Qatargate: A 'murky' prosecution case, says former suspect

Jack Parrock
DW

Oct. 28,2023

A central figure in the EU's Qatargate corruption scandal has spoken out against the Belgian investigators dealing with the case.

Figa-Talamanca: "Reputational damage against me is enormous"

Gloria Imbrogno/ZUMA Wire/imago images

A former suspect in the case of the European Union's Qatargate corruption scandal has called into question the integrity of the Belgian state's investigation into the alleged crimes.

After his unconditional release from prison in February, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca has decided to speak out in an interview with DW, alleging the Belgian justice system is not handling the case correctly. "The way they're doing it is all very murky," he said.

Figa-Talamanca, 51, was one of four people arrested in December 2022 raids on suspicion of being involved in a cash-for-favors corruption ring in the European Parliament. His human rights organization, No Peace Without Justice, was linked to the corruption scandal.

Following his release, he was reinstated as secretary-general of the nongovernmental organization.

The other suspects in the case are Greek Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Eva Kaili, her life partner Francesco Giorgi, and his boss, former Italian MEP Antonio Panzeri. Subsequently, two other MEPs, Marc Tarabella and Andrea Cozzolino, were also arrested. Cash found in the raids totaled €1.5 million ($1.58 million), none of which was in the home of Figa-Talamanca.

Former EU Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi are suspects in the Qatargate scandal

 Eurokinissi/AFP

The accused are suspected of taking bribes from Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania in exchange for using their political clout to sway EU policies in favor of those countries.

Despite his release after two months behind bars in Brussels, Figa-Talamanca's name remains on the case file — in Belgium, charges can only be formally dropped once the case goes to trial.

Figa-Talamanca said having a career devoted to supporting people defending human rights is leading him to speak out against what he sees as "murky" prosecution practices.

'Mafiosi' undertones

His decision to voice his concerns publicly comes after the former judge on the closed Qatargate file, Michael Claise, gave interviews to a Belgian radio station on September 9 this year.

"Everything is in the file. The truth is found there, not in the television studios nor in certain magazines," Claise said. "The truth will explode one day in the face of manipulators who try to distort it."

For Figa-Talamanca, those comments ignite serious concerns about the handling of the investigation, while there is very little information on the case files in the public domain.

"People who make vague threats and speak by allusion cannot then complain and cannot ascribe mafiosi methods to others," said the Italian NGO head. "Because this is what mafiosi do themselves."

The Belgian justice system has faced a deluge of criticism for leaks to the press from the investigation.

DW contacted Claise for a response to all of Figa-Talamanca's allegations. He responded to our request by saying: "Impossible. My job is built on secrets."

The judge was eventually recused from the case in June 2023 when it was revealed that his son is in business with the son of Belgian MEP Maria Arena, another potential suspect in the case.

Claise has also filed his own legal case to try to identify the perpetrators of what he calls a public smear campaign against him, according to Le Soir newspaper.

Judge Aurélie Dejaiffe is now in charge of the Qatargate file.

EU corruption scandal: Eva Kaili's pretrial hearing delayed  01:23

Origins of Qatargate

One of the long-standing questions of the Qatargate scandal is what exactly prompted the investigation in the first place, which Belgian authorities have never clarified.

Figa-Talamanca suggests it could have started with an investigation into him personally, following a report he commissioned on corruption he believed was happening inside the European Parliament.

He was part of a collective of NGOs in February 2022 to commission and publish an "Undue Influence Report" that alleges money from the United Arab Emirates was being used to bribe MEPs, none of whom were later implicated in Qatargate.

There are no indications that the allegations in the report were investigated by police and were ever substantiated.

Figa-Talamanca believes the report sparked sufficient anger with Emirati authorities, who then began looking into him.

In July 2023, the European Network of Investigative Journalists released a set of leaks that claimed the United Arab Emirates tasked a Swiss private intelligence company called Alp Services to run "character assassination" campaigns against supporters of their regional rivals, Qatar.

Figa-Talamanca was one of their 18 targets. His theory is that those investigations hit on the corrupt practices of Qatargate suspect Antonio Panzeri, with whom Figa-Talamanca was sharing an office at the time.

"Originally, my thought was that having caught the others [Kaili, Panzeri and Giorgi] red-handed with cash in their homes, I was thrown in for good measure as somebody who was obviously bothering a friendly country [UAE] by denouncing their undue influence in European affairs," Figa-Talamanca said.

