Saturday, May 31, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Ultra-Orthodox Jews refuse military service: “We would rather die”

The situation in Gaza

Published 23 August 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Several Orthodox Jews say they would rather be shot by the police than join the army.

Recently, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews must also serve in the military, as other Jews are required to do – a decision that was not well received by the group in question and led to widespread protests.

– The Haredi community will not serve in the military. We would rather die, an Orthodox Jew told the state broadcaster SVT’s correspondent, who also said that the group regards the police as ‘enemies’.

– Israel is in a crisis mode right now. The war has forced the army to draft many more soldiers. The need now, which has been sort of on the backburner for many years, has become very urgent, explains analyst Elhanan Miller.

– I guess the tention which has always been latent between the ultra-Orthodox communities and Israel has now come to the surface, he continues.

Another young Orthodox Jew explains that “we have nothing to do with the war in Gaza” and that it is the military’s war – not the Jews’.

– We had good relations with the Arabs. It is the army that has problems with the Arabs… We would sacrifice our lives to avoid the army. They can shoot us or torture us”, he says.

Special privileges

The ultra-Orthodox Jews have long enjoyed certain special privileges, such as not having to serve in the army or work – instead they have been able to devote most of their waking hours to religious studies.

This special treatment for a specific group of Jews has long caused divisions in Israeli society, with more secular Jews arguing that it is unfair that all citizens are not subject to the same rules and laws.

A large number of videos are circulating on social media from outside Israeli recruitment offices and other places where ultra-Orthodox Jews protest or clash with police.

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Jewish Power leader: “Time to go full force into Gaza”

The situation in Gaza

Published yesterday 13:48
– By Editorial Staff
Ben-Gvir has long been identified as one of Israel's most belligerent voices - and wants Gaza completely emptied of Palestinians.

Israel’s invasion and bombing of Gaza have been described as among the most extensive in modern times and condemned worldwide because of the high number of civilian casualties.

However, the country’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has long been one of the strongest voices calling for further escalation of the situation – now he is insisting that it is time for Israel to “go in with full force” into the already bombed-out territory.

Ben-Gvir, who also leads the Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party, believes that Israel should take control of both Gaza and the West Bank and has been criticized over the years, even in Israel, for praising Jewish terrorists and mass murderers.

Itamar Ben-Gvir also caused a major uproar when he attended the so-called “wedding of hate” in 2015, where guests celebrated the murder of a Palestinian family in the village of Duma. At the wedding, participants waved weapons and stabbed knives into a picture of the 18-month-old boy who was killed in the arson attack – an act that Ben-Gvir had previously defended.

The number of Palestinians killed during Israel’s invasion and bombings is unclear – but is estimated to be between 40,000 and hundreds of thousands.

However, given that Hamas has said that the new US-backed ceasefire proposal does not meet their demands, Ben-Gvir believes that too much caution has been exercised so far and that it is now time to seriously use military force.

Mr. Prime Minister, after Hamas rejected the deal proposal again – there are no more excuses, Ben-Gvir said on his Telegram channel.

– The confusion, the shuffling and the weakness must end. We have already missed too many opportunities. It is time to go in with full force, without blinking, to destroy, and kill Hamas to the last one.

Ben-Gvir’s definition of terrorists who must be eliminated includes, according to him, not only combatants but also all Palestinians who are considered to sympathize with the Islamist group.

He has also previously argued that it is difficult to determine which Palestinians belong to Hamas and which do not, and he has repeatedly argued that Gaza should be permanently emptied of Palestinians.

European diplomats forced to flee Israeli shelling

The situation in Gaza

Published 23 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Stock image - Israeli snipers in the West Bank.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has demanded that those responsible be “held accountable” after Israeli soldiers opened fire near a diplomatic delegation during a recent visit to the Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank, with several EU countries now demanding immediate explanations from Israel.

The delegation, which according to the Palestinian Authority included diplomats from the EU, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, Russia, China, Denmark, and other countries, had visited a refugee camp in Jenin when several shots were fired. No one was injured, but video footage shows delegates being forced to flee and seek shelter during the shooting.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry claims that the delegation left an “approved route” and was in an area where they “were not authorized to be”. The statement on social media claims that the soldiers fired “warning shots” to disperse the group.

Critics, however, are skeptical of the explanation and that it would be reasonable or proportionate to start shooting at a group of diplomats instead of trying to communicate with them.

– Any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable, Kallas said at a press conference on Wednesday. She emphasized that even so-called warning shots are considered gunfire and that those responsible must be “held accountable”.

“Unprovoked” attack

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) say they regret the incident and are launching an investigation. They promise to inform the countries concerned of the results, but at the same time do not acknowledge that their actions were wrong.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that a French diplomat was at the scene:

– A visit to Jenin, in which one of our diplomats was participating, was fired upon by Israeli soldiers. This is unacceptable, he said, announcing that Israel’s ambassador in Paris had been summoned for talks.

