Tag: italy

Are US campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza going global? | Israel War on Gaza News

EXPLAINER

From France to Australia, university students are part of pro-Palestine protests as Columbia students continue encampments.

Clashes between students and police officers have been reported all over the United States during intensifying university protests.

What started as the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University, where students are camping inside campus to push their institute to divest from companies linked to Israel, has since spread to campuses in California, Texas and other states.

Now, more than 20 universities in the US are protesting against Israel’s war on Gaza, where Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 34,000 people and its blockade has caused starvation.

But the protests are not limited to the US, students worldwide have been demonstrating in support of Gaza since the outbreak of the war on October 7. Following the Columbia encampments, the protests have further spread to universities from France to Australia. Here is all you need to know about student protests for Gaza outside of the US:

Which global universities are holding pro-Palestine protests?

  • In Paris, France, Sorbonne University students have taken to the streets. Additionally, the Palestine Committee from Sciences Po, is organising a protest where students set up about 10 tents on Wednesday. Despite a police crackdown, the protesters regathered on Thursday.
  • In Australia, students from the University of Sydney set up pro-Palestine encampments on Tuesday, and they were continuing to protest on Friday. Also, University of Melbourne students pitched tents on the south lawn of their main campus on Thursday.
  • In Italy, Rome, students from Sapienza University organised demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes on April 17 and April 18.
  • Since April 19 night, students from the University of Warwick’s group Warwick Stands With Palestine have occupied the campus piazza located in England, United Kingdom. In Leicester, England, a protest broke out on Monday in which students from the University of Leicester Palestine Society also participated.
  • Last month, students from the University of Leeds occupied a campus building in protest against the university’s involvement with Israel.

What are the demands of student protesters outside the US?

Hicham, a student protesting at Sciences Po, which is also called the Paris Institute of Political Studies, told Al Jazeera, “We have a few demands but one of them is to start investigating all of the ties they [Sciences Po] have with the state of Israel, which [are] academic and financial”.

He added that it has become “extremely hard” to talk about Palestine in France due to the way police respond.

The organisers additionally want Sciences Po to condemn Israel’s actions.

Sorbonne students are calling on the French government to help Palestinians.

The University of Sydney students are demanding that their institute cut ties with Israeli universities and arms manufacturers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The Warwick students have demanded that the university divest from companies that they have identified are funding “genocide” perpetrated by Israel, Warwick’s student-run newspaper, The Boar, reported. The Boar quoted an unnamed student protester saying that, while the US protests had invigorated them, they were planning to take action regardless.

The protest in Leicester on Monday was outside the Elbit Systems UK drone factory, calling for the factory’s shutdown. The student protesters at Leeds last month demanded the suspension of Jewish chaplain Zecharia Deutsch who served in the Israeli army during the war on Gaza.

Is there a police crackdown on pro-Palestine protesters outside the US?

On Wednesday, police broke up the Sciences Po demonstration after the institute made “numerous attempts” to evacuate the students peacefully, AFP reported.

The institute’s Palestine Committee released a statement on Thursday saying the protesters were “carried out of the school by more than 50 members of the security forces,” adding that “around 100” police officers were “also waiting for them outside”.

Hicham said that he and his fellow students had been occupying their school for three days. “We went to one building, they [the university] called the cops on us, we had to get out, so we went to the main historical building,” he said.

“But I think the more repression happens, the more people are mobilising,” he said. “We were maybe 300 people before, [but] now we’re 600.”

The students at Sorbonne were also surrounded by riot police, as shown in an Al Jazeera video from Thursday.

“This will continue as long as we don’t have an open and serious conversation about the issue,” a student from Sorbonne University told Al Jazeera.

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Inter win heated Milan derby to seal 20th Italian football league title | Football News

Inter win the ‘away’ game 2-1 and seal their 20th coveted title to set off wild celebrations in the Italian capital.

Inter Milan have won their 20th Serie A title after a heated 2-1 win at AC Milan gave Simone Inzaghi’s side an unassailable lead in the standings with five matches remaining in the season.

A goal from Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram in each half proved sufficient to secure Inter’s victory, with Fikayo Tomori scoring a late goal to reduce the deficit in the Milan derby on Monday.

The match also witnessed three red cards in stoppage time, with Milan being reduced to nine men as tensions flared, with Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria getting their marching orders along with Inter’s Denzel Dumfries.

