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☆ Israeli President Herzog opens Holocaust museum in Amsterdam amid domestic protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended the opening of the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam on Sunday amid pro-Palestinian protests demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Human rights group Amnesty International put up detour signs around the museum to direct Herzog to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Demonstrators protest against Israel's President Isaac Herzog attending the opening of the new National Holocaust Museum. Peter Djeong/APPeople protested with signs and Palestinian flags near the museum. The museum told media that it had invited Herzog before the Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza.

Persons: Isaac Herzog, “, Herzog, Peter Djeong, Mouneb, Erev, Herzog’s, ”, Israel, ” Herzog Organizations: Reuters, National Holocaust Museum, ” Health, Hamas, Amnesty, International Court of Justice, AP, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Palestinian Community, Socialists International, Court of, Israel, Labor Locations: Amsterdam, Israel, Gaza, The Hague, South Africa, Nazi Germany

☆ South China Sea: On board an outnumbered Philippine ship facing down Chinese aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Rebecca Wright | Ivan Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Near Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea CNN —As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea. Filipino soldiers on the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship, anchored near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, on May 11, 2015. The US military also maintains a regular presence in the South China Sea, with aircraft overflights, so-called “freedom of navigation” operations, and patrols and exercises with allies and partners to assert that the South China Sea is an international waterway. The Philippine Coast Guard said it counted five China Coast Guard vessels and 18 boats belonging to Beijing’s “maritime militia." Rebecca Wright/CNNTarriela, the Coast Guard spokesperson, said a China Coast Guard vessel had come within 20 yards (60 feet) of the Cabra.

Persons: David, Goliath, “, ”, Thomas Shoal, Rebecca Wright, Sabina, Ritchie, Jiao, –, Jay Tarriela, Mao Ning, China Coast Guard “, Thomas, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr, Jose Manuel Romualdez, CNN Tarriela, Tomas Etzler, Erik de Castro, month’s, ” Tarriela, ‘, Collin Koh, ” Koh, Ray Powell, SeaLight, “ Will, ” Powell, we’ve Organizations: South China, CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, ” CNN, Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Sierra Madre, Center for Strategic, Studies, China Power, Ministry, Washington, Philippine News Agency . Diplomacy, Coast Guardians, Guard, Madre, Reuters, USS, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, National Security, Stanford University Locations: South, South China, Philippines, United States, Philippine, China, Bulilyan, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Sierra, The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Madre, Hague, Beijing, China’s, Manila, Shanghai, Singapore

☆ ICC accuses two high-ranking Russians of war crimes in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Rob Picheta | Sugam Pokharel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against two high-ranking Russian military figures, accusing them of war crimes against Ukrainian civilians. The ICC said they are responsible for war crimes of directing attacks at civilians, causing excessive harm to civilians and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts. “International justice requires time, but it is unavoidable.”Sokolov has been Russia’s commander for its Crimea-based Black Sea fleet since August 2022. The Kremlin has always dismissed accusations of war crimes. The court, which has 18 judges serving nine-year terms, tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes.

Persons: Sergei Kobylash, Viktor Sokolov, Vladimir Putin, Maria Lvova, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, ” Sokolov, China – Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Navy, “, United Nations Locations: Russian, The Hague, Netherlands, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, American, Virginia, China, Rome, “

☆ China says military spending growth in 2024 to stay the same as last year at 7.2%
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This year's military budget announcement comes against the backdrop of several generals from the People's Liberation Army, including the country's previous Defense Minister Li Shangfu, losing their positions amid President Xi Jinping's broad anti-corruption probe in the past year. China's 2024 military budget expansion follows a 7.2% increase last year, a 7.1% spike in 2022, 6.8% increase in 2021, 6.6% climb in 2020 and 7.5% growth in 2019, according to official data. China's official military budget is second only to the United States in the world, though some unofficial estimates suggest the scale of Beijing's military spending may be larger than officially claimed. China maintains its claims over self-governed Taiwan and President Xi Jinping regards reunification as a "historical inevitability." Beijing has also taken offence at joint exercises and patrols that U.S. and other Western naval powers have conducted with various Asian nations in international waters that Beijing claims as its own.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Xi, Xi Jinping, — Organizations: Reuters, People's Liberation Army Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, The Hague, South China, India, South

