„A judicial and human rights committee will be established to examine the constitution and then introduce amendments,“ Obaida Arnaout told AFP.
The current constitution dates back to 2012 and does not specify Islam as the state religion.
Rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized the capital Damascus on Sunday, sending Assad fleeing into exile.
Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz has confirmed that the peaks of Mount Hermon in Syria have been fully occupied.
In a statement, Katz described the moment as „a touching historical moment,“ recalling a visit to the Golan Heights with Prime Minister Netanyahu, where they observed the occupied peaks of Syrian Mount Hermon.
(December 9, 2024)
After the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday captured the Syrian side of the strategic Mount Hermon, along with a buffer zone that has existed between the countries since the 1970s, the military stressed that the move was temporary, but also acknowledged that troops would likely remain inside Syrian territory for the foreseeable future.
„In light of the current developments in Syria, the impact of which on this country and the entire region is yet to be realized, Russia has requested urgent closed-door consultations of the UN Security Council. In particular, it is important to know what is going on in this environment around the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights. We expect that these consultations will ne held in the second half of the day on Monday, December 9,“ he wrote on his Telegram channel.
The UK‘s International Criminal Court Act, signed in 2001, enforces compliance with the court
Sir Keir Starmer has backed the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.
When asked about the issue, Sir Keir’s official spokesman said the Government respected the independence of the court.
He declined to say whether Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK.
After silently watching Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza for the past one year, the leaders of the Arab and Muslim countries have once more met in Riyadh to discuss the escalating conflict.
The so-called international alliance conceived by Saudi Arabia, with its aim of pressing for the establishment of a Palestinian state, failed to formulate a concrete plan of action to stop the Israeli invasion that has been extended to Lebanon.
18- To start working to mobilize international support to suspend Israel‘s participation in the United Nations General Assembly and all its affiliated entities, in preparation for submitting a joint draft resolution to the General Assembly – the tenth special session (Uniting for Peace), on the basis of its violations of the United Nations Charter, its threat to international peace and security, and its failure to fulfill its membership in the United Nations and based on the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024.
19- To call on all countries to ban the export or transfer of weapons and ammunition to Israel; urging countries to join the initiative proposed by the Republic of Turkey and the core group consisting of (18) countries, which was signed by (52) countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States, and to send a joint letter to the UN Security Council, the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General to halt the provision of arms to Israel, and to invite all countries to sign it.
Central to the statement was a call on the United Nations Security Council to enact (..)
Arab and Islamic leaders also demanded a global embargo on arms exports and transfers to Israel, (…)
Highlighting Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in uniting Arab and Muslim voices, the statement also called for broader international protection and support for the Palestinian people and the State of Palestine.
(March 8, 2024)
“The residents of the Gaza Strip should not be allowed to return to the north at least until the demolition of all the underground infrastructure and the complete demobilization of the area,” they said in the proposal. It also included a second corridor further south that he called the Sufa Corridor. The plan has not been adopted by the IDF, but it includes elements that are coming into existence, including the Netzarim Corridor.
The Sunday letter, jointly written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, is addressed to Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Biden administration he is willing to strike military rather than oil or nuclear facilities in Iran, according to two officials familiar with the matter, suggesting a more limited counterstrike aimed at preventing a full-scale war.
The head of UN Peace Operations on Monday said ambassadors in the Security Council had given a “unanimous expression of support” to peacekeepers in Lebanon remaining in position along the Blue Line that separates south Lebanon from Israel, despite coming under fire, with five “Blue Helmets” sustaining injuries following attacks by Israeli forces.
Jean Pierre Lacroix was speaking to the media at UN Headquarters in New York after emerging from a closed door meeting on peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, amidst Israeli calls for the force to vacate the area and move further north.
Israel’s military says it has begun “a limited ground operation” in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah. There will be “no long-term occupation” of Lebanon, Israeli officials said, but declined to provide a timeline.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a plan to force all Palestinian civilians out of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, in order to lay siege to Hamas and force the release of hostages.
The troops will number in the dozens, one official said, and will head to the region to help protect the thousands of Americans who are stationed there.