Inter, who have lost only once in the league this season, hold a 17-point advantage over second-placed Milan.

“I told the guys, ‘We find ourselves in a situation that’s never happened before,’” Inter captain Lautaro Martinez said after the game.

“We needed to take advantage of this opportunity because, look around, the entire stadium is ours now.”

Not even the pouring rain could dampen the spirits of the Nerazzurri and their fans.

For Inzaghi, this was the first Serie A title of his managerial career and his sixth trophy with Inter.

“There are so many protagonists of this success, first and foremost the players, but also the directors and chairman Steven Zhang, as anything we needed during this journey was provided for us,” Inzaghi said to DAZN.

“It’s an incredible sensation, we did something incredible and it’s only right to share it with as many people as possible.”

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi celebrates after winning the Serie A [Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters]

The San Siro was packed with supporters from both clubs, with Inter fans displaying two stars to symbolise their impending 20th Scudetto, spelling out a message to their rivals: “Our destiny, your nightmare.”

The match heated up in the opening minutes as both sides engaged in pushing and shouting following a late challenge on Inter’s Nicolo Barella. However, play resumed a few minutes later without any bookings.

After 18 minutes, the away fans erupted as Benjamin Pavard flicked a corner to a completely unmarked Acerbi, who had little trouble heading in the lead for Inter.

Just before the break, Inter keeper Yann Sommer made a superb reflex save on a Calabria effort, while at the other end, Milan keeper Mike Maignan blocked Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s shot moments later.

Four minutes after the break, Thuram doubled Inter’s lead by sending a low shot from the edge of the box into the bottom-left corner.

As the minutes ticked closer to the end, fans set off flares in the stands, casting a foggy veil over the pitch.

Milan reignited the match 10 minutes before the time when a save from Sommer rebounded off the post and fell into the path of Fikayo Tomori, who headed it home.

In stoppage time, tempers flared as a scuffle broke out between the players, which resulted in Dumfries and Hernandez being shown red cards.

Yet another brawl ensued on the pitch minutes later, culminating in Milan’s Calabria receiving a red card for striking Inter’s Davide Frattesi.

As the referee sounded the final whistle, Inter players and staff began to celebrate the triumph.

Inter fans then moved the party out of the stadium and towards the Piazza Duomo, a well-known celebration spot in Milan, where thousands celebrated with fireworks and cheers, casting shades of blue and black against the backdrop of the Milan Cathedral.

Inter Milan fans celebrate winning Serie A in Piazza Duomo, Milan [Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters]



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Rare phenomenon in skies over Italy’s Mount Etna | Volcanoes

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The skies above Mount Etna are sprinkled with perfectly shaped rings of smoke coming from Europe’s most active volcano. The rare phenomenon of ‘volcanic vortex rings’ occurs during the rapid release of gas through a vent-shaped crater that opened on Etna’s summit earlier this month.

Published On 10 Apr 2024

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At least three dead after explosion at Italy hydroelectric plant | News

Four people missing and three wounded taken to hospital after blast at power plant in the town of Bargi, near Bologna.

At least three people have died and four others are missing after a fire and explosion underground at a hydroelectric power plant in northern Italy, local authorities have said.

The fire brigade said that an explosion had occurred at about 3pm (13:00 GMT) on Tuesday at a dam on Lake Suviana, one of three artificial lakes that feed the power station in the town of Bargi, close to Bologna.

The explosion during maintenance work collapsed part of the nine-storey underground structure, provoked a fire and caused flooding at depths of up to 60 meters (200 feet), regional fire chief Francesco Notaro told SKY TG24.

Marco Masinara, the mayor of the nearby town of Camugnano, said three dead bodies had been found and four people were missing, while three people were “badly hurt” and were taken to hospital.

Power company Enel, which owns the plant, said it had evacuated workers from the site and was coordinating with rescue workers from the fire department.

Masinara said a fire broke out below ground level, adding that “the plant is all below the level of the lake, at about 30-metres [100-feet] depth.”

He told Italy’s Ansa news agency that initial information suggested that work was being done on a turbine at the time of the accident.

“I have been told that the fire brigade are trying to get access but are having difficulties,” he added.

