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  8.    
  9.    <item>
  10.  <title>Searching for a Kamala Harris Middle East policy beyond her pro-Israel record</title>
  11.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/searching-kamala-harris-middle-east-policy-beyond-her-pro-israel-record</link>
  12.  <description>
  13. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Searching for a Kamala Harris Middle East policy beyond her pro-Israel record&lt;/span&gt;
  14.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;US vice president's position on Israel and Gaza is well documented but less understood are her views on larger Middle East &lt;/div&gt;
  15.      
  16. &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;
  17.  
  18. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T14:33:17+01:00" title="26 July 2024 14:33 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 14:33&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/kamala-harris-afp.jpg.webp?itok=1le-LAk8 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/kamala-harris-afp.jpg?itok=1le-LAk8 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="787"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/kamala-harris-afp.jpg?itok=1le-LAk8 1x" width="1400" height="787" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/kamala-harris-afp.jpg?itok=nddtEt48" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  20.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Harris and those close to her have indicated that she will remain a staunch supporter of Israel (AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  21.                  &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 announcement to drop out of the presidential race has propelled Vice President Kamala Harris into the contest as the Democratic candidate to stave off the formidable challenge from former President Donald Trump.&lt;/p&gt;
  22.  
  23. &lt;p&gt;Some progressive activists have pointed to her &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-harris-talks-tough-israel-pro-palestine-activists-not-swayed"&gt;softer rhetoric&lt;/a&gt; in support of &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt; and her decision not to be present at Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress as a sign that she could be more swayed by pro-&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian&lt;/a&gt; demands for Israel to accept a ceasefire and for the US to end weapons sales to Israel. &lt;/p&gt;
  24.  
  25. &lt;p&gt;However, former US officials under Democratic administrations have said, that given her role as President Biden's second-in-command - her campaign for president has already been &lt;a href="https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/kamala-harris-next-president-joe-biden-legacy-rcna162596"&gt;marketed&lt;/a&gt; as a continuation of Biden's legacy - Harris is likely to maintain the existing status quo when it comes to foreign policy.&lt;/p&gt;
  26.  
  27. &lt;p&gt;"She may be a more energetic player but one thing you shouldn't expect – any immediate big shifts in the substance of Biden's foreign policy," Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for Democratic and Republican administrations, told &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tougher-tone-israel-steady-nato-how-harris-foreign-policy-could-look-2024-07-21/"&gt;Reuters&lt;/a&gt; in an interview.&lt;/p&gt;
  28.  
  29. &lt;p&gt;A deeper look into Harris' political career paints the picture of a politician that rides the waves of popular currents in the country, rather than having a unique political vision. Nowhere more stark is this lack of vision than in her comments regarding the Middle East.&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;h3&gt;Staunchly pro-Israel with softer tone on Gaza&lt;/h3&gt;
  43.  
  44. &lt;p&gt;Harris has already shown that if president, she will take a markedly different tone on the Israel-Palestine conflict from President Joe Biden, a self-declared Zionist. Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, Biden has denied the Palestinian death toll, peddled unverified reports that babies in Israel were beheaded by Hamas fighters, and made several other statements that uncritically accept Israel's state narrative on the conflict.&lt;/p&gt;
  45.  
  46. &lt;p&gt;The vice president has largely stayed close to Biden's approach to Israel. But in March, she gave a speech which criticised Israel's disruption of humanitarian aid flow into Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  47.  
  48. &lt;p&gt;“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire," Harris said, pausing for a brief moment to collect huge applause before tempering expectations and adding: "at least for the next six weeks".&lt;/p&gt;
  49.  
  50. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  51.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/democratic-2024-platform-touts-status-quo-gaza-israel-and-middle-east-policy"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/biden-afp-july-2024-kent-nishimura.jpg.webp?itok=TLLAIhbV" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;US elections 2024: Democratic Party platform backs Biden's approach to Gaza and Middle East&lt;/div&gt;
  52.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/democratic-2024-platform-touts-status-quo-gaza-israel-and-middle-east-policy"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  53. &lt;/div&gt;
  54.  
  55. &lt;p&gt;A large swathe of the Democratic Party has been participating in the pro-Palestine protests in the US, in which they have been calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. It's not clear what the intention of the pause in her sentence was, but it shows that Harris is aware of where voters stand when it comes to the war on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  56.  
  57. &lt;p&gt;James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, told the Wall Street Journal that he spoke with Harris in October, and she appeared to show "far greater empathy" than Biden, who has been dismissive of pro-Palestinian voices.&lt;/p&gt;
  58.  
  59. &lt;p&gt;But rhetoric doesn't equal policy change, and despite a huge swell of pro-Palestinian sentiment among the Democratic Party's voters, Harris has not made any public suggestions that she would be swayed by that sentiment.&lt;/p&gt;
  60.  
  61. &lt;p&gt;On the other hand, Harris and those close to her have indicated that she will remain a staunch supporter of Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  62.  
  63. &lt;p&gt;On 24 July, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking to US Congress, Doug Emhoff, Harris' husband, spoke on a Zoom call hosted by the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) and Jewish Women for Kamala.&lt;/p&gt;
  64.  
  65. &lt;p&gt;“Let me just make this clear: The vice president has been and will be a strong supporter of Israel as a secure democratic and Jewish state, and she will always ensure that Israel can defend itself, period. Because that’s who Kamala Harris is,” Emhoff said.&lt;/p&gt;
  66.  
  67. &lt;p&gt;On that call was JDCA CEO Hailey Soifer, who previously served as Harris' national security advisor when the vice president was a senator in California.&lt;/p&gt;
  68.  
  69. &lt;h3&gt;'More Aipac than J Street'&lt;/h3&gt;
  70.  
  71. &lt;p&gt;Harris' worldview of Israel can also be linked to the larger story of mega-donors and special interest groups in American electoral politics.&lt;/p&gt;
  72.  
  73. &lt;p&gt;She has been endorsed as the Democratic nominee for president by J Street, the liberal Zionist lobbying group that opposes the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in the US.&lt;/p&gt;
  74.  
  75. &lt;p&gt;At the same time, she has kept relations with the Aipac, and &lt;a href="https://x.com/VP/status/1110301531306409986"&gt;met&lt;/a&gt; with Aipac leadership in 2019, at a time when the major Democratic frontrunners in the primary election chose to stay away from the pro-Israel group.&lt;/p&gt;
  76.  
  77. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  78. &lt;p&gt;'The vice president has had an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel'&lt;/p&gt;
  79.  
  80. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;- Aide to Kamala Harris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  82.  
  83. &lt;p&gt;Harris has also been backed by the Democratic Majority for Israel, another large pro-Israel lobbying group that has &lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/dmfi-endorsements-latimer-bell-00150357"&gt;attacked&lt;/a&gt; progressive lawmakers for not supporting Israel enough.&lt;/p&gt;
  84.  
  85. &lt;p&gt;These ties to Aipac and DMFI come as the two lobbying groups have been accused by &lt;a href="https://x.com/mattduss/status/1816081823174148489"&gt;progressives&lt;/a&gt; of "accelerating a right-wing shift" in Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  86.  
  87. &lt;p&gt;She has even been previously described as "more Aipac than J Street" in terms of her voting record on Israel. For example, in 2017 on her first foreign policy vote as a US senator, she &lt;a href="https://fpif.org/more-aipac-than-j-street-kamala-harris-runs-to-the-right-on-foreign-policy/"&gt;voted&lt;/a&gt; to criticise former US President Barack Obama's refusal to veto a UN resolution that censured Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank.&lt;/p&gt;
  88.  
  89. &lt;p&gt;In 2017, she met with Israel's Netanyahu a week before 10 other Democratic senators wrote a &lt;a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/11/29/in-unprecedented-move-ten-democratic-senators-write-to-israeli-leader-netanyahu-and-demand-he-halt-demolition-of-palestinian-village/"&gt;letter&lt;/a&gt; demanding the Israeli leader halt the demolition of a Palestinian village in the West Bank.&lt;/p&gt;
  90.  
  91. &lt;p&gt;In one of the clearest signs pointing to the fact she will continue the status quo on Israel, including maintaining military aid, a Harris official told &lt;a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2024/07/kamala-harris-jewish-democrats-vice-president-presidential-race/"&gt;Jewish Insider&lt;/a&gt; that "the vice president has had an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. That remains true today".&lt;/p&gt;
  92.  
  93. &lt;p&gt;“Since Oct 7, she has been deeply engaged with Israeli officials as part of our administration’s support for Israel as it works to eliminate the threat of Hamas,” the aide said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  103. &lt;/div&gt;
  104. &lt;/div&gt;
  105.  
  106. &lt;h3&gt;Foreign policy gaps&lt;/h3&gt;
  107.  
  108. &lt;p&gt;While questions remain about what approach Harris will take to the US-Israel relationship and the approach to the plight of Palestinians, even less is understood about what her personal views are regarding other issues in the Middle East.&lt;/p&gt;
  109.  
  110. &lt;p&gt;When most Democrats were growing more critical of Saudi Arabia in the wake of the killing of columnist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi, Harris joined in the demands for questions from the administration of Donald Trump.&lt;/p&gt;
  111.  
  112. &lt;p&gt;She also became a reliable Senate vote on resolutions aimed at ending US support for the war in Yemen led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.&lt;/p&gt;
  113.  
  114. &lt;p&gt;However, in the time that the Biden administration has come into office, the Democrats' tone on Saudi Arabia has pivoted as Biden has tried to secure a normalisation agreement between Riyadh and Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  115.  
  116. &lt;p&gt;The Biden administration had also tried to reenter negotiations to return to the Iran nuclear deal that Trump left in 2018. However, talks have stalled since last year and are unlikely to be going anywhere for the remainder of Biden's term.&lt;/p&gt;
  117.  
  118. &lt;p&gt;Harris was supportive of the Iran nuclear deal and criticised Trump's withdrawal, but it's unclear what her approach to the issue would be.&lt;/p&gt;
  119.  
  120. &lt;p&gt;A draft of the Democratic Party platform for 2024 seen by Middle East Eye doesn't help provide many answers either, with the platform mostly listing out purported accomplishments by the Biden administration while attacking Trump.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  130. &lt;/div&gt;
  131. &lt;/div&gt;
  132.  
  133. &lt;p&gt;After holding a meeting with Israel's Netanyahu on Thursday, Harris said she would "not be silent" on the suffering going on in Gaza while in the same address stressing Israel has every "right to defend itself" against Hamas.&lt;/p&gt;
  134.  
  135. &lt;p&gt;The words highlight that Harris is either still formulating her own path forward on foreign policy, or she will continue the path of Biden and the Democratic Party's pre-established guidelines on dealing with Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  136. &lt;/div&gt;
  137.                  &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;
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  143.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt;Washington&lt;/div&gt;
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  148.      </description>
  149.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:33:17 +0000</pubDate>
  150.    <dc:creator>Umar A Farooq</dc:creator>
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  154.  <title>US: Lieutenant criticises police report on clearing UCLA pro-Palestine encampment </title>
  155.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/lieutenant-criticises-police-report-clearing-ucla-pro-palestine-encampment</link>
  156.  <description>
  157. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;US: Lieutenant criticises police report on clearing UCLA pro-Palestine encampment &lt;/span&gt;
  158.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Over two hundred officers were deployed and 57 'less lethal' shots were fired, some illegally, according to footage contradicting report&lt;/div&gt;
  159.      
  160. &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;
  161.  
  162. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T18:19:40+01:00" title="26 July 2024 18:19 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 18:19&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  163.            &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-LA-police_encampment-2_may-AFP%3AEtienne%20Laurent.png.webp?itok=hmOO_Y0d 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-LA-police_encampment-2_may-AFP%3AEtienne%20Laurent.png?itok=hmOO_Y0d 1x" type="image/png" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/US-LA-police_encampment-2_may-AFP%3AEtienne%20Laurent.png?itok=hmOO_Y0d 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/US-LA-police_encampment-2_may-AFP%3AEtienne%20Laurent.png?itok=OqiIZZtU" alt="Police officers holding "less lethal" weapons cleared the UCLA pro-Palestine encampment on 2 May. AFP/Etienne Laurent." typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  164.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Police officers holding 'less lethal' weapons cleared the UCLA pro-Palestine encampment, on 2 May 2024 (Etienne Laurent/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  165.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="line-height:1.38"&gt;A report released this week by California Highway Patrol, the agency responsible for clearing the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) pro-&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestine&lt;/a&gt; encampment on 2 May, argues that 57 “less lethal” rounds fired at protesters were justified.&lt;/p&gt;
  166.  
  167. &lt;p&gt;Former police lieutenant Jeff Wenninger, who specialises in investigating officers’ use of force, criticised the report for having no evidence to back up its justification.&lt;/p&gt;
  168.  
  169. &lt;p&gt;The report said that officers encountered “assaultive resistance” from students who threw “frozen water bottles, bottles containing urine and other unknown fluids, full 12 oz soda cans, pieces of plywood, wooden poles, and various sized fire extinguishers (full and emptied)".&lt;/p&gt;
  170.  
  171. &lt;p&gt;It also alleged that officers were “sprayed with fire extinguishers and other unknown chemical irritants, causing temporary blindness and difficulty breathing".&lt;/p&gt;
  172.  
  173. &lt;p&gt;Wenninger, alongside a second law enforcement expert who reviewed video footage recorded by the newspaper, &lt;a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2024/07/ucla-palestine-protests-use-of-force/"&gt;CalMatters&lt;/a&gt;, found that the protesters did not appear to attack or threaten officers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  184. &lt;/div&gt;
  185.  
  186. &lt;h3&gt;Projectiles fired&lt;/h3&gt;
  187.  
  188. &lt;p&gt;Wenninger pointed out that an officer illegally fired a number of bean bag rounds in succession into a crowd.&lt;/p&gt;
  189.  
  190. &lt;p&gt;An independent review of footage by The &lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-24/chp-less-lethal-rounds-report-ucla-protest"&gt;Los Angeles Times&lt;/a&gt; concurs that officers did fire into crowds and aimed at protesters’ heads.&lt;/p&gt;
  191.  
  192. &lt;p&gt;The report said that “at no point were kinetic energy projectiles fired indiscriminately in the crowd of protesters".&lt;/p&gt;
  193.  
  194. &lt;p&gt;It documents that 33 bean bag rounds were fired from 12-gauge shotguns and 24 sponge rounds were fired from 40mm grenade launchers.&lt;/p&gt;
  195.  
  196. &lt;p&gt;Research published in a &lt;a href="https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2021/07/30/research-and-regulation-of-less-lethal-projectiles-critically-needed/"&gt;Harvard University health law centre&lt;/a&gt; article finds that these “less lethal” rounds are “inaccurate at long range, potentially deadly at very short range".&lt;/p&gt;
  197.  
  198. &lt;p&gt;The one-page report was mandated by a &lt;a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AB48/2021"&gt;law&lt;/a&gt; passed after the police severely wounded protesters with projectiles in the 2020 George Floyd protests.&lt;/p&gt;
  199.  
  200. &lt;p&gt;The law stated that officers can only use projectiles to “defend against a threat to life or serious bodily injury” – the report cited verbatim this reasoning, which was disputed by Wenninger.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  201.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  209. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  210. &lt;/div&gt;
  211. &lt;/div&gt;
  212.  
  213. &lt;p&gt;The rounds may never be “aimed at the head, neck, or any other vital organs”, according to the law – actions Wenninger also observed.&lt;/p&gt;
  214.  
  215. &lt;p&gt;Officers must also make “repeated, audible announcements” of their plan to use projectiles. A police captain announced dispersal orders 29 times, the report said in its section for de-escalation.&lt;/p&gt;
  216.  
  217. &lt;h3&gt;Police response to encampments&lt;/h3&gt;
  218.  
  219. &lt;p&gt;Reporting by UCLA’s student newspaper the Daily Bruin detailed a &lt;a href="https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/02/lapd-breaches-palestine-solidarity-encampment-at-ucla-in-dispersal-attempt"&gt;chronology&lt;/a&gt; of the evening of 1 May to early morning of 2 May, when the police officers arrested hundreds of students and some professors in the pro-Palestine encampment.&lt;/p&gt;
  220.  
  221. &lt;p&gt;Notably, students shouted “Where were you yesterday?” at the officers, referencing the violent attack on the encampment from the evening of 30 April to the early morning of 1 May that saw an insufficient police response.&lt;/p&gt;
  222.  
  223. &lt;p&gt;That night, over a hundred counter-protesters and aggressors &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-california-ucla-palestine-activists-attacked-israel-supporters"&gt;attacked&lt;/a&gt; the encampment with sprays, fireworks and sticks. Many members of the encampment were hospitalised.&lt;/p&gt;
  224.  
  225. &lt;p&gt;The police had waited &lt;a href="https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/07/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-ucla-encampment-protesters-recall-april-30-attack"&gt;three hours&lt;/a&gt; before directing the attackers away.&lt;/p&gt;
  226.  
  227. &lt;p&gt;Universities around the world have called law enforcement on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/gaza-protests"&gt;student encampments&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  228. &lt;/div&gt;
  229.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/gaza-protests" hreflang="en"&gt;Gaza Protests&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  230.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  231.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  232.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  233.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  234.          &lt;/div&gt;
  235.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  236.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  237.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=US%3A%20Lieutenant%20criticises%20police%20report%20on%20clearing%20UCLA%20pro-Palestine%20encampment%20&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/lieutenant-criticises-police-report-clearing-ucla-pro-palestine-encampment&amp;2=node/381371&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="AK31rG0cqRvoQ7qFrSAJUO6xSt3kDS6er7VjgAscFCg"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  238.          &lt;/div&gt;
  239.              &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;
  240.      </description>
  241.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:19:40 +0000</pubDate>
  242.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  243.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381371 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  244.    </item>
  245. <item>
  246.  <title>Trump embraces Netanyahu, cooling speculation of rift between two</title>
  247.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/trump-embrace-netanyahu-cooling-speculation-rift-between</link>
  248.  <description>
  249. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Trump embraces Netanyahu, cooling speculation of rift between two&lt;/span&gt;
  250.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Trump slams Kamala Harris as a 'radical' for comments on Palestinian casualties, and embraces pro-Israel position  &lt;/div&gt;
  251.      
  252. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/sean-mathews" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/sean-mathews" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Sean Mathews&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  253.  
  254. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T17:54:20+01:00" title="26 July 2024 17:54 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 17:54&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  255.            &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/Trump-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg.webp?itok=f7wnAdlc 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/Trump-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=f7wnAdlc 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/Trump-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=f7wnAdlc 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Trump-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=HNVq40pG" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  256.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House before signing the Abraham Accords in Washington, DC, on 15 September 2020 (Saul Loeb/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  257.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Former &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt; President Donald Trump gave &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israeli&lt;/a&gt; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a warm welcome at his Mar-a-lago resort in Florida on Friday, setting the mood for a highly anticipated meeting between the Israeli leader and Republican presidential nominee.&lt;/p&gt;
  258.  
