Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, poses for a picture with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 15, 2017. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, poses for a picture with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 15, 2017. (AP)
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Updated 18 March 2024
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Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza

Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza
  • Despite the talks, Netanyahu made it clear he would not back down from the fighting that has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials

TEL AVIV, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed Sunday against growing criticism from top ally the United States against his leadership amid the devastating war with Hamas, describing calls for a new election as “wholly inappropriate.”
In recent days, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the country and a strong Israel supporter, called on Israel to hold a new election, saying Netanyahu had “lost his way.” President Joe Biden expressed support for Schumer’s “good speech,” and earlier accused Netanyahu of hurting Israel because of the huge civilian death toll in Gaza.
Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel never would have called for a new US election after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, and denounced Schumer’s comments as inappropriate.
“We’re not a banana republic,” he said. “The people of Israel will choose when they will have elections, and who they’ll elect, and it’s not something that will be foisted on us.”
When asked by CNN whether he would commit to a new election after the war ends, Netanyahu said that “I think that’s something for the Israeli public to decide.”
The US, which has provided key military and diplomatic support to Israel, also has expressed concerns about a planned Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, told Fox the US still hasn’t seen an Israeli plan for Rafah.
The US supports a new round of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in exchange for the return of Israeli hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
The Israeli delegation to those talks was expected to leave for Qatar after Sunday evening meetings of the Security Cabinet and War Cabinet, which will give directions for negotiations.
Despite the talks, Netanyahu made it clear he would not back down from the fighting that has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. More than five months have passed since Hamas’ attack on southern Israel killed 1,200 people and left another 250 hostage.
Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu said that calls for an election now — which polls show he would lose badly — would force Israel to stop fighting and paralyze the country for six months.
Netanyahu also reiterated his determination to attack Hamas in Rafah and said that his government approved military plans for such an operation.
“We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen,” he said. The operation is supposed to include the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of civilians, but it is not clear how Israel will do that.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reiterated his warning that an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would have “grave repercussions on the whole region.” Egypt says pushing Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula would jeopardize its peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of regional stability.
“We are also very concerned about the risks a full-scale offensive in Rafah would have on the vulnerable civilian population. This needs to be avoided at all costs,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after meeting with El-Sisi.
And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday, warned that “the more desperate the situation of people in Gaza becomes, the more this begs the question: No matter how important the goal, can it justify such terribly high costs, or are there other ways to achieve your goal?”
Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe and, given memories of the Holocaust, often treads carefully when criticizing Israel.
Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul-general in New York and an outspoken critic of Netanyahu, said that the prime minister’s comments fit with his efforts to find someone else to blame if Israel doesn’t achieve its goal of destroying Hamas.
“He’s looking on purpose for a conflict with the US so that he can blame Biden,” Pinkas said.
Both sides have something to gain politically from the dispute. The Biden administration is under increasing pressure from progressive Democrats and some Arab-American supporters to restrain Israel’s war against Hamas. Netanyahu, meanwhile, wants to show his nationalist base that he can withstand global pressure, even from Israel’s closest ally.
But pressure also comes from home, with thousands protesting again in Tel Aviv on Saturday night against Netanyahu’s government and calling for a new election and a deal for the release of hostages. Large parts of the Israeli public want a deal, fearing that hostages are held in poor conditions and time is running out to bring them home alive.
Israel’s offensive has driven most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes. A quarter of Gaza’s population is starving, according to the UN
Airdrops by the US and other nations continue, while deliveries on a new sea route have begun, but aid groups say more ground routes and fewer Israeli restrictions on them are needed to meet humanitarian needs in any significant way.
“Of course we should be bringing humanitarian aid by road. Of course by now we should be having at least two, three other entry points into Gaza,” chef José Andrés with World Central Kitchen, which organized the tons of food delivered by sea, told NBC.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 31,645 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Israel says Hamas is responsible for civilian deaths because it operates in dense residential areas.
The Health Ministry on Sunday said that the bodies of 92 people killed in Israel’s bombardment had been brought to hospitals in Gaza in the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 130 wounded, it said.
At least 11 people from the Thabet family, including five children and one woman, were killed in an airstrike in Deir Al-Balah city in central Gaza, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and an Associated Press journalist. The body of an infant lay among the dead.

