Decommission, not disarm: How Europe can help nudge Gaza toward peace As Israel and Hamas edge toward a ceasefire, shifts are under way in both: Hamas is quietly opening up to decommissioning and Israel’s security elite is realising military victory is a myth.

✍️ "Hamas leaders envisage decommissioning as a gradual, negotiated process coupled with a genuine political track leading to an end of the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict", writes @muhammadshehada.bsky.social on prospects for the future of Hamas buff.ly/wQEzyjz

#IsraelFiles Today a Europe-wide investigation into leaked documents from Israel’s Justice Ministry, which I co-led, is going public. We show how Israel spent millions on foreign lawyers to undermine international law & shield the settlement project, war criminals abroad. Will post all articles here

As @kajakallas.bsky.social & EU foreign ministers discuss sanctions for ongoing Israeli crimes, kind reminder that a ceasefire stops:
✅ Bombs (does it, really?)
❌ Occupation
❌ Apartheid
❌ Torture
❌ Forced displacement
❌ Unlawful detentions
❌ Impunity

Yes, EU should act: hrw.org/news/2025/10... #FAC

I notice that the court opinion states that Israel is in breach of the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force going back to 1967. So efforts to achieve tougher action on Israel have to try to overturn a culture of impunity going back like six decades

Dutch and Swedish foreign ministers send joint letter to the EU foreign affairs chief urging tougher action on Gaza/Israel.
Note penultimate bullet point: the Commission is supposed to have drawn up an analysis about whether the EU itself is in compliance with International Court of Justice opinion

International Law Experts: Genocide in Gaza? Does Israel’s conduct in Gaza constitute genocide? LTO asked eleven international law experts. After 22 months of war, a clear tendency is emerging.

"As of February 2025, the only reasonable inference from the cumulative evidence is that Israel’s conduct in Gaza constitutes genocide." - @itamann.bsky.social

Eleven international law experts were asked: is there genocide in Gaza. Nine said yes. www.lto.de/recht/hinter...

EU outlines options for political action against Israel on human rights The European Union's diplomatic service on Thursday presented 10 options for political action against Israel after it found "indications" last month that Israel breached human rights obligations under a pact governing its ties with the bloc.

7. So at the 15 July meeting of EU foreign ministers, even if the deal does lead to some improvement (let's hope it does), it's critical to continue & step up pressure - through max support for the options presented by Kallas👇- and for states like 🇩🇪 & co to play along www.reuters.com/world/middle...

6. This goes back to member state dynamics.

If a clear majority of states was united behind need to pressure Israel w/ tangible measures, Kallas would be in stronger position & could demand more than just aid improvement.

But countries like 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 🇦🇹 🇨🇿 🇬🇷 oppose that, undercutting EU leverage.

4. Imagine the EU did so last year - when 🇮🇪&🇪🇸 launched the idea - but other member states didn't want to hear about it.

Imagine the EU did so 10 or 20 years ago when Israel was expanding settlements & killing possibility of peace with no internationa consequences.

This is an overly positive take on the EU-Israel Gaza aid deal👇

Several points to make here:🧵

1. If this brings more aid to the starving Gazans through UN mechanisms - and I strongly hope it will - then it's a win that will save lives. But:

Allvarligt talat, detta från Tidningen Fokus är bland det mest genomvidrigaste, rasistiska skit jag läst i en riktig tidning.

Riktningen har varit tydlig länge, takfasta men lite smygande steg längre och längre åt höger. Nu smyger de inte längre.

Utomeuropiesiska invasiva arter... fy fan.

Nej, när regeringen säger att de "dubblerat" stödet till regionen så är det inte sant. Enligt openaid gav Sverige 563 miljoner till regionen 2024 och då är jag inte säker på att alla aktiviteter är inrapporterade än.

800 miljoner är inte dubbelt så mycket som 563. >>

M-topp ska ha lovat SD miljoner – Sida ändrade beslut Sida har i flera år nekat Sverigedemokraternas biståndsstiftelse Hepatica stöd för sina projekt.

Men vad ÄR det här? Ministerstyre efter ministerstyre...

www.dn.se/sverige/m-to...

Tack för viktig tråd, @staffanlandin.bsky.social . Här lite bakgrund till SDs och KDs roll i frågan: bsky.app/profile/erik...

Tre dagar senare tvingas Sidas GD därför besluta att inte allokera några pengar till UNWRA, och lägger till följande beslut i samma skrivelse som på alla övertydliga sätt förklarar ATT man borde stödja UNWRA.

Det enda argumentet mot är REGERIGNENS UPPFATTNING.

Ska vi sätta ihop en tidsserie över regeringens UNWRA-fiasko?

