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NATO Nation 'SHAMES' Tel Aviv: Mob Blocks Bridge Over Ship With Israeli Jet Parts | Netherlands
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through Rotterdam to protest the arrival of a Maersk cargo ship alleged to be carrying military components used in Israeli fighter jets. The torch-lit protest began at City Hall and ended at Maersk's offices, with a dramatic stop at Erasmusbrug bridge. Protesters demanded more oversight of Dutch port shipments linked to Israel amid ongoing war in Gaza. The march took place against the backdrop of escalating violence and mounting Palestinian casualties. No official statement has yet been made by Maersk or Dutch authorities.#nato #Israel #gaza #netherlands #rotterdam
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Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Double standards': Spain slams EU inaction on Israel deal
AP image In the wake of a damning EU review of Israel's human rights record in Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez slammed his colleagues for not moving to suspend a trade deal with Israel despite what he called "the catastrophic situation of genocide. " More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave over more than 18 months of Israeli bombardment, according to Hamas-run Gazan authorities. Israel vehemently denies accusations of genocide, maintaining that it is at war with the ruling militant Islamist group Hamas following a massive terror attack on Israeli territory in 2023. In a report distributed to the member states last week based on the findings and allegations of major international bodies, the European External Action Service found "indications" that Israel was breaching its duty to respect to human rights. The document, not public but made available to DW, highlighted possible indiscriminate attacks affecting the civilian population, Israel's blockade on food and medicine plus attacks on medical facilities as potential breaches. "There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations," the report concluded. Arriving at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Sanchez said it was "more than obvious that Israel is violating Article 2 of the EU-Israel agreement." "We have had 18 sanctions packages against Russia for its aggression [in Ukraine], and Europe, with its double standards, is not capable of suspending an association agreement," Sanchez said. Suspension off the cards Spain and Ireland are isolated among the 27 EU states in openly calling for the suspension of the deal in full, a move that would require unanimity and has therefore never been a serious prospect. Greece, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Bulgaria remain close allies of Israel. Berlin in particular has made its views clear, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz describing the move as "out of the question with the federal [German] government." Doing so would be a major commercial disruption, particularly for Israel, which buys a third of its goods from the EU. The accord, in force since 2000, covers everything from the two sides trading relationship – worth $50 billion each year for goods alone – up to political dialogue, and cooperation on research and technology. Another possibility, requiring only a qualified majority of 15 out of 27, would be the partial suspension of the deal, for example, its provisions on free trade or shutting Israel out of EU research funding programme Horizon. But multiple diplomatic sources told DW that the numbers weren't there either. Top EU diplomat: Goal not to 'punish Israel' Earlier in the week, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas officially presented the document to the member states for a first debate, already making clear there would be no immediate moves. "It is not intended to punish Israel, but to trigger concrete improvements for the people and the lives of people in Gaza," she said on Monday. "If the situation does not improve, then we can also discuss further measures and come back to this in July." On Thursday, EU leaders at the summit only "took note" of the report in their joint statement, making no reference to potential rights breaches, and said ministers should revisit the topic next month. At the same time, the 27 leaders deplored the "dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the levels of starvation." 'No foreign policy topic' more divisive than Israel Spain has also been calling for an EU embargo on the sale of arms to Israel, with Germany one of the country's major suppliers, as well as more sanctions. However, Berlin recently reaffirmed it would keep selling Israel weapons, and without Germany on board, the move wouldn't have much impact. A few other countries, including Belgium, France and Sweden, have supported imposing additional EU sanctions on Israel, but these too require unanimity. Echoing Sanchez, Irish leader Michael Martin said he would tell his colleagues at the summit that "the people of Europe find it incomprehensible that Europe does not seem to be in a position to put pressure on Israel." According to Lisa Musiol of conflict resolution think tank Crisis Group, maximum pressure would entail an arms embargo, large-scale sanctions against members of the government or a full suspension of the association agreement. 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Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's bizarre expressions at NATO summit spark meme fest online: 'Is she okay?'
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First Post
33 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump open to joining Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey if Putin attends, says Erdogan
Even as the United States stands distracted with the Israel-Iran conflict, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that US President Donald Trump is open to joining Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul if Russian leader Vladimir Putin would agree to attend. read more Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets US President Donald Trump during the Nato summit in London, Britain, December 4, 2019. (Photo: Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters/File Photo) Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that US President Donald Trump is open to joining Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul. Turkey has hosted two rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks in Istanbul. The last round of talks was held on June 2, a day after Ukraine carried out a drone attack inside Russia and destroyed nearly a third of the country's long-range bomber and surveillance fleets. Erdogan has said that Trump would be open to join talks in Istanbul if Russian leader Vladimir Putin would be in attendance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'He (Trump) said, 'if Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara for a solution, then I will also come. We will hold the necessary contacts and God willing realise this meeting as soon as possible,' said Erdogan, referring to his meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the Nato Summit. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Putin's attendance for leader-level talks, the Russian leader has rejected such demands. Erdogan eyes 'window of opportunity' despite challenges Even as the Israel-Iran conflict has distracted the United States and Europe, Erdogan is hopeful that Trump could be convinced to join Ukraine-Russia talks. Turkey is using its mediation between Ukraine and Russia as a way to raise its profile on the international stage. Erdogan has long had close ties with Trump and has been acting as a go-between in the Ukraine war since 2022. Erdogan said that there currently exists a 'window of opportunity' that should not be missed. 'I believe a window of opportunity has opened for a ceasefire and lasting peace. We cannot afford to miss it. We are working to lay the groundwork for a lasting peace process by supporting additional concrete steps between the parties,' said Erdogan. Despite Erdogan's hopeful remarks, expectations of any immediate breakthrough are not high as Russia has rejected all US-backed ceasefire proposals so far that Ukraine has accepted. Russia has also ramped up the conflict in recent weeks with near-daily attacks with hundreds of missiles and drones. Even though Trump has expressed frustration with Putin in recent months, he has not taken any decision to pressure him. He has neither granted new weapons to Ukraine nor ramped up sanctions on Russia. Instead, he has repeatedly trashed Ukraine and its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and granted every wish to Putin and parroted his talking points justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine of 2022 that began the ongoing war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
