Israel

Israel protesters demand release of forcibly disappeared hospital director

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250111-israel-protesters-demand-release-of-forcibly-disappeared-hospital-director

A group of activists gather in front of Sde Teiman prison in the Negev desert near the Gaza Strip, demanding the release of Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in Gaza and the release of Palestinians who were arrested without charge, in Negev Desert, Israel on January 10, 2025. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli activists demonstrated on Friday to demand the release of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who was arrested by their country’s army in the Gaza Strip two weeks ago and continues to be forcibly disappeared.

According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent, the demonstration occurred in front of the notorious Sde Teiman detention camp in the south, organised by the Standing Together movement, consisting of Israeli activists who support peace, equality and social justice.

On 27 December, the Israeli army stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, setting it on fire and rendering it out of service. It arrested more than 350 people inside, including the hospital director, Abu Safiya.

READ: Israel continues to deny ‘vital aid’ to reach Gaza: UN

At first, the Israeli army denied arresting Abu Safiya but later admitted to doing so; however, it continues to withhold any information about his place of detention, putting him in a state of forced disappearance.

Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations believe that the Israeli authorities are holding Abu Safiya in the Sde Teiman detention camp.

Sde Teiman is located inside a military base in the Negev desert and was established by the Israeli army immediately after launching the genocidal war on Gaza on 7 October, 2023. Many of those arrested in the Strip were transferred there, including children, youth and the elderly.

Human rights and media reports state that Israeli soldiers committed horrific human rights violations against detainees in this detention centre, subjecting them to various forms of torture and humiliation.

READ: Death toll in Gaza 41% higher than reported: Study

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Israel extends detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya amid ongoing attacks on health in Palestine

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
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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Michael Gove calls for IDF to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

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https://www.thenational.scot/news/24845938.michael-gove-calls-idf-nominated-nobel-peace-prize

Michael Gove calls for IDF to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize (Image: Lucy North/PA Wire)

MICHAEL Gove has called for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a column for the Jewish Chronicle, the former Tory MP and minister said “maybe it’s time” for US president Joe Biden and his Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken to “make amends” with Benjamin Netanyahu before they leave office.

The Israeli prime minister was issued an arrest warrant two months ago by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as judges deemed there were “reasonable grounds” to believe he bore “criminal responsibility” for war crimes.

The BBC host and editor of The Spectator wrote: “Words are all very well, but what about something more tangible? Why not nominate the men and women of the IDF for the Nobel Peace Prize?”

READ MORE: Anger as BBC unveil new show with former top Tory Michael Gove

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Israel has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians during its brutal war on Gaza so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

A further 109,378 have been wounded by the IDF in the ongoing 15-month war.

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https://www.thenational.scot/news/24845938.michael-gove-calls-idf-nominated-nobel-peace-prize

Continue ReadingMichael Gove calls for IDF to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Ben-Gvir orders demolitions in Palestinian towns, villages within Israel

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250110-ben-gvir-orders-demolitions-in-palestinian-towns-villages-within-israel

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on 10 September, 2023 [OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has instructed Israeli forces to prioritise demolishing homes in Palestinian towns and villages within Israel, based on claims that they were built without permits.

According to Haaretz, Ben-Gvir lacks the legal authority to determine demolition policies, a responsibility held by Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in coordination with enforcement agencies.

Nevertheless, during private meetings with Israeli forces, he pushed for the destruction of Palestinian family buildings.

Sources reveal that Ben-Gvir justified these orders as a way to “demonstrate governance and increase deterrence,” even stating: “The best deterrent is evicting a family from its home.”

One source noted: “It was completely clear he meant demolitions in the Arab community. Ben-Gvir is seeking provocation and chaos; that’s what interests him.”

Israel opens underground prison for Hamas, Hezbollah detainees: Report

Senior Israeli occupation officers confirmed that Ben-Gvir insisted on prioritising demolitions of occupied homes, even when such structures are not high-priority cases.

The Israeli government justifies these demolitions by claiming the structures were built without permits, although obtaining such permits is nearly impossible for Palestinians under what Amnesty and other human rights groups have described as Israel’s two-tier apartheid system.

