#US / American Immigration Authorities to Israelis: Have You Committed War Crimes?
Requests by Israelis for a "Green Card" are being delayed due to an in-depth investigation into their military service: "The interviewer was very curious about my weapon skills and wanted to know details about my reserve duty in Gaza", "I travel to the US so often, I've never experienced such bullying", "It feels like they copied questions from the office of the Chief Prosecutor in The Hague"
These probing and questions seem to be aimed at investigating whether the person being questioned may have been involved in any war crimes or unethical uses of force during their military service. The tone and framing suggests the immigration authorities have serious concerns they are trying to scrutinize very carefully.
For example:
Have you ever actually used weapons or explosives? If so: What kinds of weapons or explosives did you use? How did you use the weapons or explosives? In how many cases did you use weapons or explosives? How frequently did you use weapons or explosives?; Did you ever discharge a weapon and/or explosive against another person? If so, please detail the circumstances for doing so, and explain why you discharged a weapon and/or explosive against another person/other people.
Note: take with a grain of salt, given the source's tendency toward sensationalism and accusations of discrimination/antisemitism, even when the scrutiny may be reasonably warranted given the serious nature of potential war crimes, or a routine. The article is not based on any meaningful research work, and seems to be a collection of anecdotal first hand reports (with the obligatory “product placement” of a specific legal service provider.)
Gallant is upset because, apparently, 11 IDF soldiers dead trumps thousands of civilians starving to death. Hopefully the ICJ dossier updates regularly with evidence of intentional #genocide.
"As part of our ongoing efforts to increase the volumes of humanitarian aid entering Gaza and following additional related discussions with the UN and international organizations, starting yesterday (Saturday), a local, tactical pause of military activity for humanitarian purposes will take place from 08:00 until 19:00 every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and then northwards... This is an additional step in the humanitarian aid efforts that have been conducted by the @IDF and COGAT since the beginning of the war... We will continue to support humanitarian efforts on the ground."
[...] Defense Minister Yoav Gallant did not approve the ceasefire, and was not even aware of its existence. It was reported on Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) that Gallant was angry about the timing of when the #IDF announced the ceasefire, because at the end of last weekend it was cleared for publication that 11 fighters were killed in the #Gaza Strip.
[cont'd] The IDF rejects the criticism of the political echelon for not knowing: "It was a military decision, made in accordance with directives to increase humanitarian aid" ahead of ICJ hearing on killing of aid workers by IDF)
The [#IDF rejects the criticism that the decision to have ceasefire hours near the humanitarian corridor in the southern Gaza Strip was made contrary to the position of the political echelon, and that it was a military decision under the authority of the Southern Command General.
Additionally, the military emphasized that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently instructed the heads of the security establishment to significantly increase humanitarian aid to the Strip, and to allow safer access for aid crews.
This comes ahead of another discussion expected to take place at the International Court in The Hague and following incidents in which aid workers were killed by IDF fire.
#Israel / The UN is reportedly taking the unprecedented step of blacklisting Israel over alleged grave violations against children during the 2023 conflicts
Israeli Channel 13 reported that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has informed Israel's military attache in the U.S. that his decision is final to include Israel on the UN's blacklist of countries and groups harming children in conflict zones, alongside Russia and terror groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.
The report, covering 2023, will accuse Israel of killing and injuring thousands of Palestinian children, bombing civilian facilities, and preventing humanitarian aid access, citing over 20,000 alleged violations against children.
Israel fears this could lead to practical consequences like weapons embargoes from other countries, in addition to the reputational damage of being on such a list alongside dictatorships and terror groups.
#ICJ / ‘State of Palestine’ applies to join S. Africa’s case at top U.N. court accusing Israel of genocide
Palestinian officials argue they are directly affected and should be allowed to address the court.
The Palestinian request alleges Israel's military operation is "part of a systematic effort to wipe Palestinian society and its culture and social institutions from the map."
#US / Child of Famed Jewish Family Funded Pro-Palestinian Protests
A significant amount of funding for anti-war activist groups involved in recent campus protests in the U.S. has come from the #BafrayungFund, controlled by Rachel Gelman, a 33-year-old from a prominent Jewish-American family.
The most revealing aspect of this story is the involvement of the Israeli-funded 'Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy.' Insisting that criticism of Israel's policies equates to antisemitism is a flawed tactic that will inevitably backfire. Labeling anti-war protests as merely "pro-Palestinian" or "anti-Israel" is a pathetic tool to dismiss their motivations, especially in light of the #ICJ and #ICC findings.
The International Court of Justice will announce a decision today on potential orders against Israel regarding its ongoing attack on Gaza, specifically in Rafah. Israel fears the court will order a halt to the to the war, or at least the Rafah operation, due to worsening humanitarian conditions. Such an order would put Israel in a difficult position - defying it could lead to international sanctions, though the U.S. would likely support regardless of the legality of its actions in Gaza, as it did so far.
