Zionism

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

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

German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul gives a speech in Berlin, Germany, on May 18, 2026. [Murat Gök – Anadolu Agency]

Germany on Friday criticized Israel’s continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank but stopped short of backing calls from EU partners for tougher measures, including a trade ban on goods from these settlements, Anadolu reports.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told a news conference in Berlin that Germany’s long-held position on illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories remains unchanged, and that it continues to remind Israel of its obligations under international law.

“All German governments to date — and we ourselves — have consistently issued statements to this effect,” Wadephul said, adding that he reiterated Germany’s expectations during his visit to Israel on Tuesday, when he discussed the latest developments with his Israeli counterpart.

“International law is the guiding principle here, and there must be no unilateral de facto annexation,” he said. “In particular, any form of settler violence is unacceptable. We expect the Israeli government to take decisive action against it.” He added that he had received assurances on the matter from his Israeli counterpart.

Wadephul stopped short of saying whether Germany would back proposals to ban or restrict imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers. Instead, he stressed the need to keep dialogue channels open with Israel.

READ: Situation worsening in West Bank, warn Italy, UK, France, Germany

“We have previously made decisions to impose sanctions on radical settler organizations prone to violence. We are ready to review the situation again at any time,” he said.

Wadephul argued that the immediate priority should be fostering conditions for progress on other urgent fronts.

“Overall, we must now foster a climate that guarantees, firstly, the success of the fruitful talks Israel is holding with Lebanon aimed at reaching an agreement. That is of historic importance,” he said. “And secondly, it is crucial that we finally make progress regarding the Gaza Strip. A solution there has been pending for far too long.”

He reiterated that Israel should not impose restrictions on humanitarian access to Gaza and must allow more aid into the Palestinian territory. He also called for accelerating efforts to dismantle Hamas’s power structure.

“We must finally reach a point where responsibility for the Gaza Strip is gradually handed over to the Palestinian administration that is to be formed,” Wadephul said. “I believe we should focus on these questions now. And that will also be my key contribution at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday.”

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

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
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingGermany criticizes Israel over West Bank, stops short of backing tougher EU measures

Hundreds in Sweden protest Israeli attacks, ceasefire violations in Gaza

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

Hundreds of people, holding banners and flags, gather to protest Israel’s attacks on Gaza, violations of ceasefires, and restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the region in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 11, 2026 [Atila Altuntaş – Anadolu Agency]

Hundreds of people gathered in the Swedish capital Stockholm on Saturday to protest Israel’s attacks on Gaza, ceasefire violations, and restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the enclave, Anadolu reports.

The demonstrators gathered at Odenplan Square following calls by several civil society organizations.

Protesters carrying Palestinian flags chanted slogans against Israel and called for the immediate lifting of the blockade on Gaza.

They also accused Israel of violating the ceasefire reached on Oct. 10, 2025.

Dror Feiler, a Swedish Jewish activist and chair of European Jews for a Just Peace, told Anadolu that the demonstrators were standing up for Palestinian rights, justice and equality.

READ: Spain’s National Court opens probe into Israeli military officials over Gaza flotilla interception

“A peace achieved without justice is not real peace and will ultimately lead to another war,” Feiler said.

He accused the international community of turning away from alleged crimes against humanity and violations of international law in Gaza.

Feiler also criticized what he described as the collapse of the international order and laws established following World War II and the Holocaust, arguing that powerful actors apply rules according to their own interests.

Rejecting accusations of antisemitism against the demonstrations, he said protesters opposed oppression regardless of who carries it out.

“Criticizing the Israeli government or Zionism … does not make someone antisemitic,” Feiler said.

READ: Poll: 40 % of non-religious US Jews accuse Israel of 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
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingHundreds in Sweden protest Israeli attacks, ceasefire violations in Gaza

Presumptive British PM Burnham’s Gaza Apology Met With Skepticism

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Article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

UK Labour MP Andy Burnham is seen following a media interview in London on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

“Andy Burnham knows that war crimes are being committed in Gaza, but has he got the courage to do anything about it?” asked the Greens’ deputy leader.

Labour MP Andy Burnham, who is on track to become Britain’s next prime minister following Keir Starmer’s resignation last month, apologized Thursday for his party’s initial response to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza—but critics said his circumspect atonement fell short of the mark.

“Let me start by saying the unbearable suffering in Gaza is a scar on our collective conscience,” Burnham, the erstwhile Manchester mayor who won last month’s Makerfield by-election, said in a three-minute video. “It’s completely unacceptable that innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed, that there’s still a humanitarian crisis with too little aid getting in, and that the Israeli military continues to expand the area it controls in Gaza.”

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“We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government,” he asserted. “The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better. Yes, we have taken some important steps. These include recognizing the Palestinian state, placing sanctions on Israeli ministers, and imposing waves of sanctions on violent settlers and the organizations that support them.”

