LONDON: The British government said Wednesday that it is stepping up security for lawmakers after politicians reported threats and intimidation connected to the Israel-Hamas war.
The Home Office said a 31 million-pound ($40 million) fund will give every lawmaker a “dedicated named police contact” and provide money for those facing threats to pay for private security protection.
The government said some of the money will go more broadly to protecting Britain’s “democratic processes from intimidation, disruption or subversion” ahead of a general election later this year. The fund includes money for extra police patrols in areas where tensions are high.
Divisions over the conflict in Gaza have convulsed British politics, with some lawmakers saying they fear for their safety after receiving threats over their positions on the war. Reports of both antisemitic and anti-Muslim abuse in Britain have soared since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
A debate last week in the House of Commons on whether to call for a ceasefire descended into chaos amid allegations the speaker of the house had bent parliamentary rules in response to pressure from pro-Palestinian activists.
Conservative lawmaker Mike Freer has announced he is stepping down because of abuse and death threats linked to his support for Israel. Freer said an arson attack on his office in December was the “final straw.”
He said the money announced Wednesday was only “dealing with the symptom” rather than “going to the root cause” of why people feel emboldened to attack politicians.
“Security is welcome,” Freer told Times Radio. “But frankly, unless you get to the root cause, then you’re just going to have a ring of steel around MPs. And our whole style of democracy changes.”
British lawmakers have a tradition of meeting regularly with constituents in their local communities, but security has been tightened after several attacks in the last decade. In 2016, Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was killed by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was murdered in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Daesh group.
In 2017 a Daesh-inspired extremist killed four people with a vehicle on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death at the gates of Parliament. Two years later, in 2019, a neo-Nazi pleaded guilty to plotting to kill a Labour lawmaker.
Anti-war activists claimed the government was trying to stifle protest and lumping peaceful demonstrators in with violent extremists.
Home Secretary James Cleverly called on pro-Palestinian demonstrators to halt the mass protests that have drawn hundreds of thousands of people to central London almost weekly to call for a ceasefire in a conflict that has killed close to 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Israel says Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and abducted roughly 250, in the Oct. 7 attack.
The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, though there have dozens of arrests over signs and chants allegedly supporting Hamas, a banned organization in Britain. Jewish organizations and many lawmakers say the mass marches have created an intimidating atmosphere for Jewish Londoners — though members of the Jewish community have been among those on pro-ceasefire marches.
“I genuinely don’t know what these regular protests are seeking to achieve,” Cleverly told the Times of London. “They have made their position clear, we recognize that there are many people in the UK that hold that position. We respect that, but the UK government’s position is a disagreement with that for very practical, well thought-out reasons.”
The government says it supports an immediate “humanitarian pause” in the fighting but says a permanent ceasefire can only happen if Hamas frees all Israeli hostages and relinquishes control of Gaza.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has organized many protests, said Cleverly’s comments showed the government did not understand the role of protest “as an important part of the democratic process.”
“They regard it as a hindrance, something that should be suppressed,” Jamal said.
UK stepping up lawmakers’ security as tensions flare over Israel-Hamas war
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UK stepping up lawmakers’ security as tensions flare over Israel-Hamas war
- The fund includes money for extra police patrols in areas where tensions are high
- Reports of both antisemitic and anti-Muslim abuse in Britain have soared since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Smartphones banned from schools in Afghan Taliban’s heartland
- A ban on smartphones in schools issued by Taliban authorities in southern Afghanistan came into force, students and teachers confirmed to AFP on Wednesday, over concerns of “focus” and “Islamic law“
The directive by the provincial Education Department in Kandahar applies to students, teachers and administrative staff in schools and religious schools.
“This decision has been made to ensure educational discipline, focus,” the statement said, adding that it was taken from a “sharia perspective” and that smartphones contribute to “the destruction of the future generation.”
The policy, which has already taken effect in schools across the province, has divided opinion among teachers and students.
“We did not bring smart phones with us to school today,” Saeed Ahmad, a 22-year-old teacher, told AFP.
“I think this is a good decision so that there is more focus on studies,” he added.
Mohammad Anwar, an 11th grader, said “the teachers are saying if anyone is seen bringing a phone, they will start searching the students.”
Another 12th-grade student, refusing to give his name, said the ban would hinder learning in a country where girls are barred from secondary school and university as part of restrictions the UN has dubbed “gender apartheid.”
“When the teacher writes a lesson on the board, I often take a picture so I could write it down later. Now I can’t. This decision will negatively affect our studies.”
The ban has also taken root in religious schools known as madrassas.
“Now there’s a complete ban. No one brings smartphones anymore,” Mohammad, 19 years old madrassa student said.
A number of countries have in recent years moved to restrict mobile phones from classrooms such as France, Denmark and Brazil.
The Taliban authorities have already introduced a ban on images of living beings in media, with multiple provinces announcing restrictions and some Taliban officials refusing to be photographed or filmed.
The Taliban’s Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada called last week on officials and scholars to reduce their use of smartphones.
“This is the order of the leaders, and we must accept it,” a 28-year-old security forces member told AFP without giving his name as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“I have now found a brick phone ... I used WhatsApp on my smartphone sometimes, but now I don’t use it anymore,” he added.
Some Taliban officials in Kandahar have started sharing their numbers for brick phones and switching off online messaging apps.
Israel military raids West Bank camps
- Israeli forces enter Balata camp near the northern city of Nablus for a routine counter-terrorism operation
- Troops had also been deployed to the nearby Askar camp prior to the operation in Balata camp
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Israeli troops raided two Palestinian refugee camps in the occupied West Bank’s north overnight, the military said, as Israel presses offensives on multiple fronts.
