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  7.    <language>en</language>
  8.    
  9.    <item>
  10.  <title>War on Gaza: Remains of Palestinian grandmother found after Israeli raid</title>
  11.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-palestine-remains-palestinian-grandmother-found-after-israeli-raid</link>
  12.  <description>
  13. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;War on Gaza: Remains of Palestinian grandmother found after Israeli raid&lt;/span&gt;
  14.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Israeli forces separated Naifa Rizq al-Sawada, 92, from her family and took her to an undisclosed location. Weeks later, she was found dead&lt;/div&gt;
  15.      
  16. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/maha-hussaini" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/maha-hussaini" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Maha Hussaini&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  17.  
  18. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-29T14:28:57+01:00" title="29 April 2024 14:28 BST"&gt;Mon, 04/29/2024 - 14:28&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  19.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/palestinian-grandmother-gaza-march-2024-supplied.jpg.webp?itok=jZmoQ7ea 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/palestinian-grandmother-gaza-march-2024-supplied.jpg?itok=jZmoQ7ea 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/palestinian-grandmother-gaza-march-2024-supplied.jpg?itok=jZmoQ7ea 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/palestinian-grandmother-gaza-march-2024-supplied.jpg?itok=JI40QIk_" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  20.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Family of Naifa Rizq al-Sawada, 92, found her charred bones in a house in Gaza City that was set ablaze by Israeli forces (Supplied) &lt;/div&gt;
  21.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;It took Naifa Rizq al-Sawada’s family an agonising two weeks to discover what had happened to the beloved grandmother following a raid by the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israeli&lt;/a&gt; army on her home. &lt;/p&gt;
  22.  
  23. &lt;p&gt;The 92-year-old &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian&lt;/a&gt; woman, who suffered from Alzheimer's, was found as a pile of charred bones on her granddaughter's burned bed, according to her daughter. &lt;/p&gt;
  24.  
  25. &lt;p&gt;The grandmother had been separated from her family by Israeli soldiers during their assault on al-Shifa Medical Complex and its vicinity in mid-March in western Gaza City. &lt;/p&gt;
  26.  
  27. &lt;p&gt;After raiding the multi-floor residential building belonging to Sawada and her married children, troops separated men and women, who were forced to head south. &lt;/p&gt;
  28.  
  29. &lt;p&gt;When Sawada’s daughter-in-law asked an Israeli soldier to release the elderly woman with them, he refused, the family previously &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israeli-army-forces-family-leave-94-year-old-grandmother-behind"&gt;told Middle East Eye&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  40. &lt;/div&gt;
  41.  
  42. &lt;p&gt;“We will take care of her,” he said. &lt;/p&gt;
  43.  
  44. &lt;p&gt;For two weeks, the family did not know Sawada’s fate after they were forced to leave her behind. &lt;/p&gt;
  45.  
  46. &lt;p&gt;They later received reports from neighbours that the army had set the building ablaze. &lt;/p&gt;
  47.  
  48. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  49. &lt;p&gt;'How could they leave her before burning the house?'&lt;/p&gt;
  50.  
  51. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;- Maha al-Nawati, Naifa Rizq al-Sawada’s daughter&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  52. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  53.  
  54. &lt;p&gt;But they could not return to the building to see if the grandmother was taken out before it was engulfed in flames.&lt;/p&gt;
  55.  
  56. &lt;p&gt;On 1 April, the Israeli army withdrew from the area and the family finally reached the home and found Sawada’s charred remains.&lt;/p&gt;
  57.  
  58. &lt;p&gt;Although it was unclear what happened in her final moments, the family were “devastated to imagine she was burned alive”, according to Maha al-Nawati, her daughter. &lt;/p&gt;
  59.  
  60. &lt;h3&gt;'Only bones left'&lt;/h3&gt;
  61.  
  62. &lt;p&gt;Nawati told MEE that as soon as the Israelis withdrew, her brother, sister and their children rushed to the building to find any traces of Sawada. &lt;/p&gt;
  63.  
  64. &lt;p&gt;At first, they didn’t find her in the house, including in the living room and bedroom, where her bed was burned. &lt;/p&gt;
  65.  
  66. &lt;p&gt;"They went up to the roof and found my niece and her husband; they were martyred. The army had shot and burned them. Their bodies were charred," said Nawati, speaking to MEE from Egypt where she recently fled. &lt;/p&gt;
  67.  
  68. &lt;p&gt;In light of reports that Israeli troops used Palestinians as human shields during their raids of al-Shifa hospital’s departments, the family thought she may have been taken there. &lt;/p&gt;
  69.  
  70. &lt;p&gt;Unable to walk or speak, they feared she might have been left without proper care. However, an even worse scenario unfolded.&lt;/p&gt;
  71.  
  72. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  73. &lt;p&gt;'My niece and her husband were martyred. The army had shot and burned them'&lt;/p&gt;
  74.  
  75. &lt;p&gt;- &lt;em&gt;Maha al-Nawati&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  76. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  77.  
  78. &lt;p&gt;Four days later, a neighbour told them she could not confirm that Sawada was taken out by the army during the initial raid and that she might still be inside.&lt;/p&gt;
  79.  
  80. &lt;p&gt;The family returned to look again, this time searching Nawati's niece's apartment where Israeli soldiers gathered the women after they separated them from the men.&lt;/p&gt;
  81.  
  82. &lt;p&gt;“[My brother and sister] entered my niece’s bedroom; her bed was charred, and the remains of mum's bones were there,” Nawati, 69, said. &lt;/p&gt;
  83.  
  84. &lt;p&gt;“The army had taken her to sleep on the bed [before setting the house ablaze].&lt;/p&gt;
  85.  
  86. &lt;p&gt;“There were only a few bones left. Other bones had turned into [ashes], and in her last days, my mum was very frail, so there weren’t many bones left. They collected them and took them [outside].”&lt;/p&gt;
  87.  
  88.  &lt;figure role="group" class="align-center media-block"&gt;&lt;div class="group-inner"&gt;
  89.    &lt;div alt="The burnt room where bones were found by the family on 8 April 2024 in Gaza City (Supplied)" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"","image_link":"","image_loading":{"attribute":"lazy"}}" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="60bce441-2f47-417f-a905-dc7a6f60e392" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"&gt;  &lt;img loading="lazy" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/naifa-burned-bones-gaza-april-2024.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" alt="The burnt room where bones were found by the family on 8 April 2024 in Gaza City (Supplied)" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  90. &lt;figcaption&gt;The burnt room where Sawada’s bones were found by the family on 8 April 2024 in Gaza City (Supplied)&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  91. &lt;/figure&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background:rgba(220,220,220,0.5);background-image:url(https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png);display:none;"&gt;&lt;img height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  92.  
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  94.  
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  105. &lt;/div&gt;
  106. &lt;/div&gt;
  107.  
  108. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); background-image: url("https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png"); top: -15px; left: 0px;"&gt;&lt;img alt="" height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  109.  
  110. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background:rgba(220,220,220,0.5);background-image:url(https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png);display:none;"&gt;&lt;img alt="" height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  111.  
  112. &lt;p&gt;The family wrapped their mother’s bones in a white cloth and buried them near her 22-year-old grandson who was killed by the Israeli army at the beginning of the Israeli assault. &lt;/p&gt;
  113.  
  114. &lt;p&gt;“When he was killed, my nephew was buried under their home's wall, because we couldn't reach any cemetery [due to the Israeli siege]. We had to bury him there, and we buried mum next to him,” said Nawati. &lt;/p&gt;
  115.  
  116. &lt;h3&gt;‘How could they leave her?’&lt;/h3&gt;
  117.  
  118. &lt;p&gt;Since the beginning of Israel’s large-scale war on Gaza and the army’s siege of various areas of the Strip, many families have resorted to burying those killed in Israeli attacks inside their homes, in the streets or public parks and agricultural lands near their residences. &lt;/p&gt;
  119.  
  120. &lt;p&gt;Many have endured staying in the same house with bodies of their family members that started to decompose, unable to open windows or doors to bury them outside, fearing nearby Israeli fire. &lt;/p&gt;
  121.  
  122. &lt;p&gt;Upon the army's withdrawal from certain areas, dozens of mass graves, dug either by residents or troops, have been discovered, including at al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals, Gaza’s two biggest medical facilities.  &lt;/p&gt;
  123.  
  124. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  125.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/my-heart-will-always-ache-pain-and-patience-gazas-mass-graves"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/gaza%20mass%20grave%20body%20reuters.jpg.webp?itok=gZ7A5JmQ" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;'My heart will always ache': Pain and patience at Gaza's mass graves&lt;/div&gt;
  126.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/my-heart-will-always-ache-pain-and-patience-gazas-mass-graves"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  127. &lt;/div&gt;
  128.  
  129. &lt;p&gt;More than 700 bodies have been exhumed from the two hospitals by civil defence teams so far.&lt;/p&gt;
  130.  
  131. &lt;p&gt;In nearly seven months of war, Israel has killed 34,500 Palestinians. At least 7,000 more are missing - some hidden beneath the rubble of bombed buildings, some vanished without a trace.&lt;/p&gt;
  132.  
  133. &lt;p&gt;Many of the bodies recently recovered from mass graves or bombed buildings have been completely decomposed, leaving nothing but their skeletons.&lt;/p&gt;
  134.  
  135. &lt;p&gt;The idea that only a few bones were left of her mother still haunts Nawati, who is hundreds of miles away from her grave. &lt;/p&gt;
  136.  
  137. &lt;p&gt;“Until this moment, I cannot stop thinking of what they did. Why? How could they leave her before burning the house?” Nawati said. &lt;/p&gt;
  138.  
  139. &lt;p&gt;“My mother always helped others, so I'm sure God has taken her to a better place.”&lt;/p&gt;
  140. &lt;/div&gt;
  141.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  142.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  143.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  144.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  145.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  146.          &lt;/div&gt;
  147.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; Central Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine&lt;/div&gt;
  148.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;'Only bones left': Charred remains of grandmother found after Israeli raid&lt;/div&gt;
  149.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
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  151.          &lt;/div&gt;
  152.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  153.      </description>
  154.  <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 13:28:57 +0000</pubDate>
  155.    <dc:creator>Maha Hussaini</dc:creator>
  156.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359541 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  157.    </item>
  158. <item>
  159.  <title>UAE cancels meetings with UK ministers in spat over Sudan war </title>
  160.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-cancels-meetings-uk-ministers-sudan-war</link>
  161.  <description>
  162. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;UAE cancels meetings with UK ministers in spat over Sudan war &lt;/span&gt;
  163.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Abu Dhabi 'angered' after UK did not defend it as Sudan's UN representative accused Emirates of supporting the RSF&lt;/div&gt;
  164.      
  165. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/rayhan-uddin" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/rayhan-uddin" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Rayhan Uddin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  166.  
  167. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-29T11:20:41+01:00" title="29 April 2024 11:20 BST"&gt;Mon, 04/29/2024 - 11:20&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  168.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/sudan-security-forces-april-2024-afp_1.jpg.webp?itok=vwTok8Db 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/sudan-security-forces-april-2024-afp_1.jpg?itok=vwTok8Db 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/sudan-security-forces-april-2024-afp_1.jpg?itok=vwTok8Db 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/sudan-security-forces-april-2024-afp_1.jpg?itok=ghDhoXDA" alt="Sudanese security forces patrol in a commercial district in the city of Gedaref in eastern Sudan on 3 April 2024 (AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  169.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Sudanese security forces patrol in a commercial district in the city of Gedaref in eastern Sudan on 3 April 2024 (AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  170.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/united-arab-emirates"&gt;United Arab Emirates&lt;/a&gt; has cancelled a number of meetings with &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/uk"&gt;UK&lt;/a&gt; ministers after the Emiratis were accused of aiding a paramilitary group waging war in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/sudan"&gt;Sudan&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  171.  
  172. &lt;p&gt;Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting about Sudan's civil war - which broke out a year ago - at the request of the UK.&lt;/p&gt;
  173.  
  174. &lt;p&gt;During the session, Sudan's representative accused the UAE of providing backing to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, a charge which Abu Dhabi has denied. &lt;/p&gt;
  175.  
  176. &lt;p&gt;According to a &lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uae-cancels-meetings-britain-row-sudan-civil-war-sxlhxwhtw"&gt;report&lt;/a&gt; in The Times on Sunday, four UK ministerial meetings have been cancelled by the Emiratis, who were reportedly angered by the British not jumping to the UAE's defence at the Security Council. &lt;/p&gt;
  177.  
  178. &lt;p&gt;The development came just days after the Guardian &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/15/uk-foreign-office-holding-secret-talks-with-sudans-rsf-paramilitary-group"&gt;reported&lt;/a&gt; that the UK had itself been holding secret talks with the RSF. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  179.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  180.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  187. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  188. &lt;/div&gt;
  189. &lt;/div&gt;
  190.  
  191. &lt;p&gt;The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since 15 April last year. The war has displaced over eight million people and has left 18 million "acutely food insecure", according to the UN’s World Food Programme. &lt;/p&gt;
  192.  
  193. &lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href="https://raoulwallenbergcentre.org/images/reports/International-Inquiry-Breaches-of-the-Genocide-Convention-temp1.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;report&lt;/a&gt; released in mid-April by the &lt;a href="https://www.raoulwallenbergcentre.org/en/news/2024-04-14" target="_blank"&gt;Raoul Wallenberg Centre&lt;/a&gt; concluded that a genocide was taking place against non-Arab groups in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/sudan" target="_blank"&gt;Sudan&lt;/a&gt;’s Darfur region, at the hands of the RSF and allied militias. &lt;/p&gt;
  194.  
  195. &lt;p&gt;It stated that there was "clear and convincing evidence" that Sudan, the UAE, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/libya"&gt;Libya&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-crisis-army-rsf-zurug-north-darfur-air-strikes" target="_blank"&gt;Chad&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-darfur-almost-all-falls-rsf-severe-blow-arm" target="_blank"&gt;Central African Republic &lt;/a&gt;(CAR) and &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/russia" target="_blank"&gt;Russia&lt;/a&gt;, via the actions of the Wagner Group, were "complicit in the genocide". &lt;/p&gt;
  196.  
  197. &lt;p&gt;Khartoum has called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council over the UAE's backing of the RSF, according to a report in AFP on Saturday. &lt;/p&gt;
  198.  
  199. &lt;p&gt;"If the UAE is so adamant in their denials that they are supporting the RSF, then why spend so much diplomatic capital to prevent the discussion," Cameron Hudson, a former CIA analyst and senior associate at the CSIS Africa Program, told Middle East Eye. &lt;/p&gt;
  200.  
  201. &lt;p&gt;Hudson said that sources familiar with the matter had told him that the UAE was pressuring the US, UK and other Security Council members to cancel the emergency meeting. &lt;/p&gt;
  202.  
  203. &lt;p&gt;"In Washington, this is bringing to a head disputes between Africanists who want to take a hard line on the UAE’s behaviour in Sudan and the Biden administration’s Middle East [policy team], led by Brett McGurk, who have resisted using their leverage with the UAE over Sudan," he said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  204.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  205.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  211. //]]&gt;
  212. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  213. &lt;/div&gt;
  214. &lt;/div&gt;
  215.  
  216. &lt;h3&gt;RSF supply lines&lt;/h3&gt;
  217.  
  218. &lt;p&gt;MEE has &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf" target="_blank"&gt;reported&lt;/a&gt; on the network of supply lines that exist to funnel arms and other goods from the UAE to the RSF, via allied groups and governments in Libya, Chad and the CAR.&lt;/p&gt;
  219.  
  220. &lt;p&gt;The UAE is the Sudanese paramilitary’s main patron, with the supply of arms to the RSF also facilitated by Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, and running overland from Chad and the CAR, as well as being flown out of airbases in Uganda.&lt;/p&gt;
  221.  
  222. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-the-big-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  223.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/sudan-war-smoke-fire-khartoum-7-june-2023-afp.jpg.webp?itok=ND8lSwMa" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;How the UAE kept the Sudan war raging&lt;/div&gt;
  224.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  225. &lt;/div&gt;
  226.  
  227. &lt;p&gt;The paramilitary force has denied that it is being supplied by the UAE and rejected accusations that it is waging an ethnically motivated campaign of violence in Darfur. &lt;/p&gt;
  228.  
  229. &lt;p&gt;Responding to Sudan's accusations at the UN Security Council, Abu Dhabi said: "The United Arab Emirates unequivocally rejects the baseless allegations made by the permanent representative of Sudan, which run counter to the longstanding brotherly relations between our two countries, and regrettably appear to be nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the conflict and the dire humanitarian situation caused by the ongoing fight.&lt;/p&gt;
  230.  
  231. &lt;p&gt;"All allegations of the United Arab Emirates’ involvement in any form or aggression in the destabilisation of Sudan, or its provision of any military, logistical, financial or political support to any faction in Sudan, are spurious, unfounded and lack any credible evidence to support them."&lt;/p&gt;
  232.  
  233. &lt;p&gt;In December, Sudan demanded that 15 Emirati diplomats leave the country after an army commander accused the UAE of supporting the RSF. &lt;/p&gt;
  234.  
  235. &lt;p&gt;Over the weekend, the Security Council expressed "deep concern" over an imminent attack on al-Fashir in the Darfur region by the paramilitary group.&lt;/p&gt;
  236.  