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In Italy, a Palestinian lawyer who fled Gaza builds Israel genocide case | Israel War on Gaza News

Messina, Italy – Piles of court documents in English and Arabic filled the desk and covered the floor of Triestino Mariniello’s home office for much of March in Messina, a city in southern Italy overlooking Mediterranean waters on one side and the smoking Etna volcano on the other.

Here, far from the war, a team of lawyers from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCGR) in Gaza, to which Mariniello belongs, worked last month on their attempt to prosecute Israel for genocide.

“We thought it was a good way to try and be more productive in a place where you can actually detach yourself from the constant horrors, even though that may seem impossible these days,” Mariniello told Al Jazeera. “We also considered this as an opportunity for our colleague from Gaza to catch a breath after what he’s been going through.”

The PCHR legal team – including criminal prosecutor Mariniello and Chantal Meloni, an Italian professor of international criminal law at the University of Milan – is led by Raji Sourani, a Palestinian lawyer from the Gaza Strip and the director of the centre. They plan to take their case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“I have two great Italian colleagues,” Sourani told Al Jazeera with a tired smile, still astonished to have made it to Sicily, a place that he said reminds him of home.

Sourani is one of the few Palestinians to have left Gaza with his family, crossing into Egypt in late February after narrowly surviving an Israeli air attack.

Mariniello invited him to Messina, his hometown, to decompress and work on the case.

“For years, we’ve been documenting the horrors Gazan families have gone through, and through this professional cooperation, a very genuine friendship was born,” Mariniello said.

The PCHR team represents victims of war in Gaza.

Mariniello and Sourani have worked together since 2020 on cases that date back to the 2014 blockade, the 2018 border protests and 2021 crisis involving rocket fire from Gaza and air strikes by Israel. They have collected thousands of testimonies of grieving families whose relatives were killed by Israeli forces.

“All these past testimonies prove that it didn’t start on October 7, that it is a much more systemic aggression that needs to be addressed through the right legal tools,” Mariniello said, referring to the day the current war in Gaza began. “With our work we want to humanise those who’ve been stripped of their humanity. Some of the victims we will represent in The Hague are Hind Rajab, killed in a car with her uncles and cousins at the age of six, and Nour Naser Abu al-Nour, one of our lawyer colleagues.”

Abu al-Nour was a PCHR lawyer killed by Israeli attacks targeting their centre in February.

Another of their colleagues, 26-year old Dana Yaghi, was killed in an attack two days later.

“What we are witnessing is unprecedented. And what’s more concerning is that the people documenting the horrors are dying too, erasing the evidence of what is happening,” Sourani said. “The world is just watching Israel go beyond human rights law. So we felt the urge to speed up our legal battle. That’s another thing that’s missing in Gaza – apart from food and safety – is time.”

After submitting documentation for a pre-trial in 2021 to the International Criminal Court and having received no resolution for more than two years, the PCHR team decided instead to move through the ICJ, the highest United Nations court, which recently put Israel on notice, warning of a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza.

After their relentless work in February and March, the lawyers feel confident they have gathered enough evidence to prosecute Israel for genocide and will soon head to The Hague.

Israeli forces are “blocking the course of life in Gaza”, Mariniello said, “from impeding childbirths and targeting hospitals and maternity wards, to blocking vital humanitarian aid at the border and mass killings”.

Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, which has killed more than 33,000 people, including almost 14,000 children, began on October 7 when Hamas, the group that governs the strip, attacked southern Israel. During that assault, 1,139 people were killed and hundreds of Israelis were taken captive.

Sourani considers himself a genocide survivor. He said that during his time in Messina, he realised that most of the world, even in unexpected corners, is on the side of the Palestinians.

In Sicily, the legal team spent a lot of time locked away working on the case. But they also engaged with local citizens in a public debate.

At the Salone delle Bandiere conference centre in downtown Messina, about 300 people gathered to listen to the experts talk about Gaza and the steps Italians can take to support their legal battle.

Mariniello highlighted how individuals, despite widespread misconceptions, have a crucial role in supporting the work of lawmakers “because it’s thanks to ordinary citizens that the apartheid ended in South Africa. Without public support, a single legal case cannot change the course of history,” he said during the lecture.

Carmelo Chite, a 65-year-old who was in the audience, told Al Jazeera: “Since the start of the conflict this past October, I feel that there’s much more curiosity and interest, in Italy and elsewhere, compared with the past.

