US ramps up attack on international court over Israel
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also targeted a Canadian judge in a separate case in his latest volley of sanctions against
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Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Putin plays with ‘peace'
The bizarre President Trump pantomime on Ukraine persists. Although it may be presumptuous to predict the failure of "peace" efforts, Russian President Vladimir Putin holds the prime position. He has been the puppet master pulling the strings. President Putin has conceded nothing so far. Instead, he has gained international stature and a domestic boost, thanks to the red-carpet treatment from the United States leader on US soil. Not bad for an alleged war criminal facing arrest in countries that accept the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction. Mr Putin has secured Mr Trump's support to recognise Russia's control over Crimea and large parts of eastern Ukraine. U.S. President Trump And Russian President Putin. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES According to Mr Trump, Mr Putin is willing to accept one major concession: international security guarantees for Ukraine. Mr Putin, however, has remained silent. Why should he concede anything when Mr Trump does his bidding? It is highly doubtful he would reverse earlier bottom lines and agree to security guarantees that are effective, long-term, and trustworthy, even if talks progressed that far. Perhaps Mr Putin would settle for the territorial gains discussed with Mr Trump, including a crucial strategic area of the Donbas still held by Ukraine. Meanwhile, he has not even had to accept a ceasefire, a condition Mr Trump earlier insisted upon. His tactic is to sever Mr Trump's support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He and Mr Trump have reached an understanding that he knows is virtually impossible for Mr Zelenskyy to accept, both for constitutional reasons and due to Ukrainian public opinion. Ceding territory through force is also entirely illegal under the United Nations Charter. In the end, direct talks, if they ever properly start, will go nowhere. Mr Zelenskyy may receive the blame in Mr Trump's mind, and crucial US intelligence, military, and other support could be cut off. Meanwhile, Russia continues grinding down Ukraine and grinding out more territory. Mr Trump's earlier threats of secondary sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's oil sales to China and India have come to nothing. Other stricter direct sanctions have also not been applied. When agreements are not reached, possible international security guarantees lose their relevance. It was little wonder that Europe's premier leaders rushed to Washington DC to support Mr Zelenskyy. Mr Putin's manipulation of Mr Trump and lack of commitments are plain to them. Their tactic is to show willingness by pushing for a ceasefire, something Mr Trump, parroting Mr Putin, no longer deems necessary. While their obsequiousness towards Mr Trump is sickening, what alternative do they have when facing an erratic, narcissistic bully who leads the world's most powerful nation? Mr Zelenskyy has learned the hard way the necessity of grovelling. The lessons of history are clear. Hitler's Germany absorbed Austria and occupied the Sudetenland in 1938, and the world complied. Appeasement failed, and Poland was next. Mr Putin has not even had to commit to meeting Mr Zelenskyy. He has persuaded Mr Trump, shifting the pressure on to Ukraine and its president. Hopefully, Mr Putin has overreached. Part of us might wish the West, including the US, would support Ukraine with all guns blazing: smash Russia inside Ukraine with shock and awe, and apply full force in every other way short of invasion. After all, Mr Putin, like Mr Trump, respects only power. Of course, that cannot happen. The stakes are sky-high, and the consequences — intended or otherwise — are terrifying. Becoming deeply entangled in other people's wars almost always ends badly. Mr Putin's earlier rumblings about nuclear retaliation remain a warning. Even if he is highly unlikely to go that far, the consequences would be so catastrophic that even a slim chance is a gamble not worth taking. Realistically, Crimea, occupied since 2014, is lost to Ukraine. In the end, other territory may also have to be forfeited. Yet Ukraine is not ready to capitulate, and Mr Putin has invested too much to pull back. Mr Trump is right about one thing: Ukraine and most of the world want the killing to stop. Whether Mr Putin does is another matter entirely.
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
If murder it was, killing of reporter must be independently investigated
Israel must allow independent investigations of the killing of journalists, Peter Greste writes. The New York-based media freedom organisation, the Committee to Protect Journalists, is scrupulous with its words. So, when the organisation described the killing of six Palestinian journalists in an Israeli air strike as "murder", the word was a carefully considered CPJ defines "murder" as the "deliberate killing of journalists for their work". Israeli authorities said they were targeting one man — a 28-year-old Al Jazeera reporter named Anas al-Sharif — who they said was the leader of a Hamas "cell". They also accused him of "advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and (Israeli) troops". Israel made no claims about the other five; three of them were al-Sharif's Al Jazeera colleagues and the other two were freelance journalists. In a post on X, an Israeli military spokesman said: "Prior to the strike, we obtained current intelligence indicating that Sharif was an active Hamas military wing operative at the time of his elimination." The evidence the Israeli authorities claimed to have was circumstantial at best: "personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary documents". Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee also posted undated photos on X that appeared to show al-Sharif in an embrace with Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel says it has further classified evidence that includes more damning detail. Without seeing it all, it is impossible to verify the claims but the photograph itself is hardly proof. Front-line journalists (myself included) will have selfies with those they have interviewed, including some very unpleasant characters. Many will have phone numbers of extremists — they will appear in call logs and records of meetings. None of it is evidence of anything other than a well-connected reporter doing their job. Of course, Israel may well be right. Despite the vigorous denials from Al Jazeera, it is still possible al-Sharif was working for Hamas. And if he was, the Israeli authorities should have no problem allowing independent investigators complete access to verify the claims and settle the matter. But the strike also fits a disturbing pattern. With 190 media workers now killed since the October 7 attacks, this is the deadliest conflict for journalists since the CPJ began keeping records. While some of the victims were inevitably caught in