After almost five months in Israeli custody, Mervat Sarhan claims to have endured beatings, electric shocks, and threats to kill her children during interrogations.
Published On 24 Oct 2025
Freed Palestinian mother recounts torture in Israeli prison
Can Israel annex the West Bank if the US says no?
In defiance of both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s and the Knesset’s ruling Likud party, two bills aimed at an annexing the occupied West Bank limped through Israel’s parliament on Tuesday night.
US President Donald Trump simply stated that Israel “is not going to do anything with the West Bank” in response to the election news.
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Meanwhile, his vice president, JD Vance, went further and described the vote as “weird” and said, “I personally take some insult to it,” while being in Israel to protect the US-broke ceasefire earlier this month.
Since 1967, Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, has continued. Israeli settlement construction has continued even though it is against international law and, in the case of settlement outposts, against Israeli law.
On Palestinian-occupied land, 250 illegal settlements are located in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, making up roughly 700,000 of the total number of Israeli settlers. The West Bank is home to about half a million of these.
Many members of Israel’s right-wing have long wanted to annex the West Bank, but this new bill has not yet been passed into law.
Zionists believe that formally annexing the West Bank would help them reclaim the biblical land of Greater Israel, which includes all of the occupied Palestinian territories as well as parts of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. It serves as a cheap way for some to seize Palestinian land and obstruct any pending Palestinian statehood.
The Knesset approved “applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley” in a symbolic motion in July. These are Israel’s names for the West Bank that are occupied. A month later, Israel announced the establishment of a new settlement, “settlement-plan-threatens-viability-of-future-palestinian-state”>E1,” that would connect occupied East Jerusalem to the expanding Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank, despite the motion’s lack of legal weight.
What was the subject of the most recent Israeli bills?
On Tuesday, the Knesset approved two separate bills: one that would legalize the Maale Adumim settlement and the other that would grant Israeli citizenship to all illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The move was framed in biblical terms by its sponsor, far-right Knesset (MK) member Avi Maoz of the one-man Noam party, when introducing the second bill. Maoz addressed the Knesset, “The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the people of Israel the Land of Israel.” After two thousand years of exile, the phrase “settlement in the Land of Israel is the redemption and national revival” (p. 3).
What was the outcome of the votes?
Both bills passed the preliminary readings. Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the opposition, sponsored the bill to annex Maale Adumim, which was defeated by 32 to 9. The bill’s broad scope for sovereignty was largely passed 25-24.
Nearly all Likud party lawmakers were boycotted, according to Israeli media, with just one MK supporting the motion.
The bills were backed and opposed by whom?
Netanyahu and Likud opposed both bills in accordance with the US administration, some of whose most senior figures are currently stationed in Israel to bolster the ceasefire agreement they brokered in early October.
Netanyahu has previously praised the idea of a “Greater Israel,” but his party called the votes “an additional provocation by the opposition aimed at deteriorating our relations with the US.”
Donald Trump, the US president, has stated that he will stop Israel from annexing the West Bank and that he will stop at all costs.
In a statement, it stated that “true sovereignty will be achieved not through a showy law for the record, but by proper work on the ground,” in response to rumors that Netanyahu’s government had given US too much authority.
Yuli Edelstein, a Likud MK, was the only candidate to win, which has since cost him his seat on the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
However, some of Netanyahu’s coalition partners, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right National Security Minister, and Religious Zionist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both supported the measures.
The Knesset has spoken, Smotrich wrote in a post on X. The people have remarked. The time has come to grant our forefathers’ full sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria, which are the result of peace, and to support peace efforts with our neighbors from a strong position.
אדוני ראש הממשלה,
הכנסת אמרה את דברה.
העם אמר את דברו.
הגיע העת להחלת ריבונות מלאה על כל שטחי יהודה ושומרון – נחלת אבותינו – ולקידום הסכמי שלום תמורת שלום עם שכנינו מתוך עוצמה.
🇮🇱
Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, two opposition figures frequently portrayed in the European media as liberal or moderate, were also in favor of the bill’s annexation of Maale Adumim.
Does this matter in terms of timing?
It’s awkward for Netanyahu, Likud, and their American guests.
Israel’s media reported on the news on Thursday that any new strikes on Gaza would need to be authorized by the US. Trump stated in an interview with Time that he had informed the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would not be permitted to annex the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu has rebuffed claims that Israel has ascended to the US as a “client state.”
Despite this, Netanyahu has made every effort to accommodate US visitors, including US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner’s son-in-law, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, who called the Knesset bills “a very stupid political stunt.”
According to reports in The New York Times, US officials believe Netanyahu is looking for an excuse to break the president’s political commitment to a ceasefire, which he has heavily leveraged on his political capital.
