Aid official appeals for politics to be set aside to save lives, ease suffering in quake-hit Syria and Turkiye

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Updated 13 February 2023
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Aid official appeals for politics to be set aside to save lives, ease suffering in quake-hit Syria and Turkiye

  • Dr. Hossam Elsharkawi, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies director, spoke to the Arab News talk show “Frankly Speaking”
  • Focus ought to be on the “humanitarian imperative,” he says, attributing the degradation of response mechanisms in Syria to the civil war’s impact

DUBAI: In the early hours of Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkiye and northwest Syria, leaving more than 25,000 dead and at least 80,000 injured. 

Humanitarian aid has been trickling into the region over recent days. However, there have been discrepancies in the scale of support reaching the two countries. 

In part, this is the result of logistical challenges in a region blighted by political divisions and poor infrastructure. But another factor is politics. 

Dr. Hossam Elsharkawi, regional director for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC, believes political tensions must be kept out of the humanitarian response. 




Dr. Hossam Elsharkawi being interviewed by Frankly Speaking host Katie Jensen. (Screenshot from AN video)

“The focus for us is saving lives and minimizing the suffering to the extent possible with the resources we have — often limited resources — to do this type of work,” Elsharkawi told Katie Jensen, host of “Frankly Speaking,” the Arab News talk show which engages with leading policymakers and business leaders. 

While aid began to arrive relatively quickly in Turkiye’s earthquake-stricken southeast, several factors have contributed to delays, complicating rescue efforts and humanitarian relief operations in northwest Syria. 




Frankly Speaking host Katie Jensen. (Screenshot from AN video)

Syria is currently divided into three regions governed by various factions, including opposition and other militant groups in the country’s northwest, a Kurdish-led autonomous administration in the northeast, and the Syrian government in the center and south. 

The only border crossing for UN aid from Turkiye into Syria, Bab Al-Hawa, was forced by quake damage to close, causing a three-day delay in deliveries into Syria’s northwest. 

Asked whether the Bashar Assad regime or international aid organizations bear any responsibility for the additional suffering of the Syrian people, Elsharkawi said: “As humanitarians, we don’t actually blame anyone. 




The White Helmet volunteers rescue a child from under rubble in Jandaris, Syria, on Feb. 8, 2023, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake. (The White Helmets/via REUTERS)

“We deal with the consequences of failed diplomacy, failed politics, and we deal with the humanitarian consequences by focusing on assisting just average people, average families who have been affected for 12 years — and now more severely because of two massive earthquakes.” 

After the earthquake, Bassam Sabbagh, Syria’s ambassador to the UN, said the Syrian government should handle all humanitarian aid deliveries, including those going to areas not under the control of Damascus. 

Some observers view the Assad regime’s call for sanctions to be lifted as an opportunistic political gambit. 

Elsharkawi said aid workers do their jobs without concern for politics. “I have dealt with many Syrian professionals, doctors and nurses and other emergency response people who work in the public authorities who are not politicized.” 

“They’re caring, they want to care and scale up assistance for their people. Syria is not a failed state. Its public authorities continue to provide for their people, and we need to be respectful of that.” 




An Indonesian search and rescue team load government relief aid onto a C-130 cargo plane in Jakarta on February 11, 2023 for transport to quake-hit Turkiye and Syria. (AFP)

Elsharkawi continued: “What I have observed for years and years is that the assistance has been coming through other channels through Iraq and through Turkiye. So, we work with that. We don’t comment on that. 

“We just work with what is possible. Humanitarian assistance in these conditions is partly also the art of the possible, but we’re also beginning to get good news.” 

Elsharkawi was referring to Washington’s decision to lift the ban on financial transfers to Syria. “This is significant. We can already see how this crisis has affected the politics of 12 years in a good way to save lives,” he said. 

“We hope other sanctions are lifted as well, for example, for procurement of certain supplies and goods and by other nations. So, this is what gives us hope as well, that we can continue to scale up the operation.” 

