Middle East Eye

Egypt mediates to stop escalation between Israel and Palestinian resistance

Egypt has been holding "intensive talks" with Palestinian factions in recent days to prevent an escalation after Israel's killing of 11 Palestinians on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, according to a report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper.

"The Egyptian mediator tried to persuade the Palestinian factions, especially from Gaza, not to escalate in response to the raid on Nablus. It also tried to convince them that the continued firing of rockets could push Israel to launch a military operation in the Strip," the report said, citing informed sources.

Israeli forces kill 11 Palestinians in 'merciless' Nablus raid

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"The leaders of the resistance informed the Egyptians that the 'unity of regions' principle cannot be waived and the operation of launching rockets will continue and may develop into other qualitative operations," the newspaper added.

Palestinian resistance factions early on Thursday launched missiles towards the Israeli settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip. Israeli air forces responded by bombing sites within the beseiged enclave.

The sources said Egypt has renewed its request to the US to put pressure on Israel to stop the escalation of violence from its side. Cairo also repeated its appeal to the Islamic Jihad movement not to escalate. The Egyptians are deeply concerned about the possibility of an armed confrontation this year. 

The sources emphasised that "Egypt well understands that if the situation deteriorates in the West Bank, it will ignite Gaza as well".

They added that some leaders of Palestinian factions may be due to visit Cairo after an invitation by officials in the General Intelligence Service, which oversees mediation efforts.

Four percent of Turkey's earthquake needs have been met

Only four percent of the amount of money required to support Turkey to overcome the repercussions of the devastating earthquake that struck on 6 February has been collected, while approximately 26 percent of the amount required to support Syria has been secured, according to a UN official. 

The UN recently launched a humanitarian appeal to collect $1 billion to help the people affected by the earthquake in Turkey, after it launched an earlier appeal to collect $397 million for the relief of those affected in Syria.

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"We appeal to the international community to show solidarity and provide generous support," the assistant spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Sherine Yassin, told the Arabi21 website.

"The disaster is horrific, and the needs are great; it requires the efforts and support of all the international community without exception."

Yassin expressed her understanding of the criticism levelled at the UN due to the delay in the arrival of aid into Syria, saying: "We understand the extent of pain and frustration, and we realise the difficulty of the situation. We do not blame people for their feelings."

"This disaster suddenly struck the region; the infrastructure was damaged, which impeded the rapid entry of aid into the areas located in northwestern Syria," she said. "After making sure that the roads were passable, we sought with all our energy and with unremitting efforts to resume the entry of aid. And then the UN teams came from all agencies to areas affected by earthquakes. They are working daily to deliver aid as soon as possible."

Lebanon's Central Bank governor charged with embezzlement

The governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, is facing charges of corruption, including money laundering and embezzlement of public funds.

According to a report published by Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the charges brought against Salameh and his brother, Raja, are the result of an investigation that lasted for 18 months into whether they had embezzled more than $300 million from the Central Bank of Lebanon between 2002 and 2015.

The Public Prosecutor in Beirut, judge Raja Hamoush, brought several charges against Salameh, his brother, and his assistant, including "embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, and tax evasion". After that, he referred them to the first investigating judge in Beirut, requested an interrogated and the issuance of the necessary judicial warrants against them.

Salameh quickly denied the charges: "As I previously announced, I am innocent of these charges... I respect the laws and the judicial system, and I will abide by the procedures, and as you know, the accused is innocent until proven guilty.”

A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that this case emerged in connection with correspondence between the public prosecution in Lebanon and the European judiciary, which opened investigations on suspicion of money laundering as a result of transfers "whose source is suspicious" allegedly sent by Salameh and his brother to European banks.

*Arabic press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.

A Russian bank operating in the UAE was sanctioned by the US on Friday, amid concerns that Moscow’s growing economic ties to the Middle East are helping it evade western sanctions, as the war in Ukraine enters its second year.

MTS Bank, which has branches in Moscow and Abu Dhabi, was included in a new list of sanctions rolled out by the US Treasury against more than 200 individuals and entities across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, which are accused of aiding Russia’s war effort.

