. The Biden administration has not followed through on its pledge to fill the position.

“It’s not a happy relationship,” William Usher, a former CIA officer who was based in Israel, told MEE. “And has little depth. It’s been reduced at heart to a security relationship.”

US intelligence agencies are at the centre of ties, with the CIA and Defence Department maintaining the most regular contact with the PA. The latter has provided official security training to the authority since 2005. 

Yassar Arafat and George Tenet
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat accompanies CIA chief George Tenet before their meeting in the West Bank town of Ramallah, on 7 June 2001 (AFP)

The PA itself has been hollowed out by Abbas, who hasn’t held elections since 2006 and rules by decree, conferring with a small coterie of Palestinian officials. That presents a challenge for the US, as it looks to push Abbas to relinquish power.

Last month, Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned as prime minister, and on Thursday, Abbas named Mohammad Mustafa, the head of the Palestinian Investment Fund, as the next PM, in a move seen as a nod to US calls for reform.

Mustafa has experience overseeing some reconstruction in Gaza after the 2014 conflict between Hamas and Israel, but the banker is generally seen as a “bagman” of Abbas and his sons, current and former US and Arab officials told MEE.

“Abu Mazen will support reforms up to a point," said Frank Lowenstein, the former special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in the Obama administration. “Mustafa is a very competent technocrat but not someone who can threaten Abbas or his inner circle.”

People familiar with Abbas say he has given little thought to succession.

Succession

“The reason the US doesn't know who will succeed Abu Mazen is because Abu Mazen doesn't know,” Buttu said.

“There’s no sign Abu Mazen is grooming his sons to replace him. They are absent from the scene, when you think about the focus Arab rulers place on their sons and succession that speaks volumes about the lack of future planning,” an Arab diplomat told MEE.

One of the most popular Palestinian political figures is Marwan Barghouti, who has been described as Palestine’s Nelson Mandela. A former leader of Fatah’s armed wing, he was arrested by Israeli forces in 2002 and sentenced to five life terms in prison on allegations of killing Israelis.

'No one in the Israeli cabinet wants to see a united Palestinian Authority governing the West Bank and Gaza Strip'

- Menachem Klein, former Israeli advisor 

“Abbas has shut down any talk of Bargouthi as a potential candidate,” Buttu said.

Abbas's other close confidantes are less charismatic and more comfortable operating in the shadows with Israel and the US.

One is Nabil Abu Rudeineh, who is also his spokesman. Majed Faraj, who heads the PA’s General Intelligence Directorate, is the main liaison to the CIA and Pentagon. He narrowly evaded an assassination attempt during a 2018 visit to the Gaza Strip, and more recently has been involved in reconciliation talks with Hamas.

Another official taped as a potential successor is Hussein al-Sheikh, the head of the PLO’s executive committee. In the 1980s, Sheikh spent almost a decade in Israeli prison where he learned Hebrew, according to his profile on Fatah’s website. He is viewed favourably by the Israeli security establishment.

Lowenstein said it would take more than reshuffling the government among this elite to bolster the PA.

In closely watched student elections which are one of the few indicators of voter sentiment in the occupied West Bank, Hamas-backed blocs have won, and support for the group has risen since 7 October.

“There is no way the PA is going to have credibility if they don’t hold elections. The challenge there is if we have another election, is Hamas going to win again?” Lowenstein said.

'Gordian Knot'

Menachem Klein, a former advisor to Israel’s government during the Geneva peace talks, told MEE that the US’s call for reform masks its failure to acknowledge its “low status” in Palestinian society.

“They think that if the PA reshuffles itself everything is fine,” said Klein, now a professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, “but the Biden administration totally misreads the Palestinians.

“Palestinian society is hostile to the US because of Biden’s support for Israel. No Palestinian regime or authority can ignore that or gain credibility while working with the US under these conditions.”

Hamas and PA
Palestinian leaders during a meeting in Gaza City, on 17 October 2017 (AFP)

The most meaningful steps the US could take to bolster the PA, experts say, go through Israel.

The PA’s credibility at home was based on its ability to deliver an independent Palestinian state along the lines of Israel’s pre-1967 boundary, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Negotiations with Israel are now defunct. Meanwhile, Israel’s actions on the ground have made a “land for peace deal” virtually impossible, diplomats and analysts say.

'The reason the US doesn't know who will succeed Abu Mazen, is because Abu Mazen doesn't know' 

- Diana Buttu, former Palestine negotiator

Illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem have soared. When the Oslo Accords were signed, roughly 250,000 settlers lived in the territory. Today, that number is almost 700,000.

Israel regularly conducts unilateral raids in the occupied West Bank, including in Area A, which was set up to be strictly under the PA’s control. It has built a sprawling wall and network of checkpoints that Palestinians must pass through in their daily lives, obliterating any semblance of freedom of movement in the territory under the PA’s nominal control.

The US faces "a Gordian Knot” - or a complex problem that can only be solved with out-of-the-box thinking addressing these issues because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out resuming talks on a two-state solution, Usher said.

“Bibi will hate it, the Israelis will scream bloody murder, so the Biden administration keeps putting off the hard decision about rebalancing diplomatic ties to the Palestinians.”

Hamas reconciliation

Netanyahu is also opposed to the PA governing Gaza.

Complicating matters further are ongoing reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas. The two have been arch-rivals since 2006 when Hamas won a majority in the Palestinian legislature and formed a cabinet. Shortly after, fighting broke out between them. Hamas consolidated its hold in Gaza, and the PA, in the West Bank.

'Mahmoud Abbas doesn’t tolerate succession planning'

- Former senior US official

Klein said the PA understands it will not be able to exercise authority in Gaza without the support of Hamas, even one that is demilitarised, but Israel will try to keep them apart.

“No one in the Israeli cabinet wants to see a united Palestinian Authority governing the West Bank and Gaza Strip, especially with some remnant of Hamas,” he said.

Another option for the Biden administration could be to work with the UAE and Saudi Arabia to bring in exiled former Gaza security chief, Mohammed Dahlan.

Despite their pledges to eventually go back into Gaza, regional diplomats say the PA is wary of being tied to Israel's invasion.

"They don't want that poisoned chalice. The PA loathes Gaza," the Arab diplomat told MEE. 

MAB, Cage and Mend: Who are the Muslim groups Michael Gove accuses of extremism?

MAB, Cage and Mend: Who are the Muslim groups Michael Gove accuses of extremism?
Speaking in parliament, Gove labelled the Muslim Association of Britain, Cage International and Mend extremist. But who are they and what do they do?
Areeb Ullah
The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) is a key organiser for the pro-Palestine protests in London (AFP)

The UK's communities secretary Michael Gove on Thursday used a speech in parliament to name three Muslim organisations that he said the government intended to "hold to account" using a new definition of extremism.

The three organisations, which Gove accused of having an "Islamist orientation", are the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), Cage International, and Mend.

Gove said: "Organisations such as the Muslim Association of Britain, which is the British affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and other groups such as Cage and Mend, give rise to concern for the Islamist orientation and views. We will be holding these and other organisations to account to assess if they meet our definition of extremism and we will take action as appropriate."

MAB and Mend both challenged Gove to repeat his remarks outside of the House of Commons where he would not be protected by parliamentary privilege. Cage International also said in a statement it would look at legal avenues to challenge the government.

Below, Middle East Eye looks at the three organisations named by Gove.

Muslim Association of Britain 

Founded in 1997, the Muslim Association of Britain, or MAB, has been a staple of the Muslim community over decades. 

Having evolved from the Muslim Student Society (MSS), formed in 1961 and the Muslim Women Society (MWS), MAB describes itself as a national movement with thousands of members across the UK. 

MAB has a long track record of organising politically and was one of the first Muslim groups to organise Muslim voter drives and encourage Muslims to vote in local and national elections. 

Alongside being a founding member of the Muslim Council of Britain, MAB has also helped organise the largest demonstrations in UK history against the war in Iraq and in support of Palestine. 

Key figures who have worked with MAB include Anas al-Tikriti, a former president, and Daud Abdullah, the former deputy secretary-general of the MCB.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May visited the Muslim Welfare House in 2017 after a van drove down worshippers leaving the mosque
Theresa May, the then prime minister, visited the Muslim Welfare House and the Finsbury Park Mosque in 2017 after a van drove down worshippers leaving the two mosques (AFP)

MAB's Raghad Altikriti, who heads the group, challenged Gove to make the statement outside of parliament where he could be legally challenged. 

"Singling out mainstream, law-abiding British Muslim organisations who have contributed to the common good, sets a dangerous precedent, undermining democracy, religious freedoms, and free speech," said Altikriti.

"Michael Gove shamelessly abuses parliamentary privilege to deflect scrutiny and accountability."

MAB also has links to the Muslim Welfare House in north London and is reported to have helped to get rid of Abu Hamza from the Finsbury Park Mosque. 

In 2017, the Muslim Welfare House was attacked when a van drove into worshippers leaving the mosque, resulting in several injuries and one fatality. 

Cage International 

Cage International, formerly known simply as Cage and before that as Cageprisoners, is a UK-based advocacy organisation founded in 2003.

The group was established in response to the detention of individuals without trial at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, particularly focusing on the case of Moazzam Begg, a British Muslim who was held there.

Initially, Cageprisoners aimed to raise awareness about the plight of Guantanamo Bay detainees and advocate for their release.

But as the organisation expanded its scope, it began addressing broader issues related to counter-terrorism policies, human rights abuses, and civil liberties violations, particularly within the context of the "War on Terror".

In 2013, Cageprisoners rebranded itself as Cage, reflecting its broader focus beyond the specific issue of Guantanamo Bay. The organisation continued its advocacy work, providing legal support, campaigning against torture and rendition, and challenging government policies that it deemed discriminatory or unjust.

cage
Moazzam Begg is a prominent member of Cage International, which helped free him from Guantanamo Bay when he was detained by US forces (AFP)

Cage has been involved in high-profile cases, including those of individuals detained under anti-terrorism laws in the UK, as well as advocacy on behalf of victims of drone strikes and other forms of targeted killing.

The organisation has faced criticism and controversy over its views on terrorism and extremism, with some accusing it of sympathising with or providing a platform for radical ideologies.

In 2015, the then prime minister David Cameron accused Cage of being apologists for terrorism - an allegation Cage vehemently denies.

In response to Gove's statement, Cage said it would "explore all avenues, including legal, to challenge the government's deep dive into authoritarianism".

Mend

Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development) is one the of the UK's most prominent Muslim organisations. Established in 2008, Mend focuses on addressing issues of Islamophobia, discrimination, and social injustice within Muslim communities.

Mend describes its primary purpose as empowering and engaging British Muslims to actively participate in society while advocating for their rights and interests. The organisation works towards challenging negative stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims, promoting a more inclusive and tolerant society.

Mend's activities include community outreach programmes, educational workshops, and campaigns aimed at raising awareness about Islamophobia and combating prejudice.

The organisation also provides resources and support for victims of discrimination and hate crimes, as well as offering training on how to respond to and report instances of Islamophobia.

