Tel Aviv Archives - Page 8 of 19

Israel Ready For 2nd Phase Negotiation in Cairo

CrossFireArabia
February 16, 2025

Israel’s Security Cabinet will discuss the second phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, when the negotiating delegation travels to the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Monday.

Israel delayed negotiations for the second phase, which was scheduled to begin 16 days after the agreement went into effect, as Monday will be the 29th day—a 13-day delay.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Sunday that he informed US Middle East envoy Steve Whitcoff during a phone call that the Security Cabinet will convene Monday to discuss the second phase of the deal.

According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu’s statement came shortly after Whitcoff said “productive and constructive” discussions had taken place regarding the second phase, despite Netanyahu’s denial of any ongoing negotiations as reported by Anadolu.

“In coordination with Witkoff, Netanyahu has, today, instructed the negotiations team to leave for Cairo tomorrow (Monday) in order to discuss the continued implementation of the first stage of the deal,” the statement added.

The delegation will receive guidance on the second phase after the Security Cabinet meeting, it added.

The announcement comes as Netanyahu faces mounting domestic and international pressure to move forward with the talks.

On Saturday, families of Israeli captives in Gaza held a press conference outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, vowing not to let Netanyahu obstruct the second phase for his political interests.

According to Palestinian human rights organizations, Israel is holding more than 10,000 Palestinians in its prisons.

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed nearly 48,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Nineteen Israeli captives and five Thai workers have been released in exchange for 1,135 Palestinian prisoners under the first phase of the Gaza agreement, which took effect on Jan. 19.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

News

Riyadh Outraged at Netanyahu’s Creating ‘Palestine’ on Saudi Lands

CrossFireArabia
February 9, 2025

The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced, Sunday, its rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements about establishing a Palestinian state on the Kingdom’s lands. It stated that these comments are “aimed to divert attention from the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to.”

The ministry stressed, in a statement, that “the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and are not intruders or immigrants who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wants.”

In response to Netanyahu, it added: “This extremist occupation mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly Palestinian people and their emotional, historical and legal connection to it, and does not consider that the Palestinian people deserve life in the first place.”

https://twitter.com/sultanalnefaie/status/1888457964081537242

It continued that “this extremist occupation mentality completely destroyed Gaza and killed and injured 160,000 Palestinians, most of whom were children and women, without the slightest human feeling or moral responsibility.”

With American support, Israel committed genocide in Gaza between 7 October, 2023 and January 19, 2025, leaving more than 159,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

The Saudi ministry pointed out that “the owners of these extremist ideas are the ones who prevented Israel from accepting peace, by rejecting peaceful coexistence, rejecting peace initiatives adopted by Arab countries, and practicing systematic injustice against the Palestinian people for more than 75 years.”

It stressed that “the extremist occupation mentality does not care about right, justice, law, and the values established in the United Nations Charter, including the right of a person to live in dignity on his land.”

The Kingdom also appreciated “what sister countries announced in terms of condemnation, disapproval, and complete rejection of what Netanyahu stated regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land,” according to the same statement.

It explained that “these positions, which reject the establishment of a Palestinian state on the lands of the Kingdom, confirm the centrality of the Palestinian cause to Arab and Islamic countries.”

The Saudi Foreign Ministry concluded by saying that “the right of the brotherly Palestinian people will remain steadfast, and no one will be able to take it away from them no matter how long it takes, and lasting peace will not be achieved except by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two-state solution.”

In response to its firm position adhering to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Netanyahu said on Friday that “Saudi Arabia has vast areas and can establish a Palestinian state on them,” in response to a question from the Hebrew Channel 14 broadcaster regarding Riyadh’s insistence on establishing a Palestinian state as a condition to normalize relations with Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu claimed that “Riyadh does not stipulate the establishment of a Palestinian state for normalization with Israel.”

On more than one occasion, Saudi Arabia has stipulated the Israeli government’s approval of the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders in exchange for normalizing relations.

Netanyahu’s statements come days after US President Donald Trump spoke about his country’s intention to seize the Gaza Strip and displace the Palestinians from it, and that Saudi Arabia no longer stipulates the establishment of a Palestinian state for normalization with Israel, which sparked widespread regional and international rejection.

Since 25 January, Trump has been promoting a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, which was rejected by both countries, and was joined by other Arab countries and regional and international organizations as reported by Anadolu news.

