Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘not a friend of peace,’ says Israeli analyst

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Updated 27 August 2024
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Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘not a friend of peace,’ says Israeli analyst

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘not a friend of peace,’ says Israeli analyst
  • 2-state solution is still possible but if conflict with Palestinians is to end, there must be change of leadership in Israel, Yossi Mekelberg tells ‘Ray Hanania Radio Show’
  • He says a 2-state solution remains the best option for peace but other scenarios that fully recognize the rights of both peoples should also be considered

CHICAGO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netaynahu is “not a friend of peace” and is using his right-wing government coalition and the conflict with the Palestinians to further delay his own corruption trial and avoid justice, a leading Israeli analyst said this week.

Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House in London, told the “Ray Hanania Radio Show” that Netanyahu has been deliberately prolonging the war in Gaza to serve his own interests, rather than the interests of the people on both sides.

An important change that is required from the international community if hopes for a two-state solution are to be salvaged is an expansion of the peace process to increase the role of other nations besides the US and help change the discourse surrounding the conflict, he said, while Washington must consider what is the best path forward for achieving its own goals.

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“What about the American interest; where does the American interest lie?” asked Mekelberg, who is also a columnist for Arab News. “(US Secretary of State Antony) Blinken, now on his ninth visit to the region, is almost begging for a ceasefire.

“It’s (bad) enough that Netanyahu is delaying and delaying and adding new conditions (to the peace negotiations), while (the conflict) is linked also to the possibility or the threat and the danger of a regional war. This is where it intersects with the American interest: the implications of a regional war for American interests. So the discussion should also be what is good for America.

“I think the United States is crucial (to the process). What I don’t like, sometimes, when it comes to this discussion with Europeans, whenever I have a discussion (about the conflict) with officials from the European Union they say it’s only the Americans (who have the power to end the conflict). I think the EU can play a part. I think the (Arab) region can play a very important part.

“So just to look and say there is only one peace broker … that’s not right. Especially when one side doesn’t really trust this peace broker. So, I think we need a coalition of peace brokers.”

Mekelberg said a key factor that continues to fuel the conflict is Netanyahu’s partnership with far-right parties within his coalition government.

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Netanyahu was indicted on Nov. 21, 2019, on charges of breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud. A trial began in Israel on May 24, 2020, but has yet to conclude, Mekelberg said, because of the efforts by Netanyahu’s right-wing government to undermine judicial and legal processes in Israel.

“They say that every country gets the leader it deserves; I think in the case of the Israeli government, the punishment is way bigger than the sin,” he added.

“So I think Israel deserves better leadership. You know, the only conclusion I can reach is that Netanyahu is not interested in a peace-based, two-state solution — which for all the faults and all the misgivings that one might have about a two-state solution, it’s still the best alternative, the best option.”

Mekelberg believes part of Netanyahu’s approach to Hamas prior to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel last year, including the funneling of funding to the group, was to maintain “the divisions among Palestinians, between Fatah and Hamas, the West Bank and Gaza” with the aim of “derailing any hope of a two-state solution.” He added: “So if this is the solution that can bring peace, I don’t think Netanyahu is in any shape or form a supporter of it.

“At the end of the day, neither this government nor Netanyahu are friends of peace … it’s more a government that (seeks) the annexation of the West Bank, and some even talk about the occupation or reoccupation of Gaza and building settlements there.” Mekelberg said the opposition from Netanyahu and his government to a two-state solution plays into their own political interests, is fueling the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and preventing peace.

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He repeated that a two-state solution remains the best option but other scenarios for peace that recognize the rights of both peoples should also be considered, including a confederation of some form.

“I think (we have seen) so many final nails in the coffin of the two-state solution … it’s full of final nails,” he said.

“Now, the facts on the ground — (including) the expansion of settlements, the settler population (of) more than 700,000 and the encircling of Jerusalem with settlements — have made (peace) more difficult.”

However, Mekelberg added, peace can come in many forms.

