ISTANBUL: The expected US move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel risks igniting a “fire” in the Middle East and will prove a “great disaster,” the Turkish government said on Wednesday.
The recognition will “throw the region and the world into a fire and it’s not known when it will end,” Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag wrote on Twitter.
He warned that the move was a “great disaster for everyone” that would lead the way to “turmoil, chaos and clashes” and could produce “unpleasant things that we have not forseen.”
The recognition of the city as Israel’s capital and the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — expected to be announced by President Donald Trump later Wednesday — showed “great intolerance and mindlessness,” Bozdag said.
Bozdag added that the recognition would “destroy the peace process,” saying that the issue of Jerusalem was the key to peace in the Middle East and the world.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Brussels ahead of meeting US counterpart Rex Tillerson that the move is a “mistake” that “will not bring stability and peace but rather chaos and instability.”
Asked whether he would bring the issue up with Tillerson, the minister said: “I have already told him and I will tell him again.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had warned Tuesday that the status of Jerusalem is a “red line” for Muslims and could even prompt Turkey to cut ties with Israel.
Erdogan — who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause — is due to hold talks later in Ankara with Jordanian King Abdullah II who is also a strong opponent of the move.
Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel’s deadly storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.
The two sides have since stepped up cooperation in particular in energy but Erdogan is still often bitterly critical of Israeli policy.
The United States supports a strong relationship between Turkey, the key Muslim member of NATO, and Israel, which is Washington’s main ally in the Middle East.
US recognition of Jerusalem risks igniting ‘fire’ in region: Turkey
US recognition of Jerusalem risks igniting ‘fire’ in region: Turkey
EU, Britain to face off in post-Brexit fishing battle case
The bitter arbitration case over sandeels is seen as a bellwether for other potential litigation between London and Brussels in a perennial hot-bed industry, experts said.
Tuesday’s clash at the Hague-based Permanent Court for Arbitration also marks the first courtroom trade battle between the 27-member trading bloc and Britain since it left the EU in 2020.
Brussels has dragged London before the PCA following a decision last year to ban all commercial fishing of sandeels in British waters because of environmental concerns.
London in March ordered all fishing to stop, saying in court documents that “sandeels are integral to the marine ecosystem of the North Sea.”
Because of climate change and commercial fishing, the tiny fish “risked further decline... as well as species that are dependent on sandeels for food including fish, marine mammals, and seabirds.”
This included vulnerable species like the Atlantic puffin, seals, porpoises and other fish like cod and haddock, Britain’s lawyers said.
But Brussels is accusing London of failing to keep to commitments made under the landmark Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which gave the EU access to British waters for several years during a transition period after London’s exit.
Under the deal, the EU’s fishing fleet retained access to British waters for a five-and-half-year transition period, ending mid-2026. After that, access to respective waters will be decided in annual negotiations.
“The EU does not call into question the right of the UK to adopt fisheries management measures in pursuit of legitimate conservation objectives,” Brussels’ lawyers said in court papers.
“Rather, this dispute is about the UK’s failure to abide by its commitments under the agreement.”
London failed to apply “evidence-based, proportionate and non-discriminatory measures when restricting the right to EU vessels to full access to UK waters to fish sandeel,” the EU lawyers said.
Brussels is backing Denmark in the dispute, whose vessels take some 96 percent of the EU’s quota for the species, with sandeel catches averaging some £41.2 million (49 million euros) annually.
“The loss of access to fisheries in English waters could affect relations with the EU, including Denmark, as they are likely to lead to employment losses and business losses overseas,” the EU’s lawyers warned.
The case will now be fought out over three days at the PCA’s stately headquarters at the Peace Palace in The Hague, which also houses the International Court of Justice.
Set up in 1899, the PCA is the world’s oldest arbitral tribunal and resolves disputes between countries and private parties through referring to contracts, special agreements and various treaties, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The EU’s decision to open a case before the PCA “will not have been taken lightly and reflected the political importance it places on fishing rights,” writes Joel Reland, a senior researcher at UK in a Changing Europe, a London-based think tank.
In a number of “influential member states — including France, the Netherlands and Denmark — fishing rights are an important issue, with many communities relying on access to British waters for their livelihoods.”
