Live blog: Two-state solution cannot be voted away — UN to Israel

Thursday, July 18, 2024

1704 GMT — The UN has said that a two-state solution cannot be voted away in response to a resolution passed by the Israeli parliament that rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is disappointed by the Israeli parliament’s (Knesset) decision to pass the measure.

"It's clear you can't vote away the two-state solution," Dujarric told reporters.

More updates 👇

1854 GMT — Belgium urges sanctions on Israel amid Gaza offensive

Belgium’s deputy Premier Petra De Sutter has renewed calls for sanctions against Israel in response to its ongoing offensive in Gaza.

"Too many Palestinians were killed, despite the international call for a ceasefire," De Sutter underlined on X.

Highlighting Ursula von der Leyen’s recent re-election as EU Commission president, De Sutter affirmed, “I reinforce her pledge to increase humanitarian aid & support to Palestinian Authority.”

"I repeat my call for sanctions against Israel," she emphasised.

1840 GMT — Israeli jets strike displaced Palestinians in eastern Gaza

At least two Palestinians were killed and five injured in an Israeli air strike against a school sheltering displaced people in eastern Gaza City.

The strike was on the "al-Falah School, which shelters displaced people in the al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, southeast of Gaza City," the Gaza Civil Defence said on Telegram.

The bombing caused severe damage to the school and medical and civil defence teams were searching for victims and the injured as a result of the Israeli attack, witnesses told Anadolu.

1823 GMT — US asks Israel for clarification on Turkish hospital picture

The US has said it asked Israel about a picture of Israeli soldiers in front of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which reportedly turned into a military base by the Israeli army in Gaza.

"We’ve seen the report on the Turkish hospital and we are in touch with Israeli counterparts to learn more. And that's all that we can say at the moment on that," State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told Anadolu when he was asked about a picture that was widely shared on social media.

"I think, at face value when looking at that image, what we see is service members posing in front of the hospital so I don't want to draw any conclusions beyond that, but we have asked the IDF for additional information and we look forward to receiving that," he said.

1753 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli army near Lebanese border

Hezbollah has said that it targetted an Israeli tank and several military positions near the southern Lebanese border.

In separate statements, the group said it hit an Israeli Merkava tank at the Hadab Yarin site with anti-tank missiles, resulting in its destruction and setting it on fire.

They also attacked the Rweisat al-Alam site in the occupied Kfarchouba hills using rocket-propelled weapons.

Additionally, Hezbollah targeted the Birkat Risha site with Borkan missiles, sparking a fire.

1650 GMT — Biden, Netanyahu expected to meet next week: White House

US President Joe Biden is still expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits Washington next week but it will depend on his recovery from Covid, the White House.

"We have every expectation that the two leaders will have a chance to see each other while Prime Minister Netanyahu is in town" National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a briefing.

Netanyahu is set to address the US Congress on Wednesday and Israeli media had reported a meeting with Biden on Monday, but Kirby said "I can't tell you at this point what that exactly is going to look like."

1603 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu visits Rafah amid negotiations over hostages in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited the city of Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza, according to local media.

The visit comes against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported.

Netanyahu's tour precedes a crucial meeting by the Israeli War Cabinet, which will discuss the potential prisoner exchange deal.

1554 GMT — 'Our position is two-state solution': US

The US ambassador to the UN reiterated Washington’s position of a two-state solution.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters it is the "only future" the US sees “in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side. Without that, peace will be nearly impossible to achieve."

She was responding to a question about a resolution that was passed in the Israeli parliament that rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state.

She refused to comment when asked about the recent move by parliament but said: "Our position is a two-state solution."

1548 GMT — Top US envoy heading to Middle East for Gaza war consultations

US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk is travelling to the Middle East for consultations on the Gaza war, with stops planned in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, a US official has said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, had no further details on his planned discussions at this time.

1520 GMT — Palestinian Red Crescent retrieves bodies of 12 people buried by Israeli forces

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has recovered the bodies of 12 Palestinians buried by Israeli forces at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to its spokesman.

Israeli forces brutally raided the hospital where hundreds of displaced Palestinians had taken shelter last March amid its ongoing offensive on Gaza.

"Our teams could not extract the bodies of the 12 victims over the past four months as we were unable to transfer them to cemeteries amid Israeli gunfire," Naed al-Nems told Anadolu.

1510 GMT — France expresses 'consternation' over Israel's rejection of Palestinian statehood

France has expressed “consternation” over an Israeli resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Knesset (Israel's parliament) voted 68-9 earlier in favour of a resolution that rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying that it would be an "existential threat" to Israel.

