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‘It’s Reward For Terror’ – Israel’s Netanyahu Blasts Ireland, Norway, Spain For Recognising Palestinian State

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Israel has reacted to the recognition of a Palestinian state by Ireland, Norway and Spain on Wednesday even as the war against Hamas continues more than seven months in devastating Gaza.

Recall that the three European countries said they would formally recognise the State of Palestine on May 28, drawing praise from many Arab and Muslim states.

According to AFP, in a swift reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move amounted to a “reward for terror”, after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its October 7 attack which sparked the Gaza war.

Israel said it was recalling its envoys to Dublin, Oslo and Madrid for “urgent consultations” and also summoned the three European ambassadors for a rebuke.

European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell posted on X that he would work with the bloc’s 27 members “to promote a common EU position based on a 2-state solution”.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, on his first visit since October 7 to the contested religious site of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, said the recognition rewarded “murderers and aggressors”.

His visits to the site — known as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound to Muslims — have been cited by Hamas as one reason for the group’s October attack on Israel, which it called “Al-Aqsa Flood”.

The White House said President Joe Biden opposed unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, saying it should be realised “through direct negotiations”.

Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Israel not to withhold funding intended for the Palestinian Authority in retaliation.

Most Western governments, including the United States, say they are willing to recognise Palestinian statehood one day — but not before thorny issues such as final borders and the status of Jerusalem are settled.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said “recognition of Palestine is a means of supporting the moderate forces which have been losing ground in this protracted and brutal conflict”.

“In the midst of a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security.”

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Netanyahu was “causing so much pain, destruction and resentment in Gaza and the rest of Palestine that the two-state solution is in danger”.

And Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called the October 7 attack “barbaric” but stressed that “a two-state solution is the only way out of the generational cycles of violence, retaliation and resentment”.

‘Important step’

According to the Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the occupied West Bank, 142 of the 193 UN member countries already recognise a Palestinian state.

The Palestine Liberation Organization, seen internationally as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, hailed Wednesday’s moves as “historical”.

Hamas also welcomed “an important step towards affirming our right to our land”, while Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas political bureau member, said it would mark “a turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue”.

A Palestinian in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, Ismail Hassuna, 46, said the European trio’s decision was a step that “will restore hope” and should help in efforts to “stop Israel from its heinous crimes”.

Political analyst Ines Abdul Razek, who heads the Palestine Institute for Public Democracy, called the decision symbolic but “not a great victory”.

She said what was needed was “actual measures, including sanctions and arms embargoes” against Israel.

Hamas’s October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

The militants also took 252 hostages, 124 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

On Wednesday a hostages campaign group released footage of five Israeli female soldiers being captured by militants on October 7 and taken away.

Speaking about the video, Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting Hamas to “ensure what we have seen tonight never happens again”.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,709 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Israel also imposed a siege that has deprived Gaza’s 2.4 million people of most water, food, medical and fuel supplies, and brought much of the population to the brink of famine.

Deadly fighting

Fierce fighting has raged around Rafah, the last part of Gaza to face a ground invasion, where an AFP team reported more bombardment early Wednesday.

Heavy battles have also rocked Gaza’s northern and central areas where Hamas forces have regrouped, and more Israeli strikes have hit Gaza City, Jabalia and Zeitun.

Israel said its troops were fighting on the ground in Rafah and Jabalia, and three more soldiers were killed on Wednesday, bringing the army’s toll since the ground offensive began on October 27 to 287.

Ten people were killed in the central town of Al-Zawaida overnight, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said, and Gaza’s civil defence agency said six bodies were recovered from the rubble of a house in Jabalia.

Israel’s military said soldiers had carried out targeted raids on dozens of Hamas military compounds in Jabalia.

The World Health Organization has said northern Gaza’s last two functioning hospitals, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan, were besieged, trapping more than 200 patients.

Israeli troops began their ground assault on Rafah early this month, defying international opposition over fears for the more than one million civilians trapped there.

Israel ordered mass evacuations from Rafah, and the UN says more than 800,000 people have fled.

Heavy fighting has also rocked the other major Palestinian territory, the occupied West Bank, where an Israeli raid entered its second day in the city of Jenin.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces had killed 10 people since the fighting began on Tuesday morning.

Related Topics:Gaza Hamas Israel Israeli

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News

BREAKING: Renowned Businessman, Aminu Dantata, Is Dead

Published

5 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Editor

Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, a renowned Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, has passed away at the age of 94.

The news of billionaire businessman’s demise was disclosed via a social media post on Saturday by the Deputy National Treasurer of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Uba Tanko Mijinyawa.

According to him, details of the Muslim funeral prayer (Jana’iza) for Dantata will be announced in due course.

“Inna Lillahi wa’inna ilaihi Raji’un. Allah ya yi wa babanmu Dattijo, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, rasuwa. Muna addu’a Allah ya jikan sa, ya gafarta masa. Za a sanar da lokacin jana’izarsa,” Tanko wrote in Hausa language.

Tanko’s message about the late philanthropist, who is also an uncle to Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, was translated as “Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. May Allah have mercy on our father and elder, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata. We pray for his forgiveness. The time of his funeral will be announced.”

Also confirming the news, his Principal Private Secretary, Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, disclosed in a statement Saturday morning that the Janazah details will be shared later.

Junaid wrote, “Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun. It is with heavy heart that I announce the passing of our beloved father, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata. May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaus and forgive his shortcomings. The Janazah details will be shared later insha Allah.”

Alhaji Aminu Dantata, who was the founder of Express Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd., is also credited with having played a key role in the establishment of Nigeria’s first non-interest (Islamic) bank, Jaiz Bank.