  237. &lt;p&gt;UN officials warned that 800,000 people in Al-Fashir - the last major city in Darfur not under RSF control - were at "extreme and immediate danger". &lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;/div&gt;
  239.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/sudan-crisis" hreflang="en"&gt;Sudan crisis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  240.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  241.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  242.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  243.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  244.          &lt;/div&gt;
  245.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  246.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  247.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=UAE%20cancels%20meetings%20with%20UK%20ministers%20in%20spat%20over%20Sudan%20war%20&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-cancels-meetings-uk-ministers-sudan-war&amp;2=node/359456&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="J0zJ0zPBpE4sHvMT0Yih3ub8qzGu42IEiCdxI4_THZU"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  248.          &lt;/div&gt;
  249.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  250.      </description>
  251.  <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 10:20:41 +0000</pubDate>
  252.    <dc:creator>Rayhan Uddin</dc:creator>
  253.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359456 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  254.    </item>
  255. <item>
  256.  <title>Turkey backs Dutch PM Mark Rutte as the next Nato chief </title>
  257.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-backs-dutch-pm-mark-rutte-next-nato-chief</link>
  258.  <description>
  259. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Turkey backs Dutch PM Mark Rutte as the next Nato chief &lt;/span&gt;
  260.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Ankara expects Rutte to be more sensitive on fight against terrorism and consider Turkish input in running Nato &lt;/div&gt;
  261.      
  262. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/ragip-soylu" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/ragip-soylu" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Ragip Soylu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  263.  
  264. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-29T12:26:09+01:00" title="29 April 2024 12:26 BST"&gt;Mon, 04/29/2024 - 12:26&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  265.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Turkey-Erdogan-Rutte-Istanbul-meeting-Nato-April-2024-AFP.jpg.webp?itok=9j-nHJ_V 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="972"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Turkey-Erdogan-Rutte-Istanbul-meeting-Nato-April-2024-AFP.jpg?itok=9j-nHJ_V 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="972"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Turkey-Erdogan-Rutte-Istanbul-meeting-Nato-April-2024-AFP.jpg?itok=9j-nHJ_V 1x" width="1400" height="972" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Turkey-Erdogan-Rutte-Istanbul-meeting-Nato-April-2024-AFP.jpg?itok=3QBoYvdV" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  266.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes hands with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (L) during a joint press conference in Istanbul, 26 April 2024 (AFP/Turkish Presidency Press Office)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  267.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/turkey"&gt;Turkey&lt;/a&gt; told fellow Nato members on Monday that it supports outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's bid to be the next &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/nato"&gt;Nato&lt;/a&gt; chief.&lt;/p&gt;
  268.  
  269. &lt;p&gt;Two sources familiar with the issue told Middle East Eye that Turkey backs Rutte for the secretary-general position, the new term of which officially begins in October. Semi-official Anadolu Agency also reported the same development on Monday, citing sources. &lt;/p&gt;
  270.  
  271. &lt;p&gt;Rutte met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, who was guarded about the Dutch prime minister's candidacy in a joint presser, only wishing him “good luck” on his new journey. &lt;/p&gt;
  272.  
  273. &lt;p&gt;Erdogan has long standing complaints regarding Nato’s comparatively lack of interest in the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), categorised as a terrorist group in Turkey, especially in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/syria"&gt;Syria&lt;/a&gt;. He also criticises fellow Nato members for imposing arms sale restrictions on Ankara due to its military operations in the region. &lt;/p&gt;
  274.  
  275. &lt;p&gt;Rutte &lt;a href="https://www.parool.nl/wereld/turkije-steunt-kandidatuur-rutte-als-chef-navo~bc49bb29/"&gt;told&lt;/a&gt; Dutch media following the meeting that he didn’t make any promises to the Turkish president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  276.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  277.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  278. &lt;script&gt;
  279. //&lt;![CDATA[
  280.  
  281.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  282.  
  283. //]]&gt;
  284. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  285. &lt;/div&gt;
  286. &lt;/div&gt;
  287.  
  288. &lt;p&gt;Ankara insiders say Turkey expects Rutte not only to focus on Russia but also on terror groups and consider the sensitivities of non-EU countries like Turkey in Nato's decision making process. &lt;/p&gt;
  289.  
  290. &lt;p&gt;“Turkey is believed to have conveyed to the candidates its expectations from the future secretary general to ensure an end to the restrictions imposed by allies on each other in the field of defence and to monitor the implementation of commitments on the fight against terrorism”, one Ankara insider told MEE, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the the issue's sensitivity. &lt;/p&gt;
  291.  
  292. &lt;p&gt;In addition to Turkey, Rutte has to convince Romania, Slovakia and Hungary to support his candidacy.&lt;/p&gt;
  293.  
  294. &lt;p&gt;Romania, which has its own candidate, considers that Eastern European countries have long fared poorly when it comes to the distribution of top jobs in Europe. Slovakia agrees.&lt;/p&gt;
  295.  
  296. &lt;p&gt;Rutte also has had an uneasy relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for years. &lt;/p&gt;
  297.  
  298. &lt;p&gt;"The most resistance is expected from Hungarian Prime Minister Orban,” Dutch broadcaster Nos &lt;a href="https://nos.nl/artikel/2518606-navo-bronnen-turkije-spreekt-steun-uit-voor-rutte-als-navo-chef"&gt;reported&lt;/a&gt; on Monday.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  299. Nos says Rutte might be able to convince Orban with the help of the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt; in July, when Nato will celebrate its 75th anniversary in Washington DC with a leaders summit. &lt;/p&gt;
  300.  
  301. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-opinion mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  302.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/turkey-sweden-nato-membership-win-win"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/turkey-sweden-nato-summit-vilnius-july-2023-afp.jpg.webp?itok=ziTkpIzs" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;For Ankara and Nato, Sweden's membership is a win-win&lt;/div&gt;
  303.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/turkey-sweden-nato-membership-win-win"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  304. &lt;/div&gt;
  305.  
  306. &lt;p&gt;Relations between the Turkey and the Netherlands were fraught for years.&lt;/p&gt;
  307.  
  308. &lt;p&gt;Rutte had long criticised Erdogan's approach to domestic politics and his record of human rights abuses, and efforts to stifle the press. Additionally, Dutch officials have been displeased by Turkey's military involvement in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/libya"&gt;Libya&lt;/a&gt;, Syria and Azerbaijan.&lt;/p&gt;
  309.  
  310. &lt;p&gt;Tensions reached a critical point in 2017, when the Netherlands barred Turkish politicians from campaigning on its soil. This led to the expulsion of a Turkish minister by Dutch authorities, after which Erdogan accused Amsterdam of engaging in Nazism. Rutte described Erdogan's accusations as an overreaction.&lt;/p&gt;
  311.  
  312. &lt;p&gt;The relations however were repaired over time, especially after Rutte’s official visit to Turkey in 2022. &lt;/p&gt;
  313. &lt;/div&gt;
  314.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/nato" hreflang="en"&gt;Nato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  315.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  316.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  317.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  318.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  319.          &lt;/div&gt;
  320.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt;Ankara &lt;/div&gt;
  321.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  322.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Turkey%20backs%20Dutch%20PM%20Mark%20Rutte%20as%20the%20next%20Nato%20chief%C2%A0&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-backs-dutch-pm-mark-rutte-next-nato-chief&amp;2=node/359496&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="RlmH-Hoo4druPF_xHOctW7MOziBkiEBpgJ0hfOJjLuU"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  323.          &lt;/div&gt;
  324.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  325.      </description>
  326.  <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 11:26:09 +0000</pubDate>
  327.    <dc:creator>Ragip Soylu</dc:creator>
  328.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359496 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  329.    </item>
  330. <item>
  331.  <title>Israel ‘undoubtedly’ committing genocide says Holocaust scholar Amos Goldberg</title>
  332.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-undoubtedly-committing-genocide-holocaust-scholar-amos-goldberg</link>
  333.  <description>
  334. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Israel ‘undoubtedly’ committing genocide says Holocaust scholar Amos Goldberg&lt;/span&gt;
  335.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Israeli researcher from Hebrew University argues that what is happening in Gaza does not need to resemble the Holocaust to qualify as genocide&lt;/div&gt;
  336.      
  337. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  338.  
  339. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-29T09:50:27+01:00" title="29 April 2024 09:50 BST"&gt;Mon, 04/29/2024 - 09:50&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  340.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Rafah%20air%20strike_reuterd_april29.jpg.webp?itok=jhriq5Op 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Rafah%20air%20strike_reuterd_april29.jpg?itok=jhriq5Op 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Rafah%20air%20strike_reuterd_april29.jpg?itok=jhriq5Op 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Rafah%20air%20strike_reuterd_april29.jpg?itok=_nmjnWkX" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  341.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;A baby cries in a damaged house at the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, 29 April 2024 (Reuters)&lt;/div&gt;
  342.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="line-height:1.38"&gt;A professor of Holocaust history at the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hebrew-university-suspends-prominent-palestinian-academic"&gt;Hebrew University in Jerusalem&lt;/a&gt;, Amos Goldberg, has said that &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt; is committing genocide in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  343.  
  344. &lt;p&gt;In an &lt;a href="https://thepalestineproject.medium.com/yes-it-is-genocide-634a07ea27d4"&gt;opinion piece&lt;/a&gt; published by &lt;a href="https://thepalestineproject.medium.com/about"&gt;The Palestine Project&lt;/a&gt;, he argued that the scale of killing and destruction inflicted by Israel on Gaza, constitutes a “deliberate crushing of &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian&lt;/a&gt; existence in Gaza”.&lt;/p&gt;
  345.  
  346. &lt;p&gt;“It’s so difficult and painful to admit it, but despite all that… we can no longer avoid this conclusion. Jewish history will be henceforth stained,” Goldberg said.&lt;/p&gt;
  347.  
  348. &lt;p&gt;The professor argued that what is happening in Gaza does not need to resemble the Holocaust in order to qualify as a genocide, saying that although each genocide is different, they are all motivated by “an authentic sense of self defence”.&lt;/p&gt;
  349.  
  350. &lt;p&gt;“Israelis mistakenly think that to be viewed as such a genocide needs to look like the Holocaust,” he wrote.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  351.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  352.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  353. &lt;script&gt;
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  355.  
  356.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  357.  
  358. //]]&gt;
  359. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  360. &lt;/div&gt;
  361. &lt;/div&gt;
  362.  
  363. &lt;p&gt;“They imagine trains, gas chambers, crematoria, killing pits, concentration and extermination camps, and the systematic persecution to death of all members of the group of victims to the last one.”&lt;/p&gt;
  364.  
  365. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  366.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/my-heart-will-always-ache-pain-and-patience-gazas-mass-graves"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/gaza%20mass%20grave%20body%20reuters.jpg.webp?itok=gZ7A5JmQ" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Nasser hospital mass graves: Pain and patience in Gaza as bodies are exhumed&lt;/div&gt;
  367.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/my-heart-will-always-ache-pain-and-patience-gazas-mass-graves"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  368. &lt;/div&gt;
  369.  
  370. &lt;p&gt;Equally, he said, Israelis imagine that the victims of a genocide are not involved in violent activity, as with the Holocaust. “This is also not the case in Gaza,” he wrote.&lt;/p&gt;
  371.  
  372. &lt;p&gt;Citing a series of genocides including the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/tags/srebrenica"&gt;Srebrenica massacre&lt;/a&gt;, where 8000 Bosnian Muslim men were murdered by Bosnian Serb forces, and the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/did-israel-arm-rwanda-during-1994-genocide"&gt;Tutsi genocide in Rwanda&lt;/a&gt;, where 800,000 people were slaughtered by the Hutus, he argued that, “in all these cases, the perpetrators of the genocide felt an existential threat, more or less justified, and the genocide came in response.”&lt;/p&gt;
  373.  
  374. &lt;p&gt;In January, the International Court of Justice found a “&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/war-gaza-icj-genocide-ruling-game-changer-could#:~:text=By%20an%20overwhelming%20majority%2C%20the,further%20Israeli%20massacres%20in%20Gaza."&gt;plausible&lt;/a&gt;” risk that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  375.  
  376. &lt;p&gt;According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israel has killed at least 34,488 people in&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Gaza since 7 October, mostly women and children. Israel estimates that 129 hostages seized by Hamas-led fighters are still in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.&lt;/p&gt;
  377. &lt;/div&gt;
  378.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  379.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  380.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  381.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  382.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  383.          &lt;/div&gt;
  384.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  385.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  386.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Israel%20%E2%80%98undoubtedly%E2%80%99%20committing%20genocide%20says%20Holocaust%20scholar%20Amos%20Goldberg&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-undoubtedly-committing-genocide-holocaust-scholar-amos-goldberg&amp;2=node/359451&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="6EC80XRK5Ovj-gV02u5dl4vznllSPNzSBeAp2fMTtEQ"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  387.          &lt;/div&gt;
  388.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  389.      </description>
  390.  <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 08:50:27 +0000</pubDate>
  391.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  392.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359451 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  393.    </item>
  394. <item>
  395.  <title>Turkey: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu calls Hamas a terror group </title>
  396.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkeys-imamoglu-says-hamas-terror-group</link>
  397.  <description>
  398. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Turkey: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu calls Hamas a terror group &lt;/span&gt;
  399.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Opposition CHP politician said 7 October attack on Israel was a terrorist act but that he does not approve of the oppression of Palestinians&lt;/div&gt;
  400.      
  401. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/ragip-soylu" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/ragip-soylu" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Ragip Soylu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  402.  
  403. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-29T09:09:05+01:00" title="29 April 2024 09:09 BST"&gt;Mon, 04/29/2024 - 09:09&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  404.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Turkey-Istanbul-Ekrem-Imamoglu-3-31-2024-Ozan-Kose-AFP.jpg.webp?itok=IX0gb8YR 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="838"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Turkey-Istanbul-Ekrem-Imamoglu-3-31-2024-Ozan-Kose-AFP.jpg?itok=IX0gb8YR 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="838"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Turkey-Istanbul-Ekrem-Imamoglu-3-31-2024-Ozan-Kose-AFP.jpg?itok=IX0gb8YR 1x" width="1400" height="838" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Turkey-Istanbul-Ekrem-Imamoglu-3-31-2024-Ozan-Kose-AFP.jpg?itok=_wrPhvZf" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  405.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Ekrem Imamoglu addresses crowds after declaring victory after the 31 March 2024 local elections in Istanbul (AFP/Ozan Kose)&lt;/div&gt;
  406.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/tags/istanbul"&gt;Istanbul&lt;/a&gt; Mayor &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/crunch-time-istanbul-can-imamoglu-save-turkish-opposition"&gt;Ekrem Imamoglu&lt;/a&gt; told CNN on Sunday that the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian &lt;/a&gt;group &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/hamas-official-no-major-issues-gaza-truce-proposal"&gt;Hamas &lt;/a&gt;should be considered a terrorist group due to its attacks on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt; on 7 October.&lt;/p&gt;
  407.  
  408. &lt;p&gt;The comments by the prominent &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/turkey"&gt;Turkish &lt;/a&gt;opposition politician represent a sharp contrast with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's position, which has tolerated the presence of Hamas officials on Turkish territory and likened their fight to Turkey's own historic struggle for independence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  409. "Of course, Hamas carried out an attack in Israel that we deeply regret," Imamoglu said, adding: "In our eyes, any organisation that carries out these terrorist acts and kills people en masse is a terrorist organisation."&lt;/p&gt;
  410.  
  411. &lt;p&gt;Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), won a landslide victory in local elections on 31 March, leading to his re-election as mayor of Turkey's biggest city. He defeated his ruling AK Party rival, former minister of urbanisation, Murat Kurum, by nearly 12 points.&lt;/p&gt;
  412.  
  413. &lt;p&gt;The surprise attack by Hamas on Israel in October killed 1,140 people, including around 7oo Israeli civilians and dozens of foreigners.&lt;/p&gt;
  414.  
  415. &lt;p&gt;Approximately 240 people were taken captive to Gaza, and around half of them have since been released in a prisoner exchange deal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  416.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  418. &lt;script&gt;
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  420.  
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  424. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  425. &lt;/div&gt;
  426. &lt;/div&gt;
  427.  
  428. &lt;p&gt;After the attacks in October, relentless Israeli bombardment on the besieged Gaza Strip has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.&lt;/p&gt;
  429.  
  430. &lt;p&gt;Reports suggest that at least 50 hostages have also been killed during Israel's offensive. Currently, 133 captives remain unaccounted for in the Gaza Strip.&lt;/p&gt;
  431.  
  432. &lt;h3&gt;'Cruelty against Palestinians'&lt;/h3&gt;
  433.  
  434. &lt;p&gt;Imamoglu added that while he perceives Hamas as a terrorist group, he does not approve of the oppression of Palestinian people.&lt;/p&gt;
  435.  
  436. &lt;p&gt;"In general, the West does not see the big picture on this issue; it only looks at this issue from the perspective of one side or the other," he said.&lt;/p&gt;
  437.  
  438. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  439.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-hamas-chief-meets-turkeys-erdogan-istanbul"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/2024-04-20T130810Z_137822111_RC2DA7AO3BVB_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-TURKEY-HAMAS%20%281%29.jpg.webp?itok=biZiX4p5" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;War on Gaza: Hamas chief meets Turkey's Erdogan in Istanbul&lt;/div&gt;
  440.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-hamas-chief-meets-turkeys-erdogan-istanbul"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  441. &lt;/div&gt;
  442.  
  443. &lt;p&gt;"We interpret the Hamas attack as a terrorist attack, but we also stand against the cruelty suffered by Palestinian women and children who are being killed there today."&lt;/p&gt;
  444.  
  445. &lt;p&gt;Imamoglu's statement contradicts President Erdogan's recent declaration, which &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-erdogan-likens-hamas-turkish-independence-fighters"&gt;equated&lt;/a&gt; Hamas with Turkish revolutionary forces that helped Mustafa Kemal Ataturk defeat invading allied troops in the early 1920s.&lt;/p&gt;
  446.  
  447. &lt;p&gt;Erdogan's comments were criticised by CHP officials. Imamoglu is widely seen as the party's presidential candidate for the 2028 elections, possibly running against Erdogan himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  448. Since the local elections, Erdogan has toughened his rhetoric against Israel. He also met &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-hamas-chief-meets-turkeys-erdogan-istanbul"&gt;with Hamas leaders&lt;/a&gt; in Istanbul in a highly publicised manner and has imposed sanctions on trade with Israel, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-imposes-export-restrictions-israel-over-gaza-invasion"&gt;restricting&lt;/a&gt; the export of more than 50 products to the state.&lt;/p&gt;
  449.  