"Now, looking back, it might have been the other way round, that the undue influence report exposed them [the UAE], and they wanted to find anything they could on me or around me."

DW reached out to the Belgian prosecutor for a response. "In regard [to] the secrecy of the instruction and in the interest of the inquiry, we can't answer your questions," was the office's reply.

Concrete accusations

Figa-Talamanca said that during his interviews with Belgian investigators, they asked him about an expensive designer watch gifted to him during an advisory trip to Qatar's National Human Rights Commission.

He denies that accepting the watch amounts to corruption. "It was valued at €4,000, and it still belongs to my organization, not to me personally," protested Figa-Talamanca to DW. "Not accepting it would have been rude."

The exact details of the Belgian prosecutor's case against the Qatargate suspects are still under wraps.

"There is nothing specific that I'm accused of, so it's impossible for me to defend myself," Figa-Talamanca said.

Former MEP Antonio Panzeri gave interviews to Belgian investigators, the transcripts of which were leaked publicly

Marc Dossmann/EU/European Parliament/AFP

Statements under duress?

He also questions whether testimonies given in prison by some co-defendants can be relied upon.

Leaked transcripts of interviews with Antonio Panzeri and Francesco Giorgi reveal admissions of their guilt and insights into the network of corruption. Those transcripts appear to clear Figa-Talamanca of any criminal involvement, but despite that, he now claims they may be untrustworthy.

"Do we accept that what they said is specific and correct?" he said. "The circumstances of detention in St. Gilles [prison] are ones that lead you to tell investigators whatever they want to hear to gain your freedom."

Similar claims were made by Kaili, who still protests her innocence.

"Panzeri's confessions were obtained under duress," said the Greek MEP in an interview with French newspaper Liberation. "If I had mentioned important names, I would have been released immediately and returned to my daughter."

The Belgian prosecutor's office again declined to respond to DW's request for comment on this matter.

Reputational rehabilitation

Figa-Talamanca said giving this interview to DW was part of his campaign to clear his name. Being linked to an international corruption scandal has had a greatly detrimental effect on his professional work as a human rights defender.

"Redress for what has happened to me will never exist," sighed Figa-Talamanca. "The reputational damage against me and the organization I represent is enormous."

In the meantime, Figa-Talamanca fears the case has exposed massive pitfalls in the Belgian justice system.

"If somebody like me, the secretary-general of a well-known human rights organization, is subject to this behavior in countries like Belgium, then we really have lost any sort of compass," he said.

The claims made by Figa-Talamanca in this article may contradict evidence that comes to light as the legal proceedings of the Qatargate case progress.

Edited by: Rosie Birchard

After Afghanistan quakes, women and children need urgent aid

Shabnam von Hein
DW

Oct. 28,2023

With winter on the horizon, desperation is growing among the thousands who were displaced by the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan. Activists doubt the ruling Taliban will be able to manage the crisis.

After the earthquakes in Afghanistan, women and children are in particular need as winter approaches

Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo/picture alliance

The nights are getting colder in Afghanistan, increasing the risk of contagious diseases in the crowded tent camps where people are urgently awaiting humanitarian aid.

More than 154,000 people were affected by a series of earthquakes that devastated the western Herat province in early October, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Local media have reported that more than 2,000 people were killed and thousands injured.

"The injured, including many women and children, are in dire need of medical assistance," volunteer worker Niloufar Nikseyar told DW. A former lecturer at Herat University, she has been supporting local aid groups since the earthquakes.

"I was in three small villages today where many houses were completely destroyed. The first relief supplies such as flour and water have finally arrived there. The women have to bake bread and provide for their families with the limited resources they have. There is a shortage of everything here, especially powdered baby formula, cough syrup and sanitary pads," she added.

Thousands of Afghans homeless after recent earthquakes  01:54

International aid groups warn that situation is deteriorating

Initial assessments by the World Health Organization have found that more than 40 health care facilities in the region were damaged by the quakes. Others remain at acute risk of collapse, complicating patient care.

More than 114,000 people in Afghanistan are now in need of emergency medical assistance, according to the WHO. Among them are about 7,500 pregnant women, many of whom lost family members in the disaster.

"Many of them were at home when the earth shook, while the men were outside working on farms or tending to livestock," Lina Haidari, a teacher and activist who has been helping local women affected by earthquakes, told DW.

