Britain Still Holds Record for Shortest Naval War to Dislodge a Ruler

The sultan's palace in Zanzibar City after bombardment (public domain)

Published Jan 5, 2026 10:50 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Notwithstanding the flawless execution of Operation Absolute Resolve to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Britain is still believed to hold the record for conducting the shortest naval war to dislodge a foreign ruler.

At 09.02 on August 27, 1896, the Royal Navy commenced its operation to remove Sultan Khalid bin Barghash Al Busaidi, who had seized the role of ruler of Zanzibar from his uncle Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini Al Busaidi. Sultan Hamad had died three nights previously, possibly with some assistance from poison administered by his nephew. The Sultans of Zanzibar had declared independence and had seceded from Oman in 1858, and by 1896 had accepted British oversight, largely to avoid being colonized by Germany, oversight which included the right to vet who should hold the role of Sultan. The British did not regard Khalid as suitable for the role of sultan, primarily because he was resistant to the British policy of ending slavery.

The war commenced at 09:02 with five British ships (HM Ships Phiolomel, Thrush, Sparrow, Racoon and flagship HMS St George) in the harbor bombarding the Sultan’s palace, which he was defending with about 2,800 soldiers armed with machine guns and field artillery. The British shellfire set the palace alight, destroyed the artillery, sank the flagship of the Sultan’s navy plus two small patrol craft, and encouraged what remained of the Sultan’s forces to flee. Landing parties were put ashore, and the bombardment and all forms of resistance had ceased by 09:46, meaning the war had lasted 43 minutes.

Sultan Khalid himself had left the palace shortly after the bombardment began, and took refuge in a nearby friendly consulate. He was later exiled to St Helena in the South Atlantic, but was subsequently upgraded to the Seychelles. His successor, Sultan Hamoud bin Mohammed Al Busaidi, immediately abolished nearly all forms of slavery, and enjoyed a short but successful reign.

The active element of Operation Absolute Resolve is believed to have started when US forces on foot reached the Maduro compound at 01:01, and had concluded by 03:29, 147 minutes later, by which time Maduro was aboard a helicopter on his long journey to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

 

Stena RoRo Enters Into 5 year Charter Contract with Marine Atlantic, Canada

Stena RoRo has chartered out the ship A Nepita, ex Superfast X, to Canadian Crown Cooperation Marine Atlantic Inc for a 5-year period.

Published Jan 6, 2026 8:03 PM by The Maritime Executive

[By: Stena RoRo]

The ship will enter into service during the fall of 2026 following a period of customization to the intended trade such as ship to shore ramp arrangements, ships livery, a 5-year preventive maintenance program etc.

The A Nepita is currently chartered to the French operator Corsica Linea and trading in the Mediterranean Sea. She is ice-class rated, equipped with three bow thrusters and a stern thruster for superior maneuverability and designed to transport both passengers and commercial vehicles.

“We are pleased to be able to offer such a suitable ship to Marine Atlantic, which we will adapt and optimize for one of the most demanding ferry services in the world”, says Per Westling, CEO of Stena RoRo AB, Sweden.

Basic specifications:
Length Over all: 203.24 m
Width: 25.7 m
No of Passengers: abt. 1200
Cargo capacity: 1,920 cargo lane meters
Ice Class: 1A
Speed: abt. 22 kn
Build year: 2002

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

 

South Korea Formulates Plans for Trial Arctic Voyage with Containership

South Korea looks to run its frist trial voyage via the Arctic to Europe in September (Rosatom file photo)

Published Jan 6, 2026 2:16 PM by The Maritime Executive

South Korea is pushing forward with its plans to become the first Western-aligned country to launch regular trans-Arctic shipping. The government has set a priority on developing operations to take advantage of Russia’s Northern Sea Route as it looks to increase South Korea’s global trade.

The president of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, has described the importance of building the country’s economic ties and looks to the Northern Sea Route as a critical advantage. South Korea looks to rival China, which has already launched seasonal service along the route and looks to expand operations in the coming year.

After President Lee announced the government’s support for developing Arctic shipping, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries was tasked with developing the plan. The acting Minister, Kim Sung-bum, outlined the plans during a press briefing in Busan on January 5. He detailed how the government looks to take the concept into a development program with the support of the ministry.

