Daily Archives: 18 June 2026

Israeli Security Minister Ben-Gvir appoints relatives of slain Israelis as prison inspectors: Reports

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Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, during a news conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel, on, 05 February , 2024 [Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has decided to appoint relatives of slain Israelis as official prison inspectors in a move aimed at tightening detention conditions for Palestinian detainees, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

“The minister’s goal is to worsen the conditions of security prisoners,” people close to Ben-Gvir said, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

Israel uses the term “security prisoners” to refer to Palestinian detainees.

According to the broadcaster, Ben-Gvir decided to appoint the family members as official visitors and inspectors of Palestinian prisoners instead of qualified professionals.

“Minister Ben-Gvir reduced the number of inspectors to fewer than 20, and instead appointed bereaved families,” the channel said.

The inspectors are responsible for overseeing prisoners and monitoring their detention conditions and treatment inside Israeli prisons.

READ: Ben Gvir attacks Trump-Iran deal: Israel ‘not bound by US agreement’

The move drew criticism in Israel, with political sources describing it as “a crazy decision that violates the law and will harm international relations,” Channel 12 reported.

“With all due respect to the bereaved families, ultimately they are not an official or professional body,” the channel quoted former senior officials in the Israel Prison Service as saying.

The former officials warned that the move could trigger international criticism and escalate tensions inside and outside prisons.

Since taking office in late 2022, Ben-Gvir has moved to tighten detention conditions for Palestinian prisoners, including through policies that rights groups describe as food deprivation and medical neglect.

The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel said Tuesday that Palestinian prisoner Imad Sarhan faced medical neglect and was not examined for more than two and a half years before his death on Saturday at Gilboa Prison.

According to the group, Sarhan suffered from several health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Sarhan’s death raised the number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in Israeli prisons since Oct. 7, 2023, to 104, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Around 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, are being held in Israeli prisons and face starvation, torture and medical neglect that have led to the deaths of dozens of detainees, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights reports.

READ: Extremist Israeli minister ‘stepped on prisoners’ heads’ during Ofer Prison raid, rights group says

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIsraeli Security Minister Ben-Gvir appoints relatives of slain Israelis as prison inspectors: Reports

‘Without me there is no Israel’ says Trump warning Tel-Aviv to stop flattening homes

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United States President Donald Trump (L) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) in the White House in Washington DC., United States on April 7, 2025 [Avi Ohayon (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu Agency]

US President Donald Trump has delivered a rare public rebuke of Israel’s military conduct in Lebanon, warning that Israel is killing too many civilians in its war with Hezbollah and does not need to destroy entire apartment buildings in pursuit of individual targets.

Speaking to reporters at the G7 summit in France, Trump said: “Israel’s fighting Hezbollah too long, and too many people are being killed. And you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody. Because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you.”

The remarks were seen as an unusually blunt criticism from a US president who has otherwise presented himself as one of Israel’s strongest allies. They also appear to acknowledge what human rights groups and international law experts have long argued: that Israel’s practice of bombing residential buildings in the name of targeting fighters is a violation of international humanitarian law.

Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally directing attacks against civilians or civilian objects which are not military objectives constitutes a war crime. The laws of war also prohibit attacks expected to cause civilian harm that would be excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.

READ: Israeli analysts call Netanyahu ‘liar,’ ‘humiliated’ by Trump after US-Iran deal

Trump went further, saying he had urged Israel to allow Syria to deal with Hezbollah instead. “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job of doing it,” he said. Trump’s comments is widely seen as a display of frustration with Israeli strikes in Lebanon, which he believes risk undermining his wider efforts to strike a deal with Iran.

The comments are a political blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has insisted that Israel’s military actions in Lebanon are necessary for security. Trump’s statement suggests that Washington is no longer willing to give Israel unlimited rhetorical cover for attacks that kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure.

Trump’s remarks also struck a blow to Israeli propaganda about Iran. Referring to Iranian officials, Trump said: “We are dealing with people that I think are very rational people, and they were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people… But they’re not radicalised and they’re looking to help their country.”

For decades, Israeli leaders have portrayed Iran as an irrational and fanatical enemy that only understands force. Trump’s description of Iranian officials as “rational”, “strong” and “smart” undercuts that narrative at a critical moment, as his administration pushes ahead with a US-Iran understanding despite Israeli objections.

The remarks come amid growing signs of strain in US-Israel relations following the Iran deal. Analysts have described Israel and the US as being at a “fork in the road”, with Trump pressing Netanyahu not to derail a ceasefire framework while Israeli officials fear the agreement could restrict their freedom of action in Lebanon and beyond.

Trump’s comments also appear to reinforce Israel’s deepening fear of US abandonment. According to The National, Trump told reporters at the summit: “Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel.”

READ: US rejects Israeli request to review Iran agreement memorandum, Hebrew media report

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue Reading‘Without me there is no Israel’ says Trump warning Tel-Aviv to stop flattening homes

Trump says Iran pact ‘not final,’ warns of renewed strikes

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United States President Donald Trump speaks to the press before he departs the White House en route to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF), on January 20, 2026, in Washington DC, United States. [Celal Güneş – Anadolu Agency]

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the deal announced with Iran this week is a “memorandum of understanding” and remains subject to change, Anadolu reports.

“If I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

He warned that if Iran’s leaders “don’t behave,” the US will resume “dropping bombs” on their territory.

Washington and Tehran reached a temporary truce this April through Pakistani mediation before announcing a framework agreement this Monday to end the conflict. The accord is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday.

Nuclear goals, funding denied

Trump said the core objective of the deal is preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weaponry.

“It’s a great deal for a lot of reasons, but number one, by far, 99.9% is they will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said, characterizing the pact as “very strong.”

