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Germany sticking its fingers in its ears.
German court refuses request to block arms exports to Israel
A Berlin court has rejected an urgent request by Palestinian residents to halt the German government’s export of weapons to Israel on the grounds that they might be used in violation of humanitarian law, Reuters news agency reported.
The court said that the Palestinian plaintiffs had not shown that decisions on arms exports to Israel were actually pending, as Germany had abstained from issuing any this year, or that Germany was likely to permit exports in violation of international humanitarian law.
Legal teams representing the Palestinians argued there were reasons to believe such violations are taking place. They called the ruling incomprehensible, adding that the government kept pending arms export applications secret.
Lawyer Ahmed Abed said the government’s suppression of information about weapons and war crimes “puts the lives of our clients at risk”.
Last year, Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth 326 million euros ($354 million), 10 times more than in 2022.
Activists say basic liberties in Austria under threat
Austrian academics, legal experts and activists are concerned the space for basic freedoms is shrinking. In recent months, authorities have cracked down on multiple Palestinian solidarity demonstrations.
Palestine and Barbados sign joint declaration establishing diplomatic ties
The state of Palestine and Barbados have signed a joint declaration formally establishing diplomatic ties between the countries in a meeting on Tuesday.
Palestine’s United Nations Ambassador Riyad Mansour and his Barbadian counterpart Francois Jackman signed the declaration at UN headquarters in New York City, according to the Wafa news agency.
In April, Barbados announced it would be formally recognising Palestine as a state, becoming the 11th Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member to do so.
They join a raft of countries taking that step in recent months, including European countries Ireland, Spain, Norway and Slovenia.
