Middle East Press on: Erdogan, US, NATO, Gaza, ICC, Genocide: New Age Islam's Selection, 25 November 2024
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
25 November 2024
Why Erdogan’s Turkey Undermines US And NATO Security Interests
The Impact Of First Impressions: How Early Israel Experiences Shape Leaders’ Views
Strengthening The Israel-US Alliance: Putting Innovation And Security In Focus
Beyond October 7: Tackling Everyday Sexual Violence In Israeli Society
ICC Accuses Israel Of Genocide: Ignoring Evidence And Self-Defence Claims
What Early Elections Would Mean For Israel’s Future
Genocide Is Not A Grotesque Game By Numbers; It Is The Worst Of Crimes
Global Shifts Suggest Syria’s ‘Waiting Game’ Could Pay Off
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Why Erdogan’s Turkey Undermines Us And NATO Security Interests
By Eric R Mandel
November 25, 2024
The Foundation for Defence of Democracies’ (FDD) Turkish expert Sinan Ciddi writes that under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “Ankara is not only distancing itself from the West, but consciously working to undermine its core security interests.”
Most Americans are unaware that NATO’s second-largest military is led by an authoritarian leader who follows the Muslim Brotherhood’s anti-American Islamist ideology. Turkey (Turkiye) became the home of the Muslim Brotherhood after they were thrown out of Egypt in 2013.
The US State Department says, “Turkey is an important US security partner.” Yet, that same State Department is also highly critical of its human rights practices, “including arbitrary killings, torture, deaths in custody, forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and continued detention of tens of thousands of persons.”
Erdogan has eliminated from his military, media, judiciary, and government the pro-American and secular voices and, for good measure, imprisoned more journalists than any other country in the world.
Shortly after the 2024 US election, Erdogan called President-elect Donald Trump and invited him to visit Turkey. Where a President goes for the first foreign visit of a new administration has a powerful symbolic meaning and often lays a path for the coming policy priorities. When president Obama chose to snub Israel when he visited the Middle East early in his term, it signalled a distancing from Israel as part of his intent to pursue a rapprochement with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
What the Trump team must remember
Obama was also mistaken about Turkey. According to the FDD’s Ciddi, “One must remember that when Barack Obama took office in 2009, he considered Turkey to be a ‘model’ country, representing the successful fusion of democratic governance and Islam.” Either Obama was blind to the dangers of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology, or he was sympathetic to political Islamism.
The incoming Trump team should remember, “Turkey provided aid, weapons shipments, and fighter transits to Al Qaeda-affiliated extremist organizations… and helped facilitate its bloody rampage… Erdogan’s patronage of Hamas has been instrumental in the organization’s international efforts to fundraise, recruit, and likely execute terror attacks inside of Israel – possibly even those that took place on October 7.”
President-elect Trump may be tempted to make a deal with Erdogan, who will try to charm the former and future president. Erdogan wants to replace Qatar as an intermediary with Hamas. The correct choice for our new president is to list both Qatar and Turkey as state sponsors of terror for their support of Hamas and Iran.
The president-elect’s foreign policy team of Rubio, Witkoff, Hegseth, Huckabee, Waltz, and Stefanik prioritizes American interests, backing our most essential friend in the Middle East, Israel. The Forward called his “first national security picks, die-hard Israel supporters.” UN Ambassador-elect Elise Stefanik said, “Israel is America’s most critical ally in the Middle East,” something that will irk the Muslim Brotherhood’s Erdogan.
Erdogan sees Israel as an enemy and has been supporting, defending, and giving sanctuary to Hamas, which has planned its terrorism from Turkish soil.
“No one can make us qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization. Turkey is a country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and firmly backs them. Netanyahu and his administration, with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, like today’s Nazis,” Erdogan said.
TRUMP’S CHOICE for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, champions stronger relations with Turkish adversaries, Greece and Cyprus. Rubio led a bipartisan initiative with 45 senators “condemning the human rights situation in Turkey” in 2021.
According to the Greek Reporter, “The Florida senator’s…nomination has already sparked concern in Ankara, particularly due to his past criticism of Turkey’s 2019 offensive in Syria, his opposition to Erdogan’s relationship with Maduro, and his characterization of Turkey’s government as authoritarian, alongside Russia, China, and Venezuela.”
The Washington Examiner states, “Rubio has been publicly critical of many of Erdogan’s policy positions and believes he is detrimental to and undermining US security interests.”
Both sides of the aisle see Turkey as a problem. During his confirmation hearings for secretary of state in 2021, Antony Blinken said, “Turkey is not acting like an ally. The idea that a so-called strategic partner of ours would actually be in line with one of our biggest strategic competitors in Russia is unacceptable.”
