UK, Canada and Australia recognise the State of Palestine. Strike: here are the guarantee periods

According to the Israeli army, more than 550,000 Palestinians have left Gaza City since late August as the IDF expands its offensive against Hamas in the area. Before the military operation began, an estimated one million people resided in the city. The army ordered evacuations to a designated 'humanitarian zone' in the south of the Strip, sending warnings via voice and text messages, leaflets and phone calls. The Times of Israel reports. The IDF announced that it had adapted the humanitarian zone to accommodate the evacuees, expanding field hospitals, repairing water lines and desalination plants, and ensuring regular supplies of food, tents, medicine and medical equipment. The army urged civilians to follow official instructions 'for their safety and to avoid staying in areas defined as dangerous'. Despite its efforts, the IDF reported attempts by Hamas to prevent the movement of civilians to the south, 'violating international law and exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for terrorist activities'. Meanwhile, three IDF divisions completed entry into Gaza City and began "operations in Hamas terrorist strongholds" in the area.

Some French mayors have defied government orders and hoisted Palestinian flags on their town halls, and others are expected to follow suit as France prepares to formally recognise the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in New York. It is unclear how many cities will join the initiative on Monday, following Socialist leader Olivier Faure's call to hoist Palestinian flags. The Interior Ministry has warned against such demonstrations, citing the risks of importing international conflicts. Since Friday, the Palestinian flag has been flying over the town hall of Malakoff, a suburb of Paris. The city's mayor, Jacqueline Belhomme, said today add ssociated Press that she had been ordered to remove it, but refused to obey. 'We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people; it is something symbolically important, just as we did some time ago with the Ukrainian flag when we expressed our solidarity with the Ukrainian people under attack by Russia,' she explained to AP. In south-west France, the communist mayor of Mauléon-Licharre, a town of 3,000 inhabitants, hoisted a Palestinian flag on Friday, but removed it the next day after the case was referred to an administrative court. "The flag is now in my office. This is an attack on my freedom of thought,' Mayor Louis Labadot told local radio station Ici Pays Basque. Mathieu Hanotin, mayor of Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris that hosts the national football stadium, said he would display the Palestinian flag in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior Hamas official, hailed the decisions of several Western countries - most recently Britain, Canada and Australia - to recognise the Palestinian state, calling them "a victory for the rights of the Palestinian people and the legitimacy of our cause." "They send a clear message: no matter how far the occupation (Israel, ed.) goes with its crimes, it can never erase our national rights," Mardawi added in an interview with Afp.

The 22 September mobilisation for Palestine will also see the participation of 'Priests against Genocide', a network that has sprung up in recent weeks and has already gathered the support of over 1,200 priests from 34 countries. Not only parish priests but also bishops and, at the moment, a cardinal. They will meet on Monday afternoon at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale for a prayer that will also be a moment of mobilisation. There will be about fifty people representing this new reality demonstrating in Rome. A public moment of prayer and testimony "to reiterate the condemnation of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and give a voice to those who have no voice" that will be led by Father Alex Zanotelli, Combonian missionary, and Father Fernando García Rodriguez, Superior General of the Xaverian missionaries. In detail, at 3 p.m. there will be a community prayer at the Church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale; at 4 p.m. the march will start and will pass through Via Quattro Fontane , Piazza Barberini, Via del Tritone , Piazza di Pietra al Pantheon with arrival in Piazza Sant'Ignazio. At 5.30 p.m. the priests will meet the media at the Caravita Church.

At the moment, there are no names of bishops among the participants in the Rome event. In any case, even if they will not be physically present, several of them have given their support, from the Cardinal of Rabat, Cristobal Lopez Romero, to the former Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, Monsignor Paolo Bizzeti. The list of bishops supporting the network also includes the bishop emeritus of Mazara del Vallo, Msgr. Domenico Mogavero, and the former bishop of Caserta, Raffaele Nogaro. The list of bishops who have signed the petition includes Don Luigi Ciotti (Libera) and Don Nandino Capovilla (Pax Christi), who was recently expelled from Israel where he had gone on a pilgrimage.

