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Forums - Politics - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Australia condemns Israel after diplomats’ visas revoked

Australia has sharply criticised Israel after it revoked visas held by Canberra’s diplomatic representatives to the Palestinian Authority, escalating tensions between the two governments.

The move came hours after Australia cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, who had been scheduled to speak at events organised by the Australian Jewish Association.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described Israel’s decision as an “unjustified reaction”, accusing Netanyahu’s government of isolating itself.

“At a time when dialogue and diplomacy are needed more than ever, the Netanyahu government is isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution,” Wong said in a statement.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed the revocation, adding that his ministry would now scrutinise all official Australian visa applications for entry into Israel. He also linked the decision to Australia’s planned recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.


Netanyahu accuses Australia PM of ‘betraying Israel’ after Palestine recognition

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bashed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a “weak politician”, escalating a dispute between the two countries after Canberra announced Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood.

“History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” said Netanyahu in a post on his office’s X account.

Netanyahu has doubled down on accusing critics of anti-Semitism, even as his country grows more isolated internationally as a result of its war on Gaza.

Nah Albanese will be remembered for supporting genocide. The recognition is merely a deflection from complicity.

Israel’s decision to revoke visas for Australian diplomats ‘unjustified reaction’

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has released a statement in response to Israel’s decision to revoke visas for diplomats from her country after PM Anthony Albanese announced last week that Australia would recognise the state of Palestine.

“At a time when dialogue and diplomacy are needed more than ever, the Netanyahu government is isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution,” she said.

“We will continue to work with partners as we contribute international momentum to a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza, and release of the hostages.”

Translation: We will continue to distract from the humanitarian crisis and ongoing genocide. 

Priorities:
1. Ceasefire, halt the genocide.
2. Flood humanitarian aid to halt and revert starvation.
3. Rebuild essential infrastructure for people to survive.
4. End occupation in the Westbank, hold terrorist Settlers to account.
5. 2-state solution with new governments (Both Palestine and Israel)
6. End apartheid in Israel, end Zionist propaganda. 
7. Path towards unification after reparations to Palestine and 'Nuremberg trials' for Holodomor of Gaza.



Around the Network
SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Cyprus sends 1,200 tonnes of aid for Gaza via sea

The Cypriot Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the humanitarian aid had been pre-screened, and would be transferred to Gaza without additional security checks once it arrives in the southern Israeli port of Ashdod.

The aid would be distributed by the World Central Kitchen, and the ministry said the process is part of the United Nations’ aid delivery mechanism.

The aid set to arrive in Ashdod has mainly been provided by Cyprus and Malta, with contributions from organisations in the US, Italy, and Kuwait.

60 trucks, about 1/10th of daily needs. Significant contribution if not for it it being a one off event :/



UN: Israel not allowing enough aid into Gaza to prevent starvation

Israel is still not doing enough to stop widespread starvation in Gaza, the UN’s human rights office says.

“In the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that remain far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation,” spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in Geneva.

Al-Kheetan added that starvation in the Palestinian enclave was a “direct result of the Israeli government’s policy of blocking humanitarian aid”.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

More than 700 UK business leaders call on govt to prevent ‘acts of genocide’ in Gaza

More than 700 UK business leaders, founders and professionals have signed an open letter calling on the government to take immediate action to prevent “further acts of genocide in Gaza” and uphold international law.

The business leaders urged the government to end all export licences for goods that could be “directly or indirectly implicated in military operations in Gaza – without exception”.

It added a call to broaden financial sanctions and investment screenings into companies that could be complicit in violating international law. “The UK must ensure that no business – whether through products, services, or supply chains – is contributing to these atrocities, directly or indirectly,” the letter read.

Business leaders also reiterated calls for the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, on a large scale, to Gaza, the cessation of all UK arms transfers to Israel and the return of all the captives held in Gaza.



