EU steps up air defences for Ukraine and sanctions for Russia
Ukraine’s European allies marshalled resources this week to provide the besieged country with air defences against drones and ballistic missiles. The European Union also announced an 18th round of sanctions designed to sever all remaining Russian energy imports, and proposed a fivefold increase in the common defence budget to boost EU defence research and procurement. European leaders convinced the United States to symbolically rejoin the 52-nation Ukraine Defence Contact Group coordinating defence donations, but not as a donor. It was the first such meeting attended by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth since February, when he told EU members that pushing Russia out of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory was unrealistic. (Al Jazeera) Operational developments As the ideological chasm between the EU and the US over Ukraine widened, Russia continued to pound Ukrainian defenders, making a few inroads. Russian forces seized Degtyarnoye in Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region, Popov Yar in its eastern Donetsk region, and Kamenskoye in the southern region of Zaporizhia on July 17. They captured Belaya Gora on Sunday and Novotoretskoye on Tuesday, both in Donetsk. While holding its front line, Ukraine has targeted Moscow with long-range weapons for the past two weeks. Russian air defences downed 13 drones approaching Moscow on Saturday, said its mayor, and Ukrainian drones disrupted traffic in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday, said Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation. Advertisement Then, on Monday, Russia claimed to have shot down 74 Ukrainian drones, a third of them near Moscow. Others must have hit their targets, because a fire at Kamenolomny station in the Rostov region caused delays to train services in the Caucasus. Kovalenko also said that on June 11, Ukrainian drones attacked the Lukhovitsky Aviation Plant in the Moscow region, which produces MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighters. Ukraine’s General Staff said drones also hit the Shipunov Design Bureau – a manufacturer of anti-aircraft missiles. The following day, Ukraine reportedly blew up a gas pipeline in Khanty-Mansiysk, about 3,000km (1,900 miles) from Moscow. The pipeline reportedly supplied military production facilities. Drone air defence At Monday’s meeting of Ukraine’s allies, known as the Ramstein format, after the German town where the meetings began, the United Kingdom and Germany pledged to jointly provide Ukraine with an unspecified number of missiles to defend its skies. “Boris and I have agreed to jointly supply Ukraine with critically needed anti-aircraft missiles,” UK Defence Secretary John Healy said, referring to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. Ukraine uses the German-made IRIS-T and US-made NASAMS and SHORAD missile defence systems against drone attacks, which have intensified in recent weeks. From July 17 to 22, Ukraine shot down or electronically suppressed 833 of 968 unmanned aerial vehicles targeting its cities and critical infrastructure. The largest attack came on Monday, when Russia launched 426 drones overnight, along with five Kh-47 M2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles, four Kalibr cruise missiles, one Iskander-K cruise missile and 14 Kh-101 cruise missiles. The largest attack of the war on July 9 used 728 drones, and the head of the German Planning and Command Staff, Major-General Christian Freuding, said on Saturday that Russia plans to further increase its drone production capacity with the goal of launching 2,000 drones in one overnight strike package. Ukraine has used a variety of methods to down or disable drones, including man-portable air defence kits, heavy machineguns and electronic warfare. But its most successful methods so far have proven the German radar-assisted Gepard anti-air 35mm gun and its domestically-developed interceptor drones, said Ukrainian drone warfare expert Olena Kryzhanivska. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made such domestically produced weapons a top priority. Inaugurating a new government headed by Yulia Svyrydenko on July 17, Zelenskyy said its top priority was to increase domestic arms production: “Currently, about 40 percent of the weapons in the hands of our warriors are made in Ukraine. In six months, it should be no less than 50 percent,” he said. Advertisement The goal was “to push the war back onto Russia’s territory – back to where the war was brought from. So that they feel what they’ve done”, Zelenskyy said. Pistorius revealed details of a separate German collaboration with the US to provide Ukraine with Patriot air defence batteries. (Al Jazeera) (Al Jazeera) Ballistic air defence Ukraine has no domestic solution for countering Russia’s deadliest long-range weapons, its ballistic missiles. The only effective defence it possesses is the US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system. Pistorius revealed on Monday that “during my trip to Washington last week, I agreed with Pete Hegseth that Germany would contribute to the rapid provision of five much-needed Patriot systems.” A complete Patriot system consists of a central radar and antenna array, and at least six launch vehicles carrying four interceptor missiles each. It appeared that Germany would pay for these systems. In return, the US would award it – and other countries donating their Patriots to Ukraine – priority placement in the production queue when buying replacement systems. Zelenskyy told Newsmax and the New York Post that he would separately buy Patriot systems and pay for them with Ukrainian-built drones. “I told President Trump: ‘The American people need this technology, and you should have it in your arsenal.’ I believe this is a mega deal – a win-win for both sides. We’re ready to share our experience with America and European partners,” Zelenskyy told Newsmax. Europe at the forefront of Ukraine aid While the US administration of Donald Trump remains willing to sell military kit to Ukraine after suspending donations, Europe remains ideologically committed to bankrolling Ukraine’s defence and ending its own reliance on the US. Presenting the EU’s next seven-year, 1,816-billion-euro ($2,130bn) budget on July 16, Ursula Von Der Leyen proposed a 131-billion-euro ($154bn) budget for defence and space, a fivefold increase on the 2021-27 budget. The money, which is in addition to that spent by EU national governments, would go towards buying European defence goods, investing in European defence industries, cybersecurity and dual-purpose critical infrastructure. Von Der Leyen proposed establishing a European Competitiveness Fund for
