Possibly Hamas is including the ones they murder themselves?
The United Nations has significantly adjusted Palestinian casualty figures (from the Hamas run Gaza Health Authority) for the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, halving the number of women and children previously reported killed.
But they’re only counted once each, unless each one identifies as they/them I suppose.
View attachment 22095
While more than 9,500 women and 14,500 children were reported among the fatalities by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on May 6, two days later that number was revised significantly downward. Today, under 5,000 women and 8,000 children are now officially listed by the UN as casualties.
…but does it list Hamas militants deaths as women & children Casualties? The differences between the two datasets was investigated by Gabriel Epstein of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, an American think-tank, who found in late March they yielded “wildly different and irreconcilable results, indicating that the media reports methodology is dramatically understating fatalities among adult males, the demographic most likely to be combatants” but drastically overstates fatalities of women & children…so perhaps adult male Palestinian Hamas militants just become women & children upon their deaths?
Epstein argued that his analysis of the two Hamas-run institutions “undercuts the persistent claim that 72 per cent of those killed in Gaza are women and children.”
View attachment 22096
Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, an organization that monitors the body’s constellation of agencies, told the Post that the UN’s approach to monitoring Israel and Gaza is unique.
“The UN’s method of reporting deaths in Gaza is the complete opposite of what they do in other conflict situations,” Neuer said, pointing to the UN’s recent efforts in Ukraine where it has established “a defined methodology using individual records of civilian harm, where a standard of proof was met, namely, reasonable grounds to believe that the harm took place.”
Neuer suggested the divergent approach is due to institutional anti-Israel bias plaguing the international community.
United Nations halves estimate of women and children killed in Gaza — National Post
Without any announcement, the United Nations (UN) significantly lowers its previously stated casualty list in the Gaza Stripapple.news
“But when Israel can be blamed, it’s the complete opposite. For reporting Gaza deaths, there is no method, and no standard of proof. All the UN does is parrot figures supplied by Hamas, which is laundered and legitimized by the UN as the neutral-sounding ‘Gaza Ministry of Health,’ or ‘Government Media Office,’ when in fact both are run by the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Neuer called the significant update, which was not announced, as an admission “essentially … to have been feeding the media and the world completely false numbers.” The UN Watch leader encouraged the body to take a page out of its own playbook used during the Syrian Civil War, “when the UN Human Rights Office announced it had stopped updating the death toll … because it could no longer verify the sources of information, acknowledging its inability to verify ‘source material’ from others.”
The news comes a month after the Hamas-run Ministry of Health publicly disclosed that more than 10,000 previously reported fatalities had “incomplete data,” lacking basic biographical information such as their names. Such recent developments have cast serious doubts on earlier Hamas claims that 70 per cent of Palestinian casualties in the Israel-Hamas War were either women or children. According to the Times of Israel, the latest revision would bring the ratio of combatants to civilians killed in the conflict to nearly 1:1.
1:1? In an urban combat situation? Is that even plausible? “Either way, the number would be historically low for modern urban warfare,” West Point’s urban war studies chair John Spencer wrote in late March, contextualizing the conduct of Israel’s military operations compared with other recent urban combat theatres such as Mosul, Iraq, in fighting against the Islamic State.
Two days after Spencer’s article, University of Pennsylvania professor Abraham Wyner spoke with the Post explaining a recent analysis of the Gaza Health Ministry he conducted, suggesting that the numbers were largely fabricated by Hamas to fit its political narrative.
Nigeria vs Boko Haram 350,000 dead
Sudan vs JEM/Darfur 300,000 dead
Yemen vs Houthis 233,000 dead
Pakistan vs Islamists 50,000 dead
Syria's civil war 400,000 dead
South Sudan's civil war 400,000 dead Ethiopia and Eritrea vs Tigray 600,000 dead
The global protests through Western Universities must have been historic!!
Hamas attacks Israel
- Thread starter Serryah
- Start date
Crazy world. huh? One could also ask why Xinnie the Pooh and the Bedpanites are supporting the muslim extremists. But we already know why so it's a moot question I guess.
One could also ask why Great Britain and Canada allied with the two top Marxist-Leninist countries in the world to fight WWII.
What the planislav Stanislav?
Replacing Hamas
The four sources described an international effort to support the re-deployment of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces in the Gaza Strip.
