Latest news with #ActiononArmedViolence
Euractiv
7 days ago
- Business
- Euractiv
Trump's Patriot missile deal for Ukraine sparks European fears over air defence gaps
A deal between Donald Trump and European NATO states to get desperately needed Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine hangs on just how quickly new batteries can be shifted to the continent. Several European countries initially signalled interest in doing a deal, viewing Trump's proposal to quickly sell new air defence systems to European militaries that donate their Patriots as a way of keeping key US weapons flowing to Ukraine, while avoiding major gaps in their own capabilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been seeking additional Patriot batteries for years as his country faces relentless Russian air attacks, and said last week that he hopes to receive 10 more. The six European countries that operate Patriot systems – Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain – are reported to own somewhere around two dozen as part of their own inventories. Since 2022, Kyiv has received six operational Patriot batteries supplied by the US, Germany, Romania, and the Netherlands, according to UK-based arms monitor Action on Armed Violence. But European arsenals have already been depleted by previous donations to Ukraine, and there are concerns about potentially lengthy gaps in their own air defences if US deliveries are not as prompt as Trump suggested. Fuelling demand Global demand for the US-made advanced air defence systems wildly outstrips supply, with waiting times for newly ordered Patriots running to several years. That's in addition to price tags of around $1 billion per battery, and $4 million for each interceptor missile. Giving up air defence systems like Patriots is 'scary', a high-ranked European diplomat told Euractiv. 'You do it for Ukraine, because they defend us.' Germany, which took the lead on the latest donations, asked for 'watertight' guarantees from Washington that it will receive new US air defence systems within a eight months before shipping more Patriots from their current stockpiles, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said last week. Berlin issued a confirmation on Friday that it will get prioritised for the delivery of brand-new Patriots, allowing the government to declare it will deliver more of its own systems to Kyiv in the next few days. That means that Switzerland, which signed a deal for Patriots back in 2022, will now see the delivery of its units delayed. Berlin has already sent three Patriot system to Ukraine and initially agreed to deliver five more. But those previous donations, and deployments of two more German Patriot batteries to NATO's Eastern flank, mean that Berlin has at most six Patriot systems left. Ready and willing Norway and the Netherlands have also told Ukraine they will participate in the deal. The US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said earlier this month that the US is 'looking at what we have available both in our possession and across our defence sector, and prioritising and making it available for the defence of Ukraine'. 'The key issue then becomes which countries are treated as priority customers,' Trevor Taylor, a fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Euractiv. 'Decisions here lie with the president of the United States,' Taylor added. But there remain serious questions about how fast the US will deliver. Romania paid a price when it sacrificed a major part of its arsenal by giving up one of its two operational Patriot systems last year. Officials hoped the US could speed up orders for new Patriots, but when the contract for replacements was inked months later, the delivery date was set for the end of the decade. Long waitlists, slow production increases – NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, French Admiral Pierre Vandier, estimates that the lead time for delivery of new Patriot batteries is around seven years. Another well-placed source who spoke with Euractiv was more optimisticbut still said deliveries would take at least a couple of years. Two of the key US defence contractors involved in Patriot missile production, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, are increasing output from around 500 to 650 missiles per year. Raytheon 'will increase monthly GEM-T interceptor production by 150% between now and 2028 to meet unprecedented demand', a company spokesperson told Euractiv, referring to an updated variant of the missiles used by the Patriot system. The spokesperson added that the company has also committed almost $1 billion to secure critical materials from suppliers and ramp manufacturing for radars. Last month, the head of Raytheon's Air defence systems Division told Euractiv that the company's expansion faces similar supply chain issues to other manufacturers, notably in access to energetics. (bts, aw, jp)
Days of Palestine
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
In'tel NGO: Most of Israeli War Crimes Investigations Closed Without Charges