“One of the options is to look into confederation,” he added. “You have two states but because of the size of the territory, it doesn’t need hard borders; you need to think of an almost EU-style (model) where people can move from one side to the other freely. Look at Jerusalem as the capital of both but with no need for more walls. Actually, walls should come down.”

You can hear the full interview with Yossi Mekelberg on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m Eastern Standard Time and on Monday, Sept. 2 on WNZK 690 AM radio in Michigan, or at ArabNews.com/RayRadioShow.


Trump tries to blame others as tensions rise around handling of Epstein case

Trump tries to blame others as tensions rise around handling of Epstein case
Updated 17 July 2025
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Trump tries to blame others as tensions rise around handling of Epstein case

Trump tries to blame others as tensions rise around handling of Epstein case
  • Trump had come under fire from his own supporters for refusing to release the files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
  • He tried to deflect criticisms by blaming Obama, Biden and Comey of making up documents on what he now calls a “hoax”

President Donald Trump is countering criticism of the Justice Department’s failure to release much-hyped records around the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, trying to place blame on former government officials.

On Tuesday, he accused former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as former FBI Director James Comey, of making up such documents.

“I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden ... ,” Trump told members of the press at the White House before departing for an event in Pennsylvania.

The president on Wednesday posted on Truth Social blaming Democrats in general for a “new SCAM” that “we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”

Epstein was arrested in 2019 and found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month later. Investigators concluded that he killed himself.

Trump presented no evidence in claiming that Democrats and Comey tampered with documents related to Epstein’s case. Comey was fired in 2017, two years before Epstein’s arrest, and has not returned to the government since. Obama was long gone from the White House by the time of Epstein’s death. During Biden’s presidency, the Justice Department put on trial Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and secured a conviction against her, but there is zero indication that he or anyone from the White House had anything at any point to do with that case.

Comey was a Republican for most of his adult life, but said in 2016 that he was that he was no longer registered with the party.

Trump suggested last year that he was considering releasing information about the Epstein case if he won a second term. In February, the Justice Department released some government documents regarding the case, but there were no new revelations. Then, earlier this month, it acknowledged that a months-long review of additional evidence in the government’s possession had not revealed a list of clients and said no more files related to the case — other than a video meant to prove that Epstein killed himself — would be made public. The announcement led to outcry from Trump supporters.

Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared to intimate in a Fox News interview in February that a client list was “sitting on my desk” to be reviewed for release. She said last week that she was referring to the Epstein case file generally, as opposed to an actual client list. Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino then had a contentious conversation at the White House as backlash grew to the Justice Department’s decision to withhold records.

Trump, members of his administration and conservative influencers have spread unsubstantiated claims surrounding Epstein for years. Conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death are a popular trope in right-wing spheres, playing on Trump’s repeated promises to reveal and dismantle the “deep state” — a supposed secret network of powerful people manipulating government decisions behind the scenes.

Trump’s rivals have recently taken advantage of right-wing fissures over Epstein. Several Democratic lawmakers are calling for the release of all Epstein files and suggesting Trump could be resisting because he or someone close to him is featured in them. 


Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane’s captain, Wall Street Journal reports

Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane’s captain, Wall Street Journal reports
Updated 17 July 2025
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Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane’s captain, Wall Street Journal reports

Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane’s captain, Wall Street Journal reports
  • Cockpit voice recording suggests captain cut off fuel to engines

A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane’s engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 260 people.

The first officer, who was flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, asked the more experienced captain why he moved the fuel switches to the “cutoff” position seconds after lifting off the runway, the report said.

The two pilots involved were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. India’s AAIB, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the Wall Street Journal report.

A preliminary report into the crash released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday said the fuel switches had switched from run to cutoff a second apart just after takeoff, but it did not say how they were flipped.

One pilot was then heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.

Without fuel flowing to the engines, the London-bound plane began to lose thrust and sink. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines.

At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash, the report said. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out.

The AAIB’s preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said. 