“This dispute is an early warning that the renegotiation of access rights, before the TCA fisheries chapter expires in June 2026, will be critical for the EU,” said Reland.
A ruling in the case is expected by the end of March.
Trump says will build ‘Iron Dome’ missile shield
- The system “will be made right here in the USA,” the president said
MIAMI: President Donald Trump said Monday he would sign an executive order to start building an “Iron Dome” air defense system for the United States, like the one that Israel has used to intercept thousands of rockets.
“We need to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be able to protect Americans,” Trump told a Republican congressional retreat in Miami.
Trump said the system “will be made right here in the USA.”
Speaking on the day new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took office, Trump said it was one of four orders he would sign, along with one that would “get transgender ideology the hell out of our military.”
During the 2024 election campaign Trump repeatedly promised to build a version of Israel’s Iron Dome system for the United States
But he ignored the fact that the system is designed for short-range threats, making it ill-suited to defending against intercontinental missiles that are the main danger to the United States.
Trump however again sung the praises of the Israeli system, which Israel has used to shoot down rockets fired by its regional foes Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon during the war sparked by the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
“They knock down just about every one of them,” Trump said. “So I think the United States is entitled to that.”
International Criminal Court prosecutor calls for urgent action on Darfur
- Addressing the UN Security Council, he pleads for more support to help bridge the ‘impunity gap’ and ensure those guilty of crimes against humanity are held accountable
- He paints grim picture of violence, famine and gender-based crimes that continue to devastate communities in western Sudan, targeting women and children in particular
NEW YORK CITY: The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, on Monday stressed the urgent need for international action to address continuing atrocities in the Darfur region of western Sudan, and pleaded with the UN Security Council for more support to help bridge the “impunity gap.”
He painted a grim picture of a situation in which violence, famine and gender-based crimes continue to devastate communities, targeting women and children in particular.
Khan underscored a severe decline in the situation in the region over the past six months, including growing reports of civilian casualties, the destruction of vital infrastructure, and widespread violations of human rights.
“Famine is present in Darfur. Conflict is increasing. Children are targeted. Girls and women are subject to rape,” Khan said as he described the environment as one of “destruction” and “criminality.”
The country descended into civil war in April 2023 amid a conflict between rival military factions the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. It has killed more than 28,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes, and some families have resorted to eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive as famine sweeps parts of the country.
In Darfur, ethnic violence has escalated since the war began. The RSF, the origins of which lie in the Arab Janjaweed militia that was responsible for a genocide in the early 2000s that claimed about 300,000 lives, has focused its attacks on the Masalit ethnic group and other non-Arab communities.
This month, the US has accused the RSF of genocide and imposed sanctions on its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as “Hemedti.”
Khan’s latest semi-annual report on the situation in Sudan, published on Jan. 16, noted that his office has gathered sufficient evidence to establish reasonable grounds to believe that a wide range of crimes specified under the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, continue to be committed in Darfur. These include killings, pillaging, attacks against internally displaced persons, the indiscriminate targeting of civilian populations, gender-based crimes, and crimes against and affecting children.
Under the Rome Statute, the ICC has jurisdiction over four types of crime categorized as “international crimes”: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. The court is finalizing applications for arrest warrants against individuals allegedly responsible for war crimes in West Darfur, Khan said. He stressed, however, that the applications will only be filed when there is strong evidence that can withstand judicial scrutiny, to ensure the highest chances of convictions and due process for victims.
He warned that international crimes are being committed as weapons of war in Darfur, including reports of widespread gender-based violence.
“This is not an unverified generalization,” he said, adding that the evidence his office has gathered, including witness testimonies and digital resources, is both extensive and credible.
Khan highlighted his office’s collaboration with national authorities in neighboring countries, where they have also been collecting evidence from displaced communities.
He also mentioned ongoing trials taking place at the ICC, in particular the trial of Ali Kushayb, a former militia leader charged with crimes committed in Darfur in the early 2000s, which began in 2022. Khan highlighted the significance of such trials, not only in terms of pursuing historical accountability but also as a beacon of hope for survivors who continue to suffer in Darfur.
“They say that they are not forgotten, they are not invisible,” Khan said, as he reiterated the ICC’s role in keeping the promise of justice alive for victims long denied recognition.