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EYIF: Utilize N2m Grant Provided By The Govt, Edo Deputy Gov Urges Youths

Published

13 hours ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

…says 1,500 applicants screened, 30 met requirements

Deputy Governor of Edo State, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, has urged youths in the state to make the best use of the N2 million start-up grant provided by the state government under the Edo Youth Impact Forum (EYIF).

Idahosa added that the youths must be innovative as they tapped into the two million start-up grant.

In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Friday Aghedo, said Idahosa made the remarks during an incubation class of EYIF.

The Edo number two citizen, while noting that EYIF was parts of the government’s drive to build a new generation of entrepreneurs that would impact and shape the state’s financial economy, showed them how to position themselves in the entrepreneurial space to boost the local economy.

Idahosa encouraged the youths to put behind their challenges and make the best of the opportunity provided by the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led government.

According to him,
though 1,500 applicants got screened ahead of the finale scheduled for July 2, 2025, only 30 met the requirement and thus scaled the initial process.

“This number has again been pruned to 10 participants today and will eventually be reduced further to five finalists at the end of the day.

“Irrespective of who emerges as finalists, I want you to know that you are all winners. We are here as a government to encourage the youths because any society that strives to grow must have an active youth involvement,” Idahosa reiterated.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Finance, Investment and Revenue Generation, Mr. Kizito Okpebholo, presented the participants to the deputy governor.

News

Things To Know About Nigeria’s New Tax Laws

Published

14 hours ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday signed four new tax laws aimed at modernising and streamlining the country’s tax system.

In the new tax law, the Value Added Tax rate remains at 7.5 per cent despite initial proposals to increase to 12.5 per cent, but its scope is expanded.

Essential items—such as food, education, healthcare, public transport, residential rent, and exports—are zero-rated to ease inflationary pressure.

For revenue allocation is restructured: now 30 per cent of VAT proceeds are distributed based on consumption (rather than contribution), 50 per cent equally among states, and 20 per cent to population-based allocation.

With the latest development, it is expected that state revenue streams will increase, and it will also discourage tax evasion.

Overview of the four new laws

Nigeria Tax Act: Consolidates various tax rules into a single, simplified code, eliminating over 50 small, overlapping taxes. This reduces complexity and duplication, making it easier for businesses to comply.

Tax Administration Act: Establishes uniform rules for tax collection across federal, state, and local governments, ensuring consistency and reducing administrative conflicts.

Nigeria Revenue Service Act: Replaces the Federal Inland Revenue Service with the independent Nigeria Revenue Service, aiming for greater efficiency and autonomy in tax administration.

Joint Revenue Board Act: Enhances coordination between different government levels and introduces a Tax Ombudsman and Tax Appeal Tribunal to handle disputes fairly.

Key objectives of the new tax rules

Simplify Tax System: Reduces bureaucratic hurdles and overlapping taxes to make compliance easier, especially for small businesses and informal traders.

Increase Revenue Efficiency: Aims to boost Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio from 10% (below the African average of 16–18%) to 18 per cent by 2026 without raising taxes on essential goods.

Reduce Financial Burden: Provides relief for low-income households and small businesses while ensuring high-income earners and luxury consumers contribute more.

Fund Public Services: Increased revenue will support infrastructure, healthcare, and education, reducing reliance on borrowing.

Who benefits and how
Low-Income Households:
Individuals earning up to ₦1 million ($650) annually receive a ₦200,000 rent relief, reducing taxable income to ₦800,000, exempting them from income tax.

VAT exemptions on essential goods and services (food, healthcare, education, rent, power, baby products) lower living costs.

Small businesses:

Businesses with an annual turnover below ₦50 million ($32,400) are exempt from company income tax.
Simplified tax filing without requiring audited accounts reduces compliance costs.

Large businesses:

Corporate tax rates drop from 30 per cent to 27.5 per cent in 2025 and 25 per cent thereafter.
Tax credits for VAT paid on expenses and assets allow businesses to recover the 7.5 per cent VAT.

Charitable, educational, and religious organisations:

Tax incentives for non-commercial earnings, encouraging community-focused activities.
Impact on different groups
Low-Income Earners: Benefit most from income tax exemptions and lower costs for essentials, increasing disposable income.

Small Businesses and informal traders: Simplified rules and tax exemptions encourage compliance and reduce financial strain, potentially formalising more businesses.

High-income earners and luxury consumers face higher VAT on luxury goods and premium services, plus capital gains tax on large share sales.

Government: Expects increased revenue for public services without overburdening vulnerable citizens.

Why reforms were needed

Nigeria’s tax system was outdated, inefficient, and disproportionately harsh on low-income groups.
The low tax-to-GDP ratio (10%) limited funding for critical services like healthcare and infrastructure.
Overlapping taxes and complex rules deterred compliance, especially among small businesses and informal traders.
Public and expert reactions

Positive sentiment: Small business owners welcome tax exemptions but seek clarity on enforcement to avoid unexpected levies.

Low-income earners appreciate relief on essentials but remain cautious about implementation.
Taiwo Oyedele, head of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, claims 90% public support, emphasising that success depends on awareness and trust.

The reforms align with Tinubu’s administration’s goal to reduce economic inequality and boost fiscal capacity without overburdening citizens.

By encouraging voluntary compliance and reducing reliance on loans, Nigeria aims to strengthen its economy and fund development projects.

These reforms mark a significant step toward a fairer, more efficient tax system, with a focus on supporting vulnerable groups while fostering economic growth. However, their success hinges on transparent enforcement and public trust. For further details, you can refer to official statements from the Nigerian government or credible news sources covering the reforms.
(PUNCH)