Mike Waltz, Trump’s selection for national security advisor, is another strong supporter of Israel as well as of the Iraqi Kurds. Erdogan not only has a visceral hatred of Israel, but his animosity extends to all Kurdish groups as supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. This militant group has been fighting for Kurdish rights in Turkey as a beleaguered minority for decades.
But it is the Syrian Kurds who are a particular target of Erdogan. He ethnically cleansed hundreds of thousands of Kurds from northwest Syria, creating a Turkish-controlled region that is a Sunni Islamist enclave, undermining America’s Syrian Kurdish allies who were indispensable in defeating ISIS and who, at our behest, hold in custody thousands of ISIS members and their families.
So, what should the Trump administration demand of Turkey?
End financing and giving sanctuary to Hamas.
End the ethnic cleansing of the Syrian Kurds. If we abandon the Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces, which are indispensable in preventing the reemergence of ISIS, it could force US boots back on the ground. It will also signal to our allies worldwide that we are a fair-weather friend.
Hand over the Russian S-400 system so we can learn how to make our F-35 fleet invulnerable to the “axis of aggressors” communications jams.
Stop helping the Iranian economy as the Trump administration prepares to restart maximum pressure sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Revisit the Biden administration’s sale of F-16 fighters until Turkey aligns with our interests and acts like an ally and a member of NATO.
For leverage, threaten the removal of the US Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, which is important but not indispensable.
According to the Cato Institute’s Jason Cohen, “US policymakers often operate under the assumption that sending more weapons to…strategic partners provides Washington leverage over the recipients. Yet, Turkey serves as the latest example that the opposite is true. In Turkey’s case, the weaker ally is dictating US policy.”
Mr. Trump, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But remember, no matter how much Erdogan flatters you, he remains an American adversary trying to take advantage of you and our national security interests.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830560
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The Impact Of First Impressions: How Early Israel Experiences Shape Leaders’ Views
By Sharon Lindenbaum
November 25, 2024
Fortunately, Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) failed to pass a bill in Congress to prevent a much-needed arms sale to America’s long-term ally Israel. Sanders’s obsessive critique of Israel over the years demands examination.
While he claims to defend Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, he does everything to challenge this basic defense. Though he has been largely unsuccessful in his malicious attempts to defame Israel, his preoccupation with the Jewish state attracts some very illiberal political allies, which apparently causes him no ill-ease.
One might wonder why the Jewish US senator uses so much energy in flagellating Israel but expresses no criticism of hard-left Democrats (like the Squad) who throw their support on the side of terrorists?
From my recent observations of well-known figures who have voiced strong opinions about Israel, I believe these unequivocal opinions are formed during the individual’s first Israel experience. Sanders has often mentioned his time volunteering on an Israeli kibbutz.
We can imagine that he did not emerge from that experience full of love for the Jewish state. Maybe he met with criticism for not adapting to the demands of the menial jobs to which he was tasked. Maybe his fellow volunteers were not enamored by his intellectual capabilities. But it’s safe to guess that he was left with a life-long grudge against the Jewish state.
Political leader's experience in Israel
In stark contrast is Jerry Seinfeld, the hugely successful comedian, writer, and actor, who became a full-fledged, lifelong fan of Israel following his kibbutz volunteering experience and who openly expresses his love for Israel. And there’s Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, who trekked through Israel in his youth and rekindled that strong connection during Steven Harper’s premiership.
Poilievre, a gentile whose oratory ability can be viewed on YouTube, has expressed greater love and respect for the Jewish religion and the State of Israel than most Jews of any background.
Similarly, Dutch parliament member and party leader, Geert Wilder, whose party won the largest number of votes in the last election, is a strong vocal supporter of Israel. He formulated his views as a young adult while visiting Israel (even volunteering on a moshav), as well as Arab countries. His admiration and support for Israel are as strong as his criticism and condemnation of Israel’s detractors in the Arab world.
The media, of course, will always discredit politicians on the Right, referring to them as the far-right, though the Left is never called the far-left regardless of how inflammatory their rhetoric. But a cursory look would suggest that Wilder’s exploration and studies began unbiased, and his conclusions are derived by liberal values.
Israel has invested significantly in Birthright programs to encourage young Jews to support the Jewish state or even consider immigrating to Israel. Hopefully, their personal encounters were somewhat successful in offsetting the far-left Haaretz, which enjoys popularity among English-speaking readers. From personal experience, I know that some of their programs in Israel were designed to depict Israel as progressive, decrying “Jewish settlers” and discrediting right-wing patriotism.
