https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-occupation-forces-escalate-attacks-on-west-bank

Israeli occupation forces escalate attacks on West Bank

Israeli occupation forces escalated their attacks during the night against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Residents confronted the settlers after they tried to raise the Israeli flag near the entrance to the town of Beit Ummar in Al-Khalil.

Israeli settlers attacks on the citizens of Al-Khalil also escalated. On Sunday night, groups of them attacked homes of citizens in the Jaber neighborhood, adjacent to the Ibrahimi Mosque.

In occupied Al-Quds, a group of settlers attacked a number of young men, while the occupation forces arrested a young man from the Bab Al-Amoud area after settlers hurled stones at him.

Yesterday, Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, said it will conduct two-day-long military exercises in the Gaza Strip entitled "The Will of the Honest" (Azm Al-Sadiqin), Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported on Sunday.

Al-Quds Brigades had announced on Saturday that they would be launching wide, large-scale drills in the Gaza Strip in order to up the preparedness of the forces and to lay down the groundwork for any future battle.

The joint operations room of Palestinian Resistance factions had launched the Al-Rukn Al-Shadid 2 joint military exercises in late December.

The drills saw the participation of all the Palestinian Resistance factions to achieve greater harmony, unite their concepts, and increase their efficiency.

The military maneuvers in late 2021 came in light of the Israeli aggression launched on the Gaza Strip, which killed hundreds of Palestinians, wounded hundreds of others, and destroyed the Strip's infrastructure.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/morocco-us-armies-to-kick-off-african-lion-military-exercise

Morocco, US armies to kick off African Lion military exercises

The Moroccan and US armies will kickoff Monday the African Lion 2022 (AL22) maneuvers in several cities across Morocco with the participation of 18 other countries.

The maneuvers will involve about 7,500 army personnel from Morocco, the US, and several allied countries and will also be partially held in Tunisia, Senegal, and Ghana.

A statement issued by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said the exercises will take place from June 20-30 in the regions of Kenitra, Agadir, Tan Tan, Taroudant, and Mahbes.

"The inclusion of Mahbes as one of the locations for the military drilling mirrors the US position in supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over Western Sahara," the Morocco World News website pointed out.

According to the statement, the African Lion maneuvers will include the participation of military observers from about 30 countries in Africa and the world.

The official website of the US Army quoted Maj. James Guglielmi as saying that the “AL22 is the premiere joint multinational exercise in the AFRICOM area of responsibility,” adding that “it is going to be better and bigger than last year, and will be the best exercise to date.”

The AL22 "functions as a platform to support interoperability between partner nations as well as increase the U.S. influence in North Africa and the Sahel," the US Army website pointed out.

It is noteworthy that the US and France are Morocco’s main suppliers of military equipment.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/several-killed-others-injured-in-terrorist-attack-on-bus-in

Several killed, others injured in terrorist attack on bus in Al-Raqqa

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that a number of civilians and soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack on a civilian passenger bus in the countryside of Al-Raqqa on the Zamla road within Jabal Al-Bishri.

According to Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Damascus, the bus was attacked by ISIS militants with machine guns.

The Syrian news agency SANA stated that the initial death toll was 13 soldiers along with an additional 3 wounded.

Later, a Syrian military source revealed that 11 soldiers and two civilians were killed in the terrorist attack that targeted a civilian bus on Al-Raqqa-Homs road.

According to a military source, "At around 6:30 am, a civilian bus was targeted by a terrorist attack on Al-Raqqa-Homs road in Al-Jira area, which led to the death of 11 soldiers and two civilians, while 3 other soldiers were wounded."

In April, Syria sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and to the UN Security Council about the war crimes of the US-led international coalition in the city of Al-Raqqa in 2017.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that the US military operation carried out by the forces of the illegitimate international coalition in Raqqa in the period from June to October 2017, led to the almost complete destruction of the city and thousands of its civilians," the Syrian Foreign Ministry statement indicated.

The US-led coalition's goal was to destroy the city, target civilians

The letter stressed that the goal of the coalition's operation was to destroy infrastructure and public and private property and to target civilians.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry pointed out that it will continue to raise the issue of Al-Raqqa, Al-Baghouz, the Euphrates Dam, and other Syrian regions which were targeted and destroyed by the international coalition.