(…)
About 40,000 American troops are stationed in the region on bases in Iraq, in Syria and in the Persian Gulf countries. The U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln is in the Gulf of Oman, and a second aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, left Norfolk, Va., on Monday for the Mediterranean as part of a regularly scheduled deployment.
The Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the strike on Beirut’s southern Dahiya district killed Ibrahim Akil, a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, as well as 10 other Hezbollah operatives.
“We will continue pursuing our enemies in order to defend our citizens, even in Dahiya, in Beirut,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, describing the Israeli strike that targeted Akil as part of “a new phase of war.”
Hisbollah-Chef Nasrallah droht nach Explosionsserien im Libanon mit Vergeltung, Explosionsserien im Libanon laut Experten wohl aus israelischen Geheimdienst Mossad zurückzuführen, …
The resolution urged Israel to „comply with international law and withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied land, and dismantle parts of the separation wall it constructed inside the occupied West Bank“. It also demanded Israel return land and other assets it has seized since 1967.
Apart from the US, Argentina, Hungary and Paraguay also voted against the resolution. Other opposers were: Oceania‘s Palau, Micronesia, Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea, East Africa‘s Malawi and Europe‘s Czechia.
Czechia’s Explanation of Vote on the UN resolution regarding the advisory opinion of the ICJ on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in OPT, including East Jerusalem, and from the illegality of Israel’s continued presence in OPT. Stated by Ambassador to the United Nations, Jakub Kulhánek, on September 18, 2024
Mr. President,
Allow me to begin by reiterating Czechia‘s unwavering support for the people of the West Bank and Gaza in their pursuit of political aspirations for their own future statehood.
My country also stands ready to support any meaningful efforts to end violence in the region.
However, for these efforts to succeed, they must be the result of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, as this offers the only viable path to lasting security and peace for all.
“It sets an unrealistic deadline for ending the Occupation and disregards the fact that direct negotiations between the parties are required in order to achieve a sustainable solution,” it said.
The resolution does not sufficiently take into account Israel’s right to self-defence as it does not mention its legitimate security interests, it added.
(23. Mai 2013)
Now, the speech:
The president who dramatically expanded the CIA secret drone war, ordered a troop surge in Afghanistan and aggressively prosecuted leakers made a forceful defense of his actions and an even more forceful case for winding down the war on terrorism.
The key line: „This war, like all wars, must end. That‘s what history advises. That‘s what our democracy demands.“
Everywhere for 57 years Israel has made life impossible for Palestinians under a brutal military occupation, seeking to realize a “#GreaterIsrael”.
In agreement with the Palestinians in the oPt, an int‘l #ProtectionPresence must be immediately deployed to stop the massacres, wanton destruction and forced displacement.
A war zone is a collapse in law and order where might makes right and whoever has the guns makes the rules. People who normally wouldn’t risk imprisonment for acting out their fantasies of torture and murder have the opportunity during wartime to become one of the people with the guns who make the rules. They have a helpless population at their fingertips to whom they can do anything they like.
War is the worst thing in the world. It’s the most insane thing humans do. So, so much of the trauma and dysfunction of our species are the lingering reverberations from wars which ended decades ago, passed down from generation to generation by soldiers returning home and by civilians who’ve been subjected to unfathomable abuse by those who found themselves free to do anything they want to them.
(20.06.2024)
Die Verhandlungen zwischen den EU-Staaten über die umstrittene Chatkontrolle sind nun unter anderem wegen der deutschen Bedenken vorerst gescheitert. Eine Abstimmung im Rat, die am Donnerstag angesetzt war, wurde vertragt. Es habe sich abgezeichnet, dass keine ausreichende Mehrheit erreicht werden würde, hieß es am Donnerstag von der belgischen Ratspräsidentschaft. Der Vorsitz beschloss daher, den Punkt von der Tagesordnung zu nehmen.
(20.08.2024)
The UK‘s new Online Safety Bill, which is set to take effect next year and aims to curb speculative news and online hate speech, has gained renewed attention after far-right groups used social media to incite violence.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has been operating since tonight with great force in the refugee camps of Jenin and Tul Karm to thwart Islamic-Iranian terror infrastructures installed there,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X.