The US president also firmly rejected reports of a $300 billion development fund accessible to Iran involving American taxpayers, calling it a “false story.”

“We’re not investing. We’re not putting up 10 cents,” Trump said, adding that others may choose to invest. “I would say they won’t be doing it for a while, until they find out (about) the behavior (by Iran),” he added.

Economic relief, maritime security

On the global economic impact of the war, Trump said oil prices have “come tumbling down” as markets react to the de-escalation.

The US president added that the Strait of Hormuz is “already partially opened” and that he expects the vital waterway to be fully operational within the next two days.

He argued that without a deal, the world would have faced a “depression” because the strait would have remained closed due to the risk of rockets and mines.

READ: Switzerland confirms US-Iran memorandum signing set for Friday at Burgenstock

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingTrump says Iran pact ‘not final,’ warns of renewed strikes

HRW: Israel escalating home demolitions, evictions in East Jerusalem

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People watch as Israeli forces carry out a raid in the Baruk area, east of Masafer Yatta accompanied by several demolition vehicles, demolishing home of a Palestinian man, Hamza Kamil Addara, with bulldozers on the grounds that it lacked a permit in Hebron, West Bank, Palestine, on June 17, 2026. [Mamoun Wazwaz – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli authorities are accelerating home demolitions and forced evictions of Palestinian residents in the Silwan district of occupied East Jerusalem, Human Rights Watch said today. The organisation said the forcible deportation or transfer of the population of an occupied territory within or outside the territory, unless justified on a temporary basis for the protection of the population itself or imperative military reasons, is a violation of international humanitarian law and amounts to a war crime. 

Silwan lies south of Jerusalem’s Old City. Among its 12 neighbourhoods, al-Bustan and Batn al-Hawa have for decades been the primary focus of eviction and demolition campaigns led by Israeli authorities and settler organisations such as Ateret Cohanim. These campaigns intensified under cover of the hostilities in Gaza and, this year, Iran. 

Of the 587 Palestinians displaced by demolitions since October 2023, a quarter were displaced during Israel’s war with Iran in March-April 2026, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination and Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 

Over 2,000 people are at risk of forced displacement in Silwan, which, if not halted, will be one of the largest waves of expulsions in East Jerusalem since 1967, according to Ir Amim, an Israeli group that tracks government policies in Jerusalem. 

“Israeli authorities are intensifying their longstanding illegal policy of emptying areas surrounding Jerusalem’s Old City of Palestinians and replacing them with Israeli settlers,” said Sarah Sanbar, acting Israel and Palestine researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Israeli efforts to change the demography of Jerusalem are war crimes, enabled by the impunity granted by Israel’s close allies.”

READ: Israeli government plans to fund extremist occupier group in occupied West Bank with $1.89M: Report

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, forcible transfers of residents of Occupied Territory are prohibited. The only exception is temporary evacuation of an area if necessary for the security of the population or imperative military reasons.

In its 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Court found Israeli policies and practices, including its forcible evictions and extensive house demolitions in East Jerusalem, contrary to the prohibition of forcible transfer of a protected population under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Court confirmed a transfer is “forcible” not only when it is achieved through physical force, but also when people have no choice but to leave. The ICJ further found that Israel’s practice of demolishing property for lack of a building permit amounts to prohibited discrimination. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, it is a war crime for an occupying power to deport or transfer all or part of the population within or outside the occupied territory. 

Human Rights Watch has previously found that Israeli authorities intentionally caused the massive, deliberate, and long-term forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian civilians in both Gaza and the West Bank, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In both cases, senior Israeli officials have declared their aim to expel and keep Palestinians out of parts of Gaza and the West Bank. 

The continuing, accelerating violations against Palestinians in East Jerusalem is a direct consequence of Israel’s disregard for international law and impunity for ongoing violations, Human Rights Watch said. Other countries should impose targeted sanctions against individuals and organizations responsible, ensure accountability for war crimes, ban trade with settlements, and suspend preferential trade agreements with Israel. 

READ: Israel strips Hebron Municipality of planning and construction powers

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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingHRW: Israel escalating home demolitions, evictions in East Jerusalem

Trump says US will have to give Iran’s money back

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US President Donald Trump gives a speech at the White House in Washington, DC on May 22, 2026. [Kyle Mazza – Anadolu Agency]

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the US has taken “a lot of” Iranian money and will have to give it back, Anadolu reports.

“We have taken a lot of their money, and we have their money,” Trump said at a news conference in France as the G7 summit ended.

“It’s not our money, it’s their money, and we froze it at a certain point in time. I guess we’re going to have to give it back, you know, if we didn’t give it back, nobody would ever invest in the dollar again,” he added.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the US and Iran electronically on Sunday, which includes an end to the military operations on all fronts and reopening the Strait of Hormuz while setting the stage for talks on Iran’s nuclear program linked to sanctions relief. The signing ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Switzerland.

READ: Trump turns on Israel over Lebanon war, says Syria could fight Hezbollah better

The US undertakes with regional partners to develop a “definitive, mutually agreed plan” with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran, according to the deal.

“We’re not putting up money. Only if they’re doing things right. If they’re doing things right, if people want to invest, they can invest … They have this $300 billion fund … It’s only if they’re doing things right,” Trump said.

“Remember this also, when you talk about ‘billions of dollars,’ they’ve had much more than a trillion dollars worth of damage done,” he added.

About possible sanctions relief for Iran, Trump said that “something will happen as soon as they behave.”

The 14-point MOU released by the US said Washington undertakes to terminate “all types of sanctions” against Iran, including the UN Security Council resolutions, IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed upon schedule as part of the final deal.

WATCH: Is Israel Losing Its American Shield? | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingTrump says US will have to give Iran’s money back