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Oxford Union votes that Israel poses ‘greater threat’ to regional stability than Iran

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Israeli army’s tanks and armored vehicles are seen moving along the Gaza border as attacks continue unabated in Gaza City, Gaza on September 16, 2025. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

The Oxford Union, one of the world’s most renowned debating societies, has voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of a motion declaring Israel a greater threat to regional stability than Iran, following a heated debate featuring former Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Geneva-based NGO UN Watch’s director Hillel Neuer, Anadolu reports.

The debate centered on the motion declaring that Israel is a greater threat to regional stability than Iran, as The Telegraph reported this weekend that the society members backed the proposition by a wide margin.

Speaking for the motion, Shtayyeh argued that Israel’s actions constitute the primary source of instability in the Middle East, describing it as “an expansionist colonial state established by colonial powers.”

He went on to call Israel a “pariah state” that “acts above the law,” alleging that it violates UN resolutions and enforces “a colonial regime based on apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

“Brutal occupation, crimes and genocide, … Israel is dragging the region into repeated conflicts,” he said, adding that some Israeli lawmakers believe the country’s borders should stretch “from the Nile to the Euphrates.”

READ: Iranian official: IAEA shared information about our nuclear programme with Israel

“We all should say that Israel is the biggest cause of destabilization in the region,” he concluded.

Opposing the motion, Neuer insisted that Israel is not the destabilizing force in the region and accused Iran of arming militant proxies across the Middle East.

“Regional stability is measured by who starts wars, not by who stops them,” he said. “Israel does not arm terror proxies in five Arab countries – the regime in Iran does that.”

He cited the Iranian attack on Israel earlier this year involving drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, arguing that the coordinated response by several Arab states showed their alignment with Israel against Iranian aggression.

“You don’t intercept missiles heading towards a threat to regional stability – you intercept missiles from one,” he said.

The Oxford Union, founded in 1823, has become increasingly scrutinised over its Israel-related debates.

Last year, it passed another motion accusing Israel of being “an apartheid state responsible for genocide,” by 278 votes to 59.

READ: Israeli- run group facilitates Gazan relocations via Ramon airport: Haaretz report

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.
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Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
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Continue ReadingOxford Union votes that Israel poses ‘greater threat’ to regional stability than Iran

Israel destroys Gaza’s historical palace, with over 20,000 artifacts looted

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Restoration work begins on the historic Pasha Palace, a centuries-old landmark located at Old City in Gaza City, Gaza on November 10, 2025. [Khames Alrefi – Anadolu Agency]

Gaza’s historical and cultural heritage has not been spared Israeli bombardment during Tel Aviv’s two-year war, with over 20,000 rare artifacts spanning from prehistoric eras to the Ottoman period missing and looted, Anadolu reports.

“The Israeli army has systematically and extensively destroyed Gaza’s archaeological sites as part of a policy aimed at erasing Palestinian identity,” Ismail al-Thawabteh, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, told Anadolu on Monday.

According to official data, Israeli forces fully or partially destroyed more than 316 archaeological sites and buildings in the Gaza Strip, most dating back to the Mamluk and Ottoman eras, while others trace back to the early Islamic centuries and the Byzantine period.

Qasr al-Basha, a Mamluk-era palace built on a UNESCO heritage site dating back to 800 BC, was not spared from Israel’s systematic targeting of Gaza’s history.

Located in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City’s Old City, 70% of the Qasr al-Basha palace was damaged in Israeli attacks, according to Hamouda Al-Dahdar, a cultural heritage expert at the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.

Looting

Technicians and workers continue searching for scattered artifacts under the rubble, using simple tools to recover and preserve what remains of Gaza’s historical identity.

“What happened to Gaza’s heritage was not only destruction; it was organized looting, a practice criminalized under international law and considered an assault on global cultural heritage,” Thawabteh said.

READ: Israeli- run group facilitates Gazan relocations via Ramon airport: Haaretz report

He added that over 20,000 rare artifacts spanning prehistoric eras to the Ottoman period housed in the museum had disappeared during the Israeli war.

Dahdar also confirmed the disappearance of thousands of rare and diverse artifacts after Israeli forces raided and destroyed the site.

“Each piece of these artifacts is historically significant and represents a chapter of Palestine’s civilizational history,” Dahdar said, calling the looting “a grave cultural crime that affects national identity and humanity’s shared heritage.”

The expert noted that the site had previously suffered extensive destruction during earlier Israeli military operations before its withdrawal in 1994.

After the Israeli withdrawal, the Palestinian Authority restored the palace and turned it into a museum featuring valuable historical collections.

Israel occupied the Gaza Strip in 1967 and withdrew in 1994 under the 1993 Oslo Accords with the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In 2005, it dismantled its settlements in Gaza under its unilateral “Disengagement Plan.”

Once again, during the latest war that started in October 2023, the palace suffered destruction and the looting of its archaeological objects.

More than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 170,700 others injured in the Israeli war that reduced the enclave to rubble.

