The State Department is investigating allegations of Israeli human rights abuses and will announce restrictions on military aid for specific units, including one with a high conviction rate for abuses against Palestinian civilians. Secretary of State Blinken said the investigation follows the same standards as for any other country and will consider evidence of possible violations involving U.S. weapons.
Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating freedom from slavery, was observed in Israel under the shadow of ongoing conflict and the continued detention of 133 hostages by Hamas. While some families marked the holiday with traditional rituals and symbolic acts of remembrance, others protested outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home, demanding a deal to release the hostages.
A Labour candidate has been suspended just days after the party’s Chief Whip campaigned for him in the local elections. Mr Razaq’s posts included comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and accusing Israel of being a ‘terrorist nation’. The Labour Party has pulled all support for Mr Razaq’s campaign and will not provide further backing. However, he will still appear on ballot papers in the upcoming local elections.
Satellite images suggest an Israeli strike on Isfahan, Iran, targeted an S-300 radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery, despite Iranian denials. The precision of the strike, which may have penetrated Iran’s air defenses, sends a message about Israel’s capabilities and Iran’s vulnerabilities. Both Iran and Israel are now trying to dial back tensions after a series of escalatory attacks, while the relationship between Iran and Russia deepens in the face of international isolation and the war in Ukraine.
An independent review of the neutrality of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) found that Israel had not raised any concerns about staff lists received since 2011. The review also highlighted gaps in the agency’s implementation of neutrality principles, including staff expressing political views, questionable textbook content, and union disruptions.
The head of Israel’s military intelligence division, Aharon Haliva, has resigned following the failure to prevent a deadly Hamas invasion in October. The attack resulted in over 1,200 deaths and sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Haliva accepted responsibility for the intelligence lapse, which allowed hundreds of Hamas fighters to breach Gaza’s border and overrun communities and military bases.
Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based terror organization, launched 35 rockets towards Israel on Monday. The IDF responded by striking the sources of the launches in the southern Lebanese area of Arzoun. The rockets crossed into northern Israel and triggered sirens in several cities, but no casualties were reported. Following the rocket fire, suspected hostile aircraft intrusion sirens sounded in other northern communities. This incident came in response to Israeli airstrikes earlier that day on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Israel has criticized the United Nations for its handling of Hamas infiltration within the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Foreign Minister Israel Katz alleges that Hamas’ presence has compromised UNRWA’s neutrality and called for its closure. The accusations include over 2,000 UNRWA workers being Hamas members, and 12 alleged participants in an attack against Israel. Katz argues that UNRWA-Gaza is part of the problem, not the solution, and urges donor countries to redirect funds to other organizations. A report commissioned by the UN acknowledged flaws in UNRWA but emphasized the importance of its services to Palestinian refugees.
A UN review of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has found that it has robust frameworks for ensuring compliance with humanitarian neutrality principles. However, issues persist, including staff expressing political views, problematic textbooks, and politicized staff unions. Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence for its claims that a significant number of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist organizations. The report has prompted some donors to review their funding freezes.
An independent review of the U.N. agency assisting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has found that Israel never expressed concerns about staff lists provided to them since 2011. The review was conducted after Israel alleged that 12 UNRWA employees participated in Hamas attacks in October 2022. The report cited serious gaps in implementation of neutrality procedures, including staff expressing political views, problematic textbook content, and union disruptions.