The United Nations has reported that more than 90% of the victims of the earthquakes were women and children. Hadiri stressed that many of the injured have also been severely traumatized and now live in fear of aftershocks.

International aid organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund have warned that the situation is deteriorating, especially as winter approaches.

"We urgently appeal for additional funding to aid 96,000 children affected by the recent earthquakes in western Afghanistan," Fran Equiza, UNICEF's representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement last week, reporting that it had already delivered more than 80 tons of relief supplies to Kabul for distribution in the affected region.

Can the ruling Taliban handle the crisis?

The ruling Taliban have set up a commission to distribute aid fairly among those affected. This commission is responsible for preventing corruption and ensuring that everyone receives the aid they need, spokesperson and senior member of the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, told DW.

But many activists inside and outside Afghanistan have doubts about the ability of the Islamic fundamentalist nationalist movement to handle this crisis. Afghans outside the country are desperate to support their relatives and friends, but finding the right channels to do so has been difficult.

Many houses were completely destroyed by the quakes, leaving thousands homeless

Ebrahim Noroozi/dpa/AP/picture alliance

"It is necessary that we find ways to help people on the ground," Afghan journalist Zahra Joya told DW. She lives in London and is editor-in-chief and founder of Rukhshana Media, a news agency that reports on the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan. "Women and children in particular need our support now. We are trying to form support groups on the ground and organize help for them."

Transferring money directly is not possible, she said. Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, the economic situation has deteriorated dramatically. Not only has the United States imposed economic sanctions on the Taliban because of human rights abuses, but the country has also been excluded from the SWIFT international financial transaction system.

Previously, people had used exchange offices to deposit cash that would then be paid out by a business partner in Afghanistan — an unofficial workaround that required a telephone connection and mutual trust. But activists told DW that this now no longer works.

"In Afghanistan, cash has become scarce. But even with cash, many things can no longer be bought, such as powdered baby formula," one source said. Leaving many with few options but to rely on the Taliban for aid.

This article was originally written in German.

DEJA VU

Iran: Teen dies after alleged brush with morality police

Armita Geravand, who was 16, allegedly had a confrontation with Iran's notorious morality police. The incident happened a year after mass protests erupted over the death of another young Kurdish woman while in custody.

Armita Geravand fell into a coma after the alleged confrontation with Iran's morality police

An Iranian teenage girl injured almost a month ago during a mysterious incident on Tehran's Metro, while not wearing a headscarf has died, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

Sixteen-year-old Armita Geravand, an ethnic Kurd, allegedly had an encounter with morality police officers over violating the country's hijab law.

"Unfortunately, she [Geravand] went into a coma for some time after suffering from brain damage. She died a few minutes ago," IRNA reported.

"According to the official theory of Armita Geravand's doctors, after a sudden drop in blood pressure, she suffered a fall, a brain injury, followed by continuous convulsions, decreased cerebral oxygenation and a cerebral edema," the state media report continued.
What exactly happened to Armita Geravand?

The incident on October 1 involving Geravand remains in question.

She suffered her injury at the Meydan-E Shohada — or Martyrs' Square — Metro station in southern Tehran and was hospitalized after falling unconscious.

Her case was first reported on October 3 by the Kurdish-focused rights group Hengaw, which said she had been critically wounded during an incident on the subway.

Authorities say she suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure and denied that any "physical or verbal altercations" had taken place between her and other passengers.

State TV aired footage of Geravand being carried out of the train

 Iranian state TV/AP/picture alliance

Human rights groups question official account

But rights groups have said Geravand was critically wounded during an alleged assault by members of Iran's morality police.

They have demanded an independent investigation by the United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran, citing the theocracy's use of pressure on victims' families and state TV's history of airing hundreds of coerced confessions.

Geravand was pronounced brain-dead last week after she fell into a coma on October 1.

Her death comes shortly after the one-year anniversary of the death of Jinha Mahsa Amini, who was also allegedly injured while being arrested by the morality police.

Suspicions that Amini — also an ethnic Kurd — was beaten during her arrest sparked mass protests across the Islamic Republic at the end of last year.

Actress Jasmin Tabatabai reflects on Iran protest movement  03:33

Death could fuel fresh protests against hijab

Geravand's death threatens to reignite that popular anger, particularly as women in Tehran and elsewhere still defy the mandatory headscarf, or hijab, law as a sign of their discontent with Iran's theocracy.