They recognized that the PA is not currently in a position to immediately assume security — let alone governing — responsibilities in Gaza.
The PA is arguably in its weakest position since its founding 30 years ago, when it was envisioned as a precursor to a more sovereign entity. In the eyes of Palestinians, the PA’s legitimacy has waned amid charges of corruption and mismanagement that have piled up as Israel entrenched its presence in the West Bank.
The US along with its Arab and European partners are not deterred, though, and are working to establish mechanisms for a reformed PA to return to the Strip.
While much of the plan is still being crafted, stakeholders have been clear that it will be conditioned on Israel agreeing to a time-bound pathway to a Palestinian state.
Such acquiescence is highly unlikely to be accepted by the Israeli public, with an appetite for concessions to Palestinians at perhaps an all-time low following the October 7 attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested in an interview last week with Dr. Phil that countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia might be willing to assist in the administration of Gaza, despite his rejection of their main condition, which he has branded “a prize for Hamas’s terror.”
This was not received well in the UAE, whose Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed responded that Abu Dhabi would only offer its support once a “Palestinian government is formed that meets the hopes and aspirations of the brotherly Palestinian people and enjoys integrity, competence and independence.”
Some officials have suggested that Abu Dhabi and other Arab countries have privately shown more flexibility.
US President Joe Biden said last week that five Arab countries “are prepared to help rebuild Gaza, prepared to help transition to a two-state solution… to maintain the security and peace while they’re working out a Palestinian Authority that’s real and not corrupt.”
Biden said he did not want to name the five countries “because I don’t want to get them in trouble,” but it was quite clear that he was referring to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar.
Those five countries are the ones that have been holding talks as a group and also with the US to put forward a postwar vision for Gaza aimed at an eventual end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The US is aiming for that initiative to be tied to Saudi Arabia agreeing to normalize relations with Israel, but Riyadh has the same condition regarding eventual Palestinian statehood. US officials told The Times of Israel last month that there are still some senior members in the Biden administration who believe that Netanyahu would be willing to come around on this condition when cornered and presented with the alternatives.
As for the UAE’s Bin Zayed, what appeared to have particularly set him off was Netanyahu’s insistence in last week’s interview that Israel’s Arab allies would be willing to help manage the Strip, while Israel continues to regularly operate there militarily to prevent the resurgence of Hamas.
This dynamic helped contribute to the PA’s popularity plummet in the West Bank, with Ramallah seen as collaborating with Israel while getting no progress toward sovereignty in return for that security cooperation.
The UAE, Egypt and other Arab countries appear similarly sensitive to being framed in such a light and, accordingly, have chafed at the idea of operating in Gaza alongside Israeli forces after the war.
An American source familiar with the matter said this would likely be a sticking point, but said the US would not oppose Israel pursuing Hamas’s leadership after the war is over.
“Given that Hamas will still be in Gaza and our support for an enduring defeat of the terror group and commitment to preventing it from running the Strip again, you can read between the lines on that one,” the source said.
www.timesofisrael.com
Replacing Hamas
The four sources described an international effort to support the re-deployment of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces in the Gaza Strip.
They recognized that the PA is not currently in a position to immediately assume security — let alone governing — responsibilities in Gaza.
The PA is arguably in its weakest position since its founding 30 years ago, when it was envisioned as a precursor to a more sovereign entity. In the eyes of Palestinians, the PA’s legitimacy has waned amid charges of corruption and mismanagement that have piled up as Israel entrenched its presence in the West Bank.
The US along with its Arab and European partners are not deterred, though, and are working to establish mechanisms for a reformed PA to return to the Strip.
While much of the plan is still being crafted, stakeholders have been clear that it will be conditioned on Israel agreeing to a time-bound pathway to a Palestinian state.
Such acquiescence is highly unlikely to be accepted by the Israeli public, with an appetite for concessions to Palestinians at perhaps an all-time low following the October 7 attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested in an interview last week with Dr. Phil that countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia might be willing to assist in the administration of Gaza, despite his rejection of their main condition, which he has branded “a prize for Hamas’s terror.”
This was not received well in the UAE, whose Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed responded that Abu Dhabi would only offer its support once a “Palestinian government is formed that meets the hopes and aspirations of the brotherly Palestinian people and enjoys integrity, competence and independence.”
Some officials have suggested that Abu Dhabi and other Arab countries have privately shown more flexibility.
