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A general view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) building in The Hague, Netherlands on April 30, 2024 [Selman Aksünger/Anadolu Agency]
The Hague Initiative, an independent human rights organisation based in the Netherlands have issued an international call for lawyers and legal professionals to join in a collective global effort to defend the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement issued on Thursday, the group declared its full support for justice for the victims of genocide in Palestine and called for lawyers and legal professionals to join a vigil in front of the ICC in The Hague on Friday 24 October. The statement said those who were unable to attend the gathering in The Hague should hold parallel gatherings before their courts and bar associations in their respective countries.
The Hague Initiative declared full support for justice for the victims of genocide in Palestine and unwavering endorsement of the International Criminal Court (ICC). “We refuse to remain silent in the face of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank;” the statement read.
They further called for: the removal of all obstacles and threats so that the ICC would be enabled to carry out its mandate freely and without any political interference; an immediate end to all sanctions imposed on the Court or its Prosecutor; the issuance of arrest warrants for all political and military officials responsible for committing war crimes in Palestine; and the unhindered and unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAOrcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
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F-35B aircrafts land at Akrotiri Royal Air Forces base near coastal city of Limassol in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. [Photo credit should read PETROS KARADJIAS/AFP via Getty Images]
The UK has ended surveillance flights above the Gaza Strip following the signing of a ceasefire agreement, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced Thursday, Anadolu reports.
It said British Shadow R1 reconnaissance aircraft based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus had conducted more than 500 missions above Gaza since December 2023.
The operations, the MoD said, were “tasked solely to locate hostages” taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
The final flight was Oct. 10, three days before the peace deal was formally signed, marking the end of the UK’s aerial intelligence operations in the region.
Defense Secretary John Healey said he was “proud” of the UK’s role in “supporting the safe return of the hostages,” and that “the safe return of all hostages, along with the immediate restoration of aid, are critical first steps in efforts to securing a lasting peace.”
The flights have drawn criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, who argued that intelligence collected by British aircraft could have been used by Israel in military operations that have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, The National publication reported.
Scottish Greens Member of Scottish Parliament Patrick Harvie said the flights showed the UK’s “active participation in, and enabling of, genocide.”
He added that those involved “cannot claim to be unaware of the atrocities that Palestinians have been subjected to.”
The MoD maintained that the aircraft were “always unarmed” and played no combat role, emphasizing that information shared with Israeli authorities was “strictly limited to hostage rescue.”
While surveillance operations have ended, the UK continues to export weapons to Israel. According to a Channel 4 analysis, British arms exports to Israel have reached a “record high” in recent months, with more than 300 export licenses currently in place.
Rights groups have accused London of “turning a blind eye” to Israel’s actions in Gaza, though ministers have rejected the claims.
The phased ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Activists and protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians in Washington, DC, United States. [Yasin Öztürk – Anadolu Agency]
US citizens who were detained by Israel while on board the Global Sumud Flotilla earlier this month gathered outside the US State Department on Thursday, urging an end to military assistance to Tel Aviv and demanding accountability, Anadolu reports.
The 10 Americans said their humanitarian mission, which sought to break Israel’s siege of Gaza and deliver food and medical supplies to the enclave, was legal under international law but was violently intercepted by Israel on Oct. 1.
Tor Stumo, one of the activists, said he “did not feel like a US citizen in Israel,” despite the close alliance between the two countries.
“As soon as I stepped foot off that boat, I was beaten, punched in the stomach, and clubbed on the back of the neck. I was handcuffed so tightly I passed out,” he said. “The Israelis have nothing but contempt for humanitarian activists and US citizens and our government.”
Marine veteran Jessica Clotfelter said she joined the flotilla out of moral conviction. “Veterans take an oath to protect our country from all enemies, foreign and domestic,” she said, pointing to the State Department building behind her.
