UK MPs urge sanctions on Netanyahu and Israeli justice minister over torture of Palestinians
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Dozens of British parliamentarians have urged the UK government to impose sanctions on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his justice minister, Yariv Levin, over the “systematic and well-documented torture” of Palestinian civilians in Israeli detention.
According to Sky News, 71 cross-party MPs and peers signed a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling on Britain to “help end this impunity” by targeting Netanyahu and Levin, who also serves as deputy prime minister, interior minister and religious services minister.
The letter, led by Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan, argues that responsibility for the alleged abuse of Palestinian detainees “lies with the government of Israel, including Prime Minister Netanyahu”. It follows the UK’s decision last year to sanction Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over their extremist comments and conduct towards Palestinians.
The parliamentarians said those measures “remain welcome” but have failed to change Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees. Since then, they warned, the situation has “escalated, with near total impunity”.
The letter cites a February 2026 UN report which found that “torture has become integral” to Israel’s domination and punishment of Palestinian men, women and children, including through custodial abuse, forced displacement, mass killings, deprivation and the destruction of the means of life.
MPs also pointed to Netanyahu’s praise for a decision by Israel’s military advocate to drop charges in March in a case involving the alleged rape of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers, part of which was reportedly captured on CCTV.
READ: UK MPs warn platforming Pahlavi risks replacing ‘one form of authoritarian rule with another’
They further cited the interception in April and May of the Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition by Israeli naval forces in international waters. British nationals were among those detained, and detainees alleged that they were beaten and shot. Footage of their treatment was later shared online by Ben-Gvir, Sky News reported.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Sky News that reports of mistreatment of detainees by Israeli forces were “disgraceful” and said the UK had raised the issue with the Israeli government.
“All detainees must be treated with dignity and in full accordance with international law, and any allegations of torture or mistreatment must be thoroughly investigated,” the spokesperson said.
The Foreign Office also called on Israel to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross “immediate and unrestricted access to all detention facilities”, adding that it was “completely unacceptable” that hundreds of Palestinian children are reportedly held in Israeli detention without charge for months.
The letter was signed by 30 Labour MPs and seven Labour peers, as well as representatives from the Greens, Plaid Cymru, Sinn Fein, the SDLP, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, the Conservatives, crossbench peers and non-affiliated members of the House of Lords.
READ: UK rights organisation calls on Business Secretary to cancel Israeli real estate event in London

- UK MPs urge sanctions on Netanyahu and Israeli justice minister over torture of Palestinians
- Khamenei’s funeral makes clear the global order is moving on
- Gaza hospital director’s health deteriorates in Israeli detention, shows signs of torture, rights activists say
- UAE allocates $30m in emergency aid for Sudan’s El Obeid city
- Iraq seeks strongest strategic ties with Saudi Arabia, says president
- US to urge Israel to curb violence against Palestinians in West Bank – Israeli media
- Iranian parliament speaker: We have no peace with US and will not recognise Israel
- 10 countries ban Ben-Gvir, Smotrich from entering their territories
- Netanyahu says Gaza reconstruction depends on Hamas disarmament
- Report: Israeli army plans to discharge 10,000 reservists by end of July amid budget crunch
- Israeli report says Hamas leader met Trump adviser in Qatar as commentators warn group is regrouping
- IOM warns El Obeid risks becoming ‘another El Fasher’ as fighting intensifies in Sudan
- Infant dies after delay at Israeli checkpoint; teenager killed during raid on Qalandiya Camp
- Rights groups raise concerns over theft during Israeli military raids in the West Bank
- Israel’s relentless quest for a next enemy
- Israeli army launches air, artillery attacks in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire
- 2 Gazans killed in Israeli drone strike in new ceasefire violation
- Israeli forces raided Al-Aqsa Mosque 26 times in June, Palestinian ministry says
- Could Israel aid mission open the door to renewed Venezuela-Israel relations?
- Right to breathe: Unfiltered messages from Gaza to President Catherine Connolly
- Israel releases 9 Palestinian detainees through Kerem Abu Salem crossing
- Iranian parliament speaker says implementing memorandum ‘difficult but possible’
- Cholera, measles, food shortages put 200,000 at risk in Sudan’s North Kordofan: Medics
- Israeli government says it will not respect High Court verdict on broadcast regulator
- Qatar, France discuss Lebanon, regional developments
- Netanyahu denies Trump restricted Israeli strikes in Lebanon
- Israeli army chief threatens Lebanon with ‘swift offensive’ from occupied Beaufort Castle
- French President Macron to visit Syria, Syrian presidency says
- Iran, Qatar resume maritime trade after 5-month hiatus
- Cholera outbreak kills 30, infects 800 in West Kordofan: Sudanese group
- Israeli occupiers burn down restaurant in occupied West Bank
- Cargo vessel comes under attack off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, British maritime agency says
- Egypt rules out ‘popular normalization’ with Israel without just peace, Palestinian state
- Qatar resumes all maritime activity after week-long pause
- Jailed Gaza hospital director faces life-threatening condition, lawyer says
- Israel’s Ben-Gvir to skip UN police summit in New York amid legal pressure: Reports
- Trump says Netanyahu asked for meeting at White House
- Iran holds mass funeral prayer for slain supreme leader
- Moroccans celebrate historic World Cup quarterfinal berth after 3-0 win over Canada
- Iranian president criticises international silence over Israeli actions
- Israeli strike kills Palestinian in Gaza as army continues demolitions
- Lebanon says 400,000 displaced people have returned south as government prepares reconstruction plan
- Medvedev says Strait of Hormuz gives Iran leverage comparable to ‘nuclear weapon’
- Israeli intelligence rejects Netanyahu’s request to back claim Iran’s nuclear program was completely destroyed: Report
- Iran rejects UK-France Hormuz statement, warns against foreign military presence
- Egypt celebrates historic first-ever World Cup Round of 16 qualification
- Rights center documents 83 Israeli attacks on Christians in 3 months, mostly in occupied Jerusalem
- Two scorpions in a jar
- The funeral that reveals a world divided
- The geopolitics of energy storage: Who will control the batteries of the Middle East?