 


Syria Kurds say aim to empty northeast camps of Syrians, Iraqis this year

Syria Kurds say aim to empty northeast camps of Syrians, Iraqis this year
Updated 17 sec ago
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Syria Kurds say aim to empty northeast camps of Syrians, Iraqis this year

Syria Kurds say aim to empty northeast camps of Syrians, Iraqis this year
  • Kurdish-run camps and prisons hold about 56,000 people, many with alleged or perceived links to Daesh
  • Al-Hol is northeast Syria’s largest camp, with more than 40,000 detainees from 47 countries, living in dire conditions
QAMISHLI, Syria: Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish administration aims to empty camps in the country’s northeast of thousands of displaced Syrians and Iraqis, including suspected relatives of Daesh group fighters, by the end of the year, an official said.
“The autonomous administration is working to empty the camps” of Syrians and Iraqis “in 2025... in coordination with the United Nations,” Sheikhmous Ahmed, an official in the Kurdish administration, said late Monday.
Kurdish-run camps and prisons hold about 56,000 people, many with alleged or perceived links to Daesh, more than five years after the group’s territorial defeat in Syria.
The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spearheaded the military campaign that ousted the jihadists from their last scraps of Syrian territory.
Al-Hol is northeast Syria’s largest camp, with more than 40,000 detainees from 47 countries, living in dire conditions.
According to 2024 figures, there were more than 20,000 Iraqis and 16,000 Syrians in Al-Hol.
An Iraqi security source said that about 12,000 Iraqis had left Al-Hol camp since 2021, while around 17,000 remain.
Last month, the Kurdish administration said it would facilitate the voluntary return of residents of Al-Hol and other camps to their areas of origin.
Ahmed said some Iraqis had already departed Al-Hol, while “for Syrians, the decision is still being studied.”
The “return and exit mechanism” is being coordinated with the UN refugee agency and other organizations, he said, noting the “very large number” of people affected.
No solution has been found for other foreign nationals.
Ahmed said the presence of other foreigners in Al-Hol “is an international matter linked to the countries that have oversight in Al-Hol camp and also the fighters” imprisoned by the SDF.
Some countries have repatriated nationals from Al-Hol, but most “have not carried out any withdrawal,” he added.
The push comes amid talks between Syria’s new authorities and the SDF over the group’s future, and as clashes rage in the north between the force and pro-Ankara factions.
Ahmed said the initiative was launched “after the fall of the regime of Bashar Assad” in December, noting that Syria is now “heading toward reconstruction.”
The official denied recent US aid cuts were the reason for the push, adding that UN-affiliated and local organizations were still providing support and the administration was “continuing to provide services to the camps.”
Human Rights Watch has warned that recent US aid suspensions could worsen “life-threatening conditions” in camps in Syria’s northeast.

UN chief: Renewed hostilities in Gaza must be avoided at all costs

UN chief: Renewed hostilities in Gaza must be avoided at all costs
Updated 21 min 14 sec ago
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UN chief: Renewed hostilities in Gaza must be avoided at all costs

UN chief: Renewed hostilities in Gaza must be avoided at all costs
  • Hamas on Monday announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice
  • It claimed Israeli violated ceasefire agreement in Gaza, raising the risk of reigniting the conflict

GENEVA: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Hamas to continue with the planned release of hostages on Tuesday, a day after the Palestinian militant group announced its intention to halt the exchange.

“We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to an immense tragedy,” he said in a statement.

Hamas on Monday announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what it called Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, raising the risk of reigniting the conflict.

Hamas was to release more Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and other Palestinians held in Israeli detention as had happened over the past three weeks. An Israeli delegation returned from Doha for talks on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday, amid growing doubts over the Egyptian and Qatari-brokered process to end the war in Gaza.

“Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement and resume negotiations in Doha for the second phase,” Guterres added.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Hamas should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and “let hell break out.”

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump must remember that the only way to bring home Israeli prisoners is to respect the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.