He announced that South Korea is targeting a trial voyage for around September. He said the timing was critical to crossing the Arctic during the height of the summer season, when it is most likely to be ice-free or have minimal ice conditions.

The government plans to launch a tender for a 5,000 YEU-class vessel to make the trial voyage this year.  Selecting the vessel is the first step, as it will require discussions about financial incentives, a detailed exploration of the costs, and reaching agreements with Russia, which controls permitting for the passages on the NSR.

This will be South Korea’s first containership voyage crossing the Arctic. The plan calls for the vessel to make the trip from Busan to Rotterdam. The government notes it will reduce the mileage required by approximately 35 percent (13,000 km vs 20,000 km) and reduce the transit time by a third from 30 to 20 days. In the past, South Korea has made a partial Arctic transit, having sent five bulkers between Busan and Russia’s Yamal Peninsula on the Kara Sea. This will also be the first complete transit by a South Korean vessel along the NSR.

Acting Minister Kim acknowledged a number of challenges in developing the plan for the trial voyage. He hopes to begin talks with the Russians as soon as a vessel is selected. He, however, acknowledges that South Korea’s participation in the Western sanctions against Russia could be a hurdle to the plan.

The government also plans incentives for shippers and the operators of the vessel. Kim said they recognize that the vessel will encounter higher insurance costs, which the Ministry estimates at as much as $435,000.  It plans to discuss financial incentives while saying profitability for the service would be achieved once they have established economies of scale.

The Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL) in December released an analysis of traffic on the NSR in 2025 based on data from Rosatom. It concluded that between June and November, there were 103 transits by 88 vessels with the total cargo volume reaching 3.2 million tons. It said the number of voyages was up more than six percent over 2024. Bulk carriers, it said, were a key contributor to growth on the route, although containerships asl showed notable growth, said CHNL, with four additional voyages to a total of 15 this season.

China views the route as a key advantage. In 2025, Sea Legend Shipping made what it called a record voyage in just over 20 days using a non-polar containership. Sea Legend is reportedly planning to operate regular summer voyages along the route by 2026.

 

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Nine From Grounded Fishing Vessel in Bering Sea

A Coast Guard helicopter arrives in St. Paul, delivering the survivors (USCG)

Published Jan 6, 2026 3:16 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Monday, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter aircrew rescued nine crewmembers from a crab boat that grounded off the coast of St. George Island, a tiny outpost in the Bering Sea just southeast of St. Paul. 

The Arctic Sea was under way and laden with crab when she lost power off St. George, operator Erik Deakin told Anchorage Daily News. In 50-knot winds and 10-foot waves - not unusual for the Bering in January - the vessel drifted and grounded on the island's northern side, near the island's sole settlement.

Deakin first learned of the vessel's situation at about 0400 hours on Monday, he told ADN, and he first contacted the crab boat North Sea to divert and assist. North Sea maintained comms via Starlink throughout the response, he said. 

The Arctic Sea was taking on water and the situation on board was worsening. A U.S. Coast Guard station received a VHF mayday call from the Arctic Sea's crew and dispatched a helicopter aircrew out of Cold Bay to assist. The cutter Alex Haley and an HC-130 Hercules long range SAR aircraft also got under way. 

Surface conditions on scene were not favorable for approaching the stricken crab boat, nor for abandoning ship into a raft. However, the crew made preparations to use their raft if required, according to ADN. Before the Arctic Sea's crew had to evacuate, the helicopter aircrew arrived on scene, hoisted the survivors aboard and delivered them safely to St. Paul. No injuries were reported. 

"The crew of the Arctic Sea had effective communication and survival equipment onboard allowing them to quickly alert the Coast Guard of their distress and pre-stage items for a potential evacuation. This emergency preparedness greatly increased their chances of survival," said Capt. Vincent Jansen, Chief of Incident Management at the Arctic District, in a statement Monday. 

 

US and Canadian Coast Guard Ice Breaking Underway for Great Lakes Shipping

USCG has two operations underway for ice breaking to maintain Great Lakes shipping (USCG)

Published Jan 6, 2026 3:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

An early onset of the cold and harsh winter conditions is playing havoc on shipping across the Great Lakes region. The U.S. Coast Guard reported it started its second icebreaker effort from the Detroit region, but shippers are saying operations are being impacted, including a delay in the annual closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced that its annual Operation Coal Shovel, managed by the Detroit Sector, was commencing on January 2 for the 2026 winter season. It focuses on the region ranging from southern Lake Huron to the St. Clair-Detroit River and into Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It includes portions of the St. Lawrence Seaway with the goal of opening channels to icebound communities and for vessels carrying critical supplies such as food and heating oil.

