Category: MIL-OSI

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Colombia: IAEA Commits to Strengthen Food and Agriculture, Cancer Care, the Environment and Energy

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director with the Chancellor of Colombia, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, Martha Carvajalino, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Edwin Palma Egea, the Minister of Mines and Energy.

The IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has signed a series of key agreements to support Colombia in expanding peaceful uses of nuclear technology during an important visit to Cartagena and Bogotá this week.

The IAEA will work with Colombia to strengthen food and agriculture systems, under its flagship Atoms4Food initiative. It will also partner with Colombia to tackle marine plastic pollution under the IAEA NUTEC Plastics initiative and strengthen cancer care in the country through the Rays of Hope initiative. Colombia will receive support from the IAEA to explore nuclear power as part of its future energy mix

Rafael Mariano Grossi met the Chancellor of Colombia, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio,  Martha Carvajalino, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Edwin Palma Egea, the Minister of Mines and Energy. 

IAEA Initiatives to Drive Development and Strengthen Agriculture and Energy

During the visit, Mr Grossi and Chancellor Villavicencio signed a new roadmap to promote nuclear technology in nuclear security, food and agriculture, human health, water, energy and industry in Colombia.

Nuclear science is a powerful tool to boost food security and strengthen food export potential. Mr Grossi signed a key agreement with Ms Carvajalino, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, to support sustainable agriculture and address transboundary potato disease.

The IAEA will support Colombia as it explores nuclear power as part of its energy mix, Mr Grossi agreed with Mr Egea, Minister of Mines and Energy. 

New Anchor Centre Designated to Strengthen Cancer Care

Cancer is a significant public health challenge in Colombia, placing a high economic burden on the health system. Estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) Global Cancer Observatory indicate that the number of cancer cases and deaths in Colombia will increase by about 40 per cent by 2030 and almost 50 per cent by 2040. The IAEA flagship initiative Rays of Hope is supporting Colombia with equipment, training and expertise and helping expand access to high quality cancer care in Colombia and across the region. 

During his visit, Mr Grossi met with the Director of Colombia’s National Cancer Institute Carolina Wiesner and officially designated the Institute as a Rays of Hope Anchor Centre. 

New Collaborating Centre to Tackle Marine Plastic Pollution

The IAEA’s flagship NUTEC Plastics initiative brings together countries and partners worldwide to address plastic pollution, leveraging nuclear technologies to improve the monitoring of microplastics in marine environments. During his visit, Mr Grossi designated Colombia’s Institute for Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR)  as an IAEA Collaborating Centre, in a ceremony attended by Edith Bastidas of Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the Institute’s Director Francisco Arias Isaza.  

Strengthening Preparedness and Coordination

As he concluded his first trip to Colombia, Mr Grossi exchanged with Carlos Carrillo Arenas,  the Director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management. They signed an agreement supporting the National Disaster Risk Management System and strengthening preparedness and coordination, including in the nuclear and radiological area.

Mr Grossi also met representatives from Red Nuclear Colombiana, an organization dedicated to research and outreach on nuclear technologies, Women in Nuclear Colombia, other representatives from civil society and lawmakers. 

“I thanked them for the message and support for the mission of the IAEA, to promote the safe and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in Colombia, including assistance in the drafting of the country’s nuclear law,” he said. 

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Deep sea mining Developing countries on the front line of deep sea mining stand to gain almost nothing if mining goes ahead – new independent analysis Mechanisms proposed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for sharing any future revenues from deep sea mining fundamentally fail to demonstrate equitable distribution, calling into question one of the fundamental… by Alexandra Sedgwick February 25, 2026

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

Mechanisms proposed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for sharing any future revenues from deep sea mining fundamentally fail to demonstrate equitable distribution, calling into question one of the fundamental premises on which attempts to justify mining are based, new analysis shows.[1]

The research by legal professor Dr Harvey Mpoto Bombaka and development economist Dr Ben Tippet, reveals that proposals currently under consideration would leave developing nations with meagre, token payments from deep sea mining. This configuration is in contrast to the clear United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) mandate that mining must only be carried out for the benefit of humankind as a whole.[2] The real beneficiaries, the research shows, would be yet again a handful of corporations in the Global North.