“As Russia searches for ways to evade sanctions and export controls, the US government is ramping up efforts to counter such evasion around the world,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

'The bank (MTS) contributed to supporting legitimate trade'

- UAE Central Bank

Business between the UAE and Russia has boomed amid the war in Ukraine.

Non-oil trade between the two grew by 57 percent in the first nine months of 2022, breaking all records. In December, Emirati Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed al-Zeyoudi pledged to “push trade to even greater heights".

Wealthy Russians flocked to Dubai after the 24 February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Russians were the top buyers of real estate in Dubai last year.

The decision to grant MTS a licence to operate was viewed as a sign of Russia's growing economic clout in the UAE. At the time the licence was issued, MTS was not under US sanctions.

'Ahead of the curve'

Rachel Ziemba, a sanctions expert at the Center for a New American Security, told Middle East Eye the bank was “ahead of the curve" in establishing itself in the UAE, to take advantage of the influx of Russian emigres and new business opportunities.

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“The bank (MTS) contributed to supporting legitimate trade between the two countries and servicing the Russian community in the UAE, under the supervision of the Central Bank,” according to a statement issued by the  Emirati Central Bank on Friday.

The UAE Central Bank said it “supervised” transactions MTS conducted that exceeded certain thresholds “in view of the circumstances that the country of the bank's headquarters is going through”, an apparent reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

MTS is a financial unit of Russia's largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems. Ziemba says the bank likely avoided sanctions until now because of its small size and limited financial role in important commodities.

The US indicated that could be changing: "sanctioned actors have been known to turn to smaller banks as well as wealth-management firms in an attempt to evade sanctions as Russia seeks new ways to access the international financial system,” the Treasury Department statement said.

'Emirati financial institutions may decide to sever their banking relationships with MTS Bank'

- Alex Zerden, former Treasury Department official

Ziemba says that given the sweeping scale of sanctions announced on Friday, the US wasn’t targeting the UAE specifically, but looking to close all the Kremlin's potential financial channels. The UK also sanctioned four banks on Friday, including MTS.

Western officials have, however, been paying greater attention to the regions where countries have refused to sign on to western sanctions. The White House dispatched a treasury official to both Turkey and the UAE in February this year to pressure them to cut commercial ties with Russia. 

Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was looking at possible alternatives to the Russian payment system Mir, following US sanctions. Trade between Turkey and Russia has surged about 200 percent as the war in Ukraine rages.

'Chilling effect'

In the UAE, the sanctions on MTS are likely to have a chilling effect, Alex Zerden, a former Treasury Department official in the Obama and Trump administrations, told MEE.

“Emirati financial institutions may decide to sever their banking relationships with MTS Bank based on OFAC’s (Office of Foreign Assets Control) designation,” he told MEE.

“Most of these Emirati banks that would be doing business with MTS are doing business with the US-based financial system. They won’t want to put that at risk,” Ziemba added.

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US sanctions carry heft because the US dollar dominates global trade. The Swift financial messaging system that facilitates money transfers also relies on banks in the US.

Middle Eastern states could accelerate their push to look for trade alternatives with Russia as a long-term result of the sanctions on the UAE-linked bank, Ziemba said.  

Cinzia Bianco, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told MEE in an earlier story that the Ukraine war is already being seen by Gulf states like the UAE as "a testing ground" for the bigger showdown expected to come between China and the US.

"The war has given the Gulf states a chance to think about sanctions-proofing their systems," she added.

The MTS sanctions could slow the UAE's burgeoning energy trade with Russia as well, Ziemba said.

Middle Eastern states have been doing a brisk energy trade with Russia as a result of western sanctions. EU states banned Russian crude and G-7 countries instituted a $60 per barrel price cap last year. They followed up with the same measures on petroleum products in February. 

The Middle East capitalised, buying up cheap Russian fuel, either using it at home to free up more domestic energy for export or relabelling the Russian product. The transactions have had the tacit approval of Washington, which wants to keep Russian energy on the market while denting the Kremlin’s war chest.

