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Time of India
28-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Netanyahu faces mounting international doubts over Gaza war
Netanyahu faces mounting international doubts over Gaza war (Photo: PTI) After more than 18 months of war in Gaza, international patience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be wearing thin. Most notably, close allies like Germany and the United States have seen a shift in rhetoric that challenges Israel's long-standing diplomatic insulation. Growing unease in Germany German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has voiced rare and pointed criticism of Israel's strategy in Gaza. At the conference "re:publica" in Berlin on Monday, Merz stated that the suffering of civilians "can no longer be justified" as part of Israel's fight against Hamas. He emphasized Germany's unique responsibility towards Israel but added: "But when limits are crossed and humanitarian international law is clearly violated, then Germany — and the German Chancellor — must speak out." He added that Israel must not act in ways that could alienate even its closest allies. Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Monday also described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "unbearable" and called for a more effective aid delivery. He acknowledged the challenge of balancing Germany's commitment to Israel with the values of human dignity and international law. In 2023, Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth €326.5 million ($363.5 million), including military equipment and war weapons, a 10-fold increase from 2022. In 2024, it was at €161.1 million ($182.8 million). Pressure from the US Criticism from the United States, Israel's closest ally, is also mounting. In a departure from his previous support, President Donald Trump told reporters in New Jersey: "Israel, we've been talking to them, and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible." While largely symbolic, these comments mark a shift, said Elena Aoun, professor of international relations at UCLouvain to DW. "Donald Trump is not as happy with Netanyahu as he was at the start of his mandate. There is definitely more tension." Nevertheless, Aoun underlines that despite rhetoric changes, US military and financial support to Israel remains uninterrupted. EU cautious, but cracks appear in bloc The European Union has also taken tentative steps towards reevaluating its relationship with Israel. Last week, foreign ministers announced a review of the EU-Israel association agreement, which governs trade and political ties. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the current level of humanitarian aid entering Gaza as "a drop in the ocean." However, as Aoun remarks: "It's a change of words, not yet of actions. Reviewing the trade agreement is only the beginning. The EU must still decide if Israel is breaching Article 2." This article ties the trade between the bloc and Israel to human rights obligations. A total of 17 out of the EU's 27 members backed the review. Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic were among those who opposed the move, with Israel thanking them publicly. In an interview with DW, Amélie Férey from the Researcher at Security Center of Ifri in Paris underlined that Europe's leverage on the conflict remains limited: "The US are the main weapon and finacial suppliers, therefore their support, or the lack of it, make the biggest difference." The ICC warrant Next to international leaders' criticism, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant last November. Symbolically, the move is significant, but in terms of a real change, it remains limited, says Aoun. "Germany, Hungary, France and Belgium have all indicated they won't enforce the warrants. This shows a weakening of the international justice mechanisms." Férey disagrees. She emphasized that the arrest warrant restricts the freedom of movement of Netanyahu and his senior officials, making them fearful of arrest should they travel to a country that might enforce the warrant. The move marks the first time the ICC has targeted the sitting leader of a democratic country with such charges over a live conflict. Netanyahu rejected the accusations, calling them "disgraceful" and insisting that Israel is acting in self-defense. Internal pressure In the meantime, Israel's military campaign in Gaza continues. The Israeli army claims it now controls roughly 40% of the territory, and plans to capture 75% within the next two months. Despite allowing limited aid through after an eleven-week blockage, the humanitarian situation remains dire, say aid agencies like the International Red Cross. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, around 54,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza and around 122,000 injured. The Israeli government has faced criticism not only over Gaza, but also over its policies in the West Bank. The UK has sanctioned far-right Israeli extremists pushing illegal settlement expansion, a notable escalation of British policy. Inside Israel, public opposition is growing, too. Demonstrations by hostage families and civil society groups continue. But researcher Elena Aoun points out that the majority of the public still backs the war: "Polls show that a bit over 50% support ongoing operations." Strategic goals in question Prime Minister Netanyahu insists the military campaign aims to dismantle Hamas. But analysts like Aoun remain skeptical: "The war has been going on for two years. What's new is the international perception, especially around the Palestinian suffering. Still, none of Israel's strategic goals have been clearly achieved." Here, too, researcher Amélie Férey has a different opinion: "If the aim was destroying the military threat Hamas posed to the [Israeli army] IDS, then this aim has been achieved." However, she agrees that political questions and long-lasting peace objectives remain more complicated to attain. European credibility on the line As for Amelie Ferey, European credibility is tested over Gaza, as it appears to apply a double standard when it comes to Israel: "The European Union upholds the principle of self-determination in the case of Ukraine, yet appears reluctant to apply the same standard to Palestinians in Gaza." She welcomes the plan to review the EU-Israel association agreement as a first big step in the right direction but underlines that Europe now needs a clear road map towards a two-statesolution. Both researchers agree that the next weeks will be decisive. Netanyahu seems defiant, even as his allies waver. But the critics are far from united. While symbolic gestures multiply, the question remains whether they will be followed by the kind of international pressure that might compel real policy change on the ground.
