The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Israel

  • Iran’s Supreme Leader :Trump’s speech ‘silly, superficial’

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was “silly and superficial”, Iran’s Supreme Leader said on Wednesday, according to his official website.

    “You heard last night that the president of America made some silly and superficial comments,” said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

    “He had maybe more than 10 lies in his comments. He threatened the regime and the people, saying I’ll do this and that.

    “Mr Trump I tell you on behalf of the Iranian people: You’ve made a mistake.”

    Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran, reluctantly gave his backing for the Iran nuclear deal and has publicly criticized the U.S. multiple times for not following through on its promises under the agreement.

    On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the U. S. would no longer remain part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and promised  to re-impose the highest level of economic sanctions against Iran in response to Tehran’s development of  nuclear programme.

    “Egypt stresses importance of the involvement of the concerned Arab states in any dialogue on the future
    of the Middle East, particularly, in relation to possible changes to the Iranian nuclear deal,” the
    Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

    Read Also: European leaders spurn Trump’s withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal

    Cairo urged Iran and regional states to avoid any steps that could undermine security in the Middle East or
    lead to military confrontations, according to the statement.

    Meanwhile, the UAE welcomed Trump’s decision to withdraw from the deal, as it did not guarantee that Iran
    would not acquire nuclear weapon in future, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry’s statement.

    The decision was also welcomed by Saudi Arabia and Israel.

    In response to the U.S. move, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Tehran was not going to
    withdraw from the JCPOA, and that the agreement remained between Iran and the five remaining participants
    of the deal. He noted that the United States never fulfilled the obligations under the nuclear deal, unlike Iran.

    On July 14, 2015, the European Union and the P5+1 group of countries – China, Germany, France, Russia, the
    UK and the U.S., signed the JCPOA with Iran.

    The accord stipulated a gradual lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear
    programme and allowing inspections to ensure that the nature of the program is peaceful.

    NAN

     

     

  • Israeli soldiers kill 12 Palestinians in Gaza protests

    No fewer than 12 Palestinians were killed and several hundreds wounded by Israeli forces during protests in Gaza.

    It was one of the worst days of violence in recent years.

    Late in the day, Israel’s military targeted three Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip with tank fire and an air strike after what it said was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no injuries.

    Protesters, including women and children, had earlier gathered at multiple sites throughout the blockaded territory, which is flanked by Israel along its eastern and northern borders.

    Smaller numbers approached within a few hundred metres (yards) of the heavily fortified border fence, with Israeli troops using tear gas and live fire to force them back.

    Israeli security forces also used a drone to fire tear gas toward those along the border from overhead in one of the first uses of the device, a police spokesman said.

    The health ministry in Gaza reported 12 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces throughout the day. More than 1,200 were wounded by various means including tear gas, it said.

    Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, as did Turkey.

    Israel’s military alleged that the main protests were being used as cover by militants to either break through the border or carry out attacks.

    “It is not a peaceful demonstration,” an Israeli military official told journalists.

    “There was no small number of attempts to damage the fence and cross” the border, she added.

    The army said it estimated some 30,000 demonstrators were taking part in the protests.

    It said that “rioters are rolling burning tyres and hurling firebombs and rocks at the security fence and at (Israeli) troops, who are responding with riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators.”

    – ‘Playing with your life’ –

    Protesters were demanding hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled during the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948 be allowed to return.

    Hamas leader Ismail Haniya attended the protest, believed to be the first time he had gone so close to the border in years.

  • Israel admits attacking Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007

    Israel’s military has formally admitted that it destroyed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007.

    It said the air raid in the eastern Deir-al-Zour region had removed “an emerging existential threat to Israel and the entire region.”

    The military said the reactor was close to being completed. It is long been thought Israel was responsible, but it never acknowledged this until now.

    Syria has repeatedly denied that the bombed site was a nuclear reactor, the BBC reports.

    The admission comes after Israeli military censors lifted an order banning officials from discussing the operation.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said in the past that the site was “very likely” to have been a nuclear reactor.

    It has also suggested that it was being built with the help of North Korea.

    Syria, which has joined the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has denied this.

    It released newly declassified materials related to the air raid on 5-6 September 2007.

    They included what Israel said was footage of the strike on the al-Kubar facility in Syria’s desert region, as well as photographs of the covert operation.

     

  • Israel launches heavy air strike in Syria after F-16 crash

    Israel yesterday launched heavy air strikes in Syria and hit air defenses and Iranian targets in retaliation of its F-16 fighter jet that was downed by Syria.

    The Syrian army had claimed to have brought down an Israeli F-16 that crashed on Saturday in northern Israel in a major escalation of tension

    The Israeli military said early assessments indicated the jet had been shot down by Syrian fire, but this was still unconfirmed.