Operation Coal Shovel is the second annual effort in the region. In mid-December, the U.S. Coast Guard launched Operation Taconite, which focuses on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. The U.S. Coast Guard works in conjunction with the Canadian Coast Guard to maintain shipping during the season.

 

Annual Operation Coal Shovel began last week managed from Detroit (USCG)

 

Shippers, however, report that the harsh conditions began earlier in December, and in recent days the ice coverage has increased. For example, Lake Erie’s coverage went from 24 percent to over 31 percent last weekend. Similar issues have been experienced elsewhere, including at the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Ice is slowing shipping, and there are reports of congestion and groups of ships waiting for relief. WWNY says there are seven ships waiting near the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway with ice forming around the ships. They are rushing to clear the area to reach Montreal before the St. Lawrence Seaway closes.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation had reported on December 22 that the Canadian Coast Guard was providing ice breaking services. It said the Montreal-Lake Ontario section would close between January 4 and 5, while the Welland Canal was scheduled to close between January 9 and 10. WWNY, however, reported today that the ice is preventing the Seaway from closing on schedule.

The Lake Carriers’ Association expressed concern to Cleveland.com, asserting that the U.S. Coast Guard is falling behind. They report the USCG has nine ships that can break ice, but two are used for buoys, and it has experienced mechanical problems in the fleet. The Canadian Coast Guard has two vessels, but it is reported to be preoccupied with ice along the St. Lawrence Seaway east of Lake Ontario.

The association says shipments have been delayed over the past two weeks, and it does not expect relief despite warming temperatures this week. It notes that carriers are rushing to get ore shipments to the Cleveland-Cliffs plant to continue steel operations over the winter. They highlight the challenge is the pending scheduled closure of the Soo Locks between Lake Superior and Lake  Huron, scheduled for January 15.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for NAVVIES

Opinion

Labour's Britain: Conditional citizenship is forcing minorities to have a Plan B

From citizenship stripping to hostile environment policies, the UK is reminding minorities their belonging can be revoked at any time, writes Fatima Rajina.

Perspectives
Fatima Rajina
06 Jan, 2026



Protesters wave Union Jack and St George's England flags during the "Unite The Kingdom" rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13, 2025 in London, England. [GETTY]


Growing up, I would hear stories of my family sending money back home to Bangladesh to build a house in the bari or the city. Every bit of remittance sent to make this house was meant to stand as proof that leaving had been worth it. But, on a more strategic level, it was also a way to keep a home away from home should we be forced to leave Britain.

The idea baffled me as a child because Britain was home for me. Not Bangladesh.

But as the years progress, and I witness the political direction Britain is taking, I’m beginning to see why my family sent money back home and built that house in the bari.

Last month, Reprieve and the Runnymede Trust released the report ‘Stripped: The Citizenship Divide’, stating that approximately 9 million people are at risk of losing their British citizenship because they may qualify for other citizenship through their parents.

These reports are normally ignored by the mainstream press, but for the outlets that did cover the issue, the commentary attached was all too familiar: "Should I have a backup plan?"


It’s also a current that has run through a lot of my research as an academic in post-Brexit Britain. Alongside my colleague Dr. Victoria Redclift, this question has been raised regularly whilst we’ve interviewed Bangladeshi families across Luton, London and Birmingham.

Some participants spoke about visiting Bangladesh as a holiday destination, and to visit relatives who are still around. Others raised concerns that they needed to reconsider their relationship with Bangladesh and better look after their parents' assets, including houses and land.

The generational divide over whether one belonged to Britain, however, was particularly stark.

As I conducted interviews with parents and children (over the age of 18) sitting side by side, it was interesting to watch their reactions to each other. Whilst parents had come to terms with Britain as their home, the children – who spoke more concretely about the impact of Brexit – had other ideas.

The children realised that they had to reconsider their relationship to Britain despite being part of it. They spoke about reinvesting their time and energy into the houses their parents built, as a way to secure a Plan B should things ‘go wrong’ here.