DaysofPal- An international watchdog has accused the Israeli occupation of systematically closing the majority of its war crimes investigations related to the ongoing war in Gaza without holding anyone accountable, raising serious concerns over a culture of impunity. According to a report by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), published by The Guardian, nearly 90% of the investigations launched by the Israeli military since October 2023 have either been closed without outcome or are still pending without resolution, despite credible evidence of civilian massacres. Among the incidents cited are a February 2024 massacre in Gaza, where Israeli occupation forces targeted civilians waiting in line for flour, killing 112 Palestinians, and a May 2024 airstrike on a refugee camp in Rafah that left 45 people dead. While the Israeli military claims that 'most investigations are still ongoing,' AOAV challenged this claim, saying that the Israeli response lacks transparency and meaningful accountability. 'Every complaint is reviewed, and in some cases, a military police investigation is launched,' the Israeli occupation forces claimed. However, out of 52 publicly acknowledged incidents, which resulted in the deaths of 1,303 Palestinians and the injury of nearly 1,880 others in Gaza and the West Bank, only one case has led to a conviction; a soldier was sentenced to seven months for assaulting detainees. The report also criticized the handling of the April 2024 airstrike that killed seven staff members of World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian aid group. Israel described the strike as a 'grave mistake,' but AOAV raised doubts over the credibility of the rapid internal investigation that followed. As of June 2025, 46 investigations remain open, including four cases from last month when Palestinians were killed while waiting for humanitarian aid. AOAV warns that the delay and lack of transparency in these probes reflect a wider failure to address war crimes. 'The pattern is clear: Israel has consistently avoided serious accountability for grave violations,' AOAV said in its statement. 'The international community must step in to ensure justice for victims, as domestic mechanisms have failed.' It added. The AOAV statements come amid growing calls for international investigations and legal action at the International Criminal Court, as civilian casualties in Gaza continue to mount in what rights groups have described as a humanitarian catastrophe. Shortlink for this post:
Middle East Eye
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
88 percent of Israeli military investigations into war crimes since October 2023 produced no results: Report
A war monitor has revealed that 88 percent of Israeli military investigations into allegations of war crimes by its soldiers since October 2023 have either been closed or produced no findings, a war monitor has revealed. Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) found that the unresolved probes include the killing of at least 112 Palestinians queuing for flour in Gaza City in February 2024 and that of five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family on 29 January 2024. A case in which the Israeli military admitted its soldiers tied Palestinian man Mujahed Azmi to the front of a military jeep during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on 23 June 2024, led to 'no findings or disciplinary actions" being disclosed. The killing of 15 Palestinian medics on 23 March, when Israeli soldiers open fired on a clearly marked ambulance, also remains unresolved, despite the Israeli military admitting to "professional failures" and dismissing a deputy commander. AOAV said that the findings reveal that Israel is seeking to create a "pattern of impunity" by failing to conduct conclusive investigations into cases involving 'the most severe or public accusations of wrongdoing by their forces".
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First Post
03-08-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Nearly 90% of Israeli war crime investigations closed or unresolved
Nearly nine out of 10 Israeli military investigations into alleged war crimes or abuses by its soldiers in Gaza since the war began have been closed without findings of wrongdoing or remain unresolved, a conflict monitoring group said read more Nearly nine out of 10 Israeli military investigations into alleged war crimes or abuses by its soldiers in Gaza since the war began have been closed without findings of wrongdoing or remain unresolved, a conflict monitoring group said. Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) said unresolved cases include a February 2024 incident in which at least 112 Palestinians were killed while queueing for flour in Gaza City, a May 2024 airstrike that killed 45 people at a tent camp in Rafah, and the June 1 killing of 31 Palestinians as they went to collect food in Rafah. Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire in the June incident. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially called reports 'false,' but later told The Guardian the matter was 'still under review.