    Israel said later Saturday that it had attacked 12 additional targets, including three aerial defense batteries and four Iranian targets “that are part of Iran’s military establishment in Syria.”

    Israel said the F-16 crashed during a mission to strike Iranian drone installations in Syria.

    It said that it sent its jets into Syria after shooting down an Iranian drone over Israeli territory earlier on Saturday.

    The military alliance fighting in support of Assad denied any of its drones had entered Israeli air space.

    In a statement, it said Israel had targeted an air base in the Homs desert that is being used to fly drones in missions against Islamic State.

    Such “terrorist action” by Israel would be met with a “severe and serious response,” it said.

    The Israeli military spokesman said Israel did not seek escalation in the region, calling its action a “defensive effort triggered by an Iranian act of aggression”.

    Iran’s expanding clout during Syria’s nearly seven-year-long war, including deployments of Iran-backed forces near the Golan frontier, has raised alarm in Israel.

    This, it said, would act against any threat from its regional arch-enemy Tehran.

    Iranian and Iran-backed Shi’ite forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have deployed widely in support of Assad.

    Iran’s military chief warned Israel last October against breaching Syrian airspace and territory.

    Israel’s air force has targeted Syrian military and Hezbollah targets in Syria on an almost regular basis, but its attacks on Saturday appeared to be the most intense yet.

    Referring to the downed Israeli F-16, an official in the pro-Assad alliance said a “message” had been delivered to Israel.

    “I do not believe matters will develop to a regional war,” the official said.

     

  • Rwanda, Uganda denies migrant deals with Israel

    Rwanda, Uganda denies migrant deals with Israel

    Rwanda and Uganda both on Friday said they had not struck any deal to take in African migrants from Israel under a scheme condemned by rights groups.

    Israel has said on Wednesday it would pay thousands of African migrants living illegally in the country to go home or to “third countries”, threatening them with jail if they are caught after the end of March.

    The Israeli government did not say where the refugees should go.

    However, rights groups including Hotline for Refugees and Migrants have said Uganda and Rwanda had agreed to take in migrants from Israel in the past.

    “Rwanda has no deal whatsoever with Israel to host any African migrant from that country,” Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, said.

    His Ugandan counterpart, Okello Oryem, echoed the message.

    “There is no written agreement or any form of agreement between the government of Uganda and Israeli government to accept refugees from Israel.

    Any suggestion to the contrary was fake news absolute rubbish,’’ Oryem told Reuters.

    The vast majority of migrants in Israel came from Eritrea and Sudan and many say they fled war and persecution as well as economic hardship, but Israel treats them as economic migrants.

    Rights groups have accused Israel of being slow to process African migrants’ asylum requests as a matter of policy and denying legitimate claims to the status.

  • Global outcry trails U.S recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

    Global outcry trails U.S recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

    Traditional United States allies are among a growing chorus condemning President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

    Saudi Arabia called it “unjustified and irresponsible,” while France and the United Kingdom said they did not support the decision.

    But Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed it as “a historic day,” the BBC reports.

    President Trump’s move reversed decades of U.S policy.

    The fate of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues between Israel and the Palestinians.

    Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, denounced Trump’s move as “deplorable.”

    Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are expected to hold a day of strikes and protests on Thursday.

    The United Nations Security Council is to discuss the issue on Friday after eight of the 15 nations called for an emergency session.

    The Arab League is to meet on Saturday.

    The U.S President said on Wednesday he had “judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”

    Read Also: Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital

    Trump said he was directing the U.S state department to begin preparations to move the U.S embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

    Despite warnings of regional unrest over any such move, the decision fulfils a campaign promise and appeals to Mr. Trump’s right-wing base.

    “Today, I am delivering,” the U.S leader said.

    Recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was “nothing more or less than a recognition of reality,” he added. “It is also the right thing to do.”

    He said the U.S still supported a two-state solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if approved by both sides, which would essentially see the creation of an independent Palestinian state living alongside Israel.

  • Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital

    Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and set in motion the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the ancient city, senior U.S. officials said.

    The decision would upend decades of U.S. policy and risks fueling violence in the Middle East.

    Facing an outcry of opposition from Arab capitals, Trump, in a landmark speech, will announce he has ordered the State Department to begin developing a plan to move the embassy from Tel Aviv in what is expected to be a process that takes three to four years, the officials said.

    He will not set a timetable for the move.

    Trump will sign a national security waiver that authorizes him to delay the embassy relocation for now, since the U.S. diplomats do not yet have a building in Jerusalem to move into, security arrangements or housing for diplomats, the officials said.