The Emirati port of Fujairah is bursting with product as a result of Russian imports. Kpler, a firm that tracks petroleum shipping, expects the UAE to import 3.0 million barrels of Russian fuel oil in February and 4.34 million in March, up from 750,000 barrels in February last year.

The UAE central Bank said it is “studying now the available options regarding the new status of the bank and appropriate decision will be taken in due course”.

Turkish forces have killed the alleged mastermind behind last year's deadly Istanbul street bombing, in an operation in northern Syria, Turkey's state-run news agency reported on Friday.

The man, identified as Halil Menci, was "neutralised" on Wednesday in an operation by the Turkish intelligence agency (MIT) near the northern town of Qamishli, according to the Anadolu Agency.

The 13 November 2022 bomb attack on Istanbul's bustling Istiklal Avenue killed six people, including two children, and injured 81 others.

Istanbul bombing: At least six killed and 81 wounded by 'attack'

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At least 17 suspects have been jailed pending trial in connection with the attack, including Ahlam Albashir who is accused of leaving the TNT-laden bomb on Istiklal Avenue. Officials said at the time that the planner of the attack had fled Turkey for Syria.

Turkish authorities blamed the bombing on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which denied involvement.

The PKK has fought an armed insurgency in Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then.

Shortly after the attack, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the order for the attack was given in Kobane, a city in northern Syria, where Turkish forces have carried out operations against the Syrian Kurdish YPG in recent years. 

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the PKK, with which it has been locked in a deadly war for four decades. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the YPG is the main component, also denied any role in the attack.

Istanbul has been hit with several explosions in the past, including a suicide bombing on Istiklal street in 2016 by an alleged member of the Islamic State (IS) group. In the same year, the PKK claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed 38 people outside a football stadium in the Besiktas area in central Istanbul.

Last year's November attack also caused fear of backlash against the Syrian community in Turkey. In previous interviews with Middle East eye, some Syrians even suggested that the explosion could also have had the aim of pitting Turks against Syrians to further fray relations between the two communities.

Turkey shelters over 3.6 million Syrians, making it the world's largest refugee-hosting country. This has led to a rise in tensions. 

Israel transferred large sections of the occupied West Bank's administration from the military to a far-right cabinet minister on Thursday, in a move experts say amounts to "de jure annexation". 

The transfer was agreed between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Under the deal, Smotrich - who also serves as a minister in the defence department - will have broad authority over civilian issues in the occupied West Bank. 

These include powers over unlicensed settler outposts, settlement planning and construction, and authority to appoint officials in the Civil Administration - Israel's governing body in the West Bank. 

It would mean a move from Israeli military governance, which has been the norm since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, to civilian political administration. Israel has never formally annexed the West Bank, and even if it did, its status would nonetheless remain defined by international law as a "temporary military occupation".

'It is a radical change of the governance of the West Bank and the occupied Palestinian territories in general'

- Michael Sfard, human rights lawyer

The agreement could allow Smotrich - himself a settler and longstanding proponent of West Bank annexation - to significantly ramp up settlement construction, increase Israel's presence in the West Bank and thwart Palestinian development. 

More than 600,000 settlers live in over 200 East Jerusalem and West Bank settlements, in breach of international law.  

The far-right minister has argued fiercely for these powers to be handed to him as part of his role in the ruling coalition led by Netanyahu.

Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard said the transfer effectively makes Smotrich the "governor of the West Bank" and, if implemented, would amount to the "de jure annexation" of the occupied territory. De jure is a legal term that describes a practice that is legally recognised, whether it is taking place in reality or not. 

"It is a radical change of the governance of the West Bank and the occupied Palestinian territories in general," Sfard told Middle East Eye. "The Israeli government will now directly maintain administrative powers over the occupied territories. The officials who have those powers will be appointed by Smotrich, the new governor of the West Bank, and to a large extent the military commander will be bypassed." 

The widespread transfer of powers to a civilian Israeli government was, Sfard said, "a manifestation of Israeli sovereignty beyond the green line", the border separating pre-1967 Israel from the occupied Palestinian territories. 

