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‘T-Dome’ To Boost Taiwan’s Strike Precision
Taiwan’s defence minister on Monday said the upcoming “T-Dome” air defence system will enhance strike efficiency through a more integrated and responsive “sensor-to-shooter” mechanism, with a detailed spending proposal expected in a special year-end budget.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te unveiled the multi-layered air defence system he called “T-Dome” on Friday, part of government plans to modernise the military to better deter China, which views the island as its own territory and has ramped up military and political pressure.
Speaking to reporters at parliament in Taipei, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said Lai’s proposal referred to the “sensor-to-shooter” concept, to integrate systems for a faster, more effective response to enemy targets.
“If you do achieve integration, the probability of successful interception naturally increases and you can conduct firepower coordination with greater efficiency and better resource allocation,” he said.
Trying To Achieve Efficient Interception
“Sensor-to-shooter” is something the US military has been focusing on, including with the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept to connect sensors and shooters into one single system.
Taiwan’s existing surface-to-air defence systems are centred around the US-built Patriot and Taiwan-made Sky Bow missiles, as well as Stinger missiles for low-level intercepts. Taiwan is developing the Chiang-Kong missile for high-altitude interception too.
“If we don’t integrate anti-missile, anti-air and anti-drone capabilities, we won’t be able to achieve efficient interception. We will prioritise procurement that emphasises mobility and high survivability,” Koo said.
Increase In Defence Spending
A special budget to come by the end of the year will focus on new equipment for the “T-Dome”, he added.
“T-Dome” also fits into Taiwan’s asymmetric approach to warfare, Koo said, to make its forces, which are much smaller than China’s, agile and able to pack a greater and more targeted punch.
Lai, who rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, has pledged to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. While Beijing is developing new weapons like stealth fighters and aircraft carriers, its armed forces are also grappling with an ongoing crackdown on corruption.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Red Cross Initiates Gaza Mission To Retrieve Israeli Hostages In Trump-Brokered Deal
The Red Cross announced on Monday that it had launched an operation in the Gaza Strip to retrieve the first group of 20 surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas, marking the initial stage of a ceasefire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the Gaza conflict.
Under the agreement, Israel was set to release almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners from its jails later on Monday. The handover of 28 other Israeli hostages — 26 dead and two whose fate is unknown – is expected to follow.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was expected to drive the hostages to Israeli security forces, who would take them into Israel, where they would be reunited with family and flown by helicopter to hospitals in central Israel.
Red Cross Convoy Arrives At Hostage Collection Point
An official involved in the operation said the ICRC convoy had arrived at the first hostage collection point in Gaza.
In Israel, people waving Israeli flags gathered near Reim, a military camp near Gaza, where hostages will be brought and then taken to hospitals.
Hundreds of people gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, cheering and waving Israeli flags and holding up posters of the hostages.
About a dozen or so masked gunmen dressed in black, apparently members of Hamas’ armed wing, arrived at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, media footage showed, gathering at one of the locations where some hostages could be handed over to the Red Cross or freed Palestinian prisoners may arrive.
They lined up next to several ambulances and near an area where chairs had been lined up, in the sandy area, for a reception.
The truce and the exchange of both hostages and prisoners follow two years of war that evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon, while deepening Israel’s international isolation and reshaping the Middle East.
“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew from Washington to Israel on Sunday. Asked about prospects for the region, he said: “I think it’s going to normalise.”
Trump is set for a hero’s welcome when he addresses Israel’s parliament later on Monday. He will be awarded Israel’s highest civilian honour later this year, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said.
Global Commitments
The conflict was sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people in Israel with 251 taken hostage. Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults have since devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, the enclave’s health officials say.
Progress towards a lasting peace now hinges on global commitments that may be taken up by a summit later on Monday of more than 20 world leaders led by Trump in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort.
Much could still go wrong. Further steps in Trump’s 20-point plan have yet to be agreed. Those include how the demolished Gaza Strip is to be ruled when fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel’s demands it disarm.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Madagascar President Says Attempted Coup Under Way As Soldiers Join Protests
Madagascar’s presidency announced on Sunday that a violent bid to seize power was under way, as more soldiers joined a youth-led protest movement that has shaken the island nation for over two weeks.
Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit, which helped President Andry Rajoelina seize power in 2009, urged fellow soldiers to disobey orders on Saturday and back the demonstrators. The protests, initially over grassroots grievances, began on September 25 and now pose the most serious challenge to Rajoelina’s rule since his reelection in 2023.
CAPSAT officers said on Sunday they had command over the country’s security operations and would coordinate all branches of the military from their base on the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo. They said they had appointed General Demosthene Pikulas, the former head of the military academy, as army chief.
