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Forums - Politics - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 15 September 2025

Culture minister calls for Spanish Eurovision boycott if Israel allowed to participate

Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun has called for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest next year if Israel is allowed to take part, joining a chorus of European countries threatening to pull out over the war in Gaza.

“We have to ensure that Israel does not take part in the next edition of Eurovision. Just as Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and also the Netherlands have already done, if we do not succeed in expelling Israel, Spain should not participate,” Urtasun told Spanish public radio.

The European Broadcasting Union, which organises the event, will decide if Israel will take part, he said.

Public broadcasters have until mid-December to confirm whether they will allow Israel to continue to take part.

The last country to be excluded from the event was Russia in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine.

Spain’s PM calls for international sporting ban on Israel

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for Israeli competitors to be banned from international sporting contests.

Speaking a day after pro-Palestinian protesters in Madrid forced the final stage of Spain’s prestigious Vuelta a Espana cycling race to be abandoned, Sanchez said Israeli teams should face a ban similar to those faced by Russian athletes after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Our position is clear and categorical: As long as barbarity continues, neither Russia nor Israel should participate in any international competition,” Sanchez said, reiterating his “deep admiration” for the protesters in Madrid.

The protesters objected to the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team in the race.



US actor Hannah Einbinder shouts ‘Free Palestine’ as she collects Emmy

US actor Hannah Einbinder has issued a call to “Free Palestine” while accepting an Emmy award for best supporting actress at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Einbinder, who has spoken out in support of the Palestinian cause previously, received the award for her work in the comedy series Hacks.

In comments to reporters, Einbinder said the Palestinian cause was “really close to my heart for many reasons”, saying she had friends working in humanitarian roles in the territory.

“I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the State of Israel,” she said.



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SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

‘Enough silence’: Arab League calls for action against Israel

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, says the summit unfolding in Doha sends a message to the international community of standing up to Israel.

“The message says enough silence to the acts of thugery by this rogue state, which has been wreaking havoc, destruction, killing and starvation within the region,” Gheit said at the opening remarks of the Arab-Islamic summit.

“Second, silence to criminality is per se a crime. Silence to the violation of international law undermines the international system,” Gheit said.

Such silence, Gheit said, has emboldened the Israeli army to feel that “each and every act is possible and any crime can go unpunished. That’s why they continued to spread destruction from one country to another, ignite the entire religion as if the entire world has passed back into the ages of darkness and barbarism.”

Israeli belligerence crossed all red lines: Egypt’s president

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says this “important summit convened at a critical moment in which a grave challenge is faced by the entire region”.

He added: “Let me make it clear: This belligerence reflects clearly that Israeli practices have gone beyond diplomatic and military logic. They have crossed all red lines. We strongly condemn Israeli belligerence on Qatar.”

Jordan says response to Qatar attack must be ‘clear, decisive and deterring’

Jordan’s King Abdullah II says the attack on Doha is “living proof” that the threat of Israel is “without limits”.

“Our response must be clear, decisive and, above all, deterring,” he said.

He said Israel has continued its expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank, undermining the possibility of a two-state solution. He added that the summit must produce practical decisions to confront Israel’s actions, end the war in Gaza and prevent the further displacement of Palestinians.


Iraqi PM calls for collective security approach in Islamic world

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has proposed a collective response to attacks on any Arab or Islamic country in which an attack on one is treated as aggression against all.

Speaking at the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, al-Sudani said: “The security and stability of any Arab or Islamic country [are] an integral part of our collective security.”

Adding that “the current conditions call for moving from condemnation to coordinated collective action”, he proposed forming “a joint Arab-Islamic committee to convey our position to the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the European Union and other international fora”.

“We have a real opportunity to send a clear message confirming that the security of our countries is not a matter of negotiation,” he said.

He urged leaders at the summit to issue “a unified Arab and Islamic position condemning the attack” on Qatar, which he said had “exceeded all limits and violated every humanitarian principle”, and to develop a comprehensive roadmap for a ceasefire.

Failure to deter Israel would “lead to further instability and will not achieve security for any party”, he added.