In light of the positive effects the “Israel experience” has in promulgating Israel’s good name, it might be a good investment for Israel, when the active wars end, to partially subsidize separate Israel trips for young, non-Jewish students. Hopefully, they can return home and debunk the demonic fabrications that pass as facts running rampant on US and European college campuses. Of course, the premise for this proposal is that personalities like Bernie Sanders are the exception, a negligible anomaly.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830543
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Strengthening The Israel-Us Alliance: Putting Innovation And Security In Focus
By Oded Rose
November 25, 2024
Over the past year, against the backdrop of ongoing war and regional challenges, the existential necessity of Israel’s partnership with the United States in security, economic, and technological realms has become even more evident.
While the protracted conflict with Iran and its proxies and the regional security crisis pose significant challenges to Israel and the region, the US’ unwavering support for Israel’s security and right to self-defence remains ironclad.
In this critical time, Israel must further invest in bolstering its value to the US.
Beyond Israel’s strategic security role in the US framework for the Middle East and globally, Israel has additional assets to strengthen its bond with its closest ally. Building robust new connections between the two nations will deepen this partnership to the benefit of both.
The war that erupted a year ago has fundamentally altered the regional landscape, leading Israel and the US to a renewed understanding of the importance of deepening their alliance. Both nations recognize that decisions made now will shape Israel’s strategic positioning for years. Moreover, this relationship must adapt to a shifting global reality, encompassing challenges such as competition with China, the need for technological superiority, and supply chain control.
Placing business at the centre
Over the past year, the American administration and Congress have demonstrated their steadfast support for Israel. A bipartisan approval of a record $14.5 billion security assistance package underscores Israel’s standing as a central ally. This aid highlights that, at critical moments, the US stands firmly by Israel, even when there are minor differences of opinion.
However, this significant success should not overshadow the broader challenges facing this partnership. The US is undergoing profound demographic and economic shifts that influence its national priorities. Therefore, while current support for Israel remains strong, long-term thinking is essential to formalize and expand the partnership. Security support alone is insufficient; a broader collaboration spanning technology, economics, health, and more must be cultivated.
The evolving Israel-US relationship places the business sector at its core, serving as a stabilizing anchor amid political shifts. In the face of growing US-China competition, Israel offers the US valuable assets in innovation and technology. Israeli companies provide ground-breaking solutions in AI, quantum technologies, and health innovation, aligning with America’s efforts to maintain its technological edge. The economic cooperation between the nations has the potential to shape their technological and economic futures.
This partnership not only reinforces the bilateral relationship but also contributes to Israel’s ability to address regional security challenges and post-war recovery. Strengthening economic ties fosters increased investments and infrastructure development, even as economic forecasts project slower growth in 2025.
Within this intricate trade relationship, the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) plays a pivotal role. AmCham promotes collaborative platforms between Israeli and American companies, encouraging innovation in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, sustainability, health, and bio-economy. A recent example is the AmCham AI Forum, comprising dozens of Israeli and American companies operating in Israel.
The forum focuses on aligning Israeli industry with US regulatory standards and developing Israel’s AI ecosystem to remain at the forefront of global advancements. Similarly, bio-economy, identified by the US administration as a major growth driver, offers critical opportunities for Israel.
This is a partnership with deep roots, yet it must adapt to global shifts. Now, as Israel and the US face new challenges, the business community must lead the way to ensure the relationship remains stable and strong for years to come. By fostering deeper connections, initiating further collaborations, and integrating into the economic strategies of both nations, we can harness the power of this partnership to create a brighter future for both peoples.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830539
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Beyond October 7: Tackling Everyday Sexual Violence In Israeli Society
By Orit Sulitzeanu
November 25, 2024
Since the October 7 massacre, sexual violence has been at the forefront of Israeli public discourse. The attacks on that day constituted horrific, unimaginable sexual violence – part of a terrorist assault targeting innocent civilians in their homes and at the Nova music festival.
The prominence given to this issue stems from its national-security context. Sexual violence was perceived as a deliberate and particularly threatening component of an organized terrorist act designed to deeply shock Israeli society, instill fear, and cause lasting trauma.
This intense focus on the subject, including the fight against its denial, is entirely justified. However, it must not come at the expense of efforts to combat sexual violence in “ordinary,” everyday contexts unrelated to the conflict.
The events of October 7 were horrific, and the survivors must receive long-term treatment and rehabilitation from state authorities. At the same time, the state must also confront and acknowledge the sexual violence that occurs daily – violence that is not tied to an exceptionally dark moment in history but rather represents an ongoing, pervasive shadow over the lives of survivors.
The sexual violence that existed before October 7 continues to occur even now. The atrocities haven’t stopped because we’ve entered an emergency routine – they persist in homes, schools, the military, workplaces, and places of leisure. These are spaces perceived as safe and familiar but are, in fact, where most assaults occur. Even in the most ostensibly private and secure space – sometimes within the family – sexual violence takes place.
