With Trump Republicans withholding military support to Ukraine, former National Security Advisor & UN Ambassador John Bolton made headlines with his straight talking- there will be “celebrations in the Kremlin if Trump is re-elected”. Bolton is one of the few leading Republicans who have dared to highlight the geopolitical consequences of a second Trump Presidency, along with the global and U.S. national security risks of GOP isolationism. Ambassador Bolton joined us again to share his uninhibited perspective on developments in Russia and Ukraine, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S. He answered questions from international reporters in a briefing moderated by FPA President Ian Williams.

FPA’s briefing with Chris Gunness, former BBC UN World Correspondent and later UNRWA Spokesperson, and Ben Armbruster, Quincy Institute, on UNRWA considered the questions that far too many media failed to ask. Weeks after too many governments cut funding to UNRWA - in defiance of the ICJ’s admonitions - Israel has not offered the media, or the governments, any evidence for their allegations of UNRWA complicity in the events of October 7. None of the governments claim seeing any evidence, and Israel has not claimed to offer anything more than an empty ‘dodgy dossier’ relaying old and discredited allegations from UNWatch, an Israeli backed pseudo NGO. Some “respected” newspapers had furloughed IDF service members working on their story which in the case of the New York Times was given equal front page prominence with the ICJ verdict. And when it came time for its big podcast launch, they have now walked it back for justified fear of reputational damage. The shoot-first approach to coverage of this story and to firing UNWRA employees represent failures of elementary journalistic, employer, and government process to determine the veracity of the serious allegations made by Israel that resulted in cutting off cut funds for food health and education for millions in Gaza and elsewhere. It affects millions in the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon - where there is no sign of Hamas. While UNWRA is conducting an investigation, a fundamental question remains - if a dozen people in an organization of 13,000 participated in the October 7 attacks on Israel – is it an appropriate response to try to shut down the whole organization and starve millions as a form of collective punishment? Watch the full briefing which was moderated by FPA President, Ian Williams, and Al Jazeera NY Correspondent and FPA Board Member, Kristen Saloomey.

With more than 20,000 Palestinians dead, areas of Gaza turned to rubble, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has yet to investigate either Israel or Hamas for the deaths on and after 7 October– despite his exemplary hair trigger speed against Vladimir Putin for war crimes committed in Ukraine. With South Africa's referral of Israel to the International Court of Justice for genocide, and the U.S.’s continued strong support for the Netanyahu government’s military response as geopolitical context, many are looking for the International Criminal Court to take action - if only as a warning to the parties, but so far Karim Khan, the British barrister serving as ICC prosecutor, shows no sign of action, reinforcing allegations of “rich country justice." Two close up observers of the process Hasmik Egian and Mouin Rabbani gave their take in the indispensable Pass Blue and will try to explain to the media International legal impotence in the face of alleged Israeli actions.

Antonio Guterres has invoked his little used powers to convene a Security Council meeting on Gaza and the US vetoed it. Ironically the day after, 9th December, was the International Day of Commemoration & Dignity of Victims of the Crime of Genocide & Prevention of this Crime. This past week also saw the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights! Is there a Middle Eastern dimension outside this universe where Universal Jurisdiction on Human Rights doesn’t apply? Where are the warrants for the arrests of Hamas and Israeli leadership for crimes far more flagrant than those alleged against Vladimir Putin? Craig Mokhiber, who resigned as NY Director for UN Commission on Human Rights over UN passivity on Gaza, discussed how human rights are impeded at the UN, the parlous prospects for Human Rights enforcement, and what the media’s role in it is with FPA President Ian Williams.