All articles tagged with #international law
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that human rights are being pushed back worldwide, citing widespread abuses of international law and civilian suffering in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine, while humanitarian needs surge and funding collapses; he urged an end to abuses and highlighted risks to a two-state solution amid Israeli actions in the West Bank.
Arab and Muslim governments condemned US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee for saying Israel could take a large stretch of land on biblical grounds; Huckabee said the remark was hyperbolic and not a current plan, but a UAE-led statement warned the comments violate international law, oppose annexation of the West Bank, and could undermine efforts to end the Gaza war, reaffirming that Israel has no sovereignty over Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The U.S. Southern Command says 11 men were killed in three strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean (four on the first vessel, four on the second, three on the third), with no U.S. personnel injured. The operation, carried out since September, has faced questions about legality and due process, as the Pentagon has provided no evidence that the boats carried drugs, while officials claim the crews were combatants in an armed conflict with drug cartels. The pace of strikes has slowed since Maduro's 2024 capture, and some families have sued the U.S. government. More than 130 people have reportedly been killed in these strikes overall.
Senior Russian official Nikolai Patrushev warned Moscow could deploy its navy to protect vessels linked to Russia from potential European seizures, saying any maritime blockade would be illegal under international law and that European-flag ships could come under scrutiny. The remarks come amid scrutiny of the Kremlin’s so-called shadow fleet—an estimated 1,500 ageing oil tankers used to export crude while evading sanctions—as Western powers press to interdict or sanction such vessels, with France briefly intercepting a tanker and the US increasing seizures as Ukraine-related talks continue.
Israel approved a process to register land in the occupied West Bank as ‘state property,’ limited to Area C, a move critics call the de facto start of annexation. Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the EU condemned the measure as illegal under international law, while Israel says it clarifies ownership and resolves disputes after prior unlawful registrations. Palestinians and rights groups warn the move threatens a future Palestinian state and accelerates settlement expansion.
Israel advanced a plan to register large swaths of the occupied West Bank’s Area C as state land, a move Palestinians call de facto annexation. The measure, covering about 60% of the territory and affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and settlers, would create an official mechanism to register land for state control. Israel frames it as an administrative step to bring order to land ownership, but critics say it breaches international law and deepens the occupation. Peace Now called it a massive land grab, drawing condemnation from the Palestinian presidency and international bodies such as the UN and EU, while noting US opposition to annexation amid broader moves to expand Israeli governance in the area.
The Trump administration is pressuring other countries to urge Vanuatu to withdraw a U.N. General Assembly draft that would translate an ICJ climate ruling into action, including reparations for damages. It argues the proposal could harm U.S. industry and calls the UN overreaching, while some major powers reportedly share concerns; the draft would push for a 1.5°C target, phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies, and establishing an International Register of Damage, though General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding.
A New York Times analysis traces how oil has shaped U.S. foreign policy for decades—from Iraq and Kuwait to Iran’s 1953 coup—showing Washington has sought access to oil rather than openly seizing it. It notes that under Trump the push to force Venezuela to cede its oil risks reviving the “oil grab” narrative, risking anti-American backlash and violence, even as the U.S. is now a net energy exporter and China dominates Iraq’s oil. The piece emphasizes that perceptions of exploitation can undermine legitimacy and offers a cautionary lesson for U.S. policy moving forward.
The U.S. Southern Command says two ‘narco-terrorists’ were killed in an attack on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, part of a campaign critics call illegal under international law. The death toll from these strikes has risen to at least 128 across 34+ attacks since September 2025. International legal scholars and rights groups condemn the actions as extrajudicial killings, arguing there is no recognized armed conflict to justify them, while the Trump administration defends them as counter-narcotics measures. Families of victims have raised questions about involvement and accountability.
A Rutgers political scientist argues that Russia’s war in Ukraine aims to destroy Ukrainians as a people, citing the February maternity hospital strike in Zaporizhzhia, winter-time attacks on civilian infrastructure, and alleged mass abductions of Ukrainian children as evidence that the conflict meets the Genocide Convention’s criteria; the piece frames Putin and his inner circle as genocidal and urges policy recognition that talks with such leaders may be futile.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin held a video call to outline deeper strategic and economic cooperation, praising energy and high-tech ties and planning more high-level exchanges, while aligning on their approach to the United States; Putin accepted an invitation to visit China this year and both signaled a broader China-Russia partnership during a period of global turbulence.
The Russian Maritime Board, chaired by Nikolai Patrushev, says it has drawn up measures to defend Russian shipping from unfriendly states, including potential naval protection for ships serving Russian interests. The move comes amid a growing “shadow fleet” of sanctioned tankers and allegations of maritime-law violations affecting strategic routes and Russia’s Arctic and global shipping security.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned at a Security Council debate that the global rule of law is being eroded by what he called the “law of the jungle,” urging states to honor the UN Charter, pursue peaceful dispute resolution, invest in development to address root causes, and strengthen independent courts to ensure accountability and sustainable peace.
Holocaust survivor Theodor Meron, a veteran international lawyer who helped found the ICC, accepted an ICC panel's arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Benjamin Netanyahu, a move that sparked controversy in Israel while underscoring his lifelong commitment to international justice as he remains active at 95.
Keir Starmer postponed the Chagos Islands bill after Donald Trump criticised Britain’s plan to hand the archipelago to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia, warning it could breach the 1966 UK–US treaty. With talks to update the treaty ongoing, ministers indicated the legislation cannot progress in Parliament until the legal and security implications are resolved.