  450. &lt;p&gt;Ruling party officials, as well as Erdogan, believe that the government's Palestine policy, specifically continued trade with Israel, angered many pious Turkish Muslims, who switched their votes to rival conservative parties during local elections last month.&lt;/p&gt;
  451. &lt;/div&gt;
  452.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  453.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  454.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  455.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  456.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  457.          &lt;/div&gt;
  458.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt;Ankara&lt;/div&gt;
  459.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Istanbul mayor Imamoglu calls Hamas a terror group &lt;/div&gt;
  460.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  461.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Turkey%3A%20Istanbul%20mayor%20Imamoglu%20calls%20Hamas%20a%20terror%20group%20&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkeys-imamoglu-says-hamas-terror-group&amp;2=node/359416&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="4c0LHb_O2IiT-Z63LCVQ8-Y1bsleUObJOAf_p_hxV0Q"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  462.          &lt;/div&gt;
  463.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  464.      </description>
  465.  <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 08:09:05 +0000</pubDate>
  466.    <dc:creator>Ragip Soylu</dc:creator>
  467.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359416 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  468.    </item>
  469. <item>
  470.  <title>War on Gaza: Skirmishes at duelling protests at UCLA as US campus tensions rise</title>
  471.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-ucla-skirmish-highlights-weekend-protests-us-campuses</link>
  472.  <description>
  473. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;War on Gaza: Skirmishes at duelling protests at UCLA as US campus tensions rise&lt;/span&gt;
  474.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Pro-Israel supporters filmed shouting racial slurs at pro-Palestine crowd at UCLA, as demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in Gaza spread to more US college campuses&lt;/div&gt;
  475.      
  476. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  477.  
  478. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-28T21:54:46+01:00" title="28 April 2024 21:54 BST"&gt;Sun, 04/28/2024 - 21:54&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  479.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Columbia%20University%20students%20participate%20in%20an%20ongoing%20pro-Palestinian%20encampment%20on%20their%20campus.%2025%20April%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg.webp?itok=jzv_bf0N 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Columbia%20University%20students%20participate%20in%20an%20ongoing%20pro-Palestinian%20encampment%20on%20their%20campus.%2025%20April%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=jzv_bf0N 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Columbia%20University%20students%20participate%20in%20an%20ongoing%20pro-Palestinian%20encampment%20on%20their%20campus.%2025%20April%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=jzv_bf0N 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Columbia%20University%20students%20participate%20in%20an%20ongoing%20pro-Palestinian%20encampment%20on%20their%20campus.%2025%20April%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=OzNI6IIl" alt="Columbia University students participate in an ongoing pro-Palestinian encampment on their campus, 25 April 2024 (Stephanie Keith/AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  480.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Columbia University students participate in an ongoing pro-Palestinian encampment on their campus, 25 April 2024 (Stephanie Keith/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  481.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Skirmishes broke out between pro-&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian&lt;/a&gt; protesters and pro-&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt; counterprotesters at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Sunday, as demonstrations over the war in Gaza continue to flare across US campuses.&lt;/p&gt;
  482.  
  483. &lt;p&gt;The tone turned ugly at around midday when a group of protesters broke through a barrier that separated them the rival crowds, and began shoving and shouting, and in some cases trading punches.&lt;/p&gt;
  484.  
  485. &lt;p&gt;Security guards attempted to keep the two sides separated, while campus police stood by and watched.&lt;/p&gt;
  486.  
  487. &lt;p&gt;According to videos published on social media, some of the pro-Israel counterprotesters could be heard shouting racial slurs at the pro-Palestine crowd, whilst others were filmed calling for pro-Palestinian female supporters to be raped.&lt;/p&gt;
  488.  
  489. &lt;p&gt;The demonstrations involved at least some people from outside the university, which issued a statement on Sunday saying it had allowed the two groups on campus to express their views.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  490.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  491.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  498. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  499. &lt;/div&gt;
  500. &lt;/div&gt;
  501.  
  502. &lt;p&gt;"This morning, a group of demonstrators breached a barrier that the university had established separating two groups of protestors on our campus, resulting in physical altercations,'' Mary Osako, vice chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications, said in a statement.&lt;/p&gt;
  503.  
  504. &lt;p&gt;"UCLA has a long history of being a place of peaceful protest, and we are heartbroken about the violence that broke out.&lt;/p&gt;
  505.  
  506. &lt;p&gt;"We have since instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site."&lt;/p&gt;
  507.  
  508. &lt;h3&gt;Protests spread&lt;/h3&gt;
  509.  
  510. &lt;p&gt;In the past two weeks, pro-Palestinian protests have spread to college campuses across the US following &lt;a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL3N3GR4P1&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank"&gt;the &lt;/a&gt;mass arrest of over 100 people at Columbia University - when the school's president asked New York police to enter the campus to dismantle an encampment of tents set up by the protesters on the main lawn.&lt;/p&gt;
  511.  
  512. &lt;p&gt;Since then, hundreds of protesters from California and Texas to Atlanta and Boston have been arrested as they emulated the encampments used by Columbia students to call attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  513.  
  514. &lt;p&gt;Administrators, including those of Columbia, have said the protests, as unauthorised, break school rules, disrupt learning and have fostered harassment and antisemitism.&lt;/p&gt;
  515.  
  516. &lt;p&gt;Students opposed to Israel's war on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/gaza-under-attack"&gt;Gaza&lt;/a&gt; are demanding that their respective schools to divest investments from Israel or from companies that are profiting off of Israel's war in Gaza and Israel's wider abuses against Palestinians.&lt;/p&gt;
  517.  
  518. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  519.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/students-accuse-nyu-enabling-violence-threat-annihilating-palestinians"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/nyu-student-palestine-protest-april-2024-afp-alex-kent-2.jpg.webp?itok=ch91-VpR" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Pro-Palestine students accuse NYU of 'enabling' violence&lt;/div&gt;
  520.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/students-accuse-nyu-enabling-violence-threat-annihilating-palestinians"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  521. &lt;/div&gt;
  522.  
  523. &lt;p&gt;Another one of the demands is for schools to cut ties with Israeli academic institutions, which they say have played a key role in Israel's occupation of Palestine.&lt;/p&gt;
  524.  
  525. &lt;p&gt;Pfizer College in California &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-college-shut-down-study-abroad-programme-israel" target="_blank"&gt;recently&lt;/a&gt; shut down its study abroad programme with the University of Haifa after concluding that the partnership did not align with the college's core values.&lt;/p&gt;
  526.  
  527. &lt;p&gt;Over the course of the weekend, more than 200 people were arrested at a handful of schools, including Washington University in St Louis. Among those arrested at Washington University was 2024 Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.&lt;/p&gt;
  528.  
  529. &lt;p&gt;"They are sending in the riot police and basically creating a riot in an otherwise peaceful demonstration. So this is just shameful," Stein said in a statement.&lt;/p&gt;
  530.  
  531. &lt;p&gt;Since the events of&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/opinion-al-jazeeras-film-tells-7-october-story-british-media-will-not" target="_blank"&gt; 7 October&lt;/a&gt;, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed 1,150 and resulted in more than 200 people being taken back to Gaza as hostages, the Strip has been under total siege and deprived of basic necessities while facing a devastating bombing campaign by Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  532.  
  533. &lt;p&gt;More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 1.7m displaced, in what has been described at the International Court of Justice in January as a plausible genocide.&lt;/p&gt;
  534. &lt;/div&gt;
  535.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-campus-protests" hreflang="en"&gt;US campus protests&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  536.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  537.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  538.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  539.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  540.          &lt;/div&gt;
  541.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  542.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Skirmishes at UCLA during weekend of protests on US campuses&lt;/div&gt;
  543.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  544.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=War%20on%20Gaza%3A%20Skirmishes%20at%20duelling%20protests%20at%20UCLA%20as%20US%20campus%20tensions%20rise&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-ucla-skirmish-highlights-weekend-protests-us-campuses&amp;2=node/359361&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="c4snlxGllCkMh3hsdcRZjpvPvMZzlkiREOjb1caMOfA"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  545.          &lt;/div&gt;
  546.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  547.      </description>
  548.  <pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2024 20:54:46 +0000</pubDate>
  549.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  550.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359361 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  551.    </item>
  552. <item>
  553.  <title>US working to prevent ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu: Reports</title>
  554.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/netanyahu-worried-about-prospect-icc-arrest-warrant</link>
  555.  <description>
  556. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;US working to prevent ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu: Reports&lt;/span&gt;
  557.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Israel's prime minister is said to be 'unusually stressed' by prospect of warrant being issued by International Criminal Court&lt;/div&gt;
  558.      
  559. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  560.  
  561. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-28T09:56:03+01:00" title="28 April 2024 09:56 BST"&gt;Sun, 04/28/2024 - 09:56&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  562.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/NETANYAHU_ISRAEL_AFP.jpg.webp?itok=97o-9p1x 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/NETANYAHU_ISRAEL_AFP.jpg?itok=97o-9p1x 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/NETANYAHU_ISRAEL_AFP.jpg?itok=97o-9p1x 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/NETANYAHU_ISRAEL_AFP.jpg?itok=ZHpZjNyD" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  563.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Kirya military base, which houses the Ministry of Defence, in Tel Aviv on 24 December 2023 (Ohad Zwigenberg/POOL/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  564.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The US is working to prevent the issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israeli &lt;/a&gt;Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the attack on Gaza, Israeli media has reported.&lt;/p&gt;
  565.  
  566. &lt;p&gt;According to the news site Walla, Netanyahu is leading a "non-stop push over the telephone" to prevent an arrest warrant being issued against him by the ICC, particularly communicating with the White House.&lt;/p&gt;
  567.  
  568. &lt;p&gt;The Israeli newspaper Maariv &lt;a href="https://www.maariv.co.il/journalists/Article-1095038"&gt;has reported&lt;/a&gt; that Netanyahu is "frightened and unusually stressed" by the possibility of an imminent arrest warrant.&lt;/p&gt;
  569.  
  570. &lt;p&gt;Sources close to the paper believe that the arrest warrants are only a matter of time.&lt;/p&gt;
  571.  
  572. &lt;p&gt;The paper reported that Defence Minister Yoav Galant and Chief of Staff Major-General Herzi Halevi could also be served with warrants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  573.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  574.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  580. //]]&gt;
  581. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  582. &lt;/div&gt;
  583. &lt;/div&gt;
  584.  
  585. &lt;p&gt;On 26 April, Netanyahu tweeted that "under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the Hague-based Criminal Court to undermine its fundamental right to defend itself".&lt;/p&gt;
  586.  
  587. &lt;p data-is="component-paragraph"&gt;Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz told the N12 channel that the warrant was "absolute hypocrisy."&lt;/p&gt;
  588.  
  589. &lt;p data-is="component-paragraph"&gt;"If necessary, we will not leave the country," he said.&lt;/p&gt;
  590.  
  591. &lt;p&gt;An internal State Department memo reviewed by Reuters on Saturday revealed senior US officials have advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find "credible or reliable" Israel's assurances that it is using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law.&lt;/p&gt;
  592.  
  593. &lt;p&gt;Other officials upheld support for Israel's representation.&lt;/p&gt;
  594.  
  595. &lt;p&gt;Under a National Security Memorandum issued by President Joe Biden in February, Blinken must report to Congress by 8 May on whether he finds credible Israel's assurances that its use of US weapons does not violate US or international law.&lt;/p&gt;
  596.  
  597. &lt;p&gt;By 24 March, at least seven State Department bureaus had sent in their contributions to an initial "options memo" to Blinken. Parts of the memo, which has not been previously reported, were classified.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  598.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  599.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  600. &lt;script&gt;
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  604.  
  605. //]]&gt;
  606. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  607. &lt;/div&gt;
  608. &lt;/div&gt;
  609.  
  610. &lt;p&gt;The submissions to the memo provide the most extensive picture to date of the divisions inside the State Department over whether Israel might be violating international humanitarian law in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  611.  
  612. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This article is available in French on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/fr/actu-et-enquetes/les-etats-unis-sefforcent-dempecher-un-mandat-darret-de-la-cpi-contre-netanyahou"&gt;Middle East Eye French edition.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  613. &lt;/div&gt;
  614.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  615.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  616.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  617.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  618.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  619.          &lt;/div&gt;
  620.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  621.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  622.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=US%20working%20to%20prevent%20ICC%20arrest%20warrant%20for%20Netanyahu%3A%20Reports&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/netanyahu-worried-about-prospect-icc-arrest-warrant&amp;2=node/359266&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="5x3SJezFftz_YKef4XlHJaHkVyu_BVAMrMEA4jFz-vc"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  623.          &lt;/div&gt;
  624.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  625.      </description>
  626.  <pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2024 08:56:03 +0000</pubDate>
  627.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  628.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359266 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  629.    </item>
  630. <item>
  631.  <title>PFLP says it will target British forces if they are deployed in Gaza</title>
  632.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pflp-says-it-will-target-british-forces-if-they-are-deployed-gaza</link>
  633.  <description>
  634. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;PFLP says it will target British forces if they are deployed in Gaza&lt;/span&gt;
  635.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Marxist-Leninist group warns that UK and other foreign troops will be treated as 'occupation forces' if they enter Palestinian territory&lt;/div&gt;
  636.      
  637. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  638.  
  639. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-28T12:08:46+01:00" title="28 April 2024 12:08 BST"&gt;Sun, 04/28/2024 - 12:08&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  640.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/AFP_PFLP_PROCESSION.jpg.webp?itok=dgnJlsoU 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/AFP_PFLP_PROCESSION.jpg?itok=dgnJlsoU 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/AFP_PFLP_PROCESSION.jpg?itok=dgnJlsoU 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/AFP_PFLP_PROCESSION.jpg?itok=I5iVkJFK" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  641.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Masked Palestinian militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine take part in a march to denounce the killing of Palestinians by the Israeli army in Nablus and to support Palestinians in Israeli jails, in Gaza City on 22 February 2023 (Mohammed Abed/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  642.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has warned &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/uk"&gt;Britain &lt;/a&gt;and other countries against deploying forces on the land or coast of the Gaza Strip.&lt;/p&gt;
  643.  
  644. &lt;p&gt;The BBC reported on Saturday that UK troops could be deployed in Gaza to assist with aid deliveries via a temporary pier in the enclave being built by the United States.&lt;/p&gt;
  645.  
  646. &lt;p&gt;The Marxist-Leninist group said in a statement on Telegram that British troops would be "treated as occupation forces and will be legitimate targets for the resistance".&lt;/p&gt;
  647.  
  648. &lt;p&gt;"Our people will not forget the major crime committed by Britain against the Palestinian people, with its major contribution to the establishment of the Zionist entity, after issuing the ill-fated Balfour Declaration, and its continuation to this day in supporting the occupation and its crimes," read the statement, referring to the statement issued in 1917 by the British government.&lt;/p&gt;
  649.  
  650. &lt;p&gt;The group said the justification of troop deployment to assist aid deliveries via the new sea corridor was "a lie that does not deceive anyone".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  651.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  659. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  660. &lt;/div&gt;
  661. &lt;/div&gt;
  662.  
  663. &lt;p&gt;"[It] is a justification for the permanent presence of military forces on the ground for malicious colonial goals and to protect the security of the Zionist entity," the PFLP said.&lt;/p&gt;
  664.  
  665. &lt;p&gt;"Whoever wants to provide relief to the Palestinian people must press to stop the aggression, break the siege, and bring in relief aid through the official crossings in the Gaza Strip and under Palestinian management and supervision."&lt;/p&gt;
  666.  
  667. &lt;p&gt;The current round of fighting in Gaza began on 7 October following an attack in southern Israel by Hamas which resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 people in Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  668.  
  669. &lt;p&gt;According to the Gaza health ministry, Israel has since killed at least 34,454 people in&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;the enclave, mostly women and children. Israel estimates that 129 hostages captured on 7 October are still in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.&lt;/p&gt;
  670.  
  671. &lt;p&gt;The military wing of the PFLP, which was founded by leftists in 1967, has carried out sporadic attacks since 7 October in retaliation for Israel's assault on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  672.  
  673. &lt;p&gt;Israeli figures have also accused supporters of the PFLP in Gaza of having taken part in the 7 October attack.&lt;/p&gt;
  674. &lt;/div&gt;
  675.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  676.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  677.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  678.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  679.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  680.          &lt;/div&gt;
  681.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  682.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
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  685.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  686.      </description>
  687.  <pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2024 11:08:46 +0000</pubDate>
  688.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  689.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359291 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  690.    </item>
  691. <item>
  692.  <title>Some US officials say in internal memo Israel may be violating international law in Gaza</title>
  693.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-officials-internal-memo-israel-violating-international-law-gaza</link>
  694.  <description>
  695. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Some US officials say in internal memo Israel may be violating international law in Gaza&lt;/span&gt;
  696.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Joint submission from four bureaus said Israel's assurances over actions in Gaza were 'neither credible nor reliable', points to growing State Department divisions&lt;/div&gt;
  697.      
  698. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-and-agencies" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-and-agencies" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE and agencies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  699.  
