GENEVA (20 June 2024) – The transfer of weapons and ammunition to Israel may constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian laws and risk State complicity in international crimes, possibly including genocide, UN experts said today, reiterating their demand to stop transfers immediately.
Germany, like any other State Party to the Rome Statute, would thus be obliged under international law, and would be capable under German law, to arrest any person against whom the ICC has issued an arrest warrant, be it President Putin or, in future, perhaps one of the Hamas leaders, Defence Minister Gallant or Prime Minister Netanyahu. The opposing view not only misrepresents the current state of international law, but it also contradicts the Nuremberg legacy, which must be upheld particularly by Germany. Moreover, this view disregards the public statement by the German Federal Minister of Justice that President Putin would be arrested in Germany and surrendered to the ICC. If the same were not to apply in the case of an arrest warrant for an Israeli Prime Minister, Germany would be exposed to the accusation of applying double standards and acting à la tête du client, depending on how close its relationship was to the home State of the person wanted.
We, Palestinian Civil Society and Unions, call upon all people of conscience to stand with us in demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The ongoing Israeli genocidal campaign has brought immense suffering and devastation to our people, and it is time for the world to unite in solidarity to end this humanitarian crisis.
The board of the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences of the Universitat de València has unanimously approved the exclusion of Israel from the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The faculty’s management believes that allowing the State of Israel to participate is a tacit acceptance of its crimes against humanity.
As a research institute we choose not to issue general political statements, although we obviously condemn all violence against civilians. We are specifically concerned with situations in which academic freedoms are under threat, including those that have followed upon the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th and the Israeli war in Gaza, in particular the scholasticide or total devastation of the academic infrastructure in Gaza.
The legislation that the National Union of Students is advocating, which seeks to harm any university lecturer who dares to express criticism of Israel and its policies, testifies to the fact that the heads of the organization lack a basic understanding of the principles of democracy.
Health workers killed in the Gaza war have included more than 50 highly qualified specialists who were seeking to create a healthcare system for a Palestinian state, Reuters found. With each specialist killed, Gaza lost a network of knowledge that will take years to rebuild.
A newly proposed bill aiming to quash political dissent at universities is straight out of the illiberal playbook
The University is suspending its exchange agreements with Israeli universities, but does not intend to restrict the academic freedom of its researchers to collaborate with their Israeli colleagues.
By Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
