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Ƶ, OIC welcome UN resolution seeking ICJ advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations

Palestinians struggle to reach for food at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP)
Palestinians struggle to reach for food at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 21 December 2024

Ƶ, OIC welcome UN resolution seeking ICJ advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations

Ƶ, OIC welcome UN resolution seeking ICJ advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations
  • UN body voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to adopt the resolution
  • OIC commended the efforts of Norway and other co-sponsoring countries for championing the resolution

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday welcomed the UN General Assembly's adoption of a resolution requesting an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations in Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Ƶ expressed gratitude to nations that supported the resolution, emphasizing its aim to assist the Palestinian people amidst their ongoing challenges.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also expressed on Friday its support for the UN General Assembly’s recent approval of the resolution.

The UN body voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to adopt the resolution, which called on the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to ensure and facilitate the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid necessary for the survival of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

The resolution, drafted by Norway, was adopted with 137 member states voting in favor. Israel, the US and 10 other countries voted against it, and 22 abstained.

The OIC commended the efforts of Norway and other co-sponsoring countries for championing the resolution, SPA added.

In a statement, the OIC said Israel’s policies, including legislation impacting the presence, operations, and immunities of the UN and its agencies — such as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees — and other international entities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, contravene the UN Charter and its resolutions.

“These actions deprive the Palestinian people of essential assistance and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis they are experiencing,” the organization stated.

The OIC also welcomed the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution affirming the “permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources.”

Reiterating its commitment to Palestinian rights, the OIC urged all states, international organizations, and UN agencies to work toward ending Israel’s occupation and enabling Palestinians to realize their right to self-determination.

The organization called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.


12 killed in blast at Turkiye explosives plant

12 killed in blast at Turkiye explosives plant
Updated 26 min 55 sec ago

12 killed in blast at Turkiye explosives plant

12 killed in blast at Turkiye explosives plant
  • The plant, located in the north of Balikesir, makes munitions and explosives and flares for the domestic and international markets

Istanbul: A powerful blast on Tuesday ripped through an explosives plant in northwest Turkiye killing 13 people and injuring four others, officials said.
Footage showed shards of glass and metal scattered outside the plant, where ambulances stood by.
“According to initial reports, 12 employees died and four were taken to hospital with injuries as a result of the explosion,” local governor Ismail Ustaoglu said.
“I wish God’s mercy upon our deceased citizens and a speedy recovery to our wounded,” he added.
Officials said the wounded were not in a serious condition.
The blast took place at 8:25 am (0525 GMT) at a section of the plant which local officials said collapsed by the force of the explosion.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the cause was not immediately known and authorities ruled out sabotage.
“We are trying to find out what caused it,” he said.
Prosecutors have launched a thorough investigation.
The plant, located in the north of Balikesir, makes munitions and explosives and flares for the domestic and international markets.
Turkiye has become a major defense exporter, particularly for drones, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a major supporter of the industry.


UN investigative team says Syria’s new authorities ‘very receptive’ to probe of Assad war crimes

UN investigative team says Syria’s new authorities ‘very receptive’ to probe of Assad war crimes
Updated 24 December 2024

UN investigative team says Syria’s new authorities ‘very receptive’ to probe of Assad war crimes

UN investigative team says Syria’s new authorities ‘very receptive’ to probe of Assad war crimes
  • International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, was the first since the organization was established by the UN General Assembly in 2016