Governments need to regulate AI tech, says Klaus Schwab at World Governments Summit

Governments need to regulate AI tech, says Klaus Schwab at World Governments Summit
Updated 36 min 43 sec ago
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Governments need to regulate AI tech, says Klaus Schwab at World Governments Summit

Governments need to regulate AI tech, says Klaus Schwab at World Governments Summit
  • World Economic Forum founder urges education to counter ‘fear’
  • Govts have ‘big responsibility’ in shaping ethical regulations, rules

DUBAI: Governments need to provide an ethical regulatory framework for the artificial intelligence sector, and provide public education to counter fears of the emerging technology.

This is according to the World Economic Forum’s Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab who was speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Tuesday.

“We are living in a transition into a new time that will change everything. How we communicate, how we work and how we live,” he said.

“Governments have to be an agent of change in lighting speed … They need to provide the necessary infrastructure to sustain change at this rate.”

Schwab urged governments to work together to create what he said was the necessary ethical policies around new technologies so they can serve humankind.

“What we are seeing today as international efforts, is not enough. We need a coordinated global process to make sure that those technologies are constructive,” he added.

“Many people are afraid of the future because the progress is so fast. Not understanding new technologies can create fear. It is our job to educate and allow people to understand this technology, so it is not feared,” he explained.

He added that AI should not be treated and regulated like nuclear technology. “It is an enabling technology, governments have a big responsibility in shaping these regulations and rules.

“Government people today have to be governance architects to create a systems approach to define a system-oriented attitude,” he said.

Schwab added: “The future is shaped by us, so let’s look with optimism into the future. Let’s look at our future with constructive optimism.”


People’s ‘trust’ is key to a state’s success, says World Governments Summit chairman

People’s ‘trust’ is key to a state’s success, says World Governments Summit chairman
Updated 11 February 2025
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People’s ‘trust’ is key to a state’s success, says World Governments Summit chairman

People’s ‘trust’ is key to a state’s success, says World Governments Summit chairman
  • UAE’s Mohammad Al-Gergawi opens summit in Dubai
  • Hopes for a ‘better future’ for governments, humanity

DUBAI: Trust is the foundation of a government’s success, according to the chairman of the World Governments Summit, the UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al-Gergawi.

“Trust in government (worldwide) stands only at 52 percent,” Al-Gergawi said on Tuesday, quoting findings from the Edelman Trust Barometer, on the opening day of the World Governments Summit 2025 in Dubai.

He emphasized the need to ensure that strong relationships are built between governments and the people they serve.

He said the world has undergone 25 years of unprecedented transformation with new challenges arising.

“We are stepping into an entirely new era in the history of human civilization,” he said.

Al-Gergawi said the global economy grew from $34 trillion in 2000 to $115 trillion in 2024, and international trade expanded from $7.1 trillion to $33 trillion during the same period.

Rising competition in technology and artificial intelligence has led to techno-political wars such as currently between DeepSeek and OpenAI, he added.

“In 2000, technological warfare and military robots existed only in science fiction. Today wars are fought with drones, autonomous weapons and AI.”

“Governments that understand the past deeply are the ones who are able to build a better future,” he added.

“I hope this summit will create a better landscape for the future of governments and humanity,” he said.

The World Governments Summit is a global, nonprofit organization “dedicated to shaping the future of governments,” according to its website.

The summit “explores the agenda of the next generation of governments, focusing on harnessing innovation and technology to solve humanity’s universal challenges.”

In attendance are more than 30 heads of states and government, delegations from 140 governments, and representatives from more than 80 global institutions.


Some Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are targeted for alleged war crimes in Gaza

Some Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are targeted for alleged war crimes in Gaza
Updated 11 February 2025
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Some Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are targeted for alleged war crimes in Gaza

Some Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are targeted for alleged war crimes in Gaza

