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A30 world news
Diabierna 10 Juni 2022

Activists decry French retailer over Amazon deforestation

PARIS (AP) — A Paris ment, the lawsuit against Ca-
judge on Thursday or- sino Group is an attempt to
dered a mediation process hold someone accountable
to settle a legal dispute for buying cattle they say is
pitting environmental raised illegally in their territo-
groups and representa- ry, with activists warning that
tives of Brazil's Indig- far-right Brazilian President
enous community against Jair Bolsonaro's government
a major French retailer policies are further threaten-
accused of selling beef ing indigenous lands.
linked to deforestation Since taking office in 2019,
and land grabs in the Am- Bolsonaro has repeatedly said
azon rainforest. that Indigenous peoples have
too much land, saying he
Several leading Indigenous would revise demarcations,
representatives, including even though such a move is
some wearing traditional forbidden by law.
headdresses, traveled from Cattle ranching is one of
Brazil to the main Paris the main drivers of defores-
courthouse, where they held tation in Brazil's Amazon,
a demonstration to denounce with levels reaching record
international threats to their highs earlier this year. More
territories and attract public than 1,000 square kilome-
attention to cattle farming At a court hearing Thursday, and see if we can start a medi- supermarket chain "satisfied" ters (nearly 400 square miles)
practices in the Amazon. the judge ordered both par- ation process upon analyzing with the judge's move and were deforested in April, ac-
Climate groups and Indig- ties to try to reach an agree- the Casino proposals," said has always been open to dis- cording to satellite alerts. The
enous activists filed a law- ment by Sept. 15 through a Sebastien Mabile, a lawyer cussion. The company said biome holds about 57 million
suit last year against France's confidential mediation pro- for one of the environmental it is "undoubtedly one of the hectares (140.8 million acres)
Casino Group, which has cess. If no agreement can be groups. companies most advanced of pasture, an area slightly
supermarkets around the reached, the case will go to Casino Group lawyers Sé- in combating deforestation," larger than France, according
world, accusing it of violating trial. bastien Shapira and Thomas without elaborating on mea- to MapBiomas, a network of
human rights and environ- "We will meet with the me- Rouhette told The Associated sures it takes to do so. nonprofits, universities and
mental rules. diator before the end of July Press that the France-based For the Indigenous move- technology startups.

Biden administration takes step to bolster Palestinian ties

JERUSALEM (AP) — The ment in Washington rather to reintroduce separate re- But it falls short of Biden ad- sulate, apparently in fear of
United States is restoring than first go through the porting lines to Washington ministration pledges — and upsetting ties with Israel or
a line of communication American ambassador to Is- on Israeli and Palestinian is- Palestinian demands — for destabilizing its fragile coali-
for the Palestinians that rael. sues, by our respective teams the U.S. to reopen its consul- tion government.
had been canceled by the The department has changed on the ground that focus on ate in Jerusalem, which for Israeli Prime Minister Naf-
Trump administration. the name of the Palestinian these issues," according to the decades had functioned as a tali Bennett has said there
Affairs Unit to the U.S. Of- statement, which also said the de facto U.S. Embassy to the was no room in Jerusalem for
The move, announced fice of Palestinian Affairs. In U.S. was reinstating a system Palestinians. another American mission.
Thursday before a possible a statement, the newly re- in place for decades before Both the Palestinian Authori- The Palestinian Foreign
visit by President Joe Biden named office said the move President Donald Trump's ty and Israel declined to com- Ministry said it views the
to Israel and the occupied was meant to "strengthen decision. ment. reopening of the consulate
West Bank, is bureaucratic our diplomatic reporting and The move had been expect- The Trump administration as part of the international
in nature. But it means the public diplomacy engage- ed for months and the an- shuttered that consulate in community's commitments
Palestinians will deal directly ment." nouncement had been post- one of a series of controver- to ending Israel's decades-
with the U.S. State Depart- "We felt that it was important poned several times. sial moves that favored Israel long occupation of territories
over the Palestinians. Those the Palestinians seek for their
steps included recognizing future state.
Jerusalem as Israel's capital Dan Shapiro, a former U.S.
despite Palestinian claims ambassador to Israel who is
that east Jerusalem become now a distinguished fellow
the capital of an eventual with the Atlantic Council,
state, and moving the U.S. called Thursday's move "an
Embassy to the holy city interim step by the Biden
from Tel Aviv. administration toward rees-
Under Biden, U.S. Secretary tablishing a consulate in Je-
of State Antony Blinken has rusalem."
repeatedly promised to re- The Biden administration
open the Jerusalem consul- has already moved to im-
ate, which was established in prove ties with the Palestin-
1844, well before the creation ians, in part by restoring U.S.
of the state of Israel. But Is- assistance to the Palestinian
rael says such a move would Authority and funding to the
challenge its sovereignty over U.N. agency that deals with
the city. Palestinian refugees. It has
It was thought that such a also looked into ways that the
reopening could help mend Palestinian mission to Wash-
U.S. ties with the Palestin- ington, closed under Trump,
ians that were ruptured un- could be reopened, although
der Trump. The U.S. has so there are congressional hur-
far failed to reopen the con- dles to such a step.