Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Norway has said a Middle East peace deal it brokered in 1993 is no barrier to a Gaza war crimes trial, as pro-Israeli lawyers try to use it to derail the case.
The Oslo Accords are "not relevant" to whether the International Criminal Court can hear a case against Israeli and Hamas leaders, lawyers for Norway told the court.
Judges will hear a counter-argument that the accords give Israel "sole criminal jurisdiction" over its citizens in Palestine.
More than 60 states and lobbyists are presenting a legal view to the court as it considers arrest warrants sought by prosecutor Karim Khan.
Norway's 10-page submission telling the court it "should exercise its jurisdiction over Palestine" is the first by a country to be made public.
It comes as a senior US senator told The National that claims of war crimes should be left to Israel's judiciary, amid a backlash from Washington against the ICC.
"We have a democratic country, [we should] allow their system to move first," said Democrat Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate's foreign relations committee.
Mr Khan accuses Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant of using starvation as a means of war in Gaza.
He also sought arrest warrants against three Hamas commanders – two of whom have since died – over the October 7 attack on Israel.
While Israel is not an ICC member, Mr Khan's argument is that the case against Israeli leaders is about the situation in Palestine, which is a member.
Oslo argument
A key argument from the pro-Israel camp is that if Palestinians cannot prosecute Israelis under the Oslo Accords, the ICC cannot do so in their name.
Signed in 1993 after secret talks in Norway, the agreement was meant to be the first step in a peace process that ultimately lost its way.
A 1995 deal known as Oslo II paved the way for Palestinian self-government but Israel retained "sole criminal jurisdiction" over its citizens.
However, Norway says nothing in the ICC's founding text (the Rome Statute) suggests that "agreements such as the Oslo Accords are of any relevance".
"Since Palestine has acceded to the Rome Statute, the Court should exercise its jurisdiction over Palestine according to the Statute," it says.
Norway's argument, signed by legal director Monica Furnes, says even if the accords are relevant, they "cannot be interpreted" as ruling out the ICC.
The accords "were meant to be temporary" and Palestinian officials did not agree to permanently waive their rights, it says.
"Any restrictions on the exercise of aspects of its jurisdiction are no more than that: an undertaking, within the context of the Oslo Accords, not to exercise aspects of its jurisdiction vis-a-vis Israel.
"But none of those sovereign rights have thereby been abandoned by Palestine; they can therefore be conferred by Palestine on the Court."
Norway is one of several European countries, along with Ireland, Spain and Slovenia, which have recently recognised Palestinian statehood.
US debate
Submissions from the US and Germany, who are expected to take a pro-Israeli position, have yet to be made public.
Republican US senator Lindsey Graham is submitting his own pro-Israeli views, amid a split in Congress over how strongly to push back against the ICC.
“I want to read [Mr Graham’s] brief but I would think that I will be in agreement with what he's trying to do,” Mr Cardin said.
He said that "Israel's not a member of the ICC, so I agree with the content".
In May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Mr Graham at a committee hearing that he would “welcome working with” the senator on developing sanctions against the ICC. “I want to take actions, not just [use] words,” Mr Graham told Mr Blinken.
Jim Risch, the top-ranking Republican on the committee, says he is holding up diplomatic appointments over Mr Cardin's refusal to bring proposed sanctions on the ICC before the Senate.
Mr Cardin denied the ICC was the source of the dispute. He said the characterisation was "just not accurate" and appeared frustrated with the hold-up on vacant ambassador's posts. Celeste Kmiotek, a lawyer for the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council, told The National that US sanctions on the ICC "would send the message that powerful states can work to block geopolitically unfavourable investigations”.
“If the US efforts ultimately prevent arrest warrants, it will not only exacerbate the hurdles the ICC already faces in terms of resources and jurisdictional limitations that prevent it from holding certain states accountable, but will also lend additional credence to the claims of double standards,” she said.
Israel's offensive in Gaza is also being studied over genocide claims by the International Court of Justice, a separate body to the ICC.
Pro-Palestinian lawyers cite a recent ICJ ruling that declared Israel's occupation illegal as another sign the Oslo Accords can be trumped by the laws of war.
An argument advanced by other lawyers is that the accords are moot since Israel has effectively turned its back on them.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SCHEDULE
Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice
Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying
Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
Results
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The five pillars of Islam
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Spider-Man%202
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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LOVE%20AGAIN
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Race%20card
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And%20Just%20Like%20That...
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Naga
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Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Kandahar%20
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
The%20specs
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
ELECTION%20RESULTS
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