South Wales Argus
21-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Legacy body ‘lacks powers of a public inquiry to examine Sean Brown murder'
The Irish Government is among those who have backed Mr Brown's family's long campaign for a public inquiry. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal in Belfast affirmed a previous court ruling, compelling the UK government to hold a public inquiry into his killing. However, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has applied for a Supreme Court appeal on the judicial rulings. Bridie Brown, the widow of murdered GAA official Sean Brown, holds a picture of him, outside the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast (PA) Mr Brown, 61, the then chairman of Wolfe Tones GAA Club in the Co Londonderry town of Bellaghy, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No-one has ever been convicted of his killing. Preliminary inquest proceedings last year heard that in excess of 25 people had been linked by intelligence to the murder, including several state agents. It was also alleged in court that surveillance of a suspect in the murder was temporarily stopped on the evening of the killing, only to resume again the following morning. In an interview earlier, Mr Brown's elderly widow Bridie, 87, said she does not know why her husband was killed, and reiterated her call for a public inquiry into his death to answer the questions her family has. 'I don't know why they chose Sean, I just do not know because he was the same with everybody,' she said during an interview on BBC's The GAA Social podcast. 'He treated everybody alike, he walked with both sides of the community.' She also paid tribute to the turnout of thousands in Bellaghy last Friday evening to support her family's campaign for a public inquiry. People in the town of Bellaghy, Co Londonderry, which came to a standstill on Friday night as they took part in a march in support of the family of Sean Brown (PA) 'It was emotional,' she said. 'Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about so big a turnout.' Last month, Mr Benn said he is taking steps to ensure that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is capable of carrying out an independent and rigorous investigation into Mr Brown's murder. During an appearance at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, ICRIR chief commissioner Sir Declan Morgan was pressed by SDLP leader Claire Hanna on the Brown case. Sir Declan said if the case came to the ICRIR, his investigators would carry out a cold case review, a scoping exercise and would treat the case as a criminal investigation and gather all the evidence. 'But I agree that we could not do the next step which is subsequent to that, once the terms of reference have been set, and up to that point, we're definitely Article 2 compliant,' he told MPs at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. 'But the next bit is having identified what the issues are to then organise a hearing with proper representation by lawyers in relation to that, and also understanding that the sensitive information arrangements, in my view, need to be reviewed and the commission needs to be able to exercise proper challenge in relation to those.' Claire Hanna has supported the Brown family (MP) Speaking outside the meeting, Ms Hanna said the ICRIR in its current form 'cannot fully meet the needs of the family of Sean Brown'. 'Today's comments from Sir Declan Morgan are welcome and shine a light on where the ICRIR falls short,' she said. 'Any further delay to the resuming and restarting of inquests alongside the continued denial of a public inquiry to the Brown family is the British Government delaying truth and justice. 'The SDLP is committed to the delivery of legacy structures that families can buy into. Sir Declan's comments underline our key concerns about deficiencies relating to participation by families in proceedings and the continued existence of a veto on information by the Secretary of State.'
