Middle East Press On: Europe, Israel, Gaza, Rubicon, FIFA: New Age Islam's Selection, 10 June 2025
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
10 June 2025
Europe’s Love Affair With Israel Is Over - Gaza Images Broke The Bond
Prove Israel's Progressiveness By Preventing Violent Acts
Israel Has Crossed The Rubicon And The Reckoning Is Coming
Gideon’s Chariots: Repeating A Strategic And Humanitarian Disaster In Gaza
FIFA Has Ignored Israel’s Atrocities For Too Long
Madleen’s Gaza Mission Shows Power Of Civil Society
The UK May Have Paused Trade Talks With Israel, But Arms Exports Are Still The Elephant In The Room
What Israel’s War In Gaza Couldn’t Kill: Knowledge, Memory, And Dr. Faiq’s Legacy
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Europe’s Love Affair With Israel Is Over - Gaza Images Broke The Bond
By Memy Peer
June 9, 2025
Despite enduring sympathy across Europe for Israel after the October 7 Massacre, recent military operations have begun to change public attitudes.
Traveling through Italy, you quickly realize that nearly everyone you address is a native Italian—even taxi drivers, gelato vendors, and hotel maids. They respond in Italian, often with little knowledge of English, switching back within seconds.
By contrast, in London, you hear perfect English, yet at least half of the people you speak with are immigrants, not native Brits.
My wife and I recently returned from ten days in Sicily, followed by four days of work in London. Since October 7, I’ve visited several other European capitals and written before about the Israeli-Jewish experience in some of them. Since then, things have changed.
Everywhere, the first question people ask is “Where are you from?” I always answer “Israel.” Six months ago, that response was met with heartfelt empathy—Europeans felt the pain of the horrific Hamas massacre and rallied behind us.
That support persisted for many months, even after some European leaders reversed course. The public, however, remained loyal. The European audiences at Eurovision last year—and again this year—sent a clear message: while official juries declined to vote for Israel, risking social media backlash, the European public voted en masse for Eden Golan and Yuval Raphael.
Then, on the eve of last year’s Eurovision, Israel launched Operation "Gideon’s Chariots." Everything changed. The disgraceful remarks by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yair Golan denigrating the Israel Defense Forces must be universally condemned—there is no more moral army than the IDF.
Yet without a robust Israeli public diplomacy campaign, Europeans saw only devastating images from Gaza, perceiving Israel as the aggressor in a caricatured version of reality. Try explaining that to someone whose mind is made up by a single photo.
Even in Syracuse’s ancient Jewish ritual bath, I expected a more sympathetic ear. After ascending the 56 stone steps to street level, I spoke with Anita, a Jewish American living in Italy. She asked, “What’s wrong with Netanyahu? Why is he destroying our country’s reputation and hurting all of us?” I had no easy answer beyond her own observation: she was right.
A thousand words cannot undo a single image
Today, when I say I’m from Israel, I still hear words of support for our fight against terrorists—but now they’re followed by a new question: “Why are you killing children in Gaza?” We explain our abhorrence of civilian casualties, how Hamas uses human shields, and how the IDF goes to great lengths to avoid harm. But a thousand words cannot undo a single image.
The change is unmistakable. Europeans empathize with our suffering, yet question our tactics. If we fail to address this shift, we risk losing the solidarity we once took for granted. It’s time for Israel to amplify its message: affirm our moral cause, underscore Hamas’s atrocities, and renew global partnerships based on truth and shared democratic values.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-857104
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Prove Israel's Progressiveness By Preventing Violent Acts
By Jpost Editorial
June 10, 2025
The deep divisions in Israel over the direction of the war, the drafting of haredim, and the long-gestating judicial overhaul that the government seems intent on pushing through, despite the other critical issues facing the country, have been festering and simmering.
It seems like ancient history, but only two years ago, police and protesters were clashing over the judicial reform plans, and views on the subject were so strained that even some family members were not talking to each other.
Since October 7, 2023, the internal division has been focused on the hostages, the continuation of the war in Gaza, and the continued refusal of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) segment of society to do their part to defend their country at war.
Spurred on by extremist incitement from all sides of the political spectrum, the sense that the situation could devolve into violence has emerged into a shocking reality, as exemplified by two incidents that took place recently.
On Saturday night, the Supreme Court announced that a window in a court building in Jerusalem was shattered, either by an airsoft gun or a slingshot, according to the police, during a right-wing protest on Thursday evening.