'Netanyahu is on the wrong side of history and does not even represent the interests of Israelis'. This was said by Ehud Olmert, former Israeli prime minister, interviewed at the Open Festival, in Parma, by Sara Menafra, speaking about the situation in Gaza. 'I don't know who will replace Netanyahu, but there will be someone who will replace him sooner than we think,' Olmert also said.

Massacre in south Lebanon: five dead, including three children, in an Israeli raid At least five people lost their lives in Bint Jbeil, south Lebanon, after an Israeli drone attack hit a motorbike, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health and the Ani national agency.

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed Britain's recognition of a Palestinian state. "His Excellency commended the UK's recognition of the independent state of Palestine, saying it constitutes an important and necessary step towards achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy," Abu Mazen's office said in a note, as reported by Israeli media.

The hawks in the Israeli government immediately hit back at the recognition of the Palestinian state by the UK, Canada and Australia. Itamar Ben Gvir branded it 'as a reward for the murderers' of Hamas and announced that he would 'present a proposal at the next government meeting for the immediate application of Israeli sovereignty' on the West Bank as well. He was echoed by his colleague Miki Zohar: the only answer should be 'the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley'. Haaretz reports this.

In a historic move, the UK recognises a Palestinian state despite US and Israeli opposition

'Australia recognises the legitimate and historic aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own'. With these words, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the official recognition of the State of Palestine, following the decision already taken by Canada and the United Kingdom. In a letter published in X, Albanese pointed out that 'the President of the Palestinian Authority reaffirmed the recognition of Israel's right to exist and provided direct commitments to Australia, including to hold democratic elections and to implement significant reforms in finance, governance and education'. The PM added that 'the terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine'.

"Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers its cooperation in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel." This was stated by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as reported by Sky News. Canada is the first G7 nation to officially recognise Palestine.

"We will have to fight at the United Nations and in all other fora against the false propaganda directed against us and the calls to establish a Palestinian state, which would endanger our existence and constitute an absurd reward for terrorism". This was said by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, during the weekly meeting of the Israeli Cabinet, announcing that Israel will respond in the coming days to calls to establish a Palestinian state. This was reported by the Times of Israel. According to Netanyahu, countries that recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly are rewarding Hamas' acts of terrorism against Israel. "The international community will listen to us on this issue in the coming days," the PM said.

Benjamin Netanyahu told his ministers during a cabinet meeting that Israel has made progress in talks with Syria that could lead to peace agreements with Damascus and Beirut. This was reported by the premier's office as local media reported. "Our victories against Hezbollah have opened a window to unimaginable possibilities, namely the possibility of peace with our northern neighbours," he said. "We are conducting contacts and there has been some progress with the Syrians, but this is still a vision for the future." Netanyahu is set to convene a meeting this evening to discuss a security agreement with Syria, with Damascus seeking an end to Israeli air raids and the withdrawal of Israeli troops that have pushed into southern Syria.

"The creation of a Palestinian state would endanger the survival of Israel". With these words, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his clear opposition to any initiative aimed at international recognition of a Palestinian state, announcing that he will also take this position to the UN next week. "We will have to fight, both at the UN and in all other fora, against the false propaganda that is directed at us and against the calls for a Palestinian state, which would jeopardise our existence and represent an absurd prize for terrorism," the PM stressed during the government meeting. "The international community will hear our voice on this issue in the coming days.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be in New York tomorrow where she will participate in the opening ceremony of the general debate at the UN on Tuesday 23 September. The ceremony will include speeches by Secretary-General Guterres, General Assembly President Baerbock, President Lula of Brazil and US President Trump. President Meloni's speech in the General Assembly is scheduled for 24 September at 8pm. During the Unga, Italian sources recall, the premier will, as usual, hold a series of bilateral meetings, which are currently being defined. Among the international issues that will dominate the debate in the General Assembly are the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. For Italy, which is celebrating 70 years of its membership of the UN, hosts one of the largest UN poles after New York and Geneva, and is the seventh largest contributor to both the ordinary budget and peace operations, it will be an opportunity to reaffirm its adherence to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and support the ongoing reform process. An essential path, it is stressed by those close to the dossier, to make the UN institutions less bureaucratic, more streamlined and geared towards the concrete management of common challenges.