☆ Why Australia keeps an arm’s length from South China Sea tensions, even as it draws closer with the Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed the Australian Parliament last week there was no mistaking the fighting talk. The Philippines accused China's coast guard of setting up the barrier at the mouth of the disputed fishing ground. That meeting will also be attended by several other nations with territorial disagreements with China – including Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia. Collin Koh, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Australia was unlikely to back any tough language at the summit pertaining to the South China Sea or any other hot-button issue. As Bisley put it, “We don’t like what China does, but we’re not going to put ourselves in harm’s way.”

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ”, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, –, Thomas Shoal, David, China’s, Marcos ’, China –, Scott Morrison, Collin Koh, Penny Wong annouced, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Lukas Coch, Susannah Patton, it’s, ” Patton, China’s aggressions, Wang Wenbin, Nick Bisley, Bisley, we’re Organizations: CNN, Maxar, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Australia, Australian, Partners, Reuters, South China, Southeast Asia, Lowy Institute, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, La Trobe University Locations: Philippines, China, South China, Manila, China’s, Philippine, Scarborough, Scarborough Shoal, Hague, United States, Canberra, Australia, Melbourne, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Beijing, Singapore, South, Penny Wong annouced Canberra, Southeast Asia, Japan, India

☆ Satellite images reveal floating barrier at mouth of disputed atoll in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Satellite images of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea show a new floating barrier across its entrance, near where Philippine ships and China coast guard vessels have had frequent run-ins. China claims the Scarborough Shoal, although it is inside the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. An international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said in 2016 that China's claims had no legal basis — a decision Beijing has rejected. That makes the atoll one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights. The satellite image bolsters a report and video distributed by the Philippine Coast Guard, or PCG, on Sunday showing two Chinese coast guard inflatable boats deploying floating barriers at the shoal's entrance on Feb 22.

Persons: BRP Datu Tamblot, Hague, China's Organizations: Philippine Bureau of Fisheries, Aquatic Resources, BRP Datu, Maxar Technologies, Reuters, Fisheries, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: China, Scarborough, South China, South, Philippine, Philippines, Beijing

☆ How a Slow-Moving Court Became the Center of the World’s Hottest Debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel had many unpredictable consequences, but the elevation of the International Court of Justice to global public attention is a particularly unexpected one. In December, South Africa brought a case against Israel alleging violations of the Genocide Convention, and last week the court held hearings on a separate matter regarding Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. And although the court’s enforcement powers are limited, its public hearings, at a time of intense interest in the conflict, give it considerable power to shape, and reflect, global opinion. The court’s conspicuous role is partly a coincidence of timing: The U.N. General Assembly requested that the court in The Hague issue a nonbinding advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s occupation back in January 2023. It’s unlikely we’d be discussing those hearings in detail if war had not broken out in the meantime, and if South Africa had not filed its genocide case in the same court.

Organizations: International Court of Justice, Convention, General Assembly Locations: Israel, South Africa, Gaza, The Hague

The United Nations’ top court on Monday was hearing a final day of arguments on the legality of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories, hearings that have added pressure to Israel at a time when attention focuses on the war in Gaza. The hearings, which began last Monday, are the first time that the court, the International Court of Justice, has been asked to give an advisory opinion on the issue, which has been the subject of years of debates and resolutions at the United Nations. The court is likely to take months before issuing an opinion. The representatives, including a team of prominent lawyers, said that Israel has abused Palestinian rights with impunity. The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, said that Israel had subjected Palestinians to decades of discrimination, leaving them with the choice of “displacement, subjugation or death.”