President’s Whereabouts Unknown
A unit of the paramilitary gendarmerie, which had so far tackled the protests together with the police, also broke ranks with the government on Sunday.
“All use of force and any improper behaviour towards our fellow citizens are prohibited, as the gendarmerie is a force meant to protect people and not to defend the interests of a few individuals,” the Intervention Forces of the National Gendarmerie said in a statement broadcast on Real TV.
It said it was coordinating with the CAPSAT headquarters.
The defence ministry and the military general staff declined to comment.
A Reuters witness saw three people injured after shots were fired along a road to the CAPSAT barracks on Sunday. However, there was no sign of ongoing clashes.
In a statement on its social media account, Rajoelina’s office said “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was under way, adding that the president had urged “dialogue to resolve the crisis”.
Rajoelina’s office said late on Saturday that he and the prime minister were “fully in control of the nation’s affairs”.
The president’s whereabouts were unknown on Sunday, however, with many Malagasy believing he had left the country.
Gen Z Protesters Want President To Step Down
The protests, inspired by Gen Z-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, began over water and electricity shortages. They have since spread, with demonstrators calling for Rajoelina to step down, apologise for violence against protesters, and dissolve the Senate and electoral commission.
Along Independence Avenue, Antananarivo’s principal artery, a Reuters reporter saw protestors shouting anti-government slogans on Sunday, waving Malagasy flags and riding motorbikes up and down the street, cheering.
“The president has been in power more than 15 years, and still there’s no water, no electricity, no jobs,” said Vanessa Rafanomezantsoa, a 24-year-old mother of two, unemployed and wearing torn clothes.
“Look at Madagascar. They (the government) are rich and we don’t have enough to eat.”
Earlier, protesters paid tribute to a slain CAPSAT soldier, the army unit said was killed by the gendarmerie on Saturday. Church leaders and opposition politicians, including former President Marc Ravalomanana, as well as CAPSAT troops, attended the peaceful gathering.
Some demonstrators have been sporting T-shirts and flags with the same symbol – a skull with a straw hat from the Japanese manga series “One Piece” – used by youth-led demonstrators in countries including Indonesia and Peru.
African Union Calls For Calm And Restraint
Madagascar, a country where the median age is less than 20, has a population of about 30 million – three-quarters of whom live in poverty, according to the World Bank. Average annual income has been stuck at $600, while food prices have spiralled.
A video broadcast by local media showed dozens of soldiers leaving the barracks on Saturday to escort thousands of protesters into the May 13 Square in Antananarivo, the scene of many political uprisings, which had been heavily guarded and off limits during the unrest.
The African Union Commission’s chief, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, called for calm and restraint.
Citing the security situation on the ground, Air France-KLM’s French division suspended flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and Antananarivo from October 11 to October 13.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Britain: IFS Urges FM Reeves To Overhaul Tax System In November Budget
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said on Monday that British finance minister Rachel Reeves should use her November budget to implement long-overdue tax reforms aimed at boosting revenue while minimizing economic disruption.
The IFS urged Reeves against simply raising the levels of existing taxes to bring in the extra money she needs – estimated at about 30 billion pounds ($40 billion)- to stay on course for her targets to repair the public finances.
“The last thing we need in November is directionless tinkering and half-baked fixes,” Isaac Delestre, a senior research economist at the IFS, said.
“There is an opportunity here. The chancellor should use this budget to take real steps down the road towards a more rational tax system,” Delestre said.
No Increase In Tax
Reeves and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have promised voters they will not raise the rates of social security contributions, value added tax or income tax on “working people” nor increase the main tax on company profits.
After raising social security costs for employers last year, alternatives for Reeves in her next budget on November 26 include taxes on wealth and property.
The IFS said changes to wealth-related taxes, including capital gains tax, would be more effective than the introduction of an annual wealth tax, as sought by some lawmakers in the governing Labour Party.
On property, shifting the burden of local property taxation towards regions such as London which had seen faster house price growth in recent decades and scrapping the stamp duty tax on property acquisitions should be considered, the think tank said.
Last week, the leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party said she favoured abolishing stamp tax.
Another think tank, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said on Friday that Reeves should break her promise not to raise taxes on working people rather than seek to raise revenue in more economically damaging ways.
($1 = 0.7536 pounds)
(With inputs from Reuters)
Cameroon: Vote Counting Underway As Biya Aims To Prolong 43-Year Rule
Cameroon began tallying votes following a presidential election on Sunday in which 92-year-old President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest leader, is expected to secure yet another term to extend his 43-year rule, even as an ambitious opposition campaigned for change.
