A former prosecutor at the international criminal court has called for an EU-wide statute blocking what she describes as “thuggish” and “bullying” US sanctions imposed on members of the court that are designed to send the court into oblivion.

In February 2025, the US imposed sanctions on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor as well three Palestinian organisations, in response to the ICC decision in 2024 to issue arrest warrants for members of the Israeli cabinet, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US sanctions – which include travel bans and asset freezes – have locked judges out of the European financial system, making it impossible for them or their families to live normal lives.

Fatou Bensouda, ICC prosecutor from 2012 to 2021, told a meeting in The Hague of the Rights Forum, a prominent Dutch non-governmental organisation: “These are coercive attempts to interfere with the independent exercise of judicial and prosecutorial functions established under international law. If the international community does not respond with seriousness, institutional resolve and practical solidarity, the consequences will extend far beyond The Hague.”

Basque police, the Ertzaintza, descended on Loiu Airport with batons drawn. They attacked the activists and the friends and family who had gathered to welcome them home. Four people were arrested, charged with “desobediencia grave, resistencia y atentado a agente de la autoridad” — the standard playbook for criminalizing solidarity.

The images are shocking: police beating people who had just survived Israeli captivity. People being dragged and handcuffed as they step off a plane, bringing back evidence of Israeli war crimes.

The truth is, the Ertzaintza has a long-standing, multifaceted relationship with Israel that goes far beyond the Spanish government’s official positions on Palestine.

Let’s be clear about what we’re talking about:

Technology & Equipment: The Ertzaintza has purchased Israeli technology and equipment for years. Its phone-tapping system comes from Verint Systems, an Israeli company with deep ties to Israeli military intelligence. An Israeli firm, ICTS, has managed security at some of their facilities. They’ve used Israeli body armor, surveillance cameras, and listening devices.

Training & Services: The Ertzaintza has participated in training from Israeli sources, including courses from Guardian Defense & Homeland Security — a company run by a former Mossad agent that has provided “live fire” training to Spanish police.

Financial Ties: These aren’t minor transactions. Basque institutions have reportedly spent over €1.66 million on contracts with Israeli-linked security companies. In 2021 the Ertzaintza signed a contract for €3,569.50 just for “supply of stun and distraction grenade carriers” from these same Israeli sources.

German untranslated article: https://www.der-postillon.com/2026/05/ben-gvir-misshandlung.html

At least 82 people have been killed and two are missing after a coal mine blast in northern China, officials have said.

Rescue officials revised down the death toll in an update late on Saturday, having earlier said at least 90 people had died.

The gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Shanxi province is the worst mining disaster in China since 2009.

The German organisation Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East (JV) may, for the time being, continue to be classified as “extremist” by Germany’s domestic intelligence service. This was decided by a court in Cologne last Wednesday.

The organisation describes itself as anti-Zionist and is among the most prominent Jewish voices in Germany advocating for Palestinian rights. It characterises what has been taking place in Palestine for more than 100 years as settler colonialism, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.

Its members appear publicly at demonstrations and as speakers, and support initiatives such as the global BDS movement and the German “Kufiyas in Buchenwald” campaign.