UK’s Starmer defends Israel arms suspension as ‘legal decision’

An Israeli armored vehicle drives along a devastated street in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on September 4, 2024, during an Israeli military raid. (AFP)
An Israeli armored vehicle drives along a devastated street in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on September 4, 2024, during an Israeli military raid. (AFP)
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Updated 04 September 2024
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UK’s Starmer defends Israel arms suspension as ‘legal decision’

An Israeli armored vehicle drives along a devastated street in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on September 4, 2024.
  • “We will of course stand by Israel’s right to self-defense but it’s important that we are committed to the international rule of law,” Starmer said

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended Wednesday his government’s partial suspension of arms exports to Israel over fears they could be used in a breach of humanitarian law as “a legal decision.”
Starmer said that Monday’s announcement to suspend 30 of 350 arms exports licenses did not signify a change in UK support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
He also said that allies “understand” the UK’s move.
“This is a difficult issue, I recognize that, but it’s a legal decision, not a policy decision,” Starmer told lawmakers during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in parliament.
He said the decision was taken following a review by the foreign ministry into Israel’s conduct of its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The review was begun shortly after Starmer’s center-left Labour party swept to power in a landslide general election victory over the Conservatives in early July.
“We will of course stand by Israel’s right to self-defense but it’s important that we are committed to the international rule of law,” Starmer said.
The partial ban covers items that could be used in the current conflict in Gaza including fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones but not parts for advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets.
The decision has angered Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slamming it as “shameful.”
Starmer also denied that the move indicated a spilt with the United States.
On Monday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said London had informed Washington of its move before it was announced.
“We’ll let other nations decide for themselves if they’re going to support Israel and to what degree,” Kirby told reporters. “That’s what sovereignty is all about.”
He added that for its part there had been “no determination” by the United States that Israel had violated humanitarian law.
In London, Starmer told MPs: “We have talked this through with our allies, they understand, they have a different legal system, that is the point they have made.”
Starmer’s government is pursuing a more nuanced approach to the Middle East conflict than his predecessor Rishi Sunak’s Tory administration.
It has similarly repeatedly called for a ceasefire and for speeding up aid deliveries to Gaza, and demanded that Hamas release all hostages seized in its October 7 attacks.
But it has also resumed funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and dropped a legal challenge over international arrest warrants for senior Israeli figures, including Netanyahu.


Gaza civil defense agency says 30 killed in Israeli strikes in Jabalia on Friday

Updated 2 sec ago
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Gaza civil defense agency says 30 killed in Israeli strikes in Jabalia on Friday

Gaza civil defense agency says 30 killed in Israeli strikes in Jabalia on Friday
A strike that occurred before 9:40 p.m. local time had left “12 dead, including women and children“

GAZA: Gaza’s civil defense agency Friday said at least 30 people have been killed by Israeli strikes throughout the day in northern Gaza’s Jabalia town and refugee camp amid intense combat operations by the Israeli army in the area.
The agency’s spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said that a strike that occurred before 9:40 p.m. local time (1840 GMT) had left “12 dead, including women and children” in the town.
Before that incident, Ahmad Kahlout — director of the agency in northern Gaza — said 18 people had been killed by several strikes, including hits on “eight schools” in the camp that were serving as shelters for displaced people.

Baghdad reinvents itself as heritage tourism destination

Baghdad reinvents itself as heritage tourism destination
Updated 10 min 44 sec ago
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Baghdad reinvents itself as heritage tourism destination

Baghdad reinvents itself as heritage tourism destination
  • A professor and an architecture student organize walking tours of Iraqi capital’s historic sites

RIYADH: After decades of war, airstrikes, suicide attacks and car bombs, Baghdad is staking its claim as a heritage tourism attraction.

A fragile stability has emerged since the defeat of Daesh in 2017 allowed a greater focus on the Iraqi capital’s history and culture.

Muaffaq Al-Tai, 83, a professor, and Abdullah Imad, 23, an architecture student, organize walking tours of the city’s historic center, including an 800-year-old Abbasid palace with arabesque reliefs and the battlements of the 12th-century Bab Al-Wastani, the Central Gate.

