Editorial 14.11.24
European news is dominated by politics this morning with the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell suggesting suspending EU-Israel political talks as a recent report alleged Israel has violated human rights and international law in the Gaza Strip.
European leaders are preparing to boost support for Kyiv in preparation for Donald Trump as the incoming president has threatened to cut the US’ contributions.
Prosecutors in France are seeking jail time and an election ban for Marine Le Pen. If she is found guilty of misusing public funds she could be ruled out of the 2027 presidential election.
All eyes will be on the France-Israel football match amid fears of violence between clashing groups of pro-Palestine and pro-Israeli supporters attending the match. French authorities have ramped up security ahead of the game.
Germany – Europe’s largest economy – is facing political turmoil of its own following the collapse of its coalition government. The election campaigning has well and truly begun as leaders make their pitches for the snap election in February.
Spain is preparing for more floods as severe weather warnings are issued.
Thousands evacuated in Málaga as Spain faces severe flooding
Heavy rains and flooding have forced thousands of people to leave their homes in Málaga and the surrounding Costa del Sol region of southern Spain. The national weather agency, Aemet, has issued the highest-level weather alerts for Málaga and Catalonia, warning that extreme conditions could last until Friday.
Paris protests over Israeli far-right gala aimed at raising funds for Israel
Thousands of protesters marched through Paris on Wednesday night, denouncing a secretive gala organised by Israel’s far-right. The event aimed to raise funds for Israel and initially featured controversial Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as a guest, though he cancelled his visit at the last minute. Known for his hardline stances, Smotrich has previously advocated for West Bank annexation and made inflammatory comments about Arabs.
Borrell proposes to suspend EU-Israel political talks over Gaza war
Josep Borrell’s proposal, made in view of alleged human rights violations, is highly likely to be vetoed by member states.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, has proposed to formally suspend political dialogue with Israel over the country’s alleged violations of human rights and international law in the Gaza Strip.
The suspension of political dialogue depends on unanimity among member states, and so the plan is almost certain to fail given sharp divisions over the Israel-Hamas war.
French prosecutors demand jail time, ban on public office for Le Pen over embezzlement charges
French prosecutors demanded Wednesday that far-right leader Marine Le Pen receive a jail sentence and be banned from public office for five years over charges she embezzled European Parliament funds.
The prosecution made the request in a Paris court where Le Pen and other defendants from her National Rally party are on trial accused of creating fake jobs at the EU parliament. She denies the charges.
If granted by the court, the ban would exclude the 56-year-old from running in France’s 2027 presidential election.
Italy’s coastguard accused of ‘multiple manslaughter’ over migrant shipwreck deaths
The migrant rescue charity Sea-Watch has filed a criminal complaint to Italian prosecutors accusing the nation’s coastguard of negligence and “multiple manslaughter” over its response to a shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa that left 21 people dead.
The German NGO said it had asked the public prosecutor’s office in Agrigento, Sicily, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 21 migrants in a shipwreck involving a boat that had departed from Libya in early September.
The secret winners of the speech battle
It was a historic exchange of blows: For more than two hours, the Bundestag debated the government crisis and upcoming new elections. Politics professor Jasmin Riedl (Bundeswehr University Munich) describes Scholz’s performance as “determined”: “He feels comfortable in election campaign mode, where he can show his party politician,” she says. “He is making his political profile clear for the election campaign: social policy for those who have little money in the bank, no battles over distribution, no either/or.”