Despite these efforts, Khan acknowledged the deep frustrations arising from the lack of swift progress in Darfur. He pointed to the need for greater cooperation from Sudanese authorities, and said that while there have been some signs worthy of cautious optimism, more support from the UN Security Council is needed to help bridge the “impunity gap.”
Khan called in particular for the transfer of suspects, including Ahmed Harun, a former governor of Kordofan and minister of state who is wanted by the ICC for his alleged role in the Darfur conflict.
“We believe we know where Ahmed Harun is,” Khan said as he urged Sudan to honor its obligations under Security Council Resolution 1593, which requires authorities to cooperate fully with the ICC.
Khan invoked the historical significance of ensuring accountability for crimes against humanity, drawing parallels with past genocides, including the Holocaust. He called on the Security Council to prioritize the victims of Darfur over political divisions among council members, and echoed the sentiment that justice must be delivered to those who are suffering in the region.
He urged the council to renew its commitment to the principle of “Never Again,” referencing the outcome of the Nuremberg Trials and global efforts to combat cultures of impunity in post-conflict societies.
“The people of Darfur have a right to justice,” Khan said. “It’s time for us collectively to join hands and deliver on that promise.”
The US has historically backed ICC efforts related to Sudan. However the court faced criticism late last year after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Those warrants, related to charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to Israeli military operations in Gaza since October 8, 2023, sparked a backlash from Washington.
Neymar parts ways with Saudi club Al-Hilal
- The star arrived in Riyadh in August 2023 after signing from PSG, but has only played 7 games due to injuries
- Recent reports have linked Neymar with Santos, the Brazilian club where his professional career took off
RIYADH: Brazilian forward Neymar has parted ways with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal after an injury-plagued stint with the Riyadh club, the team said early Tuesday, and is set to return to Santos, where he played as a teenager.
“The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career at Al-Hilal, and wish the player success in his career,” Hilal said in an announcement on X.
The star arrived in Riyadh in August 2023 after signing from PSG, but has only played 7 games due to injuries.
A short while after joining the Blues, he underwent surgery in his native Brazil in November 2023 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage suffered during a national team match the month before.
Neymar also suffered a hamstring injury late last year and missed another five weeks.
Recent reports have linked Neymar with Santos, the Brazilian club where his professional career took off.
Fabrizio Romano, an Italian sports journalist, wrote on X “Neymar’s return to Santos now imminent as verbal agreement has been reached,” he added that formal steps are due to happen next week.
Ukraine’s Zelensky says war means mobilization rules cannot be changed
- Members of some units in areas deemed critical to ensuring Ukraine’s defensive lines have not enjoyed any leave since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that the rigours of nearly three years of war did not allow for changes in mobilization rules because if soldiers left for home en masse, Russian President Vladimir Putin “will kill us all.”
Zelensky told Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was released this month after being detained for 21 days in Iran, that the toll of war on Ukrainians and their families underscored the need to bring the conflict rapidly to an end.
Parliament approved new mobilization rules last year to boost numbers of those at the front, but Ukraine’s fighting forces are still badly outnumbered by their Russian adversaries.
“The wartime situation calls for mobilization of people and all the resources we have in the country. Absolutely all of them,” Zelensky said in the interview, excerpts of which were posted on the president’s Telegram channel.
“And, unfortunately, that is the challenge of this war and that is why we have to speed things up to the maximum to end it, to oblige Russia to end this war,” Zelensky said.
“Today, we are defending ourselves. If tomorrow, for instance, half the army heads home, we really should have surrendered on the very first day. That is how it is. If half the army goes home, Putin will kill us all.”
The legislation approved last year, lowered the age of mobilization for Ukrainian men from 27 to 25 years, narrowed exemptions and imposed penalties on evaders.
Zelensky and others have rejected suggestions by politicians in the United States, Ukraine’s biggest Western backer, that the draft age be lowered further on grounds that Ukrainian forces at the front are not sufficiently well armed.
Members of some units in areas deemed critical to ensuring Ukraine’s defensive lines have not enjoyed any leave since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
Russian forces failed in their initial advance on the capital Kyiv, but have since focused their efforts on securing all of Donbas, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in Ukraine’s east.
Russian forces occupy about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory and have been recording their fastest gains since the invasion in their advance in the east, while holding part of four Ukrainian regions.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