During the protest outside the court, some 10,000 demonstrators gathered against the judiciary and heard Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the main proponent of the judicial overhaul, accuse the court of “tyranny.”
Speaking to KAN on Saturday night before the window was discovered, Levin further delegitimized the court by saying, “Justice [Isaac] Amit is not the president of the Supreme Court, I do not recognize him and will not recognize him because he was elected through an invalid and illegal process.”
Levin condemned the window being shot at “in the strongest terms,” as did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who condemned violence “of any kind” and called on the police and public leaders to “condemn and act decisively against all manifestations of violence and incitement – without exception.”
Neither Levin nor Netanyahu seemed to realize that their statements over the last three years disparaging the Court may have had something to do with Thursday night’s window shooting.
Likewise, another terrifying reminder of how the animosity within our society can manifest itself in physical violence emerged on Sunday morning, when the Or Habib synagogue in Jerusalem’s Sanhedria neighborhood was set on fire, according to the Fire and Rescue Authority.
The starting spot of the fire, according to video footage, was the seat where former Sephardi chief rabbi and Shas spiritual leader Yitzhak Yosef prays.
Yosef, in December, encouraged haredi yeshiva students to take their draft notices and “Tear them up, throw them in the toilet, and flush them away.” A massive toilet installation was displayed last week during an anti-draft protest near Bnei Brak.
Deri: Anti-haredi arson is 'hate crime of highest level'
Shas leader Aryeh Deri defined the arson as “a hate crime of the highest level” and called for an end to incitement against the haredi community.
“Enough with the hate. Enough with the incitement. Look what incitement and hatred can do,” Deri said. “Were it not for the miracle of the Fire and Rescue Authority coming, we could have arrived here today without a synagogue, without sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) – everything burned. Who knows where this will lead?... Words can kill.”
That is indeed the takeaway from the two heinous incidents. The words used like weapons to demonize certain segments of the population create an environment that leads hotheads to act on them.
The situation on the ground doesn’t appear to be calming down anytime soon. Wednesday will see a potentially fateful vote on the dispersal of the Knesset over the haredi draft issue.
There were reports on Monday that Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara – the bogeyman of Netanyahu and Levin – had been summoned to a hearing next Tuesday before a ministerial committee to begin dismissal procedures against her. And the 55 hostages still in Gaza remain in a hellish limbo, as negotiations for their release are stuck in neutral and the IDF continues its bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza.
Any of those issues is dry tinder for a huge fire that could break out any moment. It’s incumbent on all political and civic leaders to refrain from adding fuel to the fire and, rather, to issue messages of reconciliation and understanding.
As much as we may disagree on issues and the direction we want to see the country move in, acts of violence do not belong in a progressive society, which Israel claims to be. It’s time to prove it.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-857115
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Israel Has Crossed The Rubicon And The Reckoning Is Coming
By Jasim Al-Azzawi
June 9, 2025
The brutal Israeli war on Gaza has done more than reshape the physical landscape of the besieged enclave; it has irrevocably altered the global political and moral landscape. In less than two years, the edifice of eighty years of Zionist propaganda and carefully constructed global brainwashing has not merely cracked, it has crumbled. The once potent weapon of being branded “anti-Semite” for criticising Israel, which once silenced dissent, has now lost its sting, increasingly met with derision rather than dread. This profound shift marks Israel’s crossing of a critical Rubicon, leaving it exposed to an unprecedented international reckoning that is now rapidly unfolding.
Across Europe, the tide has turned. Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and Slovenia have recognised the State of Palestine. The fear of being labelled antisemitic, once a powerful deterrent, now often provokes ridicule. Hundreds of thousands march weekly in European capitals. From London to Berlin, from Paris to Rome, protesters, many of them Jews, chant: “Not in our name.” Israeli flags are burned not in hatred of a people but in rejection of an apartheid regime and an illegal occupation. Israel’s impunity is cracking.
In the United States, the fortress of unconditional support is also beginning to wobble. While the Zionist lobby remains deeply entrenched in American politics and finance, voices of dissent grow louder. Senator Bernie Sanders, long a lone voice in the wilderness, has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of war crimes. He has called for sanctions, for an end to arms shipments, and has asked what many Americans are now asking: Why are we financing this war while tens of thousands sleep homeless in the streets of America?
Even within Israel, the war has split the country. Opposition leaders, military officials, and citizens now speak with unfiltered rage. Yair Golan, a former IDF general and current leader of the Labour Party, has warned that Netanyahu is eroding the nation’s moral fabric. “They are bringing the state down,” Golan declared. “This is the end of the Jewish dream.”