Horrifying statistics
Many are unaware that, in most cases, the perpetrator is known to the victim, unlike the rarer but less silenced assaults by strangers. Recently, we’ve seen that cases of group rape by teenagers haven’t disappeared. They happened before October 7 and, tragically, continue to occur now.
There’s no doubt that children subjected to prolonged abuse by a family member or someone they know endure profound, ongoing suffering. Their bodies and minds bear severe harm, often unseen, and it can take years for them to recover from the trauma.
The statistics are harrowing: One in three women continues to experience sexual violence, one in five children faces abuse daily, and one in six men is assaulted. In 2023, over 55,000 calls were made to the rape crisis centers, 6,405 cases of sexual offenses and harassment were opened by the police, 4,823 cases reached the prosecution, and 1,215 sex offenders were detained.
Today, over a year after October 7, 81% of sexual violence cases are closed by the prosecution, and 91% of complaints against police officers are dismissed without indictment.
The sexual violence perpetrated on October 7 will remain a pressing issue for years to come, and we will continue to fight against denial and silencing of the horrors that occurred. It is crucial for Israeli society, its government, and civil organizations to prioritize this issue.
However, it is equally essential to recognize the scope of sexual violence that happens daily and understand that it demands a serious and systematic response, now more than ever.
The horrors of October 7 should propel Israeli society to address the ongoing phenomenon of sexual violence during ordinary times – not overshadow it.
We must expand mental health services to reduce the two-year waiting period for therapy. We must increase conviction rates for offenders, most of whom currently face no consequences for their actions. There must be oversight of police officers, with those abusing their authority brought to justice.
Above all, we must reject the normalization of sexual violence as an inevitable part of life. We must fight rape culture and provide education about healthy sexuality and the prevention of sexual violence to every child in Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830556
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ICC Accuses Israel Of Genocide: Ignoring Evidence And Self-Defence Claims
By Neville Teller
November 25, 2024
The French have a saying: Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose – namely, the more things change, the more they stay the same. It applies with peculiar force to the Jewish people. Regardless of time, place, or circumstance, when disaster strikes or things go wrong, history demonstrates that the Jewish people are the world’s chief scapegoats.
Those who have swallowed the ancient tropes and hate Jews on account of some supposed global conspiracy, or excessive economic power, or imagined hostility to Christianity or Islam – such people will believe Jews capable of anything, no matter how ludicrous.
On November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) declared to the world that it believed Israel, under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, deliberately set out to slaughter the civilian population of Gaza. It would be difficult to imagine anything less likely.
It was on May 20, 2024 that Karim Khan, a British jurist and the ICC’s chief prosecutor, applied to the court to issue international arrest warrants against three Hamas leaders (all now dead), and also against Netanyahu and then-defence minister Yoav Gallant. His request in respect to the Israeli leaders was backed by a catalogue of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In issuing arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and his former defence chief, the ICC seems to have adopted Khan’s accusations as fact. The court charged them with being criminally responsible for a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza.”
ICC claims genocide
They claim that an Israeli blockade on Gaza resulted in a lack of food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies which “created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children, due to malnutrition and dehydration”.
The judges appear to believe that Netanyahu engaged in a “systematic” operation “calculated” to slaughter the civilian population.
Together with the warrants, the ICC issued a press release setting out the rationale for the judges’ decision. It contains not a single indication that, in attacking Hamas, Israel was engaged in a justifiable act of self-defence, in accordance with international law, following the barbarous onslaught by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. That, too, was not mentioned.
Even more to the point, the judges’ justification does not refer to the fact that Hamas had embedded itself within the civilian structure of Gaza. It says nothing, either, of the extraordinary steps taken by Israel to warn the population of impending military operations.
The ICC’s legal proceedings bear a remarkable similarity to those portrayed by Gilbert and Sullivan in their comic opera Trial by Jury. In its opening moments the Usher sternly instructs the jury: “From bias free of every kind this trial must be tried.” A moment later, totally enamoured of the young lady bringing the case, he tells them to pay no heed to the “ruffianly” defendant: “What he may say you needn’t mind.”
Israel’s case, to which the ICC judges paid no heed, was convincingly placed before them on August 5 by Dr. Rafael Bardaji on behalf of the High Level Military Group (HLMG), an association of military leaders and officials from NATO and other democratic countries. It tore Khan’s case to shreds.
In Khan’s application to the ICC, he states as a fact that Israel indulged in “collective punishment of the civilian population.” He substantiates this by asserting that Israel “deliberately” starved them, “wilfully” caused them great suffering, serious injury, and death, and “intentionally” directed attacks against them, murdering and persecuting them. He makes these assertions without offering any proof that the actions he lists were deliberate, wilful or intentional.
AS THE HLMG made clear in the first paragraph of its 28-paragraph submission, its observations were based on solid, first-hand evidence. “The HLMG conducted an in-country assessment of the Gaza conflict in July 2024, visiting IDF military headquarters from the top level; humanitarian aid installations and operations; units down to battalion level of command; and a visit inside Gaza.”
