Author: Steven Sahiounie

The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that Israel had repeatedly failed to uphold international law since it launched its offensive in Gaza in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.“We’ve repeatedly highlighted Israel’s recurring failures to uphold the fundamental principles of international law : distinction, proportionality and precautions in carrying out attacks,” said Elizabeth Throssell , spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).“The High Commissioner has stressed that breaches of these obligations risk exposure to liability for war crimes, and has also warned of the risks of other…

The International Court of Justice ( ICJ ) resumed its hearings today for the trial against Israel on charges of committing the crime of genocide in the Gaza Strip, based on a lawsuit filed by South Africa and supported by dozens of nations, marking a historic precedent in the Palestinian question. In today’s session, the court is hearing Israel’s response to the lawsuit brought against it by South Africa. The proceedings began yesterday, with South Africa presenting a meticulous 84-page dossier to the court, compiling evidence of Israel’s deliberate killing of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. The document argues that…

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will this week visit Egypt and Tunisia, Beijing said on Thursday, as part of a four-country Africa tour before he heads to Brazil and Jamaica. Wang Yi ’s first trip of the new year comes as China increasingly focuses on ties in the Global South, seeking to bolster its influence in regions traditionally dominated by the US and its allies.Wang’s Africa trip, which will also include Togo and Cote d’Ivoire, will take place from Jan.13 to 18, the foreign ministry said.China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution…

The UN Security Council is expected to convene an open briefing this evening to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including the issue of Palestine.  Algeria, the sole Arab member of the UN Security Council , has requested the meeting to discuss the threat of forced displacement facing the Palestinian people in Gaza as a result of the brutal Israeli genocide campaign in the enclave. Expected to provide briefings to council members are Martin Griffiths, the Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Ilze Brands Kehris, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. The council previously held closed consultations on Wednesday,…

TEHRAN: Iran on Friday lambasted strikes in Yemen by US and British forces, saying that the attacks against Tehran-backed Houthi rebels were “arbitrary” and a “violation” of international law.

DUBAI: In times of war — when people are dying by the thousands and hospitals and schools are bombed, as they are in Gaza at this moment — it’s easy to wonder if the arts have any real relevance or role to play.

Six human rights organizations and press-freedom groups have called on authorities in the US, in its role as one of Israel’s strongest and most influential allies, to “pursue accountability” for the journalists killed during the ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip.

THE HAGUE: Israel’s military actions in Gaza are acts of self-defense against Hamas and “other terrorist organizations,” the legal adviser for Israel’s foreign ministry said at the opening of the second day of hearings at the World Court on Friday.

THE HAGUE: Israel will respond on Friday to accusations brought by South Africa at the UN’s top court that its military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide campaign aimed at wiping out the Palestinian population. South Africa, which filed the lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December, asked judges on Thursday to impose emergency measures ordering Israel to immediately halt the offensive. It said Israel’s aerial and ground offensive — which has laid waste to much of the narrow coastal enclave and killed more than 23,000 people according to Gaza health authorities — aimed to bring…

Says Greece is concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the conflict’s potential spillover into the wider region