UK ‘deeply concerned’ over Israel’s revocation of Norwegian envoys’ status
The British Foreign Office has urged the Israeli government to reconsider its decision to revoke the status of eight Norwegian diplomats serving the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Norway has long played a unique and valued role in supporting peace for Israelis and Palestinians,” it said in a statement.
Yesterday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced the move, citing Norway’s recognition of Palestinian statehood and its backing of an International Criminal Court (ICC) case accusing Israeli leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
“There is a price for anti-Israel behaviour,” Katz said.
Apparently there is no price for anti-human behavior...
British foreign secretary tells UK citizens in Lebanon: ‘Leave now’
David Lammy says the UK “continues to use all diplomatic levers to push for de-escalation” in the Middle East.
Further escalation in the Middle East is in no one’s interests. The UK continues to use all diplomatic levers to push for de-escalation.
Our message to British nationals in Lebanon is clear – leave now.
Read the latest travel advice:https://t.co/oeWXh6Gid8
Apart from the ones that would actually work, sanctions.
Former State Department official slams decision on Netzah Yehuda battalion
Charles Blaha, a former director of the US State Department’s Office of Security and Human Rights, says the Biden administration’s decision to allow the Netzah Yehuda battalion to receive military assistance “appears directly contrary” to US law.
Among other things, the office oversees the implementation of the Leahy Law, which mandates the cutoff of US assistance to military units involved in human rights violations.
In a column for the legal forum, Just Security, Blaha, who directed the office from 2016 to 2023, said the State Department’s decision “strongly suggests that the US position is likely a result, in significant part, of pressure by Prime Minister Netanyahu”.
He added that it also raises questions about “the value the Department places on the lives of not just Palestinians, but Palestinian Americans as well”.
As we reported earlier, Netzah Yehuda soldiers fatally detained an elderly Palestinian-American man in the occupied West Bank in 2022, prompting calls for justice and accountability.
The State Department’s Wrong Decision to Exempt IDF Unit from Leahy Law Ineligibility
By Charles (Cob) Blaha, who recently served as Director of State Dept office that implements Leahy Law worldwide.#Blinken #Israel #LeahyLaw #NetzahYehuda #HumanRightshttps://t.co/FFz2X9TwEN
— Just Security (@just_security) August 9, 2024
