Leading British Jewish historian urges diaspora to condemn Israel’s government

British historian Simon Schama arrives at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, on May 21, 2019 for a meeting with French President and other authors and philosophers who signed the tribune "Europe at risk". (AFP)
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Updated 06 March 2023
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Leading British Jewish historian urges diaspora to condemn Israel’s government

  • Simon Schama: Country risks becoming ‘nationalist theocracy’
  • Board of Deputies of British Jews issues rare rebuke of Israeli minister who called for Palestinian village to be ‘wiped out’

LONDON: Israel risks becoming a “nationalist theocracy,” a leading British Jewish historian has warned, urging members of the diaspora to protest against the current government.

Simon Schama told British newspaper The Observer that Israel faces “disintegration of the political and social compact” over moves to radically alter the judicial system and expand Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories.

His words echo those of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who warned earlier this week that the country is on the brink of “constitutional and social collapse.”

Judicial reforms would give the government more influence over the appointment of judges and reduce the power of the Supreme Court.

The coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has drawn criticism from across the Jewish diaspora over the plans, as well as its inclusion of extreme right-wing politicians in its ranks.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently called for a Palestinian village to be “wiped out” in retaliation for the murder of two Israelis.

In the wake of the forming of the coalition, considered the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, there has been an increase in violence between Jewish settlers and Palestinians, with the Israel Defense Forces failing to stop many of the attacks.

Last week, the UK was among six countries to issue a joint declaration urging “the Israeli government to reverse its recent decision to advance the construction of more than 7,000 settlement building units across the occupied West Bank and to legalize settlement outposts.”

Schama told The Observer that Israel’s 1948 declaration of independence “promised equal civil rights to all religious and ethnic groups.”

Many other prominent members of the UK’s Jewish community have also condemned the actions of the Israeli government.

Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, parliamentary chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, said: “The voice of the Jewish diaspora must be stronger, we must exert what pressure we can to curtail the excesses of the Israeli government.”

The pro-Israel Board of Deputies of British Jews issued a rare rebuke over Smotrich’s comments.

“We utterly condemn Bezalel Smotrich’s comments calling for the Israeli government to ‘erase’ a village which days ago was attacked by Israeli settlers,” it said.

“We hope that this and similar comments will be publicly repudiated by responsible voices in the governing coalition.”

Last month, prominent British Jewish lawyer Anthony Julius told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Netanyahu’s government incorporated “the worst features of the populist, anti-liberal democratic parties that operate in Europe and in America as well, but with a special kind of antinomian Jewish intensity.”

British Rabbi Jonathan Romain told The Observer: “The mood is shifting from British Jews being out-and-out supporters (of Israel) to being critical friends — and voicing that criticism publicly.” 

Demonstrations are set to take place in the UK in the coming weeks, organized by Jewish groups that have invited Israelis in Britain to attend.

Reuven Ziegler, a law professor at Reading University, said: “The demonstrations are a very patriotic act because they are an attempt to save Israel from making substantive mistakes that would ultimately change its character. They are anything but hostile to the Israeli state.

“Since this government was formed, it has given many reasons for people in the diaspora to find themselves alienated from it.

“In the past, faced with certain expressions of antisemitism, many Jews have felt the need to defend Israel, right or wrong. That sentiment may be weakening, but ultimately the blame for that lies squarely with the current government.”

Hannah Weisfeld, director of Yachad — a British Jewish organization that supports a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — told The Observer that “many” British Jews “have family in Israel who are telling them that a dictatorship is coming. We’re not quite at a tipping point yet, but I think we’ll get there.”


Driver charged with Liverpool soccer parade tragedy appears in court

Updated 3 sec ago
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Driver charged with Liverpool soccer parade tragedy appears in court

  • Prosecutors have charged him with dangerous driving and six serious offenses alleging grievous bodily harm
  • The charges are related to two boys, two women and two men who were among the 79 people injured Monday during celebrations of Liverpool’s Premier League championship
LONDON: A driver charged with multiple counts of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm for ramming into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans celebrating their team’s Premier League championship was ordered held in custody Friday at his first court appearance.
Paul Doyle, wearing a black suit, white shirt and gray tie, looked emotional as he spoke only to confirm his name, address and birth date in a hearing in Liverpool Magistrates’ Court. He did not enter a plea.
Doyle, 53, faces a charge of dangerous driving and six serious offenses alleging he caused or tried to cause grievous bodily harm. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is convicted.
The father of three bowed his head as the charges were read. The counts are related to the injuries of two boys, two women and two men who were among the 79 people injured Monday. The victims ranged in age from 9 to 78, police said. Seven people remained hospitalized Thursday.
District Judge Paul Healey put an order in place restricting the publication of victims’ names.
Doyle was ordered to appear later in the day in Liverpool Crown Court.
The city had been celebrating Liverpool’s record-tying 20th title when Doyle turned down a street full of fans and joy quickly turned to tragedy. Police said they believed Doyle got past a road block by following an ambulance that was trying to reach a possible heart attack victim.
Videos showed the car hit and toss a person wrapped in a red Liverpool flag into the air and then swerve into a sea of people packed on the side of the road.
At least four people, including a child, had to be freed from beneath the vehicle when it came to a halt.
The driver was believed to have acted alone and terrorism was not suspected, Merseyside Police said. They have not disclosed an alleged motive for the act.

