Tag: war crimes

US Could Deal Death Blow to International Law

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) stunning issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity is a major game changer. After years of impunity, the chickens unleashed by Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza have finally come home to roost.

These charges against Netanyahu and Gallant are momentous. This is the first time the ICC has issued arrest warrants against an Israeli official for crimes against the Palestinian people. It is only the second time in its 22 years of existence that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for someone who is not from the African continent.

Palestinian human rights organizations Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights called the ICC’s decision “a historic and pivotal moment in the battle against Israel’s impunity, in which the Palestinian people have been denied justice, and subjugated for decades under a genocidal, settler-colonial apartheid regime.”

[On Monday the ICC president blasted both the U.S. and Russia for interfering with the court in “appalling” attacks.

“The court is being threatened with draconian economic sanctions by another permanent member of the Security Council [the U.S.] as if it was a terrorist organization,” Judge Tomoko Akane said.]

US History of Undermining the ICC

The United States had a fraught relationship with the ICC even before it opened for business in 2002. As President Bill Clinton was leaving office, he signed the court’s Rome Statute, stating,

“I believe that a properly constituted and structured International Criminal Court would make a profound contribution in deterring egregious human rights abuses worldwide, and that signature increases the chances for productive discussions with other governments to advance these goals in the months and years ahead.”

But Clinton urged incoming President George W. Bush to refrain from sending it to the Senate for advice and consent to ratification. Bush went even further and, in an unprecedented move, unsigned the treaty on behalf of the United States. Since then, the U.S. has consistently tried to undermine the ICC.

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‘The ICC’s findings so far have only scratched the surface’

Last week, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court’s judges, in their Nov. 21 ruling, found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the pair were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the context of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza — namely, using starvation as a method of warfare, as well as “murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

The ICC’s judges issued an additional warrant for the arrest of Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif, whom the Israeli army claimed it killed in July but whose death Hamas never confirmed; the group insisted at the time that Deif survived the assassination attempt, but has reportedly since acknowledged that he likely died. The court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, had also requested arrest warrants for Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, but Israel subsequently killed both men, in August and October respectively. 

The ICC launched a formal criminal investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel-Palestine in 2021, when judges ruled that the court has jurisdiction over crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories and those committed by Palestinians inside Israel. The scope of the investigation dates back to 2014, but these warrants relate specifically to the period between Oct. 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024. 

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Who Takes International Law Seriously?

The Washington Post published a despicable editorial in response the International Criminal Court’s warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant:

But the arrest orders undermine the ICC’s credibility and give credence to accusations of hypocrisy and selective prosecution. The ICC is putting the elected leaders of a democratic country with its own independent judiciary in the same category as dictators and authoritarians who kill with impunity.

If the ICC had not issued these warrants in the face of the overwhelming evidence that the Israeli government was using starvation as a weapon, that would have been devastating to the Court’s credibility in the eyes of most nations. Everyone would have concluded that the ICC had bowed to American political pressure by letting these officials off the hook. It is a victory for international law that they didn’t allow fears of the insane backlash from Washington to influence their decision.

One of the problems that the Court has had since its inception is that Western and Western-backed governments always seem to get a pass when they commit war crimes. Many critics did complain about hypocrisy and selective prosecution in the past because for many years it seemed as if the ICC only went after African leaders. That started to change when the ICC issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest last year. The Post was singing a very different tune then, saying that the Court had taken an “important step” when it did that. There were no complaints about the wrong “venue” at that time. The Post had no objection to the ICC going after a war criminal leader that they oppose.

It will come as a revelation to the Post’s editors, but democratically elected leaders can be guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC did not put Netanyahu and Gallant in the same category as dictators and authoritarians. They did that themselves with their brutal and atrocious policies. If they didn’t want to be classed with other rogue leaders, they shouldn’t have committed such terrible violations of international law.

Spencer Ackerman explained recently that the ICC struck a blow for international against the so-called rules-based international order. International law isn’t just for one’s enemies or the world’s pariahs, but it has to be applied to all equally if it means anything. As Ackerman put it, “It’s sufficient to observe here that international law requires universal application, while the Rules-Based International Order preserves American and allied Exceptionalism, making war crimes less about barred conduct than about who gets to commit it.” Cheerleaders of the rules-based order assume that some people and some states are above the law, and these warrants are a direct challenge to that. That is one reason why there has been such an angry reaction in Washington.

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Justin Trudeau Stands Proudly Next to Granddaughter of Prominent WWII Nazi as He Announces He Will Arrest Israeli Leader Netanyahu if He Enters Canada

Earlier Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas official Mohammed Deif.

The charges stem from alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, where Hamas men, women, and children slaughtered 1,300 Jews in southern Israel, including hundreds of kids, at a concert, and then took another 250 Jews hostage.

The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas was the largest slaughter of Jews in one day since World War II.

In response to this barbaric attack, the Israeli president vowed to destroy the Hamas terrorist group after decades of attacks on Israeli soil.

Since that time, thousands of Hamas fighters and innocent civilians have been killed in Gaza, where Hamas hid in the communities in schools, mosques, and hospitals.

This led the ICC to call for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu for continuing to hunt down Hamas fighters in Gaza and, more recently, Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon in order to bring stability to the region.

