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Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi shines in Olympiacos debut

In his first match wearing the club’s jersey, Taremi scored twice, helping his team to a strong performance.

After the match, he posted a video online, addressing the fans.

“We move forward step by step, we fight for you, and we try our best to make you happy”.

The post quickly gained attention from supporters and they praised his impact on the team in his very first appearance.

Taremi’s move to Olympiacos comes after leaving Inter Milan in Italy. His successful debut has already raised expectations for the rest of the season and strengthened the club’s attacking options.

Former Israeli army chief admits to 200k Palestinian casualties during Gaza war

Gaza War

More than 10 percent of Gaza’s 2.2 million population has been killed or wounded, or “more than 200,000 people”, Halevi told a community meeting in southern Israel earlier this week.

Halevi led Israel’s onslaught on Gaza for the first 17 months of the war before resigning as chief of staff in March over the massive security breach on 7 October 2023.

The figure is in line with estimates from the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, which Israel has dismissed, though the United Nations and international humanitarian agencies regard them as reliable.

Multiple authoritative reports by Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights groups have concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing evidence of its acts of killing and destruction, as well as evidence of the intent to destroy Palestinians as a group in the besieged enclave.

Leading experts in international law and the Holocaust have also told Middle East Eye that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal threshold for genocide.

“This isn’t a gentle war. We took the gloves off from the first minute. Sadly not earlier,” Halevi said, in a recording published by the Israeli Ynet news website.

Halevi insisted that the Israeli army abides by international humanitarian law, but said that legal advice had never restricted his actions.

“Not once has anyone restricted me. Not once. Not the military AG [advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi] who, by the way, hasn’t the authority to restrict me,” he added.

In addition to the recording, Ynet separately quoted Halevi as stating: “There are legal advisers who say: ‘we will know how to defend this legally in the world’, and this is very important for the state of Israel.”

Last week, the world’s largest association of genocide scholars passed a resolution, endorsed by 86 percent of its members, saying genocide is taking place in Gaza.

The resolution states: “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in article II of the United Nations convention for the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide (1948).”

The International Court of Justice is also investigating Israel for genocide, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are facing arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza.

Last month, famine was officially declared in Gaza following months of total blockade and severe Israeli-enforced food shortages.

Iranian president to travel to Qatar, New York Monday        

Masoud Pezeshkian

The summit of Muslim countries’ leaders, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, is to be held to reaffirm support for the government of Qatar in the wake of the recent attack by the Zionist regime
and to condemn the crime. This emergency meeting will be held on Sunday and Monday in the Qatari capital.

After his stay in Qatar, the Iranian president will return to Tehran and then depart for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

7 more Gazans die of malnutrition, taking toll to 420

Gaza War

Seven more Palestinians, including two children, died in Gaza over the past 24 hours due to Israeli-imposed famine, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The latest deaths took the death toll from hunger and malnutrition to 420, including 145 children, since October 2023.

Famine has already been confirmed in northern Gaza and is projected to spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

The Israeli army has continued a deadly offensive on Gaza, killing more than 64,700 Palestinians since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. The military campaign has devastated the enclave.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.

 

Recognizing Palestine within the Two-State Framework as a Prelude to Reclaiming Palestinian Land

West Bank
  1. Legal and Historical Foundations of Palestinian Rights

The right of the Palestinian people to an independent homeland is firmly rooted in international law. The UN Charter enshrines the principle of self-determination, while numerous UN resolutions—including Resolution 194 (1948) and Resolution 242 (1967)—call for an end to occupation and the right of return for refugees. Historically, Palestine has always been an Arab and Islamic land, where Muslims, Christians, and Jews coexisted without one group holding exclusive sovereignty. Thus, the legitimacy of Zionist claims rests not on history or law but on force and colonial support.

  1. The Two-State Solution: From a Western Concept to a Legal Tool

The two-state solution was initially proposed by Western powers as a way to end wars in the region while safeguarding Israel’s existence. It envisions two independent states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side within the 1967 borders. In practice, however, Israel has undermined this vision through continued settlement expansion and military occupation. Still, the significance of the idea lies in its recognition of Palestine as a political and legal entity. This recognition, albeit limited, provides a legitimate basis for expanding Palestinian rights and reclaiming occupied lands.

 

  1. Global Implications of Recognizing Palestine

Granting Palestine recognition as an independent state within international organizations and by individual governments carries several important consequences:

  • Undermining Israel’s occupation narrative: Israel has consistently denied Palestinian nationhood. Recognition exposes this denial and places Israel on the defensive.
  • Legal empowerment of Palestine: Statehood enables Palestinians to pursue cases against Israel in international courts and invoke global treaties to hold Israel accountable.
  • Strengthening Palestine’s diplomatic leverage: As a recognized state, Palestine gains greater bargaining power in negotiations and increased influence in global forums.
  • Widening cracks among Israel’s supporters: Recognition of Palestine by European and even some Western states adds political pressure on the U.S. and Israel’s close allies.
  1. The Limitations of the Two-State Solution

While recognition of Palestine is a step forward, the two-state framework does not represent full justice. It restricts Palestine to only part of its historical homeland—namely, the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem—while leaving 1948 lands and the refugee question unresolved. Thus, this framework should not be seen as an endpoint but as a platform from which Palestinians can continue to assert broader claims.

  1. A Phased Approach to the Palestinian Struggle

Recognition of Palestine under the two-state framework should be understood as an initial step, not the final goal. Such a phased approach allows Palestinians to benefit from international legitimacy while continuing resistance and demanding the recovery of their full historic rights. In other words, recognition provides a starting point for the movement forward—not a stopping point.

