‘Israel committing war crimes’ in Gaza, says ex-PM

‘Israel committing war crimes’ in Gaza, says ex-PM
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, seen here at a March 2023 demonstration in Tel Aviv, wrote an op-ed condemning his country for committing ‘war crimes’ in Gaza. (Getty Images)
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Updated 27 May 2025

‘Israel committing war crimes’ in Gaza, says ex-PM

‘Israel committing war crimes’ in Gaza, says ex-PM
  • Ehud Olmert: Military carrying out ‘indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians’
  • Govt waging war ‘without goals or clear planning and with no chances of success’

LONDON: Israel is “committing war crimes” in Gaza and “thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed,” former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wrote in an opinion piece for Haaretz newspaper.

Olmert, who served as Israel’s 12th prime minister from 2006 to 2009, accused the current government of “waging a war without purpose, without goals or clear planning and with no chances of success.”

He added: “Never since its establishment has the state of Israel waged such a war … The criminal gang headed by (Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel’s history in this area, too.” 

Olmert, a former member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, said the “pointless victims among the Palestinian population” were reaching “monstrous proportions” in recent weeks.

Israeli military operations in Gaza bear no relevance to “legitimate war goals,” Olmert added, describing it as a “private political war” that has transformed the Palestinian enclave into a “humanitarian disaster area.”

He said he had in the past tried to refute claims that Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza, but “I’ve been no longer able to do so. What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: Indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.”

He added: “It’s the result of government policy — knowingly, evilly, maliciously, irresponsibly dictated. Yes, Israel is committing war crimes.”

In an interview with the BBC last week, Olmert described the Gaza conflict as “a war without a purpose — a war without a chance of achieving anything that can save the lives of the hostages.”

His remarks follow similar statements by Yair Golan, a prominent politician and former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army.

Golan told the Kan national broadcaster last week that “a sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations.”


Gaza aid flotilla from Tunisia delayed

Updated 10 sec ago

Gaza aid flotilla from Tunisia delayed

Gaza aid flotilla from Tunisia delayed
The Maghreb Sumud Flotilla had already been delayed by bad weather

TUNIS: The departure from Tunisia of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza with aid boats has been postponed, organizers said on Saturday.
It was planned for Sunday, but organizers said they rescheduled the boats’ departure from Tunis to Wednesday, September 10, due to “technical and logistical reasons beyond management’s control.”
The Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to join boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla that have already left from Spain and Italy, had already been delayed by bad weather.

UAE, Jordan, Arab Parliament condemn Israeli calls for displacement of Palestinians

UAE, Jordan, Arab Parliament condemn Israeli calls for displacement of Palestinians
Updated 06 September 2025

UAE, Jordan, Arab Parliament condemn Israeli calls for displacement of Palestinians

UAE, Jordan, Arab Parliament condemn Israeli calls for displacement of Palestinians
  • Israel PM’s comments reveal policy of ‘ethnic cleansing,’ says parliamentary speaker
  • Jordanian minister says kingdom stands with united Arab front in rejecting displacement

ABU DHABI/AMMAN/CAIRO: The UAE and the Arab Parliament on Saturday both strongly condemned remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting that Palestinians in Gaza should be allowed to voluntarily leave, warning that such comments amount to a violation of international law and threaten regional stability.

Israel on Saturday called on residents of Gaza City to leave as its forces advance deeper into the enclave’s largest urban area.

The Israeli army told people to flee to a “humanitarian zone” in the south ahead of a planned offensive to occupy the urban center.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the country’s support for Egypt’s efforts to stand with the Palestinian people, prevent displacement, and push for an immediate ceasefire, the Emirates News Agency reported.

The ministry described Netanyahu’s remarks as “a dangerous continuation of occupation policies” and stressed that any attempt to uproot Palestinians from their land constitutes “a flagrant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.”

The UAE reiterated its categorical rejection of forced displacement or any attempt to undermine the Palestinian cause, affirming that defending Palestinian rights is a moral, humanitarian, and legal obligation.

It also emphasized that lasting stability in the region depends on a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state.

Jordan also reaffirmed its stance, with Minister of Government Communication Mohammed Momani saying the kingdom stood with a united Arab front in rejecting displacement.

He described Israel’s far-right aggression as a violation of international law and human rights, calling forced displacement a war crime, and stressed that Palestinians have an inalienable right to self-determination and statehood.

Separately, Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi condemned Netanyahu’s comments as part of a longstanding policy of “ethnic cleansing and forced displacement” by the occupation authorities.

He said such rhetoric amounted to war crimes that “do not drop with time” and represent “a direct threat to international peace and security.”

Al-Yamahi reiterated the Arab Parliament’s rejection of any displacement attempts in Gaza, the West Bank, or elsewhere in occupied Palestinian territory.

All three condemned any attempt to undermine the Palestinian cause and urged the international community and UN bodies to act to halt violations, protect Palestinians, and support their right to an independent, sovereign state.


