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Daily Archives: 18. August 2026
US sanctions International Criminal Courtâs president, official
Akane, a Japanese national who has served as ICC president since 2024, and Seye, a Senegalese national, were added to the Treasury Departmentâs Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, according to the agencyâs website.
Both designations were made pursuant to Executive Order 14203, „Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,“ which US President Donald Trump signed on Feb. 6, 2025, and which has since been used to designate 10 ICC officials, including former Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and eight judges.
âFlashing Red Warning Signâ for Lawmakers: Poll Shows Voters Reject US-Israel Military Integration
A new poll of US voters published on Tuesday offers a warning for congressional lawmakers backing a plan to deepen military ties between the United States and Israel, finding that a clear majority of voters oppose the proposalâwhich some critics have called âtreasonous.â
The Data for Progress survey of 1,217 likely US votersâconducted August 3â7 for Demand Progress and the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Projectârevealed that 61% of respondents oppose legislation in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2027 that would integrate Israeli weapons companies into the Pentagon at a level exceeding that of any other country. That figure rose to 78% among Democrats and 73% among independents.
Call for the deployment of an International Protection Force in Sudan
We urgently call for the deployment of a protection force in Sudan to protect and deter attacks against civilians amid the escalating violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A robust force is vital to protect women, children, and at-risk communities, ensuring their safety and facilitating humanitarian aid. Sign the petition and demand deployment of a Protection Force in Sudan now.
UN: Keep International Force in Lebanon to Protect Civilians
(August 13, 2026)
In August 2025, the Security Council unanimously decided to extend the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which first deployed in 1978, one final time until the end of 2026, when it would begin a phased withdrawal. That decision came before the latest escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in March 2026âand before Israeli forces displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and occupied large swathes of southern Lebanon. Deliberate acts of displacement may amount to the war crime of forced displacement.
âPulling the plug on UNIFIL without a robust international force in place would effectively abandon millions of Lebanese civilians to an uncertain and potentially disastrous fate,â said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. âUN missions may not be a lasting solution, but the peacekeepers are a crucial deterrent against attacks on civilians and human rights abuses.â
President Aoun backs extending UNIFIL mandate, stresses need for international presence in south
President Joseph Aoun welcomed the parliamentary initiative and petition calling for an extension of the international forcesâ mandate in southern Lebanon.
He said UNIFILâs presence in the south is important for several reasons, including helping residents remain in their towns and villages and promoting stability in coordination with the Lebanese Army.
Lebanon‘s Aoun calls for extension of UNIFIL mandate
(August 17, 2026)
He said Israel had opposed UNIFIL‘s presence and „has been pressing in that direction for nearly a year,“ while Lebanon continued to call for the mission to remain.
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UNIFIL has been deployed since 1978 to monitor the ceasefire along the Lebanese-Israeli border and support the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon.
Its current mandate is due to expire on December 31, 2026.
Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian airbase, drawing Turkish condemnation
Israel bombed âan airbase in Syria on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, carrying out what appeared to be its first strike on Syrian government assets since March and drawing condemnation âfrom Turkey and criticism from a U.S. envoy who called it an „unnecessary escalation“.
German MP backs call for Germany to formally recognize State of Palestine
BERLIN, August 18, 2026 (WAFA) â Macit KaraahmetoÄlu, a deputy member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Parliament and a lawmaker from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), expressed his support for a call by Palestineâs Ambassador to Germany, Laith Arafeh, for Germany to recognize the State of Palestine.
In a press statement, KaraahmetoÄlu said that a majority of countries around the world, including several European countries such as France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, have recognized the State of Palestine.
He added that Germanyâs recognition of the State of Palestine would serve as an effective lever in support of the two-state solution.
Six killed, several others wounded in Israeli strike on Gaza City port
Israel has waged a military onslaught on the Strip since 7 October 2023, killing 73,399 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 174,310 others. It has destroyed 90% of the Stripâs infrastructure, with the cost of Gaza reconstruction estimated at $70 billion.
Since the Gaza ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 11, 2025, Israel has killed over 1,265 Palestinians and injured 4,198 others. The bodies of 813 slain Palestinians have been recovered during the same period.
In the last 24 hours, the bodies of five slain Palestinians along with 18 casualties were admitted to Gaza hospitals.
Moreover, at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Reaktionen auf Ben-Gvir-ĂuĂerungen: „Menschenverachtend“ und „verantwortungslos“
Ben-Gvir erweise sich erneut als „menschenverachtender Extremist“, sagte CDU-AuĂenpolitiker Norbert Röttgen der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung (FAZ). „Es ist ĂŒberfĂ€llig, dass die EU gegen ihn als Person Sanktionen erlĂ€sst.“
Dass eine solche Person Mitglied der israelischen Regierung und dort fĂŒr die Polizei zustĂ€ndig sei, sei das eigentlich ErschĂŒtternde. „FĂŒr Deutschland heiĂt das, dass unsere Israelpolitik differenzierter und anspruchsvoller werden muss, als das bisher der Fall ist“, so Röttgen.
German lawmakers call for EU sanctions on Israelâs Ben-Gvir over Gaza killing remarks
From Merzâs conservatives to Alternative for Germany and the Left, condemnation cut across the Bundestagâs political spectrum.