For observant Muslim women, the head covering is a sign of piety before God and modesty in front of men outside their families.

Iran and neighboring Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are the only countries where the hijab remains mandatory for women.

Iran recently put its morality police back on the street following Amini's death.

Lawmakers are pushing to enforce even stricter penalties for those flouting the required head covering.

Geravand's injury has sparked renewed international criticism of Iran's treatment of women and of the mandatory hijab law.

mm/kb (AFP, AP, Reuters)

Oct 28,2023

DW

Taiwan holds Asia's largest Pride after gay rights milestone


Vice President Lai Ching-te became the highest-ranking official to join the march, which is in its 21st iteration this year. Taiwan is home to a thriving LGBTQ community.

DW

Oct. 28,2023

Taiwan Pride is the largest march of its kind in Asia

Image: Brennan O'Connor/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance

Around 180,000 people marked in Taipei on Saturday for Asia's largest Pride parade.

Taiwan Pride took place months after adoption rights were extended to same-sex couples in the country, which is at the forefront of LGBTQ rights in Asia.

Drag queens and go-go dancers were among the throngs of people celebrating the occasion on the streets of downtown Taipei.

Drag queens and go-go dancers joined in the celebration

Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo/picture alliance

Taiwan is home to a thriving LGBTQ community, and the event also attracted people from around the region and beyond.

"Under the umbrella of Taiwan's democracy and freedom, we learn to accept everyone's characteristics and respect everyone's differences," President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on Facebook.

Taiwan is home to a thriving LGBTQ community and enacted marriage equality in 2019

 I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Images

Top politician voices support

Vice President Lai Ching-te becoming the most senior government leader ever to join the pride march, which marked its 21st iteration this year.

Lai and Tsai, both of the center-left Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), championed marriage equality in 2019.

Taiwan Pride attracted attendees from around Asia and beyond

Ann Wang/REUTERS

"On this road the DPP has always been together with everyone," he said.

"Equal marriage is not the end — it's the starting point for diversity. I will stand steadfast on this path."

Lai is running for president at the next election and was the only candidate to attend the parade.

zc/jcg (AFP, Reuters)

Bangladesh anti-government protests turn violent

Following violent clashes in Dhaka that left at least one person dead, Bangladesh's main opposition party has called a nationwide strike for Sunday.


DW

Oct. 28,2023

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wave party flag during a rally in Dhaka

Mohammad Ponir Hossain/REUTERS


One police officer was killed and more than 100 people were injured in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka on Saturday during protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Demonstrators are also calling for free and fair elections under a caretaker government.

Bangladesh is due to hold a national election by January next year, but the BNP is demanding Hasina to step down immediately. The ruling party maintains that the next general election must be overseen by the current government as per the provisions of the constitution.

The ruling Awami League party was accused of rigging the last two elections in 2014 and 2018, and of cracking down on thousands of opposition activists during her nearly 15-year rule since 2009.

Hasina, who has maintained tight control since coming to power in 2009, has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights violations, cracking down on free speech and suppressing dissent while jailing her critics.
Dozens injured in clashes

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) who gathered chanting anti-government slogans.

Dozens of vehicles, including police vans and ambulances, were set on fire, according to police and media reports. Hundreds of opposition party activists were arrested, BNP leaders said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruq Hossain said one police officer was killed and 41 others injured in clashes with protesters. Nine journalists were attacked and injured while trying to cover the clashes, according to media reports.

An opposition spokesman, Zahiruddin Swapan, said more than 1 million activists joined their rally, but Hossain put the number at about 200,000.

Dozens of vehicles, including police vans and ambulances, were set on fire

Mohammad Ponir Hossain/REUTERS

The BNP has called for a day-long nationwide strike on Sunday. "The strike was called nationwide to protest against the attacks carried out by the police on the opposition activists," said party spokesman Zahir Uddin Swapan.
Police and opposition trade blame

Witnesses said the violence erupted when the opposition protesters attacked a bus carrying ruling Awami League activists. The activists were on their way to another rally organized by the party to counter the opposition rally.

Police officer Harun-Or-Rashid said the BNP activists attacked members of the law enforcement agencies, public establishments and set fire to vehicles without any provocation.

"They were supposed to conduct the rally peacefully; instead, they went on a rampage and caused harm to life and property," he said adding that the law enforcement agencies had launched an investigation into the acts of sabotage.

However, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused security forces of ruining a "peaceful" rally. "Our rally was peaceful. But the authorities have used excessive force to ruin our rally. They attacked our people mercilessly," Swapan said.

Fake experts suspected of influencing Bangladesh’s elections  02:24

dh/jcg (AP, dpa, Reuters)

Afghans leave Pakistan in droves before deportation deadline

DW

Oct 28, 2023


The UNHCR said tens of thousands of Afghan refugees have already left Pakistan. The policy has been condemned by Pakistani Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

Pakistan's crackdown on illegal migrants has seen Afghan families forced to move back home

Arghand/Xinhua/picture alliance

The United Nations refugee agency has warned of a looming "human rights catastrophe" as droves of Afghans living in Pakistan are forced to return back home after the government issued a deadline for them to leave by October 31.

The UNHCR and International Organization for Migration said tens of thousands of Afghans have already left Pakistan between October 3 and October 15.

"We urge the Pakistan authorities to suspend forcible returns of Afghan nationals before it is too late to avoid a human rights catastrophe," the two agencies said.

"We believe many of those facing deportation will be at grave risk of human rights violations if returned to Afghanistan, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, cruel and other inhuman treatment."

THIS IS BEING DONE TO EMPTY THE TRIBAL LANDS IN ORDER TO CONDUCT THE PAK WAR AGAINST THE TTP

Pakistan says its policy was not designed to target any specific nationality

Hussain Ali/ZTUMAPRESS/picture alliance

The policy has also been condemned by Pakistani Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.

"Afghan refugees — children, women, men, elderly — fleeing Taliban persecution deserve support, dignity, and safety, not further obstacles and harassment," she said on social media.

"I echo UN experts' call and urge the Pakistani government to reconsider its rushed policy of mass deportation."
Millions of Afghans in Pakistan

For years, Afghans fleeing war and the Taliban have sought refuge in neighboring Pakistan.

According to the Pakistani government, around 4.4 million Afghan refugees live in the country and 1.7 million of them do not have valid documents.

Pakistan: Deportation deadline looms for 'illegal' Afghans  03:10

Pakistan insists that its new mass deportation of illegal migrants is not aimed at one specific nationality.

It also claims that nobody who is arrested will be mistreated.

Islamabad has long accused the Taliban in Afghanistan of sheltering militants who go back and forth across the two countries' borders to carry out attacks against Pakistani security forces. The Taliban denies this.

zc/jcg (AP, dpa)

Kazakhstan: Dozens dead in coal mine fire

DW 

18 hours ago

Over 30 people were killed in a blaze caused by a methane gas leak at a mine operated by the local unit of ArcelorMittal. A string of workplace incidents has prompted the government to try to renationalize the firm.

Several miners were still reported missing hours after the blaze took hold

At least 32 people have died and several are missing after a mine fire in Kazakhstan belonging to the world's largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said on Saturday.

"At the Kostyenko mine as of 4 p.m. (1000 GMT) the bodies of 32 people have been found," the ministry said in a statement. "The search for 14 miners is continuing."

Operator ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of the Luxembourg-based steelmaker, said some 252 people had been working at the Kostyenko coal mine at the time of the blaze.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a pocket of methane gas, the company said.

In the statement, the company conveyed "pain" at the lives lost and said their efforts "are now aimed at ensuring that affected employees receive comprehensive care and rehabilitation, as well as close cooperation with government authorities."
Steelmaker has a dozen mines in Kazakhstan

ArcelorMittal Temirtau operates eight coal mines across the Karaganda region and a further four iron ore mines in central and northern Kazakhstan.

The fire is the latest in a string of workplace deaths at sites operated by the firm in Kazakhstan. The company has been regularly accused of failing to respect safety and environmental regulations.

In August, four miners were killed after a fire erupted at the same mine, while five people died following a methane leak at another site in November 2022.

Saturday's blaze was Kazakhstan's worst mining accident since 2006 when 41 miners died at an ArcelorMittal site.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered his government to stop investment cooperation with ArcelorMittal

 Ruslan Pryanikov/AFP

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Saturday his country is stopping "investment cooperation" with ArcelorMittal Temirtau.
President: ArcelorMittal the 'worst in our history'

"This company has turned out to be the worst in our history from the point of view of cooperation with the government," Tokayev was cited by AFP news agency as saying as he met with relatives of the victims.

He gave his condolences to the victims' families and declared a national day of mourning on October 29.