When we presented the findings, we had some Boomer Bangladeshis scoffing at this and claiming the children were being hyperbolic about the political climate and that they had lived through the 1970s’ racism, so this too, will pass.
Conditional belonging

This research was conducted before Shamima Begum had her citizenship revoked in 2019 by Sajid Javid, the then Home Secretary. Indeed, her revocation rocked the British Bangladeshi Muslim community, as many rightly panicked about their place in this country, previously unaware that such citizenship stripping was even possible.

In reality, it wasn’t just Begum’s story that raised awareness about changes in immigration law that jeopardise the citizenship of British people with ethnic minority heritage/parents, the Windrush scandal had also sparked fears and debates.

Here we saw Caribbean communities given differential treatment because they ‘acquired citizenship through a colony rather than through British ancestry following decolonisation in the 1960s, and the dilution of the right of citizenship by birth in the UK.’

Certainly, the citizenship report does not bring forth a new debate as such for ethnic minority communities, but it does remind them that their place in this society and country is conditional, and dependent on the political climate and those in power.

This continuous targeting of ethnic minority communities intensifies a dangerous climate of racism, within which the discourse of not belonging is already ingrained. The government’s hostile environment immigration policies are also re-entrenching the idea promulgated by the far-right, that the nation is ‘overflowing’ with non-white bodies who must be purged.

As the report identifies: ‘legislation and government practice have created a fundamentally racist, two-tier citizenship regime that undermines community strength and is at odds with the foundational British principle of equality before the law’.

Many policies in immigration debates have been further fuelled by Shabana Mahmood, the current Home Secretary, who has laid out plans to make asylum seekers wait 30 years before they can apply for British citizenship.

She has also asserted that the Labour government will use Denmark’s model of withholding refugees’ gold when they arrive in the UK, pandering to the far-right framing of immigration being ‘out of control’.

The anxieties that ethnic minorities have held about how they are treated as second-class citizens are undoubtedly legitimate. But the question is whether the rest of the population is ready to ring the alarm and challenge the state over its regressive, racist policies. The reemergence of Shamima Begum’s case, now before the EHRC, will spark further discussion on citizenship.

Sadly, I have little faith in Britain’s readiness to reckon with this reality. But that doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. It is necessary that we collectively organise better, in much larger numbers, and that we learn how to fight back when the state targets a single one of us. This is especially urgent in the face of the rising far-right that seems obsessed with peddling a toxic rhetoric regarding migrants and the repatriation of ethnic minorities.

What we can be confident about is that we have a generation that will not sit quietly; young people will fight back against an oppressive status quo.

Dr Fatima Rajina is a sociologist based at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre at De Montfort University. Her work looks at British Muslim communities with a specific focus on the British Bangladeshi Muslim communities.

Follow Fatima on X: @DrFrajina

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.

Saudi watchdog warns of possible health risk from Nestle baby formula

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on Tuesday warned against consuming selected Nestle infant formula products after the company issued a voluntary recall over potential contamination. (Al-Muhaidib/File Photo)


Arab News
January 06, 2026

Company voluntarily recalls its Nan, Alfamino, S-26 Gold and S-26 Ultima products over concerns they might be contaminated with cereulide, a toxin produced by bacteria
Saudi Food and Drug Authority says recall is precautionary and no related illnesses have been reported, but advises consumers to dispose of recalled products immediately

RIYADH: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority on Tuesday warned the public not to consume certain Nestle infant formula products, after the company issued a voluntary recall over concerns about possible contamination.

The advisory covers products marketed under the Nan, Alfamino, S-26 Gold and S-26 Ultima brands. They might be contaminated with cereulide, a toxin produced by the Bacillus cereus bacteria, which can pose a risk to infant health, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Saudi authority said the recall was a precautionary measure and no related illnesses have been reported. Possible symptoms of exposure can include nausea, repeated vomiting and abdominal pain.

It advised consumers to dispose of the recalled products immediately, and said it was coordinating with Nestle to ensure they are removed from stores and is monitoring the process.

Full details of the affected products, including batch numbers, are available at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority website. The organization said consumers can report any food safety concerns by calling 19999.

Opinion

With Maduro abduction US addiction to regime change is now farce

Maduro’s arrest revives a familiar US fantasy: that removing a strongman brings stability. From Iraq to Afghanistan, history suggests otherwise.