Erdogan: Israel aims to ‘drag region into chaos’

Erdogan has just addressed the summit in Doha. Here’s a summary of some of his remarks:

  • The escalating Israeli aggression poses a direct threat to our region.
  • I hope our decisions today will be translated into a written declaration addressed to the entire world.
  • It has become clear that the Netanyahu government aims to continue the massacres against the Palestinian people and drag the region into chaos.
  • Israeli politicians repeat illusions about the so-called Greater Israel.
  • We must strive to bring Israeli officials to justice in accordance with international legal mechanisms.
  • We must achieve self-sufficiency in many areas of development and intensify our cooperation in these areas.
  • Economic pressure must be exerted on Israel, and past experience has proven the success of such pressure.
  • Mechanisms for joint cooperation among Islamic countries must be developed.
  • We cannot accept the displacement of the Palestinian people, their genocide or partition.


Palestinian Authority president demands firm Arab response to Israeli ‘crimes’

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its actions while urging a “firm” Arab response.

“We call upon the international community to live up to its responsibility, to hold Israel liable and responsible for their crimes and the repeated assault on our countries and peoples, and in this direction, we call for practical measures to prevent any recurrence of these violations,” Abbas said.

Abbas also emphasised the need to end the war in Gaza, the transfer of its population and the seizing of Palestinian land.

Security in the region would also be guaranteed by the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the 1967 borders and the establishment of a Palestinian state, he added.

“The radical far-right government of Israel cannot be a partner to peace and security in our region. This demands a firm Arab and Muslim position and firm intervention by the US and the UN Security Council to bring the rogue state and its behaviour to an end.”


Israeli violations due to ‘impunity they have been enjoying’: Iran’s president

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says countries must “seek the means to stand up” against Israeli assaults in Qatar and on his country. Pezeshkian said Israel’s attack was not “spur of the moment” but part of the policies of the Israeli forces and the “impunity they have been enjoying”.

“For the past two years, Gaza and the Palestinians in Gaza have been suffering greatly, and as we speak, Gaza is still reeling under Israeli fire,” he said. “We should act together to stand up to Israeli behaviour because Israel has violated the sovereignty of a number of Arab and Muslim states under the false pretext of self-defence.”

He added that the weak condemnation of Israel from the international community is allowing it to continue its attacks with impunity.

Pezeshkian says leaders should reinforce their “unity and solidarity” to stand up against Israel. The president added that Israel had not only “violated” Iran’s sovereignty during a 12-day war in June but also violated the “dignity of our people”.

“We should stand up to these threats, reiterating that any further crimes cannot be tolerated and shall not remain silent towards what is unfolding now in Gaza or what has taken place in Beirut or Yemen,” he urged.

Pezeshkian said unity must not only be based on their shared religion but also on the “shared tenets of humanity”.



SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

‘Condemnations will not stop the missiles’: Malaysia PM

Anwar Ibrahim, prime minister of Malaysia, has warned that words and declarations won’t be enough to stop Israel’s actions in the region.

“Our people have become wary of words. They have watched us issue condemnation after condemnation, declaration after declaration, while Israel escalates with impunity, as future generations will ask whether we found the courage to act. We do not ask nations to go beyond their basic obligations,” Ibrahim said.

“Condemnations will not stop the missiles. Declarations will not free Palestine. Severe, punitive actions must be put in place. Diplomatic engagements must cease, and so must take relations with Israel”.

Indonesia says Qatar attacks ‘tragic consequence’ of impunity for Israel

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Indonesia’s vice president, says that “the Palestinian question is not solely about Palestine. It’s about the survival of our nations, the dignity of our people, and the sanctity of international law.”

In remarks delivered at the Doha summit, he strongly condemned Israel’s attacks on Qatar and expressed strong solidarity with the Gulf nation.

As for what measures the summit should take in response to Israel, he said that it “must not only issue collective condemnation against Israel, but also urge the United Nations Security Council to fulfill its mandate by taking firm and urgent measures to ensure accountability and prevent any recurrence”.


GCC to ‘activate joint defence mechanisms’ after Israel’s attack on Qatar

The Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said it “condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli attack and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty” of Qatar and pledged to assess the GCC’s defence posture and activate “joint defence mechanisms and Gulf deterrent capabilities”.

“The Supreme Council affirmed the full solidarity of the GCC states with the State of Qatar in all measures it takes to confront this attack, stressing that the security of the GCC states is indivisible, and that any attack on any one of them is an attack on them all, in accordance with the GCC Charter and the Joint Defence Agreement,” it said in a communique issued after holding an extraordinary session at the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha.

It said the GCC’s military bodies will hold an urgent meeting to “assess the defensive posture of the GCC states” and to instruct the Unified Military Command “to take the necessary executive measures to activate joint defence mechanisms and Gulf deterrent capabilities”, without providing further details.

The Supreme Council said that Israel’s attack “impedes the intensive efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar and its role in mediating a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages and detainees, and the alleviation of the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people”.