"It is a deepening of apartheid that brings Israel further into conflict with international law, as there is a prohibition on buying sovereignty with force."

'Jewish supremacy over all Palestinians'

The move was celebrated by Smotrich and settler groups in Israel, and condemned by the Palestinian Authority. 

"Formal annexation, which the international community has consistently considered a red line, has been crossed," Wesam Ahmad, a Palestinian human rights advocate at Al-Haq, told MEE. "Unfortunately, the response has been mostly silence. What message does this send to Israel and what message does it send to the Palestinian people?"

Ahmad said that the "sense on the ground is that no matter how many words of condemnation, the international community will not take the necessary steps to hold Israel accountable. The message that sends is we cannot rely on international law to protect us because there is no political will to enforce it." 

'[The deal] removes the legal smokescreen of "temporary military occupation" that has hitherto obfuscated Zionist expansionism' 

- Nimer Sultany, law lecturer

Naomi Linder Kahn, a director of the Israeli pro-settler, right-wing advocacy group Regavim, heralded the move as a "very good step in the right direction". 

"We have been calling for the dismantling of the administration in the West Bank for years," Kahn told MEE.

Kahn said that her final goal was the Israeli civil administration of the entire West Bank. 

"The situation is unprecedented anywhere in the world," Khan said. "We are talking about making life normal for people living there. The administration's mandate was to keep a lid on things, but that's not proper government."

Nimer Sultany, a Palestinian reader in public law at SOAS University of London, said the move works to "deepen the process of colonisation of Palestine.

"It removes the legal smokescreen of 'temporary military occupation' that has hitherto obfuscated Zionist expansionism," he told MEE. 

Sultany said that even before the agreement, it was "no longer credible to assess Israel's regime of Jewish supremacy through the prism of the international law of occupation because it presumes that the longest military occupation since World War Two is 'temporary'".

He added that while the West Bank agreement was not the equivalent of the annexation of Jerusalem or the Golan Heights, the distinction is "insignificant when judged from the perspective of the actual real-world impact on the Palestinians. The West Bank settlers who sit on the Supreme Court, in the parliament and in government are seeking to consolidate Jewish supremacy over all Palestinians."

A leaked email clarifying a rule change in Britain’s Labour Party has provided further evidence that Palestinian and socialist groups are being sidelined under the leadership of Keir Starmer.

Responding to a London-based constituency, Labour official Alex Mitchell confirmed that local branches of the party are not allowed to affiliate to organisations that are not approved by the party’s ruling executive. 

Mitchell then goes on to list a series of groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Stop the War coalition and Jewish Voice for Labour. It also includes Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace & Justice Project and the Labour Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

The change in the law has been in place for 18 months, but this is the first time Labour has singled out particular groups in an official communication. 

The groups have not been proscribed, but the email - which Middle East Eye understands was leaked by someone on the left of the party - has highlighted divisions within the party on a number of issues, including Palestinian solidarity. Fifteen major trade unions are affiliated to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

The centralised control of Labour under Starmer has been compared unfavourably to the days of former leader Tony Blair, who allowed MPs to demonstrate against his policies and appear on platforms hostile to his government. 

This month saw the 20th anniversary of the mass demonstrations against the war in Iraq, which was co-organised by Stop the War. A number of Labour MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, who went on to become the party’s leader, were present that day. 

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Citing his response to allegations of antisemitism in the party, Starmer recently confirmed that Corbyn would not stand as a Labour MP at the next election. Corbyn is expected to run as an independent left-wing candidate. 

“What Keir Starmer has done regarding opposition voices is to silence all dissent within the party,” Terina Hine, a spokesperson for Stop the War, told Middle East Eye. “He is far more restrictive than Tony Blair was.”

Hine said that it was their understanding that Stop the War had not been banned by Labour and that people could still be members of both the party and the group. She said that many Stop the War members were also Labour members.

“It’s the sort of rule that is not going to have a great impact on us,” Hine said. “Starmer has been pretty hostile to Stop the War.” 