It first tackles Khan’s allegations that Israel blocked food supplies from reaching the Gazan population, deliberately starving them. The HLMG describes visiting crossing points built by the IDF since the war began specifically to facilitate increased volumes of aid entering the Gaza Strip.
The Erez crossing was completely destroyed by Hamas on October 7. “Since then, two vehicle crossing points in Erez were established by the IDF. We observed roads inside the Gaza Strip that were built by the IDF specifically to enable delivery of aid laterally and south to north.”
The submission continues: “The IDF operates according to a clear chain of command. The directives and commands we reviewed did not include any order to starve civilians, or to use issues related to humanitarian assistance as a method of warfare, and in fact, included clear statements regarding the IDF’s legal obligations toward the civilian population.”
Its conclusion: “Our assessment shows that the IDF is operationalizing the Israeli government’s stated policy to ‘flood Gaza with aid’… we believe this is counter indicative of and inconsistent with any plan or intent to employ starvation as a method of warfare at any stage in this conflict.”
The submission then turns to Khan’s assertion in his arrest warrant application that Israel imposed “a total siege over Gaza,” demonstrating from known and provable facts that at no stage was Gaza under siege.
Finally, the submission describes the IDF military justice and accountability mechanism that the HLMG found “consistent with the highest standards of our own armed forces.” The group singled out for praise the IDF Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM), which examines any incident that could raise a charge of possible illegal conduct or military procedural misconduct.
“There are currently approximately 300 incidents being actively investigated by the FFAM,” it says, “with many more which they have received initial information about. To our knowledge, no other armed forces have established such a permanent system but would benefit from doing so.”
The ICC describes its own remit in these terms. “The ICC intervenes only in situations where states themselves are either unwilling or unable to genuinely investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.”
The HLMG submission states: “We do not believe there is a credible basis to conclude Israel lacks the ability or will to implement national investigatory and judicial processes that are comparable to other countries and their militaries.”
The judges of the ICC have not only ignored compelling evidence from an impeccable source that challenges the charges brought by their prosecutor, but they have misdirected themselves as to the court’s competence to act against the leaders of a democratic state with a fully functioning judicial system of its own.The ICC has shot itself in the foot.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830547
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What Early Elections Would Mean For Israel’s Future
By Susan Hattis Rolef
November 25, 2024
I do my weekend shopping regularly on Jerusalem’s Gaza Street. With growing frequency, part of the street is blocked to traffic on weekends, and sometimes even on weekdays, because of the emotional demonstrations outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence.
Last Friday morning, the section of the street near Netanyahu’s residence was more hermetically blocked than usual. The reason was a silent, poker-faced demonstration of several hundred participants in support of the immediate release of the hostages being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The demonstrators, made up largely of middle-aged Ashkenazi women dressed in white and holding white parasols, stood or sat on the street to the north of the intersection of Gaza and Metudela streets. They were surrounded by bored, armed border policewomen, waiting to go home.
When I entered my grocery store on Gaza Street, one grocer said to me: “Each demonstrator outside received NIS 900 to participate in the demonstration.”
“Where did you hear this nonsense?” I asked. He looked at me contemptuously, and said “From people.” The spokespersons of the home being guarded, perhaps?
Political game or humanitarian issue?
This was the first manifestation of dissonance I had experienced that morning, coming from a man who makes a living from serving residents of my Rehavia neighborhood, at least some of whom were among the demonstrators.
Sadly, the hostage issue has turned from a tragic and painful humanitarian problem into a cynical political game. All the polls show that a vast majority of the population favors the immediate return of the hostages, no matter how high the price.
Even though there are several members of the government who state that the return of the hostages is of the highest importance, the government itself, under Netanyahu, seems adamant on leaving the hostage issue way behind on the agenda, despite the fact that time is running out for the hostages.
Unless elections are held very soon, so that the feelings of the majority can be expressed and help decide the issue, the fear is that the majority, or perhaps all of the hostages, will perish before they are returned.
Elections must also be held to determine the future of the Gaza Strip. At the moment, it looks as if Israel is moving rapidly, at Netanyahu’s behest, toward the reestablishment of a long-term Israeli military administration in the Gaza Strip, which is opposed by former defense minister Yoav Gallant and most of the IDF top brass.
A long-term military administration will not only be exorbitantly costly in financial and manpower terms but will also act to the benefit of those who seek to reestablish controversial Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Before any such steps are taken, the people must be able to express their preferences regarding both issues.
Even though the current government holds a comfortable 68 majority in the Knesset, there is no chance that such a majority would reemerge if elections were held tomorrow. All the polls predict that the current coalition might even lose its majority.
