The top 10 moments that shaped women’s football in 2023
It was the year that saw Australia and New Zealand host the biggest and most-watched FIFA Women’s World Cup, which culminated with Spain’s crowning moment as first-time champions with a win over one of the pre-tournament favourites England. Women’s football giants United States faltered at the quarterfinal stage and several minnow nations lit up the group stage. The World Cup was packed with high-quality action, as well as shocks and feel-good stories and culminated with the launch of Spanish football’s #MeToo movement. Elsewhere, US Soccer delegated Emma Hayes with the job of reviving their fading glory as the highest paid women’s football coach in the world. As the year comes to a close, here’s a look at 10 moments that shaped women’s football in 2023: ‘Ever-growing ACL club’ Months ahead of the World Cup, England captain Leah Williamson, New Zealand striker Katie Rood and several other top players were left to rue their luck after being sidelined with ACL injuries. Rood announced the news with a post on Instagram saying, “I’m sad to say that I’ve joined the ever-growing ACL club”. In order to understand the widespread prevalance of the injury among women footballers, Al Jazeera spoke to a wide range of experts and players, who pointed at a number of factors, including the biological differences between men and women, the difference in their kits and boots, physical stress and workload. Researchers also underlined how women’s menstrual cycles could be a factor in their vulnerability to the injury. Player revolt precedes Spain’s historic win Nearly a year before Spain’s glorious run at the World Cup, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) and its players were embroiled in a months-long stand-off. The “Las 15” – a group of 15 players demanded changes to the national team set-up and made themselves unavailable for selection, directing the majority of their complaints at coach Jorge Vilda. They sought improvements in working conditions, blaming them for their poor emotional and physical health. Later, the players entered talks with the federation and three of them, including Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, were included in Spain’s World Cup squad that landed the La Roja their first world title. The player revolt continued after the World Cup in the wake of the scandal surrounding Luis Rubiales’s forced kiss on player Jenni Hermoso’s mouth. However, the squad agreed to end their boycott in October after Rubiales was banned for three years by FIFA and the Spanish federation promised to make “immediate and profound changes.” When Hannah Dingley took over as the head coach of English League Two club Forest Green Rovers, albeit temporarily, she became the first woman to manage a professional men’s football team in England. Dingley stayed at the position for two weeks but was credited for breaking the glass ceiling for young girls taking up managerial roles in men’s football. Previously, Portuguese coach Helena Costa became first woman to coach a men’s football team in France when, in 2014, she took charge of then-league two French club Clermont Foot. Several women have taken up coaching roles in men’s academy teams, but not many have been handed the reins of top-flight men’s teams. We can confirm that Hannah Dingley has been named our Caretaker Head Coach. Dingley will take charge of the team for tomorrow night’s friendly at Melksham Town.#WeAreFGR💚 — Forest Green Rovers (@FGRFC_Official) July 4, 2023 Morocco shine at historic first World Cup Football fans and experts may have believed that Morocco had done their bit by becoming the first Arab team to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, but the Atlas Lionesses were out to prove them wrong. “It’s amazing to keep creating history,” star striker Rosella Ayane told Al Jazeera after her team made it to the round of 16 at the tournament. Back home, from Fez to Marrakech and beyond, fans gathered in cafes, homes and on the streets to get behind the women in red and green as they took on their former coloniser France in the knockout round. Despite their disappointing loss at the hands of the French, the rise of the Atlas Lionesses, several of whom play league football in Europe, endeared them to the football-mad African nation. المستحيل ليس مغربيا 🇲🇦🤯 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬#DimaMaghrib #OneGameOneFamily #AtlasLionesses pic.twitter.com/TEpTEyESh3 — Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) August 3, 2023 Hijab-clad Nouhaila Benzina breaks barriers Morocco had plenty to say at the tournament Down Under as Nouhaila Benzina became the first Muslim woman wearing a hijab to play at the World Cup. Football fans, especially Muslim women, lauded Benzina for breaking the barrier. Millions around the world watched as she stepped on the field in the hijab a month after France banned the Islamic headscarf during games. Activist Shaista Aziz was among the scores of Muslim women who backed Benzina on social media. “The significance of this is HUGE for many #Muslim girls and women including myself,” Aziz wrote on X. Morocco’s Nouhaila Benzina, left, and France’s Kenza Dali compete for the ball during the Women’s World Cup round of 16 soccer match between France and Morocco in Adelaide, Australia, Tuesday, August 8, 2023. [James Elsby/AP Photo] The USWNT juggernaut comes to a