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD AOAV's Iain Overton and Lucas Tsantzouris said the figures showed Israel was creating a 'pattern of impunity' by failing to conclude investigations or find wrongdoing in most cases involving serious allegations. The IDF said it investigates 'exceptional incidents' during operations when there is suspected legal violations, following Israeli and international law. The military said it uses both criminal investigations by the military advocate general's police department and fact-finding assessments (FFA) by a separate general staff team. AOAV said it found reports of 52 cases in English-language media between October 2023 and June 2025 where the Israeli military said it had conducted or would conduct investigations after allegations of civilian harm in Gaza or the West Bank. Those cases involved the deaths of 1,303 Palestinians and injuries to 1,880. One investigation led to a conviction. A reservist was sentenced to seven months in prison in February for aggravated abuse of Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman detention centre. Five other cases resulted in disciplinary action, including the April 2024 dismissal of an IDF colonel and a major after an airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers. AOAV said 46 other cases, or 88 per cent of the total, were either closed with no findings or remain unresolved. Seven were closed without fault, while 39 are still under review or have no reported outcome. The IDF said 'any report … complaint or allegation that suggests misconduct by IDF forces undergoes an initial examination process.' Depending on evidence, cases may be referred for criminal investigation or an FFA review to determine if criminal misconduct is suspected. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Critics, including the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, say the FFA process can take years. After 664 inquiries into previous Gaza operations in 2014, 2018-19 and 2021, there was one known prosecution, the group said. In August 2024, the IDF said the FFA had collected information on 'hundreds of incidents' from the Gaza war, and the military advocate general's office had opened 74 criminal investigations. Of those, 52 related to detainee deaths and mistreatment, 13 to stealing enemy ammunition, three to destruction of civilian property, and six to alleged illegal use of force. AOAV's figures differ from IDF statistics because the group counted incidents where media reported an investigation was conducted, covering both Gaza and the West Bank. The IDF said 'dozens of military police investigations have been opened' and that most remain ongoing. The FFA has 'completed its review in dozens of cases,' which have been sent to the military advocate general for possible criminal investigation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Euractiv
17-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
US in talks with Europe on tapping defence stockpiles for Ukraine
Washington's push to get weapons to Ukraine quickly is raising questions about where the necessary hardware can be sourced on short notice. President Donald Trump on Monday backed a plan for European allies to buy US weapons for Ukraine to ease pressure on American funding. Trump's decision comes as Russia ramps up not only assaults along the frontlines but also attacks on Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles. 'There is an ongoing conversation' about the US giving up weapons from its own arsenal – such as Patriot air defence systems – the US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said on Thursday. However, the US administration 'won't ever put the US at strategic disadvantage', he told a group of reporters, including Euractiv. Whitaker said the US is currently working at a fast pace with its NATO military allies to enable them to purchase US-made defence gear for Ukraine directly, and to replace their own donations of urgently needed equipment – a process known as "backfilling". Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada have signalled interest in doing so, NATO's chief Mark Rutte said on Monday. Kyiv eager for Patriots Ukraine is eyeing the US-made Patriot system in particular – a highly sophisticated surface-to-air defence platform designed to intercept missiles and aircraft – to defend itself against Russian attacks. Kyiv has already received six operational Patriot batteries from the US, Germany, Romania, and the Netherlands, according to UK-based arms monitor Action on Armed Violence. However, lead times for Patriot missiles are estimated in years – clashing with Trump's timeline for pressuring Vladimir Putin into a deal within the next 50 days. This suggests that the US would have to rely on its own stockpiles and systems already in production, both for Ukraine and for backfilling. Already, the US is 'looking at what we have available both in our possession and across our defence sector, and prioritising and making it available for the defence of Ukraine,' Trump's envoy said – suggesting the US defence sector may have to prioritise Kyiv over other customers. No timelines Whitaker declined to give any indication of the type of weapon to be sent and the timeline. 'We are moving with haste to facilitate this and get it done. Things are moving very quickly', he said. When it comes to the US providing weapons that can strike deep into Russia, Whitaker also said that there are 'discussions'. The weapons included in the packages will be agreed upon based on what Ukraine needs, what the US has available, and how quickly they can get to Kyiv, the ambassador said. NATO will work as the coordination platform, though details remain elusive. Whitaker said putting NATO at the centre of the process made sense because the top commander has visibility into what is available in each member state's stockpiles. Having Europeans pay for US weapons deliveries to Ukraine is an important win for Trump, who campaigned on ending the flow of American taxpayers' money to military aid for Kyiv. (aw)