The government also confirmed they were working to finalize a deal to nationalize the company, which operates the country's biggest steel mill.

"At the moment, work is ongoing on returning the company to the Republic of Kazakhstan," the government said on Telegram, adding that it was not considering handing the firm to "other foreign investors."

Last month, First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar told reporters that the cabinet was unhappy with ArcelorMittal's failure to meet its investment obligations, upgrade equipment and ensure worker safety after a series of deadly accidents.
Safety violations to be probed

The office of Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General has also announced an investigation into potential safety violations at the mine.

Kazakhstan is a vast, resource-rich country, formerly part of the Soviet Union. The extraction of iron and coal as well as oil, gas and uranium have made its economy the largest in Central Asia.

Accidents are common, however, because of aging infrastructure and equipment and lax safety standards.

mm/kb (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Israel and the UN: A tricky relationship
Thomas Latschan

DW


UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' recent speech escalated the dispute between Israel and the United Nations, but the relationship has been strained for decades.

Guterres didn't have a reputation for taking a tough line on Israel but now faces calls for resignation

Image: Craig Ruttle/AP/picture alliance

Addressing the UN Security Council this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sharply condemned Hamas' October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. But, he said, it was "important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum."

Guterres said that the Palestinian people had been subjected to more than 50 years of "suffocating occupation," and expressed his concern over the "clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza."

It didn't take long for Israel to express its outrage. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Guterres had crossed a red line and justified Hamas' atrocities.

The Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel also chimed in, saying the UN chief had "failed the test." Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, immediately called for Guterres' resignation. The Israeli government even announced it would stop issuing visas to UN envoys.
Resolutions dead in the water

The showdown between the UN and Israel reared its head again in the Security Council, where two draft resolutions were up for debate on Wednesday. Both actually had the same aim: For weapons to be laid down in order to allow aid deliveries into Gaza, now under total blockade.

Gaza has been pounded by Israeli airstrikes following the Hamas terror attacks

 Ali Mahmoud/AP Photo/picture alliance

The first draft resolution, put forward by the United States, only called for brief pauses in the exchange of fire, recognized Israel's right to self-defense, and called for an end to the arming of militant groups like Hamas in Gaza. China and Russia vetoed it.

In their alternative resolution, those two countries called for a full ceasefire and for the withdrawal of Israel's order to civilians to flee from northern Gaza to the south in the face of an imminent ground offensive. This, in turn, was blocked by the US and Britain. A compromise has proved elusive.

A never-ending story in the Middle East

No other crisis-prone region has generated as many UN resolutions as Israel and the Palestinian territories, and Israeli-UN relations have consistently been strained as a result.

In the UN General Assembly, there is a stable majority, made up of Muslim-majority states and many countries of the Global South, that regularly place the situation of the Palestinian people on the agenda and criticize Israel.

Germany generally sticks to a common EU position when casting its vote, while the US always votes with Israel's interests.

According to UN Watch, a non-governmental organization in Geneva, the General Assembly passed 140 resolutions criticizing Israel between 2015 and 2022 alone, condemning the construction of settlements and the annexation of the Golan Heights.

In the same time period, only 68 resolutions were passed concerning the rest of the world, including just five on Iran, for example.

Israel has long felt it is treated unjustly by the UN, which perhaps explains why the country's reaction to Guterres' speech was so strong.

Not all resolutions carry the same clout

UN General Assembly resolutions, which must garner a two-thirds majority to be adopted, are not binding under international law. Instead, they merely set out guiding principles or the positions of the international community on certain conflict issues.

Israel, still missing hostages, was incensed by Guterres' comments

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

In the UN Security Council, on the other hand, resolutions are binding under international law and are issued against states or conflict parties that endanger international security or violate international law or human rights.

However, they can be vetoed by one of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Here, the US shields its close ally: Washington frequently makes use of its veto in matters related to Israel.

This has led to the bizarre situation that since 2015, of all the General Assembly resolutions criticizing Israel, so far only one has been matched by the Security Council: In 2016, the highest UN body called on Israeli to stop building settlements in the occupied territories. Even then, the US did not explicitly vote in favor of the resolution, but chose to abstain.

On Friday, the General Assembly passed a fresh Middle East resolution: Jordan and 21 other Arab states introduced the draft calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

UN General Assembly calls for humanitarian truce in Gaza  02:14

Israel is described in the text as an "occupying power" and its right to self-defense is not mentioned. However, Hamas — classified as a terrorist organization by Germany, the European Union, the United States and even some Arab states — is not mentioned by name in the text. Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan strongly criticized this on X, formerly Twitter. Nevertheless, the UN General Assembly passed the proposal with a large majority.