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, once a symbol of Israeli centrism, has accused the government of committing genocide. Thomas Friedman, writing in The New York Times, warned Donald Trump that his Jewish grandchildren may forever live in fear, haunted by Gaza. “Gaza will follow them,” he wrote, a chilling reflection of how deep the stain has become.
Israel has now lost its three foundational military pillars: early warning, deterrence, and swift military dominance. The events of 7 October shattered the myth of invincibility. A modest resistance force breached one of the most heavily fortified borders on planet earth by air, land, and sea, remaining inside Israel for days and taking hostages back into Gaza. For a military that once boasted about dismantling entire Arab armies in six days, the humiliation is historic.
The IDF is in disarray. Resignations have followed. Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, stepped down. The Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, was replaced by Eyal Zamir. Netanyahu dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. These are not signs of confidence; they are signs of collapse.
International legal institutions, long silent, are now finding their voice. The International Court of Justice has deemed the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza illegal. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. France, Belgium, and other nations have announced they will enforce the warrants. When Netanyahu recently flew to the US, his plane deliberately avoided certain airspaces due to the risk of interception.
Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the British Labour Party has expressed criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza. He recently supported South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of genocide against Palestinians. Corbyn described the South African legal argument as “brilliantly prepared and brilliantly put forward and stated that Israel was “in breach of the Convention on Genocide and engaging in collective punishment of the people of Gaza.” He further questioned whether the world would continue supplying arms to Israel or take action to stop the violence, emphasising that ignoring the suffering of Palestinians would make nations complicit. His participation in the ICJ hearings was part of a broader effort to hold Israel accountable for its military actions in Gaza.
Perhaps the most symbolic blow came when the United Nations placed the Israeli military on the “list of shame”—a list typically reserved for groups like ISIS and the Lord’s Resistance Army. The listing is not merely a diplomatic embarrassment but a tectonic shift in Israel’s global standing.
Let us remember the words of Winston Churchill, speaking in 1940 during the darkest hours of the Blitz: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” He spoke of the RAF pilots who defended Britain. Today, a similarly small force, the Palestinian resistance, is withstanding the onslaught of a vastly superior military machine. For decades, Israeli deterrence held back Arab states. Now, a stateless people in a besieged strip of land has forced a reckoning.
Yes, the United States still stands as the final redoubt of unconditional support. But even that support will not last forever. The shifting sands of public opinion, especially among younger generations, point to a time when the US will no longer provide diplomatic cover for crimes against humanity. That day may still be decades away but it is no longer unimaginable.
In their desperation to cling to power and avoid prison, Netanyahu and his allies have lit a fire that will consume more than just Gaza. They have destroyed Israel’s moral high ground, ruptured its social fabric, and accelerated its isolation. What once seemed permanent is now unravelling. Israel has crossed the Rubicon. The world is watching, and the reckoning is coming.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250609-israel-has-crossed-the-rubicon-and-the-reckoning-is-coming/
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Gideon’s Chariots: Repeating A Strategic And Humanitarian Disaster In Gaza
June 9, 2025
In March 2025, Israel launched a new large-scale military operation in Gaza, codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots”. This operation, one of the boldest and most controversial military actions by Israel in recent decades, was ostensibly designed to destroy Hamas and secure Israel’s southern border. Yet, far from achieving its objectives, it has plunged the region into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Carried out amid internal political turmoil and mounting international pressure, the operation has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, Western governments, and even Israel’s traditional allies. The intensifying cycle of violence, coupled with the extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure and rising casualties, highlights the strategic failure of this approach.
This policy appears driven more by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s short-term political motivations to maintain power than by a coherent strategy for resolving the conflict. Rather than weakening Hamas, it has reinforced the group’s status as a symbol of resistance against occupation. This analysis argues that the reoccupation of Gaza is doomed to fail and will lead only to a strategic deadlock and a humanitarian disaster. By examining the various dimensions of the operation—including strategic miscalculations, human costs, and diplomatic fallout—this article shows how the offensive has deepened the crisis rather than resolved it, casting a dark shadow over the region’s future.