Columbia University suspends, expels nearly 80 students over Gaza protests
Some students also had their degrees revoked for participating in antiwar protests, including the 2024 Gaza encampments. Columbia University in the United States has imposed severe punishments, including expulsion, suspension from courses and revocation of academic degrees, on dozens of students who participated in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. The student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which has called for the school to cut all financial ties with Israel, said in a statement that nearly 80 students have now been either expelled or suspended for up to three years over their involvement in antiwar protests. On Tuesday, Columbia said in a statement that its latest punishment of students relates to “disruption of Butler Library in May 2025 and the encampment during Alumni Weekend in spring 2024″. “Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences,” the university wrote. The CUAD group said the university’s sanctions on students “hugely exceed precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations”. “We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” the group added. The pro-Palestinian student encampments at Columbia University in 2024 helped ignite a global movement against Israel’s unrelenting war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The protest sites were eventually broken up when Columbia University allowed hundreds of New York City police officers on campus, leading to dozens of arrests. Despite the university’s harsh crackdowns, student protesters occupied the Butler Library during final exams in May this year, demanding divestment from companies linked to the Israeli military and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Advertisement Columbia University’s Judicial Board confirmed it issued expulsions, suspensions and degree revocations after what it called a disruption during “reading period”. It did not say how many students were expelled but said that this was “the final set of findings from that period”. The Ivy League university is in negotiations with US President Donald Trump’s administration to restore some $400m in federal funding. The Trump administration cut funds to the New York City-based institution over what it claimed were failures to “meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment”. Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, a former trustee, was booed by students during a May graduation ceremony for her role in cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests. Fellow Ivy League institution Harvard University, which has also been targeted with billions in funding cuts by the government, has pushed back against pressure to change its policies by taking the Trump administration to court. The latest disciplinary measures announced by Columbia against students came on Tuesday as Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip continued to cause widespread starvation, with at least 15 people, including a six-week-old baby, dying from hunger and malnutrition within a 24-hour period, according to health officials. Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University protest leader targeted for deportation by the Trump administration, met with lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, more than a month after he was released from immigration custody in Louisiana, where he was being held amid a pledge by the US president to deport pro-Palestinian activists. Adblock test (Why?)
Interpol takes whaling activist, Sea Shepherd founder off wanted list
Canadian-American anti-whaling activist Paul Watson greeted Interpol’s decision with the words: ‘Finally I am free.’ Global police organisation Interpol said it has removed its most-wanted designation for the anti-whaling activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd conservation group, Paul Watson, who is wanted in Japan over an encounter with a whaling ship in 2010. Interpol had issued a “red notice”, at Japan’s request, for the arrest of the Canadian-American Watson, 74, who is known for his daring tactics, including disrupting and confronting whaling ships on the high seas. Interpol has now decided that the notice was “disproportionate”, Watson’s Paris-based lawyer William Julie said on Tuesday. An Interpol red notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending legal action, based on a warrant from the judicial authorities in the requesting country, in this case, Japan. In a post on social media by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, the activist was quoted saying: “Finally I am free.” “The Japanese whalers have been after me for 14 years ever since I was first detained in Frankfurt, Germany in May 2012,” Watson said. “It has been an incredible pursuit by a very powerful nation using unlimited resources but finally I am free.” 🚨INTERPOL RED NOTICE CANCELLED!! The Japanese whalers have been after me for 14 years ever since I was first detained in Frankfurt, Germany in May 2012. It has been an incredible pursuit by a very powerful nation using unlimited resources but finally I am free pic.twitter.com/XIBuMwksoe — Captain Paul Watson Foundation 🐋🏴☠️ (@CaptPaulWatson) July 22, 2025 Advertisement A spokesperson for Interpol confirmed to the AFP news agency that the organisation’s Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF) had deleted the arrest notice for Watson. “The CCF decision was made in light of new facts, including the refusal by the Kingdom of Denmark to extradite Mr Watson. This is in line with normal procedures,” the spokesperson said. Watson was arrested and detained in Greenland in July 2024, on a more than decade-old Japanese arrest warrant, which accused him of causing damage to a whaling ship and injuring a whaler. He was released in December after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over the 2010 incident. Watson left Denmark on December 20, and returned to France, where his children attend school. In a statement, Watson’s lawyer said that the CCF considered that Interpol’s red notice “did not meet Interpol’s standards, citing the disproportionate nature of the charges… the considerable passage of time since the alleged facts, Denmark’s refusal to extradite him, and the fact that several other countries declined to act on Japan’s arrest or extradition requests”. Lamya Essemlali, the president of Sea Shepherd France, hailed the “good news that this notice was finally cancelled”, but noted that Watson could still be arrested and sent to Japan for prosecution. “It does not give Paul Watson his freedom of movement because the Japanese arrest warrant is sufficient for a country to order his arrest,” she said. