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Scottish government urged to fully implement sanctions against Israel

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People carry Palestinian flags and placards during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in front of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Scotland on October 14, 2023. [Ahmet Fevzi Arıcan – Anadolu Agency]

The Scottish Greens have called on Scotland’s first minister to fully implement boycott and sanctions measures against Israel in his upcoming Programme for Government, according to media reports on Monday, Anadolu reports.

“The Programme for Government must be the moment that changes. We need clear commitments and a plan to end Scotland’s complicity in the systemic abuse of Palestinians,” Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie was quoted by Scottish daily The National as saying.

The call comes after the Scottish Greens repeatedly urged First Minister John Swinney to end contracts with companies identified by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk as being involved in Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

The Greens are also calling for local authorities to be given greater powers to support the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement by repealing a Margaret Thatcher-era UK law that prevents procurement decisions from being based on geographical origin.

Harvie said the Scottish government had failed to turn its words into action, arguing that in most respects it had done the bare minimum and provided “little evidence of meaningful change” on the issue.

READ: Finnish opposition party calls extension of defence deal with Israel a “historic shame”

“If a company is profiting from apartheid and genocide, the Scottish Government must use every power it has to ensure it is not also profiting from public money here in Scotland,” he said.

Recalling that ministers issued guidance to Scottish businesses following the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, Harvie said the government had made clear that the private sector had a responsibility to respond.

“The Scottish Government has already shown that it can act when it chooses to … Palestinians deserve no less,” he said.

“We cannot have a boycott in name only. Parliament did not vote for empty gestures. One year on, the Scottish Government needs to deliver,” Harvie added.

Meanwhile, a Scottish government spokesperson said: “As one of the first governments to call for a ceasefire, the Scottish Government has been a clear and consistent advocate for peace, justice and human rights in Gaza.”

The spokesperson added that the government had taken the “most direct and effective action” available within its powers to press for an immediate and lasting resolution and an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people.

READ: ‘No ifs’: Scotland’s first minister demands immediate UK recognition of Palestine state

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Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says he wishes someone would lock him up, small Orca speaks bluntly.

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF. — Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.

Donald Trump explains why he established his Bored of Peace

31 August 2026

Iran says US strikes on Kharg Island did not stop oil production

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A general view of the Port of Kharg Island Oil Terminal, in the Persian Gulf on March 12, 2017. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

An Iranian official said on Monday that Iran’s Kharg Island was bombed “several times by the US-Israeli enemy,” adding, however, that the strikes did not stop oil production on the island, Anadolu reports.

The remarks by the CEO of Iran’s national oil company came in response to US President Donald Trump’s earlier remarks saying that “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens,” according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

Calling Trump’s comments “laughable,” the outlet quoted the official as saying: “As I speak to you, several contractors are carrying out operations to rebuild and renovate storage tanks.”

READ: Iran fires missiles from multiple locations toward regional targets: Report

“None of the ongoing work on Kharg has stopped. Some projects are currently 20% to 30% complete, and work on them is continuing.”

On Sunday, US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, marking the first US strikes on Iranian territory since late July, a US official told Axios.

In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck US bases in the UAE and Jordan with missiles and drones.

READ: US strikes Iranian launchers on Larak Island, marking first attacks in weeks

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31 August 2026

The EU’s complicity with Israel renders support for UNRWA negligible

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by Ramona Wadi walzerscent

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Israeli forces reinforce their military presence at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Qalandiya Training Centre in Jerusalem on August 26, 2026. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

The EU, as well as individual European countries, have criticised Israel’s forced entry at the Qalandia Vocational Training Centre and the seizure of UNRWA’s installations in East Jerusalem. In a statement that reads as futile as any other, Israel was urged to “honour its obligations and to halt all disruptions to UNRWA’s activities and operations without delay.”

Israel’s response was typical – according to its Foreign Ministry, the EU and individual European countries are supporting “an organisation that is a breeding ground for terrorism.” Terrorism, according to Israel, was the reason UNRWA was banned from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories. It referenced a recent US Agency for International Development report which stated that over 100 current or former UNRWA staff members participated in the October 7 incursion into Israel.

The bottom line is that Israel has made no secret out of wanting to eradicate UNRWA, while the EU, like the rest of the international community wants to maintain the humanitarian paradigm as it serves the purpose of not addressing the Palestinian people’s political rights.

Yet, while serving a diplomatic purpose by speaking on UNRWA’s behalf, the support does not extend to the Palestinian people. A temporary organisation cannot serve a permanent purpose. The EU and the international community know the limitations UNRWA faces; both know that even financially, UNRWA can never deliver the standard required for the Palestinian people’s autonomy and independence. Politically, UNRWA has become embroiled in the politics of maintaining the Palestinian people’s refugee status, because the international community has completely rejected decolonisation.

