Turkish activist describes Israeli navy's raid of Gaza-bound flotilla as 'unlawful' A Turkish activist aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla has described the Israeli navy's raid in international waters as “unlawful” and “brutal”. A Turkish activist aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla has described Israeli intervention in international waters as “unlawful” and “brutal” after several vessels were intercepted overnight. pic.
Israel’s top Jewish religious body 'refuses to condemn' smashing of Jesus statue Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Thu, 04/30/2026 - 14:27 Army sought statement denouncing incident as contrary to Jewish law amid backlash, report says Footage of an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus was widely condemned (Screenshot/X) Off Israel ’s Chief Rabbinate has declined to condemn the smashing of a statue of Jesus by a soldier in southern Lebanon earlier this month, according to Army Radio . The report on Thursday said military officials had asked the Rabbinate, the highest Jewish religious authority in Israel, to issue a statement condemning the incident, which drew widespread criticism. According to the report, the army requested that the Rabbinate denounce the act as contrary to Jewish law, but no such condemnation was issued.
UK terror watchdog urges 'moratorium' on pro-Palestine marches Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 04/30/2026 - 12:58 Jonathan Hall made the comments following stabbing of two Jewish people in Golders Green Protesters wave Palestinian flags as they march past Harrods department store during a march organised by the Palestine Coalition in central London, 28 March (AFP) Off The UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, has called for a "moratorium" on pro- Palestine marches because of recent antisemitic attacks in London. A 45-year-old Somali -born British national was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after two Jewish men in Golders Green, aged 34 and 76, were stabbed in a London neighbourhood with a large Jewish population. Both are expected to make a full recovery.
Nun assaulted in Jerusalem amid 'pattern' of anti-Christian attacks by Israelis Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Thu, 04/30/2026 - 12:37 Police arrest suspect who struck a 48-year-old nun in the face while she was walking in the city The 48-year-old nun was attacked on 28 April 2026 in occupied East Jerusalem, leaving her face bruised (Israeli police). Off A nun was assaulted in occupied East Jerusalem earlier this week amid growing concern over Israeli attacks against Christians. The 48-year-old, a researcher at Jerusalem’s French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, was attacked on Tuesday in front of the Cenacle, a site on Mount Zion regarded as holy by both Christians and Jews.
Starmer calls for ‘swift and visible’ response to attacks on Jews A stronger and more immediate response to attacks targeting Britain’s Jewish community has been called for by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "It’s really important that we are able collectively to demonstrate that the response will be swift and visible," he said during a high-level meeting held at Downing Street following an attack in north London yesterday which wounded two people.
Telegraph and Politico owner says journalists must support Israel or resign Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Thu, 04/30/2026 - 08:34 Mathias Dopfner has been accused of editorial interference by journalists over his pro-Israel mandates CEO of Axel Springer media group Mathias Doepfner (John MacDougall/AFP) Off The owner of the Telegraph and Politico has said the outlets' journalists must back Israel or resign, prompting accusations that the newsroom’s independence is under threat. Tensions inside Politico were laid bare this week after Axel Springer CEO Mathias Dopfner told staff that backing Israel forms a core value of working at the outlet. Axel Springer acquired the political news site in 2021.
Iran condemns Bahrain for stripping dozens of citizenship Iran condemned Bahrain for revoking the citizenships of 69 people who were accused of expressing "sympathy" for Tehran during the US-Israeli war on the country. "The Bahraini government cannot use such narratives to distract public opinion in the country and the region from its direct responsibility for supporting and backing the US-Israeli aggressors against the Iranian people," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement, as reported by the state-owned IRIB. Bahrain said it stripped 69 people of their citizenship on Monday, including family members, over expressing "sympathy and praise for Iran’s hostile and criminal acts".
Iran accuses Bahrain of rights violations over citizenship revocations Iran’s government has accused Bahrain of violating the rights of 69 people whose citizenship was revoked over alleged support for Iranian attacks. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said the individuals were stripped of nationality for sympathising with Iran and “colluding with foreign entities”. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei called the move discriminatory and accused Bahrain of trying to deflect attention from its support for US and Israeli actions.