Last Thrusday's decision of the International Criminal Court in The Hague raises another problem that requires immediate attention, and which is unlikely to happen without new elections. A vast majority agree that the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant is outrageous and totally disproportionate.
The fact that Israel refuses to accept the jurisdiction of the court further complicates Israel’s position, because there are 124 states, including all the 27 members of the EU, who are signatories of the Rome Statute that established the court in 1998 and are liable to comply with the ICC’s arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. The arrest warrants are based on allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian population there.
However, in addition to the immediate problem of the arrest warrants, with which Israel will undoubtedly contend successfully, there is another more urgent problem that could involve some fundamental decisions regarding Israel’s international modus operandi: Will Israel abide by international law or by God’s promises?
Beyond the question of how exactly international law relates to some of the unique features of the so-called “Palestine question,” it should be noted that the Palestinians never had a state of their own called “Palestine.” They failed to form a state on the basis of UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947 concerning the partition of British Mandatory Palestine.
Furthermore, the Palestinian state mentioned in the ICC decision of last Thursday is a rather enigmatic entity, especially with regard to the Hamas-led Gaza Strip. However, this does not mean that Israel does not have international law obligations regarding the Palestinian inhabitants of east Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, one problem is that parts of Israel’s religious population do not recognize the validity of much of international law with regard to Israel. The Zionist movement, from its inception, based all its political activities regarding the attainment of Jewish national sovereignty in the Land of Israel on “public law,” and the legal foundations of the State of Israel are grounded in the 1947 UN Partition Plan. But Orthodox Judaism, and its political representatives, see the basis of the state’s existence and its territory in God’s promise to the Jewish people – not in international law.
Most of Israel’s state institutions to the present day, including the IDF, have legal departments that contain international law sections. However, there are growing parts of the Israeli population that do not accept this reality.
The question of whether Israel should follow God’s promises and commandments, rather than the rules of international law in running its international affairs, should at long last be decided by the public in general elections.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830544
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Genocide Is Not A Grotesque Game By Numbers; It Is The Worst Of Crimes
November 24, 2024
By Yvonne Ridley
There is a tsunami of blood red ink gushing forth from the incredulous pens of angry far-right defenders of the Zionist State of Israel who are reeling from the shock of the unprecedented legal action taken against Israel’s leaders by the International Criminal Court: arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defence Minister he sacked earlier this month, Yoav Gallant.
Such a response was as predictable as Netanyahu’s claim of “anti-Semitism” — as was the flow of whataboutery — as each tried to outdo the other in their efforts to justify Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. One desperate defender of all things Israeli has even plumbed the depths of depravity by calling out nations with “higher kill counts”.
Admittedly, when it comes to genocide whataboutery, there is one country in a league of its own: the United States of America. In recent centuries, European settlers have wiped out indigenous populations without so much as a by your leave. But this is a poor excuse for letting Israel act with impunity.
We must not forget that among the disappearing nations are the once proud Native Americans of North and South America, and Australia’s Aborigines, wiped out in their millions by Europe’s greed for land and resources. It’s a fact that whenever there is a genocide, European imperialists and colonial settlers are rarely far away, and the same is true in occupied Palestine. The numbers involved in such genocides far outweigh the industrial scale massacre of Palestinians since the Nakba. However, do the supporters of the Zionist state really expect us to sit idly by, and say and do nothing until Israel has killed enough Palestinians to join the major league of genocidal maniacs?
Moreover, do the Zionist genocide apologists seriously expect the Palestinians to be sitting ducks instead of fighting for their very existence in the face of a brutal military occupation of their land? Resistance against occupation is their right under international law.
The number slaughtered in the Holocaust was six million, mostly Jews. Mercifully, the Nazi extermination programme was halted, thank God, because European, US and Soviet forces came together to stop the fascists in their tracks. What would those brave men and women think of today’s crop of right-wing extremists pulling the strings in Europe and the US to defend the neo-fascist Zionist state, I wonder?
Lest the current crop of right-wing extremists forget, the International Court of Justice was formed post-World War II as a direct result of the Nazi war crimes and genocide committed in Europe against Jews and other minority groups. The ICC followed in 2002 to hold individuals, rather than states, to account.
The UN Charter was signed on 26 June, 1945, and the organisation came into existence a few months later on 24 October. It was established to protect millions of ordinary citizens and work to prevent future world wars. The initial membership has expanded from 51 nations in 1945 to 193 today. The UN has been hanging precariously since 7 October 2023, with its own employees targeted by Israel. At least 233 staff members of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have been killed by Israel since 7 October last year. The agency has now been banned from working in the occupation state, which refuses to recognise the UN passports of its staff, and many UNRWA buildings and schools have been destroyed by Israeli bombs.