British human rights group calls for dismissal of ICJ Vice President Sebutinde

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) has called for the removal of Ugandan Judge Julia Sebutinde, vice president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In a letter to ICJ judges, the AOHR UK said Sebutinde had breached Articles 2 and 18 of the court’s statute after she told the Ugandan newspaper, the Daily Monitor, last week, that her “Lord is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel”.

According to Article 2, judges must display impartiality and independence. If it is breached, Article 18 states that the judge must be removed with the consent of the other judges.

The AOHR UK said Sebutinde’s stance “relied heavily on biblical narratives and stories granting Israel fictitious rights, thereby conferring false legitimacy on the horrific crimes committed against Palestinian civilians”.

“Such reasoning not only contradicts the foundations of international law but also emboldens the continuation of genocide, undermining the very principles upon which the Court’s authority rests,” the AOHR UK urged.

Sebutinde was the only ICJ judge to vote against all provisional measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza in January 2024. An Israeli judge voted in favour of two of the measures.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Protesters block Tel Aviv highway, demand Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Channel 12 is reporting that protesters have blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv to demand the return of captives and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Scenes broadcast by activists and media showed protesters holding a large banner that said: “Occupying Gaza means sacrificing the abductees and soldiers.”

Haaretz reported that activists calling for a captive deal blocked the Ayalon Highway for 15 minutes before police waiting at the scene removed them. Seven demonstrators and a Haaretz photographer were threatened with fines for traffic violations, the paper said.

Relatives of freed captives also briefly blocked southbound traffic, calling for a deal to release those still held in Gaza and opposing Israel’s planned conquest of Gaza City, Walla reported.

“Their time is running out. A deal is on the table” and “Enough killing, enough bereavement, hostages above all,” the protesters chanted.

The action comes two days after a nationwide strike that blocked roads across Israel as demonstrators pushed for a ceasefire.


Protesters hold pictures of captives held in Gaza as they block a road in Tel Aviv on August 19, 2025, to demand the immediate end of the war in Gaza.

The concern is only for the remaining PoWs and for the soldiers... Just shows that the remaining captives are the only bargaining chip Hamas has. Ethnic cleansing, genocide and starvation of Palestinians are generally accepted in Israel.



Israeli opposition leader Lapid labels Netanyahu ‘most toxic leader in Western world’

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has responded to Netanyahu’s criticism of Australian PM Anthony Albanese, quipping that Netanyahu is so politically toxic that any feud with him will only boost Albanese’s popularity.

“The thing that most strengthens a leader in the democratic world today is a confrontation with Netanyahu, the most politically toxic leader in the Western world,” wrote Lapid in a post on X. “It’s unclear why Bibi is so quick to give the Australian prime minister this gift.”

UN criticises far-right Israeli minister after ‘taunting’ Marwan Barghouti

The UN has called the behaviour of Ben-Gvir “unacceptable” after he released a video showing himself confronting imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in his cell.

“These video images showing the Israeli minister of national security reprimanding and taunting Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti face-to-face in an Israeli prison are unacceptable,” Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said during a news briefing in Geneva.

“The minister’s behaviour and the publication of these images constitute an affront to the dignity of Mr Barghouti,” he added. The UN stressed that international law requires all detainees to be treated with humanity and dignity and their rights must be respected.

Ben-Gvir, who is sanctioned by the United Kingdom among other countries, told Barghouti in Hebrew in the video posted on X: “You will not defeat us. Anyone who harms the people of Israel, anyone who kills children, anyone who kills women, … we will erase them.”

Barghouti, a former Fatah official who has been imprisoned by Israel since 2002, is considered a possible successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas despite his detention.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Hamas agrees to ceasefire proposal, but Israeli position uncertain

On Monday Hamas said it agreed to a proposal put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt to reach a 60-day truce in Gaza with a path towards a sustainable ceasefire. It did not elaborate on the details of the draft deal.

However, top Israeli officials said Hamas is under pressure because of Israel’s plans to conquer Gaza City, and far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir insisted the war must continue.