Leader Live
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Legacy body ‘lacks powers of a public inquiry to examine Sean Brown murder'
The Irish Government is among those who have backed Mr Brown's family's long campaign for a public inquiry. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal in Belfast affirmed a previous court ruling, compelling the UK government to hold a public inquiry into his killing. However, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has applied for a Supreme Court appeal on the judicial rulings. Mr Brown, 61, the then chairman of Wolfe Tones GAA Club in the Co Londonderry town of Bellaghy, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No-one has ever been convicted of his killing. Preliminary inquest proceedings last year heard that in excess of 25 people had been linked by intelligence to the murder, including several state agents. It was also alleged in court that surveillance of a suspect in the murder was temporarily stopped on the evening of the killing, only to resume again the following morning. In an interview earlier, Mr Brown's elderly widow Bridie, 87, said she does not know why her husband was killed, and reiterated her call for a public inquiry into his death to answer the questions her family has. 'I don't know why they chose Sean, I just do not know because he was the same with everybody,' she said during an interview on BBC's The GAA Social podcast. 'He treated everybody alike, he walked with both sides of the community.' She also paid tribute to the turnout of thousands in Bellaghy last Friday evening to support her family's campaign for a public inquiry. 'It was emotional,' she said. 'Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about so big a turnout.' Last month, Mr Benn said he is taking steps to ensure that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is capable of carrying out an independent and rigorous investigation into Mr Brown's murder. During an appearance at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, ICRIR chief commissioner Sir Declan Morgan was pressed by SDLP leader Claire Hanna on the Brown case. Sir Declan said if the case came to the ICRIR, his investigators would carry out a cold case review, a scoping exercise and would treat the case as a criminal investigation and gather all the evidence. 'But I agree that we could not do the next step which is subsequent to that, once the terms of reference have been set, and up to that point, we're definitely Article 2 compliant,' he told MPs at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. 'But the next bit is having identified what the issues are to then organise a hearing with proper representation by lawyers in relation to that, and also understanding that the sensitive information arrangements, in my view, need to be reviewed and the commission needs to be able to exercise proper challenge in relation to those.' Speaking outside the meeting, Ms Hanna said the ICRIR in its current form 'cannot fully meet the needs of the family of Sean Brown'. 'Today's comments from Sir Declan Morgan are welcome and shine a light on where the ICRIR falls short,' she said. 'Any further delay to the resuming and restarting of inquests alongside the continued denial of a public inquiry to the Brown family is the British Government delaying truth and justice. 'The SDLP is committed to the delivery of legacy structures that families can buy into. Sir Declan's comments underline our key concerns about deficiencies relating to participation by families in proceedings and the continued existence of a veto on information by the Secretary of State.'
Powys County Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Legacy body ‘lacks powers of a public inquiry to examine Sean Brown murder'
The head of a legacy body has conceded it does not have the same array of powers that a public inquiry would to examine the murder of GAA official Sean Brown. The Irish Government is among those who have backed Mr Brown's family's long campaign for a public inquiry. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal in Belfast affirmed a previous court ruling, compelling the UK government to hold a public inquiry into his killing. However, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has applied for a Supreme Court appeal on the judicial rulings. Mr Brown, 61, the then chairman of Wolfe Tones GAA Club in the Co Londonderry town of Bellaghy, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No-one has ever been convicted of his killing. Preliminary inquest proceedings last year heard that in excess of 25 people had been linked by intelligence to the murder, including several state agents. It was also alleged in court that surveillance of a suspect in the murder was temporarily stopped on the evening of the killing, only to resume again the following morning. In an interview earlier, Mr Brown's elderly widow Bridie, 87, said she does not know why her husband was killed, and reiterated her call for a public inquiry into his death to answer the questions her family has. 'I don't know why they chose Sean, I just do not know because he was the same with everybody,' she said during an interview on BBC's The GAA Social podcast. 'He treated everybody alike, he walked with both sides of the community.' She also paid tribute to the turnout of thousands in Bellaghy last Friday evening to support her family's campaign for a public inquiry. 