Palestine Action dismantle Elbit equipment, 6 August 2024. (Photo: Handout)
At Woolwich Crown Court, there has been a shocking development in the Filton case, five of the six defence barristers have left the trial following judicial rulings which cannot be reported until the end of the trial.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said today:
“In recent years we have seen judicial rulings that banned climate campaigners from saying the words ‘fuel poverty’ and ‘climate change’ in their trials.
Today we understand a judicial ruling has been given that goes even further, and as a response the legal professionals representing five of the six defendants on trial in the Filton case have no choice but to leave the trial because they have been left with literally nothing they can say in closing arguments. We should all be alarmed to hear that the legal process has been so corrupted that, today we have lawyers in the UK walking away from a trial because it is impossible for them to do their job of defending their clients.”
The trial of the first six defendants from the group known as the ‘Filton24’ has reached the stage of closing arguments. Five of the six defendants will now be giving their own closing speeches as they have no legal representation.
This is a retrial on charges of criminal damage, after the 6 Filton defendants were acquitted in February 2026 by a jury for the charges of aggravated burglary and violent disorder. The case relates to an action against Elbit’s weapons ‘research and development’ hub in Filton, Bristol, in which they are accused of destroying Israeli quadcopter drones.
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 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/
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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.”
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.
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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Palestinians, mainly children, wait in line with water bottles to get clean water from a distribution tank in Nuseirat, Gaza, Palestine on April 28, 2026. [Moiz Salhi – Anadolu Agency]
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Tuesday Israeli authorities are using access to water as a “weapon” of collective punishment against Palestinians in Gaza, urging the immediate restoration of water supplies and unhindered humanitarian access.
In a new report, the MSF said repeated restrictions on water access form part of a “systematic and cumulative pattern.”
“Israeli authorities know that without water life ends, yet they have deliberately and systematically obliterated water infrastructure in Gaza, whilst consistently blocking water-related supplies from entering,” Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency manager, said.
According to the report, nearly 90% of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, including desalination plants, pipelines and sewage systems.
“Palestinians have been injured and killed simply trying to access water,” San Filippo said, warning the deprivation is fueling disease amid overcrowding and a collapsed health system.
MSF said one in five of its water distributions ran dry between May and November 2025 due to shortages and access restrictions.
The group urged Israel to restore water access “at the required levels,” while calling on allies to pressure Israel to stop impeding humanitarian access, including materials needed for water infrastructure.
“The consequences of this deprivation of access to water are far-reaching on people’s health, hygiene, and dignity,” the report said.
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 sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …
Article by republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. Source: EuroMed Human Rights Monitor
Israeli authorities are reportedly pursuing another extension of the imprisonment of Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
Israeli authorities are reportedly pursuing another six-month extension to the imprisonment of Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, taken by Israeli occupation forces from Kamal Adwan Hospital over two years ago, ahead of a hearing announced for Tuesday, April 28. Dr. Abu Safiya has been held in administrative detention – a status that allows Israeli authorities to imprison Palestinians for an undefined amount of time without charge or trial – ever since he was taken captive in December 2024.
Over the past months, family members, health workers, and UN experts have raised the alarm over Dr. Abu Safiya’s condition, warning of torture and deteriorating health. “Dr. Abu Safiya’s lawyer has not been allowed to meet him for more than two months, ever since his transfer to Ketziot Prison and despite reports of violence, significant weight loss and medical neglect,” Physicians for Human Rights Israel recently wrote.
Ahead of the hearing date, the pediatrician’s family appealed again for the international community to mobilize and secure Dr. Abu Safiya’s release. “We cannot understand how a man who saves children can be tortured and imprisoned in a place where children are killed,” his son, Ilyas Abu Safiya said. “We cannot understand how a doctor who dedicated his life to protecting and healing them, can be locked away in a place known for injustice, violence and the death of children.”
“The fear for my father’s fate grows inside us every day,” Ilyas Abu Safiya stated, adding that the feeling is shared by families of all Palestinian political prisoners. The fears have only grown worse, various sources document, since the Israeli Knesset adopted death penalty legislation that foresees death by hanging for Palestinians.
According to information published by Healthcare Workers Watch on April 17, Dr. Abu Safiya is among 83 health workers confirmed to be still imprisoned by Israel. The network documented nearly 446 cases of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other health workers being seized by the occupation since October 7, 2023, of which 323 have apparently been released. Healthcare Workers Watch noted that of the health workers still held, 75 were from Gaza: including 27 senior, 41 mid-level, and 7 junior staff. Sixty among these health workers were kidnapped from inside health facilities.
On average, each of the Gazan health workers “has so far spent 670 days in detention,” Healthcare Workers Watch wrote, with some held for over 880 days. “The currently detained healthcare workers have spent collectively over 152 years in Israeli detention,” the network emphasized.
People’s Health Dispatch is a fortnightly bulletin published by thePeople’s Health Movement and Peoples Dispatch. For more articles and to subscribe to People’s Health Dispatch, clickhere.
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/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.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.
A protestor was carried away by police awaiting their arrest during the Lift The Ban on Palestine Action protest in London’s Trafalgar Square on 11 April 2026. Loredana Sangiuliano / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
‘We oppose genocide.’
More than 1,000 people, including Irish author Sally Rooney and climate activist Greta Thunberg, have signed a letter in defiance of the ban on Palestine Action, to be delivered to the Court of Appeal as the government attempts to uphold its controversial proscription of the direct action group.
The letter simply states: “We oppose genocide, we support Palestine Action.” It is expected to be hand-delivered to the court on Tuesday 28 April, when the government delivers its arguments appealing against the landmark high court ruling that found the proscription of Palestine Action to be unlawful in February.
The letter is the first time that acclaimed writers, scholars and creatives have come together to defy the ban. Signatories include distinguished professor Judith Butler, musician Brian Eno, Israeli professors Ilan Pappé and Avi Shlaim, author and anti-apartheid campaigner Andrew Feinstein, and Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja.
Also adding their names are hundreds of members of the public from all walks of life, including trade union officials, retired prison officers, nurses, architects, teachers, carers and members of the clergy. All signatories risk arrest under UK terror law.
…
The ban on Palestine Action – a direct action group which aims to end global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime in the Occupied Palestinian Territories – remains in force until the government’s appeal is complete, despite it being ruled unlawful. This means anyone showing support for the group can still be punished by up to 14 years in prison under counter-terror legislation.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries (DOJ), which has coordinated high-profile demonstrations across the country to protest the ban, told Novara Media: “It takes something out of the ordinary for so many eminent professors, including professors of law, to risk arrest under the Terrorism Act. But when you brand as terrorists your political opponents, who are obviously not terrorists, a red line towards authoritarianism has been crossed.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine ‘Private Eye’.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.
