This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Israeli settlers raided the Old City area of Hebron following Israel’s approval of a series of measures aimed at expanding its “oversight and control activities” in areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority in West Bank on February 9, 2026. [Mamoun Wazwaz – Anadolu Agency]
More than 80 UN member states and several organizations on Tuesday condemned “unilateral” Israeli decisions aimed at expanding Israel’s “unlawful presence” in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports.
Delivering a statement at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York, Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour said, “I have the honor to deliver the following statement on behalf of 80 States and a number of organizations on the latest Israeli decisions regarding the occupied West Bank.”
“We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank. Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed,” he said, underlining “our strong opposition to any form of annexation.”
The group reiterated its rejection of “all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.”
“Such measures violate international law, undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region, run counter to the Comprehensive Plan, and jeopardize the prospect of reaching a peace agreement ending the conflict,” the statement said.
The countries also reaffirmed their commitment, reflected in the New York Declaration, “to take concrete measures, in accordance with international law,” and in line with relevant UN resolutions and the July 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The statement stressed that a “just and lasting peace,” based on relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, the principle of land for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative “remains the only path to ensure security and stability in the region.”
Israel has intensified military operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since launching its war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023. The operations have included killings, arrests, displacement and settlement expansion, according to Palestinian officials, who say the measures aim to impose new realities on the ground.
At least 1,114 Palestinians have since been killed, 11,500 wounded and 22,000 arrested in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to official Palestinian data.
On Sunday, the Israeli government approved a proposal to register large areas in the West Bank as “state property,” for the first time since Tel Aviv occupied the territory in 1967.
Palestinians warn that Israel’s actions pave the way for a formal annexation of the occupied West Bank, which they say would end prospects for a Palestinian state envisioned in United Nations resolutions.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.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.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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A group of lawyers gather to protest the Israeli Knesset’s National Security Committee’s draft law that imposing the death penalty for Palestinian detainees on November 09, 2025 in Hebron, West Bank. [Mamoun Wazwaz – Anadolu Agency]
More than 1,200 former Israeli officials and public figures have signed a petition opposing a proposed bill that would impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, according to Hebrew media reports published on Tuesday.
The signatories include former Supreme Court judges, Nobel laureates, ex-heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad intelligence agencies, academics, university presidents, former Israel Defense Forces chiefs of staff Dan Halutz and Moshe Yaalon, as well as former prime minister Ehud Olmert.
In the petition, the group said it “strongly opposes the death penalty bill currently being debated in the Knesset in preparation for its second and third readings” and called on lawmakers to vote it down.
The statement argued that reinstating capital punishment would impose “a moral stain” on Israel and contradict its identity as a Jewish and democratic state. It added that the death penalty is incompatible with a state committed to human rights and that there is no scientific evidence proving it deters violent crime.
The proposed legislation, promoted by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, would reportedly apply the death penalty in cases involving Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. Critics of the bill say it creates discriminatory legal standards and would require military courts in the occupied territories to impose capital punishment without judicial discretion or the possibility of commutation.
The petition further warned that reintroducing the death penalty would run counter to global trends and could conflict with Israel’s international legal obligations, potentially increasing its diplomatic isolation.
The bill remains under parliamentary consideration.
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.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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Israeli settlers raided the Old City area of Hebron following Israel’s approval of a series of measures aimed at expanding its “oversight and control activities” in areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority in West Bank on February 9, 2026. [Mamoun Wazwaz – Anadolu Agency]
The Adalah Center, a Haifa-based human rights organisation, has called on Israeli authorities to revoke a recent government decision on land settlement procedures in the occupied West Bank, warning that it may amount to a war crime.
In a letter addressed to the Israeli defence minister, the attorney general and other relevant legal and military authorities, Adalah demanded the cancellation of a decision issued on 15th February 2026. The directive instructs the commander of the Israeli army in the West Bank to enable land settlement procedures in Area C and to register approximately 15 per cent of unregistered land in the area as part of the process.
Dr Suhad Bishara, Adalah’s legal director, said the move serves the expansion of Israeli settlements, deepens annexation efforts and effectively imposes Israeli sovereignty over occupied territory. She argued that the decision aligns with coalition commitments made to the Religious Zionist Party and reflects positions publicly expressed by ministers including Bezalel Smotrich and Yisrael Katz.
Adalah contended that the measure violates core principles of international humanitarian law and warned that its implementation could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In her letter, Bishara said that land ownership settlement procedures are sovereign acts that produce long-term — and potentially permanent — changes to the legal and property regime in the West Bank, which is regarded under international law as occupied territory.
Israeli officials have not yet publicly responded to the letter.
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.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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, during an interview in Tel Aviv, Israel on 5 December, 2024 [Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has renewed his call for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the establishment of a military government there, prompting sharp criticism from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who described the proposal as “delusional”.
According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Smotrich told a press conference on Monday evening that “the goal is to occupy Gaza, establish a military government, build Israeli settlements in the Strip, and encourage the voluntary emigration of Gaza’s residents”.