Azhar Qayum, chief executive of Mend, said: “We challenge Michael Gove to repeat his claims outside of parliament and without the protection of parliamentary privilege if he believes he can provide the evidence to back up his view that Mend has called for the establishment of an ‘Islamic state governed by sharia law’.”

Who are the Muslim groups Michael Gove accuses of extremism?

Muslim groups challenge Gove to name them 'extremist' outside of parliament

Muslim groups challenge Gove to name them 'extremist' outside of parliament
MAB and Mend call on Michael Gove to forego his parliamentary privilege and call them 'extremist' groups
Areeb Ullah
Pro-Palestine protesters march in central London last month demanding a ceasefire in Gaza as Israeli forces bombard the besieged enclave (AFP)
Pro-Palestine protesters march in central London last month demanding a ceasefire in Gaza as Israeli forces bombard the besieged enclave (AFP)

Muslim groups accused of extremism by Britain’s communities secretary Michael Gove have challenged him to forego parliamentary privilege and name them as extremists outside of parliament. 

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Gove used parliamentary privilege to name Cage International, Mend and the Muslim Association of Britain as extremist groups. 

Parliamentary privilege is the legal immunity granted to members of parliament, protecting them from liability for actions performed or things said during statements. This power protects Gove from getting sued by the organisations he named in parliament. 

“We will be holding these, and other organisations, to account to assess if they meet our definition of extremism and will take action as appropriate," said Gove. 

But following his statement, MAB, a member of the organising committee for the Palestine protests in London, was one of the first groups to call out Gove and challenge him to label it extremist outside the House of Commons. 

“If Gove is confident in his views about the Muslim Association of Britain and other organisations, alleging extremist views and a threat to UK society, we challenge him to state them outside parliament,” MAB said in a statement on X. 

“However, due to the fear of legal challenges, we know he lacks the courage to do so.”

Azhar Qayum, chief executive of Mend, told LBC radio that it had written to the government to warn them that it intended to take legal action if Mend was included in a list of organisations deemed to be extremist.

"We've sent legal notice to the government threatening legal action if they cite us on any such list," said Qayum.

In a joint statement signed by activist groups Palestine Action and Black Lives Matter UK, Cage said: "Collectively we will explore all avenues, including legal, to challenge the Government’s deep dive into authoritarianism."

The coalition organising the national marches calling for a ceasefire in Gaza stood by MAB and condemned the government's attempt to use the protests to "redefine extremism".  

"We reject the description of members of our coalition as extremists who cause division and harm to the Muslim community," the coalition said in a statement. 

'Will there be legal avenues to challenge such determinations imposed by the government?'

- Zara Mohammed, Muslim Council of Britain

"No one should take lessons in what is in the interests of Muslims in Britain from a man with a track record of support for anti-Muslim policies, associations and discourse." 

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the largest body representing Muslims in the UK, said it was concerned that some organisations affiliated with it would be targeted by the definition, and described the plans as "undemocratic, divisive, and potentially illegal".

Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the MCB, said: “As the government presses ahead with its flawed proposals, many of us are questioning: on what grounds are these groups being labelled as extremist, and will there be legal avenues to challenge such determinations imposed by the government?"

Amnesty International's chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, said the government's new definition of extremism was a "smash and grab on our human rights" and described it as taking Britain "down the road toward authoritarianism".

"From the prime minister’s disturbing Downing Street speech earlier this month, the introduction of further anti-protest measures and now the expansion of the extremism definition, it looks as if the government is set on shrinking the space for dissenting views and the right to protest," Deshmukh said in a statement. 

'This dangerously sweeping approach to labelling groups and individuals extremist is yet another smash and grab on our human rights'

- Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International

“An overwhelmingly peaceful protest movement seeking an end to Israel’s mass killing of civilians in Gaza is being used by ministers to clamp down on our civil liberties - the irony is crushing and frightening. 

“This dangerously sweeping approach to labelling groups and individuals ‘extremist’ is yet another smash and grab on our human rights by a Government which has become a serial offender in this regard." 

Friends of Al-Aqsa, one of the other Muslim groups working with the coalition to organise pro-Palestine marches in London, said it was "alarmed" that Gove had used parliamentary privilege. A spokesman said: “Gove, to advance his ideology, is employing political violence through the power of parliament to undermine the scrutiny of elected members. He is constraining political space for alternative views within a democracy.”

Both Gove and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously suggested that the new measures could be targeted against pro-Palestinian activism and groups alleged to be proponents of Islamist ideology.

In 2021, Islamic affairs commentator Salman Butt successfully sued the British government after it falsely accused him of being a "non-violent extremist" in a Downing Street press release. 

The government agreed to delete his name from the press release and pay him compensation and his legal costs. Former home secretary Priti Patel apologised to Butt after five years of litigation.

War on Gaza: Yuri Pines resigns from Hebrew University after Palestinian colleague suspended

War on Gaza: Yuri Pines resigns from Hebrew University after Palestinian colleague suspended
Professor's resignation comes after Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian was suspended for calling for the abolition of Zionism
Nadda Osman
Uri Pines, who specialises in Chinese studies, has announced his resignation (Screengrab/X)
Yuri Pines, who specialises in Chinese studies, has announced his resignation (Screengrab/X)

Yuri Pines, an Israeli professor of Chinese studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has announced his resignation from the institution, citing the suspension of a Palestinian academic. 

Pines, who resigned on 12 March, wrote a letter to the university specifying that he took the decision after its suspension of Nadra Shalhoub-Kevorkian, who had called for an end to Zionism.

Pines said he would refuse to work for the university any longer because of its ideological commitment to Zionism.

In his statement, he wrote: “The content in the vile letter about the dismissal of Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian surprised me. I never thought that the Hebrew University was a Zionist institution: I saw it as an academic institution, in which Zionists and non-Zionists, as well as anti-Zionist people like myself, could work.

“I thought that the university was led by people who are rational enough to understand that the issue of whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza belongs to the field where students and lecturers can freely express their opinion.” 

In his statement he said he had never before heard of the university suspending a lecturer because of their political stance, and that he will refuse to accept any other positions there in the future.

A translation of Professor Yuri Pines's letter to the leaders of Hebrew U following their decision to suspend Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian.
"You have really disgraced the institution. I have never felt so betrayed and humiliated." pic.twitter.com/4WY74z2djF

— Neve Gordon (@nevegordon) March 13, 2024

“I have never felt so insulted,” he continued.

According to local media, Pines was previously imprisoned several times for refusing military service in the occupied territories and for refusing military service in Lebanon.

'Strong condemnation'

The resignation came immediately after the university suspended Shalhoub-Kevorkian for saying that it was time to "abolish Zionism".

In an interview on Monday with Israel's Channel 12, Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a law professor, said Zionism "can’t continue, it’s criminal. Only by abolishing Zionism can we continue."

"They will use any lie. They started with babies, they continued with rape, and they will continue with a million other lies. We stopped believing them, I hope the world stops believing them," she added, in reference to Israeli allegations of crimes committed on 7 October by Hamas in its surprise attack on southern Israel.  

War on Gaza: Hebrew University suspends prominent Palestinian academic
Read More »

In October, Shalhoub-Kevorkian signed a letter accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, and called for an end to apartheid and the ongoing occupation of Palestine.

The Hebrew University said on Tuesday that it sent a formal letter to the academic at the time, which "expressed strong condemnation over Prof Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s alignment with a petition characterising Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal and labelling it an occupying force since 1948".

In its statement, the university said: "As a proud Israeli, public, and Zionist institution, the Hebrew University strongly condemns Prof Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s recent shocking and outrageous statements… To ensure a safe and conducive environment for our students on campus, the university has decided to suspend Prof Shalhoub-Kevorkian from teaching activities, effective immediately."

Her suspension has been widely criticised, with commentators accusing universities of cracking down on criticism of Israel's actions. 

Since the outbreak of war last year, scores of Palestinian citizens of Israel have been arrested in connection with social media posts expressing solidarity with victims of Israel's bombardment in Gaza.

Israeli academic resigns from Hebrew University after Palestinian colleague suspended

War on Gaza: Prominent Gaza tribes refuse to cooperate with Israel for aid distribution

Par : MEE staff
War on Gaza: Prominent Gaza tribes refuse to cooperate with Israel for aid distribution
Spokespeople say they expect any co-operation to be facilitated through government officials and security services in Gaza
MEE staff
A Palestinian woman sits on a cart next to a box of food rations provided by US charity World Central Kitchen at a makeshift street market in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 14 March (AFP)
A Palestinian woman sits on a cart next to a box of food rations provided by US charity World Central Kitchen at a makeshift street market in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 14 March (AFP)

Prominent tribes in Gaza said on Wednesday that they reject any cooperation with Israel regarding the distribution of aid.

The decision came after a report in Israeli media stated Israel’s plans to divide areas in Gaza into areas governed by tribes, who would assume responsibility of distributing aid there. 

According to local media, the tribes spoke on behalf of families in Gaza, who said that they are willing to cooperate on the distribution of aid on the condition that it is done in collaboration with security services and government officials in Gaza.

According to a source who spoke to Al Jazeera Arabic, officials from the UN Refugee and Works Agency (Unrwa) and police officials in Gaza will be meeting on Saturday to agree on the delivery of aid. 

Speaking to Shehab News, the head of the Supreme Commission for Family Affairs, Abu Salman al-Mughni, said that their “position is one and constant, and will not be changing”.

“All of the tribes, and I speak on behalf of all of them, cannot accept being an alternative to the government. We cannot stand in place of the people we choose to represent us,” he said. 

“The tribes cannot rule and are not qualified for this matter, they only reconcile relations and support the government in performing its work,” he added.

Al-Mughni said that while some people have been cooperating with Israel, they “are not from our tribes and do not belong to the people of Palestine or Gaza.”

Hamas responded to the statement, praising what it described as a “responsible position” of the tribes in the face of “malicious plans of the Israeli occupation”.

“The families’ decision proves the unity and cohesion of our Palestinian society, and their support for the resistance and national unity,” the group said in a statement. 

Dividing Gaza

A report by the Israeli Kan news channel in January stated that Israel plans to divide Gaza into “regions and sub districts, with each clan controlling a district and will be responsible for distributing humanitarian aid”.

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The report added that the clans would be “known to the army and the Israeli general security service,” who will manage civil life in Gaza for a temporary period. However, the report did not outline how long the period would last. 

Since the start of the war on 7 October, the Israeli government has stated that it will not allow the Palestinian Authority or Hamas to manage the Gaza Strip after the war comes to an end. 

Since February, Israeli forces have killed over 400 Palestinians as they wait for aid deliveries, with 11 aid seekers killed on Tuesday in Gaza City, the government media office in Gaza said this week.

The killings are the latest in a spate of attacks on civilians during attempted aid deliveries, even as the US pushes for more humanitarian assistance for the enclave.

At least 118 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded last week when Israeli forces fired at people gathering to receive aid in Gaza City's al-Rasheed Street.