Dr Harvey Mpoto Bombaka, Report Author, Centro Universitário de Brasília said: “What’s described as global benefit-sharing based on equity and intergenerational justice increasingly looks like a framework for managing scarcity that would deliver almost no real benefits to anyone other than the deep sea mining industry. The structural limitations of the proposed mechanism would offer little more than symbolic returns to the rest of the world, particularly developing countries lacking technological and financial capacity.”

The analysis, commissioned by Greenpeace International, shows that under a scenario where six deep sea mining sites begin operating in the early 2030s, the revenues that states would actually receive are extraordinarily small. 

Using proposals submitted by the ISA’s Finance Committee between 2022 and 2025, the returns to states barely register in national accounts. After administrative costs, institutional expenses, and compensation funds are deducted, little, if anything, remains to distribute. 

By contrast, the private sector would capture the overwhelming share of economic value. While net profits for private companies are not assured, given the high capital and operating costs of deep sea mining, the report illustrates a structural asymmetry. Private actors internalise the upstream value, while public benefits remain narrow, uncertain and deferred.

Ruth Ramos, Deep Sea Mining Campaigner, Greenpeace International said: “What Global South governments are being promised amounts to little more than scraps — nowhere near enough to justify tearing open the deep sea. Meanwhile, the environmental costs are pushed onto all of us. Deep sea mining companies are pushing an untested industry that would pocket the gains while offering frontline nations only symbolic crumbs in return. African countries, for example, stand to receive less than 0.5% of royalties. Revenue projections for many countries are equivalent to around 0.001% of their respective GDP. A whole country receiving the same payment as an individual CEO in a wealthy country is equivalent to a rounding error, and an insulting echo of extractivist colonialism.”

Pacific Island States, representing the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the region where deep sea mining exploration is most advanced, stand on the frontlines of this emerging industry. However, the report shows the average Pacific Island State is expected to receive US$46,000 per year in the medium term. As the area where deep sea mining is poised to begin, they are also among the nations that would bear its impacts most severely.

Shiva Gounden, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Head of Pacific said: “The people of the Pacific would sacrifice the most and receive the least if deep sea mining goes ahead. We are being asked to trade our spiritual and cultural connection to our oceans for almost nothing in return, risking our livelihoods and food sources. The sacrifice for the Pacific is too big to give the green light to deep sea mining. Our Pacific Ocean is not for sale. Protecting this with everything we have is not only fair and responsible but our ancestral duty. The only equitable path is to leave the minerals where they are and stop deep sea mining before it ever begins.”

The international seabed is the common heritage of humankind and governments must act quickly to enact a moratorium.

ENDS

Photos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library 

Report authors: Dr Harvey Mpoto Bombaka of the Centro Universitário de Brasília and
Dr Ben Tippet of King’s College London – author profiles available in the report. 

Notes

[1] Equity, Benefit-Sharing and Financial Architecture in the International Seabed Area

[2] A key condition for governments to permit deep sea mining to start in the international seabed is that it ‘be carried out for the benefit of mankind as a whole’, particularly developing nations, according to international law (Article 136-140, 148, 150, and 160(2)(g), the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea)

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Nigeria: Tiger Base police unit involved in rampant violations including extrajudicial executions, torture and extortion

Source: Amnesty International –

  • Detainees routinely taken out of cell and shot dead
  • Suspects tortured to make confessions
  • Families of suspects that died suddenly harassed for seeking justice
  • Point of Sale (POS) used to extract lucrative bribes

A Nigerian police unit set up to tackle kidnapping and armed robbery in Imo state has instead been unlawfully killing suspects, torturing and ill-treating detainees to coerce them into confessing to bogus crimes, and arresting people for the sole purpose of extracting lucrative bribes for their release, Amnesty International said today.

Based in Owerri, the capital of Imo state, the police unit known as “Tiger Base” is increasingly being used to arrest and detain people to settle scores, including land disputes and family conflicts. Amnesty International’s investigation Tiger Base of Atrocities: Human Rights Violations by Nigeria Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Owerri published today found that detainees are kept in filthy, windowless cells and subjected to regular beatings. Many are locked up for weeks or months, without charge. Others have been shot or forcibly disappeared.

