22:08
Netanyahu asks Supreme Court to extend military service exception for ultra-Orthodox
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has asked the Supreme Court to extend the military service exception for ultra-Orthodox Jews by one month. The arrangement that makes the exceptional position possible expires at the end of this week. However, Netanyahu says he needs more time to come up with a new plan, as the Court has ordered him.
The issue has put Netanyahu in a difficult position. Ultra-Orthodox parties have threatened to leave the governing coalition if the exceptional position is not maintained. But opponents of the extension also threaten to do the same, such as Benny Gantz, who is part of the war cabinet. Netanyahu has so far failed to reach an agreement between the two camps.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews have been exempt from military service since the founding of the State of Israel, so that they can devote themselves to religious study. The Supreme Court has ruled several times that the exceptional position is contrary to the basic laws of the country, most recently in 2017. Moreover, the Court ruled today that the government must stop student financing that ultra-Orthodox Jews receive for their religious studies.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews now make up about 13 percent of the population. Their exceptional position has been a thorny issue in Israeli politics for years. This has certainly been the case since the start of the Gaza war, to which hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been drafted.
Thom Canters
Also read this analysis by foreign editor Sacha Kester: Why don’t the ultra-Orthodox serve in the army, the rest of Israel wonders
18:51
International Court of Justice demands that Israel take measures to prevent famine in Gaza
The International Court of Justice demands that Israel take measures to prevent famine in the Gaza Strip. In an interim ruling in the genocide case brought by South Africa, the Court states that Gazans are no longer only at risk of famine, but that it is also beginning to occur. Israel must therefore do everything it can to allow more aid supplies into the Gaza Strip.
In the genocide case, the Court already ordered Israel at the end of January to take measures to prevent genocide. That was an interim judgment; a final ruling will probably take years. An earlier attempt by South Africa to impose additional measures on Israel was rejected. However, the Court now rules that the January measures are no longer appropriate to the current situation.
There has recently been fierce criticism within the international community of Israel, which only allows very limited aid supplies through its border crossings. Faithful ally the United States has also repeatedly called on Israel to do more to increase the flow of aid. In the meantime, several countries have decided to supply the Gaza Strip by sea and air. However, as the Court also states, these cannot serve as a substitute for deliveries via land.
Meanwhile, United Nations aid agencies warn of the risk of ‘catastrophic famine’ in the Gaza Strip. The situation is particularly dire in the north, which can hardly be reached by aid convoys.
Thom Canters
Also read this eyewitness account by former Israel correspondent Monique van Hoogstraten: Fear and anarchy reign in North Gaza: ‘We have been eating animal food for the last few days. It made us sick.”
17:54
France resumes funding to UNRWA
France will resume funding to UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this.
Like the Netherlands and other Western countries, France suspended funding to UNRWA at the beginning of this year. That followed Israeli accusations that associates of UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attacks. Israel has never provided publicly available evidence for this.
Several countries have now reversed that decision. In addition to France, Australia, Canada, Finland and Sweden have also previously turned on the money taps again. This week, CEO Philippe Lazzarini stated that the organization therefore has enough money to continue the work until June. UNRWA has warned several times in recent months that it is in dire need of money.
France has made 30 million euros available for the coming year. According to a foreign spokesperson, this is subject to conditions that must ensure that UNRWA ‘can fulfill its mission in a way that does not incite hatred or violence’. No details are yet known about what exactly these conditions entail.
An independent investigation into the Israeli allegations is underway at the United Nations. The results are expected on April 20. The Netherlands has said it wants to wait for the investigation before making a decision on resuming financing.
Thom Canters
13:36
Death toll after Israeli attack on southern Lebanon rises to 16
The death toll following yesterday’s series of Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon has risen to sixteen. Among the dead are several Hezbollah militants, international news agencies report based on Lebanese state media.
The air raids took place on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. The Israeli army then attacked the village of Hebbariyeh in southern Lebanon. Israel said the target was a military base of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya, an Islamist group that has carried out attacks across the border. The group joins forces with Hezbollah in the fight against Israel.
Hezbollah responded by firing dozens of rockets at the city of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. At least one civilian was killed, it was later announced. Wednesday is the deadliest day in the conflict between Lebanese militants and Israel since October 7.
After the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Hezbollah declared its solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Both Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have said they do not want a wider war in the region and are open to a diplomatic solution, but the number of attacks on both sides has recently increased, especially in the border area. Israel’s attacks have also recently been reaching further and further inland. For example, Israel has managed to hit the region around Baalbek, in the northeast of Lebanon, several times in recent weeks.
Maartje Geels
06:09
US shoots down four long-range missiles over the Red Sea
The United States shot down four long-range missiles over the Red Sea on Wednesday night. The American military command in the Middle East (Centcom) announced this on Wednesday on X.
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, fired the missiles at an American warship, according to Centcom. That ‘turned into self-defense’.
No injuries or damage were reported.
10:46 PM, Yesterday
Welcome to this live blog
This was the most important news about the crisis in the Middle East on Wednesday, March 27:
• The Dutch naval ship Tromp has arrived in the Red Sea. There it will take part in an international mission against the Yemeni Houthis who have been targeting ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones for months.
• Israel wants to talk to the US soon about the impending offensive in Rafah. On Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu canceled the meeting after the US failed to veto a resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza in the UN Security Council.
• At least eighteen Palestinians have been killed in food drops in Gaza. On Tuesday, six Gazans drowned trying to rescue food parcels that fell into the sea.
Read yesterday’s full live blog here.