Prominent Gaza tribes refuse to cooperate with Israel for aid distribution

Iranian press review: New hijab law faces revived opposition

Iranian press review: New hijab law faces revived opposition
Meanwhile, a jailed activist is summoned to court for letters written behind bars, and former politicians demand newly elected legislators exhibit reasonable conduct
MEE correspondent
People walk outside at the Emamzadeh Saleh mosque in Tajrish square in northern Tehran on 12 March 2024, the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Iran (Atta Kenare/AFP)
People walk outside at the Emamzadeh Saleh mosque in Tajrish square in northern Tehran on 12 March 2024, the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Iran (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Criticism mounts as MP unveils details of proposed hijab legislation

A recent announcement concerning the details of a draft law on Islamic hijab in Iran's ultra-conservative-dominated parliament has drawn severe criticism, with many accusing the establishment of infringing upon citizens' basic rights through headscarf-related regulations.

Last Friday, after more than a year of deliberations in Iran's parliament and in the powerful Guardian Council, conservative lawmaker Amir Hossein Bankipour stated that the authorities would automatically deduct 30m Iranian rials (around $713) from the bank accounts of those who fail to comply with the obligatory Islamic hijab law.

Since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the so-called morality police in 2022, the hijab law has been a focal point of political unrest, with many Iranian women refusing to wear headscarves in public.

Bankipour's remarks sparked severe criticism, coming just a week after the conservatives' parliamentary victory in an election with a record low turnout.

The reformist Etemad daily, in an article under the headline "The radicals’ slap in the face of social rights" argued that the new announcement revealed the new parliament's intention to pass "extreme" regulations.

'The right-wing radicals will continue to pursue their extreme agendas without worrying about public reactions'

- Etemad daily

"The right-wing radicals will continue to pursue their extreme agendas without worrying about public reactions, and this decision is the first sign of entering this new era," said the paper.

Another reformist daily, Shargh, also highlighted the irony of unveiling the new details on International Women’s Day.

Shargh also reflected the opinions of lawyers such as Mohammad Saleh Noghrehkar, who challenged the law, stating that the new draft law would undermine the rule of law in the country.

"[This law] disregards principles and standards of fair proceedings and the rule of law, imposing criminal actions or fines without due consideration of evidence or grounds for verifying alleged criminal activity. From this perspective, legal experts will likely challenge this law," he stated.

Imprisoned activist prosecuted for letters from prison  

Ahmadreza Haeri, a Kurdish political activist currently serving a three-year and eight-month sentence in Qezel Hesar prison, has been summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court because of letters he wrote about the prison's conditions, Persian media abroad reported.

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According to these reports, Haeri faced the court over letters addressing the torture of political prisoners, the execution of dissidents, and his opposition to the controlled elections on 1 March.

In one letter about the elections, he asserted that the voice of the people was not Iranian legislators but instead dissidents executed by the establishment. 

"The voice of the nation is in prison and confinement, under house arrest - a voice whose courage will multiply, eventually regaining the right to determine its own destiny," he added.

In another letter, he detailed his observations of the final nights of prisoners facing the death penalty and their transfer to the hanging centre.

This is the second time the activist has faced new charges while serving his sentence. In July, also for writing letters about the situation of prisoners, he was accused of "spreading lies" and received an additional three-month sentence.

Conservatives’ victory prompts calls for rational governance

Former officials from across the political spectrum in Iran have urged newly elected legislators to embrace logic and formulate the country’s policies based on reasoned judgment, as reported by local media a few days after the ultra-conservative bloc secured the majority of seats in the 1 March elections.

In a series of articles, the pro-reformist daily Ham Mihan presented the viewpoints of analysts and former politicians on the future of the country's political landscape after elections in which all critical candidates were barred from participating.

'Do not interpret based on our own wishes and desires. Exaggeration is delusion. The right path is one of moderation'

- Ali Akbar Salehi

According to the daily, Ali Akbar Salehi, former director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran during the hardline presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, cautioned conservative legislators against making radical decisions.

“Do not interpret based on our own wishes and desires. Exaggeration is delusion. The right path is one of moderation,” Salehi was quoted as saying by Ham Mihan.

Ali Larijani, a former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a conservative politician, advised officials against overstating revolutionary values, urging them to follow a logical approach.

“Some think that being revolutionary is a self-sufficient attribute and that they do not need a rational justification for political actions. Going beyond rationality is perilous for the Islamic revolution. With this mindset, the progressive movement of the revolution is hindered and immobilised,” he said.

* Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified by Middle East Eye

Israeli bombing of British doctors in Gaza likely used UK and US arms, investigators find

Israeli bombing of British doctors in Gaza likely used UK and US arms, investigators find
British and American organisations say Israeli officials have offered six different explanations as to why Gaza compound in safe zone was hit
Dania Akkad
An F-16 fighter jet takes off from Ovda Air Force Base in Israel as part of joint military exercises with Western countries and India in 2021 (AFP/Jack Guez)
An F-16 fighter jet takes off from Ovda Air Force Base in Israel as part of joint military exercises with Western countries and India in 2021 (AFP/Jack Guez)

A UN investigation found that US and UK-manufactured weapons or parts were likely used to bomb British doctors working for British and American organisations in Gaza in January, the organisations involved have highlighted.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) also said this week that Israeli officials have offered six different explanations about why the residential compound housing their staff was hit.

The compound, which was not close to any other buildings, was struck around 6am on 18 January by an F-16 jet which "most likely'" fired a 1,000-pound "smart bomb", the UN investigation found.

A month earlier, the Israeli military had given the British defence attache assurances that the site, which had been designated a safe zone and was located in the southern Gaza town of Al-Mawasi, had been marked as a protected, humanitarian area.

The strike left several staff members and a bodyguard with non-life-threatening injuries, severely damaged the compound and was said to have forced the organisations to stop taking foreign doctors into Gaza as the healthcare system collapsed.

The organisations say Israeli government and military explanations of what happened range from denying involvement, accepting responsibility, and asserting that the incident “was a mistake caused by a defective tail fin on the missile that was fired”.

“It is clear from this experience that the Israeli military and government are either unable or unwilling to properly investigate this serious incident,” the organisations said.

They have called on Israel’s allies to agree to a “full, independent and timebound” investigation into the incident and all other reported attacks on "deconflicted" facilities and staff.

The organisations also want “concrete assurances” that attacks against aid and health workers will not occur in the future.

“As current suppliers of arms and munitions to Israel, governments such as the UK and the US have a particular responsibility to hold Israel accountable for this and other attacks on aid workers and civilians,” the organisations wrote.

'Come clean'

The US has sold MK83s, the bomb identified by UN investigators as likely used in the attack, to Israel. At least up until December, Washington was also reportedly rushing transfers of a kit that turns “free fall” bombs into precision-guided missiles, which were also identified by the investgation.

F-16 jets are manufactured in the US and include parts supplied by the UK. A database compiled by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) shows that in the first six months of 2023, four licenses were granted to UK companies worth at least £186,000 ($238,000) to export components for combat aircraft to Israel, which could potentially include F-16 components.

The State Department in Washington and Department for Business and Trade in the UK have previously declined to tell Middle East Eye whether the attack on the compound had affected arms exports to Israel.

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MP Brendan O'Hara, the Scottish National Party's spokesperson on foreign affairs, said on Thursday he was "extremely concerned" such an attack could happen again, saying it was "almost inevitable" given the "sense of impunity" with which Israel is acting. 

"The targeting of protected places such as hospitals, medical facilities or humanitarian compounds constitutes a war crime, and this indiscriminate bombing of a designated safe zone should be investigated as such," O'Hara told MEE.

"If, as we suspect, those bombs, or the planes which dropped them, were made in the UK, then I fear that that makes the UK complicit." 

He called on the UK government "to come clean on what exactly happened in this incident".

"We desperately need transparency so we can see what impact the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel is having on the slaughter of innocent civilians," O'Hara said.

MP Colum Eastwood, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour party, said he and others had been raising serious concerns for months about the UK's arms export licensing regime given the ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

"In this case and in others, the response from the British government has been woefully deficient," Eastwood told MEE.

He called for the Foreign Office and Department for Business and Trade to immediately end the licensing the sale of arms and component exports "where there is a risk they could be used to continue the oppression of people and communities in Gaza".

"Unless and until that happen, there is every risk that doctors, aid workers and civilians will be killed using these components. No one should be prepared to stand over that," he said.

Egypt: Sisi government 'freed Islamic State leader' behind deadliest attack on civilians

Par : MEE staff
Egypt: Sisi government 'freed Islamic State leader' behind deadliest attack on civilians
Abu Hamza al-Qadi ‘is living freely with his family’ northeast of the country as part of an amnesty deal with authorities, says rights group
MEE staff
Mohammad Saad Kamel, known by the nom de guerre of Abu Hamza al-Qadi, appears in a photo shared by the Union of Sinai Tribes in September 2021 (Facebook/Screengrab)
Mohammad Saad Kamel, known by the nom de guerre of Abu Hamza al-Qadi, appears in a photo shared by the Union of Sinai Tribes in September 2021 (Facebook/Screengrab)

A senior leader of the Islamic State group in Egypt’s Sinai is now living freely with his family after he was granted amnesty by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2021, a human rights group revealed on Thursday.

According to the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights (SFHR), Mohammad Saad Kamel, known by the nom de guerre of Abu Hamza al-Qadi, was among IS leaders and fighters who turned themselves in to authorities three years ago in exchange for their release. 

Qadi was the third in command of the IS-affiliated Sinai Province and the group’s "mufti" and "chief judge" between 2016 and 2021, said SFHR. It added that he had issued a religious opinion authorising the 2017 attack on a mosque in North Sinai, which killed more than 305 worshippers - the worst mass killing of civilians in a militant attack in Egypt’s history.  

"Abu Hamza al-Qadi is currently living with his wife and children and has housing and a monthly salary," SFHR said, citing a TV interview with the military spokesperson in 2022 in which he said that those who turn themselves in are treated humanely and given homes, if they are not charged with any crimes.

SFHR added that Qadi has not faced any charges since his surrender in 2021.

"Aِِl-Qadi’s fatwas laid the groundwork for an unprecedented bloody phase against civilians in Sinai, leading to authorising the shedding of the blood of all civilians who interacted with the army, whether by delivering water to an army point, transporting cement from an army factory, or being a construction worker building a wall in an army project," SFHR said in a post on X.

'Aِِl-Qadi’s fatwas laid the groundwork for an unprecedented bloody phase against civilians in Sinai...'

Sinai Foundation for Human Rights

Middle East Eye contacted the Egyptian army for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication. 

An Egyptian military source said that some released IS members have been relocated to Ismailia, west of the Suez Canal, and other unnamed areas where "they are under heavy surveillance by the Military Intelligence".

"All terror suspects who surrender themselves to military forces and cooperate peacefully are treated in a decent way," the source said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak with the press.

"There are suspects who are granted amnesty to live peacefully with their families under the protection of the authorities, to help the state neutralise the threat of other extremists."

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the location of Qadi.

In a report released on Wednesday, SFHR and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that four North Sinai residents testified that relatives and residents of their villages who had been members of IS are now living with their families in Ismailia and adjacent places, with security agencies providing them with a monthly salary and ID cards to use within a designated area.

