“Hamas killed babies and children in a massacre discovered by Israeli soldiers on Tuesday in one of the last villages to be recaptured from the terrorist group. Dozens of dead civilians were found in the kibbutz of Kfar Azza on Tuesday, with soldiers at the scene comparing the murders to the Nazi pogroms of the Second World War. Many of the victims had their hands bound and some bodies had been burned beyond recognition. Soldiers lined up body bags and carried them away on gurneys after clearing the kibbutz of booby-traps. One of the soldiers involved in the operation, David Ben Zion, deputy commander of Unit 17, said children had been beheaded. “They chop the heads off women and children,” he told local news channel i24.” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
“Forty five per cent of the world’s Jews now live in Israel. Where else are they to go?The murderous rampage of Hamas, the killing, the raping, the kidnapping, is so shocking, so sickening it seems almost frivolous to say that it was also ironic. The apologists for this action suggest that Israel’s security measures — its fence, its border posts, its searches — are so oppressive that they are part of what is to blame for what has happened. Yet these terrible acts show that the security measures were necessary. For this invasion was not a protest march that got out of hand. It was not a complaint about living conditions. It was the latest war launched by Palestinians to demonstrate their unwillingness to share the land. And it cannot win.” – The Times
“Waving a Palestinian flag or singing a chant advocating freedom for Arabs in the region may be a criminal offence, Suella Braverman has told senior police officers. In a letter to chief constables in England and Wales, the home secretary urged them to clamp down on any attempts to use flags, songs or swastikas to harass or intimidate members of the Jewish community. Her words, which follow deadly attacks by Hamas on Israelis and a military response, will deeply concern freedom of speech advocates and members of the Muslim community. In the letter, Braverman said police should not restrict themselves to potential offences related to the promotion of Hamas, a proscribed organisation.” – The Guardian
“The culture secretary has called on the BBC director-general to assess whether it is right not to describe Hamas as terrorists in light of the recent atrocities. Lucy Frazer questioned Tim Davie at a meeting after she received a letter from the Board of Deputies of British Jews which criticised the refusal of news channels including the BBC to call Hamas a terrorist organisation as “little short of obscene”. “I wholeheartedly endorse those describing these attacks calling them what they are — acts of terror by a terrorist organisation,” Frazer said in a letter to Marie van der Zyl, the group’s president, on Monday. The BBC, along with ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News, as well as print media outlets including The Times, has typically characterised Hamas as “militants”…” – The Times
Dominic Cummings has claimed civil servants wanted to delay making a stay-at-home announcement at the start of the pandemic because they did not work weekends. In messages published by the Covid Inquiry, the former chief adviser to Boris Johnson also said that Sir Mark Sedwill, then head of the Civil Service, “hasn’t a scooby”. Mr Cummings told Mr Johnson in March 2020 to chair daily meetings in the Cabinet room and avoid interference from devolved administrations at Cobra crisis meetings. The messages have now been published in full and revealed that Mr Cummings was also critical of Sir Mark and appeared to suggest civil servants were workshy…In two subsequent messages on the same morning, Mr Cummings urged the prime minister to chair daily meetings…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Keir Starmer has made a direct appeal for “despairing” Conservative voters to back Labour at the next election, telling them he would repair a Britain broken by 13 years of Tory governments. In what could be the Labour leader’s final conference speech before the next election, he set out the case for national renewal and why his party should be given the chance to reverse the decline. Starmer, who delivered the address in Liverpool in rolled-up shirt-sleeves after a protester leapt on to the stage at the start of his speech and covered his jacket in glitter, declared that the “fire of change still burns in Britain”. With his party requiring a 12% swing to win a majority of just one, Starmer urged “despairing” Tory voters who were “looking in horror” at…their party…to consider backing Labour.” – The Guardian
Editorials:
Comment and Sketches:
>Today:
>Yesterday:
“Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “bulldoze through” Nimby opposition to new developments and get Britain building again as he set out his plan to grow the economy. The Labour leader said he would “fight the blockers” and restore the lost dream of home ownership by ordering the construction of 1.5 million houses. He used his party conference speech on Tuesday to warn that the growth of Nimbyism – those who subscribe to the “not in my back yard” ideology – meant an ever smaller number of people “hold a veto over British aspiration”. Sir Keir unveiled plans to build new towns across the country and rip up “restrictive” planning laws to allow construction on the lowest quality green belt land. His proposals include devolving power to local mayors to kickstart developments…” – The Daily Telegraph
“The thread that permeated Starmer’s oration was that of renewal. The last 13 years under the Conservatives have been wasted, compared to the same amount of time that preceded Tory hegemony. As Starmer has grown in confidence as leader, he has shown himself more enthusiastic about embracing the record of the last Labour government. He even referred to Labour, after recent changes pushed through by him, as “a new party”. Sadly, he stopped short of calling it “New Labour”, but the audience knew what he meant… For the Conservatives, the most dangerous parts of Starmer’s speech were his repeated references to decline in the last 13 years… It will be a difficult message for Sunak to counter.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Labour says it will replace Rishi Sunak’s demand for compulsory maths classes until 18 with improved maths teaching for younger children and “real world” numeracy lessons for pupils in England. The proposal would see a new “phonics for maths” programme for early years and primary school classes, aiming to replicate the focus on literacy in primary schools pioneered by the previous Labour government. Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, will tell Labour’s conference in Liverpool that its curriculum review would “bring maths to life for the next generation”, using practical examples drawn from household budgeting, currency exchange rates for tourists, sports league tables and cookery recipes.” – The Guardian
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