Germany says examining ICC arrest warrant for Israeli PM

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November 23, 2024

The Hague-based ICC announced on Thursday that it is seeking Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict. Israel and its allies, including the US, have condemned the move, although some countries have stated they would comply with the warrant.

“We adhere to the law at the national, European, and international levels,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated on Friday. “That is why we are examining exactly what this means for us regarding its international application.”

Germany is a signatory of the Rome Statute and recognizes the ICC’s authority, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman indicated that Berlin is unlikely to comply with the warrant due to its “historical responsibility” to Israel.

“On one hand, there is the importance of the International Criminal Court, which we strongly support; on the other hand, there is our historical responsibility,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

“I would be inclined to say that I have difficulty imagining that we would make arrests in Germany on this basis.”

Netanyahu last visited Germany in March 2023, and another state visit is not expected in the near future, “government politicians stressed, almost with relief,” Deutsche Welle wrote on Friday.

While Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the court has jurisdiction over the West Bank and Gaza, considered occupied Palestinian territories under international law. The court’s jurisdiction is recognized by 123 countries, and Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant could face arrest if they travel to any of those nations.

Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions leveled against it by the ICC,” Netanyahu’s office stated. The US “fundamentally rejects” the decision and is “deeply concerned” by the “troubling process errors” that led to it, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said on Thursday.

The EU has indicated it will honor the ICC’s decision regarding the Israeli officials, with the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, describing the court’s warrants as non-political and calling on member states to respect and implement them.

So far, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, and Norway have announced they will comply with the ICC warrant.

France has deemed the warrant legitimate but noted that arresting the Israeli leader would be “legally complex.”

London has indicated it would “comply with its legal obligations,” though it pointed out that domestic procedures linked to ICC arrest warrants have never been used by the UK, as no one wanted by the court has ever visited the country.

Iran dismisses ‘baseless’ claims by US, UK over regional tensions, Ukraine war

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IFP Media Wire

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November 23, 2024

Amir Saeed Iravani has dismissed as baseless the allegations leveled by the US and the UK, accusing Tehran of destabilizing the region and involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

In a letter to Barbara Woodward, the President of the UN Security Council, Iravani strongly refuted these claims.

The United States and the United Kingdom cannot absolve themselves of responsibility while enabling the crimes of the Israeli regime, Iravani wrote, adding, “Their unconditional support for Israel perpetuates conflicts and undermines the Security Council’s mission to maintain international peace and security.”

Addressing the accusations regarding Ukraine, Iravani reaffirmed Iran’s clear, consistent, and unchanged position on the conflict, emphasizing Tehran’s rejection of such baseless claims.

In response to allegations made by the UK’s Foreign Secretary accusing Iran of regional destabilization, Iravani stated: “We categorically reject these unfounded accusations. Such baseless claims are a blatant attempt to obscure Britain’s historical and ongoing role in sowing instability and chaos in the region. The UK’s colonial impositions during the mandate period in Palestine, coupled with calculated political engineering aimed at depriving the Palestinian people of their rights, laid the foundation for the injustices and atrocities we witness today.”

Iravani further highlighted Britain’s pivotal role in establishing Israel, asserting that it was complicit in the displacement, suffering, and repression of the Palestinian people.

He said the legacy of division and dispossession persists, exacerbated by Britain’s support for Israel’s violations of international law and the provision of advanced weaponry to the regime.

He reiterated that both the US and the UK must acknowledge their role in enabling Israel’s actions.

“Their unconditional support for Israel fuels ongoing conflicts and undermines the Security Council’s mission to uphold international peace and security,” Iravani noted.

Dozens of terrorists killed, arrested in Iran’s southeast

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IFP Editorial Staff

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November 23, 2024

In an interview with Tasnim News Agency, Brigadier General Ahmad Shafaei stated that Operation Security Martyrs, conducted by the Quds Base of the IRGC Ground Forces, which began on October 27, will continue as long as necessary.

“Since the beginning of the exercise, 26 members of terrorist teams have been killed, over 50 arrested, and 12 have surrendered,” he gave an update.

General Shafaei noted that the primary goal of the move is to enhance the readiness of the operational units and ensure security of the region, not the number of casualties or arrests.