His opponents include former government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma, 76, who has galvanised large crowds demanding an end to Biya’s long tenure and drawn endorsements from a platform of some opposition parties and civic groups.
However, analysts say that Biya, in power since 1982, is likely to be reelected given his firm control over state institutions and the fragmented nature of an opposition field of nine candidates.
Just over 8 million Cameroonians registered to vote. Results are expected within 15 days, and there are no exit polls.
Decades Of Economic Stagnation
“Nothing is given. Let’s wait and see. Let’s wait for the name of the winner,” Biya told journalists after voting in the upscale Bastos neighbourhood near the presidential palace in the capital Yaounde.
Outside, voters trickled in amid tight security around the president, to cast their ballot.
“I hope it will go well, particularly for my champion,” said one voter, Patrick Mbarga Mboa, 45, declining to say who he supported. “I hope peace and tranquillity will continue in the country after the election.”
Biya’s critics are still hoping he can be ousted after decades of economic stagnation and tensions in the Central African nation of 30 million people, an oil and cocoa producer.
“This election comes at a time when the whole nation aspires for change,” Tchiroma said after voting in his hometown of Garoua in the North region.
He urged voters to remain vigilant and make sure that the results announced by the constitutional council reflect the result from ballot boxes.
In a sign of rising tensions around the election, a Reuters journalist saw security forces fire teargas to disperse hundreds of Tchiroma’s supporters, who tried to gather around his residence in Garoua after the area was cordoned off.
‘Greatness And Hope’
Biya abolished term limits in 2008 and has long deployed divide-and-rule tactics. The single-round electoral system gives victory to the candidate with the most votes, even if they have not secured a majority.
“A surprise is still possible, but a divided opposition and the backing of a formidable electoral machine will, we predict, give the 92-year-old his eighth term,” said Francois Conradie, lead political economist at Oxford Economics.
“Although we think he isn’t very aware of what is going on, it seems that the machine he built will divide to rule one last time,” Conradie added in a note.
Under the slogan “Greatness and Hope”, Biya has held just one campaign rally, in the northern city of Maroua, relying instead on tightly controlled state media and posts on social media, while his team promises more economic development.
“I want to see change, improvement, maybe a new face. I’m 43 years old. I’ve never known another president,” said Magdalene Tientcheu, who lives in Douala, Cameroon’s business hub. “I hope for that. I voted for a new face.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Women Must Have Bigger Role In Governance: Xi At Beijing Meet
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged stronger political and governmental representation for women at a global summit in Beijing, saying this would help truly embed gender equality within society.
The two-day “Global leaders meeting on women”, held in conjunction with UN Women, seeks to further advance women’s development globally, gender equality and the well-rounded development of women, authorities said.
Leaders from Iceland, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Dominica and Mozambique are attending, state media reported.
Xi Bats For Peace And Stability
Xi said that countries needed to “broaden channels for women to participate in political and decision-making, and promote women’s broad participation in national and social governance”.
Peace and stability are prerequisites for women’s all-round development, Xi said.
The summit comes as China has made great strides in educating women, who account for around 50% of students in higher education and around 43% of the total employed population.
Talks Not Matching Actions
However, the lack of senior female politicians appears to be at odds with a broad push by the Communist Party to increase female representation.
An absence of women among China’s top leadership is concerning, the United Nations said in 2023, as it recommended China adopt statutory quotas and a gender parity system to quicken equal representation of women in government.
In 2022, China for the first time in 20 years did not have a woman among the 24 members of the country’s politburo and no women among the seven members of the standing committee of the politburo.
Xi’s decade as the party’s general secretary has seen the number of women in politics and elite government roles decline and gender gaps in the workforce widen, academics and activists say.
Xi said in 2023 that women have a critical role and must establish a “new trend of family”, as the nation grapples with an ageing population and record decline in the birth rate.
Doing a good job in women’s work is not only related to women’s own development but also related to “family harmony, social harmony, national development and national progress,” he said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump To Receive Hero’s Welcome In Israel Amid Gaza Ceasefire
On Monday, US President Donald Trump will be warmly welcomed in Israel’s parliament, as the delicate Gaza ceasefire he played a key role in establishing continues into its fourth day, bringing hope with the planned release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners amid a conflict that has long defied resolution.
Trump’s Knesset speech follows two years of war sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people in Israel with 251 taken hostage. Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults have since devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, the enclave’s health officials say.
“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began his flight from Washington to Israel. Asked about prospects for the region, he said: “I think it’s going to normalise.”
