Let me begin by apologizing to readers who have written to me after my most recent postings, looking for comments or answers to questions. Quite simply, at present I have not the time to respond, although I do read all communications.
I wrote yesterday but feel sufficiently enraged so that I am compelled to write again: I do not wish to wait until after Shabbat and time is short.
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We are seeing obscene behavior towards Israel within different quarters of the international community.
And so, we begin with the most obscene: the ICC, the International Criminal Court in the Hague. This afternoon (Thursday) the Court issued warrants for the arrest of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest…”
“The court said it had found reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant ‘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 said that there were also ‘reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bear responsibility for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population,’ though it noted that ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan had only provided information about two incidents that the court said were directed against civilians…
“The ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel as Jerusalem is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the court. But in a legalistic sleight of hand, the court has asserted jurisdiction by accepting ‘Palestine’ as a signatory in 2015, even though no such state is recognized under international law. (Emphasis added here and above.)
“The 123 countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute are obligated to act on any arrest warrant it issues, raising the possibility that Netanyahu and Gallant could be placed under arrest while visiting these places.”
https://www.jns.org/icc-issues-arrest-warrants-for-netanyahu-gallant/
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Anne Hertzberg, legal advisor for NGO Monitor, called this action “outrageous”: “It’s a geopolitical bombshell. It’s the first time the court has issued arrest warrants against a Western country and also the first time that they are issuing arrest warrants when there’s no jurisdiction in the case, but they’ve invented it for themselves.”
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I call this exceedingly virulent anti-Semitism at an international level. The libelous charges are invented: Claims, for example, that Israel has deliberately targeted the civilian population in Gaza, when the fact is that no nation at war has ever done more to protect enemy civilians.
Here I simply want to provide the basic information. I will follow through with more as the situation evolves.
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Let us circle back, then, to my discussion yesterday of Biden’s behavior towards Israel in his last weeks of presidency (emphasis added):
“The Biden Administration is again withholding an important arms shipment from Israel, while the Jewish State is engaged in [an] existential fight against surrounding Iranian proxies.
“The delivery of some 20,000 MK84 heavy bombs, each weighing a ton, has been delayed by the White House, according to a report [on] Wednesday night Israel’s Channel 12 News.”
Bombs of this size (bunker busters) are needed to reach terrorist tunnels and concrete terror command centers built at a depth of 60 feet and sometimes even deeper.
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And then there is Australia:
“The Australian government has declined to grant an entry visa to former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked, who had planned to travel there to attend a pro-Israel event…
“Shaked…told Channel 12 News that the decision was due to ‘the anti-Israel and radically pro-Palestinian’ policies of the current Australian government, which has been led by the left-wing Labor Party since 2022.
“’…For political reasons, since I’m opposed to a Palestinian state, it won’t allow me to attend a strategic dialog’ on Israel-Australian relations…’These are dark days for Australian democracy. This government chose to be on the wrong side of history.’”
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I close with good news – news that gives us strength and tells us why we will be fine, more than fine, in the end.
A “Freedom of Zion” conference sponsored by the Herut Center was held Tuesday night at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center. It featured Ben Shapiro, an American Jew who is host of a daily political podcast, founder of media company The Daily Wire, and author of several books (to the left below) and Douglas Murray, a British author and outspoken defender of Israel (to the right below).
Murray, who is not Jewish, confessed that his connection to Israel has “become personal. When I read about something terrible happening here, it affects me personally, as if it’s family.”
“There’s only ‘one option,’ for Israel, that is to be ‘prominent and strong.’”
Shapiro, while addressing the audience of 3,000, said:
“You are an outpost of Western civilization.
“This is the tip of the spear in a civilizational battle. It’s why everyone cares so much and it’s why you don’t have a choice as to whether to succeed. You have a duty to succeed … Because as you go, Western civilization goes.”
Let us not forget this; we stand strong and proud.
See more:
https://www.jns.org/douglas-murray-ben-shapiro-pack-israels-largest-auditorium/
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Please, pray with a full heart…
[] for the safety of the Jewish People everywhere,
[] for the continued strength and courage of Israel’s leaders as they make the hard decisions,
[] for the safety of our soldiers in battle as they fight a righteous war,
[] and for the rescue of the hostages.
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©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
