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Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) holds a press conference in Berlin, Germany on October 16, 2024 [Halil Sağırkaya – Anadolu Agency]
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said on Thursday that Gaza has become a battleground of a fierce and rampant information war.
Lazzarini stressed that, “Dis-information continues to be used as a tool to distract from the atrocities in the war-torn enclave
On the UNRWA official site, Lazzarini explained that “UNRWA was the first to be targeted, followed by other UN agencies, media outlets, and health institutions”.
He noted that the latest example was the denial of famine in Gaza and the disregard of the findings of the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which concluded this week that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians.
According to Lazzarini, such denial aims at “undermining world experts’ assessments, analysis and at promoting narratives denying atrocities and dehumanizing Palestinians.”
Praising the resilience of reporters, he said: “Meanwhile, the heroic work of Palestinian journalists continues against all odds, as Israel’s military operations expand.”
Since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces, with direct support from the United States and other Western countries, have been waging a destructive war in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the territory, the offensive has so far killed and injured around 231,000 Palestinians.
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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.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
Palestinians run for cover during an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City, September 5, 2025
Britain’s involvement in the Gaza genocide condemned by Amnesty International
BRITAIN’S involvement in the Gaza genocide was condemned in a new report by Amnesty International UK, which today highlighted 15 companies profiting from and fuelling Israel’s mass atrocities.
The government is enabling mass atrocities through defence contracts, public-sector deals, supply chains and failures to comply with its legal obligations, said the NGO.
Amnesty released its 20-page report on the first anniversary of a UN general assembly resolution demanding that Israel end its unlawful occupation of the Palestinian territory within 12 months of its adoption.
The NGO’s secretary-general Agnes Callamard said: “Human dignity is not a commodity. While Palestinian mothers in Gaza are left to watch their children waste away from starvation under Israel’s genocide, arms companies and others continue to reap substantial profits.
“Israel’s prolonged unlawful occupation and decades of apartheid have required in-depth and sustained support to Israel through economic relations and trade.
“Amnesty calls on its members and supporters the world over to demand an immediate end to the political economy underpinning Israel’s international crimes.”
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Famous names, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh, Damon Albarn and Paloma Faith, gathered for a sold-out charity concert raising funds for humanitarian efforts in Palestine at London’s Wembley Arena on Tuesday.
Normal People author Sally Rooney today confirmed that she has been unable to travel to Britain to accept a Sky Arts award for literature for her new book, as she can “no longer safely enter the UK without facing arrest” due to her expressed support for Palestine Action.
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/O74hZCKKdpAKeir 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.Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine ‘Private Eye’.Vote Labour for Genocide.
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Pope Leo XIV celebrates his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on September 17, 2025. [Riccardo De Luca – Anadolu Agency]
Pope Leo XIV expressed deep concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, criticizing the lack of effective measures to alleviate the suffering of civilians despite pressure on Israel from the United States, Anadolu reports.
“Even though there has been some pressure on Israel from the United States, and despite some very clear statements recently from President Trump, there has not been a clear response in terms of finding effective ways to alleviate the suffering of the people, the innocent people in Gaza, and that is obviously of great concern,” the pope said in an interview with Penguin Peru published Thursday.
The pope highlighted the urgent needs of Gazans, particularly children, emphasizing the requirement for medical assistance and humanitarian aid to address the “very grave” situation.
“It’s just so horrible to see the images that we see on television, hopefully something will turn this around,” he said.
Pope Leo also warned against growing numbness to the crisis. “That’s a sort of a human response, because you can only stand so much pain,” he added.
On whether the Gaza situation could be labeled “genocide,” the pope stated that the Holy See cannot make an official declaration at this time. “There’s a very technical definition about what genocide might be, but more and more people are raising the issue, including two human rights groups in Israel have made that statement,” he explained.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded on Tuesday that Israeli forces committed “four of the five” genocidal acts defined under the 1948 genocide convention: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.
The interview also touched on US politics, with Pope Leo emphasizing that his American background allows him to better understand the country’s context, though he clarified he does not plan to engage in partisan politics.
He later acknowledged that “the United States is a power player on the world level,” and said: “We have to recognize that, and sometimes decisions are made more based on economics than on human dignity and human support, but (we have to) continue to challenge and to raise some questions to determine the best way to respond.”
