Russia escalated its legal offensive against Kyiv by unveiling charges against dozens of Ukrainian public figures, accusing them of orchestrating what Moscow calls a “genocide” targeting ethnic Russians in Ukraine’s east, according to reporting from the Moscow Times.
In its declaration, Russian prosecutors alleged that the officials acted “with the intent of committing genocide” in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Moscow claims that since 2014, roughly 5,000 civilians were killed, and it further argues that the ethnic Russian population in those areas plunged by two million by 2022, the year Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
None of the names listed include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though the accusations clearly aim to widen the scope of Russia’s narrative about the conflict.
The Russian announcement coincided with a significant development from The Hague. The International Court of Justice ruled that Moscow’s counterclaims in the pending genocide-related case are permissible, including Russia’s longstanding assertion that Ukraine engaged in “genocide.”
The court outlined its position in a formal notice released Monday, stating: “By an Order dated 5 December 2025, the International Court of Justice has found that the counter-claims submitted by the Russian Federation in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation) are admissible as such and form part of the current proceedings. By that same Order, the Court has authorized Ukraine to submit a Reply and the Russian Federation to submit a Rejoinder. The Court has fixed 7 December 2026 and 7 December 2027 as the respective time-limits for the filing of those written pleadings.”
The ICJ further stressed its authority to evaluate those arguments, noting: “In respect of the first requirement, the Court concludes that it has jurisdiction to entertain the counter-claims of the Russian Federation under Article IX of the Genocide Convention.”
{Matzav.com}
Opposition chief Yair Lapid unleashed a fierce critique from the Knesset podium during a 40-signature debate, using the moment to hammer Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on issues ranging from the chareidi draft plan to the unanswered failures of October 7 and the ongoing controversy surrounding Netanyahu’s pardon request.
Lapid spoke immediately after Netanyahu’s address, and although coalition MKs repeatedly interrupted him, he plowed forward. He dismissed the government’s conscription initiative as a “draft-dodging law,” insisting that Netanyahu and those around him were intentionally skipping committee deliberations to avoid being tied to the legislation.
He pledged that the bill would be defeated in every scenario, promising that the opposition would battle it with full force and would not allow it to move forward in any form.
Turning to the government’s sudden enthusiasm for a commission of inquiry into the October 7 catastrophe, Lapid ridiculed the move as nothing more than “investigating yourselves,” demanding clarity about “who was prime minister on October 7, 2023.”
He then pivoted to Netanyahu’s bid for a presidential pardon, delivering an especially sharp criticism. Lapid argued that Netanyahu should “admit guilt, accept disgrace, and go home,” cautioning that anything less would “tear the country apart.”
“Without an admission and without disgrace, it’s not a pardon — it’s a prize. It means that for those with power, the laws simply don’t apply,” he declared, framing the pardon request as a threat to the country’s moral foundation.
{Matzav.com}
U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision for a Gaza “board of peace” is moving ahead without Tony Blair, whose potential appointment was quietly dropped after multiple Arab and Muslim governments made clear they objected to his inclusion, according to officials involved in the conversations.
When Trump rolled out his 20-point blueprint for governing Gaza after the war, Blair was the lone name publicly floated for the council. Trump at the time praised him, describing Blair as a compelling pick, and Blair indicated he was open to participating on the panel Trump intends to lead himself.
But regional leaders swiftly raised alarms behind the scenes, pointing to years of distrust rooted in Blair’s backing of the 2003 Iraq War and warning that Palestinians could be marginalized if he were elevated to the top tier of the new framework, sources said. Trump later conceded he would first need to verify that Blair was “acceptable” to all sides before any appointment took place.
Blair has remained engaged in Mideast diplomacy and has been working for over a year on his own transition plans for Gaza through the Tony Blair Institute, even coordinating with Trump’s inner circle — including Jared Kushner, who previously handled the Middle East file in Trump’s first term.
Although Blair’s team offered no official response, someone close to him said he will not take a seat on the contemplated peace council, which is expected to feature sitting world leaders once finalized. Instead, the understanding is that Blair will participate on a leaner executive committee beneath the council. That working group is also expected to include Trump adviser Steve Witkoff, Kushner, and senior officials from Western and Arab countries, according to those briefed.
Leadership of that executive committee is expected to fall to Nickolay Mladenov, the onetime UN envoy for Middle East peace and former Bulgarian defense minister. His expected responsibilities mirror much of what Blair was once being eyed for — helping steer Gaza’s transition and mediating between international stakeholders and a still-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic team.
Major components of Trump’s Gaza blueprint remain unresolved. Diplomats note that crucial details — from which Palestinians would make up the administrative body, to the composition and authority of the international stabilization force Trump envisions, to the method of disarming Hamas after the atrocities of October 7, 2023 — are still unset. No nation has yet stepped forward with a public commitment of troops or support for the proposed security model.
Even so, Trump maintains the initiative is advancing and has hinted that a shift into the next implementation stage may be announced soon. For now, though, not a single member of the “board of peace” has been officially named, more than two months after the plan’s debut, while Gaza remains carved between areas held by Hamas and sectors controlled by Israeli forces.
{Matzav.com}
