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MIDDLE EAST

The arrest of the soldiers has shaken Israel: Military base and court stormed

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Far-right extremists stormed the Beit Lid military court in Israel, where 9 soldiers are being held on charges of sexually abusing and torturing a Palestinian, and the Sde Teiman military base, where Palestinians detained in Gaza are being held.

A group, including Israeli far-right MKs, broke into the Sde Teiman military base, while another group raided the Beit Lid military court where 9 soldiers were being held. Following the incidents, there were calls for the far right to be removed from the Israeli administration.

In Israel, the news of the arrest of 9 Israeli soldiers accused of torturing and sexually abusing Palestinians in the Sde Teiman prison, where Gaza detainees are held, and what happened afterwards became the political agenda in the country.

After the news of the arrest was reported in the press, a group of dozens of far-right demonstrators, including far-right MKs, forcibly entered the Sde Teiman military base and organised a raid. Pictures in the Israeli press showed the soldiers’ efforts to prevent the far-right MK Zvi Sukkot, who was trying to enter the base, from opening the chained door of the base.

The crowd then forced the soldiers who were trying to hold the iron gate of the military base and entered the base. The moments when the demonstrators rushed into the military base and the soldiers tried to stop some of them, as well as images of the brawl and the chaos, took place on social media.

According to army radio, some armed and uniformed reserve soldiers also arrived in the area to support the protesters.

The crisis that began in Sde Teiman spread to the Beit Lid military base, where the arrested soldiers were taken for interrogation and where the military court is located.

According to reports in the Israeli press, a group of about 100 Israeli right-wing extremists entered the Beit Lid military base. Pictures in the press and on social media showed a scuffle between the demonstrators who broke into the military court and the soldiers who tried to stop them.

Israeli soldiers and police could be seen trying to remove the demonstrators from the military base.

The right-wing extremists who were removed from the Beit Lid military court continued their demonstrations outside the detention centre of the military base. Israeli right-wing extremist groups smashed the iron gate in the section where the military prison is located. Israeli soldiers used water cannons sprayed from the military base to disperse the demonstrators from the area.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned the raid on the base and called for calm.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right extremist, said he had ordered police to take action against law-breakers.

Israel’s Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, also reportedly arrived at the military base in the region. Halevi said: “We came to Beit Lid to make sure that nothing more serious will happen. The attempts of the rebels to infiltrate the bases are serious behaviour that violates the law, amounts to anarchy and harms the Israeli forces, the security of the state and the war effort”.

Far-right coalition members under fire

Former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli opposition, criticised ‘extremist figures who call for violence’ within the ruling coalition in a post on his social media account, saying that Israel needs a government that makes responsible decisions.

Gantz stated that those who carried out the raid did not represent Israelis as an ‘extremist minority’ and shared the following statements: ‘The absolute majority of Israeli citizens are against violence and chaos’.

Noting that the presence of those who incite this violence within the coalition is a red line, Gantz said: ‘In order to face the difficult conditions, extremists must be isolated from the head of the administration, this government and the prime minister must be replaced. Israel deserves a responsible government that can lead us to victory over our enemies and ensure unity among us,” Gantz concluded.

‘Prevent the disintegration of the state and the army’

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who issued a statement after the raid, called on the government to prevent the disintegration of the state and the army.

Bennett, who was Israel’s prime minister in 2021-2022, said in a written statement published on the X platform: ‘Stop this madness immediately.

Referring to the attack on the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights on 27 July, Bennett said: “Our enemies are attacking us from all sides, and a handful of rebels are storming a military base in order to destroy the Israeli army, the rule of law and our country. They want to dismember the only Jewish state in the world. You will either ignore the chaos or encourage it”.

Bennett claimed that what happened had nothing to do with the Hamas fighters held in the military base, but rather that they were savages who deserved to be subjected to the maximum punishment and hardship that Israeli law allows: “The problem is with us, do we want a state here or militias that act as they please?”

Bennett stressed that the uprisings and riots are the greatest gift to Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and other enemies of the country, adding that everyone must immediately stop the uprising, leave the military zone and abide by the law.

F”irst of all, I call on the members of the Israeli government to show real leadership,” Bennett said, calling on the Netanyahu government not to allow the rioters, not to pour petrol on the fire and to prevent the disintegration of the State of Israel.

‘Ministers involved in raid should be fired immediately’

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, also on his X account, commented on the events saying: “We are not on the edge of hell, we are in hell itself”.

