CrossFireArabia
15,000 Palestinian flags were placed on the ground of Jardin des Curiosités, overlooking the city of Lyon, to honor the young lives lost during Israel’s genocide in Gaza
POWERFUL ACTION AND STATEMENT
— Earth Hippy
15000 Palestine flags individually planted for the children who have died in the genocide of Gaza.♥️
Jardin des Curiosites in Lyon, France, pic.twitter.com/yaHBgtTkLd
(@hippyygoat) September 17, 2024
CrossFireArabia
Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin denounced the ongoing “silence” on Israel’s genocide war on Gaza, describing Gaza as “undoubtedly the greatest historic scandal, which no one talks about in this country [France] anymore”.
In a radio interview with France Inter, Thursday, de Villepin expressed his anger over the French political and media response to Israel’s war on Gaza when asked to comment on the appointment of Michel Barnier as prime minister and the political and economic challenges facing France.
When the journalist brought up the war and cited the death toll as provided by “Hamas’ health ministry”, de Villepin quickly interrupted her.
“I hear that all the time… It is not only the Ministry of Health of Hamas that says that there are 40,000 dead; there are probably many more. Let’s not give the impression that this is a truncated figure,” he said.
“No, it is, unfortunately, an everyday reality. In Gaza, bodies are in pieces; hearts are in pieces; souls are in pieces; heads are in pieces,” he commented.
De Villepin said it seems there is “no prospect” of reconstruction on the horizon. “Israel is creating the conditions for a reoccupation [of Gaza],” he said.
“Whether it is in the southern line or in the line that cuts [the enclave] in the middle, the creation of a perimeter around, Israel has taken back possession of Gaza. Gaza is completely besieged.”
De Villepin warned that “at a time when the West Bank itself is breaking down, as we can see in the north and in the south, we are in front of a real pressure cooker”.
The former centre-right prime minister went on to describe Gaza as “undoubtedly the greatest historic scandal, which no one talks about in this country anymore”.
“It is silence, a lead weight; the media doesn’t discuss it… I have to turn to Google to find news that gives me the number of deaths in Gaza. It is a real scandal in terms of democracy,” he said.
“And all this in the name of what? War. It is war; that’s how it is. However, it is not quite a war like the others. These are civilian populations who are dying. We are in Absurdia and France is stepping aside.”
When asked what France, the European Union or the United States should do, de Villepin pointed out that the West has “levers in terms of armaments, in the economic field”. He said: “We continue to accept trading with territories where Israeli colonisation is active… but we refuse to [use these levers] under absolutely unheard-of arguments.”
“Israel must be allowed to wage its war to the end?” he questioned. “But to what end? Yoav Gallant, Israel’s minister of defence, says that Hamas has been eradicated in Gaza, so what is the end?”
De Villepin, who has long been a vocal critic of Israel’s policy in Palestine, stressed that “Israel cannot be safe until there is recognition of a Palestinian state alongside it that shares responsibility for security in this region,” according to the Quds News Network.
CrossFireArabia
The UK government announced, Friday, Britain’s decision to unfreeze funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy pledged to provide the UN agency with additional support of 21 million pounds ($27 million).
Lammy told the British House of Commons: “We are canceling the decision to suspend funding for UNRWA. UNRWA is absolutely essential for providing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, which is besieged and devastated by the war.”
The British decision comes as the Israeli occupation army has been waging a war of genocide on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, amid political and diplomatic efforts to end the work of UNRWA which provides education, health, and aid to millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon according to the Palestine Information Center.
CrossFireArabia
Many of the European countries continue to supply Israel with arms and weapons as it continues its military offensive on the Gaza Strip and in spite of the world accusation that Tel Aviv is committing genocide against the Palestinians.
Some European countries are top military suppliers, others are at the tail end but it is interesting to know that the great majority of European states sell weapons to Israel, its called the arms trade of Europe.
Anadolu compiled details of the European military sales to Israel since the outbreak of the war on Gaza after 7 October, 2023.
France, Italy and Germany, along with the United States have accounted for 81% of the Middle East’s arms imports between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Israel’s military spending spiked by 24% to $27.5 billion following its attacks on Gaza. It became the second-largest arms spender in the Middle East.
From 2014 to 2022, the European Union granted export licenses to Israel worth about €6.3 billion ($6.8 billion).
These weapons are suspected to have contributed to the deaths of more than 38,000 civilians in Gaza, including 10,000 women and more than 15,000 children, the Turkish news agency states.
Although some EU countries, including Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, decided to halt arms sales to Israel, press reports maintain this trade has somehow continued.
Key European arms suppliers
Germany remains Israel’s largest European arms supplier, providing about 30% of Israel’s imports between 2019 and 2023. In 2023. This is whilst German arms deliveries to Israel increased tenfold to €326.5 million and peaking after 7 October.
Most of France’s arms exports in 2019-2023 went to Middle East states accounting for 34% of the total French exports. Paris is known to provide parts for Israel’s missile defense system, known as the Iron Dome.