“Tiger Base has become synonymous with police operating outside of the law and abusing their power to enrich themselves through extortion. The atrocities committed by the Tiger Base police unit is yet another sign of the Nigerian authorities’ failure to end widespread torture, extrajudicial execution, extortion and other crimes at the hands of law enforcement. Many are traumatized forever. Despite the horrific violations they have suffered, there has been no accountability to date,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Torture, ill-treatment and prolonged unlawful detention

Many detainees locked up at Tiger Base’s detention centre are not asked for their statements regarding the allegations they face, and neither are they brought before a court. This enables the police to unlawfully detain people for indefinite periods of time without arraignment, thereby depriving them of essential procedural safeguards.

One survivor of prolonged unlawful detention told Amnesty International:

“They arrested me insisting I bought stolen items. I told them I didn’t know anything about it. They locked me up and seized my phone. After about three weeks, a police officer came to take my statement. Still, they kept me locked up…. They later told us that the complainant claimed her loss was worth ₦14 million (US$9,500) but that she agreed to collect ₦4.5 million (US$3,100) instead. They said if I wanted to be released, my family would pay.”

Former detainees said they were forced to write incriminating statements under torture, which included severe beatings with iron rods and cables. Knives, machetes, batons, water and whips were also used to torture suspects. Some detainees were tied up with ropes so that their bodies were hanging. Then they were cut and their wounds left to bleed.

Many people disappeared after being moved to Cell 1; nobody ever saw them again.

Former detainee

The resulting coerced “confessions” were used by police to demand a bribe that would have to be paid before a detainee could be released on bail. Former detainees said Tiger Base officers illegally arrest and detain dozens of people every day with the sole aim of extorting money from their relatives in exchange for suspects being released.

There is a thriving illegal point of sale (POS) business within the premises of the Tiger Base detention centre. In Nigeria, handheld POS machines act like an ATM allowing people to withdraw cash instantly from their bank accounts.

Our investigation shows that, at Tiger Base, officials from time to time take out inmates from the cells and shoot them. A survivor told our organization: “The other guy took him out, we heard gunshots, we thought they had killed him but after some hours in the night he came into the cell. We looked at his leg, and they shot him. He is carrying bullet wounds inside the cell with us; nobody cares.”

Inhuman and degrading conditions in detention

Each of Tiger Base’s four main detention cells measures about 12 feet by 12 feet with more than 70 people squeezed inside. As a result, detainees are forced to take turns either to sit or squat. 

Testimonies collected by Amnesty International indicated that few people sent to Cell 1 came out alive. According to a former detainee: “If you survive Cell 1, it is only by God’s grace. Many people disappeared after being moved there; nobody ever saw them again.”

Former detainees said they were forced to write incriminating statements under torture, which included severe beatings with iron rods and cables.

There are no windows in the cells and only one toilet per cell, which overflows with waste as people are forced to urinate, defecate and sleep in the same small place. The stench is unbearable. Former detainees reported seeing their cellmates passing out from overcrowding, intense heat and exhaustion.

“People [in the cells] will be crying: ‘someone is dying here!’ They [officials] will still lock the cell gate…Then, even if they bring you out, they will still beat you up to see whether you are pretending or not. Then, they will take you out and keep you in the corridor for air. If you regain consciousness, they will throw you back into the cell…” one former detainee told Amnesty International.

Deaths in detention

Several people were reported to have died in the Tiger Base detention centre. In 2022, three youth leaders handed over a suspect to the Tiger Base unit. About three months later, the young man, Okechukwu Ogbedagu, died in detention. 

Amnesty International has reviewed an autopsy report which showed that Okechukwu Ogbedagu died of asphyxiation. To cover up their atrocity, Tiger Base officers charged the three youth leaders who handed Okechukwu Ogbedagu to them with murder. They were released after about six months.