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Changed the planet of rock’: Tributes pour in for rock icon Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne, a trailblazer who rose to fame as a founding force in heavy metal music and later became a reality television icon, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76. His family confirmed his death in a statement, but did not disclose the location or cause. In recent years, Osbourne had been undergoing treatment for a form of Parkinson’s disease. He died just two weeks after performing a farewell show in his hometown of Birmingham, England. This is how family, friends and musicians paid tribute: Family statement signed by Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, and children “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” the statement read. The statement was signed by the singer’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, and their children, Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Aimee Osbourne. Louis Osbourne, his son with his ex-wife, Thelma Riley, also signed the statement. Aston Villa football club: ‘A special connection’ Aston Villa FC honoured one of its most iconic fans. “Aston Villa Football Club is saddened to learn that world-renowned rockstar and Villan Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from,” the club said in a statement. Aston Villa Football Club is saddened to learn that world-renowned rockstar and Villan, Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from. The thoughts of everyone at… pic.twitter.com/lcyBomOdxq — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 22, 2025 Advertisement Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi: ‘Heartbreaking news’ Black Sabbath cofounder Tony Iommi said on Facebook: “I just can’t believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park. “It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him,” he said. “Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace Oz.” Elton John: ‘He was a dear friend’ Elton John said he was “so sad to hear the news”. “He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend. He was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love,” John said. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong “No words. We love you Ozzy,” Armstrong wrote in a caption accompanying a photo he posted on his Instagram account. Metallica shares photo tribute The heavy metal band Metallica paid tribute on X by posting a photo of themselves with Ozzy Osbourne, accompanied by a simple broken heart emoji. 💔 pic.twitter.com/ojOksUPkKi — Metallica (@Metallica) July 22, 2025 Motörhead: ‘We’ve lost a dear friend’ The metal band Motörhead shared a tribute posting a photo of Osbourne with their late frontman, Lemmy. Nirvana: Black Sabbath was ‘the template’ Nirvana’s official X account shared a brief message expressing gratitude to Osbourne and Black Sabbath for inspiring the iconic grunge rock band. Thank you Ozzy Osbourne for the inspiration. @BlackSabbath is the template for heavy Rock. #Ozzy — Nirvana (@Nirvana) July 22, 2025 Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant: ‘What a journey’ “Farewell Ozzy … what a journey … sail on up there .. finally at peace .. you truly changed the planet of rock!,” Plant said in a social media post. Farewell Ozzy … what a journey … sail on up there .. finally at peace .. you truly changed the planet of rock! — Robert Plant (@RobertPlant) July 22, 2025 PETA: ‘Osbourne was a legend and a provocateur’ Although Osbourne famously bit the head off a dead bat during a 1982 concert, he was also a vocal supporter of animal welfare. “Ozzy Osbourne was a legend and a provocateur, but PETA will remember the ‘Prince of Darkness’ most fondly for the gentle side he showed to animals – most recently cats, by using his fame to decry painful, crippling declawing mutilations,” PETA’s senior vice president, Lisa Lange, said in a statement to Yahoo news. Advertisement Rod Stewart: ‘Sleep well, my friend’ “Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend,” Stewart said on Instagram. “I’ll see you up there – later rather than sooner.” The Rolling Stones’s Ronnie Wood: ‘I’m so very sad’ “I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne. What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham,” Wood added. I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne 💔🙏 What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham🙏☀️❤️🎤 pic.twitter.com/Z6V2CNXWNG — Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) July 22, 2025 Sony Music: Osbourne’s work ‘will live on’ Sony Music issued a statement saying that “his music will live on”. “Sony Music is deeply saddened by the passing of our legendary recording artist Ozzy Osbourne,” the statement said. “He redefined the sound and spirit of rock music and became an unmistakable voice and icon for his millions of fans around the world!” Parkinson’s UK Charity “News of Ozzy Osbourne’s death, so soon after his celebratory homecoming show, will come as a shock to so many. By speaking openly about both his diagnosis and life with Parkinson’s, Ozzy and all his family helped so many families in the same situation,” the charity said in a statement. “They normalised tough conversations and made others feel less alone with a condition that’s on the rise and affecting more people every day.” Yungblud: ‘You were the greatest’ Rocker Yungblud shared a photo with Osbourne on Instagram, expressing shock at his passing and saying he never thought Osbourne would “leave