Takeaways from final statement of the Arab-Islamic summit:

  • Israel’s brutal aggression against Qatar undermines any prospects for peace in the region.
  • We condemn in the strongest terms Israel’s cowardly and illegal attack on the State of Qatar.
  • We respond with absolute solidarity with Qatar and support for its steps.
  • An attack on a neutral mediation venue undermines international peacemaking processes.
  • There is praise for Qatar’s civilised and wise stance in dealing with the treacherous attack.
  • We support the efforts of mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States to stop the aggression in Gaza.
  • We praise Qatar’s constructive and appreciated role in mediation and support for establishing security.
  • We absolutely reject attempts to justify the Israeli aggression under any pretext – and absolutely reject Israel’s repeated threats of the possibility of targeting Qatar again.

GCC chief calls on Washington to leverage influence over Israel

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has delivered a very unequivocal message to Washington while responding to reporters’ questions at the Doha summit.

“We expect our strategic partners in the US to use their influence on Israel for it to stop this behaviour – we really do expect that,” Albudaiwi said.

“They have leverage and influence over Israel, and it’s about time that this leverage and influence are used”.

 

 



SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

Netanyahu informed Trump before Israel bombed Qatar: Axios

The US news outlet has published a story saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President Donald Trump that Israel planned to attack Hamas leaders in Qatar before last week’s strike occurred.

The White House has said it was notified only after missiles were in the air, giving Trump no opportunity to oppose the strike.

But Axios reported, citing unnamed Israeli officials, that Netanyahu spoke to Trump on Tuesday morning, before the attack took place.

Rubio made ‘wrong call’ in not visiting Qatar before Israel

US Secretary of State Mark Rubio’s decision to pay a supportive visit to Israel on Monday, days after it attacked US ally Qatar – and to visit Doha a day later – was the “wrong call”, Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, has told Al Jazeera.

“He should have demonstrated by his actions that the United States truly was angered by Israeli behaviour. [He should have visited] Qatar first; it should have been a demonstration of real solidarity,” Doyle said.

“But this is yet another misstep diplomatically from the Trump administration.” Doyle said the US is sending many mixed signals, saying it backs the Gaza ceasefire talks and then taking no action when Israel attacked negotiators in Doha.

“It’s all over the place – it’s presenting a very weak, incoherent position to the world. It’s not getting a grip on things. The [US] president says he wants to resolve these conflicts, but in fact, his actions that lack clarity are making things far worse,” he said.

“So the United States is not really acting in its own interests here. Nor is Israel. And I think it needs a much firmer hand on the tiller to actually appreciate the risks that are involved in not trying to bring about real and proper security.

“And at the moment, I think that the United States is going to be a big loser in all this because many countries, not just Qatar, will look to other countries in the world to be part of their security umbrella because they will see the US as an unreliable partner.”



SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

Israeli air strike kills one in Lebanon

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports that an Israeli attack targeted a car near the entrance of the village of Yater in southern Lebanon earlier today.

Israel has continuously bombed Lebanon despite a nearly year-old ceasefire between it and Hezbollah.

Israeli air strike on south Lebanon wounds at least 12

The Lebanese Health Ministry says at least 12 people, including four children, were wounded in an Israeli air strike on the Ksar Zaatar neighborhood in Nabatieh, a city in the south of the country.

This comes soon after the Israeli army claimed it struck a Hezbollah headquarters in the Nabatieh area.



UN OCHA: Israel continues to halt our humanitarian missions in Gaza

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that yesteday, “out of 17 missions that humanitarian teams coordinated with the Israeli authorities, only four were facilitated”.

“Seven missions were denied”, UN OCHA explained, “including the delivery of water tanks to the north. Another four missions were impeded on the ground, but three of them were nevertheless accomplished – these included the collection of fuel and food cargo from Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem]. Two other missions had to be cancelled by the organizers.”

OCHA said it continued to call for “unimpeded” humanitarian access, as famine continues to ravage Gaza under Israel’s forced starvation policy.



 



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SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

Main events on September 15th 

  • Leaders from across the Arab and Islamic world condemned in the strongest possible terms the attack carried out by Israel in Doha and reaffirmed their condemnation of Israeli practices in Gaza at an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic countries in Qatar.
  • The Israeli army launched a massive wave of strikes on Gaza City this evening, as hundreds of thousands of residents continue to flee the city.
  • The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 12 people, including four children, were wounded in an Israeli air strike on the Ksar Zaatar neighbourhood in Nabatieh, a city in the south of the country.
  • The Israeli prime minister’s office reiterated in an X post that Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha was a “wholly independent” Israeli operation.
  • The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that yesterday, “out of 17 missions that humanitarian teams coordinated with the Israeli authorities, only four were facilitated”.
  • Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, says he expects the US to exert its leverage to restrain Israel’s actions in the region.