'It was emotional,' she said. 'Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about so big a turnout.' Last month, Mr Benn said he is taking steps to ensure that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is capable of carrying out an independent and rigorous investigation into Mr Brown's murder. During an appearance at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, ICRIR chief commissioner Sir Declan Morgan was pressed by SDLP leader Claire Hanna on the Brown case. Sir Declan said if the case came to the ICRIR, his investigators would carry out a cold case review, a scoping exercise and would treat the case as a criminal investigation and gather all the evidence. 'But I agree that we could not do the next step which is subsequent to that, once the terms of reference have been set, and up to that point, we're definitely Article 2 compliant,' he told MPs at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. 'But the next bit is having identified what the issues are to then organise a hearing with proper representation by lawyers in relation to that, and also understanding that the sensitive information arrangements, in my view, need to be reviewed and the commission needs to be able to exercise proper challenge in relation to those.' Speaking outside the meeting, Ms Hanna said the ICRIR in its current form 'cannot fully meet the needs of the family of Sean Brown'. 'Today's comments from Sir Declan Morgan are welcome and shine a light on where the ICRIR falls short,' she said. 'Any further delay to the resuming and restarting of inquests alongside the continued denial of a public inquiry to the Brown family is the British Government delaying truth and justice. 'The SDLP is committed to the delivery of legacy structures that families can buy into. Sir Declan's comments underline our key concerns about deficiencies relating to participation by families in proceedings and the continued existence of a veto on information by the Secretary of State.'
RTÉ News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Legacy body 'lacks powers of a public inquiry to examine Sean Brown murder'
The head of a legacy body has conceded it does not have the same array of powers that a public inquiry would to examine the murder of GAA official Sean Brown. The Irish Government is among those who have backed his family's long campaign for such an investigation. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal in Belfast affirmed a previous court ruling, compelling the UK government to hold a public inquiry into his killing. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. Mr Brown, 61, then chairman of Wolfe Tones GAA Club in the Co Derry town of Bellaghy, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No-one has been convicted of his killing. Preliminary inquest proceedings last year heard that in excess of 25 people had been linked by intelligence to the murder, including several state agents. It was also alleged in court that surveillance of a suspect in the murder was temporarily stopped on the evening of the killing, only to resume the following morning. Mr Brown's widow, Bridie, said that she does not know why her husband was killed and reiterated her call for a public inquiry into his death to answer the questions her family has. "I don't know why they chose Sean, I just do not know because he was the same with everybody," the 87-year-old said during an interview on BBC's The GAA Social podcast. "He treated everybody alike, he walked with both sides of the community." She also paid tribute to the thousands of people who turned out in Bellaghy last Friday to support her family's campaign for a public inquiry. "It was emotional. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about so big a turnout," Mrs Brown said. Last month, Mr Benn said he was taking steps to ensure that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) was capable of carrying out an independent and rigorous investigation into Mr Brown's murder. During an appearance at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, ICRIR Chief Commissioner Declan Morgan was pressed by SDLP leader Claire Hanna on the case. Mr Morgan said that if it came to the ICRIR, investigators would carry out a cold case review, a scoping exercise and would treat the case as a criminal investigation and gather the evidence. "But I agree that we could not do the next step which is subsequent to that, once the terms of reference have been set, and up to that point, we're definitely Article 2 compliant," he told MPs. "But the next bit is having identified what the issues are to then organise a hearing with proper representation by lawyers in relation to that, and also understanding that the sensitive information arrangements, in my view, need to be reviewed and the commission needs to be able to exercise proper challenge in relation to those." Speaking outside the meeting, Ms Hanna said the ICRIR in its current form "cannot fully meet the needs of the family of Sean Brown". "Today's comments from Sir Declan Morgan are welcome and shine a light on where the ICRIR falls short," Ms Hanna said. "Any further delay to the resuming and restarting of inquests alongside the continued denial of a public inquiry to the Brown family is the British government delaying truth and justice. "The SDLP is committed to the delivery of legacy structures that families can buy into. Sir Declan's comments underline our key concerns about deficiencies relating to participation by families in proceedings and the continued existence of a veto on information by the secretary of state".