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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.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
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Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassim al-Budaiwi, OIC Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Youssef Al-Dobeay, and Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Hossam Zaki attend a press conference after the emergency Arab-Islamic summit to discuss the Israeli attack on Qatar in Doha, Qatar, on September 15, 2025. [Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images]
Defense ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced a package of steps on Thursday to strengthen collective security after Israel’s Sept. 9 airstrike on Qatar, Anadolu reports.
In a joint statement, the Gulf Joint Defense Council said members agreed to step up intelligence sharing through the Unified Military Command, provide a common air operations picture across the Gulf, and accelerate work on a joint ballistic missile early warning system.
The ministers, meeting in Doha, also endorsed updating joint defense plans, holding coordination drills between operations and air defense centers within three months, and conducting a large-scale aerial exercise.
They pledged to link national defense systems more closely to counter “any potential threats or acts of aggression.”
Chaired by Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, the emergency session brought together senior officials from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
The council condemned “in the strongest terms this dangerous military attack,” calling Israel’s strike on Doha a “serious escalation” and a “gross violation of international law and the UN Charter.”
The attack on Qatar, it stressed, “was an attack on all GCC states.” The ministers vowed support for any measures Doha takes to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while warning that the strike also undermined Qatar’s mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
The statement followed a separate meeting of Gulf military chiefs in Doha on Wednesday, which focused on bolstering deterrence and reviewing regional threats.
The Sept. 9 Israeli airstrike on Doha killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, drawing sharp condemnation from Qatar, which vowed accountability and stressed its right to defend its sovereignty.
The attack came even as Doha, together with Egypt and the US, was mediating indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
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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/O74hZCKKdpAKeir 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.
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This photograph shows the logo of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 displayed on a screen at the end of the dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on May 14, 2025. [Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images]
Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland have declared their intention to not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to take part. In response, Eurovision’s director Martin Green issued a weak statement that can only be classified as impunity for Israel. “We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” Green stated. “It is up to each member to decide to take part in the contest, and we would respect any decision broadcasters make.”
The statement completely misses the point. Five countries have declared they will not participate in the contest if Israel takes part, because Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This not an opinion, but a stance. To distance Eurovision from the intentions declared by these five participating countries is not a sign of respect, but a decision to exclude a principled stance in order to accommodate a genocidal colonial entity’s inclusion. In the name of neutrality, which only serves impunity for genocide in this case, Israel is being allowed unquestioned access to the competition while those calling for accountability are being excluded on account of taking a principled stance.
In 2022, the European Broadcasting Union banned Russia in a bid to support Ukraine. Yet despite almost two years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the EBU has not sought to ban Israel from participating in the context. The EBU is mirroring the general political stance that has prevailed not only since 7 October, but since the 1947 Partition Plan – Zionism can get away with anything because it derives its support from European colonial ideology and the institutions and initiatives promoting the colonial interpretation of neutrality.
According to Green, the EBU is consulting “to gather views on how we manage participation and geopolitical tensions” in relation to Eurovision.
But consulting is merely a euphemism for stalling on accountability and strengthening Israel’s impunity. By mid-December this year, all countries need to confirm or decline participation in the next Eurovision Song Contest. There is still time for countries to take a principled stance against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and change the levels of impunity in the name of neutrality from within.
Participating countries can make or break Eurovision. While the politics directly supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza are what needs to be altered, because diplomatic, economic and military support for Israel are enabling the annihilation of Palestinians in Gaza, Eurovision sets the scene for a heavily publicised stance against genocide, and one that cannot be easily ignored.
The EBU may dictate the rules, but as Green stated, it is up to each member to decide to participate. This can be an opportunity to highlight autonomy over neutrality, and more importantly, to illustrate the presence of politics in every event. There is no neutrality in the EBU allowing Israel to participate, and there is no neutrality in countries deciding not to participate based on Israel’s participation in Eurovision. However, this also creates a level playing field if neutrality is acknowledged to be non-existent. Without the illusion, the truth is revealed – that of institutions creating space for colonialism and genocide and the opportunity to rise against complicity in the annihilation of Palestinians in Gaza.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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/O74hZCKKdpAKeir 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.
Palestinians run for cover during an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City, September 5, 2025