They were there to “monitor a toddler,” as Vice President Vance put it at a press conference, and not to “monitor a toddler.”
Regarding the recent Knesset vote on Judea and Samaria’s sovereignty, JD Vance:
The West Bank will not be annexed by Israel, according to the statement, which was a very stupid political stunt. pic. https://twitter.com/hyWxm9z2EL
What comes next with the bills?
The bills must pass three more readings before being passed into law, and they will now be sent for further consideration to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Netanyahu is unlikely to permit either bill to advance further, as the hard US position on stopping further Israeli aggression is shared by the majority of Israeli media.
Are these votes really that significant?
No legislation is anticipated to be passed unless Netanyahu, his governing coalition, and Washington oppose them. The votes represent yet another significant step in the gradual encroachment of Israeli control over Palestinian territory in the wider context of Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967.
Rapid settlement expansion occurred during the decade immediately following the war of 1967, which was followed by East Jerusalem’s annexation in 1980. The Oslo Accords of 1993, which was touted as a liberal reform, tightened Israeli control elsewhere while the 2005 Gaza disengagement tightened it.
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Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill two in latest truce violation
Published On 24 Oct 2025
Two people were killed in a drone strike by Israelis in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s ministry of public health, one day after Israeli airstrikes targeted the country’s eastern mountain range and south.
The Israeli government’s continued, almost daily violations of the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which started in November.
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Two people were also hurt by the attack in the Nabatieh district’s Toul on Friday, according to the ministry. They were not given any details about their condition.
A security source claimed a drone fired a missile at a car, directly injuring it before igniting it.
Separately, according to a report from Lebanon’s state-run NNA, the Israeli military launched an airstrike on Marjayoun’s Kroum al-Marah neighborhood without receiving any injuries.
Two people were killed when Israeli forces attacked the eastern Bekaa region on Thursday, and two others were killed when they later attacked an elderly woman who was also a victim of an Israeli attack.
Without providing any proof, the Israeli military claimed to have attacked Hezbollah-linked sites, including “a military camp and a site for the production of precision missiles.” Hezbollah did not respond right away.
Despite the truce requiring its full withdrawal earlier this year, Israel has continued to launch assaults on Lebanese territory, particularly in the south, and has maintained a military presence at five border crossings.
The ceasefire ended the more than a year of Hezbollah’s hostilities, which lasted for two months before the war broke out.
Joseph Aoun, the president of Lebanon, has repeatedly requested intervention from both the US and France in order to halt Israel. After another deadly Israeli drone attack in southern Lebanon, which left five people dead, including three children, Aoun pushed for greater support from Washington last month.
As a result of Israel’s repeated violations, there have been more casualties and extensive destruction, and efforts by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah in the south have been hampered.
FBI’s NBA probe puts booming business of sports betting in the spotlight
More than 30 people were detained on suspicion of illegal sports betting after the shocking indictment, which included Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures.
With just a few taps of a cellphone, wagers can be placed on anything from the outcome of a game to the outcome of a single play. Since legalization, the multibillion-dollar industry has become more accessible. It’s nearly impossible to attend a basketball, football, baseball, or other professional game today or to watch a TV match without seeing sports betting advertisements.
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While “Bet” tickers scroll through TV sports broadcasts, fans can place wagers from their stadium seats. Celebrity athletes frequently play a major role in marketing the entire endeavor.
Federal authorities alleged Rozier and other defendants of breaking the law by stealing players’ private information to win NBA games in the indictment on Thursday. Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney, stated in a statement that his client “sees forward to winning this fight” and that he is “not a gambler.”
In a separate indictment, it is claimed that Chauncey Billups, a coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, and others conspired to fix high-stakes card games. Chris Heywood, Billups’ attorney, called his client a “man of integrity” in a statement that denied the allegations.
Experts warn about the consequences for gamblers who typically lose money when sports wagering has proven to be challenging to regulate. Professional leagues’ own influence on how to promote gambling has raised questions.
After official figures revealed that businesses had systematically robbed 450 million people of $2.3 billion annually, India’s government passed a comprehensive bill banning online gambling in August.
The ban affected mobile devices like India’s wildly popular homegrown fantasy cricket apps, which include card games, poker, and fantasy sports.
India’s national cricket team was at the time sponsored by Dream11, the nation’s largest fantasy sports gaming platform.
legalized sports betting is being exploited
The history of sports betting is probably as old as the sport itself. However, legal gambling actually started to flourish in the US in 2018.
The Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prohibited sports betting in most states, was overturned by the Supreme Court at that time. Sports betting was once restricted to Nevada, but now it is permitted in 38 states and Washington, D.C., online or in retail locations. On December 1, Missouri will become the 39th state.
