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Police officers stand guard as Pro-Palestine demonstrators take part in a protest on the second anniversary of October 7th to condemn the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza since then and to demand the stop of the war on October 07, 2025 in Muenster, Germany. [Hesham Elsherif – Anadolu Agency].
UN human rights experts on Thursday called on Germany to end what they described as the “criminalising, punishing, and suppressing” of legitimate Palestinian solidarity activism, warning that the country’s actions undermine fundamental democratic freedoms, Anadolu reports.
“We are alarmed by the persistent pattern of police violence and apparent suppression of Palestine solidarity activism by Germany,” the experts said in a statement.
They urged Berlin to uphold its human rights obligations and “to respect and facilitate the right to peaceful assembly for everyone without discrimination.” The experts stressed that “non-violent protests are protected and must not be punished,” and that dissenting political views “must not be subject to undue restrictions based on content.”
According to the experts, Germany has intensified restrictions on pro-Palestinian protests since October 2023 – when Israel’s relentless offensive on Gaza began – even though most demonstrations have been peaceful. Protesters have voiced demands such as halting arms exports to Israel, ensuring humanitarian access to Gaza, and recognizing the state of Palestine.
They said demonstrators in Berlin had been met with police violence, arrests, and bans, including cases where people were detained simply for chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The experts said German courts have issued contradictory rulings on whether the slogan constitutes protected speech or condones violence.
“Germany must support, not suppress, actions aiming to stop atrocity crimes and genocide,” the experts said. “No circumstances can justify unnecessary and excessive police violence or unjust criminalisation for exercising fundamental freedoms.”
Critics say Germany’s foreign policy stance has been mirrored by a domestic campaign to silence pro-Palestinian voices. Over the past two years, authorities have banned hundreds of rallies, canceled cultural events and academic panels, and denied visas to prominent international speakers critical of Israel.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a staunch ally of Israel, has repeatedly emphasized Germany’s historical responsibility for Israel’s security, rooted in its Nazi past and the Holocaust.
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/O74hZCKKdpAOrcas 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.
Dr. Ahmed Muhanna was illegally imprisoned by Israeli forces for 665 days. Source: Awda Health and Community Association/Facebook
Al-Awda Hospital director Ahmed Muhanna was released after almost two years of illegal imprisonment. Dozens of Palestinian health workers remain captives in Israeli jails.
Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, director of Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, has been released by Israeli forces after 665 days of illegal imprisonment. He was originally kidnapped from the hospital floor in December 2023, as Israel unleashed its systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system, killing and imprisoning hundreds of health workers.
“Israel directly targeted medical staff, as if they were the biggest enemy of the Zionist entity, with their white coats, serving the people of Gaza,” Dr. Muhanna said upon returning to the hospital. “They tried to capture all the functioning institutions, but I will say this once more: never! You will never get control of them. We will never leave the hospitals.”
Dr. Muhanna was released with a number of healthcare workers – nurses, doctors, and paramedics – during the first phase of the captives for prisoners exchange agreement. “While their release is warmly welcomed, there are at least 115 more Gazan healthcare workers who are still being held in Israeli detention,” Healthcare Workers Watch wrote on October 13.
“Israel’s systematic abduction of healthcare workers is a war crime which has decimated the hospital workforce in Gaza,” said the network’s co-founder Dr. Muath Alser. “Unlawfully holding highly trained medical professionals in detention has directly deprived Palestinians of medical care and terrorized the hospital staff left behind. Israel must immediately and unconditionally release all the detained healthcare workers including the bodies of those tortured to death in detention.”
At least five medics – including surgeon Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh – have been tortured to death while imprisoned during the genocide, Healthcare Workers Watch notes. Others, such as pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, have been excluded from lists of political prisoners scheduled for release, despite deteriorating health and their importance for keeping health services running.
Dr. Muhanna himself described the conditions endured by Palestinian health workers and other prisoners in Israeli jails. “We were isolated and deceived,” he said. “There was no news at all. The intelligence services spread false information only to demoralize us. There were harsh interrogations, and we were kept entirely in the dark. So our message to detainees still imprisoned must be to continue our humanitarian and health mission for our people, especially in the northern and central Gaza Strip.”