In another case documented by Amnesty International, on or around 5 May 2025, Japhet Njoku, a security guard who was accused of stealing, died in Tiger Base detention. Police officials told his family members following days of repeated demands, that he was beaten to death in his cell. Since then, Tiger Base officials have frustrated every attempt to conduct a coroner court-ordered autopsy to ascertain the cause of Japhet Njoku’s death—they have failed to turn up for the autopsy on four different occasions, despite the availability of the court-appointed pathologists.

Police impunity

“The atrocities committed by the Tiger Base police unit is yet another sign of the Nigerian authorities’ failure to end widespread torture, extrajudicial execution, extortion and other crimes at the hands of law enforcement. It appears the police have not learnt any lessons from the #EndSARS protests. Instead of being held accountable, corrupt police officers have been emboldened to commit human rights violations by the impunity they enjoy,” said Isa Sanusi.

The atrocities committed by the Tiger Base police unit is yet another sign of the Nigerian authorities’ failure to end widespread torture, at the hands of law enforcement. 

Isa Sanusi, Country Director, Amnesty International Nigeria

The Nigerian authorities must promptly establish an independent, impartial and effective investigation of the atrocities committed by Tiger Base unit police officers in Owerri, Imo state. The investigation must also examine the conduct of the Commander and other officers at the Tiger Base detention centre, their involvement in human rights violations, corrupt practices and other misconducts.

Police officers at Tiger Base are not above the law and must comply with the provisions of section 62 of the Police Act, which requires anyone arrested for a non-capital offence to be released within 24 hours with or without surety.

“Under Nigeria’s constitution and international and regional human rights treaties authorities have an obligation to ensure that human rights violations uncovered at Tiger Base are investigated and suspected perpetrators brought to justice, while victims receive adequate reparation,” Isa Sanusi.

BACKGROUND

The Anti-Kidnapping Squad, popularly known as Tiger Base, operates under the Imo state Police Command located in Owerri south-east Nigeria. Originally established to investigate and combat kidnapping-related crimes, the unit has significantly deviated from its core mandate. In recent years, Tiger Base has become notorious for systemic abuse, including, unlawful arrests, prolonged arbitrary detention, torture, extortion, enforced disappearances – including the removal of children from their mothers without records – and corruption.

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Chatham House appoints Owen Jenkins as Research Director for Africa, Middle East and North Africa, and Asia Pacific

Source: Chatham House –

Chatham House appoints Owen Jenkins as Research Director for Africa, Middle East and North Africa, and Asia Pacific
News release
jon.wallace

Owen will join Chatham House on 9 March.

Owen Jenkins will join Chatham House as Research Director for Africa, Middle East and North Africa, and Asia Pacific on 9 March.

Owen is a senior British diplomat and highly experienced leader in international affairs. He most recently served in the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) as Director General for the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and was previously the UK’s ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste. 

Earlier in his career, he worked as Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan to two prime ministers, and held diplomatic roles in Turkey, Argentina, Brussels and India. 

Bronwen Maddox said:

‘Owen’s depth of regional and global experience makes him exceptionally well suited to join our Executive Leadership Team, providing leadership across Chatham House’s Africa, Middle East and North Africa, and Asia Pacific Programmes. 

‘This role is central to guiding our work on the evolving world order and shifting global alliances – questions shaped by the increasing influence of China, the assertiveness of regional powers, and the ambitions of countries across the Global South. 

‘Owen’s experience working at the highest levels of diplomacy will be invaluable in sharpening our analysis, strengthening our external influence and developing our ideas.’

Owen said:

‘I’m thrilled to be taking up this great job at one of the world’s leading international policy institutes. I have drawn on Chatham House’s expertise in every job I’ve done, from gaining insight into the Balkan wars in the 1990s to understanding Indonesia as British ambassador there. 

‘I look forward to working with the impressive teams in the Africa, Middle East and North Africa and Asia Pacific programmes and to using my own knowledge to increase still further the impact of Chatham House’s work.’

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IAEA Convenes ZODIAC Week in Vienna to Strengthen Global Defences Against Future Pandemics

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Sophie Ramirez, IAEA Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications

Participants at the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Bingerville (LCVB), Côte d’Ivoire are trained in Minion Next Generation Sequencing by an expert from the Joint FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Laboratory. 