  259. &lt;p&gt;“Come on, let's get a good, beautiful picture,” Trump said, pulling Netanyahu into his chest for a tight handshake and greeting the Israeli premier’s wife with a kiss on both cheeks.&lt;/p&gt;
  260.  
  261. &lt;p&gt;The meeting is the first between Netanyahu and former US president in four years. It comes as US-Israeli ties are under more pressure than at any time in recent history, as Israel's war in Gaza coincides with a tight 2024 presidential election race between Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. &lt;/p&gt;
  262.  
  263. &lt;p&gt;Trump and Netanyahu enjoyed a close relationship during the former's term in office, but the ties hit a rough spot after Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden for his 2020 election win, refusing to side with Trump’s debunked claims that the election was stolen from him.&lt;/p&gt;
  264.  
  265. &lt;p&gt;“F**k him,” Trump told Axios&lt;a href="https://www.axios.com/2021/12/10/trump-netanyahu-disloyalty-fuck-him"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;at the time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  275. &lt;/div&gt;
  276. &lt;/div&gt;
  277.  
  278. &lt;p&gt;The remarks have cast a shadow over the two leaders' relationship ever since, fueling speculation that if Trump returns to the White House, he might handle Israel differently if Netanyahu is still its leader.&lt;/p&gt;
  279.  
  280. &lt;p&gt;On Friday, Trump appeared to pull a curtain over the episode, saying he "always had a very good relationship" with Netanyahu. &lt;/p&gt;
  281.  
  282. &lt;p&gt;The tone of Trump and Netanyahu's meeting contrasted sharply with that of the Israeli leader's meeting with Harris.&lt;/p&gt;
  283.  
  284. &lt;h3&gt;'Radical'&lt;/h3&gt;
  285.  
  286. &lt;p&gt;The US vice president said she would not be "silent" on the suffering of besieged Palestinians in Gaza, even as she pledged support for Israel's security. &lt;/p&gt;
  287.  
  288. &lt;p&gt;Harris's comment did not appease pro-Palestinian advocates, but she was attacked by Trump as a "radical" who was "disrespectful" to Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  289.  
  290. &lt;p&gt;Trump also kept to the pledge he made on the campaign trail to put the hostages held in Gaza at the centre of his policy, posing for a photo with a picture of a baby that Netanyahu said is still being held in Gaza. Trump said, "We'll get that taken care of". &lt;/p&gt;
  291.  
  292. &lt;p&gt;Trump was a solidly pro-Israel president. He moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, froze US funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and took powerful military action against Iran like assassinating Qassem Soleimani, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.&lt;/p&gt;
  293.  
  294. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  295.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/trump-organisation-and-saudi-developer-sign-deal-dubai-luxury-tower"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/US-Trump-election-AFP.jpg.webp?itok=D7fjw8rq" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Trump Organisation and Saudi developer sign deal for Dubai luxury tower&lt;/div&gt;
  296.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/trump-organisation-and-saudi-developer-sign-deal-dubai-luxury-tower"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  297. &lt;/div&gt;
  298.  
  299. &lt;p&gt;Trump has continued his hawkish statements on Iran. &lt;/p&gt;
  300.  
  301. &lt;p&gt;"If they do 'assassinate President Trump,' which is always a possibility, I hope that America obliterates Iran, wipes it off the face of the Earth — If that does not happen, American Leaders will be considered 'gutless' cowards!" he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday, referencing reports that Iran has a plot to kill Trump.&lt;/p&gt;
  302.  
  303. &lt;p&gt;But Trump’s criticism of Netanyahu after the 2020 election and recent statements about Gaza added a new element to the visit.  &lt;/p&gt;
  304.  
  305. &lt;p&gt;Trump has not yet criticised the justification for Israel’s offensive, which has killed over 39,000 Palestinians. He said he would respond “very much the same way” if his family members had been killed by the Hamas-led attack on 7 October. &lt;/p&gt;
  306.  
  307. &lt;h3&gt;'Pure and unadulterated support'&lt;/h3&gt;
  308.  
  309. &lt;p&gt;However, in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, he also indicated he has little interest in seeing Israel continue fighting, which could put him at ends with Netanyahu, who has pledged to maintain overall security control of Gaza and inflict a “total victory” over Hamas, a goal US officials and analysts say is unreachable. &lt;/p&gt;
  310.  
  311. &lt;p&gt;“I want him to finish up and get it done quickly," Trump said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  320. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  321. &lt;/div&gt;
  322. &lt;/div&gt;
  323.  
  324. &lt;p&gt;Trump has also criticised how Israel has portrayed its actions in the war, such as releasing social media videos that show bombs falling on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  325.  
  326. &lt;p&gt;“You got to get it done quickly because they are getting decimated with this publicity,” Trump told Fox News. “And you know, Israel is not very good at public relations.”&lt;/p&gt;
  327.  
  328. &lt;p&gt;He also mentioned the protests that Netanyahu smeared during his address to Congress.&lt;/p&gt;
  329.  
  330. &lt;p&gt;“For whatever reason you have Jewish people out there wearing yarmulkes and they’re, you know, pro-Palestine. You’ve never seen anything like this… They’ve got to get this done fast because the world is not taking lightly to it, it’s really incredible.”&lt;/p&gt;
  331.  
  332. &lt;p&gt;Despite Trump's campaign rhetoric, analysts say that if Trump returns to the White House, there is no guarantee he will give a blank check to Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  333.  
  334. &lt;p&gt;Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for Republican and Democratic presidents, said Netanyahu will not be able to count on “the sugar high” that Trump injected into Israel-US ties during his first term in office. &lt;/p&gt;
  335.  
  336. &lt;p&gt;“Trump's perception of the US national interest is tethered to his political interest,” Miller said at an event hosted by the Middle East Institute on Thursday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  337.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  345. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  346. &lt;/div&gt;
  347. &lt;/div&gt;
  348.  
  349. &lt;p&gt;“I don’t think Benjamin Netanyahu can count on pure and unadulterated support from the Trump Administration.”&lt;/p&gt;
  350.  
  351. &lt;p&gt;Trump is expected to take a hard line on Iran and is also likely to continue pursuing the Abraham Accords, which he brokered in 2020, normalising ties with Israel and the UAE, Morocco and Bahrain. The feather in the cap would be adding Saudi Arabia's name to that list of countries but it has proven to be the hardest to achieve. &lt;/p&gt;
  352. &lt;/div&gt;
  353.                  &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;
  354.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  355.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
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  357.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
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  360.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
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  362.          &lt;/div&gt;
  363.              &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;
  364.      </description>
  365.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:54:20 +0000</pubDate>
  366.    <dc:creator>Sean Mathews</dc:creator>
  367.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381366 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  368.    </item>
  369. <item>
  370.  <title>US: Harris talks tough on Israel, but pro-Palestine activists aren't swayed yet</title>
  371.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-harris-talks-tough-israel-pro-palestine-activists-not-swayed</link>
  372.  <description>
  373. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;US: Harris talks tough on Israel, but pro-Palestine activists aren't swayed yet&lt;/span&gt;
  374.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Pro-Palestine advocates say Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to 'placate both sides' &lt;/div&gt;
  375.      
  376. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/sean-mathews" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/sean-mathews" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Sean Mathews&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  377.  
  378. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T16:26:29+01:00" title="26 July 2024 16:26 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 16:26&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  379.            &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/Harris-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg.webp?itok=W3Nge3bw 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/Harris-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=W3Nge3bw 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/Harris-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=W3Nge3bw 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Harris-Netanyahu-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=SzYAD5DY" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  380.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in vice president’s ceremonial office at Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on 25 July 2024 (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  381.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kamala Harris signalled on Thursday she could take a tougher line against Israel, telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that she would not be "silent" on the suffering of besieged Palestinians in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  382.  
  383. &lt;p&gt;In a meeting that is likely to be scrutinised in Israeli and US foreign policy circles, Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, took a more public approach to chastise Netanyahu over the devastating Palestinian death toll in Gaza than her boss, Joe Biden.&lt;/p&gt;
  384.  
  385. &lt;p&gt;"What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time," Harris told reporters after the meeting.&lt;/p&gt;
  386.  
  387. &lt;p&gt;"We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent,” she said, emphasising the need to reach a ceasefire.&lt;/p&gt;
  388.  
  389. &lt;p&gt;Harris’s statements contrasted with the good-natured exchange between Biden and Netanyahu earlier on Thursday in the Oval Office, with the Israeli leader praising Biden as an “Irish-American Zionist” and Biden reflecting on his 1973 visit with Golda Meir.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  399. &lt;/div&gt;
  400. &lt;/div&gt;
  401.  
  402. &lt;p&gt;Jewish Insider reported that the Harris-Netanyahu meeting left Israeli officials “disappointed”, with unnamed Israeli officials suggesting Harris’s comments on the staggering civilian death toll in Gaza could embolden Hamas.&lt;/p&gt;
  403.  
  404. &lt;p&gt;However, it’s far from clear that Harris is prepared to depart from the longstanding tradition of US support to Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  405.  
  406. &lt;h3&gt;'Placate both sides'&lt;/h3&gt;
  407.  
  408. &lt;p&gt;Harris’s Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, told a pro-Israeli group that Harris “has been, and will be, a strong supporter of Israel as a secure, democratic and Jewish state. And she will always ensure that Israel can defend itself, period.”&lt;/p&gt;
  409.  
  410. &lt;p&gt;For thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who turned up in Washington this week to voice their anger against Israel’s war on Gaza and US military support for the offensive, Harris’s comments are unlikely to go far enough.&lt;/p&gt;
  411.  
  412. &lt;p&gt;Harris also did not attend Netanyahu’s fiery address to Congress on Wednesday, but her decision was slammed by pro-Palestine advocates.&lt;/p&gt;
  413.  
  414. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  415.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jewish-americans-fractured-over-netanyahus-us-visit"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/israel%20US1.jpg.webp?itok=XFGHFV6D" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;'Responsible for a genocide': Jewish-American groups reject Netanyahu visit to US&lt;/div&gt;
  416.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jewish-americans-fractured-over-netanyahus-us-visit"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  417. &lt;/div&gt;
  418.  
  419. &lt;p&gt;“Harris seems to not want images of her standing and clapping for this toxic genocidaire but also not to totally cut him off. She senses where the political winds are blowing, but this attempt to placate both sides has its limits,” one user &lt;a href="https://x.com/YousefMunayyer/status/1815552916138152390"&gt;said &lt;/a&gt;on X.&lt;/p&gt;
  420.  
  421. &lt;p&gt;Harris later issued a statement condemning protestors who burned the American flag, saying: “I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.”&lt;/p&gt;
  422.  
  423. &lt;p&gt;Activists slammed Harris for criticising the protests and refusing to publicly call Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide.&lt;/p&gt;
  424.  
  425. &lt;p&gt;“[We] condemn the attempts of VP Kamala Harris to criminalize protests in Washington DC and for justifying the ongoing mass killings which have been called out by the International Court of Justice,” the Boston South Asian Coalition &lt;a href="https://x.com/TheBostonCoali1/status/1816852740330447093"&gt;said&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  426.  
  427. &lt;p&gt;The response underscores how Harris has broadly consolidated support among progressive US lawmakers - including Democrats Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley - but still faces criticism among pro-Palestinian groups.&lt;/p&gt;
  428.  
  429. &lt;p&gt;The Abandon Biden campaign invited Harris to meet with them in July, saying they had yet to be swayed to back her campaign.&lt;/p&gt;
  430.  
  431. &lt;p&gt;“Our demands remain unchanged: call for and pressure an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. The new candidate must address these critical issues and break from the destructive legacy of the current administration,” the group said in a &lt;a href="https://x.com/Abandonbiden24/status/1815091240121356622"&gt;letter.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  432. &lt;/div&gt;
  433.                  &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;
  434.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  435.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  436.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  437.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  438.          &lt;/div&gt;
  439.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  440.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  441.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=US%3A%20Harris%20talks%20tough%20on%20Israel%2C%20but%20pro-Palestine%20activists%20aren%27t%20swayed%20yet&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-harris-talks-tough-israel-pro-palestine-activists-not-swayed&amp;2=node/381341&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="KLFMdrSF4HCL9JacFCqmxL2AjZ979qPsSO93bqbCD2E"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  442.          &lt;/div&gt;
  443.              &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;
  444.      </description>
  445.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 15:26:29 +0000</pubDate>
  446.    <dc:creator>Sean Mathews</dc:creator>
  447.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381341 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  448.    </item>
  449. <item>
  450.  <title>Italy to appoint ambassador to Syria to 'turn a spotlight' on country</title>
  451.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/italy-appoint-ambassador-syria-turn-spotlight</link>
  452.  <description>
  453. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Italy to appoint ambassador to Syria to 'turn a spotlight' on country&lt;/span&gt;
  454.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Move follows a letter by eight European countries calling for a rethink on the EU's Syrian strategy&lt;/div&gt;
  455.      
  456. &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;
  457.  
  458. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T15:08:30+01:00" title="26 July 2024 15:08 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 15:08&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  459.            &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/2024-07-02T173818Z_595980059_RC2TH8ASL3TP_RTRMADP_3_ITALY-MELONI.JPG.webp?itok=EClmF4Bv 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="933"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/2024-07-02T173818Z_595980059_RC2TH8ASL3TP_RTRMADP_3_ITALY-MELONI.JPG?itok=EClmF4Bv 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="933"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/2024-07-02T173818Z_595980059_RC2TH8ASL3TP_RTRMADP_3_ITALY-MELONI.JPG?itok=EClmF4Bv 1x" width="1400" height="933" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/2024-07-02T173818Z_595980059_RC2TH8ASL3TP_RTRMADP_3_ITALY-MELONI.JPG?itok=BQ6ip0KI" alt="Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni makes a statement following her meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Rome, Italy, on 24 June (Reuters)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  460.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni makes a statement following her meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Rome, Italy on 24 June (Reuters)&lt;/div&gt;
  461.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="margin-bottom:11px"&gt;Italy will appoint an ambassador to &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/syria"&gt;Syria&lt;/a&gt; more than a decade since it exited the country due to President Bashar al-Assad’s deadly crackdown on protesters and subsequent civil war.&lt;/p&gt;
  462.  
  463. &lt;p&gt;Stefano Ravagnan, who is currently the foreign ministry’s special envoy for Syria, was named as the ambassador and will be taking up his new post shortly.&lt;/p&gt;
  464.  
  465. &lt;p&gt;In 2012, Rome recalled its diplomats from its embassy in Syria protesting “the unacceptable violence” of Assad’s government against the Syrian people.&lt;/p&gt;
  466.  
  467. &lt;p&gt;After 13 years of war and half a million dead, Assad’s government has regained control of much of the country with Iran and Russia’s backing. The northeast is controlled by US-backed Kurdish forces, while other parts of the north are held by rebel factions and Turkish troops.&lt;/p&gt;
  468.  
  469. &lt;p&gt;The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said the move is designed “to turn a spotlight” on Syria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  470.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  471.    &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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  478. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  479. &lt;/div&gt;
  480. &lt;/div&gt;
  481.  
  482. &lt;p&gt;It also comes a few days after eight EU countries, including Italy,&lt;a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/eight-eu-member-states-call-for-syria-policy-reset/"&gt; called on the bloc&lt;/a&gt; to “review and assess” its policy in Syria.&lt;/p&gt;
  483.  
  484. &lt;p&gt;“Our goal is a more active, outcome-driven, and operational Syria policy… This would allow us to increase our political leverage [and] the effectiveness of our humanitarian assistance,” said the foreign ministers of Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Czech, Slovakia, Slovenia and Italy in a letter sent to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.&lt;/p&gt;
  485.  
  486. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  487.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-kurdish-led-authorities-release-180-linked-prisoners-hasakah"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/syria%20hassakah%20is%20prison%20reuters.jpg.webp?itok=Ic9XLNAh" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Syria: Kurdish authorities release 180 Islamic State-linked prisoners in Hasakah&lt;/div&gt;
  488.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-kurdish-led-authorities-release-180-linked-prisoners-hasakah"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  489. &lt;/div&gt;
  490.  
  491. &lt;p&gt;The letter highlighted “the humanitarian situation" in Syria, which it said had “further deteriorated” as the country’s economy was "in shambles".&lt;/p&gt;
  492.  
  493. &lt;p&gt;The ministers suggested 10 areas that should be discussed “openly and without prejudice”.&lt;/p&gt;
  494.  
  495. &lt;p&gt;They also suggested setting up an EU envoy to Syria, who would be assigned to re-engage with Syria’s ambassador to Brussels and coordinate with both Syrian and regional actors.&lt;/p&gt;
  496.  
  497. &lt;p&gt;Other suggestions included starting a strategic exchange with Arab partners and dealing with the negative effects of EU sanctions that have been imposed against Assad.&lt;/p&gt;
  498.  
  499. &lt;p&gt;Currently, there are only six EU countries that have operating embassies in Syria, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary and Czechia.&lt;/p&gt;
  500. &lt;/div&gt;
  501.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/syria-war" hreflang="en"&gt;Syria War&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  502.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  503.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  504.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  505.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  506.          &lt;/div&gt;
  507.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  508.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  509.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Italy%20to%20appoint%20ambassador%20to%20Syria%20to%20%27turn%20a%20spotlight%27%20on%20country&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/italy-appoint-ambassador-syria-turn-spotlight&amp;2=node/381331&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="sdTnzXTxHPDvei83S6-XjAhPfp1_VSdGjrt0iyXDZo4"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  510.          &lt;/div&gt;
  511.              &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;
  512.      </description>
  513.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 14:08:30 +0000</pubDate>
  514.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  515.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381331 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  516.    </item>
  517. <item>
  518.  <title>Ships carrying Russian goods most attacked by Yemen’s Houthis, says report</title>
  519.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-houthis-attack-ships-russian-goods</link>
  520.  <description>
  521. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Ships carrying Russian goods most attacked by Yemen’s Houthis, says report&lt;/span&gt;
  522.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Russian commodities have not been spared from Houthis attacks despite previous reassurances&lt;/div&gt;
  523.      
  524. &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;
  525.  
  526. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T13:23:30+01:00" title="26 July 2024 13:23 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 13:23&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  527.            &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/Houthis%20Yemen%20Red%20Sea.jpg.webp?itok=nBcCqUMZ 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/Houthis%20Yemen%20Red%20Sea.jpg?itok=nBcCqUMZ 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/Houthis%20Yemen%20Red%20Sea.jpg?itok=nBcCqUMZ 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Houthis%20Yemen%20Red%20Sea.jpg?itok=_azjvdqN" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  528.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Houthi fighters chant slogans as they ride a military vehicle during a gathering in Sanaa to mobilise more fighters in 2017 (AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  529.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="margin-bottom:11px"&gt;Vessels carrying Russian goods have been attacked by &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/yemen"&gt;Yemen&lt;/a&gt;’s Houthi movement more than any other shipments from other parts of the world, according to a recent &lt;a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-25/russian-commodities-aren-t-safe-in-red-sea-as-houthis-attack?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=share&amp;utm_campaign=twitter&amp;sref=p1whY86y"&gt;report &lt;/a&gt;by Bloomberg.&lt;/p&gt;
  530.  