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign emphasised that the email was just indicative of a rule change that was made in 2021 and was not an instruction to local party branches that they could not affiliate to PSC.

But he told MEE that the group remains concerned about the "broader dynamics" under Keir Starmer's leadership having a "chilling effect" on activism for Palestine by conflating it with antisemitism.

"We saw this in action most recently with the pressure exerted on Kim Johnson MP to withdraw her legitimate remarks about Israel practicing the crime of apartheid."

Jamal added that they continue to urge the large number of Labour members supportive of Palestinian liberation to “support our campaigns for justice and pressure the leadership for change in policy”.

Last year, Labour figures including John McDonnell and Diane Abbott pulled out of attending a Stop the War rally in London after pressure from Keir Starmer over the group’s stance on Ukraine, which is considered to be too pro-Russia.

The group is holding a rally in London this weekend at which no Labour MPs will be present.

The Paris Assize Court on Friday sentenced Moroccan star singer Saad Lamjarred to six years in prison, convicting him of raping and beating a young woman in a hotel room in the French capital in October 2016.

After seven hours of deliberation, the court said it was "convinced" of the rape, which it said was "described in a constant and precise manner" by victim Laura P since she had filed her complaint.

As a warrant of committal has been issued Lamjarred will be detained immediately.

When the judgement was announced in a court packed with fans and curious observers, a pale Lamjarred stood up but showed no reaction. Laura P hugged her mother for a long time, crying.

Laura P's lawyers hailed a "remarkable decision which corresponds to reality". One of Saad Lamjarred 's lawyers, Thierry Herzog, said they would "reflect" before "deciding what to do next" - to appeal or not.

Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, second right, leaves court in Paris on 20 February 2023 (AP)

Lamjarred was initially arrested in France in 2016 in connection with the case, but was released seven months later and placed under electronic surveillance. Morocco's King Mohammed VI previously helped pay for the singer's legal fees.

The singer is also due to be tried for rape in another court in southern France over allegations he raped a woman in Saint-Tropez. He has also been accused of rape in New York and Casablanca. Lamjarred has denied all the accusations.

'Nightmare evening'

On Wednesday, Laura P, a 27-year-old French woman, testified against Lamjarred before the Paris Assize Court, recounting "a nightmare evening" in 2016 when, she alleges, he raped her in the French capital.

In her testimony, published by AFP, Laura P told the court she was 20 years old when she met the now 37-year-old pop star in October 2016 in an upscale nightclub in Paris.

Around 6am, she and Lamjarred went alone to the singer's room at the Marriott, Laura P told the court.

"We danced, listened to music, talked about everything and nothing," she said. 

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"We kissed, and then suddenly, he pushed my head, which hit the ground." The singer allegedly ordered her to remove her T-shirt, and she complied because she was "terrified", she recounted in tears.

Laura P added that Lamjarred then beat and raped her, with two "vaginal and anal" penetrations, before she managed to push him away and escape the room to ask for help.

Sitting a metre behind her in the courtroom, Lamjarred looked down, while his wife watched from a nearby bench.

In his statements to the court, Lamjarred denied the accusations.

"I have never, ever, ever penetrated Laura, neither with my fingers nor with my penis," he said. "If something affected her or scared her, that was not my intention at all."

His lawyer said Laura P had not presented any evidence to support the accusations, but Laura P said she had his DNA and her wounds as evidence, which she had presented at the police station on the night of the incident.

Lamjarred has faced numerous social media campaigns demanding the cancellation of his concerts and the boycotting of his music due to the rape allegations. In 2020, a concert in Cairo was cancelled following a backlash online.

The lawyer for two brothers that were released from Guantanamo Bay on Friday is planning to sue over their two-decade-long detention without charge.

Abdul, 55, and Ahmed Rabbani, 53, two Pakistani nationals of Rohingya Burmese ethnic background, on Friday arrived in the city of Karachi, Ahmed's lawyer told MEE. The brothers were released from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre, where they had been held without charge for nearly two decades.