Pro-Palestinian demonstrator arrested at Tour de France

Pro-Palestinian demonstrator arrested at Tour de France
Updated 16 July 2025
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrator arrested at Tour de France

Pro-Palestinian demonstrator arrested at Tour de France
  • The protester, who was holding a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, got past security barriers and ran toward the finish line

TOULOUSE: A protester wearing a t-shirt reading “Israel out of the Tour” was arrested on Wednesday after running onto the final straight of the Tour de France 11th stage.

The protester, who was also holding a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, got past security barriers and ran toward the finish line in Toulouse as Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen won a sprint finale.

The man was intercepted by a race staff member and arrested, the local prefecture said.

Several police officers have been assigned to protecting the Israel-Premier Tech team during the Tour. The team was set up by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, but there are no Israeli riders in this year’s race.

With the Gaza war causing international controversy, last year the team said it had asked its riders not to wear jerseys with any reference to Israel while out training as a precaution.


French town withdraws pop festival funding over Kneecap appearance

French town withdraws pop festival funding over Kneecap appearance
Updated 16 July 2025
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French town withdraws pop festival funding over Kneecap appearance

French town withdraws pop festival funding over Kneecap appearance
  • Saint Cloud said its council had now voted to withdraw the subsidy
  • The group have said they are committed to the Palestinian cause

NANTERRE, France: A town that hosts one of France’s biggest pop festivals announced Wednesday that it was withdrawing its subsidy to the event because controversial Irish rappers Kneecap had been booked to play.

British police are investigating Kneecap’s lead singer under a terror offense after he was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert last year. The Lebanese militant group is banned in Britain.

Police said they are also investigating videos allegedly showing calls for the death of British lawmakers.

The Paris suburb of Saint Cloud approved a 40,000 euro ($46,500) subsidy this year for the Rock En Seine festival that last year attracted 180,000 people over four days.

The town council said the money had been agreed before the lineup was announced. Kneecap are to appear at the event on August 24. Saint Cloud said its council had now voted to withdraw the subsidy.

A statement said the town “finances, within its means, a cultural and artistic project. On the other hand it does not finance political action, nor demands, and even less calls to violence, such as calls to kill lawmakers, whatever their nationality.”

The town said it respects the festival’s “freedom” to decide its lineup and had not sought “any kind of negotiation with the aim of influencing the program.”

Kneecap have been taken off the bill for festivals in Scotland and Germany this year because of the controversy.

The group have said they are committed to the Palestinian cause but have denied any terrorism connection. Singer Liam O’Hanna, who appears under the name Mo Chara, has condemned the charges against him as political. O’Hanna is to appear in court again four days before the Rock En Seine show.


South Korean teacher, mother arrested for stealing exam

South Korean teacher, mother arrested for stealing exam
Updated 16 July 2025
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South Korean teacher, mother arrested for stealing exam

South Korean teacher, mother arrested for stealing exam

SEOUL: A teacher and a parent of a high school student in South Korea have been arrested for breaking into a school to steal exam papers, police told AFP on Wednesday.

The country is known for placing extreme emphasis on academic achievement — with its annual college entrance exam forcing airplanes to be grounded during English listening tests.

The pair are accused of breaking into a high school in Andong, about 270 kilometers south of the capital Seoul, at around 1:00 a.m. on July 4 to steal exam papers, triggering an alarm and leading to their arrest.

“A 31-year-old teacher and the 48-year-old mother have confessed to the crime,” said a detective at the Andong Police Station, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The teacher was a private tutor for the student while working at the school, where she was employed until February last year, authorities said.

Police suspect the pair may have committed similar thefts in the past, helping the student ace academically, and that money was exchanged between the teacher and the mother.

“They tried to steal exam papers across many subjects, not confined to Korean, which the suspect was teaching,” the detective told AFP.

A school maintenance worker was also arrested for aiding the late-night breach, investigators said.

The student, who had maintained top grades since enrolling in 2023, has been expelled and her grades nullified, according to the Yonhap news agency.