  700. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-27T21:07:03+01:00" title="27 April 2024 21:07 BST"&gt;Sat, 04/27/2024 - 21:07&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  701.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/US%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Antony%20Blinken%20reacts%20as%20he%20prepares%20to%20answer%20a%20question%20during%20a%20press%20conference%20at%20the%20US%20embassy%20in%20Beijing%20on%20April%2026%2C%202024.%20WANG%20Zhao%20%3A%20AFP%202.jpg.webp?itok=RMMCsG98 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/US%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Antony%20Blinken%20reacts%20as%20he%20prepares%20to%20answer%20a%20question%20during%20a%20press%20conference%20at%20the%20US%20embassy%20in%20Beijing%20on%20April%2026%2C%202024.%20WANG%20Zhao%20%3A%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=RMMCsG98 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/US%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Antony%20Blinken%20reacts%20as%20he%20prepares%20to%20answer%20a%20question%20during%20a%20press%20conference%20at%20the%20US%20embassy%20in%20Beijing%20on%20April%2026%2C%202024.%20WANG%20Zhao%20%3A%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=RMMCsG98 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/US%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Antony%20Blinken%20reacts%20as%20he%20prepares%20to%20answer%20a%20question%20during%20a%20press%20conference%20at%20the%20US%20embassy%20in%20Beijing%20on%20April%2026%2C%202024.%20WANG%20Zhao%20%3A%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=k9BNShyh" alt="US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference at the US embassy in Beijing on 26 April 2024 (Wang Zhao/AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  702.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference at the US embassy in Beijing on 26 April 2024 (Wang Zhao/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  703.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some senior &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt; officials have advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find "credible or reliable" &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel's&lt;/a&gt; assurances that it is using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, according to an internal State Department memo reviewed by Reuters.&lt;/p&gt;
  704.  
  705. &lt;p&gt;Other officials upheld support for Israel's representation.&lt;/p&gt;
  706.  
  707. &lt;p&gt;Under a National Security Memorandum (NSM) issued by President Joe Biden in February, Blinken must report to Congress by 8 May whether he finds credible Israel's assurances that its use of US weapons does not violate US or international law.&lt;/p&gt;
  708.  
  709. &lt;p&gt;By 24 March, at least seven State Department bureaus had sent in their contributions to an initial "options memo" to Blinken. Parts of the memo, which has not been previously reported, were classified.&lt;/p&gt;
  710.  
  711. &lt;p&gt;The submissions to the memo provide the most extensive picture to date of the divisions inside the State Department over whether Israel might be violating international humanitarian law in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/gaza-under-attack"&gt;Gaza&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  712.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  720. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  721. &lt;/div&gt;
  722. &lt;/div&gt;
  723.  
  724. &lt;p&gt;"Some components in the department favoured accepting Israel's assurances, some favoured rejecting them and some took no position," a US official said.&lt;/p&gt;
  725.  
  726. &lt;p&gt;A joint submission from four bureaus - Democracy Human Rights &amp; Labor; Population, Refugees and Migration; Global Criminal Justice and International Organization Affairs - raised "serious concern over non-compliance" with international humanitarian law during Israel's prosecution of the Gaza war.&lt;/p&gt;
  727.  
  728. &lt;h3&gt;Repeated attacks on humanitarian sites&lt;/h3&gt;
  729.  
  730. &lt;p&gt;The assessment from the four bureaus said Israel's assurances were "neither credible nor reliable". It cited eight examples of Israeli military actions that the officials said raise "serious questions" about potential violations of international humanitarian law.&lt;/p&gt;
  731.  
  732. &lt;p&gt;These included repeatedly striking protected sites and civilian infrastructure; "unconscionably high levels of civilian harm to military advantage"; taking little action to investigate violations or to hold to account those responsible for significant civilian harm and "killing humanitarian workers and journalists at an unprecedented rate".&lt;/p&gt;
  733.  
  734. &lt;p&gt;The assessment from the four bureaus also cited 11 instances of Israeli military actions the officials said "arbitrarily restrict humanitarian aid", including rejecting entire trucks of aid due to a single "dual-use" item, "artificial" limitations on inspections as well as repeated attacks on humanitarian sites that should not be hit.&lt;/p&gt;
  735.  
  736. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  737.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-state-department-arabic-spokesperson-resigns-gaza-policy"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/Hala%20Rharrit.jpg.webp?itok=8ZWKJI-t" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;US State Department Arabic spokesperson resigns over Gaza policy&lt;/div&gt;
  738.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-state-department-arabic-spokesperson-resigns-gaza-policy"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  739. &lt;/div&gt;
  740.  
  741. &lt;p&gt;Another submission to the memo reviewed by Reuters, from the bureau of Political and Military Affairs, which deals with US military assistance and arms transfers, warned Blinken that suspending US weapons would limit Israel's ability to meet potential threats outside its airspace and require Washington to re-evaluate "all ongoing and future sales to other countries in the region".&lt;/p&gt;
  742.  
  743. &lt;p&gt;Any suspension of US arms sales would invite "provocations" by Iran and aligned militias, the bureau said in its submission, illustrating the push-and-pull inside the department as it prepares to report to Congress.&lt;/p&gt;
  744.  
  745. &lt;p&gt;The submission did not directly address Israel's assurances.&lt;/p&gt;
  746.  
  747. &lt;p&gt;Inputs to the memo from the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism and US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said they assessed Israel's assurances as credible and reliable, a second US official told Reuters.&lt;/p&gt;
  748.  
  749. &lt;p&gt;The State Department's legal bureau, known as the Office of the Legal Adviser, "did not take a substantive position" on the credibility of Israel's assurances, a source familiar with the matter said.&lt;/p&gt;
  750.  
  751. &lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live/israels-war-gaza-live-israel-pounds-rafah-overnight-strikes" target="_blank"&gt;Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  752.  
  753. &lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the agency doesn't comment on leaked documents.&lt;/p&gt;
  754.  
  755. &lt;p&gt;"On complex issues, the secretary often hears a diverse range of views from within the department, and he takes all of those views into consideration," Miller said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  756.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  757.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  762.  
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  764. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  765. &lt;/div&gt;
  766. &lt;/div&gt;
  767.  
  768. &lt;h3&gt;8 May report to Congress&lt;/h3&gt;
  769.  
  770. &lt;p&gt;When asked about the memo, an Israeli official said: "Israel is fully committed to its commitments and their implementation, among them the assurances given to the US government."&lt;/p&gt;
  771.  
  772. &lt;p&gt;The White House did not respond to a request for comment.&lt;/p&gt;
  773.  
  774. &lt;p&gt;Biden administration officials repeatedly have said they have not found Israel in violation of international law.&lt;/p&gt;
  775.  
  776. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-opinion mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  777.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/us-must-adapt-lost-touch-reality-world-pay"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/us-biden-hanoi-september-2023-saul-loeb-afp.jpg.webp?itok=1XdZJqfv" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Washington has lost touch with reality. If it doesn't adapt, the world will pay&lt;/div&gt;
  778.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/us-must-adapt-lost-touch-reality-world-pay"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  779. &lt;/div&gt;
  780.  
  781. &lt;p&gt;Blinken has seen all of the bureau assessments about Israel's pledges, the second US official said.&lt;/p&gt;
  782.  
  783. &lt;p&gt;Matthew Miller on 25 March said the department received the pledges. However, the State Department is not expected to render its complete assessment of credibility until the 8 May report to Congress.&lt;/p&gt;
  784.  
  785. &lt;p&gt;Further deliberations between the department's bureaus are underway ahead of the report's deadline, the US official said.&lt;/p&gt;
  786.  
  787. &lt;p&gt;USAID also provided input to the memo. "The killing of nearly 32,000 people, of which the GOI (Government of Israel) itself assesses roughly two-thirds are civilian, may well amount to a violation of the international humanitarian law requirement," USAID officials wrote in the submission.&lt;/p&gt;
  788.  
  789. &lt;p&gt;USAID does not comment on leaked documents, a USAID spokesperson said.&lt;/p&gt;
  790.  
  791. &lt;p&gt;The warnings about Israel's possible breaches of international humanitarian law made by some senior State Department officials come as Israel is vowing to launch a military offensive into Rafah, the southern-most pocket of the Gaza Strip that is home to over a million people displaced by the war, despite repeated warnings from Washington not to do so.&lt;/p&gt;
  792.  
  793. &lt;p&gt;Israel's military conduct has come under increasing scrutiny as its forces have killed over 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the enclave's health authorities, most of them women and children.&lt;/p&gt;
  794.  
  795. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  796. &lt;p&gt;'The killing of nearly 32,000 people, of which the Government of Israel itself assesses roughly two-thirds are civilian, may well amount to a violation of the international humanitarian law requirement'&lt;/p&gt;
  797.  
  798. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;- USAID&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  799. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  800.  
  801. &lt;p&gt;The National Security Memorandum was issued in early February after Democratic lawmakers began questioning whether Israel was abiding by international law.&lt;/p&gt;
  802.  
  803. &lt;p&gt;The memorandum imposed no new legal requirements but asked the State Department to demand written assurances from countries receiving US-funded weapons that they are not violating international humanitarian law or blocking US humanitarian assistance.&lt;/p&gt;
  804.  
  805. &lt;p&gt;It also required the administration to submit an annual report to Congress to assess whether countries are adhering to international law and not impeding the flow of humanitarian aid.&lt;/p&gt;
  806.  
  807. &lt;p&gt;If Israel's assurances are called into question, Biden would have the option to "remediate" the situation through actions ranging from seeking fresh assurances to suspending further US weapons transfers, according to the memorandum.&lt;/p&gt;
  808.  
  809. &lt;p&gt;Biden can suspend or put conditions on US weapons transfers at any time.&lt;/p&gt;
  810.  
  811. &lt;p&gt;He has so far resisted calls from rights groups, left-leaning Democrats and Arab American groups to do so.&lt;/p&gt;
  812.  
  813. &lt;p&gt;But earlier this month he threatened for the first time to put conditions on the transfer of US weapons to Israel, if it does not take concrete steps to improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  814. &lt;/div&gt;
  815.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  816.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  817.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  818.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  819.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  820.          &lt;/div&gt;
  821.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  822.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  823.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Some%20US%20officials%20say%20in%20internal%20memo%20Israel%20may%20be%20violating%20international%20law%20in%20Gaza&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-officials-internal-memo-israel-violating-international-law-gaza&amp;2=node/359246&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="JFs3m8sOL5qkFm600WBjitGQ3AdoEkcamMF03UIPdmw"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  824.          &lt;/div&gt;
  825.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  826.      </description>
  827.  <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 20:07:03 +0000</pubDate>
  828.    <dc:creator>MEE and agencies</dc:creator>
  829.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359246 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  830.    </item>
  831. <item>
  832.  <title>Pro-Palestine students accuse NYU of 'enabling' violence </title>
  833.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/students-accuse-nyu-enabling-violence-threat-annihilating-palestinians</link>
  834.  <description>
  835. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Pro-Palestine students accuse NYU of 'enabling' violence &lt;/span&gt;
  836.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;After students found an anonymous flyer calling for the 'annihilation' of Palestinians, the university offered only a 'vague' response, calling it a 'despicable message'&lt;/div&gt;
  837.      
  838. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/umar-farooq-0" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/umar-farooq-0" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Umar A Farooq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  839.  
  840. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-27T14:17:10+01:00" title="27 April 2024 14:17 BST"&gt;Sat, 04/27/2024 - 14:17&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  841.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/nyu-student-palestine-protest-april-2024-afp-alex-kent-2.jpg.webp?itok=TNj5yLbt 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/nyu-student-palestine-protest-april-2024-afp-alex-kent-2.jpg?itok=TNj5yLbt 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/nyu-student-palestine-protest-april-2024-afp-alex-kent-2.jpg?itok=TNj5yLbt 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/nyu-student-palestine-protest-april-2024-afp-alex-kent-2.jpg?itok=CUyx-EfC" alt="A pro-Palestinian protester holds a stethoscope as they face NYPD officers during a protest on the campus of New York University in New York on 22 April 2024." typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  842.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;A pro-Palestinian protester faces NYPD officers during a protest on the campus of New York University in New York on 22 April 2024 (Alex Kent/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  843.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday afternoon, a printed flyer was found in the bathroom of the New York University Law School's Vanderbilt Hall. The leaflet contained an open call for violence against &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian&lt;/a&gt; and pro-Palestinian students on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-campus-protests"&gt;campus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  844.  
  845. &lt;p&gt;"Stop trying to educate Hamas apologists. It has not worked. It's time to hurt them," said the flyer, which was shared with Middle East Eye.&lt;/p&gt;
  846.  
  847. &lt;p&gt;"Time's up for arrogant Palestinian dogs. Time's up for terrorists. Time's up for disgusting antisemites."&lt;/p&gt;
  848.  
  849. &lt;p&gt;The printed message further said: "We will retaliate and make 7 October look like child's play."&lt;/p&gt;
  850.  
  851. &lt;p&gt;Given its anonymity, students have been unable to determine whether the flyer was a real threat or a hoax. Because the flyer was found on Wednesday, a day when the university allows any individual to enter campus without a badge if they say they are a prospective student, law students are worried it could be a threat coming from outside the university.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  852.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  861. &lt;/div&gt;
  862. &lt;/div&gt;
  863.  
  864. &lt;p&gt;But as student organisers begin to prepare for a worst-case scenario, they have lamented that the university's response has been "incredibly slow, disappointing, and underwhelming", and have accused the university of cultivating an environment of discrimination that has left Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and pro-Palestinian students vulnerable on campus.&lt;/p&gt;
  865.  
  866. &lt;h3&gt;Vague reference&lt;/h3&gt;
  867.  
  868. &lt;p&gt;Two days after being notified of the threat, the office of the dean of the law school sent out an email that made a vague reference to "despicable messages" on campus, without making any mention that the threatening letter was targeting Palestinians and pro-Palestinian students.&lt;/p&gt;
  869.  
  870. &lt;p&gt;"I'm not sure why NYU was scared to let the entire school body know the content of the flyer, but it was very typical of the administration - both the law admin and university-wide admin - to throw Palestinians, and anyone who supports them and their right to self-determination, under the bus," one student, who asked to remain anonymous, told MEE.&lt;/p&gt;
  871.  
  872. &lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live/israels-war-gaza-live-israel-pounds-rafah-overnight-strikes" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  873.  
  874. &lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;A university spokesperson told MEE that the flyer was discovered on Wednesday at 10am and immediately removed by law school officials, who also "conducted a sweep of all other public spaces" and then reported the incident to NYU campus safety, "who are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the matter".&lt;/p&gt;
  875.  
  876. &lt;p&gt;"Hateful messages that target, in any form, members of our community have no place in our institution. We encourage all members of our community who may encounter such material to alert NYU campus safety," the spokesperson said.&lt;/p&gt;
  877.  
  878. &lt;p&gt;However, several students told MEE that the flyer was seen on Wednesday afternoon, which would have been hours after it had been taken down.&lt;/p&gt;
  879.  
  880. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  881. &lt;p&gt;'If you support Palestinian human rights and the Palestinian right to self-determination, your free speech and safety are not subject to the same protection'&lt;/p&gt;
  882.  
  883. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;- NYU student&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  884. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  885.  
  886. &lt;p&gt;The student who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the university's response to the flyer was a part of a larger pattern of handling incidents regarding students involved in activism related to Palestine, noting that the school ordered the New York Police Department (NYPD) to deal with protesting students, leading to the arrest of more than 100 of them.&lt;/p&gt;
  887.  
  888. &lt;p&gt;The delayed response regarding the bathroom flyer has only solidified students' feelings that the school isn't interested in their protection.&lt;/p&gt;
  889.  
  890. &lt;p&gt;"There has been one thing made clear by NYU’s actions, and inactions: if you support Palestinian human rights and the Palestinian right to self-determination, your free speech and safety are not subject to the same protection as the rest of the student body," the student said.&lt;/p&gt;
  891.  
  892. &lt;p&gt;In response to how the university dealt with the situation, three student groups - the Middle Eastern and North African Law Student Association, the Muslim Law Student Association, and the Law Students for Justice in Palestine - sent a statement to the student body on Friday accusing NYU of encouraging an unsafe environment for pro-Palestinian students.&lt;/p&gt;
  893.  
  894. &lt;p&gt;"In being so vague, the school once again refuses to acknowledge that its actions over the past year have allowed and actively encouraged an environment that is unsafe to its Palestinian, Arab, and pro-Palestinian students," said the statement, which was also shared with MEE.&lt;/p&gt;
  895.  
  896. &lt;p&gt;"Rather than protecting its students from doxxing and proactively addressing rampant Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in the school and legal industry, NYU Law has repressed pro-Palestine student activism, anti-war movements, and non-violent protests."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  897.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  898.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  899. &lt;script&gt;
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  901.  
  902.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  903.  
  904. //]]&gt;
  905. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  906. &lt;/div&gt;
  907. &lt;/div&gt;
  908.  
  909. &lt;h3&gt;'Enabling violent rhetoric'&lt;/h3&gt;
  910.  
  911. &lt;p&gt;The student protesters, who this past week faced the violent use of force by police to disperse pro-Palestinian demonstrators on campus, say that they have ultimately found themselves between a rock and a hard place.&lt;/p&gt;
  912.  
  913. &lt;p&gt;On one hand, students have felt unsafe from threats outside the university after finding the flyer, which gave a clear-cut threat to them, saying: "And we will annihilate you."&lt;/p&gt;
  914.  
  915. &lt;p&gt;On the other hand, the student organisers say that the university itself has encouraged and contributed to an "environment of racism" that has allowed threats like that letter to happen.&lt;/p&gt;
  916.  
  917. &lt;p&gt;Earlier this week, the university itself ordered the NYPD to disperse an encampment at the school that was protesting against &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;. The NYPD ultimately arrested more than 100 protesters.&lt;/p&gt;
  918.  
  919. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  920.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nyu-builds-wall-around-business-school-protests-reach-harvard"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/nyu%20wall%20afp.jpg.webp?itok=CTMnreDx" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Students ridicule NYU 'wall of shame' as nationwide Palestine protests reach Harvard&lt;/div&gt;
  921.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nyu-builds-wall-around-business-school-protests-reach-harvard"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  922. &lt;/div&gt;
  923.  
  924. &lt;p&gt;Then there was the case of Ryna Workman, whose position as president of NYU's student bar association was rescinded after they made a statement in solidarity with Palestinians after 7 October and blamed Israel's human rights abuses against Palestinians as ultimately being the reason for the Hamas attack.&lt;/p&gt;
  925.  