‘Flour, fire and fear as I try to parent in a starving Gaza’
Deir el-Balah, Gaza – “There is no voice louder than hunger,” the Arabic proverb goes. Now it has become a painful truth surrounding us, drawing closer with each passing day. I never imagined that hunger could be more terrifying than the bombs and killing. This weapon caught us off-guard, something we never thought would be more brutal than anything else we’ve faced in this endless war. It’s been four months without a single full meal for my family, nothing that meets even the basic needs on Maslow’s hierarchy. My days revolve around hunger. One sister calls to ask about flour, and the other sends a message saying all they have is lentils. My brother returns empty-handed from his long search for food for his two kids. We woke up one day to the sound of our neighbour screaming in frustration. “I’m going mad. What’s happening? I have money, but there’s nothing to buy,” she said when I came out to calm her down. My phone doesn’t stop ringing. The calls are from crying women I met during fieldwork in displacement camps: “Ms Maram? Can you help with anything? A kilo of flour or something? … We haven’t eaten in days.” This sentence echoes in my ears: “We haven’t eaten in days.” It is no longer shocking. Famine is marching forwards in broad daylight, shamelessly in a world so proud of its “humanity”. A second birthday amid scarcity Iyas has woken up asking for a cup of milk today, his birthday. He has turned two in the middle of a war. I wrote him a piece on his birthday last year, but now I look back and think: “At least there was food!” Advertisement A simple request from a child for some milk spins me into a whirlwind. I’d already held a quiet funeral inside me weeks ago for the last of the milk, then rice, sugar, bulgur, beans – the list goes on. Only four bags of pasta, five of lentils and 10 precious kilos (22lb) of flour remain – enough for two weeks if I ration tightly, and even that makes me luckier than most in Gaza. Flour means bread – white gold people are dying for every single day. Every cup I add to the dough feels heavy. I whisper to myself: “Just two cups”. Then I add a little more, then a bit more, hoping to somehow stretch these little bits into enough bread to last the day. But I know I’m fooling myself. My mind knows this won’t be enough to quell hunger; it keeps warning me how little flour we have left. I don’t know what I’m writing any more. But this is just what I’m living, what I wake up and fall asleep to. With little more than flour and lentils left, the author struggles to make supplies last and feed her family [Maram Humaid/Al Jazeera] What horrors remain? I now think back on the morning bread-making routine I used to resent. As a working mother, I once hated that long process imposed by war, which made me miss being able to buy bread from the bakery. But now, that routine is sacred. Thousands of people across Gaza wish they could knead bread without end. I am one of them. Now I handle flour with reverence, knead gently, cut the loaves carefully, roll them out and send them off to bake in the public clay oven with my husband, who lovingly balances the tray on his head. A full hour under the sun at the oven just to get a warm loaf of bread, and we’re among the “lucky” ones. We are kings, the wealthy. These “miserable” daily routines have become unattainable dreams for hundreds of thousands in Gaza. Everyone is starving. Is it possible that this war still has more horrors in store? We complained about displacement. Then our homes were bombed. We never returned. We complained about the burdens of cooking over a fire, making bread, handwashing clothes and hauling water. Now those “burdens” feel like luxuries. There’s no water. No soap. No supplies. Iyas’s latest challenge Two weeks ago, while being consumed by thoughts of how to stretch out the last handfuls of flour, another challenge appeared: potty training Iyas. We ran out of diapers. My husband searched everywhere, returning empty-handed. “No diapers, no baby formula, nothing at all.” Just like that. My God, how strange and harsh this child’s early years have been. War has imposed so many changes that we could not protect him from. Advertisement His first year was an endless hunt for baby formula, clean water and diapers. Then came famine, and he grew up without eggs, fresh milk, vegetables, fruit or any of the basic nutrients a toddler needs. I fought on, sacrificing what little health I had to continue breastfeeding until now. It was difficult, especially while undernourished myself and trying to keep working, but what else could I do? The thought of raising a child with no nutrients at this critical stage is unbearable. And so my little hero woke up one morning to the challenge of ditching diapers. I pitied him, staring in fear at the toilet seat, which looked to him like a deep tunnel or cave he might fall into. It took us two whole days to find a child’s seat for the toilet. The author’s daughter, Banias, demonstrates how her father carries the bread to be baked at the public oven [Maram Humaid/Al Jazeera] Every day was filled with training accidents, signs he wasn’t ready. The hours I spent sitting by the toilet, encouraging him, were exhausting and frustrating. Potty training is a natural phase that should come when the child is ready. Why am I and so many other mothers here forced to go through it like this, under mental strain, with a child who I haven’t had a chance to prepare? So I fall asleep thinking about how much food we have left and wake up to
The boy who bled to death as an Israeli soldier ‘celebrated his shot’