  531. &lt;p&gt;According to the report, the attacks have been carried out despite several previous safe-passage promises given by the Houthis, known officially as Ansar Allah, to Moscow earlier this year.&lt;/p&gt;
  532.  
  533. &lt;p&gt;In January and March, the Yemeni group &lt;a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/S7I5KHT1UM0W"&gt;said &lt;/a&gt;it would not attack Russian and Chinese vessels amid their continuous targeting of global trade shipping, which is aimed at putting pressure on Israel to bring its war on Gaza to a halt.&lt;/p&gt;
  534.  
  535. &lt;p&gt;Mohammad al-Bukhaiti, spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis, said in an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia back in January that Russian and Chinese trade vessels do not need to fear attacks in the southern Red Sea.&lt;/p&gt;
  536.  
  537. &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-china-struck-deal-yemen-houthi-rebels-ship-safety/"&gt;Similar promises&lt;/a&gt; were made two months later, following talks held in Oman between Chinese and Russian officials with Mohammed Abdel Salam, a senior Houthi official&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  538.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  539.    &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;
  540. &lt;script&gt;
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  546. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  547. &lt;/div&gt;
  548. &lt;/div&gt;
  549.  
  550. &lt;p&gt;In return, Moscow and Beijing have promised to offer some “political support” to the Yemeni group that controls most population centres in Yemen, including the capital.&lt;/p&gt;
  551.  
  552. &lt;p&gt;According to Bloomberg, no Russian-owned ships have been attacked, but there is no assurance for safe passages to international vessels shipping Moscow’s goods through the Red Sea.&lt;/p&gt;
  553.  
  554. &lt;p&gt;It said that 19 percent of the 83 ships that were listed by the UK as being attacked by Houthis in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden had Russia “as their most recent port call”.&lt;/p&gt;
  555.  
  556. &lt;p&gt;In June, a ship carrying coal sank after it had departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga.&lt;/p&gt;
  557.  
  558. &lt;p&gt;Since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian energy products and other commodities are sold through third parties and foreign-flagged vessels to evade western sanctions in order for Moscow to continue financing its war in Ukraine.&lt;/p&gt;
  559.  
  560. &lt;p&gt;To avoid these attacks, a number of ships have continued to use satellite signals to clearly demonstrate their affiliation to Russia, including signs that read “Russia crew” and “Russian on board”.&lt;/p&gt;
  561. &lt;/div&gt;
  562.                  &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;
  563.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  564.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  565.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  566.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  567.          &lt;/div&gt;
  568.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  569.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
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  572.              &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;
  573.      </description>
  574.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:23:30 +0000</pubDate>
  575.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  576.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381281 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  577.    </item>
  578. <item>
  579.  <title>Almost 50,000 Pakistani pilgrims disappeared in Iraq, says minister</title>
  580.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pakistani-pilgrims-disappeared-iraq-minister</link>
  581.  <description>
  582. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Almost 50,000 Pakistani pilgrims disappeared in Iraq, says minister&lt;/span&gt;
  583.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Iraqi government suggests missing Pakistanis could be working illegally in the country&lt;/div&gt;
  584.      
  585. &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;
  586.  
  587. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T10:06:15+01:00" title="26 July 2024 10:06 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 10:06&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  588.            &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_ASHURA_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg.webp?itok=dqrKT9hg 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_ASHURA_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg?itok=dqrKT9hg 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/IRAQ_ASHURA_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg?itok=dqrKT9hg 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/IRAQ_ASHURA_NASIRIYAH_AFP.jpg?itok=oV8nz1Ak" alt="Shia Muslim devotees march in a mourning procession before to Ashura in Nasiriyah in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province on July 14 2024 (Asaad Niazi / AFP) " typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  589.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Shia Muslim devotees march in a mourning procession before to Ashura in Nasiriyah in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province on July 14 2024 (Asaad Niazi / AFP) &lt;/div&gt;
  590.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Almost 50,000 Pakistani pilgrims have disappeared in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/iraq"&gt;Iraq,&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-stringify-link="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/iraq" delay="150" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/iraq" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;according to Islamabad's minister for religious affairs.&lt;/p&gt;
  591.  
  592. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="story-text"&gt;Chaudhry Salik Hussain revealed the figures at a Pakistani Senate committee meeting on Wednesday, without elaborating on the timescale or nature of the disappearances.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  593.  
  594. &lt;p&gt;Millions of foreign pilgrims travel to Iraq every year, primarily for Shia Muslim religious festivals on Arbaeen and Ashura.&lt;/p&gt;
  595.  
  596. &lt;p&gt;The Arbaeen pilgrimage, marking the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein at the Battle of Karbala, is arguably the largest gathering in the world, sometimes attracting as many as 22 million people.&lt;/p&gt;
  597.  
  598. &lt;p&gt;Members of Pakistan's Shia minority are among those who regularly take part in the pilgrimage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  599.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  600.    &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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  604.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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  606. //]]&gt;
  607. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  608. &lt;/div&gt;
  609. &lt;/div&gt;
  610.  
  611. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="HwtZe" jsaction="mouseup:Sxi9L,BR6jm; mousedown:qjlr0e" jsname="jqKxS" lang="en" xml: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:PDNqTc,GFf3ac,qlVvte;contextmenu:Nqw7Te,QP7LD; mouseout:Nqw7Te; mouseover:PDNqTc,c2aHje" jsname="W297wb"&gt;Ahmed al-Asadi, Iraq's labour and social affairs minister, said on Thursday that his government would be investigating the reports and implied that those missing were working illegally in the country.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  612.  
  613. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="HwtZe" jsaction="mouseup:Sxi9L,BR6jm; mousedown:qjlr0e" jsname="jqKxS" lang="en" xml: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:PDNqTc,GFf3ac,qlVvte;contextmenu:Nqw7Te,QP7LD; mouseout:Nqw7Te; mouseover:PDNqTc,c2aHje" jsname="W297wb"&gt;"Iraq has witnessed the influx of tourists from various countries during the past days, including Pakistanis, but many of them have begun to engage in the labour market without the required legal permits," he said in a statement, according to the Iraqi News Agency.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  614.  
  615. &lt;p&gt;"Iraq welcomes all tourists, whether for religious tourism or otherwise, from all over the world, but stresses the need to respect local laws and regulations."&lt;/p&gt;
  616.  
  617. &lt;p&gt;A report by the UN said that in 2020, there were 688 Pakistanis living in Iraq, but comments by officials imply a much larger number.&lt;/p&gt;
  618.  
  619. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  620.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pakistan-set-deport-hundreds-thousands-afghan-refugees-second-phase"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/afghanistan-pakistan-refugees-may-2024-sanaullah-sieam-afp-2.jpg.webp?itok=3VXWRrJv" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Pakistan set to deport hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees&lt;/div&gt;
  621.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pakistan-set-deport-hundreds-thousands-afghan-refugees-second-phase"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  622. &lt;/div&gt;
  623.  
  624. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="story-text"&gt;The Senate committee reportedly discussed monitoring challenges faced by pilgrims, particularly at the Taftan border with Iran. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  625.  
  626. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="story-text"&gt;Prolonged waits, a lack of basic facilities and high expenses were raised as issues that faced pilgrims.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  627.  
  628. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="story-text"&gt;The secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Zulfiqar Haider, also referenced the creation of a directorate for pilgrims to Iraq and Iran.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  629.  
  630. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="story-text"&gt;Earlier this month, Pakistan and Iraq &lt;a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1845906"&gt;signed &lt;/a&gt;a Memorandum of Understanding aimed &lt;/span&gt;at making it easier for Pakistanis to acquire work visas for Iraq.&lt;/p&gt;
  631.  
  632. &lt;p&gt;At the time, Hussain said the MoU would "also increase legal immigration and reduce illegal entry into Iraq."&lt;/p&gt;
  633. &lt;/div&gt;
  634.                  &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;
  635.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  636.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  637.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  638.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  639.          &lt;/div&gt;
  640.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  641.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  642.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Almost%2050%2C000%20Pakistani%20pilgrims%20disappeared%20in%20Iraq%2C%20says%20minister&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/pakistani-pilgrims-disappeared-iraq-minister&amp;2=node/381221&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="eQlZ1Q8dqzsiRfxlpcBGKWJ7DU7Oqsrd1uUzfKjtGNc"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  643.          &lt;/div&gt;
  644.              &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;
  645.      </description>
  646.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 09:06:15 +0000</pubDate>
  647.    <dc:creator>Alex MacDonald</dc:creator>
  648.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381221 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  649.    </item>
  650. <item>
  651.  <title>Senior Hamas official in West Bank dies in Israeli custody</title>
  652.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamas-leader-west-bank-dies-israeli-custody</link>
  653.  <description>
  654. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Senior Hamas official in West Bank dies in Israeli custody&lt;/span&gt;
  655.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara suffered from deteriorating health in southern Israel's Ramon prison before his death&lt;/div&gt;
  656.      
  657. &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;
  658.  
  659. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T11:26:32+01:00" title="26 July 2024 11:26 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 11:26&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  660.            &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/Mustafa_Abu_ara_twitter1.jpg.webp?itok=v3eIMi-Q 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/Mustafa_Abu_ara_twitter1.jpg?itok=v3eIMi-Q 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="787"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/Mustafa_Abu_ara_twitter1.jpg?itok=v3eIMi-Q 1x" width="1400" height="787" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Mustafa_Abu_ara_twitter1.jpg?itok=b13Tv8oO" alt="Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara died in Israeli custody after suffering from severe health problems (X)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  661.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara died in Israeli custody after suffering from severe health problems (X)&lt;/div&gt;
  662.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="margin-bottom:11px"&gt;A senior Hamas official in the occupied &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;West Bank&lt;/a&gt; died in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israeli&lt;/a&gt; custody after being transferred to Ramon prison in southern Israel, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs said in a statement.&lt;/p&gt;
  663.  
  664. &lt;p&gt;Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara, 63, had been imprisoned several times since 1990.&lt;/p&gt;
  665.  
  666. &lt;p&gt;Before his latest arrest on 30 October, Abu Ara was suffering from “serious health problems and needed intensive medical follow-up", the Palestinian governmental body said.&lt;/p&gt;
  667.  
  668. &lt;p&gt;"However, from the moment of his arrest Sheikh Abu Ara, like all prisoners, has faced unprecedented crimes… since the beginning of the war of extermination,” it added, referring to Israel's war on Gaza and its crackdown on Palestinians. &lt;/p&gt;
  669.  
  670. &lt;p&gt;He was subjected to medical neglect and torture, the commission said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  671.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  672.    &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;
  673. &lt;script&gt;
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  676.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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  678. //]]&gt;
  679. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  680. &lt;/div&gt;
  681. &lt;/div&gt;
  682.  
  683. &lt;p&gt;It added that around 5,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel since the war began, without any information provided about them.&lt;/p&gt;
  684.  
  685. &lt;p&gt;The death of Abu Ara raises the number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in Israeli custody to more than 55 since the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel and the subsequent war on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  686.  
  687. &lt;p&gt;The death toll in Gaza has exceeded 39,000 people, with around 90,400 wounded, according to local health authorities.&lt;/p&gt;
  688. &lt;/div&gt;
  689.                  &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;
  690.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  691.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  692.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  693.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  694.          &lt;/div&gt;
  695.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  696.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  697.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Senior%20Hamas%20official%20in%20West%20Bank%20dies%20in%20Israeli%20custody&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamas-leader-west-bank-dies-israeli-custody&amp;2=node/381251&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="1r8z1eBCvzhv51w1-I61gym_rIfUBNxeASShM8rLiic"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  698.          &lt;/div&gt;
  699.              &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;
  700.      </description>
  701.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 10:26:32 +0000</pubDate>
  702.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  703.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381251 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  704.    </item>
  705. <item>
  706.  <title>UK dropping its objection to ICC arrest warrant for Israel's Netanyahu</title>
  707.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-says-they-wont-object-icc-arrest-warrant-netanyahu</link>
  708.  <description>
  709. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;UK dropping its objection to ICC arrest warrant for Israel's Netanyahu&lt;/span&gt;
  710.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;New British prime minister says the application for a warrant is a matter for the court to decide&lt;/div&gt;
  711.      
  712. &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;
  713.  
  714. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T12:05:48+01:00" title="26 July 2024 12:05 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 12:05&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  715.            &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_STARMER_PROTEST.jpg.webp?itok=McOAec4U 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_STARMER_PROTEST.jpg?itok=McOAec4U 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_STARMER_PROTEST.jpg?itok=McOAec4U 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/AFP_STARMER_PROTEST.jpg?itok=fvMhhnSF" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  716.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Protesters hold a placard depicting Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his predecessor Rishi Sunak reading "Same circus different clown" as they march in London during the "National March for Gaza", calling to "end the genocide" and "stop arming Israel", on July 6, 2024 (Justin Tallis / AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  717.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will drop the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/uk"&gt;UK's&lt;/a&gt; objection to an arrest warrant being issued 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, saying it was a matter for the court.&lt;/p&gt;
  718.  
  719. &lt;p&gt;The announcement, made by a spokesperson for the new prime minister on Friday, overturns the previous government's objection to the ICC prosecutor's application for a warrant for Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant.&lt;/p&gt;
  720.  
  721. &lt;p&gt;"On the ICC submission... I can confirm the government will not be pursuing (the proposal) in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on," the spokesperson told reporters.&lt;/p&gt;
  722.  
  723. &lt;p&gt;Sources within the Labour Party told Middle East Eye about the plans on Thursday, along with intentions to restrict arms sales to Israel over its &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  724.  
  725. &lt;p&gt;The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) said it was a "relief" to see the objection being dropped.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  726.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  727.    &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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  732.  
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  734. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  735. &lt;/div&gt;
  736. &lt;/div&gt;
  737.  
  738. &lt;p&gt;“Respecting the jurisdiction and independence of the ICC is the least the Labour government can do to demonstrate a genuine commitment to justice and accountability," said ICJP legal officer Zaki Sarraf.&lt;/p&gt;
  739.  
  740. &lt;p&gt;"They must now avoid further undermining their credibility and uphold international law."&lt;/p&gt;
  741.  
  742. &lt;p&gt;Earlier this month, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Foreign Secretary David Lammy gave assurances to Israel that the UK would maintain its objection to the application that was initially raised by the Conservative government in Downing Street.&lt;/p&gt;
  743.  
  744. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu and Gallant are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.&lt;/p&gt;
  745.  
  746. &lt;p&gt;The Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, its military wing's commander-in-chief Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, better known as Mohammed Deif, and its political leader Ismail Haniyeh were also subject to arrest warrant applications.&lt;/p&gt;
  747.  
  748. &lt;p&gt;The applications must be approved by a panel of ICC judges and it was at this stage that the UK had lodged its objection.&lt;/p&gt;
  749.  
  750. &lt;p&gt;Palestine was accepted into the ICC in 2015, and in 2021 the court said it had the power to investigate war crimes in the occupied territories. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  751.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  752.    &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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  759. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  760. &lt;/div&gt;
  761. &lt;/div&gt;
  762.  
  763. &lt;h3&gt;'Regretful and regressive'&lt;/h3&gt;
  764.  
  765. &lt;p&gt;The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council issued a joint statement on Friday condemning the move by the British government as "regretful and regressive" and said it appeared to be a reversal of "long-term UK foreign policy."&lt;/p&gt;
  766.  
  767. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"&gt;“We are concerned that the cumulative effect of these announcements, in quick succession, signal a significant shift in policy, away from Israel being a key UK ally. This would not only be a strategic error but a moral one," read the statement.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  768.  
  769. &lt;p&gt;However, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK &lt;a href="https://x.com/hzomlot/status/1816817398097281425"&gt;welcomed &lt;/a&gt;the move, calling it a "s&lt;span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"&gt;ignificant step in aligning the UK with the rule of law, international system and toward finally holding Israel to account after many decades of impunity".&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  770.  
  771. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  772.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/olympics-begins-under-shadow-israel-obliteration-palestine-sport"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/gaza-strip-palestinians-play-football-april-2024-afp.jpg.webp?itok=XHBciBg4" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Paris 2024: Olympics begins under shadow of Israeli obliteration of Palestinian sport  &lt;/div&gt;
  773.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/olympics-begins-under-shadow-israel-obliteration-palestine-sport"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  774. &lt;/div&gt;
  775.  
  776. &lt;p&gt;Labour has faced increasing &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pro-palestine-protesters-block-foreign-office-entrance-calling#:~:text=He%20also%20said%20that%20given,the%20review%20he%20had%20ordered." target="_blank"&gt;pressure&lt;/a&gt; by civil society and human rights groups to suspend arms sales to Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  777.  
  778. &lt;p&gt;Senior politicians in the party have &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/labour-loses-three-seats-to-pro-palestinian-candidates" target="_blank"&gt;expressed&lt;/a&gt; concern that Labour lost seats at the recent general election due to &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/why-british-muslim-voters-accused-sectarian-politics" target="_blank"&gt;discontent&lt;/a&gt; among voters, especially British Muslims, over the party’s early support for Israel’s war on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  779.  
  780. &lt;p&gt;Five independent MPs were &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/why-british-muslim-voters-accused-sectarian-politics" target="_blank"&gt;elected&lt;/a&gt; at the recent general election on a pro-Gaza platform.&lt;/p&gt;
  781.  
  782. &lt;p&gt;Labour Friends of Israel, an advocacy group of which Starmer and Lammy are both members, &lt;a href="https://x.com/_LFI/status/1816813826370605458/photo/1"&gt;said &lt;/a&gt;on Friday the government's move was "deeply disappointing" and said they wanted to see Netanyahu face accountability in the Israeli courts rather than the ICC.&lt;/p&gt;
  783.  
  784. &lt;p&gt;"The ICC chief prosecutor's case is morally suspect and legally dubious," they said.&lt;/p&gt;
  785.  
  786. &lt;p&gt;"Israel’s courts have previously tried and jailed the country’s most senior leaders. They are already investigating allegations of serious misconduct relating to the war. It is right that these are investigated and there is no reason to believe that Israel could not or would not investigate in this case."&lt;/p&gt;
  787.  
  788. &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/new-open-source-report-finds-gaza-health-ministry-death-toll-broadly-reliable" target="_blank"&gt;Over&lt;/a&gt; 39,000 Palestinians have been killed and 90,257 wounded in Gaza as a result of Israel’s ongoing assault on the besieged enclave.&lt;/p&gt;
  789.  