'Senior extremist leader'

The Egyptian army, aided by local tribesmen, fought a war against members of the Sinai Province between 2013 and 2022. The Egyptian government estimates that at least 650 civilians have been killed by the Sinai Province since 2013. 

The group was relatively small and poorly armed, according to local Sinai tribal sources who spoke to Middle East Eye, and was officially defeated in 2022. 

In their report, SFHR and HRW said the amnesty given to Qadi and other IS fighters was "questionable". 

"Amnesty for members of armed groups who lay down their arms should never include those who intentionally carried out grave crimes such as targeting or deliberately killing civilians," said Ahmed Salem, executive director of SFHR.

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Qadi’s surrender was announced on 10 September 2021 by the Union of Sinai Tribes, a North Sinai-based pro-government militia closely aligned with the armed forces and led by Sisi ally Ibrahim al-Organi.

In a Facebook post, the militia described Qadi as "a senior extremist leader", "head of the [Sinai Province] Sharia court", and "the leader of the preachers of terrorist extremist elements".

"After coordinating and ensuring safe passage for him and his family (a wife and three children), and guiding him until he was handed over, we confirm for the millionth time that the leaders of the terrorist organisation who are either killed or surrendering daily are a testament to the achievements of the armed forces in the battlefield," the statement said.

The laws of armed conflicts allow for the granting of broad amnesties at the end of hostilities, but that does not include individuals suspected of or charged with committing grave violations of international humanitarian law. 

The release of IS fighters has prompted comparisons between the amnesty and Sisi’s policy of detaining tens of thousands of peaceful critics since 2013.

'It is the right of the citizen to clearly know what criteria are used to grant amnesty to individuals suspected of committing widespread violence and mass murder'

- Sinai Foundation for Human Rights

Meanwhile, SFHR posted a collage of Qadi and political prisoner Ayman Mousa, who was detained at the age of 19 and spent the last 10 years in prison for taking part in peaceful protests. 

"It is the right of the citizen to clearly know what criteria are used to grant amnesty to individuals suspected of committing widespread violence and mass murder crimes, while at the same time not granting it to political opponents accused of social media posting or protesting," SFHR wrote.

Egyptian jails hold at least 65,000 political prisoners opposed to Sisi, according to a study released by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information in April 2021. 

*Shahenda Naguib contributed to this report from Cairo.

Sisi government 'freed Islamic State leader' behind deadliest attack on civilians

UK government targets Muslim groups with new definition of extremism

UK government targets Muslim groups with new definition of extremism
Government concedes new wording is not grounded in law as critics accuse Michael Gove of smearing Muslim and pro-Palestine advocacy groups
Simon Hooper
Michael Gove told parliament the government would hold organisations with an 'Islamist orientation' to account (Parliament TV)

The UK government on Thursday announced its contentious new definition of extremism but conceded that the wording is “non-statutory” and creates no new legal powers amid concerns it will be used to target the Muslim community and pro-Palestine advocacy organisations.

Speaking in parliament, communities secretary Michael Gove identified a number of Muslim organisations, including the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), which he said the government planned to "hold to account" using the new definition because of their "Islamist orientation".

In an earlier statement, Gove's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the definition had been updated to respond to an “increased extremist threat since October 7 terror attacks in Israel”, citing a rise in reported antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes.

It said the new definition would be used by government departments and officials to help them decide which groups they should engage with and fund, and to identify “extremist organisations, individuals and behaviours”.

But it said: “This definition is not statutory and has no effect on the existing criminal law - it applies to the operations of Government itself.”

Criticism of the definition continued to grow on Thursday as a number of Muslim community organisations and equality and human rights campaigners condemned the proposals.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the largest body representing Muslims in the UK, said it was concerned that some organisations affiliated with it would be targeted by the definition, and described the plans as "undemocratic, divisive, and potentially illegal".

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Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the MCB, said: “As the government presses ahead with its flawed proposals, many of us are questioning: on what grounds are these groups being labelled as extremist, and will there be legal avenues to challenge such determinations imposed by the government?"

The Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank, described the definition as an "attack on civil society".

"It has bypassed parliamentary scrutiny and will likely shut down organisations supporting people of colour, who are critical of the government of the day," it said in a post on the social media platform X.

"This definition governs what people are thinking, rather than doing, and will likely silence those who oppose the govt's position, for example on pro-Palestinian marches and critical race theory. Muslim groups and orgs supporting people of colour will be targeted as a result."

'Smash and grab'

Amnesty International described the definition as a "smash and grab on our human rights", while Liberty called it "deeply cynical and completely unworkable".

In a statement, the organisers of a series of national protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, said the definition was an "assault on core democratic freedoms".

"We reject the description of members of our coalition as extremists," said the statement, signed by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Stop the War coalition, Friends of al-Aqsa, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, and MAB.

"We are united as a coalition and will not allow Gove's intervention to distract us from standing in solidarity with a people confronting genocide, ethnic cleansing, occupation, and apartheid."

'Extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance'

- the new UK government definition of extremism

Responding to Gove in parliament, Angela Rayner, Labour’s shadow communities secretary, criticised how details of the definition and speculation about groups set to be named had been leaked to the media before the official announcement.

But she said Gove's statement did not go far enough and called on the government to revise its nine-year-old counter-extremism strategy.

“Regardless of how workable and effective this new definition is, this announcement will not be enough,” said Rayner.

Alison Thewliss, speaking for the Scottish National Party, noted that Friday 15 March is designated by the United Nations as the international day to combat Islamophobia, but said that "Muslims are afraid to speak out, lest they be targeted for their beliefs or, indeed, labelled as extremists".

The UK government has rejected the widely used term Islamophobia, preferring instead to refer to anti-Muslim hatred.

The new definition replaces a previous definition originally set out in the 2011 Prevent counter-terrorism strategy. It reads:

Extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to:

1. negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or

2. undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or

3. intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).

Commenting in the government's statement, Gove said: "The pervasiveness of extremist ideologies has become increasingly clear in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks and poses a real risk to the security of our citizens and our democracy.

"This is the work of extreme right-wing and Islamist extremists who are seeking to separate Muslims from the rest of society and create division within Muslim communities. They seek to radicalise individuals, deny people their full rights, suppress freedom of expression, incite hatred, and undermine our democratic institutions."

Speaking in parliament, Gove took aim at groups which he described as having "Islamist" and "neo-Nazi" ideologies, and named several organisations as examples.

"Islamist and neo-Nazi groups in Britain are operating lawfully, but they advocate and work towards the replacement of democracy with an Islamist or Nazi society," he said.

Gove described Islamism as a "totalitarian ideology" which called for the establishment of an Islamic state under Sharia law and sought to overthrow "liberal democratic principles".

He said it was an ideology rooted in the ideas of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leaders and scholars Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb and the South Asian Jamaat-e-Islami movement.

Gove said: "Organisations such as the Muslim Association of Britain, which is the British affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and other groups such as Cage and Mend, give rise to concern for their Islamist orientation and views. We will be holding these and other organisations to account to assess if they meet our definition of extremism and we will take action as appropriate."

Abuse of privilege

In a statement, Raghad Altikriti, chair of MAB, called on Gove to make the same statement outside of parliament where he could be legally challenged.

Altikriti said: "Singling out mainstream, law-abiding British Muslim organisations who have contributed to the common good, sets a dangerous precedent undermining democracy, religious freedoms, and free speech.

"Michael Gove shamelessly abuses parliamentary privilege to deflect scrutiny and accountability."

Both Cage International, which campaigns about the impact of counter-terrorism policies in Muslim communities, and Mend, a Muslim community advocacy organisation, also condemned Gove's statement.

Azhar Qayum, chief executive of Mend, told LBC radio: "We've sent legal notice to the government threatening legal action if they cite us on any such list."

In a statement, Qayum said: "We challenge Michael Gove to repeat his claims outside of parliament and without the protection of parliamentary privilege if he believes he can provide the evidence to back up his view that Mend has called for the establishment of an ‘Islamic state governed by sharia law’.”

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Read More »

Commenting on X, Mend accused Gove of using "parliamentary privilege to slander".

In a joint statement also signed by activist groups Palestine Action and Black Lives Matter UK, Cage International said: "We reject the counter-extremism and counter-terrorism powers that allow for arbitrary and authoritarian interventions against dissenting citizens.

"Collectively we will explore all avenues, including legal, to challenge the Government’s deep dive into authoritarianism."

Both Gove and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously suggested that the new measures could be targeted against pro-Palestinian activism and groups alleged to be proponents of Islamist ideology.

But they were urged to revise the measures earlier this week by the archbishops of Canterbury and York, Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell, who warned they would “disproportionately target Muslim communities”.

The archbishops’ intervention came after a trio of leading campaign groups - Amnesty International, Liberty and Friends of the Earth - also condemned expected details of the new counter-extremism plans as “profoundly undemocratic”.

Gove was also cautioned about the measures in an open letter signed by three former home secretaries in previous Conservative governments. 

Commenting on the new definition, Mohammed of the MCB alluded to recent controversies involving the governing Conservatives, such as comments by former home secretary Suella Braverman.

Writing in the Telegraph newspaper last month, Braverman said Islamists were "bullying our country into submission" and were now "in charge", and described pro-Palestinian protesters as "Islamist cranks and Left-wing extremists".

Mohammed asked whether the new definition would be applied to "vocal extremists who support the Conservative Party".

"In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed genuine extremism as leaders of the Conservative Party have smeared prominent Muslim politicians with the vague ‘Islamist’ label, perpetuating divisive narratives about Muslims purportedly plotting to seize control of the country. The smears are coupled with a disgraceful demonisation of thousands of protesters calling for peace in Gaza," she said.

In addition to the new definition, Gove on Thursday announced plans for a new "counter-extremism centre of excellence" within his department. He said this would help the government to understand "the role played by state actors and state-linked organisations in extremist activity that is taking place in our country".

War on Gaza: Campaign launched in UK to stop paying tax over genocide complicity

War on Gaza: Campaign launched in UK to stop paying tax over genocide complicity
New movement points to legal obligations under domestic and international law to prevent commission of genocide
Alex MacDonald
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wave Palestinian flags and hold placards as they protest in Parliament Square in London, on 21 February 2024 (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

A new campaign has been launched in the UK for people and businesses to stop paying tax, the funds from which it argues are contributing to the alleged Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Activists for the "No Tax for Genocide" campaign argue that under both international and domestic law, British citizens risk complicity in genocide with their tax money and have a legal right not to pay while the government provides support for Israel.

Ashish Prashar, co-founder and spokesperson for the campaign, which launched on Thursday, told Middle East Eye that there were a number of legal obligations, including the 1945 UN Charter, Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and Terrorism Act 2000, which provided a legal basis for "tax resistance".

"Right now you're committing a crime as an individual when you pay your tax," he said.

"You're aiding and abetting a genocide."

He said that at least one business in the UK, which has been staunchly critical of Israel's campaign in Gaza, had already refused to pay tax using the Gaza war as justification.

Prashar said that the British tax authorities had given the business, which he did not identify, a relatively muted response in a letter which he said "did not demand the tax" from them.