US President Joe Biden said last week that five Arab countries “are prepared to help rebuild Gaza, prepared to help transition to a two-state solution… to maintain the security and peace while they’re working out a Palestinian Authority that’s real and not corrupt.”
Biden said he did not want to name the five countries “because I don’t want to get them in trouble,” but it was quite clear that he was referring to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar.
Those five countries are the ones that have been holding talks as a group and also with the US to put forward a postwar vision for Gaza aimed at an eventual end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The US is aiming for that initiative to be tied to Saudi Arabia agreeing to normalize relations with Israel, but Riyadh has the same condition regarding eventual Palestinian statehood. US officials told The Times of Israel last month that there are still some senior members in the Biden administration who believe that Netanyahu would be willing to come around on this condition when cornered and presented with the alternatives.
As for the UAE’s Bin Zayed, what appeared to have particularly set him off was Netanyahu’s insistence in last week’s interview that Israel’s Arab allies would be willing to help manage the Strip, while Israel continues to regularly operate there militarily to prevent the resurgence of Hamas.
This dynamic helped contribute to the PA’s popularity plummet in the West Bank, with Ramallah seen as collaborating with Israel while getting no progress toward sovereignty in return for that security cooperation.
The UAE, Egypt and other Arab countries appear similarly sensitive to being framed in such a light and, accordingly, have chafed at the idea of operating in Gaza alongside Israeli forces after the war.
An American source familiar with the matter said this would likely be a sticking point, but said the US would not oppose Israel pursuing Hamas’s leadership after the war is over.
“Given that Hamas will still be in Gaza and our support for an enduring defeat of the terror group and commitment to preventing it from running the Strip again, you can read between the lines on that one,” the source said.
The US aims to wrap up Gaza war. How does that square with its goal of toppling Hamas?
Biden officials envision substantially weakened Hamas remaining in Gaza, but aim to marginalize it further with an Arab-backed PA that can out-govern the terror group
www.timesofisrael.com
I don't have a response but wanted you to know that made me laugh.
That was the point.I don't have a response but wanted you to know that made me laugh.
People walk near houses in the illegal Israeli settlements of Ofra, in the occupied West Bank, February 6, 2017 [Baz Ratner/Reuters]
Published On 13 May 202413 May 2024
Tens of thousands of US citizens are among the 700,000 Jewish residents of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. With settler violence against Palestinian residents surging since October 7, prompting sanctions and condemnation from more than a dozen countries, we look at the role of dual nationals.
The Take: The US funding behind illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank
The Take looks at the US citizens and other dual nationals living in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Mayor Chow's no-show at Israeli flag-raising event an insult to Toronto's Jews
Author of the article:Warren Kinsella
Published May 14, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Olivia Chow has made her choice.
For months, she’s bobbed and weaved. For months, she has refused to be crystal clear about the orgy of anti-Semitism and Jew-hating crime that has gripped Toronto.
The mayor of Canada’s largest city will issue an occasional sympathetic tweet, sure, when things get particularly bad. But clearly showing support for Toronto’s Jewish community, when they are feeling under siege? When they are feeling isolated and maligned and scared?
Not Olivia Chow.
On Tuesday morning, Chow finally made a clear choice. On Tuesday morning, a small ceremony took place: the raising of Israel’s flag in a remote corner of City Hall, as has been done for years, without any problem.
Chow refused to attend.
Before the ceremony, someone sent her an email about it. Chow sent back a response, which was circulated online late Monday night. She did a bit of buck-passing, claiming that the city’s protocol office decided to let Israel’s flag be raised, not her. And then she said this:
“The Mayor did not decide to fly the flag, and does not have the authority to approve or deny flag raising requests. The Mayor will not attend the flag raising. She believes raising it is divisive at this time, and understands the deep pain and anguish felt by many in the community.”
That’s pretty clear: “The Mayor will not attend the flag raising.” And, so, she didn’t.
Councillor James Pasternak was there, and some others. A few Israel-haters showed up, too, but they were kept a safe distance away. But no Olivia Chow, who claims to be mayor of all of Toronto.
Well, it turns out she’s mayor of just some of Toronto — a Toronto where some citizens are more equal than others. She’s not mayor anymore to any of Toronto’s many Jews, apparently.
Five problems with that.