That a global force for good can be so publicly trashed and derided by Zionists speaks volumes about where “Western civilisation” stands today. For more than 400 days the world has watched, torn between shock and revulsion at what Israel has done to the Palestinians in the name of self-defence. The Gaza genocide has been (and still is) filled with truly shocking murders, prison rapes, torture and starvation as the Zionist State’s inhumanity has been broadcast in real time on social media.
Her fragile body was found in the family car alongside her aunt, uncle and three young cousins, as well as two paramedics who had tried to save her; all had been killed by the crew of an Israeli tank just metres away. Listen to the heartbreaking audio recordings of the call made by Hind to Gaza’s emergency services letting them know that she was the only one left alive in the car, hiding from Israeli forces among the bodies of her relatives. Israeli soldiers in a tank killed her mercilessly; a six-year-old child.
Two months later, we heard the testimony of Hadeel Al-Dahdouh, a 24-yeaar-old mother of two, who was beaten, tortured and buried alive by Israeli occupation forces.
Then just when we thought we could not be shocked any more, in July we heard that 24-year-old Muhammed Bhar, who had Down’s Syndrome, was found dead by his family a week after Israeli soldiers set a military attack dog on him in his home. He was savaged and left to die.
Throughout the past 400+ days we’ve been exposed to the crimes of Israeli soldiers which they felt empowered enough to film and share on Facebook and Instagram. The perverts dressed in the underwear and night clothes of their Palestinian female victims, laughing and joking for all to see, will, please God, come to regret their crimes. Others filmed themselves looting and pillaging the homes of their victims. All of these well-documented war crimes will, if there is any justice at all in this world, come back to haunt these soldiers, some of whom live in Europe and have been identified.
War crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed with apparent impunity, ordered and enabled from the very top of the occupation regime, hence the arrest warrants, a clear signal from the ICC that it doesn’t trust Israel’s corrupt legal system to be robust enough to bring the criminals to account. When it comes to genocide, “never again” must mean just that. Convictions at all levels of the Israeli hierarchy at The Hague will be a tribute to every single person around the world who has marched for justice for Palestine; for all the university students who set up peace camps; and for activists such as those working with Palestine Action who risked their own liberty to try to stop the war.
World leaders will ignore such movements at their peril in future. It might have taken a while for the Global North to wake up to what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights established on 10 December 1948 really means, but Israel — if it survives in its present form — will learn a lesson that no nation, state or people, is above the law, and nor are the so-called superpowers.
This means that the law cannot be applied according to some sort of grotesque numbers game. The Srebrenica Genocide in July 1995 saw Serb forces slaughter 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys. While it is impossible to try to quantify 80 years of pain and suffering endured by the Palestinian people, there is no doubt that the number of civilians killed by Israel in Gaza is more than ten times that of the Bosnian genocide, with tens of thousands more wounded and missing, presumed dead. And yet, media commentators and talking heads such as Piers Morgan still cannot acknowledge that a genocide is taking place before our eyes in Gaza. He and those like him think that they know better than UN experts, lawyers and genocide scholars.
This is something he will have to live with as long as writers like myself are able to remind him. It would serve Morgan and his ilk well to remember how former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright came to her senses when being interviewed by Democracy Now! presenter Amy Goodman about her atrocious comment that the “price was worth it” when 500,000 Iraqi children died as a result of US sanctions.
The late Albright told Goodman in 2004: “I have said 5,000 times that I regret it. It was a stupid statement. I never should have made it. And if everybody else that has ever made a statement they regret would stand up, there would be a lot of people standing. I have many, many times said it, and I wish that people would report that I have said it. I wrote it in my book that it was a stupid statement.” Over to you, Piers.
Britain’s Guardian published an editorial this week pointing out that international law should not only apply to weaker nations. “The crimes at the centre of these [ICC arrest] warrants are among the gravest violations of international humanitarian law, including starvation as a weapon of war and deliberate attacks on civilians. When such acts are systematic and state-driven, they demand accountability. The ICC’s pursuit of justice tests the international community’s resolve to uphold these norms in the face of political resistance.”
The ICC arrest warrants are a victory for people power and the growing anti-war movement, but it is also a huge victory for the heroic Palestinians who have struggled so bravely to expose the crimes committed against them to a watching world which has been almost totally blind to Zionist cruelty. Indeed, if it wasn’t for the Palestinians we would never have known exactly how evil the Zionist State of Israel and its supporters really are.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241124-genocide-is-not-a-grotesque-game-by-numbers-it-is-the-worst-of-crimes/
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Global Shifts Suggest Syria’s ‘Waiting Game’ Could Pay Off
Christopher Phillips
November 24, 2024
At the height of Syria’s civil war, Bente Scheller, a political scientist and former German diplomat, published “The Wisdom of Syria’s Waiting Game.” In it, she argued that Syrian foreign policy under President Bashar Assad and, before that, his father Hafez Assad had long followed a strategy of “waiting out” international difficulties and crises. Damascus would rarely change the policies that provoked ire from outsiders, but instead waited for former critics to soften their stance.