‘We don’t take sides. We just work with what is possible. Humanitarian assistance in these conditions is partly also the art of the possible.’ 

Dr. Hossam Elsharkawi

In addition to accessibility issues, Elsharkawi said the major reason for the discrepancy in the provision of aid to Turkiye and Syria is the impact of the latter’s grinding civil war on public infrastructure. 

“The systems, the response mechanisms in Syria … and infrastructure have largely eroded and been destroyed because of the 12-year war. So, it’s a tale of two very different responses,” he said. 

According to the UN, at the beginning of 2023, more than 15 million Syrians were in need of humanitarian assistance. 

A recent report by the Washington-based Middle East Institute found that 65 percent of northwest Syria’s infrastructure had already been damaged or destroyed prior to the quake, and that the region is home to almost 3 million internally displaced persons. 

Both Syria’s Assad and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have faced criticism for their handling of the disaster in their respective countries, with some in the latter accusing the government of failing to prepare sufficiently. 




Syrians, displaced as a result of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria okn Feb. 6, settle on an open area on the outskirts of the rebel-held town of Jandaris near Aleppo. (AFP)

Elsharkawi thinks this assessment is unfair. “It’s very difficult to prepare 100 percent for these massive events,” he said. “And, remember, we had two massive earthquakes, over magnitude 7, within hours of each other.” 

He recalled his experience coordinating humanitarian aid in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which killed almost 20,000 people. 

“Even one of the most developed, industrialized capable countries in the world back then … struggled to deal with that earthquake. So, yes, I understand people want their needs and supplies immediately, but from what we observe, the Turkish Red Crescent, the Turkish Emergency Response Authority and the government are doing their best with the resources they have,” Elsharkawi said. 

Turkiye’s handling of the disaster has nevertheless brought perceived ethnic and regional disparities to the fore, with many among the Kurdish minority living in the country’s south blaming authorities for the prevalence of poorly built housing, despite the introduction of new building codes in recent years. 

“Crises can make tensions worse, and they can actually also reduce tensions if aid is distributed equitably — if we get people talking and focused on the humanitarian mission and saving lives,” said Elsharkawi. 

“People remember when you’ve saved their sons and daughters, and they remember it for a long, long time, and it makes for easier relations sometimes. 

“I will not comment on the politics, but, yes, it is possible to prepare and build back better. You can build earthquake-resistant structures, homes, hospitals, and schools. Having codes is one thing. Enforcing the codes is another. So that’s a challenge for many governments around the world.” 

Elsharkawi said the IFRC would work with local authorities in future to make sure that enforcement mechanisms are in place for the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings. 




Relief supplies from donors in Germany fare prepared for transport near BER Berlin-Brandenburg Airport in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 9, 2023. (AP)

“That will protect people in the long term,” he said. “If you take 7.5- or 7.8- magnitude earthquakes in Japan, this would not have fazed them because they are building structures that are resistant to earthquakes that are 8 and 9 magnitudes. So, it’s possible. The technology is there. We’ll have to work in the longer term to bring that to the region.” 

In the short term, as the IFRC and other agencies deploy personnel and materials to the region, coordination between providers of humanitarian aid will prove critical to preventing the overabundance of some resources and shortage of others, said Elsharkawi. 

“We try to do it in a coordinated fashion, for example, to make sure not everybody gives only blankets and mattresses, while the people may also need water, food and medicine. It is critical that we hit the priority needs all at once and not have way too much of one item and nothing of another.” 

Several countries, including the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, China and Venezuela, among others, have provided immediate aid such as food, blankets, tents, generators, fuel and medical supplies. 

Elsharkawi highlighted the importance of Saudi Arabia’s contribution toward ongoing rescue efforts and aid. 




The Saudi search and rescue team participates in the relief efforts of earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. (SPA)

“Saudi assistance is vital,” he said. “They’ve asked us for the list of priorities as well to try to customize the assistance and what gets loaded on those planes. So, it is meeting the real needs and the gaps and is tremendously appreciated. It makes a huge difference in saving lives.” 

