Page 9 - AHATA

A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 2 december 2022
World court: scant disagreement in Chile, Bolivia water row

MOLLY QUELL court without commenting
Associated Press the ruling.
THE HAGUE (AP) — The In- “It is recognized that Chile’s
ternational Court of Justice historical use and its current
on Thursday found little to use of the waters of the Si-
rule on in a long-running lala River is in accordance
dispute over a small river with the equitable and rea-
which flows from Bolivia to sonable use established
Chile as the Latin American by international law,” said
neighbors had mostly re- Chilean President Gabriel
solved their conflict during Boric after the ruling.
the proceedings. “Our country can rest easy
The United Nations’ high- with this court ruling,” he
est court spent most of the said. “We have obtained
hour-long hearing explain- the legal certainty that we
ing that the two countries’ were looking for and the
legal claims over the Silala disputed issues have been
River - a short waterway in definitively resolved.”
the Atacama Desert - were Bolivian President Luis Arce
“without objection” as said in a Twitter post that
both countries have now “Bolivia has resolved a con-
agreed on how the water troversy with a brother na-
should be managed. tion.”
“It is an international water- Chile’s vice-minister for foreign affairs Ximean Fuentes, left, and Bolivian Foreign Minister, Rogelio The ruling of the Internation-
course, as both parties now Mayta, right, talk prior to the reading of the verdict at the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, al Court of Justice “ratifies
Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, where the UN’s top court ruled on a dispute about a river that crosses
agree,” said an American Chile’s and Bolivia’s border, in a case seen as important jurisprudence at a time when fresh water our rights over the waters of
judge Joan E. Donoghue, is becoming an increasingly coveted world resource. Silala and our sovereignty
who serves as the court’s Associated Press over the dismantling of the
president. Bolivia had ini- artificial canals,” he wrote.
tially rejected this designa- claimed the waterway isn’t proceedings in the case, jected this request as hav- Bolivian Foreign Minister Ro-
tion since international law a river at all, but rather a se- the two countries signifi- ing no basis in international gelio Mayta said “the ruling
requires international water ries of underground springs cantly narrowed the scope law. Chile said Thursday’s gives us important certain-
resources to be managed forced above ground by of their disagreement ruling was a victory. ties.” The court “made it
cooperatively. Chilean construction. through diplomatic efforts, “The court is now only re- clear that Bolivia has the
Chile brought the claim to A 1997 U.N. convention on eventually agreeing on all stating the fact that Bolivia right to the channeling”
the Hague-based court in water rights requires coun- but several minor technical has accepted all that Chile that was done in “its terri-
2016, arguing that Bolivia tries whose borders inter- points. came for,” Ximena Fuen- tory” to improve the water
was violating international sect major waterways to Chile demanded that Bo- tes, Chile’s vice-minister for flow and to “recover wet-
water laws by blocking share the natural resource livia notify it before carrying foreign affairs, told report- lands that have been de-
the flow of the river. Dur- equally. out certain activities on the ers following the hearing. teriorated” by these works,
ing hearings in April, Bolivia In the past six years of legal waterway, but the court re- Bolivia’s legal team left the Mayta said. q

Israel’s Netanyahu puts hardliner in charge of settlements

By ELEANOR H. REICH Benjamin Netanyahu on control over a number of would also hold a special toric step.”
Associated Press Thursday announced a co- key government ministries ministerial level post in the He said the emerging gov-
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s alition deal that will give a and a senior role in over- Defense Ministry in charge ernment would “restore
designated prime minister hardline, pro-settler party seeing the construction of of settlement construction security and governance,
Jewish settlements in the in the occupied West Bank, promote historic reform in
occupied West Bank. in coordination with Netan- the legal system, regulate
The agreement with the Re- yahu. and develop the settle-
ligious Zionism party marked “This is a significant addi- ment enterprise, strengthen
an important breakthrough tional step that nears us Jewish identity in the spirit
for Netanyahu as he tries to toward the formation of a of religious Zionism and
cobble together a govern- right-wing, national gov- proudly wave the flag of
ment following Nov. 1 elec- ernment,” Netanyahu said. Zionism.”
tions. But it also could set The deal also gives Religious Smotrich is a leader of
the stage for conflict with Zionism control of a par- the West Bank settlement
key allies, first and foremost liamentary committee ex- movement and is seeking
the United States. pected to approve sweep- a massive increase in con-
Netanyahu’s Likud Party ing reforms in the country’s struction of Jewish hous-
said that Religious Zionism legal system. These are ex- ing in occupied territories
would share control over pected to include changes claimed by the Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, center, Likud Party leader the Finance Ministry, run that could freeze or dismiss for their future state. The
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, far-right Israeli lawmaker Bezalel the government ministry in criminal charges against international community,
Smotrich and leaders of all Israel’s political parties pose for charge of immigration and Netanyahu. including the U.S., over-
a group photo after the swearing-in ceremony for Israeli head a new ministry for Bezalel Smotrich, chairman whelmingly considers set-
lawmakers at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, “national missions.” of the Religious Zionism par- tlement construction illegal
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. It said a party member ty, called the deal a “his- or illegitimate.q
Associated Press