Here’s what we know about the potential truce:

  • A source familiar with the talks told Al Jazeera the proposal calls for a 60-day halt to military operations, during which Israeli forces would relocate to allow in humanitarian aid.
  • During that period, half of the 50 remaining Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
  • The source said the plan “marks the beginning of the path to a comprehensive solution”.
  • The reaction from top Israeli officials has so far been less than receptive. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hamas’s willingness to negotiate simply stems from fear of Israel’s planned invasion of Gaza City.
  • Meanwhile, far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have voiced strong opposition to the proposed ceasefire, with Smotrich insisting Israel must not “grant the enemy a lifeline”.

Qatari Foreign Ministry says Hamas response to ceasefire proposal positive; still waiting for Israeli answer

The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari confirmed that his country and Egypt have received a positive response from Hamas to a ceasefire proposal that aims at “reaching a comprehensive agreement to end the war”.

Speaking at a news conference in Doha, al-Ansari said the proposal included a 60-day provisional ceasefire during which a number of captives and prisoners would be swapped, Israeli forces in Gaza would be repositioned, and aid to Gaza would be increased.

The spokesperson said the proposal was “almost identical” to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s previous proposal, but that Israel had yet to send its response.

Al-Ansari said there was no timeframe for when Israel would answer. “Almost 98 percent of what has been agreed to by the Israelis was contained in this recent proposal,” al-Ansari said.


‘If this proposal fails, crisis will exacerbate,’ says Qatar’s al-Ansari

Pressed on what, if anything, differentiates the current Gaza ceasefire proposal from an earlier one put forward by US envoy Witkoff, al-Ansari said he would not delve into the details as negotiations remain active.

“What is important here is to reach an agreement that is acceptable to both parties in word and in essence. And that’s what we have been working on in the past days,” al-Ansari said.

“We are at a very defining humanitarian moment,” he added. “If this proposal fails, the crisis will exacerbate, and therefore Qatar, in cooperation with Egypt and the other global players, including the US, are doing all they can in order to reach a ceasefire.”

“I’m not in the habit of being overly optimistic when I don’t have clear facts in front of me,” he said. “What I can tell you is that we have a positive response from Hamas. That positive response, according to what we know, is almost all that was agreed by Israel in previous iterations of these talks.”

But “we are yet to receive a response from the Israel side,” he continued, “so we cannot make any claims that a breakthrough has been made. “But we do believe it is a positive point when we have a positive response from Hamas."



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SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Netanyahu facing ‘very crucial’ choice during ceasefire talks

Meron Rapoport, editor of the Israeli news outlet Local Call, says it’s “unclear” what the response by PM Benjamin Netanyahu will be to the ceasefire response that Hamas sent.

“Netanyahu is facing a choice that could be very crucial, I would even say to the future of Israel. On one hand, it seems he is very keen on going all the way in occupying Gaza City, destroying it and expelling its residents,” Rapoport told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv.

“On the other hand, he does seem to be under pressure from within [the government], also from the Israeli public, from the army, and also from the international community to end the war, and he has here a chance,” he said.

Rapoport explained that Netanyahu has the opportunity now to say he forced Hamas into accepting a ceasefire deal that the group had previously refused.

“I think it’s very hard to know what he will decide,” he said.


Family of captives told ceasefire being discussed ‘under complete media blackout’

Israeli media outlet Haaretz is reporting that Israel’s Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons Gal Hirsch has addressed the families of captives being held in Gaza following news of Hamas’s response to a ceasefire proposal.

“The discussions, the processes and the overall actions relating to the hostages and missing persons on all different levels – all of these are taking place around the clock and under a complete media blackout. In general, and especially at a time like this, it is better that it be so,” he was quoted as saying.


