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Amal Clooney advised ICC prosecutor who seeks warrants in Israel-Hamas war crimes case

British Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. (File/AFP)
British Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. (File/AFP)
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Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News
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Amal Clooney advised ICC prosecutor who seeks warrants in Israel-Hamas war crimes case

British Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. (File/AFP)
  • British Lebanese human rights lawyer says she agreed to serve on panel of experts reviewing evidence because she believes in rule of law and ‘need to protect civilian lives’
Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News
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LONDON: British Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Clooney was a special adviser in the International Criminal Court investigation that resulted in the prosecutor in the case requesting arrest warrants on Monday for Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and three Hamas leaders.

The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, thanked Clooney in his statement announcing his decision, describing her as part of “a panel of experts in international law” who reviewed the evidence.

In a message on her foundation’s website, Clooney said Khan had requested that she assist him “with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza.”

She added: “I agreed and joined a panel of international legal experts to undertake this task. Together we have engaged in an extensive process of evidence review and legal analysis, including at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

“Despite our diverse personal backgrounds, our legal findings are unanimous. We have unanimously determined that the Court has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestine and by Palestinian nationals.

“We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including hostage-taking, murder and crimes of sexual violence.

“We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and extermination.”

Clooney previously faced criticism for failing to publicly criticize the war in Gaza. Many people sent messages to her on social media on Monday apologizing for their comments and praising her role in the ICC investigation.

The lawyer said she agreed to serve on the panel because she believes in the rule of law and the “need to protect civilian lives.”

She added: “The law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world, regardless of the reasons for a conflict.

“As a human rights lawyer, I will never accept that one child’s life has less value than another’s. I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law. So I support the historic step that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken to bring justice to victims of atrocities in Israel and Palestine.”

Israeli and Hamas leaders have rejected allegations that they are guilty of war crimes, and representatives of both sides criticized Khan for his decision.

Topics: War on Gaza ICC Amal Clooney

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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls South Korea a foreign, hostile country

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls South Korea a foreign, hostile country
Updated 3 min 41 sec ago
Reuters
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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls South Korea a foreign, hostile country

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls South Korea a foreign, hostile country
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has increasingly lashed out at South Korea this year
  • The reclusive state blasted road and rail links with South Korea this week
Updated 3 min 41 sec ago
Reuters

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described South Korea as a foreign and hostile nation, state media KCNA reported on Friday with photos showing Kim and high-ranking military personnel at a command post poring over a map labelled “Seoul.”
The report comes a day after KCNA said North Korea amended its constitution to designate South Korea a “hostile state” and dropped unification of the two countries as a goal.
Kim has increasingly lashed out at South Korea this year, accusing Seoul of colluding with Washington to seek the collapse of his regime.
The reclusive state blasted road and rail links with South Korea this week. Those actions underscored “not only the physical closure but also the end of the evil relationship with Seoul,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Seoul has said that if North Korea were to inflict harm upon the safety of its people, “that day will be the end of the North Korean regime.”
Kim made the remarks while inspecting the headquarters of the 2nd Corps of North Korean army on Thursday, KCNA said. During the visit, he also said the changed nature of the South Korea-US alliance, and their different, more developed military maneuvers highlight the importance of a stronger North Korean nuclear deterrent.
“Kim is trying to mentally fortify the frontline soldiers with his comments” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
“This ‘two hostile countries’ rhetoric is, in the end, Kim Jong Un’s survival strategy … Don’t interfere, live separately as a hostile country. It’s a path (North Korea) has never gone before, and no one can be sure about its success.”
On Sunday, South Korea will begin annual large-scale military exercises called Hoguk to improve operational performance, the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday.

Topics: Kim Jong Un North Korea South Korea

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Indonesia ramps up security ahead of Prabowo’s inauguration

Indonesia ramps up security ahead of Prabowo’s inauguration
Updated 12 min 47 sec ago
Reuters
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Indonesia ramps up security ahead of Prabowo’s inauguration