Sebastia, occupied West Bank – When Israeli military vehicles approach, news of the latest incursion begins cascading through Sebastia from one person to another, and the young people run home as fast as possible. They try to get back before invading soldiers reach their street, knowing all too well the potentially grave consequences if they don’t. The warning cries often originate from those walking near the vantage point of Sebastia archaeological park’s scenic summit. From here, people can spot army vehicles on the roads below before they reach the town and its ancient ruins, giving people a chance to hide their young. Soon after, walking prevention warnings are often circulated on social media, and the residents of Sebastia – once a religious pilgrimage site and a tourism hotspot – have the choice of hunkering down at home or facing soldiers who no longer show any restraint. ‘He celebrated killing my son’ In January this year, an Israeli soldier shot dead 14-year-old Ahmed Jazar and then raised his rifle in the air triumphantly after hitting the unarmed boy in the chest, piercing his heart. Witnesses saw the soldier “celebrating” as Ahmed slowly bled to death on the ground, his father, Rashid, aged 57, told Al Jazeera. Ahmed was mature beyond his years, his parents say, and made caring for his poverty-stricken family his vocation. He was also a talented painter and wanted to train as a decorator. He aspired to open a shop so he could make enough money to buy his family a permanent home – something better than the overcrowded rental apartment they lived in. Advertisement “They shot Ahmed and killed all his dreams, right there and then,” his mother, Wafaa, said. “The army treats us like we’re in a state of war – but we’ve done nothing. “Soldiers are here every day, and no one feels their children are safe unless they are at home.” Ahmed woke up in the early afternoon on the Sunday he was killed, Wafaa and Rashid say, having stayed up late playing with his friends in the neighbourhood the night before. He liked to play football in the schoolyard, cycle near the archaeological park, and eat at the town’s once-busy cafes. He came back after seeing his friends and spent some time with his family, unaware that they would be sharing their final moments. Then, as the dinner hour neared, his parents sent Ahmed out to buy bread. “It was always a habit of his to come and go in this way,” Rashid said. “He was very sociable … everyone loved him. “But this time, he left and never came back.” Wafaa holds a photo of her with her murdered son. To her right are her husband Rashid Jazar and Ahmed’s aunt Etizaz Azim [Al Jazeera] The Israeli soldiers’ frequent raids on occupied West Bank towns prompt some children and young people into acts of defiance, like throwing stones towards the heavily armed soldiers or their armoured vehicles, or shining laser pointers at them. According to some neighbours, Ahmed and his friends did shine laser pens on the fatal January day, hiding behind a wall near a nursery as some soldiers walked towards them. His family denies Ahmed’s part in this. Rashid and Wafaa said they were awaiting his return from the shops so they could eat dinner together. “He was just a child,” Rashid said. “The Israeli soldier knew he was a young boy – and that he was no threat to the army in any way. “He was hundreds of metres away from them when they shot him!” The bullet-dented door and facade of the nursery, established by charity Save The Children, still stand as a reminder of what happened when Ahmed was shot dead. Speaking to Israeli newspaper Haaretz in March, a military spokesperson said: “In the wake of the incident, an investigation was launched by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division. Naturally, we cannot elaborate on an ongoing investigation.” Palestinians, including residents of Sebastia, say they are used to what they call “sham” investigations that usually have no result, and almost certainly no punishment for perpetrators. Rashid was contacted by the military to provide information for the investigation into Ahmed’s killing, but he refused. Advertisement “They killed my son and then call me to talk about justice?” he said. Al Jazeera sent written inquiries to Israeli authorities, asking for comment on the investigation into Ahmed’s shooting but no response had been received by time of publication. The Israeli army often raids cities and towns in the West Bank, but few are targeted like Sebastia, where it has stepped up attacks since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu established his far-right ultranationalist government in late 2022. Since then, the military killed Fawzi Makhalfeh, aged 19, in July 2023, and Ahmed on January 19 this year. There have been at least 25 gunshot injuries in Sebastia since Netanyahu’s coalition government came to power, a handful of which involved children. A 22-year-old man from the nearby town of Attil was shot in the chest while driving through Sebastia earlier this month. Violent settlers also wreak havoc on Palestinian landowners around the town, which is dependent on agriculture and tourism, and yet more settlements, official and unofficial, are set to be built around Sebastia. Soldiers attack anyone who fights back and circulate threatening messages using residents’ mobile phones. One recording, heard by Al Jazeera, by what is ostensibly an Israeli soldier, accuses townspeople of being “involved in terrorism”, and warns they will “pay the price”. The Save The Children nursery sign, riddled with bullets [Al Jazeera] Justice Wafaa and her husband sat on either side of a memorial to their slain son in the humble living room of the rented home they can barely afford. Ahmed left behind four brothers and three sisters aged between seven and 20. Rashid used to work as a painter in Israel, but, like thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, he has been unable to go to
Israel is proceeding with annexation, and there is only one way to stop it
My brother recently sent me a copy of an Israeli military order that was found by farmers on our land and nearby plots in the occupied West Bank. The document, accompanied by a map, states that the land is being seized for military purposes. It does not specify how long the land will be held and offers the landowners and users only seven days from an upcoming field visit – coordinated between the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority (PA) liaison office – to file an objection with the Israeli army’s legal adviser. This field visit typically serves to demarcate the boundaries of the confiscated land. From our family’s past experience, confiscation under the guise of “security reasons” often precedes the establishment of a colonial settlement. This happened in 1973 when our family received a similar military order for land along the Jerusalem-Hebron Road. Within a week, a military post was established. Months later, a civilian settlement, Elazar, was erected in the same location. What’s shocking this time is that this new order has barely made headlines despite the