'As the British public, do you want to be culpable?'

- Ashish Prashar, campaigner

Once launched, the campaign website would provide forms and guidance on simplifying the process of non-payment.

After accumulating 100,000 pledges, individuals will be instructed to notify their regional and national tax authorities and begin withholding tax.

"They're using the money you have to veto ceasefires, to continue these atrocities, to provide political cover," Prashar explained.

"You've elected these individuals, you fund their ability to do their jobs, you're culpable. As the British public, do you want to be culpable?"

MEE contacted the UK Home Office for comment, but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in response to a request for comment, referred MEE to the government website's advice on what happens when tax bills aren't paid.

Acts of genocide?

The Israeli military onslaught on Gaza has killed at least 31,000 Palestinians since 7 October while the siege it lays on the small enclave has led to mass starvation. Many experts have branded the destruction a genocide. 

Following an application from South Africa, the International Court of Justice in January delivered an interim ruling calling on Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

How Israel defied ICJ provisional measures, one month on
Read More »

The court did not order Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza, one of South Africa's key demands, and also did not immediately rule on whether Israel was committing genocide. But it did rule on several provisional measures, voted for by the vast majority of the court's 17 judges.

It ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts that fall under Article II of the Genocide Convention, namely: killing members of a particular group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately bringing about the physical destruction of the group, and imposing measures intended to prevent births. 

So far, however, Israel has been accused of failing to adhere to the interim measures ordered by the court, particularly over failing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

The UN and other aid agencies have warned that Gaza is on the brink of famine, due to Israel's prevention of the entry of life-saving aid from the enclave's land crossings. 

At least 25 people have died from starvation, most of them children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

'Do you want to be culpable?': UK campaign launched to stop paying tax over Gaza

US asked Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in secret Oman talks: Report

Par : MEE staff
US asked Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in secret Oman talks: Report
Indirect talks marked the first time US and Iranian officials have met in 10 months, as Tehran and Washington look to prevent Gaza spillover
MEE staff
Armed Yemeni civil servants step on a US flag as they take part in a parade following military training in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa, on 9 March 2024 (Mohammed Huwais/AFP)

The US asked Iran to rein in Houthi attacks on commercial shipping during secret indirect talks held in Oman earlier this year. 

The talks, which also included the US raising concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, marked the first time the US and Iran have held negotiations in 10 months, according to a report by the Financial Times. 

In keeping with past negotiations, the US and Iran didn’t engage directly but relied on Omani officials to carry messages. The meeting underlines how both Tehran and Washington are tapping backchannels to prevent their shadow war sparked by Israel’s war on Gaza from spilling over into a more intense regional conflict. 

The White House’s top Middle East advisor Brett McGurk and Iran envoy Abram Paley led the talks on the US side, while Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani represented the Islamic Republic, according to the FT.

McGurk has conducted several trips to the region since 7 October when the war between Israel and Palestine broke out after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. In January, Axios reported that he was set to visit Qatar and Egypt as part of efforts to reach a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel.

The Houthis began attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea in November, in a move they said was done in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

The US and UK have responded with direct strikes on the Houthis, but have so far been unable to deter the group backed by Tehran. On Monday, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on a Liberian-flagged merchant ship.

The US accuses Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah of arming, training and providing intelligence to the Houthis, but western officials say the Houthis also operate with some degree of autonomy.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard officials are embedded inside Yemen with the Houthis, according to the US, but it’s unclear how much direct control they exert.

Proxy games

The Houthis are just one node in Iran’s so-called "axis of resistance", which also includes Lebanese Hezbollah and armed groups in Iraq and Syria. Dealing with the number of hot spots in the region has become a game of whack-a-mole for the Biden administration.

Kurdish groups gripped by fear as they brace for a US pullout from northeast Syria
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Since 7 October, Iranian proxies have launched more than 170 attacks on US forces, mainly in Iraq and Syria, according to the Institute For the Study of War. The deadliest strike that killed three US soldiers, however, caught US troops off guard at a little-known base in Jordan that supports the US’s mission in Syria.

That attack brought Iran and the US closer to the outbreak of a more intense regional war. 

The Biden administration responded to the Jordan attack with dozens of strikes against Iranian assets, including one that killed a senior Iranian-backed militia commander in Baghdad with a hellfire missile fitted with switchblades, called the flying Ginsu.

Since then, attacks by Iran and its proxies on the US in Iraq and Syria have all but stopped.

Robert Ford, a former US ambassador to Syria, previously told MEE that the slowdown in strikes didn’t signal Iran is giving up on its main goal of expelling the US from the region, rather, it is the opposite.

“The Iranians are stomping hard for America to leave,” he told MEE. “They understand that events are slowly but surely going in their direction. They aren’t in a rush.”

The war in Gaza shattered the Biden administration’s boast that the Middle East region was “quieter today than it has been in two decades”.

The administration’s main focus before the war was sealing a normalisation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel while keeping a lid on tensions with Iran by quietly relaxing sanctions enforcement.

Weeks before 7 October, the US agreed to unfreeze $6bn in Iranian oil revenue held in South Korea, with Qatar serving as an intermediary. The Biden administration has since reversed that decision.

Israel 'weaponised' humanitarian measures in Gaza as tool of mass displacement: Report

Par : MEE staff
Israel 'weaponised' humanitarian measures in Gaza as tool of mass displacement: Report
A forensic investigation concludes Israel's strategies amplified the forced transfer and mass displacement of Palestinians
MEE staff
A member of the UN mourns over the body of a colleague at Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 13 March 2024 (Said Khatib/AFP)

The investigative organisation Forensic Architecture has published a new study saying the Israeli military has "weaponised" humanitarian measures like "evacuation orders" and "safe zones" in Gaza, aiding in the widespread displacement of Palestinians.

The 80-page document says the employment of these strategies by Israel has "amplified the forced transfer and mass displacement of Palestinians", breaching international legal standards.

Additionally, the report discovered that these measures frequently contained inconsistencies and led to confusion, culminating in Israel's bombardment of designated safe zones in Gaza.

"Rather than ‘humanitarian acts’ used as preventative measures for the safeguarding of civilian life, this report supports claims that Israel has exercised a form of ‘humanitarian violence’, in concert with and in support of its broader genocidal actions," the report said.

According to the report, international humanitarian law (IHL) forbids evacuating civilians from combat zones unless it is for their protection. Civilians must be relocated to areas supplied with essential survival needs such as food, water, and shelter.

Despite Israel's claims that its "evacuation orders" were meant to protect Palestinian civilians, research indicates that the humanitarian measures' implemented since 7 October, when the war broke out after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, may not align with these stipulations.

"These policies function as a tool of mass displacement, pushing civilians into unliveable areas that later come under attack, augmenting Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian population," the report states.

'Unparallelled' levels of destruction

The report added that Israel's "weaponised" humanitarian measures remained in effect even after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a verdict on 26 January 2024.

How Israel defied ICJ provisional measures, one month on
Read More »

The court, by a significant majority, determined that "at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza seem to meet the criteria set by the [Genocide] Convention".

Despite the court's decision, Israel has persisted in forcibly removing Palestinians from their homes and denying them essential resources like adequate food and water, humanitarian aid, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene, sanitation, and medical care, thus violating the court's directive, the report said.

"These measures have become tools in a military campaign that has, at the time of writing, killed over 30,000 Palestinians, over 70 percent of them women and children, with thousands more missing, and tens of thousands more civilians wounded," the report said.

The Gaza health ministry said the Palestinian death toll from Israel's current war on Gaza has risen past 31,000, with over 72,400 wounded and at least 7,000 missing, who are believed to be dead and buried under rubble. The majority of all the victims are women and children. 

"This has been exacerbated by unparallelled and catastrophic levels of infrastructural destruction and agricultural damage, and the systematic targeting of vital civilian structures, including hospitals, schools, religious and cultural heritage sites, bakeries, and homes."

UN probe finds Israel breached international law in killing Reuters journalist in Lebanon

Par : MEE staff
UN probe finds Israel breached international law in killing Reuters journalist in Lebanon
The inquiry concluded there were no cross-border hostilities between Israel and Lebanon for over 40 minutes prior to the strike that killed Issam Abdallah
MEE staff
People lift placards and portraits of video journalist Issam Abdallah during a protest near UN headquarters in downtown Beirut, on 15 October 2023 (Joseph Eid/AFP)

A United Nations inquiry determined that a tank from Israel caused the death of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Lebanon in October by launching two 120mm shells at a group of "clearly identifiable journalists", in breach of international law.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) concluded in a report that their observers did not witness any cross-border hostilities between Israel and Lebanon for over 40 minutes prior to the moment an Israeli Merkava tank initiated fire.

"The firing at civilians, in this instance clearly identifiable journalists, constitutes a violation of UNSCR 1701 (2006) and international law," said the seven-page Unifil report, dated 27 February and referring to Security Council resolution 1701.

"It is assessed that there was no exchange of fire across the Blue Line at the time of the incident. The reason for the strikes on the journalists is not known."

Besides killing Abdallah, the two tank rounds also wounded six other journalists at the scene.

"(The) IDF should conduct an investigation into the incident and a full review of their procedures at the time to avoid a recurrence," the report said in its recommendations. "The IDF should share their investigation's findings with Unifil."

Must be 'investigated as a war crime'

When he was struck on 13 October, Abdallah was covering clashes between the Israeli military and the Lebanese group Hezbollah near the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

Identifiable as members of the media, he and a group of reporters with him had been stationary for around 75 minutes before they were hit by two shells, which eyewitnesses at the scene said came from Israel. 

Israel-Palestine: Israeli killing of Lebanese journalist 'appears to be war crime'
Read More »

Two other Reuters journalists, Thaer al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh; two Al-Jazeera TV staffers, Elie Brakhya and reporter Carmen Joukhadar; and Agence France-Press journalists, Christina Assi and Dylan Collins, were wounded in the attack. 

Three reports into the killing of journalist Abdallah were published in December by Reuters, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

All three found that two Israeli missiles were fired at a group of journalists reporting from south Lebanon near the village of Alma El-Chaab. 

Human Rights Watch said it found no evidence of a military target near their location.

Amnesty International said the missiles were "likely a direct attack on civilians that must be investigated as a war crime". 

Using video evidence, expert audio analysis, and witness accounts, Human Rights Watch said it appeared the group was visible to the cameras of a nearby unmanned aerial vehicle that was "most likely Israeli".

The group was also “within line of sight of five Israeli surveillance towers, and most likely targeted by at least one munition fired from the main gun of a tank from an Israeli military position approximately 1.5 kilometres south-east” from the Israeli frontier, the report said.

There were two direct hits on the group of journalists that came in the space of 37 seconds, and the second strike was likely a small guided missile, Amnesty said.

South Africa to prosecute citizens who served in the Israeli army

Par : MEE staff
South Africa to prosecute citizens who served in the Israeli army
'When you come home, we're going to arrest you', South Africa’s foreign minister tells Israeli soldiers
MEE staff
South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor delivers her closing remarks following a meeting with Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen (not seen) in Pretoria on 5 March, 2024 (AFP)
Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s foreign minister, in Pretoria on 5 March 2024 (AFP)

South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor said that nationals who have served in the Israeli army will be prosecuted upon re-entering the country, as Israel continues its devastating war on the Gaza Strip for the sixth month. 