- SD har länge krävt att stödet til Palestina och särskilt till UNWRA ska stoppas. SD hatar UNWRA.
- Jan 24 pausas biståndet till UNWRA pga anklagelser om stöd till terrordådet okt 23 (efter SD-krav).
- Mars 24, stödet återupptas.
>>

Statement by Palestinian Organisations on the Belgian Draft Resolution Undermining Palestinian Rights and Breaching Right of Self-Determination - Al-Haq Europe As Palestinians across the world commemorate  77 years  of an ongoing genocidal Nakba, the undersigned organisations are dismayed that the political parties of the current Belgian federal governmental...

As Palestinians mark the 77th year of an ongoing genocidal Nakba, we are dismayed that the Belgian parties of the federal gov. coalition are advancing a resolution seeking to undermine the Palestinian people’s right of self-determination, and the right of return.
alhaqeurope.org/statement-by...

Svensk pro-Israelgrupp bjuder in denne folkrättsjurist. Jobbar på Kohelet Policy Forum som låg bakom juridiska reformen i Israel som skapade enorma motprotester ’23. Också kopplat till Heritage Foundation (Project 2035, någon?). Svenska gruppen som bjudit in har direkt samarbete m bosättarrörelsen

Det är ett av brotten mot mänskligheten enligt Romstadgan.

Allvarligt talat, vad ÄR detta för sin-nes-sjuuuk prioritering? 🤡

Minister van Justitie Annelies Verlinden: "Geen enkele reden om samenwerking met Internationaal Strafhof te veranderen"

BREAKING: Belgian Minister of Justice @anneliesverlinden.bsky.social on ICC arrest warrants:

"Belgium, as a state party, is legally obliged to carry out requests for arrest and transfer issued by the court."

Also notes that immunity argument does not apply to Netanyahu.

www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/20...

Statsåklagare lämnar jobbet: ”Rättsväsendet agerar för sent” Han tillhör åklagarnas elitgrupp. I 13 år har han jagat efter mutkolvar, bedragare och tjänstemän som tar emot pengar under bordet.

I 13 år har han jagat mutkolvar, bedragare och tjänstemän som får pengar under bordet. Nu slutar Thomas Forsberg i förtid, oroad över växande korruption:

"Valet 2030 kommer handla om att säkra ett samhälle där korruption inte får fäste."

Läs @asaerlandsson.bsky.social

www.dn.se/sverige/stat...

The World Health Organization is facing a gaping deficit this year and through 2027 following the US decision to withdraw, even after dramatically slashing its budget, a media report indicated Wednesday.
u.afp.com/SiR8

USAID cuts put US on sidelines of Myanmar aid, former officials say The US has been unable to respond like other countries to the recent earthquake, say former aid workers.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

"I have a colleague...his fingers were crushed... They showed him a picture of his wife & said 'we're going to gang rape her in front of you if you don't admit you're Hamas.'"

Dr Mark Perlmutter, in Gaza, on what Israel is doing to Palestinian doctors.

My full interview: zeteo.com/p/us-embassy...

US decision to end support for Gavi puts millions of children’s lives at risk It's estimated that more than 1.2 million children may die as a result of this political decision.

The U.S. government’s decision to end support for Gavi could deny millions of children routine #vaccinations.

While we do not accept Gavi funding, over half of the vaccines Doctors Without Borders use come from ministries of health that rely on it.

www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/us-de...

Federal judge dismisses corruption case against New York Mayor Adams A federal judge in New York agreed that the Justice Department should dismiss a corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams.

Breaking news: A judge dismissed a corruption indictment against Mayor Eric Adams after a controversial push by the Justice Department to terminate the case, a move by Trump administration officials that led to the resignations of several federal prosecutors.

EU leaders dial down 'condemnation' of Israeli airstrikes The EU has diluted criticism of Israel in a summit communiqué, after Israeli airstrikes killed hundreds of civilians in Gaza.

A EU not capable of deploring war crimes is a EU that should deplore itself - and that EU citizens cannot support

It's long been clear: unanimity = garbage outcomes. Keeping it is suicidal, @eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu @donald-tusk.bsky.social

euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

If united means with Orban, divided is better

The EU issued a sensitive joint statement without Hungary (+Liechtenstein & Montenegro) on serious human rights crises

Slovakia, who dropped out from a previous statement over Russia language, now back in

👉 www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/... #HRC58

"Netanyahu received bribes from Qatar" was a fringe theory until last week, it's now a pretty reasonable hypothesis.

In the picture: 11 suitcases Netanyahu took in 2019 during a strange 30 hours visit to Portugal, a visit which made no diplomatic sense.