Yearly Archives: 2026

Germany rules out sanctions against Israel despite West Bank concerns

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz holds a press conference at the Chancellery to address current issues in Berlin, Germany, on April 9, 2026. [Halil Sağırkaya – Anadolu Agency]

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday ruled out general sanctions against Israel, while voicing deep concern over the Israeli government’s activities in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports.

“We are observing the Israeli government’s activities in the West Bank settlements with great concern,” Merz said at a joint press briefing with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin.

“I have expressed this on several occasions to Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, including in personal conversations. But we do not believe that general sanctions against Israel are the right approach,” he said.

The German leader reiterated his hardline stance against imposing sanctions against Israel, citing his country’s Nazi past.

READ: Report exposes pro-Israel network pushing Germany to defund UNRWA

“I always advocate among European heads of state and government that Germany bears a special responsibility toward the State of Israel in this regard. And for that reason, we cannot and will not join sanctions regimes against Israel in general. And that is certainly how things will remain for the time being,” Merz added.

In July, Germany renewed its opposition to a potential EU ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

According to German media reports, Berlin is becoming increasingly isolated within the EU over its opposition to trade restrictions on goods from the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

At least 20 EU countries reportedly asked the European Commission in June to clarify what measures could be taken in response to the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

READ: Germany criticizes Israel over West Bank, stops short of backing tougher EU measures

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

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/. New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing the same policy of active support of and denial of genocide by 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/. New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing the same policy of active support of and denial of genocide by Israel.
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingGermany rules out sanctions against Israel despite West Bank concerns

Several countries urge protection of journalists amid Middle East escalation

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

Relatives of Palestinian journalist Amal Muhammad Shamali, who lost his life following the Israeli attack on makeshift tents in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, brought the body from the morgue of al-Awda Hospital for funeral process in Gaza City, Gaza on March 9, 2026. [Moiz Salhi – Anadolu Agency]

Members of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) issued a joint statement Tuesday expressing concern over the safety of journalists and media workers and the impact of escalating regional tensions in the Middle East on access to information, Anadolu reports.

The coalition said independent media play a critical role during armed conflicts by providing accurate and timely information to affected communities and the international public.

In the statement, the signatories said they were concerned about what they described as an increasing number of journalists being killed, arrested or detained across the region.

“The safety of journalists and media workers, and the access to information are under serious threat,” it said.

The statement accused the Israeli government of preventing independent international journalists from entering Gaza for over two years, saying the restrictions have limited independent reporting on the conflict.

“We strongly condemn all forms of violence directed against journalists and media workers, including media infrastructure, press facilities, and clearly marked media vehicles,” it said.

READ: Palestinian journalist says prison starvation, medical neglect led to brain hemorrhage after release from Israeli prison

The coalition further expressed concern over what it described as a crackdown on journalists and freedom of the press in Iran, including internet shutdowns.

The statement said the reported incidents raise concerns about the protection of journalists under international humanitarian law and press freedom in conflict situations.

It called on all parties involved to comply with international humanitarian law and to ensure the protection of civilians, including journalists.

The coalition also said deliberate attacks on journalists are unacceptable and may constitute war crimes, while stressing that detained journalists should be treated in accordance with international law.

The statement was signed by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ghana, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

READ: Israel killed 8 Palestinian journalists, committed 467 media violations in 1st half of 2026: Press union

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

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/. New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing the same policy of active support of and denial of genocide by 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/. New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing the same policy of active support of and denial of genocide by Israel.
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingSeveral countries urge protection of journalists amid Middle East escalation

UK government rejects calls to recognise Gaza genocide despite UN findings

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

People stage a pro-Palestinian demonstration and call on Labour Party leader Andy Burnham, who is preparing to take office as prime minister, to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel, in London, United Kingdom on July 18, 2026. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency

Britain’s new government has rejected calls from 80 MPs and peers to recognise Israel’s genocide in Gaza, impose a full arms embargo and introduce comprehensive sanctions against the occupation state.

The decision has intensified criticism of Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, whose first statements in office raised expectations of a break with the policies of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer but have so far produced little substantive change.

In a cross-party letter led by Labour MP Kim Johnson, members of the House of Commons and House of Lords urged Burnham to recognise the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.


The parliamentarians called on the government to “fundamentally change its position” by supporting Palestinian rights and taking steps to prevent further Israeli violations of international law.

They also urged ministers to implement the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation, impose comprehensive sanctions, introduce a complete arms embargo and prohibit trade in goods and services linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to endorse any of the demands.

The rejection follows criticism of Miliband’s first statement as foreign secretary, in which he referred explicitly to “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine” but described Israel’s assault on Gaza only as “conflict in the Middle East”.

British governments and senior ministers have repeatedly made legal and political judgements about Russia’s conduct without waiting for a final international court ruling. The UK described Russia’s invasion as illegal from its outset and accused Russian forces of committing war crimes.

In September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It found that Israeli authorities were responsible for four of the five genocidal acts identified in the 1948 Genocide Convention and urged all states to fulfil their legal obligations to prevent and punish the crime. 

In June 2026, the Commission reported that Israeli authorities and forces continued to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes, including through the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children. 

The UN findings are part of a much broader body of expert assessments.