Strategic miscalculation
Israel’s reoccupation of Gaza rests on a fundamental yet flawed assumption: that overwhelming military force can eliminate Hamas and restore full Israeli control over the territory. This hypothesis ignores the deep roots Hamas has within Palestinian society—a group fueled by widespread discontent resulting from years of blockade, poverty, and the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure. Hamas’s decentralized structure, supported by social networks and popular backing, has made it highly resilient to conventional military attacks. Instead of weakening Hamas, Israel’s military campaign—marked by the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals—has inflamed public anger and aided Hamas in recruiting new fighters. This perpetuating cycle of violence, in which each Israeli offensive strengthens rather than suppresses resistance, reveals a profound strategic error rooted in a misunderstanding of Gaza’s socio-political dynamics.
Netanyahu’s decision to launch this offensive seems more influenced by internal political pressure than by a realistic assessment of Israel’s security needs. As domestic support for his government declined, he sought to appease the far-right factions of his coalition to maintain his political standing. This politicisation of military decision-making has led to an operation with no clear endgame, heightening the risk of entrapment in a quagmire reminiscent of the 1982 Lebanon invasion. Not only has the campaign strained Israel’s military and economic resources, but it has also sparked internal unrest, weakening national cohesion as protests erupt in cities like Tel Aviv.
One of the clearest signs of strategic short-sightedness is the policy of relocating civilians to so-called “sterile zones.” These zones, supposedly intended to separate Hamas fighters from civilians, have in reality become overcrowded, unsanitary camps lacking basic services. Far from isolating Hamas, the policy has exposed hundreds of thousands to famine, disease, and inhumane conditions. The siege of Gaza—which severely limits access to food, water, and medicine—has driven malnutrition rates to critical levels, with over 1.5 million people facing the risk of famine. The resulting humanitarian toll has undermined any moral legitimacy for the operation and amplified Hamas’s narrative of Palestinian victimhood. The absence of a post-conflict governance plan has left Israel facing two unacceptable outcomes: permanent occupation—with its massive human and financial costs—or withdrawal, which would be seen as a strategic victory for Hamas.
Humanitarian Catastrophe and International Response
The human consequences of Gideon’s Chariots have been devastating, turning the operation into a clear strategic failure. On a single day of relentless bombing, at least 135 civilians were killed. Since the operation’s launch in March 2025, the death toll has exceeded 10,000. The deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure—including water treatment facilities, hospitals, and schools—constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. These actions have left Gaza’s 2.3 million residents without access to basic necessities such as clean water, medical care, and shelter. The destruction of Al-Shifa Hospital, one of the few remaining functioning medical centers in Gaza, symbolizes the indiscriminate nature of the operation. This devastation has not weakened Hamas but rather deepened Palestinian despair and anger, fueling further recruitment into armed groups.
The humanitarian crisis has also triggered serious diplomatic repercussions for Israel. Traditional allies—including the United States and EU member states—have grown increasingly critical of Israel’s military tactics. These unusually vocal criticisms reflect a shifting international attitude toward Israeli policy. Countries like Turkey and Jordan have called for economic sanctions, while the International Criminal Court’s war crimes investigation has gained momentum with new evidence of deliberate civilian targeting. This diplomatic isolation has weakened Israel’s ability to sustain its military campaign and jeopardized its long-term strategic alliances. Dependent on Western support for its military and economic superiority, Israel now risks losing that crucial backing—placing it in a vulnerable position on the global stage.
The absence of a viable exit strategy
Perhaps the most fundamental criticism of the operation lies in the absence of a coherent and executable exit strategy. The stated objectives—eliminating Hamas and freeing hostages—are not achievable through military means alone. Hamas’s vast underground tunnel network, stretching for hundreds of kilometers beneath Gaza, remains largely intact and allows fighters to evade Israeli attacks. The group has also neutralized Israeli technological advantages by employing guerrilla tactics, demonstrating its capacity to resist a far superior military force. The failure to secure the hostages—one of the primary justifications for the offensive—has further highlighted the futility of the operation. These setbacks reveal that Israel, lacking a political strategy for negotiation or conflict management, is trapped in a cycle of endless violence.
The economic toll of the offensive has also placed unprecedented pressure on Israel. Estimates suggest that military expenses, combined with disruptions to trade, tourism, and the domestic economy, could surpass $20 billion by mid-2025. These financial strains have fueled domestic discontent, with mass protests in Tel Aviv demanding a ceasefire and new elections. The growing internal divide has weakened the Israeli government’s resolve to continue the operation and rendered the prospect of a long-term occupation increasingly untenable. Without a political solution—such as negotiations with the Palestinian Authority or international mediation—Israel remains stuck in a strategic stalemate that evokes the failures of past interventions, notably the 1982 Lebanon invasion.