Palestine Action activists arrested on first anniversary of ban
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/palestine-action-activists-arrested-first-anniversary-ban

SAVING LIVES is not terrorism, protesters chanted outside Scotland Yard on Sunday as they marked one year since Palestine Action was banned as a terror group.
An 84-year-old retired priest was arrested for showing her support for the proscribed organisation alongside 13 other activists standing against British complicity in Israel’s war crimes.
Protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters in central London chanting slogans and holding banners, following a Court of Appeals ruling last month which found the ban on Palestine Action to be lawful.
…
Sunday’s protest saw 14 protesters including the Reverend Sue Parfitt arrested by police for disobeying the ban.
The retired 84-year-old Anglican priest and former nun was among those who shouted their support for Palestine Action, standing on a soapbox holding on which the words “I oppose genocide” were written.
Leading the campaign against the ban, Defend Our Juries (DOJ) said protesters were arrested under section 12 of the Terrorism Act, “a far more serious charge than the section 13 charge for which those holding signs have previously been arrested.”
A DOJ spokesperson said yesterday’s protest marked “a substantial escalation in their campaign” called “Saving Lives is Not Terrorism.”
…
Reverend Parfitt told the crowd through a megaphone: “So what can I do at my age and my frailty, very little — I do what I can to support the Palestinians.
“One of the best things that I can do is to support the organisation known as Palestine Action because they have been brave enough to smash up the weapons that are producing the genocide.
“So I ask you too to support Palestine Action.”
…
Amnesty International UK marked the one-year anniversary of the ban warning that “treating protest as terrorism leaves the door wide open for governments to suppress protest movements in the future, while clamping down on solidarity with Palestinians right now.”
The human rights organisation highlighted that at least 3,300 people have been arrested “for holding placards” since the proscription.
…
Original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/palestine-action-activists-arrested-first-anniversary-ban



Red scared: Donald Trump warns communism is the greatest threat US has ever faced in independence day rant

DONALD TRUMP’S “red scare” speech on the 250th anniversary of US independence was simply an attempt to “distract from his failing imperialist regime,” the Communist Party said yesterday.
General secretary Alex Gordon condemned Friday night’s speech by the US president as “straight from the playbook of a modern-day tyrant,” adding that “a spectre of communism is haunting Donald Trump.”
Following election wins by candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Mr Trump’s speech took aim at the progressive politicians pushing back against his wars abroad and violent attacks on immigrants at home.
He said: “There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success.
“Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty.”
Mr Gordon hit back: “A spectre of communism is haunting Donald Trump, just as it haunted popes, tsars, Metternich and Guizot, as Marx and Engels wrote in 1848 in The Communist Manifesto.
“Just as in Trump’s first presidential term, as US capitalism collapses and working-class Americans face unemployment, repossessions, inflation hikes and welfare cuts, so Trump’s rhetoric becomes more deranged and his public appearances are accompanied by paramilitary displays aimed at terrorising his own population.
“Trump’s address at the National Mall in Washington DC, the US black-majority capital city, was accompanied by a mobilisation of uniformed white supremacists.
“These are familiar terror tactics of fascist dictators from Mussolini onwards.”
Historian Kenny Coyle rejected Mr Trump’s claim of “100 million victims of communism.”
He told the Star: “This figure is presented so often by corporate media and mainstream academia as an uncontested fact that the claim is rarely subjected to historical research, commonsense questioning or even basic arithmetical skills. It’s not really a surprise that even Trump the Chump could memorise it.”
…
Read all the rest at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/red-scared-donald-trump-warns-communism-greatest-threat-us-has-ever-faced-independence-day