  790. &lt;p&gt;Thousands more Palestinians are missing and presumed dead under the rubble following Israeli attacks.&lt;/p&gt;
  791. &lt;/div&gt;
  792.                  &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;
  793.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  794.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  795.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  796.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  797.          &lt;/div&gt;
  798.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  799.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  800.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=UK%20dropping%20its%20objection%20to%20ICC%20arrest%20warrant%20for%20Israel%27s%20Netanyahu&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-says-they-wont-object-icc-arrest-warrant-netanyahu&amp;2=node/381261&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="zzl0WVb6Uw5de3xkzeDNd8IpuGCNCZTD8FCFRmZSFtY"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  801.          &lt;/div&gt;
  802.              &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;
  803.      </description>
  804.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 11:05:48 +0000</pubDate>
  805.    <dc:creator>Alex MacDonald</dc:creator>
  806.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381261 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  807.    </item>
  808. <item>
  809.  <title>Imran Khan competes with Tony Blair and Boris Johnson to be Oxford chancellor</title>
  810.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/imran-khan-tony-blair-boris-johnson-oxford-chancellor</link>
  811.  <description>
  812. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Imran Khan competes with Tony Blair and Boris Johnson to be Oxford chancellor&lt;/span&gt;
  813.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Unlike the other two former world leaders, the former Pakistan prime minister is contesting the election from prison&lt;/div&gt;
  814.      
  815. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/imran-mullah" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/imran-mullah" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Imran Mulla&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  816.  
  817. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-26T11:22:25+01:00" title="26 July 2024 11:22 BST"&gt;Fri, 07/26/2024 - 11:22&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  818.            &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/imran%20khan%20reuters%20interview.jpg.webp?itok=13Ci4ta5 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/imran%20khan%20reuters%20interview.jpg?itok=13Ci4ta5 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/imran%20khan%20reuters%20interview.jpg?itok=13Ci4ta5 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/imran%20khan%20reuters%20interview.jpg?itok=C19lF6_-" alt="Imran Khan during an interview in Lahore, Pakistan 17 March, 2023 (Reuters/Akhtar Soomro)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  819.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Imran Khan during an interview in Lahore, Pakistan 17 March, 2023 (Reuters/Akhtar Soomro)&lt;/div&gt;
  820.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Imran Khan, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/pakistan"&gt;Pakistan’s&lt;/a&gt; most famous living man, has held multiple prestigious titles throughout his 71-year life.&lt;/p&gt;
  821.  
  822. &lt;p&gt;He &lt;a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/24/imran-khan-apply-chancellor-oxford-university-from-prison/"&gt;was&lt;/a&gt; captain of the Pakistani cricket team, winning the 1992 World Cup. Over two decades later he became his country’s prime minister.&lt;/p&gt;
  823.  
  824. &lt;p&gt;Now Khan has his sights set on another title: chancellor of the UK’s elite Oxford University. &lt;/p&gt;
  825.  
  826. &lt;p&gt;He &lt;a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/24/imran-khan-apply-chancellor-oxford-university-from-prison/"&gt;plans&lt;/a&gt; to run for the coveted role following the resignation of 80-year-old Chris Patten, former governor of Hong Kong, from the chancellorship. The chancellor is the titular head of the university and elected by a convocation of Oxford members and alumni.&lt;/p&gt;
  827.  
  828. &lt;p&gt;The former Pakistani prime minister will be &lt;a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/24/imran-khan-apply-chancellor-oxford-university-from-prison/"&gt;up against&lt;/a&gt; multiple other high-profile candidates, including two former British prime ministers: Tony Blair and Boris Johnson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  829.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  830.    &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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  835.  
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  837. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  838. &lt;/div&gt;
  839. &lt;/div&gt;
  840.  
  841. &lt;p&gt;All three men are Oxford graduates and former world leaders. But unlike his British competitors, Khan will be contesting the election from a prison cell.&lt;/p&gt;
  842.  
  843. &lt;p&gt;He is serving a 10-year sentence after being convicted of leaking state secrets. A recent &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-experts-call-pakistans-imran-khan-be-released-arbitrary-detention"&gt;UN report&lt;/a&gt; concluded that his detention is both arbitrary and in contravention of international law.&lt;/p&gt;
  844.  
  845. &lt;p&gt;After being &lt;a href="https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-whats-next-for-ex-pm-imran-khan-and-his-party/a-68132953"&gt;removed &lt;/a&gt;from power by a military-backed no-confidence vote in April 2022, Khan was first arrested in May 2023 and has since been &lt;a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/24/imran-khan-apply-chancellor-oxford-university-from-prison/"&gt;involved&lt;/a&gt; in over 150 legal cases. The UN has called for his immediate release.&lt;/p&gt;
  846.  
  847. &lt;p&gt;He maintains his innocence of all charges and reportedly spends his time in prison &lt;a href="https://x.com/Aleema_KhanPK/status/1799087043873546539"&gt;reading&lt;/a&gt; voraciously, &lt;a href="https://x.com/salmanAraja/status/1785174813000007887"&gt;including&lt;/a&gt; historical studies and Tolstoy novels. &lt;/p&gt;
  848.  
  849. &lt;p&gt;And Khan is no stranger to electioneering from prison. &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/pakistan-elections-imran-khan-secured-victory-prison-how"&gt;Despite&lt;/a&gt; his incarceration, his party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, won the most seats in parliament in Pakistan’s February general election.&lt;/p&gt;
  850.  
  851. &lt;h3&gt;Khan’s Oxford connection&lt;/h3&gt;
  852.  
  853. &lt;p&gt;Khan has a long-standing connection to Oxford. Having been turned down by Cambridge University, in 1972 Khan went to Oxford to &lt;a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100035649"&gt;study&lt;/a&gt; Philosophy, Politics and Economics, graduating in 1975. During his time there he was captain of the university’s cricket team.&lt;/p&gt;
  854.  
  855. &lt;p&gt;Having attained worldwide cricket stardom by the 1990s, in the early 2000s Khan &lt;a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-5993193/Is-man-wipe-terrorism-PETER-OBORNE-thinks-Imran-Khan-repeat-heroics.html"&gt;reinvented&lt;/a&gt; himself as the Pakistani politician most critical of the US-led so-called “war on terror” - including the British involvement in the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and the use of killer drones in Pakistan.&lt;/p&gt;
  856.  
  857. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-opinion mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  858.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/pakistan-elections-imran-khan-secured-victory-prison-how"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/pakistan-khan-protest-karachi-february-2024-asif-hassan-afp.jpg.webp?itok=Ky3DikE0" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Pakistan elections: How Imran Khan decisively overcame the odds to win from jail&lt;/div&gt;
  859.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/pakistan-elections-imran-khan-secured-victory-prison-how"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  860. &lt;/div&gt;
  861.  
  862. &lt;p&gt;Blair was Britain’s prime minister at the time and played a leading role in western interventions in the Middle East, Afghanistan and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;
  863.  
  864. &lt;p&gt;“How can Blair absolve himself of the deaths of thousands of Iraqis as a result of US-UK-led invasion and of chaos unleashed in the region?” Khan &lt;a href="https://x.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/751056649918578688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E751056649918578688%7Ctwgr%5E5a660ab054db566ee0de8f513313bb8e0d6b0553%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1269487"&gt;asked&lt;/a&gt; in 2016.&lt;/p&gt;
  865.  
  866. &lt;p&gt;Now the two political enemies are competing for the same job - in markedly different circumstances. &lt;/p&gt;
  867.  
  868. &lt;p&gt;Johnson, also expected to run for the chancellorship, was Britain's prime minister while Khan led Pakistan.&lt;/p&gt;
  869.  
  870. &lt;p&gt;Oxford &lt;a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation/university-officers/chancellor/chancellor-election"&gt;chancellors&lt;/a&gt; are typically alumni of the university and often former politicians. They are expected to preside over university ceremonies and act as ambassadors for the university.&lt;/p&gt;
  871. &lt;/div&gt;
  872.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/uk-politics" hreflang="en"&gt;UK Politics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  873.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  874.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  875.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  876.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  877.          &lt;/div&gt;
  878.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  879.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  880.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Imran%20Khan%20competes%20with%20Tony%20Blair%20and%20Boris%20Johnson%20to%20be%20Oxford%20chancellor&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/imran-khan-tony-blair-boris-johnson-oxford-chancellor&amp;2=node/381246&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="QoOEY7SfTIfJHIkYi37aDt4X9pxBWAvQ7KQjO3OTiF8"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  881.          &lt;/div&gt;
  882.              &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;
  883.      </description>
  884.  <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 10:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
  885.    <dc:creator>Imran Mulla</dc:creator>
  886.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381246 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  887.    </item>
  888. <item>
  889.  <title>US says closer than ever to ceasefire as Netanyahu and Biden meet</title>
  890.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-says-closer-than-ever-ceasefire-netanyahu-and-biden-meet</link>
  891.  <description>
  892. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;US says closer than ever to ceasefire as Netanyahu and Biden meet&lt;/span&gt;
  893.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Netanyahu visits the White House in the most fraught moment in US-Israel relations in decades, experts say&lt;/div&gt;
  894.      
  895. &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;
  896.  
  897. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T21:31:20+01:00" title="25 July 2024 21:31 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 21:31&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  898.            &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-Biden-Bibi-AFP-2024.jpg.webp?itok=wZXVJNHr 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="786"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/US-Biden-Bibi-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=wZXVJNHr 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="786"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/US-Biden-Bibi-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=wZXVJNHr 1x" width="1400" height="786" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/US-Biden-Bibi-AFP-2024.jpg?itok=TuyKwMar" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  899.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in White House's Oval Office, on 25 July 2024 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  900.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt; said on Thursday that talks to reach a ceasefire in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;Gaza&lt;/a&gt; are in the “closing stages”, as President Joe Biden hosted &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israeli&lt;/a&gt; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, DC.&lt;/p&gt;
  901.  
  902. &lt;p&gt;Biden will press Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal during the two leaders’ discussions, US officials said. &lt;/p&gt;
  903.  
  904. &lt;p&gt;"I think the message from the American side in that meeting will be that we need to get this deal over the line,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.&lt;/p&gt;
  905.  
  906. &lt;p&gt;Biden and Netanyahu, who have a decades-long relationship going back to when Biden was a US senator in the 1970s, were photographed in the Oval Office, with Biden's historic decision not to seek re-election palpable in the room. &lt;/p&gt;
  907.  
  908. &lt;p&gt;"We've got a lot to talk about,” Biden said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  909.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  910.    &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;
  911. &lt;script&gt;
  912. //&lt;![CDATA[
  913.  
  914.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  915.  
  916. //]]&gt;
  917. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  918. &lt;/div&gt;
  919. &lt;/div&gt;
  920.  
  921. &lt;p&gt;"I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel," Netanyahu remarked. &lt;/p&gt;
  922.  
  923. &lt;p&gt;This is the first time the two leaders have met in person since Biden’s visit to Israel after the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  924.  
  925. &lt;h3&gt;'More fraught than ever'&lt;/h3&gt;
  926.  
  927. &lt;p&gt;The two leaders have clashed, with the US frustrated at the high number of Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza and Netanyahu’s refusal in recent months to discuss a post-war plan for Gaza that includes the return of the US-backed Palestinian Authority to the enclave.&lt;/p&gt;
  928.  
  929. &lt;p&gt;The meeting comes after Netanyahu vowed "total victory" against Hamas in a fiery speech on Wednesday to the US Congress.&lt;/p&gt;
  930.  
  931. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu was met with rapturous applause on Capitol Hill, but at least 60 US lawmakers boycotted the speech and thousands of protestors gathered in Washington to voice their ire over Israel’s offensive that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians.&lt;/p&gt;
  932.  
  933. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  934.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/netanyahu-us-visit-solidifies-Israel-upper-hand-washington"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/biden-netanyahu-october-2023-afp-brendan-smialoswki-2.jpg.webp?itok=_CCuFZVK" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Netanyahu’s US visit solidifies Israel’s upper hand in Washington&lt;/div&gt;
  935.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/netanyahu-us-visit-solidifies-Israel-upper-hand-washington"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  936. &lt;/div&gt;
  937.  
  938. &lt;p&gt;Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for Republican and Democratic presidents, said Netanyahu’s visit comes at a time when US-Israel relations are under great "stress".&lt;/p&gt;
  939.  
  940. &lt;p&gt;“The bipartisan support that defined [the US-Israel] relationship is coming apart,” Miller said at an event hosted by the Middle East Institute on Thursday.&lt;/p&gt;
  941.  
  942. &lt;p&gt;He doubts whether Netanyahu’s visit would achieve any tangible results for Israel, which continues to receive a steady supply of US weapons but is more isolated on the world stage and in the Democratic Party. Miller said it is the most fraught moment in US-Israel relations in decades.&lt;/p&gt;
  943.  
  944. &lt;p&gt;“The Republican Party has emerged as the Israel can do no wrong party…The Democrats are deeply divided…literally debating what is the definition of being pro-Israel”.&lt;/p&gt;
  945.  
  946. &lt;h3&gt;'Sow discord'&lt;/h3&gt;
  947.  
  948. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu has had his share of controversial addresses to Congress.&lt;/p&gt;
  949.  
  950. &lt;p&gt;In 2015, he irked the Obama administration by using his time addressing lawmakers to attack the US-Iran nuclear deal.&lt;/p&gt;
  951.  
  952. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  953.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/false-claims-benjamin-netanyahu-made-his-address-congress"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/Netanyahu%20congress%20addres%2024%20June%2024%20reuters.jpg.webp?itok=tGJ0WBRj" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;The false claims Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu made in his address to US Congress&lt;/div&gt;
  954.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/false-claims-benjamin-netanyahu-made-his-address-congress"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  955. &lt;/div&gt;
  956.  
  957. &lt;p&gt;But his address on Wednesday veered into US domestic politics, where he slammed pro-Palestinian demonstrators as “useful idiots” for Iran, and citing a senior US official, he suggested Tehran could be instigating the protests though he provided no evidence.&lt;/p&gt;
  958.  
  959. &lt;p&gt;In a reflection of the divide inside the Democratic Party, White House spokesperson John Kirby supported Netanyahu’s claim, while distancing himself from the Israeli leader’s blunt language.&lt;/p&gt;
  960.  
  961. &lt;p&gt;“We know that Iran certainly has tried to meddle here. They've tried to sow discord. They've obviously contributed to some funding of some protesters,” Kirby said.&lt;/p&gt;
  962.  
  963. &lt;h3&gt;Ceasefire during Knesset recess?&lt;/h3&gt;
  964.  
  965. &lt;p&gt;While Biden is now a lame-duck President, sealing a ceasefire deal would still represent a victory for his administration, just as Vice President Kamala Harris gears up to take on Donald Trump in the November 2024 elections.&lt;/p&gt;
  966.  
  967. &lt;p&gt;Kirby said that gaps remain in the negotiations but that "we are closer now than we've been before” to a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  968.  
  969. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  970.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-signals-hezbollah-it-will-back-israeli-offensive-frustration-gaza-ceasefire-grows"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/Israel-soldiers-Gaza-June-AFP.jpg.webp?itok=sApUjHex" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;US signals to Hezbollah it will back Israeli offensive, as frustration with Gaza ceasefire grows&lt;/div&gt;
  971.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-signals-hezbollah-it-will-back-israeli-offensive-frustration-gaza-ceasefire-grows"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  972. &lt;/div&gt;
  973.  
  974. &lt;p&gt;Ceasefire talks have dragged on for months, with Hamas wary of reaching an agreement with Israel that does not guarantee a permanent end to the fighting.&lt;/p&gt;
  975.  
  976. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu’s government has said it reserves the right to continue its war after the hostages are released, but is under pressure from members of Iran’s so-called "axis of resistance". Israel is trading near-daily fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Last week, a drone fired by the Houthis in Yemen hit Tel Aviv, killing one Israeli and injuring others.&lt;/p&gt;
  977.  
  978. &lt;p&gt;David Schenker, a former senior US official now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that Netanyahu’s visit is unlikely to change the dynamics on the battlefield, but said a ceasefire may be closer.&lt;/p&gt;
  979.  
  980. &lt;p&gt;“My guess is a ceasefire will happen in the coming weeks, after the Knesset goes into recess,” he said, adding that the timing could “insulate” Netanyahu from a vote of no-confidence or other shows of no-confidence from his far-right government allies who are opposed to a truce.&lt;/p&gt;
  981.  
  982. &lt;p&gt;In his speech to Congress, Netanyahu discussed efforts to secure the release of hostages but did not mention any progress on a ceasefire.&lt;/p&gt;
  983. &lt;/div&gt;
  984.                  &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;
  985.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  986.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  987.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  988.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  989.          &lt;/div&gt;
  990.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  991.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  992.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=US%20says%20closer%20than%20ever%20to%20ceasefire%20as%20Netanyahu%20and%20Biden%20meet&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-says-closer-than-ever-ceasefire-netanyahu-and-biden-meet&amp;2=node/381181&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="jdjk5PBUpFyvjihEuBotzI0gn9pGKaw0tNvcnZgmuOk"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  993.          &lt;/div&gt;
  994.              &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;
  995.      </description>
  996.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 20:31:20 +0000</pubDate>
  997.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  998.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381181 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  999.    </item>
  1000. <item>
  1001.  <title>US: Republican senators introduce bill banning boycotts of Israel</title>
  1002.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/republican-senators-introduce-federal-anti-boycott-bill-israel</link>
  1003.  <description>
  1004. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;US: Republican senators introduce bill banning boycotts of Israel&lt;/span&gt;
  1005.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Legislation would prohibit federal government from making contracts with businesses that boycott Israel&lt;/div&gt;
  1006.      
  1007. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/selina-chan" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/selina-chan" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Selina Chen&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1008.  
  1009. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T20:06:17+01:00" title="25 July 2024 20:06 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 20:06&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1010.            &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-dc-congress-jul24-AFP%3AAlex_Wong.png.webp?itok=HRFmQy48 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-dc-congress-jul24-AFP%3AAlex_Wong.png?itok=HRFmQy48 1x" type="image/png" width="1400" height="788"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/us-dc-congress-jul24-AFP%3AAlex_Wong.png?itok=HRFmQy48 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/us-dc-congress-jul24-AFP%3AAlex_Wong.png?itok=FyNKonK-" alt="Pro-Palestine protesters march in front of US Congress during Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address on 24 July. AFP/Alex Wong." typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1011.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Pro-Palestine protesters march in front of US Congress during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address, on 24 July 2024 (Alex Wong/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1012.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="line-height:1.38"&gt;Twelve Republican US senators have introduced the Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors (Chai) Act, which would prohibit federal contracts with entities that boycott &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1013.  
  1014. &lt;p&gt;The lead sponsor, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, said in a &lt;a href="https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=4548A76E-95C2-402C-BE5C-669DB9DAA459"&gt;press release&lt;/a&gt; that “businesses who boycott Israel only seek to normalise antisemitism”.&lt;/p&gt;
  1015.  