1. Fair is fair, Mayor Chow. If Israel’s flag is “divisive,” then Palestinian flags shouldn’t be displayed at protests and rallies anymore, either. Because, you know, that’s “divisive.”
(And by the by: There are Israeli flags on homes all over Toronto, which has a big Jewish population. Does Toronto’s erstwhile mayor want them taken down, too, because they’re “divisive?”)
2. This flag-raising, as noted, has happened for years. But this year — when Jews are under unprecedented assault, and want reassurance that they are welcome in Toronto, where they pay taxes and contribute to the betterment of the city — Olivia Chow wants Jews to be invisible. She wants them erased.
3. By falsely claiming there is a “security” issue, Olivia Chow has made it into one. In previous years, no one had “security” issues. This year, Toronto’s mayor is making it into one — by recklessly pitting one side against the other. Is safety truly an issue? Well, if safety is an issue, then pick up the phone and call the police, Mayor Chow. You’ve got their number, don’t you? I mean, you appoint the chief and set the Toronto Police Service budget, after all.
4. A few days ago, the logo and propaganda of Hamas’ military wing was projected onto the side of a building at the University of Toronto, which happens to be blocks from where Chow lives. From her, not a peep. But, now, Israel’s flag is “divisive”? Seriously?
5. Final point, about which there can be no mistake: this no-show is a profound insult to Toronto’s Jews, who see this as more than a mere flag-raising. To them, it’s making a choice. To them, it’s expressing a desire that they aren’t here anymore. Erasing them. Removing them.
Which happened in a certain European country in the 1930s, didn’t it?
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Warren Kinsella
Published May 14, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Olivia Chow has made her choice.
For months, she’s bobbed and weaved. For months, she has refused to be crystal clear about the orgy of anti-Semitism and Jew-hating crime that has gripped Toronto.
The mayor of Canada’s largest city will issue an occasional sympathetic tweet, sure, when things get particularly bad. But clearly showing support for Toronto’s Jewish community, when they are feeling under siege? When they are feeling isolated and maligned and scared?
Not Olivia Chow.
On Tuesday morning, Chow finally made a clear choice. On Tuesday morning, a small ceremony took place: the raising of Israel’s flag in a remote corner of City Hall, as has been done for years, without any problem.
Chow refused to attend.
Before the ceremony, someone sent her an email about it. Chow sent back a response, which was circulated online late Monday night. She did a bit of buck-passing, claiming that the city’s protocol office decided to let Israel’s flag be raised, not her. And then she said this:
“The Mayor did not decide to fly the flag, and does not have the authority to approve or deny flag raising requests. The Mayor will not attend the flag raising. She believes raising it is divisive at this time, and understands the deep pain and anguish felt by many in the community.”
That’s pretty clear: “The Mayor will not attend the flag raising.” And, so, she didn’t.
Councillor James Pasternak was there, and some others. A few Israel-haters showed up, too, but they were kept a safe distance away. But no Olivia Chow, who claims to be mayor of all of Toronto.
Well, it turns out she’s mayor of just some of Toronto — a Toronto where some citizens are more equal than others. She’s not mayor anymore to any of Toronto’s many Jews, apparently.
Five problems with that.
1. Fair is fair, Mayor Chow. If Israel’s flag is “divisive,” then Palestinian flags shouldn’t be displayed at protests and rallies anymore, either. Because, you know, that’s “divisive.”
(And by the by: There are Israeli flags on homes all over Toronto, which has a big Jewish population. Does Toronto’s erstwhile mayor want them taken down, too, because they’re “divisive?”)
2. This flag-raising, as noted, has happened for years. But this year — when Jews are under unprecedented assault, and want reassurance that they are welcome in Toronto, where they pay taxes and contribute to the betterment of the city — Olivia Chow wants Jews to be invisible. She wants them erased.
3. By falsely claiming there is a “security” issue, Olivia Chow has made it into one. In previous years, no one had “security” issues. This year, Toronto’s mayor is making it into one — by recklessly pitting one side against the other. Is safety truly an issue? Well, if safety is an issue, then pick up the phone and call the police, Mayor Chow. You’ve got their number, don’t you? I mean, you appoint the chief and set the Toronto Police Service budget, after all.
4. A few days ago, the logo and propaganda of Hamas’ military wing was projected onto the side of a building at the University of Toronto, which happens to be blocks from where Chow lives. From her, not a peep. But, now, Israel’s flag is “divisive”? Seriously?