"I've already issued a statement alerting those who are South African and who are fighting alongside or in the Israeli Defense Force. We are ready. When you come home, we're going to arrest you," Pandor said during an African National Congress meeting earlier this week.

In her speech restating her country’s solidarity with Palestine, the South African minister referred to her earlier statements in December, in which she warned South African citizens who serve in the Israeli army could be brought to justice.

According to the Israeli Security Service law, all citizens, including dual nationals, are obliged to enlist in the military even if they permanently reside abroad.

After the war broke out in Gaza on 7 October, the Israeli army called upon reserve soldiers, including those living abroad, to join the fighting. 

On 18 December, the South African foreign ministry issued a statement requesting all nationals to “avoid joining foreign armed forces which may contribute to the violation of domestic and international law”. Otherwise, they would be “liable for prosecution in South Africa”.

The December statement said South Africa was “gravely concerned by reports that some South African citizens and permanent residents have joined or are considering joining the IDF in the war in Gaza and in the other Occupied Palestinian Territories”.

It added that naturalised citizens of South Africa could be stripped of their citizenship.

'We will not condone genocide'

This warning was not the first of its kind.

In November a South African minister in the presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said that her country’s laws do not allow citizens to fight under the flags of other countries.

Her statements came as a response to a parliamentary question about what action South Africa is taking against citizens fighting alongside the Israeli army.

How Israel defied ICJ provisional measures, one month on
Read More »

South Africa has been among the staunchest opponents of the Israeli war on Gaza, and has led a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in the besieged enclave, and requesting provisional measures to end the war.

On 26 January the ICJ issued provisional measures, calling on Israel to refrain from impeding the delivery of aid into Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation. It also ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide in the besieged enclave and to punish incitement to genocide.

Israel's ongoing onslaught on the Gaza Strip has killed over 31,000 Palestinians. It was launched in the aftermath of a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October, which killed 1,139 people. 

South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile said on Tuesday that his country has no regrets about filing the case with the ICJ.

“Over 70,000 have been injured, while 10,000 are missing under rubble. This brings the number of civilian casualties to about 110,000, amounting to roughly five percent of Gaza's 2.3 million population. We will not condone genocide,” he told MPs. 

South Africa to prosecute citizens who served in the Israeli army

UK Home Office grants asylum to Palestinian citizen of Israel over his fear of persecution

UK Home Office grants asylum to Palestinian citizen of Israel over his fear of persecution
The 24-year-old Palestinian describes Israel as having an 'apartheid' system and says he fears for his safety there because of his activism
Areeb Ullah
Rights groups have warned that Palestinians in Israel have faced a crackdown since the 7 October attacks (Reuters)

The UK Home Office has granted a Palestinian citizen of Israel asylum after his lawyers argued he faced persecution in the state as a result of its government’s “apartheid-like policies”.

The 24-year-old Palestinian student, who was identified as Hasan in court papers for safety reasons, has lived in Britain for several years.

He said he is at risk of persecution in Israel because he actively campaigns for the Palestinian cause in Britain.

The ministry unexpectedly decided to grant Hasan asylum on Monday, a day before his legal team was due to argue in court that Palestinian citizens of Israel faced persecution for speaking out against the country. 

Officials had previously rejected Hasan's claim for asylum, and if the case had proceeded, the government's lawyers would have had to argue that Hasan would not face persecution in Israel for his political activities in Britain. 

Describing the decision as “unprecedented” and “seismic”, Hasan’s lawyers, from Riverway Law, said the decision could have “widespread ramifications for other Palestinians who claim asylum in Britain and elsewhere".

“Our client claimed that the Israeli government maintains an 'apartheid' system of racial domination over its Palestinian citizens, whom it systematically oppresses,” Riverway Law said in a statement. 

Anglican Church of Southern Africa declares Israel an apartheid state
Read More »

“He had also provided evidence to the tribunal that he is at enhanced risk of persecution because of his Palestinian solidarity activism in the UK and his anti-Zionist political opinions.”

Riverway Law added that it used multiple reports by experts, NGOs and the International Court of Justice's recent interim judgment in the case of South Africa v Israel to defend Hasan. 

Representatives submitted an additional claim, noting that the situation for Palestinians living in Israel has worsened since the 7 October attacks by Hamas-led Palestinian fighters. 

The decision to grant Hasan asylum comes as Israel continues to bombard the Gaza Strip in a military campaign that has killed 31,000 Palestinians in the besieged enclave. 

The Home Office did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing. 

Turkey to launch Iraq military campaign to secure road-rail project to Gulf

Turkey to launch Iraq military campaign to secure road-rail project to Gulf
Turkish troops set to launch new assaults on PKK in western parts of Iraq’s Kurdistan region in the summer after domestic criticism of military tactics in Iraq's northern mountains
Levent Kemal
Construction of the tunnel that will connect Iraq's coastal region to international trade links through Turkey, in al-Faw 8 February (Reuters/Mohammed Aty)
Construction of the tunnel that will connect Iraq's coastal region to international trade links through Turkey, in al-Faw 8 February (Reuters/Mohammed Aty)

Turkey intends to use a military assault in northern Iraq this summer to push the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) south and secure a new trade route, sources familiar with the plans told Middle East Eye. 

The sources said Turkey will target the Kurdish armed group with a series of operations.

Since late last year, Turkey has lost dozens of soldiers to PKK attacks on Turkish outposts in northern Iraq’s mountainous terrain. Those deaths have triggered a domestic controversy and scrutiny of the effectiveness of Turkey’s tactics.

Army sources last year told MEE that the Turkish military was deployed in high-altitude temporary outposts, which were manned to prevent the PKK from infiltrating Turkey’s border.

Yet the PKK has been able to attack the Turkish positions with relative ease due to tough winter conditions that have rendered drones and other surveillance equipment “useless” because of heavy snow and fog, with limited resupplies.

According to MEE’s sources, the new military operations will target the western parts of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. They will be carried out near territories controlled by Iraq's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), an Ankara ally, cutting the PKK's access through to Mosul.

"Turkey's main purpose is very clear. The presence of the PKK in Metina and Gara has the potential to seriously threaten the Iraq Development Road Project,” a Turkish source with knowledge said, referring to the planned 1,200km highway and railway project that would connect the Gulf to Turkey through Iraq.

“We both would like to remove PKK from these two areas as well as secure the area for the construction of the project, reaching both objectives in one step.”

Iraq, Turkey and Gulf Arab states hope to soon finalise the project, which would carry goods through al-Faw port in Iraq’s Basra governorate to international markets via Turkey.

map

The Iraqi government envisions trains operating at speeds of up to 300km per hour, facilitating the transportation of both passengers and goods.

Additionally, plans include the establishment of logistic hubs, industrial complexes and the potential integration of oil and gas pipelines.

This ambitious scheme is estimated to require an investment of around $17bn, with projected annual returns of $4bn and the creation of a minimum of 100,000 jobs.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among the chief backers of the project, who promotes it against the rival Israel- and UAE-backed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative, which bypasses Turkey.

Seeking cooperation

Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler earlier this week told Turkish media that Ankara must deploy forces 30-40 km deep into Iraq to achieve its objectives. Ankara aims to establish a joint operations centre with Baghdad but there has been no progress, he added.

The Iraqi military has started to build up forces on the line between Turkish forces and the PKK, deploying troops to the Balinda area, which is an administrative transition between Duhok and Mergasor in the KDP-controlled area, according to the Turkish source.

Notably, Iraqi troops are deployed in the valley that leads to the Gara mountain, where Turkish forces are locked in intense conflict with the PKK.

It is not yet clear whether Baghdad has moved its forces into the region for cooperation with Turkey or to be a buffer between the PKK and the Turkish troops to stop further clashes.

The Turkish defence ministry said on Sunday that it dispatched a delegation including senior commander Lieutenant General Metin Tokel to the Iraqi border to hold a security meeting with local officials.

A second source said Tokel’s presence in the meeting “and the fact that he took pictures with the Iraqis shows Turkey's seriousness about future operations and Iraq's acceptance of this”.

Guler, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and intelligence chief İbrahim Kalin are due to visit Baghdad on Thursday to hold a top security meeting with their Iraqi counterparts, discussing counterterror operations.

Mountains overlook the village of Hiror near the Turkish border in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where firefights occur between the Turkish army and PKK fighters (AFP/Safin Hamid)
Mountains overlook the village of Hiror near the Turkish border in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where firefights occur between the Turkish army and PKK fighters (AFP/Safin Hamid)

Turkey has been pressuring Iraq to take the PKK threat more seriously and look for areas of cooperation.

“The fragmented structure within Iraq affects decision-making processes and it should also be added that Iran has indirect interventions in changing the direction,” a third source familiar with the issue said.

"Iran is now carrying out a policy against Turkey to influence Baghdad vis-a-vis the PKK.”

'Iran is now carrying out a policy against Turkey to influence Baghdad vis-a-vis the PKK'

- source

The source added that Baghdad must eliminate the PKK in the north to reach the stability it seeks with the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) as well as with Turkey.

Turkish and Iraqi officials are also discussing the possibility of joint operations alongside KRG forces to secure the area from Mosul to Duhok and the Turkish border town Ovakoy as part of the Iraq Development Road project.

The project is important for Turkey’s vision to integrate Ankara to the so-called Middle Corridor, a trade route extending from Asia to Europe.

However, Baghdad and the KRG are in a bitter struggle over oil sales through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, with the Iraqi Supreme Court issuing verdicts that have squeezed the finances of the Kurdistan region since last year.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

Ankara
Istanbul, Turkey

Israel reportedly considering Palestinian Authority spy chief to manage post-war Gaza

Par : MEE staff
Israel reportedly considering Palestinian Authority spy chief to manage post-war Gaza
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and opposition leader Yair Lapid among Israeli officials touting Faraj as potential post-war administrator of the Gaza Strip
MEE staff
Director of Palestinian General Intelligence in the West Bank Majed Faraj is seen in the West Bank city of Ramallah on 3 December 2016. (AFP)
Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, in Ramallah on 3 December 2016 (AFP)

Majed Faraj, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence apparatus, has reportedly been put forward as a potential post-war administrator of the besieged Gaza enclave by Israeli officials.

His name was raised at a private security meeting.

Faraj is renowned for working closely with Israeli defence officials, and has always been seen by Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders as the most likely substitute for PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

In an interview with Israel’s state broadcaster, Kan, opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “it is natural to bring up the name of Faraj, in the PA. He is one of the figures who worked with us the most against Hamas.”

According to Israeli media reports, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has proposed Faraj, who is also a close associate of Abbas, to temporarily manage the Gaza Strip in the “post-war” phase.

The idea of appointing the 61-year-old PA figure comes as Israeli efforts intensify to dismantle Hamas and push the group away from assuming any roles in the civilian administration of Gaza.

