Worldcrunch
Amnesty International has published a report accusing Hamas of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report is particularly significant given that the human rights organization had previously accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. It’s a timely reminder that the law applies to everyone.
The Israeli army chief of staff has described the separation between the two areas of Gaza as a “new border,” raising fears that the situation will become permanent when it was only supposed to be temporary pending the second phase of the “Trump plan.” But that plan may be destined to go nowhere.
French President Emmanuel Macron received Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the State of Palestine, as recognized by France on September 22. The two leaders presented ideas for the future of Gaza that go beyond the Trump plan currently being implemented.
Israel’s post-hostage relief must not harden into absolution, but must be taken as a moment for accountability and a rethinking of coexistence.
Donald Trump and some 20 European and Middle Eastern leaders meet Monday in Egypt to discuss Gaza, but with different agendas and objectives. The risk is that this will lead to a ceasefire without a peace process, which is a recipe for future disasters.
Recently released, a former Palestinian detainee recounts the beatings, humiliation, and deprivation he endured as human rights groups warn of a prison system turned into an instrument of state violence.
The first phase of the agreement will see the release of Palestinian hostages and prisoners. But can we really be optimistic about what comes next, when the tougher political choices are still to come? Not just yet, says geopolitical analyst Pierre Haski.
Under pressure from the U.S. president, Israeli and Hamas negotiators reached an agreement on the first phase of the Gaza plan — a deal that includes the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. But the path forward remains uncertain, with the next steps in the plan’s implementation still unclear.
As the region transforms after October 7, Berlin needs both empathy for Israel and the courage to rethink its own foreign policy doctrine.
Negotiations on the implementation of Trump’s plan for Gaza began on Monday in Egypt. No one wants to be held responsible for failure, which gives the first phase— a ceasefire and the release of hostages and prisoners — a real chance of success. What comes next will be far more complex.
Italy’s prime minister signals support for a Palestinian state at the UN with conditions attached, breaking with Netanyahu and Trump but stopping short of a full embrace.
Despite being 89 and having little support among the Palestinian population, Mahmoud Abbas remains central to the Franco-Saudi peace plan. The president of the Palestinian Authority is, however, being shunned by Israel and the United States over the decision of who is to oversee the “aftermath” in Gaza.
By twisting words into tools of war, Israel turns destruction into “security,” displacement into “voluntary migration,” and Gaza’s annihilation into a defensive necessity.
The debate too often strips Palestinians of their political agency, ignoring their own demands for equality, self-determination, and return.
Less than three weeks after Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to recognize Palestine, Israel and the United States are increasingly mounting obstacles to the French diplomatic initiative. Israel accuses the French president of seeking to “undermine stability” in the Middle East.
As the UN vote to formally recognize the State of Palestine gets closer, pressure on Donald Trump is growing. He must decide, once and for all, whether to continue his unconditional support for Netanyahu or seek a viable way forward.
Breakdancing has taken root in one of the most unlikely places: In the refugee camps of Nuseirat and Gaza City, a crew called Breaking 48 trains children and teenagers in the art of hip-hop, amid ongoing conflict, shortages, and destruction. Their story is one of resilience, creativity, and community.
France, the UK and Canada are preparing to formally back Palestinian statehood at the UN this September. Behind the symbolic gesture lies a strategic power play aimed at Benjamin Netanyahu — and Donald Trump.
The Israel-Jordan peace treaty brought a moment of hope to the region. But Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination killed the Israeli left, and with it the idea and spark of hope.
People would have understood Israel’s punitive retribution, even a singularly harsh response, to the October 7 massacre of Israelis by Hamas gunmen. But it has since gone far too far, prompting even sympathizers to wonder in horror, is a democracy committing genocide.
Israel is attacking an area that had been designated as a “humanitarian zone,” offering shelter to around 70,000 displaced people and humanitarian workers. This comes after scores of civilians had been killed by Israeli troops while attempting to get food and other basic supplies for their families.
Benjamin Netanyahu proposing the U.S. president for the Nobel Peace prize may seem a sinister joke, but it seems the Gaza genocide these laureates-in-waiting are boasting about is reaping them benefits. It is giving them wings, like those of vultures.
The so-called “Hebron Emirate” is not a realistic project — but rather a propaganda tool within a campaign to hinder any progress toward a two-state solution. Netanyahu again succeeds in marketing the illusion of alternative solutions to delay a real settlement.
Donald Trump has scored a number of domestic and international victories. But his failure to reign in either Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu does not bode well for the future.
Eight decades after the UN Charter was signed, the so-called rules-based order is looking pretty battered. Still, the fact that someone breaks a rule doesn’t make it invalid. Law and reality never fully align. Otherwise, we wouldn’t need law.
June 20 – July 3, 2025
As Netanyahu’s war recalibrates alliances and redraws red lines, international law fades into irrelevance, Gaza becomes background noise, and the West’s moral compass spins off course.
Six centuries after the Arab world’s greatest philologist traced a cultural fault line between Bedouins and urban Arabs, that same divide echoes in today’s Middle East conflicts — from ISIS and al-Nusra to Gaza’s shifting alliances.
Five countries have imposed sanctions against the two most important far-right ministers in Israel’s Netanyahu government — Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — a first that marks the deterioration in relations between Israel and its allies. But with the Trump administration standing behind Netanyahu, little can be actually be done.
Neither Israel nor Hamas has any interest in declaring victory or defeat. Yet, as a moral obligation, Hamas must preempt the Israeli mission and agree to withdraw from Gaza.
A new horror during food distribution in Gaza comes, with the warring parties digging in their heels at the expense of the population. Only the White House has the weight to impose a truce. Why is it waiting?
As Israeli bombs continue to fall and international condemnation mounts, a long-avoided question resurfaces in Israeli society: when are soldiers morally bound to disobey orders?
A growing number of Israelis oppose the ruthless war in the Gaza Strip and fear their country’s international isolation. Increasing criticism from Europe is fueling this sentiment, which, for now, has not stopped Benjamin Netanyahu from escalating the conflict.
The Israeli army has imposed itself as the most powerful in the region in the wars waged since Oct. 7. But this military hegemony does not come with any political solution: This is Netanyahu’s weakness at a time when Trump is visiting the wealthy princes of the Gulf.
The citizens of Gaza have borne the consequences of not only the Israeli occupation but the authoritarian rule of Hamas for nearly 20 years. Is it finally reaching a breaking point?