Response to provocative statements from the west, the many groups mccain and welcome to the program. 3 European Countries have said they will recognize Palestinian Statehood, sparking an angry reaction from israel. The Prime Ministers of spain no way on the island separately announced the decision earlier. Many western countries have resisted recognizing an independent palestinian state for years. But israel, who games hum us off to the october, the 7th terror attack as put renewed focus on the issue will get more on the announcement for my correspondence induced jerusalem and brussels in just a moment. Besides his, some of what the norwegian Prime Minister said about the decision, the syrian part of the government has decided that norway will recognize the state of palestine policy. Now. Well, it is all much in our ways recognition will come into force on may 28. What do you mean by the norway will therefore regard palestine as an independent state with all the rights and duties that this entails from that the in the, by this a palestinian state is obliged in line with International Law and they have to live in peace within secure, internationally recognized borders and to comply with all relevant Un Resolution is resolved. Okay, lets get more from the ws, rebecca versus in jerusalem and jack power, who is joining us from brussels. Jack 3 European Countries, the recognizing Palestinian Statehood. Can you tell us what this means . Exactly, well, it is a political statement and this was a very symbolic one. Obviously the spanish Prime Minister, padre son says when he and i was made united simmons in madrid area today, he said that the recognition says to tell the palestinians, we are with you, simon. Harris, the leader in island. He said that the recognition of the public is a recognition of the Palestinian People to the right to self determination. It is a really significant move for the 3 countries. It is symbolic, but not necessarily the biggest diplomatic powers of europe. But they have been making a, theyve been saying that they going to do this, but sometimes all of them it will come into force. This recognition on may the 28 that what other countries belgium was perhaps going to be expected to do this. Alongside them, we do know that there are moves here in belgium to make a similar in iceland. And indeed, potentially in france as well. Nice. Well, whatever it is symbolic, it is also significant because our countries have said that they will only be involved in this sort of policing of the reconstruction of a post will gaza, is western nations recognize a state impala. So i started so the more countries that do that, the more support that would be from those are of nations to fund professionally a postwar palestinian state. Okay. And looking at reactions from israel, rebecca, israel has now recalled its on the box. It is to the 3 countries. What else is israel doing and saying as well, this announcement has drawing theory from israel, probably on surprisingly to most view is a israel completely opposes the decision that has been announced. This joint decision by spain island and norway Benjamin Netanyahu as long said that establishing a palestinian state would be an ex, essential danger to israel. The ann payment standing against it. Certainly since the war began on october 7. As you mentioned, the ambassadors to those 3 countries as they were cold. And now looking at further measures, the finance minister bit slow smoke which has cooled full for the punitive measures and said that he will be withholding tax of israel collects and then gets to the palestinians. The caps collects full of how to send, you know, far as human hands, or they will be withholding those taxes and that were looking at. So the punitive measures now in response to this, the farm and as to this morning said that it sends a message to palestinians and to the will. The terrorism pays. He also said that it will hom efforts to retrieve the remaining hostages inside kansas. A very strong reaction from israel on the palestinian side. Weve seen a much more positive response. Obviously, the palestinian authority, who has always been fighting for 2 state solution have reacted positively and how mouse has also come out to say that they think this is a step in the right direction. Okay, and all of this is happening just a couple of days off to the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal court. So of course announced that hes seeking arrest warrants for these riley Prime Minister and for the is ready defense minister. So is old of this prussia, rebecca, having any effect on Benjamin Netanyahu. The one that is no doubt the pressure is mounting on the Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu and the as riley government on israel on the international stays, is that some, no doubt about that this week, particularly the pressure has been mounting and we all seeing that its having an effect on the government on representatives here on Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu. Himself we can see that in the way that everyone is responding both to the i. C seniors on monday, and todays decision pretty much across the board. So, you know, a bipartisan responses to these announcements, particularly of course the i, c, c. That was, you know, everyone on both sides of government were saying that that was an outrage. So pressure, definitely mounting. But when we look at how much that might have fixed Benjamin Netanyahu, whos, you know, decision of the way that hes planning this will Going Forward . I think we werent see much change. We werent see it or fact he is really fighting for his political survival. And that really means also continuing this war and gone. So that is something that hes been saying, but his government adamant that theyre going to do that theyre going to