READ: Israel bolsters forces at seized UNRWA training center in occupied Jerusalem

The EU, like the international community, plays a duplicitous role when it comes to UNRWA and the Palestinian people. Israel was asked to ‘honour its obligations’. Yet taking into account recent history, where was the EU when Palestinians were being massacred in Israel’s genocide in Gaza?

Was the EU not obliged to honour its obligations and work towards ending the genocide, instead of working to create more cycles of forced displacement by giving Israel absolute impunity?

Since the EU, alongside the international community, allowed Israel to continue its genocide, which aspect of UNRWA is it really supporting? The existence of the organisation, or the limited work UNRWA was accomplishing for Palestinian refugees due to the international community’s refusal to acknowledge the colonial politics of forced displacement?

If UNRWA and its work were truly considered a priority, the EU would not work against the institution and pretend to support it only when Israel commits a violation that cannot be diplomatically ignored. The EU’s support for UNRWA would have included the bloc taking a stance against genocide and forced displacement, rather than approving of the massacres by upholding Israel’s security narrative. Eliminating UNRWA, or shutting down its operations, will not make the refugees disappear. If, however, the EU tackled genocide and forced displacement both from the human and the political aspect, UNRWA could have been slightly helped, while more Palestinians would have been saved.

Israel will not honour its obligations, of course. But neither does the EU. If saving UNRWA and Palestinians refugees were truly a priority, the EU would have avoided complicity in the genocide in Gaza. Obligations, therefore, need to be defined, as they sit in blurred parameters when the EU asks Israel to abide by international law while collaborating in maintaining the perpetual displacement of Palestinian refugees.

BLOG: International condemnation of settlements does not target Israel’s colonial plan

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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31 August 2026

Smotrich calls for removal of 40 Palestinian memorials in West Bank within 24 hours

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Palestinians inspect the damage to a Palestinian memorial, which was smashed with a sledgehammer by far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot and those accompanying him, who entered the village of Madama near Nablus in the northern West Bank under the protection of Israeli soldiers, on August 25, 2026. [Nedal Eshtayah – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to instruct the Israeli military to dismantle 40 Palestinian memorials across the occupied West Bank within 24 hours, according to Israeli media reports.

Smotrich made the request in an official letter to Netanyahu following controversy surrounding the demolition of a memorial that Israeli authorities said commemorated a Palestinian responsible for attacks against Israelis.

According to Israel’s Channel 14, Smotrich said the removal of such memorials was necessary as part of efforts to assert what he described as “state sovereignty” and combat what he called “infrastructure of terrorism and incitement.”

Smotrich reportedly attached a list identifying 40 memorials across the West Bank that he said commemorate Palestinians involved in attacks or other activities against Israel.

He called on Netanyahu to order the Israeli military to remove all of the listed memorials within 24 hours.

READ: Netanyahu urges Smotrich and Ben-Gvir to unite ahead of elections

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31 August 2026

Ben-Gvir’s visit to Palestinian female prisoners’ cells draws criticism

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Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on 10 September, 2023 [OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has drawn criticism after footage showed him visiting cells holding Palestinian female prisoners and highlighting the stringent conditions imposed on detainees in Israeli prisons.

The footage prompted criticism from Palestinian officials and commentators, who accused Ben-Gvir of seeking to publicly showcase the harsh conditions under which Palestinian prisoners are being held.

Khaled Mahajneh, a lawyer with the Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, said the footage offered a rare public view of conditions faced by Palestinian women in Israeli detention.

“Perhaps the world will hear this time,” Mahajneh wrote on X, referring to female prisoners shown speaking from inside their cells about basic necessities they said they had been denied.

READ: Israel’s national security minister ‘pleased’ with harsh conditions of Palestinian prisoners

Mahajneh argued that while Ben-Gvir intended the footage to demonstrate his policies toward Palestinian prisoners, it instead exposed what he described as their degrading treatment inside Israeli prisons.

Qatari journalist Jaber Al-Harmi also criticized the visit and Ben-Gvir’s remarks, accusing Israeli authorities of subjecting Palestinian female prisoners to abusive conditions. He also criticized Arab and Muslim governments for what he described as their failure to protect the detainees or alleviate their conditions.

Qatari historian Ahmed Al-Binali similarly condemned Ben-Gvir’s remarks during the visit, including his statement that “the days of summer camps in Israeli prisons are over. I am now in charge.”

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

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31 August 2026

Author: dizzy

Scottish government urged to fully implement sanctions against Israel

Iran says US strikes on Kharg Island did not stop oil production

The EU’s complicity with Israel renders support for UNRWA negligible

Smotrich calls for removal of 40 Palestinian memorials in West Bank within 24 hours

Ben-Gvir’s visit to Palestinian female prisoners’ cells draws criticism