the violence along with so many other civilians, many of them died in rocket strikes aimed squarely at their homes, their clearly marked vehicles, or while they were wearing body armour labelled "PRESS". In all, the CPJ has identified 24 journalists who appeared to have been targeted — murdered, in the group's words — specifically because of their work. The number may well be far higher but those figures alone raise disturbing questions about Israel's tolerance for critical media reporting. They also demand answers from independent investigators. We receive horrific reports from Gaza daily, but Israel repeatedly dismisses them as Hamas propaganda. "A terrorist is a terrorist, even if Al Jazeera gives him a press badge", the Israeli foreign ministry posted on social media. If Israel believes the journalism from Palestinian reporters is nothing more than Hamas propaganda, the solution is straightforward: let foreign correspondents in. It is worth recalling the reason we cherish media freedom is not because we want to privilege a particular class of individual. It is because we recognise the vital importance accurate, independent reporting plays in informing public debate. Without it, we are blind and deaf. International news organisations have repeatedly called for access to Gaza. Now, a group of more than 1000 international journalists have signed a petition demanding to be let in (I am one of the signatories). Israel has so far refused. The government says it cannot guarantee their security in such an active battlefield. But that cannot be justification alone. All those who have signed the petition know well the risks of reporting from hostile environments. Many have crossed active war front lines themselves. Most have friends who have died in other conflicts. Some have been wounded, arrested or kidnapped themselves. None are naive to the dangers and all are committed to the principles behind media freedom. Calling for foreign journalists to be let into Gaza is not to deny the extraordinary sacrifice of Anas al-Sharif or any of the other Palestinians who have been killed while doing their jobs. Rather, it is to assert the importance of the fundamental right of all — the right to information. That applies as much in Gaza as it does in Ukraine, or Russia, or Sudan, or any other crisis where the public needs accurate, reliable information to support good policy. — ■ Peter Greste is a professor of journalism and communications at Macquarie University.
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Tairāwhiti Stands With Palestine protest calls for Government sanctions on Israel
Messages from the community about what is happening in Gaza were placed inside bottles addressed to East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick as part of a Gaza protest rally in Gisborne on Saturday. 'New Zealand signed on to the Geneva Conventions in 1950 and has been party to multiple protocols to protect civilian populations since. International law is a code of conduct between nation states,' Luiten said. 'You don't get to pick and choose when to apply it. What is happening in Gaza is not a tragedy. It's a crime against humanity. In the circumstances, the Government's lack of response amounts to complicity. 'Whānau in Egypt are throwing bottles of food into the Mediterranean in the hope they will reach starving whānau in Gaza. We are sending our messages in a bottle to Dana in the hope that she, too, will be moved to do her bit to end the deliberate starvation in Gaza.' In response to the calls to sanction Israel, the Israeli embassy in New Zealand gave a statement. 'Israel deeply regrets every innocent life lost. Israelis know this pain personally. Hundreds of our own civilians were murdered, and dozens have been held hostage by Hamas for over 680 days, deliberately abused and starved by the terrorists,' the ambassador's statement read. 'To describe Israel's actions as 'crime against humanity' or 'deliberate starvation' is wrong and misleading. These claims are copied from Hamas propaganda. We should remember that Hamas is a terror group designated under New Zealand law, which systematically embeds fighters and weapons among civilians, precisely to drive up casualties. 'The tragedy in Gaza stems from Hamas waging cruel war from hospitals, schools, and crowded neighborhoods – not from Israel's defence of its people. Israel has facilitated unprecedented aid: over 2 million tonnes of supplies and 230 million ready-to-eat meals. 'Hamas has seized fuel, stolen aid and food shipments and sold them, and starved the hostages it still holds. Starvation is not Israel's policy; it is Hamas's weapon. 'Sanctioning Israel would not promote peace. It would reward Hamas's atrocities, embolden further terrorism, and 'punish' the region's only democracy. If groups in New Zealand want to make a real difference, they should pressure Hamas – still holding Israeli hostages and treating 2 million Palestinians as human shields – to lay down its weapons, release the hostages and leave Gaza. That is the real path to possible peace process.' Kirkpatrick said she was 'just as appalled' by the situation in Gaza as anybody. 'The situation in Gaza is horrific, and the humanitarian crisis is particularly galling for all of us,' Kirkpatrick said. 'The October 7 attacks by Hamas were abhorrent, but the response has gone too far. It is time for a ceasefire, not further military action. We need food and aid to reach Gaza, not more soldiers and missiles.' Kirkpatrick said the New Zealand Government had called for a ceasefire and had sent millions in aid. Dana Kirkpatrick talked about the Government's policy on Palestine. Photo / Mark Mitchell 'Our Government has consistently called on both sides to respect international law, including the protection of civilians and vital infrastructure such as hospitals,' she said. 'New Zealand has also sent $37.25 million in aid to address urgent humanitarian needs. The best course of action now is the immediate resumption of humanitarian assistance, and for both parties to engage to restore a ceasefire.' New Zealand was working with other nations to help broker peace, Kirkpatrick said. Cabinet will make a formal decision in September on whether New Zealand should recognise a state of Palestine. Father Mark Field, parish priest at Star Mary's Star of the Sea in Gisborne, said parishioners were praying for those in Gaza and could also donate to the charity Caritas. Photo / Liam Clayton On Facebook, Tairāwhiti Catholic highlighted a message from Father Gabriel Romanelli of Gaza's only Catholic parish, Holy Family Church, located in northern Gaza. In July, an Israeli strike hit the church, killing three people. 'We remember the people of Palestine in our prayers every Sunday,' Gisborne parish priest Father Mark Field said. 'The plight of the Catholic parish in Gaza is something that we are naturally very concerned about. Our Parish Council has discussed ways that we can be more involved.' Field said they had encouraged parishioners to contribute through Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand – a New Zealand and international Catholic charity that helped in areas affected by war and disasters.