“Ordinary people finally want to understand more after realising that mainstream media in Italy are controlling the narrative and are genuinely seeking to help the legal cause. And that’s positive because, hopefully this time, it’ll lead to a change.”

The Italian government supports Israel and has sent it arms but in recent months has condemned the scale of attacks against Palestinian civilians.

Sourani said he was surprised to find “a very supportive crowd to have a candid discussion with”.

Sicily, he added, helped improve the quality of his legal argument before a trip to the Netherlands.

“Watching the Etna volcano reminded me of my people. Like a volcano, we will never calm down until we achieve justice.”

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Thousands of artists call for Israel’s exclusion from Venice Biennale | Israel War on Gaza News

Art Not Genocide Alliance says that any works that represent Israel are an ‘endorsement of its genocidal policies’ in Gaza.

Thousands of artists, curators and museum directors have called for Israel to be excluded from this year’s Venice Biennale art fair and accused the exhibition of “platforming a genocidal apartheid state”.

Israel has been facing mounting international criticism, including in the art world, over its military offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians since October 7.

The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) said the Biennale – a major international art exhibition – had two years ago banned anyone linked to the Russian government following the invasion of Ukraine, but not taken action against Israel as it continues its war on Gaza.

“The Biennale has been silent about Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians. We are appalled by this double standard,” ANGA said in an online letter that had been signed by more than 12,500 people as of Tuesday.

It said the Biennale had also previously banned South Africa under its system of apartheid and white minority rule and pointed to the fact that leading human rights groups today deem Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian lands “a cruel system of apartheid and a crime against humanity”.

“Platforming art representing a state engaged in ongoing atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza is unacceptable,” the international collective of artists and cultural workers said.

It called “any official representation of Israel on the international cultural stage” and “any work that officially represents the state of Israel” an “endorsement of its genocidal policies”.

Israel rejects any accusation that its actions amount to genocide. The International Court of Justice has found that it is “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent genocide.

‘Shameful’

Italy’s culture minister condemned the ANGA letter as “unacceptable” and “shameful”, saying it “threatens freedom of thought and creative expression”.

“Israel does not only have the right to express its art, but has the duty to bear witness to its people at a moment like this, when it has been hit by surprise by merciless terrorists,” Gennaro Sangiuliano said in a statement.

Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel responded with a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza. More than 29,000 people have been killed in the Israeli assault, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Sangiuliano said that the Biennale, set to begin on April 20, “will always be a space of freedom, of meetings and dialogue, and not a space of censorship and intolerance”.

ANGA said: “Art does not happen in a vacuum (let alone a “pocket”), and cannot transcend reality.”

“There is no free expression for the Palestinian poets, artists, and writers murdered, silenced, imprisoned, tortured, and prevented from travelling abroad or internally by Israel. There is no free expression in the Palestinian theatres and literary festivals shut down by Israel. There is no free expression in the museums, archives, publications, libraries, universities, schools, and homes of Gaza bombed to rubble by Israel. There is no free expression in the war crime of cultural genocide,” it said.

Signatories of the appeal include Palestine Museum US Director Faisal Saleh, activist US photographer Nan Goldin and British visual artist Jesse Darling, who won last year’s Turner Prize.

Dubbed the “Olympics of the art world”, the Biennale is one of the main events in the international arts calendar. This year’s edition, “Foreigners Everywhere”, is due to host pavilions from 90 countries between April 20 and November 24.

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Four Egyptian officials back on trial in Italy over death of Giulio Regeni | Courts News

Italy’s top court decided last year to proceed with the trial against the four officials, who will be tried in absentia.

The trial of four Egyptian security agents accused of kidnapping and murdering an Italian student in Cario opened in Italy on Tuesday following a prolonged delay in the proceedings over its legality.

Giulio Regeni, a postgraduate student at the United Kingdom’s Cambridge University, disappeared in the Egyptian capital in January 2016, where he was researching union activities among street vendors as part of his doctoral thesis.

A month after his disappearance, the body of the 28-year-old was found on the side of a highway on the edge of Cairo, bearing cigarette burns, broken teeth, and fractured bones. A post-mortem examination showed he had been tortured before his death.

Human rights activists also said the marks on his body were reminiscent of those resulting from widespread torture in Egyptian security agency facilities.

Regeni’s parents, Paola and Giulio Regeni, attended the opening court session on Tuesday and posed outside the court with the banner “Truth for Giulio Regeni”.