"We have a duty to stop every war, including the war between Israel and the terrorists of Hamas. We hope to achieve two peoples and two states in the future. But it will not be possible as long as there are the Islamic cutthroats of Hamas holding Palestinian and Israeli children hostage. Love always wins over hatred'. Thus the Carroccio leader and deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, from the stage of the two-day Pontida event.

"A comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza needs to be urgently promoted to alleviate the current humanitarian disaster". Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this during talks in Beijing with Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. This was reported by the Chinese news agency Xinhua on its website. Wang added that the international community should unite in the face of the current emergency situation and that countries that have a special influence on Israel should take their responsibilities seriously. Wang said that the principle of 'Palestinians rule Palestine' must be truly implemented, Xinhua reports, pointing out that the Chinese diplomacy chief emphasised the need to firmly adhere to the two-state resolution.

Tomorrow, Monday 22 'will be an unprecedented day of mobilisation: among the many squares that are being convened in these hours, now almost 80, there is also the one in Rome, from 11:00 am in Piazza dei Cinquecento. We expect a participation in the order of tens of thousands of people: in the country there is a strong feeling of the need to block the activities, to protest against the genocide taking place in Gaza, against the complicity of the Meloni government with the state of Israel, to stop the war and the arms race'. This was stated in a Usb note

Habeeba Abu Shaar, a three-year-old boy, died "due to malnutrition and lack of care" in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Al Jazeera writes this quoting a source from the city's Nasser hospital.

"Following the motion passed by the Capitoline Assembly last Thursday, the flag of Palestine was displayed in the Capitol as a sign of solidarity with the civilian population of Gaza, which has been severely hit by the attacks of the Israeli army. Next to the flag, a yellow ribbon was also placed in support of the release of the kidnapped Israelis still hostages of Hamas terrorists. With this gesture, Rome renews its commitment to be a symbol of peace against violence, an open and universal city that promotes dialogue, mutual respect and coexistence'. The Campidoglio reported this in a note.

Jordan says it has partially reopened the border crossing with the West Bank, three days after closing it following an attack in which two Israeli soldiers died. "The crossing was reopened on Sunday for travellers only, while the movement of goods trucks remains suspended until further notice," an official note reads. State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka also reports heavy traffic at the Allenby crossing in both directions since the early morning hours.

On Thursday, reports Times of Israel, a Jordanian truck driver carrying aid bound for Gaza opened fire at the crossing, killing an Israeli soldier and a civilian reserve officer, before being killed in turn. After the attack, the Israeli army asked Jordan and the Jerusalem leadership to suspend the transfer of aid through the terminal. Allenby is mainly used by Palestinians in the West Bank to travel abroad without passing through Israel.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce today his decision on the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state. This was confirmed to the BBC by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy. In July Starmer had said that the UK would move for recognition unless Israel took 'substantial' steps, including reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "The PM will set out the position later today, assessing whether these conditions are met," Lammy said. For most of the British media, London is moving towards full recognition.

The Palestinian nationalist party Balad issues a statement condemning the arrest of its former MP Hanin Zoabi after she was questioned by police this morning on charges of belonging to a terrorist group and inciting terrorism. As the Times of Israel reports, the party says the arrest is a 'message of intimidation' targeting not only Zoabi, but 'our entire population and national forces that insist on rejecting war crimes and Israelisation'. Charges of incitement to terrorism by the police would be a pretext to suppress 'national political activity'.