halt Most of the pre-tournament predictions and talks were centred at the US Women’s National Team’s prospects of completing a “three-peat” or an unprecedented third consecutive and fifth overall world title. The women’s football giants began their campaign with a 3-0 thrashing of minnows Vietnam, but cracks began to show as they struggled against a strong Dutch side in their second group-stage match, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Needing to avoid a loss to stay in the tournament, they earned a goalless draw against Portugal. However, the juggernaut came to a halt on August 6 as Sweden knocked out the holders in a madcap penalty shootout (5-4). The talismanic retiring great Megan Rapinoe came off the bench to replace forward Alex Morgan in extra time but was unable to create a winner for the Americans who slumped to
Japan expands sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine
Tokyo adds 57 Russian new organisations to its trade blacklist in latest measures to punish Moscow. Japan has expanded its sanctions targeting Russia over its war in Ukraine, banning Russian diamonds for non-industrial use and adding dozens of firms and organisations to its trade blacklist. The expanded export blacklist announced on Friday includes 57 organisations in Russia and six organisations in the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Uzbekistan and Armenia. The latest measures bring the total number of Russian organisations under sanctions to 494. Twenty-seven entities from Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies, have also been sanctioned. The expanded sanctions come after the Group of Seven (G7) countries earlier this month held a virtual summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show solidarity with Kyiv. Under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan has taken a tougher stand against Moscow than any other country in the region, where governments have been hesitant to take sides in the war. During the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, Kishida pledged “unwavering solidarity” with Ukraine while condemning attempts anywhere to use force to change the status quo. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a high-profile visit to Hiroshima during that summit to urge the international community to do everything it can to ensure Russia is the “last aggressor”. Tokyo, a key US ally and the only Asian member of the G7, has cast Moscow’s invasion as a threat to peace everywhere and linked the fate of Ukraine to the security of nearby Taiwan, which China has threatened to “reunify” with the Chinese mainland if necessary. Moscow last year blacklisted more than 380 Japanese parliamentarians in retaliation for Tokyo’s stance on the war, accusing the lawmakers of “adopting an unfriendly, anti-Russian position notably by expressing unfounded accusations against our country concerning the special military operation in Ukraine”. Adblock test (Why?)
US highlights AI as risk to financial system for first time
Financial Stability Oversight Council says emerging technology poses ‘safety-and-soundness risks’ as well as benefits. Financial regulators in the United States have named artificial intelligence (AI) as a risk to the financial system for the first time. In its latest annual report, the Financial Stability Oversight Council said the growing use of AI in financial services is a “vulnerability” that should be monitored. While AI offers the promise of reducing costs, improving efficiency, identifying more complex relationships and improving performance and accuracy, it can also “introduce certain risks, including safety-and-soundness risks like cyber and model risks,” the FSOC said in its annual report released on Thursday. The FSOC, which was established in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to identify excessive risks in the financial system, said developments in AI should be monitored to ensure that oversight mechanisms “account for emerging risks” while facilitating “efficiency and innovation”. Authorities must also “deepen expertise and capacity” to monitor the field, the FSOC said. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who chairs the FSOC, said that the uptake of AI may increase as the financial industry adopts emerging technologies and the council will play a role in monitoring “emerging risks”. “Supporting responsible innovation in this area can allow the financial system to reap benefits like increased efficiency, but there are also existing principles and rules for risk management that should be applied,” Yellen said. US President Joe Biden in October issued a sweeping executive order on AI that focused largely on the technology’s potential implications for national security and discrimination. Governments and academics worldwide have expressed concerns about the break-neck speed of AI development, amid ethical questions spanning individual privacy, national security and copyright infringement. In a recent survey carried out by Stanford University researchers, tech workers involved in AI research warned that their employers were failing to put in place ethical safeguards despite their public pledges to prioritise safety. Last week, European Union policymakers agreed on landmark legislation that will require AI developers to disclose data used to train their systems and carry out testing of high-risk products. Adblock test (Why?)