“Only the two-state solution can bring a durable and just peace to Israelis and Palestinians, and ensure the stability in the region,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

1434 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu blocks hospital for Gaza children

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the establishment of a field hospital to treat Palestinian children wounded in Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza.

"Netanyahu has notified in writing that he does not approve the establishment of a hospital for Gazans within Israel – and therefore it will not be established," his office said in a statement.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office announced the establishment of the field hospital, saying it was due to the extended closure of Gaza’s Rafah crossing into Egypt.

1428 GMT — Türkiye condemns Israeli parliament resolution rejecting Palestinian statehood

Türkiye has condemned the passing of a resolution in the Israeli parliament that rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, calling it a sign that Israel disregards international law.

"The acceptance of a resolution in Israeli parliament rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state is another indication that Israel disregards international law and agreements," the Foreign Ministry said, labelling the decision as "null and void."

The establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is a requirement of international law, the ministry added.

1339 GMT — Israel weaponises water in Gaza: Global charity

Israel has been systematically using water as a weapon of war against Palestinians in Gaza, showing disregard for human life and violating international law, according to a new report by Oxfam.

The government of Israel "has used water deprivation to dehumanise and ultimately threaten Palestinian lives since the 1993 Oslo Accords," Oxfam has said.

Destruction of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure by the Israeli military "has contributed significantly to the catastrophic deterioration of conditions of life in Gaza."

The water supply has been reduced by 94 percent which is less than 5 litres a day per person, or less than a single toilet flush, which is just under a third of the recommended minimum in emergencies, the report revealed

1315 GMT — Israel bombards refugee camps in central Gaza

Israeli forces bombarded the Gaza refugee camps in the centre of the enclave and struck Gaza City in the north, killing at least 21 people, and tanks pushed deeper into Rafah in the south, health officials and residents have said.

A barrage of Israeli air strikes killed 16 in Zawayda town, Bureij and Nuseirat camps and the overcrowded city of Deir-al-Balah, health officials said.

1311 GMT — Egypt renews call for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza’s Rafah crossing

Egypt has renewed its call for Israel’s troop withdrawal from the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza and the Palestinian Authority to run the terminal.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met in Cairo with UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.

The top diplomat expressed Egypt’s deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza "following 10 months of systematic Israeli targeting and aggression against the Palestinians," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The military escalation in Rafah and Israel's control of the Palestinian side of the crossing led to the suspension of the entry of aid," he added.

1211 GMT — Israel detains 18 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have detained at least 18 people, including two female students, a child, and former detainees, during incursions in different regions of the occupied West Bank, bringing the total number of Palestinians detained to 9,720 since Oct. 7, 2023, rights groups have said.

Israeli soldiers raided Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank over the past 24 hours, taking into custody 18 people, according to a joint statement from the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Commission and the Palestine Prisoners Society.

1133 GMT — Knesset extends law to shut down foreign channels in Israel

The Israeli parliament (Knesset) has passed an extension to a law allowing the shutdown of foreign media outlets operating in the country till November.

According to a parliamentary statement, the law in its final reading was passed by 26-8 votes in the 120-member Knesset.

The law aims to stop the work of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel and the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV.

1048 GMT — Israel kills 54 more Palestinians, Gaza death toll tops 38,800

At least 54 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, pushing up the overall death toll to 38,848 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the battered territory has said.

A ministry statement added that some 89,459 other people have been injured in the onslaught.

"Israeli forces killed 54 people and injured 95 others in three ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

0927 GMT — Ukraine makes humanitarian flour shipment to Palestinians

Ukraine has said that it had sent flour to the Palestinian territories as part of an initiative to ship free agricultural supplies to poor countries and regions.

"Palestine received 1,000 tonnes of wheat flour," Ukraine's foreign ministry posted on X.

"The shipment is the first of three deliveries intended for Palestine. It will support over 101,000 Palestinian families for a month," it said.

0848 GMT — Only 10 of its 26 health centres in Gaza are operational: UNRWA

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has announced that only 10 out of its 26 health centres in Gaza are operational.

"Over 1,000 attacks on healthcare facilities in occupied Palestinian territory have been documented by WHO," the UNRWA stated on X. "In Gaza only 10 out of 26 UNRWA Health Centres are operational," the agency lamented.

"Our teams continue to risk their lives every day to provide medical care to families," it added while calling for a ceasefire.

