Europe comes forward in mitigating war fronts.

The Council of Europe urged its member states on Tuesday to halt deliveries of weapons to Israel if they could be used for human rights violations. Michael O’Flaherty, the Council’s commissioner for human rights, said member states should do “their utmost to prevent and address violations of international human rights” in the conflict. “This includes applying existing legal standards to ensure that arms transfers are not authorised where there is a risk that they may be used to commit human rights violations”.

It was also “essential to intensify efforts to provide relief to those affected by the conflict, by supporting efforts to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian assistance and by pressing for the immediate release of hostages”, O’Flaherty said.

The call by the Council, comes shortly after Germany said it would halt delivery to Israel of some weapons that could be used in Gaza as part of Israeli plans to take control of Gaza City. O’Flaherty said the Council had taken note of this and other government initiatives, and also of contributions by some national human rights structures in raising awareness. “However, more needs to be done, and quickly”, he said.

Several world leaders have condemned Israel’s decision to widen the Gaza war. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the plan to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza was “the best way to end the war”.

In some other region, European Union leaders, while consolidating their stand with Ukraine has reiterated on Tuesday that, “the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny”, just three days before US President Donald Trump was due to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

“We, the Leaders of the European Union, welcome the efforts of President Trump towards ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and achieving a just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine. A just and lasting peace that brings stability and security must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and those international borders must not be changed by force”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders are scheduled to meet Trump on Wednesday. Trump has been vague about his expectations for the Alaska summit with Putin on Friday, describing it as a “feel-out meeting” to gauge the Russian leader’s ideas for ending the war in Ukraine.

President Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory seized by force. Trump, who had publicly berated Zelensky at a White House meeting in February, saying that he was a “little bothered” by Zelensky’s stance and insisted land swaps would need to take place. “There’ll be some swapping, there’ll be some changes in land,” he said. But Trump said he would also tell Putin that “you’ve got to end this war”.

Team Maverick