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A general view of Nitzana border crossing where activist Jewish settler group gathers to prevent humanitarian aid, sent to Gaza, in Nitzana, Israel on February 14, 2024. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]
Israel’s Ministry of Settlement Affairs has unveiled a new settlement expansion plan in the area surrounding the Nitzana Crossing, near the Egyptian border, according to details published on the ministry’s official website.
The initiative aims to “strengthen the Jewish presence” in the border region, which Israeli authorities frame as part of efforts to curb smuggling and enhance security. However, analysts say the plan fits into a broader policy of expanding settlement activity under security pretexts, turning sensitive border areas into de facto permanent settlement blocs.
Earlier this month, Settlement Affairs Minister Orit Strock toured the area with the head of the Ramat Negev regional council and officials from the Ministries of Settlement Affairs and Agriculture. Their discussions reportedly focused on population growth and development programs intended to reinforce Israeli presence along the border, described by officials as a response to “crime and smuggling.”
Observers argue that the move represents a continued strategy of “soft Judaisation,” using settlement growth to entrench Israeli control along its southern frontier. They warn that the plan could reshape the demographic and security landscape of the border region by establishing what officials have described as a “human wall.”
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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.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.
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Donkeys carry families to their homes as thousands of displaced Palestinians go to check on their homes as the 4-day humanitarian pause begins for prisoner exchange and aid in Huzaa district of Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 24, 2023. [Ashraf Amra – Anadolu Agency]
The news reads like a dark joke—but it isn’t. “Rescued little Donkeys from Gaza Find a Home in Oppenheim,” reports Allgemeine Zeitung, a regional newspaper in western Germany. On Instagram, the comment section on the post was quickly disabled due to “numerous inappropriate and hateful comments”– likely criticism of Germany’s decision to take in four donkeys. But what’s the broader context?
Animals welcome – Gazawis not
For many, the story of four donkeys “rescued” from Gaza is further proof of the inhumane cynicism of Germany’s leaders. Since October 2023, hardly any humans from Gaza have been admitted to Germany. Berlin did not prioritize rescuing Palestinian citizens with German passports from the genocide in Gaza, despite the Foreign Ministry’s stated duty to evacuate its own nationals from war and crisis zones. Meanwhile, Germany has even granted citizenship to Israelis who were taken prisoner during Gaza operations after October 2023, loudly advocating for their release as “German hostages.”
While various Western countries in recent months – Spain, for example, as early as summer 2024 – took in contingents of injured or sick children from Gaza for medical treatment, Germany has done almost nothing. Only two children from Gaza are believed to have received treatment in Germany in more than two years. Several German cities had offered to take in larger numbers of minors from Gaza and claimed to be ready to do so – but the federal government blocked these plans, citing the “very unpredictable” situation in Gaza even after the official ceasefire. The Foreign Office and Interior Ministry also referred to “complex procedures” and the need to vet accompanying family members. NGOs helping patients from abroad are required to guarantee the return of patients and their guardians; if asylum is later sought, the NGOs must cover costs for the often multi-year legal process.
Even the Allgemeine Zeitung piece exemplifies the grotesque double standard in German discourse on Gaza. The article opens: “They have endured hunger and misery, beatings and toil.” Setting aside how this framing suggests that Gazans are not only potential “Hamas terrorists” and “Jew-haters” but also animal abusers, it ignores the systematic torture of Palestinians by the Israeli army, as documented in recent reports by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) – virtually absent from German media coverage. The empathy shown for donkeys in this piece far exceeds that extended to humans in Gaza over the past two years. Unsurprisingly, the article fails to mention who is responsible for the donkeys’ hunger – or the deprivation of nearly two million Palestinians.
The article celebrates that the donkeys, “despite all they have endured, are remarkably trusting” and “have even started to blossom a little.” Comparable attention to the psychological state of Gaza’s human population in German media is virtually nonexistent.
There is, however, another dimension beyond the obvious cynicism: the story of how these donkeys reached Germany. “These donkeys were abandoned, injured, mistreated, or destined to die,” says the zoo in Oppenheim. (No word on why they were abandoned, or what happened to their original owners.) The animals were “rescued” by Israeli animal welfare organizations – specifically, a group that reportedly has “rescued 50 donkeys from Gaza.” How an Israeli NGO operates in an active war zone is unclear, but it likely required coordination with the IDF.
In another report about four more donkeys brought to a ranch in northern Germany’s Lower Saxony, it is revealed that the organization ‘Starting Over Sanctuary’ is actually behind the transports to Germany. The article also claims: “The donkeys had to work hard, were very poorly treated, and had no rights. Their illnesses were not treated.“
Since the genocide in Gaza, donkeys have become a vital transport resource. With fuel shortages and damaged roads, they reliably carry the injured and sick to clinics, transport people and belongings during flight or return home, and deliver essential water, food, and supplies. Far from being senselessly abused or left to die, sick and injured animals in Gaza are treated and rescued. A Guardian report from April 2025 noted that one medical team alone rescued over 7,000 donkeys since October 2023. Meanwhile, journalist Tarek Baé pointed out on X that, according to the UN, as early as August 2024, 43 per cent of all livestock in Gaza had been killed as a result of Israel’s war of destruction.