Lapid said that all red lines had been crossed today and stressed that the message of the MPs and ministers who took part in the occupation of the military base by the angry militias was that ‘they are tired of democracy and the rule of law’.

“The dangerous fascist group threatens Israel’s existence,” Lapid said of the officials who took part in the raid on the military bases.

Lapid said that the ministers involved in the raid should be fired immediately and stressed that the prime minister should take action, saying: ‘If Netanyahu doesn’t do this, he is not fit to be the head of Israel.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog was also among those to react to the developments.

In a statement posted on his official X account, Herzog said: ‘This is a state of law’ and called on all MPs to calm down immediately.

In his statement, Herzog said: “We are experiencing one of the most difficult and challenging weeks in terms of security, we must no longer burden our soldiers and leaders. Let us support the Israeli army and its leaders, let us defend the army against any calls that would please our enemies”.

MIDDLE EAST

Some Afghan journalists contemplating suicide; but why?

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In the past three years, the Taliban have severely limited access to information in Afghanistan and in some cases made it almost impossible. Many journalists who operate from the country say that the space for their activities is getting narrower every day.

These reporters state that in addition to self-censorship, they have experienced a kind of unwanted imprisonment and spend days and nights in their homes. They cannot move freely in the community for fear of interrogation and revenge from the Taliban.

In this report, two journalists have confirmed that they thought of suicide due to pressure from the Taliban. They say that life in Afghanistan has become difficult and that the Taliban have appeared as “death angle” and that if they did not have children, they would commit suicide.

These journalists are disappointed with the institutions that support the media and say that they have no way out of the existing problems. This is despite the fact that the Taliban have imposed more restrictions during the past month and have banned the publication of photos and images in five provinces.

One of the journalists who works under the Taliban regime says that the space for journalists to breathe and live is getting narrower and more limited every day. According to him, the Taliban have created an atmosphere where reporters and media spend day and night in worry and fear, and because of this, they cannot cover many events.

Taliban severely restricted the media landscape in Afghanistan, making it nearly impossible for journalist to operate

She emphasized that in some cases, due to the fear of the Taliban, she has covered news events a few days after they happened to prevent the Taliban from drawing attention and focusing on herself.

This reporter, who does not want to be named in the report, emphasizes that the difficult living conditions, the strict restrictions of the Taliban and the fear of being arrested and interrogated by this group made her think of suicide.

Samera, one of the Afghan female journalists, using her pin name for security reason, said that the painful experience of working under the Taliban rule has made her think about suicide many times. She says that she was once arrested by the Taliban for filming for news coverage.

“My arrest by the Taliban was the most bitter and painful experience, which made forced me to think of committing suicide,” She lamented.

This journalist says: “When the Taliban arrested me, I was thinking what my family, my colleagues and the community would say if I stayed in the prison at night?”

She furthered, “Because the arrest of a woman by the Taliban willfully or unwittingly has negative and harmful consequences that one cannot think of anything other than suicide.”

When the Taliban took some journalists, including females to the court, one of them said “why did you bring them, you should have shot them.”

“There I saw an old man who was the same age as my father. He threw himself at Talib’s feet and apologized, but Talib did not pay any attention to him,” she added.

An Afghan journalist said that he will commit suicide this time if Taliban arrest him

Omid, another journalist who used his pin name to avoid arrest, has thought of suicide many times, and he was also arrested several times. He says that despite his efforts, he did not succeed in leaving Afghanistan. “I’ll commit suicide if the Taliban arrest me once again,” he warned.

He furthered that he has heard a lot about torture and ill-treatment in the Taliban prison and has a horrible image of the prison scenes in his mind.

“Before the Taliban torture and insult me ​​in a terrible way, or take a video commitment from me… I prefer to put an end to this life,” he warned, adding that “I think that suicide is the only way to end all this suffering and misery.”

Another journalist who is currently in Pakistan also confirms that he thought of suicide due to mental and psychological problems. She says: “God is a witness to the hardships I experienced in Pakistan, it had ruined my soul and spirit so much that I thought if I committed suicide, I might get rid of these ordeals.”

In the past one month, the Taliban have continuously and systematically prevented the video activities of the media in a number of provinces across the country. After banning photography and filming, this group has now banned five provinces from these activities and announced that this restriction will be gradually applied in all provinces.

The Taliban authorities have informed the local media of the ban on taking pictures and publishing them, as well as banning the video interviews of their officials in Nangarhar province.