The military said that at “around 4:00 a.m. Israeli forces entered Balata camp,” near the northern city of Nablus, for “a routine counter-terrorism operation.”
It added that the troops had been deployed to the nearby Askar camp prior to the operation in Balata camp.
Imad Zaki, head of the popular services committee of Balata camp, also said that the military began its raid at 4:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Wednesday.
“They closed all entrances to the camp, seized several homes after evicting their residents, and ordered the homeowners not to return for 72 hours. These homes were turned into military outposts and interrogation centers,” Zaki said.
“The soldiers are conducting house-to-house and neighborhood-to-neighborhood searches, destroying the contents of homes and physically assaulting the residents,” Zaki said.
He added that life had been “largely paralyzed” for the camp’s residents but that no injuries were reported.
In a separate statement, the military said that its forces had “neutralized” one Palestinian overnight in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja near Jerusalem.
They said that as the troops were deployed in the area, a Palestinian armed with a knife “attempted to stab (Israeli) soldiers who were operating in the area and steal their weapons.”
“The soldiers responded with fire and neutralized the terrorist,” the army said, using a term it normally uses when someone has been killed.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that its forces had been active in various parts of the Jenin area, in the northern West Bank.
It said in a statement that its forces had arrested five Palestinian militants suspected of planning attacks on Israel.
Throughout the Gaza war, violence in the West Bank – a separate Palestinian territory – has soared, as have calls to annex it, most notably from Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 939 Palestinians, including many militants, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Over the same period, at least 35 Israelis including civilians and soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids, according to official Israeli figures.
Russia says captured another village in Ukraine’s Sumy region
- Russian forces captured the settlement of Novomykolaivka in Sumy
MOSCOW: Russia’s army said Wednesday that its forces had captured another village in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, where Moscow has stepped up its offensive in recent weeks.
The Russian forces captured the settlement of Novomykolaivka in Sumy, Moscow’s defense ministry said on Telegram.
India and Canada restore diplomatic services nearly two years after killing of Sikh separatist
- Ottawa accused New Delhi of alleged involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader two years ago
- New Delhi vehemently denied the allegations and accused Justin Trudeau’s government of harboring extremists
NEW DELHI: India and Canada agreed to restore diplomatic services nearly two years after Ottawa accused New Delhi of alleged involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, which turned into a row straining relations between the two countries.
The announcement was made after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, met Tuesday on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.
“The leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries,” a statement from Carney’s office said.
High commissioners are senior diplomats, representing their country’s interests and fostering relationships with the host nation.
Modi and Carney reiterated the importance of a bilateral relationship based on mutual respect and a commitment to the principle of territorial sovereignty, according to the statement. They also discussed further collaboration in several sectors, including technology, digital transition, food security, and critical minerals.
Meanwhile, India’s foreign ministry underscored the importance of restarting senior ministerial engagements to “rebuild trust and bring momentum to the relationship.”
Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, shocked the world in September 2023 after announcing in Parliament there were credible allegations about India’s link to the killing of Hareep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver. New Delhi vehemently denied the allegations and accused Trudeau’s government of harboring extremists.
The Indian government had declared Nijjar a terrorist in 2020 under a law meant to suppress dissent. The Sikh independence advocate was a prominent member of the Khalistan movement, banned in India, to create an independent Sikh homeland. He was seen as a human rights activist by Sikh organizations.
Ties between the two countries continued to worsen and in October, India expelled Canadian diplomats and withdrew its high commissioner and other officials from Canada. Ottawa retaliated by dismissing Indian diplomats and accusing the Indian government of an intensifying campaign against Canadian citizens, a charge New Delhi denied.
India’s anxieties about Sikh separatist groups have long strained its relationship with Canada, where some two percent of the population is Sikh.
Modi calls Trump
As Trump abruptly left the G7 summit, Modi had a detailed phone conversation with the US president and shared India’s military response against Pakistan last month following the killings of 26 innocent people, mostly Hindu men, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said.
In recent weeks, Trump had claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and offered trade concessions in part to make the nuclear-armed rivals reach an agreement after shooting at each other for days, which was checkmate by New Delhi. Trump had also proposed mediation over Kashmir.
In a statement, Misri said Modi clarified to Trump that India had never in the past accepted nor would it encourage in the future a third-party mediation over the simmering dispute of Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan in its entirety.
Misri said Modi made it clear to Trump that during multiple talks held between New Delhi and Washington senior officials amid the ongoing military conflict, there was no mention of a trade deal or the US mediation over Kashmir.
The talks to stop military actions were held directly between the military leaders of India and Pakistan through existing channels, Misri said.
Beijing says almost 800 Chinese citizens evacuated from Iran
- 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas
BEIJING: Almost 800 Chinese citizens have been evacuated from Iran since Israel launched military strikes against the country last week, Beijing said Wednesday.
“Currently... 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference.
“More than 1,000 other people are in the process of relocating and withdrawing,” Guo added.
And some Chinese nationals have also safely evacuated from Israel, he said.
“China expresses its thanks to the relevant countries for providing full support and assistance,” Guo said.
Meawnhile, the Japanese government has started making arrangements to send a military plane to Djibouti as part of its effort to help Japanese nationals in Iran and Israel evacuate, commercial broadcaster Fuji Television Network said on Wednesday.
Iran said early Wednesday it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the archfoes, hours after Donald Trump demanded the Islamic republic’s “unconditional surrender.”
The US president insists Washington has played no part in ally Israel’s bombing campaign, but also warned Iran his patience is wearing thin as the conflict enters a sixth day.
World powers have pushed to find an off-ramp, hoping to prevent the conflict from spiralling into a region-engulfing war.