  1016. &lt;p&gt;His move follows the same bill’s introduction in the House of Representatives in July of last year, &lt;a href="https://tenney.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-tenney-introduces-countering-hate-against-israel-federal"&gt;sponsored&lt;/a&gt; by Republican Representative Claudia Tenney. The Chai bill remains in the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, pending a vote.&lt;/p&gt;
  1017.  
  1018. &lt;p&gt;Risch previously wrote an opinion article in The &lt;a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/feb/8/time-to-end-un-relief-and-works-agency/"&gt;Washington Times&lt;/a&gt; arguing that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestine&lt;/a&gt; (Unrwa) should be disbanded.&lt;/p&gt;
  1019.  
  1020. &lt;p&gt;In February this year, the House also &lt;a href="https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1327#:~:text=The%20IGO%20Anti%2DBoycott%20Act%20expands%20existing%20anti%2Dboycott%20law,dispel%20boycott%20efforts%20at%20IGOs."&gt;passed&lt;/a&gt; the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-house-foreign-affairs-committee-advances-expansive-anti-boycott-legislation"&gt;IGO Anti-Boycott Act&lt;/a&gt;, which prohibits &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us"&gt;US&lt;/a&gt; citizens from participating in boycotts organised by any “international governmental organisation” against US allies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1021.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1022.    &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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  1027.  
  1028. //]]&gt;
  1029. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1030. &lt;/div&gt;
  1031. &lt;/div&gt;
  1032.  
  1033. &lt;p&gt;The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/bds-israel-boycott-movement-campaign"&gt;BDS&lt;/a&gt;) movement, modelled after the boycott movement against South African Apartheid, has existed for 15 years and aims to pressure Israel to comply with international law.&lt;/p&gt;
  1034.  
  1035. &lt;p&gt;In the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/uk"&gt;UK&lt;/a&gt;, an anti-BDS bill scheduled to go through parliament was &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-campaigners-relieved-anti-bds-bill-shelved-uk-due-election"&gt;shelved&lt;/a&gt; after former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the general election. Pro-Palestine groups welcomed the development.&lt;/p&gt;
  1036.  
  1037. &lt;p&gt;The Chai Act is a federal-level application of numerous anti-BDS laws which have been passed at state levels.&lt;/p&gt;
  1038.  
  1039. &lt;p&gt;Twenty-eight states currently prohibit agencies from working with companies that boycott Israel, while six others passed similar bills in the form of executive orders, according to &lt;a href="https://www.newsweek.com/pro-palestinian-protest-states-colleges-illegal-bds-1895292"&gt;Newsweek&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1040.  
  1041. &lt;p&gt;When the Arkansas anti-BDS law was appealed, the US Supreme Court &lt;a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/21/top-us-court-refused-to-review-anti-bds-law-heres-what-it-means"&gt;opted not to review&lt;/a&gt; it, leaving lower courts to uphold the law.&lt;/p&gt;
  1042.  
  1043. &lt;h3&gt;What anti-BDS laws do&lt;/h3&gt;
  1044.  
  1045. &lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/23/us-states-use-anti-boycott-laws-punish-responsible-businesses"&gt;report&lt;/a&gt; by Human Rights Watch finds that anti-boycott laws "punish responsible businesses".&lt;/p&gt;
  1046.  
  1047. &lt;p&gt;Airbnb, for example, announced in 2018 that it would stop listing properties in Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law. Israel's strategic affairs minister wrote to several state governors, some of whom then took action against Airbnb. The company soon reversed its decision.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1048.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1049.    &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;
  1050. &lt;script&gt;
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  1053.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1054.  
  1055. //]]&gt;
  1056. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1057. &lt;/div&gt;
  1058. &lt;/div&gt;
  1059.  
  1060. &lt;p&gt;The report continued: "It is impossible to do business in the settlements without contributing to or benefitting from human rights abuse and violations of international humanitarian law."&lt;/p&gt;
  1061.  
  1062. &lt;p&gt;Several legal arguments have also emerged against anti-BDS laws. The American Civil Liberties Union &lt;a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/laws-suppressing-boycotts-israel-dont-prevent-discrimination-they-violate-civil"&gt;argued&lt;/a&gt; that anti-BDS laws violate the First Amendment right to boycott.&lt;/p&gt;
  1063.  
  1064. &lt;p&gt;An article published in the &lt;a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3186369"&gt;Columbia Journal of Transnational Law&lt;/a&gt; examined arguments justifying anti-BDS laws and found that "many of the anti-BDS laws likely run afoul of the First Amendment by imposing unconstitutional conditions on government contractors and/or beneficiaries of public funding".&lt;/p&gt;
  1065.  
  1066. &lt;p&gt;Many lawmakers have also justified anti-BDS laws as combating discrimination, but an article published in The &lt;a href="https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-133/wielding-antidiscrimination-law-to-suppress-the-movement-for-palestinian-rights/"&gt;Harvard&lt;/a&gt; Law Review argues that "anti-BDS laws are not backed by a valid antidiscrimination interest".&lt;/p&gt;
  1067. &lt;/div&gt;
  1068.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-politics" hreflang="en"&gt;US Politics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1069.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
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  1078.              &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;
  1079.      </description>
  1080.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 19:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
  1081.    <dc:creator>Selina Chen</dc:creator>
  1082.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381171 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1083.    </item>
  1084. <item>
  1085.  <title>Paris 2024: Olympics begins under shadow of Israeli obliteration of Palestinian sport  </title>
  1086.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/olympics-begins-under-shadow-israel-obliteration-palestine-sport</link>
  1087.  <description>
  1088. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Paris 2024: Olympics begins under shadow of Israeli obliteration of Palestinian sport  &lt;/span&gt;
  1089.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Palestinian athletes and administrators talk about Israel's killing of sports stars and destruction of facilities in Gaza&lt;/div&gt;
  1090.      
  1091. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/abubaker-abed" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/abubaker-abed" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Abubaker Abed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1092.  
  1093. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T16:06:06+01:00" title="25 July 2024 16:06 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 16:06&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1094.            &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/gaza-strip-palestinians-play-football-april-2024-afp.jpg.webp?itok=QAE3BfBZ 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/gaza-strip-palestinians-play-football-april-2024-afp.jpg?itok=QAE3BfBZ 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/gaza-strip-palestinians-play-football-april-2024-afp.jpg?itok=QAE3BfBZ 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/gaza-strip-palestinians-play-football-april-2024-afp.jpg?itok=LKZSPcvv" alt="Children watch as displaced Palestinians play football in the courtyard of a UN-run school in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on 23 July 2024 (AFP/Omar al-Qattaa)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1095.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Children watch as displaced Palestinians play football in the courtyard of a UN-run school in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on 23 July 2024 (AFP/Omar al-Qattaa)&lt;/div&gt;
  1096.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="line-height:1.38"&gt;Al-Salah Club in Deir al-Balah is one of very few sporting facilities in Gaza still standing.&lt;/p&gt;
  1097.  
  1098. &lt;p&gt;“The club is now a sanctuary… displaced people come to take shelter inside it,” Sobhi Mabrook, the second tier football club’s coach, tells Middle East Eye. &lt;/p&gt;
  1099.  
  1100. &lt;p&gt;“We thought of resuming sports activities, but we couldn’t. It’s unfeasible. This is a symptom of &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt;’s war on Gaza, particularly on sports.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1101.  
  1102. &lt;p&gt;Al-Salah, once a training facility for hundreds of athletes, was an incubator of different sports, including judo, karate, handball and wrestling. But all that changed when Israel’s onslaught on Gaza began on 7 October. &lt;/p&gt;
  1103.  
  1104. &lt;p&gt;Israeli bombs have killed many of the club’s talented stars. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1105.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  1114. &lt;/div&gt;
  1115. &lt;/div&gt;
  1116.  
  1117. &lt;p&gt;For those still alive, Israeli targeting of sports facilities and &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hunger-worse-bombings-starving-palestinians-gaza"&gt;deliberate starvation&lt;/a&gt; tactics have left them unfit and feeling weak. &lt;/p&gt;
  1118.  
  1119. &lt;p&gt;For club coach Mabrook, a former football star himself, the Olympic Games in Paris begins on Friday under the dark shadow of violent Israeli crimes. &lt;/p&gt;
  1120.  
  1121. &lt;p&gt;“We will see Palestinian Olympians next week. I hope we will be able to see and celebrate their triumphs,” he said, referring to eight athletes who will represent Palestine at the Games.&lt;/p&gt;
  1122.  
  1123. &lt;p&gt;“But unfortunately, not all do get the chance. We are occupied and marginalised. This is the undeniable reality of life in Gaza.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1124.  
  1125. &lt;h3&gt;Israel violates ancient 'Olympic Truce' &lt;/h3&gt;
  1126.  
  1127. &lt;p&gt;Around 350 &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian&lt;/a&gt; athletes have been killed by Israeli forces over the past 10 months, according to Palestine’s Olympic Committee. &lt;/p&gt;
  1128.  
  1129. &lt;p&gt;The Palestinian body wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week, calling for Israel to be banned from the Games over its war on Gaza. &lt;/p&gt;
  1130.  
  1131. &lt;p&gt;It adds to &lt;a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/palestine-israel-fifa-ban-expulsion-b2530688.html"&gt;efforts&lt;/a&gt; by the Palestinian Football Association to get Israel thrown out of Fifa, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  1141. &lt;/div&gt;
  1142. &lt;/div&gt;
  1143.  
  1144. &lt;p&gt;“We have submitted all the evidence to the IOC and Fifa to ban Israeli athletes,” Nader al-Jayooshi, deputy secretary-general of the Palestine Olympic Committee, told MEE.&lt;/p&gt;
  1145.  
  1146. &lt;p&gt;That evidence includes details about Israel &lt;a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/peace-in-peril-israel-accused-of-violating-olympic-truce-ahead-of-paris-2024/3284266"&gt;breaking&lt;/a&gt; an ancient Olympic Truce, just hours after it commenced on 19 July.&lt;/p&gt;
  1147.  
  1148. &lt;p&gt;The Olympic Truce, which dates back to ancient Greece in the eighth century BCE, calls for a halt to fighting ahead of the Games. &lt;/p&gt;
  1149.  
  1150. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  1151. &lt;p&gt;'We are occupied and marginalised. This is the undeniable reality of life in Gaza'&lt;/p&gt;
  1152.  
  1153. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;- Sobhi Mabrook, sports coach&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1154. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  1155.  
  1156. &lt;p&gt;Jayooshi said that Israel had breached international law, as well as the IOC and Fifa’s statutes. &lt;/p&gt;
  1157.  
  1158. &lt;p&gt;He pointed at examples of Israeli athletes competing at this week’s Olympics either having served in, or expressed public support of, Israel’s military. &lt;/p&gt;
  1159.  
  1160. &lt;p&gt;“Despite all [the evidence] submitted to both committees, we unfortunately received no positive response. This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said. &lt;/p&gt;
  1161.  
  1162. &lt;p&gt;The IOC reiterated this week its &lt;a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240723-ioc-mulls-palestinian-call-for-israel-olympics-ban"&gt;rejection&lt;/a&gt; of calls for Israel to be suspended. &lt;/p&gt;
  1163.  
  1164. &lt;p&gt;It has been accused of double standards, after banning Russia and Belarus from the Games over the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/russia-ukraine-war"&gt;war in Ukraine&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/russia"&gt;Russian&lt;/a&gt; and Belarussian athletes can only take part as neutrals, without flags or anthems being played.  &lt;/p&gt;
  1165.  
  1166. &lt;p&gt;Mirna Mehdi, a 17-year-old sports enthusiast in Gaza, believes that human rights are being applied selectively.&lt;/p&gt;
  1167.  
  1168. &lt;p&gt;“Russia was banned… and then Israel [is] committing genocide and escapes a ban,” Mehdi told MEE. &lt;/p&gt;
  1169.  
  1170. &lt;p&gt;“It looks like we’re living in a different world where human rights apply for specific categories," she added, tearfully.&lt;/p&gt;
  1171.  
  1172. &lt;h3&gt;'I lost my dreams, my teammates, everything'&lt;/h3&gt;
  1173.  
  1174. &lt;p&gt;Israel’s killing of Palestinian athletes began in the first few days of the war, when footballer Nazir al-Nashnash was &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-gaza-football-star-father-killed"&gt;killed&lt;/a&gt; by an Israeli missile in northern Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1175.  
  1176. &lt;p&gt;In November, Ibrahim Qusaya and Hassan Zuaiter, two members of Palestine’s national volleyball team, were killed by an Israeli air strike on Jabalia refugee camp. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  1185. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1186. &lt;/div&gt;
  1187. &lt;/div&gt;
  1188.  
  1189. &lt;p&gt;A month later, Bilal Abu Samaan, coach of the national athletics team, was killed in an Israeli air raid. &lt;/p&gt;
  1190.  
  1191. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  1192. &lt;p&gt;'Almost all sporting facilities have been obliterated. We need more than 10 years to resume'&lt;/p&gt;
  1193.  
  1194. &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;- Nader al-Jayooshi, Palestine Olympic Committee&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1195. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  1196.  
  1197. &lt;p&gt;Muhammad Barakat, who played for Palestine’s national football team, was &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-palestinian-footballer-killed-after-family-home-bombed"&gt;killed&lt;/a&gt; by an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza in March. He was known locally as “the legend of Khan Younis”. &lt;/p&gt;
  1198.  
  1199. &lt;p&gt;Distance runner Majed Abu Maraheel, Palestine’s first ever Olympian and flag bearer during the 1996 Games in Atlanta, &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinian-olympian-dies-gaza-lack-treatment-due-israels-war"&gt;died in June&lt;/a&gt; from kidney failure due to power outages and medical shortages caused by Israel’s war and siege. &lt;/p&gt;
  1200.  
  1201. &lt;p&gt;For Naji al-Nahal, one of Gaza’s finest and most decorated footballers, the last few months have been about queueing up for water and food, and mourning the killings of his coaches and fellow athletes. He hasn’t kicked a ball since 7 October.&lt;/p&gt;
  1202.  
  1203. &lt;p&gt;“I lost my passion, my dreams, my teammates, and my house… everything,” he told MEE. &lt;/p&gt;
  1204.  
  1205. &lt;p&gt;“This is the story of thousands of players. I had many opportunities abroad to play and revive my career. However, the situation is unbearable. I couldn't even pay the coordination fees.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1206.  
  1207. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1208.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/paris-olympics-2024-israel-participation-sparks-controversy-france"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/France-demonstration-Israel-olympics-April-2024-Jocard-AFP.jpg.webp?itok=BzxyYWO2" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Paris Olympics 2024: French MP denounces Israeli presence at games, sparking uproar&lt;/div&gt;
  1209.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/paris-olympics-2024-israel-participation-sparks-controversy-france"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1210. &lt;/div&gt;
  1211.  
  1212. &lt;p&gt;He said that Fifa and the IOC’s stances on the war were “disgraceful”. &lt;/p&gt;
  1213.  
  1214. &lt;p&gt;“Israel destroyed everything related to sports in Gaza, including clubs and stadiums,” said Nahal. &lt;/p&gt;
  1215.  
  1216. &lt;p&gt;Jayooshi reiterated that point, stating that Israel’s war on Gaza meant that no one from the enclave would be able to participate in the Olympics. &lt;/p&gt;
  1217.  
  1218. &lt;p&gt;“The future of sports in Gaza seems completely uncertain, as almost all sporting facilities have been obliterated. We need more than 10 years to resume sporting activities in the Strip,” he said. &lt;/p&gt;
  1219.  
  1220. &lt;p&gt;According to Palestine's FA, at least 50 sports facilities and stadiums have been destroyed in the enclave, &lt;a href="https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6335/Israel-must-be-held-accountable-for-its-crimes-against-Palestinian-athletes-in-Gaza"&gt;including&lt;/a&gt; Yarmouk, Palestine, Beit Hanoun, Tuffah, Shujaiya, Shati, Beit Lahia, Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat, and Khan Younis Municipal stadiums.&lt;/p&gt;
  1221.  
  1222. &lt;p&gt;The sports facilities still standing are in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, and include the Khadamat Deir al-Balah, Ittihad Deir al-Balah and Al-Salah clubs, as well as Mohammed Al-Durrah stadium. &lt;/p&gt;
  1223.  
  1224. &lt;p&gt;Last December, Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City was even used by Israeli forces to detain, strip&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-army-beloved-football-stadium-terror-camp"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;and &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-army-beloved-football-stadium-terror-camp"&gt;torture Palestinians&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  1225.  
  1226. &lt;h3&gt;'We will not give up'&lt;/h3&gt;
  1227.  
  1228. &lt;p&gt;Jayooshi said that despite everything, “our athletes are very eager and determined to do their best in the Olympics and overcome all difficulties, because we have a message to convey and an identity to maintain”.&lt;/p&gt;
  1229.  
  1230. &lt;p&gt;The eight Palestinian athletes participating in the coming days will compete in taekwondo, athletics, swimming, boxing, judo and skeet shooting. &lt;/p&gt;
  1231.  
  1232. &lt;p&gt;“I don’t know how I can watch the Games,” said footballer Nahal. “I really want to see our athletes, but the circumstances don’t help us. I just wish them all the best.” &lt;/p&gt;
  1233.  
  1234.  &lt;figure role="group" class="media-block"&gt;&lt;div class="group-inner"&gt;
  1235.    &lt;div alt="palestinians watch sport gaza" 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="eb1b5512-2d18-4cba-9af9-d28e601880b6" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"&gt;  &lt;img loading="lazy" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/Palestinian%20fans%20in%20a%20tent%20in%20Deir%20al-Balah%20watch%20sports%20on%20a%20power-supplied%20TV%20screen.jpg" width="1920" height="1081" alt="palestinians watch sport gaza" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1236. &lt;figcaption&gt;Palestinian fans in a tent in Deir al-Balah watch sports on a power-supplied TV screen (MEE/Abubaker Abed)&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1237. &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;
  1238.  
  1239. &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;
  1240.  
  1241. &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;
  1242.  
  1243. &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;
  1244.  
  1245. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background: url("https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png") rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); 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;
  1246.  
  1247. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background: url("https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png") rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); 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;
  1248.  
  1249. &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;
  1250.  
  1251. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background: url("https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png") rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); 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;
  1252.  
  1253. &lt;p&gt;Sports fan Mehdi said she was looking forward to watching and supporting Palestinian athletes. &lt;/p&gt;
  1254.  
  1255. &lt;p&gt;“The Olympics is a chance to tell the world more about our struggles and suffering during this genocide. Those participating athletes are our voice,” she said. “Whatever the result is, it will make us proud.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1256.  
  1257. &lt;p&gt;Jayooshi reiterated that Palestine will persevere, irrespective of all the pain and injustices. &lt;/p&gt;
  1258.  