#Maariv is reporting that according to the assessment of "diplomatic officials," the likelihood that the court will accept South Africa's request and order a halt to the war in Gaza tomorrow, is not very high, but nonetheless, this time it is "realistic and certainly not negligible."
If this scenario materializes - Israel will be dependent on the U.S. vetoing the order. But according to assessments in Israel, in the current situation the American veto is not guaranteed, and it is possible that Washington will condition it on Israel taking one action or another. For example, in exchange for Israeli agreement to the Saudi initiative.
I think it's cute that the only standard of international justice #Palestine recognizes is the #icj and #Hamas basically told the court to fuck off after it declared Hamas international criminals with #Netanyahu.
#icc vs #icj
"The ICC considers cases against individuals and as such has to be distinguished from the International Court of Justice, which rules on disputes between states, such as the case brought by South Africa against Israel in January 2024 under the 1948 Genocide Convention."
#ICC / Prosecutor asks for arrest warrants for three leading Hamas leaders, as well ass Netanyahu and Galant
[...] The office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday said it was seeking arrest warrants against three leading Hamas militants for their alleged roles in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Watch: ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan explains the charges against top Hamas and Israeli leadership in detail in this excerpt from his interview with @amanpour this morning at The Hague
Mentioned by name in the #ICJ ruling, seen here autographing a bomb that was dropped on Gaza, killing an unknown number of children, women an men, Israel's shameless weasel #Herzog said proudly (I'm sure):
[The Hague Prosecutor] "Encourages Terrorists, We Won't Forget Who Raped, Slaughtered, Burned and Abducted Civilians. [...] This is a decision that goes beyond outrageous. The one-sided decision, which will strengthen terrorists around the world, violates all the basic laws of the court."
The decision, of course, was "two-sided"...
[...] Hamas leaders are dictators guilty of numerous cases of murder, rape and abduction of men, women and children. Any attempt to draw a parallel between these monstrous terrorists and elected officials in a democratic state is outrageous. We will not forget who started this war, who raped, slaughtered, burned, tortured and abducted innocent civilians and families."
"The War" of course stated in 1948, followed by illegal occupation, depopulation, a brutal regime, campaign of dehumanization of an indigenous people to whitewash those crimes, and an #apartheid...
#Meta / Coalition Criticizes Meta's Lack of Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation Amid Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
A coalition of Palestinian and global digital rights groups has expressed concerns over Meta's response regarding its content moderation practices during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The coalition claims that Meta's response failed to provide sufficient transparency and concrete steps to identify and mitigate the negative human rights impacts of its policies and actions. Particular concerns were raised about the potential for over-moderation of Palestinian and Arabic content due to temporary safety measures, such as lowered automated moderation thresholds and algorithmic bias against Arabic language content.
Furthermore, the coalition accused Meta of failing to outline specific actions to prevent the spread of incitement to #genocide, especially from Israeli government officials and politicians, despite international orders and the recent provisional measures issued by the #ICJ.
While welcoming Meta's efforts to allow accountability mechanisms to request extended content retention, the coalition criticized the exclusion of civil society organizations and the lack of transparency on retention timeframes, which could hinder investigations and accountability processes.
The coalition’s response concludes:
[…] Meta must demonstrate a genuine commitment to upholding human rights and protecting all voices on its platforms in these precarious times.
With a greenlight from Biden to continue the its invasion into #Rafah, despite evidence of war crimes https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/112421478297802310, #IDF is now calling residents of eastern #Rafah to evacuate to the “humanitarian zone” in the coastal al-Mawasi region in southern #Gaza. Similarly IDF called residents of Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya, two neighborhoods in northern Gaza, to evacuate to western Gaza City.
[cont’d] Egypt says to join South Africa ICJ case against Israel
The ministry said in a statement that this announcement comes in light of the “worsening severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
[cont’d] #ICJ to hold hearings over Israel's Rafah attacks
[…] South Africa will address the court on Thursday after it asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, last week to order Israel to cease its Rafah offensive and allow unimpeded access to Gaza for U.N. officials, organisations providing humanitarian aid, and journalists and investigators.
[cont’d] reminder: the #ICJ will convene at 3 PM for an urgent discussion scheduled to last two hours at the request of South Africa to issue new orders relating to the war in Gaza and its cessation, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, following the IDF activities in #Rafah.
South Africa will present its arguments, and tomorrow the Israeli delegation will do so between 10 AM and 12:00 PM.
Israeli media is estimating that there is a possibility that the Court will respond to South Africa's request and issue a #ceasefire order. However, the prevailing view is that Israel will not obey such an order.
[…] The hearings on May 16 and 17 will only focus on issuing emergency measures, to keep the dispute from escalating. It will likely take years before the court can rule on the merits of the case.