Israeli gov’t demanding released of all captives: Israeli media report

Israeli media is reporting that the Israeli government is insisting on the release of all 50 remaining captives as part of any ceasefire deal, appearing to signal a rejection of the latest proposal put forward by mediators which Hamas responded positively to.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan cited the prime minister’s office, while Israel National News and AFP news agency quoted a senior Israeli official reaffirming the same position.


No official Israeli response on latest ceasefire framework

When the Israeli PM did speak, he only said that Hamas is under atomic pressure and that he was following media reports, but didn’t say if Israel is even interested in any partial deal, because members of his right-wing government have signalled that that is not on the table for them.

The country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, also said that Hamas only now wants to come back to the negotiating table because they know that the Israeli military is moving forward with the occupation of Gaza City.

It’s worth mentioning that after Hamas had given their approval of the framework that mediators are currently presenting, it is now bringing on a lot of different pressure on Netanyahu, especially by family members of Israeli captives and the general protest movement in Israel.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Egypt calls for pressure on Israel to agree to ceasefire

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty has called for pressure on Israel to accept the ceasefire proposal.

“The ball is in Israel’s court, and it must be pressured to agree to the proposal which would help mitigate the repercussions of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”


Netanyahu will only agree to ceasefire in ‘very, very exceptional circumstance’

With Israel still not responding to the ceasefire deal that was accepted by Hamas, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, says Netanyahu has calculated that it’s no longer in “interest” to agree to a partial ceasefire.

“I think for him [Netanyahu] he is winning the war, for him Hamas is on the way to defeat, for him there’s a green light from Washington, and I just don’t think, except in a very, very exceptional circumstance, that he will agree,” Bishara explained.

Bishara added that there’s an “urgency” in his response, not just for the ceasefire or the future of Gaza, but no less than six Arab leaders of “hefty Arab countries” are going to the US tomorrow over the need for a ceasefire and hope to influence Trump to push Netanyahu to that decision.

“I think Netanyahu will do what Netanyahu wants to do for his government and for what he sees as Israel’s best interest. Palestinian rights and Palestinian lives don’t matter,” Bishara said.


White House says US discussing latest ceasefire proposal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says US officials are continuing to discuss the ceasefire proposal that we have been reporting on.


https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/18/middleeast/hamas-israel-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-intl-latam

The proposal entails a ceasefire during which Israeli forces redeploy to the lines specified in the Witkoff proposal, while humanitarian aid flows intensively to meet the basic needs of the population in Gaza.

This step opens the way to reaching a comprehensive agreement in the best possible manner without endangering the lives of the hostages through further intense military operations and avoiding a worsening of the humanitarian situation for the people of Gaza, who are already suffering greatly, the diplomat said. It also marks the beginning of the road to a comprehensive solution, the diplomat added.

A regional source involved in the Gaza talks told CNN that Hamas “insists” on “written American guarantees” for a ceasefire “after 60 days.” Hamas wants the US to ensure that Israel does not return to war, the source told CNN. The most recent ceasefire negotiations, which fell apart in July, focused on a 60-day ceasefire and the release of approximately half of the remaining 50 hostages.


So still the same issue, Hamas wants guarantees to end the genocide, Netanyahu wants guarantees to be able to continue the genocide.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Settlers attack father and son in east Hebron

A number of settlers have attacked a father and his son in the east of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported.

According to resident Shaker Hamed al-Zaro, a number of settlers assaulted him and his son Faraj while they were inspecting their agricultural land in the Jales area near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement.

Due to the assault, al-Zaro and his son suffered injuries to their heads, limbs, and chests.

He explained that lands planted with olive and grape trees in the area have been deserted for two years, with access to them prohibited by herds of settlers who attack Palestinians under the protection of the Israeli army.

Recently, settler attacks on families and farmers in Jales and other areas in Masafer Yatta and south Hebron have escalated significantly.


Settlers begin work on a new outpost near Nablus

Israeli settlers have begun establishing a new illegal outpost around Aqraba town, south of Nablus, Wafa news agency is reporting, citing a Yousef Deiriyeh, local activist.