Global experts have gathered in Vienna for a  week-long event to strengthen countries’ preparedness for future zoonotic disease outbreaks. 

What is ZODIAC Week?

The Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) is the IAEA’s flagship initiative to address zoonotic diseases to safeguard human and animal health. 

“ZODIAC was launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with a clear purpose: to help ensure the world would be better prepared for the next zoonotic outbreak,” said Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. “What makes this initiative unique is the network gathered here today: a combination of scientific excellence, operational capacity, and field-level implementation. This week is about connecting these dots to create a shield of global readiness.”

Participants of the ZODIAC Ad-Hoc Scientific Panel (ZOSP) gathered in Vienna to kick off ZODIAC week from 23-28 February 2026. (Photo: IAEA)

How Does ZODIAC Prevent Pandemics?

The ZODIAC initiative has many interconnected pillars, reflected by this week’s programme. Plenary lectures by international scientists will reflect topics related to the initiative’s work, from preventing zoonotic spillover to building technological platforms for rapid pathogen discovery. Participants will also receive updates on the  progress  across the initiative’s five pillars, from enhancing diagnostic capacities and advancing research and development to leveraging big data and artificial intelligence for real-time decision-making.

Since its launch in June 2020, ZODIAC has helped strengthen member countries’ abilities to rapidly detect and respond to zoonotic threats. To date, the initiative has supported 52 laboratories across all regions with essential equipment and  established nine Whole Genome Sequencing hubs in low- and middle-income countries. A hub in Senegal has already sequenced the full genome of the Rift Valley Fever virus circulating in the region, providing critical information to control  outbreaks that affect both people and livestock.

What are the Aims of ZODIAC Week?

ZODIAC Week is structured to foster dialogue and collaboration between its key bodies. The first in-person session of the ZODIAC Ad-Hoc Scientific Panel , composed of independent scientists from all regions, will provide  scientific guidance and recommendations for the initiative’s future direction, including exploring new strategies like irradiated vaccines and antimicrobial resistance control.

Simultaneously, the first Research Coordination Meeting (RCM) of the new coordinated research projects (CRP) for Africa, funded by Japan, will begin its work. The project aims to strengthen surveillance systems across the continent by accelerating sample collection, improving diagnostic accuracy, and understanding pathogen genetics. These efforts are running in parallel with the ZODIAC National Laboratories (ZNLs) Implementation Meeting, which brings together lab representatives to foster collaboration and coordinate surveillance and response strategies.

 Training on field sampling and nanopore sequencing of zoonotic pathogens in 2025, in Cambodia. (Photo: Institute of Pasteur, Cambodia).

How will Research Translate into Practical Tools for Countries Around the World?

A highlight of the week will be a joint visit to the Joint FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Laboratory in Seibersdorf. This visit will link high-level discussions with laboratory practice, allowing participants to see  research and  nuclear related technologies that are then transferred to countries through fellowships, scientific visits and training .

“We extend sincere appreciation to our donor Member States, whose commitment makes this progress possible,” said Deputy Director General Mokhtar. “ZODIAC’s strength lies in its global network and shared purpose. Over the coming days, we will build the synergies needed to ensure that when the next outbreak occurs, the world is ready.” 

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Humanitarian organisations petition Israeli High Court as closure deadline approaches

Source: Oxfam –

The clock is ticking on a large part of the humanitarian response sustaining civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Thirty-seven international aid organisations have been ordered by Israeli authorities to cease operations in the occupied Palestinian territory by the end of February under revised Israeli registration rules. With efforts to force closures imminent, a group of leading humanitarian organisations have taken the unprecedented step of jointly petitioning the Israeli High Court to suspend the measures before irreparable harm is done to civilians who rely on their assistance.

On 30 December 2025, the affected organisations were formally notified that their Israeli registrations would expire the following day and that they would have 60 days to wind down activities in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The notification letter stated that the decision could only be overturned if organisations completed the full registration process, with which they cannot legally or ethically comply.