  1259. &lt;p&gt;“In the end, we will not give up. We’ll continue despite all the wounds in our hearts. We deserve a life and a good future like any other humans around the world.”&lt;br /&gt;
  1260.  &lt;/p&gt;
  1261. &lt;/div&gt;
  1262.                  &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;
  1263.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor"&gt;
  1264.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/rayhan-uddin" hreflang="en"&gt;Rayhan Uddin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1265.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1266.        &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1267.              &lt;div&gt;London&lt;/div&gt;
  1268.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1269.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1270.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1271.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt;Gaza, occupied Palestine&lt;/div&gt;
  1272.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Olympics begins under shadow of Israeli obliteration of Palestinian sport  &lt;/div&gt;
  1273.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1274.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Paris%202024%3A%20Olympics%20begins%20under%20shadow%20of%20Israeli%20obliteration%20of%20Palestinian%20sport%C2%A0%C2%A0&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/olympics-begins-under-shadow-israel-obliteration-palestine-sport&amp;2=node/381131&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="riD0HIMkHF7NWVbbFChrUJxbpGKtNThjpPO4IxpZadA"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1275.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1276.              &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;
  1277.      </description>
  1278.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:06:06 +0000</pubDate>
  1279.    <dc:creator>Abubaker Abed</dc:creator>
  1280.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381131 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1281.    </item>
  1282. <item>
  1283.  <title>Israel offered Mohammed Dahlan 'keys to Gaza' in 2002, newly released files show</title>
  1284.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-offered-palestinian-mohammed-dahlan-keys-gaza-20-years-ago-files-show</link>
  1285.  <description>
  1286. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Israel offered Mohammed Dahlan 'keys to Gaza' in 2002, newly released files show&lt;/span&gt;
  1287.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Dahlan, who declined the offer, is said to be favoured by some US, Israeli and Arab officials to now lead post-war Gaza, a role he says he would also refuse &lt;/div&gt;
  1288.      
  1289. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/dania-akkad" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/dania-akkad" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Dania Akkad&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1290.  
  1291. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T11:29:20+01:00" title="25 July 2024 11:29 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 11:29&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1292.            &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/MohammedDahlan-2015-AFP.jpg.webp?itok=UE4Co_DD 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/MohammedDahlan-2015-AFP.jpg?itok=UE4Co_DD 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/MohammedDahlan-2015-AFP.jpg?itok=UE4Co_DD 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/MohammedDahlan-2015-AFP.jpg?itok=u0jL9-CK" alt="Mohammed Dahlan with a portrait of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at his office in Abu Dhabi in September 2015 (AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1293.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Mohammed Dahlan with a portrait of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at his office in Abu Dhabi in September 2015 (AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1294.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p style="line-height:1.38"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt; "offered the keys of Gaza" to Mohammed Dahlan at the height of the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/tags/second-intifada"&gt;Second Intifada&lt;/a&gt;, but the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/tags/palestinian-authority"&gt;Palestinian Authority&lt;/a&gt; (PA) security chief in Gaza declined, citing loyalty to then-leader Yasser Arafat, newly released official files seen by Middle East Eye show.&lt;/p&gt;
  1295.  
  1296. &lt;p&gt;A little over two decades later, Dahlan is &lt;a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/once-hamass-sworn-enemy-mohammed-dahlan-rises-as-a-postwar-strongman-f64676b1"&gt;reportedly&lt;/a&gt; top of the list for some US, Israeli and Arab officials who want him to take temporary control of a post-war Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1297.  
  1298. &lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/once-hamass-sworn-enemy-mohammed-dahlan-rises-as-a-postwar-strongman-f64676b1"&gt;Wall Street Journal report&lt;/a&gt; on Thursday said he is favoured by the parties to take charge of security in the enclave because he is independent of both Hamas and the PA.&lt;/p&gt;
  1299.  
  1300. &lt;p&gt;One option under consideration would have Dahlan oversee a 2,500-strong Palestinian security force coordinating with an international force as Israeli troops pull out, Arab officials told the Journal.&lt;/p&gt;
  1301.  
  1302. &lt;p&gt;The report also says that Hamas has "softened its opposition to Dahlan" in recent weeks, although senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told the paper it would be "unacceptable for any party to be imposed from above".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1303.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1304.    &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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  1310. //]]&gt;
  1311. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1312. &lt;/div&gt;
  1313. &lt;/div&gt;
  1314.  
  1315. &lt;p&gt;On Thursday, Dahlan &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/mohammad_dahlan/status/1816453600664748097?s=48&amp;t=mk7E11wnx8ny5heu96dRVg"&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; in a statement on X that he would "not support any choice that has not been reached based on Palestinian national understandings".&lt;/p&gt;
  1316.  
  1317. &lt;p&gt;Such an understanding would lead to a rebuilding of the Palestinian political system and an international action plan resulting in the creation of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, he said.&lt;/p&gt;
  1318.  
  1319. &lt;p&gt;"I have repeatedly refused to accept any security, governmental or executive role," he said.&lt;/p&gt;
  1320.  
  1321. &lt;p&gt;Indeed in 2002, he told Israeli officials that he would not take control of Gaza "without Arafat's say-so", according to a report of a meeting between British and Israeli officials released by the National Archives this week.&lt;/p&gt;
  1322.  
  1323. &lt;h3&gt;'The keys to Gaza'&lt;/h3&gt;
  1324.  
  1325. &lt;p&gt;The April 2002 meeting brought together Israeli Defence Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Lord Levy, Tony Blair's special envoy to the Middle East, and British ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles. &lt;/p&gt;
  1326.  
  1327. &lt;p&gt;A month earlier, following a wave of suicide attacks which killed dozens of Israelis, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had launched a major ground incursion into the occupied West Bank.&lt;/p&gt;
  1328.  
  1329. &lt;p&gt;By the time of the meeting, archived documents show British officials had grown increasingly concerned over media reports of serious human rights violations committed by the Israeli military.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1330.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1331.    &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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  1337. //]]&gt;
  1338. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1339. &lt;/div&gt;
  1340. &lt;/div&gt;
  1341.  
  1342. &lt;p&gt;Levy and Cowper-Coles repeatedly pressed Ben-Eliezer in the meeting to explain "the military and political logic" of the campaign, according to a meeting note.&lt;/p&gt;
  1343.  
  1344. &lt;p&gt;The Israelis had said they were attempting to reduce terrorism and dismantle terrorist infrastructure, but the diplomats expressed doubt that the incursion would achieve this.&lt;/p&gt;
  1345.  
  1346. &lt;p&gt;"Lord Levy added that the essential point was that three and a half million Palestinians could not be kept under Israeli military occupation," the note says. "Britain stood ready to help in securing Israeli withdrawal."&lt;/p&gt;
  1347.  
  1348. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1349.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-military-behaving-russian-army-west-bank-uk-warned"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/WestBank-IsraelArmyOperation-2002-AFP.jpg.webp?itok=gv5DZ7wV" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Israeli military behaved 'like Russian army' in West Bank, UK warned&lt;/div&gt;
  1350.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-military-behaving-russian-army-west-bank-uk-warned"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1351. &lt;/div&gt;
  1352.  
  1353. &lt;p&gt;Levy said he was prepared to meet with Arafat, who was under an Israeli military siege in his compound. But Ben-Eliezer said the Israeli security cabinet had decided that no one could see Arafat, including US Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni.&lt;/p&gt;
  1354.  
  1355. &lt;p&gt;Ben-Eliezer said he agreed "there was no military solution" and that he had favoured negotiations. "But Sharon's way was not Fuad's way," the note says, calling the defence minister by his birth name and frequent nickname.&lt;/p&gt;
  1356.  
  1357. &lt;p&gt;"The present situation was entirely Arafat's fault," the note attributed to Ben-Eliezer. "Fuad had offered the keys of Gaza to Dahlan, but neither he nor [then Palestinian security chief in the West Bank Jibril] Rajoub would move without Arafat's say-so."&lt;/p&gt;
  1358.  
  1359. &lt;p&gt;Later that year, after &lt;a href="https://press.un.org/en/2002/sg2077.doc.htm"&gt;nearly 500 Palestinians&lt;/a&gt; were killed in the operation and Arafat's compound was under Israeli military siege for the second time that year, Dahlan &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/02/comment"&gt;wrote&lt;/a&gt;: "As long as the Israelis are against Arafat, I'm with him."&lt;/p&gt;
  1360.  
  1361. &lt;p&gt;In 2006, Dahlan was elected as Palestinian Legislative Council representative for Khan Younis, the city in Gaza where he was born and raised. He was elected to the Fatah Party's central committee in 2009.&lt;/p&gt;
  1362.  
  1363. &lt;p&gt;But in 2011, he was dispelled from Fatah after a bitter row with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and the party. He has lived in exile in the United Arab Emirates ever since.&lt;/p&gt;
  1364.  
  1365. &lt;p&gt;Dahlan is understood to have worked in recent months on getting aid into Gaza and said on Thursday that his highest priority was to end the war.&lt;/p&gt;
  1366.  
  1367. &lt;p&gt;"All my colleagues and myself are only involved to provide everything we can to bring relief to our people in Gaza with generous and continuous support from our brothers in the United Arab Emirates throughout this ongoing dirty genocide," he &lt;a href="https://x.com/mohammad_dahlan/status/1816453600664748097"&gt;tweeted&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1368.  
  1369. &lt;p&gt;"We strongly affirm that our highest priority now is to end the war. We will not support any choice that has not been reached based on Palestinian national understandings. &lt;/p&gt;
  1370.  
  1371. &lt;p&gt;"Such understanding would lead us to rebuilding the Palestinian political system through a transparent democratic process, as well as securing a documented and scheduled international action plan that would result in the culmination of the struggles of our people in the creation of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital," he added.&lt;/p&gt;
  1372. &lt;/div&gt;
  1373.                  &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;
  1374.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1375.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1376.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1377.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1378.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1379.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1380.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1381.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Israel%20offered%20Mohammed%20Dahlan%20%27keys%20to%20Gaza%27%20in%202002%2C%20newly%20released%20files%20show&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-offered-palestinian-mohammed-dahlan-keys-gaza-20-years-ago-files-show&amp;2=node/381016&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="2VPLPNc_ZS131_sgL1ZWBagIV_ihfGE4ooUBPXEXAxU"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1382.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1383.              &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;
  1384.      </description>
  1385.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 10:29:20 +0000</pubDate>
  1386.    <dc:creator>Dania Akkad</dc:creator>
  1387.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381016 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1388.    </item>
  1389. <item>
  1390.  <title>Emirati passports discovered in Sudan suggest UAE boots on the ground</title>
  1391.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/emirati-passports-sudan-suggest-uae-boots-ground</link>
  1392.  <description>
  1393. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Emirati passports discovered in Sudan suggest UAE boots on the ground&lt;/span&gt;
  1394.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;The UAE has long been accused of drawing out the conflict in Sudan through its involvement&lt;/div&gt;
  1395.      
  1396. &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;
  1397.  
  1398. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T13:41:51+01:00" title="25 July 2024 13:41 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 13:41&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1399.            &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_REFUGEE_AFP.jpg.webp?itok=EZqUWtNr 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="934"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;source srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/SUDAN_REFUGEE_AFP.jpg?itok=EZqUWtNr 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="934"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/SUDAN_REFUGEE_AFP.jpg?itok=EZqUWtNr 1x" width="1400" height="934" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/SUDAN_REFUGEE_AFP.jpg?itok=Y5fkdJJa" alt="A Sudanese woman who has fled from the war in Sudan looks on from a truck arriving at a transit centre for refugees in Renk on 13 February (AFP/Luis Tato)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1400.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;A Sudanese woman who has fled from the war in Sudan looks on from a truck arriving at a transit centre for refugees in Renk on 13 February (AFP/Luis Tato)&lt;/div&gt;
  1401.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-join-uae-gaza-force-now-why"&gt;Emirati &lt;/a&gt;passports recovered in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/sudan"&gt;Sudan &lt;/a&gt;have provided damning evidence that the UAE has been intervening in the conflict in the north African country.&lt;/p&gt;
  1402.  
  1403. &lt;p&gt;According to the Guardian, a document sent to the UN Security Council and seen by the newspaper contains images allegedly found in Sudan and linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group that has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the country since April 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  1404.  
  1405. &lt;p&gt;Middle East Eye has reported previously on the&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf" target="_blank"&gt; extensive support the UAE provides for the RSF &lt;/a&gt;through a network of supply routes that run through Libya, Chad, Uganda and Central African Republic.&lt;/p&gt;
  1406.  
  1407. &lt;p&gt;The UAE continues to deny that it is arming and supplying the RSF, which is led by its longtime ally Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the general and former Janjaweed commander known as Hemeti.&lt;/p&gt;
  1408.  
  1409. &lt;p&gt;International human rights groups have found “clear and compelling evidence” that the RSF is &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-genocide-darfur-taking-place-rsf" target="_blank"&gt;committing genocide against “non-Arab groups”&lt;/a&gt; in Darfur, the vast western region of Sudan that is now almost entirely controlled by the paramilitary force.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
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  1412. &lt;script&gt;
  1413. //&lt;![CDATA[
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  1415.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1416.  
  1417. //]]&gt;
  1418. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1419. &lt;/div&gt;
  1420. &lt;/div&gt;
  1421.  
  1422. &lt;p&gt;The discovery of the passports will add to pressure on the West to rein in its allies in the region and stymie their involvement in the conflict.&lt;/p&gt;
  1423.  
  1424. &lt;p&gt;They apparently belong to male Emiratis, two born in Dubai, one in the city of Al Ain and another in Ajman.&lt;/p&gt;
  1425.  
  1426. &lt;p&gt;Cameron Hudson, the former Sudan adviser to the US government, told the Guardian it would “force Washington to acknowledge what it knows about this, and will force them to respond.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1427.  
  1428. &lt;p&gt;The document also said that the UAE had supplied the RSF with drones modified to drop thermobaric bombs, a controversial weapon with a wider damage impact than conventional weapons of a similar size.&lt;/p&gt;
  1429.  
  1430. &lt;p&gt;According to US estimates, &lt;a href="https://x.com/geoffreyyork/status/1786073142475075756" target="_blank"&gt;around 150,000 people&lt;/a&gt; have been killed so far in Sudan’s war, which has been raging for 15 months. &lt;/p&gt;
  1431.  
  1432. &lt;p&gt;More than &lt;a href="https://www.iom.int/news/sudan-internal-displacement-set-top-10-million-famine-looms-iom#:~:text=IOM's%20Displacement%20Tracking%20Matrix%2C%20which,war%2C%20and%207.1%20million%20since,%20making%20Sudan%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20displacement%20crisis." target="_blank"&gt;10 million Sudanese&lt;/a&gt; are displaced within the country, which the United Nations calls the world’s worst displacement crisis.&lt;/p&gt;
  1433. &lt;/div&gt;
  1434.                  &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;
  1435.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1436.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1437.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1438.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1439.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1440.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1441.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1442.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Emirati%20passports%20discovered%20in%20Sudan%20suggest%20UAE%20boots%20on%20the%20ground&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/emirati-passports-sudan-suggest-uae-boots-ground&amp;2=node/381076&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="bYwKQb_lUcj-33fsyMRpcMFrsSgwRijEi461mFnF8IM"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1443.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1444.              &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;
  1445.      </description>
  1446.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:41:51 +0000</pubDate>
  1447.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  1448.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381076 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1449.    </item>
  1450. <item>
  1451.  <title>Exclusive: UK expected to restrict arms sales to Israel and drop ICC objection</title>
  1452.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-uk-likely-restrict-arms-sales-israel-and-drop-icc-objection</link>
  1453.  <description>
  1454. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Exclusive: UK expected to restrict arms sales to Israel and drop ICC objection&lt;/span&gt;
  1455.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;MEE has learnt that the Labour government is likely to announce some restrictions on arms sales to Israel, but not suspend them entirely&lt;/div&gt;
  1456.      
  1457. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/imran-mullah" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/imran-mullah" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Imran Mulla&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1458.  
  1459. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T13:27:11+01:00" title="25 July 2024 13:27 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 13:27&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1460.            &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/000_364W6HN.jpg.webp?itok=Rs-MIEuP 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/000_364W6HN.jpg?itok=Rs-MIEuP 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/000_364W6HN.jpg?itok=Rs-MIEuP 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/000_364W6HN.jpg?itok=SEXQBjD9" alt="Prime Minister Keir Starmer (AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1461.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously called for a ceasefire in Gaza (AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1462.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/uk"&gt;UK &lt;/a&gt;is expected to introduce restrictions on arms sales to &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel"&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt;, Middle East Eye can reveal. It is also expected to drop its objection to the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-joins-more-60-other-states-entities-set-weigh-icc-gaza-case"&gt;International Criminal Court&lt;/a&gt;’s (ICC) arrest warrant for senior Israeli leaders.&lt;/p&gt;
  1463.  
  1464. &lt;p&gt;Well-informed sources within the Labour Party told Middle East Eye that in the coming days the government is likely to introduce some restrictions on arms sales but not suspend sales entirely.&lt;/p&gt;
  1465.  
  1466. &lt;p&gt;The development comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pro-palestine-protesters-block-foreign-office-entrance-calling#:~:text=He%20also%20said%20that%20given,the%20review%20he%20had%20ordered."&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; last week that he requested a comprehensive review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law on his first day in office.&lt;/p&gt;
  1467.  
  1468. &lt;p&gt;Sources told MEE that the announced restrictions are likely to be on the sale of offensive weapons. The foreign secretary &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pro-palestine-protesters-block-foreign-office-entrance-calling#:~:text=He%20also%20said%20that%20given,the%20review%20he%20had%20ordered."&gt;told&lt;/a&gt; MPs last week that given the attacks by the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas on Israel, it would “not be right to have a blanket ban between our countries”.&lt;/p&gt;
  1469.  
  1470. &lt;p&gt;He &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pro-palestine-protesters-block-foreign-office-entrance-calling#:~:text=He%20also%20said%20that%20given,the%20review%20he%20had%20ordered."&gt;suggested&lt;/a&gt; he was looking at offensive weapons Israel could use in Gaza as part of the review he had ordered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1471.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1472.    &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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  1479. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1480. &lt;/div&gt;
  1481. &lt;/div&gt;
  1482.  
  1483. &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/export-control-licensing-data-31-may-2024"&gt;More than 100&lt;/a&gt; UK export licences for the sale of weapons, military equipment and other controlled items to Israel have been approved since October 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  1484.  
  1485. &lt;p&gt;The Department for Business and Trade filed an &lt;a href="https://www.glanlaw.org/_files/ugd/26e1a5_14f16c2640e24bc99211ee41243e9c45.pdf"&gt;affidavit&lt;/a&gt; at the High Court in January which showed that the government unit overseeing arms exports had identified 28 licences and 28 pending applications for licences for equipment marked as “most likely to be used by the IDF in an offensive operations in Gaza”.&lt;/p&gt;
  1486.  
  1487. &lt;p&gt;This equipment could be targeted by any new restrictions on arms sales. &lt;/p&gt;
  1488.  
  1489. &lt;p&gt;Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, told MEE: “The possible steps that the UK government may be taking into arms sales to Israel will be very welcome if they pose a meaningful restriction to the sale of those arms and in any way inhibits the Israeli ability to carry them out.” &lt;/p&gt;
  1490.  