According to experts, the biggest increase has been found online, using platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel and smartphone apps. Legal sports betting generated $ 10 billion in revenue in the third quarter of this year, up about 19% from the same period last year, according to the American Gaming Association.
Legal wagering, according to the industry, generates revenue for states and can stop illegal gambling. Major operators point to the technology they employ to track suspicious activity. The “sharp contrast between legal and illegal betting markets,” according to FanDuel, is illustrated by Thursday’s news.
Who benefits?
There is plenty of money available, both for those who place winning bets and for the platforms that enable it. Through their affiliation with sportsbooks and the receipt of advertising revenue, the NBA and other professional sports leagues have also established revenue streams.
The relationship between the sports industry and the gambling industry is crucial to the leagues’ availability of live game statistics. Major League Baseball is selling data to platforms “for a pretty high price,” according to Isaac Rose-Berman, a fellow at the American Institute for Boys and Men, whose research focuses on sports betting.
For its data rights, the NBA and Sportradar work together. Official FanDuel Sportsbook statistics are provided by Sportradar in turn. Sportradar referred to the deal as a “to monetize our long-term partnership with the NBA” when it was announced in 2022.
What rules apply to sports betting?
Sports betting is regulated and taxed in each state, per state. Some jurisdictions forbid placing bets, for instance, but only when a player is physically present inside a casino or a certain distance from a stadium. Other regulations restrict the types of betting options you can place on.
According to Wayne Taylor, a professor of marketing at Southern Methodist University, “states kind of opened up a can of worms, and some of them are starting to realize how crazy this sports betting world sort is.”
When players and other team or league members interact, this becomes even more problematic. Employees and players are prohibited from betting on their own league games by the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, though some players may be allowed to do so in other areas.
Legalized gambling offers some security benefits, such as the ability to immediately flag unusual betting patterns, such as large bets being placed on a random player’s performance. Sportsbooks may have reduced odds on some events to prevent manipulation in some cases.
Experts like Taylor point out that some of that may be brought into question by companies’ own financial interests. Additionally, he claims that the large number of players and the range of micro bet possibilities make potential manipulation “easier to hide” across the sports market.
Prop betting: What is it?
A prop is a type of wager that allows gamblers to wager on whether a player will score more than a certain number of points, rebounds, assists, and other statistics.
The sports betting investigation’s Thursday announcement is crucial because of this type of wager. Rozier and the Charlotte Hornets played a game on March 23, 2023, according to investigators.
Rozier missed the night of the game because of a foot issue, and he missed the following season by playing the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds. He had a productive opening quarter with five points, four rebounds, and two assists, which was far below his usual total output for the entire contest. Many bettors at the time complained on social media that a shady event had occurred regarding prop bets on his stats that night.
In general, other sports leagues are concerned about the potential for manipulation, while the NBA has expressed concern about prop bets.
After Major League Baseball placed two Cleveland Guardians pitchers on leave during a sports betting investigation, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine earlier this year demanded that the state’s gambling commission outlaw prop bets.
What additional pitfalls and social repercussions exist?
Sports betting is also criticized for allowing for the development of addictive gambling.
According to Taylor, “the fact that it’s normalized, the advertising is aggressive, it’s available 24/7, and the micro bets are all adding up to a significant increase in usage across individuals,” citing algorithms and other incentives that betting platforms use to increase engagement.
Rose-Berman points out that platforms make the most of returning “biggest losers” According to recent research, young men in low-income neighborhoods are particularly affected by financial repercussions of sports gambling.
According to him, “upwards of 90% of sports bettors are not going to really experience significant negative effects,” but it will be devastating for them because they are so concentrated among those big losers.
Rashford wants permanent Barcelona move from Manchester United
Published On 24 Oct 2025
Marcus Rashford, a Barcelona player, describes the move as the change he needed after a successful career in England, saying he still wants to play for the Spanish club after leaving on loan from Manchester United.
After the Manchester-born player consented to a pay cut with an option to purchase set at around 30 million euros ($35 million), Barcelona are now covering Rashford’s wages during this season-long loan.
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Rashford’s United contract runs until 2028, but his future at Old Trafford appears uncertain after a year-long dispute with manager Ruben Amorim. Under the guidance of Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, the 27-year-old has since rediscovered his form.
Rashford responded to a question on Thursday to ESPN asking if he wanted to stay in Barcelona, saying “for sure.” “I’m enjoying this football club, and I believe Barcelona is one of the greatest clubs in the game’s history,” said one fan. It is a great honor for a player.
The England international has since taken a step further at Barcelona, scoring five goals and adding six assists in 12 appearances across all competitions. He first picked up his form at Aston Villa last year during a short loan spell there.
Rashford claimed that his move abroad has given him a new perspective ahead of what will be his first El Clasico performance on Sunday.