Zelenskyy hails ‘victory’ as EU agrees to open membership talks for Ukraine
European Council President Charles Michel says agreement a ‘signal of hope for their people and for our continent’. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed a “victory” for Ukraine and the European continent after European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks with his country despite months of opposition from Hungary about Kyiv joining. The decision was announced on Thursday at a summit of the 27 EU countries, at which the bloc also agreed to open formal membership negotiations with Moldova. European Council President Charles Michel, host of the summit, announced the agreement in a social media post, calling it “a clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent”. Zelenskyy welcomed the decision as “a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens,” he said in a post on X. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was “a strategic decision and a day that will remain engraved in the history of our union”. “These countries belong to the European family,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. Michel said the summit granted EU candidate status to Georgia and would also advance an EU bid by another hopeful – Bosnia and Herzegovina – once it reaches “the necessary degree of compliance” with criteria. From left, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob speak during a round-table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on December 14, 2023 [Omar Havana/AP Photo] Hungary not in the summit room EU diplomats said Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, was not in the summit room for the vote on Ukraine but knew and agreed other leaders would vote in his absence. For weeks, Orban had promised to block the deal, which on Thursday he called a “bad decision”. “Hungary’s stance is clear: Ukraine is not prepared for us to start talks on EU membership,” he said, calling the decision “irrational” and “inappropriate”. Hungary’s leader had gone into the summit also promising to deny Kyiv 50 billion euros ($54bn) in financial aid that the government desperately needs to stay afloat during its war with Russia. “Twenty-six member states were adamant that this decision must be made, so Hungary decided that if 26 decide so, they should go on their own path and Hungary does not wish to participate in this bad decision,” Orban said. The EU, whose members still cherish their independence on strategic and foreign affairs issues, generally works by consensus. Negotiations continue on the aid for Ukraine, Orban said. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy travelled to the US, where he lobbied for more American aid, but his request faces large hurdles in passing the US Congress. Some EU leaders had warned earlier in the day that not agreeing to start negotiations with Ukraine would have been seen as a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine launched its bid to become part of the EU after Moscow’s invasion in February 2022 and was officially named a candidate to join in June that year. Fellow former Soviet republic and neighbour Moldova had applied at the same time as Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has breathed new life into the EU’s stalled push to take on new members as the bloc looks to keep Russian and Chinese influence at bay. In June 2022, the European Commission set Kyiv seven reform benchmarks to complete, including tackling corruption and curbing the power of its oligarchs, before talks should start. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said the EU’s decision on Thursday showed that it “highly appreciated the reforms we have made in recent years and the implementation of all the recommendations of the European Commission”. “A difficult path lies ahead. We are united and ready,” he said. The talks themselves are likely to take years. EU treaties oblige members to help “by all means in their power” another EU country that is victim of armed aggression on its territory. If Ukraine becomes an EU member while the war with Russia is ongoing, EU countries would have to respect that. The EU would also acquire a long new border with Russia and Belarus with implications for security, migration and defence. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli soldiers recite Jewish prayers, Hannukah songs inside Jenin mosque
NewsFeed Israeli soldiers have been disciplined after video surfaced of them singing Hannukah songs and reciting Jewish prayers inside a mosque. The soldiers, who are conducting raids in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, have been suspended from duty. Published On 14 Dec 202314 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
Labour leaders push President Biden for a Gaza ceasefire at US Capitol
Washington, DC – Influential labour leaders have joined progressive legislators in the United States Capitol to push the administration of President Joe Biden to support a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. In a news conference on Thursday, representatives from United Auto Workers (UAW), United Electrical Workers and the American Postal Workers Union framed their appeal as part of a long history of labour movements supporting human rights at home and abroad. “We know unions provide a bridge toward fighting all forms of hatred, phobias, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia and more,” said Shawn Fain, president of the UAW. “Now it’s time for the rest of our elected leaders to step up and do what it takes to end the violence.” The news conference was organised by Democratic Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, who introduced legislation in October calling for a ceasefire. Over 18,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, amid an ongoing Israeli military offensive. “As an activist and organiser and a proud daughter of a former union member, I know that the foundational message of every guild is to stand with the people, to fight for their dignity and to advocate for those most marginalised,” Bush said at the press conference. “Our humanity needs a ceasefire, and that is precisely why I’m so happy to have unions here today to join in this fight, because we know that unions know how to organise. Unions know how to mobilise and galvanise