0826 GMT — Israeli air strike in central Gaza kills three

At least three Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike in central Gaza, the Civil Defense Agency has said.

The attack targeted a car in Deir al-Balah city, the agency added in a statement.

A medical source told Anadolu that three burned corpses were transferred to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah following the attack, while several injured people were in serious condition.

0800 GMT — Bloodshed in Gaza must stop now, says EU chief

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said that "the bloodshed in Gaza must stop now", adding that too many civilians in the Palestinian territory have lost their lives as a result of Israel's war.

"The people of Gaza cannot bear anymore, and humanity cannot bear anymore," she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. "We need an immediate and enduring ceasefire. We need the release of Israeli hostages, and we need to prepare for the day after."

0730 GMT — Far-right Israeli minister storms Al Aqsa complex, threatening Gaza ceasefire talks

Israel’s far-right national security minister raided the Al Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, threatening to disrupt Gaza ceasefire talks.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, an extremist settler leader, said he had gone up to the area to pray for the return of the hostages "but without a reckless deal, without surrendering.”

The move threatens to disrupt sensitive talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire. Israeli negotiators landed in Cairo on Wednesday to continue talks.

The visit also came just days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves for a trip to the United States, where he will address Congress.

Ben-Gvir said while standing in front of the Dome of the Rock that he “is praying and working hard" to ensure that Netanyahu will not to give in to international pressure and will continue with the military offensive in Gaza.

0700 GMT — Israeli army kills Lebanese Jamaa Islamiya group senior leader

A senior leader of the Lebanese Jamaa Islamiya group was killed in an Israeli drone attack in eastern Lebanon, local media reported.

The Lebanese official news agency NNA said Mahmoud Mohammad Jbara, a senior leader of the group, was killed in Israeli drone airstrike on his car in the Western Bekaa area in eastern Lebanon.

The development comes amid further escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border areas following the threats by the Hezbollah group's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday to strike new settlements in Israel if the Israeli army continues to target civilians in Lebanon.

2328 GMT — Israeli delegation arrives in Cairo for Gaza ceasefire talks

An Israeli delegation has arrived in Egypt to press ahead with ceasefire talks, as Israel and Hamas consider the latest proposal.

That's according to three Egyptian airport officials who did not provide further details.

Talks between the sides were rattled over the weekend when Israel said it targeted Hamas' military commander.

2300 GMT — UN slams comments by spokesperson in Netanyahu's office

The United Nations has said comments by a spokesperson in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office about the head of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees are "reprehensible" and threatening.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was responding to comments made by spokesperson David Mencer, who called Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency known as UNRWA, "one of the bad guys, a terrorist sympathiser, a Jew-killing enabler, a liar."

Mencer issued the denunciations of Lazzarini on Tuesday after saying that Israeli forces have retrieved "millions of documents and captured enemy material" exposing the involvement of UNRWA employees in Hamas' surprise blitz on October.

The UN's Dujarric said, "There have not been a million documents handed over to the secretary-general," Antonio Guterres, and a letter sent to him with about a hundred names were immediately sent to the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the watchdog known as OIOS.

Meanwhile, at least 81 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza during the latest 24-hour period, health officials say.

2230 GMT — Russia says Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah don't want war with Israel

Russia's top diplomat has said the Lebanese group Hezbollah, Iran, and Lebanon's government do not want "a full-blown war – and there's a suspicion that some circles in Israel are trying to achieve just that."

Sergey Lavrov told a UN news conference that Russia is doing "everything possible to calm tensions."

He expressed hope that Western nations make every effort to ensure Israel won't act on what he said US and European analysts are calling Israel's "provocative mindsets."

Lavrov said Iran's previous government and the new president "reflect a very responsible position that Iran is not interested in escalation."

Without offering names, Lavrov said US and European analysts say "escalation, as the practical developments show, is something which Israel is interested in."

2101 GMT — US restricts visas of Israelis accused of West Bank 'violence'

The United States has announced new visa restrictions against Israelis who have committed "violent" acts against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling on Israel to hold those individuals accountable.

"This is about a broad trend of increased violence that we have sadly seen over the past months and the need for Israel to do more to hold people accountable for it," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

The measures bar certain Israelis and their loved ones from entering the United States. Miller said Israel's government has taken "some steps to crack down on settler violence in the West Bank," such as arresting some perpetrators.

"But those steps have not been sufficient," he added.

For our live updates from Wednesday, July 17, 2024, click here.