The “Sahem” fundraising campaign, launched by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, or KSrelief, two days after the quake, raised more than $53 million for the victims and survivors of the disaster within 48 hours. 

King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also directed KSrelief to begin the operation of an aid “air bridge” to immediately deliver relief supplies to earthquake-stricken regions. 

“This is happening as we speak, and will continue to happen as we speak, and we’ll continue to fine tune the content of those air bridges,” Elsharkawi said, adding that inclement weather and a cholera outbreak in Syria necessitate customization of aid. 




Sixth Saudi relief plane heading for earthquake-hit areas in Syria and Turkiye. (SPA)

Despite a litany of problems, many countries have put politics aside in order to do their part. 

“This is what we are appealing to all to do, in fact — focus on the humanitarian imperative and put aside the politics for a few weeks, a few months perhaps,” Elsharkawi said, adding that the provision of aid may require an even longer commitment. 

The IFRC has called for $200 million in aid for both Syria and Turkiye. 

“This is a massive assistance package that will be required not just for days and weeks. We’re looking here for a two- to three-year program because we know what it’s like to respond to these massive earthquakes and disasters,” Elsharkawi said. 

“We hope that the international and regional nations will be generous with their donations and contributions.” 

Elsharkawi disclosed that the IFRC is in contact with countries that would like to assist Syria in spite of the ongoing sanctions. “This is quiet diplomacy that we do, and this is the glimmer of hope that I’m talking about,” he said.

 


Lebanon govt source: disarming Palestinian camps to start mid-June

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Lebanon govt source: disarming Palestinian camps to start mid-June

The Lebanese and Palestinian sides agreed on starting a plan “to remove weapons from the camps, beginning mid-June,” the source told AFP
By longstanding convention, the Lebanese army stays out of the Palestinian camps

BEIRUT: The disarmament of Palestinian camps in Lebanon will begin next month based on an accord with visiting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, a Lebanese government official told AFP on Friday.

The Lebanese and Palestinian sides agreed on starting a plan “to remove weapons from the camps, beginning mid-June in the Beirut camps, and other camps will follow,” the source told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media.

By longstanding convention, the Lebanese army stays out of the Palestinian camps — where Abbas’s Fatah movement, militant group Hamas and other armed groups are present — and leaves the factions to handle security.

Abbas has been in Beirut since Wednesday for talks on disarming the Palestinian refugee camps as Lebanon seeks to impose its authority on all its territory.

The deal came during the first meeting of a joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee announced Wednesday to follow up on the situation in the camps.

The meeting was also attended by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

A statement from the committee released by the premier’s office said it agreed to “launch the process of handing over weapons according to a specific timetable, accompanied by practical steps to bolster the economic and social rights of Palestinian refugees.”

Lebanon hosts about 222,000 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations agency UNRWA, many living in 12 overcrowded official camps.

Most are descendants of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948.

They face a variety of legal restrictions in Lebanon, including on employment.

Palestinian faction chiefs quit Damascus amid pressure: faction sources

Updated 3 min 52 sec ago
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Palestinian faction chiefs quit Damascus amid pressure: faction sources

