Author: ALJAZEERA

Western countries tout support for a two-state solution but exert little pressure over expanding settlements.The Canadian government has announced it will impose sanctions on four Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank as settler violence against Palestinians surges during Israel’s war in Gaza. In a press release on Thursday, Canada’s Global Affairs ministry said it was sanctioning Israeli settlers for the first time over “violent and destabilizing” actions against Palestinians. “Attacks by extremist Israeli settlers – a long-standing source of tension and conflict in the region – have escalated alarmingly in recent months,” the ministry said. “This has undermined the…

As Israel escalates assault on the crowded southern city of Rafah, lawyers tell court, ‘If Rafah falls, so too does Gaza.’South Africa has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to halt its assault on Rafah as part of its case accusing Israel of genocide against the Palestinians. South Africa, which filed its case in January over Israel’s war on Gaza, is seeking additional emergency measures over its offensive on Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip where more than one million displaced Palestinians had sought shelter from Israeli attacks on other parts of the enclave.…

Arab leaders accuse Israel of obstructing Gaza ceasefire efforts and demand an end to its war on Palestinian territory.The Arab League has called for a United Nations peacekeeping force in the occupied Palestinian territory at a summit dominated by Israel’s continuing deadly assault of the Gaza Strip. The meeting of Arab heads of state and government convened in Bahrain on Tuesday more than seven months into Israel’s offensive in Gaza that has convulsed the wider region. The “Manama Declaration” issued by the 22-member bloc called for “international protection and peacekeeping forces of the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territories”…

As Israel devastates Gaza, Egypt has largely had to watch on with rising concern about the developments on its border. Its border with the Palestinian enclave has been a route for aid going in and people coming out but Israel has had the ultimate say over access to the border, even if it did not have a physical presence there until last week. And it was that move – to send Israeli troops to the Rafah border crossing – that experts believe has cemented Egypt’s belief that Israel is not taking its security and political concerns seriously, and is instead…

The trade war between the United States and China continued this week with its latest salvo – a move that comes amid a heated race for the White House. On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced tariff hikes on imports of various Chinese goods, worth $18bn. Lithium-ion batteries make up $13bn of the total imports, while certain steel and aluminium products, as well as items like medical gloves and syringes, accounted for the remaining $5bn. Experts say tariffs on these products will likely have limited effects on consumer goods prices and economic growth. The greater gain, they say, may lie…

EXPLAINERHere’s everything you need to know about the heavyweight title unifying fight in Riyadh.The long-anticipated world heavyweight title unifying fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is to take place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Fury, the 35-year-old British WBC champion, and his 37-year-old Ukrainian counterpart, Usyk – who holds the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts  – will lock horns over 12 rounds in the Ring of Fire boxing event in Riyadh. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the clash: What are the pre-fight events? Building up to the match, the weigh-in will take place on Friday…

It does not seem to. On Thursday, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant voiced his frustration and called on Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to “make a decision” adding that he did not feel Israel’s involvement in Gaza should be open-ended. Why do we need ‘an Israeli plan’? Because Israel controls every aspect of Palestinian life both in Gaza and in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which it occupies. Every passing day, less and less of Gaza is left standing, raising increasingly pressing questions on how long the Israeli military can continue its vicious attacks. What does it plan to do once…

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When on May 6, news spread that Hamas had accepted a truce proposal, celebrations broke out across Gaza. People took to the streets cheering, believing the war – the seven months of hell – was over. I was sceptical, but I too teared up at the thought that the horror may be over. Soon it became clear that only one side had accepted the deal. The other was dead set on continuing its brutal massacres of Palestinians. Israel pushed ahead with its invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people from the north and central part of the strip had…

Washington, DC – “It’s wrong,” United States President Joe Biden said last week of the ongoing Israeli offensive against the southern Gaza city of Rafah, pledging to stop supplying offensive weapons if the assault proceeds. One week later, however, Israeli forces have seized the Rafah border crossing and pushed into the city, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering. Still, US media reported on Tuesday that Biden plans to advance a $1bn arms transfer to Israel, including tank shells. Advocates say the apparent contradiction — between pressuring Israel to stop its offensive, then offering further weaponry — is part of…