标签： Asia

On Sunday, Israel formally activated a controversial new law that mandates the death penalty as the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis in the occupied West Bank, following the signing of a required military order by Central Command Major General Avi Bluth.

Under the terms of the new regulation, Israeli military courts — the only judicial bodies with jurisdiction over Palestinian residents of the West Bank — are required to hand down death sentences to Palestinians found guilty of murdering Israeli occupation soldiers or civilians. Life imprisonment can only be applied in rare, explicitly defined exceptional circumstances, shifting the entire sentencing framework to favor capital punishment as the standard outcome.

First approved by Israeli lawmakers in March, the legislation codifies a dual-track legal system that operates exclusively along identity lines in the occupied territory. Israeli citizens and permanent residents living in West Bank settlements fall under the jurisdiction of Israeli civilian courts, and are thus entirely exempt from the new law’s provisions. This separation reinforces a longstanding legal structure that has been widely labeled by human rights groups as an apartheid system.

The law’s wording further expands its reach to target acts of Palestinian resistance to occupation: one of the criteria for applying the death penalty requires only that the convicted person’s act was intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel or the authority of the military commander in the area” — a broad standard that human rights advocates say overwhelmingly criminalizes Palestinians opposing Israeli occupation.

Top Israeli officials have welcomed the activation of the measure, framing it as a critical tool to counter Palestinian resistance. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, celebrated the order as a campaign promise fulfilled. “We promised and we fulfilled,” Ben Gvir said, adding, “we do not capitulate or contain murderous terrorism, we defeat it.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also endorsed the move.

The new law has sparked fierce condemnation from Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights organizations, which warn it formalizes systematic discrimination against Palestinians and erases what remains of their basic legal protections. Critics say the policy deepens the already entrenched apartheid-style dual legal regime in the West Bank, where two separate populations live side by side under entirely separate systems of justice.

Multiple human rights groups have labeled the move a dangerous escalation of Israeli repressive policy in the occupied territories, pointing to a sharp surge in mass arrests of Palestinians on broad, vague security charges in recent months. Since the intensification of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, rights monitors have also documented a steep rise in reports of torture, abuse, and deaths of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody.

Palestinian prisoners’ rights organizations have described the legislation as an “unprecedented act of savagery,” accusing Israel of codifying state violence against detainees at a time when conditions for Palestinian prisoners have deteriorated dramatically. Even leading Israeli human rights advocacy groups, including Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, HaMoked, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, have joined the condemnation, warning the law creates a deliberately “discriminatory punitive framework” that denies Palestinians equal protection under the law and removes legal safeguards against abuse.

Following the high-profile summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that centered heavily on cross-Strait tensions, Taiwan’s leader Lai Ching-te has issued his first public direct response, laying out the island’s stance while emphasizing the critical need for the United States to maintain its longstanding arms sales policy to Taiwan.

During the meeting, Chinese state media reported that Xi framed the Taiwan issue—where Beijing claims the self-governing democratic island as an inalienable part of its territory—as the single most consequential matter in bilateral U.S.-China ties. Xi warned that mishandling the question of Taiwan could open the door to direct conflict between the two major global powers. After wrapping up his trip to Beijing, Trump made his own position clear in an interview with Fox News, stating he did not support any move toward formal Taiwan independence, while adding that U.S. policy toward the island had not shifted, and he had no intention of provoking a confrontation with Beijing. Trump also noted that Xi held deeply entrenched views on the Taiwan issue, but he had made no binding commitments to China on the matter during their talks.

For years, under the administrations of Lai Ching-te and his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s government has held the position that no formal declaration of independence is necessary, as the island already considers itself a sovereign nation. Lai reiterated this long-held stance in a public post on his Facebook page, his first direct public comment following the Trump-Xi summit. He wrote, “Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent democratic country,” and added that “Taiwan’s future must follow the will of all the Taiwanese people.” Public opinion data consistently shows that a majority of Taiwan’s residents identify as citizens of a sovereign nation, though most also support maintaining the current cross-Strait status quo: rejecting both immediate unification with China and an official formal declaration of independence.

Beijing has repeatedly condemned Lai, labeling him a dangerous “troublemaker” and a threat to cross-Strait peace. In his Facebook post, Lai pushed back against these characterizations, emphasizing that Taiwan has no intention of initiating aggression or escalating tensions. “Taiwan will not provoke, will not escalate conflict, but will not under pressure give up national sovereignty and dignity, as well as the democratic and free way of life,” he wrote. He further clarified that Taiwan is a committed defender of the existing cross-Strait status quo, not a party seeking to unilaterally alter the current arrangement. Lai added that Taiwan is open to holding healthy, structured exchanges and dialogue with Beijing, as long as those talks take place on the basis of equal dignity and mutual respect. However, he firmly rejected Beijing’s practice of framing dialogue under the precondition of “unification” as a pretext to coerce Taiwan into accepting its terms.