DAMASCUS: Two Palestinian sources told AFP Friday the leaders of pro-Iran Palestinian factions who were close to former Tehran-backed ruler Bashar Assad have left Syria under pressure from the new authorities.
The factions, which enjoyed considerable freedom of movement under Assad, have also handed over their weapons, one of the sources said, amid US demands that Syria’s new authorities take steps against Iran-backed Palestinian groups based in the country.
A pro-Iran Palestinian factional leader who left after Assad’s December ouster said on condition of anonymity that “most of the Palestinian factional leadership that received support from Tehran has left Damascus,” while another still based there confirmed the development.
“The factions have fully handed over weapons in their headquarters or with their cadres” to the authorities, who also received “lists of names of faction members possessing individual weapons” and demanded that those arms be handed over, the first added.
A third Palestinian source from a small faction in Damascus confirmed the arms handover.
Those who have left include Khaled Jibril, son of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) founder Ahmad Jibril, as well as Palestinian Popular Struggle Front secretary-general Khaled Abdel Majid and Fatah Al-Intifada secretary-general Ziad Al-Saghir.
Washington, which considers several Palestinian factions to be “terrorist” organizations, last week announced it was lifting sanctions on Syria after earlier saying Damascus needed to respond to demands including suppressing “terrorism” and preventing “Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory.”
According to the White House, during a meeting in Saudi Arabia last week, US President Donald Trump gave new Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa a list of demands that included deporting “Palestinian terrorists.”
The first Palestinian factional leader said the chiefs joined up with groups from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen that are also part of the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” against Israel.
A number of Iran-backed groups fought alongside Assad’s forces after civil war erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
Sharaa’s Islamist group led the offensive that ousted Assad, a close ally of Iran, in December.
The factions “did not receive any official request from the authorities to leave Syrian territory” but instead faced restrictions and property confiscations, the first Palestinian factional leader said, noting that some factions “were de facto prohibited from operating” or their members were arrested.
The new authorities have seized property from “private homes, offices, vehicles and military training camps in the Damascus countryside and other provinces,” he said.
The Syrian authorities did not immediately provide comment to AFP when asked about the matter.


Hezbollah seeks boost in Lebanon vote as disarmament calls grow

Updated 23 May 2025
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Hezbollah seeks boost in Lebanon vote as disarmament calls grow

  • Iran-backed Lebanese militant group aims to maintain political sway after pounding in war with Israel
  • Reconstruction aid for Lebanon tied to Hezbollah disarmament, foreign minister says

NABATIEH: Amid the rubble left by Israeli bombardment of south Lebanon, campaign posters urge support for Hezbollah in elections on Saturday as the group aims to show it retains political clout despite the pounding it took in last year’s war.
For Hezbollah, the local vote is more important than ever, coinciding with mounting calls for its disarmament and continued Israeli airstrikes, and as many of its Shiite Muslim constituents still suffer the repercussions of the conflict.
Three rounds of voting already held this month have gone well for the Iran-backed group. In the south, many races won’t be contested, handing Hezbollah and its allies early wins.
“We will vote with blood,” said Ali Tabaja, 21, indicating loyalty to Hezbollah. He’ll be voting in the city of Nabatieh rather than his village of Adaisseh because it is destroyed.
“It’s a desert,” he said.
The south’s rubble-strewn landscape reflects the devastating impact of the war, which began when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Hamas at the start in October 2023 of the Gaza conflict and culminated in a major Israeli offensive.
Hezbollah emerged a shadow of its former self, with its leaders and thousands of its fighters killed, its influence over the Lebanese state greatly diminished, and its Lebanese opponents gaining sway.
In a measure of how far the tables have turned, the new government has declared it aims to establish a state monopoly on arms, meaning Hezbollah should disarm — as stipulated by the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel.
Against this backdrop, the election results so far indicate “the war didn’t achieve the objective of downgrading Hezbollah’s popularity in the community,” said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center, a think tank. “On the contrary, many Shia now feel their fate is tied to Hezbollah’s fate.”
Hezbollah’s arms have long been a source of division in Lebanon, sparking a brief civil conflict in 2008. Critics say Hezbollah has unilaterally dragged Lebanon into hostilities.
Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, a Hezbollah opponent, has said that Lebanon has been told there will be no reconstruction aid from foreign donors until the state establishes a monopoly on arms.
Hezbollah, in turn, has put the onus on the government over reconstruction and accuses it of failing to take steps on that front, despite promises that the government is committed to it.