It added that the number of casualties, particularly in Al-Raqqa, Ayn Al-Arab, and Al-Baghouz prove that the US and its allies have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/afghanistan:-car-bombing-leaves-several-dead-wounded

Afghanistan: Car bombing leaves several dead, wounded

A car carrying civilians was blown up in Ghani Khel district of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan on Monday morning, causing deaths and injuries, local media reported.

The Bakhtar news agency said the exact number of victims is still unknown, adding that local security officials arrived on the scene and began investigating the incident.

Later, press sources said that at around nine o'clock, at least four people were killed and 28 others wounded when an explosive device planted on the side of the road exploded targeting a car belonging to the Taliban in Shergarh Bazar, Shinwari district, eastern Nangarhar province.

It is noteworthy that on Sunday, IS claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh temple in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which killed two people.

Since reclaiming power in the country in August 2021, the Taliban movement has been battling a local chapter of IS, which is believed to be responsible for the majority of terrorist attacks and bomb explosions in Afghanistan.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/ukrainian-forces-hit-drilling-platforms-of-oil-company-chern

Ukrainian forces hit drilling platforms of oil company Chernomornefteg

The Ukrainian military attacked the drilling platforms of the oil company Chernomorneftegaz on Monday, Crimean Head Sergey Aksenov said, adding that several workers are missing following the incident.

"This morning the enemy struck at the drilling platforms of Chernomorneftegaz. I am in touch with colleagues from the Ministry of Defense and the FSB [the Federal Security Service], we are working to save people," Aksenov wrote on his Telegram page.

The Crimea had also said that five people out of 12 who were at the drilling platforms have been saved, adding that three people are injured.

The Ministry of Defense is conducting a rescue operation and using patrol vessels and aviation, Aksenov added.

Two days ago, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that more than 50 Ukrainian generals and officers were killed in a strike on a command center in the Ukrainian Dnipropetrovsk region.

Russian Defense Spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, said, in a press statement, that long-range, high-precision Kalibr missiles launched from the sea hit the headquarters of the Ukrainian forces near the village of Shiroka Dacha in the Dnipropetrovsk province, while a work meeting for the leaders of the Alexandria strategic operational group was being held.

The Spokesperson explained that as a result of the strike, more than 50 generals and officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were killed, including representatives of the General Staff, the leadership of the Kakhovka Group, the air assault forces, and the formations operating on the Nikolaev and Zaporozhye axes.

Ukrainian troops strike 200-ton oil facility

At the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, the authorities of the Lugansk People's Republic announced that 200 tons of diesel fuel caught fire as a result of an explosion at an oil storage facility in the city of Rovinki as a result of the Ukrainian bombing.

LPR authorities said the blast could have been caused by the strike of a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile, noting that there were casualties, the number of which is still unknown.

The gas pipelines were also damaged as a result of the continuous Ukrainian bombing, which led to the cutting off of gas to nearly 170 homes.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/austria-fm-fears-eu-loss-of-information-war-against-russia

Austria FM fears EU loss of information war against Russia

The European Union has full control of the information space on its territories, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said Monday, admitting that the 27-nation bloc was "losing" to Russia in the information war in other parts of the world.

"I, myself, have been to the Middle East, India and Pakistan. There is a completely different narrative, partly Russian, according to which the supply of grain and oilseeds cannot be carried out due to the EU sanctions, and because we ourselves contribute to a rapid increase in energy prices," the minister claimed while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

According to Schallenberg, Europe should be aware of the need to "conduct educational work" in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, and provide support to these regions.

The West and its allies, spearheaded by the United States, have launched a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Russia in light of the Ukraine war, banning the import of Russian energy resources, cutting Russian banks from SWIFT, and banning Russian channels from airing all over Europe.

The European Union in early June announced that it was suspending the broadcasting activities of various other state-owned media outlets, namely Rossiya RTR/RTR Planeta, Rossiya 24, and TV Centre International. These are not the first broadcasters to have their operations suspended throughout the EU, as the bloc previously sanctioned Russia Today and Sputnik.

Senegalese President and African Union Chairman Macky Sall said Western sanctions imposed on Russian banks and their disconnection from the SWIFT system of global payments impeded and completely cut off African countries' bids to acquire food and fertilizers, further jeopardizing their food security and putting them on the edge of famine.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-opposition-planning-to-disperse-knesset-holding-elec

Israeli 'opposition' planning to disperse Knesset, holding elections

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is spearheading an attempt by the "opposition" to disperse the Knesset, and the camp will bring a draft resolution for a vote on the matter on Wednesday, which will also entail holding fresh elections, Israeli media reported on Monday.

