Defiance in Jerusalem, Rage in Doha, Despair in Gaza
Netanyahu vows no Hamas leader is safe, Gaza braces for invasion, and Arab leaders in Doha brand Israel a “rogue state” while floating a NATO-style defence pact.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out further strikes on Hamas leaders following last week's attack in Qatar, saying they would not have immunity "wherever they are.” Speaking at a Jerusalem press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu said every country had the right "to defend itself beyond its borders". Israel's decision to target Hamas leaders in Qatar - a close US ally - drew international outrage and criticism from US President Donald Trump. Hamas said six people were killed but that its leaders survived. Netanyahu's comments come days after the White House said Trump had assured Qatar "that such a thing will not happen again on their soil". When pressed on whether the US had any involvement in the strike, Netanyahu told journalists: "We did it on our own. Period." The pair presented a broadly united front, even amid the apparent tensions, with Rubio praising the two countries' technological and cultural ties - and Netanyahu saying Israel had "no better ally". Their meeting comes as Arab and Islamic leaders hold a summit in a show of support for Qatar. The Qatari prime minister urged the international community to stop applying "double standards" and to punish Israel - BBC
Israel's ground operation in Gaza City is imminent and could begin this week, an Israeli official tells CNN. This comes as Israel's forces intensified their air offensive across the enclave on Sunday, killing dozens of Palestinians, according to local officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a meeting on Thursday to discuss efforts to avoid harming the hostages still held in Gaza when the Israeli military undertakes its ground operation in the coming days. There are thought to be about 20 hostages still alive in the war-torn region. On Sunday, Qatar's Prime Minister also said that Israel's strikes last week on Doha, the country's capital, will "not deter" it from continuing "sincere efforts" to mediate an end to the war in Gaza - CNN
Journalist Mohammed al-Kouifi was killed in an Israeli attack in the Nassr neighbourhood of Gaza City today. Gaza’s Government Media Office said two other journalists in Gaza have also been killed, naming them as photographer and broadcast engineer Ayman Haniyeh and journalist Iman al-Zamili - Al Jazeera
Leaders from across the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have gathered in Doha for an Arab-Islamic summit. Collectively, they represent eight percent of global GDP and 26 percent of the world population. A ‘stronger’ final summit statement is expected in upcoming news conference. Here are some of the notable lines from the summit (as per Al Jazeera):
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said Israel’s “aggression is blatant, treacherous, cowardly” and seeks to undermine negotiations to end the war on Gaza.
Hissein Brahim Taha, secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, said the summit is an opportunity to take a “unified and firm stance against the heinous Israeli aggression”.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab League, called Israel a “rogue state” and called for an end to international silence on its crimes.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani proposed a NATO-style defence pact for the community of Arab and Islamic states.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for “self-sufficiency” for the region.
Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Indonesia’s vice president, says that “the Palestinian question is not solely about Palestine. It’s about the survival of our nations, the dignity of our people, and the sanctity of international law.”
China’s antimonopoly regulator said on Monday that Nvidia, America’s leading chip maker, had violated the country’s antitrust law, the latest sign of tension between Beijing and Washington. The announcement stemmed from an investigation that China opened against Nvidia last December. The Chinese authorities said Monday they would continue the investigation. The State Administration for Market Regulation issued its finding as negotiators from China and the United States were meeting in Madrid to try to hash out mounting trade tensions. In an escalating tit for tat in the days leading up to the regulator’s decision, the United States had added 23 Chinese firms to a list of companies that are barred from buying American technology and other exports because of national security concerns. And China said it was investigating American suppliers of certain integrated circuits. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nvidia’s stock fell more than 2 percent in premarket trading in New York - NYT
Russia will sue any EU country that dares to use its sanctioned cash to leverage a mega loan to Ukraine, former President Dmitry Medvedev said on social media. Medvedev, who served a four-year stint as Russia’s president from 2008, issued the threat in response to a POLITICO article that reported on an idea that the EU’s executive arm pitched to deputy finance ministers last week. “If this happens, Russia will persecute the EU states, as well as Euro-degenerates from Brussels and individual EU countries who will try to seize our property, until the end of time,” Medvedev wrote Monday on the social media platform, Telegram. Russia would pursue them in "all possible international and national courts ... and in some cases, extrajudicially," Medvedev said. His current function is deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council - Politico
Caracas on Saturday accused the US of raiding a Venezuelan fishing boat while in Venezuelan waters, underscoring the rising tensions in the region. The allegation comes days after President Donald Trump said US forces struck a vessel carrying drug cartel members; Caracas has said none of the 11 people killed in the attack were in the cartel. Trump first ordered warships to the Caribbean in August, and American fighter jets landed in Puerto Rico on Saturday. Washington’s increased military presence in the region is likely at the urging of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has long pushed the US to pursue cartels more aggressively and has “cast himself as a top general in that war,” The New York Times noted - Semafor
In Cuban prisons, tens of thousands of inmates are allegedly subjected to forced labor for the production of consumer goods intended not only for the domestic economy, but also for export, particularly to Europe. Of the 90,000 inmates and 37,458 serving open prison sentences identified on the island, it is estimated that 60,000 prisoners are subjected to forced labor, in conditions bordering on slavery. Among them are many common law prisoners, as well as political prisoners. This is what the NGO Prisoners Defenders reveals in a detailed and damning report published this Monday, September 15, based on official Cuban documents verified by the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck University in London, field investigations, and testimonies from inmates and ex-inmates. It provides a detailed overview of a large-scale forced labor system, organized within a network of 242 penitentiary facilities, including traditional prisons, but also so-called "correctional centers," "camps," and "farms." The tasks imposed on prisoners vary, ranging from agricultural, industrial, and construction work, to garbage collection and cleaning of streets, hospitals, or police centres. The testimonies in the report describe grueling working conditions and a daily life filled with deprivation, harassment, and violence, all under close surveillance - Euronews
Scores of pilots and flight attendants have suffered brain and nerve damage akin to battered NFL players after breathing toxic fumes leaking into airplane cockpits and cabins, according to an investigation. Since 2010, airlines have filed thousands of reports with the Federal Aviation Administration warning toxic fumes are seeping into cockpits and cabins. The leaks come from a system that draws in engine air and pushes it through the plane unfiltered, according to the Wall Street Journal. The number of cases has surged in recent years, with Airbus’s widely used A320 jets at the center of the spike, records obtained by the Journal show. JetBlue flight attendant Florence Chesson said she was left with a traumatic brain injury and permanent nerve damage after breathing contaminated air on a flight to Puerto Rico. Dr. Robert Harrison, an occupational medicine specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Journal he has treated more than 100 aircrew for injuries linked to fumes. “This is real, this can’t be just all in their heads,” he said - NY Post
Notorious “Tinder Swindler” Simon Leviev has been arrested in Georgia. Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was taken into custody at Batumi International Airport on the Black Sea, according to Georgian officials and his attorney. The Georgian Interior Ministry said Leviev was detained on an Interpol Red Notice after crossing into the country. A lawyer for Leviev said it was unclear why he had been held. “I spoke with him this morning after he was detained, but we don’t yet understand the reason. He has been traveling freely around the world,” the attorney told Israeli outlet Walla. Leviev became infamous after the 2022 Netflix documentary Tinder Swindler detailed how he lured women on the dating app by pretending to be the son of Russian diamond tycoon Lev Leviev, flaunting private jets and luxury hotels. He convinced victims to send him vast sums of money, often claiming he was in danger. The film alleged Leviev swindled $10 million from at least a dozen women worldwide. He was banned from major dating platforms after its release.
The journals….