  926. &lt;p&gt;Workman told MEE that the school's actions towards them since October had helped "enable this kind of violent rhetoric and hostile learning environment", referring to the flyer.&lt;/p&gt;
  927.  
  928. &lt;p&gt;"Instead of condemning the harassment and doxxing of his student, Dean McKenzie isolated me from my community of three years," Workman said.&lt;/p&gt;
  929.  
  930. &lt;p&gt;In their statement to the student body, the student groups listed several demands. They want the school to thoroughly investigate the incident of the letter found at Vanderbilt Hall, and they want the law school to "publicly and transparently communicate" its next steps to address anti-Palestinian racism on campus.&lt;/p&gt;
  931.  
  932. &lt;p&gt;They are also demanding that the school drop any disciplinary action against law students over their involvement in activism around the issue of Palestine.&lt;/p&gt;
  933.  
  934. &lt;p&gt;And in addition to guaranteeing their own protection, the students echoed a demand from the larger pro-Palestine movement on campus, which is for the university at large to divest its finances from weapons manufacturers and other companies involved in Israel's occupation of Palestine.&lt;/p&gt;
  935.  
  936. &lt;p&gt;But students say that given the "lack of regard" shown by the administration, they will likely have to take their safety into their own hands, noting that with final exams around the corner, many students would have to be physically on campus during the remainder of the semester.&lt;/p&gt;
  937. &lt;/div&gt;
  938.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-campus-protests" hreflang="en"&gt;US campus protests&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  939.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  940.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  941.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  942.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  943.          &lt;/div&gt;
  944.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  945.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  946.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Pro-Palestine%20students%20accuse%20NYU%20of%20%27enabling%27%20violence%20&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/students-accuse-nyu-enabling-violence-threat-annihilating-palestinians&amp;2=node/359176&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="zax8FpAVgPgohbTHuHwW1Hgl0-6ctt41miN9Iwk4DgI"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  947.          &lt;/div&gt;
  948.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  949.      </description>
  950.  <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 13:17:10 +0000</pubDate>
  951.    <dc:creator>Umar A Farooq</dc:creator>
  952.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359176 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  953.    </item>
  954. <item>
  955.  <title>Gaza 'freedom flotilla' blocked in Turkey</title>
  956.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-freedom-flotilla-turkey-blocked</link>
  957.  <description>
  958. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Gaza 'freedom flotilla' blocked in Turkey&lt;/span&gt;
  959.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Organisers blame Israeli pressure on Guinea-Bissau, after West African country withdrew its flagged vessels&lt;/div&gt;
  960.      
  961. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-and-agencies" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-and-agencies" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE and agencies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  962.  
  963. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-27T17:36:35+01:00" title="27 April 2024 17:36 BST"&gt;Sat, 04/27/2024 - 17:36&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  964.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/The%20Akdeniz%20RoRo%2C%20part%20of%20the%20Freedom%20Flotilla%20Coalition%2C%20waits%20to%20depart%20from%20the%20Tuzla%20seaport%2C%20near%20Istanbul%20on%20April%2019%2C%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg.webp?itok=bRp1ZASX 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/The%20Akdeniz%20RoRo%2C%20part%20of%20the%20Freedom%20Flotilla%20Coalition%2C%20waits%20to%20depart%20from%20the%20Tuzla%20seaport%2C%20near%20Istanbul%20on%20April%2019%2C%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=bRp1ZASX 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/The%20Akdeniz%20RoRo%2C%20part%20of%20the%20Freedom%20Flotilla%20Coalition%2C%20waits%20to%20depart%20from%20the%20Tuzla%20seaport%2C%20near%20Istanbul%20on%20April%2019%2C%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=bRp1ZASX 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/The%20Akdeniz%20RoRo%2C%20part%20of%20the%20Freedom%20Flotilla%20Coalition%2C%20waits%20to%20depart%20from%20the%20Tuzla%20seaport%2C%20near%20Istanbul%20on%20April%2019%2C%202024.%20AFP%202.jpg?itok=WmD-HElV" alt="The Akdeniz, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, waits to depart from Tuzla, near Istanbul, 19 April 2024 (Yasin Akgul/AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  965.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;The Akdeniz, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in the port of Tuzla, near Istanbul, 19 April 2024 (Yasin Akgul/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  966.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;A "freedom flotilla" aimed at delivering aid to &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/gaza-under-attack"&gt;Gaza&lt;/a&gt; was blocked in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/turkey"&gt;Turkey&lt;/a&gt; on Saturday after being denied the use of two of its ships, which organisers blame on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israeli&lt;/a&gt; pressure. &lt;/p&gt;
  967.  
  968. &lt;p&gt;The coalition of NGOs and other associations said it was unable to set sail after the West African country of Guinea-Bissau withdrew its flagged vessels, according to AFP.&lt;/p&gt;
  969.  
  970. &lt;p&gt;"Sadly, Guinea-Bissau has allowed itself to become complicit in Israel's deliberate starvation, illegal siege and genocide of &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinians&lt;/a&gt; in Gaza," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said.&lt;/p&gt;
  971.  
  972. &lt;p&gt;"The Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the freedom flotilla’s ships, one of which is our cargo ship, already loaded with over 5,000 tons of life-saving aid," its statement said &lt;/p&gt;
  973.  
  974. &lt;p&gt;The group said the Guinea-Bissau authorities made several "extraordinary" requests for information including destinations, potential additional port calls, cargo manifest, and estimated arrival dates and times. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  975.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  976.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  981.  
  982. //]]&gt;
  983. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  984. &lt;/div&gt;
  985. &lt;/div&gt;
  986.  
  987. &lt;p&gt;"Normally, national flagging authorities concern themselves only with safety and related standards on vessels bearing their flag," it said, equating it to being asked about destinations when registering a car.&lt;/p&gt;
  988.  
  989. &lt;h3&gt;Silence&lt;/h3&gt;
  990.  
  991. &lt;p&gt;At an Istanbul press conference, about 280 volunteers - activists, lawyers and doctors - who had hoped to join the ships shouted slogans including "Flag the flotilla", "We will sail" and "Free Palestine". &lt;/p&gt;
  992.  
  993. &lt;p&gt;Three of the flotilla's ships have been docked for a week at the port of Tuzla, south of Istanbul. They had planned to set sail on Friday.&lt;/p&gt;
  994.  
  995. &lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live/israels-war-gaza-live-israel-pounds-rafah-overnight-strikes" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  996.  
  997. &lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Turkish authorities and state media, who are generally keen to boast about the aid they have provided to Palestinian civilians in Gaza having organised 13 humanitarian flights and nine boats, have been silent about the flotilla. &lt;/p&gt;
  998.  
  999. &lt;p&gt;In 2010, a previous "freedom flotilla" set off from the southern Turkish city of Antalya, leading to a deadly episode that soured relations between Turkey and Israel after Israeli military forces attacked one of the ships, the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/features/remembering-mavi-marmara-we-really-believed-we-would-reach-gaza"&gt;Mavi Marmara&lt;/a&gt;, leaving 10 people dead and 28 wounded aboard. &lt;/p&gt;
  1000.  
  1001. &lt;p&gt;UN agencies have warned that maritime deliveries alone cannot deliver sufficient aid to ward off the threat of famine in Gaza and have called on Israel to open up more border crossings for road convoys.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1002.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1003.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  1007.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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  1010. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1011. &lt;/div&gt;
  1012. &lt;/div&gt;
  1013.  
  1014. &lt;h3&gt;'Non-violent resistance'&lt;/h3&gt;
  1015.  
  1016. &lt;p&gt;Ann Wright, of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, the primary organiser of the coalition and a former US Army colonel who resigned in 2003 due to her opposition to the invasion of Iraq, told Middle East Eye earlier this month that they were determined to accomplish their mission.&lt;/p&gt;
  1017.  
  1018. &lt;p&gt;"We know that the Turkish government is working hard diplomatically and in the humanitarian field. Yet, we expect their support and that of other governments for our mission," she said. &lt;/p&gt;
  1019.  
  1020. &lt;p&gt;"There is no way that we can't sail. There is no way that we can't reach Gaza," she added. &lt;/p&gt;
  1021.  
  1022. &lt;p&gt;Referring to the Mavi Marmara raid by the Israeli army, Wright said: "In case of such an attack, we'll expect all governments to uphold international law. According to international law, Israel has no right to raid a ship filled with civilians and humanitarian aid."&lt;/p&gt;
  1023.  
  1024. &lt;p&gt;Huwaida Arraf, a human rights lawyer, said: "There is the possibility that Israel might attack us. We just hope they won't, as the whole world would be watching us.&lt;/p&gt;
  1025.  
  1026. &lt;p&gt;"Even if they do, we’ll adopt non-violent resistance."&lt;/p&gt;
  1027. &lt;/div&gt;
  1028.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1029.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1030.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1031.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1032.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1033.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1034.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1035.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1036.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Gaza%20%27freedom%20flotilla%27%20blocked%20in%20Turkey&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-freedom-flotilla-turkey-blocked&amp;2=node/359216&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="loOgLZZ2dnJ59V_s9U--dlzLW7AuSI91CPb-BO5N2D8"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1037.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1038.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1039.      </description>
  1040.  <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:36:35 +0000</pubDate>
  1041.    <dc:creator>MEE and agencies</dc:creator>
  1042.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359216 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1043.    </item>
  1044. <item>
  1045.  <title>Iraqi parliament passes amendment criminalising LGBTQ activity</title>
  1046.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-parliament-passes-amendment-restricting-lgbtq-rights</link>
  1047.  <description>
  1048. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Iraqi parliament passes amendment criminalising LGBTQ activity&lt;/span&gt;
  1049.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Addition to anti-prostitution law means same-sex activity could lead to up to 15 years in prison&lt;/div&gt;
  1050.      
  1051. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/alex-macdonald" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/alex-macdonald" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Alex MacDonald&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1052.  
  1053. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-27T16:36:43+01:00" title="27 April 2024 16:36 BST"&gt;Sat, 04/27/2024 - 16:36&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1054.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/IRAQ_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg.webp?itok=OIBti5rb 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/IRAQ_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg?itok=OIBti5rb 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/IRAQ_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg?itok=OIBti5rb 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/IRAQ_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg?itok=6YSbJzKd" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1055.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Shia Muslim devotees self-flagellate over a banner depicting the Pride rainbow flag defaced with a boot and in Arabic the slogan 'No to homosexual society' at the start of the Muslim month of Muharram, in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq, on 25 July 2023 (Asaad Niazi / AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1056.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/iraq"&gt;Iraq&lt;/a&gt;'s parliament has passed a new amendment that could see LGBTQ people imprisoned for up to 15 years for same-sex activity.&lt;/p&gt;
  1057.  
  1058. &lt;p&gt;Raed al-Maliki, a member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, said at a press conference that the amendment to the anti-prostitution law would incorporate provisions to penalise "practices imitating women", transgenderism and "promoting sexual acts", and banning organisations "promoting" prostitution and sexual deviancy, according to Shafaq News.&lt;/p&gt;
  1059.  
  1060. &lt;p&gt;The new law stipulates a minimum of 10 years in prison for homosexual acts, and at least seven years in prison for "promoting" LGBTQ activity.&lt;/p&gt;
  1061.  
  1062. &lt;p&gt;Amir Al-Maamouri, an independent MP, told Shafaq News that the new legislation was a "significant step in combating sexual deviancy given the infiltration of unique cases contradicting Islamic and societal values".&lt;/p&gt;
  1063.  
  1064. &lt;p&gt;Before the new amendment, homosexuality had been legal in Iraq although many LGBTQ people faced threats, abuse and murder in the country, while laws punishing "immodest acts" had been used by the authorities to target them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1065.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1066.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1067. &lt;script&gt;
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  1070.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1071.  
  1072. //]]&gt;
  1073. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1074. &lt;/div&gt;
  1075. &lt;/div&gt;
  1076.  
  1077. &lt;p&gt;A widespread crackdown on LGBTQ people in 2009 saw a death toll likely "in the hundreds," according to Human Rights Watch.&lt;/p&gt;
  1078.  
  1079. &lt;p&gt;In recent years, a number of politicians in Iraq have called for the criminalisation of homosexuality and stoked a moral panic around the issue.&lt;/p&gt;
  1080.  
  1081. &lt;p&gt;Diplomats told Reuters that the passage of the change in the law would likely make international relations more difficult for Iraq.&lt;/p&gt;
  1082.  
  1083. &lt;p&gt;"It would be tough to justify working closely with such a state at home," said one senior diplomat, speaking anonymously, adding that the it would "have catastrophic consequences for our bilateral business and trade relations".&lt;/p&gt;
  1084.  
  1085. &lt;p&gt;LGBTQ campaigners have also long warned of the consequences of passing such a law, which will add to the hardships already faced by the community in Iraq.&lt;/p&gt;
  1086.  
  1087. &lt;p&gt;Amir Ashour, head of the IraQueer rights group, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-anti-lgbtq-law-raises-concerns-rights-group"&gt;told Middle East Eye&lt;/a&gt; when the law was first proposed that it would provide cover for armed groups to attack LGBTQ people.&lt;/p&gt;
  1088.  
  1089. &lt;p&gt;"This will allow the Iraqi government to legally get away with murder and provide legal protection for armed groups and other criminals who continue to target LGBTQ+ citizens," he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1090.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1091.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1092. &lt;script&gt;
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  1097. //]]&gt;
  1098. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1099. &lt;/div&gt;
  1100. &lt;/div&gt;
  1101.  
  1102. &lt;p&gt;"This will also have a huge impact on the movement, as queer people and those advocating for us will be facing legal consequences, in addition to the extra-judicial violence that we've been facing for decades."&lt;/p&gt;
  1103.  
  1104. &lt;p&gt;He said the push against LGBTQ rights by Iraqi politicians was aimed at distracting from the material problems facing Iraq, such as unemployment, corruption and a continuing lack of government.&lt;/p&gt;
  1105.  
  1106. &lt;p&gt;"They have been using the public's lack of accurate knowledge about LGBTQ+ identities by pretending that they are fighting against 'real problems' that Iraq is facing."&lt;/p&gt;
  1107. &lt;/div&gt;
  1108.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/inside-iraq" hreflang="en"&gt;Inside Iraq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1109.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1110.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1111.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1112.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1113.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1114.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1115.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1116.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Iraqi%20parliament%20passes%20amendment%20criminalising%20LGBTQ%20activity&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-parliament-passes-amendment-restricting-lgbtq-rights&amp;2=node/359201&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="dq3k4P-vHK9FIsiYfcMaMmA2P74_D_IzMrjjIuyQlWc"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1117.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1118.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1119.      </description>
  1120.  <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 15:36:43 +0000</pubDate>
  1121.    <dc:creator>Alex MacDonald</dc:creator>
  1122.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359201 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1123.    </item>
  1124. <item>
  1125.  <title>UK troops could be sent into Gaza to help with aid deliveries</title>
  1126.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-troops-could-be-sent-gaza-help-aid-deliveries</link>
  1127.  <description>
  1128. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;UK troops could be sent into Gaza to help with aid deliveries&lt;/span&gt;
  1129.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Suggestion comes after US announces none of its own troops would be sent to the enclave&lt;/div&gt;
  1130.      
  1131. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1132.  
  1133. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-27T12:38:13+01:00" title="27 April 2024 12:38 BST"&gt;Sat, 04/27/2024 - 12:38&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1134.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/UK_GAZA_AID_AFP.jpg.webp?itok=dUxJHFIG 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/UK_GAZA_AID_AFP.jpg?itok=dUxJHFIG 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/UK_GAZA_AID_AFP.jpg?itok=dUxJHFIG 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/UK_GAZA_AID_AFP.jpg?itok=eWi3b8eh" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1135.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;A truck carrying humanitarian aid from the UK that entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) crossing to Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 17 February 2024 (Said Khatib/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1136.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/uk"&gt;British &lt;/a&gt;troops could be deployed in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Gaza &lt;/a&gt;to assist with aid deliveries, after the US said it would not be sending any of its own ground forces.&lt;/p&gt;
  1137.  
  1138. &lt;p&gt;The US previously said a "third party" would be responsible for driving trucks along a floating causeway onto the beach, a role the BBC has learned could be filled by British forces.&lt;/p&gt;
  1139.  
  1140. &lt;p&gt;The BBC on Saturday quoted Whitehall as saying no decision had yet been made and that the issue had not yet been raised with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.&lt;/p&gt;
  1141.  
  1142. &lt;p&gt;US President Joe Biden first announced the plans for a floating pier in Gaza to deliver aid in March.&lt;/p&gt;
  1143.  
  1144. &lt;p&gt;The US said it would coordinate the security of the temporary pier with &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel" target="_blank"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt; and that the temporary port would increase the amount of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the war-battered enclave by "hundreds of additional truckloads" per day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1145.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1146.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  1153. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1154. &lt;/div&gt;
  1155. &lt;/div&gt;
  1156.  
  1157. &lt;p&gt;A British defence source told AFP that a UK ship to house hundreds of US army personnel building the pier had set sail from Cyprus.&lt;/p&gt;
  1158.  
  1159. &lt;p&gt;According to the Pentagon, Royal Navy support ship Cardigan Bay will help to support the international effort to construct the pier, which is set to be completed in May.&lt;/p&gt;
  1160.  
  1161. &lt;p&gt;The US estimates it will facilitate the delivery of 90 truckloads of international aid a day into Gaza, rising to up to 150 truckloads once fully operational.&lt;/p&gt;
  1162.  