US deserts Qatar as Netanyahu justifies attack on sovereignty; Rubio loses voice


US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to give assurance to reporters that Benjamin Netanyahu-led government wouldn’t be allowed to attack the sovereign nation of Qatar again. While Netanyahu used the opportunity to brag about his decision to attack Hamas leadership in Doha as he vowed to repeat his act again. This came in sharp contradiction with Donald Trump’s public statement assuring Qatar that Israel wouldn’t be allowed to attack its soil again. If anything, Marco Rubio’s inability to repeat Trump’s assurance in front of Netanyahu came as the final blow to the US-Qatar ties.


Gaza Doctor Pleads with World to Stop Israel's Genocide


As Israel continues its campaign to erase Gaza City by systematically bombing residential buildings, schools, homes and tent encampments, we speak with Dr. Mohammed Saqr, the director of nursing at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza. He says medical workers, who are starving like the rest of the population, have nothing left to give amid hundreds of deaths and injuries each day.

 



SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

Israeli military intensifies assault on Gaza City

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that Israeli forces are stepping up bombardment of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain, and destroying residential buildings north of the city.

As we’ve been reporting, Israel is pushing ahead with an offensive to seize Gaza’s largest urban centre and force its residents to concentration zones in the south.

Hamas slams Trump’s ‘double standards’ on Israel’s Gaza City assault

The Palestinian group has issued a statement in response to Trump’s recent remarks, in which the US president warned Hamas against using Israeli captives as “human shields” to fend off Israel’s ground assault on Gaza City.

It said Trump’s comments “reflect a blatant bias toward Zionist propaganda and are a glaring example of double standards – ignoring the crime of ethnic cleansing and the martyrdom of nearly 65,000 innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children”.

Hamas also said that the US was fully aware that it was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who had sabotaged all efforts to reach a deal to free the captives and end the “brutal genocide” in Gaza.

“The fate of the occupation army’s prisoners in the Gaza Strip is determined by the government of the terrorist Netanyahu. The systematic destruction and fascist extermination campaign targeting Gaza City also directly endanger the lives of the captive Zionist soldiers,” it added.

As we reported earlier, the US president issued a threat on his Truth Social online platform, saying he has received reports that Hamas has moved Israeli captives above ground in Gaza to use them as “human shields”, and that this meant that “ALL ‘BETS’ ARE OFF”.


Israel launches offensive ‘to occupy Gaza City’: Report

Axios is reporting that Israel’s military has launched its ground assault “to occupy Gaza City” on Monday. The US outlet, citing Israeli officials, said the offensive started hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Netanyahu in Israel.

It said Rubio told Netanyahu that the Trump administration supports the ground operation but wants to see it implemented quickly and to end as soon as possible. “Rubio didn’t pull the breaks on the ground operation,” Axios quoted a senior Israeli official as saying.

It also cited a US official as saying that the Trump administration is not going to stop Israel. “It’s not Trump’s war, it’s Bibi’s war, and he will own whatever happens next,” the US official said.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency, meanwhile, reported that Israeli warplanes had launched nonstop raids on Gaza City on Monday night, alongside shelling from Israeli artillery and drones firing bullets and bombs.

As we’ve been reporting, Israeli forces have been intensifying strikes on Gaza City since the middle of August, starting with demolishing buildings in the neighbourhood of Zeitoun in the east and then moving to Sabra in the south, and now to areas in the north and west.



SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

Palestine Foreign Ministry calls for action over Israeli gating of towns in occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has called for international action to compel Israel to remove iron gates from Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement on X, the ministry said the latest gate had been unilaterally installed by Israeli authorities at the entrance to al-Eizariya, a town bordering occupied East Jerusalem.

It said there were now nearly 1,000 such gates in towns across the occupied West Bank, condemning the structures as barriers that cut off Palestinian communities and “suffocate our people”.

“These gates violate the unity of the occupied Palestinian territories and the geographical integrity of the State of Palestine, blatantly infringing on the rights of Palestinian citizens to freedom of movement, access to their livelihoods, healthcare and educational facilities, fulfillment of their needs, and visits to their relatives,” the statement said.