size of the land being slated for confiscation. According to the military order, it amounts to 5,758 dunums, or more than 5.7sq km (2.2sq miles). The confiscation is not arbitrary. At the centre of this particular area is the outpost of Sde Boaz, which was illegally established on private Palestinian land in 2002. The residents – about 50 families – are not fringe extremists. They’re middle-class professionals, including doctors, engineers and accountants. Advertisement This confiscation is one of many that have taken place in the past 21 months. Under the shadow of the genocidal war in Gaza, Israel has accelerated its annexation drive in the West Bank. The objective is to formally annex parts of what the Oslo Peace Accords designated as Area B, which is 21 percent of the West Bank, and the whole of Area C, which constitutes 60 percent of the West Bank and includes the whole of the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem countryside as well as other areas. Most Palestinian farmland and pastures fall within this area as do a large number of Israel’s illegal settlements. My town, al-Khader (St George), owns more than 22,000 dunums (22sq km/8.5sq miles) of land, of which more than 20,500 (20.5sq km/7.9sq miles) are classified as Area C, 500 (half a square kilometre/0.2sq miles) as Area B, and less than 1,000 dunums (1sq km/0.4sq miles) as Area A. Israeli settlers play an active role in advancing this annexation plan. This is not limited to seizing strategic hilltops but also includes systematic violence against Palestinians. The settler attacks on Palestinian property, the torture and killings of Palestinians are all part of an organised campaign intended to uproot Palestinians from Areas B and C to facilitate annexation. This strategy aligns with what Israeli policymakers refer to as “voluntary transfer”, a euphemism for ethnically cleansing Palestinians from their homeland. All of this is illegal, according to international law, and goes against repeated resolutions by the United Nations and a 2024 ruling of the International Court of Justice. So who will stop Israel? The PA, which nominally administers Area A in the occupied West Bank, will certainly not. Since its establishment as part of the Oslo peace process, the PA has not only failed to resist Israeli moves towards annexation, but it has also arguably facilitated them by working with Israel to stem out armed and even peaceful resistance that does not support its political agenda. The international community is also unlikely to take decisive action. For decades, Western governments, in particular, have offered rhetorical condemnations while simultaneously providing security and economic support to Israel. These same actors who have failed to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza are unlikely to object if Israel formalises its de facto annexation. This was most recently evident during a diplomatic visit to Taybeh, a Palestinian village located northeast of Jerusalem and Ramallah. The visit, which included more than 20 diplomats from around the world, including European and American representatives, came in response to repeated attacks by Jewish settlers, who burned parts of the village’s land, including property belonging to the local church. That was all these countries were willing to do – send representatives to the area for a couple of hours to utter a few words of condemnation. Beyond that, it is business as usual in their relations with Israel. Advertisement What remains then is the resilience and agency of the Palestinian people and their principled political movements. In the current context, the mere presence of Palestinians on their land is an act of resistance. To sustain this presence and strengthen their struggle, Palestinians must continue to mobilise global progressive and freedom-oriented movements to support their cause – not only in solidarity but also as part of a broader global fight against the far-right, racist, anti-justice forces that support Israel and simultaneously threaten civil rights and social justice in their own countries. Solidarity activities at the global level should be strategic and impactful. They should focus on disrupting all components of the supply chain that benefit the Israeli occupation in general and settler colonialism in particular. This means citizens around the world in different sectors of society can contribute to the struggle for Palestine as both producers and consumers by heeding the call to boycott and divest from Israel. Direct actions from the working class are crucial. Workers can integrate the Palestinian cause into their demands for better working conditions. For instance, public strikes in solidarity with Palestine, such as those organised by rail workers in European countries, might pressure governments to reconsider their support for Israel. Similarly, port workers could strike to disrupt shipping linked to Israel, pushing governments to reassess their positions. Employees in high-tech industries can play a critical role in supporting Palestinians by demanding their companies align products, services and partnerships with international law, refusing to support technologies complicit in the Israeli occupation or settler violence. If companies refuse, workers can escalate to
US to deport Haitian legal permanent residents with alleged gang ties
Move comes after Trump administration labeled Haiti’s Viv Ansanm gang a ‘foreign terrorist organisation’. The administration of President Donald Trump has said it will deport Haitians living in the United States as legal permanent residents if they are deemed to have “supported and collaborated” with a Haitian gang. The announcement on Monday is the latest move against Haitians living in the US amid the president’s mass deportation drive, and comes as the Trump administration has sought to end two other legal statuses for Haitians. The update also comes as rights groups are questioning how the Trump administration determines connections to organisations it deems “terrorist organisations”. