July 7, 2023

*) UN condemns Israel's Jenin raid, urges to respect international law The head of the UN has strongly condemned Israeli violence and its excessive use of force in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. "Israel's air strikes and ground operations in a crowded refugee camp were the worst violence in the West Bank in many years," Antonio Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday. Guterres demanded that Israel abide by its obligations under international law, including a duty to exercise restraint and use proportional force. *) Türkiye urges Sweden to put its anti-terror law into practice Sweden's legislative changes in line with a memorandum signed in Madrid last year should be reflected in practice, the Turkish foreign minister said. Following the fifth meeting of a permanent joint mechanism between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden in Belgium, Hakan Fidan said "It is imperative that countries wishing to join NATO take a firm stand on the fight against terrorism." Sweden could not prevent provocations, which affects Ankara's stance, he said, referring to the recent desecration of the Quran in Stockholm. *) DRC mulls security pact with South Africa to counter militias Democratic Republic of the Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi said that he was planning to sign a security agreement with South Africa. In a news conference with the South African President, in the capital Kinshasa, Tshisekedi explained that the accord could take the form of a mutual-defence pact. The Congolese president highlighted the mutual defence pact of the Southern African Development Community as a potential model. *) Zelenskyy says Ukraine's offensive 'not fast' but 'we advance' Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said that Kiev wanted "honesty" in ties with NATO as he spoke ahead of a key summit of the Western military bloc. "We need honesty in our ties," Zelenskyy told reporters alongside Czech President Petr Pavel, speaking ahead of a key summit in Vilnius. He said it was time to demonstrate "the courage an