Ibrahim al-Marashi and Tanya Goudsouzian
06 Jan, 2026

THE NEW ARAB


Regime change has rarely delivered orderly political outcomes. More often, it has laid the groundwork for long-term instability. There is little reason to believe Venezuela will be different, write al-Marashi & Goudsouzian. 



Images of Nicolás Maduro taken into US custody early on 3 January were greeted in some quarters with celebration, in others with criticism, and in many with a familiar sense of déjà vu. They recall earlier moments once framed as turning points: Saddam Hussein pulled from a hole in the ground, Manuel Noriega photographed under arrest, and Salvador Allende, clutching a weapon shortly before his alleged suicide.

Then, as now, the images seemed to promise resolution. Remove the strongman, cut off the head of the snake and a nation’s problems would finally unravel.

That same confidence resurfaced when President Donald Trump suggested that the US would effectively “run” Venezuela following Maduro’s capture, not unlike the post-2003 assumption that Washington could manage Iraq after Saddam’s ouster.

In Iraq, military success was quickly mistaken for political victory. The fall of Baghdad was followed by civil war and an insurgency led in part by Saddam loyalists and Al-Qaeda affiliates, creating the conditions for the rise of ISIS after U.S. forces withdrew.

Supporters of the Venezuelan intervention have pointed to its efficiency – not a single American life was lost. Yet bloodless intervention offers little reassurance that rebuilding a society hollowed out by two decades of authoritarian rule will be any easier. Trump’s promise of a “safe, proper and judicious transition” rings familiar.

From Cold War coups to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, regime change has rarely delivered orderly political outcomes. More often, it has laid the groundwork for long-term instability. There is little reason to believe Venezuela will be different.

An old imperial pattern

This instinct to equate the removal of a ruler with the resolution of a society’s problems long predates the US. In 1839, Britain seized the port of Aden in southern Yemen, displacing the local authority of the Lahej Sultanate and imposing an external political order designed to serve imperial interests. The immediate objective of gaining control of a strategic chokepoint was achieved with relative ease.

The long-term consequences were far messier: fragmented governance, weakened local legitimacy and a political landscape shaped by outsiders rather than rooted institutions.

The pattern hardened in the early Cold War. In Egypt in 1952, the CIA backed the Free Officers’ coup against King Farouk I, viewing Britain as an overextended colonial power whose presence was fuelling Arab nationalism and opening the door to Soviet influence.

By overthrowing Farouk, British influence was curtailed and Washington convinced itself it had nudged history in the right direction. What followed instead was decades of entrenched military rule and a political system hollowed of meaningful civilian life.

The 1956 nationalisation of the Suez Canal and the subsequent Suez Crisis, followed by the 1967 war, underscored how regional and international conflicts were inseparable from the instability created by externally influenced regime change. The lesson went unlearned.

A blueprint that backfired

A year later in Iran, the US helped overthrow Mohammad Mossadegh, a democratically elected prime minister who had nationalised the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Whether Mossadegh in 1953 or Maduro decades later, leaders who sought to wrest control of national resources from foreign corporations faced the wrath of the US.

The short-term payoff came at the cost of long-term legitimacy, paving the way for authoritarian repression by a pro-American shah and, eventually, the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The same arc would later unfold in Iraq and Afghanistan: initial control, followed by insurgency, radicalisation and collapse. Regime change did not eliminate instability; it postponed it (some would say created it) and allowed grievances to accumulate until they erupted.

Afghanistan stands as perhaps the most comprehensive refutation of the logic of regime change. In 1979, the Soviet Union toppled the existing government and installed a friendly regime, only to trigger a prolonged war that eventually collapsed under its own weight.

Decades later, the US repeated the formula: in 2001, the Taliban were removed swiftly, and a new political order was imposed with foreign backing and vast resources. Yet the outcome was strikingly similar to the Soviet experience: twenty years of conflict, dependence on external support and a rapid collapse once that support was withdrawn.

Two superpowers, opposing ideologies, identical failure. Afghanistan demonstrates that regime change does not fail because of insufficient time or effort; it fails because legitimacy cannot be imported and authority imposed from outside cannot substitute for local political foundations.

Instant coffee, instant democracy?