Azizullah Mustafa, the deputy governor of the Taliban in Nangarhar has ordered all the local employees that according to the order of the Taliban supreme leader it is forbidden to take pictures of living creatures and publish them, and the media is only allowed to communicate with Taliban officials.

Taliban already banned taking pictures of living creatures in five provinces in Afghanistan

Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, Helmand and Nangarhar are among the provinces, where taking pictures of living creatures and publishing them, as well as video interviews, are completely prohibited.

The Taliban have closed three radio stations in Khost province during the past month under extensive pressure. “Gharghasht”, “Zheman” and “Long” radios have been blocked by the Taliban and they have resumed their activities after providing a written commitment to comply with the Taliban’s orders.

The Center of Afghan Journalists has already announced that the Taliban have imposed 17 restrictive directives against the media. These restrictions include preventing women from appearing on national radio and television, banning media coverage of demonstrations and civil protests, imposing restrictions on access to information and publishing news and reports, requiring journalists and media to introduce the Taliban regime as the “government of Afghanistan”.

Also, the Taliban have imposed restrictions on interviews with their opponents and critics. They have banned the broadcast of international television programs in Afghanistan and have imposed restrictions on publishing commercials with political, security and social content. In addition, the media have been prohibited from criticizing the work of Taliban officials, and filming, video interviews, and the publication of women’s voices have been prohibited from the media.

Also, it is forbidden to work with the media that have been declared “forbidden” by the Taliban, and in Helmand province, the publication of women’s voices in the local media is completely prohibited. Orders have also been issued to the media to refrain from using “foreign terms”, which refers to the use of “
“Persian words” for university and college. Prohibiting photography and filming in official and informal meetings of local Taliban officials in Kandahar, and banning girls from making phone calls to radios and televisions in Khost province are among the other restrictions imposed by the Taliban on domestic media in Afghanistan.

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MIDDLE EAST

ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant on war Crimes charges

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes in Gaza.

Despite sanctions and threats from Israel and the United States, the ICC’s decision was based on overwhelming evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians. Among the charges, Netanyahu and Gallant were accused of using starvation as a weapon, with the court stating these allegations are founded on “reasonable grounds.”

Israel reportedly employed its intelligence agency, the Mossad, to spy on, hack, pressure, defame, and allegedly threaten senior ICC officials in an effort to obstruct investigations. Although these efforts were partially exposed through the international press and statements from ICC staff, they failed to deter the Court’s proceedings.

The ICC also clarified that it is undeterred by Israel’s non-recognition of the Court’s authority or its rulings.

Additionally, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masr on related charges.

While this ruling may not immediately halt Israeli military actions in Gaza or reduce U.S. support for Israel, it is likely to deepen divisions among European nations over their stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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MIDDLE EAST

Hamas: No hostages-for-prisoners swap deal with Israel unless Gaza war ends

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Khalil al-Hayya, a senior member of the Hamas Political Bureau, announced on Al-Aqsa TV that Hamas had accepted a proposal to form a committee to administer Gaza, with the condition that its operations be entirely local.

In his statement regarding the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks, al-Hayya said: “An idea has been proposed to establish a committee for the administration of Gaza. This suggestion was made by our Egyptian brothers. We have responded responsibly and positively. We accept this proposal on the condition that the committee will operate in a fully localized manner, overseeing all aspects of daily life in Gaza.”

Earlier this month, representatives from both the Hamas and Fatah movements convened in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss a potential ceasefire and the establishment of this administrative committee.

Commenting on the indirect ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations between Hamas and Israel, al-Hayya stated: “There will be no prisoner exchange until the Israeli genocide stops. This is an interconnected equation. We are very clear on this: we want this aggression to end. These attacks must cease before any prisoner exchange can take place.”

Al-Hayya added that Hamas remains ready for a ceasefire agreement but emphasized that Israel must demonstrate genuine willingness to proceed. “We are engaging with mediating countries to advance ceasefire negotiations. However, Netanyahu is hindering progress in these talks for political reasons,” he said.

Since the escalation of violence on October 7, 2023, indirect negotiations between the parties have continued, with countries like Qatar mediating ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreements. Both the United States and Egypt have played supporting roles in these efforts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism domestically and from the international community for failing to secure a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas. Analysts highlight those additional conditions introduced by Israel, particularly its insistence on maintaining control over the Egypt-Gaza border and the Philadelphi Corridor, have further complicated the negotiations.

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