Seen in this light, the “rescue” of donkeys by Israeli actors appears more as theft or abduction. It forms part of the IDF’s ongoing strategy: denying Palestinians the means of production – especially land, olive trees – and of transport is central to settler-colonial control and the systematic displacement of Palestinians. Ecological justifications have long been used to mask this agenda, critics also speak of “Environmental Warfare“: from tree planting by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to creating nature reserves that displace Palestinians and endanger lives, to the ostensible “rescue” of Gaza’s donkeys. Germany is now supporting the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the genocide in Gaza not only politically, economically, through arms supplies to Israel, and by withholding aid from Gazans, but also by destroying the last means of survival in the Gaza Strip under the guise of ‘greenwashing.’
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.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.
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Smoke billows over residential areas in eastern Gaza after Israeli forces carried out new strikes near the “Yellow Line,” despite their earlier withdrawal following a cease-fire in Gaza City, Gaza on November 18, 2025. [Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea – Anadolu Agency]
Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the military said, in the latest violation of a fragile ceasefire agreement, Anadolu reports.
A military statement said the two were shot dead for allegedly attempting to cross the “yellow line,” a demarcation line outlined under the ceasefire agreement that separates areas still under Israeli military control from those where Palestinians are permitted to move.
Israeli forces routinely shoot at Palestinians who approach, even without crossing, the “yellow line” in areas where movement is permitted.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 266 Palestinians have been killed and 635 others injured by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10.
The Israeli army launched a brutal offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, injuring over 170,000 others, and reducing the enclave to rubble.
Phase one of the ceasefire deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
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.
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Palestinian Catholic priest Manuel Musallam poses for a photo during an interview with Anadolu Agency, in Bir Zeit near Ramallah, West Bank on December 22, 2020 [Hisham K. K. Abu Shaqra / Anadolu Agency]
Father Manuel Musallam, a member of the Islamic-Christian Committee for the Support of Jerusalem and Holy Sites, said Monday that international initiatives concerning the Gaza Strip are aimed at weakening and disarming the Palestinian resistance, asserting that such efforts are “doomed to fail.”
In press remarks, Musallam said the weapons of the Palestinian resistance “will not be taken away by anyone — not the United States, nor anyone else,” arguing that Israel, not Gaza, should be placed under international trusteeship “for the war crimes and genocide committed against the Palestinian people.”
He accused the United States of being a “direct partner” in the suffering of Palestinians because of its “military and political support for Israel,” describing the American vision for Gaza as “a failed attempt to disarm the Palestinians — an illusion that will never be realised.”
Musallam added that Palestinians “do not trust the United States, Europe, or some Arab regimes,” stressing that Israel has failed to achieve security “through military force” after two years of war. True security, he said, “can only come through recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people, not through force and killing.”
He argued that the continuation of Palestinian armed resistance would increase Israel’s isolation and exposure to international prosecution, ultimately leading to its defeat.
The Israeli war on Gaza, waged with U.S. and Western support since October 2023 has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians and wounded over 170,000, the vast majority women and children. Over 90 per cent of the Strip’s buildings have been destroyed. Israeli forces have continued bombardment and home demolitions despite last month’s ceasefire agreement, resulting in hundreds of additional casualties and severe restrictions on the entry of food and medical supplies.
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.
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Israeli army’s tanks and armored vehicles are seen moving along the Gaza border as attacks continue unabated in Gaza City, Gaza on September 16, 2025. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]
The Oxford Union, one of the world’s most renowned debating societies, has voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of a motion declaring Israel a greater threat to regional stability than Iran, following a heated debate featuring former Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Geneva-based NGO UN Watch’s director Hillel Neuer, Anadolu reports.
The debate centered on the motion declaring that Israel is a greater threat to regional stability than Iran, as The Telegraph reported this weekend that the society members backed the proposition by a wide margin.
Speaking for the motion, Shtayyeh argued that Israel’s actions constitute the primary source of instability in the Middle East, describing it as “an expansionist colonial state established by colonial powers.”
He went on to call Israel a “pariah state” that “acts above the law,” alleging that it violates UN resolutions and enforces “a colonial regime based on apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
“Brutal occupation, crimes and genocide, … Israel is dragging the region into repeated conflicts,” he said, adding that some Israeli lawmakers believe the country’s borders should stretch “from the Nile to the Euphrates.”
“We all should say that Israel is the biggest cause of destabilization in the region,” he concluded.
Opposing the motion, Neuer insisted that Israel is not the destabilizing force in the region and accused Iran of arming militant proxies across the Middle East.
“Regional stability is measured by who starts wars, not by who stops them,” he said. “Israel does not arm terror proxies in five Arab countries – the regime in Iran does that.”
He cited the Iranian attack on Israel earlier this year involving drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, arguing that the coordinated response by several Arab states showed their alignment with Israel against Iranian aggression.
“You don’t intercept missiles heading towards a threat to regional stability – you intercept missiles from one,” he said.
The Oxford Union, founded in 1823, has become increasingly scrutinised over its Israel-related debates.
Last year, it passed another motion accusing Israel of being “an apartheid state responsible for genocide,” by 278 votes to 59.
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.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.