Palestine football appeals Fifa decision to do nothing about Israeli clubs in illegal settlements Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 17:36 The Palestinian Football Association said it felt compelled to act in such an 'unjust' situation A blow-up Trionda football, the official match ball of the Fifa World Cup 2026, is pictured during a press conference announcing an official fan zone in New York City, on 27 April 2026 (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters) Off The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has turned to a global sporting arbitrator to appeal what it calls an "unjust" decision by Fifa not to sanction Israel for running football clubs out of Israeli settlements inside the occupied West Bank. Last month, after carrying out an investigation based on a 2024 PFA complaint, Fifa insisted that "the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law", and therefore, it would "take no action". Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, according to the International Court of Justice.
Palestine Action ban disproportionately impacts Palestinians in UK, court hears Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 17:51 The UK Home Office defends ban as necessary for national security, while lawyers warn of impact on civil liberties An elderly man is escorted away by police as protesters gather to call for the lifting of the ban on the Palestine Action group during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in central London, on 11 April 2026 (AFP) Off Lawyers representing the co-founder of Palestine Action said the ban on the direct-action group had disproportionately impacted Palestinians in Britain campaigning against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Speaking at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, Raza Husain KC, who is representing Huda Ammori, said the ban had created a “culture of fear” among British Palestinians and those advocating for Palestinian rights. “The proscription of PA is impacting particularly severely on Palestinians in Britain, whose conduct and expression have been chilled and criminalised at precisely the moment when their communities in Palestine are being annihilated,” Husain said in written statements.
Kuwait revokes journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin's citizenship Submitted by Rayhan Uddin on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 11:57 The US-born Kuwaiti national was arrested and stripped of his citizenship for 'simply doing his job', lawyers say Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin spent several weeks in jail for sharing images related to the Iran war (Screengrab/Youtube) Off Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, the Kuwaiti -American journalist who recently spent weeks in jail over sharing images related to the US-Israeli war on Iran, has had his Kuwaiti citizenship revoked. “I am free - but many remain behind bars in Kuwait and across the region for speaking the truth. Today, my sisters and I have become part of the more than 50,000 Kuwaitis who have had their citizenship revoked," Shihab-Eldin said in a statement issued on Wednesday by his legal team.
Kuwait revokes journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin's citizenship Submitted by Rayhan Uddin on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 11:57 The US-born Kuwaiti national was arrested and stripped of his citizenship for 'simply doing his job', lawyers say Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin spent several weeks in jail for sharing images related to the Iran war (Screengrab/Youtube) Off Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, the Kuwaiti -American journalist who recently spent weeks in jail over sharing images related to the US - Israeli war on Iran , has had his Kuwaiti citizenship revoked. The citizenships of his two sisters were also stripped. “I am free - but many remain behind bars in Kuwait and across the region for speaking the truth.
Palestine Action defendants drop lawyers and self-represent due to ‘decisions made by the court’ Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 17:26 Defendants make own closing speeches before the jury as trial in London nears an end Protesters outside Woolwich Crown Court in London, where alleged Palestine Action activists are on trial (AFP) Off Palestine Action defendants standing trial in connection with a raid on an Elbit Systems factory decided to represent themselves on Wednesday and dispense with their defence lawyers, who they say are unable to represent them due to “decisions made by the court”. Leona Kamio, 30, Charlotte Head, 29, Jordan Devlin, 31, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Samuel Corner, 23, face charges of criminal damage in connection with the break-in at the Israeli -owned factory at Filton, near Bristol, in August 2024. Corner additionally faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent for allegedly striking a police officer with a sledgehammer.
UK: Starmer condemns 'antisemitic attack' after two Jewish men stabbed in London Submitted by Imran Mulla on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 13:27 A man has been arrested after allegedly stabbing two people in London's Golders Green, which has a large Jewish population Local residents look on from outside a cordoned off area in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London on April 29, 2026. (AFP) Off A man has been arrested after stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green, a London neighbourhood with a large Jewish population. The man was detained by members of the Jewish security group Shomrim on Wednesday afternoon before police officers arrested him.
