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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel continues to flout world court ruling on its occupation
One year ago on Saturday, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion. The world's highest interstate court determined on July 19, 2024, that Israel's occupation of the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip was 'unlawful' and must be brought to an end. The key paragraph was crystal clear. It stated: 'The sustained abuse by Israel of its position as an occupying power, through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and continued frustration of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful.' It also ruled that Israel's discriminatory legislation and measures are also in breach of international law. They constituted a breach of Article 3 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. This was an authoritative determination on the state of the law on a specific issue. It was fortified by a UN General Assembly resolution last September endorsing the advisory opinion and demanding that the Israeli occupation ends by September 2025. There is more chance of Benjamin Netanyahu knocking on the doors of the International Criminal Court and saying, 'here I am, arrest me, I am guilty as charged,' than there is of that happening. Israel has to dismantle its settlements and evacuate settlers. It has to do so immediately. And its military presence also needs to be withdrawn. The court determined that Israel owes full reparation for all the damage done by its illegal acts since 1967. Working out the exact compensation due will be some process, but the end figure will have many digits. The court determined that Israel owes full reparation for all the damage done by its illegal acts since 1967 Chris Doyle Showing the sort of contempt that might be expected from a government perpetrating genocide in Gaza, Israel has simply doubled down on its occupation. Settlements are expanding faster than ever, with approval for the doomsday settlement of E1 east of Jerusalem going forward apace. Settler violence is off the charts, with more than 740 settler attacks in the first half of 2025, according to the UN. Demolitions are a daily event. Israel has forcibly displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians in the West Bank alone, as well as nearly the entire population of Gaza. Rather than end the occupation, the Israeli government is pushing relentlessly toward annexation. Occupation in and of itself is not illegal. It may even be necessary. But it is meant to be temporary and is governed by international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. At the time the court's opinion was issued, Israel's occupation had lasted a jaw-dropping 57 years and involved the insertion of 750,000 settlers into occupied territory. But the court also went further. It determined that Israel had violated the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. It was the ultimate legal determination as to Israel's crimes and unlawful conduct across the whole of the Occupied Territories. There is no higher judicial body to make such a determination. Major powers are under an obligation to prevent and to punish genocide when other states are perpetrating such acts Chris Doyle But who refers to the occupation as unlawful? The US, of course, refuses, as it barely even acknowledges the occupation, a head-in-the-sand legal position. The UK government promised Parliament it would issue a formal response to this — a pledge repeated multiple times. But it seems that 365 days is insufficient time for the government to develop the courage to publish its response, as sources have told this author that a draft has been ready for months. Remarkably, the UK government has stated at the UN that it does not disagree with the central findings of the advisory opinion. The awkwardness of the double negative sums up the awkwardness of the position. Ministers cannot even outline what they consider to be the central findings. Has the media changed how it describes the Occupied Territories? Certainly not the BBC or CNN. This was barely mentioned. It is as if it is still treated as a disputed issue, as opposed to a settled matter of legal certainty. The lack of respect for the International Court of Justice is also exhibited in the abject refusal of Israel to adhere to the provisional measures the court ordered on three occasions under the Genocide Convention between January and May 2024. Major powers have not insisted Israel do so either, even though they are under an obligation to prevent and to punish genocide when other states are perpetrating such acts. Israel should have taken all measures to prevent genocidal acts and ensure the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, and medical supplies. Instead, Israel has, as a matter of declared policy, blocked this. Many governments pay lip service to upholding international law when it comes to Israel. It is time for those who do care to expose this hypocrisy for what it is.
Korea Herald
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
New foreign minister puts peace on Korean Peninsula first
South Korea's new Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has set the pursuit of peace on the Korean Peninsula — through the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue in close coordination with the United States — as the Foreign Ministry's foremost objective in a turbulent geopolitical climate. The first top diplomat in the Lee Jae Myung administration also began his term with a public apology for the Foreign Ministry's role under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government, dismissing its diplomacy as driven by 'domestic political purposes' and marked by 'binary approaches.' 'We must coolheadedly assess the rapidly shifting realities of international politics and implement pragmatic diplomacy centered on the national interest,' Cho said Monday in his inauguration speech delivered in Korean. 'First and foremost, in this time of deepening geopolitical instability and tension, establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula is the top priority.' Cho underscored, 'South Korea must ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and create a path for dialogue with North Korea in close coordination with the US to that end.' 'Through a phased and pragmatic approach, we must make substantive progress in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolving the North Korean nuclear issue,' Cho added. Cho opened his inauguration speech with a pointed critique of the Yoon administration's diplomacy, after emphasizing the growing weight of the foreign minister's role amid Seoul's increasingly fraught diplomatic and security environment and a rapidly transforming international order. 