After several IRGC members were killed in terrorist attacks in Goharkouh area of Taftan, the operation expanded to include areas such as Zahedan, Taftan, and parts of Khash, with potential extensions to other regions if necessary, the spokesperson said.

Expressing gratitude to the people of the province, General Shafaei highlighted the importance of intelligence gathered from the local community in the success of the operations.

North Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in return for soldiers: Report

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IFP Media Wire

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November 23, 2024

North Korea has dispatched 10,000 troops to Russia, with most of them deployed in the western Kursk Oblast and taking part in combat, a Pentagon spokesperson said during a press briefing in mid-November.

South Korea’s national security advisor Shin Won-sik said in an interview with South Korea’s SBS News Moscow had provided Pyongyang with economic and military technology in exchange for the troops.

“It is understood that North Korea has been provided with related equipment and anti-aircraft missiles to strengthen Pyongyang’s weak air defense system,” Shin added.

Elsewhere, the BBC reported that Russia is estimated to have supplied North Korea with more than a million barrels of oil since March this year, a breach of international sanctions.

Pyongyang is subject to a strict cap on oil transfers, imposed by the United Nations Security Council in 2017 after a series of nuclear weapons tests.

The claim was based on an analysis of satellite imagery by the Open Source Centre, a non-profit research group based in the United Kingdom.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC that the oil is payment for weapons and troops sent to Moscow to fuel the war in Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership agreement in June. Under the treaty, the two countries pledge to help each other if either is attacked.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited Moscow and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in early November.

“Our country will stand firmly by our Russian comrades until the day of victory,” Choe stated, calling Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine a “sacred struggle.”

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the UK, claimed that the direct involvement of Russia’s allies such as North Korea in the war against Ukraine was evidence of a global conflict.

Pro-Palestinian groups sue Dutch gov’t for failing to stop Israeli ‘genocide’ in Gaza

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IFP Media Wire

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November 23, 2024

They argue that the Netherlands, a staunch ally of Israel, has a legal obligation to do everything in its power to stop violations of international law and the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

“Today, the plaintiffs are here to hold the Dutch state accountable for failing to comply with international law by failing to intervene against violations of the rights of the Palestinian people committed by the state of Israel,” Wout Albers, a lawyer representing the coalition, said at a civil court in The Hague on Friday.

“Israel is guilty of genocide and apartheid” and “is using Dutch weapons to wage war”, Albers added.

The plaintiffs comprise a coalition of Dutch and Palestinian organisations working to defend human rights in the Palestinian territory, with three of the groups in Palestine.

In October, the groups requested the court to “include a ban on the export and transit of weapons, weapon parts, and dual-use items to Israel as well as a ban on all Dutch trade and investment relations that help maintain Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory”.

Judge Sonja Hoekstra noted: “It is important to underline that the gravity of the situation in Gaza is not contested by the Dutch state, nor is the status of the West Bank.”

But she said it was about “finding out what is legally in play and what can be expected” of the government.

She acknowledged it was a “sensitive case”.

Albers stated, “today is not about judging political choices, but about ensuring fundamental respect for the international rule of law and protection against violations of international law.”

According to Vaessen, the groups’ demands build on previous decisions by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which earlier this year ruled that the occupation of Palestine is illegal.

On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas’s military commander Mohammed Deif for alleged “war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country “respects the independence of the ICC”.

“We won’t engage in non-essential contacts and we will act on the arrest warrants. We fully comply with the Rome Statute of the ICC,” he added.

It is unclear how far the case brought by the pro-Palestinian groups will go, as the Supreme Court has dismissed several earlier attempts to hold the Netherlands to its obligations to prevent alleged violations of the Genocide Convention.

This suit also builds on the outcome of an earlier case which saw a court ordering the government in February to block all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns they were being used to violate international law.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 44,056 Palestinians and wounded 104,286 since October 7, 2023. An estimated 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and almost 250 were taken captive.

Iranian Consulate in Kazan protests violent arrest of Iranian students by Russian police

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IFP Editorial Staff

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November 23, 2024

Iranian Consulate in Kazan protests violent arrest of Iranian students by Russian police

The diplomatic mission assured the Iranian community in Kazan that it will continue to pursue the matter until those responsible for the incident are held accountable.