This position echoes an earlier statement from Lai’s presidential spokesperson, who affirmed that it is self-evident Taiwan is a sovereign, independent democratic nation, and the government remains dedicated to upholding the cross-Strait status quo. For its part, Beijing has consistently stated it prefers peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but has never formally ruled out the use of military force to bring the island under its control. In recent years, Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, conducting regular large-scale military drills—including simulated blockades of the island—around Taiwan’s territorial waters and airspace.

For more than four decades, the United States has supplied defensive arms to Taiwan under the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act, a U.S. law that requires the U.S. to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself against potential aggression. The U.S. remains Taiwan’s most powerful international ally and its largest supplier of military equipment. In December prior to the summit, the Trump administration approved a massive $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, one of the largest single arms deals in the history of U.S.-Taiwan relations. That approval drew sharp condemnation from Beijing, which has long opposed all U.S. arms sales to the island.

After leaving Beijing, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had discussed the proposed arms sale in great depth with Xi, and would make a final decision on whether to move forward with the transaction later. When pressed on the longstanding 1982 U.S. commitment that it would not consult Beijing on arms sales decisions to Taiwan, Trump dismissed the commitment, noting the 1980s were “a long time ago.”

Over the weekend following the summit, Lai expressed gratitude to Trump for his continued support for peace across the Taiwan Strait, and reaffirmed that sustained U.S. arms sales are non-negotiable for regional stability. “Given that China has never given up the use of force to annex Taiwan and continues to expand its military power to try to change the regional and cross-strait status quo, America’s continued sale of arms to Taiwan and deeper U.S.-Taiwan security cooperation is necessary and a key factor in maintaining regional peace and stability,” Lai wrote.

A prominent Egyptian-Palestinian human rights defender and long-time political activist is facing expulsion from France, after French authorities labeled his pro-Palestinian advocacy a ‘serious threat to domestic public order’, escalating a wider crackdown on pro-ceasefire speech in the country that has alarmed rights campaigners.

Ramy Shaath, a key organizing figure in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and former coordinator of the Egyptian branch of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, was released from arbitrary political detention in Egypt in January 2022 after direct intervention from French President Emmanuel Macron. At the time of his release, Paris framed his freedom as a victory for human rights, welcoming Shaath to reunite with his French wife on French soil.

Now, just over two years later, the French government is moving to deport him. Shaath is scheduled to appear before a national deportation committee on May 21, and his attorney Damia Taharraoui confirmed that local prefecture officials could issue an immediate enforceable deportation order as soon as the hearing concludes.

A copy of the deportation notice from Nanterre Prefecture, reviewed by Agence France-Presse, explicitly cites Shaath’s public pro-Palestinian activism and commentary as the justification for the expulsion. The activist confirmed to AFP that he has participated in multiple peaceful demonstrations calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to what he describes as Israeli genocide in the enclave, the imposition of economic sanctions and arms embargoes on Israel, and urgent multilateral international intervention to protect Palestinian civilians.

“My stance has never changed since the time France worked to secure my release from Egyptian prisons where I was a political prisoner… but today, it seems they want to silence me,” Shaath told reporters.

French authorities have specifically called out Shaath’s public descriptions of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a criminal occupation, and his references to Israeli forces as “terrorists” for targeting residential homes and civilian healthcare facilities. His legal team has argued that deportation is not a viable option in this case: Shaath no longer holds Egyptian citizenship, and cannot be sent to the Palestinian territories due to the active, large-scale conflict that has devastated Gaza since October 2023.

In response to the expulsion order, Shaath’s family, friends and supporters launched a national campaign on Sunday to block the deportation, using the hashtag #FreeRamyShaath2 – a reference to his 2019 to 2022 imprisonment in Egyptian jails.

In an official statement, the campaign condemned France’s abrupt reversal of position: “When he arrived in France, Ramy Shaath was welcomed as a prisoner of conscience, finally freed. President Macron himself publicly welcomed his release and his reunification with his French wife. France congratulated itself then on having helped wrest a human rights defender from the prisons of the Egyptian dictatorship. Today, that same State is turning against him with scandalous brutality by trying to portray him as a threat to public order. After claiming to denounce Egyptian arbitrariness, it is reproducing its logic: turning a Palestinian political voice into a security file.”

Supporters added that even if the deportation attempt is blocked, French authorities have prepared alternative punitive measures, including imposing house arrest, seizing Shaath’s passport, and requiring mandatory daily check-ins with local police.

Shaath’s case is not an isolated incident. Since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, French student groups, teacher unions, and civil society organizations have repeatedly warned of growing systemic pressure against individuals who voice public support for Palestinian rights. Peaceful actions including demonstrations, public statements, and campus occupations have been increasingly criminalized, leading to disciplinary action, administrative fines, formal legal prosecution, and in multiple cases, permanent criminal records.