The former premier has been very vocal about his plans of toppling Bennett's cabinet, forcing the Israeli occupation into fresh elections, and possibly returning as Prime Minister for the third time. He held this post from 1996 to 1999 and then from 2009 until June 2021.

The legislation would need a majority of 61 MKs out of the body's 120 members to pass.

It is unlikely that the Likud has already decided to propose the bill for a preliminary vote this week, according to Israeli Channel 12, as the bloc wants to ensure that the bill would pass, otherwise, his plans on toppling Naftali Bennett's government would be suspended. Netanyahu, and anyone else for that matter, would be unable to propose a similar bill for another six months.

Netanyahu's Likud had planned on bringing the bill for a vote last month, but it postponed the proposal after the Ra'am party went back to the Bennett-Lapid coalition in the Knesset. Ra'am's decision deprived the opposition of having a simple majority that would have allowed for the passing of the bill.

With former Yamina member Nir Orbach pledging to vote against any bill aimed at toppling the government after leaving the party last week, the "opposition's" chances at securing a majority for their bill are incredibly low.

Orbach could have to go back on his promise and support the bill, according to reports.

However, in addition to Orbach, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has said she was also opposed to the amendment to "Israel's semi-constitutional Basic Laws" authored by Israeli "Justice" Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

This comes amid reports that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is under pressure from his coalition partners to propose a bill that would bar any MK charged with a "serious crime" from becoming Prime Minister, which is clearly aimed at Benjamin Netanyahu.

If the said bill passes in the Knesset, former premier Benjamin Netanyahu would be barred from ever assuming the premiership again, Channel 12 reported.

The proposed amendment would block any lawmaker indicted for a crime that holds a minimum sentence of three years and "moral turpitude" from being tasked by the president with forming a cabinet.

The coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had taken a hit, becoming a minority in Parliament after legislator Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi dropped out of the Knesset in late May for several reasons. She mainly cited the Israeli occupation police brutality perpetrated against Palestinians at journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's funeral.

The Meretz party MK leaving Bennett's coalition set it back to 59 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, making the coalition a minority, though that does not necessarily mean that the alliance is on the verge of collapse.

Shireen Abu Akleh, famed Al Jazeera journalist and veteran reporter, was murdered on May 11 when Israeli occupation forces storming the Jenin refugee camp, occupied West Bank, shot her with a live bullet to the head as she was covering the events of the storming.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/media:-bennett-lapid-to-dissolve-knesset-hold-early-election

Media: Bennett, Lapid to dissolve Knesset, hold early elections

The Israeli occupation government coalition announced its intention to dissolve the parliament (the Knesset) while the occupation's foreign minister, Yair Lapid, will become a caretaker prime minister, in place of Naftali Bennett during the transitional period before heading for early elections.

The Times of Israel said that it is expected that the early elections will be held at the end of October.

Israeli Maariv newspaper described the scene on its website as a "Political Drama," revealing that after the dissolution of the Knesset is approved next week, the rotation of the position between Bennet and Lapid will take place.

According to the newspaper, Lapid will be the caretaker Prime Minister for the meantime while "holding the Iranian file."

The newspaper pointed out that "the agreed date for the early elections is October 25, 2022."

Israeli media, quoting both sides, stated that the decision "was taken after exhausting attempts to achieve stability in the coalition," and that "Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is now speaking with the heads of the parties."

Earlier in the day, Israeli media revealed that Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is spearheading an attempt by the "opposition" to disperse the Knesset, and the camp will bring a draft resolution for a vote on the matter on Wednesday, which will also entail holding fresh elections.

The former premier has been very vocal about his plans of toppling Bennett's cabinet, forcing the Israeli occupation into fresh elections, and possibly returning as Prime Minister for the third time. He held this post from 1996 to 1999 and then from 2009 until June 2021.

The legislation would need a majority of 61 MKs out of the body's 120 members to pass.

This comes amid reports that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is under pressure from his coalition partners to propose a bill that would bar any MK charged with a "serious crime" from becoming Prime Minister, which is clearly aimed at Benjamin Netanyahu.

The coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had taken a hit, becoming a minority in Parliament after legislator Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi dropped out of the Knesset in late May for several reasons. She mainly cited the Israeli occupation police brutality perpetrated against Palestinians at journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's funeral.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-prepares-to-rule-regarding-abortion

US prepares to rule regarding abortion

By the end of June, the Supreme Court is anticipated to issue a judgment that could reverse a 50-year course regarding abortion in the United States. This is the state of events in the country as the nation's highest court prepares to issue its much-anticipated ruling.