The Iranian consulate explained the incident occurred on Friday morning, at Kazan Federal University’s visa extension center, where students from various countries, including Iran, had gathered to renew their visas.

A dispute among the students led to the activation of the center’s alarm system, prompting police intervention. The situation escalated, resulting in the “unprofessional and inhumane” treatment of the Iranian students and their subsequent arrest.

In response, the Iranian Consulate took immediate action, including sending a consular representative to the detention center, issuing a formal protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry, and demanding explanations from Kazan Federal University officials.

Meetings were also held with university representatives, police officials, and the affected students to address the incident and ensure their safety.

Record number of aid workers killed in 2024: UN

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IFP Media Wire

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November 23, 2024

A record number of aid workers have been killed this year, with the war in Gaza the biggest cause of the 281 deaths recorded globally, the United Nations said on Friday.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the figure surpassed the previous annual record of 280 deaths, which was set in 2023.

At least 178 aid workers have been killed this year in the occupied Palestinian territories alone, including Gaza, while 25 have died in Sudan and 11 in Ukraine.

Such incidents have been compiled since 1997 by the Aid Worker Security Database, a US-funded project run by the UK-based group Humanitarian Outcomes.

“Humanitarians are working courageously and selflessly in places like Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, Ukraine and so on,” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke stated.

“They show the best humanity has to offer, and they are getting killed in return — in record numbers.”

A total of 268 of the humanitarians killed — including from non-UN organisations such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent — were national staff, while 13 were international staff.

The war in Gaza is “driving up the numbers”, according to OCHA, which said more than 320 humanitarian personnel have been killed since the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted on 7 October 2023.

But Laerke added the threats to aid workers extend beyond Gaza, with high levels of violence, kidnappings, injuries, harassment and arbitrary detention reported in Afghanistan, Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen and elsewhere.

Iran’s National 7-a-Side football team clinches World Cup title in Spain

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IFP Editorial Staff

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November 23, 2024

The team demonstrated exceptional skill and determination, securing the championship by defeating all their competitors in a series of outstanding performances throughout the tournament. This came against odds as they had been placed in a notoriously challenging “Group of Death”.

Iran faced formidable opponents including Venezuela, Germany, and Southern Ireland. Defying expectations, the Iranian squad defeated each and every one of these powerhouse teams, finishing at the top of their group and advancing to the knockout stages with its record being impeccable.

In the elimination rounds, Iran continued their dominant run by overcoming strong teams from the United States and Brazil, showcasing their tactical prowess and teamwork.

Their journey culminated in a decisive final match against Ukraine, where the Iranian team delivered a commanding performance, securing a 3-0 victory.

This landmark achievement marks Iran’s first-ever World Cup title in 7-a-side football.

Palestinian child deaths by Israel triple in West Bank: UN

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IFP Media Wire

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November 23, 2024

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric indicated at a news conference that “children are bearing the brunt of the worsening situation in the West Bank”, and said that “since October 7th of last year, four Palestinian children have been killed every week on average in the West Bank – marking a three-fold increase compared to the first nine months of 2023”.

He noted illegal Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, adding that the violence continues to displace Palestinian children.

“Of the more than 1,700 Palestinians displaced by settler violence, intimidation and harassment in Bedouin and herding communities, nearly half were children,” he added.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the occupied West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the onslaught in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

Nearly 795 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 6,450 injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion that declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“Iran Hamdel” campaign sends aid to Gaza amid war

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IFP Editorial Staff

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November 22, 2024

Iran’s national campaign, “Iran Hamdel,” was launched on October 5th in response to the Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s call and continues to gain unprecedented support from Iranians for the people of Gaza.

Despite the severe Israeli blockade, aid including food, medicine, and hygiene supplies has reached Gaza and is being distributed.

The Iranian public can still contribute through khamenei.ir or other ways to further support Palestine and Lebanon.

The campaign “Iran Hamdel” remains a powerful symbol of solidarity nationwide.

The Israeli war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, has so far killed around 44,000 Palestinians.

The death toll among Lebanese is nearing 4,000.