"It is a long walk up from the depths of Guantanamo and one thing I will be doing in Karachi is getting them therapy," said Clive Stafford Smith, a human rights lawyer and director of the 3DCentre, a legal advocacy group based in Dorset, England.

Smith, Ahmed's lawyer, told MEE that while the two have finally been released, justice continues to elude them after spending decades in detention without being charged with a crime.

"In terms of the future, I will sue for them, but their chance of compensation is slim. Neither will they get a simple apology."

The brothers were captured in September 2002 by Pakistani security services in the city of Karachi and transferred to CIA custody for 545 days, before being sent to Guantanamo in 2004.

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During his time in CIA custody, Ahmed Rabbani was one of the detainees subject to the agency's torture programme, known as the "enhanced interrogation programme", according to the 2014 Senate Torture Report. The report also found that Rabbani was the victim of mistaken identity and was wrongly thought to be a high-ranking al-Qaeda militant called Hassan Ghul.

He is listed among a group of 17 detainees who were subjected to "unauthorised" interrogation techniques without the knowledge of the CIA's headquarters.

"The tragedy of Ahmed Rabbani’s two decades of unjust imprisonment exemplifies how far the USA strayed from its founding principles during the 'war on terror' era," Maya Foa, director of Reprieve US, said in a statement provided to MEE.

"His interrogators knew they had the wrong man but tortured him anyway, and then built a case against him using the false testimony of other torture victims to justify his indefinite detention."

The two brothers will be reunited with their families, and the younger brother Ahmed will for the first time meet his son Jawad, who was born after he was captured. Middle East Eye spoke to Jawad last year about never having met his father.

Moves towards emptying Guantanamo

During their time at Guantanamo, the younger brother Ahmed became a prolific artist. According to the Associated Press, he was expected to bring some of his artwork with him when he was released. Earlier this month, the Pentagon lifted a Trump-era ban on releasing the artwork of Guantanamo detainees.

Smith told MEE that there will be an art show in Karachi later this year, with Ahmed and several Pakistani artists inspired by him.

Not much is known about the older brother, Abdul. Both brothers were cleared for release by the Biden administration in 2021.

They were the latest inmates to be released from US custody, as the country moves towards emptying and shutting down the prison.

Guantanamo Bay: Victim of mistaken identity to be released, says lawyer

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The releases come months after 75-year-old Saifullah Paracha was freed from the prison and also sent home to Pakistan.

Thirty-two detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, including 18 that are eligible for transfer - if stable third-party countries are found that will take them, the Pentagon said.

Many are from Yemen, a country considered too plagued with war and armed groups, and too devoid of services for freed Yemeni prisoners to be sent there.

Nine of the inmates are defendants in slow-moving military-run tribunals. Two others have been convicted.

One of those who had been convicted, Majid Khan, was also released this month and transferred to Belize.

Khan was the first former prisoner of the CIA's clandestine overseas prison network to openly testify about his treatment there. He says he was waterboarded, sexually abused, suspended naked from a ceiling beam for long periods, and subject to sleep deprivation for days.

Israel's parliament on Thursday passed the first stage of a bill to stop funding non-essential medical treatment for Palestinians in Israeli prisons, in the latest series of punitive measures taken against detainees.

The authors of the bill, which was supported by 42 Knesset members, described Israel's existing prison policy as "unreasonably lenient" towards security prisoners.

It is unclear what the authors of the bill deem as non-essential medical treatment.

"The medical services provided by the government to prisoners should not exceed basic medical care. There is no reason or logic to finance cosmetic treatments at the expense of taxpayers," they were quoted as saying by Israeli broadcaster Kan.

The move aims to "deny prisoners accused of subversive acts against the State of Israel of the right to receive funding for medical treatments intended at improving quality of life and [medicine] not included in the basket of health services".

The bill was introduced by the Jewish Power, the party of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the opposition National Unity Party.

'Slowly killing' prisoners

Zaher Birawi, chairman of the civil society organisation Europal Forum, told Middle East Eye that the legislation is aimed at "slowly killing" Palestinian prisoners.

Such policies have been implemented against Palestinian prisoners for decades, Birawi said, but now "they are taking on legitimacy through the Knesset".