The Regeni family lawyer, Alessandra Ballerini, said after the short hearing, “We have been waiting for eight years this moment.”

“We finally hope to have a trial against those who perpetrated all the possible pain in the world on Giulio.”

People during a march and torchlight procession in memory of the Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, in Rome, Italy, January 25, 2018 [File: Andrea Ronchini/NurPhoto via Getty Images]

Italian prosecutors believe four Egyptian officials were involved in the killing, but have not been able to track them down to issue summons, so they are being tried in absentia.

Tuesday’s hearing marks the second time the four Egyptian officials have gone on trial on charges related to Regeni’s death, after proceedings originally opened in October 2021 but were immediately suspended after the judge questioned whether the prosecution would be legitimate if it were not clear that the accused even knew they had been charged.

But Italy’s top court dismissed the decision in September last year, saying Egypt’s failure to cooperate should not impede the trial.

Tranquillino Sarno, a public defender for one of the accused, asked for continued efforts to contact the four officials on Tuesday.

He asked that the court ensure Egyptian authorities “can be officially informed of this trial in Italy, as today, we don’t even know if they are still alive”.

Egypt has denied claims that it refused to help the investigation into Regeni’s death, saying its authorities cooperated with Italian officials and that its investigations concluded that Regeni’s killers are unknown.

Officials also said that the Italian investigation was not based on consistent evidence, denying any responsibility from the country’s security apparatus.

Egyptian police earlier claimed that Regeni was killed by gangsters who specialised in impersonating police officials, kidnapping foreigners, and stealing their money and that they were killed during an exchange of fire with the police. But Egyptian judges ruled that the men were not Regeni’s killers.

The trial represents the first time Egyptian officials have been prosecuted abroad for alleged crimes that human rights groups have said have been committed on a larger scale in the North African country.

After Tuesday’s preliminary motions, the president of the jury adjourned the proceedings until March 18.

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Which countries have stopped supplying arms to Israel? | Israel War on Gaza News

EXPLAINER

As civilian casualties continue to mount in Gaza, global calls for countries to halt arms sales to Israel grow.

The United States Senate has approved a bill committing $14bn to support Israel’s war on Gaza this week.

Even before the start of the war last October, the US firmly supported Israel with the supply of military equipment, contributing $3bn annually in military aid. Many other countries provide military support to Israel via arms sales.

Civilian casualties continue to mount in Gaza – currently standing at more than 28,000 dead with thousands more trapped under rubble and presumed dead in just four months of bombardment and ground invasions. The rising death toll is prompting international condemnation from humanitarian and civil society groups in the form of statements, protests and lawsuits filed against countries alleged to be providing military support to Israel. Some countries are responding to this pressure.

On Monday, the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, commented on US President Joe Biden’s description of Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attacks as “over the top”. “Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people being killed,” Borrell told reporters.

So which countries continue to send weapons to Israel and which are taking steps to suspend supply?

Who supplies arms to Israel?

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s arms transfers database, 68 percent of Israel’s weapons imports between 2013 and 2022 came from the US.

The US military also stockpiles weapons on the ground in Israel, presumably for use by the US army itself. However, the US has allowed Israel to make use of some of these supplies during the Gaza war.

Besides the US, Israel also receives military imports from other nations.

  • Weapons imported from Germany make up 28 percent of Israel’s military imports. Germany’s military exports rose nearly tenfold in 2023 compared with 2022 after it increased sales to Israel in November, according to figures from the German Economic Ministry. Germany primarily supplies Israel with components for air defence systems and communications equipment, according to the German press agency dpa.
  • The United Kingdom has licensed at least 474 million pounds ($594m) in military exports to Israel since 2015, Human Rights Watch reported in December 2023. These exports included aircraft, missiles, tanks, technology and ammunition, including components for the F-35 stealth bomber used in Gaza.
  • In Canada, dozens of civil society groups have recently urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end arms exports to Israel. The government says it does not send full weapons systems to Israel, but these civil society groups claim it is downplaying the amount of military support it provides. “Canadian companies have exported over $84m [114 million Canadian dollars] in military goods to Israel since 2015,” said Michael Bueckert, vice president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, an advocacy group, adding that the government has continued to approve arms exports since the start of the war.
  • Australia’s foreign affairs minister has said the country has not provided weapons to Israel since the start of the war. However, The Australian Greens party’s defence spokesperson, David Shoebridge, has asked for the government to be more transparent about exactly what items have been exported to Israel, adding that the country has one of the most secretive weapons export systems in the world. Amnesty International has also called on Australia to halt arms sales to Israel and claims the country has approved 322 defence exports to Israel over the past six years.
  • In France, a pro-Palestine demonstration on February 7 called on French companies, including Dassault Aviation, to stop selling arms to Israel. Demonstrators said, according to the Anadolu news agency, “all French companies that sell arms to the Tel Aviv administration are complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.
Demonstrators condemn Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, near the southern port city of Limassol, Cyprus, January 14, 2024. Lawyers say weapons sales to Israel could render other countries ‘complicit’ in war crimes in Gaza [Petros Karadjias/AP Photo]

