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British man charged after allegedly joining Syrian terror group

Pro-Tehran demonstrators had held an event to mark the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last week…reports Asian Lite News

A British man who allegedly travelled to Syria to fight for the Jaish Al-Fatah group has been charged with terrorism offences, the Metropolitan Police said on Saturday.

Isa Giga was arrested after arriving in London aboard a flight from Turkey on Thursday. He was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. He is suspected of traveling to commit acts of terrorism.

“We have been clear for some time now that should anyone return to the UK whom we suspect of being involved in any terrorist-related activity overseas, then they can expect to be thoroughly investigated,” Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the force’s Counter Terrorism Command told the BBC.

“We work very closely with other partners and agencies here in the UK and overseas in order to do this and help keep the public safe.”

Supporters, opponents of Tehran clash in London

Clashes in London between supporters and opponents of Iran’s government on Friday left four people with injuries, Sky News reported on Saturday.

One person was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder following the clashes. Metropolitan Police officers were called to the scene at about 6 p.m. following reports of violence.

Pro-Tehran demonstrators had held an event to mark the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last week.

Outside the venue, anti-Tehran protesters held a counter-demonstration, and clashes broke out between the two sides.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said four people were treated by paramedics for injuries. “Their injuries are not believed to be either life threatening or life changing,” the spokesperson added.

“Further inquiries will now follow to establish what further offences took place and to identify those involved.”

British RAF pilot dies after aircraft crash

Meanwhile, A British Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot was killed after a Spitfire crashed near an RAF base in Lincolnshire, an RAF spokesperson has said.

“It is with great sadness that we must confirm the death of an RAF pilot in a tragic accident near RAF Coningsby today,” said the spokesperson on Saturday.

Earlier, a Lincolnshire police spokesperson said a “single occupant aircraft” is believed to have crashed and nobody else is thought to have been involved, Xinhua news agency reported.

British media reported that the plane went down shortly before 1220 GMT and the crashed Spitfire was taking part in a Battle of Britain memorial event.

RAF Coningsby is home to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a collection of wartime fighter and bomber aircraft that take part in air shows and memorial displays.

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Israel strikes Rafah despite ICJ orders  

The Hague-based ICJ, whose orders are legally binding but lack direct enforcement mechanisms, also instructed Israel to keep open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which Israel closed earlier this month…reports Asian Lite News

Israeli air strikes and artillery pounded Rafah on Saturday, despite the UN’s top court ordering an immediate halt to its military offensive in the southern Gazan city.

At the same time, renewed efforts were underway in Paris aimed at securing a ceasefire in the war sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.

In a case brought by South Africa alleging the Israeli military operation amounts to “genocide”, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive and demanded the immediate release of hostages still held by Palestinian militants.

The Hague-based ICJ, whose orders are legally binding but lack direct enforcement mechanisms, also instructed Israel to keep open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which Israel closed earlier this month.

Israel gave no indication it was preparing to change course in Rafah, insisting the court had got it wrong.

“Israel has not and will not carry out military operations in the Rafah area that create living conditions that could cause the destruction of the Palestinian civilian population, in whole or in part,” National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a joint statement with Israel’s foreign ministry spokesman.

Hamas, the Iran-backed Islamist group that has ruled Gaza since 2007, welcomed the ICJ ruling on Rafah but criticised its decision to exclude the rest of the Palestinian territory from the order.

In spite of the ICJ ruling, Israel carried out strikes throughout the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning as fighting raged between the Army and Hamas’s armed wing.

Palestinian witnesses reported Israeli strikes or shelling in Rafah, the central city of Deir al-Balah, Gaza City, Jabalia refugee camp and elsewhere.

“We hope that the court’s decision will put pressure on Israel to end this war of extermination because there is nothing left here,” said Umm Mohammad Al-Ashqa, a Palestinian woman from Gaza City displaced to Deir al-Balah by the war.

Mohammed Saleh said from the central Gazan city that “Israel is a state that considers itself above the law. Therefore, I do not believe that the shooting or the war will stop other than by force.”

Yahya, a 34-year-old in Gaza who did not give his second name for security reasons, said: “Perhaps these decisions… that Israel has not complied with, will make the Western world move more strongly (in favour) of our cause at popular and political levels, supporting the recognition of the state of Palestine and strengthening our rights”.

The ICJ ruling came days after Ireland, Spain and Norway said they would formally recognise a Palestinian state and the International Criminal Court prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Hamas leaders on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In its ruling, the ICJ said Israel must “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.

