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Switzerland has cancelled a scheduled international conference to discuss the protection of Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories due to a lack of participants, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
The conference, which was to convene on Friday, would have brought together representatives from the 196 signatories of the Geneva Conventions to discuss the plight of civilians in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. But a “lack of consensus” among the contracting parties during talks led to the decision to call off the event.
It was set to focus on the Fourth Geneva Conventions, an international treaty established in 1949 that outlines humanitarian protection for civilians in areas affected by armed conflict or those under occupation.
“Profound differences between the high contracting parties to the Geneva Conventions emerged during an extensive consultation process,” the ministry stated. “Switzerland, as the depository state, therefore concluded that a significant number of the high contracting parties did not support such a conference and has decided against holding one."
Several other countries felt unable to fully endorse a proposed declaration as a prerequisite for attending the conference.
The cancellation comes amid escalating tension in Gaza that has sparked concern over the stability of the fragile ceasefire.
After a resolution was passed by the UN General Assembly in September last year, Switzerland was given the responsibility of organising the conference.
The neutral country engaged in detailed consultations with the parties to outline the conference's framework and draft a final declaration. The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed invitations had been extended to all parties, including Israel and Palestine.
But the proposed conference was met with controversy. Israel has criticised the event, calling it “part of the legal warfare against Israel” and condemning what it perceives as “a one-sided narrative” driving the conference's agenda.
"The Swiss decision to convene the High Contracting Parties at this sensitive juncture demonstrates that this conference serves merely as another platform to attack Israel, a democratic country, and embolden terrorist organisations that have shown utter disregard for humanity and the law," said Israel Foreign Ministry in a statement on social media.
The conference has been convened by Switzerland three times, in 1999, 2001 and 2014. But it was the first time a delay of six months had been fixed by the UN National Assembly to Switzerland, said Franz Perrez, head of the directorate of international law at the Swiss Federal Office of Foreign Affairs.
"We sent out invitations for the conference but then realised that there was not the critical mass nor the necessary consensus for it to make sense to organise a conference," Mr Perrez told a press conference in Geneva on Friday.
He declined to say how many countries were willing to participate, nor to comment on the position of individual countries. But he hinted that fewer than half of the 193 invitees had registered. "If we are not even at half, then it's not a critical mass," he said.
"Nobody questioned the relevance, the importance nor the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention in occupied territories and East Jerusalem," Mr Perrez added. "But when we discussed certain concrete measures about how to enforce its respect, then differences were too important to find the necessary consensus."
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Director: Elie Semaan
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match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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Scotland v Ireland:
Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn
Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
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Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
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1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m.
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The National selections:
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2.15pm: Majestic Thunder – Daltrey
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3.15pm: Eqtiraan - Bochart
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4.15pm: Arroway – Arch Gold
4.35pm: Compliance - Muqaatil
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Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
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Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
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