Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich

Israeli ministers call for bombing Beirut despite ceasefire

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Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (L) and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Jerusalem. [Photo by AMIR COHEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

Two Israeli Cabinet ministers called Sunday for resuming airstrikes on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut despite an ongoing ceasefire, Anadolu Agency reports.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Israel should “fire for every violation” by Hezbollah and for every drone launched by the Lebanese group.

“Dahiyeh must tremble,” he said on US social media company X, referring to Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also demanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “take down buildings in Dahiyeh today.”

READ: Ben-Gvir calls for Israel to take Lebanese women and children hostage

“The fire toward the northern settlements is a test of the Dahiyeh equation that the Prime Minister announced,” Smotrich said on X.

The call by the hardline politicians came after the Israeli army reported a drone attack from Lebanon targeting military positions in northern Israel.

The Israeli army continued its daily airstrikes in Lebanon despite a fragile ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since April 17.

The Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people, wounded nearly 11,500 and displaced over 1.5 million since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.

READ: Israel won’t withdraw from southern Lebanon under US-Iran understandings: Israeli media

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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 ministers call for bombing Beirut despite ceasefire

Ireland imposes travel ban on 2 Israeli Cabinet ministers

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Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (L) and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Jerusalem. [Photo by AMIR COHEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin confirmed on Friday that the government imposed a travel ban on two Israeli Cabinet ministers, Anadolu Agency reports.

Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan introduced travel bans on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Martin said as he was in Montenegro for the EU-Western Balkans Summit, according to broadcaster RTE.

Underlining that the two ministers’ actions and words “amount to a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine,” Martin called for further EU measures against them.

“In my view, their behavior justifies sanctions at EU level as well, and that’s something that we will raise; whether we can get sufficient support across the European Union is a different matter,” he said.

A spokesperson for O’Callaghan said travel bans on the two Israeli ministers were put in place following an agreement by the government earlier this week.

READ: Nearly 5,000 Belgian academics and students urge universities to cut Israel ties

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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/

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 ReadingIreland imposes travel ban on 2 Israeli Cabinet ministers

Israeli ministers call for escalation and strikes on Beirut

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Portraits of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Michael Ben Ari, in Jerusalem. [THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images]

Two senior ministers in the Israeli government called on Monday for a major military escalation in Lebanon following continued drone attacks attributed to Hezbollah.

During a meeting of Israel’s Security Cabinet, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reportedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to coordinate with US President Donald Trump and announce what he described as a “return to war in Lebanon.”

According to reports, Ben-Gvir called for cutting electricity supplies to Lebanon, taking control of the Zahrani area, and resuming intensive military operations.

READ: Netanyahu threatens to expand offensive in Lebanon as Washington signals support

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went further by explicitly calling for strikes on Beirut in response to Hezbollah drone operations targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and along the border.

In a post on Telegram, Smotrich wrote: “For every explosive drone, ten buildings in Beirut should be brought down.”

He also announced the allocation of approximately two billion Israeli shekels — around $692 million — to develop systems designed to counter Hezbollah drones.

The statements came after the Israeli military announced the death of another Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon.

According to official Israeli figures cited in the reports, 24 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the current offensive in Lebanon last March.

BLOG: Resolutions are disconnected from the Palestinian reality

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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.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.

Continue ReadingIsraeli ministers call for escalation and strikes on Beirut

Ex-Mossad chief ‘ashamed to be Jewish,’ likens occupier violence in West Bank to Holocaust

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Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo

Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo sharply criticized Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank, likening recent assaults by the occupiers to the Holocaust, saying he felt “ashamed to be Jewish,” Anadolu reports.

Pardo condemned escalating violence by Israeli occupiers against Palestinians, calling it an “existential threat” to the state, the Times of Israel reported.

“My mother was a Holocaust survivor, and what I saw reminded me of the events that happened against Jews in the last century,” Pardo said during a tour of Palestinian villages that have come under attack in recent months.

“What I saw today made me feel ashamed to be Jewish.”

Pardo made the comments to Channel 13 while touring the area alongside former senior military officials, including Matan Vilnai and Amram Mitzna.

“What I saw today is the existential threat to the State of Israel,” he warned.

Pardo added that Israeli law enforcement authorities are aware of the situation but have “chosen to ignore it.”

READ: Israeli commander warns settler violence in West Bank “could end in disaster”

He cautioned that efforts to curb extremist occupiers – some of whom he said are armed and have political backing – could trigger internal conflict.

