First ICJ Hearings on the Genocide in Gaza
The first hearings of the International Court of Justice in The Hague began this morning in the case filed by South Africa against the Israeli occupation authority on charges of committing crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said before the court: “We filed the case to prevent the crimes of genocide Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip, especially since its response to the 7 October attack has exceeded all limits”. He pointed out that the occupation’s practices led to the displacement of about 85% of the Strip’s population from their homes and prevented the entry of humanitarian and medical aid, water, food and fuel, which constituted an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
A two-day hearing is scheduled at the International Court of Justice to examine the case filed by South Africa, which accuses Israel of committing the crime of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which may prompt the court to issue an order for an emergency suspension of the Israeli military campaign in the area.
South Africa submitted an 84-page file to the international court, in which it accused Israel of committing “genocide” by killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, forced evacuation and starvation on a wide scale, with the aim of bringing about their “physical destruction”.
South Africa indicated in the case that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute “genocide”, as they aim to destroy a substantial part of the Palestinian national and racial identity. The file stressed that these acts include killing Palestinians, causing bodily and mental harm and imposing living conditions intended to bring about physical destruction.
The International Court of Justice was founded in 1945 and is the highest court of the United Nations; it considers cases brought by states accusing others of violating their obligations under the UN treaty. South Africa and Israel are among the signatories of the 1948 Genocide Convention, and this convention grants the international court jurisdiction over the signatory states.
Although Israel does not recognise the International Criminal Court, it is bound by the Genocide Convention, which enables the international court to exercise its jurisdiction over it.
Experts point out that the final ruling in this case may take years, as four new judges are expected to be appointed in February. It is worth noting that ad hoc judges can be appointed by the parties to the dispute, in this case Israel and South Africa, raising the number of judges in this case to 17.
In the same context, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, endorsed on Wednesday the case filed by South Africa, stressing: “I look forward to a just ruling that stops this war of aggression and puts an end to the bleeding of Palestinian blood”. He also directed officials at the League’s General Secretariat to follow the legal track of the case, and to stand ready to provide the support required in a way that serves the cause and strengthens the Palestinian position.
Sisi and Blinken Meet: An Emphasis on Seeking Peace and Stability in the Region
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Cairo today, Thursday, to affirm their commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.
Sisi and Blinken agreed on their rejection of the displacement of Palestinians and on their right to remain on their land, and on adhering to the principle of the two-state solution as a path to achieving peace and stability in the region. Sisi stressed the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibility in providing humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip.
The two sides also agreed to continue consultations and strengthen de-escalation efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating in the region.
For his part, Blinken said, as quoted by “AFP”, that “Israel’s security and its integration in the region are linked to opening a path towards establishing a Palestinian state”, adding: “A Palestinian state in order to isolate and marginalise Iran. The vision is clear, but we have to move forward with it”.
The Government Discusses Exporting Good, Trained Egyptian Labour Abroad
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a government meeting attended by the ministers of foreign affairs, higher education, education, and immigration and Egyptian expatriates’ affairs, and the minister of labour, to discuss the file of exporting trained Egyptian labour abroad, as demand for it increases, according to the prime minister, especially in European countries.
The government decided in its meeting to qualify the required cadres technically and to work on organising more specialised educational and training programmes that would help hone the skills of those cadres, while issuing the licences necessary for their work abroad, noting that it places this file at the top of its priorities.
Cairo Buys New Weapons Worth $329 Million
The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) said it approved Cairo’s purchase of a light tactical vehicle chassis and its equipment, at an estimated cost of about $200 million, in addition to patrol equipment costing $129 million.
The deal comes despite rising criticism inside the United States over the continuation of military aid to Egypt. Last September, a prominent US senator and a prominent US representative threatened to withhold military aid from Egypt, based on accusations implicating the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, in pressure from Cairo, which led to him stepping down from his post during the trial proceedings. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin, also threatened to stop aid if Cairo did not begin improving its measures in the human rights file.
Hamas Denies a Qatari Initiative for Its Leaders to Leave Gaza
Hamas denied yesterday, Wednesday, the existence of an initiative submitted by the State of Qatar regarding its leaders leaving Gaza.
This came in statements by Osama Hamdan, a prominent Hamas leader, after Israel’s Channel 13 announced the initiative and indicated that leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement “Hamas” had received a new Qatari initiative, one of whose clauses is the departure of its leaders from the besieged Strip, in addition to handing over the Israeli hostages.
WHO Cancels Medical Missions Inside Gaza for the Sixth Time
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the World Health Organization cancelled another medical aid mission planned for the Gaza Strip yesterday, Wednesday, due to security concerns.
According to the organisation’s director, the operation is the sixth of its kind to be cancelled within two weeks, due to visit requests not being approved, in addition to security assurances not being provided.
A Mossad Spy Cell Including Egyptians
Media reports revealed new details about the people arrested by the Turkish security authorities on suspicion of involvement in espionage activities for the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad).
The Turkish Anadolu news agency had reported the arrest of 33 people believed to have been seeking to monitor, surveil, attack and kidnap foreign nationals living in Turkey as part of “international espionage” operations, stating that the accused include three Egyptians, Palestinians, Tunisians, three Turks and a number of Syrians.
According to the Turkish media, one Egyptian among the three detainees was in charge of a real estate office and provided detailed information on the areas where Arabs and Palestinians are present, as well as reports on the residential compounds in which they live. Some suspects in the case were released after it was established that they had been in contact with members of the cell without knowing their tasks, while 7 of those detained were deported to northern Syria, including a father and his daughter, on charges of receiving money from people in the “ISIS” organisation.