The bill also stipulates that in exceptional cases, the national security minister, in consultation with the defence ministry, may authorise the funding of treatments for special reasons.

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Birawi believes that, if passed, the bill would be tantamount to the "legalisation of medical negligence and as a means of punishment or even execution".

In recent months, Ben-Gvir has set his sights on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Since joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government late last year, the security minister has vowed to crack down on the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, whom he claims are being treated too well.

Earlier this month, Ben-Gvir ordered the closure of Palestinian prisoner-run bakeries in Israeli prisons and that detainees would only be given four minutes to shower.

The head of the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, Qadura Fares, condemned the latest move as a breach of international laws that guarantee "the right to treatment and health care for prisoners" by the occupying power. 

In statement, Fares added that Israel continues to "ignore everything that has been approved by the international system, without any concern, and in light of international silence, the occupation authorities will continue to invent racist legislations and laws".

'Inflaming public opinion'

In toughening the conditions of Palestinian prisoners, such policies are aimed at responding "to a wide public perception that Palestinian prisoners enjoy relatively good treatment in Israeli jails", said Yonatan Touval, an analyst at the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies (Mitvim). 

In response, Palestinian prisoners in jails across Israel have began a series of mass civil disobedience actions to protest against punitive measures.

The actions will culminate in a hunger strike at the start of the Muslim month of Ramadan in late March, prisoners declared last month.

Ben-Gvir's move against Palestinian prisoners also allows him to "claim that he is delivering on his election promise to lead a tougher stance on law and order, especially as he lacks any practical and meaningful policy that would boost security on the ground", Touval told MEE. 

Within the first week of the new government's formation in December, Ben-Gvir announced plans to implement several punitive measures against incarcerated Palestinians.

'Any deterioration in the conditions of Palestinian prisoners could inflame public opinion across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip'

- Yonatan Touval, analyst

Approximately 140 Palestinian prisoners have been transferred to Israel's infamous Nafha prison, located in the southeast Negev desert, in recent weeks. The prison is notorious for its terrible living conditions that some prisoners describe as "inhumane".

Touval believes that while Thursday's bill still needs to pass two more stages before becoming law, the cumulative impact of Ben-Gvir's policies bears risks.

"The state of Palestinian security prisoners is an extremely sensitive issue for Palestinians throughout the occupied territories," he said. 

Tensions in the West Bank are already at a boiling point, with at least 14 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces this week alone. So far this year, 62 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have been killed. 

"Any deterioration in the conditions of Palestinian prisoners could inflame public opinion across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," said Touval.

"Given the recent escalation in violence on the ground, the additional pressure that the Israeli government is now putting on Palestinian prisoners could prove to be explosive."

Pro-Palestine students said they faced racial profiling and intimidation while protesting Oxford Union’s hosting of Israel's ambassador to Britain on Thursday. 

Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, who previously served as a settlement minister under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke at the Oxford Union during a members-only event discussing the Abraham Accords. 

The event also hosted the UAE's ambassador to the UK, Mansoor Abulhoul; and Bahrain's deputy ambassador to the UK, Hussain Mohammed Alam. 

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More than 150 Oxford students protested the union’s invitation of Hotovely, citing Israel’s human rights violation against Palestinians. 

Security was high at the event, with at least six security guards manning the entrance and four others stationed inside the debating society’s hall. 

Students reported being racially profiled and heavily scrutinised by police and security guards, both upon entry to the event and when standing outside demonstrating. 

One student, who wished to remain anonymous, told Middle East Eye that “security [guards] were profiling people, there was a girl wearing a hijab, they checked her more than they checked others’ bags. They saw a flag in her bag and told her to leave it with them”. 

Despite this, upon entering the grounds after passing rigorous security, one attendee of the event was heard shouting “fuck Palestine” as he walked into the union grounds.

The Oxford Student newspaper said three of its journalists covering the event were removed from the area by police after being questioned and threatened with arrest.