The UN court ordered Israel to allow UN-mandated investigators “unimpeded access” to Gaza to look into the genocide allegations.

It also instructed Israel to open the Rafah crossing for the “unhindered provision at scale” of humanitarian aid and also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

The Gaza war broke out after Hamas’s October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the Army says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,857 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to data from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

On the diplomatic front, efforts have resumed to seek the first ceasefire in Gaza since a week-long truce and hostage release in November.

CIA chief Bill Burns was expected to meet Israeli representatives in Paris in a bid to relaunch negotiations, a Western source close to the issue said.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken also spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz about new efforts to achieve a ceasefire and reopen the Rafah border crossing, Washington said.

Israel sent tanks and troops into Rafah in early May, defying global opposition. It has since ordered mass evacuations from Rafah, with the UN saying more than 800,000 people have fled.

Troops took over the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, further slowing sporadic deliveries of aid for Gaza’s 2.4 million people.

Italy on Saturday became the latest donor nation to restore funding for the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, having suspended it in the wake of Israeli allegations that some of its employees were involved with the October 7 attack.

Rome said it would give 35 million euros to UNRWA, joining Germany, Sweden, Canada, Japan and others in resuming donations.

The security and humanitarian situation in the territory remains alarming, with a risk of famine and most hospitals no longer functioning.

ALSO READ-Israel must obey UN court on Rafah: EU

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Heavy seas batter US Gaza maritime aid mission

Four vessels serving a floating aid delivery pier broke free from their moorings.

Heavy seas battered the US maritime humanitarian mission to Gaza on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, with four vessels serving a floating aid delivery pier breaking free from their moorings.

No injuries were reported and the aid pier remains fully functional, CENTCOM said in a statement, adding that no US personnel would enter Gaza.

Two of the affected vessels were now anchored on the beach near the pier and the other two were beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon, CENTCOM said, adding that efforts to recover the vessels were under way with assistance from the Israeli Navy.

A six-day-old US pier project in Gaza is starting to get more aid to Palestinians in need but conditions are challenging, US officials said Thursday. That reflects the larger problems bringing food and other supplies to starving people in the besieged territory.

The floating pier had a troubled launch, with crowds overrunning some of the first trucks coming from the new US-led sea route and taking its contents over the weekend. One man in the crowd was shot dead in still-unexplained circumstances. It led to a two-day suspension of aid distribution.

The US military worked with the UN and Israeli officials to select safer alternate routes for trucks coming from the pier, US Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters Thursday.

As a result, the US pier on Wednesday accounted for 27 of the 70 total trucks of aid that the UN was able to round up from all land and sea crossings into Gaza for distribution to civilians, the United States said.

That’s a fraction of the 150 truckloads of food, emergency nutrition treatment and other supplies that US officials aim to bring in when the sea route is working at maximum capacity.

(Photo: US Central Command)

Plus, Gaza needs 600 trucks entering each day, according to the US Agency for International Development, to curb a famine that the heads of USAID and the UN World Food Program have said has begun in the north and to keep it from spreading south.

Only one of the 54 trucks that came from the pier Tuesday and Wednesday encountered any security issues on their way to aid warehouses and distribution points, US officials said. They called the issues “minor” but gave no details.

A deepening Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah has made it impossible for aid shipments to get through the crossing there, which is a key source for fuel and food coming into Gaza. Israel says it is bringing aid in through another border crossing, Kerem Shalom, but humanitarian organizations say Israeli military operations make it difficult for them to retrieve the aid there for distribution.

The Biden administration last week launched the $320 million floating pier for a new maritime aid route into Gaza as the seven-month-old Israel-Hamas war and Israeli restrictions on land crossings have severely limited food deliveries to 2.3 million Palestinians.

For all humanitarian efforts, “the risks are manifold,” Daniel Dieckhaus, USAID’s response director for Gaza, said at a briefing with Cooper. “This is an active conflict with deteriorating conditions.”

Dieckhaus rejected charges from some aid groups that the pier is diverting attention from what the US, UN and relief workers say is the essential need for Israel to allow full access to land crossings for humanitarian shipments.

For instance, Jeremy Konyndyk, a former USAID official now leading Refugees International, tweeted that “the pier is humanitarian theater.”

“I would not call, within a couple of days, getting enough food and other supplies for tens of thousands of people for a month theater,” Dieckhaus said Thursday when asked about the criticism.

At maximum capacity, the pier would bring in enough food for 500,000 of Gaza’s people. US officials stressed the need for flow through open land crossings for the remaining 1.8 million.