Health workers and patients gathered to meet Dr. Muhanna near Al-Awda Hospital in Gaza upon his release. Source: Awda Health and Community Association/Facebook
Upon his release, Dr. Muhanna reaffirmed his determination to rebuild Gaza’s health services together with his colleagues. Palestinian and international right to health organizations have expressed the commitment to ensure that such reconstruction is steered by Palestinians themselves. “Political sovereignty is recognized as indivisible from health sovereignty,” states the Gaza Health Solidarity Declaration, signed by Awda, the People’s Health Movement (PHM), Viva Salud, and others. For Palestinians, it continues, this means liberation from settler colonialism, occupation, and imprisonment, as well as the full realization of the right of return, restitution, and reparations.
The role of Palestinian health workers like Dr. Muhanna and of community-based organizations providing care is central to this vision. These organizations, the declaration emphasizes, “have long provided healthcare services to their communities” and must be able to set the course for future health programs across Palestine.
“We state clearly our conviction that Palestinians can and will rebuild the health system in Gaza,” the declaration concludes, “while deepening a shared commitment to health equity and health justice throughout Palestine.”
People’s Health Dispatchis a fortnightly bulletin published by thePeople’s Health Movementand Peoples Dispatch. For more articles and subscription to People’s Health Dispatch, clickhere.
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/O74hZCKKdpAVote Labour for Genocide.
Trump embraces Netanyahu in the Knesset (Photo via the White House)
Trump stirred controversy in several off-script moments in his address to the Israeli Knesset, including spotlighting a top pro-Israel donor
US President Donald Trump spoke in the Israeli parliament on October 13 amid the implementation of the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire deal he helped broker – labeling the deal as a “historic dawn for the Middle East.”
Trump attempted to position himself not only as a behind-the-scenes mediator, but as a central actor in shaping post-war Gaza and the region as a whole. “Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,” Trump proclaimed. “Now it’s time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
Several unscripted moments of US President Donald Trump’s speech at the Israeli Knesset have become the subject of controversy, highlighting the unconventional diplomatic relationship between Israel and the US.
In an extraordinary intrusion into Israeli domestic politics, Trump went off script and urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges.
“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about this?” Trump proclaimed, referring to Netanyahu’s charges of fraud and breach of trust.
Trump claimed that Netanyahu is “a very popular man” because he knows “how to win.” A Maariv poll from last month revealed that a majority – 52% – of Israelis do not trust Netanyahu as Prime Minister. However, polling by the Israeli Democracy Institute reveals that a majority of Israelis also support a hostage deal with Hamas that leads to a full withdrawal of forces, indicating that the recent ceasefire deal may boost support for Netanyahu.
Trump’s speech at the Knesset comes the same day that Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Israeli-Hamas hostage exchange. Before the ceasefire deal, there were about 10,400 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian prisoners’ rights group Addameer.
Trump shines spotlight on pro-Israel lobby
In a separate controversial moment, Trump singled out one of his major donors, Israeli-American Miriam Adelson, who was in the audience at the Knesset. Adelson donated USD 106 million to Trump’s super PAC, which helped fundraise for his reelection last year.
“Look at her, sitting there so innocently,” Trump said, pointing Adelson out. “She’s got 60 billion in the bank.”
Trump continued: “I’m gonna get her in trouble with this, but I actually asked her once, I said, ‘So, Miriam, I know you love Israel. What do you love more, the United States or Israel?’ She refused to answer.”
“That might mean Israel,” Trump said, before laughing.
Trump’s commentary on Adelson, who was awarded a Presidential of Medal of Honor by Trump during his first term, has inadvertently shined a spotlight on the ultra-powerful pro-Israel lobby in US politics.
Some have noted the pattern of Trump saying “the quiet part out loud” throughout his political career. US law professor and public commentator Jody David Armour wrote on X that Trump “regularly just spills the beans on how US policy actually works,” in response to the president’s Adelson comments.
“He might have been a bit too frank for her tastes. She looked uncomfortable,” remarkedElectronic Intifada journalist Asa Winstanley on X.
Independent journalist Sam Husseini summarized Trump’s comments as “she bribed me and she loves Israel more than the US.”
A major part of the recent resurgence of the Palestine solidarity movement in the past two years has been shining a light on the pro-Israeli influence in US politics.
“By his own admission, the president of the United States is acting on the wishes of his top donors” like Adelson, wrote the account “AIPAC Out of US Politics” on social media. AIPAC Out of US Politics is a grassroots campaign recently launched by pro-Palestine activists in the United States, aiming to spotlight the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in the US.
Quinnipiac University polling from September revealed that the share of registered US voters who believe that backing Israel aligns with their country’s national interests has dropped sharply over the 21 months of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. Less than half of voters say they believe support for Israel aligns with US national interests, a sharp drop from 67% in December.
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/O74hZCKKdpAVote Labour for Genocide.