and energise.” ‘Time for workers to leverage our labour power’ Both the Congress members and the labour leaders used the press conference to underscore the political power that unions wield. The UAW, for instance, represents an estimated 400,000 active members, while the American Postal Service Union boasts 330,000 workers. They hinted there could be consequences for Biden at the ballot box, should he fail to heed their call for a ceasefire. “As the US funds Israel’s campaign of terror, we, the workers, are footing the bill for the massacre of innocents in Palestine,” said Janvi Madhani of the United Electrical Workers. “This is the time for workers to leverage our labour power and electoral power to stand in uncompromising solidarity with the cause of Palestinian freedom.” Judy Beard, a representative of the American Postal Workers Union, indicated that her organisation’s call for a ceasefire reflected wider views among the US public. “As a union that stands for equality, social justice, human labour rights and international solidarity, we unite with millions of good people [and] members of Congress,” she said. Her union first announced its support for a ceasefire on November 8. Most ‘pro-labour’ president in history Biden has long touted himself as the “most pro-union president in American history”. But while he enjoyed the endorsement of both the UAW and the American Postal Workers Union during the 2020 presidential race, his unwillingness to call for a ceasefire could alienate the unions as he seeks reelection in 2024. The Democratic president has been reluctant to criticise Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, citing the country’s “right to defend itself” in the wake of an October 7 attack that left 1,200 people dead. But the subsequent war on Gaza has killed thousands, many of them women and children. Entire neighbourhoods have been levelled, with United Nations experts warning of a “grave risk of genocide” in the Palestinian territory. The spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza has provoked widespread outcry. Even Biden has warned that “indiscriminate bombing” could cause Israel to lose public support. Still, many within Biden’s own party have criticised him for his “unwavering support” for Israel. As of Wednesday, an estimated 62 members of the US Congress have called for a ceasefire, according to the Working Families Party, a left-leaning political group. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last month also showed 68 percent of Americans supported calls for a ceasefire. That number was even higher among Democrats alone. Rallying union support As the 2024 presidential race nears, surveys show Biden falling behind his chief Republican rival Donald Trump in key swing states like Michigan, which boasts large Arab and Muslim American communities. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released this month showed Trump leading Biden 46 percent to 42 in a one-on-one matchup in the state. But Biden has made strides in trying to woo Michigan’s relatively large body of union workers. An estimated 14 percent of “wage and salary workers” in the state belong to a union, higher than the national average of 10 percent. In September, Biden flew to Michigan, where he became the first sitting US president to visit a picket line of striking UAW workers. The auto union, at the time, was in the midst of its first-ever strike against all of the “Big Three” car companies: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The strike was also the union’s longest in nearly a quarter century, and it resulted in higher wages and better benefits for auto workers. But Trump also sought to appeal to auto workers during the strike, holding a rally a day after Biden’s appearance on the picket line. The UAW has yet to endorse a candidate for the 2024 race. With its headquarters based in Detroit, Michigan, it has significant sway in so-called “Rust Belt” states, where manufacturing has been a historic driver of the local economy. “I call on the rest of the labour movement to join us in this mission for peace and social justice for all of humanity,” Fain, the UAW president, said on Thursday, pushing other union leaders to join the call for a ceasefire. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Regime of impunity’: Victims react to Fujimori’s prison release in Peru
He was horrible at math. Loved to play sports. And always seemed to be smiling. When Gisela Ortiz thinks back to her older brother Luis Enrique, she remembers someone who was kind and generous, willing to lend clothes out of his own closet to classmates in need. But when Ortiz was 20, her brother disappeared. She later learned that soldiers had burst into the university residence hall where he was staying and abducted him, along with eight other students. Together with a professor, they were taken into a field and executed, their bodies dumped in a mass grave. Luis Enrique was only 21 years old. Now, more than three decades later, the person Ortiz holds responsible has been released from prison — and Ortiz is among those raising their voices in protest. On December 6, former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was freed, 16 years into a 25-year sentence. In 2009, he had been convicted of ordering massacres between 1991 and 1992 that claimed the lives of 25 people, including Luis Enrique. But critics have said that his record of human rights abuses stretches much further, to include allegations of torture, involuntary sterilisation and forced disappearances. The Inter-American Court had ordered Peruvian authorities to refrain from releasing Fujimori, given the severity of his crimes. “A regime of impunity has been established,” Ortiz said after Fujimori’s release. “Ignoring the ruling of the Inter-American Court really makes us a country that does not respect human rights at the international level, and that is a step that is difficult to reverse.” Families hold up photos of loved ones who disappeared under the presidency of Alberto Fujimori [Jacob Kessler/Al Jazeera] Peru is a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and is legally bound by the decisions of the Inter-American Court. But Fujimori has remained a towering figure in Peru’s conservative politics, with a broad base of popular support. Proponents credit him with