“But let’s be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire, and we must now do more to strengthen our approach,” Burnham continued. “Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement, killing innocent Palestinians. We’re seeing a surge in settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the continued expansion of illegal settlements, displacing Palestinian communities.”

The lawmaker accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government of “clearly attempting to make a two-state solution impossible.”

“That’s why we need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trading goods with illegal settlements,” he said.

“There’s increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed,” Burnham added. “There must be accountability for the depth of the suffering the people of Gaza have experienced. Ultimately, however, it must be for the international courts to determine, rather than politicians.”

The International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, his former defense minister, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, where more than 250,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded, most of them civilians, since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa and formally supported by nearly 20 nations.

While some Zionist UK MPs denounced Burnham’s comments as anti-Israel, Burnham’s pledge of a “fair and balanced approach” to Israel and Palestine, his placing of the onus on courts and not elected officials, and the fact that he did not say the word “genocide” in his apology drew criticism from Palestine defenders.

“Gaza has now endured more than 1,000 days of genocide,” Green Party Leader Zack Polanski said in response to the video. “Andy Burnham must answer: As prime minister, will he end Britain’s participation in genocide or continue it?”

Deputy Green Leader Mothin Ali told The Guardian that Burnham is hiding behind international courts “because admitting that the British government knows war crimes are being committed would trigger a legal duty to immediately halt arms sales.”

Andy Burnham knows that war crimes are being committed in Gaza, but has he got the courage to do anything about it?Britain must halt arms sales to Israel immediately

— Mothin Ali (@mothinali.bsky.social) 2026-07-09T21:58:42.790Z

Adnan Hmidan, chair of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, said that Burnham’s “recognition that far stronger action is needed to confront the grave violations committed against the Palestinian people” is an important step.

“But the scale of devastation, killing, starvation, and forced displacement inflicted upon Gaza demands far more than acknowledgement,” he continued. “It requires courageous political action.”

“As an increasing number of legal experts and international human rights organizations have concluded, we hope more British political leaders will recognize that the atrocities committed in Gaza constitute genocide under international law, and will support the measures necessary to ensure accountability, end impunity, and uphold international law without exception or double standards,” Hmidan added.

British political commentator Saul Staniforth said on social media that “it was clear from the very start that what Israel was doing in Gaza was genocide… and yet over two-and-a-half years later, Burnham still refuses to call it genocide. Why? Because if he did, he’d have to take action as PM.”

“Burnham only made his statement yesterday on Gaza because of pressure, and meaningful action by a government led by him will only happen because of pressure,” Staniforth added.

Queen Mary University of London politics professor Tim Bale told Al Jazeera that Burnham is “trying to repair damage, but his remarks are probably more symbolic than substantive.”

Noting that Labour has “only just recovered from the accusations of antisemitism that were swirling around it during the [Jeremy] Corbyn era,” Bale asserted that “the UK is already at the edge of what it’s likely to do and say on Israel.”

“It also has to worry about maintaining relations with a profoundly pro-Israel US administration,” the professor added.

Article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel's criminal war for Israel's genocidal expansion in Iran and states 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 participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states 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 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.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Continue ReadingPresumptive British PM Burnham’s Gaza Apology Met With Skepticism

‘It Was a Field Execution’: IDF Shoots Driver Delivering Relief Supplies to Gaza in the Head

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Article by Stephen Prager republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Humanitarian aid trucks wait at the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Mohamed Elshahed/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A Gaza trucker’s association leader called it “a deliberate killing of a civilian driver who had complied with all instructions.”

A soldier with the Israel Defense Forces reportedly shot and killed a Palestinian driver delivering aid to Gaza on Wednesday in what witnesses described as a “field execution.”

Based on accounts from three witnesses, The Guardian reported that the driver, Ahmad Nasser Saleem, was shot in the head at close range shortly after his convoy entered Gaza to deliver food supplies from the World Central Kitchen.

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They said the four-truck convoy had stopped along the Philadelphi Corridor on the edge of Gaza after one of the vehicles broke down. Israeli soldiers then ordered the drivers to dismount before one of them shot Saleem in the head when his hands were raised.

“After the truck broke down, we waited for authorization to get out and inspect it, because every movement we make has to be coordinated in advance,” said one of the other drivers, Diaa Mansour.

He said that while they were awaiting authorization, an Israeli military vehicle arrived and soldiers ordered him, Saleem, and another driver, Alaa Shaat, to get out of their trucks.

“They made us stand by the side of the road. They ordered me to take off my clothes and forced me to sit under the sun,” Mansour said. “Then they brought Ahmad out of his truck. One of the soldiers began talking to Ahmad while he stood with his hands raised. Ahmad did not speak Hebrew, and it seemed the soldiers did not understand his Arabic.”