Deiriyeh said the settlers had erected tents, placed caravans and raised Israeli flags on the western slope of Mount Qarqafa, facing the town’s entrance.

Israeli forces had raided the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus, where soldiers seized the keys of four vehicles after stopping them near the earth mound that blocks the village’s main entrance.

The soldiers then “assaulted the owners of the vehicles and forced them to seal off makeshift dirt passages that residents had been using to bypass the closure”, Wafa reported.


Children tear gassed at football practice in occupied West Bank

Witnesses say a drone dropped canisters on Palestinian children as they trained in the Qalandiya refugee camp, forcing them to flee the field.

The video below shows the moment the football game was disrupted by tear gas fired by Israeli forces during a raid:

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/8/19/children-tear-gassed-at-football-practice-in-occupied-west-bank

Israeli forces arrest university student at checkpoint in Tulkarem

Israeli forces have arrested a young man from Tulkarem city after he passed through the Anab military checkpoint, east of the governorate.

Citing local sources, Wafa news agency reported that Israeli forces at the checkpoint stopped the car that 21-year-old Tariq Ismat Hashma, a third-year student at Palestine Technical University, was driving.

Soldiers forced Hashma out of the car, handcuffed and arrested him, according to the report.



SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

France’s plan to recognise Palestinian state not gone down well with Netanyahu

President Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state has not gone down well with Netanyahu who, in a letter sent to the French leader, called on him to instead confront antisemitism in France.

The AFP news agency reported that the letter sent to Macron had Netanyahu claiming antisemitism had “surged” in France following the announcement.

He also blamed the French leader’s move as fuelling antisemitism.


France hits back at Netanyahu’s anti-Semitism accusations

France has condemned Netanyahu’s accusation of growing antisemitism in France as “abject” and “erroneous”.

The Elysee said in a statement that France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens”, adding that the letter from Netanyahu “will not go unanswered”.

“This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation,” the Elysee added.




Syrian, Israeli officials discuss strengthening stability in Paris talks: Report

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met an Israeli delegation in Paris to discuss strengthening stability in southern Syria and the region, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.

According to the report, the discussions focused on de-escalation and Israel’s noninterference in Syria’s internal affairs.

Syrian and Israeli officials have been conducting US-mediated talks on de-escalating the conflict in southern Syria after last month’s violence in the Druze-majority city of Suwayda was escalated by Israeli military intervention.


SvennoJ on 19 August 2025

Ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrate against Israeli army conscription


An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man is dragged by Israeli security forces during a protest against army conscription in Kfar Yona



Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community pledged to resist government moves to call up seminary students for military service on August 7

Thou shalt commit genocide.

It can't be more clear that this is not a religious war, it is a colonial genocide.

Many of the fathers of Zionism themselves described it as colonisation, such as Vladimir Jabotinsky who said "Zionism is a colonization adventure". Theodore Herzl, in a 1902 letter to Cecil Rhodes, described the Zionist project as "something colonial".


70 Israeli Colonialism Quotes
https://zionism.observer/quotes/colonialism




Decision on ceasefire agreement will be made ‘by the Americans’, not Israel

Netanyahu is already “making noises” that he will only accept a comprehensive deal, not a partial or phased deal, Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst and co-editor of Jadaliyya, told Al Jazeera.

This indicates that “the Israelis appear determined to move forward with their offensive into Gaza City and an intensification of their genocidal military campaign”.

However, Rabbani added that the “decision on whether or not Israel accepts this agreement is not going to be made by the Israelis, but by the Americans”.

“If the Trump administration determines that Israel needs to implement this deal, it will be implemented. If it gives Israel a longer reach to continue with its genocide, then Israel will make use of that as well,” he said.

Rabbani said that only the US can force Netanyahu to change course, which has been “the equation since October 2023, just as that has been the reality in previous Israeli onslaughts on the Gaza Strip”.

Well yeah, the USA is financing the genocide.