"This is a political move par excellence, which is part of the systematic persecution of national political activity and the blatant attack on freedom of expression and political organisation among the Arab population," the party statement read. Zoabi was arrested at her home in Nazareth following statements she made at an anti-Israel conference abroad several months ago, according to police reports. In a video taken from a speech given at a conference in Vienna in October 2024, Zoabi's statements allegedly appeared to police as support for Hamas and the 7 October terrorist attack.

There are 31 Palestinian victims killed inside their homes since dawn this morning, 28 of them in Gaza City. This was reported by al Jazeera. The most serious, according to the Arab broadcaster, was the attack on a group of residential homes in the Sabra neighbourhood, against people recently evacuated from the Zeitoun area as the Israeli army advanced into Gaza City. The vast majority of those killed belonged to the same family. Rescuers managed to recover the bodies of 14 people, while others are still trapped or missing under piles of rubble.

The educational network 'Dalla Parte Dei Bambini', with its teachers' board, adheres to the general strike tomorrow, Monday 22 September. The appointment is set for 9 a.m. in Piazza Mancini, Naples, behind the banner 'Dalla Parte Dei Bambini', "to say enough to the genocide in progress and to affirm a vision of planetary citizenship based on peace, justice and solidarity". "The school has the task of forming critical and aware consciences, capable of breaking the social anaesthesia that risks paralysing society in the face of tragedies such as the one in Gaza," says headmistress Rachele Furfaro. "Talking about peace, social justice, cooperation and solidarity means reaffirming the essential educational function: building emotional and cultural maps that guarantee civil coexistence between peoples. The College of Teachers adds: 'In less than two years, the number of victims has reached unimaginable dimensions. This is not just a call for empathy, but a question of justice and respect for life, values that a mature community cannot ignore nor face with indifference". "Choosing to discuss the ongoing genocide in Gaza in the classroom," Furfaro adds, "is a concrete and qualifying way to safeguard the school's educational rationale. It is the school, in fact, the only institution capable of breaking the social anaesthesia into which we have plunged. Imagining another world is necessary and so it becomes transformative to teach peace and social justice, to develop cooperation between people and between peoples, to practise solidarity, to protect the planet, to imagine planetary citizenship'.

Following sirens sounded earlier in the areas of Lakhish and Ashdod, two projectiles were fired from the northern Gaza Strip. This was announced by the Israel Defence Forces. The IAF intercepted one target and the second fell in the open area, as per protocol. No injuries were reported.

Turkey's President Erdogan, on the eve of the UN Assembly, said he hoped more countries would decide to recognise the State of Palestine, so as to accelerate the mechanism of the two-state solution.

An appeal by jurists for Gaza starts in Bologna, an initiative of some magistrates with the objective and the hope of extending the initiative to other judicial offices and of finding the involvement of the legal profession and the academic world. The first signatures, by Judge Valeria Bolici and Prosecutor Marco Imperato, were followed by about forty, including magistrates and lawyers from Bologna. "Faced with the news of the systematic and protracted violation of the right to life and other fundamental rights of the civilian population of Gaza," reads a note, "silence long ago ceased to be an option. As jurists, we feel the duty to recall that the Italian State, by Constitution and by law, by adhering to treaties and conventions, has chosen the protection of fundamental rights and the prosecution of international crimes'. To remind us of these reasons, we want to read the preamble to the Statute of the International Criminal Court in the hearing every day, "to testify that the consciences of those who every day contribute to the administration of justice are not indifferent to the injustices perpetrated against the weakest, and to appeal to all institutions to demand respect for the law and the fundamental rights of civilians".

The 22 September mobilisation for Palestine will also see the participation of 'priests against genocide', a network that has sprung up in recent weeks and has already gathered the support of over 1,200 priests from 34 countries.

Not only parish priests but also bishops and, at the moment, one cardinal. They will gather on Monday afternoon in Sant'Andrea al Quirinale for a prayer that will also be a moment of mobilisation.

Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov is one of four people arrested by Israeli police as they marched towards the Gaza border, demanding an end to the genocide that has claimed the lives of at least 65,141 people. Footage obtained by Channel 4 News shows Volkov being taken away by officers in the back of a police vehicle. As he was taken away, Volkov, who conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, shouted: 'We must stop the genocide now. It is ruining everyone's life. Stop it." Haaretz reported that the four people were released 'after a short time'.