Britain created the template for Israel's occupation. It must own up to its crimes in Palestine Submitted by Tahir Ali on Tue, 04/28/2026 - 16:18 From collective punishment to coercive interrogation, all bear the hallmark of British mandate abuses. It's high time we apologised to the Palestinian people for our colonial crimes A Palestinian student carries a banner after Israeli settlers closed the shortcut used by students and Palestinian villagers, which passes through the new Jewish settlement outpost of Carmel in the occupied West Bank on 26 April, 2026 (Reuters) On The recent report that Israel has brought no prosecutions for the killing of Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank since the start of this decade is a stark indictment of the failure of justice, accountability and the international rules-based order.
New petition seeks 'accountability' from UK over role in Israel-Palestine Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 10:50 The 400-page legal petition asks for reparations, an apology and access to historical documents on British role in Israel's creation British soldiers enter the old city of Jerusalem to impose a curfew following Arab rioting against Jews during the British Mandate in Palestine, 19 October 1938 (Eric Matson/GPO/AFP) Off A new legal petition has called for the UK to accept responsibility for the situation in Israel - Palestine and allow access to historic information on the ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinians. The 400-page petition, titled "Regarding Britain’s responsibility for wrongs and reparations in Palestine" and initiated by the Britain Owes Palestine campaign, documents alleged unlawful acts and systemic abuses during the period of 1917 to 1948, from the signing of the Balfour Declaration (in which the UK promised a Jewish homeland in Palestine to the Zionist movement) to the end of the British Mandate on Palestine that saw the creation of Israel. It argues that the UK's governance of the territory - captured from the Ottoman Empire during World War 1 - denied the Palestinian Arab majority meaningful self-governance and established a political system that entrenched apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
Israel accused of using 'water as a weapon' against Palestinians in Gaza Submitted by Mera Aladam on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 08:14 Doctors Without Borders says deliberate water deprivation is an 'integral part of Israel's genocide' Palestinian children fetch water at the Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on 28 April 2026 (Eyad Baba/AFP) Off Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Israel of using access to water as a weapon against Palestinians during the Gaza genocide . In a report published on Tuesday, the medical charity said Israel is systematically depriving the besieged enclave of water, describing it as a "campaign of collective punishment". "Deliberately denying Palestinians access to water is an integral part of Israel's genocide," it said.
'Funding war crimes': HRW accuses Israel over Syria's Golan settlement plan Human Rights Watch accused Israel of funding war crimes in the occupied Golan Heights, citing a government-approved plan worth $334m to move thousands of Israeli civilians to the area. The group said the policy raises serious concerns under international law. Human Rights Watch called on the European Union, the United Kingdom and other states to suspend trade agreements with Israel and impose restrictions on business linked to settlements.
Amnesty: Israel must halt ‘unlawful destruction of civilian property’ in Lebanon Amnesty International said that attacks on civilian infrastructure by Israel has continued, after footage showing the destruction of solar panels in southern Lebanon by Israeli bulldozers has surfaced. In a post on X, the group said the incident reflects a broader pattern of damage to non-military facilities. "Amnesty International has previously documented extensive destruction by the Israeli military along Lebanon’s border before and after the November 2024 ceasefire.
Leading Arab-American advocacy group roiled by calls for leaders to resign and donations to be returned Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Tue, 04/28/2026 - 20:29 Former staffers, including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, called on the board to go after a spate of scandals, including allegations of verbal abuse and sexual harassment Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib attends a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 14 January 2026 (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images via AFP) Off The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has fired its executive director as well as a board member this month, as it faces accusations of being a toxic workplace for women, former staffers and volunteers have told Middle East Eye. They now join current staff members and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in demanding that the entire 10-member board step down to make way for a transitional team. They are also calling for a clear public apology over what they allege was years-long sexual harassment and assault by men at the top of the organisation.