Conclusion
Israel’s reoccupation of Gaza in 2025 has become a strategic disaster, doomed by flawed assumptions, devastating human consequences, and the lack of a workable exit strategy. The operation has not destroyed Hamas; instead, it has fueled Palestinian rage and bolstered Hamas’s standing as a symbol of resistance. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels, with famine and disease threatening millions, while Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation undermines its global standing and long-term security.
This offensive—driven by short-term political interests and lacking strategic coherence—risks entangling Israel in a costly and endless occupation. To break this destructive cycle, Israel must prioritize diplomacy, pursue ceasefire negotiations, and address the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian population. Continuing this conflict without any prospect of victory will only deepen the strategic impasse, claim more lives, and further erode Israel’s standing in the international community. The lessons of history—from the Lebanon invasion to repeated Gaza wars—are clear: military power alone cannot resolve this crisis. Only a firm commitment to political solutions, based on negotiation and respect for human rights, can offer any hope of ending this self-inflicted catastrophe.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250609-gideons-chariots-repeating-a-strategic-and-humanitarian-disaster-in-gaza/
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Fifa Has Ignored Israel’s Atrocities For Too Long
Ramzy Baroud
June 09, 2025
Football fans worldwide are unequivocally challenging FIFA’s continued support for Israel, organizing with unprecedented unity for Palestine. Unlike previous actions, this mobilization is now notably well-coordinated, widespread and consistent.
Long gone are the days when much of the sport’s solidarity emerged from the fanbase of Glasgow Celtic, Chile’s Deportivo Palestino or Arab teams. Gaza is now the undisputed focal point of sports solidarity worldwide. The consequences of this are arguably the most significant in terms of achieving global awareness of the Israeli genocide in Gaza in particular, but also of the Israeli military occupation and apartheid in the whole of occupied Palestine.
For years, the mainstream media did its utmost to ignore the pro-Palestine flags, banners and chants. When solidarity exceeded tolerable levels, whether in Scotland or Chile, football’s authorities cracked down with fines and various other punitive measures. Nowadays, however, such tactics are utterly failing. At times, Celtic Park seems to be one massive pro-Palestine rally, while numerous other clubs are joining in or expanding their efforts.
In and around Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League final match against Inter Milan on May 31, it seemed as if the entire PSG supporters’ activities focused on Palestine. Chants of “Nous sommes tous les enfants de Gaza” (We are all the children of Gaza) echoed everywhere, inside and outside the stadium. As soon as Achraf Hakimi scored the opening goal, a massive banner was unfurled that read: “Stop the genocide in Gaza.”
Such unprecedented acts of solidarity are comparable to the sporting boycotts of apartheid South Africa, which began in the mid-1960s. These boycotts were instrumental in liberating the discourse and transforming the conversation about apartheid from academic halls into the streets.
While the above is true, the two cases are not always comparable. Regarding apartheid, thanks to the efforts of Global South governments, boycotts largely began at an institutional level and gradually garnered massive popular support. In the Palestinian case, however, there has been a complete moral breakdown on the part of institutions like FIFA, while football fans are the ones championing solidarity.
FIFA is yet to take any action against Israel despite the blatant racism within its sporting institutions and the direct harm it is doing to Palestinian sports. The go-to excuse is the slogan: “sports and politics don’t mix.” But if that is the case, why did FIFA seamlessly mix the two following the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
Almost immediately after the start of the war, Western countries, purporting to speak on behalf of the international community, began slapping hundreds, and eventually thousands, of sanctions on Russia, which found itself isolated in every arena, including sports. FIFA quickly joined in, banning the Russian national team from its competitions.
In the Palestinian case, the hypocrisy is limitless, even though it began long before the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Every Palestinian effort, often backed by Arab, Muslim and Global South associations, to hold Israel accountable for its apartheid and military occupation has been met with failure. Every time, the response is the same.
An October 2017 statement by FIFA is a case in point. It was a response to a final report by the FIFA Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine, which followed repeated requests by international groups to look into the matter of the Israeli occupation and the need for FIFA to hold Israel accountable.
The response was decisive: “The current situation … has nothing to do with football.” It is of “exceptional complexity and sensitivity” and cannot be “changed unilaterally by nongovernment organizations such as FIFA.” The “final status of the West Bank territories” is the concern of competent international public law authorities. It concluded that “FIFA … must remain neutral with regard to political matters,” adding that the association will “refrain from imposing any sanctions” on Israel and that “the matter is declared closed.”