The militant Islamist group Hamas welcomed the resolution. Erdan continued to denounce the text with strong words even after the vote: "The only place this resolution belongs is in the dustbin of history." The UN had shown that it "no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance."

A relationship marked by highs and lows

Given the tense relationship, it is easy to forget that the UN was once seen as a sort of midwife for Israel. In 1947, the General Assembly, despite opposition from Arab states, voted to approve the plans to divide Palestine, paving the way for the foundation of the state of Israel half a year later.

Back then, the UN was formed of just 57 member states, but amid a wave of decolonization, that number grew quickly. Above all, developing and middle-income countries joined the UN's ranks, changing the political balance in the General Assembly.

After the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories that followed, the relationship between Israel and the UN soured significantly, and the number of critical resolutions passed by the General Assembly soared.

These days, the situation in the Palestinian territories finds its way on to the agenda of every meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

At the same time, a number of smaller diplomatic steps have been taken to engage Israel more with the UN. In 2012, for example, the country provided a vice-president of the General Assembly for the first time, and in 2016 an Israeli was appointed chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs.

What is the two-state solution?  01:50

But Israel's relationship with the UN always remained fraught, and tensions have now soared after Secretary-General Guterres' speech.

In fact, Guterres was not considered particularly critical of Israel. Just a few years ago in 2020, the World Jewish Congress awarded him the Theodor Herzl Award for his work, with President Ronald Lauer expressing his gratitude to the UN chief.

"Through your words and deeds over many years, you have shown that you are a true and devoted friend of the Jewish people and of the state of Israel," Lauder said in his remarks at the award gala.

Such warm words seem likely to be put on ice for the foreseeable future.

This article was originally written in German. Since its original publication, it has been updated to reflect the UN resolution passed on Friday, October 27.

Israel hostage families demand answers from Netanyahu government

Tel Aviv (AFP) – The families of more than 220 hostages seized by Hamas demanded answers from the Israeli government on Saturday with many fearing that a military onslaught on the Gaza Strip is putting the captives' lives at risk.

As Israel expands its Gaza bombing campaign, families of the hostages are struggling to get answers from the government about the fate of their loved ones 

© JACK GUEZ / AFP


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke off from war planning for a hastily arranged meeting with hostage families after they had threatened to start street protests to highlight their desperation.

As the meeting went ahead a Hamas spokesman said Israel would have to release all Palestinian prisoners from its jails to secure freedom for the hostages, who were seized when Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel to attack kibbutz communities, towns and military bases on October 7.

Netanyahu made no commitment to any deal, but the right-wing prime minister told the families "we will exhaust every possibility to bring them home," according to a video released by his office.

He added that finding the hostages, whose ages range from a few months to more than 80, was an "integral part" of the military operation.

At a later press conference alonside Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas had to be forced to the negotiating table but it was "very complex".

"The more military pressure, the more firepower and the more we strike Hamas –- the greater our chances are to bring it to a place where it will agree to a solution that will allow the return of your loved ones," he said.

Israel says Hamas militants killed 1,400 people, mainly civilians, when they stormed across the border on October 7.

More than 7,700 people have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes on the enclave, including about 3,500 children, according to the Hamas health ministry.
Agonising wait

The government says it has confirmed that 229 hostages from more than 20 countries were taken on October 7.

It is not certain if that figure includes two Israeli and two American women who have since been released.

The Hamas military wing has also said that "almost 50" hostages have died in the daily Israeli air raids on Gaza.

Families are increasingly angry over the "absolute uncertainty" they face over the fate of the hostages, particularly in the heavy bombings, said Haim Rubinstein, a spokesperson for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Hundreds of relatives of the Israeli hostages held a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday, threatening to hold street protests if a government minister did not meet them the same day.

"The families don't sleep, they want answers, they deserve answers," Rubinstein said.

Hostage families say they have had barely any contact with the government.

"We don't know anything about what happened to them. We don't know if they were shot, if they saw a doctor, if they have food," said Inbal Zach, 38, whose cousin Tal Shoham was kidnapped from the Beeri kibbutz near the Gaza border with six other family members.

"We are just so worried about them."

The families are divided over what action to take.