The German Foreign Ministry also reacted sharply:

– It was a matter of luck that nothing worse had happened, they wrote in a statement describing the shots fired by Israeli soldiers as “unprovoked”. Minister Johann Wadephul has spoken with diplomats on the ground and is demanding an explanation from his Israeli counterpart.

Demanding “convincing explanations”

Belgium’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Maxime Prévot, confirmed that a Belgian diplomat was also in the group.

– Fortunately, he is all right. Belgium demands convincing explanations from Israel, he said.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry called the incident a “heinous crime” and accused Israeli forces of deliberately firing live ammunition at an accredited international delegation.

Images of the incident, published by the Palestinian Authority, show chaotic scenes with delegates running in panic while shots are heard in the background.

Belgium’s aid office bombed

The incident occurred just one day after Kallas announced that the EU would review its association agreement with Israel – an agreement governing political and economic cooperation – citing Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe that followed in its wake.

Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, wrote on social media that he too had summoned Israel’s ambassador to Rome to demand official clarification about the shooting in Jenin.

During Israel’s invasion and bombing of Gaza, a large number of journalists, photographers, aid workers, and UN personnel have been killed without any major consequences.

However, European diplomats and government officials have so far been relatively spared from the violence – even though the Israeli army bombed Belgium’s development aid office as recently as February this year. As far as is known, this incident did not lead to any significant consequences either.

Sources: US wants to expel Palestinians to Libya

The situation in Gaza

Published 18 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The US advises its own citizens against traveling to Libya - but at the same time, according to sources, it wants around one million Palestinians to be deported there.

According to multiple sources speaking to NBC News, Donald Trump’s administration is currently working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya. However, the White House dismisses the claims as false and denies that any such plans exist at present.

The administration of former US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering permanently relocating up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya, NBC News reports, citing informed sources. The White House denies that any such plan exists.

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly said the US is ready to take control of Gaza and turn the area into a “Riviera of the Middle East”. However, the proposals have faced strong opposition from other countries in the region, who argue that they violate international law, threaten regional stability and undermine the right of Palestinians to remain on their ancestral land.

According to NBC’s sources, the White House is now “seriously” considering a proposal to relocate about half of Gaza’s population to Libya. In exchange for Libya agreeing to take in the Palestinians, the US is reportedly prepared to release about $30 billion in Libyan assets that were frozen more than a decade ago.

NBC says talks have already been held with the Libyan leadership, but it is not clear which of the country’s rival governments has been involved in the discussions.

Civil war and chaos

Libya has been in a state of chaos since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Today, the country is divided between two rival power centers: the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the UN-backed Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) based in Tobruk.

Notably, the leader of the SSA, Abdulghani al-Kikli – also known as “Ghaniwa” – was killed just last Monday, sparking violent clashes in the capital. The US State Department today advised its own citizens against traveling to Libya at all because of “due to crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict“.

The sources also state that Israel has been informed about the discussions between the US and Libya. However, no final agreement on a possible relocation of Palestinians has been reached yet and details on how or when such a plan could be implemented are described as “murky”.

A Trump administration spokesperson rejects the NBC reports as “untrue” and stressed that “situation on the ground (in Libya) is untenable for such a plan. Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense”.

Trump wants to make Gaza an American “freedom zone”

The situation in Gaza

Published 15 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Many Palestinians are very hostile to the idea of Israel's main ally taking control of their homes.

Donald Trump has once again proposed that the US take control of the Gaza Strip and turn the entire area into a “freedom zone”.

However, what this would mean in practice for the population is highly unclear, and Palestinian activists emphasize that they have no interest in coming under US sovereignty.

During a visit to Doha, Qatar, Donald Trump reiterated his vision of the US “taking over” the Gaza Strip and creating a so-called freedom zone.

The statement comes in the middle of a regional tour and follows earlier heavily criticized proposals to transform Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East by moving the Palestinian population to neighboring countries and replacing them with “people from all over the world”.

– We are working very hard on Gaza and Gaza has been a territory of death and destruction, the president proclaimed, continuing:

– I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.

Israel’s most important ally

He did not clarify exactly what a “freedom zone” means, nor has Trump previously provided details on how a relocation or reconstruction of Gaza would be carried out.

Qatar and Egypt, which are mediating in the war between Israel and Hamas, have seen peace negotiations stall in recent months, as large-scale displacement of Palestinians is rejected not only by the Palestinians themselves, but also by many Arab states.

Trump’s proposal raises questions about whether the people of Gaza have any interest in breaking Israeli occupation under American control. Since the outbreak of the war, over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and most of the infrastructure destroyed, according to the UN. Many more have been injured or are missing under the rubble, and more and more voices are describing the situation as ongoing genocide.

Many Palestinian activists and outside observers point out that the US supports and has enabled Israel’s invasion, bombings, and war crimes, and that from a Palestinian perspective, it is hardly desirable for Israel’s closest ally, the US, to take control of the area.

Others emphasize that the Palestinian people want and have the right to independence and self-determination and to rule over their own territory without having to submit to either Israel or the US.

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