Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The Belgian government on Wednesday asked its Foreign Affairs Ministry to examine a senior coalition member's call to back South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
“We must act against the threat of genocide,” Deputy Prime Minister Petra de Sutter said on X. “I want Belgium to take action at the International Court of Justice, following the lead of South Africa.”
“The Foreign Affairs Ministry will first conduct a legal analysis and examine the position of other European countries,” said Sam De Paepe, spokesperson for Prime Minister Alexander De Croo's liberal Open VLD party.
“We will then decide what position to take,” Mr de Paepe told The National, which has contacted the ministry for comment.
It is unclear how long the analysis will take. Mr de Croo is travelling to China for the next three days and a decision is not expected until his return.
If the government agrees to follow Ms de Sutter's proposal, Belgium could become the first EU country to back the South African case.
It could choose to lodge its own case at the ICJ or join South Africa's complaint, which was filed in December.
Belgian political parties are divided on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Ms de Sutter is a member of the Flemish Green party and is supported in her call by the Flemish Socialists and the Christian Democrats' party, CD&V.
"This conflict is extremely fraught, so it is very important to judge based on facts. As an independent body, the International Court of Justice is best placed to investigate the risk of genocide," said CD&V MP and chair of the Parliament's federal affairs committee, Els Van Hoof.
The Open VLD opposed a proposal made in November by Ms de Sutter to boycott the import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements.
Other members of Mr de Croo's coalition government had not responded to The National at the time of publication.
The first hearings in the South African case, which alleges that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Israeli bombardments and raids have killed more than 23,000 people in Gaza since October 7, according to local authorities.
Israel says it does its best to protect civilian lives. Israeli president Isaac Herzog has called the South African accusations “atrocious and preposterous”.
In a statement published on Instagram, Ms de Sutter pointed at Israel's blockade of Gaza, which prevents the arrival of food, medicine and fuel and has forced hospitals to operate without anaesthesia.
Most of the enclave's population has been displaced and it is not clear whether its inhabitants will be able to return.
“Representatives of the Israeli government refer to Palestinians as 'human animals', declare they will 'get hell' and threaten to 'eliminate everything',” Ms de Sutter said.
“Unimaginable, horrific acts. They disturb me as they do many of you. Under the Genocide Convention it is our duty to act once there is a risk of genocide.
“All those international treaties are valuable only when we abide by them,” she said.
In November, Ms de Sutter called on the Belgian government to sanction Israel.
Belgium has since said that it would ban extremist Israeli settlers from its territory but has not disclosed who it has targeted. The EU has not implemented similar measures.
Ms de Sutter has also condemned Hamas and called for the release of Israeli hostages detained by the group in Gaza since October 7.
No EU country has so far supported South Africa's case at the ICJ.
Earlier this week, Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said his country would not back the case and warned of the need to be “very careful” about defining genocide.
Mr Varadkar has previously expressed some of the strongest criticism from EU leaders of Israel's military operation in Gaza and highlighted the West's “double standards” in the war.
The EU, which is historically deeply divided over the Israel-Palestine conflict, will probably not call for a ceasefire until the US does, Mr Varadkar said last month.
His comments on the South African case were echoed by UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron who said he did not think it was “helpful” or “right”.
“I don't think we should bandy around terms like genocide in this case, I don't think that's correct,” he told British legislators on Tuesday.
Countries that support the South African complaint include Malaysia, Turkey, Jordan and Bolivia, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Countries, which includes 57 member states.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