Persons: Israel, Riyad al, ” Organizations: United Nations ’, International Court of Justice, United Nations, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, The Hague, East Jerusalem, Palestinian

☆ Analysis: Two years of war has been a disaster for Russia with no end in sight
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Matthew Chance | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Moscow CNN —Two years ago, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I was among the many long-time observers of the Kremlin who got it wrong. Even if the war ends tomorrow, it is likely to take many years for its strength and numbers to recover. And the past two years of brutal war have twisted and distorted Russia internally too. Even President Putin has been indicted for war crimes at the Hague. I was in Chechnya when, in 2000, a newly installed President Putin brought that rebellious Russian region to heel, unleashing a relentless Russian military.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Putin, Inna Varenytsia, Reuters Russia’s, toting Wagner, – Alexey Navalny –, Anna Politikovskaya, Anatoli Stepanov, Putin miscalculated, Rather Organizations: Moscow CNN —, Kremlin, Russian, Reuters, Hague, Getty Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Europe, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Chechnya, Russian, Avdiivka, AFP, Georgia, Georgian, Crimea, It’s

☆ Novavax to settle dispute over canceled Covid vaccine purchase agreement
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A health worker prepares a dose of the Novavax vaccine as the Dutch Health Service Organization starts with the Novavax vaccination program on March 21, 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands. Novavax on Thursday said it will settle a bitter arbitration dispute with Gavi, a nongovernmental global vaccine organization, over a canceled Covid vaccine purchase agreement. In 2022, Novavax terminated a purchase agreement with Geneva-based Gavi. Under the settlement, Novavax has paid an initial $75 million to Gavi and will make deferred payments of $80 million each year through Dec. 31. Analysts had previously told CNBC that Novavax could "be in trouble" if the arbitration forced it to pay the full $700 million to Gavi in 2023.

Persons: Novavax, Gavi, bode, David Marlow Organizations: Dutch Health Service Organization, CNBC Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, Geneva, Novavax

☆ Ukraine's missiles have been keeping Russia's powerful air force at bay. They're running out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewUkraine is running out of key missiles to protect its skies against Russian attacks, a development that could allow Russia's air force to firmly enter the conflict. But Ukraine has been able to largely hold Russia's air force back from the conflict since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Reduced Ukrainian air defenses mean the severity of Russia's drone and missile strikes will likely increase — and its air force could also come more into play. But without enough air defense systems "the risk is we see more and more of the Russian air force actually being able to conduct battlefield interdiction," he added. "The Russian Air Force is still a significant threat," Bronk said.

Persons: —, Frederik Mertens, Viacheslav, Justin Bronk, SAMS, Bronk, it's, SAMs Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Hague, Strategic Studies, Ukrainian Tactical Aviation, New York Times, REUTERS, Royal United Services Institute, Russian Air Force Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Lyman, Avdiivka, Kyiv

☆ Chinese fishing vessels are going scorched earth and pumping cyanide into contested waters, Philippine fishing authority says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bureau on Saturday accused Chinese vessels of pumping cyanide into the shoal's waters. AdvertisementThe Philippines' fishing bureau has accused Chinese fishing vessels of using cyanide to destroy the Scarborough Shoal, a fish-rich atoll in the South China Sea contested by both Manila and Beijing. Cyanide fishing is a controversial fishing method that typically involves dumping the highly toxic chemical near coral reefs or in fishing grounds to stun or kill fish so they can be easily captured. Notably, the Philippines' fishing industry was known to use cyanide fishing back in the 1960s to capture live fish for aquariums and restaurants, though the practice has become less common. The Scarborough Shoal is contested by The Philippines, China, and Taiwan.