Appealing to law enforcement officers present, she urged them to “come back to humanity” and reject US policies enabling Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Stephen Wahab, a Palestinian American whose family fled in 1948, said the flotilla managed to temporarily disrupt Israel’s blockade. “We tied up the Israeli Navy to a point where they couldn’t patrol Gaza, and the fishermen were able to feed their families. That’s beautiful,” he said, adding that global solidarity movements are growing.
Antony Aguilar, a former contractor turned US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation whistleblower, condemned Washington for continuing to militarily fund Israel despite a prolonged government shutdown.
“Tomorrow makes day 17, and it’ll be the third-longest in history, soon to be the second, and then the longest. So, congratulations to our effective government, who shuts down our government, but we still pay $3.8 billion so Israel can continue to bomb Gaza,” he said. “Every day, children die at our hands, all of us who pay taxes.”
The activists said they plan to meet members of Congress and human rights advocates this week to push for legislation to halt US arms transfers to Israel and protect Americans abroad.
Israel, as the occupying power, has previously attacked several Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo and deported activists on board.
It has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years and tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 68,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable. A ceasefire to end two years of Israeli bombardment on the enclave was set last Thursday.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAOrcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Permission for Huda Ammori’s judicial review was upheld. Photograph: Abdullah Bailey/Alamy
Judges reject Home Office attempt to block judicial review of group’s proscription under Terrorism Act
A legal challenge to the ban on Palestine Action can go ahead next month after the court of appeal rejected the Home Office’s attempt to block the case.
On Friday, three judges, led by the lady chief justice, Sue Carr, upheld Mr Justice Chamberlain’s decision to grant the Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori a judicial review of the group’s proscription under the Terrorism Act.
The ban, the first on a direct action group, came into effect on 5 July, categorising it alongside the likes of Islamic State and National Action. Since then, more than 2,000 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act for allegedly supporting Palestine Action, most for holding signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
As well as dismissing the Home Office’s appeal, Carr said that the court of appeal was granting two further grounds on which to challenge the legality of the ban, in addition of the two already granted by Chamberlain.
dizzy: I’ve committed to participate in the November protests.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine ‘Private Eye’.Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
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Police officers stand guard as Pro-Palestine demonstrators take part in a protest on the second anniversary of October 7th to condemn the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza since then and to demand the stop of the war on October 07, 2025 in Muenster, Germany. [Hesham Elsherif – Anadolu Agency].
UN human rights experts on Thursday called on Germany to end what they described as the “criminalising, punishing, and suppressing” of legitimate Palestinian solidarity activism, warning that the country’s actions undermine fundamental democratic freedoms, Anadolu reports.
“We are alarmed by the persistent pattern of police violence and apparent suppression of Palestine solidarity activism by Germany,” the experts said in a statement.
They urged Berlin to uphold its human rights obligations and “to respect and facilitate the right to peaceful assembly for everyone without discrimination.” The experts stressed that “non-violent protests are protected and must not be punished,” and that dissenting political views “must not be subject to undue restrictions based on content.”
According to the experts, Germany has intensified restrictions on pro-Palestinian protests since October 2023 – when Israel’s relentless offensive on Gaza began – even though most demonstrations have been peaceful. Protesters have voiced demands such as halting arms exports to Israel, ensuring humanitarian access to Gaza, and recognizing the state of Palestine.
They said demonstrators in Berlin had been met with police violence, arrests, and bans, including cases where people were detained simply for chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The experts said German courts have issued contradictory rulings on whether the slogan constitutes protected speech or condones violence.
“Germany must support, not suppress, actions aiming to stop atrocity crimes and genocide,” the experts said. “No circumstances can justify unnecessary and excessive police violence or unjust criminalisation for exercising fundamental freedoms.”
Critics say Germany’s foreign policy stance has been mirrored by a domestic campaign to silence pro-Palestinian voices. Over the past two years, authorities have banned hundreds of rallies, canceled cultural events and academic panels, and denied visas to prominent international speakers critical of Israel.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a staunch ally of Israel, has repeatedly emphasized Germany’s historical responsibility for Israel’s security, rooted in its Nazi past and the Holocaust.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAOrcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