Since then, so much has changed. For example, in July 2018, Israel declared itself a country for Jews only via the so-called nation-state law. In July 2020, the coalition government agreed a deal that allowed for the annexation of occupied areas within the West Bank. And since Oct. 7, 2023, it has been engaged in a genocide in Gaza.
The accusatory language this time is not that of the Palestinians and their allies. It is the language of international institutions, which are actively investigating Israel’s horrific violations in Gaza.
Though FIFA may still claim that the matter is too “complex” and “sensitive,” how can it ignore the fact that more than 700 Palestinian athletes were killed and some 270 sports facilities destroyed in the first 14 months of the war?
Here, something must be said about the tenacity of the Palestinians, a quality that does not hinge on FIFA’s action or inaction. The Palestine national football team continues to go from strength to strength and, even more impressively, Palestinian children in Gaza somehow manage to create spaces, even among the ruins of their cities, to kick a ball, thus stealing a moment of joy from the horrors of genocide.
Though FIFA continues to fail Palestine, sports fans refuse to be part of this moral travesty. Ultimately, it will be the tenacity of the Palestinians and the growing solidarity with their just cause that will force FIFA to take action, not only for the sake of Palestine or even the future of the sport, but for the organization’s own relevance.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2603935
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Madleen’s Gaza Mission Shows Power Of Civil Society
Chris Doyle
June 09, 2025
Perhaps the only surprise about the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s Madleen mission is that there have not been more attempts to breach the inhumane blockade of Gaza during the last 20 months of Israel’s genocide.
Those on board have demonstrated considerable courage. Fifteen years ago last month, Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish vessel the Mavi Marmara. In the process, Israeli forces killed 10 activists. A UN inquiry determined that Israel’s actions were “unlawful,” including willful killing and torture, and that its forces “displayed an unacceptable level of brutality.” As always, Israel dismissed these findings and nobody was ever held accountable.
Most recently, in May, activists on another freedom flotilla blamed Israeli drones for bombing a vessel, the Conscience, in international waters off the coast of Malta. It is hard to imagine that any party other than Israel had the motivation and means to do this.
Those on board the Madleen, a boat named after a Gazan fisherwoman and which left Sicily on June 1, have an even more just cause. The situation in Gaza in 2010 was dreadful, but in 2025 it is an altogether new level of hell. Practically everything in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged. The health infrastructure has been targeted and brought to its knees. Israel has imposed a crippling siege, using starvation as a weapon of war. The latest full siege lasted 80 days before, grudgingly, the Israeli leadership bowed to international pressure and allowed the UN and other agencies to send in a few truckloads of aid. The reality is that such organizations are warning of state-imposed famine.
Critics limply argue that this is an attention-grabbing stunt. Celebrities on board like the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, have posted extensively on social media. The skeptics argue that the aid being carried is hardly going to address the colossal need in Gaza.
But that is the point. Such civil society activity is designed to highlight not just the failure of the international powers, but also their complicity. Those with a major online following should be drawing attention to these atrocities. States such as the US, Germany and the UK still arm Israel and cooperate with a government that is committing genocide and whose ministers make repeated genocidal comments. Do not hold your breath waiting for any of the political leaders in these countries to feel in any way embarrassed. Senior Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham even posted mockingly: “Hope Greta and her friends can swim.”
Thunberg will not be deterred. She was clear: “We believe that the bigger risk here is to be silent in the face of genocide, in the face of injustice and mass starvation of over 2 million people.”
This situation highlights many questions. Why is it that only this flotilla is trying to break the siege? Why is it civilians running the gauntlet of Israeli gunboats? What would happen if NATO powers sent ships to Gaza? Would Israel dare to engage them? The Madleen is also a UK-flagged vessel, but do not expect a reaction from London.
The self-imposed impotence of the international community has frequently been on show when dealing with Israel. Rather than pressure Israel, former US President Joe Biden authorized an ineffective and dangerous airdrop of aid and also the calamitous floating pier project that was abandoned after only a couple of months.
The official Israeli reaction has been predictable, depicting those on board as both antisemites and supporters of terrorism. So routine, overused and abused is this Pravda-style propaganda, one wonders if anyone pays it any serious attention. Israel Katz, the defense minister, posted: “To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back — because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations — at sea, in the air and on land.”
Legally, Israel has little on its side. The blockade, as collective punishment of a people under its occupation, is illegal. The International Court of Justice ordered Israel in January 2024 to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, something it has failed to do.