“Pushing back on them could spark a civil war,” he said, pointing to the influence of far-right figures within the government like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Across the West Bank, attacks by Israeli occupiers have been on the rise, including raids on villages and acts of vandalism, with Palestinians accusing the Israeli army of providing protection for such assaults.

The UN considers Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories illegal and has repeatedly called for a halt to settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 141 illegal settlements and 224 outposts in the West Bank, including around 250,000 in East Jerusalem, which the UN considers part of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Since October 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers in the West Bank have killed at least 1,154 Palestinians, injured about 11,750 others, and led to nearly 22,000 arrests, according to official Palestinian data.

These violations include property destruction, home burnings, forced displacement, and expansion of illegal settlement activity, with Palestinians warning that such policies pave the way for the annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel.

READ: Israeli blockade threatens shutdown of only oxygen plant in northern Gaza

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.
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 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.

Continue ReadingEx-Mossad chief ‘ashamed to be Jewish,’ likens occupier violence in West Bank to Holocaust

Cracks in Europe’s support for colonial violence and genocide

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Special police units on the roof to remove the demonstrators from Peacefully Against Genocide staging a protest at the Berlin premises of Rheinmetall, a major German defense and automotive technology company specializing in military vehicles, weapons systems, and ammunition on March 25, 2026. [İlkin Eskipehlivan – Anadolu Agency]

Spain was recently targeted by Israel’s antisemitism narrative after an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in El Burgo, during the Burning of Judas festival. “The appalling antisemitic hatred on display here is a direct result of the @sanchezcastejon government’s systematic incitement,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated on X, while noting that the Spanish ambassador to Israel was summoned for a reprimand.

However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s statement illustrates that the problem is not the burning of Netanyahu’s effigy, but rather the Spanish government’s current stance against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its wars in Lebanon and Iran.

After decades of European blind adherence to Israel’s ethnic cleansing and colonial expansion, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has illustrated that stepping away from diplomatic normalisation of colonialism and genocide is possible. At least temporarily, Israel’s European safety net has been fractured.

The seven metre effigy of Netanyahu was filled with 14 kilogrammes of gunpowder. Burning it represented opposition to war and genocide, El Burgo’s Mayor Maria Dolores Narvaez stated.

READ: Varying degrees of silence over colonialism and annexation

There is nothing antisemitic about opposition to war and genocide. The truth is that Israel exploits the Holocaust narrative to justify Zionist colonial expansion and genocide, but it can no longer do so completely unchallenged. Netanyahu represents genocide and is wanted by the International Criminal Court. That is not an antisemitic narrative; it is based on facts.

Politically, Spain’s stance is also impacting the prior cohesion over Israel’s colonial violence and genocide, to the point that Netanyahu barred the country from participating in the Civil Military Coordination Centre in Kiryat Gat that oversees the ceasefire. Spain, according to Netanyahu, has defamed Israel and the IDF. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described Spain as having an “obsessive anti-Israel bias under Sanchez’s leadership”.

An anti-Israel stance, however, is not an obsession. It is a reality that opposes colonialism and genocide. At the very least, it opposes military occupation and genocide. What Spain has achieved so far in its stance sets an example for the rest of Europe to emulate. It is politically viable to take a stance against Israeli colonialism, military occupation and genocide.

In other unexpected turns, less powerful that Spain but nonetheless worth noting, Germany criticised Israel’s death penalty bill for Palestinians. “The government is also concerned that such a law would likely apply exclusively to Palestinians in the Palestinian territories,” Stefan Kornelius, spokesperson to the German government, declared. “It therefore regrets the Knesset’s decision and cannot endorse it.”

READ: In Israel’s colonial ethnic cleansing, the world fails stand for decolonisation

Also, following German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s criticism over Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reverted to Holocaust history to obfuscate the present colonial settlement expansion, warning that Germany cannot dictate where Jews should live. The comments prompted Israel’s ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor to oppose Smotrich, reminding that Germany is “our number one friend” in Europe.

Spain has certainly ignited an alternative way, and one that is exposing rifts even within Israeli politics. Whining about antisemitism over the burning of Netanyahu’s effigy may be temporarily amplified, but Spain’s stance is not about a symbolic effigy. A single, constant opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza had the power to expose the instability of Israel’s political reasoning, as well as the threats directed at any country opposing its actions.

If Spain can manage that stance on its own, and if Germany can coherently oppose the death penalty for Palestinians, a political stance towards decolonisation as Israel escalates its aggression against anyone opposing it is more than possible. It is imperative.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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 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.
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 ReadingCracks in Europe’s support for colonial violence and genocide