5. Final point, about which there can be no mistake: this no-show is a profound insult to Toronto’s Jews, who see this as more than a mere flag-raising. To them, it’s making a choice. To them, it’s expressing a desire that they aren’t here anymore. Erasing them. Removing them.
Which happened in a certain European country in the 1930s, didn’t it?
KINSELLA: Mayor Chow's no-show at Israeli flag-raising event an insult to Toronto's Jews
Olivia Chow has made her choice.
there should be only 3 flags, municipal, provincial, and federal.Mayor Chow's no-show at Israeli flag-raising event an insult to Toronto's Jews
Author of the article:Warren Kinsella
Published May 14, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Olivia Chow has made her choice.
For months, she’s bobbed and weaved. For months, she has refused to be crystal clear about the orgy of anti-Semitism and Jew-hating crime that has gripped Toronto.
The mayor of Canada’s largest city will issue an occasional sympathetic tweet, sure, when things get particularly bad. But clearly showing support for Toronto’s Jewish community, when they are feeling under siege? When they are feeling isolated and maligned and scared?
Not Olivia Chow.
On Tuesday morning, Chow finally made a clear choice. On Tuesday morning, a small ceremony took place: the raising of Israel’s flag in a remote corner of City Hall, as has been done for years, without any problem.
Chow refused to attend.
Before the ceremony, someone sent her an email about it. Chow sent back a response, which was circulated online late Monday night. She did a bit of buck-passing, claiming that the city’s protocol office decided to let Israel’s flag be raised, not her. And then she said this:
“The Mayor did not decide to fly the flag, and does not have the authority to approve or deny flag raising requests. The Mayor will not attend the flag raising. She believes raising it is divisive at this time, and understands the deep pain and anguish felt by many in the community.”
That’s pretty clear: “The Mayor will not attend the flag raising.” And, so, she didn’t.
Councillor James Pasternak was there, and some others. A few Israel-haters showed up, too, but they were kept a safe distance away. But no Olivia Chow, who claims to be mayor of all of Toronto.
Well, it turns out she’s mayor of just some of Toronto — a Toronto where some citizens are more equal than others. She’s not mayor anymore to any of Toronto’s many Jews, apparently.
Five problems with that.
1. Fair is fair, Mayor Chow. If Israel’s flag is “divisive,” then Palestinian flags shouldn’t be displayed at protests and rallies anymore, either. Because, you know, that’s “divisive.”
(And by the by: There are Israeli flags on homes all over Toronto, which has a big Jewish population. Does Toronto’s erstwhile mayor want them taken down, too, because they’re “divisive?”)
2. This flag-raising, as noted, has happened for years. But this year — when Jews are under unprecedented assault, and want reassurance that they are welcome in Toronto, where they pay taxes and contribute to the betterment of the city — Olivia Chow wants Jews to be invisible. She wants them erased.
3. By falsely claiming there is a “security” issue, Olivia Chow has made it into one. In previous years, no one had “security” issues. This year, Toronto’s mayor is making it into one — by recklessly pitting one side against the other. Is safety truly an issue? Well, if safety is an issue, then pick up the phone and call the police, Mayor Chow. You’ve got their number, don’t you? I mean, you appoint the chief and set the Toronto Police Service budget, after all.
4. A few days ago, the logo and propaganda of Hamas’ military wing was projected onto the side of a building at the University of Toronto, which happens to be blocks from where Chow lives. From her, not a peep. But, now, Israel’s flag is “divisive”? Seriously?
5. Final point, about which there can be no mistake: this no-show is a profound insult to Toronto’s Jews, who see this as more than a mere flag-raising. To them, it’s making a choice. To them, it’s expressing a desire that they aren’t here anymore. Erasing them. Removing them.
Which happened in a certain European country in the 1930s, didn’t it?
KINSELLA: Mayor Chow's no-show at Israeli flag-raising event an insult to Toronto's Jews
Olivia Chow has made her choice.
So now where will Jews go for Christmas dinner?there should be only 3 flags, municipal, provincial, and federal.
ICC prosecutor faces demand for action against Israeli leaders
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Edith M. Lederer
Published May 14, 2024 • 3 minute read
UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC’s arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Karim Khan responded by telling the U.N. Security Council that he will not be swayed or intimidated as his team investigates possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Gaza and the Palestinian territories as well as in Ukraine.
