Reacting to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service that June 2024 was the hottest June on record, which makes it the 13th consecutive month for which the global average temperature reached a record.
Ian Duff, Head of Greenpeace International’s Stop Drilling Start Paying campaign said:
“Survivors of extreme weather over the last month are in the millions. From China and India to Greece and Italy, from Saudi Arabia to Jamaica and the US, floods, fires, and heat waves have shattered homes, claimed lives and hurt people’s health, costing the world over USD 41 billion in damages in the first months of the year, according to a recent Christian Aid report. This is happening while Big Oil is making huge profits while people are suffering – reportedly over USD 2.8 billion every day for the past 50 years.
“Yet, climate change’s perpetrators are but a few. A handful of international oil and gas companies are chiefly responsible for fuelling extreme weather events. Not only did they deny climate science, they actively slowed down the solutions and now the expansion plans by Big Oil’s executives are a reckless assault on our planet.
“Greenpeace is campaigning to finally push governments to hold the oil and gas industry accountable for the loss and damage it creates, while it is raking up trillions in profits. Big Oil might have bought the media, they might have bought politicians – but our future and our heritage are not for sale. Through legislation, litigation and nonviolent action, we join youth groups, senior citizens, Indigenous Peoples and many others to restore justice and secure a stable climate.”
Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen. Photo: TV Al Masirah
With its aggression against Yemen, Israel demonstrates its insistence to provoke an all-out regional war with support from the United States and its allies
The Israeli Occupation Forces launched airstrikes on the Red Sea port of the Hodeidah Governorate, in Yemen on Saturday, July 20. The Israeli airstrikes targeted gas, oil and power facilities within the Ansar Allah-run sea port with F-35 fighter jets, according to media reports.
The Yemeni Health Ministry announced that a number of people were martyred and wounded in the attack without providing further details. The Israeli airstrikes on Yemen came around one day after Ansar Allah-led Yemeni Armed Forces launched a drone attack against the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. This was part of the military operations which the Yemeni Support Front has initiated in response to Israel’s genocidal aggression on Gaza.
A couple of hours after Hodeidah port was attacked by the Israeli Occupation Air Force, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced in a televised statement, that the Israeli enemy targeted the power station, the port, and fuel tanks in the Hodeidah governorate with airstrikes, and that all these targets are civilian facilities.
The spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier-General Yahya Sare’e, also said in the statement that Ansar Allah will respond to the blatant Israeli aggression on Yemen and will not hesitate to strike the enemy’s vital targets. He also reaffirmed what was declared in Ansar Allah’s previous statement in regard to considering the occupied Yafa area as an unsafe zone.
Sare’e confirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces will continue their operations in support of their brothers and sisters in Gaza, regardless of the implications and consequences. He added that they have prepared the means for a prolonged war with the Zionist enemy until the aggression on the Palestinian people is halted and the siege is lifted.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, also condemned the Israeli aggression on Yemen. Hamas called on all countries and forces of the Arab Islamic nations to condemn the aggression, urging them to unite, mobilize resources, and engage in confronting the usurping Zionist enemy. Islamic Jihad stated that the Zionist crime against Yemen confirms that the criminal entity poses a danger to all the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nations. It also pointed out that the aggression against Yemen would not have happened without the blatant Western support for the criminal entity, primarily by the US and UK who have also been launching airstrikes against Yemen since January.
Ursula Von der Leyen announces increased funding for EU armament and border control as she is confirmed for a second term as President of the European Commission
On July 17, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) published a ruling holding the European Commission (EC), led by President Ursula von der Leyen, responsible for concealing segments of COVID-19 vaccine procurement contracts from the European Parliament. Less than 24 hours later, von der Leyen was confirmed for a second term during a parliamentary session in Strasbourg.
During her re-election campaign, von der Leyen worked diligently to secure support beyond her home European People’s Party (EPP) group. To ensure the required majority, she needed at least 173 additional votes, on top of the 188 guaranteed by the EPP. By July 18, members of the Socialists & Democrats, the liberal Renew group, and the Greens—who had initially filed the complaint to the ECJ—announced their support, describing von der Leyen as a stabilizing figure in uncertain times for Europe.
In her initial address to the parliamentarians, von der Leyen promised “prosperity and competitiveness” for the European Union over the next five years. She emphasized the European Green Deal, pledging further efforts towards renewable energy and environmental protection. However, several members of parliament called her out for what they described as greenwashing and failure to take concrete steps in this area. The Left parliamentarian Rudi Kennes criticized the vague character of von der Leyen’s commitment to just green policies, citing her inaction on preserving jobs in sectors that could prove crucial for the EU’s green transition. He pointed to the potential closure of an Audi factory in Brussels as an example.
Von der Leyen also prioritized security, defense, and border control in her speech, announcing the creation of a European Defense Union, new commissioner posts for defense and the Mediterranean, approximately tripling the number of Frontex guards, and just about doubling Europol staff. The aim of these measures, according to the EC President, is to “rebuild, replenish, and transform national armed forces” rather than breaking away from NATO. One of the first steps towards this better-armed EU will be incentivizing private defense investment with support from the European Investment Bank.