    Still, Trump’s endorsement of Israel’s claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the city’s status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians.

    The Palestinian wants East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

    The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions.

    The officials, who briefed reporters ahead of Trump’s speech at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, insisted that Trump’s decision, intended to fulfill a key campaign promise.

    The officials said it was not meant to pre-judge the outcome of eventual talks on the final status of Jerusalem or other major disputes between the two sides.

    Instead, one of the officials contended that Trump’s announcements reflected the “historic reality” of Jerusalem as the center of Jewish faith and the “modern reality” that it is the seat of Israeli government.

    Such arguments are not likely to sway the Palestinians and the broader Arab world.

    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, all received telephone calls from Trump on Tuesday.

    They, however, joined a mounting chorus of voices warning that unilateral U.S. steps on Jerusalem would derail a fledgling U.S.-led peace effort that has stymied previous U.S. administrations and unleash turmoil in the region.

    The White House said Trump had also spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close U.S. ally and longtime proponent of a U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem.

    Netanyahu was the only leader whose office did not release a statement following the call.

    A senior Israeli minister welcomed Trump’s decision while vowing that Israel would be prepared for any outbreak of violence.

    Trump appears intent on satisfying the pro-Israel, right-wing base, including evangelical Christians, that helped him win the presidency but was disappointed when he delayed the embassy move in June.

    No other country has its embassy in Jerusalem.

    Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, an action not recognized internationally.

    But Trump’s decision could also upset the peace effort led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, in pursuit of what the U.S. president has called the “ultimate deal”.

    Still, internal deliberations over the status of Jerusalem were tense.

    Vice President Mike Pence and David Friedman, U.S. ambassador to Israel, pushed hard for both recognition and embassy relocation.

    Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis opposed the move from Tel Aviv, according to other U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

    An impatient Trump finally weighed in, telling aides last week he wanted to keep his campaign promise.

    Read Also: Melania Trump highlights tradition in White House Christmas decor

  • Jordan urges US not to recognise Jerusalem as Israel capital

    Jordan urges US not to recognise Jerusalem as Israel capital

    Jordan’s foreign minister has warned the United States of “dangerous consequences” if it recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

    Ayman Safadi said he had told U.S Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, such a declaration would trigger great anger in the Arab and Muslim world.

    Speculation is mounting that President Donald Trump will announce the move soon, fulfilling an election pledge, the BBC reports.

    Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, said no decision had yet been made.

    In a tweet, Mr. Safadi said: “Spoke with US Secretary of State Tillerson on dangerous consequences of recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Such a decision would trigger anger across #Arab #Muslim worlds, fuel tension and jeopardise peace efforts.”

    There was no public response from the U.S State Department on the matter.

    Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, is trying to rally international support to persuade Mr. Trump not to make the announcement.

    His office said he made phone calls on Sunday to world leaders including French President, Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

  • Peace between Lebanon, Israel remains elusive – UN

    Peace between Lebanon, Israel remains elusive – UN

    A UN peacekeeping force commander in Lebanon on Tuesday said peace between Lebanon and Israel was still elusive.

    Maj.-Gen. Michael Beary, the Commander of UN Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and Head of Mission, made the remarks in Beirut on the occasion of UN Day.

    Beary said UNIFIL would continue its role toward reaching permanent ceasefire and implementing Security Council Resolution 1701.

    UN Security Council resolution 1701 was adopted in 2006 and halted all military operations between Hezbollah and Israel following a 33-day war in July of that year. (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Palestinian PM urges U.S. to pressure Israel over settlements

    Palestinian PM urges U.S. to pressure Israel over settlements

    Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Monday met the Special Envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt in West Bank city Ramallah, urging the U.S. to pressure Israel over settlements.

    According to a statement from the PM’s office, the meeting tacked the issue of the national reconciliation as well and the latest efforts by President Donald Trump to revive the peace process between Palestine and Israel.

    Hamdallah stressed that the main obstacle in the path of the peace process is the Israeli occupation and settlement expansion.

    He, however, described it as destructive to the two state solutions and the establishment of a geographically continuous Palestinian state.

    He urged the U.S. administration to pressure Israel to allow the Palestinian government to work freely in the territories classified as Area C in the West Bank and stop settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.

    Under the interim Oslo Accords signed between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel in 1993, the West Bank is divided into three zones.

    The zones are A, B and C, with area A under Palestinian control, B under Israeli security coordination and Palestinian administrative control, and C under full Israeli control.

    Report says the Israeli settlement construction is one of the top and most complicated issues in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

    The peace talks between Palestine and Israel have been stalled since April 2014.

    The U.S.-sponsored talks that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results.

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