Netanyahu denies Trump restricted Israeli strikes in Lebanon
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports Sunday that the US had restricted Israeli military operations in Lebanon, Anadolu reports.
“I heard it was said in the media that President Trump asked not to act against terror tunnels in Lebanon. This is a legend, fake news. He didn’t say anything to me about it, and I didn’t ask him. We operate according to our considerations,” Netanyahu said during a weekly Cabinet meeting.
His remarks contradicted an earlier report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN late last month that Israel had provided US officials with detailed intelligence on alleged Hezbollah tunnels in the Ali al-Taher Heights in southern Lebanon in an effort to obtain US approval for military operations in the area.
The report suggested Israel sought a US green light to continue its military activities in Lebanon, contrary to Netanyahu’s assertion that Israeli military decisions are made independently.
Since March 2, 2026, Israeli military operations in Lebanon have killed at least 4,303 people and injured 12,202 others, according to Lebanese authorities, while displacing more than one million.
READ: Israeli army chief threatens Lebanon with ‘swift offensive’ from occupied Beaufort Castle
On June 26, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement under US mediation aimed at ending the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.
Turning to Gaza, Netanyahu said there would be no reconstruction in the enclave before it is disarmed, a position that departs from the sequencing outlined in US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.
“There will be no reconstruction in Gaza without dismantling and demilitarizing the Strip,” he said in his comments carried by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Under the second phase of Trump’s plan, a broader Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and the launch of reconstruction are to proceed in parallel with the beginning of the disarmament of Palestinian factions.
According to the paper, Netanyahu’s remarks came amid reports that Trump’s Board of Peace intends to move ahead with reconstruction in areas under Israeli military control without linking it to the disarmament of Hamas.
Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 73,000 people and injured over 173,000 injured, in a deadly offensive that has caused widespread destruction affecting 90% of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure, according to official Gaza data.
READ: Trump says Netanyahu asked for meeting at White House
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

- Netanyahu denies Trump restricted Israeli strikes in Lebanon
- Israeli army chief threatens Lebanon with ‘swift offensive’ from occupied Beaufort Castle
- French President Macron to visit Syria, Syrian presidency says
- Iran, Qatar resume maritime trade after 5-month hiatus
- Cholera outbreak kills 30, infects 800 in West Kordofan: Sudanese group
- Israeli occupiers burn down restaurant in occupied West Bank
- Cargo vessel comes under attack off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, British maritime agency says
- Egypt rules out ‘popular normalization’ with Israel without just peace, Palestinian state
- Qatar resumes all maritime activity after week-long pause
- Jailed Gaza hospital director faces life-threatening condition, lawyer says
- Israel’s Ben-Gvir to skip UN police summit in New York amid legal pressure: Reports
- Trump says Netanyahu asked for meeting at White House
- Iran holds mass funeral prayer for slain supreme leader
- Moroccans celebrate historic World Cup quarterfinal berth after 3-0 win over Canada
- Iranian president criticises international silence over Israeli actions
- Israeli strike kills Palestinian in Gaza as army continues demolitions
- Lebanon says 400,000 displaced people have returned south as government prepares reconstruction plan
- Medvedev says Strait of Hormuz gives Iran leverage comparable to ‘nuclear weapon’
- Israeli intelligence rejects Netanyahu’s request to back claim Iran’s nuclear program was completely destroyed: Report
- Iran rejects UK-France Hormuz statement, warns against foreign military presence
- Egypt celebrates historic first-ever World Cup Round of 16 qualification
- Rights center documents 83 Israeli attacks on Christians in 3 months, mostly in occupied Jerusalem
- Two scorpions in a jar
- The funeral that reveals a world divided
- The geopolitics of energy storage: Who will control the batteries of the Middle East?
- Israeli army confirms authenticity of image showing Palestinian detainee abused in Gaza
- Israeli army disperses protest in southern West Bank, injures, arrests Palestinians
- Israeli drone strikes injure 2 in southern Lebanon despite framework agreement
- Israeli spyware used against ex-Greek MEP during probe of illegal surveillance: Report
- Gulf states express solidarity with Syria after deadly Damascus cafe bombing
- UAE thwarts ‘sophisticated’ cyberattacks targeting financial sector
- Israeli army ends Givati Brigade mission in southern Lebanon after 8 months
- Australian police review war crime allegations against citizen as war in Gaza crosses 1000th day
- China calls for ‘proper settlement’ to end disruptions in Strait of Hormuz
- Israel approves 13 new illegal settlements as Palestinians warn of Jerusalem’s further isolation
- One thousand days of war: Why Israel failed to defeat Palestine
- 1,022 infants among more than 21,500 children killed during Gaza’s 1,000-day war
- West African states begin withdrawal from ICC
- Google disrupts Israel-linked proxy network used to spread malware
- Israel says 26,000 troops treated since Gaza war began, most for psychological conditions
- Israel planned to target Iranian negotiators to derail talks, US acted to prevent it – report
- France, Italy to form new international force for southern Lebanon
- Iran tells UN it will guarantee safe passage through Strait of Hormuz for 60 days
- Egypt and Turkey sign agreement to enhance cooperation on strategic transport corridors
- Demonstrators in Paris stage silent march over 1,000 days of genocide in Gaza
- Palestinian Foreign Ministry denies claims it asked South Africa to withdraw ICJ case against Israel
- Syria reassures Lebanon it has no intention of military intervention
- Berri warns Israel is seeking to provoke conflict between Lebanese army and Hezbollah
- Hamas official reveals more than 3,500 Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza
- Great power competition under Trump: The Greenland crisis as a case study



