‘A notice of imminent destruction': Israel's home demolitions in East Jerusalem reach record numbers
While all eyes are on Gaza, another war is being fought for control of Jerusalem. Hundreds of Israeli police officers mobilised Monday for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the city's total conquest by Israel in 1967. It's an opportunity for Israeli nationalists to reaffirm their hold on the city – and, increasingly, for scenes of violence against Palestinians in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem. This part of the city – which under international law should have been returned to the Palestinians – is being increasingly eroded by Israeli settlements. Like in the occupied West Bank, the destruction of Palestinian family homes has accelerated since the October 7, 2023 attacks. In 2024 1,617 buildings were destroyed compared with 1,175 the previous year, according to UN figures. Amira Souilem, Claire Duhamel and Mohammed Natsheh went to Silwan on the edge of Jerusalem's Old City to meet a Palestinian family whose house is due to be destroyed.
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AFP
an hour ago
- AFP
Video of Trump issuing sanctions against ICC falsely linked to Thailand-Cambodia border dispute
The video, showing Trump signing a document in the Oval Office while surrounded by officials and photographers, was posted on TikTok on June 8, 2025. Superimposed Thai-language text on the video reads: "Cambodia started this. Big Daddy Trump has already sanctioned . Thailand, what will you do about Preah Vihear?" The ICJ, known as the World Court, settles legal disputes between countries (archived link). Land near Preah Vihear, a 900-year-old temple on the Thai‑Cambodian border, was the site of sporadic violence between the two countries before the ICJ ruled in 2013 that the area belonged to Cambodia (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on June 10, 2025 The post circulated after a Cambodian soldier was killed in the most recent outbreak of clashes on May 28 in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet (). Cambodia said it would file a complaint with the ICJ over the border dispute, with Thailand countering by saying it does not recognise the court's jurisdiction on this matter and prefers resolving the issue through existing bilateral channels (archived here and here). Both sides agreed on June 8 to ease tensions by repositioning troops in the area (). Similar posts claiming Trump sanctioned the World Court were shared elsewhere on TikTok and Facebook. But the US president has not sanctioned the ICJ on Thailand's behalf or otherwise. International Criminal Court sanctions The falsely shared video appears to be a report by broadcaster Thai PBS, and the news anchor can be heard saying: "US President Donald Trump signed another executive order to sanction the International Criminal Court, or ICC..." A subsequent keyword search on Thai PBS's social media platforms led to the same footage posted on the broadcaster's YouTube channel on February 7 (archived link). The clip used in the false post can be seen at the YouTube video's 48:18 mark. The footage shows Trump imposing sanctions on the ICC -- which prosecutes individuals for war crimes and crimes against humanity -- for probes targeting the United States and its ally Israel (archived here and here). Trump's order said the tribunal had engaged in "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel," referring to investigations into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the Thai PBS YouTube video (right) As of June 11, there have been no official reports of Trump commenting on the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Netanyahu faces vote to dissolve parliament over ultra-Orthodox draft law
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a vote to dissolve parliament Wednesday and key coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government. Still, few think it's the end of the road for Israel's longest-serving prime minister, who has been battling corruption charges for years, or his far-right government, still in power after presiding over the security failures surrounding the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The move to dissolve, called by the opposition, will only pass if Netanyahu's ultra-Orthodox coalition partners break with him over the failure to pass a law exempting their community from military service, an issue that has bitterly divided Israelis, especially during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The threats coming from the ultra-Orthodox could be posturing, and many expect Netanyahu to pull off a last-minute deal. But Wednesday's vote is the most serious challenge to Netanyahu's government since the war began, and the coalition's collapse could have major implications for Israel and the ongoing war. Most Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years of military service followed by years of reserve duty. Jewish women serve two mandatory years. But the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in religious seminaries. The exemptions – and the government stipends many seminary students receive through age 26 – have infuriated the general public. 02:58 After Hamas' 2023 attack, Israel activated 360,000 reservists, its largest mobilization since the 1973 Mideast war. Israel is engaged in the longest active war in the country's history, which has stretched its robust military to the breaking point. Far fewer reservists Many reserve soldiers have served multiple rounds of duty in Gaza totaling hundreds of days. Some reserve soldiers are rejecting new call-ups. The number of Israelis continuing to report for reserve duty has dropped so low that the military has taken to social media to try to recruit people to keep serving. The enlistment exemption for the ultra-Orthodox goes back to Israel's 1948 founding, when small numbers of gifted scholars were exempt from the draft in response to the decimation of Jewish scholarship during the Holocaust. But with a push from politically powerful religious parties, the numbers have swelled to tens of thousands today. Israel's Supreme Court said the exemptions were illegal in 2017, but repeated extensions and government delay tactics have prevented a replacement law from being passed. Among Israel's Jewish majority, mandatory military service is largely seen as a melting pot and rite of passage. That's exactly why some ultra-Orthodox don't want their children to serve. 'It mixes together people with very different backgrounds, very different ideas, some people with very immoral ideas,' said Rabbi Ephraim Luft, 66, from the ultra-Orthodox stronghold of Bnei Barak. Luft said the community's dedication to upholding Jewish commandments protects the country as much as military service. 'Over thousands of years, the Jewish people have stood very strongly against any kind of decrees to force them to give up their religion, they've given up their lives for this,' Luft said. 'People have to understand there's no difference between the Spanish Inquisition or the Israeli draft law.' Two parties belonging to the Haredim, or 'God-fearing' in Hebrew, are essential to Netanyahu's coalition. Both would need to vote to dissolve the government to force new elections, including Shas, which has traditionally been more supportive of Netanyahu. On Monday, a Shas spokesperson told an ultra-Orthodox radio program the party plans to vote in favor of dissolution, unless there is a breakthrough in negotiations. The other party, Degel HaTorah, has been threatening to leave the government since last week. 