–Say action reminiscent of Jewish pogrom in 19th to 20th Century Europe

–Threaten legal action

By Son Tertsea, Abuja

2 former Israeli Prime Ministers, leaders and security chiefs have threatened legal action citing ‘Jewish terrorism’ in a leaked letter to Benjamin Netanyahu and military demanding action to stop violence against Palestinians in occupied West Bank, according to a source .

The Israelis from the country’s higher security, political and cultural elite are reportedly pitched against their government for supporting Jewish terrorism and an “ideology of ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank.

According to a leaked letter, two former prime ministers, former heads of all the Israeli security services, former judges, a Nobel laureate and the country’s most revered living novelist were among the signatories to a “final warning” over violence against Palestinians.

They reportedly want immediate action to “eradicate Jewish terrorism”, cataloguing years of attacks – including murder, sexual assault, theft, arson and desecration of the dead – by civilian and military perpetrators who acted with “almost complete impunity”.

They say campaign of extreme violence against Palestinians broke Israeli and international law, put Israel’s security at risk, isolated the country internationally and escalated antisemitism around the globe.

“This letter is a wake-up call and a final warning: We demand that you take all necessary measures to immediately eradicate Jewish terrorism that has been prevalent in Judea and Samaria in recent years,” the letter reportedly said.

The letter stressed, if the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence and security ministers and security commanders do not condemn and stop the violence, they will petition Israel’s high court to force a hslt.

The letter, which has not been made public, was sent to the prime minister’s office, the ministries of defence and national security, the military, police, and intelligence services. A copy was seen by the Guardian.

Signatories now raising the alarm about violence against Palestinians include commanders who led Israeli forces in occupied Palestine, and politicians who presided over years of settlement expansion.

Israel’s campaigning gets under way for elections due by the end of October.

The letter accused Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners, expected to seek another term in power together, of enabling attacks on Palestinians to further an extremist agenda of ethnic cleansing and annexation.

“This is not solely a military and police failure, but the implementation of an overt policy by the Israeli government and its prime minister in general, and by the relevant ministers in particular.

“[They] order the military, the police, and Shin Bet [the internal security agency] to enable the terrorism of Jewish criminals, because this horrendous phenomenon serves well the current government’s ideology of carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’ in the territories of Judea and Samaria to facilitate their future annexation.”

The letter further drew parallels with historic attacks on Jewish communities in Europe. “The crimes of Jewish terrorism in the territories are reminiscent of similar crimes and pogroms committed against our people by other nations in eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.”

Israel’s military was complicit in this campaign of terror, through a failure to intervene and active participation in violence, the letter said.

Attackers have included members of regional defence units, men in part-uniform, and men who were not in active service but carried weapons they got from the Israeli military or national security ministry.

“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has clear policy of ignoring the crimes of Jewish terrorism, and in many incidents soldiers from the regional defense units and [settlement] security squads are themselves involved in the crimes of Jewish terrorism,” the letter said.

Since 2020, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, at least a quarter of whom were children, UN data shows. No one has been charged over any of these deaths.

The attacks jeopardised Israeli security because they risked spurring Palestinian revenge attacks or even an uprising, or intifada, against Israeli occupation, the group warned.

Many signatories have previously denounced violence in the West Bank in public statements. However this letter, drafted and sent by the lawyer Shmuel Berkowitz, brought together a broader group, linked the violence to soldiers as well as settlers, and for the first time threatened legal action.

Signatories include two former prime ministers, Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak, four former ministers whose portfolios included defence and justice, and more than 30 former security commanders including two chiefs of staff for Israel’s military and heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet and the police.

Prominent figures from outside politics and the security sector include the novelist David Grossman, the Nobel chemistry laureate David Kornberg, an Oscar winner and 10 Israel Prize award winners.

Signatories from the legal system include a former attorney general, judges and senior legal advisers to the government. From academia, signatories include the former CEO of Tel Aviv University and an expert on international terror. There are also rabbis and former ambassadors.

The letter said recent condemnations of violence by political and military leaders were not credible without action.