stabilising the economy, combatting armed leftist groups and launching infrastructure projects that improved transportation, education and healthcare. The former president was first granted a humanitarian pardon in 2017, though it was later nullified. Peru’s Constitutional Court reinstated the pardon this month, partially on the basis of Fujimori’s advanced age and poor health. Still, César Muñoz, the Americas associate director at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera that Fujimori’s release is an “extremely serious setback” for rule of law, not to mention for those harmed. “It’s a slap in the face to the victims,” Muñoz said. He explained that, according to international law, humanitarian pardons may indeed be granted to human rights abusers, but two conditions must first be met. The first condition requires countries to punish human rights abusers according to a consistent standard, without discrimination or favour. “You cannot have rules that change depending on who the person is,” said Muñoz. The second condition requires that medical professionals render an independent, thorough and impartial determination about the need for a humanitarian release. “Those two elements were not there” in the case of Fujimori’s pardon, Muñoz explained. Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, wearing a face mask, exits a prison on December 6 near Lima, Peru, where his daughter Keiko and Kenji guide him to a waiting car [Courtesy of Elio Riera/Reuters] Following Fujimori’s release, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said it “rejects Peru’s decision” and called for the country “to take effective measures to guarantee the victims’ right to access justice”. Cameras last week captured Fujimori, 85, stepping out of the prison gates and into the arms of his two children, Kenji Fujimori and Keiko Fujimori, both influential politicians. The news left Javier Roca Obregón, also 85, feeling “indignant”. He has long since lost hope of ever seeing his son, Martin Roca Casas, again. “I am 85 years old, and I have no hope,” Obregón told Al Jazeera. “I just want to die soon.” In 1993, Casas was a student at the National University of Callao when he was tortured and detained by Peruvian military forces. His body has never been recovered. Obregón and others believe Casas’s abduction was linked to his student activism. He remembers his son as a beacon of hope for other young people — “an example of overcoming” life’s obstacles. Shortly before he went missing, Casas participated in a march against a tuition increase at his university. When two people started to film the protest, he and other students grabbed the camera and destroyed it — an act Obregón suspects precipitated his kidnapping. “In Peru, the life of a poor person is worth nothing. The poor have no right to justice,” said Obregón, who originally hailed from the small, rural town of Yanama. “Just like a dog, they can kill it and then forget about it. That is what is being repeated.” Javier Roca Obregón, right, and his wife remember their son Martin Roca Casas, who disappeared after being detained by military officials [Jacob Kessler/Al Jazeera] Critics have said Fujimori governed with relative impunity during his term in office, from 1990 to 2000. His presidency oversaw the dissolution of Congress and the suspension of Peru’s constitution, allowing him to consolidate power. Carolina Oyague said it was a “terrible” feeling to see the video of a smiling Fujimori being released to his children. Her older sister Dora, 21, was one of the nine students abducted from the Enrique Guzmán y Valle National University of Education in 1993, alongside Luis Enrique Ortiz. Oyague remembers her sister as “cheerful and creative”, a budding entrepreneur who sold everything from makeup to cakes to pay for her education. It was not until September of this year that parts of Dora’s skeletal remains were recovered and presented to her family. To watch Fujimori walk free only a few months later left Oyague furious. “There’s no mea culpa,” she said. “He doesn’t even have a modicum of remorse.” Fujimori has issued vague apologies in the past but has never taken direct responsibility for the military killings or the other abuses that occurred
Turkish MP who suffered heart attack during speech in parliament dies
Hasan Bitmez dies at a hospital in Ankara two days after heart attack during anti-Israel speech. A Turkish opposition legislator who suffered a heart attack and collapsed in parliament during a speech railing against the government’s policy towards Israel has died. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday that Hasan Bitmez, a 54-year-old member of the Islamist Saadet Partisi, or Felicity Party, had died in an Ankara hospital two days after the incident. “You allow ships to go to Israel, and you shamelessly call it trade. … You are Israel’s accomplice,” Bitmez said in his speech targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Tuesday after placing a poster on the podium reading: “Murderer Israel; collaborator AKP.” “Even if you escape the torment of history, you will not be able to escape the wrath of God,” he said at the end of the 20-minute speech before collapsing at the lectern. Other members of the Grand National Assembly rushed forward to help, and Koca said on Tuesday that Bitmez had been “resuscitated in parliament and transferred within 20 minutes to hospital” where medical equipment had kept him alive. The opposition figure, who was married and a father of one, graduated from Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, worked for Islamic nongovernmental groups and was chairman of the Centre for Islamic Union Research. His speech accused the government of continuing friendly economic relations with Israel during its assault on Gaza, which has killed nearly 19,000 Palestinians. His remarks drew jeers from AK Party members. While Erdogan has worked to improve ties with Israel after a period of frosty relations, he has also railed against the current war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, calling Israel a “terror state” and pushing for a ceasefire. In a small ceremony on Thursday on the grounds of the Grand National Assembly, Bitmez’s coffin was draped with a Turkish flag, and a small Palestinian flag was attached as well. Adblock test (Why?)