Persons: —, Nazario Briguera, Brigeura, Briguera, hadn't, Jay Tarriela, Guo Shoujing, Hague Organizations: Service, Bureau of Fisheries, Aquatic Resources, The Philippine, Philippine, Scarborough, Philippine Star, ROSA, GMA, Philippine Coast Guard, Conservation, Education Foundation, Global Times, The, TED, Getty, Google, Fisheries, Business Locations: Philippines, China, Scarborough, South, Manila, Beijing, Masinloc, Spanish, Scarborough Shoal, AFP, Bajo de, Cebu, South China, Taiwan, The Philippines, Quezon City, Philippine

☆ ‘Our people are here to stay:’ World Court hears arguments over Israeli occupation of Palestinian-claimed land
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Fifty-two countries will participate in arguments at The Hague over the six-day hearing – more than any other case heard by the court in its history. Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel today has full administrative and security control over 60% of the West Bank area while the PA has nominal control over Palestinian population centers. There are an estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers illegally living in the West Bank. All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and by much of the international community.

Persons: ”, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Riyad al, ” al, Maliki Organizations: CNN, Court of, Hague, UN, Assembly, Hamas, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Maliki, West Bank . Locations: Israel, South Africa, Gaza, Hague, East Jerusalem, Oslo

☆ Israel-Hamas War: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Image Six days of hearings began at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday. Credit... Peter Dejong/Associated PressThe International Court of Justice in The Hague began hearing arguments on Monday on the legal consequences of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the West Bank. It will not be legally binding on Israel, and the country has ignored such opinions from the court before. The United Nations General Assembly first asked the top U.N. court to consider Israel’s activities in Palestinian territories more than two decades ago. In 2004, the court concluded that a wall that Israel was building around the territories violated international law.

Persons: Peter Dejong, Riyad al, ” Omar Awadallah, Israel, ”, Clive Baldwin Organizations: International Court of Justice, ., Associated, Court of Justice, West Bank, Maliki, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, Governments, Human Rights Watch Locations: The Hague, East Jerusalem, United States, Britain, China, Russia, Israel, Gaza

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Historic hearings are opening on Monday at the United Nations’ top court into the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. It has built 146 settlements across the West Bank, according to watchdog group Peace Now, many of which resemble fully developed suburbs and small towns. An additional 200,000 Israelis live in settlements built in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be neighborhoods of its capital. Israel’s annexation of east Jerusalem, home to the city’s most sensitive holy sites, is not internationally recognized.

Persons: Israel, ”, Omar Awadallah, Yuval Shany, It’s Organizations: United Nations ’, International Court of, General Assembly, of Justice, West Bank, Palestinian, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Hebrew University, Israel Democracy Institute, Hamas, South, African National Congress Locations: HAGUE, Netherlands, Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa, israel

☆ Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Territories Draws Focus of U.N. Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Marlise Simons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The International Court of Justice began hearing arguments on Monday on the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. It is the first time the world’s highest court has been asked to give an advisory opinion on the issue, which has been the subject of years of debates and resolutions at the United Nations. The hearings are expected to focus on decades of Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem. What is the International Court of Justice? All countries belonging to the United Nations are automatically members of the court and are expected to accept its jurisdiction.

Organizations: Court of, United Nations, West Bank, International Court of Justice Locations: Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel, The Hague

☆ Alexey Navalny: Arrests, vigils, and Kremlin silence as Russia marks Putin critic’s death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The prosecutor’s office in Moscow warned that any demonstrations in the capital over the death of Navalny were forbidden. Stringer/ReutersSince Navalny’s death more than 366 people have been detained, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights group that monitors Russian repression. “Navalny’s death is terrible: hopes have been smashed,” he said. On some of Russia’s state media channels, however, reports of Navalny’s death have been scant. The claims follow condemnation from Russia’s foreign ministry over the West’s response to Navalny’s death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, “ Putin, Josef Stalin, SOTA, Stringer, Vladimir Putin’s “, ”, “ Navalny, Alexander, Andrei Bok, Mikhail, Surgut, Alexei Navalny, Peter Nicholls, Maria Zakharova, –, “, CNN’s Eve Brennan, Uliana Pavlova Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Don, Nizhny, Russian, Russian Embassy, CIA, Russia, Foreign, NATO, Putin, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Berlin, Paris, Hague, ”, Moscow, Siberian, Novosibirsk, St Petersburg, Murmansk, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, OVD, Ukraine, Germany, Soviet, Surgut, Siberia, St . Petersburg, Belgorod –, Chelyabinsk, Russia’s, London