Libya’s U.N. ambassador, Taher El-Sonni, told Khan that if the Libyan cases the ICC is investigating are so complex that they won’t be completed until the end of 2025, he should allocate the court’s efforts to the war in Gaza.
El-Sonni claimed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are being perpetrated by Israeli forces.
The world expects the ICC “to be courageous and to issue arrest warrants against officials of the Israeli regime who have repeated again and again that they want to commit genocidal actions against Palestinians,” El-Sonni said.
“What are you waiting for, Mr. Khan?,” he added. “Don’t you see the threats against civilians, the potential threats against civilians in Rafah and the massacre that would happen at any time?”
El-Sonni was referring to the latest Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where 1.2 million Palestinians had fled seeking safety. The U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that nearly 450,000 have fled Rafah in the past week, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that there is no safe place anywhere in Gaza.
“This is the actual test of the ICC,” El-Sonni said. “Is the ICC politicized or is it independent and neutral?”
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the ICC a politicized “puppet body” controlled by the West that “has absolutely nothing to do with justice.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in March 2023, accusing the Russian president of personal responsibility for the abduction of children from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Two months later, Russia issued an arrest warrant for Khan. The ICC called that warrant “unacceptable” and said the court “will remain undeterred in the conduct of its lawful mandate to ensure accountability for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community as a whole.”
Nebenzia also accused the ICC of accomplishing nothing since it began a preliminary examination of the situation in the Palestinian territories in 2015 and a formal investigation in 2021.
“In this regard, one wonders if the effectiveness of the ICC on this track has been affected by the fact that a new bipartisan bill has been submitted to the U.S. Congress to sanction ICC officials involved in investigating not only the U.S. but its allies,” he told the Security Council.
Last week, two Republican congressmen introduced the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” to impose sanctions on ICC officials that go after the United States or its allies including Israel.
They cited reports the ICC is poised to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking Israeli officials for their military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 people taken hostage. The act’s supporters said that if the ICC was a legitimate tribunal it should have issued arrest warrants for Hamas leaders.
Israel’s military retaliation, now in its eighth month, has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children according to Gaza health officials, and it has sparked worldwide protests.
Algeria’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Nacim Gaouaoui, expressed hope the ICC will take “a serious approach” to its Palestinian investigations and “demonstrate that it is not a tool used by some members of the international community to threaten whoever they want, whenever they want.”
Khan said he wanted to assure Russia’s ambassador that “we will not be swayed, whether it’s by warrants for my arrest or the arrest of elected officials of the court by the Russian Federation, pr whether it’s by other elected officials in any other jurisdiction.”
Khan said the ICC endeavors to be “deaf to the noise” and this should be a time “for the law to be allowed to breathe,” whether dealing with world crises like Ukraine, Gaza and the Palestinians, Libya or the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
“We have a duty to stand up for justice, to stand up for victims,” Khan said. “We will stand up and apply the law with integrity, with independence.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Edith M. Lederer
Published May 14, 2024 • 3 minute read
UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC’s arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Karim Khan responded by telling the U.N. Security Council that he will not be swayed or intimidated as his team investigates possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Gaza and the Palestinian territories as well as in Ukraine.
Libya’s U.N. ambassador, Taher El-Sonni, told Khan that if the Libyan cases the ICC is investigating are so complex that they won’t be completed until the end of 2025, he should allocate the court’s efforts to the war in Gaza.
El-Sonni claimed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are being perpetrated by Israeli forces.
The world expects the ICC “to be courageous and to issue arrest warrants against officials of the Israeli regime who have repeated again and again that they want to commit genocidal actions against Palestinians,” El-Sonni said.
“What are you waiting for, Mr. Khan?,” he added. “Don’t you see the threats against civilians, the potential threats against civilians in Rafah and the massacre that would happen at any time?”
El-Sonni was referring to the latest Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where 1.2 million Palestinians had fled seeking safety. The U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that nearly 450,000 have fled Rafah in the past week, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that there is no safe place anywhere in Gaza.
“This is the actual test of the ICC,” El-Sonni said. “Is the ICC politicized or is it independent and neutral?”