Indonesia ramps up security ahead of Prabowo’s inauguration
  • Roughly 100,000 personnel in Jakarta will include snipers and anti-riot units and will stay in place until Wednesday
  • Security personnel have been placed in key areas such as the parliamentary building where the inauguration takes place
Updated 12 min 47 sec ago
Reuters
JAKARTA: Indonesian police and military started deploying at least 100,000 personnel across the capital Jakarta on Friday, officials said, as the country prepares for the inauguration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto this weekend.
Former General Prabowo will be sworn in as Indonesia’s president on Sunday with Vice President-elect, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of outgoing president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, also taking office.
The roughly 100,000 personnel in Jakarta will include snipers and anti-riot units and will stay in place until Wednesday, said military chief Agus Subianto.
During previous important events in Jakarta, security personnel have been placed in key areas such as the parliamentary building where the inauguration takes place, the presidential palace and Jakarta’s main roads.
On Friday, at least two thousand military personnel were taking part in security drills at Jakarta’s National Monument complex, with dozens of military light tactical vehicles on the ground.
“We need to be alert about possible threats before, during and after the inauguration,” said Agus.
The security forces are expected to escort 36 state leaders who will attend the inauguration, Agus said, without giving further details.
The Indonesian Air Force will also deploy four F-16 jets to guard aircraft carrying foreign dignitaries attending the inauguration, state news agency Antara reported.
Hundreds of people are expected to gather in Jakarta’s streets to welcome Prabowo as the new president and give a farewell to Jokowi, said police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo.

A glance at Ukraine’s plan aimed at nudging Russia into talks to end the war

A glance at Ukraine’s plan aimed at nudging Russia into talks to end the war
Updated 18 October 2024
AP
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A glance at Ukraine’s plan aimed at nudging Russia into talks to end the war

A glance at Ukraine’s plan aimed at nudging Russia into talks to end the war
  • Zelensky outlined the plan to Ukraine’s Parliament on Wednesday without disclosing confidential elements that have been presented in private to key allies, including the US
Updated 18 October 2024
AP

KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has partially revealed his five-point plan aimed at prompting Russia to end the war through negotiations. A key element would be a formal invitation into NATO, which Western backers have been reluctant to consider until after the war ends.
Zelensky outlined the plan to Ukraine’s Parliament on Wednesday without disclosing confidential elements that have been presented in private to key allies, including the United States.
Here’s what we know:
Invitation to NATO
The plan’s first section involves formally inviting Ukraine to join NATO in the near future.
While this doesn’t mean Ukraine would become a member until after the war ends, it would signal a “testament of determination” and demonstrate how Western partners view Ukraine within the “security architecture,” Zelensky said.
“For decades, Russia has exploited the geopolitical uncertainty in Europe, particularly the fact that Ukraine is not a NATO member,” Zelensky said. “This has tempted Russia to encroach upon our security.”
He described the invitation to join NATO as “truly fundamental for peace” in Ukraine.
NATO partners have been reluctant to invite Ukraine to join while the war is ongoing, and Zelensky’s request for an invitation puts the military alliance in a difficult position.
Since the onset of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the alliance has faced challenges in finding ways to bring Ukraine closer without formally extending an invitation.
At their summit in Washington in July, NATO’s 32 members declared Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to membership. But any decision on offering to start membership talks is not likely before the next summit in the Netherlands in June.

 

 

Defense
The second section, entitled defense, focuses on strengthening Ukraine’s capability to reclaim territory and “to bring the war back to the Russian territory.”
It includes the continuation of military operations in Russia with the aim of strengthening Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian forces from occupied territories in Ukraine.
It also would involve enhancing air defense and jointly intercepting Russian missiles and drones with neighboring countries along the international border. Ukraine wants to expand the use of Ukrainian drones and missiles, and lift restrictions on using Western-supplied weapons for long-range strikes against military infrastructure inside Russia.
Ukraine also seeks greater access to a broader range of intelligence from allies and real-time satellite data. This section of the plan has confidential elements accessible only to allies with the “relevant assistance potential,” Zelensky said.
He said Ukraine has been providing its partners “with a clear justification of what its goals are, how they intend to achieve them, and how much this will reduce Russia’s ability to continue the war.”
Western partners have been wary of Ukraine using donated weapons in anything but a defensive capacity, for fear of being drawn into the conflict.
Ukraine has long been lobbying for the US to drop its restrictions on using long-range Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, but the Biden administration’s red line remained unchanged even after Zelensky’s recent visit to Washington, D.C.
 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) arrives with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (L) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte(2L) for the NATO-Ukraine Council Working Dinner attended by NATO defense ministers at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on October 17, 2024. (POOL / AFP)