One of Sinai’s Most Prominent Figures Appears Before the Military Prosecution After His Enforced Disappearance
Saber Hammad al-Sayah, one of the most prominent figures of Sinai and the Rumailat tribe, appeared yesterday, Wednesday, before the military prosecution in Ismailia, in connection with case No. 80 of 2023 military felonies, on charges of assembly, show of force and sabotaging military vehicles, according to the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights. This came after his arrest on 27 December, over his call for the forcibly displaced people of Sinai to return to the areas of residence they were forced to leave years ago. His eldest son “Youssef” was also arrested, raising the number of people from Sinai detained in military case No. 80 of 2023 over the “Right of Return” demonstrations to 52.
Thousands of Sinai residents had demonstrated last October to demand a return to Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, after years of forced displacement that began when the regime declared the war on terrorism in Sinai.
Health Minister: Refugees and Migrants Make Up 8.7% of Egypt’s Population
According to statements by Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar during the government meeting last Monday, about 9 million migrants and refugees from about 133 countries live in Egypt, 50.4% male and 49.6% female, with an average age of 35 years, representing 8.7% of Egypt’s population.
56% of them reside in 5 governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Dakahlia and Damietta, and 60% of migrants have been living in Egypt for about 10 years, while 6% have been living integrated into Egyptian society for about 15 years or more, in addition to 37% of them working in permanent jobs and stable companies.
JPMorgan Announces the Removal of Egypt From Its Emerging Markets Government Bond Index
JPMorgan announced the removal of Egypt from its series of government bond indices for emerging markets, effective from the end of this month.
According to the bank, Egypt has been on index watch since 21 September 2023 over fundamental problems related to the convertibility of foreign currency reported by reference investors. Until 29 December it kept a weight of 0.61% in the global diversified index, and had 13 Egyptian pound bonds in its indices, with maturities ranging between 2024 and 2030.
It is worth noting that a country’s inclusion in the JPMorgan index means it meets the US bank’s standards, and boosts investor demand for its securities.
400 Tonnes of Wheat Seed Exported After Production Multiplied
Egypt has moved to export wheat seed after its production, intended to support the current agricultural season’s plantings, increased by 233%, after larger quantities were made available to farmers with the aim of expanding wheat cultivation through certified varieties. “Al Arabiya” quoted Hatem Ibrahim, head of the Central Administration for Seed Production at the Ministry of Agriculture, as saying that wheat seed production this season reached about 250,000 tonnes, compared with about 75,000 tonnes last season.
He explained that the seed quantities were divided between 140,000 tonnes produced by the Ministry of Agriculture and 110,000 tonnes produced by private sector companies, and that no seeds of strategic crops are imported. He added that Egypt exported for the first time about 400 tonnes of wheat seed to 3 markets, namely Senegal, the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE, and aims to increase annual quantities gradually.
World Bank Cuts Its Forecast for Egypt’s Economic Growth to 3.5%
The World Bank cut its forecast for Egypt’s economic growth in 2023-2024 to 3.5%, compared with its previous estimate of 4%, a decline of 0.5%, in addition to reducing expected economic growth for next year by 0.8% to 3.9%, compared with previous estimates of about 4.7%, according to the Global Economic Prospects report issued on Tuesday.
The report explained that the conflict in the Middle East will likely aggravate Egypt’s inflation problem, restrict private sector activity and increase pressure on external transactions, due to the decline in tourism revenues and remittances from Egyptians working abroad.
According to the World Bank report on global economic growth prospects, Egypt’s economic growth rate will record 4% in 2024, rising to 4.7% in 2025.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the International Monetary Fund said Kristalina Georgieva, the Fund’s managing director, met on Tuesday with Egyptian officials during their visit to Washington, amid talks on expanding a loan programme for Egypt worth three billion dollars, which is expected to be increased to about $6 billion. The US Treasury said last Monday that Secretary Janet Yellen would also meet senior Egyptian financial officials during their visit to Washington, according to “Reuters”.
New Internet Package Prices
The four telecom companies, “Telecom Egypt, Etisalat Misr, Orange and Vodafone”, announced on Wednesday the prices of the new 2024 home internet packages, to be applied starting today, Thursday, after the National Telecom Regulatory Authority approved the new prices.
According to the announced data, “Orange” prices are as follows:
- Home internet package with a capacity of 140 GB, at EGP 160.
- Home internet package of 200 GB, at EGP 225.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 300 GB, at EGP 325.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 500 GB, at EGP 525.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 750 GB, at EGP 800.
The prices of (We) packages after the increase were as follows:
- Home internet package with a capacity of 140 GB, at EGP 160.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 220 GB, at EGP 220.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 250 GB, at EGP 280.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 400 GB, at EGP 440.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 600 GB, at EGP 650.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 1 TB, at EGP 1,050.
As for “Etisalat Misr” packages, they came according to the announced increase as follows:
- Home internet package with a capacity of 120 GB, at EGP 160.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 200 GB, at EGP 225.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 300 GB, at EGP 330.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 600 GB, at EGP 650.
Finally, “Vodafone” announced its prices as follows:
- Home internet package with a capacity of 140 GB, at EGP 120.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 200 GB, at EGP 170.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 300 GB, at EGP 250.
- Home internet package with a capacity of 600 GB, at EGP 500.