ALSO READ: Gaza war is ‘real genocide,’ Spanish defence minister says

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Gaza war is ‘real genocide,’ Spanish defence minister says

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles also said Madrid’s recognition of Palestine was not a move against Israel, adding that it was designed to help “end violence in Gaza.”

The Spanish defence minister said on Saturday that the conflict in Gaza is a “real genocide” as relations between Israel and Spain worsen following Madrid’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.

Israel has strongly rejected accusations made against it by South Africa at the International Court of Justice that it is committing genocide against Palestinians, saying it is waging war on Hamas.

The remark by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles in an interview with TVE state television echoed a comment by Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz, who earlier this week also described the Gaza conflict as a genocide.

“We cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, which is a real genocide,” Robles said in the interview, during which she also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in Africa.

She also said Madrid’s recognition of Palestine was not a move against Israel, adding that it was designed to help “end violence in Gaza.”

“This is not against anyone, this is not against the Israeli state, this is not against the Israelis, who are people we respect,” she said.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and destroyed much of the enclave. Israel launched the operation to try to eliminate Hamas after the Palestinian group attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, declared this week it would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, prompting an angry response from Israel, which said it amounted to a “reward for terrorism” and recalled its ambassadors from the three capitals.

Judges at the ICJ, the top UN court, on Friday, ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in the case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.

On Saturday, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that Israel must obey the court’s ruling.

In a post on the social media site X, he said, “The International Court of Justice’s precautionary measures, including the cessation of Israel’s offensive in Rafah, are mandatory. We demand their application.”

South Africa has accused Israel of failing to uphold its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Israel rejects the accusation, arguing it is acting to defend itself and fighting Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday that if more nations recognized the Palestinian state, it would add to international pressure for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

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Israel must obey UN court on Rafah: EU

Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, speaks at a press conference with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky (not in the picture) after a two-day informal meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers in Prague, the Czech Republic, on Aug. 31, 2022. (Xinhua/Deng Yaomin/IANS)

The ICJ – the UN’s top court based in the Dutch city of The Hague – on Friday ordered Israel to immediately cease its attack on the city….reports Asian Lite News

A UN court order for Israel to stop its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah must be obeyed, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief said on Saturday.

“We take note of the order” handed down to Israel, Josep Borrell said on X. “ICJ (International Court of Justice) orders are binding on the Parties, and they have to be fully and effectively implemented.”

The ICJ – the UN’s top court based in the Dutch city of The Hague – on Friday ordered Israel to immediately cease its attack on the city.

The operation is officially directed at the Palestinian militant group Hamas but is also inflicting huge suffering on thousands of civilians caught in the city.

According to the judges, the humanitarian situation in Rafah is now “disastrous.” Further measures are necessary to prevent further harm to the civilian population, they added.

In his post, Borrell highlighted the court order for Israel to “maintain the Rafah crossing open for humanitarian assistance.”

Israel on Friday responded to the court’s ruling by insisting its actions in Rafah were part of a “defensive and just war” following the October 7 terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas.

In a joint statement, the head of Israel’s National Security Council and a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the country “has not and will not conduct military actions in the Rafah area which may inflict on the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

“The charges of genocide brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague are false, outrageous and morally repugnant,” the statement added.

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Australia Calls on Israel to Respect ICJ Rafah Ruling

On Friday, the ICJ, the top court of the UN, ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah…reports Asian Lite News

A senior Australian government minister has urged Israel to abide by an order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to halt its military offensive in southern Gaza.

On Friday, the ICJ, the top court of the UN, ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah and open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to allow aid into the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

In response, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy and member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet, Chris Bowen, said the federal government supported the ruling.

He described the situation in Rafah as a humanitarian disaster that has the scope to get worse.

“We have been very consistent that Rafah should not be attacked,” Bowen said at a press conference on Saturday.

“Australia believes international law should be complied with. Australia believes the binding rulings should be complied with, and we believe Rafah should not be invaded by Israel.”

The ICJ order was adopted by a panel of 15 international judges in a 13-2 vote, with judges from Israel and Uganda opposed.

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Four Injured, One Arrested in London Iran Protest Clash

An event was taking place to mark the death of the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and was attended by supporters of the Iranian government…reports Asian Lite News

Four people were injured and one was arrested following a clash between pro-Iran supporters and anti-Iranian government protesters in London.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 6.21 p.m. (1720 GMT) on Friday following reports of disorder.

An event was taking place to mark the death of the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and was attended by supporters of the Iranian government.

The Met said anti-government protesters had gathered outside the venue, and clashes broke out between the groups.