  1491. &lt;p&gt;Washington has previously &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/biden-halt-offensive-weapons-shipments-israel-rafah-invasion"&gt;threatened&lt;/a&gt; to suspend offensive weapons transfers to Israel. In May, US President Joe Biden threatened to do so if Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah in Gaza, although he did not go ahead with the measures.&lt;/p&gt;
  1492.  
  1493. &lt;p&gt;Last week, the International Court of Justice issued an &lt;a href="https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf"&gt;advisory opinion&lt;/a&gt; that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is unlawful and should be brought to an end “as rapidly as possible”. &lt;/p&gt;
  1494.  
  1495. &lt;p&gt;It said that member states of the ICJ, which include the UK, have a duty to “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel”.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1496.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1497.    &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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  1503. //]]&gt;
  1504. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1505. &lt;/div&gt;
  1506. &lt;/div&gt;
  1507.  
  1508. &lt;p&gt;This has led to renewed calls on the government to suspend arms sales to Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  1509.  
  1510. &lt;p&gt;Zaki Sarraf, legal officer at the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, said: “There are indications that the UK government may restrict arms sales to Israel and withdraw their objections to ICC arrest warrants. These steps must be implemented without delay. &lt;/p&gt;
  1511.  
  1512. &lt;p&gt;“Anything less would render the UK complicit in Israel’s extensive war crimes against Palestinians. To uphold justice and international law, immediate action is not just necessary to save lives—it’s imperative.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1513.  
  1514. &lt;p&gt;Katie Fallon, advocacy manager at Campaign Against Arms Trade, told MEE that any suspension of arms exports must include “the UK’s significant contribution to &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/groups-warn-uk-arms-companies-criminal-liability-over-israel-exports"&gt;F-35 and F-16 jets&lt;/a&gt; which are currently dropping bombs on Gaza”. &lt;/p&gt;
  1515.  
  1516. &lt;p&gt;This includes supplying the jets “via the US or other countries on ‘open’ or ‘incorporation’ licences, as is currently the case.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1517.  
  1518. &lt;h3&gt;'An opportunity'&lt;/h3&gt;
  1519.  
  1520. &lt;p&gt;The UK is also expected in the coming days to drop its objection to the ICC’s decision on whether an &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/unpacking-icc-arrest-warrant-bids"&gt;arrest warrant&lt;/a&gt; can be issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to well-informed sources within the Labour Party.&lt;/p&gt;
  1521.  
  1522. &lt;p&gt;Under the previous Conservative government, the UK filed a request on 10 June to provide written information &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/icc-allows-uk-submit-arguments-disputing-prosecution-israelis-gaza-case"&gt;arguing&lt;/a&gt; that since Palestinian authorities do not have jurisdiction over Israeli nationals under the Oslo Accords, they cannot transfer jurisdiction to the ICC. On 27 June, ICC judges &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-accused-obstructing-prosecution-netanyahu"&gt;ruled&lt;/a&gt; the UK can submit legal arguments in the case &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1523.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1524.    &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;
  1525. &lt;script&gt;
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  1530. //]]&gt;
  1531. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1532. &lt;/div&gt;
  1533. &lt;/div&gt;
  1534.  
  1535. &lt;p&gt;Labour officials were &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/article/2024/jul/08/labour-expected-to-drop-challenge-to-icc-over-netanyahu-arrest-warrant"&gt;briefed&lt;/a&gt; days after the election that the new government believes the ICC has jurisdiction over Gaza, but this was followed by reports that the US was lobbying Labour to not to drop the legal challenge.&lt;/p&gt;
  1536.  
  1537. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-opinion mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1538.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/labour-israel-and-problem-david-lammy"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/lammy-welshlabour-may2024crop.jpg.webp?itok=Klvf7hKu" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Labour, Israel and the problem of David Lammy&lt;/div&gt;
  1539.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/labour-israel-and-problem-david-lammy"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1540. &lt;/div&gt;
  1541.  
  1542. &lt;p&gt;On 15 July, Israeli news outlets &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/labour-backtracks-decision-drop-objection-icc-arrest-warrants"&gt;reported&lt;/a&gt; that the UK had assured Israel it will maintain its objection.&lt;/p&gt;
  1543.  
  1544. &lt;p&gt;Doyle told MEE that the Labour government should demonstrate its commitment to international law by allowing the court to “make its decisions free from political interference”.&lt;/p&gt;
  1545.  
  1546. &lt;p&gt;“It’s also very important that Britain demonstrates that it is not in any way going to continue to be complicit in what’s going on in Gaza, as has hitherto been the case,” he added. &lt;/p&gt;
  1547.  
  1548. &lt;p&gt;“It is an opportunity for this government to actually end that complicity. And it sends a signal that I hope that other countries will follow.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1549.  
  1550. &lt;p&gt;The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told MEE: "A review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law is ongoing."&lt;/p&gt;
  1551.  
  1552. &lt;p&gt;The office also pointed MEE to a comment from the prime minister's spokesperson on Thursday regarding the ICC.&lt;/p&gt;
  1553.  
  1554. &lt;p&gt;"On the ICC, we’ve also spoken consistently about the importance of the independence of both the prosecutor and the court. It is for the prosecutor and the court to make a decision," the spokesperson said.&lt;/p&gt;
  1555.  
  1556. &lt;p&gt;"Now, with regard to the previous government’s proposals around a submission, we are looking at that but I don’t have any further updates."&lt;/p&gt;
  1557.  
  1558. &lt;p&gt;These developments come as Labour has faced increasing &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pro-palestine-protesters-block-foreign-office-entrance-calling#:~:text=He%20also%20said%20that%20given,the%20review%20he%20had%20ordered."&gt;pressure&lt;/a&gt; by civil society and human rights groups to suspend arms sales to Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
  1559.  
  1560. &lt;p&gt;Senior politicians in the party have &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/labour-loses-three-seats-to-pro-palestinian-candidates"&gt;expressed&lt;/a&gt; concern that Labour lost seats at the recent general election due to &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/why-british-muslim-voters-accused-sectarian-politics"&gt;discontent&lt;/a&gt; among voters, especially British Muslims, over the party’s early support for Israel’s war on Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1561.  
  1562. &lt;p&gt;Five independent MPs were &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/why-british-muslim-voters-accused-sectarian-politics"&gt;elected&lt;/a&gt; at the recent general election on a pro-Gaza platform.&lt;/p&gt;
  1563.  
  1564. &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/new-open-source-report-finds-gaza-health-ministry-death-toll-broadly-reliable"&gt;Over&lt;/a&gt; 39,000 Palestinians have been killed and 90,257 wounded in Gaza as a result of Israel’s ongoing assault on the besieged enclave.&lt;/p&gt;
  1565.  
  1566. &lt;p&gt;Thousands more Palestinians are missing and presumed dead under the rubble following Israeli attacks.&lt;/p&gt;
  1567. &lt;/div&gt;
  1568.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/uk-politics" hreflang="en"&gt;UK Politics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1569.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1570.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1571.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1572.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1573.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1574.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1575.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Exclusive: UK expected to restrict arms sales to Israel&lt;/div&gt;
  1576.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1577.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Exclusive%3A%20UK%20expected%20to%20restrict%20arms%20sales%20to%20Israel%20and%20drop%20ICC%20objection&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-uk-likely-restrict-arms-sales-israel-and-drop-icc-objection&amp;2=node/381081&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="Kdi2Knr47gYr5HK5IGuPm-8we-mCl8e78f9qBqhY7qk"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1578.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1579.              &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;
  1580.      </description>
  1581.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:27:11 +0000</pubDate>
  1582.    <dc:creator>Imran Mulla</dc:creator>
  1583.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381081 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1584.    </item>
  1585. <item>
  1586.  <title>Iranian press review: Activists challenge Pezeshkian’s stance on gender equality</title>
  1587.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iranian-press-review-activists-challenge-pezeshkians-stance-gender-equality</link>
  1588.  <description>
  1589. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Iranian press review: Activists challenge Pezeshkian’s stance on gender equality&lt;/span&gt;
  1590.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Meanwhile, report reveals former government purged schools of moderate teachers, the president’s remarks about election boycotters fuel criticism, and experts warn about alarming addiction rates&lt;/div&gt;
  1591.      
  1592. &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;
  1593.  
  1594. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T13:27:51+01:00" title="25 July 2024 13:27 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 13:27&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1595.            &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/Iran-women-pezeshkian-meeting-june-2024-afp.jpg.webp?itok=NHZ4yVOd 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/Iran-women-pezeshkian-meeting-june-2024-afp.jpg?itok=NHZ4yVOd 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/Iran-women-pezeshkian-meeting-june-2024-afp.jpg?itok=NHZ4yVOd 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Iran-women-pezeshkian-meeting-june-2024-afp.jpg?itok=sCT7nThp" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1596.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Iranian women attend a meeting with reformist candidate Massoud Pezeshkian, during his election campaigning, in Tehran on 14 June 2024 (AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1597.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Pezeshkian’s election ignites debate on women's rights&lt;/h3&gt;
  1598.  
  1599. &lt;p&gt;Masoud Pezeshkian's election as a candidate supported by &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/iran"&gt;Iranian&lt;/a&gt; reformists has once again brought women’s demands for equal rights to the forefront of social discussions in Iran. &lt;/p&gt;
  1600.  
  1601. &lt;p&gt;However, many activists argued that Pezeshkian's views on women’s rights align with the traditional and restrictive attitudes of the establishment. Activists seized on Pezeshkian's &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-election-reformist-lawmaker-masoud-pezeshkian-wins-president"&gt;victory&lt;/a&gt; as an opportunity to highlight the ongoing injustices against women.&lt;/p&gt;
  1602.  
  1603. &lt;p&gt;Shima Ghooshe, an Iranian feminist lawyer, urged Pezeshkian to take concrete actions to advance women's rights in the country rather than merely discussing them. &lt;/p&gt;
  1604.  
  1605. &lt;p&gt;“To say ‘I know that women have these demands’ is not enough. Not only in Iran but worldwide, everyone knows our demands. But what is being done to address them?” Ghooshe was quoted by the &lt;a href="https://www.etemadnewspaper.ir/fa/main/detail/219633/%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B2%D9%86%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AF%DA%AF%DB%8C"&gt;Etemad&lt;/a&gt; daily as saying.&lt;/p&gt;
  1606.  
  1607. &lt;p&gt;She emphasised gender equality as one of Iranian women's main demands have for the president, contrasting it with Pezeshkian's campaign focus on "gender justice". &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1608.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1609.    &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;
  1610. &lt;script&gt;
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  1613.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
  1614.  
  1615. //]]&gt;
  1616. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1617. &lt;/div&gt;
  1618. &lt;/div&gt;
  1619.  
  1620. &lt;p&gt;“He talks about gender justice, but we are talking about gender equality. For years, women's demand has been equality, not gender justice. The term gender justice has been proposed and repeated [by the establishment] to suppress [women],” she said. &lt;/p&gt;
  1621.  
  1622. &lt;h3&gt;Raisi installed over 20,000 conservative teachers &lt;/h3&gt;
  1623.  
  1624. &lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.etemadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C-23/667216-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3-%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%87"&gt;Etemad&lt;/a&gt; daily has revealed the efforts of the conservative government of Ebrahim Raisi to purge teachers who opposed the establishment and replace them with over 20,000 pro-conservative individuals.&lt;/p&gt;
  1625.  
  1626. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1627.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-masoud-pezeshkian-reformist-hope-conservative-trap"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/Iran-presidential-candidate-masoud-pezeshkian-reuters.jpg.webp?itok=E8H5EbgL" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian: Reformist hope or conservative trap?&lt;/div&gt;
  1628.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-masoud-pezeshkian-reformist-hope-conservative-trap"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1629. &lt;/div&gt;
  1630.  
  1631. &lt;p&gt;In an interview with the daily, Morteza Nazari, a university lecturer and former head of the information centre of the Ministry of Education, announced the appointment of more than 20,000 school principals and widespread political interference in the education sector.&lt;/p&gt;
  1632.  
  1633. &lt;p&gt;Schools in Iran became the focus of international attention after the 2022 nationwide anti-establishment uprising. During the protests, schoolgirls joined the movement, chanting slogans against the government in classrooms and tearing pictures of the country's supreme leader from their textbooks.&lt;/p&gt;
  1634.  
  1635. &lt;p&gt;According to Etemad's report, teachers and administrators who supported the protesting students were either disciplined, their salaries and ranks reduced, or reprimanded or denied promotions.&lt;/p&gt;
  1636.  
  1637. &lt;p&gt;"The officials of the Ministry of Education lacked leadership and were unaware of generational changes, trying to control the teachers and administrators with orders,"  Etemad quoted Nazari as saying.&lt;/p&gt;
  1638.  
  1639. &lt;p&gt;"Instead of talking to the teachers, they filed disciplinary cases against them."&lt;/p&gt;
  1640.  
  1641. &lt;h3&gt;Pezeshkian’s remarks spark widespread anger&lt;/h3&gt;
  1642.  
  1643. &lt;p&gt;Remarks made by President Pezeshkian in parliament regarding those who boycotted the last presidential election have sparked negative reactions.&lt;/p&gt;
  1644.  
  1645. &lt;p&gt;In a brief speech in parliament, Pezeshkian said the people who participated in the election "struck a strong blow to the mouths of those both inside and outside the country who were promoting [the boycott of the election]."&lt;/p&gt;
  1646.  
  1647. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1648.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamburgs-islamic-centre-germany-shut-down-front-for-iran"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/000_364V4GN%281%29.jpg.webp?itok=MwNi0rNy" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Germany's Islamic Centre Hamburg shut down, called a 'front for Iran'&lt;/div&gt;
  1649.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamburgs-islamic-centre-germany-shut-down-front-for-iran"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1650. &lt;/div&gt;
  1651.  
  1652. &lt;p&gt;The first round of the recent presidential election in Iran witnessed the lowest turnout in the country's history, while the turnout in the second round reached nearly 50 percent.&lt;/p&gt;
  1653.  
  1654. &lt;p&gt;Keyvan Samimi, a political activist critical of the government who supported voting for Pezeshkian in the second round, &lt;a href="https://t.me/Kaivan_Samimi/285"&gt;criticised&lt;/a&gt; him for changing his attitude after winning the elections.&lt;/p&gt;
  1655.  
  1656. &lt;p&gt;"The things I heard [from Pezeshkian] before the elections are different from some of the things I hear now… Today, he used violent rhetoric. It is necessary to immediately apologise to the opponents of voting and recognise the right to civil protest," Samimi wrote on Telegram.&lt;/p&gt;
  1657.  
  1658. &lt;p&gt;One of the president's supporters, also &lt;a href="https://x.com/Roham___/status/1815283482710409438"&gt;wrote&lt;/a&gt; on X: "Pezeshkian still has my vote, but he is so wrong when he sees my support as a mandate to silence others.&lt;/p&gt;
  1659.  
  1660. &lt;p&gt;"Those close to him will betray him if they don't convey these words to him. Honesty and transparency are not the same as shamelessness!”&lt;/p&gt;
  1661.  
  1662. &lt;h3&gt;Alarm over spike in of drug addiction and deaths&lt;/h3&gt;
  1663.  
  1664. &lt;p&gt;Social experts have raised alarms over the escalating drug addiction crisis in Iran, highlighting a staggering number of addicts and fatalities attributed to drug use. &lt;/p&gt;
  1665.  
  1666. &lt;p&gt;Announcing that there are 4.4 million regular and intermittent drug users across the nation, experts warn of the critical conditions surrounding addiction in the country.&lt;/p&gt;
  1667.  
  1668. &lt;p&gt;In a recent report, the &lt;a href="https://www.armandaily.ir/%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7-4-5-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA/"&gt;Arman&lt;/a&gt; daily wrote that, considering the family members of those suffering from addiction, approximately 15 million people are affected directly or indirectly by this pervasive issue.&lt;/p&gt;
  1669.  
  1670. &lt;p&gt;The report also highlighted the grim reality of drug-related deaths in Iran. With around 4,000 fatalities annually due to drug use, Iran ranks among the countries with the highest addiction-related death tolls globally.&lt;/p&gt;
  1671.  
  1672. &lt;p&gt;Adding to the concern is the decreasing age of drug users, which has elicited significant reactions from experts. &lt;/p&gt;
  1673.  
  1674. &lt;p&gt;Statistics indicate that the prevalence rate of addiction stands at five percent among the active population, two percent among school students, and a worrying 22 percent among the working class population. &lt;/p&gt;
  1675. &lt;/div&gt;
  1676.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/iran-press-review" hreflang="en"&gt;Iranian Press Review&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1677.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1678.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1679.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1680.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1681.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1682.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1683.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Activists challenge Iranian president's stance on gender equality: Press review&lt;/div&gt;
  1684.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1685.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Iranian%20press%20review%3A%20Activists%20challenge%20Pezeshkian%E2%80%99s%20stance%20on%20gender%20equality&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/iranian-press-review-activists-challenge-pezeshkians-stance-gender-equality&amp;2=node/381061&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="DVylV9XaPrAo3dzsWXxYrur8aP5BX0Z2xXoc1dlmhdc"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1686.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1687.              &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;
  1688.      </description>
  1689.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:27:51 +0000</pubDate>
  1690.    <dc:creator>MEE correspondent</dc:creator>
  1691.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381061 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1692.    </item>
  1693. <item>
  1694.  <title>Suspended MP claims Labour offered support for abuse legislation if she backed benefit cap</title>
  1695.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/apsana-begum-labour-offered-support-abuse-legislation-benefits-vote</link>
  1696.  <description>
  1697. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Suspended MP claims Labour offered support for abuse legislation if she backed benefit cap&lt;/span&gt;
  1698.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Begum was one of seven Labour MPs who was suspended after breaking with the government over a vote to maintain child benefit caps&lt;/div&gt;
  1699.      
  1700. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/shafik-mandhai" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/shafik-mandhai" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Shafik Mandhai&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1701.  
  1702. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T11:57:05+01:00" title="25 July 2024 11:57 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 11:57&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1703.            &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/ApsanaBegum.jpg.webp?itok=2sC87Ig0 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/ApsanaBegum.jpg?itok=2sC87Ig0 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="1400" height="787"&gt;&lt;/source&gt;&lt;img srcset="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/ApsanaBegum.jpg?itok=2sC87Ig0 1x" width="1400" height="787" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/ApsanaBegum.jpg?itok=TdfWh6qt" alt="Begum pictured campaigning with another suspended MP, Zarah Sultana, in June (Apsana Begum/X)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1704.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Begum pictured campaigning with another suspended MP, Zarah Sultana, in June (Apsana Begum/X)&lt;/div&gt;
  1705.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;A suspended &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/labour-israel-and-problem-david-lammy"&gt;Labour &lt;/a&gt;MP said party officials conditioned backing for domestic abuse legislation she was championing on her supporting the government during a recent vote on the &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-muslims-affected-benefits-cap-labour-mps-suspended"&gt;child benefits&lt;/a&gt; cap.&lt;/p&gt;
  1706.  