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not reveal how many people were being targeted or any names, saying only that “certain individuals with US lawful permanent resident status have supported and collaborated with Haitian gang leaders connected to Viv Ansanm”. Following the determination, the Department of Homeland Security can pursue the deportation of the lawful permanent residents, also known as green-card holders, Rubio added. As the Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations, the State Department has been invoking broad powers under the Immigration and Nationality Act to attempt to deport people living in the US on various visas, including as permanent legal residents or students. Under the law, the state secretary can expel anyone whose presence in the US is deemed to have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States”. The administration has sought to deport four people under the law for their pro-Palestine advocacy, which the State Department repeatedly equated, without evidence, to anti-Semitism and support for the “terrorist”-designated group Hamas. Advertisement All four people are challenging their deportations and arrests in immigration and federal courts. In the statement regarding Haitians on Monday, Rubio said the US “will not allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of legal status in our country while they are facilitating the actions of violent organisations or supporting criminal terrorist organisations”. In May, the State Department labelled the Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs “foreign terrorist organisations”, calling them a “direct threat to US national security interests in our region”. That followed the February designation of eight Latin American criminal groups as “terrorist organisations”, including the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua. The administration has used alleged affiliation with the gang to justify swiftly deporting Venezuelans living in the US without documentation under an 18th-century wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act. Critics have said the removal flouted due process, with court documents indicating that some of the affected men were targeted for nothing more than tattoos or clothing said to be associated with the group. Haitians singled out The Haitian community living in the US has been prominently targeted by Trump, first during his campaign, when he falsely accused Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, of “eating” pets. Since taking office, the administration has sought to end several legal statuses for Haitians, including a special humanitarian parole programme under former President Joe Biden, under which more than 200,000 Haitians legally entered the US. In May, the US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end the special status. The Trump administration has also sought to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians, a legal status granted to those already living in the US whose home countries are deemed unsafe to return to. In late June, despite the violent crime crisis gripping Haiti, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem declared that the Caribbean nation no longer met the conditions for TPS. However, earlier this month, a federal judge blocked the administration from prematurely halting the programme before its currently scheduled end in February 2026. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,244
Here are the key events on day 1,244 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Here is how things stand on Tuesday, July 22: Fighting A large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The attack caused widespread damage, including when a drone hit the entrance to a subway station in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, where people had taken cover. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 426 drones and 24 missiles in the overnight attack, making it one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults in months. A Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region injured 11 people, including a five-year-old boy, Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Telegram. Ukraine’s Air Force said it downed or jammed 224 Russian drones and missiles, while another 203 drones disappeared from radars. The Russian Ministry of Defence said that Russian air defence systems downed 132 Ukrainian drones on Monday. The governor of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said that fragments of Ukrainian drones fell on a kindergarten and a fire station in the region’s port city of Berdyansk but there were no casualties. Military aid Norway is ready to help fund the deployment of US Patriot missile systems for Ukraine’s air defences, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin. The Netherlands will also make a “substantial contribution” to the delivery of Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Monday, quoting the country’s Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans. Zelenskyy wrote on X that “a decision by French companies to begin manufacturing drones in Ukraine” is “highly valuable”. Ukrainian Minister for Defence Denys Shmyhal said the country needs $6bn to close this year’s defence procurement gap, in an online meeting with Western allies. The Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting of high-level military donors to Kyiv was led by the United Kingdom’s defence secretary, John Healey, and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte were among the attendees. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs displayed a downed Russian Shahed drone, made in Iran, in Kyiv on Monday [Sergei Supinsky/AFP] Politics and diplomacy Advertisement New talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place in Turkiye on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said in his daily public address, with more details to be released on Tuesday. “A lot of diplomatic work lies ahead,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Monday, commenting on the prospects for a breakthrough with Kyiv on ending the war. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasised France’s support to Ukraine in a surprise visit to Kyiv. Ukraine’s security services detained an official from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine on accusations of spying for Russia. Italy’s Royal Palace of Caserta cancelled a concert by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a vocal backer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, after uproar from Ukraine and its supporters. Adblock test (Why?)