Despite laws restricting arms sales to human rights violators, Italy sold €2.1 million worth of weapons to Israel in the last quarter of 2023. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto claimed there have been no new arms transfers to Israel since 7 October, although there are reports of ongoing sales by companies such as Leonardo. Italy’s export licenses to Israel between 2014 and 2022, including for warships, small arms, artillery, aircraft and ammunition, worth €114 million.
The UK issued more than £448 million ($576 million) in arms licenses to Israel since 2015. In addition, 15% of the materials used in the production of the F-35 fighter jets purchased by Israel since 2016 are supplied by British companies, according to the London-based charity Action on Armed Violence.
Spain has not reported any arms sales to Israel since 7 October, but data from November 2023 shows a transfer of ammunition worth €987,000. Between 2014 and 2022, Spain issued export licenses worth €99 million, including for ammunition and military vehicles.
Other European suppliers
The Netherlands issued €19 million in export licenses to Israel between 2014-2022, peaking at €10 million in 2022 alone. A court ruling in the country in 2024 halted exports of F-35 parts to Israel, citing the risk of violations of humanitarian law.
Despite halting arms sales, Belgium transferred €46 million in arms to Israel between 2014 and 2022, including explosives and aircraft parts.
Portugal issued more than €12.5 million in export licenses to Israel, most of it for aircraft-related materials.
Austria’s arms licenses to Israel totaled €33 million, Slovakia’s €117 million, and the Czech Republic’s arms exports totaled €127 million from 2014-2022, with recent deliveries of ballistic vests and military equipment.
Hungary’s sales exceeded €15 million, with notable contracts for the production of drones involving Israeli and German companies.
Poland’s €4.9 million in arms exports to Israel, Slovenia’s €6.1 million and Romania’s €427 million included aircraft, military vehicles and ammunition transfers.
Bulgaria’s €49 million in arms included explosives and light weapons.
Serbia’s state-owned Yugoimport-SDPR reported €14 million in arms exports to Israel in early 2024.
The total value of the 21 export licenses between Greece and Israel was recorded at €7.6 million.
Nordic, Baltic countries
Sweden issued licenses worth less than €1.3 million for weapon sights and control systems, with a significant contract with Israel’s Elbit Systems worth $170 million in late 2023.
Norwegian companies have reportedly circumvented restrictions prohibiting arms sales to conflict zones through foreign subsidiaries.
Licenses issued from Denmark to Israel are worth more than €1 million, while the issuance of licenses worth €403,000 in 2022 was the largest sale ever between the two countries. The country is facing a lawsuit from a group of non-governmental organizations over arms exports to Israel.
Finland’s €2.4 million in licenses covered electronic equipment, armor and weapon sights.
Latvia’s €5.9 million in licenses peaked at €4.1 million in 2022. Estonia and Lithuania had minimal exports of around €300,000 each, mostly small arms.
Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta, Southern Cyprus
Croatia’s €681,000 in licenses covered armaments and ammunition. Export licenses between Luxembourg and Israel amounted to approximately €671,000, while the total value of Malta’s export licenses to Israel exceeded €17.5 million.
Southern Cyprus’ licenses were worth €97,000, with alleged support for Western military logistics to Israel, the Turkish news agency pointed out.
Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.
CrossFireArabia
Israel is upgrading its nuclear arsenal maintains the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI).
With regards its deathly weapons, Israel maintains what its terms “nuclear ambiguity”, neither confirming nor denying the possession of nuclear capability and refuses to admit in public that it has nuclear weapons.
However, in its report, SIPRI ranks Israel number eight globally in terms of the number of stored nuclear warheads.
The Swedish organization estimates Israel has 90 nuclear warheads, more than North Korea’s estimated 50.
One blogger comments the rogue state of Israel has an estimated 200 nuclear warheads but has never signed the 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
He maintains Israel’s “Samson Option” is a nuclear strategy that involves the use of nuclear weapons as a last resort in the event of an existential threat to the state.
Will Ben Givr have his finger on the button?!
— David Lappa (@david_lappa) June 17, 2024
The international community considers Israel's nuclear weapons to be an extension of the American nuclear arsenal.
Think about that!
"Madness in great ones must not unwatched go." — Hamlet/Shakespeare pic.twitter.com/I7ddrvCmLY
Another maintains Israel controls America’s politics, money, and weapons. He adds Israel is a threat to America and the world, not Russia, not China, not North Korea, not Iran.
Israel is a terrorist state #IsraelIsATerroristState #Gaza_Genocide
https://x.com/SIPRIorg/status/1802464270082334882
Finally another writes President John F. Kennedy expressed his concern about the danger to Middle East peace and stability with a nuclear armed Israel. Kennedy was assassinated shortly afterwards.
“Israel is upgrading plutonium at the Demona nuclear reactor”
— T
-According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Israel is upgrading its nuclear arsenal despite not publicly acknowledging its possession of nuclear weapons.
SIPRI's report ranks… pic.twitter.com/Sib10t854c
