Several countries condemn Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza

Germany, Britain, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand condemned Israel’s decision to launch a large-scale military operation to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, in violation of international humanitarian law.

This came in a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of the five countries on Friday regarding the latest developments in Gaza.

The statement explained that the five countries strongly reject the Israeli cabinet’s decision regarding a gradual plan to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.

The statement stressed that this step could exacerbate the humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of Israeli hostages, and increase the risk of mass displacement of Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip.

The statement noted that the plans announced by the Israeli government carry the risk of violating international humanitarian law, and any attempt to annex or expand settlements constitutes a violation of international law.

The statement also called on the international community to do everything in its power to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire, especially in light of the worst-case scenario of famine threatening Gaza, allowing for the urgent and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.

The statement stressed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, and called on the Israeli government to find an urgent solution to change the registration system for international relief organizations, as excluding these organizations would be a horrific signal.

He stressed the need to implement the two-state solution as the only way to ensure that Israelis and Palestinians live together in peace, security, and dignity.

He pointed out that a political solution based on a two-state solution requires the complete disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from any form of governance in the Gaza Strip, while granting the Palestinian Authority a central role.

On Friday morning, the Israeli security cabinet approved a gradual plan presented by Netanyahu to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.

The plan begins with occupying Gaza City by displacing its population of nearly one million people southward, then encircling the city and carrying out incursions into population centers.

This was before moving to the second phase, which included occupying the refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip, large parts of which were destroyed by Israel.

According to United Nations data, 87% of the Gaza Strip is already under Israeli occupation or subject to evacuation orders, warning that any further military expansion would have “catastrophic consequences”.

The UN Security Council is meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, according to its agenda issued Friday, after the Israeli Security Cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City.

On this regard, Ireland intends to move forward with legislation banning the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements, despite a letter from more than 20 members of the US Congress demanding that Ireland be included on the list of countries boycotting Israel if the law is passed.

The Irish Independent quoted Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Simon Harris, as saying that his country intends to pursue the bill’s passage despite opposition.

Ireland’s ruling coalition, made up of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, and a group of independents, pledged to introduce a ban on Israeli settlement goods as part of its government program, which was completed last January.

A joint parliamentary committee also recommended extending the ban to include trade in services.

Harris said that Ireland isn’t alone in seeking to ban trade with Israeli settlements, noting that “people in Ireland, Europe, and around the world are deeply outraged by the genocide in Gaza and the starving children, and we will use every tool at our disposal”.

He added, “It’s not surprising that some are trying to distort our position, but remember that Ireland isn’t alone; Slovenia took similar measures this week, and Belgium is likely to follow suit, and we intend to move forward with our legislation”.

For its part, a group of US Congress members sent a letter to US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, demanding that Ireland be included on the list of countries boycotting Israel if the new legislation is passed.

The letter, signed by New York Republican Representative Claudia Tenney and supported by 16 members of Congress, stated that there were “serious concerns” about the Irish bill.

It also cited Section 999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which opposes “foreign boycotts against friendly nations, especially those directed against Israel”.

The group warned that including Ireland on the list would impose additional tax requirements and potential sanctions on American individuals and companies operating there.

The group described the bill as “part of broader efforts in line with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to isolate Israel economically”.