  1163. &lt;p&gt;"It is critical we establish more routes for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza, and the UK continues to take a leading role in the delivery of support," UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.&lt;/p&gt;
  1164. &lt;/div&gt;
  1165.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1166.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1167.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1168.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1169.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1170.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1171.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1172.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1173.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=UK%20troops%20could%20be%20sent%20into%20Gaza%20to%20help%20with%20aid%20deliveries&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-troops-could-be-sent-gaza-help-aid-deliveries&amp;2=node/359156&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="e0a_OY3UsoqteqRHGi4-lFGp_cxJ0tAUDnk-qKa9G2Q"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1174.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1175.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1176.      </description>
  1177.  <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 11:38:13 +0000</pubDate>
  1178.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  1179.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359156 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1180.    </item>
  1181. <item>
  1182.  <title>Iraqi Tik-Tok star shot dead outside home in Baghdad</title>
  1183.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-tik-tok-star-shot-dead-outside-home-baghdad</link>
  1184.  <description>
  1185. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Iraqi Tik-Tok star shot dead outside home in Baghdad&lt;/span&gt;
  1186.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Om Fahad is the latest in a string of social media stars murdered in Iraq in recent years&lt;/div&gt;
  1187.      
  1188. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1189.  
  1190. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-27T09:54:02+01:00" title="27 April 2024 09:54 BST"&gt;Sat, 04/27/2024 - 09:54&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1191.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/TIKTOK_IRAQ_AFP.jpg.webp?itok=e3SV0YN_ 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/TIKTOK_IRAQ_AFP.jpg?itok=e3SV0YN_ 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/TIKTOK_IRAQ_AFP.jpg?itok=e3SV0YN_ 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/TIKTOK_IRAQ_AFP.jpg?itok=kzMhC7Lr" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1192.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Iraqi TikTok celebrity Om Fahad at the Basra International Stadium during a game at the Arabian Gulf Cup football tournament on 19 January 2023 (Hussein Faleh / AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1193.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;An &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/iraq"&gt;Iraqi &lt;/a&gt;Tik-Tok star was shot dead outside her home in Baghdad on Friday, according to security officials.&lt;/p&gt;
  1194.  
  1195. &lt;p&gt;Om Fahad, a social media influencer who made popular videos dancing to Iraqi music, was killed in her car in the Zayouna district by an unidentified gunman.&lt;/p&gt;
  1196.  
  1197. &lt;p&gt;A security official told AFP the attacker appeared to have pretended to be making a food delivery.&lt;/p&gt;
  1198.  
  1199. &lt;p&gt;In the wake of the killing, the interior ministry said it had &lt;span class="HwtZe" jsaction="mouseup:Sxi9L,BR6jm; mousedown:qjlr0e" jsname="jqKxS" lang="en" xml:lang="en"&gt;&lt;span class="jCAhz ChMk0b" jsaction="agoMJf:PFBcW;MZfLnc:P7O7bd;nt4Alf:pvnm0e,pfE8Hb,PFBcW;B01qod:dJXsye;H1e5u:iXtTIf;lYIUJf:hij5Wb" jscontroller="BiTO4b" jsname="txFAF"&gt;&lt;span class="ryNqvb" jsaction="click:E6Tfl,GFf3ac,qlVvte;contextmenu:Nqw7Te,QP7LD; mouseout:Nqw7Te; mouseover:E6Tfl,c2aHje" jsname="W297wb"&gt;"formed a specialised work team" to investigate the killing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1200.  
  1201. &lt;p&gt;Fahad had previously been sentenced to six months in jail in February 2023 for sharing "videos containing indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1202.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1203.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1204. &lt;script&gt;
  1205. //&lt;![CDATA[
  1206.  
  1207.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1208.  
  1209. //]]&gt;
  1210. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1211. &lt;/div&gt;
  1212. &lt;/div&gt;
  1213.  
  1214. &lt;p&gt;Numerous Iraqi social media personalities have been killed in recent years.&lt;/p&gt;
  1215.  
  1216. &lt;p&gt;In February, a trans blogger known as "Simsim" was&lt;a href="https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/02/16/trans-blogger-simsim-killed-in-iraq-by-knife-wielding-assailants/"&gt; stabbed to death &lt;/a&gt;in the city of Diwaniyah, while another TikTok star, Noor Alsaffar, was killed in 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  1217.  
  1218. &lt;p&gt;In 2018, Tara Fares, a model with three million followers on Instagram, was &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-model-and-social-media-icon-tara-fares-shot-dead-baghdad"&gt;shot dead&lt;/a&gt; in Baghdad.&lt;/p&gt;
  1219.  
  1220. &lt;p&gt;Despite the end of military conflict in Iraq, the country continues to be plagued by assassinations and kidnappings by armed groups.&lt;/p&gt;
  1221.  
  1222. &lt;p&gt;Social media stars and LGBTQ people have been a particular target for threats and murders in recent years.&lt;/p&gt;
  1223. &lt;/div&gt;
  1224.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/inside-iraq" hreflang="en"&gt;Inside Iraq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1225.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1226.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1227.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1228.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1229.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1230.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1231.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1232.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Iraqi%20Tik-Tok%20star%20shot%20dead%20outside%20home%20in%20Baghdad&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-tik-tok-star-shot-dead-outside-home-baghdad&amp;2=node/359126&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="c_lYHg7s9Ga_0Q9KVZZva0geg725B4-9M87J6ZXrkfE"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1233.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1234.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1235.      </description>
  1236.  <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 08:54:02 +0000</pubDate>
  1237.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  1238.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359126 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1239.    </item>
  1240. <item>
  1241.  <title>Biden campaign refuses invitation to address US Muslim voter advocacy groups</title>
  1242.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/biden-campaign-refuses-invite-address-us-muslim-voter-advocacy-groups</link>
  1243.  <description>
  1244. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Biden campaign refuses invitation to address US Muslim voter advocacy groups&lt;/span&gt;
  1245.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Muslim voters say the campaign's refusal to engage 'reveals the disconnect' between Biden and voters, as Muslims hear from third-party candidates&lt;/div&gt;
  1246.      
  1247. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1248.  
  1249. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-26T20:17:43+01:00" title="26 April 2024 20:17 BST"&gt;Fri, 04/26/2024 - 20:17&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1250.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/biden-uncommitted-vote-muslims-dearborn-michigan-afp-february-2024-kevin-dietsch.jpg.webp?itok=lXyeAVXr 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="787"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/biden-uncommitted-vote-muslims-dearborn-michigan-afp-february-2024-kevin-dietsch.jpg?itok=lXyeAVXr 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="787"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/biden-uncommitted-vote-muslims-dearborn-michigan-afp-february-2024-kevin-dietsch.jpg?itok=lXyeAVXr 1x" width="1400" height="787" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/biden-uncommitted-vote-muslims-dearborn-michigan-afp-february-2024-kevin-dietsch.jpg?itok=YDqPDv3r" alt="A Muslim organiser talks to voters outside of a polling location at Maples Elementary School on 27 February 2024 in Dearborn, Michigan." typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1251.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;A Muslim organiser talks to voters outside of a polling location at Maples Elementary School in Dearborn, Michigan, on 27 February (Kevin Dietsch/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1252.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt; President Joe Biden's reelection campaign team refused an invitation to address a symposium regarding the voter engagement of more than one million &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-muslims"&gt;Muslim&lt;/a&gt; Americans in the country, according to a coalition of more than two dozen Muslim civic groups.&lt;/p&gt;
  1253.  
  1254. &lt;p&gt;The two-day online symposium was held on 20 and 21 April, and discussed issues related to the upcoming presidential election in November, including "the pressing concerns that align with the interests and values of the American Muslim community".&lt;/p&gt;
  1255.  
  1256. &lt;p&gt;The symposium examined US support for &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt;, "justice in the Middle East region and Asia", and domestic issues - particularly concerning the Black community in the US.&lt;/p&gt;
  1257.  
  1258. &lt;p&gt;It was hosted by 25 organisations, including the Muslim Civic Coalition; Cair Action; the Abandon Biden Campaign; the Uncommitted National Movement; and American Muslims for Palestine - Chicago.&lt;/p&gt;
  1259.  
  1260. &lt;p&gt;In addition to Biden's campaign, the coalition said that the campaign for former US President Donald Trump also refused the invitation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1261.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1262.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1263. &lt;script&gt;
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  1266.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1267.  
  1268. //]]&gt;
  1269. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1270. &lt;/div&gt;
  1271. &lt;/div&gt;
  1272.  
  1273. &lt;p&gt;“While I wasn’t expecting much from the Trump campaign, President Biden choosing to ignore 1.6 million Muslim voters, many of whose votes put him in the White House in 2020, reveals the disconnect between him and the American people he serves,” Luna Banuri, of the Utah Muslim Civic League, said in a statement shared with Middle East Eye.&lt;/p&gt;
  1274.  
  1275. &lt;p&gt;“President Biden’s apparent disregard for Muslims, Arabs, young people, and allies of all races and faiths - whether they’re the ones his policies are killing in Gaza or the ones he’s ignoring in America - makes it critical for our communities to vote in a way that our voices are heard loud and clear.” &lt;/p&gt;
  1276.  
  1277. &lt;p&gt;Instead, the symposium heard from several third-party candidates, including independent Cornel West, Jill Stein of the Green Party, Claudia de la Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Joseph Collins of the Libertarian Party.&lt;/p&gt;
  1278.  
  1279. &lt;p&gt;"The absence of representatives from both the Biden Administration and the Trump campaign at a recent symposium, organised by a diverse coalition of Muslim groups across the country, has underscored a disconnect with our community in North Carolina and across the nation," said Mark Elbourno, a member of the Muslim community in North Carolina.&lt;/p&gt;
  1280.  
  1281. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-video mee-readmore-type-video align-right"&gt;
  1282.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/cornel-west-slams-joe-bidens-gaza-policy-most-our-politicians-are-cowards#autoplay"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/video_thumbnails/gRz5Bjv9KKM.jpg?itok=NUBtCEKw" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Presidential hopeful Cornel West slams Biden's Gaza policy: 'Our politicians are cowards'&lt;/div&gt;
  1283.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/cornel-west-slams-joe-bidens-gaza-policy-most-our-politicians-are-cowards#autoplay"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1284. &lt;/div&gt;
  1285.  
  1286. &lt;p&gt;"This has intensified our concerns about the current administration's policies towards Gaza and the broader US role in the region. As a result, we are committed to seeking leaders who truly reflect our community’s values."&lt;/p&gt;
  1287.  
  1288. &lt;p&gt;Middle East Eye reached out to the Biden campaign for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.&lt;/p&gt;
  1289.  
  1290. &lt;p&gt;The Biden campaign has been facing a wave of outrage and a slump in voter support from the Muslim-American community over the current administration's support for Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1291.  
  1292. &lt;p&gt;The Biden administration has fast-tracked weapons and munitions to Israel while providing the country with a diplomatic shield at the United Nations. During this time, Israeli forces have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children.&lt;/p&gt;
  1293.  
  1294. &lt;p&gt;At the end of October 2023, a small group of Muslims in Minnesota launched an "Abandon Biden" campaign after giving the president a deadline to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Since then, that campaign has spread to multiple swing states across the country.&lt;/p&gt;
  1295.  
  1296. &lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href="https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-super-tuesday-poll-shows-37-of-muslim-voters-favor-third-party-or-other-candidates-over-biden-and-trump-in-hypothetical-snap-election/"&gt;survey&lt;/a&gt; in March found that 72 percent of Muslim voters disapproved of Biden's handling of Israel's war on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1297.  
  1298. &lt;p&gt;And earlier this year in the primary elections in key swing states like Minnesota and Michigan, which is home to a large concentration of Muslim and Arab Americans, hundreds of thousands of voters marked "uncommitted" on the ballot to show Biden how unpopular his policy on Gaza is.&lt;/p&gt;
  1299. &lt;/div&gt;
  1300.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-elections-2024" hreflang="en"&gt;US Elections 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1301.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1302.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1303.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1304.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1305.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1306.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1307.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1308.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Biden%20campaign%20refuses%20invitation%20to%20address%20US%20Muslim%20voter%20advocacy%20groups&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/biden-campaign-refuses-invite-address-us-muslim-voter-advocacy-groups&amp;2=node/359091&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="4zWBCbdGKZYSZ_ntJEaA1PApmeJdI3MFCDMSKXNZtY8"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1309.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1310.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1311.      </description>
  1312.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 19:17:43 +0000</pubDate>
  1313.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  1314.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359091 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1315.    </item>
  1316. <item>
  1317.  <title>War on Gaza: Why are students protesting at campuses across the US?</title>
  1318.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-why-are-students-protesting-campuses-across-us</link>
  1319.  <description>
  1320. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;War on Gaza: Why are students protesting at campuses across the US?&lt;/span&gt;
  1321.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Hundreds of students and faculty have been arrested by police for participating in protest encampments on university campuses in support of Palestinians&lt;/div&gt;
  1322.      
  1323. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/umar-farooq-0" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/umar-farooq-0" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Umar A Farooq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1324.  
  1325. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-26T16:56:50+01:00" title="26 April 2024 16:56 BST"&gt;Fri, 04/26/2024 - 16:56&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1326.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/us-texas-palestine-protest-university-april-2024-afp-brandon-bell.jpg.webp?itok=DpIi3DRj 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/us-texas-palestine-protest-university-april-2024-afp-brandon-bell.jpg?itok=DpIi3DRj 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/us-texas-palestine-protest-university-april-2024-afp-brandon-bell.jpg?itok=DpIi3DRj 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/us-texas-palestine-protest-university-april-2024-afp-brandon-bell.jpg?itok=afApWIei" alt="Mounted police were mobilised against demonstrators protesting Israel's war in Gaza at the University of Texas at Austin on 24 April 2024." typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1327.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Mounted police were mobilised against demonstrators protesting against Israel's war in Gaza at the University of Texas at Austin, on 24 April (Brandon Bell/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1328.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students at the Columbia University encampment protesting against &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel's&lt;/a&gt; assault on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;Gaza&lt;/a&gt; have over the past week sparked a wave of similar actions on college campuses across the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1329.  
  1330. &lt;p&gt;The students all have similar demands, one being that their institutions divest from companies linked to Israel's human rights abuses against Palestinians, and an end to the war in Gaza, which has been deemed a genocide by rights groups, UN experts, and several sovereign countries.&lt;/p&gt;
  1331.  
  1332. &lt;p&gt;The demonstrations have, meanwhile, recently been called "antisemitic protests" by US President Joe Biden and some American lawmakers and media pundits.&lt;/p&gt;
  1333.  
  1334. &lt;p&gt;So why have these protests recently erupted at American universities and what do their demands for divestment mean exactly?&lt;/p&gt;
  1335.  
  1336. &lt;h3&gt;Why are students protesting on US college campuses?&lt;/h3&gt;
  1337.  
  1338. &lt;p&gt;Demonstrations have been taking place on college campuses since Israel began its war on Gaza in October.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1339.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  1347. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1348. &lt;/div&gt;
  1349. &lt;/div&gt;
  1350.  
  1351. &lt;p&gt;The protests were a reaction to Israel's military response to the 7 October Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which has so far killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.&lt;/p&gt;
  1352.  
  1353. &lt;p&gt;US universities have become a central point of the wider pro-Palestinian protest movement in the country, which has among other demands called for an end to US military support to Israel, an end to Israel's war on Gaza, as well as an end to what several rights groups have deemed an apartheid system of Israeli control over the occupied West Bank.&lt;/p&gt;
  1354.  
  1355. &lt;p&gt;These encampment-style protests first began at Columbia University in New York City, where students had set up around 50 tents on the campus' south lawn.&lt;/p&gt;
  1356.  
  1357. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1358.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nyu-builds-wall-around-business-school-protests-reach-harvard"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/nyu%20wall%20afp.jpg.webp?itok=CTMnreDx" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Students ridicule NYU 'wall of shame' as nationwide Palestine protests reach Harvard&lt;/div&gt;
  1359.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nyu-builds-wall-around-business-school-protests-reach-harvard"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1360. &lt;/div&gt;
  1361.  
  1362. &lt;p&gt;MEE visited the encampment at Columbia University last week, where students said they would also be focusing on building a community around their activism and demands.&lt;/p&gt;
  1363.  
  1364. &lt;p&gt;Since then, these encampments, set up in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have popped up at more than 30 universities in every corner of the country.&lt;/p&gt;
  1365.  
  1366. &lt;p&gt;The protests have been staged for many reasons and have numerous demands around the issue of Palestinian rights.&lt;/p&gt;
  1367.  
  1368. &lt;p&gt;"We decided to reclaim the space as a liberated zone and rename it the Popular University for Gaza," Aditi Rao, a student-protester at Princeton University, told MEE.&lt;/p&gt;
  1369.  
  1370. &lt;p&gt;One of the major demands of these protesters is for their respective schools to divest investments from Israel or from companies that are profiting off of Israel's war in Gaza and Israel's wider abuses against Palestinians.&lt;/p&gt;
  1371.  
  1372. &lt;p&gt;Another one of the demands is for schools to cut ties with Israeli academic institutions, which they say have played a key role in Israel's occupation of Palestine. Pfizer College in California &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-college-shut-down-study-abroad-programme-israel"&gt;recently&lt;/a&gt; shut down its study abroad programme with the University of Haifa after concluding that the partnership did not align with the college's core values.&lt;/p&gt;
  1373.  
  1374. &lt;h3&gt;What do we know about US university investments in Israel?&lt;/h3&gt;
  1375.  
  1376. &lt;p&gt;In terms of divestment, students at these demonstrations have called for their university administrations to divulge their finances and be more transparent about their investments in weapons manufacturers and Israeli companies profiteering from Israel's occupation and war in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1377.  
  1378. &lt;p&gt;There is some information  – though available data is limited – surrounding the investments that schools have in Israel-linked companies.&lt;/p&gt;
  1379.  
  1380. &lt;p&gt;At Columbia, for example, students are &lt;a href="https://www.finance.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/ACSRI/12.1.2023%20CUAD%20ACSRI%20Divestment%20Proposal.pdf"&gt;demanding&lt;/a&gt; the university end its investments in businesses linked to Israel, including tech giants Amazon and Google, which has a $1.2bn cloud-computing contract with Israel’s government. The students have also demanded an end to investments in US defence contractors profiting from Israel's war, such as Lockheed Martin.&lt;/p&gt;
  1381.  