Roe v. Wade

In the absence of federal legislation, the 1973 decision in the landmark Supreme Court case known as Roe v. Wade secures a woman's right to abortion in the United States.

Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 court ruling, maintains access to abortion until "viability", or when the fetus can survive outside the womb, which occurs between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.

States are also prohibited from enacting legislation that would place an "undue burden" on a woman seeking an abortion. This legal foundation could be overturned very soon.

According to a draft opinion released in May, the court's conservative majority is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," the author of the opinion, Justice Samuel Alito, wrote. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

Anticipating a reversal, lawmakers in 13 Republican-controlled states have already passed legislation that would prohibit abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Patchwork

Conservative states refer to the notion of "undue burden" to impose abortion restrictions, forcing numerous clinics to close their doors.

West Virginia and Mississippi, for example, each have one abortion clinic, whereas California has more than 150.

Some states require adolescents to obtain parental consent before having an abortion or listening to the embryo's heartbeat.

Following a lengthy court battle, Texas has prohibited abortions after six weeks, when many women are unaware they are pregnant. Another consideration is money.

Almost a dozen states prohibit private medical insurance plans from covering abortions. However, 15 additional states use public funding to assist low-income women in paying for the surgery.

Poverty and minorities

According to the Guttmacher Institute's most current statistics, there were more than 930,000 abortions in the United States in 2020, following a 30-year drop.

This equates to 14.4 abortions for every 1,000 women of reproductive age, which is comparable to most developed countries.

Nearly half of the women seeking abortions are poor, and Black and Hispanic women are overrepresented as a percentage of the population – 29 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 92.2% of abortions in the United States occur during the first trimester.

Divided opinion

According to a Pew Research Center poll, more than 60% of Americans believe abortion should be allowed in all or most situations, a figure that has remained largely consistent in recent years.

However, there are significant variances based on political affiliation: 80% of Democrats say abortion should be permitted in all or most situations, while only 35% of Republicans agree.

Moreover, the chasm is growing wider. In 2016, these ratios were 72% and 39%, respectively. Religious belief is also important. In most circumstances, 77% of white evangelicals say abortion should be prohibited.

A conservative offensive

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump drew many religious right voters with his vow to name Supreme Court justices who shared their views and were willing to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Trump nominated three justices to the Supreme Court during his four years in office, giving conservatives a 6-3 majority.

Their arrival prompted Republican state legislators to establish increasingly abortion restrictions, several of which eventually found their way to the Supreme Court.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/ireland-calls-out-british-plan-for-vandalism

Ireland calls out British plan for ‘vandalism’

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin accused the UK of "economic damage". Martin was reacting to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's desire to revamp the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol, which he called the worst type of unilateralism, in a BBC interview on Sunday,

A plan tabled this week in the House of Commons would significantly alter the protocol, which presently requires customs checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom. If the new bill is passed, products bound for Northern Ireland will not be subject to such checks, however, commodities bound for the Republic of Ireland via Northern Ireland will be checked and taxed at ports in the British exclave before proceeding south.

“The legislation effectively would be severely damaging to the Northern Ireland economy, particularly in the context of the dual regulatory standards approach,” Martin told the BBC, referring to the choice that Northern Irish businesses would have to make between complying with EU or UK standards.

“In effect, it represents a form of economic vandalism on Northern Ireland because if you look, any objective data is now showing that the Northern Ireland economy is doing very well,” he continued. He said that the Irish government believes that the new legislation “is very, very worrying in terms of the actual damage it could do to key sectors of Northern Ireland economy.”

The British government claims that a dual regulatory approach would relieve burdensome EU regulations on UK-Northern Ireland trade while avoiding the return of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, which would be an unwelcome reminder of the North's troubled political history.

“There are certain areas where we can improve the protocol and we should continue to do that,” Martin said, calling for “substantive negotiations between the British government and the European Union.”

Northern Ireland's unionists – those who support the country's continued membership in the United Kingdom and see the protocol as undermining their position – have threatened not to share power with the nationalist Sinn Fein party if the protocol remains in place, and Martin has been chastised for dismissing their concerns.