How much environmental damage is Israel’s war on Gaza causing?
Israel’s military onslaught has devastated built and natural environments in Gaza. Palestinians continue to suffer in Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza – thousands killed and tens of thousands of others wounded. One of the most intense bombing campaigns since World War II will leave not just a legacy of grief for Gaza’s people, but one of lasting physical damage to the environment. Sanitation and water treatment systems have been destroyed. Thousands of Israeli and Western-supplied bombs pollute the air and ground. The war is leaving a new layer of toxic chemicals in Gaza’s soil, adding to those left behind after the many wars Israel has waged before. Can Gaza recover? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Nada Majdalani – Palestinian director of EcoPeace Middle East, an organisation that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists Marwan Bardawil – Head of Gaza Programme Coordination Unit of the Palestinian Water Authority Hadeel Ikhmais – Director general of the Climate Change Section of the Palestinian Authority’s Environment Quality Authority Adblock test (Why?)
Ireland’s prime minister urges EU leaders to call for Gaza ceasefire
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says there is ‘some truth’ to accusations that EU employs a double-standard on Gaza. A growing number of countries in the European Union have expressed support for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war as Israel’s assault on Gaza plunges the Palestinian territory into a dire humanitarian crisis. In remarks on Tuesday at an EU summit focused largely on Ukraine, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar urged his colleagues to take a firmer stance and call for an end to the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip. “I think the European Union has lost credibility because of our inability to take a stronger and more united position on Israel and Palestine,” Varadkar said. “We’ve lost credibility at the Global South, which actually is most of the world, because of what is perceived to be double standards. And there’s some truth in that, quite frankly.” Before the summit, Varadkar and the prime ministers of Spain, Belgium, and Malta wrote to European Council President Charles Michel asking him to host a “serious debate” about the Israel-Hamas war and the “humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.” “We must call urgently for all the parties to declare a lasting humanitarian cease-fire that can lead to an end of hostilities,” the four leaders wrote. The comments came several days after a large majority of nations represented at the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and the number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza passed 18,000, most of them women and children. The resolution passed with 153 nations in support, 23 abstaining, and 10 voting against it. In Tuesday’s UN vote, 17 EU countries were among those that backed the call for a ceasefire. In October, only eight had backed a resolution calling for a truce. Varadkar insisted that a ceasefire could lead “to a new peace process and Palestinian statehood, which is the only way to secure justice and security for everyone living in the region.” Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, backed his Irish colleague. “Europe has to speak out … in a clear, strong, firm and unified voice,” he said. The current round of fighting began on October 7 when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 others captive. Israel responded with a devastating assault on Gaza, bombarding the territory and launching a ground offensive, claiming that it seeks to topple Hamas. The Hamas attack was widely condemned, and Israel received strong international backing for its war against Hamas from the United States and several European countries. But as the Israeli assault continued, leading to dire humanitarian conditions and displacing more than 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, some allies have tempered their support with growing warnings about the toll on civilians. Western countries have also been accused of employing a double-standard, chastising Russia for violations of international law during its invasion of Ukraine but relatively muted when faced with similar acts by Israel. Speaking on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said that Israel risks losing support due to “indiscriminate bombing” in a rare moment of sharp criticism. But despite mounting international pressure, Israel has shown no signs of scaling down its fighting in Gaza, where UN officials have described conditions as “hell on earth”. On Thursday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the fighting in Gaza would last “more than several months”. Adblock test (Why?)