The Hague

ICJ slates hearings in Gaza genocide case for 11-12 January

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Original article republished from Middle East Monitor under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

An inside view of International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands on July 23, 2018 [Abdullah Asiran/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images]


The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings in proceedings launched by South Africa against Israel over the Gaza war on 11 and 12 January, it said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

South Africa had asked the ICJ on Friday for an urgent order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its crackdown against Hamas.

Israel had said it would appear before the Court to contest the accusations.

The Court usually takes one or two weeks to issue a decision on emergency measures after the hearings.

The Court’s rulings are final but it has no authority to enforce them.

READ: Shameful if Arabs fail to join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at ICJ, ex-Egypt VP says

Original article republished from Middle East Monitor under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Israel will defend itself against claims of ‘genocide’ at ICJ

Continue ReadingICJ slates hearings in Gaza genocide case for 11-12 January

Extinction Rebellion NL close A10 Amsterdam ring road in protest at ING bank support for fossil fuels

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https://youtu.be/qaD6FE8NU0w

https://nltimes.nl/2023/12/30/extinction-rebellion-go-forward-banned-a10-blockade-ing-today

[Extinction Rebellion NL] are demanding that the bank stop providing financing and services for the fossil fuel industry. ING was based in the building near the planned blockade until 2014. Due to its unusual shape, it has nicknames alluding to its similarities to a boot, a shoe, an ice skate and a hairdryer. As such, it is somewhat of a landmark that is easily visible from the A10, and why XR believes it is the best place for the demonstration.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has forbidden the blockade. The city indicated that the motorway is “irresponsible” as a demonstration location. The A10 is five driving lanes wide, and the speed limit is around 100 kilometers an hour. The VU Medical Center is nearby, and therefore, it is an essential route for ambulances. Traffic to and from the rest of Noord-Holland also passes through the road, which could lead to long traffic jams.

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ING also announced last week that they will stop financing oil and gas projects by 2040. The climate activist group believes the commitments are “insufficient” to “secure a livable future.”

Extinction Rebellion NL blocked the A12 motorway at the Hague succeeding in it’s demand that NL government stops providing fossil fuel subsidies. Extinction Rebellion NL blocked the A12 daily for 27 days despite being subjected to water cannon by the police. [see Extinction Rebellion pauses daily A12 highway blockades; Hague mayor relieved and MP majority in favor of potential phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies].

Continue ReadingExtinction Rebellion NL close A10 Amsterdam ring road in protest at ING bank support for fossil fuels

Extinction Rebellion takes legal action against water cannon use at A12 protests

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https://nltimes.nl/2023/09/25/extinction-rebellion-takes-legal-action-water-cannon-use-a12-protests

Extinction Rebellion wants to prohibit the use of water cannons during climate protests on the A12 highway through legal means. The activist group announced on Monday that it will file summary proceedings against the State. A spokesperson stated that the summons will be issued on Monday or Tuesday, after which the court date for the lawsuit will be determined.

The group’s lawyer, Willem Jebbink, described the deployment of the water cannon as “completely unnecessary and disproportionate.” He pointed out that protestors are being hit with a forceful stream of water, even when there is no indication of a threatening or dangerous situation. “Water cannons are weapons and are now causing injuries. Protestors are being blasted across the road surface, sustaining bruises from the force of the stream.”

Jebbink stated that the water cannon’s pressure on Saturday was so intense that activists had to shield their kidneys by carrying bags on their backs. “The government should protect citizens who are peacefully expressing their opinions, not assault them with unnecessary force.”

In the lawyer’s view, the use of this tactic serves no purpose since it does not disperse the protestors. Furthermore, water cannons were only deployed on September 18, 19, and 20 after protestors had already been detained. “They were trapped between the police line and the water cannon, suggesting that these are corporal punishments.”

Since September 9, Extinction Rebellion has been organizing daily protests on the A12 by blocking the highway. Their goal is to pressure the Dutch government to abandon policies supporting the fossil fuel industry. [stop fossil fuel subsidies] Over the past three days, more than a thousand individuals were arrested.

The water cannon was not deployed on Sunday.

https://nltimes.nl/2023/09/25/extinction-rebellion-takes-legal-action-water-cannon-use-a12-protests

Continue ReadingExtinction Rebellion takes legal action against water cannon use at A12 protests

More than 500 climate activists arrested during A12 blockade

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https://nltimes.nl/2023/09/24/500-climate-activists-arrested-a12-blockade

The police arrested 552 climate activists on Saturday who had partially blocked the A12 highway in The Hague. This is more than during the roadblocks of previous days: on Friday, more than 200 protesters were arrested, compared to around 100 the two days before.

The road was open to traffic again at 2:15 p.m. Around noon, protesters from Extinction Rebellion blocked the road for the fifteenth consecutive day to reiterate their demand to the government to stop projects that support the fossil fuel industry. [It’s more accurate that XR NL are demanding an end to fossil fuel subsidies by NL government.]

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XR spokesperson Lucas Winnips claimed in a press statement that the climate action group is “not asking for police involvement. That is a political choice. It is now clear that Extinction Rebellion will continue as long as necessary and that we are expanding. I would like to ask the police not to intervene in our peaceful demonstration anymore because that is pointless. We will come back the next day.”

Extinction Rebellion has been demonstrating daily on the A12 since September 9.

https://nltimes.nl/2023/09/24/500-climate-activists-arrested-a12-blockade

Continue ReadingMore than 500 climate activists arrested during A12 blockade

Climate protests everywhere yesterday and today

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https://youtu.be/df9YUP1uCBE

Greta Thunberg was arrested in Sweden on Friday after allegedly disobeying police orders during a climate protest. Quintin Bignell reports on what happened and the plans for this week.

Continue ReadingClimate protests everywhere yesterday and today