"From day one Dublin has done what's in Dublin's interests and never once prioritized consensus in Northern Ireland," Democratic Unionist Party MP Sammy Wilson told the BBC. "Not one unionist MP or MLA supports the protocol but instead of Dublin trying to understand or recognize our objections, they repeatedly lecture us, talk down to us and demand we change our mind.”

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has stated that Britain's proposal is a "breach of international law" and would undermine the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lithuania:-ban-on-rail-cargo-transit-to-kaliningrad-directed

Lithuania: Ban on rail cargo transit to Kaliningrad directed by EU

Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, indicated on Monday that the ban on the railroad transit of a number of sanctioned goods through the Lithuanian territory from Russia to its exclave region of Kaliningrad was introduced after consultations with the European Commission and under its guidelines.

"It is not Lithuania doing anything, it is European sanctions that started working from June 17. The industry that is imposing the sanctions at this point is the railroads," Landsbergis said upon his arrival at the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

State-owned Lithuanian Railways stopped transit of goods between Russia and its Baltic Sea territory starting at midnight this past Friday, citing restrictions directed by the EU.

The governor of Kaliningrad, Anton Alikhanov, said that oil products are not subject to transit limitations and the transit will continue unhindered through August 10.

Andrey Klimov, the chair of the Russian upper house commission for the protection of state sovereignty, said that the EU needs to fix the situation with Kaliningrad's blockade, otherwise Russia will have a free hand to resolve the issue by any means deemed necessary.

Moscow lodges protest over Lithuania decision

In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement that Moscow had lodged a protest to the Lithuanian charge d'affaires in Russia in connection with the decision of Vilnius to ban rail cargo transit to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

The Ministry also summoned the Lithuanian charge d'affaires earlier in the day.

It underscored that "the head of the diplomatic mission was strongly protested in connection with the ban on the rail transit of a large range of goods through the territory of Lithuania to the Kaliningrad region, imposed by Vilnius without prior notification of the Russian side."

"We demanded the immediate lifting of these restrictions," the Russian statement affirmed, adding that Russia regards the actions of Lithuania as openly hostile and in violation of the international obligations of Vilnius.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Lithuania's move to prohibit rail goods transit to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is unprecedented, describing the move as a "violation of everything."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/medvedev-says-russia-us-relationship-currently-null-should-n

The current situation of ties between Russia and the United States corresponds to the lowest limit of the thermodynamic temperature scale, which is absolute zero, according to Dmitry Medvedev in an interview with Sputnik on Monday.

"We do not have any relations with the US now. They are at zero kelvin, and there is no need to unfreeze them today. And there is no need to negotiate with [the US] yet. It is harmful for Russia," Medvedev said.

It is also premature to envisage new negotiations with the United States to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

"It will depend on the decision of President [Vladimir Putin]. I, for my part as a person who was directly related to the New START and signed it in 2010, consider the timing for new negotiations the worst possible now," Medvedev added.

New START, or the Russia-US Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, is the world's sole remaining arms control treaty, slated to expire in 2026. Moscow and Washington started negotiating a future pact, but talks were put on hold this year at the US initiative after Russia started the military operation in Ukraine in February.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israel-says-building-regional-alliance-under-us

'Israel' says building regional alliance under US

The Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz claimed on Monday that "Israel" is constructing a regional "air defense alliance" funded by the United States, claiming that the system has previously prevented attempted "Iranian attacks" and might be bolstered by President Joe Biden's visit next month.

After announcing this month that he will visit Saudi Arabia, Biden said this visit is primarily to address "Israel's security issues."

Gantz called the alliance in a briefing the "Middle East Air Defense Alliance" to Israeli lawmakers, claiming that cooperation has already been initiated.

According to the official transcript, "Over the past year, I have been leading an extensive programme, together with my partners at the Pentagon and in the US administration that will strengthen the cooperation between "Israel" and countries in the region."

Gantz highlighted that the program was already "operative" and claimed it already intercepted Iranian attempts to "attack Israel and other countries."

Gantz failed to mention what countries he was referring to or give any details about the alleged attacks.

While accusing Iran of carrying out attacks against "Israel" as per Israeli claims, the occupation Air Force conducted a simulation of a widescale strike on Iran in May, during the "Chariots of Fire" drills.

The Minister expressed hope that Biden's visit will enable the occupation to take one step closer toward cooperation.

Biden is expected to visit "Israel" on July 14-15 and Saudi Arabia on July 15-16. His visit to the latter will include a meeting with the Kingdom's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.