DISARMAMENT TERMS
Hage Ali said that conditioning reconstruction aid on disarmament was intended to expedite the process, but “it’s difficult to see Hezbollah accepting this.”
Hezbollah says its weapons are now gone from the south, but links any discussion of its remaining arsenal to Israel’s withdrawal from five positions it still holds, and an end to Israeli attacks.
Israel says Hezbollah still has combat infrastructure including rocket launchers in the south, calling this “blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
A French diplomatic source said reconstruction would not materialize if Israel continues striking and the Lebanese government does not act fast enough on disarmament.
Donors also want Beirut to enact economic reforms.
Hashem Haidar, head of the government’s Council for the South, said the state lacks the funds to rebuild, but cited progress in rubble removal. Lebanon needs $11 billion for reconstruction and recovery, the World Bank estimates.
In Nabatieh, a pile of rubble marks the spot where 71-year-old Khalil Tarhini’s store once stood. It was one of dozens destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Nabatieh’s central market.
He has received no compensation, and sees little point in voting. Expressing a sense of abandonment, he said: “The state did not stand by us.”
The situation was very different in 2006, after a previous Hezbollah-Israel war. Aid flowed from Iran and Gulf Arab states.
Hezbollah says it has aided 400,000 people, paying for rent, furniture and renovations. But the funds at its disposal appear well short of 2006, recipients say.
Hezbollah says state authorities have obstructed funds arriving from Iran, though Tehran is also more financially strapped than two decades ago due to tougher US sanctions and the reimposition of a “maximum pressure” policy by Washington.
As for Gulf states, their spending on Lebanon dried up as Hezbollah became embroiled in regional conflicts and they declared it a terrorist group in 2016. Saudi Arabia has echoed the Lebanese government’s position of calling for a state monopoly of arms.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said it was up to the government to secure reconstruction funding and that it was failing to take “serious steps” to get the process on track.
He warned that the issue risked deepening divisions in Lebanon if unaddressed. “How can one part of the nation be stable while another is in pain?” he said, referring to Shiites in the south and other areas, including Beirut’s Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs, hard hit by Israel.


At least 60 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as Israel lets minimal aid in

Updated 6 min 50 sec ago
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At least 60 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as Israel lets minimal aid in

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: At least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said Friday, as Israel pressed ahead with its military offensive and let in minimal aid to the strip.

The dead included 10 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, four in the central town of Deir Al-Balah and nine in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north, according to the Nasser, Al-Aqsa and Al-Ahli hospitals where the bodies were brought.

Israel is facing mounting international criticism for its latest offensive and pressure to let aid into Gaza amid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The strip has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, according to the United Nations. Experts have warned that many of Gaza’s 2 million residents are at high risk of famine.

Even the United States, a staunch ally, has voiced concerns over the hunger crisis.

The strikes that lasted into Friday morning came a day after Israeli tanks and drones attacked a hospital in northern Gaza, igniting fires and causing extensive damage, Palestinian hospital officials said on Thursday. Videos taken by a health official at Al-Awda Hospital show walls blown away and thick black smoke billowing wreckage.

Israel said it will continue to strike Hamas until all of the 58 Israeli hostages are released — fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, according to Israel — and until Hamas disarms.

Suspect charged with murder over deaths of Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington

The strikes come a day after two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot while leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum, in Washington, DC. The suspect told police he “did it for Palestine,” according to court documents filed Thursday as he was charged with murder. He didn’t enter a plea.

On Thursday night, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the killings in Washington horrific and blasted France, the UK and Canada for proposing to establish a Palestinian state.

“Because by issuing their demand, replete with a threat of sanctions against Israel — against Israel, not Hamas — these three leaders effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power,” he said.

Earlier this week the three leaders issued one of the most significant criticisms by close allies of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank, threatening to take “concrete actions” if the government did not cease its renewed military offensive and significantly lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.

Aid starts entering, but agencies say nothing like enough

Amid pressure, Israel started letting in aid. Israeli officials said Friday they let in more than 100 trucks of aid, including flour, food, medical equipment and drugs. The trucks came in through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

But UN agencies say the amount is woefully insufficient, compared with around 600 trucks a day that entered during a recent ceasefire and that are necessary to meet basic needs. UN agencies say Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in Gaza make it difficult to retrieve and distribute the aid. As a result, little of it has so far reached those in need.

The World Food Program said on Friday said that 15 of its trucks were looted Thursday night in southern Gaza while going to WFP-supported bakeries.