  1382. &lt;p&gt;At Yale University, students told MEE that they are demanding the institution divest from "all weapons manufacturing companies contributing to Israel’s assault on Palestine".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1383.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1384.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  1392. &lt;/div&gt;
  1393. &lt;/div&gt;
  1394.  
  1395. &lt;p&gt;Yale University has student exchanges and collaborations with seven Israeli universities whose presidents signed a letter accusing US university students and faculty of supporting terrorism.&lt;/p&gt;
  1396.  
  1397. &lt;p&gt;Harvard has programmes with three of these universities, while Columbia has longstanding relations with at least four of these Israeli universities.&lt;/p&gt;
  1398.  
  1399. &lt;h3&gt;Are these demands for divestment from Israel new?&lt;/h3&gt;
  1400.  
  1401. &lt;p&gt;No. University students in the US have long protested against their institution's investments in Israel's military or its occupation of Palestinian lands.&lt;/p&gt;
  1402.  
  1403. &lt;p&gt;Over the past several years, there have been a number of different student bodies, faculty groups, and colleges within universities that have adopted the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.&lt;/p&gt;
  1404.  
  1405. &lt;p&gt;In May 2022, the faculty of the City University of New York's law school passed a resolution endorsing BDS.&lt;/p&gt;
  1406.  
  1407. &lt;p&gt;A month prior, the editorial board of the Harvard Crimson, the Ivy League school's student newspaper, similarly &lt;a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/4/29/editorial-bds/"&gt;endorsed&lt;/a&gt; the BDS movement, saying "we are proud to finally lend our support to both Palestinian liberation and BDS — and we call on everyone to do the same".&lt;/p&gt;
  1408.  
  1409. &lt;p&gt;And that same month in April 2022, the Middle East Studies Association &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-boycott-academic-institutions-hurt-apartheid-regime"&gt;voted&lt;/a&gt; overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution backing BDS.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1410.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  1418. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1419. &lt;/div&gt;
  1420. &lt;/div&gt;
  1421.  
  1422. &lt;p&gt;In addition to divestment, calls for boycotting Israeli academic institutions in US universities have grown. Last year, the American Anthropological Association passed a &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/reckoning-largest-association-american-anthropologists-israel-boycott-vote"&gt;resolution&lt;/a&gt; backing a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.&lt;/p&gt;
  1423.  
  1424. &lt;h3&gt;How have universities responded to these protests?&lt;/h3&gt;
  1425.  
  1426. &lt;p&gt;Many of the student-led protests have been met by their universities with force, while repression from administrations and police brutality against students and faculty is on the rise.&lt;/p&gt;
  1427.  
  1428. &lt;p&gt;Columbia University president Nemat Minouche Shafik &lt;a href="https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/18/shafik-authorizes-nypd-to-sweep-gaza-solidarity-encampment-officers-in-riot-gear-arrest-over-100/"&gt;ordered&lt;/a&gt; the New York Police Department to disperse the south lawn encampment, leading to the arrest of 100 Columbia and Barnard College students, including the daughter of US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.&lt;/p&gt;
  1429.  
  1430. &lt;p&gt;In addition to being arrested, the students were suspended from school and told they would not be able to finish the academic semester.&lt;/p&gt;
  1431.  
  1432. &lt;p&gt;Over the past few days, videos shared on social media have shown police violently arresting both students and faculty who were peacefully protesting on campuses.&lt;/p&gt;
  1433.  
  1434. &lt;div class="url-embed-wrapper"&gt;&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr" xml:lang="en" xml:lang="en"&gt;A CNN crew captured the forceful arrest of Emory University professor Caroline Fohlin at a pro-Palestine demonstration on campus on Thursday. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fohlin was seen questioning a police officer who was arresting a protester before she was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. &lt;a href="https://t.co/a0IkPyAerv"&gt;pic.twitter.com/a0IkPyAerv&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1783877444300062921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 26, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1435.  
  1436. &lt;p&gt;At Yale University, around 50 protesters were &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/dozens-arrested-yale-university-over-pro-palestine-protest-camp"&gt;arrested&lt;/a&gt; by police on charges of "aggravated trespassing" for their participation in the protests on campus.&lt;/p&gt;
  1437.  
  1438. &lt;p&gt;Organisers at Ohio State University &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BTnewsroom/status/1783700224868798623"&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; that pro-Palestinian demonstrators were beaten and tased by police.&lt;/p&gt;
  1439.  
  1440. &lt;p&gt;Police have also arrested others, including journalists covering the ongoing demonstrations. At the University of Texas-Austin, video footage shows police &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1783376751126818926"&gt;grabbing&lt;/a&gt; a journalist from the crowd, and then throwing him onto the ground before arresting him.&lt;/p&gt;
  1441.  
  1442. &lt;p&gt;The widespread police response to these demonstrations has raised fears of a possible repetition of the Kent State Massacre in 1968, when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protesters demonstrating against the Vietnam War.&lt;/p&gt;
  1443.  
  1444. &lt;p&gt;The shootings by the US forces at Kent State killed four and injured nine others.&lt;/p&gt;
  1445.  
  1446. &lt;p&gt;To protect their students, some faculty members have joined the protests and &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1782774497067626623"&gt;created&lt;/a&gt; human chains around the tent encampments in order to prevent police encroachment.&lt;/p&gt;
  1447. &lt;/div&gt;
  1448.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-campus-protests" hreflang="en"&gt;US campus protests&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1449.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1450.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1451.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1452.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1453.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1454.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1455.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Divest from Israel: Why are students staging encampment protests at US universities?&lt;/div&gt;
  1456.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1457.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=War%20on%20Gaza%3A%20Why%20are%20students%20protesting%20at%20campuses%20across%20the%20US%3F&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-why-are-students-protesting-campuses-across-us&amp;2=node/359061&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="dsmvBzZLQ7pU3Ffes-78zOd-JPZjFmki2e3oXbA3qZ4"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1458.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1459.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1460.      </description>
  1461.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:56:50 +0000</pubDate>
  1462.    <dc:creator>Umar A Farooq</dc:creator>
  1463.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359061 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1464.    </item>
  1465. <item>
  1466.  <title>Israel: Ben Gvir rushed to hospital after car accident</title>
  1467.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/far-right-israeli-minister-rushed-hospital-after-car-accident</link>
  1468.  <description>
  1469. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Israel: Ben Gvir rushed to hospital after car accident&lt;/span&gt;
  1470.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Far-right Israeli minister's car overturned resulting in moderate injuries&lt;/div&gt;
  1471.      
  1472. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1473.  
  1474. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-26T16:16:51+01:00" title="26 April 2024 16:16 BST"&gt;Fri, 04/26/2024 - 16:16&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1475.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/BEN_GVIR_CAR_AFP.jpg.webp?itok=0ysP60tZ 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/BEN_GVIR_CAR_AFP.jpg?itok=0ysP60tZ 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="932"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/BEN_GVIR_CAR_AFP.jpg?itok=0ysP60tZ 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/BEN_GVIR_CAR_AFP.jpg?itok=6aW4rH0v" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1476.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Israeli police cordon off the site of a car accident that involved Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Ramla south of Tel Aviv, 26 April 2024 (Ahmad Gharabli / AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1477.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israeli&lt;/a&gt; far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir has been rushed to hospital after he was involved in a car accident in central Israel on Friday. &lt;/p&gt;
  1478.  
  1479. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"&gt;The national security minister was reportedly near Ramla when the accident happened. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1480.  
  1481. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"&gt;According to Israeli media, his car had run a red light before the accident. Video footage of the accident was posted on social media.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1482.  
  1483. &lt;div class="url-embed-wrapper"&gt;&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr" xml:lang="en" xml:lang="en"&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#BREAKING&lt;/a&gt; Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir had an accident in his car. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The car overturned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He is currently being rushed to the hospital. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He is reported to be mildly injured. &lt;a href="https://t.co/OZ8QciBoXA"&gt;pic.twitter.com/OZ8QciBoXA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Clash Report (@clashreport) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1783875202289430987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 26, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1484.  
  1485. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"&gt;Ben Gvir had been visiting the site of a suspected stabbing attack in Ramla prior to the accident.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1486.  
  1487. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"&gt;Police now say they are investigating the cause of the crash.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1488.  
  1489. &lt;p&gt;Times of Israel said there had been numerous reports in recent months that Ben Gvir's official vehicle had committed several traffic violations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1490.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1491.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  1497. //]]&gt;
  1498. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1499. &lt;/div&gt;
  1500. &lt;/div&gt;
  1501.  
  1502. &lt;p&gt;He was involved in another accident last August when his vehicle again ran a red light en route to an interview.&lt;/p&gt;
  1503.  
  1504. &lt;p&gt;According to Israeli media, he regularly instructs his driver to ignore traffic rules.&lt;/p&gt;
  1505. &lt;/div&gt;
  1506.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1507.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1508.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1509.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1510.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1511.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1512.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1513.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1514.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Israel%3A%20Ben%20Gvir%20rushed%20to%20hospital%20after%20car%20accident&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/far-right-israeli-minister-rushed-hospital-after-car-accident&amp;2=node/359056&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="n_26X_dyRap5O774yXGwW0yYhtnpipzvh6iK0eGxngQ"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1515.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1516.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1517.      </description>
  1518.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:16:51 +0000</pubDate>
  1519.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  1520.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359056 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1521.    </item>
  1522. <item>
  1523.  <title>Sudan: El-Fasher faces massacre as final fight for Darfur looms</title>
  1524.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-darfur-el-fasher-massacre-imminent-final-fight</link>
  1525.  <description>
  1526. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Sudan: El-Fasher faces massacre as final fight for Darfur looms&lt;/span&gt;
  1527.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;The Rapid Support Forces have the state capital of North Darfur under siege, leaving a million civilians with no way out&lt;/div&gt;
  1528.      
  1529. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/oscar-rickett" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/oscar-rickett" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Oscar Rickett&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1530.  
  1531. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-26T14:18:01+01:00" title="26 April 2024 14:18 BST"&gt;Fri, 04/26/2024 - 14:18&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1532.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Fasher%20main%20pic.jpg.webp?itok=-MaoXz7S 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Fasher%20main%20pic.jpg?itok=-MaoXz7S 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Fasher%20main%20pic.jpg?itok=-MaoXz7S 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Fasher%20main%20pic.jpg?itok=bFDl8syg" alt="A crowded ward at a hospital in el-Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur region (AFP/MSF)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1533.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;A crowded ward at a hospital in el-Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur region (AFP/MSF)&lt;/div&gt;
  1534.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/sudan"&gt;Sudanese&lt;/a&gt; and international experts are warning of a massacre that could generate “Hiroshima and Nagasaki-level casualties” in the Darfur city of el-Fasher, which is surrounded by the paramilitary&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-war-army-rsf-profit-smuggling-food-fuel-starlink"&gt; Rapid Support Forces&lt;/a&gt; (RSF).&lt;/p&gt;
  1535.  
  1536. &lt;p&gt;The estimated one million civilians inside the state capital of North Darfur now have no clear escape routes, meaning the city could become a “kill box” in the event of an attack.&lt;/p&gt;
  1537.  
  1538. &lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-crisis-saf-army-future"&gt;Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)&lt;/a&gt;, which have been at war with the RSF since 15 April last year, remain in control of el-Fasher, the only city in western Sudan's sprawling Darfur region in its hands.&lt;/p&gt;
  1539.  
  1540. &lt;p&gt;But with the RSF controlling all roads leading in and out of el-Fasher, the army has had to equip its new recruits using air drops. With a final battle for Darfur imminent, army units are expecting a fight to the death. &lt;/p&gt;
  1541.  
  1542. &lt;p&gt;Observers say the RSF is moving heavy weaponry into the area. Sources in el-Fasher said that the paramilitary force was looting goods being brought into the city. SAF troop movements suggest the RSF already has combatants in the eastern part of the city.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1543.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1544.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1545. &lt;script&gt;
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  1547.  
  1548.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1549.  
  1550. //]]&gt;
  1551. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1552. &lt;/div&gt;
  1553. &lt;/div&gt;
  1554.  
  1555. &lt;p&gt;In the last fortnight, the RSF has burned at least 11 villages in the neighbouring North Darfur countryside to the ground. Villagers have been forced to flee to the city, meaning the area’s entire population is now there.&lt;/p&gt;
  1556.  
  1557. &lt;p&gt;The situation is exacerbated by the presence of the region's largest camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), Zamzam, located just 12 km outside the city. &lt;/p&gt;
  1558.  
  1559. &lt;p&gt;The route between RSF fighters and the city leads through the camp, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are from the non-Arab groups the RSF has been targeting throughout the war. &lt;/p&gt;
  1560.  
  1561. &lt;p&gt;Last week, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-genocide-darfur-taking-place-rsf"&gt; found&lt;/a&gt; that there was “clear and convincing evidence” that the Rapid Support Forces is committing genocide against “non-Arab groups” in Darfur. The Black Massalit group has been particularly targeted. &lt;/p&gt;
  1562.  
  1563. &lt;p&gt;Sources on the ground told Middle East Eye that Zamzam is protected by the forces of Minni Minnawi, a former rebel leader and governor of Darfur who is now fighting alongside the army. &lt;/p&gt;
  1564.  
  1565. &lt;p&gt;Of the estimated one million people in el-Fasher, an estimated 700,000 are IDPs. Over 8 million Sudanese have been displaced by the war.&lt;/p&gt;
  1566.  
  1567. &lt;p&gt;Previously a vibrant centre for activists, human rights defenders and others, el-Fasher also has the only hospital that has been treating survivors of sexual violence that has taken place since the war began. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1568.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1569.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1570. &lt;script&gt;
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  1573.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1574.  
  1575. //]]&gt;
  1576. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1577. &lt;/div&gt;
  1578. &lt;/div&gt;
  1579.  
  1580. &lt;h3&gt;'Death, hunger, thirst'&lt;/h3&gt;
  1581.  
  1582. &lt;p&gt;Tagaldeen, a resident of Abu Shouk IDP camp in el-Fasher, told an emergency online media briefing attended by Middle East Eye that he knew of 38 separate vehicles that had been stopped and ransacked by the RSF.&lt;/p&gt;
  1583.  
  1584. &lt;p&gt;He said that the price of fuel in el-Fasher had more than doubled and this was set to have a catastrophic impact on the availability of drinking water in the city. Around 95 percent of el-Fasher’s potable water is dependent on generators that run on fuel. &lt;/p&gt;
  1585.  
  1586. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  1587. &lt;p&gt;'This situation can potentially generate Hiroshima and Nagasaki-level casualties'&lt;/p&gt;
  1588.  
  1589. &lt;p&gt;- &lt;em&gt;Nathaniel Raymond, Yale Humanitarian Research Lab&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1590. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  1591.  
  1592. &lt;p&gt;“The RSF is threatening citizens with death, hunger and thirst,” said Tagaldeen, who could not give his second name for security reasons. “Medical personnel have fled the city, leaving patients without anyone to treat them. Many have died already as a result.” &lt;/p&gt;
  1593.  
  1594. &lt;p&gt;Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which has been closely monitoring the conflict, outlined three main circumstances that would result in mass civilian death in el-Fasher.&lt;/p&gt;
  1595.  
  1596. &lt;p&gt;He said civilians could die from the deprivation of humanitarian aid, including food, water and medicine; they could die in crossfire; or they could be directly targeted by the RSF.&lt;/p&gt;
  1597.  
  1598. &lt;p&gt;“We have a city about to be under siege,” Raymond told the briefing. “The situation for those in el-Fasher will likely get significantly worse in the coming hours and days. Civilians don't have a clear escape route. We call this a kill box.“&lt;/p&gt;
  1599.  
  1600. &lt;p&gt;Raymond said he believed the risk of mass atrocities and targeted ethnic killings was “inevitable” and that the situation was going to get “significantly worse” in the next few days and weeks.&lt;/p&gt;
  1601.  
  1602. &lt;p&gt;“I want to be clear here. 9/11 was 3,000 people. There's been 40,000 civilian casualties in Gaza. This situation can potentially generate Hiroshima and Nagasaki-level casualties,” Raymond said. The US atomic bombs detonated above the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 killed an &lt;a href="https://www.icanw.org/hiroshima_and_nagasaki_bombings#:~:text=By%20the%20end%20of%201945,side%20effects%20from%20the%20radiation."&gt;estimated &lt;/a&gt;215,000 people. &lt;/p&gt;
  1603.  
  1604. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-the-big-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1605.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/sudan-war-smoke-fire-khartoum-7-june-2023-afp.jpg.webp?itok=ND8lSwMa" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;How the UAE kept the Sudan war raging&lt;/div&gt;
  1606.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1607. &lt;/div&gt;
  1608.  
  1609. &lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, the United States &lt;a href="https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-calls-for-an-immediate-cessation-of-attacks-in-el-fasher-north-darfur-sudan-2/"&gt;called&lt;/a&gt; for an “immediate cessation of attacks in el-Fasher”. It condemned both the RSF and the army’s “indiscriminate aerial bombardments in the region”. &lt;/p&gt;
  1610.  
  1611. &lt;p&gt;Hala al-Karib, the regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) drew a comparion the unfolding events in el-Fasher and those of el-Geneina, the state capital of West Darfur, where the RSF and allied Arab militias massacred the local Massalit population, leaving the streets of the city strewn with corpses.&lt;/p&gt;
  1612.  
  1613. &lt;p&gt;“It's so unfortunate that we are going to go through the same situation similar to what happened in el-Geneina. We cannot do anything other than waiting and anticipating what will happen," she said, describing the situation as "a massacre in the making”.&lt;/p&gt;
  1614.  
  1615. &lt;p&gt;Karib also emphasised the support the RSF receives from the United Arab Emirates, its main patron, and said she believed the paramilitary force was closely consulting with the Emiratis. &lt;/p&gt;
  1616.  