Which countries are stopping arms supplies to Israel?

  • In the Netherlands, a court on Monday gave the government one week to block all exports of parts for the F-35 fighter jet, which Israel is using to bomb the Gaza Strip. The ruling was the result of a lawsuit filed by Dutch humanitarian organisations Oxfam Novib, PAX Netherlands Peace Movement Foundation and The Rights Forum against the government. The concerns laid out in this lawsuit overlap with the issues the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is considering in South Africa’s apartheid case against Israel. “It is undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the court ruling stated.
  • In Belgium, a regional government said it suspended two licences for the export of gunpowder to Israel on February 6. It was reported that the regional government cited the ICJ interim ruling which found Israel may “plausibly” be committing genocide in Gaza.
  • Japanese company Itochu Corporation announced on February 5 that it will end its partnership with Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems by the end of February. Itochu chief financial officer Tsuyoshi Hachimura told a news conference that the suspension of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Elbit Systems was based on a request from Japan’s Ministry of Defense and “not in any way related to the current conflict between Israel and Palestine”. However, he added: “Taking into consideration the International Court of Justice’s order on January 26, and that the Japanese government supports the role of the Court, we have already suspended new activities related to the MOU, and plan to end the MOU by the end of February.”
  • Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on January 20 that Italy had suspended all shipments of weapons systems or military material to Israel since the outbreak of the war on October 7. This was in response to Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein’s calls on the government to halt the supply of weapons to Israel.
  • Spain’s foreign minister said in January the country has not sold any arms to Israel since the start of the war and that there is now an embargo on weapon sales. However, on Monday, the Spanish daily El Diario released a report showing that Spain had exported ammunition worth about $1.1m to Israel in November. Spain’s secretary of state for trade justified selling the ammo, telling El Diario that the “material was for tests or demonstrations” and “corresponds to licences granted before October 7″.

What role has the ICJ ruling played in halting arms sales?

In its interim ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel on January 26, the ICJ stated that Israel is “plausibly” committing genocide in Gaza and ordered it to take “all measures within its power” to prevent acts that could amount to genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This has spurred humanitarian organisations around the world to pressure their governments to halt sales of arms and military aid.

The ruling “goes beyond Israel” alone, said Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Washington, DC-based think tank Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). The interim ruling highlights the legal and political obligations of countries to prevent genocide. Advocates say weapons sales and military aid could be deemed to amount to complicity in genocide and be in violation of international law.

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Palestinians slam suspension of UNRWA funding by some Western nations | News

Italy, Australia, US, Canada halt support after Israel accused UNRWA staff of involvement in Hamas’s October 7 attacks.

Top Palestinian officials and Hamas have criticised the decision by some Western countries to suspend funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians and called for an immediate reversal of the move that entails “great” risk.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) earlier said it had opened an investigation into some employees that Israel alleges were involved in the October 7 attacks that triggered the current conflict.

On Saturday, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh said the countries’ decision “entails great political and humanitarian relief risks”.

“At this particular time and in light of the continuing aggression against the Palestinian people, we need the maximum support for this international organization and not stopping support and assistance to it,” he wrote on X, urging the countries to “immediately reverse their decision”.

Italy, Australia, Canada and the United States said they would halt funding to the agency, while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the 27-member bloc would “assess further steps and draw lessons based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation”.

Hamas on Saturday slammed Israeli “threats” against the agency, after Israel accused several UNRWA staff of involvement in Hamas’s October 7 attacks in southern Israel that the authorities there say killed about 1,140 people.