His remarks come despite the implementation last October of a plan promoted by US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Smotrich, a leading figure on the far right, has consistently advocated for Israeli control over the territory.
Lapid responded by accusing the minister of living “in a fantasy world”. He said Smotrich appeared disconnected from current realities on the ground.
“There are 30,000 Hamas militants in Gaza, and the Peace Council includes Turkey and Qatar,” Lapid said, adding that the technocratic body established to administer Gaza was, in practice, under the authority of the Palestinian Authority.
He also pointed to the reopening of the Rafah crossing, noting that Palestinian Authority officials were stamping passports of those entering Gaza.
“I have no problem with Smotrich living in a world of fantasy,” Lapid added. “Fantasy is legitimate — but why is he discussing it in the media?”
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.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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A view of makeshift tents amid the rubble left behind by Israeli attacks as Palestinians carry on with their daily lives under harsh conditions in Gaza Strip on February 16, 2026. [Saeed M. M. T. Jaras – Anadolu Agency]
The revelations by +972 Magazine and Local Call have exposed the darkest core of the contemporary war in Gaza, in which genocide is carried out not only by bombs and missiles, but by data, algorithms and global digital platforms.
The Israeli artificial intelligence system known as Lavender has confirmed what the Palestinian resistance, Lebanon, and Iran have denounced for years: Technology as an organic part of the Zionist war machine, functioning as an instrument of surveillance, target selection, and mass extermination.
The liberal rhetoric of “digital privacy” collapses in the face of the facts. Applications such as WhatsApp insist on the promise of end-to-end encryption, but conceal what is essential, in which metadata are worth more than messages.
Location, contact networks, patterns of communication, and group affiliations make it possible to map the social life of an entire people. In Gaza, these data have been incorporated into military systems that turn human relationships into algorithmic criteria for death.
Lavender assessed virtually the entire population of the Gaza Strip, comprising more than 2.3 million people, assigning automated “risk scores”. Merely being in a WhatsApp group, maintaining frequent contact with someone already marked, or displaying digital patterns considered “suspicious” was enough to be placed on execution lists.
Human supervision was deliberately minimal, reduced to seconds, with conscious acceptance of high error rates. Entire families were killed in their homes, treated as “acceptable collateral damage” in an algorithmic equation that normalises massacre.
This is not a technical deviation. It is a policy of extermination. International Humanitarian Law explicitly prohibits indiscriminate attacks and requires distinction between civilians and combatants.
Systems that automate lethal decisions, pre-accepting the death of innocents, constitute crimes against humanity and reinforce the characterisation of genocide as a technologically organised and rationalised process.
The machinery that sustains this model is global. Twenty-first century espionage no longer depends on intercepting messages, but on controlling digital ecosystems.
Private platforms function as permanent sensors of planetary social life, feeding databases accessible to intelligence services such as the Mossad and the CIA, through formal cooperation, legal pressure or the exploitation of vulnerabilities. This represents a structural convergence between big tech companies, the military-industrial complex and the imperial security apparatus.
Palestine is the laboratory. In an official statement released during the war, Hamas stated on its Telegram channel that “the occupier has turned every modern tool into a weapon against the Palestinian people, using technology to justify the killing of civilians and to conceal genocide behind technical terms”
(free translation). The denunciation is clear: Israel is not waging a war against combatants, but against Palestinian existence itself, now mediated by algorithms.
Lebanese Hezbollah has warned that this model forms part of a regional hybrid war, combining digital surveillance, technological sabotage, and selective attacks.
After the attack that occurred in Lebanon in 2024, involving the coordinated explosion of pagers used by its members, Hezbollah declared through institutional channels that “the enemy has turned civilian devices into tools of assassination, proving that its war knows no ethical or human limits” (free translation). The episode revealed a new level in the weaponisation of everyday technology.
This pattern is not isolated. International investigations have already demonstrated the recurring use of military spyware against journalists, activists, and political leaders in various countries, often through smartphones widely available on the global market.
The message is unequivocal: every connected device is a potential instrument of surveillance, control, or death when inserted into the logic of imperial power.
Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been particularly outspoken. The Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has stated in various speeches that “the Zionist regime is a cancerous tumour that uses the most modern tools to oppress and massacre peoples”.
Iranian authorities maintain that Gaza foreshadows the future of imperial domination, in a world governed by algorithmic surveillance, selective assassinations, and “clean” wars only in rhetoric.
The Lavender case thus exposes the consolidation of a digital necropolitics. Algorithms decide who lives and who dies; corporations provide the infrastructure; intelligence services operate in the shadows; and technocratic language seeks to normalise the unacceptable. Gaza bleeds so that this model may be tested, refined, and then exported.
Denouncing this machinery is a historic task. It is not merely a matter of solidarity with the Palestinian people, although that solidarity is urgent and non-negotiable.
It is about resisting a world in which data are worth more than lives, in which technology serves colonialism, and in which genocide is presented as an “algorithmic decision”. Today it is Gaza. Tomorrow, any people who dare to resist.
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 denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.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.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.