'Basically, they don't really care about the war and the economic situation of the state and anything else but their communal interest. And the focus of this communal interest is getting the exemption from serving in the army," said Shuki Friedman, an expert on religion and state affairs and vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. Current system 'unsustainable' Friedman and other experts say the current system is unsustainable. With its high birthrate, the ultra-Orthodox are the fastest-growing segment of Israel's population, at about 4% annually. Each year, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of 18, but less than 10% enlist, according to parliament's State Control Committee, which held a hearing examining the issue. The shock of the Oct. 7 attack appeared to ignite some enthusiasm among the ultra-Orthodox to serve, but no large enlistment materialized. The army has repeatedly declined to comment on the ultra-Orthodox enlistment rate. 06:14 If the dissolution vote passes, it still faces a series of bureaucratic steps, including additional votes, that the government would likely drag on for weeks or months, said Gayil Talshir, a political science professor at Hebrew University. 'It will be like a gun that's been put into position, but that doesn't mean the coalition is over,' she said. Elections in Israel are scheduled for the fall of 2026. Both Talshir and Friedman believe it's unlikely the dissolution vote will pass Wednesday. If one ultra-Orthodox party is absent, the vote will not pass and another cannot be brought for six months, Talshir said. Rabbis under pressure However, there's also a 'valid possibility' the rabbis who advise the ultra-Orthodox parties will say they've waited long enough for a draft exemption law, because they are facing enormous pressure from their communities, Friedman said. On Tuesday, top Haredi rabbis issued a religious decree emphasizing their stand against military service, which complicates the Haredi politicians' ability to negotiate, Friedman added. The army has issued thousands of draft notices to the ultra-Orthodox community, and those who refuse to serve can face arrest. While only around a dozen have been arrested after being stopped for trying to leave the country or for traffic violations, the fear this has inspired is significant, he added. Netanyahu frequently cites the ongoing war as a reason Israel needs to provide a united front against its enemies. While the ultra-Orthodox parties remain part of the coalition, they want the war to end as quickly as possible, Talshir said. 'The Haredim think once the war is over, the pressure will be off them and they will be able to get their (military) exemption law,' she said.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Guterres urges countries to join ocean pact before point of no return
After receiving historic support for the High Seas Treaty at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that its entry into force is "within sight". The treaty, which provides a legal framework for establishing marine protected areas and regulating activities on the high seas, gained momentum on Monday. However, its implementation is not yet guaranteed. Guterres urged all remaining nations to ratify the pact quickly to make it legally binding. During his address, he highlighted significant opposition to the treaty's goals. "There is a tipping point approaching, beyond which recovery may become impossible. And let us be clear. Powerful interests are pushing us towards the brink," Guterres stated. "We are facing a hard battle against a clear enemy. Its name is greed. Greed that sows doubt, denies science, distorts truths, rewards corruption, and destroys life for profit." If it comes into force, the treaty would be the first legally binding international agreement to protect biodiversity on the high seas, which cover nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans. It is considered vital to counter overfishing, end plastic pollution, regulate seabed mining, and meet the global '30 by 30' conservation goal, which aims to protect 30 per cent of the planet's oceans by 2030. Stressing the urgency, Guterres also reminded delegates that climate change goals cannot be ignored. "Last year, for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times. Scientists are clear that that does not mean that the long-term global temperature rise limit of 1.5 degrees is out of reach," he said. "It means we need to fight harder. And the ocean depends on it, and so do we." Eighteen countries ratified the treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49, just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean. The French Senate overwhelmingly backed a new bill designed to regulate low-cost clothing giants on Tuesday, mainly targeting Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu. The text aims to tackle the environmental and economic consequences of fast fashion, a model that thrives on mass production and low prices. The legislation introduces an eco-score system that will evaluate the environmental impact of products sold by fast fashion companies, including emissions, resource use, and recyclability. Brands with the lowest scores could be taxed up to €5 per item starting in 2025, increasing to €10 by 2030. However, the tax cannot exceed 50% of the item's retail price. It also includes a ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion brands and sanctions for influencers who promote them online. While the bill takes aim at ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein and Temu, it notably spares major European players such as Zara, H&M, and Kiabi from the harshest penalties. Environmental groups have criticised the revised bill for what they see as a weakened ambition. 'It's a missed opportunity,' said Pierre Condamine, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth France. 'We've got a text that's going to target two brands and therefore leave out what represents at least 90% of production and clothing sold in France. So it's a missed opportunity. We could have a real environmental ambition. We are very disappointed because, in the end, we can see that it's economic protection that has become the major driving force behind this bill. In contrast, at its beginning, there was an ambition to move the sector towards more sustainable practices," he told Euronews. But some French lawmakers argue the bill needs to protect European industries first. 'Unfortunately, we have no choice,' said conservative Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir. 'Today, we still have to defend what's left of our European industries. We have to make a distinction between the production that's done in China by these giants. We're talking about scales that are 100 times larger than us. So we're preserving European and French industries for the time being, because if we don't, there will be nothing left," she told Euronews. Shein spokesperson Quentin Ruffat responded to the bill earlier this week, warning that the text could "impact the purchasing power" of French consumers. Between 2010 and 2023, the value of advertised fast fashion products in France rose from €2.3 billion to €3.2 billion. In France, 35 clothing items are discarded every second, according to the country's environment agency Ademe. The Senate passed the bill with 337 votes in favour and only one against. The text will now move to a joint committee of senators and deputies in September. The European Commission will also need to be notified to ensure the bill complies with EU regulations. If passed, it would mark one of the most aggressive legislative efforts in Europe to address the toll of fast fashion, though its ultimate impact remains to be seen.