Closer to home, the US’ record in Latin America offers an unflattering prelude to its later adventures in the Middle East. From Guatemala to Chile, Nicaragua to Panama in 1989, Washington repeatedly engineered swift victories followed by shallow reforms and fragile institutions. Across continents and decades, US-backed regime change has often destroyed what little order existed, leaving behind chaos under the guise of triumph.

Emboldened by Iran, Washington treated Guatemala in 1954 as a low-risk rehearsal. Operation PBSUCCESS removed President Jacobo Árbenz under the assumption that once a troublesome leader who tried to wrest control of the banana industry from the U.S. United Fruit Company (the precursor to Dole Fruit) was gone, and democracy would naturally reassert itself.

Instead, the coup ushered in decades of military dictatorship, civil war and mass repression against the native Mayan population that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, giving us the term “banana republic.”

A government elected at the ballot box was replaced in the name of freedom, only to extinguish it. Democracy was treated as a deliverable, something that could be installed after the fact, rather than a fragile process requiring legitimacy, institutions and time.

In Panama, US forces removed Manuel Noriega quickly, on the same charges levelled against Maduro: drug trafficking. Yet, the political order remained brittle and dependent on outside support, as well as vulnerable to corruption.

This pattern resurfaced in Iraq in 2003, when Saddam Hussein was toppled with ease, only for institutions to collapse and militias and extremist groups to fill the vacuum.



“Anyone but the dictator”

The central irony is that removing or weakening a dictator did not produce security or stability. In many areas, it made conditions far worse.

Maduro is in custody and Donald Trump is now in charge. If there is a plan for the days and weeks ahead, it seems to be a closely held secret. It is an understatement to say this is dangerous, if not existential, especially for the people of Venezuela who woke up without lights, without a governing authority and only vague promises of a better life proclaimed from Mar-a-Lago.


A worse-case scenario envisions that banks will not open, ATMs will not work, shops will not accept Venezuelan currency and hard-line security forces and local paramilitaries will brutally insert themselves into the vacuum. If so, expect US boots on the ground to follow.

From Aden to Cairo, Tehran to Kabul, Baghdad to Damascus, and now Caracas, the same enduring fantasy that uprooting a leader is equivalent to creating legitimacy is repeating itself in the vague promises of the US policy for a post-Maduro Venezuela.

When President Trump was asked who would execute the policy of a democratic transition, he made a vague reference to “these guys”. It is certainly the case that these guys have their work cut out for them, and history is not on their side.

Ibrahim al-Marashi is associate professor of Middle East history, visiting faculty at The American College of the Mediterranean, and the Department of International Relations at Central European University. His publications include Iraq’s Armed Forces: An Analytical History (2008), The Modern History of Iraq (2017), and A Concise History of the Middle East (2024).

Tanya Goudsouzian is a Canadian journalist who has covered Afghanistan and the Middle East for over two decades. She has held senior editorial roles at major international media outlets, including serving as Opinion Editor at Al Jazeera English.

Follow Ibrahim on X: @ialmarashi

Follow Tanya on X: @tgoudsouzian

Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@newarab.com

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.

Foreign media group slams Israel for refusing to lift Gaza press ban

Palestinians walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City. (AP)

AFP
January 06, 202608:22

Foreign Press Association expresses 'profound disappointment' with Israeli government’s response to a Supreme Court appeal

Israel has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory since the war started


JERUSALEM: An international media association on Tuesday criticized the Israeli government for maintaining its ban on unrestricted media access to Gaza, calling the move disappointing.

The government had told the Supreme Court in a submission late Sunday that the ban should remain in place, citing security risks in the Gaza Strip.

The submission was in response to a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) — which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and Palestinian territories — seeking immediate and unrestricted access for foreign journalists to the Gaza Strip.

“The Foreign Press Association expresses its profound disappointment with the Israeli government’s latest response to our appeal for full and free access to the Gaza Strip,” the association said on Tuesday.

“Instead of presenting a plan for allowing journalists into Gaza independently and letting us work alongside our brave Palestinian colleagues, the government has decided once again to lock us out” despite the ceasefire in the territory, it added.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by an attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the government has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.

Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military inside the blockaded Palestinian territory.

The FPA filed its petition in 2024, after which the court granted the government several extensions to submit its response.

Last month, however, the court set January 4 as a final deadline for the government to present a plan for allowing media access to Gaza.