News

Le Monde: Israelis Leave in Thousands

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

Le Monde newspaper stated that thousands of Israelis have left the country already to settle abroad, and that more people are likely to do so in the future. The French daily noted that whilst the worsening economic situation may have an impact on this, the lack of security, the war in Gaza, the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and the growing status of religion in society are all factors that have accelerated this trend.

The newspaper began, in a report by its correspondent from Tel Aviv, Isabelle Mandraud, with the story of the 34-year-old musician Roy who no longer sees a future for himself in Israel, a country he was born, despite being a successful producer, singer and a guitarist.

The young man, who does not want to reveal his identity, is preparing, according to the newspaper, to immigrate to Spain with his wife, and says, “we do not shout from the rooftops because we are ashamed to leave before the war is completely over. It is a complicated moment. I love my country, but I see that dark years await us.”

He adds: “The Netanyahu government has crossed several thresholds that pose a threat to democracy, and there is a contradiction between the law and religion, and the number of extremists is increasing,” according to Al Jazeera.

News

Is Smotrich up to His Word?

CrossFireArabia
January 6, 2025

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich incites in a statement on X against West Bank towns provocatively asserted that Palestinian towns in the West Bank “should resemble [Gaza’s] Jabalia” alluding to the heavily bombarded region in Gaza.

He added that Israel should not trust the Palestinian Authority when assessing its security needs. This is not the first time he incited against the Palestinian people.

Previously, he reaffirmed his determination to implement a plan to seize control of the West Bank and block the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Smotrich called Monday for massive destruction in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin as the case in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

“Funduq, Nablus, and Jenin must look like Jabalia,” Smotrich said.

His call came after three illegal Israeli settlers were killed in a shooting attack in the village of Funduq in the central West Bank.

The extremist minister called for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss what he called “a change in Israel’s approach” in the occupied West Bank according to Anadolu.

News

Houthi Missile Target Power Station in Israel

CrossFireArabia
January 5, 2025

The Yemeni Houthis announced, Sunday, they targeted an Israeli power station south of Haifa with a hypersonic missile, while their media outlets said the US-British coalition carried out raids in northern Yemen.

The Houthis issued a statement on the hypersonic missile hours after the Israeli army announced its defenses intercepted a missile coming from Yemen.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said their forces carried out a military operation targeting the “Orot Rabin” power station with a Palestine 2 hypersonic missile, stressing the operation successfully achieved its goal.

Saree added the military operations supporting Gaza will continue in conjunction with the continuous development of the Houthi movement military capabilities.

He continued that the Houthi “armed forces” are working to develop their military capabilities to meet the requirements of forcing Israel to stop its aggression and lift the siege on Gaza.

As of late, Houthi attacks on Israel with ballistic missiles and drones have been frequent, despite the four Israeli airstrikes Yemen was subjected to in weeks.

Explosions in Israel

Early Sunday, the Israeli army announced the interception of a missile launched from Yemen towards Israel.

The Israeli army said in a statement that sirens sounded in the Hadera area, and that the explosions heard in the central area were caused by the launch of interceptor missiles to intercept the Yemeni missile.

Israeli media reported that eyewitnesses heard successive explosions in large areas of central Israel.

For its part, the Israeli Home Front Command reported that sirens sounded in the greater Tel Aviv area.

During previous missile attacks, millions of Israelis fled to shelters and dozens of them were injured while fleeing.

The recent Israeli strikes on Yemen focused on infrastructure, especially electricity and oil facilities in Sanaa and in Hodeidah (west), which includes a strategic port.

Tel Aviv threatened to intensify its attacks on Yemen and target Houthi leaders.

Since late last year, the Houthis have been launching attacks in the Red Sea targeting ships linked to Israel in support of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, which has had a significant impact on commercial activity in the Israeli port of Eilat and other countries in the region.

Raids on Saada

Meanwhile, Houthi-affiliated media reported that US and British aircraft launched three raids east of the northern Yemeni city of Saada.

The nature of the targets bombed by the aircraft was not clear, and Washington and London say their air operations in Yemen aim to weaken the capabilities of the Houthis.

Last Tuesday, US and British aircraft carried out 10 raids on the May 22 Complex and the Al-Urdi Complex in Sanaa.

Earlier this year, the United States, Britain and other countries formed the “Guardian of Prosperity” coalition to confront Houthi attacks in the Red Sea according to Al Jazeera.