The UN said humanitarian aid was ramping up, with cooking gas entering for the first time since March and expanded food and medical deliveries.
A Lasting Peace Seems Distant
The truce and the exchange of both hostages and prisoners offered a glimmer of hope, but despite Trump’s optimism, the loss of life, devastation and trauma underscored how distant a lasting peace remains. Progress now hinges on global commitments that could be taken up by a summit later on Monday of more than 20 world leaders led by Trump in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attend the summit in Egypt, an Axios reporter said on Sunday, citing a senior Palestinian official. No Israeli officials will attend.
Israel expects the remaining hostages to begin returning early on Monday, with 20 survivors to be released together, followed by the handover of 28 others — 26 dead and two whose fate is unknown.
The Israeli Justice Ministry released the names of 250 Palestinians convicted of murder and other serious crimes due to be released in the exchange. The list excluded high-profile figures such as senior Hamas commanders as well as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat – key demands from Hamas. Talks over the final list were ongoing, said the Hamas prisoners information office. Also to be released were 1,700 Gazans detained since October 7, 2023.
On the ground, Palestinians returning to northern Gaza described scenes of staggering destruction.
“We couldn’t believe the devastation,” said Rami Mohammad-Ali, 37, who walked 15 km (9 miles) with his son from Deir al Balah to Gaza City. “We are joyful to return, but bitter about the destruction,” he added, recounting the sight of human remains scattered along the roads.
Israelis Boo Netanyahu, Cheer Trump
Multitudes who gathered late on Saturday at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square cheered and waved placards in praise of Trump during a speech by his special envoy Steve Witkoff but booed loudly when Witkoff sought to thank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his role in the ceasefire effort.
Trump will become only the fourth US president to address the Knesset, following Jimmy Carter in 1979, Bill Clinton in 1994 and George W. Bush in 2008.
In a letter last week inviting Trump to deliver a formal address, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana wrote: “The people of Israel regard you as the greatest friend and ally of the Jewish nation in modern history.”
Israeli critics of Netanyahu, including hostages’ families, accuse him of deliberately prolonging the conflict to placate his far-right government coalition partners, whose backing is crucial to his political survival. The International Criminal Court last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Israel denies.
“Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path. A path of building, a path of healing, and I hope – a path of uniting hearts,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Sunday.
The US, along with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, mediated what has been described as a first phase agreement between Israel and Hamas. The next phase of Trump’s plan calls for an international body – a “Board of Peace” led by Trump.
Trump had said earlier that Tony Blair could play a role on the board but on Sunday he questioned whether Blair, the former British prime minister, would be acceptable given criticisms of his role in the Iraq War.
Much could still go wrong. Further steps in Trump’s 20-point plan have yet to be agreed. Those include how Gaza is to be ruled when fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel’s demands that it disarm.
The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said it would deploy security forces in areas where the Israeli army withdrew. It was unclear whether armed militants would return to the streets in significant numbers, which Israel would see as a provocation.
Tense Negotiations Over Release Of Palestinian Prisoners
Israel and Hamas were locked in tense, albeit indirect, negotiations over the list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed. Sources close to Hamas said Israel had backtracked on a previously agreed list that included senior militant leaders, raising fears of a breakdown in the fragile deal.
Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that once the hostages were back, the military would proceed to destroy Hamas’ underground tunnel network in Gaza.
Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah told Reuters in Cairo the Trump plan had been crafted to favour Israel, allowing it to dictate terms and shift blame.
“If they choose to backtrack, they can find excuses and blame Hamas. Meanwhile, Hamas, the weaker party, loses all leverage once it hands over the hostages,” Attallah said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump May Arm Ukraine With Tomahawks If Putin Refuses To End War
US President Donald Trump on Sunday hinted at the possibility of providing Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk missiles, warning that such a move could be on the table if Russian President Vladimir Putin fails to halt the war in Ukraine.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to Israel that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed Zelenskyy’s request for weaponry, including Tomahawks. They spoke by phone on Saturday and Sunday.
‘New Step Of Aggression’
Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), long enough to strike deep inside Russia, including Moscow. The Kremlin has warned against any provision of Tomahawks to Ukraine, and Trump on Sunday said they would be “a new step of aggression” if introduced into the war.
The United States would not sell missiles directly to Ukraine, but provide them to NATO, which can then offer them to the Ukrainians, Trump said. “Yeah, I might tell him (Putin), if the war is not settled, we may very well do it,” he said. “We may not, but we may do it. … Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.”
‘Big Difference Between Ukraine And Russia’
Zelenskyy said earlier that Ukraine would only use Tomahawk missiles for military purposes and not attack civilians in Russia, should the US provide them.