In its submission, the government maintained that the ban should remain in place.

“This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defense establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists,” the government submission said.

The government also said that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza was ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists in at this stage could hinder the operation.

The remains of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed during Hamas’s 2023 attack, have still not been recovered despite the ceasefire.

The FPA said it planned to submit a “robust response” to the court, and expressed hope the “judges will put an end to this charade.”

“The FPA is confident that the court will provide justice in light of the continuous infringement of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech, the public’s right to know and free press,” the association added.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down.

An AFP journalist sits on the board of the FPA.

Israel says ban on Gaza media access should stay: court document

Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons. (AFP)

AFP
January 05, 2026

Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons


JERUSALEM: Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli authorities have barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.

Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military forces inside the blockaded territory.

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories, filed a petition with the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking immediate and unrestricted access for international media to the Gaza Strip.

Since then the court has given several extensions to the Israeli authorities to come up with a plan, but at a hearing last month it set January 4 as a final deadline.

Late on Sunday, the Israeli authorities filed their response with the court, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

In the submission, the government said the ban on media access to Gaza should continue, citing security risks in the territory.

“Even at this time, entry of journalists into the Gaza Strip without escort, as requested in the petition, should not be permitted,” said the government submission.

“This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defense establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists.”

The Israeli authorities said the ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on October 10, continues to face regular threats.

At least 420 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The Israeli military said three of its soldiers have also been killed by militants during the same period.

The Israeli authorities said in their submission that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza is ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists into the territory at this stage could hinder the operation.

The remains of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, have still not been recovered despite the ceasefire.

All other 250 hostages seized on that day — both the living and the deceased — have been returned to Israel.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down.

An AFP journalist sits on the board of the FPA.

Swiss court rules Ali Abunimah detention was illegal

ELECTRONIC INTAFADA

6 January 2026

People in Zurich, Switzerland, demonstrate against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, 29 July 2025. (kritisches fotografiekollektiv)

I’m delighted that the Administrative Court of the Canton of Zurich ruled on 19 December 2025 that my arrest and detention by Zurich police last year was unlawful and violated the Swiss constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.

This decision, received on 5 January, totally vindicates my position that there was no legal basis whatsoever for me to be abducted off the street by plainclothes officers on 25 January 2025, while I was on my way to speak at an event focused on the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

I was thrown in a cell for three days, without being allowed to contact my family or communicate with the outside world, and then forcibly deported.

These illegal actions ensured that I was unable to participate in public or media events aimed at informing people in Switzerland about the genocide in Gaza and the complicity of Swiss institutions in these ongoing crimes.

The court confirmed that Zurich police violated Swiss law and fundamental constitutional guarantees as well as Article 5, Paragraph 2, of the European Convention on Human Rights – because there was no lawful basis for my detention, no lawful order was ever issued for my detention and I was never provided with valid reasons for my imprisonment or information on how long it would last.
The court has ordered the Canton of Zurich to pay my legal costs for this appeal, and in line with Swiss procedure, I intend to apply for compensation for my unlawful and unconstitutional detention. I will donate any compensation I receive to the direct benefit of survivors and victims of the Israeli genocide.

This clear legal victory concerns only one of the appeals I have filed seeking accountability for these unlawful acts – whose wider purpose, I believe, is silencing and deterring any public discussion of Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people.

I currently have two more appeals pending before Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court – one against the entry ban imposed after I arrived in the country legally and another against the expulsion order which was subsequently issued.

I have also filed criminal complaints in connection with this matter.

In November, a Swiss parliamentary committee concluded that there was a series of irregularities surrounding my arrest, and evidence of improper interference by Nicoletta della Valle, a senior federal police official with close ties to Israel.

I thank my lawyers for their diligent pursuit of accountability on my behalf. I thank countless people in Switzerland and all over the world for their support, especially all my colleagues at The Electronic Intifada.

Up to this point, my pursuit of accountability has been supported entirely by donations from the public through a crowdfunding campaign, so I want to thank each and every person who contributed to make this important initial victory possible.

In these days of cowardice and complicity by governments in the face of shocking and monstrous crimes, it is more important than ever that citizens everywhere speak out. It is therefore vital that we fight back fiercely when our right to speak is attacked by government repression.

Ali AbunimahAli Abunimah's blog