Ben-Gvir’s push to add occupancy as a criterion for demolition drew objections from senior Justice Ministry officials, who urged the Israeli forces to assert their independence. “Ben-Gvir is acting like a ‘super-commissioner’,” said one official.

Despite resistance, Israeli forces operations increasingly align with Ben-Gvir’s focus on demolishing Arab community homes, reported Haaretz.

State Prosecutor Amit Aisman and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara are aware of Ben-Gvir’s interference but have yet to confront him directly. Meanwhile, Ben-Gvir continues to issue demolition orders against Palestinian homes.

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Amnesty suspends Israel branch due to ‘anti-Palestinian racism’

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250109-amnesty-suspends-israel-branch-due-to-anti-palestinian-racism

The logo of Human Rights NGO Amnesty International is pictured in Paris on May 28, 2024 [STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images]

Amnesty International has suspended its Israel branch for failing to align with the organisation’s stance that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and accused the branch of “anti-Palestinian racism,” according to the New York Post.

The report, published on Tuesday, references a 6 January letter in which Tiumalu Lauvale Peter Fa’afiu, Amnesty’s interim international chairman, stated that the Israel branch had acted in ways that undermined the group’s mission.

The suspension is set to last two years, during which a review panel will evaluate whether to reinstate Amnesty International Israel or impose a permanent ban. The branch retains the option to appeal the decision.

“We take this action in response to evidence of endemic anti-Palestinian racism within AI Israel, which violates core human rights principles and Amnesty values, and evidence of AI Israel’s misalignment with and hostility to Amnesty positions,” read a Monday email from Fa’afiu.

The interim international chairman also stated that Amnesty Israel had actively opposed the organisation’s research and reports, particularly the 2022 publication “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity” and the 2024 report, “’You Feel Like You Are Subhuman:’ Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza.”

“AI Israel has sought to publicly discredit Amnesty’s human rights research and positions,” wrote Fa’afiu.

“Its efforts to publicly undermine the findings and recommendations of Amnesty’s 2022 report on Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians and, more recently, Amnesty’s 2024 report on Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, have been deeply prejudicial to Amnesty’s human rights mission, threatening our credibility, integrity and operational coherence.”

In response, members of Amnesty International’s Israeli branch have pushed back against their suspension, accusing the global organisation of overlooking anti-Semitism within its ranks.

Former Amnesty Israel Director, Yonatan Gher, criticised the move, describing the Israeli branch as “the guardian of the Israeli government against the human rights movement.”

In a leaked email, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard announced that the suspension would be formally addressed on 21 January. Fa’afiu reportedly added that a committee would “determine whether Amnesty International Israel has a future within the Amnesty movement.”

Amnesty did not reply to MEMO’s request for comment at the time of going to press.

Read: Quaker group pulls New York Times ad over paper’s refusal to call Gaza bombing ‘genocide’

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Israel, US, UK launch 1st joint attack on Houthi targets in Yemen

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250110-israel-us-uk-launch-1st-joint-attack-on-houthi-targets-in-yemen

A view of damage to several buildings at Sana’a International Airport following an airstrike carried out by the Israeli army last night in the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen on December 27, 2024. [Mohammed Hamoud – Anadolu Agency]

Israel, the US and Britain, on Friday, carried out their first coordinated attack on Houthi targets in Yemen, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV also reported that a series of air strikes targeted the vicinity of the Al-Sabeen Square in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, Anadolu Agency reports.

The attack coincided with a rally in support of Palestine amid Israel’s 16-month-old continuing genocidal war on Gaza.

Additionally, the Houthis reported six air strikes on the port city of Al-Hudaydah in western Yemen.

The report did not provide additional details on the impact of the strikes.

The escalation came after the Houthis said, on Monday, that they had attacked the US aircraft carrier, “USS Harry Truman” in the northern Red Sea and claimed missile and drone attacks on targets in southern and central Israel.

The Houthis have targeted Israeli cargo ships or ones linked with Tel Aviv in the Red Sea with missiles and drones in a show of support with the Gaza Strip, where over 46,000 people have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023.

Since early 2024, a coalition led by the US has been carrying out air strikes that it said target Houthi locations in Yemen in response to the group’s Red Sea attacks, with occasional retaliation from the Houthis.

READ: Houthi leader says British espionage network arrested in Yemen

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