Category: 2. Middle East

Israel’s military has called up tens of thousands of reservists for its planned expanded offensive in Gaza, which an official said entails the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory.

With one of the best equipped armies in the world, what forces are available to Israel?

A large part of the adult population has completed military service and they are required to remain reservists until at least the age of 41, depending on rank and branch of service.

But it is not compulsory for reservists to…

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood on Tuesday said two of his forthcoming shows with Israeli-born rock musician Dudu Tassa had been cancelled due to “credible threats”.

The guitarist and keyboardist had been due to perform two dates with Tassa in the western English city of Bristol and in London in June.

A pro-Palestinian activist movement that advocates political and economic action against Israel over its treatment of Palestinians welcomed the announcement.

“Palestinians welcome the cancellation of…

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, reaffirmed his insistence on starving Palestinians in Gaza as part of the ongoing genocidal war, Anadolu reported.

According to Israel’s Channel 14, Ben-Gvir said “the only aid that should enter Gaza is for the purpose of voluntary migration,” a clear expression of his support for the displacement of Palestinians from the enclave ahead of Israel’s annexing it.

“As long as [Israeli…

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) yesterday rejected a lawsuit filed by Sudan accusing the United Arab Emirates of involvement in genocide in western Darfur province, Anadolu reported.

The UN’s top court said it “manifestly lacked” the authority to continue the proceedings and threw the case out.

In March, Sudan filed a lawsuit at the Hague-based court accusing the UAE of “complicity in genocide” by providing military and financial support to…

French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to Paris on Wednesday for his first visit to Europe, despite growing doubts about Syria’s ruling Islamist coalition and protests from France’s far right.

Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December following fourteen years of devastating war, the international community has been pressing the new authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, to respect personal freedoms, protect…

AL-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the highest levels, as well as by media, thought and business leaders and academia.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, has described the Israeli government as “the most criminal of all governments”, adding that “Israel is using starvation as a weapon”, Quds Press reported.

Albanese accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, and said that the siege it continues to impose goes against international humanitarian law.

She…

The Israeli occupation army has killed 16,278 Palestinian children in the genocide it has been committing in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, at a rate of one child killed every 40 minutes, the Ministry of Health reported yesterday.

The ministry said that “among these martyrs are 908 infants who did not complete their first year, and 311 children who were born and martyred during the genocidal war.”

It warned of the escalating health and humanitarian…

Leader of Israel’s National Unity Party, Benny Gantz, yesterday accused the Israeli government of being busy dividing the people rather than winning the war on Gaza, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

“Time has come to tell the truth — while we are achieving military victories, and the IDF is crushing the Iranian axis and has dismantled Hamas as a military force, fighting terrorism is not like a football match that ends with a final whistle,” Gantz…