“Suddenly, they shot him. He was hit in the head and died at the scene,” Mansour said. “It appeared they were trying to find out why we had stopped, but they did not understand the situation and opened fire immediately, without any discussion or attempt to communicate.”

Jihad Saleem, the deputy head of the Association of Transport Companies in Gaza, identified as a distant relative of the aid worker who was killed, said that the transportation of aid was “100%” coordinated with Israel through the UN World Food Program and WCK.

“The moment Ahmad raised his hands in surrender, one of the soldiers drew his M16 rifle and shot him directly in the head,” he said. “It was a field execution and a deliberate killing of a civilian driver who had complied with all instructions. He was wearing his orange safety vest and carried all the required permits, security clearances, and coordination that had been approved by the IDF.”

The IDF confirmed the shooting, but disputed the series of events. A military spokesperson said the convoy “had stopped along the Philadelphi Corridor and exited their trucks contrary to established procedures” and that one of the drivers “ran toward the troops” who “initiated the suspect apprehension protocol and, after perceiving an immediate threat, opened fire toward him.”

Jihad Saleem said that “drivers are subjected to daily violations, including beatings, abuse, humiliation, and being forced to stand for long hours under the sun.”

“Even more disturbing,” Saleem said, “the soldier who shot Ahmad talked to the three surviving drivers afterward and threatened them, saying they would meet the same fate as Ahmad. This clearly indicates that the attack was deliberate.”

Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, which began in October 2023, has included the systematic restriction of humanitarian aid entering the strip, which has caused widespread starvation, which humanitarian groups have said Israel is using as a “weapon of war” against the Palestinian population.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said as of April 29, 2026, that it had recorded the killing of 593 aid workers in the territory, including eight since a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.

The shooting of Ahmad Saleem follows the shooting of two other Palestinian aid drivers in May under similar circumstances. According to The Guardian, the two men had been detained by the IDF for days before being released near a roundabout in Rafah where they were each shot.

The month before, two drivers working for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were killed by Israeli fire as they were filling their water trucks at an established distribution point.

Saleem is at least the 11th documented worker with WCK to have been killed by Israeli forces during the conflict. In April 2024, an Israeli strike hit a convoy clearly marked with the WCK logo and killed seven workers after the drivers had similarly coordinated their movements with the IDF.

That November, Israel bombed another vehicle, killing three WCK workers and two others, claiming that one of them had been involved in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack against Israel, which was not independently confirmed and which the WCK said it had no knowledge of.

WCK said in a statement that it was “devastated” to learn of Saleem’s killing on Wednesday.

“Ahmad Nasser Saleem was doing what so many of our partners do every day in Gaza—working to get food to hungry people,” the group said. “We are in contact with his family, and our deepest grief is with them. WCK expects a full accounting of what happened. Humanitarian aid deliveries should never be a target.”

Article by Stephen Prager republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel's criminal war for Israel's genocidal expansion in Iran and states 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 participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states 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/
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 Reading‘It Was a Field Execution’: IDF Shoots Driver Delivering Relief Supplies to Gaza in the Head

Britain’s Year of Arresting Pensioners As Terrorists Has Taken a Hatchet to Our Civil Liberties

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https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/06/britains-year-of-arresting-pensioners-as-terrorists-has-taken-a-hatchet-to-our-civil-liberties/

Photo: Jonah Braverman/ Novara Media

It’s a slippery slope.

A year and a day ago [article published 6 July 2026], octogenarian priest Sue Parfitt told Novara Media, “we cannot be bystanders”. Moments later, she became one of the first people in the country to be arrested under a draconian new law that many didn’t believe could be enforced. 

Parfitt had, of course, defied the proscription of direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, after a ban came into effect at 00.01 the night before. 

Onlookers, who surrounded the group and chanted “free, free Palestine”, said they were shocked to see her and 28 other mostly elderly protesters bundled into police vans simply for holding up paper signs. Parfitt said she hoped “common sense would prevail” and that the new law would be immediately overturned. 

We expected that might happen, too. In the first few weeks, the UN, Amnesty International, many other NGOs and dozens of public figures condemned the ban as a “disturbing legal overreach” with chilling repercussions for freedom of speech and assembly. As more and more people vowed to break the law, things looked pretty bad for the British government and its loyal, miserable police force. 

But twelve months later – despite judges siding with Palestine Action across three of four court hearings, and initially finding the ban unlawful – the proscription has held.

…

https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/06/britains-year-of-arresting-pensioners-as-terrorists-has-taken-a-hatchet-to-our-civil-liberties/

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/
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.
Nigel Farage 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.
Nigel Farage 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.

Continue ReadingBritain’s Year of Arresting Pensioners As Terrorists Has Taken a Hatchet to Our Civil Liberties