READ: Hamas rejects US plan, says it does not serve stability in Gaza

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

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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIsrael destroys Gaza’s historical palace, with over 20,000 artifacts looted

Germany lifts restrictions on arms exports to Israel: Spokesman

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Government Spokesperson Stefan Kornelius of Germany speaks to press during the press meeting of German government spokespersons in Berlin, Germany on October 06, 2025. [Halil Sağırkaya – Anadolu Agency]

Germany announced Monday it will lift restrictions on arms exports to Israel, citing a “stabilized ceasefire” in Gaza and recent diplomatic progress in the region, Anadolu reports.

The decision takes effect on Nov. 24 and returns the country to case-by-case review of arms export applications to Israel, government spokesman Stefan Kornelius told the German press agency DPA.

Kornelius said the government based its decision on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has held since Oct. 10 and has stabilized in recent weeks. He also pointed to efforts toward a sustainable peace and increased humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz ordered the restrictions on Aug. 8, halting approval of arms exports that could be used in the Gaza war. The decision came in response to Israel’s announcement of a full-scale ground offensive and the stopping of aid deliveries into Gaza.

Germany’s arms exports to Israel have long been contentious and the subject of legal challenges by rights groups and Gaza residents. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), which supported plaintiffs in their legal action, has repeatedly said that Berlin’s authorization of weapons exports to Israel violated international agreements Germany signed, including the Geneva Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide.

READ: Activists climb iconic Brandenburg Gate to protest Germany’s ‘complicity’ in Gaza genocide

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

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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingGermany lifts restrictions on arms exports to Israel: Spokesman

UN says at least 9 attempts to deliver tents to Gaza rejected

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Displaced Palestinians try to drain water that has flooded their tents due to heavy rain and prevent damage to their belongings in Austrian Quarter of Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 16, 2025. [Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency]

The UN on Monday emphasised the severely difficult situation in the Gaza Strip, as its attempts to deliver tents to those in need were repeatedly rejected, Anadolu reports.

Citing the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned at a news conference that “the humanitarian situation remains very difficult, with many people struggling to access the basics they need to survive.”

Recalling the recent heavy rains in the enclave, Dujarric said the “humanitarian teams carried out a rapid assessment of impacted areas over the weekend and provided some initial aid.”

“Since October 10, at least nine attempts by the United Nations and our partners to bring in tents have been rejected,” he noted.

He said partners working on the food security report that “with the volume of food parcels entering Gaza having increased in recent days, they plan to resume the distribution of two food parcels and one bag of flour across the strip.”

However, Dujarric also noted that distribution in northern Gaza has recently been limited and said: “Earlier this last week, distribution in the North had to be limited to high-energy biscuits and one bag of flour because partners working to bring supplies were facing impediments, including the deprioritization of humanitarian cargo at crossings, customs clearance delays, and a lack of access to northern crossings.”

Highlighting the scale of destruction in the Gaza Strip, Dujarric said teams have “cleared 100,000 tons of debris since the ceasefire came into effect,” but added that “nearly 58 million tons of debris and rubble remain spread across the Gaza Strip, and only half of that amount is currently accessible.”

READ: Netanyahu faces backlash after US-backed statement on Palestinian statehood

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

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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingUN says at least 9 attempts to deliver tents to Gaza rejected

Israeli army chief warns of rapid shift toward expanded aggression on Gaza

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Israel’s newly appointed armed forces chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir (C), visits the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem on March 5, 2025. Menahem KAHANA / AFP / Getty Images]

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the Israeli army must be prepared to shift swiftly from defensive operations to a large-scale offensive aimed at occupying territory beyond the so-called “Yellow Line” in the Gaza Strip.

Zamir’s remarks came during a visit to Rafah in southern Gaza, according to a statement issued by the Israeli army. Zamir conducted a situational assessment with senior commanders, including Southern Command chief Yaniv Asor, Gaza Division commander Barak Hiram and the heads of all brigades operating in the Strip.

The army said Zamir toured the Rafah area, where he reviewed operational developments across all fronts and stressed the need to maintain defensive readiness, eliminate threats and remain prepared for “a rapid transition to offensive operations”.

Zamir stated that the Israeli army currently “controls more than 50% of the Gaza Strip, without controlling its population”, adding that the Yellow Line functions as a “line of encirclement and control”. He said military efforts continue to prevent Hamas from regrouping, including maintaining control over border crossings and areas under Israeli oversight.

“In parallel with the current operational course, and if necessary, we must be prepared to move quickly to a large-scale offensive to occupy areas in the Gaza Strip on the other side of the Yellow Line,” Zamir said.

The chief of staff added that Israeli forces are continuing efforts to clear areas along the Yellow Line and eliminate remaining resistance pockets, while the Southern Command works to destroy “terrorist infrastructure”, including underground tunnels.

Zamir reiterated that Israel is committed to ensuring that “Hamas rule will not remain on the other side of the border”, saying the army’s objective is to dismantle Hamas and disarm the Gaza Strip “whether through agreements or military action”.

He also noted that the military has continued its investigation into the failures of the 7 October attack, saying he established an expert committee upon taking office to ensure “a profound process of learning and understanding”.

“We are not afraid of the consequences,” Zamir said. “All of this is for the sake of advancing the army and improving its future performance.”

READ: Israeli court cancels Netanyahu’s Wednesday corruption hearing over ‘security reasons’

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

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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Continue ReadingIsraeli army chief warns of rapid shift toward expanded aggression on Gaza