Some believe a tough line on Hamas is justified, others say a deal should be made.

When asked about the Hamas demands for a prisoner release, Ifat Kalderon, whose cousin is a hostage, said: "Take them, we don't need them (the Palestinians) here."

"I want my family and all the hostages to come back home, they are citizens, they are not soldiers."

The Tel Aviv rally followed one of the most violent nights of the war with the military hammering Gaza with raids that it said targeted tunnels and underground bunkers.

"None of the war cabinet bothered to meet with the families to explain one thing: whether the ground operation endangers the wellbeing of the 229 hostages," the Forum said in a statement.

"The families are worried about the fate of their loved ones and are waiting for an explanation. Every minute feels like an eternity."

 28/10/2023 - AFP

Turkey celebrates centenary under shadow of Gaza war

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey marks its centenary as a post-Ottoman republic on Sunday with somewhat muted celebrations held under the shadow of Israel's escalating war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

Issued on: 29/10/2023 - 03:07

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk forged a staunchly secular republic out of the Ottoman Empire's ashes in 1923 

© Ozan KOSE / AFP

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be front and centre of day-long events that both honour the secular republic's founder and play up the achievement of the Islamic-rooted party running Turkey since 2002.

Erdogan and World War I-era military commander Mustafa Kemal Ataturk have become the seminal figures of the modern Turkish state.

Ataturk is lionised across Turkish society for driving out invading forces and building a brand new nation out of the fallen Ottoman Empire's ruins in the wake of World War I.

Turkey was formed as a Western-facing nation that stripped religion from its state institutions and tried to forge a modern new identity out its myriad ethnic groups.

It eventually became a proud member of the US-led NATO defence alliance and a beacon of democratic hopes in the Middle East.

But Ataturk's social and geopolitical transformation of the overwhelmingly Muslim nation created divisions that weigh on Turkish politics to this day.

Erdogan tapped into these as he led his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power over the leftist Republican People's Party (CHP) formed by Ataturk.

He has spent much of the past decade testing the limits of Turkey's secular traditions as well as its ties with the West.

These competing forces will be on full display as Erdogan starts the day by paying respects to Ataturk -- and ends it by overseeing celebrations of Turkey's more recent achievements while he was prime minister and president.
Palestinian cause

Sunday's celebrations have been partially eclipsed by Erdogan's increasingly fierce attacks against Israel over its response to the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The militants killed 1,400 people and took 220 hostages in a surprise raid that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the worst "since the Holocaust".

President Tayyip Erdogan led a massive pro-Palestinian rally on the eve of Sunday's celebrations © HANDOUT / TURKISH PRESIDENCY PRESS OFFICE/AFP

Israel has retaliated with ferocious air strikes and an unfolding ground offensive that the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says has claimed more than 8,000 lives.

Turkish state television has also scrapped the broadcast of concerts and other festivities because of the "alarming human tragedy in Gaza".

Erdogan's lifelong defence of Palestinian rights has turned him into a hero across large parts of the Muslim world.

He announced that 1.5 million people had come out for a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul on Saturday that ended up drowning out national television coverage of the centenary.

Erdogan accused the Israel government of behaving like a "war criminal" and trying to "eradicate" Palestinians.

"Israel, you are an occupier," Erdogan declared.

His remarks prompted Israel to announce the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff for a "re-evaluation" of relations.
Turbulent spell

The emerging diplomatic crisis further pulled attention away from Turkey's birthday party and onto Erdogan's handling of global affairs.

Turkey has suffered a turbulent spell of relations with Western allies since Erdogan survived a failed coup attempt in 2016 that he blamed on a US-based Muslim preacher.

Istanbul's Kadir Has University lecturer Soli Ozel saw Saturday's pro-Palestinian rally as part of Erdogan's tacit effort to undermine Ataturk's secular vision.

Turkey has scaled back its centenary celebrations citing the Gaza war © BULENT KILIC / AFP

"Couldn't (this rally) have waited until next week? The centenary only comes around once in a century," Ozel said in an interview.

But one survey suggested that Erdogan's comments play to his Islamic conservative core of supporters and not the public at large.

The Metropoll survey showed just 11.3 percent of the respondents saying they "back Hamas".

But 34.5 percent said Turkey should stay "neutral" and 26.4 percent said it should mediate.

© 2023 AFP

Erdogan challenges Ataturk’s legacy on Turkey’s centenary