Israeli forces launch more West Bank raids, bulldoze Palestinian lands

Israeli forces have launched more raids across the occupied West Bank over the past hours, with some of the latest incursions focusing on towns in Nablus.

Local media reported that clashes erupted with Israeli soldiers in the village of Qusra, located south of Nablus. Israeli forces fired sound bombs during another raid on the town of Kafr Qallil in the same area.

Several homes were also raided where cameras and recordings were confiscated in the village of Surra, west of Nablus, where a demolition notice was also posted. In Tulkarem, Israeli army vehicles bulldozed Palestinian land.

The Israeli army claimed in a statement that its forces found a handmade rocket in the village of Kafr Nima, located west of Ramallah.


Two Palestinians killed during Israeli raid in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian men during a raid in Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority says.

The bodies of the men – aged 41 and 34 – have been withheld by Israeli forces.


Palestinian shot during Israeli raid on occupied West Bank’s Nablus

A young Palestinian man has been shot and wounded by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank amid ongoing raids on Nablus. Local sources cited by the Wafa news agency said Israeli military vehicles stormed the town of Qusra, firing live bullets, sound bombs and tear gas. The wounded man has been transferred to a medical centre for treatment, but his condition is unclear.

 



SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

Israel arrests 40 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank

At least 40 people were detained by Israeli forces today during raids across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, which said Israeli soldiers also conducted field interrogations.

The monitor said in a statement that three of the young Palestinians who were among five detained at dawn in Qalqilya have now been released, as were some of the others held during raids in other cities. But the bodies of the two Palestinians shot and killed during the Qalqilya attacks are still being held by Israeli authorities.

The organisation confirmed that during a raid in Ramallah, Israeli soldiers brought with them female detainee Hana al-Baydaq during a raid on her apartment, and also arrested her husband before later releasing him. The footage below shows the raid.


Israeli soldiers raid Tubas and Ramallah, destroy vehicles in Hebron

Israeli military forces stormed the city of Tubas and the village of Tayasir in the occupied West Bank, patrolling the area.

Local sources told Wafa news agency that another incursion took place into the town of Idhna and the city of Hebron, where a number of Palestinians and their vehicles were detained, with one man severely beaten by Israeli soldiers.

At the entrance to Fawwar camp south of Hebron, Israeli forces destroyed a number of Palestinian civilian vehicles parked in the area, which is now closed with an iron gate. The footage below shows soldiers storming a town in Jenin.



SvennoJ on 16 September 2025

Israel targets Hodeidah port with 12 air strikes: Report

Al Masirah TV reports that Israel launched a dozen strikes against the Yemeni port.

“The port of Hodeidah is used by the terrorist regime to transfer weapons of the Iranian regime, which are used to carry out terrorist plots against the State of Israel and its allies,” the Israeli military said in a statement, confirming military action.

The Houthis have previously accused Israel of bombing civilian infrastructure to inflict suffering on all Yemenis in order to get the group to stop its attacks on Israel.

Israel confirms bombing Yemen’s Hodeidah

The Israeli army says it bombed Hodeidah port in response to recent drone and missile attacks by the Houthis. It also vowed to “continue to act forcefully” against the group.

The Houthis have previously accused Israel of bombing civilian infrastructure to inflict suffering on all Yemenis.

The Yemeni group has been launching missiles and drones against Israel and targeting shipping lanes in the Red Sea in a campaign that it says aims to pressure Israel to end its war on Gaza.

Houthis will ‘pay heavy price’ for attempts to attack Israel: Defence minister

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz says Israel carried out its attack on Yemen’s Hodeidah port to continue the naval and air blockade on the Houthis, adding that the Yemeni group will “pay a heavy price for any attempt to attack the State of Israel”.

Israel says Yemeni missile intercepted

The Israeli military says its air force intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. The projectile had activated sirens in large parts of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, including around Jerusalem.

The attack – likely by the Houthis – came less than two hours after Israel launched air raids targeting the port in the coastal Yemeni city of Hodeidah.


Houthis claim responsibility for missile attack against Israel

The Yemeni group says it fired two hypersonic missiles against Israel, hours after the Israeli military said it intercepted one missile fired from Yemen.

“Silence over this horrific and heinous crime will only encourage the enemy to continue its attacks against all Arab and Islamic countries and as we have previously warned, this brutal, criminal aggression will spread to various countries unless peoples and states mobilize to stand firm and confront it,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement.

“We will continue to fulfill our duties until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted.”