Today, more than 140 countries officially recognize Palestine. This growing global shift reflects changing public opinion and a rethinking of international responsibility. Recognizing Palestine within the two-state framework, despite its inherent limits, can strengthen the legitimacy of the Palestinian struggle and lay the groundwork for reclaiming all occupied lands. Ultimately, the only path to lasting peace and historical justice lies in the full restoration of Palestine to its rightful people. Every step toward recognition and support of Palestine thus represents a prelude to that return.

Seyed Parsa Alavi (Journalist)

 

Poll: 75% of Israelis approve of attacks targeting Hamas in Qatar

New polling released by Israeli daily newspaper Maariv conducted by Lazar Studies said that only 11 percent were opposed to the operation that targeted the Hamas political leadership.

Thirty-eight percent said they believed the action harmed the chances of securing a deal for the release of captives in Gaza, compared to 37 percent who thought it would be helpful.

Some 65 percent of those who support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said they thought it would help reach an agreement, while 60 percent of opposition supporters said it would not.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said Israel’s strikes on Qatari soil on Monday constituted “state terror” and that Netanyahu should be “brought to justice”.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Thani stated that he had “no words to express how enraged we are”.

The prime minister added that he had met with the family of one of the Israeli captives the morning Israel launched the air raids and recalled how they told him they were “counting” on the mediation that Qatar was brokering.

“They have no other hope for that [release of captives]. I think what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages”.

Netanyahu has expressed no regret for Israel’s attack and pledged to target Qatar and any country that harbours “terrorists”. He stated that if they didn’t bring them to justice or expel them, Israel would.

Israel’s strikes on Doha on Tuesday targeted a meeting of leaders from Hamas’s political bureau who were meeting to discuss a ceasefire proposal for Gaza, where nearly 65,000 people have been killed since the war broke out.

Israel’s war on the enclave has been deemed a genocide by scholars and human rights bodies.

None of the Hamas leadership targeted in the strike was killed or wounded, but Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya’s son, an office assistant and a Qatari security officer were among the six killed in the strikes.

Regional and global allies have rallied to support Qatar after the attacks.

The UN Security Council issued a statement ahead of Thursday’s emergency meeting, agreed to by all 15 members, including the US.

“The members of the Security Council expressed their condemnation of the recent strikes in Doha, the territory of a key mediator, on 9 September. They expressed deep regret at the loss of civilian life,” said the statement drafted by France and the United Kingdom.

“Ccouncil members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, in line with the principles of the UN Charter,” it added.

Baghlegh Wooden Cemetery in northeastern Iran                     

Instead of tombstones, simple wooden posts inscribed with the names and details of the deceased are placed on the graves, creating a landscape that resembles a garden filled with cut tree trunks.

More in this report:

Iranian pop singer Omid Jahan dies at 44 after onstage heart attack

He collapsed on stage on the opening night of the city’s Date Festival and was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

Jahan, whose full name was Omid Pouladi Jahan, was born in February 1982 in Abadan.

The son of renowned southern Iranian singer Mahmoud Jahan, he grew up surrounded by music and began singing and playing instruments from a young age. His family later relocated to Bushehr and then Tehran.

He launched his professional career in 2004 and rose to prominence with his debut unofficial album Pesare Jonoobi (Southern Boy), followed by Papati (Barefoot) in 2006, which established him as a popular figure in Iranian pop.

Known for his energetic performances and southern-style rhythms, Jahan built a wide fan base across the country.

The head of Bam’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Office had earlier said the singer had been scheduled for multiple performances at the festival, which would run until September 18.

His sudden death has shocked fans and the Iranian music community, many of whom have expressed their condolences on social media.

UN General Assembly supports two-state push for Israel and Palestine

The “New York Declaration”, which outlines “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution, was adopted on Friday by 142 votes in favour, 10 against – including Israel and key ally the United States – and 12 abstentions.

Presented by France and Saudi Arabia, the seven-page document calls for “collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the Two-State solution”.

It also orders Palestinian group Hamas, which runs the government in Gaza, to “free all hostages”, stipulating that it must “end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority … in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State”.

Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Saudi-French efforts to create an “actionable plan” towards a two-state solution.

The ministry also called for “activating all mechanisms to end the Israeli colonial occupation” and “achieve the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”.

The UN’s ringing endorsement of the two-state solution came amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza, one day after Netanyahu signed off on a settlement expansion plan in the occupied West Bank that would make any future Palestinian state virtually impossible.

The vote precedes an upcoming UN summit co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on September 22 in New York, in which French President Emmanuel Macron and several other leaders have promised to formally recognise the Palestinian state.

While 146 members of the UN already back a Palestinian state, another 10 or so, including France, Norway, Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom are expected to join their ranks later this month.

Israel rejected the declaration after the landmark vote, slamming it as “disgraceful”.

The vote took place in a week in which Israel has been on particularly bellicose form, dialling up regional tensions with a number of deadly strikes across the Middle East, targeting Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia and Qatar in parallel with its attacks on Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

 

Iran’s security chief urges Islamic states to form “joint operations HQ” against Israeli aggression

Ali Larijani

In a post on X, Ali Larijani criticized the recent Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit as “full of speeches and without practical results,” likening it to an ineffective UN Security Council meeting.

He warned that inaction “is equal to ordering a new aggression against the Zionist regime,” and urged Muslim governments to take concrete collective steps rather than issuing statements.

Larijani added that even a limited, decisive move would alarm the regime’s backers and could force them to reconsider orders to Israel “in pursuit of world peace and a Nobel prize,” using ironic language to highlight “international hypocrisy.”

He also appealed to leaders to act on behalf of hungry and oppressed Palestinians, urging at minimum “a brief decision” to prevent their further destruction and to avert greater regional fallout.