Officers and other Met resources attended alongside paramedics from the London Ambulance Service.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed four people were injured and treated by paramedics. One person was also arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.

The spokesperson added: “Their injuries are not believed to be either life-threatening or life-changing.”

“A dispersal order was implemented, requiring those involved to leave the area. It will remain in force until 03:00 hours.”

“Further inquiries will now follow to establish what further offences took place and to identify those involved.”

“This will include an examination of footage shared on social media.”

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No Plans to Recognize Palestinian State: Germany

Scholz calls for a two-state solution with the Palestinian Authority governing both the West Bank and Gaza….reports Asian Lite News

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that his government has no plans to officially recognise a Palestinian state.

There is “no reason” to recognise the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a separate state, Scholz said on Friday at a press conference alongside Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.

“There is no clarity about the territory of the state, about all other issues related to it,” Scholz said. He suggested that matters were “not yet that far.”

Scholz argued that “a negotiated solution between Israel and the Palestinians that amounts to a two-state solution” with a Palestinian Authority responsible for both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is needed instead.

“But we’re still a long way off that,” Scholz said.

What is important now is “to achieve a long-term ceasefire” and “for all parties to commit to the two-state solution,” Scholz said.

Ireland, Spain and Norway all announced plans to formally recognise a Palestinian state by the end of the month, a move that was met with fury from the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Montenegro said that Portugal will not be taking this step for the time being, although he noted that his country had voted in favour of recognising Palestine as a full member of the United Nations General Assembly.

Scholz on Friday said that it has become clear in recent weeks that Arab countries are working hard to ensure security in the Middle East region, which the German chancellor contended should give hope for a possible two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

However, a path of “symbolic recognition of statehood” would not lead things any further, Scholz said.

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Hezbollah Vows ‘Surprise’ Assaults Against Israel

Nasrallah claimed that “the resistance” is well-prepared for any surprising attacks from Israel…reports Asian Lite News

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to launch “surprise” attacks against Israel after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has “surprising” military plans for Lebanon.

“You must expect surprises from our resistance,” the Hezbollah leader said during a televised speech on Friday.

Nasrallah also claimed that “the resistance” is well-prepared for any surprising attacks from Israel, saying they have “studied all hypotheses and scenarios”, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a meeting with several Israeli generals on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel has “detailed, important, and even surprising plans for the North,” namely the country’s northern neighbour Lebanon.

“We are constantly in action on the northern front,” Netanyahu said, adding Israel has “eliminated hundreds” of Hezbollah members.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

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Netanyahu to soon address joint session of US Congress

The gesture is intended to demonstrate strong support for Israel during a challenging time…reports Asian Lite News

US House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon address a joint session of Congress, despite rising tensions with President Joe Biden over Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza conflict.

Johnson, a Republican critic of Biden’s Israel policy, made the announcement during a keynote speech at the Israeli embassy’s annual Independence Day reception.

This gesture is intended to demonstrate strong support for Israel during a challenging time, though it is expected to further inflame progressive Democrats who criticize Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Biden’s backing of them.

The event in Washington, marked by diplomatic strain, also featured Democratic US Representative Pete Aguilar, who emphasized the American commitment to Israel’s sovereignty. Johnson’s announcement was met with applause as he revealed plans to host Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session.

Historically, US administrations have sent high-level officials to these Independence Day receptions to reflect Israel’s status as a key ally.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who called for a Gaza ceasefire, spoke at last year’s event, underscoring US support for Israel. This year, the embassy aimed to honour lawmakers bipartisanly, acknowledging Congress’s approval of substantial US military aid to Israel.

The reception coincided with a White House dinner for Kenyan President William Ruto, resulting in a scheduling conflict for senior Biden administration members. Nonetheless, several Biden aides, including Derek Chollet from the State Department, were present.

Johnson and Aguilar condemned the International Criminal Court’s recent arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defense chief over Gaza. Johnson criticized Biden’s hesitation to send certain weapons to Israel, accusing some leaders of withholding vital support.

Meawhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned against the intended recognition of an independent Palestinian state as announced by Norway, Ireland, and Spain.

“The intention of several European countries to recognise a Palestinian state is a reward for terrorism,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Eighty per cent of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) support the terrible massacre of October 7,” he asserted.

“This evil cannot be given a state.”

“This would be a terrorist state. It will try to repeat the massacre of October 7 again and again; we will not consent to this,” the Israeli Prime Minister asserted.

“Rewarding terrorism will not bring peace and neither will it stop us from defeating Hamas,” Netanyahu added.

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