52 UN countries sign a letter calling for an immediate halt to Israel arms sales
More than 50 countries have signed a letter urging the UN Security Council and General Assembly to take immediate steps to halt arms sales to Israel. The letter accuses the Israeli government of not doing enough to protect the lives of civilians during its assault on Gaza.
Amsterdam clashes call to attention Israel’s participation in global sports
Clashes this past week in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, between Israeli football fans and apparent pro-Palestinian protesters are being framed as anti-Semitic attacks – an unfortunate framing, says Dima Said from the Palestine Football Association.
“It was very unfortunate for us as Palestinians, to keep framing this incident [as] anti-Semitic, instead of addressing the main question, which is, why are Israeli clubs like Maccabi Tel Aviv permitted to compete on international stages while Israel is committing acts of genocide, occupation and dispossession of Palestinians?” she told Al Jazeera, speaking from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
“Allowing those Israeli teams to participate in global sports kind of contradicts with the values of peace and unity that FIFA and UEFA claim to support, while Israeli actions actually violate the international law.”
Said noted the clashes began due to Israeli fans singing anti-Palestinian chants.
“The Israeli fans were saying things like, there are no more schools left in Gaza. No children left in Gaza … burning the Palestinian flag, chanting death to the Arabs,” the football association official said. “Those are all incitement chants, and they’re the ones that kind of inflated the situation.”
She said they have asked Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to suspend Israeli teams from participating in international sporting events, on the basis that Israel is committing “genocidal acts”.
“This goes against all the sports values we [learn],” said Said.
Hundreds march in Netherlands, condemning Israeli wars in Gaza and Lebanon
Hundreds of Arab communities and supporters of Palestine have marched in the Dutch city of Utrecht, condemning the ongoing Israeli wars on Gaza and Lebanon.
In videos verified by Al Jazeera, Palestinian and Lebanese flags are seen being waved during the march to protest the Dutch government’s support for the Israeli wars and complicity in its crimes.
The protesters chanted slogans demanding the liberation of Palestine now and a complete and immediate ceasefire.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCJxERVo2IT
Danish ship denied entry to Spanish port amid allegations of weapons transport to Israel
The container vessel has been denied entry to Algeciras, shipping company Maersk said, denying that the vessel is transporting arms to Israel.
“The cargo to be transshipped through the port does not include any military weapons or ammunition,” Maersk said in a communique.
Spanish daily El Pais earlier this week had cited Spanish government officials saying that the ship, as well as another also belonging to Maersk and due to dock later this month, “will not stop in Spain” because its cargo includes weapons being delivered to Israel.
“To gain clarity for future operations, we have consulted the Spanish authorities to understand why entry was denied for cargo no different than previous shipments that have routinely been transshipped through this port without incident,” the Danish company said.
“It is our understanding that Spain has in its discretion changed its criteria and is now rejecting vessels that carry anything military related going to, or from, Israel, notwithstanding such cargo being legal.”
Spain, which is seeking to convince other European countries to recognise a Palestinian state, has refused docking to shops transporting arms to Israel.