“We ask the UN and the international organisations to not cave in to the threats and blackmail” from Israel, Hamas’s press office said in a post on Telegram.

On Friday, UNRWA said it had fired several employees and that it had opened an investigation into the allegations.

“The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

“To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay.”

Aid freeze

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday that his country was joining its allies and cutting its support for the agency.

“Allied countries have taken a similar decision. We are committed to providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population while protecting Israel’s security,” he posted on X.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was “deeply concerned” by the allegations against UNRWA.

“We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding,” she wrote on X.

“We welcome UNRWA’s immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as its recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organization,” she added.

Israel praised the countries for halting their support to the UN agency, saying it wants to completely stop its operations after the war on Gaza has ended.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel “aims to promoting a policy ensuring that UNRWA will not be a part of the day after, addressing other contributing factors”.

“We will work to garner bipartisan support in the US, the European Union, and other nations globally for this policy aimed at halting UNRWA’s activities in Gaza,” he said.

Independent investigation

Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday announced that Ottawa had “temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations”.

“Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue,” he wrote on X.

“Should the allegations prove to be accurate, Canada expects UNRWA to immediately act against those determined to have been involved in Hamas’s terrorist attacks.”

The US halted funding to UNRWA on Friday because of the allegations against 12 employees who “may have been involved” in the Hamas attack.

Lazzarini did not disclose the number of employees nor the nature of their alleged involvement, but said “any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror” would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has pledged to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA”.

At least 26,257 people have been killed and 64,797 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.



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FIFA’s Infantino calls for automatic forfeits for teams over racist abuse | Football News

FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino has called for worldwide stadium bans for fans and “automatic forfeits” for teams whose supporters hurl “abhorrent” abuse, following racist incidents at club matches in Italy and England.

The head of governing body the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) said on Sunday that there was no place for discrimination of any kind in the sport or wider society.

“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable,” he said in a statement.

“The players affected by Saturday’s events have my undivided support.”

Fans aimed monkey chants at AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan during Milan’s dramatic 3-2 win at Udinese, with the game temporarily halted.

In a strongly worded statement on X, formerly Twitter, the France team said: “You have all our support Mike Maignan. The FFF [French Football Federation] totally condemns all racist acts.”

France captain Kylian Mbappe also offered his backing to his international teammate.

“You are very far from being alone Mike Maignan, we are all with you,” wrote the Paris Saint-Germain star.

“Still the same problems and still NO solution. Enough is enough!!!!! NO TO RACISM” he posted on X.

“We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society,” Infantino said.

“As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists.

“FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!”

‘Something must be done’

At Udinese, referee Fabio Maresca stopped play during the first half and a livid Maignan stormed down the tunnel with his teammates.

Play resumed after about five minutes.

Maignan said something had to change as racist abuse has been part of football for too long.

“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence,” he told Milan TV after confirming he heard fans making monkey noises.

“With all the cameras present and sanctions for these things, something must be done to change things.

“We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”

Last week Lazio were hit with a one-match stand closure after supporters directed monkey chants at Romelu Lukaku during their team’s Italian Cup win over local rivals Roma.

Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer accused Sheffield Wednesday fans of doing the same to him during their English Championship clash, which his team won 2-1 on Saturday as well.

Palmer labelled the abuse “abhorrent and wholly unacceptable”, with the match paused as the referee spoke to both managers on the touchline.

In a statement, Sheffield Wednesday said they were “shocked and saddened by the racist gesture from the stands” reported by Palmer.

“Both clubs roundly condemn any form of discrimination and abuse, and underline that there is no place for this kind of behaviour in football or our wider society,” the statement added.

“We will work together with the relevant authorities and anyone proven to be culpable will face the strictest possible sanctions from both Sheffield Wednesday and the law.”

Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright applauded the “solidarity” in the Milan side and urged teams to “keep walking off” when they hear abuse and called for stronger sanctions.

He wrote on X: “We did ‘playing through it’ and nothing has changed. Points deductions needed, the fines are pointless.”

However, Palmer admitted he was sceptical that things would change in the game, also writing on X: “Racism is a disgrace. it has no place in the world, let alone football.

“I’m black and proud and I am raising my three kids to be the exact same. I’ll be honest, it feels like things will never change, no matter how hard we try.

“Couple [of] fans doing monkey chants don’t define a fan base – I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received.”



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