Al Jazeera, quoting Israeli media, said that Faraj had already started work on building an armed force in the south of the Gaza Strip, comprised of families who do not endorse Hamas. The unit will allegedly be tasked with managing aid deliveries from the south to the north of Gaza.

Responding to these reports, Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera that there will be “no internal Palestinian agreement in isolation from the Palestinian national decision, that always stems from a reconciliation with the various Palestinian factions and forces”.

He added that the “Israeli occupation, any regional or international party are not allowed to mess around in the internal Palestinian arena or force its agendas”.

Post-war vision

Currently, Faraj is in charge of coordinating with Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, the CIA and other international intelligence establishments.

According to Kan, other names were brought up in the discussion, none of whom are close to Hamas. Kan reports that no decision has yet been made on what is described as “the day after” the war ends in Gaza.

War on Gaza: What Palestinians want if there's a ceasefire tomorrow
Read More »

On 22 February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his vision for a post-war Gaza in a security cabinet meeting.

He envisaged that Israel should take indefinite security control over the occupied West Bank and Gaza after the end of the ongoing war. 

The prime minister said that Gaza would be demilitarised and deradicalised in the medium term, and proposed that Israel would have a presence along the Gaza-Egypt border, including at the Rafah crossing. 

He also recommended that Palestinians who do not have ties with Hamas should act as local representatives. No certain timings were set to achieve the listed aims.

The US, however, proposed that the PA administer the West Bank.

Israel's Ben Gvir salutes officer who shot and killed Palestinian child

Par : MEE staff
Israel's Ben Gvir salutes officer who shot and killed Palestinian child
The minister said shooting the 12-year-old boy in Jerusalem's Shuafat camp was 'exactly how you should act'
MEE staff
An Israeli soldier shot dead Rami al-Halhouli, 12, near occupied East Jerusalem (Screenshot/X)

Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir praised the killing of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy by a border guard on Tuesday.  

In a Telegram post, the minister, who is considered an extremist even within Israel's far-right ruling coalition, applauded the soldier and expressed his support for his actions.

“I support the border guard fighters who are operating at this time and are risking their lives now against dozens of Arab rioters in Shu’fat.” Ben Gvir wrote.

“I support the soldier who killed the terrorist who tried to shoot fireworks at him and the troops - this is exactly how you should act against terrorists - with determination and precision,” he added.

In video footage capturing the killing, the Palestinian boy, identified as Rami al-Halhouli, was shown playing with fireworks and holding them above his head before he suddenly falls to the ground after being shot.

The killing took place in the Shuafat refugee camp near occupied east Jerusalem during what Israeli officials said was a response to a “violent disturbance”.

In a statement, the Israeli police said they “fired towards a suspect who endangered the forces”.

After Halhouli was shot, family members and other Palestinians could be seen gathering around his body, with a woman screaming his name. 

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The child was taken to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital’s trauma unit, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. 

An Israeli police spokesperson said that there were no casualties amongst the Israelis deployed to the camp. 

According to local media, residents of the camp said the fireworks were not directed at the soldiers, and did not pose any threat or danger to the Israelis.

The report added that Ben Gvir called for the soldier who killed the boy to receive an award and not be investigated by the Mahash, the department of police investigations. 

On Wednesday, Ben Gvir also headed to Israel’s Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) to express his support for the officer and lambasted the DIPI’s questioning of the man.

“It is outrageous to me that the Department of Internal Police Investigations even dared to invite the fighter here for questioning, it is shameful and disgraceful,” he said, accompanied by the officer's lawyers.

He added that he had previously reinstated police officers suspended by the DIPI, and that he would give his support to the questioned officer, claiming he and his colleagues were “doing exceptional work”.

Other West Bank killings

The killing of al-Halhouli came on the same day Israeli forces shot and killed a man and a child near the town of Al-Jib, northwest of Jerusalem.

The man was identified as Zaid Warif Shukri Khalifa, a 23-year-old, who arrived at a medical facility in Ramallah already dead after sustaining wounds. The other was identified as 16-year-old Abdullah Mamoun Hassan Assaf. 

In the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, two others were killed and another four were wounded after Israeli forces opened fire near the entrance of the Jenin Governmental Hospital.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified one of the men killed as Rabee’ al-Nursi, 19, and Mahmoud Sbu al-Hija, who both succumbed to their wounds after being shot. 

The Red Crescent Society described the four wounded Palestinians as being in a serious condition.

Eyewitnesses in Jenin said that around 30 Israeli armed vehicles and bulldozers stormed the city and were deployed to several different neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the refugee camp.

Ben Gvir salutes Israeli officer who shot and killed Palestinian child

Archbishops warn UK extremism definition will target Muslim communities

Archbishops warn UK extremism definition will target Muslim communities
Church of England leaders say overhaul of UK counter-extremism strategy threatens free speech, rights to worship and peaceful protest, and could 'vilify the wrong people'
Simon Hooper
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said government plans for a new definition of extremism risked causing more division (Richard Heathcote/Pool/AFP)

The head of the Anglican church in the UK has added his voice to a growing clamour of criticism over the government’s plans to launch a new definition of extremism, warning that the measure risks “disproportionately targeting Muslim communities”.

In a statement published late on Tuesday, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, warned that the new definition threatened free speech, the rights to worship and peaceful protest, and could “vilify the wrong people”.

“Crucially, it risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities, who are already experiencing rising levels of hate and abuse,” said the archbishops, the two most senior clerics in the Church of England.

Warning of “growing division” between communities in the UK, in which Jewish and Muslim people had both spoken of feeling unsafe, the archbishops said the definition - part of a new counter-extremism strategy set to be launched in parliament on Thursday by Communities Secretary Michael Gove - risked making the situation worse.

“Instead of providing clarity or striking a conciliatory tone, we think labelling a multifaceted problem as hateful extremism may instead vilify the wrong people and risk yet more division," said the archbishops.

"We are concerned – like so many others – by its implications for public life. We join calls for the government to reconsider its approach and instead have a broad-based conversation with all those who it will affect."

The archbishops’ intervention came after a trio of leading campaign groups – Amnesty International, Liberty and Friends of the Earth - earlier on Tuesday condemned expected details of the new counter-extremism strategy as “profoundly undemocratic”.

Reports have suggested that earlier unpublished drafts of the document suggested that the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the largest representative organisation of Muslims in the UK, could be captured by the definition.

The MCB has called the plans “offensive, ludicrous and dangerous”.

UK: Michael Gove facing growing dissent over 'dangerous' extremism plans
Read More »

A leaked document purported to be a draft ministerial statement seen by MEE on Wednesday included the names of a number of Muslim community advocacy organisations, but not the MCB.

The draft statement describes the groups as having an "Islamist orientation" and of being "divisive forces within Muslim communties".

It says the government will "take action as appropriate" against groups it assesses as extemist according to the new definition.

Gove and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have both suggested that the new measures could be targeted against pro-Palestinian activism and groups alleged to be proponents of Islamist ideology.

But their plans have also been criticised by three former home secretaries, Amber Rudd, Sajid Javid and Priti Patel, who in a letter on Monday warned the government about playing politics over concerns about extremism ahead of a general election expected within months.

“In the run-up to a general election it’s particularly important that that consensus is maintained and that no political party uses the issue to seek short-term tactical advantage,” they said in a letter also signed by a former army chief, a former head of counterterrorism policing and Gove’s own social cohesion adviser, Sara Khan.

The UK’s current counter-extremism strategy, which was last updated in 2015, defines extremism as “the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also regard calls for the death of members of our armed forces as extremist.”

The new definition of extremism is reported to be the “promotion or advancement of ideology based on hatred, intolerance or violence, or undermining or overturning the rights or freedoms of others, or of undermining democracy itself".

However, the government has declined to confirm this wording, telling MEE only that it will “set out further details shortly”.

Archbishops warn UK extremism definition will target Muslim communities

Egypt: Sisi government ‘granted amnesty’ to Islamic State fighters who committed war crimes in Sinai

Par : MEE staff
Egypt: Sisi government ‘granted amnesty’ to Islamic State fighters who committed war crimes in Sinai
Two rights groups warn of ‘risk of impunity’ for grave abuses after Egyptian army reached deals with Sinai Province members
MEE staff
Egyptian army pickup trucks and humvees (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles - HMMWVs) driving in the desert in North Sinai (AFP/Egypt Army)
The Egyptian army in the desert in North Sinai (AFP/Egypt Army)

Egypt's authorities have made “questionable” amnesty deals with suspected members of an Islamic State affiliate in North Sinai without plans to prosecute them for serious crimes against civilians, two rights groups said on Wednesday.

According to evidence gathered by the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch (HRW), including public statements by officials in President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's government, authorities have granted members of Wilayat Sina’ (Sinai Province) amnesty in exchange for laying down their arms and surrendering to the army. 

“Amnesties for members of armed groups who lay down their arms should never include those who intentionally carried out grave crimes such as targeting or deliberately killing civilians,” said Ahmed Salem, executive director of the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights (SFHR).

“Egyptian authorities should develop a national strategy for Wilayat Sina’ prosecutions, ensuring that those with direct responsibility for serious crimes do not enjoy impunity,” said Salem.

The Egyptian army, aided by local tribesmen, fought a war against members of the Sinai Province between 2013 and 2022.

The group, which was relatively small and poorly armed, has been defeated, according to the Egyptian army and local Sinai tribal sources who spoke to Middle East Eye.

During the course of the war, thousands of indigenous inhabitants of North Sinai villages were forcibly displaced and have yet to return to their lands, much of which has been turned into a buffer zone along the borders with Israel and Gaza.

During the nearly 10 years of hostilities, HRW and SFHR have documented war crimes committed by both sides of the conflict. HRW has accused the Egyptian army of committing “possible war crimes”. Cairo has yet to investigate the alleged violations or bring anyone to justice.

The Sinai Province has also been accused of war crimes, including torture and extrajudicial executions.

Egypt: Children recruited to fight Islamic State in North Sinai, report finds
Read More »

In one incident, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on a local mosque in 2017 that killed more than 300 worshippers. The Egyptian government estimates at least 650 civilians have been killed by the Sinai Province since 2013.

The two rights groups have previously accused authorities of unlawfully detaining and abusing female and junior relatives of Islamic State suspects to pressure the suspects to turn themselves in. 

The laws of armed conflicts allow the granting of the broadest possible amnesties at the end of hostilities, but that does not include individuals suspected of or charged with committing grave violations of international humanitarian law. 

“The authorities should make public the criteria used to grant amnesty and measures taken to ensure that those responsible for serious abuses face justice,” the two organisations said.

President Sisi came to power in 2014 after a coup he led against his democratically elected predecessor, Mohamed Morsi, a year earlier. His presidential term was renewed twice, in 2018 and late last year, after elections marred by a ferocious crackdown on his opponents. He has repeatedly promised an end to militant insurgency in Sinai.

The amnesty given to IS members stands in stark contrast to Sisi’s policy of detaining tens of thousands of peaceful critics since 2013, said Bahey eldin Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

“While the Egyptian government arbitrarily imprisons tens of thousands of peaceful prisoners of conscience for about 10 years in violation of the law and the constitution, and treats them and their families in the most horrific treatment, it pardons members of ISIS, who may be accused of mass murder of civilians and soldiers,” he wrote on X.