The White House last week paused a shipment of weapons to Israel, as Israeli leaders closed in on a decision to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday in testimony to Congress that „we paused one shipment of high payload munitions.„
Chancellor Gene Block released a statement Thursday afternoon claiming that the Palestine solidarity encampment had been shut down because it led to unsafe university conditions and interfered with UCLA’s educational mission.
Block confirmed that more than 200 people were arrested, with more than 300 leaving voluntarily Thursday morning following a police sweep of the encampment. The dispersal followed an outbreak of violence on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, during which counter-protesters attacked the encampment using fireworks, tear gas and by throwing projectiles.
“Do we have a double standard? The answer is no,” Blinken said in response to questions about the Biden administration’s handling of allegations of abuses by Israeli forces in Gaza, compared with those attributed to Hamas.
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„I‘ve seen those reports and we are inquiring about it with the government of Israel,“ Miller said.
When asked in a follow-up question if the U.S. will „press the Israelis to find out more about this issue,“ Miller replied: „that‘s exactly what we are doing.“
Newsweek has also contacted the State Department for further comment.
Kiesewetter sprach sich auch dafür aus, „extremistische Bereiche“ in den Blick zu nehmen. Konkret nannte er „AfD-Sympathisanten, die sich Russland freiwillig andienen“ sowie deutsche Kämpfer bei russischen Söldner-Truppen oder anderen russischen Kampftruppen, die nach Deutschland zurückkehrten.
2- What was the legal basis for Iran‘s attack?
Article 51 of the UN Charter states that „nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.“ This article recognizes the right of countries to defend themselves against armed attacks.
3- Is Iran‘s attack on Israel the beginning of a war?
In its attack, Iran used its less advanced weaponry in relatively low quantity. It also made sure that no infrastructure or civilian sites were hit during the operation. Iranian military leaders have explicitly explained that they are not looking for a war and that the attack was meant to send a message to Israel.
he PRESIDENT: Please be seated. The sitting is open.
The Court meets this morning to hear the single round of oral argument of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by the Republic of Nicaragua in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany).
I now give the floor to the Agent of Germany, Ms Tania von Uslar-Gleichen. You have the floor, Madam.
Ms VON USLAR-GLEICHEN:
OPENING STATEMENT
1. Members of the Court, it is an honour to address you today and to open the oral proceedings for the Federal Republic of Germany.
2. Monsieur le Président, Madame la Vice-Présidente, permettez-moi au début de vous féliciter chaleureusement pour votre élection.
3. Germany comes to these proceedings as a friend of the Court and a firm believer in the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Proceedings before this Court are rightly noted for their deep and serious engagement with the law and the facts.
4. Respect for, as well as the promotion of, international law are cornerstones of Germany’s constitution and of its foreign policy. Germany has always been an advocate for the promotion and strengthening of international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles…
(today)
Germany and other Western nations have faced street protests, various legal cases, and accusations of hypocrisy from campaign groups who say Israel has killed too many Palestinian civilians in its six-month military assault.
But Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, legal adviser for the German Foreign Ministry, told the International Court of Justice judges that Nicaragua‘s case was rushed, based on flimsy evidence and should be thrown out due to lack of jurisdiction.
U.S. officials in Washington and the Middle East said on Friday that they were bracing for possible Iranian retaliation for the Israeli airstrike on Monday in Damascus, Syria. U.S. military forces in the region have been placed on heightened alert.
(02.04.2024)
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An Israeli airstrike that demolished Iran’s consulate in Syria on Monday killed two Iranian generals and five officers, according to Iranian officials. The strike appeared to signify an escalation of Israel’s targeting of military officials from Iran, which supports militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon.
Israel has previously launched attacks on Aleppo and the Syrian capital Damascus, including before the October 7 war, saying it feared that Iran would turn Syria into “a base for aggression” against the Jewish state.