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: An Israeli army reservist’s dream vacation in Brazil ended abruptly last month over an accusation that he committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Yuval Vagdani woke up on Jan. 4 to a flurry of missed calls from family members and Israel’s Foreign Ministry with an urgent warning: A pro-Palestinian legal group had convinced a federal judge in Brazil to open a war crimes investigation for his alleged participation in the demolition of civilian homes in Gaza.
A frightened Vagdani fled the country on a commercial flight the next day to avoid the grip of a powerful legal concept called “universal jurisdiction,” which allows governments to prosecute people for the most serious crimes regardless of where they are allegedly committed.
Vagdani, a survivor of Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on an Israeli music festival, told an Israeli radio station the accusation felt like “a bullet in the heart.”
The case against Vagdani was brought by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a legal group based in Belgium named after a young girl who Palestinians say was killed early in the war by Israeli fire as she and her family fled Gaza City.
Aided by geolocation data, the group built its case around Vagdani’s own social media posts. A photograph showed him in uniform in Gaza, where he served in an infantry unit; a video showed a large explosion of buildings in Gaza during which soldiers can be heard cheering.
Judges at the International Criminal Court concluded last year there was enough evidence to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes against humanity for using “starvation as a method of warfare” and for intentionally targeting civilians. Both Israel and Netanyahu have vehemently denied the accusations.
Since forming last year, Hind Rajab has made dozens of complaints in more than 10 countries to arrest both low-level and high-ranking Israeli soldiers. Its campaign has yet to yield any arrests. But it has led Israel to tighten restrictions on social media usage among military personnel.
“It’s our responsibility, as far as we are concerned, to bring the cases,” Haroon Raza, a co-founder of Hind Rajab, said from his office in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It is then up to authorities in each country — or the International Criminal Court — to pursue them, he added.
The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar-Tal, last month said fewer than a dozen soldiers had been targeted, and he dismissed the attempted arrests as a futile public relations stunt by “terrorist organizations.”
Universal jurisdiction is not new. The 1949 Geneva Conventions — the post Second World War treaty regulating military conduct — specify that all signatories must prosecute war criminals or hand them over to a country who will. In 1999, the United Nations Security Council asked all UN countries to include universal jurisdiction in their legal codes, and around 160 countries have adopted them in some form.
“Certain crimes like war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity are crimes under international law,” said Marieke de Hoon, an international law expert at the University of Amsterdam. “And we’ve recognized in international law that any state has jurisdiction over those egregious crimes.”
Israel used the concept to prosecute Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Holocaust. Mossad agents caught him in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to Israel where he was sentenced to death by hanging.
More recently, a former Syrian secret police officer was convicted in 2022 by a German court of crimes against humanity a decade earlier for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail. Later that year, an Iranian citizen was convicted by a Swedish court of war crimes during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
In 2023, 16 people were convicted of war crimes through universal jurisdiction, according to TRIAL International, a Swiss organization that tracks proceedings. Those convictions were related to crimes committed in Syria, Rwanda, Iran and other countries.
In response to Brazil’s pursuit of Vagdani, the Israeli military has prohibited soldiers below a certain rank from being named in news articles and requires their faces to be obscured. It has also warned soldiers against social media posts related to their military service or travel plans.
The evidence Hind Rajab lawyers presented to the judge in Brazil came mostly from Vagdani’s social media accounts.
“That’s what they saw and that’s why they want me for their investigation,” he told the Israeli radio station Kansas “From one house explosion they made 500 pages. They thought I murdered thousands of children.”
Vagdani does not appear in the video and he did not say whether he had carried out the explosion himself, telling the station he had come into Gaza for “maneuvers” and “was in the battles of my life.”
Social media has made it easier in recent years for legal groups to gather evidence. For example, several Daesh militants have been convicted of crimes committed in Syria by courts in various European countries, where lawyers relied on videos posted online, according to de Hoon.
The power of universal jurisdiction has limits.
In the Netherlands, where Hind Rajab has filed more than a dozen complaints, either the victim or perpetrator must hold Dutch nationality, or the suspect must be in the country for the entirety of the investigation — factors likely to protect Israeli tourists from prosecution. Eleven complaints against 15 Israeli soldiers have been dismissed, some because the accused was only in the country for a short time, according to Dutch prosecutors. Two complaints involving four soldiers are pending.
In 2016, activists in the UK made unsuccessful attempts to arrest Israeli military and political leaders for their roles in the 2008-09 war in Gaza.
Raza says his group will persist. “It might take 10 years. It might be 20 years. No problem. We are ready to have patience.”
There is no statute of limitations on war crimes.