What the defense and international policy agenda will certainly not mean, judging from the guidelines presented on Thursday, is taking a strong stance on the genocide Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip. A side note in von der Leyen’s speech, the brutal attacks on Palestinians were reduced to an unfortunate bloodspill, with no guarantees given that the EC would act to stop it. Instead, von der Leyen stated she would work towards a two-state solution.
In her speech, Von der Leyen merely brushed upon the social and economic issues affecting millions in the EU. Her approach remained market-oriented, with only minor concessions on housing and living costs. Among others, Marc Botenga of the Workers’ Party of Belgium criticized her for inaction on tax justice and strengthening public services.
“Millions of Europeans are living in poverty or are at risk of falling into poverty. Did Ursula von der Leyen seek funds from multimillionaires [to address this]? No. Did she impose taxes on the excess profits of European multinationals? No. On the contrary, she provided support to these multinationals,” Botenga said.
There is little indication that von der Leyen’s policies will change in her new term. With expected austerity measures and increased defense spending, more Europeans will be deprived of basic social rights. Some parliamentarians have already pledged to oppose this direction actively.
“Your Europe is not our Europe, Mrs. von der Leyen. Against your Europe of austerity and the market, you can count on us defending the Europe of humanity and solidarity,” said Manon Aubry, co-chair of The Left, announcing the bloc’s vote against von der Leyen’s presidency
Commenting on the lengthy jail sentences imposed on climate activists for planning a peaceful protest, following a trial where the defendants were prevented from fully explaining the reasons for their actions, Greenpeace UK’s programme director Amy Cameron said:
“This is a dark day for the right to protest, a pillar of our democracy. Without it, we would have no votes for women, basic workers’ rights or an end to coal and commercial whaling. What sort of country locks people away for years for planning a peaceful demonstration, let alone for talking about it on a Zoom call? We’re giving a free hand to the polluting elite robbing us of a habitable planet while jailing those who’re trying to stop them – it makes no sense.
Just Stop Oil protesting in London 6 December 2022.
“These sentences are not a one-off anomaly, but the culmination of years of repressive legislation, overblown government rhetoric and a concerted assault on the right of juries to deliberate according to their conscience. This judicial crackdown on climate activists has gotten out of hand and is now a major international embarrassment. It’s part of the mess the Labour government has inherited from its predecessor and they must fix it by giving back to people the right to protest that’s been slowly being taken away from them.
“Starmer’s ministers should repeal the gagging laws brought in by the Conservatives and instruct the Attorney General to meet with campaigners and the UN rapporteur on environmental defenders to discuss a way forward.”
Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles are pictured in the West Bank town of Beita on July 12, 2024. (Photo: Wahaj Bano Moufleh/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
The United Nations’ highest court issued an advisory opinion arguing that Israel’s large-scale expansion of settlements amounts to annexation, a crime under international law.
The International Court of Justice said Friday that Israel’s decadeslong occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful and must end “as rapidly as possible.”
The court’s nonbinding advisory opinion was read aloud by ICJ President Nawaf Salam, a Lebanese judge and academic. Salam said the court determined based on “extensive evidence” that Israel is guilty of confiscating “large areas” of Palestinian land for use by Israeli settlers, exploiting natural resources, and undermining the local population’s right to self-determination under international law.
The court pointed to “Israel’s systematic failure to prevent or punish” settler violence and “demolition of Palestinian property” in the West Bank as part of its case that the Israeli government’s actions in the occupied territories are indicative of an attempt to permanently annex land and forcibly transfer Palestinians from their homes.
“Israel is not entitled to sovereignty in any part of the occupied Palestinian territory on account of its occupation, nor can security concerns override the prohibition on acquisition of territory by force,” said Salam.
The ICJ vote against Israel’s occupation was 11-4. The court also voted to call on Israel to evacuate all settlers from the West Bank.
In a 12-3 vote, the ICJ said that all nations “are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the state of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the state of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
The United States was among the countries that warned the ICJ against advising that Israel must swiftly end its occupation.
The ICJ handed down its opinion as the court is also considering a genocide case brought against Israel over its ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip—a devastating war that the court did not weigh as part of its new advisory opinion.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, applauded the ICJ’s call for the dismantling of Israeli settlements and reparations for Palestinians harmed by Israel’s occupation.
“The ICJ ruling in essence confirmed what the majority of people (except the West) already knew and have recognized: that Israel’s occupation is illegal, that it is still occupying Gaza, it is annexing the West Bank, and Israel is an apartheid state,” Parsi wrote on social media. “If there is any respect for international law, Western media must now include this in all its Israel coverage. Most don’t even describe settlements as illegal!”
Nancy Okail, president and CEO of the Center for International Policy, said in a statement that “while the ICJ’s action is nonbinding, countries that seek to uphold international law should respect the court’s determination and take all appropriate steps to counter the injustices of the occupation and bring it to a peaceful end.”
“At a minimum, countries should not engage in actions which help to perpetuate the occupation and its discriminatory, annexationist goals,” said Okail. “In particular, the United States must end the unconditional supply of arms that Israel uses in connection with the dispossession and settlement of Palestinian land and other violations of Palestinian rights.”