This has been Assad’s approach since the Syria conflict exploded in 2011, refusing demands to loosen his brutal grip on power, confident that, with considerable help from allies Russia and Iran, eventually it will be his enemies that bend. Thirteen years after many in the international community cut ties with Damascus and erected sanctions, the regional climate appears to be shifting, and Assad may believe that Syria’s waiting game is once again paying off.
Syria’s international rehabilitation has already begun. Even during the civil war, Damascus was never fully isolated. As well as allies Russia, Iran, and China, significant powers, notably Brazil and India, declined to sever ties. As it became clear Assad would survive, a trickle of Arab states, such as the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, which had called for his overthrow reestablished ties. In 2023, Saudi Arabia favored Syria’s return to the Arab League after its suspension 12 years earlier.
But there is still a long way to go. While back in the Arab League and attending regional events such as the recent Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, Assad is far from fully reintegrated. Jordan, among others, protests the flow of Captagon from Syria, allegedly overseen by the Assad regime, while trade and diplomatic relations with the Arab world remain far below pre-2011 levels. Despite low-level talks with Ankara, detente with Turkiye appears to have stalled over continued Turkish control of northern Syria. Meanwhile, relations with the EU and the US remain severed, with economic sanctions still in place.
However, three recent developments could shift the dial. First, the Lebanon war. Almost 500,000 people have sought sanctuary in Syria since October, mostly Syrians who fled war in their own country during the previous decade. This helps Assad paint a more positive international image of his war-torn state — even if many refugees are reportedly trying to move on to either Iraq or rebel-held northern Syria. It also increases Syria’s importance to the international aid community and raises the, albeit remote, possibility that Damascus might be included in Lebanese peace talks.
A further benefit is that though the decimation of its ally Hezbollah is a blow, it shifts the balance in the Hezbollah-Syria-Iran relationship more in Assad’s favor.
Second, the continued rise of populist right-wing parties in Europe increases the chance that ties with the continent could improve. Populist governments in Hungary and Italy have already pushed for the EU to loosen sanctions in exchange for Assad taking back Syrian refugees, and Rome even reopened its Damascus embassy in September.
A key development could be the German elections in February, should this result in a far-right Alternative for Germany triumph. Germany and France have led EU opposition to Assad and pushed against those calling for improving ties. But the AFD met with Syrian officials in 2019, and has previously mooted collaborating with Assad to repatriate many of the Syrians living in Germany. Even if the AFD is frozen out of government by other parties, a strong election performance might persuade Germany’s leaders to alter their uncompromising stance on Assad.
Finally, there is the reelection of Donald Trump. On the one hand, there are signs that Trump’s return could benefit Assad. His pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently noted how Trump wants to remove US troops from northeastern Syria. This would likely benefit Assad, who wants to recapture all this region. Kurdish forces, currently administering there under US protection, would probably be forced to reconcile with Assad in the face of the alternative: attack by Turkiye. Such an outcome could also help oil the stalled detente with Ankara. Neutralizing the Kurdish autonomous region might lessen Turkish security concerns or, alternatively, Assad might be more open to a phased Turkish withdrawal from the north, having recently captured the east.
It is also possible that Assad’s relative neutrality during the Gaza war — not joining its allies Iran and Hezbollah in fighting Israel — may be rewarded with a less hawkish approach from the Trump administration. Tulsi Gabbard, named as director of national intelligence, visited Syria and met Assad in 2017 while a Congresswoman, and her nomination supports the possibility that the new White House could be less hostile. A softer US view of Russia under Trump might also benefit Assad. While the lifting of US sanctions on Damascus appears unlikely, Assad may hope that a less aggressive White House will enforce them less vigilantly.
Yet, Trump showed during his first term how unpredictable he can be, and his approach could easily break the other way. Should Trump ramp up his hostility to Iran, as he did before, Assad is unlikely to cut ties with Tehran, which remains the cornerstone of Syria’s foreign policy. In such circumstances, Syria could once again be in Trump’s crosshairs.
However, although the geopolitical wheel appears to be turning, it is far from clear Assad will seize this opportunity. It requires considerable diplomatic skill to utilize these changing circumstances effectively. Although the Syrian leader has followed his father’s “waiting game” diplomacy, it is yet to be seen if he has inherited Hafez Assad’s ability to navigate a way back into international favor. Despite more advantageous conditions, Syria could yet remain a relative pariah.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2580600
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/middle-east-press/erdogan-us-nato-icc-genocide/d/133806
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