Efforts to force closures could begin as early as 28 February 2026. The effect would be immediate, extending well beyond individual organisations to the wider humanitarian system. In Gaza, families remain dependent on external assistance amid continuing restrictions on aid entry and renewed strikes in densely populated areas. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, military incursions, demolitions, displacement, settlement expansion and settler violence are driving rising humanitarian needs.

Palestinian Authority registration provides the lawful basis for international NGOs to operate in Palestinian territory. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power must facilitate relief for civilians under its control. Conditioning humanitarian presence on sweeping administrative demands, including the transfer of comprehensive national staff lists, alongside vague and politicised grounds for denial, risks disrupting life-saving services and eroding the obligation to ensure civilian welfare under occupation.

The demand to transfer personal data raises acute security and legal risks. It exposes national staff to potential retaliation and undermines established data protection and confidentiality safeguards. For European organisations in particular, compliance would create serious legal and contractual liabilities. More broadly, such requirements set a precedent that could chill principled humanitarian engagement in highly politicised contexts.

International NGOs have proposed practical alternatives, including independent sanctions screening and donor-audited vetting systems, that preserve both compliance and staff protection without disclosing personal data. No substantive response has been provided. Enforcement has meanwhile begun in practice, including blocked supplies and denial of visas and access for foreign staff.

Alongside UN agencies and Palestinian partners, international NGOs support or implement the delivery of more than half of all food assistance in Gaza, 60 per cent of field hospitals’ operations, nearly three quarters of shelter and non-food item activities, all inpatient treatment for children suffering severe acute malnutrition and 30 per cent of emergency education services, in addition to funding over half of explosive hazard clearance.

The petition seeks an urgent Interim Injunction to suspend expiry of registrations and prevent further enforcement pending judicial review. The petitioning organisations contend that these administrative measures constitute an effort to curtail established humanitarian operations in a manner incompatible with the obligations of an occupying power under international humanitarian law.

Governments must act urgently to prevent implementation of these measures and to ensure that humanitarian relief remains principled, independent, and unhindered. If these measures take effect, aid will be impeded not because needs have eased, but because it has been rendered optional, conditional, or politicised. At a moment when civilians depend on assistance to survive, that outcome would carry immediate and irreversible human consequences.

Petitioners and supporting organizations

1. All We Can

2. ActionAid Australia

3. Alianza Por La Solidaridad

4. Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA)

5. Bystanders No More

6. CADUS e.V.

7. Choose Love

8. Christian Aid

9. Churches for Middle East Peace

10. DanChurchAid

11. Danish Refugee Council

12. Diakonia, Sweden

13. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International

14. Medico International

15. Middle East Children’s Alliance

16. Movimiento por la Paz, Desarme y Libertad – MPDL

17. Muslim Aid

18. Nonviolent Peaceforce

19. Norwegian Church Aid

20. Norwegian Refugee Council

21. Oxfam

22. Pax Christi International

23. Première Urgence Internationale (PUI)

24. Pro Peace

25. Refugees International

26. Start Network

27. Tearfund

28. Terre des hommes Italy

29. Terre des hommes Lausanne (Tdh)

30. United Against Inhumanity

31. Weltfriedensdienst e.V. (WFD; World Peace Service)

Executive Summary – Joint Petition against the Inter-Ministerial Team:

1. Introduction

This Petition is filed by 17 leading international humanitarian aid organizations (INGOs) and the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) which form the critical infrastructure for providing medical services, food, and water to the civilian population in the West Bank and Gaza. The Petitioners challenge the Respondents’ December 2025 decision, which orders the “termination of their activities” due to their refusal to provide personal contact details (Nominal Lists) of thousands of local employees. The Petition presents an unprecedented “legal deadlock” in which the demands of the Israeli administration directly contradict international

privacy laws and the fundamental principles of humanitarian neutrality.

2. Urgent Request for an Interim Injunction

The Petitioners seek an interim Injunction to preserve the status quo and prevent the expiration of their registration, the deportation of foreign staff and cessation of all activities until a final ruling is reached. It is argued that the “Balance of Convenience” clearly favors the Petitioners: while the Respondents will suffer no harm by maintaining the current situation, the cessation of the organizations’ activities will lead to a humanitarian collapse and irreparable harm to the right

to life and health of hundreds of thousands of individuals in need.