  1617. &lt;p&gt;The RSF has previously told Middle East Eye that it does not receive support from the UAE, despite &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf#:~:text=In%20Darfur%2C%20which%20has%20been,the%20Black%20African%20Masalit%20population."&gt;extensive evidence&lt;/a&gt; of supply routes between the two.&lt;/p&gt;
  1618.  
  1619. &lt;p&gt;As of Thursday, the UAE appeared to be &lt;a href="https://x.com/_hudsonc/status/1783613446690332757 "&gt;continuing&lt;/a&gt; to resupply the RSF via cargo planes landing in Chad. &lt;/p&gt;
  1620.  
  1621. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This article is available in French on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/fr/actu-et-enquetes/soudan-la-menace-dun-massacre-plane-el-fasher-alors-que-le-combat-final-pour-le"&gt;Middle East Eye French edition.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1622. &lt;/div&gt;
  1623.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/sudan-crisis" hreflang="en"&gt;Sudan crisis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1624.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1625.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1626.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1627.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1628.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1629.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1630.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Sudan's el-Fasher faces massacre as final fight for Darfur looms&lt;/div&gt;
  1631.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1632.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Sudan%3A%20El-Fasher%20faces%20massacre%20as%20final%20fight%20for%20Darfur%20looms&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-darfur-el-fasher-massacre-imminent-final-fight&amp;2=node/359036&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="M90F-IEJtnthyZ-cZKS-AWTBJqPsjh7ZiswF1RDDMwM"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1633.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1634.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1635.      </description>
  1636.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:18:01 +0000</pubDate>
  1637.    <dc:creator>Oscar Rickett</dc:creator>
  1638.    <guid isPermaLink="false">359036 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1639.    </item>
  1640. <item>
  1641.  <title>Gaza boycott: Calls for Egypt's Al Ahly to end Coca-Cola contract over alleged Israel links</title>
  1642.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-al-ahly-fc-under-pressure-end-ties-coca-cola-israel-boycott-gaza-war</link>
  1643.  <description>
  1644. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Gaza boycott: Calls for Egypt's Al Ahly to end Coca-Cola contract over alleged Israel links&lt;/span&gt;
  1645.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Al Ahly SC faces a boycott campaign after a senior official called on fans to buy club merchandise with Coca-Cola brand &lt;/div&gt;
  1646.      
  1647. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-correspondent" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-correspondent" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE correspondent&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1648.  
  1649. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-26T11:06:39+01:00" title="26 April 2024 11:06 BST"&gt;Fri, 04/26/2024 - 11:06&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1650.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/ahly-fans-egypt-nov-2024-reuters-nurphoto-cropped.jpg.webp?itok=xP8NuIbW 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/ahly-fans-egypt-nov-2024-reuters-nurphoto-cropped.jpg?itok=xP8NuIbW 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/ahly-fans-egypt-nov-2024-reuters-nurphoto-cropped.jpg?itok=xP8NuIbW 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/ahly-fans-egypt-nov-2024-reuters-nurphoto-cropped.jpg?itok=OYfW8hJK" alt="Fans of Al Al Ahly team raise the Palestinian flag during the African Football League semi-final match between Al-Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns FC, at Cairo International Stadium, Egypt, 1 November 2023 (Ayman Aref/NurPhoto/via Reuters)" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1651.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Fans of Al Al Ahly raise the Palestinian flag during the African Football League semi-final match with Mamelodi Sundowns FC, at Cairo International Stadium, Egypt, 1 November 2023 (Ayman Aref/NurPhoto/via Reuters)&lt;/div&gt;
  1652.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="line-height:1.3800000000000001"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/egypt"&gt;Egypt&lt;/a&gt;'s Al Ahly sports club is facing mounting pressure to sever its ties with Coca-Cola due to the latter's alleged links to &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt;, which has waged a devastating war on the Gaza Strip since October.&lt;/p&gt;
  1653.  
  1654. &lt;p&gt;A boycott &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%B9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%87%D9%84%D9%8A&amp;src=typeahead_click&amp;f=top"&gt;campaign&lt;/a&gt; has gone viral on social media as part of a larger boycott movement in Egypt against businesses and brands that are accused of backing &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;Israel's continuous onslaught in Gaza&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1655.  
  1656. &lt;p&gt;Fans are calling on Al Ahly to end its contract with the soft drink giant following the circulation of images of the club's players and logo on Coca-Cola &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/KrawytAdm85619/status/1783065691131699589/photo/1"&gt;cans&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1657.  
  1658. &lt;p&gt;Other major companies caught up in the boycott include Starbucks and McDonald's.&lt;/p&gt;
  1659.  
  1660. &lt;p&gt;The head of the club's football company Adly Al-Qiai sparked outcry in Egypt when he insisted in a &lt;a href="https://fb.watch/rGjEMLzofr/"&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; that supporters buy club items with the Coca-Cola brand and other sponsors because they want to help the club.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1661.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1662.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1663. &lt;script&gt;
  1664. //&lt;![CDATA[
  1665.  
  1666.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1667.  
  1668. //]]&gt;
  1669. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1670. &lt;/div&gt;
  1671. &lt;/div&gt;
  1672.  
  1673. &lt;p&gt;Some of the club's fans called for a boycott of the team, its games, and all associated activities until the club's contracts with both the soft drink firm and the Lipton Tea Company were terminated.&lt;/p&gt;
  1674.  
  1675. &lt;p&gt;Under the hashtag &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%B9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%84%D9%8A?src=hashtag_click"&gt;#Boycott_Ahly&lt;/a&gt; on social media, one user posted, "I will permanently stop supporting #Al-Ahly and all sponsors associated with it… My [Gaza] brothers are more important to me than you".&lt;/p&gt;
  1676.  
  1677. &lt;p&gt;Using the same hashtag, another user said: “We stay silent when children fall asleep, not when they are being killed.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1678.  
  1679. &lt;p&gt;Middle East Eye contacted Coca-Cola Egypt for comment on the boycott campaign but received no response by the time of publication.&lt;/p&gt;
  1680.  
  1681. &lt;p&gt;Al-Qiai &lt;a href="https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/3153751"&gt;told&lt;/a&gt; the Egyptian media on Thursday: “This is a targeted campaign, and I know who's behind it… I won't listen to these criticisms. Al Ahly doesn't need to defend itself because it's a patriotic club that sticks with the state.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1682.  
  1683. &lt;p&gt;A source in the media office of Al-Ahly club, who preferred not to be named, told MEE that the deal between the Al-Ahly club and Coca-Cola was signed before the current Israeli war, and any cancellation on the part of the club would result in penalties.&lt;/p&gt;
  1684.  
  1685. &lt;p&gt;Coca-Cola continues to be one of the club's primary sponsors, he added. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1686.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1687.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1688. &lt;script&gt;
  1689. //&lt;![CDATA[
  1690.  
  1691.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1692.  
  1693. //]]&gt;
  1694. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1695. &lt;/div&gt;
  1696. &lt;/div&gt;
  1697.  
  1698. &lt;p&gt;The value of the contract with the soft drink company has not been disclosed.&lt;/p&gt;
  1699.  
  1700. &lt;p&gt;Al Ahly has a big &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MotazAssal/status/1781387333188661302"&gt;fan base&lt;/a&gt; in Gaza, which is only 348 km away from the club’s headquarters in the Egyptian capital.&lt;/p&gt;
  1701.  
  1702. &lt;p&gt;The club is the most successful in Egypt and Africa and has this year won its 11th &lt;a href="https://www.africanews.com/2023/06/12/egypts-al-ahly-wins-african-champions-league-against-defending-champion-wydad//"&gt;Africa Champions&lt;/a&gt; title and 43rd Egyptian Premiere League title. The club has also been voted Africa's Club of the Century. &lt;/p&gt;
  1703.  
  1704. &lt;h3&gt;BDS boosts local products&lt;/h3&gt;
  1705.  
  1706. &lt;p&gt;Millions of Egyptians have joined a campaign - now in its seventh month - against major corporations tied to Israel and listed by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (&lt;a href="https://bdsmovement.net/"&gt;BDS&lt;/a&gt;) movement.&lt;/p&gt;
  1707.  
  1708. &lt;p&gt;Instead, they have chosen to buy local goods, massively &lt;a href="https://ecss.com.eg/38570/"&gt;boosting&lt;/a&gt; the local economy in the Arab country. &lt;/p&gt;
  1709.  
  1710. &lt;p&gt;In a &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/HanyAbdalla72/status/1783190914136990150"&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; that went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, Al Ahly supporters at the African volleyball final were seen chanting: “We are boycotting Coca-Cola. We have not forgotten the [Palestinian] cause."&lt;/p&gt;
  1711.  
  1712. &lt;p&gt;The BDS movement put Coca-Cola on its list of firms to boycott because activists say the bottling company has factories in illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian lands, violating international law.&lt;/p&gt;
  1713.  
  1714. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1715.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/mohamed-aboutrika-egypt-qatar-al-ahly-reunion"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/000_92H9Y3.jpg.webp?itok=NTbGY0wg" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Aboutrika: The unlikely reunion of an exiled Egyptian icon and his former team&lt;/div&gt;
  1716.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/mohamed-aboutrika-egypt-qatar-al-ahly-reunion"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1717. &lt;/div&gt;
  1718.  
  1719. &lt;p&gt;In 2013, it was &lt;a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/sharing-a-coke-using-israeli-tech/"&gt;reported&lt;/a&gt; that Israeli-developed technology was being used to print the labels on hundreds of millions of bottles of the soft drink.&lt;/p&gt;
  1720.  
  1721. &lt;p&gt;Ahmed Albordeny, who has been supporting Al Ahly for over 25 years, told MEE that the boycott campaign is bigger than both the Al Ahly club and its administration.&lt;/p&gt;
  1722.  
  1723. &lt;p&gt;“However, as an Al Ahly fan, I understand the administration's decision to not terminate the contract with Coca-Cola and Lipton.&lt;/p&gt;
  1724.  
  1725. &lt;p&gt;"Egypt's sports administrations are always searching for ways to improve the club's finances, and it is challenging to give up any of these revenues,” he added.&lt;/p&gt;
  1726.  
  1727. &lt;p&gt;He noted that, while he firmly supports the boycott campaigns, he says Al Ahly has taken a positive stand from the first day of the war on the Gaza Strip “by supporting our brothers in the [Gaza Strip] and sending humanitarian convoys in the name of the club, and it is the only club to do so.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1728.  
  1729. &lt;p&gt;“Al Ahly has also donated revenue from some matches to Gaza,” Albordeny added.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1730.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1731.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
  1732. &lt;script&gt;
  1733. //&lt;![CDATA[
  1734.  
  1735.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1736.  
  1737. //]]&gt;
  1738. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1739. &lt;/div&gt;
  1740. &lt;/div&gt;
  1741.  
  1742. &lt;p&gt;The Israeli army has been bombing Gaza since 7 October &lt;a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/200-days-military-attack-gaza-horrific-death-toll-amid-intl-failure-stop-israels-genocide-palestinians-enar#:~:text=The%20Israeli%20army%20has%20killed,missing%20and%20are%20presumed%20dead."&gt;resulting&lt;/a&gt; in the killing of more than 42,500 Palestinians, including 10,091 women and 15,780 children.&lt;/p&gt;
  1743.  
  1744. &lt;p&gt;Despite the Egyptian government's heavy-handed response to protests, the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza has prompted many Egyptians to protest the war and call for a ceasefire, the opening of the Rafah Crossing with Gaza, and the end of the occupation.&lt;/p&gt;
  1745.  
  1746. &lt;p&gt;In recent months, dozens of pro-Palestine protesters have also been &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-detains-women-protesting-against-israels-war-gaza-outside-un-women-cairo"&gt;detained&lt;/a&gt;, including journalists, lawyers, and women rights defenders.&lt;/p&gt;
  1747. &lt;/div&gt;
  1748.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1749.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1750.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1751.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1752.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1753.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1754.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt;Cairo&lt;/div&gt;
  1755.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Egypt's Al Ahly under pressure to end Coca-Cola contract over alleged Israel links&lt;/div&gt;
  1756.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1757.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Gaza%20boycott%3A%20Calls%20for%20Egypt%27s%20Al%20Ahly%20to%20end%20Coca-Cola%20contract%20over%20alleged%20Israel%20links&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-al-ahly-fc-under-pressure-end-ties-coca-cola-israel-boycott-gaza-war&amp;2=node/358981&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="r3l7yYcwFWsCLvzTIDE6VQHx8_l40EsnDo_xO3oSJIs"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1758.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1759.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1760.      </description>
  1761.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:06:39 +0000</pubDate>
  1762.    <dc:creator>MEE correspondent</dc:creator>
  1763.    <guid isPermaLink="false">358981 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1764.    </item>
  1765. <item>
  1766.  <title>US State Department Arabic spokesperson resigns over Gaza policy</title>
  1767.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-state-department-arabic-spokesperson-resigns-gaza-policy</link>
  1768.  <description>
  1769. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;US State Department Arabic spokesperson resigns over Gaza policy&lt;/span&gt;
  1770.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Hala Rharrit is the third State Department official to step down over Washington's support for Israel's war&lt;/div&gt;
  1771.      
  1772. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mee-staff" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;MEE staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1773.  
  1774. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-04-26T10:14:22+01:00" title="26 April 2024 10:14 BST"&gt;Fri, 04/26/2024 - 10:14&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1775.            &lt;div class="field field-field-main-image"&gt;    &lt;picture&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Hala%20Rharrit.jpg.webp?itok=NAuM5wnW 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Hala%20Rharrit.jpg?itok=NAuM5wnW 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Hala%20Rharrit.jpg?itok=NAuM5wnW 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Hala%20Rharrit.jpg?itok=ouT7I0jH" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1776.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Hala Rharrit, Arabic language spokesperson for the State Department, has quit in protest (United States Department of State)&lt;/div&gt;
  1777.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Arabic language spokesperson of the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt; State Department has resigned over Washington's &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;Gaza war&lt;/a&gt; policy, in the third resignation from the department since the war began.&lt;/p&gt;
  1778.  
  1779. &lt;p&gt;Hala Rharrit posted her resignation on the LinkedIn social media site, stating: "I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States' Gaza policy."&lt;/p&gt;
  1780.  
  1781. &lt;p&gt;Rharrit, who joined the State Department as a political and human rights officer, was also the department's Dubai regional media hub deputy director.&lt;/p&gt;
  1782.  
  1783. &lt;p&gt;When asked about the resignation, a State Department spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the department has channels for its staff to share views when they disagree with government policies.&lt;/p&gt;
  1784.  
  1785. &lt;p&gt;In late March, Annelle Sheline, a foreign affairs officer in the State Department's human rights bureau, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-on-gaza-state-department-official-resigns-over-us-support-israel"&gt;stepped down &lt;/a&gt;in protest over the Biden administration’s support for &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt;, saying it had made her job promoting human rights "almost impossible". &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1786.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1787.    &lt;script async="" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6114695881218027" crossorigin="anonymous"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;!-- responsive --&gt;&lt;ins class="adsbygoogle mee-auto-ad-wrapper " style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6114695881218027" data-ad-slot="8690493793" data-ad-format="horizontal" data-full-width-responsive="true"&gt;&lt;/ins&gt;
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  1791.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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  1794. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1795. &lt;/div&gt;
  1796. &lt;/div&gt;
  1797.  
  1798. &lt;p&gt;Earlier, veteran State Department official Josh Paul, a former director overseeing US arms transfers, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/josh-paul-quit-us-state-department-now-hes-speaking-out"&gt;resigned&lt;/a&gt; over Biden’s "destructive, unjust" supply of arms to Israel just days after the war on Gaza began.&lt;/p&gt;
  1799.  
  1800. &lt;p&gt;In January, a senior &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian&lt;/a&gt;-American official in the US Education Department, Tariq Habash, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-senior-biden-political-appointee-resigns-over-us-support-israels-gaza-war"&gt;resigned&lt;/a&gt; from his post, saying he could no longer "stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives."&lt;/p&gt;
  1801.  
  1802. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1803.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/students-vow-occupy-princeton-after-admin-shuts-down-encampment"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/pop.jpg.webp?itok=Z-QipTWz" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Pro-Palestinian students vow to 'de-occupy' Princeton after administration halts encampment&lt;/div&gt;
  1804.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/students-vow-occupy-princeton-after-admin-shuts-down-encampment"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1805. &lt;/div&gt;
  1806.  
  1807. &lt;p&gt;Despite mounting international criticism of Israel’s offensive that has killed more than 34,300 people and flattened swathes of Gaza, the Biden administration has continued to provide its ally with a steady stream of weapons.&lt;/p&gt;
  1808.  
  1809. &lt;p&gt;Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the White House was eyeing an additional $1bn weapons deal with Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  1810.  
  1811. &lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, the US Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing an aid bill that will provide $26bn in aid for Israel and Palestine, with $4bn set to replenish Israel's missile defence system and roughly $9bn slated for humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1812.  
  1813. &lt;p&gt;There have been reports of internal dissent within the Biden administration as the death toll in Gaza continues to mount.&lt;/p&gt;
  1814.  
  1815. &lt;p&gt;In November, more than 1,000 officials at USAID, the State Department's international aid organisation, signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire. Cables criticising the administration's policy have also been filed with the State Department's internal "dissent channel".&lt;/p&gt;
  1816.  
  1817. &lt;p&gt;The war has also sparked widespread anti-war demonstrations across the United States, with protests in recent weeks escalating across US universities.&lt;/p&gt;
  1818.  
  1819. &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-campus-protests"&gt;Student-led protests&lt;/a&gt; have seen encampments set up on major campuses demanding divestment from companies involved in Israel's occupation of Palestinian land and "genocide" in Gaza. &lt;/p&gt;
  1820. &lt;/div&gt;
  1821.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" hreflang="en"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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  1823.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
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  1831.              &lt;div class="field field-field-section"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/all" hreflang="en"&gt;News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1832.      </description>
  1833.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 09:14:22 +0000</pubDate>
  1834.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
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