US police officer in Breonna Taylor death sentenced to 33 months in prison
A judge in the US state of Kentucky has sentenced a police officer involved in the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor to 33 months for violating her civil rights. The sentencing of officer Brett Hankison was announced on Monday at the Louisville court and represents a repudiation to prosecutors, who had requested he receive a one-day sentence. US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings sentenced Hankison at a hearing on Monday afternoon. She said that no prison time “is not appropriate” for Hankison and that she was “startled” that more people had not been injured in the raid. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was killed in her apartment in the early hours of March 13, 2020, after police executed a so-called no-knock warrant, attempting to storm Taylor’s apartment unannounced, based on faulty evidence that her apartment was involved in a drug operation. Thinking they were experiencing a home invasion, her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired one shot at the suspected intruders. Police responded with approximately 22 shots, some of which went into a neighbour’s apartment, endangering a pregnant woman, her partner and five-year-old son. A federal jury in November 2024 found Hankison responsible for using excessive force in violation of Taylor’s civil rights. But last week, Department of Justice lawyers asked that Hankison be given a one-day sentence, plus three years of supervised release, arguing that a lengthy sentence would be “unjust”. Hankison shot 10 bullets into the apartment, though the shots he fired did not hit her. Advertisement Death was a catalyst for calls for racial justice Taylor’s death, along with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer, led to racial justice protests across the United States over the treatment of people of colour by police departments. During former President Joe Biden’s administration, the Justice Department brought criminal civil rights charges against the officers involved in both Taylor and Floyd’s deaths. Hankison was convicted by a federal jury in November 2024 of one count of violating Taylor’s civil rights, after the first attempt to prosecute him ended with a mistrial. He was separately acquitted on state charges in 2022. The Justice Department’s sentencing memo for Hankison downplayed his role in the raid at Taylor’s home, saying he “did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death”. The memo was notable because it was not signed by any of the career prosecutors – those who were not political appointees – who had tried the case. It was submitted on July 16 by Harmeet Dhillon, a political appointee by Trump to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and her counsel, Robert Keenan. Keenan previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, where he argued that a local deputy sheriff convicted of civil rights violations, Trevor Kirk, should have his conviction on the felony counts struck and should not serve prison time. The efforts to strike the felony conviction led several prosecutors on the case to resign in protest, according to media reports and a person familiar with the matter. The department’s sentencing recommendation in the Hankison case marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to put the brakes on the department’s police accountability work. Earlier this year, Dhillon nixed plans to enter into a court-approved settlement with the Louisville Police Department, and rescinded the Civil Rights Division’s prior findings of widespread civil rights abuses against people of colour. Lawyers for Taylor’s family called the department’s sentencing recommendation for Hankison an insult, and urged the judge to “deliver true justice” for her. On Monday, the Louisville Metro Police Department arrested four people in front of the court, who it said were “creating confrontation, kicking vehicles, or otherwise creating an unsafe environment”. Authorities did not list the charges those arrested would face. “We understand this case caused pain and damaged trust between our department and the community,” a police statement said. “We particularly respect and value the 1st Amendment. However, what we saw today in front of the courthouse in the street was not safe, acceptable or legal.” Advertisement A pre-sentencing report by the US Probation Office said that Hankison should face 135 to 168 months imprisonment on the excessive force conviction, according to the sentencing memo. But federal prosecutors said multiple factors, including that Hankison’s two other trials ended with no convictions, should greatly reduce the potential punishment. Adblock test (Why?)