Munich, Germany CNN —Hamas’s demands for a hostage deal are “delusional” and need to be “close to reality,” Israel’s Coordinator for the Captives and the Missing, Gal Hirsch, told CNN Saturday. But Hamas’s demands are disconnected from reality - delusional,” the former Israel Defense Forces commander said in an interview with CNN’s Alex Marquardt at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. He suggested that, though Israel and Hamas had previously agreed on a deal to supply medication to Israeli hostages, the hostages did not receive this medication. Hamas will be dismantled, but we would like very much to make a deal and to bring our hostages back home. “They wanted very much to break the potential deal just as they did in the previous one,” he suggested.

Persons: Germany CNN —, ”, Gal Hirsch, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, counteroffer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Hirsch, ” Hirsch, Khan Younis, “, Martin Meissner, Marquardt, Deir al Balah Organizations: Germany CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Munich, Israeli, Minister’s, Hamas, Nasser, IDF, UN Locations: Munich, Germany, Gaza, Israel, Israel’s, Khan, The Hague, Netherlands, Rafah, Deir al

☆ World Court Holds Hearings on Israel's Occupation of Palestinian Territories
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Stephanie van den BergTHE HAGUE (Reuters) - A record 52 states will present arguments about the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the U.N.'s highest legal body. The ICJ's six days of hearings starting on Monday come after the U.N. General Assembly asked the court in 2022 for an advisory, or non-binding, opinion on the occupation. It is the second time the U.N. General Assembly has asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, for an advisory opinion related to the occupied Palestinian territory. “The International Court of Justice is set for the first time to broadly consider the legal consequences of Israel’s nearly six-decades-long occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people,” said Clive Baldwin, senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch. While Israel has filed a written statement with the court, it has not asked to participate in the hearings.

Persons: Stephanie van den Berg, Omar Awadallah, Israel’s, ”, Clive Baldwin, Josie Kao Organizations: HAGUE, Reuters, International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Israel, West, General, West Bank, Court of Justice, Human Rights Watch, Governments, Court, United Nations Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Palestine, Egypt, West, Africa, Holy City, Jerusalem, United States, Russia, China, South Africa

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli Forces Enter Hospital Complex in Southern Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Vivian Yee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Relatives of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas at a rally near the International Criminal Court at The Hague on Wednesday. The hostage families, numbering about 100 people and accompanied by two former hostages who were released in November, said they had come to try to make sure that justice would be done. “It’s important to use the international tools that are more often used against Israel,” he added, of the effort to seek international justice. The Israeli government does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and is not a signatory to its founding treaty. Their mother mostly stays home surrounded by friends, they said, and their father prays much of the time while they “do the journeys.”

Persons: Raoul Wallenberg, “, ”, Amit Levy, Naama Levy, Mr, Levy, Moshe, Avinatan, Noa Argamani, Israel, Karim Khan, Dana Pugach, Shani Yerushalmi, Eden Organizations: Hamas, The Hague, Criminal, for Human Rights, Nova, International Court of Justice Locations: The, Gaza, Israel, Israeli, Canada, Nahal, Hague, South Africa, The Hague, Paris, Washington

☆ Opinion: The crux of Israel’s challenge
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. Rafah encapsulates the perverse genius of the Hamas strategy, and the unwinnable moral dilemmas it created with the war it deliberately provoked. The crux of the matter remains how to make Hamas relinquish power in Gaza. If Hamas leaders leave, surrender, or lay down their arms, the war could end. Hamas leaders vow that massacres like they committed on October 7 will happen “again and again,” that Israel cannot be allowed to exist.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, CNN —, William Burns, David Barnea, Fatah, “, Said Khatib, —, Joe Biden, Ofri Bibas, Hitler, Eichmann, Goebbels … ”, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan’s King Abdullah, ”, John Kirby, there’s, Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, CIA, West Bank, Getty, Hamas, Israel, Wall Street, Health Ministry, National Security, New York Times, United Arab, Palestinian Locations: Iran, Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Egypt, AFP, Hague, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Palestinian