As the Madleen made its journey, those on board complained of Israeli attempts to jam their communications. As ever, Israel will seek to control and dominate the narrative. But it might struggle. Its starvation of 2.3 million Palestinians has lost it huge levels of support globally, with even erstwhile friends and apologists for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu starting to criticize him or at least falling silent out of embarrassment.
After intercepting the flotilla on Monday, Israel opted for a softer approach, handing out food and water in a scene that only highlighted its failure to provide such necessities for the Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Israeli leaders will detain and deport those on board with as little fuss and publicity as possible, but this is unlikely to deter future missions if the Gaza genocide continues.
This flotilla shows that global civil society is growing in size and confidence, while being attacked by political elites. It is time for real change, for political leaders to listen to their electorates and force an end to the genocide.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2603934
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The UK May Have Paused Trade Talks With Israel, But Arms Exports Are Still The Elephant In The Room
09 June, 2025
On Wednesday June 4, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a bill in Parliament calling for an inquiry into the UK's involvement, and possible complicity, in Israeli military operations in Gaza.
His intervention is likely to heap yet more pressure on a government struggling to justify, in the face of mounting and sustained criticism, its ongoing licensing of arms sales to Israel.
Last month, the UK government adopted its hardest line yet in response to what it called the Israeli government’s continuing “egregious actions and rhetoric” in Gaza, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy announcing a suspension of free-trade negotiations with Israel, a review of the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations, and imposing further sanctions on violent settlers and related entities.
Lammy made clear that the Israeli government’s planned mass forced displacement of Palestinians, which would amount to an escalation of its ethnic cleansing, is “morally unjustifiable, wholly disproportionate and utterly counter-productive.” But when pressed on what more the government might do, he was deliberately vague, saying “we will take further concrete action if necessary.”
If the British government is serious about exerting pressure on the Israeli government, there is a glaringly obvious ‘concrete action’ it can take: a complete and comprehensive arms embargo on Israel.
Last September, the UK Government imposed a partial arms suspension when it assessed that there was a clear risk that UK military components exported to Israel and used in Gaza might be used to facilitate or carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The suspension is meant to cover all arms and military equipment used by Israeli forces in the current hostilities in Gaza, which, according to the government, is just 30 of the approximately 350 arms export licenses to Israel.
These suspensions fall well short of a comprehensive embargo and do not include equipment exported to Israel under the remaining 300 arms licenses that the Government assessed are not for military use in Gaza. This includes aircraft used in training and other naval equipment.
In fact, Recent media reports suggest that the current Labour government approved more weapons licenses to Israel in three months last year than the Conservative government did in the preceding four years.
Disturbingly, the UK government also created a legal loophole that means that UK-built components continue to be used in Israel’s fleet of F-35 fighter jets, a workhorse in Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. F-35 jets were reportedly used in an attack on Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-declared ‘safe zone’, which it is said killed approximately 90 people in July 2024.
While the UK doesn’t supply components for the F-35 directly to Israel, Israel is free to source them through a ‘global spares pool’ programme, which the UK continues to supply and which is owned by the US Department of Defence.
The government has already acknowledged that its supply of F-35 components for potential use in Israel is in breach of its own arms export control laws, but this loophole also leaves the UK government at risk of breaching its international obligations to prevent genocide and not be complicit in war crimes.
If history tells us anything, Lammy is right. The UK must act in the face of these ‘monstrous’ plans, but it must also be willing to use the most powerful levers at its disposal.
The political pressure exerted on apartheid South Africa included a comprehensive arms embargo, and it is time for the UK government to take this important step. Then, states used the UN General Assembly and later the Security Council to impose the embargo. Now, in the face of a US veto at the Security Council, it rests on states like the UK to demonstrate bold global leadership.
Watching the debate last month in Parliament, it was clear that the Foreign Secretary was outraged at the actions of the Israeli government, which, given the UK’s unwillingness to call out Israeli abuses to date, felt like a sea-change in Anglo-Israeli relations. But the question is, what will it take to bring an end to the crimes being committed against Palestinians? If the UK government is serious about taking action to prevent genocide, anything less than a complete and comprehensive arms embargo will fall short.
https://www.newarab.com/opinion/without-stopping-arms-israel-uk-gaza-concern-empty-talk
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What Israel’s War In Gaza Couldn’t Kill: Knowledge, Memory, And Dr. Faiq’s Legacy
June 9, 2025
“Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023, everyday life in Gaza has become nearly impossible. Constant bombardment, the collapse of infrastructure, and the lack of even the most basic necessities have shattered any sense of normalcy.