READ: UK accused of branding Gaza children security threat while blocking family re-unification

Amnesty International concluded in December 2024 that Israel had committed and was continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem reached the same conclusion in its July 2025 report, Our Genocide. The International Association of Genocide Scholars later declared that Israel’s policies and actions met the legal definition of genocide under the Genocide Convention. 

Despite these findings, the British government has maintained that only a court can make a genocide determination.

During a House of Lords debate following the UN Commission’s September 2025 report, ministers insisted that the government would not describe Israel’s actions as genocide until a competent national or international court had ruled on the issue.

Burnham had sought to distance himself from Starmer’s record before entering Downing Street. He acknowledged that Labour “got it wrong” in its initial response to Gaza and admitted that Britain had been too slow to call for a ceasefire.

However, he stopped short of recognising genocide, arguing that the matter should be left to international courts. Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali accused Burnham of hiding behind the courts when discussing Israel while showing no similar hesitation in condemning Russia.

Ali warned that the duty under the Genocide Convention is to prevent genocide rather than wait until the destruction has been completed and formally adjudicated. Recognising the evidence, he argued, would also raise questions about Britain’s arms exports, surveillance cooperation and wider support for Israel.

READ: Israeli rights watchdogs say Israel committing genocide in Gaza

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

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/
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingUK government rejects calls to recognise Gaza genocide despite UN findings

Led By Donkeys wins compensation over seizure of Gaza protest banner

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/28/led-by-donkeys-compensation-seizure-gaza-protest-banner-london

Waste firm Veolia pays £27k after ‘Yes It’s A Genocide’ banner taken by Greater London Authority was destroyed

The banner was unflurled in Parliament Square in London in December 2024. Photograph: Haroon Siddique/Jiri Rezac/Led by Donkeys

The campaign group Led By Donkeys has received £27,000 in compensation after a giant banner it displayed in Parliament Square saying “Yes It’s A Genocide” was seized by Greater London Authority officials and destroyed.

Representatives of the GLA arrived on the scene in central London and confiscated the 40-metre by 40-metre banner after it was unfurled on 4 December 2024, just over a year after Israel began its assault on Gaza after the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas.

…

Ben Stewart, a co-founder of Led By Donkeys, said: “The Parliament Square banner was in collaboration with one of the world’s leading genocide scholars, but still the authorities threw process out the window and simply seized and destroyed our property. Pursuing compensation was never about the money, it was about defending space to protest Israel’s war crimes.

“Palestine protests are treated differently in Britain to all other forms of activism. Direct action is regarded as terrorism and words on a placard are rendered illegal. Over the years we’ve delivered banners, put up billboards and done guerilla projections across the country, but the only time our equipment has been seized and destroyed was when it related to Palestine.”

The banner was videoed from the air and a film created that was posted on social media featuring a voiceover from the renowned Israeli scholar Prof Amos Goldberg, a historian of the Holocaust, who said: “This is exactly what a genocide looks like.”

…

See the article at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/28/led-by-donkeys-compensation-seizure-gaza-protest-banner-london

Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
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.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingLed By Donkeys wins compensation over seizure of Gaza protest banner

Morning Star Editorial: Climate change is an emergency – and the implications are radical

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/climate-change-emergency-and-implications-are-radical

 A firefighter gestures next to burning trees as a wildfire rages near Marcheprime, outside, Bordeaux, France, July 26, 2026

FRANCE holds emergency meetings on the evacuation of Bordeaux, a city of a million, as wildfires sweep ever closer. In Spain families are fleeing the capital, Madrid.

The reality of the climate emergency has come to Europe. There were plenty of warning signs — more severe heatwaves by the year, droughts and floods devastating harvests — including in Britain, where three of the five worst harvests on record have been since 2020 — and worsening wildfires.

In Britain this summer fires have burnt swathes of the Cairngorms and Eryri (Snowdonia), as well as Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh for the second year running. As summer heatwaves grow longer and drier, we should not imagine our towns and cities are safe. As Fire Brigades Union leader Steve Wright told the Morning Star in May, “In London a suburban street burnt to the ground last year” (in Rainham) “and we had wildfires in Dorset and Wiltshire.”

Computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, argues that addressing the climate crisis requires “World War II-scale mobilisation.”

…

Addressing the climate crisis involves radical restructuring — one reason climate activists were, even before Palestine solidarity campaigners, the victims of repressive new anti-protest laws.

That, in turn, means getting real about the class power of the forces blocking change. Proposed mechanisms for delivering action like citizens’ assemblies are a response to the sluggishness of existing institutions, but do not address its cause — the power of the capitalist class.

Agreeing what we ought to do doesn’t guarantee that it will happen: the climate movement needs to be one with the labour and peace movements, and recognise that this is fundamentally a class struggle and a battle against capitalism itself.

That dividing line becomes ever clearer, domestically and internationally.

The far right are the climate deniers at home; globally the denier-in-chief is the main imperialist power, the United States, whose agenda is to stop the rise of China, the world leader in renewables and green tech. The only existential threat as grave as climate change is world war — and the push towards that is also the biggest obstacle to climate action.

The cry on climate demos — “system change, not climate change” — rings true. We need to follow through on the implications.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/climate-change-emergency-and-implications-are-radical

Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.

Continue ReadingMorning Star Editorial: Climate change is an emergency – and the implications are radical