Israel defence minister says removing Palestinians from Gaza remains ‘only solution’

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel is still seeking to remove Palestinians from Gaza, describing the depopulation of the territory as the “only solution”.

Speaking at a conference organized by Israeli publication Ynet, Katz said Trump had not abandoned the proposal but had merely “frozen it”, adding that the plan continues to be discussed.

Katz said Israel would need US backing to implement the proposal and noted that Egypt has refused to take in Palestinians displaced from Gaza.

Trump previously backed removing Palestinians from the enclave and having the US take control of the territory, before later sponsoring a “ceasefire” agreement that states that no one would be forced to leave Gaza.

Palestinian rights advocates have described proposals to depopulate the enclave as ethnic cleansing.

We don't know if Trump's "Gaza Riviera plan" from May 2024 is backing the Israeli plan of ethnic cleansing.

Israeli PM says Israel is working to overthrow Iran’s government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is working to “overthrow” Iran’s government.

In an interview with i24 News, Netanyahu said: “All of our systems, under my direction, are working to bring down this regime and defeat it.”

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Israel threatens to again attack Iran’s energy facilities

Defense Minister Israel Katz says his country would strike Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure if ⁠Iran were to attack Israel.

Katz said an “Iranian attack on ⁠Israel would free Israel from any existing limitations on attacking Iran”.

“We will cripple all ‌of Iran’s national military and civilian infrastructure – including energy infrastructure – and return Iran ‌deep ‌into the Stone Age and darkness,” he said in a speech.

Israel – which with the US ⁠launched a joint air ⁠war against Iran in February – has not been involved in the latest round of fighting.

Read how the Israelis have made themselves being the problem.

UN Special Rapporteur Albanese praises Luxembourg’s non-renewal of Israel Bonds authorization

Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), did not renew its authorization for the issuance of Israel Bonds after it expired on Monday, leaving Israel with an uncertain path to raise capital from investors in European markets.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, welcomed the move on social media, calling it “an excellent step toward compliance with international law” and crediting “the civil society that has long campaigned for this”.

Luxembourg had taken over approval of the bond prospectus last year after the central bank of the Republic of Ireland, under pressure from civil society and parliamentary groups over the war in Gaza, declined to renew its own approval.

Israel Bonds are debt securities issued by the State of Israel and marketed to investors, including through authorizations in individual countries, to help finance the Israeli economy.

Israel can still seek approval from another EU member state to continue offering the bonds in European markets.

What it means:

• Loss of market access: The borrowing country loses access to a specific pool of foreign capital and investors.
• Regulatory sanction or protection: The regulator takes this step to protect local investors from high risk, or as a financial penalty due to political conflict, debt default, or broken financial rules.
• Sign of distress: It shows that the issuing country is seen as financially unstable, untrustworthy, or non-compliant with international standards.

Financial effects

• Immediate funding crunch: The borrowing country cannot raise fresh cash from that market to pay debts or fund government programs.
• Drop in bond value: Existing bonds from that country usually lose value (prices fall) because investor confidence collapses.
• Higher borrowing costs: If the country tries to borrow elsewhere, lenders will demand higher interest rates due to the increased risk.
• Currency decline: The borrowing country's currency often drops in value as foreign investors sell off their assets.

Most Swedish parties back tougher action on Israel, survey finds

A survey of Sweden’s parliamentary parties found broad support for stronger measures against Israeli government actions in the occupied Palestinian Territories than current policy reflects, according to six civil society organisations behind the poll.

Seven of the eight parties in the Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament, responded to the survey – a joint initiative including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International Sweden and Act Church of Sweden. The survey was released on Wednesday ahead of the general election on September 13.

The seven parties backed Sweden’s obligation to enforce International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as targeted EU sanctions. Four parties supported a national ban on settlement trade, suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and restoring funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

“It is crucial for Sweden’s next government, whatever its composition, to bring Swedish policy in line with its international legal obligations,” said Christina Abdulahad, an HRW advocacy officer.

The Sweden Democrats, the right-wing second-largest party in parliament, did not respond to the survey and have previously opposed suspending the EU-Israel trade agreement.

Far-right Israeli minister sets out plan to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has set out a plan to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza and send them abroad.

Speaking in the run-up to closely contested Israeli elections next month, Ben-Gvir said the plan aims to see 250,000 Palestinians from the besieged enclave removed in the first year, followed by roughly 2 million residents over the next six years.

“It’s realistic,” Ben-Gvir said, claiming there are countries “ready” to take them in without naming which ones.

Under the Geneva Conventions, the forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory is considered a war crime.

Netanyahu calls overthrowing Iran’s leadership Israel’s ‘next main mission’

Israel Hayom, an Israeli newspaper, reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said overthrowing Iran’s leadership is his “next main mission”, and that he believes it is within reach.

Netanyahu’s comments came during a meeting with senior Israeli army officials, according to the newspaper.

Yesterday, US President Trump told Israeli media that Israel should not worry about the Iran war ramping up, and that the US would “take care” of it.

Israeli athletes removed from Northern Ireland triathlon for attacks on Palestinians

Israeli athletes, who were due to compete in an international triathlon in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry this weekend, will no longer be taking part, race organisers have said.

North West Triathlon Club (NWTC) said it had made “strong representations” that it could not support the participation of four Israeli athletes in the Europe Triathlon Cup.

NWTC, in a social media statement, said it became aware of the potential participation of Israeli athletes only when the provisional entry list for Saturday’s race was published on the World Triathlon website.

“There will be no Israeli representation competing at this event,” the organisation said.

The NWTC said their stance was not “directed at anyone because of their religion or ethnicity”, but was a position “concerning representation of the state of Israel in international sport and the attempt to present normality on the international sporting stage while Palestinians continue to suffer”.