US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday kicked off his new Middle East tour in Cairo. He is believed to be seeking a ceasefire in Gaza eight months into the conflict triggered by the terrorist group Hamas' invasion of Israel killing over a thousand people and taking some 250 others hostage, of whom about 50% have been either rescued or handed back over to their land. It is yet to be known how many of them are still alive. Blinken reportedly plans to broker their release.
BBC is reporting that a British bank that escaped prosecution for money laundering carried out billions of dollars of transactions for funders of terrorist groups, according to US court papers allege. The piece by Andy Verity points out that Standard Chartered, one of the UK’s largest banks, avoided prosecution by the US Department of Justice after Lord Cameron’s government intervened on its behalf in 2012.
The Chilean Government of President Gabriel Boric Font announced Saturday that it would be joining South Africa as plaintiffs in the genocide case filed against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Friday issued a landmark ruling ordering Israel to stop its military deployment in Rafah, a spot in southern Gaza where thousands are said to have been killed since the beginning of hostilities in October last year. The highest court of the United Nations (UN) also warned that the current situation was “causing irreparable harm” nearing the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Wednesday announced that his country would be recognizing Palestine's statehood as of May 28. In addition to Spain, Norway and the Republic of Ireland will be adopting the same stance. It was the Socialist leader's second bold diplomatic move this week after pulling Madrid's Ambassador María Jesús Alonso Jiménez from Buenos Aires. Of the 193 United Nations member states, 143 have recognized an independent state of Palestine, including China and Russia.
US President Joseph Biden Monday criticized International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's decision to request arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders alike on the grounds that comparing one with the other was outrageous. In Biden's view, the move suggests that Israel and Hamas share equal blame for the war in Gaza.
International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced Monday that he would be seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as well as for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, and Ismail Haniyeh.
The United States exercised its veto power Thursday within the United Nations Security Council to cut Palestine short from full statehood and membership, it was reported in New York. Hence Palestine remained a “permanent observer state” with no voting rights within the global organization.
The United Nations (UN) Security Council passed Monday a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, it was reported from New York. It was the first time that none of the superpowers powers holding veto rights chose to exercise it.
Argentine President Javier Milei rounded up his tour of Israel Thursday with a visit to the Old City in Jerusalem, where he stopped by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and then met with relatives of people kidnapped during Hamas' Oct. raids before heading for Rome to meet with Pope Francis.