https://www.scmp.com/rss/522168/feed The latest news and top stories on Itamar Ben-Gvir, an Israeli far-right politician and lawyer. He leads the Otzma Yehudit party, known for its ultranationalist and Kahanist ideology. As Minister of National Security, a role he has held since 2022, he oversees Israel’s police and paramilitary border police, with responsibilities including combating nationalist crime and terrorism. His tenure has seen efforts to relax gun ownership laws and establish a National Guard. Ben-Gvir has a background... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a law approving the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. The bill’s passage marked a major victory for Israel’s far-right, which has pushed hard for the measure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the chamber to vote yes in person. The law makes the death penalty – by hanging – the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted for nationalistic killings. The law also gives Israeli courts the authority to impose... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348454/israeli-parliament-approves-death-penalty-palestinians-convicted-murdering-israelis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348454/israeli-parliament-approves-death-penalty-palestinians-convicted-murdering-israelis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:49:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations on Wednesday said decades of discrimination and segregation of Palestinians by Israel in the West Bank were intensifying, and called on the country to end its “apartheid system”. In a new report, the UN rights office said the “systematic discrimination” against Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territories had “drastically deteriorated” in recent years. “There is a systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank,” UN rights chief Volker Turk... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339072/un-accuses-israel-west-bank-apartheid-citing-discrimination-against-palestinians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339072/un-accuses-israel-west-bank-apartheid-citing-discrimination-against-palestinians?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:02:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel’s military said Monday it had killed a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon, a region that has witnessed several attacks despite the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed group. “Yesterday evening (Sunday)... The IDF struck and eliminated Hezbollah terrorist Muhammad Ali Shuweikh in the Mansouri area in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement. The army said the targeted operative was the local representative for Hezbollah in the area. “He was responsible for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333015/lebanon-says-israeli-strike-killed-principal-resulted-martyrdom-citizen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333015/lebanon-says-israeli-strike-killed-principal-resulted-martyrdom-citizen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 23:28:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state after protests by far-right coalition allies over a US-backed statement indicating support for a pathway to Palestinian independence. Netanyahu spoke two days after Israel’s key ally the United States and many Muslim-majority nations endorsed a draft UN resolution backing US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying the process offered a route to Palestinian statehood. The 15-member UN... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332999/netanyahu-government-threatened-over-us-statement-palestinian-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332999/netanyahu-government-threatened-over-us-statement-palestinian-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 14:24:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israeli settlers torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the central West Bank overnight, scribbling hateful messages in a show of defiance a day after some Israeli leaders condemned a recent attack by settlers against Palestinians. One wall and at least three copies of the Koran and some of the carpeting at the mosque in the Palestinian town of Deir Istiya had been torched when an AP reporter visited Thursday. On one side of the mosque, settlers had left graffitied messages... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332693/israeli-settlers-spark-outrage-mosque-attack-west-bank-village?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332693/israeli-settlers-spark-outrage-mosque-attack-west-bank-village?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 13:52:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israeli police arrested the military’s former top lawyer Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the national security minister said on Monday, after she admitted leaking a video appearing to show soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee. Former advocate general Tomer-Yerushalmi disappeared for several hours on Sunday after announcing her resignation, triggering media speculation of a possible suicide attempt, but she was later detained. According to a copy of her resignation letter published by Israeli media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3331391/israel-arrests-former-top-army-lawyer-over-abuse-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3331391/israel-arrests-former-top-army-lawyer-over-abuse-video?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:15:51 +0000 Reuters Reuters US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Thursday President Donald Trump would oppose Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank and it would not happen, suggesting a move by Israeli lawmakers towards that end looked like a stupid “political stunt”. A bill applying Israeli law to the West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of a territory that Palestinians seek for part of a future independent state, won preliminary approval from Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday. Asked by reporters about the vote,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3330118/vance-slams-israeli-vote-west-bank-annexation-insult-says-trump-will-oppose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3330118/vance-slams-israeli-vote-west-bank-annexation-insult-says-trump-will-oppose?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:12:29 +0000 Reuters,Agence France-Presse Reuters,Agence France-Presse A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of land that Palestinians want for a state, won preliminary approval from Israel’s parliament on Wednesday. The vote was the first of four needed to pass the law, and it coincided with the visit of US Vice-President J.D. Vance to Israel, a month after President Donald Trump said that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” Trump told reporters at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329977/trump-opposes-west-bank-annexation-israel-votes-applying-law-occupied-territory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329977/trump-opposes-west-bank-annexation-israel-votes-applying-law-occupied-territory?