☆ Israeli hostage families to file war crimes complaint against Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The complaint, spearheaded by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, calls for the ICC to prosecute Hamas’s leaders for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity over the killing, kidnapping and sexual violence carried out during the October 7 terrorist attack. The ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan is already investigating potential war crimes committed by both Hamas and Israel since October 7, but has yet to file any charges. For many of the families, lodging the complaint is about accountability as well as their latest effort to call attention to the captivity of their loved ones. This situation cannot go on anymore.”CNN was the only US news outlet to travel with the hostage families from Israel to the Netherlands. “We hope we’ll start some action against those terrorists,” said Moran Ben Ishay, the daughter of 80-year-old hostage Gadi Moses.

Persons: The Netherlands CNN —, Karim Khan, –, ”, Hagit Chen, Itay Chen, Moran Ben Ishay, Gadi Moses, “, ” “ Organizations: The Netherlands CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, El, CNN Locations: Hague, The Netherlands, Dutch, The, Israel, Netherlands, Rome, Gaza, of Palestine, Cairo

☆ Calls grow in Europe to halt arms exports to Israel as US Senate passes aid package
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The concern around continuing arms exports to Israel comes after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last month ordered Israel to “take all measures” to comply with international laws on genocide. “In the government’s view, the distribution of American F-35 parts is not unlawful. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met Israeli cabinet minister Benny Gantz at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 12, 2024. Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told local media in late January that Italy had stopped all arms shipments to Israel since October 7. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares too said in late January that his country had also halted arms sales to Israel in October.

Persons: “, Josep Borrell, ” Borrell, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Mark Rutte, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Abir, Justin Bronk, ” Bronk, Bronk, Lockheed Martin, ”, ‘, ’ ”, Antonio Tajani, Jose Albares Organizations: CNN, United States Senate, Israel, Monday, Oxfam, Hague, International Court of Justice, Israeli, Hamas, US, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, State, Dutch, Royal United Services Institute, Israeli Air Forces, Lockheed, Netherlands Air Force, Pagella, Spanish, El, Amnesty International Locations: Israel, Gaza, Netherlands, Belgium, Brussels, Ukraine, Stockholm, Dutch, Jerusalem, Abir Sultan, Israeli, London, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Italy, Spain

With Israel continuing to warn that it plans a ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague to issue new constraints on Israel’s military offensive to prevent genocide. In December, South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s highest court, accusing Israel of genocide and asking the court to step in with emergency orders. In response, the court ordered Israel last month to ensure that its actions would not lead to genocide and to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. Under court rules, the judges will have to consider South Africa’s request as a matter of priority. Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, but Israel has rejected accusations of genocide.

Persons: “, Israel’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, ” Johnatan Reiss Organizations: International Court of Justice, South, ”, Israel Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, South Africa, The Hague

☆ Philippines Accuses China of Dangerous Maneuvers Near Scarborough Shoal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' coast guard (PCG) on Sunday accused China of "dangerous and blocking" maneuvers while its vessel patrolled near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea this month. Four Chinese maritime militia vessels were also present near the shoal, the PCG said. Located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Scarborough shoal is also claimed by China, making it one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for flare-ups. The PCG said its vessel was in the area to protect Filipino fishermen "from further harassment" in their traditional fishing ground. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce.

Persons: Teresa Magbanua, BRP Teresa Magbanua, Hague, China's, Mikhail Flores, Sonali Paul Organizations: Sunday, BRP, CCG Locations: MANILA, Philippines, China, Scarborough Shoal, South China, Manila's, Manila, Scarborough, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Beijing

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