The United Nations Security Council on Friday held a meeting regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
During the session, Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that Israel's justification for its military action against the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza was vague and lacked concrete evidence, contradicting publicly available information.
Turk explained that Israel frequently accuses Palestinian armed groups of using hospitals for military purposes, but these serious allegations often lack sufficient evidence and are not substantiated by reliable intelligence.
"In fact, I've just received a letter from the Israeli representative claiming that Israeli forces acted on credible intelligence that Hamas was using Kamal Adwan Hospital for military purposes. They asserted that additional measures were taken to ensure civilian safety. However, Israel has not provided enough information to validate these claims. These accusations are often vague and broad, and in some cases, they appear to be contradicted by publicly available information," said Turk.
The UN official reiterated the need for an independent, thorough, and transparent investigation into all attacks by Israel on hospitals, healthcare facilities, infrastructure, and medical personnel in Gaza, as well as allegations of the misuse of these facilities.
On Dec 27, 2024, Israeli forces launched a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, arresting several medical staff, including the hospital's director, Hussam Abu Safiya. As one of the last major operational medical facilities in northern Gaza, the hospital's raid further exacerbated the collapse of the region's healthcare system.
The World Health Organization has expressed serious concerns about the fate of the detained medical staff, particularly Hussam Abu Safiya, and has called for their immediate release.
UN official says Israeli military action against Gaza hospital lacks basis
UN official says Israeli military action against Gaza hospital lacks basis
The universal "reciprocal tariffs" imposed by the United States signals a decline in the U.S. economic dominance and dollar hegemony, as the country is attempting to extract excessive financial benefits from its trading partners, according to economists, who warn the Trump administration is playing a "dangerous game".
U.S. President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" before unveiling higher rates on certain trading partners. The policy sent shockwaves throughout the global economy and triggered panic on financial markets, with analysts warning of significant risks and dire economic consequences.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Hong Hao, chief economist of the GROW Investment Group, a Shanghai-based hedge fund, said the tariffs reflect Trump's strategy to extract economic benefits from trading partners, particularly viewing China as a significant competitor. "Trump really believes that the trade terms with the trading partners have been unfair to the U.S., and as a result, the U.S. manufacturing sector has been hollowed out. Therefore, the U.S. is paying an excessive price for globalization, and now, it's time to pay back. I think, from this angle, he is trying to extract economic rent from its trading partners, and also he is trying to see China as one of the major U.S. rivals at this juncture. So, I think, as a result, he is playing a very dangerous game. And, as you can see, it's political theater in the sense that he is trying to dramatize the extreme pressure, so that he can get excessive rent from the opponent," he said
Trump's unilateral imposition of tariffs has eroded global confidence in the U.S. and its dollar's status, leading many to state that the American hegemony may not persist, according to Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University.
"The U.S. economy is at an inflection point. There is a moment where the previous strategies being used to sustain American hegemony were no longer working. And, it's only a matter of time before the U.S. position erodes, given the fact that it's been a house of cards built on the dollar supremacy. And a lot of people don't see that as having a brighter future. This has moved past the theater stage and has moved really directly into one in which no one really has confidence in the U.S. anymore. No one has confidence in the dollar. No one has confidence in the U.S. being committed to the multilateral system, to global trade and so forth and so on," he said.
Trump playing "dangerous game" as tariff measures signal decline in U.S. dollar hegemony: economists