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 13:58:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel’s defence minister threatened on Wednesday to resume fighting if Hamas does not honour the terms of a US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza. The statement from Defence Minister Israel Katz’s office came after Hamas handed over the remains of two more deceased hostages, and said it would be unable to retrieve any more bodies from the ruins of Gaza without specialised equipment. Since Monday, under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, the Palestinian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329168/trump-says-israel-could-resume-fighting-if-hamas-doesnt-disarm-soon-i-give-word?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329168/trump-says-israel-could-resume-fighting-if-hamas-doesnt-disarm-soon-i-give-word?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 20:07:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Aid trucks entered Gaza on Wednesday as Israel prepared to reopen the Rafah crossing after a dispute over the return of deceased hostages nearly undermined a fragile ceasefire with Hamas. The crossing between Egypt and Gaza is expected to reopen on Thursday, with an EU mission set to deploy. Sources did not specify any restrictions for crossing, and the Israeli military had not responded to requests for comment. Israel had threatened to keep Rafah shut and reduce aid supplies because Hamas was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329150/aid-resumes-gaza-rafah-crossing-set-reopen-after-hostage-body-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329150/aid-resumes-gaza-rafah-crossing-set-reopen-after-hostage-body-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:55:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel’s government ratified a ceasefire with the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday, clearing the way to suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and free Israeli hostages held there within 72 hours after that. The Israeli cabinet approved the deal early Friday morning, roughly 24 hours after mediators announced the agreement, which calls for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the start of a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza under US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3328458/end-gaza-hostilities-looms-after-israel-cabinet-approves-ceasefire-hamas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3328458/end-gaza-hostilities-looms-after-israel-cabinet-approves-ceasefire-hamas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 02:17:04 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysians who joined a multinational flotilla seeking to break Israel’s sea blockade of Gaza have returned home with disturbing allegations of mistreatment in Israeli custody, including the confiscation of hijabs and being forced to drink toilet water. The group of 34 Malaysians, ranging from musicians and actors to rappers and influencers, had joined hundreds of international activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail this summer on a humanitarian mission to the besieged... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328204/toilet-water-snatched-hijabs-malaysian-gaza-activists-recount-israeli-detention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328204/toilet-water-snatched-hijabs-malaysian-gaza-activists-recount-israeli-detention?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 05:38:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Some of the activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea have returned to their home countries to describe mistreatment at the hands of Israeli guards, claims that Israel denies. Some 450 activists were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the famine-stricken territory. Those detained between Wednesday and Friday were brought to Israel, where many... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3327939/released-gaza-flotilla-activists-allege-mistreatment-while-being-detained-israel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3327939/released-gaza-flotilla-activists-allege-mistreatment-while-being-detained-israel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 21:17:03 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In a highly rare exercise of wartime legal restraint, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that the Israeli government has deprived Palestinian detainees of even a minimum subsistence diet and ordered authorities to increase the amount and improve the quality of food served to deprived Palestinian inmates. Although it is the job of the Supreme Court to advise the government of the legality of its policies, the Israeli judiciary has seldom taken issue with its actions in the 23-month war... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324677/israels-supreme-court-says-government-not-giving-palestinian-prisoners-enough-food?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324677/israels-supreme-court-says-government-not-giving-palestinian-prisoners-enough-food?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 22:49:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A senior Israeli official on Tuesday said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any future Gaza deal after Hamas accepted a new truce proposal. Mediators are awaiting an official Israeli response to the plan, a day after Hamas signalled its readiness for a fresh round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war. Mediator Qatar expressed guarded optimism for the new proposal, noting that it was “almost identical” to an earlier version agreed to by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322420/gaza-war-israel-demands-full-hostage-release-after-hamas-backs-new-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322420/gaza-war-israel-demands-full-hostage-release-after-hamas-backs-new-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:49:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he expected to complete a new Gaza offensive “fairly quickly” as the UN Security Council heard new demands for an end to suffering in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu, speaking after his security cabinet on Friday approved a much-criticised plan to take control of Gaza City said he had no choice but to “complete the job” and defeat Hamas to free hostages seized from Israel. Gaza City, the enclave’s most populous centre, came under... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3321376/israels-far-right-presses-netanyahu-go-harder-hamas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3321376/israels-far-right-presses-netanyahu-go-harder-hamas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 10:55:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A far-right Israeli minister visited and prayed at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Sunday, triggering regional condemnation and fears that the provocative move could further escalate tensions. The visit came as hospitals in Gaza said 33 more Palestinians seeking food aid were killed by Israeli fire. With Israel facing global criticism over famine-like conditions in the besieged strip, Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the hillside compound threatened to further set back efforts by international... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320614/israeli-far-right-minister-prays-flashpoint-jerusalem-holy-site-sparking-condemnation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320614/israeli-far-right-minister-prays-flashpoint-jerusalem-holy-site-sparking-condemnation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 17:23:19 +0000