Sanctions on Israel ‘must happen right now’
Saleh Hijazi, apartheid-free policy coordinator for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, said the international community needs to sanction Israeli now as the war in Gaza grinds on and the violence of the large-scale West Bank military incursion intensifies.
“Sanction Israel now,” Hijazi told Al Jazeera.
“We have two International Court of Justice orders confirming the possibility of genocide and ordering Israel to stop its genocidal acts, and that Israel’s presence in the occupied territories is illegal,” Hijazi said.
“It calls on third states to impose sanctions: economic, diplomatic, financial. And a military embargo on Israel. This must happen right now,” he said.
UN expert says countries helping ship explosives to Israel may violate Genocide Convention
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, has praised Namibia for “rightfully denying” port access to a ship reportedly carrying explosives to Israel.
“My hope is that Angola will follow Namibia’s example and not consent to harbour the ship,” Albanese said in a post on X.
Albanese said she had received information that the Portuguese-flagged Kathrin is carrying eight containers of explosives that are “reportedly key components in the aircraft bombs and missiles that Israel is deploying against besieged Gaza”.
She warned that countries potentially helping the ship, including Portugal, risk breaching the Genocide Convention as well as a UN Human Rights Council resolution “mandating an arms embargo on Israel”.
NEED TO ENFORCE ARMS EMBARGO
According to information received, the vessel #Kathrin, flying with Portuguese flag, is expected to deliver 8 containers of explosives to Israel.
These explosives are reportedly key components in the aircraft bombs and missiles that Israel is…
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 31, 2024
Israel works to discredit UNRWA with Google advertisements: Lazzarini
The head of the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) has accused Israel of spreading “misinformation and disinformation” against the organisation.
Quoting an article from Wired magazine, he wrote on X that the government of Israel has been buying advertisements on Google as part of its campaign to undermine and discredit the UNRWA.
The campaign also aims to block users from giving donations to the agency, Philippe Lazzarini said, and added: “This does not just hurt the agency’s reputation but most importantly it puts the lives of our staff at risk.”
He stressed that Israel’s deliberate efforts to spread misinformation should stop and be investigated.
“Companies including social media platforms continue to make profit through spreading misinformation,” Lazzarini said. “More regulations are needed to combat disinformation and hate speech,” the UNRWA chief concluded.
The spread of misinformation & disinformation continues to be used as a weapon in the war in #Gaza.
As part of its campaign to undermine & discredit @UNRWA, the Government of Israel has been buying ads on @Google to block users from giving donations to the Agency + undertake a…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 31, 2024