continue with this rafa offensive, that they are determined to dismantle a mouse and retrieve the hostages, and that nothing will stop them. So he doesnt want to face the day often because that is when he said that they will investigate and look at the the, the wrong doings and but let up to october 7th. And because that will be very difficult situation for him. All right, jeff, i just wanted to ask you what about other European Countries . I mean, will any more now potentially recognize Palestinian Statehood . It is likely that they probably will potentially belgium, potentially frogs. Whats really interesting about this, while it shows the ever deepening risk between israel on some of its traditional western allies. It also also shows the divisions among some you remember stays have your opinions, position is a, has always and long has been to work with 2 state solution. Many of the use countries feel that the, the recognition of a palestinian state is the end of the negotiations. Of that. That goal of making a 2 state solution. What were seeing that research in countries. I mean island, a no way on spain. Obviously saying that for them, this is the starting point. 9 countries like germany, for instance, wouldnt allow that to, to go so. So now were seeing some of those divisions really start to play out in your it kept power in brussels and rebecca versus injury slim. Thanks to you by so much. Okay, lets take a quick look at some of the other headlines making use today, and theyre on supremely di, atalla, ali human a has been leading the prize at the Funeral Service of president abraham. Right. You see the president , along with the foreign minister and other officials, died in a Helicopter Crash on sunday, tens of thousands of the radiance of gather the entire on for the funeral procession. Australia and new zealand. Ill repeat tracing hundreds of best citizens from New Caledonia evacuations. Come a we have to riots of rock to it in the French Pacific territory, killing 6 people, frances president and my new and my call will meet with elected officials on the island this week to discuss the voting reforms, which spot the protest to now dw 10 reveals at offices from bangladesh and leads Counter Terrorism force implicated in torture and killings. On now being sent on Un Peacekeeping missions, the findings follow an investigation together with sweden based net for news and terminates. Do charge for the side. Some the offices are among 65000. 00 peacekeepers, deployed world wide to stabilize countries in crisis and support civilians when the governments fail and it seems the un is unable to stop. It is all dw investigative team. Now reports the soldiers were deployed as un peacekeepers even after they served in the unit the kills and tortures. They were high ranking officers of bangladesh as a lead unit, profit action battalion. And in particular, its notorious intelligent swing. In 2023 we revealed was the government continues to deny the rob murders objects and tortures a legit criminals and political opponents Un Peacekeeping missions cannot have in amongst them. Offices who may have been responsible for these kind of very serious abuses that defeats the purpose of peacekeeping. For months, weve looked into banquet as one of the largest contributors to you are emissions and found that the 2 officers were not a unique case. We analyzed classified military personnel files and secret un deployment lists and found more than 100. 00 soldiers who went from brad to peacekeeping. Some of them admitted to extra judicial killings during their time at rob did the on the day of the execution, the target is taken out with his hands tied and blindfolded. Although it was tight after the blood heat, hes got some blood and brain fragments best on my uniform. And yet the officers were deployed on un missions. Afterwards. We went to copenhagen to meet a man who in 2019 raised the alarm. Densmart deck served as when i bought for the u. S. Committee against torture, and the report on bangladesh stated it was gravely concerned about robs abuses. The recommendation was that the former and current members of wrap should not be allowed to as to do a service in peacekeeping operations. But we found at least 40 rob numbers who were deployed to p submissions after the report was published. Confronted with our findings, Un Peacekeeping in new york road, we do not have the resources to review the information of all personnel deployed and the vast majority of troops perform well. This form, are you an official told us that the organization has barely any power over which officers countries select as peacekeepers do you think thats until 2019 federal gilmore was the one assistant secretary general for human rights and experienced firsthand. What happens when the un pushes countries to exclude possible human rights abusers . One country that was really important, literally said okay, were going to pull out or together under you and 2nd general at that time to go basically to that country. And since, apologize to that as they otherwise, like for you, every single ration is, would have collaborative. All this, you wouldnt tell us which country now are, but said that the un is stuck in a dilemma. The you and the reason faced with dangerous and deadly emissions. Western governments increasingly pulled their troops out of peacekeeping operations. Instead, they prefer to pay for them, leading the supplying of troops to countries like bond goodish pockets on egypt and china, many of which are known to have abuse of security forces. We get some really pretty useless troops as a pretty brutal ones as well. But if youre spending the you and you can actually say that. And we also confronted bangladesh as government, and every individual officer mentioned in this report, they didnt respond with me in the studio