<article data-history-node-id="448806" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/olive-harvest-nears-palestinian-farmers-urgently-need-international" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/olive-harvest-nears-palestinian-farmers-urgently-need-international" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">As olive harvest nears, Palestinian farmers urgently need international protection: Opinion by Fareed Taamallah</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>Every October, the ancient olive groves in my hometown and across the occupied West Bank become dynamic hubs of life and labour. For generations of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine" target="_blank">Palestinians</a>, the olive harvest has been the pulse of our economic survival and a living link to our ancestors. The olive tree, resilient and deep-rooted, is a symbol of who we are and of our connection to this land.</p> <p>As this year's harvest approaches, our villages are gripped by a dread I have not seen before. In recent weeks, the situation across the West Bank has deteriorated sharply. Military raids, arbitrary road closures and daily&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/settler-attacks-west-bank-take-dangerous-turn" target="_blank">incursions</a>&nbsp;by armed settler militias have turned our countryside into a militarised zone.</p> <p>This season is shaping up to be worse than any we have faced. With Israeli elections&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/17/knesset-dissolves-how-will-israel-vote-in-octobers-general-election" target="_blank">set for</a>&nbsp;27 October, political factions are openly competing over who can strike the most aggressive posture towards Palestinians.</p> <p>Settlers are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-settler-militias-rise-alliance-thugs-occupied-west-bank" target="_blank">better armed</a>&nbsp;than ever, equipped with assault rifles and military gear, and backed by state institutions. Before a single olive has been picked, settler violence has already reached record levels, with the UN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/settler-attacks-west-bank-take-dangerous-turn" target="_blank">recording</a>&nbsp;an average of more than six attacks a day in August.</p> <p>This terror hits close to home. In my village of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israeli-settler-hikes-through-my-west-bank-village-next-violent-land-grabs" target="_blank">Qira</a>, in the Salfit governorate, my family and neighbours await the harvest with deep anxiety. Our ancestral groves, like those in surrounding villages, are targeted by the illegal settlements and outposts around them.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/olive-harvest-nears-palestinian-farmers-urgently-need-international-protection">Read more:&nbsp;As olive harvest nears, Palestinian farmers urgently need international protection</a></h3> <div alt="west bank olive trees" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f1dff728-a8fc-4592-bcc0-6476a7d8bdb2" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"> <img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/2026-09-24T132742Z_1028972123_RC2PPNAZ8D45_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-WEST-BANK-OLIVE-TREES%281%29.jpg" width="1400" height="788" alt="west bank olive trees" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high"> </div> </div> </div> </article>

The key policy idea announced by David Lammy when he was justice secretary will no longer go ahead.

<article data-history-node-id="448784" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/iran-opens-military-centre-citizens-training-1000-battalions" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/iran-opens-military-centre-citizens-training-1000-battalions" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Iran opens military centre for citizens, 'training 1,000 battalions'</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>Iran opened a military training centre in Tehran on Saturday, which is said to be aimed at preparing citizens to confront US and Israeli forces in the event of a ground attack.</p> <p>&nbsp;US-Israeli attacks on 28 February triggered seven months of conflict. A truce on 8 April halted 40 days of war, but sporadic hostilities continued.</p> <p>The new centre at Haft-e Tir Square followed a first camp at Imam Hussein Square, hoping to train civilians in the coming weeks.</p> <p>Footage from the centre showed army members conducting drills with camouflage-painted anti-aircraft equipment, crossing obstacle courses and using virtual reality headsets to train with weapons.</p> <p>At a news conference, Ali Kowsari, deputy for training at the Basij organisation, said 1,000 battalions had been prepared for training. Kowsari stressed the importance of civil defence across society.</p> <p>He said Iranians would stand united against any new attack if the enemy made "another miscalculation".&nbsp;</p> <figure role="group" class="media-block"> <div class="group-inner"> <div alt="Tehran military civilians" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e7497a28-5adb-4b2a-ab8a-7c307438f092" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"> <img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/000_D26D37Q.jpg" width="1024" height="682" alt="Tehran military civilians" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high"> </div> <figcaption>An Iranian officer demonstrates the use of a man-portable air-defense system during the inauguration of a training centre for volunteers at Haft-e-Tir Square in Tehran on 3 October 2026. (AFP)</figcaption> </div> </figure> <p><span style="background: url(&quot;https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png&quot;) rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); top: -15px; left: 0px;"><img height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy"></span></p> </div> </div> </article>

Premier League’s actions would ‘have an influence on the bilateral state relationship’, Emirati officials said

MEE speaks to author of motion to declare Zionism a form of racism as protesters shout at Green members outside conference in Brighton

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins fired back at President Donald Trump this week by turning his favorite insult into on-air desk decor.A mug emblazoned with the words "America Needs Nasty Women" sat in clear view on Collins' desk during multiple broadcasts of her CNN show "The Source," The Daily Beast repo...

Big Tech’s giant data centres swallow as much power as millions of homes, guzzle our water, and risk driving up our energy bills - all with zero limits. We need basic rules: ⚡ 100% clean power 💧 Ze...