A protester holds a placard reading “Free the doctor Abu Safiya” during a protest supporting Palestine on July 29, 2025 in Madrid. (Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“There cannot be peace without justice, human rights, and dignity of ALL,” said a top United Nations rights advocate. “Palestinian lives matter.”
As families on Monday celebrated the return of about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 20 living Israeli hostages after the two-year Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 67,000 people and left rubble across Gaza, advocates demanded the return of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who was captured nearly a year ago and has reportedly been imprisoned in a detention center known for torturing detainees.
Middle East Eye reported Monday morning that according to Israeli media reports, Abu Safiya was on a list of Palestinian prisoners who would be released only “if the number of those released is not completed.”
“The government has approved the creation of a reserve list of five prisoners from Gaza, who will be released if changes are made,” according to Israeli media reports.
Palestinian writer and poet Mosab Abu Toha noted that “if he and the others are approved, they would replace five other Palestinian hostages who were previously set for release.”
I’m not sure who else has shared this, but regarding Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, his name, along with four others, has reportedly been submitted for approval by the Israeli government. This is according to Israeli Channel 12. A phone vote is expected to take place.
Abu Safiya was seized by the Israel Defense Forces in December 2024 after the IDF raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, where he was the medical director.
The IDF claimed without evidence that Kamal Adwan Hospital was a Hamas command center; it was the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza when it was attacked.
As the exchange of hostages and prisoners neared over the weekend, advocates including healthcare professionals demanded that Abu Safiya be included in the exchange.
“I am a family doctor and public health practitioner. I have studied the impacts of settler colonialism on health, locally and abroad. I am demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya who is being held captive by the Israeli military for fulfilling his duty and calling to protect his patients,” said Dr. Yipeng Ge. “I am calling for protection of hospitals, patients, and health workers in Gaza.”
Abu Safiya is one of more than 9,600 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
The prisoners being released on Monday include 1,700 Palestinians who were detained after Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
At least 154 Palestinian prisoners freed on Monday were forced into exile by Israel and deported to third countries.
On Saturday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the Trump administration to “demand that Israel release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all other kidnapped medical professionals.”
Francesca Albanese, United Nations rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, suggested that the international acceptance of the continued detention of Abu Safiya and thousands of people in Israeli prisons, many of whom have been held without charges and were detained as minors, “says a lot about [the] peace that lays ahead, for the Palestinians.”
“There cannot be peace without justice, human rights, and dignity of ALL,” said Albanese. “Palestinian lives matter.”
The prisoner-hostage exchange is a major part of the first phase of the 20-point peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump, with the next phases yet to be negotiated.
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/O74hZCKKdpAGenocide 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.
Demonstrators hold up placards in Trafalgar Square during a protest in support of Palestine Action on October 4, 2025 in London, England. (Credit: Alishia Abodunde via Getty Images.)
Labour’s plan to criminalise recurring protests strikes at the heart of democratic life, transforming political freedom into a privilege granted by the state.
On Sunday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans for sweeping new powers to allow the banning and restriction of protests. Her move came after the refusal of the Defend Our Juries campaign group to cancel Saturday’s demonstrations against the proscription of Palestine Action, which are increasingly becoming a mainstay on Parliament Square.
The prime minister and home secretary had both urged organisers to cancel their planned actions in light of the Manchester synagogue attack. Though they paid lip service to the right to protest, they claimed that exercising it at this moment would be ‘un-British’, with Mahmood darkly adding that just because you have freedom, ‘you don’t have to use it at every moment of every day.’ Having seen their appeals ignored, the government now intends to remove those rights.
Mahmood said the new powers would target ‘cumulative disruption’ and the ‘frequency of particular protests in particular places.’ In practice, this means giving police the authority to simply shut down demonstrations from happening. Defying police orders may result in six months in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. The home secretary described the inability to outlaw recurring protests as a technical oversight, a ‘gap in the law’ in need of closing. But far from a technical fix, the proposal amounts to the most serious assault on the freedom of assembly in a generation.
Recurring demonstrations are necessary for the very reason that the injustices they confront are recurring. In the case of pro-Palestine protests, the government continues to arm and directly support Israel’s military operations in defiance of public opinion — and even after the UN formally concluded that Israel is committing genocide. The same is true of protests against the proscription of Palestine Action, under which thousands of peaceful demonstrators have been arrested on terror charges merely for holding signs. The classification of the group as a terrorist organisation — a ‘disturbing’ misuse of anti-terror legislation, according to the UN — remains in force.
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.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.