Kremlin expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss ceasefire conditions in Istanbul

Updated 8 min 17 sec ago
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Kremlin expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss ceasefire conditions in Istanbul

MOSCOW: The Kremlin expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss the list of conditions for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine next week in Istanbul, its spokesman said on Friday, praising the US role in mediating the talks.
Russia has proposed holding the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2. However, Ukraine wants to see Russia’s proposals for a peace deal before it sends a delegation to Turkiye, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Friday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation would be traveling to Istanbul and would be ready for talks with Ukraine on Monday morning.
“At the moment, everyone is focused on the direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations. A list of conditions for a temporary truce is being developed,” Peskov told reporters. He said the details of the memorandum will not be published.
Reuters reported earlier this week that Putin’s conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards.
US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said earlier on Friday that Russia’s concern over the eastward enlargement of NATO was fair and the United States did not want to see Ukraine in the US-led military alliance.
Commenting on Kellogg’s statement, Peskov said that Putin has been consistently conveying Russia’s position on the inadmissibility of NATO’s eastward expansion.
“We are pleased that these explanations by the president are understood, including in Washington. And, of course, this is quite appealing to us in terms of the mediating role that Washington continues to play,” Peskov said.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops.


Rockfall at Indonesian limestone quarry kills eight

Updated 30 May 2025
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Rockfall at Indonesian limestone quarry kills eight

CIREBON: At least eight people were killed and a dozen injured Friday in a rockfall at a limestone quarry on Indonesia’s Java island, police said.
The company overseeing the mine was operating legally but safety standards were lacking, according to West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi, who said he has ordered its closure following the collapse.
Workers and heavy equipment were buried when rocks suddenly crumbled at the mining site in the city of Cirebon in West Java province at around 09:30 am local time (0230 GMT).
“We are now focusing on evacuating victims. Until now, eight people have been found dead, and 12 others were injured and have been taken to hospitals,” local police chief, Sumarni, who like many Indonesians has one name told AFP.
Rescuers were still scouring the site to find more victims who might still be trapped under the debris, deploying excavators for the search effort.
Friday’s incident was the second time the quarry collapsed. Parts of the mine collapsed in February but there were no casualties reported.
“I decided to shut down the pit permanently, not just this pit but also other pits nearby,” Dedi told Metro TV.
Mining accidents are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago, especially in unlicensed sites where safety protocols are often ignored.
In 2023, eight workers died after being trapped in an illegal gold mine in Central Java.
In July, last year, at least 23 people died and 35 others were missing when a landslide hit a remote village near an illegal gold mine on the central island of Sulawesi.


EU to propose more flexible climate goal in July, sources say

Updated 30 May 2025
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EU to propose more flexible climate goal in July, sources say

  • The proposal will set an EU goal to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 90 percent by 2040, compared with 1990 levels, the diplomats saiD

BRUSSELS: The European Commission will propose a new EU climate target in July that includes flexibilities for how countries meet it, as Brussels attempts to fend off mounting criticism of Europe’s environmental aims, EU diplomats told Reuters.
The European Union’s climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, confirmed plans to present an EU climate target for 2040 on July 2, during a meeting with EU countries’ representatives on Wednesday, diplomats familiar with the closed-door talks told Reuters.
The proposal will set an EU goal to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 90 percent by 2040, compared with 1990 levels, the diplomats said. However, the EU executive plans to add flexibilities to that target, which could reduce what it demands from domestic industries.
The flexibilities include setting an emissions-cutting target for domestic industries that is lower than 90 percent and letting countries buy international carbon credits to make up the rest, to reach 90 percent, the diplomats said.
A European Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the plans.
The Commission has promised not to weaken Europe’s ambitious climate aims, despite mounting criticism from governments and lawmakers concerned about the cost for European businesses, which are struggling with high energy prices and looming US tariffs.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent. The Commission has delayed its 2040 climate proposal for months, and has weakened other green laws in recent months to try to calm the political pushback.
EU countries are split over the 2040 goal, which they and EU lawmakers must approve. Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark are among those backing a 90 percent emissions cut. Opponents include Italy and the Czech Republic.
Germany has backed a 90 percent target if countries can use international carbon credits to meet three percentage points of the goal.
The Commission is also considering softening requirements for countries to cut emissions in specific sectors — giving them more choice over which industries do the heavy lifting to meet the goal, the diplomats said.
The 2040 goal will aim to keep EU countries on track between their 2030 emissions target — which they are nearly on track to meet — and the EU’s aim to reach net zero emissions by 2050.


Death toll in central Nigeria floods rises to 36: rescuers

Updated 30 May 2025
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Death toll in central Nigeria floods rises to 36: rescuers

KANO: The death toll in central Nigeria flash floods has risen to 36 after rescuers recovered more bodies, an emergency services spokesman told AFP Friday.
Flooding after torrential rains late on Wednesday washed away more than 50 homes in the city of Mokwa in central Niger state, drowning residents with many missing, according to the Niger state emergency management agency (SEMA).
“As at this morning, 11 more bodies were recovered in addition to the 25 found earlier, which brings the number of fatalities to 36 so far,” Ibrahim Audu Husseini, SEMA spokesman said.
Teams of rescuers continued to search for missing residents into Friday.
“We expect the toll to rise considerably because there are different rescuers at different locations,” Husseini said.
Nigeria’s rainy season, which usually lasts six months, is just getting started for the year. Scientists warn that climate change is already fueling more extreme weather patterns.
Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year, killing hundreds of people across the west African country.
In Nigeria, the floods are exacerbated by inadequate drainage, the construction of homes on waterways, and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria’s 36 states, including Niger state, between Wednesday and Friday.
In 2024, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria’s 36 states, making it one of the country’s worst floods in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.