is naomi conrad from dw investigation. Shes one of the office of that report. Welcome naomi. And so your report focused on the records of you and a piece, kate keepers from bangladesh, but all that documented cases from other countries. So we actually also looked at sri lanka. I mean, if you look at the list of, of peacekeeping countries, the top provide is egypt and china pockets done. So take your pick. Im sure there are quite a few cases in most of these countries, but we looked at 3 land confines at least one case where activists had one d u and about a specific officer who had been implicated in the atrocities committed in the, at the end of the civil war in 2009 and he was sent despite these warnings. So its definitely going on. I think if you dig in, in, took some of the records of some of these other human of, of some of these other peacekeepers. Quite likely to buy another cases too. So the obvious question is, i mean, why is the un using known human rights abuses as part of its, its peacekeeping forces . Well, the guns hands are type because they need, they need troops to maintain these peacekeeping operations. A lot of governments of pulled out of peacekeeping operations. I mean, these missions, the dangerous that awful, quite deadly. Its very difficult to convince voters in tomorrow because they spike home that youre sending soldiers and they get returned to you in 40 bucks. So it to it and to an extent you and this stuck in this dilemma and there isnt really an easy way out. Okay. And what is being done to address this problem . So obviously these issues on now being highlighted. So whats happening is anything happening to change it, there have been cases with the un human rights bronx has teamed up with human rights commissions and activists must have to play the case. This happens in the pool. So they all examples. But the problem is that a lot of the countries dont actually want, not like the one external bodies or even the in human rights organizations to look into the cost of the soul, just because at least in the, in the case of bangladesh. One could argue that high ranking members of the government are ordering, or at least the last thing these abuses happened. So they didnt really want to much scrutiny. Okay, left to leave it then we can go from dw investigations. Thanks so much amy and if you want to watch the whole of that the w documentary, just go to our website and lets be w dot com. Or you can look for documentary tunnel on youtube rushes military. It says that it has begun Tactical Nuclear weapons drills, nat, ukraine. The exercises are taking place in russias Southern Military district, which according to the kremlin, includes parts of the train on the occupation. Moscow says the drills are in response to threats from some west and officials. Is the 1st time that russia has publicly announced drills that involve Tactical Nuclear weapons. While its Strategic Nuclear forces, regularly hold exercises. Kinda sheena. This is professor of International Relations and contemporary history of the, in the Legion Institute for this tense studies to join just joins us now. Welcome to the w, and what kind of weapons are we talking about here . I mean, what all a Tactical Nuclear bombs, exactly. So they are considered less powerful than intercontinental ballistic massage. They will have normally a smaller, smaller, you can be as small as to one killer. Aton um, so they are considered for bought to fuel used. So the trash hold for they use may be lower, they can be car in by us. C, last me sells a airline to me. So its a number based on his cells artillery. And they are not really subject to honest control, such as intercontinental ballistic muscles, which is also why we do not really know exactly how russia, how many of this war has russia has. But the estimates is around 1500. 00 to 2000. Okay, so these are not the kind of weapons but can wipe out whole facies bus. Of course, they all tactical nukes abrams. Exactly, yeah, mm hm. Okay, so, so thats where it, again its, its the, the, the, the trash hold forward to use. This is considered to be lower x, and i did want to ask you, i mean, how likely is it the russia will actually use weapons like these in the war against ukraine . Yeah, i, i, this is a question that many has posed. I mean, nobody can really exclude that, but i think come, come right now, the risk is not very high for a number of reasons. Why is that a rush place doing relatively well on the bottom field . Another is that a russia has been worn by the United States by china and j. So choose, and i think these warnings because actually had effects when it comes to china. In particular, russia has made itself more and more dependent. And which also makes the most go has to listen carefully with making has to say in that matter. And russia has not been able really to cars, whether its new clar threats and youre trying to meet ations ukraine to, to back off. And neither has it helped brush into, to, uh, contain the scope of help to, to, from the western countries to, to ukraine in the, in the beginning. Yes. But it expanded more and more. So i think also russia has not been really able to convince the russia has much higher space in the score than the United States or nato. We both come through during the war presented the war as ex, essential, not only for you crime, but also for european interest atlantic security. Okay. Can i ask you if these kinds of weapons were used . How would they change the cost of the whole as well . It depends at so they would be primarily russia would use them primarily for political effect. So russia would try to call ers ukraine. And whereas the United States to back off to accept wash as conditions for ending to conflict at but so, so the objective would be to shop and pressure. What weve seen that this is als