  1707. &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/british-bangladeshi-labour-members-outraged-over-starmers-deportation-comments"&gt;Apsana Begum&lt;/a&gt;, who was suspended alongside six other Labour MPs for supporting an opposition amendment on the issue, made the comments to Sky News on Wednesday, a day after the vote.&lt;/p&gt;
  1708.  
  1709. &lt;p&gt;The cap is a policy introduced by the previous Conservative government, which limits the payment of child benefits to two children only.&lt;/p&gt;
  1710.  
  1711. &lt;p&gt;Labour previously promised to remove the limit but party leader Keir Starmer abandoned the pledge last year, resisting calls to lift the cap.&lt;/p&gt;
  1712.  
  1713. &lt;p&gt;In response, the Scottish National Party introduced an amendment to the party's King Speech, calling for an end to the cap, which was voted on in parliament on Tuesday and supported by the Labour rebels. The amendment was defeated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1714.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1715.    &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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  1723. &lt;/div&gt;
  1724. &lt;/div&gt;
  1725.  
  1726. &lt;p&gt;Begum said that Labour whips, who ensure MPs from the party vote with the government, had brought up the issue of her support for domestic abuse legislation when trying to convince her to vote in line with the party's leadership.&lt;/p&gt;
  1727.  
  1728. &lt;p&gt;"I was shocked in the way I was treated because that element of supporting me in being able to tackle the situation around my abusive ex-husband... was actually put into the context of the whipping operation itself," Begum said.&lt;/p&gt;
  1729.  
  1730. &lt;div class="mee-readmore mee-readmore-article-the-big-story mee-readmore-type-image align-right"&gt;
  1731.  &lt;a class="mee-readmore-img-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/keir-starmer-man-who-would-be-prime-minister"&gt;&lt;img class="mee-readmore-image" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/Starmer%20MAIN%2024.jpg.webp?itok=DPBhor4I" width="400" height="250" alt="" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;div class="mee-readmore-description"&gt;Keir Starmer: The man who would be prime minister&lt;/div&gt;
  1732.    &lt;a class="mee-readmore-link" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/keir-starmer-man-who-would-be-prime-minister"&gt;Read More »&lt;/a&gt;
  1733. &lt;/div&gt;
  1734.  
  1735. &lt;p&gt;The MP for Poplar and Limehouse had earlier said that party officials were well aware of her alleged experience of domestic abuse.&lt;/p&gt;
  1736.  
  1737. &lt;p&gt;A Labour Party spokesperson said:  "We do not recognise these allegations.”&lt;/p&gt;
  1738.  
  1739. &lt;p&gt;Begum also accuses her ex-husband of domestic abuse and coercive control, which are allegations that have not been proven in court.&lt;/p&gt;
  1740.  
  1741. &lt;p&gt;Her husband, Ehtasham Haque, a former Labour councillor and an independent candidate who ran against her in the 4 July election, has described her allegations as "defamatory". &lt;/p&gt;
  1742.  
  1743. &lt;p&gt;The Labour government's handling of the recent vote is being seen as an early statement of &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/keir-starmer-man-who-would-be-prime-minister"&gt;Prime Minister Keir Starmer's&lt;/a&gt; intent not to tolerate dissent within the party.&lt;/p&gt;
  1744.  
  1745. &lt;p&gt;Despite its victory in the July vote, Labour is deeply divided internally between its leftist and centrist factions, with Starmer representing the latter.&lt;/p&gt;
  1746.  
  1747. &lt;p&gt;Divisions centre on economic policy, as well as the party's stance on &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;Israel's war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1748. &lt;/div&gt;
  1749.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-topic"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/uk-politics" hreflang="en"&gt;UK Politics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1750.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1751.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1752.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1753.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1754.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1755.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1756.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Apsana Begum claims Labour offered support for abuse legislation if she backed benefit cap&lt;/div&gt;
  1757.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1758.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=Suspended%20MP%20claims%20Labour%20offered%20support%20for%20abuse%20legislation%20if%20she%20backed%20benefit%20cap&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/apsana-begum-labour-offered-support-abuse-legislation-benefits-vote&amp;2=node/381036&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="bn6kb3gmj-Tvg5K12Jf3pjmaLBp3jOmpi6FQU3v-AuA"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1759.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1760.              &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;
  1761.      </description>
  1762.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 10:57:05 +0000</pubDate>
  1763.    <dc:creator>Shafik Mandhai</dc:creator>
  1764.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381036 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1765.    </item>
  1766. <item>
  1767.  <title>The false claims Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu made in his address to US Congress</title>
  1768.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/false-claims-benjamin-netanyahu-made-his-address-congress</link>
  1769.  <description>
  1770. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;The false claims Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu made in his address to US Congress&lt;/span&gt;
  1771.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;In his speech, Netanyahu claimed that Israel is facilitating entry of aid into Gaza and safeguarding civilians&lt;/div&gt;
  1772.      
  1773. &lt;span class="field field-uid"&gt;&lt;a title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/katherine-hearst" lang="" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/katherine-hearst" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang=""&gt;Katherine Hearst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1774.  
  1775. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T12:42:23+01:00" title="25 July 2024 12:42 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 12:42&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1776.            &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%20congress%20addres%2024%20June%2024%20reuters.jpg.webp?itok=Mpx7acmJ 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/Netanyahu%20congress%20addres%2024%20June%2024%20reuters.jpg?itok=Mpx7acmJ 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/Netanyahu%20congress%20addres%2024%20June%2024%20reuters.jpg?itok=Mpx7acmJ 1x" width="1400" height="788" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/Netanyahu%20congress%20addres%2024%20June%2024%20reuters.jpg?itok=HeqyhAX0" alt="Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, 24 July (Reuters)" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1777.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, 24 July (Reuters)&lt;/div&gt;
  1778.                  &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; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/citizens-arrest-thousands-us-protesters-demand-israels-netanyahu-be-locked"&gt;address &lt;/a&gt;to the US Congress on Wednesday was riddled with misleading claims about his country's &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza"&gt;war on Gaza&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1779.  
  1780. &lt;p&gt;Dozens of lawmakers boycotted the address, while thousands of pro-&lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine"&gt;Palestinian &lt;/a&gt;protesters occupied parts of the US Capitol to demand Netanyahu's arrest for alleged war crimes and genocide committed by Israeli forces in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1781.  
  1782. &lt;p&gt;His speech, which former House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi &lt;a href="https://x.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1816208313572364356"&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; was the “worst” by a foreign dignitary in Congress’s history, was peppered with false statements.&lt;/p&gt;
  1783.  
  1784. &lt;p&gt;Many of them were directed at the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose prosecutors &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/unpacking-icc-arrest-warrant-bids"&gt;requested arrest warrants&lt;/a&gt; for Israeli leaders in May.&lt;/p&gt;
  1785.  
  1786. &lt;p&gt;Middle East Eye debunks some of his claims:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1787.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
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  1795. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1796. &lt;/div&gt;
  1797. &lt;/div&gt;
  1798.  
  1799. &lt;h3&gt;Hamas is 'stealing' the aid to Gaza&lt;/h3&gt;
  1800.  
  1801. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu rejected the ICC’s accusation that Israel is blocking aid deliveries to Gaza, claiming that it has facilitated the entry of over 40,000 aid trucks into the strip.&lt;/p&gt;
  1802.  
  1803. &lt;p&gt;"If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren't getting enough food, it's not because Israel is blocking it. It's because Hamas is stealing it," he said.&lt;/p&gt;
  1804.  
  1805. &lt;p&gt;According to the UN, 28,018 aid trucks have entered the strip since October. &lt;/p&gt;
  1806.  
  1807. &lt;p&gt;But since Israeli forces &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-seizes-operational-control-rafah-crossing-gaza"&gt;seized&lt;/a&gt; the Rafah crossing in May, one of the few routes in and out of Gaza, just 2,835 aid trucks have entered the Palestinian enclave.&lt;/p&gt;
  1808.  
  1809. &lt;p&gt;Humanitarian organisations and UN officials have repeatedly criticised Israel’s restrictions on aid, as famine stalks the strip. &lt;/p&gt;
  1810.  
  1811. &lt;p&gt;In March, the UN’s hunger monitoring system, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/what-is-famine-why-un-declare-imminent-gaza#:~:text=The%20Integrated%20Food%20Security%20Phase,any%20given%20area%20or%20country%22."&gt;warned&lt;/a&gt; that Gaza was on the verge of famine, projecting that it could happen by May.&lt;/p&gt;
  1812.  
  1813. &lt;p&gt;A second report &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/half-million-face-starvation-gaza-report-finds"&gt;published in June&lt;/a&gt; found that the high risk of famine persists across the territory, with half a million Palestinians suffering starvation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1814.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1815.    &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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  1821. //]]&gt;
  1822. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1823. &lt;/div&gt;
  1824. &lt;/div&gt;
  1825.  
  1826. &lt;h3&gt;Israel has taken 'more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history'&lt;/h3&gt;
  1827.  
  1828. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu said that Israeli forces have done their utmost to safeguard Palestinian civilians, claiming that they distributed “millions of flyers, sent millions of text messages, made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to get Palestinian civilians out of harm’s way”.&lt;/p&gt;
  1829.  
  1830. &lt;p&gt;Israeli forces regularly issue evacuation orders and sometimes distribute leaflets to warn Palestinians of their intention to attack an area. But these measures do little to prevent civilian deaths.&lt;/p&gt;
  1831.  
  1832. &lt;p&gt;On 22 July, the Israeli army started &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israel-bombing-part-humanitarian-zone"&gt;bombing&lt;/a&gt; the eastern neighbourhoods of Khan Younis, a previously designated humanitarian area that sheltered 400,000 Palestinians, minutes after it issued an evacuation order.&lt;/p&gt;
  1833.  
  1834. &lt;p&gt;In a report in &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-bombs-gaza-humanitarian-zone-killing-least-seven"&gt;June&lt;/a&gt;, the UN assessed six Israeli attacks that caused a high number of fatalities and concluded that Israeli forces had consistently failed to minimise civilian harm.&lt;/p&gt;
  1835.  
  1836. &lt;p&gt;The majority of those killed among the 39,000 confirmed deaths in Gaza are civilians, according to UN and Ministry of Health data.&lt;/p&gt;
  1837.  
  1838. &lt;h3&gt;Hamas 'burned babies alive' on 7 October&lt;/h3&gt;
  1839.  
  1840. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu repeated disproven claims that Hamas “burned babies alive” during its assault on southern Israel on 7 October. He also recounted a story of Hamas fighters murdering two babies who were hidden in the attic of a family home.&lt;/p&gt;
  1841.  
  1842. &lt;p&gt;These claims were among many testimonies of the Hamas attack by Israeli personnel that the Haaretz newspaper &lt;a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-personnel-false-information-7-october-attack"&gt;found to be false&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1843.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1844.    &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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  1850. //]]&gt;
  1851. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1852. &lt;/div&gt;
  1853. &lt;/div&gt;
  1854.  
  1855. &lt;p&gt;Allegations included an account by Golan Vach, head of the Israeli military search and rescue service, who claimed to have seen the bodies of burned babies. The military said he misspoke by saying babies when he meant to say children.&lt;/p&gt;
  1856.  
  1857. &lt;p&gt;An Israeli soldier also said in an interview that “babies and children were hung on a clothesline in a row”. The military denied this, saying that he was a reservist who did not speak in an official capacity.&lt;/p&gt;
  1858.  
  1859. &lt;p&gt;Netanyahu himself told US President Joe Biden that Palestinians “bound dozens of children” together, burned them and executed them.&lt;/p&gt;
  1860.  
  1861. &lt;p&gt;There is no available evidence to suggest that groups of children were found dead in the same location that match the description provided by Netanyahu, according to Haaretz.&lt;/p&gt;
  1862. &lt;/div&gt;
  1863.                  &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;
  1864.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1865.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1866.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1867.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1868.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1869.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1870.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-landing-title"&gt;Benjamin Netanyahu's false claims in his address to Congress&lt;/div&gt;
  1871.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
  1872.              &lt;div&gt;&lt;drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\disqus\Element\Disqus::displayDisqusComments" arguments="0=The%20false%20claims%20Israel%27s%20Benjamin%20Netanyahu%20made%20in%20his%20address%20to%20US%20Congress&amp;1=https%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/news/false-claims-benjamin-netanyahu-made-his-address-congress&amp;2=node/381051&amp;3=a%3A0%3A%7B%7D" token="mCJ_nuN_XBTgr1Y8zGBrthJ34mnauARcoVU3Rcv3j9o"&gt;&lt;/drupal-render-placeholder&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1873.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1874.              &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;
  1875.      </description>
  1876.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 11:42:23 +0000</pubDate>
  1877.    <dc:creator>Katherine Hearst</dc:creator>
  1878.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381051 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1879.    </item>
  1880. <item>
  1881.  <title>Israel's Olympic flag-carrier wrote message on bomb bound for Gaza</title>
  1882.  <link>https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-olympics-flag-carrier-wrote-message-bomb-bound-gaza</link>
  1883.  <description>
  1884. &lt;span class="field field-title"&gt;Israel's Olympic flag-carrier wrote message on bomb bound for Gaza&lt;/span&gt;
  1885.            &lt;div class="field field-field-subhead"&gt;Peter Paltchik was also filmed disrupting a Palestine protest in Japan earlier this year&lt;/div&gt;
  1886.      
  1887. &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;
  1888.  
  1889. &lt;span class="field field-created"&gt;&lt;time datetime="2024-07-25T10:40:53+01:00" title="25 July 2024 10:40 BST"&gt;Thu, 07/25/2024 - 10:40&lt;/time&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  1890.            &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_PALTCHIK_ISRAEL.jpg.webp?itok=ivpAV2Dy 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_PALTCHIK_ISRAEL.jpg?itok=ivpAV2Dy 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/AFP_PALTCHIK_ISRAEL.jpg?itok=ivpAV2Dy 1x" width="1400" height="932" src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/images-story/AFP_PALTCHIK_ISRAEL.jpg?itok=1bPQRPiE" alt="Israel's Peter Paltchik during the Tel Aviv Grand Slam Judo Championship in Tel Aviv on 19 February 2022 (Jack Guez/AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" /&gt;&lt;/picture&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1891.                  &lt;div class="field field-field-cutline"&gt;Israel's Peter Paltchik during the Tel Aviv Grand Slam Judo Championship in Tel Aviv on 19 February 2022 (Jack Guez/AFP)&lt;/div&gt;
  1892.                  &lt;div class="field field-body clearfix"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pro-Palestinian campaigners have expressed outrage after it was revealed Israel's flag-carrier in the Olympics had written on a bomb bound for Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
  1893.  
  1894. &lt;p&gt;Peter Paltchik, in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter), shared an image of a bomb with his name on it along with the caption, "from me to you with pleasure", as well as "#HamasisISIS" and "#IsraelAtWar".&lt;/p&gt;
  1895.  
  1896. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  1897. &lt;p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en"&gt;This apologist of genocide is the "athlete" leading Israel in tomorrow's Olympic ceremony. Israel should be BANNED. BTW, another European stealing Palestinian land.&lt;a href="https://t.co/QJyr4nZvcN"&gt;https://t.co/QJyr4nZvcN&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://t.co/MngcfMB39l"&gt;https://t.co/MngcfMB39l&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/1NMwAWd7WP"&gt;pic.twitter.com/1NMwAWd7WP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1898. — Raphael Tsavkko Garcia 🇺🇦🇵🇸 (@Tsavkko) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Tsavkko/status/1816214326908223817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;July 24, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  1899. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paltchik, a Ukrainian-born judo champion, also provoked controversy in March when he and a group of other Israeli athletes disrupted a demonstration in Tokyo held by pro-Palestinian activists.&lt;/p&gt;
  1900.  
  1901. &lt;p&gt;Demonstrators &lt;a href="https://www.arabnews.jp/en/japan/article_118791/"&gt;accused &lt;/a&gt;the athletes of trying to&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt; "pick fights with them despite being asked repeatedly to leave”.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1902.  
  1903. &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;For their part, one of the athletes said on social media that they had "entered a demonstration of Hamas supporters" to explain to them that they "did not understand anything". &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1904.  
  1905. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"&gt;
  1906. &lt;p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en"&gt;Israeli judo team disrupt a demonstration in solidarity with Palestine in Japan and threaten to kill protestors while wearing their Olympics uniform.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  1907. Why is the Olympics Committee &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/iocmedia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@iocmedia&lt;/a&gt; still silent over such violent behaviour? &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BanIsraelFromSports?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#BanIsraelFromSports&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/eNeteS5nSU"&gt;pic.twitter.com/eNeteS5nSU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1908. — Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/leylahamed/status/1780947536808681847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 18, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  1909. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;p&gt;Israel's presence at the Olympics has already provoked criticism from a number of quarters, particularly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted Russia to be suspended from participation.&lt;/p&gt;
  1910.  
  1911. &lt;p&gt;The Palestine Olympic Committee has called on the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to similarly exclude Israel from the games, saying that the country has also breached the Olympic Truce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="block-adsense block-adsense-managed-ad-block"&gt;&lt;div&gt;
  1912.  &lt;div class="adsense responsive"&gt;
  1913.    &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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  1918.  
  1919. //]]&gt;
  1920. &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1921. &lt;/div&gt;
  1922. &lt;/div&gt;
  1923.  
  1924. &lt;p&gt;A UN General Assembly resolution mandates a global truce throughout the duration of the Paris 2024 Olympics.&lt;/p&gt;
  1925.  
  1926. &lt;p&gt;In a letter to Thomas Bach, the committee said that Israel had violated the truce within the first 24 hours through its attack on Khan Younis on Monday, which killed over 70 people.&lt;/p&gt;
  1927.  
  1928. &lt;p&gt;"This contravention underscores the urgent need for [IOC] and Fifa to act in line with its statutes and promote respect for international human rights law,” the letter read.&lt;/p&gt;
  1929. &lt;/div&gt;
  1930.                  &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;
  1931.            &lt;div class="field field-field-coauthor-location"&gt;
  1932.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1933.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1934.              &lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1935.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1936.              &lt;div class="field field-field-article-location"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
  1937.            &lt;div class="field field-field-comments"&gt;
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  1939.          &lt;/div&gt;
  1940.              &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;
  1941.      </description>
  1942.  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 09:40:53 +0000</pubDate>
  1943.    <dc:creator>MEE staff</dc:creator>
  1944.    <guid isPermaLink="false">381006 at https://www.middleeasteye.net</guid>
  1945.    </item>
  1946.  
  1947.  </channel>
  1948. </rss>
  1949.  

If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:

  1. Download the "valid RSS" banner.

  2. Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)

  3. Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):

If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:

http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A//www.middleeasteye.net/rss

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