Just last month, a controversial new bill tabled in the French National Assembly would codify new penalties for public criticism of Israel, including criminal sanctions for those who deny Israel’s right to exist or compare Israel’s actions to Nazi Germany. The draft legislation also expands the definition of terrorism-linked offenses to include so-called “implicit” incitement, broadening the scope for legal action against pro-Palestinian speakers.

Context on the Egyptian political landscape further highlights the risks of deportation: the country ranks just 18 out of 100 on Freedom House’s 2024 Freedom in the World index, where lower scores reflect stricter restrictions on political rights and civil liberties. Independent human rights groups estimate that more than 60,000 political prisoners are currently detained in Egyptian facilities, and Human Rights Watch has documented that the Egyptian government engages in widespread, systematic repression of peaceful dissent, arbitrarily detaining and punishing critics and activists.

Middle East Eye, which first reported on this case, reached out to the French Interior Ministry for comment and clarification on the government’s planned deportation destination for Shaath, but had not received a response as of the publication of this report.

A New York Times investigation has uncovered explosive new details about unacknowledged Israeli military bases operating in Iraq’s western desert, linking the discovery of one facility to the fatal shooting of a local Iraqi shepherd who stumbled across the site by accident. The revelations have reignited deep tensions across Iraq, strained already fragile alliances in the region, and raised serious questions about alleged United States complicity in keeping the covert operations hidden from the Iraqi government.

The disclosure of the secret outposts builds on reporting published last week by The Wall Street Journal, which first revealed that Israel established an initial covert presence in the remote western Iraqi desert amid its ongoing open conflict with Iran. According to initial accounts, the first installation was constructed in the weeks immediately before the outbreak of full-scale war in February, with the facility purpose-built to support Israeli air operations and house elite special forces detachments. In March, Israeli forces launched an airstrike against Iraqi troops that had nearly exposed the hidden outpost, using the site to coordinate the attack, the original report confirmed.

Israeli outlet Maariv later added further context, reporting that the forward operating base also served as a staging point for Israeli rescue and commando units, whose core mission would be to extract downed Israeli aircrew from Iranian territory if any pilots were shot down during combat missions.

The NYT investigation adds a previously unreported development: confirmation of a second secret Israeli base located in the same remote desert region. Unlike the first outpost, this facility was established before the 2025 full-scale war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran, and was actively used throughout the June 2025 conflict, unnamed officials told the NYT.

The fatal incident that exposed the presence of the bases unfolded when 52-year-old Awad al-Shammari, a local Bedouin shepherd, accidentally came across one of the hidden installations while traveling through the desert to pick up groceries. Local witnesses told the NYT that after Shammari discovered the outpost, an Israeli helicopter opened fire on his pickup truck, killing him instantly.

Shammari’s family spent two full days searching for him before they were able to confirm his death, with local residents too afraid of the sensitive site to approach the area immediately. “We were told that a burned-up pickup truck matching Awad’s was out there, but no one dared to go there,” his cousin Amir al-Shammari told the NYT. “When we got there, we found the car and his body burned beyond recognition.”

The reports of uninvited Israeli military presence on Iraqi soil, and the killing of an unarmed civilian, have triggered widespread public anger across Iraq. The country has never maintained diplomatic relations with Israel, and public sentiment toward the Israeli government is overwhelmingly hostile. Iraqi citizens and political leaders are now increasingly demanding that the interim Iraqi government launch a full public investigation, disclose what officials knew about the bases, and hold all parties responsible for Shammari’s death accountable.

One of the most damaging revelations to emerge from the NYT investigation is that U.S. officials have been aware of the existence of the base Shammari discovered since at least June 2025. Despite the United States’ formal security alliance with Iraq, which includes commitments to respect Iraqi territorial sovereignty, U.S. officials never shared information about the covert Israeli outpost with the Iraqi government, the NYT reported.

Senior Iraqi political figures have already responded with sharp condemnation of both Israel and the United States. Raed al-Maliki, a prominent Iraqi member of parliament, accused the U.S. of effectively ceding control of Iraqi airspace and territory to Israel during the 2025 war. “The United States handed Iraqi airspace to the [Israeli] entity during the war and ordered radar systems to be shut down,” al-Maliki said in a statement responding to the reports. “Now it has become clear that Iraqi territory was also used to establish a secret intelligence centre or base for the Zionist entity.”

As of press time, the Iraqi government has not issued any official public comment or response to the published reports. The revelations come at an already volatile moment for regional security, as the 2025 Iran-Israel war has left border regions across the Middle East unstable and fueled widespread anti-government sentiment in Iraq over perceived failures to protect territorial integrity.