A person holding a sign saying ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’ is detained by police in London. Photograph: SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Increase coincides with proscription of Palestine Action last year which has led to thousands of arrests for allegedly supporting the protest group
Almost half of all terrorism arrests in Great Britain since the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers in 2001 have come in the past year, official data shows.
There have been 6,539 arrests for terror-related activity in Great Britain since the 2001 attacks and 3,021 of those arrests were in the year ending 31 March 2026, according to the Home Office.
The increase coincides with the proscription of Palestine Action, which came into effect on 5 July last year and has led to thousands of arrests of people for allegedly supporting the direct action protest group, the first such group to be banned under the Terrorism Act.
The ban, which has been criticised by UN experts, NGOs, a former director of public prosecutions and a former director of the security services, is the subject of a continuing legal challenge, which will next be heard at the UK supreme court on 4 November.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.Keir “I support Zionism without Qualification” Starmer supporting genocide. He berates Palestine Action for upholding international law and prevent his – Labour and Israel’s – Gaza genocide. Starmer says that that they’ve got a genocide to achieve, forced marches like the Nazis did, hospitals to bomb into obliteration, journalists, healthcare workers and starving people queuing for food to mass-murder and that they have to murder all Gazans for Zionism.Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine ‘Private Eye’.
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) holds a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31, 2026. [Press Information Bureau (PIB) – Anadolu Agency]
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said that the US was interested in “continuing the war,” in remarks during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Anadolu reports.
The two leaders met in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek on the sidelines of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Iran adhered to its commitments stemming from a Pakistan-mediated framework deal with the US, Pezeshkian said, accusing Washington of not fulfilling its commitments.
“However, we continue to try to realize the path of agreement and understanding and believe that the continuation of the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region, nor in the interest of humanity,” he said.
The solution to the existing issues lies with “dialogue and cooperation,” the Iranian president stressed.
Pezeshkian also called for stronger bilateral ties with India, emphasizing that Tehran is ready to expand cooperation with New Delhi in various fields.
For his part, Modi “expressed concern at the escalation of tensions in the region and reiterated India’s consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” a statement by his office said.
The Indian premier also “reiterated the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region,” it said.
Calling for “safeguarding the freedom of navigation and commerce,” Modi emphasized that “civilians and civilian infrastructure, including commercial shipping and seafarers must not be harmed under any circumstances,” according to the statement.
It was the first face-to-face meeting between Modi and Pezeshkian since the US-Iran war began in late February, although the two leaders have spoken several times by phone.
The meeting came amid renewed tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz after the US military attacked Lark Island near the strategic waterway overnight, prompting Iranian retaliation.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have remained high since the war began with strikes on Iran in late February.
Although a framework agreement was signed in June following mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, the US launched a two-week bombing campaign in July and reimposed a naval blockade after differences emerged over navigation in the strait.
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
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Israeli authorities construct a new settlement road north of East Jerusalem, a Jerusalem governorate official reportedly said on February 5, 2026. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]
Israeli authorities established a new illegal settlement on land in the Jenin governorate in the northern occupied West Bank on Monday, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The settlement, named “Noa,” was established south of the “Ganim” and “Kadim” settlements on Palestinian land southeast of Jenin, Wafa said.
“A ceremony marking the establishment of the settlement was held in the presence of several Israeli ministers and Knesset members,” it said.
The agency added that the move reflects “growing official Israeli support for settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Wafa warned that the new settlement was established “amid the escalating Israeli settlement project in the northern West Bank, particularly in areas from which Israeli settlements were evacuated in 2005 as part of the ‘Disengagement’ plan.”
Israel evacuated four settlements in the northern occupied West Bank – Ganim, Kadim, Homesh and Sa-Nur – in 2005 as part of its so-called “Disengagement plan,” which also included withdrawing Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip.
In recent years, however, Israel has taken steps to reverse restrictions preventing Israeli settlers from returning to the evacuated areas.
Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported in mid-July that the Israeli Security Cabinet had approved a $370 million budget to establish new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The newspaper said the decision was not publicly announced.
Israel’s current government has described itself as the most supportive of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Settlement activity has expanded and accelerated significantly across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was formed in late 2022.
The UN recognizes the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territories.
Around 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 141 illegal settlements and 224 settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank, including some 250,000 in 15 settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
The UN has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and warned that they undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
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
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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.
“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.
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
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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.
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.
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