During a press conference on Thursday, Little Castro Justin Trudeau, announced that he will have Israeli Leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he travels to Canada.

Justin made the announcement while standing next to his top aide Chrystia Freeland.

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ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

On Thursday the International Court of Justice (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as a member of Hamas leadership.

The warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were for charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court unanimously agreed that the prime minister and former defense minister “each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

“The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024,” the court detailed in its allegations.

The ICC also charged Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri for mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, including rape and hostage taking.

A plan suggested by former IDF general, Giora Eiland, called for the explicit emptying out of northern Gaza and the labeling of all remaining civilians as military targets, as well as the purposeful blockage of humanitarian aid. Netanyahu reportedly did not agree to the plan, but evidence points to aspects of the plan being enacted.

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‘Legacy of Horror’- White House Staffers Slam Biden’s Policy towards Israel

Around 20 White House staffers have criticized United States President Joe Biden for not enforcing an ultimatum on Israel to take “concrete measures” to improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip or face potential restrictions on arms provisions, Politico reported.  

“You are running out of time to do the right thing, but decisive action could save precious lives in the next two months,” the staffers wrote, according to a letter obtained by the American news outlet.  

According to Politico, the staffers who signed the letter – on condition of anonymity for fear of career retribution – work across the White House executive office of the president but are not directly involved in Middle East policy.  

“One thing that drew me into this was legacy,” a senior White House staffer who signed the letter told Politico, stressing that, “if the course is continued, it will be a legacy of horror.”  

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UN Committee Says Israel Is Carrying Out a Genocide, HRW Says Israel Is Committing War Crimes

On Thursday, a report published by a special UN committee said Israel’s actions in Gaza are “consistent with the characteristics of genocide,” while Human Rights Watch released a report saying Israel was committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

The UN report, released by the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices, said Israel has used “criminal means” to achieve its military goals, including the use of starvation as a weapon.

“This included intentionally causing death, starvation, great suffering, and serious injury, using starvation as a method of warfare, and intentionally directing attacks against civilians,” the report reads.

The committee, which was formed in 1968, also discussed the occupied West Bank, where it said Israel has an “apartheid system of injustice.” The report said the “killing of and serious bodily or mental harm caused to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are violations under international law.”

The HRW report focused on Israel’s forcible displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. “Israeli authorities have caused massive, deliberate forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza since October 2023 and are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” HRW said. “There is no plausible imperative military reason to justify Israel’s mass displacement of nearly all of Gaza’s population, often multiple times.”

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Ukrainian crimes in Ugledar revealed

Once again, Ukrainian troops have been reported committing crimes against Russian civilians in the Donbass region. A recent investigation has shown that Russian-speaking citizens in Ugledar have been severely harassed by Ukrainian soldiers, with cases of murder, beatings and public humiliation of the local residents.

A team of investigators led by Russian human rights activist Maksim Grigoriev published a report on November 11 exposing a list of crimes committed by the Ukrainian military and neo-Nazi militants in Ugledar, a coal mining town in the Donetsk People’s Republic that the Russians recently took control of.

According to Grigoriev, while Ukrainians controlled the town, the authorities lied about the true number of inhabitants, claiming that there were no civilians left in the area, when in fact more than 3,000 residents remained in their homes. As a result of this lie, large-scale shelling by the Ukrainian army was authorized, resulting in the deaths of several civilians.

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Israel Bombed Medical Supplies Delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital – UN Confirms

“OCHA tells us that the third floor of the Kamal Adwan Hospital was bombed today, resulting in the loss of medical supplies that was delivered just five days ago” – Stephane Dujarric

The Spokesperson of the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, revealed on Thursday that Israel bombed the medical supplies that were delivered five days ago to Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Quoting the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the spokesperson told a press brief that the scale of destruction is “overwhelming” touching almost all the areas of the besieged enclave while Israel’s deadly aggression in the north continues especially in Jabalya, Beit Lahya and Beit Hanoun.

Dujarric confirmed that the siege on Jabalya refugee camp and surrounding areas is still ongoing.

“OCHA tells us that the third floor of the Kamal Adwan Hospital was bombed today, resulting in the loss of medical supplies that was delivered just five days ago,” he stated, adding that the aid delivery operation was done through UN agencies.

“Hospitals are under assault and rescue teams are unable to work, due to the arrests of personnel and the confiscation of essential equipment, including ambulances and a fire truck,” Dujarric pointed out.

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Peter Thiel: From Gaza AI War Criminal To White House Puppet Master

The screams of babies as buildings collapse in Gaza. Terrified parents carrying the remains of their children away in plastic carrier bags. These scenes – altogether too familiar today – come enabled by German-American tech billionaire Peter Thiel and his company, Palantir, whose software uses AI and big data to help the Israeli military surveil, target and slaughter hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. It is also used by ICE, the FBI and U.S. law enforcement to destroy privacy, to attack whistleblowers, and to turn the Orwellian concept of “pre-crime” (identifying and tracking potential subversives before they commit any offense) into a reality.

The Silicon Valley oligarch has deep ties to the CIA and the military-industrial complex and is one of the Republican Party’s most powerful backers. Already one of the world’s most influential individuals, if Donald Trump wins in November, Thiel has set himself up to become a “shadow president,” wielding gigantic power over us all. This is his story.

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