Zionism

Turkish top diplomat says Netanyahu seeking to designate Turkey as a new enemy

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

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during his visit to Anadolu’s Editorial Desk at the agency’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkiye on April 13, 2026. [Utku Uçrak – Anadolu Agency]

Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan said Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to designate Turkey as a new enemy, amid rising regional tensions.

Speaking during a meeting with editors at the Anadolu Agency headquarters, Fidan stated that Israel “cannot live without an enemy after Iran,” in reference to ongoing geopolitical developments.

The Turkish minister’s statements come amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, following Ankara’s announcement of an indictment against 35 Israelis — including Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges including genocide — suspected of targeting the Global Flotilla as it attempted to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

In his remarks, Fidan said that his country believes it is inappropriate for countries to intervene to open the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the movement of people through the Strait of Hormuz should not be obstructed and that no country should pay fees for passage.

READ: Algerian president, Pope Leo XIV call for justice for Palestinians

The Turkish Foreign Minister stressed the necessity of establishing a security alliance in the region to bolster trust among its countries.

Iran had announced its intention to impose fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while US President Donald Trump declared that his country would impose a blockade on Iranian ports starting today.

Commenting on the escalation in the region, Fidan stated that what Lebanon is witnessing is part of Israel’s expansionist policies, warning that the crisis there could escalate into a regional conflict.

He noted that following the announcement of a two-week truce between the United States and Iran, it was understood that the agreement included Lebanon, adding: “Netanyahu sabotaged it as usual, and America remained silent about it.”

READ: Turkey urges global response to ‘Israel’s potential acts of sabotage’ amid ceasefire in Mideast

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/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …
Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he's heard that she's a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.
Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he’s heard that she’s a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.

Continue ReadingTurkish top diplomat says Netanyahu seeking to designate Turkey as a new enemy

UNESCO-listed shrine destroyed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

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

A view of the heavy destruction in the buildings of Shema, a town in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district, following the withdrawal of the Israeli army two days ago, on January 13, 2025. [Stringer – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli forces have destroyed the shrine of Prophet Shimon the Just in the town of Shamaa in the Tyre district, according to official and local media reports.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli artillery shelling targeted the area of the ancient citadel in Tyre, where the shrine was located. The site was listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage area, granting it international cultural protection.

According to the report, surrounding hills near Shamaa were subjected to intermittent shelling early Monday, though there was no immediate confirmation of casualties.

READ: EU calls for immediate halt to attacks in Lebanon, urges protection of civilians

Lebanese media, including Al-Akhbar, said Israeli forces had bulldozed the shrine before destroying it in an airstrike.

The shrine had previously been destroyed during the 2014 war before being restored by local residents, who regard it as a historical religious site and mosque.

The incident comes amid continued Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the escalation since 2nd March has resulted in 2,055 deaths and 6,588 injuries.

Israeli military operations continue across southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have maintained a presence in certain areas for decades, alongside renewed incursions during the current escalation.

READ: Hezbollah: Ukraine unable to help itself, its statements on confronting Iran ‘absurd’

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/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …
Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he's heard that she's a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.
Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he’s heard that she’s a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.

Continue ReadingUNESCO-listed shrine destroyed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

Israeli forces fire teargas at schoolchildren holding West Bank sit-in

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/13/israeli-forces-fire-teargas-at-schoolchildren-holding-west-bank-sit-in

Palestinian students at an outdoor lesson after Israeli settlers blocked the road leading to their school in the village of Umm al-Khair. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Incident took place on first day back at school in small village, as settlers blocked pupils’ access

Israeli forces have fired teargas at Palestinian schoolchildren who were staging a sit-in in the occupied West Bank after settlers blocked access to their school.

The Israeli military said it had dispersed an “unusual gathering”, but did not specify whether its troops had fired teargas at the children on the first day of class since the start of the Iran war.

The incident took place at Umm al-Khair, a small village in the southern West Bank region of Masafer Yatta.

Schoolchildren there had been due back in class on Monday for the first time in more than 40 days, after lessons were suspended as a result of the Israeli-US attack on Iran on 28 February.

A group of schoolchildren and Palestinian residents had gathered near a barbed wire fence erected by Israeli settlers, which blocked access to the school.

Schoolchildren and some local adults were holding an open-air class as a sit-in to demand access when troops fired the teargas, witnesses said.

“We were sitting and they threw a grenade [teargas canister] at us. I got scared and started screaming and ran away,” said 12-year-old Sarah al-Hathaleen.

“I started crying. A woman hugged me and stayed with me. We were very scared.”

…

Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/13/israeli-forces-fire-teargas-at-schoolchildren-holding-west-bank-sit-in

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/
Continue ReadingIsraeli forces fire teargas at schoolchildren holding West Bank sit-in

Tehran threatens all Gulf ports in retaliation to US blockade

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tehran-threatens-all-gulf-ports-retaliation-us-blockade

 Women walk past a banner depicting the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the U.S. and Israel strikes on Feb. 28, in northern Tehran, Iran, April 12, 2026

TEHRAN threatened all ports in the Gulf today in retaliation for the US military blockade on Iran’s ports as negotiation talks failed.

…

The US’s restrictions, which include “the entirety of the Iranian coastline, including ports and energy infrastructure,” were expected to begin today.

It was not immediately clear if they had kicked off.

The US military’s Central Command announced that the blockade would be enforced “against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas.”

It said that it would include all of Iran’s ports on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

…

Iran issued threats of its own, broadcasting today: “Security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for no-one.

“No port in the region will be safe.”

…

Original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tehran-threatens-all-gulf-ports-retaliation-us-blockade

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/
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he's heard that she's a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.
Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he’s heard that she’s a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.

Continue ReadingTehran threatens all Gulf ports in retaliation to US blockade

Strait of Hormuz ‘Is Open For Us,’ Says China’s Defense Minister as US Blockade Begins

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Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun attends a luncheon in Kuala Lumpur on October 31, 2025. (Photo by Hasnoor Hussain/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

“We have trade and energy agreements with Iran. We will respect and honor them and expect others not to meddle in our affairs.”

Although President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to enforce a blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun warned on Monday against any effort to obstruct Chinese vessels.

As reported by Business Today, the Chinese defense minister emphasized that his country and Iran have reached an arrangement allowing the safe transportation of Chinese ships through the strait, and he said the US should not subject them to its blockade.

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“Our ships are moving in and out of the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” the defense minister said. “We have trade and energy agreements with Iran. We will respect and honor them and expect others not to meddle in our affairs. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, and it is open for us.”

Trump announced a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, saying the US would not allow any ships that had cut deals with Iran for safe passage to be let through.

The blockade announcement came after US negotiators, led by Vice President JD Vance, failed to reach a peace agreement with their Iranian counterparts to bring an end to the conflict, which Trump launched illegally without any congressional approval six weeks ago.

The failure to reach a peace deal sent the price of oil upward yet again, as the price of Brent crude oil futures and WTI crude oil futures approached $100 per barrel.

Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

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/
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight 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 Straight 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.
Continue ReadingStrait of Hormuz ‘Is Open For Us,’ Says China’s Defense Minister as US Blockade Begins