Palestinian Ministry of Justice condemns US sanctions on rights groups

Palestinian Ministry of Justice condemns US sanctions on rights groups
Updated 06 September 2025

Palestinian Ministry of Justice condemns US sanctions on rights groups

Palestinian Ministry of Justice condemns US sanctions on rights groups
  • US administration announced measures on Thursday against the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza and Al-Haq

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Ministry of Justice on Saturday denounced the US for imposing sanctions on three leading Palestinian human rights organizations, the Wafa news agency reported.

The US administration announced measures on Thursday against the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza and Al-Haq, prompting what the ministry described as “a dangerous and unacceptable targeting” of Palestinian civil society.

It said in a statement that the groups documented violations committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians, their land and holy sites, and operated in line with international law and humanitarian standards.

The ministry voiced full support for the sanctioned organizations and urged Washington to reverse its decision.

It also called on the international community and UN bodies to intervene “to protect the Palestinian people and their institutions.”


Iraq moves to revive Syrian export route, expand refining capacity

Iraq moves to revive Syrian export route, expand refining capacity
Updated 06 September 2025

Iraq moves to revive Syrian export route, expand refining capacity

Iraq moves to revive Syrian export route, expand refining capacity
  • Iraqi oil ‘can feed global markets for 120 years,’ PM Al-Sudani tells energy forum
  • Talks on reactivating route come as Baghdad seeks investment in refining, gas utilization

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said on Saturday that his government has begun work to revive the Iraqi-Syrian oil export line as part of efforts to diversify export outlets and expand refining capacity.

Speaking at the Baghdad International Energy Forum, Al-Sudani said talks had been held “weeks ago” on reactivating the route, adding that work was underway on a 685 km Basra–Haditha pipeline aligned with the project.

“Iraqi oil will continue to feed global markets for more than 120 years at the least estimates, although our export share is not commensurate with the size of the reserve, productive capacity and population,” he said, according to the Iraq News Agency.

Al-Sudani highlighted the government’s drive to attract investment, particularly in refining and gas utilization.

He said Iraq aims to end the flaring of associated gas and make full use of around 1.3 billion standard cubic feet per day.

He also noted expansions at existing refineries, the inauguration of the Karbala refinery, and six new investment opportunities in the refining sector designed to strengthen partnerships with the private sector.

Al-Sudani said Iraq’s strategic goal was to convert at least 40 percent of its crude production into higher-value derivatives by 2030, with several projects already launched to support the plan.


Turkiye opposition calls extraordinary congress for Sept 21

Turkiye opposition calls extraordinary congress for Sept 21
Updated 06 September 2025

Turkiye opposition calls extraordinary congress for Sept 21

Turkiye opposition calls extraordinary congress for Sept 21
  • The congress is expected to shape the party’s strategy as it faces legal uncertainty
  • Authorities have clamped down on demonstrations detaining nearly 2,000 people including students and journalists

ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s main opposition party has announced it will hold an extraordinary congress on September 21 after a court ousted its Istanbul leadership on graft allegations, a party source confirmed to AFP on Saturday.
The decision comes amid growing political pressure on the Republican People’s Party (CHP) after a court this week annulled the outcome of its Istanbul provincial congress in October 2023, throwing out its leader Ozgur Celik and 195 others.
More than 900 CHP delegates on Friday submitted a petition to a local election board in the capital Ankara to authorize the congress, the source told AFP.
The congress is expected to shape the party’s strategy as it faces legal uncertainty.
The CHP, the largest opposition force in the Turkish parliament, won a huge victory over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP in the 2024 local elections.
Since then, the party has become a target of a wave of arrests and legal cases that culminated in March with the jailing of Istanbul’s popular and powerful mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption allegations that he denies.
The arrest and jailing of Imamoglu, seen as a key rival to Erdogan, sparked street protests unprecedentedly in a decade.
Authorities have clamped down on demonstrations detaining nearly 2,000 people including students and journalists — most of whom were later released.
On Tuesday, the court ousted the CHP Istanbul leader and scores of party delegates and named a five-man team to replace them in a move that saw the stock market plunge 5.5 percent.
The CHP has filed an appeal against the ruling.
Political analyst Berk Esen told AFP the move was a “rehearsal” for the bigger case against the party’s national leadership seeking to hobble it as an opposition force.

-’CHP stands tall’-

An almost identical lawsuit is hanging over its national leadership in a closely-watched case that will resume in Ankara on September 15.
A petition of over 900 party delegates demanding an extraordinary congress within just a day and a half comes against the possibility of a similar court ruling, observers say.
Gul Ciftci, a CHP deputy leader responsible for election and legal affairs, said the extraordinary congress “will not only determine the future of our party but will also reaffirm faith in pluralism, diversity, and democratic politics in Turkiye,” in a comment on X on Friday.
She hailed the decision for the congress, made with the delegates’ will, as “the strongest proof that the CHP stands tall against all attempts at intervention by the government.”
The party source told AFP that to boost the chances of the request for an extraordinary congress being accepted, signatures were not collected from the 196 Istanbul delegates who were suspended by the court order.