“We want to show the public what Baghdad has to offer in terms of Islamic architecture, its value and identity,” Imad said
The renewed interest in Iraq’s heritage was “a source of hope for a positive change in our identity, and our heritage and its preservation,” said Fatima Al-Moqdad, 28, an architect.
“When young people surf the internet, they see how other nations look after their heritage. They want and deserve the same.”


Israel army says sirens sound north of Tel Aviv due to ‘aircraft infiltration’

Israel army says sirens sound north of Tel Aviv due to ‘aircraft infiltration’
Updated 11 October 2024
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Israel army says sirens sound north of Tel Aviv due to ‘aircraft infiltration’

Israel army says sirens sound north of Tel Aviv due to ‘aircraft infiltration’
  • Roughly 20 minutes after the alert, Israel’s military said the incident had ended.
  • The air raid sirens came as Israelis observe the Yom Kippur holiday

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military on Friday said air raid sirens sounded in central Israel, including areas north of the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, after an aircraft infiltrated.
“Sirens have been activated in several areas in central Israel following an intrusion of hostile aircraft. Interception attempts have been made, and details are under investigation. Additional explosions may be heard, originating from interceptions or debris,” the military said in a statement.
Roughly 20 minutes after the alert, Israel’s military said the incident had ended.
The air raid sirens came as Israelis observe the Yom Kippur holiday.
Earlier Friday evening, air raid sirens blared in dozens of areas across northwestern after dozens of projectiles were fired from Lebanon, the military said.
From sundown on Friday until nightfall on Saturday, markets are closed, flights stopped and public transport halted as most Jews fast and pray on the Day of Atonement.
Due to its status as Judaism’s holiest day, Yom Kippur is traditionally observed with a complete media silence during the period.
Media outlets, however, have pledged to cover major developments or updates, as Israel fights Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas Palestinians militants in Gaza.


Western leaders urge Israel to stop harming peacekeepers

Western leaders urge Israel to stop harming peacekeepers
Updated 11 October 2024
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Western leaders urge Israel to stop harming peacekeepers

Western leaders urge Israel to stop harming peacekeepers
  • France’s President Emmanuel Macron said it was “absolutely unacceptable“
  • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez demanded an “end to all violence” against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

PARIS: Western leaders urged Israel Friday to stop harming UN peacekeepers in Lebanon after explosions wounded two of them near the country’s border.
The Israeli military (IDF) said its forces on Friday fired at a threat near a UN peacekeeping mission position.
A spokeswoman for the UNIFIL mission said two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt in the second such incident in two days.
US President Joe Biden told reporters he was “absolutely, positively” asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that peacekeepers were “deliberately targeted.” The foreign ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador, saying the incident constituted “serious violations of international law and must cease immediately.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the firing, which she said violated a UN resolution, as “unacceptable.” Italy has more than 1,000 troops in Lebanon.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez demanded an “end to all violence” against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. He called Friday’s incident “absolutely unacceptable.”
Ireland’s foreign minister Micheal Martin called it a “shocking” and “unacceptable” development and “a very serious intensification of IDF hostility toward UN forces.” Ireland has about 350 soldiers in UNIFIL.


Jordan’s King Abdullah meets European leaders at MED9 Summit in Cyprus

Jordan’s King Abdullah meets European leaders at MED9 Summit in Cyprus
Updated 11 October 2024
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Jordan’s King Abdullah meets European leaders at MED9 Summit in Cyprus

Jordan’s King Abdullah meets European leaders at MED9 Summit in Cyprus
  • Meetings also touched on strengthening relations and expanding cooperation between Jordan and the EU

LONDON: Jordan’s King Abdullah II held a series of high-level meetings on Friday with leaders from across Europe during the Southern EU Countries (MED9) Summit in Paphos in Cyprus.

The king met with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, and Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela.

The discussions focused on the escalating violence in Gaza and Lebanon, with King Abdullah urging increased efforts to achieve comprehensive calm and an end to the conflict, according to Jordan News Agency.

He emphasized the urgent need to facilitate the swift and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

King Abdullah also raised concerns about rising extremist settler violence in the West Bank and violations of religious sites in Jerusalem, warning that the region would remain trapped in violence unless a viable political solution, based on the two-state framework, was pursued.

In addition to addressing the regional situation, the meetings touched on strengthening relations and expanding cooperation between Jordan and the EU.

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ayman Safadi, and other key officials were also present at the discussions.