Deterrence
In the deterrence section of the plan, Ukraine calls for deploying “a comprehensive non-nuclear deterrence package on its territory that would be sufficient to protect the country from any military threat posed by Russia.”
Zelensky did not elaborate on the details of such a non-nuclear deterrence, but he said it would be used against specific Russian military targets, meaning that Russia would “face the loss of its war machine.”
He said this capability would limit Russia’s options for continuing its aggression and prod it into engaging in a fair diplomatic process to resolve the war.
Classified elements of this section have been shared with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany, he said. Other countries capable of contributing also would be briefed, Zelensky said.
Economy
The fourth section focuses on developing Ukraine’s strategic economic potential and strengthening sanctions against Russia.
Zelensky highlighted that Ukraine is rich in natural resources, including critically important metals “worth trillions of US dollars,” such as uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite, etc.
“Ukraine’s deposits of critical resources, combined with its globally significant potential in energy and food production, are among Russia’s key objectives in this war,” he said. But it also “represents our opportunity for growth.”
The economic component of the plan also includes a confidential addendum shared only with selected partners, he said.
“Ukraine offers … a special agreement for the joint protection of Ukraine’s critical resources, shared investment, and use of its economic potential,” he said. “This, too, is peace through strength — economic strength.”
Post-war period
The fifth section is geared toward the post-war period. Zelensky stated that Ukraine will have a big army of experienced military personnel after the war.
“These are our soldiers — warriors who will possess real experience in modern warfare, successful use of Western weaponry, and extensive interaction with NATO forces,” he said. “This Ukrainian experience should be used to strengthen the alliance’s defense and ensure security in Europe. It’s a worthy mission for our heroes.”
He also mentioned that, with partners’ approval, Ukrainian units could replace certain US military contingents stationed in Europe.

 

Topics: Russian invasion in Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine NATO EU

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South Africa reach final and end Australia’s title defense at Women’s T20 World Cup

South Africa reach final and end Australia’s title defense at Women’s T20 World Cup
Updated 18 October 2024
AP
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South Africa reach final and end Australia’s title defense at Women’s T20 World Cup

South Africa reach final and end Australia’s title defense at Women’s T20 World Cup
  • Anneke Bosch led the way with 74 not out off 48 balls, including eight fours and a six, as the Proteas finished with 135-2 in 17.2 overs
  • Having beaten Australia for the first time in this tournament’s history, South Africa now await the winner of the second semifinal between West Indies and New Zealand in Sharjah on Friday
Updated 18 October 2024
AP

DUBAI: South Africa stunned defending champions Australia in the first semifinal of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Thursday, winning by eight wickets to reach their second straight final.

In a reversal from the 2023 final at Cape Town, South Africa chased down Australia’s 134-5 with 16 balls to spare. Six-time champions Australia had won three straight titles.

Anneke Bosch led the way with 74 not out off 48 balls, including eight fours and a six, as the Proteas finished with 135-2 in 17.2 overs.

She had support from skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who set the early pace with three fours and a six in scoring 42 off 37 balls.

Having beaten Australia for the first time in this tournament’s history, South Africa now await the winner of the second semifinal between West Indies and New Zealand in Sharjah on Friday.

The final will be played in Dubai on Sunday.

It ended Australia’s 15-match winning run in the tournament. Since 2009, it is only the second time in nine Women’s T20 World Cups that the six-time champions failed to make the final.

“It’s gonna be pretty hard to take. We just didn’t really show up tonight, and can’t afford to do that in tournaments like this,” Australia’s stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath said.

McGrath was skipper in the place of Australia’s star player and regular captain, Alyssa Healy, who suffered a foot injury earlier in the tournament.

South Africa had opted to bowl and made two vital early breakthroughs.

Opener Grace Harris was out caught for three off Ayabonga Khaka, while Georgia Wareham was caught off Marizanne Kapp for five runs.

Australia was down to 18-2 in the third over, but rescued by a 50-run partnership between Beth Mooney and McGrath.

Mooney top-scored with 44 off 42 balls, hitting two fours, and looked set to shepherd the innings to a competitive total.

Left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba got the breakthrough — she dismissed McGrath in the 13th over for 27 off 33 balls.

The turning point came in the 17th over — Kapp ran out Mooney. Ellyze Perry scored 31 off 23 balls to take them past 100. But Australia failed to gather sufficient momentum in the final overs.

Annabel Sutherland provided the early wicket in the chase — she bowled Tazmin Brits for 15.

But Wolvaardt and Bosch seized initiative to put on 96 off 65 balls for the second wicket — South Africa’s highest partnership for any wicket against Australia in T20s.