"In the Gaza City area, the IDF struck and eliminated Majed Abu Salmiya, a terrorist from the Hamas military wing." This was reported by the Israel Defence Forces. "As part of his role, Abu Salmiya was operating as a sniper for Hamas," the note continues, "and was preparing to carry out an imminent terrorist attack against IDF troops in the Gaza City area. Prior to the attack, measures were taken to minimise harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence information'.

"The two-state solution is the only perspective that can guarantee long-term sustainable peace in the region. We need a secure state of Israel and a viable Palestinian authority; there must be no room for extremism and the scourge of Hamas must be eliminated. I know very well how deeply the heinous attacks of 7 October by Hamas terrorists shook the nation of Israel'. This was said by European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in an interview with Repubblica. "However, the recent developments, a man-made famine and the financial suffocation of the Palestinian Authority, are a source of considerable concern," she added. "Plans for a settlement project in the so-called E1 area, if implemented, would effectively result in a separation between the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The actions taken by the Israeli government in recent months constitute a clear attempt to sabotage the two-state solution'.

A front of 209 authors, both Italian and foreign, chose Pordenonelegge as the stage to launch an appeal against violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. The mobilisation was born from the group Citizens for Palestine of Portogruaro, with the support of the newly-established Committee for Palestine of Pordenone, which during the festival also organised the #palestinalegge gazebo, animated by readings, connections with Palestinian writers and moments of confrontation.

Among the signatories are prominent names: Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, architect Massimiliano Fuksas, authors such as Marco Balzano, Concita De Gregorio, Michela Marzano, Viola Ardone, Felicia Kingsley, Alessia Gazzola, Antonio Manzini, Federica Manzon, Nadia Terranova and many others. There is no shortage of international adherents, from the Irish William Wall to the Spaniard Agustín Martínez and the Slovenian poet Goran Vojnović. William Wall announced that on the occasion of the festival he will publicly remember three Palestinian writers killed by the Israeli army.

"I express my strong condemnation of the recent decisions of the Rome Municipal Council, and I join the criticism expressed by the President of the ERC, Victor Fadlun. These are unilateral positions, which not only do not promote peace, but play into the hands of Hamas. It is particularly serious and painful that this happens precisely in Rome, the city marked by the tragic death of little Stefano Gaj Tachè, a victim of Palestinian terrorism'. This was written on X by the Israeli ambassador Jonathan Peled in reference to the decision on the Palestinian flag in the Campidoglio.

Keir Starmer is expected to announce the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state in a statement on Sunday afternoon. This was revealed by the BBC. The decision comes after the prime minister said in July that the UK would take this step in September unless Israel fulfilled certain conditions, including accepting a ceasefire in Gaza and committing to a long-term sustainable peace deal involving a two-state solution.

Government sources, the British public broadcaster reported, said that the situation on the ground had deteriorated significantly in recent weeks. And they cited images showing hunger and violence in Gaza, which the prime minister had already described as 'intolerable'. The BBC also recalls the latest Israeli ground operation in Gaza City, described by a UN official as 'a cataclysm', which forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee. At the end of July, the executive had said it was ready to bring forward to September its commitment to formally recognise the State of Palestine if Israel did not agree to a ceasefire. Key factors in this decision included the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, illegal under international law. Lastly, the controversial E1 settlement project, which critics claim would end hopes for a Palestinian state in continuity between the territories.

At least four Palestinians were killed in a new Israeli Air Force airstrike on Gaza City. This was reported by broadcaster Al Jazeera, according to Tass, pointing out that the raid hit a residential building with civilians inside. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, yesterday alone the death toll caused by Israeli military operations in Gaza City and surrounding areas exceeded 60 dead, with over 200 injured.

According to Le Monde, citing Wafa, a bombing killed 15 people on Saturday evening in a residential area in southern Gaza City.