Egyptian jails hold at least 65,000 political prisoners opposed to Sisi, according to a study released by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information in April 2021. 

Egypt ‘granted amnesty’ to Islamic State fighters behind war crimes in Sinai

War on Gaza: UK awaits Unrwa investigation reports before deciding on funding

War on Gaza: UK awaits Unrwa investigation reports before deciding on funding
Foreign Office says it is trying to resolve issue 'as speedily as we can' as MPs cast doubts on UK position on agency
Dania Akkad
Displaced Palestinians receive food aid at an Unrwa centre in Rafah, southern Gaza, in January (AFP)

The UK government will decide whether to resume funding to Unrwa after it receives interim reports of two investigations looking into Israeli allegations against the agency.

Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell told MPs on Tuesday that the next British payment to the largest organisation operating in Gaza was not due until April.

Meanwhile, he said, enough funds had come forward to "ensure that adequate supplies are available", and that the UK, the US, Germany, Australia, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland would await the interim reports.

"The view we take is that when we have seen those, we very much hope we will have the reassurance to recommence funding," Mitchell said. "We are very much trying to resolve this matter as speedily as we can."

The decision of the UK and the seven others stands in contrast to the EU, Sweden and Canada, which have proceeded with or resumed funding to Unrwa this month.

When it announced its resumption last Friday, Canada said it had reviewed the interim report of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), one of the two investigations now under way.

When Middle East Eye contacted the UK government on Tuesday it would not say whether, like Canada, it had received the UN's interim report.

MPs criticise UK stance

Meanwhile, MPs are casting doubts on the UK's position.

"For us to continue not to fund Unrwa sends a truly dreadful signal to other countries on the world stage," said Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael in parliament.

"Canada and Sweden have resumed their funding. Surely, we should be attending to this now as a matter of some urgency?"

Scottish National Party MP Alyn Smith asked what further reassurance the UK needed to ensure the funding would be in place.

War on Gaza: UK plan in place to resume Unrwa funding after 'hasty' suspension
Read More »

"The UK risks being very much on the wrong side of these developments," he said.

In a letter sent to Foreign Secretary David Cameron late on Tuesday, and seen by MEE, Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams questioned the government's decision-making on Unrwa.

"I am struggling to understand how the UK government can, on the one hand, claim that our contribution to the humanitarian response is not impacted by the decision to pause future funding to Unrwa, while on the other, fail to recognise that this organisation above any other is essential to the delivery of aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza," he wrote. 

Williams asked Cameron to clarify whether the UK had received the UN's interim report and also whether it had reviewed correspondence between EU commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and Unrwa head Philippe Lazzarini that prompted the EU's decision to proceed with funding.

Cameron said last week that the allegations against Unrwa were "shocking" and had to be properly investigated, but that if the UK wanted aid delivered, Unrwa was the "only body with a distribution network".

MEE learnt last week from a parliamentary source with direct knowledge of the matter that the British government has a plan in place to resume funding to Unrwa.

A second source who was in a meeting with Cameron in early February said the foreign secretary acknowledged the decision to suspend funding had been "too hasty" and was looking for face-saving measures to reinstate it.

It now appears that a UK decision is several weeks away, with an interim report from the second investigation, led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, expected at the end of this month.

UK awaits Unrwa investigation reports before deciding on funding

Media coverage of UN report on 7 October challenged for ‘inaccurate’ portrayal of sexual violence

Par : MEE staff
Media coverage of UN report on 7 October challenged for ‘inaccurate’ portrayal of sexual violence
Detailed review of UN report on allegations of sexual violence committed by Hamas on 7 October does not reach many of the conclusions reported in western media, activists say
MEE staff
A woman reacts while visiting the site of the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, on 19 February, 2024 (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)

A UN report on allegations of sexual violence committed by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters has been inaccurately portrayed by political leaders and media outlets, driving a “cycle of mass rape propaganda” about Palestinians, according to activists, lawyers and academics.

The UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, issued a report on 4 March examining allegations of sexual violence during the Hamas-led 7 October attacks.

The report followed a series of articles in western newspapers, which painted a picture of mass rape and sexual violence conducted by Palestinian fighters against Israelis. However, those reports have been challenged by activists and pro-Palestinian activists as biased.

“The report does not, in fact, reach many of the conclusions for which it is being lauded in western media, and several of its findings undermine the Israeli narrative,” the Feminist Solidarity Network for Palestine, a pro-Palestinian group, wrote in a review of the UN report.

The network describes itself as "an international collective of anti-imperialist, anti-colonial feminist academics, lawyers, and organizers working against Zionist settler colonial propaganda and towards a free Palestine".

The group accuses western media of misleadingly characterising Patten's work as an "investigation", when in fact, her office's mandate is to solely “gather information” and engage in “advocacy”.

They note that Israel has refused to cooperate with another UN team investigating the allegations operating under the UN Human Rights Council, by instructing doctors and health workers who treated the 7 October attack victims not to speak with the UN team.  

"Ironically, it is the absence of any ability or power to investigate that likely induced Israel to extend an invitation to Patten," the activists wrote, adding "they knew in advance that the mission could not - indeed, would not - probe too far".

The activists say that Israel has lauded Patten's report as a "UN endorsement of its claim that Hamas committed systematic sexual violence on 7 October", but note that in her report Patten refuted many claims put forward by the Israeli government. 

Patten refuted an NBC article that alleged a woman had been found at Kibbutz Be’eri with “objects like knives inserted in the genitalia”, saying the UN mission team that reviewed the photos of the scene “did not find anything like that”.

Patten also said that accounts by first responders of the Hamas-led 7 October attack contained “instances of unreliable, inaccurate forensic interpretation by untrained people”.

Activists ask for proof

When Patten’s UN report was published, it was picked up by major media outlets including the Financial Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, as advancing allegations on "reasonable grounds", that Hamas committed sexual violence on 7 October. 

However, The Feminist Solidarity Network noted that Patten’s mission was “not investigative” and "did not gather information and/or draw conclusions on attribution of alleged violations to specific armed groups”.

UN Special Representative Pramila Patten states in her report that her mission viewed fully 5,000 photographs and 50 hours of footage of the October 7 attack supplied to her by the Israeli government and available in open sources. This digital evidence, from every conceivable…

— Norman Finkelstein (@normfinkelstein) March 12, 2024

The activists point to Patten’s remarks at a press conference after the publication of the report saying, “Given the multiple actors, it was Hamas, it was Palestinian Islamic Jihad, there were other armed groups, there were civilians, armed and unarmed, I did not go into attribution given the time and given the fact that I was not conducting an investigation.”

But activists have also taken aim at Patten’s conclusion that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of rape, including gang rape, occurred” on 7 October.

Specifically, they have asked how she was able to reach this conclusion given that the UN team did not interview a single survivor of sexual violence, or find photographic evidence.

"UN Special Representative Pramila Patten states in her report that her mission viewed fully 5,000 photographs and 50 hours of footage of the October 7 attack supplied to her by the Israeli government and available in open sources," Norman Finkelstein, an expert on the Israel-Palestine conflict, wrote on X.

"The digital evidence the UN reviewed included bodycams, dashcams, individual cellphones, CCTV, and traffic surveillance cameras,” but didn’t find one example of sexual violence occurring, Finkelstein notes.

“Isn't it time for UN Secretary-General Guterres to appoint a Special Representative to investigate Pramila Patten?” he said.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

Columbia University sued over suspension of Palestinian and Jewish student groups

Par : MEE staff
Columbia University sued over suspension of Palestinian and Jewish student groups
The university suspended the student groups in November, but the lawsuit says the institution breached established protocols
MEE staff
Pro-Palestinian protesters participate in an 'All out for Palestine' rally outside Columbia University in New York City, on 2 February 2024 (Yuki Iwamura/AFP)

The New York Civil Liberties Union, in collaboration with Palestine Legal, filed a lawsuit against Columbia University on Tuesday for the suspension of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) chapters.

“For decades, Columbia students have been at the forefront of speaking out against segregation, war and apartheid and SJP and JVP sit squarely in this tradition," Palestine Legal senior staff attorney Radhika Sainath said.

“Universities must abide by their own rules and may not punish student groups speaking out for Palestinian rights in the moment when they are most essential – even if donors and lobby groups complain."

Columbia University, based in New York City, suspended the student groups in November. 

Explaining the decision, Columbia's special committee on campus safety described the groups as having "repeatedly violated university policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorised event Thursday afternoon [9 November] that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation".

The ban means that the two groups would neither receive university funds to operate nor be allowed to conduct any activities on campus.

On 29 February, the New York Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Columbia University's administration. 

'Negligence': Columbia students furious at university after skunk water doused on protesters
Read More »

The letter demanded the immediate reinstatement of both the SJP and JVP chapters.

It highlighted that the university had unfairly and unlawfully suspended the groups for their involvement in a peaceful demonstration and a temporary art exhibit advocating for Palestinian rights.

According to the lawsuit, on multiple occasions the university breached its established protocols to penalise SJP and JVP, "baselessly and irresponsibly" attributing allegations of threats and intimidation to the groups.

This has led to serious worries that the university's decisions were improperly influenced by the political viewpoints of the student organisations, particularly their advocacy for Palestinian rights, the lawsuit says.

“Ivy League institutions should not attract students who value justice and equality if they do not want to be held accountable for the ideals that they claim to uphold," Maryam Alwan, an organiser with Columbia’s chapter of SJP, said.

"As a Palestinian-American student, I should have the same right to speak out on my campus as everyone else - and no amount of targeted policy changes or illegitimate suspensions will prevent us from advocating for the Palestinian people.”

Fighting back

Columbia is the latest school to be hit with a lawsuit, but not the only one. On Friday last week, a group of faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania sued the university to stop the school from complying with a request from Congress to hand over all material, teaching or otherwise, related to pro-Palestinian activity and sentiments on campus.

It comes after the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were called in for a contentious congressional briefing in December over the large number of pro-Palestine rallies taking place on campus.

Since that hearing - in which the protests were characterised by unchecked claims of being sympathetic to Hamas and calling for violence against Jews - the presidents of both Harvard and Penn resigned.

In January, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce issued a series of letters to Harvard, ColumbiaMIT and Penn, requesting they provide the committee with documents related to the schools' "response to antisemitism on its campus".

"The Committee is engaged in a partisan witch hunt by seeking syllabi, academic papers, and other material from Penn faculty of all ranks, with the search highlighting keywords like Jew, Israel, antisemitism, Palestine, Gaza, resistance, settler colonialism and diversity, equity and inclusion, to name most of their criteria," the Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine (PFJP), a group of faculty, staff and graduate students, said in a statement shared with Middle East Eye.

The legal complaint was filed last Friday by the PFJP and seeks an injunction that would bar Penn from sharing the information with Congress, which the lawsuit states includes "student information by Penn deemed confidential" under federal law.

"Penn's compliance with the Committee's letter threatens the privacy, safety, academic freedom and careers of the individual plaintiffs and of many other members of the Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine," reads the lawsuit.

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