“We never attacked their civilians. This is the big difference between Ukraine and Russia,” the Ukrainian leader said on the Fox News “Sunday Briefing” programme. “That’s why, if we speak about long-range (missiles), we speak only about military goals.”
Zelenskyy’s comments, which were recorded on Saturday, aired on Sunday after his second talks in as many days with US President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian leader said they are still discussing the possibility that Washington might provide Kyiv with the long-range missiles.
Trump said last week that before agreeing to provide Tomahawks he wants to know how Ukraine would use them because he does not want to escalate the war between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he was still working on trying to convince Trump to approve a missile deal.
“We count on such decisions, but we’ll see,” Zelenskyy said.
Pressure For Peace
Putin said earlier this month that it was impossible to use Tomahawks without the direct participation of US military personnel and so any supply of such missiles to Ukraine would trigger a “qualitatively new stage of escalation”.
Still, Zelenskyy, in a Sunday evening address in Ukraine, said he saw Russia’s concerns as reason to press forward.
“We see and hear that Russia is afraid that the Americans may give us Tomahawks — that this kind of pressure may work for peace,” Zelenskyy said.
The war in Ukraine is Europe’s deadliest since World War II, and Russian officials say they are now in a “hot” conflict with the West.
Putin portrays it as a watershed moment in Moscow’s relations with the West, which he says humiliated Russia after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union by enlarging NATO and encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence, including Ukraine and Georgia.
Ukraine and its allies have cast it as an imperial-style land grab and have repeatedly vowed to defeat Russian forces.
(With inputs from Reuters)
PM Modi Invited To Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit On Gaza, Middle East Stability
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received an invitation to attend a peace summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh, which is expected to discuss an end to the violence in the Gaza Strip and bring stability to the Middle East, according to a media report.
Sources told The Indian Express that the invitation came at the last minute on Saturday from US President Donald Trump and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
While Prime Minister Modi will not be attending the summit in person, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will represent India at the high-level meeting.
This decision aligns with India’s ongoing diplomatic stance emphasising balanced relations with both Israel and Palestine and its consistent support for peace in the region.
The summit will be jointly chaired by Trump and Sisi on Monday afternoon and is likely to be attended by over 20 countries, the report quoted a spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency.
“The summit aims to end the war in Gaza, strengthen efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East, and open a new chapter of regional security,” the statement said.
It noted that the summit is part of Trump’s vision to achieve peace in the region while demonstrating his constant endeavour to resolve global conflicts.
“This summit comes in light of US President Donald Trump’s vision to achieve peace in the region and his relentless quest to end conflicts around the world,” the spokesperson further added, according to the report.
The meeting comes in the wake of a recent ceasefire and partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, allowing displaced Palestinian families to return to their homes
(With inputs from IBNS)
Tens Of Thousands Join Pro-Palestinian Rally In Sydney Amid Gaza Ceasefire Doubts
Tens of thousands joined a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney on Sunday, organisers said, one of several held across Australia as protesters voiced doubts that Israel’s ceasefire in Gaza would last.
The organiser, the Palestine Action Group, estimated a crowd of 30,000 in Sydney, the nation’s most populous city, one of about 27 nationwide. Police did not have a crowd estimate for the protest.
The Gaza ceasefire appeared to be holding early on Sunday, and Israeli troops had pulled back under the first phase of a U.S.-brokered agreement to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands and left much of the narrow enclave in ruins.
“Even if the ceasefire holds, Israel is still conducting a military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank,” Amal Naser, an organiser of the Sydney rally, said in a statement.
“The occupation as well as systemic discrimination against Palestinians living in Israel constitutes an apartheid system.”
Australian Broadcasting Corp footage showed protesters, many carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves, marching on closed city streets. Police said no arrests were made.
The rally was held in the business district after a court last week blocked a move to hold it at the Sydney Opera House.
Protester Abbi Jordan said she was at the rally because “this so-called ceasefire will not hold”.
“Israel Always Breaks Every Ceasefire”
“Israel always breaks every ceasefire they’ve ever done. For 78 years, they’ve been conducting an illegal occupation in Palestinian territories, and we demand the Australian government sanction Israel,” Jordan told Reuters.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for more than 200 Jewish organisations, condemned the protest organisers.
“They want the deal to fail, which would mean the war would continue,” co-Chief Executive Peter Wertheim said in a statement.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been common in Australia, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, since the war in Gaza erupted when militants of the Palestinian militant group Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in an attack on October 7, 2023.
Gazan authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military response, and much of the enclave has been flattened.
(With inputs from Reuters)