Yet in the midst of this devastation, many continue to hold onto hope, resisting in the quietest yet most powerful way—through education.
This first-hand account from the heart of Gaza’s war reveals how education becomes a form of resistance, how a teacher’s guidance can anchor students in chaos, and how the pursuit of knowledge offers purpose even in the shadow of death.
My name is Nada, and I am a 24-year-old native of the Gaza Strip. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy at Al-Aqsa University’s Faculty of Arts.
In Gaza, in the midst of war, studying became more than a pursuit of knowledge—it became a way to hold on to purpose and resist the collapse of everything around us.
Among all my courses, one stood out: International and Regional Organizations. What made it exceptional wasn’t just the curriculum—it was the professor, Dr. Faiq Al-Naaouq. He showed me that education can offer stability and meaning, even when surrounded by death.
Even as images of destruction filled our television screens, Dr. Faiq gave us hope while explaining theories of international affairs. He spoke about the United Nations even as its offices were being bombed around us. He discussed human rights at a time when we were struggling just to prove we were human beings worthy of life.
Dr. Faiq was unlike anyone else—deeply human, eloquent in his simplicity, more than just a teacher. He was an inspiration, a guide, and a father figure. He didn’t just lecture us—he reminded us again and again: “Learn, because knowledge is stronger than war.”
We eagerly awaited his lectures. Despite the roar of drones and tanks, despite the power cuts and bombings, we would gather online—listening, engaging, asking questions, sometimes even laughing. We had to laugh, if only to prove we were still alive.
Then, on an otherwise ordinary day in the midst of unending catastrophe, we received news that shattered us. On April 24, 2025, Dr. Faiq Al-Naaouq and his family were killed in a midnight airstrike on the Jabaliya refugee camp—a place where safety had long ceased to exist.
The news appeared quietly on our phones, and time seemed to stop. A heavy silence settled over our thoughts. It didn’t feel real. We didn’t want to believe it.
Inside me, the place that had once been a space for learning became a graveyard of memories. I stared at my phone, rereading his messages in our class group chat, hearing his voice in my mind, remembering the reassurance his words once brought. And then I wept—not just for a teacher, but for a source of hope that had been taken from us.
This isn’t only a story about a professor I lost. It’s about someone who taught me how to live, how to remain human in the face of war. He showed me that a truthful message can survive even when voices are silenced—and that knowledge can outlast violence.
Dr. Faiq didn’t just teach diplomacy from a textbook. He taught us how to find peace within ourselves while everything outside burned. He taught us to build resilience and to stay connected to a sense of purpose.
I faced my own battles. I kept asking, “Why continue?” “Why study when there’s no guarantee of tomorrow?” That harsh voice would say, You won’t make it to the end—why even begin?
But I resisted. I answered with what I had learned: Maybe I won’t live—but at least I’ll die trying. I want to build something meaningful, not wait for the end to come.
Dr. Faiq believed in that, too. I found strength in his words, in his optimism, in the way he carried himself. He once told us, “Knowledge doesn’t recognize emergencies, but we live in a state of constant emergency.” Knowledge, like light, can continue to guide others—even after the source is gone.
Dr. Faiq’s presence online became a kind of shelter during the siege. We joined his lectures from tents or damaged rooms. He always greeted us with warmth, asked how we were doing, and listened—not just as a teacher, but as someone who truly cared.
I remember once joining a class in tears. The weight of everything was too much. He noticed, and instead of calling attention to it publicly, he messaged me privately: “Nada, are you okay? Keep your hope alive. Even if it seems far away, your future is still ahead of you.”
Those were the last words I ever received from him.
Now, as I work on my thesis—The Role of International Organizations in Crisis Management—I feel Dr. Faiq’s presence in every sentence. Every idea I explore is part of the legacy he left behind.
Death may take a person’s body, but it cannot erase their impact. Some people remain with us, even in their absence. Dr. Faiq Al-Naaouq is one of them. This story is both a tribute and a form of resistance—resistance through language, knowledge, and memory.
To anyone reading this: words matter. War doesn’t destroy everything. The hope, knowledge, and humanity that people like Dr. Faiq gave us—those things remain. No matter how loud the war, no matter how relentless the bombs—they live on, inside us.
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/what-israels-war-in-gaza-couldnt-kill-knowledge-memory-and-dr-faiqs-legacy/
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/middle-east-press/europe-israel-gaza-rubicon-fifa/d/135821
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