Gulf bloc approves new defense steps after Israeli strike on Qatar

Spread the love

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

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.

READ: Qatar, Saudi Arabia denounce Israel’s expanded ground offensive in Gaza City

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.

READ: Qatar’s emir in Jordan for 1st visit since Israeli strike on Doha

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

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
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 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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingGulf bloc approves new defense steps after Israeli strike on Qatar

Will Eurovision uphold Israel’s colonial genocide?

Spread the love

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License


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]

by Ramona Wadi

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. 

READ: Spain to officially boycott Eurovision if Israel remains in contest amid Gaza war

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. 

BLOG: Genocide admissions and international silence

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

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
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 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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingWill Eurovision uphold Israel’s colonial genocide?

Israel’s Smotrich calls devastated Gaza Strip a potential real estate “bonanza”

Spread the love

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 on Wednesday said that the devastated Gaza Strip was a potential real estate “bonanza” and that he was in talks with the United States on how to divide up the coastal enclave after the war.

“There is enormous real estate wealth in Gaza, and we will share it with the Americans,” Smotrich said at the Urban Regeneration Summit of the Real Estate Center in Tel Aviv.

When asked about the possibility of establishing Israeli settlements in Gaza, Smotrich replied that “a business plan prepared by experts is already on the table of US President Donald Trump.” He added: “We have completed the demolition phase, and now we must build.”

Smotrich further stated: “We paid a heavy price in this war, and we must divide the land. We are serious about this and have spoken with the Americans,” signalling his government’s intent to exploit Israel’s war on Gaza to entrench new settlement realities.

He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent call for Israel to become a “Super Sparta,” arguing instead: “There is no need for an internal industrial blitz. Rather, Israel’s military power must be strengthened in other ways.”

His remarks come amid mounting Palestinian and international warnings that Israel is using the devastation in Gaza as cover to advance forced displacement and ethnic cleansing schemes.

READ: Israeli forces push into new areas of Gaza City

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
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 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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingIsrael’s Smotrich calls devastated Gaza Strip a potential real estate “bonanza”

UN Declares GENOCIDE – Israel’s Cheerleaders Have NOWHERE Left To Hide

Spread the love

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 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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingUN Declares GENOCIDE – Israel’s Cheerleaders Have NOWHERE Left To Hide

UN says at least 75 Palestinians died in Israeli detention since October 2023

Spread the love

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Israeli forces detain Palestinians following an explosion in Tulkarm, West Bank, on September 11, 2025. ( Nedal Eshtayah – Anadolu Agency )

At least 75 Palestinians, including a 17-year-old, have died in Israeli detention since Oct. 7, 2023, according to a report released on Wednesday by the UN human rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Anadolu reports.

The report accused Israeli authorities of systematic torture, deliberate ill-treatment, and denial of medical care.

The office said Israeli authorities “must urgently end the systematic torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinians held in their prisons and other places of detention and protect and ensure their right to life.”

Of the deaths, 49 were from Gaza, 24 from the West Bank, and two were Palestinian citizens of Israel. Another 19 deaths were acknowledged by Israeli authorities without sufficient details to verify identity. At least five Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, died in custody shortly after being shot by Israeli security forces, some without timely medical attention.

READ: Qatar, Saudi Arabia denounce Israel’s expanded ground offensive in Gaza City

The report cited repeated beatings, waterboarding, stress positions, sexual violence, starvation, and denial of hygiene and medical care.

At least 22 detainees who died had pre-existing health conditions, while testimonies and autopsy reports in 12 cases indicated death followed torture or beatings.

The office also drew attention to Israel’s refusal to comply with a Sept. 7 High Court ruling ordering improved food supplies for prisoners and attempts to conceal reports on detention conditions.

“Unless rebutted by investigations respecting international standards for each incident, Israel remains responsible for every single death in custody,” it said, warning such practices may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.

“Israel has the obligation to end all practices that amount to torture or other ill-treatment, and to protect all detainees against such practices, including by ensuring prisoners have regular access to their families, their lawyers, the courts and that independent bodies such as the (International Committee of the Red Cross) ICRC conduct regular inspections of places of detention,” the rights office said. “Israel must protect and respect the right to life of all prisoners, and must provide access to adequate medical care, including to ensure that prisoners do not die from preexisting conditions.”

READ: 79,000 Israelis left country in 2024, outnumbering newcomers, official figures show

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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 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.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
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

Continue ReadingUN says at least 75 Palestinians died in Israeli detention since October 2023