3. Legal Arguments

A. Breach of the Inter-Ministerial Team’s Basic Obligations as an Administrative Authority

The Respondents’ conduct is tainted by administrative laches (undue delay) and a lack of good faith. The Respondents delayed their response to registration requests for many months while creating a false representation that the applications were under review. These draconian requirements were imposed without granting a Right to be Heard and without meaningful dialogue, violating the heightened duty of fairness applicable to the authority.

B. The Requirement for Employees’ Personal Details (Nominal Lists)

B.1 GDPR Regulation and the “Adequacy” Issue: The Petitioners, who are bound by European law, demonstrate that transferring employee data from the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt) to Israeli security authorities constitutes a criminal and administrative offense. Since the European Union’s “Adequacy” decision regarding Israel does not apply to the territories, the organizations are exposed to heavy fines and tort claims. The Petition relies on the Schrems II precedent of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which prohibits data transfer to jurisdictions lacking independent judicial oversight over security agencies.

B.2 The Demand for Employee Details and Violation of International Law: The requirement to provide personal phone numbers and contact details of the entire staff violates the principle of “Data Minimization” and endangers the personal safety of the employees. Turning humanitarian organizations into an information-gathering arm for a party to the conflict stands in total contradiction to the principle of neutrality.

C. The Decision for a Sweeping Cessation of Activity is Void Due to Illegality

C.1 Decision Lacking Authority (Ultra Vires): The Team’s government mandate is limited to technical registration and visas. Assuming the authority to order the termination of an international organization’s activities is an extreme deviation from authority without an explicit legal source.

C.2 Deviation from Israel’s Sovereignty (Oslo Accords): Pursuant to the Civil Annex of the Oslo Accords, the authority to register and manage NGOs operating in Palestinian Authority territories was transferred to the Palestinians. Israel lacks the authority to order the closure of these entities.

D. Regulation Article 8.4 – Voidness due to Lack of Authority and Breach of International Law

The Petitioners challenge the article in the regulation that allows for the suspension of registration based on vague “security considerations” without a duty of specification or reasoning.

D.1 Applicability of Article 63 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: This article imposes an obligation on the Occupying Power to allow relief societies to continue their work. The Petition relies on expert legal opinions establishing that this provision fully applies to International NGOs (INGOs) performing essential humanitarian functions.

E. Extreme Unreasonableness and Lack of Proportionality

The decision fails the “Proportionality Stricto Sensu” test: the limited administrative-security benefit of collecting phone numbers is dwarfed by the catastrophic human damage caused by withholding aid from the population. The Respondents refused to consider “less restrictive means,” such as cross-referencing names against public global terror lists.

F. Violation of Israel’s Obligations to Facilitate Humanitarian Aid

As an Occupying Power, Israel bears positive obligations (Articles 55, 56, and 59 of the Convention) to ensure the supply of food and medical services. Arbitrary and bureaucratic interference with organizations fulfilling these duties constitutes a blatant violation of international law and the directives of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

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Ukrainian ambassador Valerii Zaluzhnyi says future wars will require ‘technological alliances, not treaty articles’

Source: Chatham House –

Ukrainian ambassador Valerii Zaluzhnyi says future wars will require ‘technological alliances, not treaty articles’
News release
thilton.drupal

The Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK addressed the evolution of the war in the four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the future ‘robotization’ of war.

At Chatham House, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK said future conflicts will be fought by ‘autonomous and semi-autonomous robotic systems’. 

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, delivered a speech at the London-based international affairs think-tank on Monday 23 February, presenting his insights on the transformation of battlefield war and marking four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion against Ukraine.

Zaluzhnyi said technological advancements will transform the future of war, stating that modern conflicts have gone beyond conventional weapons and tactics.

‘Robotization’

Zaluzhnyi added that the ‘robotization’ of warfare will ensure military effectiveness without the need for human involvement, and that, as a result, there will be fewer casualties.

April 2026  (38)