Bosch brought up her 50 off 31 balls, and went on to score the tournament’s highest individual score.

Sutherland did get the breakthrough in the 15th over, but it was too little too late for the outgoing champions, who were thoroughly outplayed on the night.

Bosch was named player of the match for her unbeaten knock.

“My heart is racing. It was tough out there and I am just glad we got past the finish line. We knew we are capable and had a good tournament coming into this game. To restrict them under 140 tonight was outstanding,” she said.

Topics: Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

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Harris says elimination of Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar gives opportunity to ‘end the war in Gaza’

Harris says elimination of Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar gives opportunity to ‘end the war in Gaza’
Updated 18 October 2024
AP
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Harris says elimination of Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar gives opportunity to ‘end the war in Gaza’

Harris says elimination of Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar gives opportunity to ‘end the war in Gaza’
  • Israeli officials said Sinwar was killed in a battle with Israeli forces in Gaza
  • The Biden administration’s support for Israel has complicated Harris' campaign push among Arab Americans
Updated 18 October 2024
AP

MILWAUKEE: Kamala Harris said Thursday that Israel’s killing of Hamas’ top leader offers “an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza,” talking plainly about next steps even as the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who gathered outside her campaign event underscored the complicated politics at play.
The Democratic presidential nominee said the war “must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”
“It is time for the day after to begin,” she said, speaking from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee just moments after the White House released President Joe Biden’s statement on the death of Yahya Sinwar. Israeli officials said Sinwar was killed in a battle with Israeli forces in Gaza.

The administration’s response to the killing of a chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel was carefully choreographed, leaving room for Harris to emphasize the push to end the war as she balances her loyalty to Biden.
With the presidential race at razor-thin margins and the election just a few weeks away, the vice president is seeking to solidify support in battleground states and shore up left flank voters who want to see an immediate end to the bloody conflict, some of whom threaten not to vote for her.
The Biden administration’s support for Israel has complicated her campaign push in metro Detroit, especially in Dearborn, an area home to the nation’s largest Arab American community. The death earlier this month of a Dearborn resident killed in south Lebanon ignited more anger in the traditionally Democratic area.
Speaking Thursday in Flint, Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was hopeful for an end to the violence.
“Have the hostages returned and have a solution for long-term peace in the region. That’s everything that I think is so important. And, you know, any chance that we can do that, I think would be welcomed by so many people,” she said.

Trump ’unstable’

At Harris’ next stop in Wisconsin, at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, her remarks focused on Trump and his falsehoods around the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
Trump is “increasingly unstable and unhinged, and will stop at nothing to claim unchecked power for himself,” she said.

William Schauberger, a 24-year-old political science major, said ahead of her rally there that he wasn’t optimistic that either side would put a stop to the conflict raging in the Middle East.
“I mean, especially when there were, you know, massive protests. And instead of doing anything about it, and trying to secure stuff, they just tended to, you know, ignore it and ... just denounce the protests,” he said.
Harris has not proposed any policy shifts on Israel, and her remarks largely echoed Biden’s statement. But she has, of late, faced increasing pressure to articulate how she would govern differently from Biden.
While Biden’s favorability ratings remain underwater, some of the biggest pieces of his legislative agenda, from infrastructure to lowering the costs of some prescription drugs, are popular, and signaling any daylight with the president on foreign policy at a time of global crises could be seen as reckless.
Biden’s written statement on Sinwar’s death — released as he was traveling to Germany for a visit with Chancellor Olaf Scholz — focused on how US intelligence helped the Israelis pursue Hamas leadership and noted that Israel had every right to “eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas.”
“Today proves once again that no terrorists anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes,” Biden said.
He said he would speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.”
 

Topics: War on Gaza US Election 2024 Kamala Harris Yahya Sinwar

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Latest updates

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls South Korea a foreign, hostile country
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls South Korea a foreign, hostile country
Indonesia ramps up security ahead of Prabowo’s inauguration
Indonesia ramps up security ahead of Prabowo’s inauguration
A glance at Ukraine’s plan aimed at nudging Russia into talks to end the war
A glance at Ukraine’s plan aimed at nudging Russia into talks to end the war
South Africa reach final and end Australia’s title defense at Women’s T20 World Cup
South Africa reach final and end Australia’s title defense at Women’s T20 World Cup
Harris says elimination of Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar gives opportunity to ‘end the war in Gaza’
Harris says elimination of Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar gives opportunity to ‘end the war in Gaza’

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