'We must pursue strategic and pragmatic diplomacy, placing the national interest at the center and grounding it in rationality, moderation and efficiency — all the more in times like these. Bipartisan support from the National Assembly is also essential,' Cho said. Cho remarked that diplomacy was at times not guided by pragmatism or the national interest in recent years. "Diplomatic issues were used for domestic political purposes, and there were many binary approaches in areas of diplomacy that should have been led by pragmatism and the national interest." In his inauguration speech, Cho listed examples of diplomatic missteps under the Yoon administration. "There were also inappropriate remarks made about foreign countries. Even when the chance of success in the Expo bid had become slim, we went all-in until the very end," Cho said. "The Foreign Ministry's lawsuit against MBC was clearly wrong. On behalf of the Foreign Ministry, I offer an apology to MBC," Cho added. The Foreign Ministry filed a lawsuit against local broadcaster MBC in December 2022 over its broadcast of a hot mic moment of then-President Yoon, with subtitles suggesting he used abusive language to criticize the US Congress during the UN General Assembly in September that year. Cho also criticized Yoon for declaring martial law on December 3, 2024, 'in an attempt to subvert democracy not long after hosting the Summit for Democracy' in March of the same year. 'On behalf of the Foreign Ministry, I sincerely apologize to the public for the Foreign Ministry's failure to meet the expectations of the people throughout this entire process,' Cho said. Win-win, not zero sum with US Before the inauguration ceremony, Cho commented on pending issues, including tariff negotiations with Washington, during a doorstep interview at the Foreign Ministry building in Seoul. Asked about his plans to visit the US, Cho responded, 'We are comprehensively coordinating with the US side to determine the most appropriate timing.' 'It hasn't been decided yet. I've heard that ministers from other ministries who have been directly involved in other negotiations may also go,' he added, suggesting the need for interministry coordination. Cho was sworn into office less than two weeks before the Aug. 1 deadline for US 'reciprocal' tariffs on countries including South Korea, imposed by US President Donald Trump. National security adviser Wi Sung-lac departed for the US again on Sunday, just 11 days after returning from a trip to Washington on July 9, in an effort to strike a comprehensive package deal with the US covering issues from tariffs to security. On the Foreign Ministry's role in the comprehensive package deal, Cho said the ministry should find a 'win-win solution with the US side.' 'The Foreign Ministry, which needs to look at the Korea–US alliance in a broader context from a diplomatic perspective and work to develop the future of the alliance, should take a more macrolevel view in examining all such package deals and also offer its input,' Cho said. 'Based on my experience with negotiations, a non-zero-sum, win-win proposal always emerges. The Foreign Ministry can make that happen.'
Irish Post
6 hours ago
- Science
- Irish Post
Irish scientist appointed to UN panel examining nuclear war
AN IRISH scientist has been appointed to a UN panel studying the effects of nuclear war. Dr Neil Rowan, of the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, will sit on the newly established United Nations Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War. 'I am humbled to contribute to the assembled panel of internationally-leading scientists where we will advise on the effects of nuclear war for the United Nations,' the Athlone native said of his selection. 'These duties are quite profound given that we will investigate the physical and societal consequences of nuclear war on a local, regional, and global scale encompassing examining climatic, environmental, radiological, public health, and socioeconomic impacts.' He added: 'Additionally, it reflects a unified global commitment to garner and share key knowledge on what is a critical topic for humanity.' Dr Rowan is one of 21 scientists from around the world appointed to the panel, which was established following a resolution led by Ireland and New Zealand at the UN General Assembly in 2024. Recognised in Stanford University's list of World Top 2% of Scientists in 2023, Dr Rowan has over three decades' experience in the field of applied microbiology. Tánaiste Simon Harris has welcomed his appointment. 'I am delighted that, once again, Irish people are front and centre of global efforts to achieve a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons,' he said. 'Recent events demonstrate the increasing level of nuclear risk the world faces,' he added. 'The work of Dr Rowan and his fellow panellists will be an invaluable contribution to our evidence-based understanding of the catastrophic effects of a nuclear war.' The 21-member panel will work until 2027 when it will publish a report based on the latest science. Dr Rowan, who is from Westlodge in Athlone, studied at the University of Galway.
The Star
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Malaysia, Asean to propose reforming UN veto power of five countries
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, together with Asean member states, is proposing reforms to the veto power held by the five permanent members (P5) of the United Nations Security Council, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. The Foreign Minister said although resolutions relating to the Gaza issue were passed with majority support in the UN General Assembly, their implementation was often delayed due to the use of veto power by the permanent members of the UN Security Council, consisting of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. "Unfortunately, this veto power was used even though the resolution was unanimously approved at the UN General Assembly. "That is why we are proposing that this veto power be overhauled and changed. This is what we are doing," he said during Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (July 21) in response to a supplementary question by Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) on Wisma Putra's further actions following the resolution of the Asean-GCC Summit which touched on the atrocities of the Zionist regime. Explaining further, he said the recent Asean-GCC Summit marked the success of Malaysian diplomacy in which a joint statement was issued on the Gaza issue for the first time. "Previously, it was difficult to get a joint statement among Asean countries. But now we have succeeded in doing so, including holding a joint conference with Japan and Korea to discuss the issue of the people of Gaza," he said. He said Malaysia is now actively strengthening cooperation with like-minded countries to voice its stance on the Gaza issue consistently at the international level. – Bernama
The Sun
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Malaysia and ASEAN push for UN Security Council veto power reforms
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, alongside ASEAN member states, is advocating for reforms to the veto power held by the five permanent members (P5) of the United Nations Security Council. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan highlighted that while resolutions on Gaza receive majority support in the UN General Assembly, their execution is often stalled due to vetoes by China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US. 'Unfortunately, this veto power was used even though the resolution was unanimously approved at the UN General Assembly. 'That is why we are proposing that this veto power be overhauled and changed,' Mohamad said during a Dewan Rakyat session. The proposal follows Malaysia's diplomatic success at the ASEAN-GCC Summit, where a joint statement on Gaza was issued for the first time. 'Previously, it was difficult to get a joint statement among ASEAN countries. But now we have succeeded in doing so,' he added. Malaysia is also collaborating with Japan and Korea to address Gaza's humanitarian crisis. - Bernama