'There was a girl wearing a hijab, they checked her more than they checked others' bags. They saw a flag in her bag and told her to leave it with them'

- Oxford University student

The protest outside the hall was organised by Oxford University's Arab, Palestinian and Syrian societies. Demonstrators condemned the Oxford Union for inviting Hotovely, who one protester accused of supporting violence against Palestinians.

“Hotovely joins the ambassadors to UAE and Bahrain to discuss the Abraham Accords, a conversation that legitimises the Israeli occupation and escalating violence on Palestinians, just as 2022 marked the deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” one of the protest organisers, who did not wish to give a name, told MEE.

“This is the second time in a year that the union has brought Hotovely to campus, despite the extremity of her support for the violence on Palestinians.”

The protest organiser added that Oxford Union advertised the event two days earlier in a deliberate effort to suppress opposition to Hotovely’s invitation.  

Hotovely speech interrupted

Inside the union building, the “free Palestine” chants of protestors outside could be heard through the thin windows throughout the discussion. 

As Hotovely began to speak, a student sitting in the back row raised a Palestinian flag, almost at half-mast, as if raising it only for the panelists to see. Security quickly pounced on him and took the flag outside.

In her segment, Hotovely recounted the number of Israelis killed in the past month by who she called “Palestinian terrorists”, a label that prompted protests from members of the audience. 

At least 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers this year, at a rate of more than one fatality a day amid heightened tensions. Meanwhile, 1o Israelis have been killed by Palestinians. 

A group of students chanted “they are not terrorists” and called for a “Free Palestine” before they were escorted out by security.

An Oxford student who staged a walkout during Hotovely's speech said he was shocked by Hotovely’s invitation. 

"As an Oxford student, I’m shocked that it’s 2023 and we’re still entertaining people like Hotovely. We’ve already gone through the whole thing where the place used to be racist or colonial or pro-occupation, we’ve done a lot of work on decolonising,” the student, who wished to remain anonymous, told MEE.

French prosecutors have asked a court to impose a seven-year sentence against Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, who is being tried on charges of sexual assault and rape.

Public prosecutor Jean-Christophe Mollet said on Thursday that Lamjarred "is guilty of rape" and asked the court in Paris to ban him from entering France for five years after he has served seven years in prison.

Mollet added that in rape cases "we often hear about statements versus statements, but before statements, there are facts".

If convicted, Lamjarred, who has denied the charges, could still face up to 20 years in prison, but will be able to appeal the sentence. 

Lamjarred was initially arrested in France in 2016 in connection with a sexual assault case, but was released seven months later and placed under electronic surveillance.

Trial in Paris

On Wednesday, Laura P, a 27-year-old French woman, testified against Lamjarred before the Paris Assize Court, recounting "a nightmare evening" in 2016 when, she alleges, he raped her in the French capital.

This is the latest of several rape accusations Lamjarred has faced since 2010.

In her testimony, published by AFP, Laura P told the court she was 20 years old when she met the now 37-year-old pop star in October 2016 in an upscale nightclub in Paris.

Around 6am, she and Lamjarred went alone to the singer's room at the Marriott, Laura P told the court.

"We danced, listened to music, talked about everything and nothing," she said. 

"We kissed, and then suddenly, he pushed my head, which hit the ground." The singer allegedly ordered her to remove her T-shirt, and she complied because she was "terrified", she recounted in tears.

Laura P added that Lamjarred then beat and raped her, with two "vaginal and anal" penetrations, before she managed to push him away and escape the room to ask for help.

Sitting a metre behind her in the courtroom, Lamjarred looked down, while his wife watched from a nearby bench.

In his statements to the court, Lamjarred denied the accusations.

"I have never, ever, ever penetrated Laura, neither with my fingers nor with my penis," he said. "If something affected her or scared her, that was not my intention at all."

His lawyer said Laura P had not presented any evidence to support the accusations, but Laura P said she has his DNA and her wounds as evidence, which she had presented at the police station on the night of the incident.

Lamjarred has faced numerous social media campaigns demanding the cancellation of his concerts and the boycotting of his music due to the rape allegations. In 2020, a concert in Cairo was cancelled following a backlash online.