<article data-history-node-id="448752" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israeli-forces-open-fire-syrias-deraa-governorate" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israeli-forces-open-fire-syrias-deraa-governorate" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Israeli forces open fire in Syria’s Deraa governorate</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>Al Jazeera reports Israeli fire near villages in southwest Syria.</p> <p>According to the report, Israeli forces opened fire on the outskirts of the village of&nbsp;Maariya and Abidin in the Deraa governorate. No details were given regarding casualties.</p> </div> </div> </article>

<article data-history-node-id="448177" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/complaint-filed-paris-against-israeli-army-after-uprooting-centuries-old" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/complaint-filed-paris-against-israeli-army-after-uprooting-centuries-old" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Complaint filed in Paris against the Israeli army after the uprooting of centuries-old olive trees in Lebanon</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>A French businessman born in Lebanon has filed a complaint against persons unknown for war crimes, targeting the Israeli army, which he accuses of uprooting 600 centuries-old olive trees belonging to his family, his lawyers told AFP on Wednesday.<br> <br> The 37-year-old Frenchman denounces the uprooting of trees, some of which he claims were half a millennium old, on land cultivated for 250 years by his family in Zawtar el-Charqiyé, his native village in southern Lebanon.<br> <br> According to his civil suit filed for theft, destruction, and damage to property constituting war crimes, and which AFP has seen, the trees were uprooted, roots and all.<br> <br> The man, whose complaint specifies that he is "neither a member nor a supporter of Hezbollah," suspects they were transferred to Israel. "There is no evidence to suggest that Hezbollah was using the house or the agricultural fields as military equipment," the document adds.</p> <p><em>Reporting by AFP</em></p> </div> </div> </article>

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Hegseth led a chant in front of young military recruits that had the refrain 'send me to go fight the Islamists'

<article data-history-node-id="448077" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/hegseth-slammed-blasphemous-use-bible-passage-military-recruitment-drive" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/hegseth-slammed-blasphemous-use-bible-passage-military-recruitment-drive" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Hegseth slammed for 'blasphemous' use of Bible passage in military recruitment drive</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us" target="_blank">US</a>&nbsp;Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has come under fire for a military “Send Me Tour” that draws on biblical verses and Christian scripture to recruit new soldiers.&nbsp;</p> <p>Hegseth visited Texas A&amp;M University over the weekend as part of the tour, which is based on a well-known refrain from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, Chapter 6, Verse 8, in which God asks, "Who shall I send?" and the prophet Isaiah replies, “Lord, I am here. Send me”.</p> <p>Isaiah is a prophet for both Jews and Christians. Although the Quran does not explicitly mention him, some Islamic literature regards him as a prophet.&nbsp;</p> <p>Hegseth was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/hegseth-kicks-send-me-tour-attempt-gaining-support-war-iran" target="_blank">filmed</a>&nbsp;in front of a group of young college students, invoking Isaiah’s biblical language for a war chant.</p> <h3>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hegseth-slammed-blasphemous-use-bible-passage-military-recruitment-drive">Hegseth slammed for 'blasphemous' use of Bible passage in military recruitment drive</a></h3> <figure role="group" class="media-block"> <div class="group-inner"> <div alt="US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth poses for a photo during a game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on 19 September 2026 (Zach Del Bello/Getty Images/AFP)" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="88f6778d-0bdc-490d-8a2c-3ad51f6901e0" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"> <img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/images-story/Hegseth-military-AFP.jpg" width="1200" height="674" alt="US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth poses for a photo during a game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on 19 September 2026 (Zach Del Bello/Getty Images/AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high"> </div> <figcaption>US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth poses for a photo during a game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on 19 September 2026 (Zach Del Bello/Getty Images/AFP)</figcaption> </div> </figure> <p><span style="background: url(&quot;https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png&quot;) rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); top: -15px; left: 0px;"><img height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy"></span></p> <p><span style="background: url(&quot;https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png&quot;) rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); top: -15px; left: 0px;"><img alt height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy"></span></p> <p><span style="background: url(&quot;https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png&quot;) rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); top: -15px; left: 0px;"><img alt height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy"></span></p> </div> </div> </article>

Measures expected as early as this week could sever the court from much of the global financial system and disrupt war crimes investigations

Ed Sheeran is distraught after the Macklemore backlash, so naturally he contacted the world’s biggest media organisation, Normal Island News, so he could set the record straight.

Share the petition and you'll help multiply the impact of this campaign: AI should serve us, not tech billionaires!

Trump’s nominee has called Israel America's 'one true ally' in the Middle East, and warned that even Abraham Accords signatories can't be trusted

Keir Starmer and Labour had a chance to end a bent system, now being exploited by Reform to allow the mega-rich to buy British politics. They blew it, and more racism and Islamophobia are the result.

<article data-history-node-id="447784" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/least-50-children-among-100-trapped-collapsed-gaza-city-building" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/least-50-children-among-100-trapped-collapsed-gaza-city-building" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">At least 50 children among 100 trapped in collapsed Gaza City building</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>At least 50 children are among over 100 Palestinians still stuck beneath a collapsed building in Gaza City, Aljazeera reported citing a civil defence team.</p> <p>So far, 11 bodies have been recovered while 12 others were rescued.&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> </article>