'Collective action' against Israel to be decided at global conference
Other European countries involved include Portugal, Spain, Slovenia and Norway.
Jaramillo Jassir, Colombia's vice minister of multilateral affairs, said: 'The assembled states will not only reaffirm our commitment to resist the genocide, but devise a series of specific measures to move from words to collective action.'
READ MORE: 'Patients are dying inside Gaza,': MSF calls for urgent medical evacuations
It aims to build on the work of The Hague Group, launched in the Netherlands in January, which brought together eight countries to impose sanctions on Israel.
They agreed to an arms embargo on Israel and also vowed to prevent ships carrying military fuel or weaponry to the country from docking at their ports if they were believed to be involved in the assault on Gaza.
(Image: NQ)
The inclusion of China, as one of the world's leading economic powerhouses, is significant as the country has been relatively muted in its criticism of Israel to date.
During the brief war between Iran and Israel earlier this year, the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs released a statement saying that 'the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must not continue', while calling for a two-state solution.
The Hague Group is co-chaired by Colombia and South Africa, with the latter country the instigator of the genocide case faced by Israel at the International Court of Justice.
READ MORE: Labour politicians fail to declare all-expenses-paid trip to Israel
Also in attendance will be Francesca Albanese, the United Nation's special rapporteur on human rights in the West Bank and Gaza, who was recently sanctioned by the US government.
She is expected to say: 'For too long, international law has been treated as optional – applied selectively to those perceived as weak, ignored by those acting as the powerful.
'This double standard has eroded the very foundations of the legal order. That era must end. The law must either be universal, or it will cease to mean anything at all. No one can afford this selective approach.'
Addressing the sanctions imposed on her by the Trump administration, Albanese will say: 'These attacks shall not be seen as against me personally. They are a warning to everyone, who dares defend international justice and freedom.
'But we cannot afford to be silenced – and I know I am not alone. This is not about me or any other single individuals, but about justice for the Palestinian people at the most critical juncture in their history.'
Writing in The Guardian ahead of the conference, Colombian president Gustavo Petro said: 'We can either stand firm in defence of the legal principles that seek to prevent war and conflict, or watch helplessly as the international system collapses under the weight of unchecked power politics.'
The conference will bring together:
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NBC News
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South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
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Rhyl Journal
3 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Ukrainians welcome US aid but see Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Putin as too long
The time frame for further arms deliveries that European countries have agreed to pay for is crucial. Russia is making a summer push to break through along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line, and its drones and missiles are hammering Ukrainian cities more than at any time in the past three years. Ukrainian officials have made no direct comment about Mr Trump's decision to allow Russia 50 days to reach a deal to end the war or face what he said would be 'very severe' economic sanctions. While some believe strict tariffs on Moscow could be a game changer, the postponement until September struck others as being too long. For Russia, Mr Trump's delay of new sanctions is a reprieve. Senior Russian politician Konstantin Kosachev said: 'Oh, how much can change both on the battlefield and with the mood of those leading the US and Nato in 50 days.' Russian state television pointed out that Mr Trump's decision would bring a bigger financial burden for Europe. Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukraine. Ukraine's depleted army has recently been losing more territory, but there is no sign of a looming collapse on the front line, analysts say. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke to Mr Trump after the Republican leader's Oval Office announcement on Monday, expressing gratitude for the decision to send more Patriot air defence missiles that are vital to defend Ukrainian cities. Mr Zelensky said on Telegram: 'We discussed … the necessary measures and decisions to provide greater protection for people from Russian attacks and strengthen our positions. 'We agreed to talk more often and co-ordinate our steps in the future.' Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky have had a notoriously fraught relationship, and Washington's consent to providing more weaponry has eased Kyiv's worries. Even so, some Ukrainians felt the US decision won't alter the course of the war. 'If we take the situation as a whole, it hardly looks like this will fundamentally change anything,' Kyiv resident Oles Oliinyk, 33, told The Associated Press. Nina Tokar, 70, was also sceptical. 'I have very little faith in (Mr Trump). He says one thing today, and tomorrow he may say something else.' A Ukrainian army officer fighting in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region said the 50-day delay on sanctions 'is a very long time'. 'They (the Russians) will say, 'Give us two more weeks,' and then in two weeks, 'Give us another week.' It will drag on until October or November,' he told AP, using only the call sign 'Cat' in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp agreed. 'I do believe that the 50 days that Mr Trump has announced is rather long. It's up to September 2. I think that's rather long.' Much remains to be worked out about how the weapons, especially the Patriot systems, will be provided, Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in Brussels on Tuesday. But, in an indication that Europe is relieved that the US hasn't walked away from the conflict, he added: 'The most important thing is that we now have an American readiness to deliver these most needed weapons.' Some European countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, still rely heavily on Russia for energy supplies and could be hit hard by Mr Trump's threatened secondary sanctions on countries that buy its oil and gas — an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Mr Trump's 50-day delay was a 'signal for Europe to prepare ourselves, because we still have some member states that are exposed to imports of oil and oil products from Russia.' German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said it remains to be seen whether Mr Trump's announcement will be a turnaround but 'what is decisive is that the tone has changed'. The president's threat to impose sanctions after 50 days is 'significant progress,' Mr Pistorius told ARD television.