“How come you have not been successful in eradicating Jewish terror, given that the identity of their leaders and their places of residence are well known to you, and they are estimated to number a few hundred [people]?” said one section addressed directly to Gen Avi Bluth, the commanding officer in the occupied West Bank.

The letter warned of government financial, political and legal support for violence and a culture of impunity, with the Israeli police and military each claiming the other has jurisdiction to prosecute attackers.

The letter took direct aim at Netanyahu, noting that his claim last year that settler violence was the work of a few dozen teenagers had “no basis in reality”.

There were questions for other officials including the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the defence minister, Israel Katz, the chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet’s head, David Zini, and the police commissioner, Daniel Levy.

The prime minister’s office, the defence and national security ministries, the police and the Israeli military were approached for comment on the letter but did not respond

By Felix Umande

At least 920 people have been killed and 3,360 injured after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday night, with authorities warning the death toll could climb into the thousands as rescue operations stall under aftershocks and limited equipment.

Head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, confirmed the latest casualty figures on Friday, according to Sky News. No fewer than 50,000 people remain missing following the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude quakes, which struck within minutes of each other. The second tremor is believed to be the strongest to hit the South American country in more than a century.

Rodriguez said the earthquakes damaged 383 buildings, with at least 172 people still trapped beneath the rubble. La Guaira, the worst-hit area, has been fully militarised and the public urged to stay away.

“We appreciate the overwhelming desire to help, but the roads we are using to transport the injured are becoming congested. The best way to help is to keep the roads clear so that medical teams can transport patients and rescue crews can carry out their work more effectively,” Rodriguez said.

Venezuela’s acting President, Delcy Rodríguez, also announced the militarisation of La Guaira. The government has established a stockpile centre for food, water and medicines at the Foreign Ministry in Caracas, and officials are assessing buildings that sustained structural damage but did not collapse.

Sectoral Vice President of Public Works and Services, Juan José Ramírez, said rescue teams are using percussion equipment to break through concrete in search of survivors. However, persistent aftershocks and a shortage of heavy machinery have slowed operations in several areas, forcing residents in some communities to clear debris with basic tools.

Residents in coastal communities have appealed for civilian volunteers armed with “pickaxes and shovels” to assist.

The U.S. Geological Survey said fatalities were likely to run into the thousands, with a significant probability the toll could exceed 10,000. The death toll is expected to rise as emergency workers continue searching collapsed buildings across northern Venezuela.

Aid efforts have been hampered by damage to Maiquetía “Simón Bolívar” International Airport, which has been forced to close. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is ready to assist.

Families continue to post photographs of missing relatives on a dedicated missing persons website as the search for survivors enters a critical phase.

By Isa Abdul

Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, a Nigerian national, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of a 56-year-old woman he attacked on a street in Leicester, United Kingdom, after crashing his car while under the influence of cannabis.

According to Leicestershire Police, the 24-year-old assaulted the victim, Nila Patel, on June 24, 2025, along Infirmary Road. Leicester Crown Court trial found him guilty by a jury on Monday and handed sentence on Tuesday.

Police alleged Ahanonu had been driving dangerously around the city centre prior to the incident, swerving across lanes, running red lights, and veering towards pedestrians before crashing his vehicle.

After the crash, he fled the scene and attacked Patel, who had just alighted from a bus and was walking home.

At the time of his arrest, officers discovered he had been smoking cannabis, with dealer bags of the substance valued at over £3,000 and three iPhones recovered from his car.

During prosecution, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and assaulting an emergency worker after biting a female police officer.

Security personnel from the nearby Leicester Royal Infirmary restrained him until officers arrived, while medical staff treated Patel for severe injuries, including a fractured skull and brain trauma. She died two days later, prompting his re-arrest on suspicion of murder on June 26, 2025.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Emma Matts, described the incident as “a horrific, violent and random attack” on an innocent woman.

Matts said: “Ahanonu was unknown to the victim. She was simply walking home when she was subjected to this brutal assault,” adding that CCTV footage of his driving before the crash was “frightening and disturbing.”

She also commended members of the public who intervened, noting that their swift actions in restraining the suspect and assisting the victim were crucial in securing justice