UNITED NATIONS: The UN organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy.
The visit led by Robert Petit, head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, was the first since the organization was established by the UN General Assembly in 2016. It was created to assist in evidence-gathering and prosecution of individuals responsible for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since Syria’s civil war began in 2011.
Petit highlighted the urgency of preserving documents and other evidence before it is lost.
Since the rebel overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad and the rebel opening of prisons and detention facilities there have been rising demands from Syrians for the prosecution of those responsible for atrocities and killings while he was in power.
“The fall of the Assad rule is a significant opportunity for us to fulfill our mandate on the ground,” Petit said. “Time is running out. There is a small window of opportunity to secure these sites and the material they hold.”
UN associate spokesperson Stephane Tremblay said Monday the investigative team “is preparing for an operational deployment as early as possible and as soon as it is authorized to conduct activities on Syrian soil.”
The spokesperson for the organization, known as the IIIM, who was on the trip with Petit, went further, telling The Associated Press: “We are preparing to deploy on the expectation that we will get authorization.”
“The representatives from the caretaker authorities were very receptive to our request for cooperation and are aware of the scale of the task ahead,” the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of not being named. “They emphasized that they will need expertise to help safeguard the newly accessible documentation.”
The IIIM did not disclose which officials in the new government it met with or the site that Petit visited afterward.
“Even at one facility,” Petit said, “the mountains of government documentation reveal the chilling efficiency of systemizing the regime’s atrocity crimes.”
He said that a collective effort by Syrians, civil society organizations and international partners will be needed, as a priority, ” to preserve evidence of the crimes committed, avoid duplication, and ensure that all victims are inclusively represented in the pursuit of justice.”
In June 2023, the 193-member General Assembly also established an Independent Institution of Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic to clarify the fate and whereabouts of more than 130,000 people missing as a result of the conflict.


US military says it conducts airstrike in Syria, killing two Daesh operatives

US military says it conducts airstrike in Syria, killing two Daesh operatives
Updated 24 December 2024

US military says it conducts airstrike in Syria, killing two Daesh operatives

US military says it conducts airstrike in Syria, killing two Daesh operatives
  • The Daesh operatives were moving a truckload of weapons in Dayr az Zawr Province

WASHINGTON: The US military said on Monday it conducted an airstrike in Syria that killed two Islamic State operatives and wounded one.
The Daesh operatives were moving a truckload of weapons in Dayr az Zawr Province, an area formerly controlled by the Syrian government and Russians, when they were targeted with the airstrike, US Central Command said in a statement on social media platform X.


Defense minister acknowledges Israel killed Hamas leader in Iran

Defense minister acknowledges Israel killed Hamas leader in Iran
Updated 24 December 2024

Defense minister acknowledges Israel killed Hamas leader in Iran

Defense minister acknowledges Israel killed Hamas leader in Iran
  • Minister’s comments mark first time Israel has admitted killing Ismail Haniyeh in Iran 
  • Admits Israel killed other leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, helped topple Syria’s Bashar Assad

JERUSALEM: Israel’s defense minister has confirmed that Israel assassinated Hamas’ top leader last summer and is threatening to take similar action against the leadership of the Houthi group in Yemen.

The comments by Israel Katz appeared to mark the first time that Israel has admitted killing Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an explosion in Iran in July.

Israel was widely believed to be behind the blast, and leaders have previously hinted at its involvement.

In a speech Monday, Katz said the Houthis would meet a similar fate as the other members of an Iranian-led alliance in the region, including Haniyeh.

He also noted that Israel has killed other leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, helped topple Syria’s Bashar Assad, and destroyed Iran’s anti-aircraft systems.

“We will strike (the Houthis’) strategic infrastructure and cut off the head of the leadership,” he said.

“Just like we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon, we will do in Hodeida and Sanaa,” he said, referring to Hamas and Hezbollah leaders killed in previous Israeli attacks.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have launched scores of missiles and drones at Israel throughout the war, including a missile that landed in Tel Aviv on Saturday and wounded at least 16 people.

Israel has carried out three sets of airstrikes in Yemen during the war and vowed to step up the pressure on the militant group until the missile attacks stop.


Israel says intercepted projectile fired from Yemen

Israel says intercepted projectile fired from Yemen
Updated 24 December 2024

Israel says intercepted projectile fired from Yemen

Israel says intercepted projectile fired from Yemen
  • “Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception”

JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Tuesday it had intercepted a projectile fired from Yemen after air raid sirens sounded in the center and south of Israel.
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago, a projectile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory,” the Israeli army said on Telegram.
“Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception.”
Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, reported no injuries from the projectile.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned the Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen, who last week fired two missiles at Israel, including one that injured 16 people in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv on Saturday.
“I have instructed our forces to destroy the infrastructure of Houthis, because anyone who tries to harm us will be struck with full force,” he told lawmakers, “even if it takes time.”
Israeli warplanes retaliated against ports and energy infrastructure, which the military said contributed to Houthi rebel operations, after a rebel missile badly damaged an Israeli school last week.
The Houthis said the Israeli strikes killed nine people.