The State Department has not named Barghouti in public statements, but U.S. officials said they are aware of allegations of abuse. The department said in a statement to The Post that it has informed Israel that it must “thoroughly and transparently investigate credible allegations of and ensure accountability for any abuses or violations.”
The Israeli military said soldiers had conducted a „precise operation“ based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by senior Hamas leaders, and were fired upon when they entered the compound.
Two Israeli officials told Politico that the Israel Defense Forces is still developing a plan for protecting the civilians.
But unnamed US officials told Politico that in private meetings, top administration officials have told the Israelis that the US would back a strategy for “counterterrorism operations” in Rafah rather than the full-scale war waged elsewhere in Gaza.
Gegenüber netzpolitik.org sagt ein Sprecher des BKA, dass die Behörde „im Prüfungs- und Weiterleitungsprozess Zugriff auf die durch den Hostingdiensteanbieter übermittelten Daten“ habe, also auch auf identifizierende Daten. Derartige Daten seien laut dem BKA erforderlich, um die örtlich zuständige Strafverfolgungsbehörde ermitteln zu können oder um Gefahren abwehren zu können.
Die Debatte um eine EU-Atombombe wirft komplexe Fragen auf, die sorgfältig abgewogen werden müssen, bevor eine endgültige Entscheidung getroffen wird.
U.S. military officials said Wednesday’s strike was carried out about 9:30 p.m. “in response to the attacks on U.S. service members” and resulted in the death of a militia commander “responsible for directly planning and participating” in those attacks. The statement, which does not identify the individual who was killed, said there were no initial indications of civilian casualties.
Speaking to NBC, Sullivan was asked repeatedly if the US was considering attacks inside Iran.
„Well, sitting here today on a national news programme, I‘m not going to get into what we‘ve ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of military action,“ he said.
„What I will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. The president also is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East.“
(today)
Both the strikes in Iraq and Yemen targeted sites that the U.S. has said are involved in the attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria and were threatening U.S. military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
He has estimated the cost of the project to be around $5 billion and has indicated in the past that Saudi Arabia or the Chinese might be interested in investing in the venture.
All sounds good until one factors in Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
(21.01.2024)
„The end of the US-led coalition mission is a necessity for the security and stability of Iraq. It is also a necessity for preserving constructive bilateral relations between Iraq and the coalition countries,“ Sudani stated during a televised event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
(20.01.2024)
Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, said that there were air raids in the western port city of Hodeida, targeting the al-Jabaana neighborhood in the west of the city. The location of the US strikes could not be immediately confirmed.
Missiles rain on the headquarters of terrorists in Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria’s Idlib and Pakistan’s Balochistan
Iran launched attacks Tuesday in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl, potentially further raising tensions in a Middle East already roiled by Israel‘s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Pakistan said the strikes killed two children and wounded three others in an assault it described as an “unprovoked violation” of its airspace.
“The United States remains firmly opposed to any forced or enduring displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera in an email on Monday evening, without commenting specifically on the Israeli ministers’ most recent remarks.
Citing an investigation into Friday’s incident, the IDF Spokespersons Unit says in a statement to The Times of Israel that after the UN humanitarian convoy finished delivering aid to shelters in northern Gaza, it was asked by the military to go via a different route back south.
“This was to maintain its safety given the fighting that was taking place near the area,” the IDF says.
According to the Channel 12 report, the handler of the source passed the information further, estimating that if Hamas‘ plan „indeed nears execution, additional information will reach us.“ However, the specific information was eventually halted at a lower level and did not reach higher-ranking authorities.
The alert received in the summer was revisited as part of the Shin Bet‘s investigations into the intelligence failure. Shin Bet sources claimed that no additional information supporting that specific intelligence was found during the examinations
The network cited unnamed Shin Bet sources saying that the lack of corroborating intelligence, and the fact that the source had only started speaking to the Shin Bet a relatively short while before — had contributed to the tip not being taken seriously, though they have since admitted that the source is highly reliable.
Even though Bar, the agency’s chief, hadn’t heard about the information, Channel 12 cited multiple sources as saying the Shin Bet won’t blame lower-ranking officers, and admitting the service failed to prevent the assault.