US defence secretary Lloyd Austin orders USS Abraham Lincoln strike group to quicken transit to Middle East and deploys guided missile submarine, says PentagonSee all our Middle East crisis coverageJosep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, has said the bloc should consider sanctions in response to calls by Israel’s far-right national security minister to cut off aid to Gaza, calling them an “incitement to war crimes”.
Writing on the X platform late on Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Borrell said the recent remarks by Itamar Ben-Gvir constitute “incitement to war crimes,” adding that “sanctions must be on our EU agenda.”
In his own post on X and in media interviews, Ben-Gvir said that instead of agreeing to a potential ceasefire deal, Israel should block the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza until Hamas releases all of the hostages, saying that doing so would bring the militant group to its knees.
Ben-Gvir has also repeatedly called for Israel to permanently reoccupy Gaza, rebuild Jewish settlements there and encourage the “voluntary” migration of Palestinians from the territory.
Ben-Gvir, a key member of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, has threatened to bring the government down if it makes too many concessions in the ceasefire talks.
Borrell called on Israel’s government to “unequivocally distance itself from these incitements to commit war crimes,” and to engage “in good faith” with ceasefire negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt.The overseers of the Geneva conventions, the core of international humanitarian law that seeks to protect civilians, detainees and wounded soldiers in war, have said they are being “disregarded” and have called on the world to recommit to the framework on its 75th anniversary. Continue reading…
Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/12/middle-east-crisis-live-us-israel-iran-gaza-hamas-lebanon-hezbollah
Author : Sammy Gecsoyler
Publish date : 2024-08-12 12:09:53
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