It said that hunger and desperation about whether food was coming in is contributing to rising insecurity, and called on Israel to allow greater volumes of food to enter, faster and more efficiently.

Israel says the aid now is to bridge the gap until a US backed initiative starts soon. A group known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will take over aid distribution in Gaza, and armed private contractors would guard the distribution. Israel says the system is needed because Hamas siphons off significant amounts of aid. The UN denies that claim.

On Friday a Geneva-based advocacy group said it was taking legal action to urge Swiss authorities to monitor the foundation.

TRIAL International, which focuses on international justice, said it made legal submissions to make sure that the privately-run foundation, which is listed in the Geneva commercial registry, abides by Swiss law, notably on the activities of private security groups.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.

No movement on ceasefire negotiations in Doha

Earlier this week, Netanyahu said he was recalling his high-level negotiating team from the Qatari capital, Doha, after a week of ceasefire talks failed to bring results. A working team will remain.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said a “fundamental gap” remained between the two parties and that none of the proposals was able to bridge their differences.

Hamas said no real ceasefire talks have taken place since last week in Doha. The group accused Netanyahu of “falsely portraying participation” and attempting to “mislead global public opinion” by keeping Israel’s delegation there without engaging in serious negotiations.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.


Israeli settlers sanctioned by UK spotted at illegal West Bank outpost

Tents are set up by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Bruqin, outside the walls of an illegal settlement of the sam
Updated 23 May 2025
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Israeli settlers sanctioned by UK spotted at illegal West Bank outpost

  • Neria Ben Pazi, Zohar Sabah visited site near Palestinian village of Mughayyir Al-Deir
  • Israeli human rights group B’Tselem slams ‘total impunity for soldiers and settlers’

LONDON: Two Israeli settlers sanctioned by the UK this week have taken part in efforts to displace Palestinian families from the West Bank village of Mughayyir Al-Deir.

Neria Ben Pazi and Zohar Sabah were both spotted visiting an illegal outpost set up on Sunday near the community of around 150 Bedouins, The Guardian reported.

Ben Pazi’s organization Neria’s Farm was sanctioned on Tuesday after the UK suspended talks with the Israeli government on a free trade agreement over its blockade of Gaza and the extremist language of several of the country’s ministers. 

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the actions of the Israeli government and suggestions its military would “purify Gaza,” saying it “has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions.”

Ben Pazi was sanctioned in 2024 for his role in displacing other Bedouin families in the West Bank.

According to the US State Department, “Ben Pazi has expelled Palestinian shepherds from hundreds of acres of land. In August 2023, settlers including Ben Pazi attacked Palestinians near the village of Wadi as-Seeq,” The Guardian reported.

His violence in the area even led to Israel’s regional military commander, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, banning Ben Pazi from entering the West Bank in 2023.

Sabah was sanctioned by the UK for “threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals.”

This included his role in an attack on a Palestinian school, which injured teachers and pupils and hospitalized the principal.

The settler outpost in question, less than 100 meters from Palestinian homes at Mughayyir Al-Deir, was also visited by Zvi Sukkot, an MP with the Religious Zionist Party, who caused outrage last week when he told Israel’s Channel 12: “Everyone has got used to the idea that we can kill 100 Gazans in one night during a war and nobody in the world cares.”

Ahmad Sulaiman, a 58-year-old father of 11 children who lives close to the settler outpost, said intimidation had started against his community.

“I haven’t slept since they came, and the children are terrified,” he told The Guardian. “The settlers told me: ‘This is our home.’” He added: “There is nothing I can do. They have guns and other weapons.”

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem says around 1,200 Palestinians have been forced from their homes in the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023.

Yonatan Mizrachi, co-director of Settlement Watch, said the boldness of settlers despite international sanctions “shows the settlers’ lack of fear, and the understanding that they can do what they like.”

B’Tselem spokesperson Shai Parnes said: “Israeli policy to take as much land as possible hasn’t changed. But what has been changing under this current government is the total impunity for soldiers and settlers.”