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the ICC a politicized “puppet body” controlled by the West that “has absolutely nothing to do with justice.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in March 2023, accusing the Russian president of personal responsibility for the abduction of children from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Two months later, Russia issued an arrest warrant for Khan. The ICC called that warrant “unacceptable” and said the court “will remain undeterred in the conduct of its lawful mandate to ensure accountability for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community as a whole.”
Nebenzia also accused the ICC of accomplishing nothing since it began a preliminary examination of the situation in the Palestinian territories in 2015 and a formal investigation in 2021.
“In this regard, one wonders if the effectiveness of the ICC on this track has been affected by the fact that a new bipartisan bill has been submitted to the U.S. Congress to sanction ICC officials involved in investigating not only the U.S. but its allies,” he told the Security Council.
Last week, two Republican congressmen introduced the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” to impose sanctions on ICC officials that go after the United States or its allies including Israel.
They cited reports the ICC is poised to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking Israeli officials for their military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 people taken hostage. The act’s supporters said that if the ICC was a legitimate tribunal it should have issued arrest warrants for Hamas leaders.
Israel’s military retaliation, now in its eighth month, has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children according to Gaza health officials, and it has sparked worldwide protests.
Algeria’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Nacim Gaouaoui, expressed hope the ICC will take “a serious approach” to its Palestinian investigations and “demonstrate that it is not a tool used by some members of the international community to threaten whoever they want, whenever they want.”
Khan said he wanted to assure Russia’s ambassador that “we will not be swayed, whether it’s by warrants for my arrest or the arrest of elected officials of the court by the Russian Federation, pr whether it’s by other elected officials in any other jurisdiction.”
Khan said the ICC endeavors to be “deaf to the noise” and this should be a time “for the law to be allowed to breathe,” whether dealing with world crises like Ukraine, Gaza and the Palestinians, Libya or the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
“We have a duty to stand up for justice, to stand up for victims,” Khan said. “We will stand up and apply the law with integrity, with independence.”
ICC prosecutor faces demand for action against Israeli leaders
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders
Its going to take decades for Israel to crawl out of the sewer pipe and crimb back to the rim of the toilet bowl.ICC prosecutor faces demand for action against Israeli leaders
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Edith M. Lederer
Published May 14, 2024 • 3 minute read
UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC’s arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Karim Khan responded by telling the U.N. Security Council that he will not be swayed or intimidated as his team investigates possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Gaza and the Palestinian territories as well as in Ukraine.
Libya’s U.N. ambassador, Taher El-Sonni, told Khan that if the Libyan cases the ICC is investigating are so complex that they won’t be completed until the end of 2025, he should allocate the court’s efforts to the war in Gaza.
El-Sonni claimed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are being perpetrated by Israeli forces.
The world expects the ICC “to be courageous and to issue arrest warrants against officials of the Israeli regime who have repeated again and again that they want to commit genocidal actions against Palestinians,” El-Sonni said.
“What are you waiting for, Mr. Khan?,” he added. “Don’t you see the threats against civilians, the potential threats against civilians in Rafah and the massacre that would happen at any time?”
El-Sonni was referring to the latest Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where 1.2 million Palestinians had fled seeking safety. The U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that nearly 450,000 have fled Rafah in the past week, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that there is no safe place anywhere in Gaza.
“This is the actual test of the ICC,” El-Sonni said. “Is the ICC politicized or is it independent and neutral?”
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the ICC a politicized “puppet body” controlled by the West that “has absolutely nothing to do with justice.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in March 2023, accusing the Russian president of personal responsibility for the abduction of children from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Two months later, Russia issued an arrest warrant for Khan. The ICC called that warrant “unacceptable” and said the court “will remain undeterred in the conduct of its lawful mandate to ensure accountability for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community as a whole.”
Nebenzia also accused the ICC of accomplishing nothing since it began a preliminary examination of the situation in the Palestinian territories in 2015 and a formal investigation in 2021.
“In this regard, one wonders if the effectiveness of the ICC on this track has been affected by the fact that a new bipartisan bill has been submitted to the U.S. Congress to sanction ICC officials involved in investigating not only the U.S. but its allies,” he told the Security Council.
Last week, two Republican congressmen introduced the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” to impose sanctions on ICC officials that go after the United States or its allies including Israel.
They cited reports the ICC is poised to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking Israeli officials for their military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 people taken hostage. The act’s supporters said that if the ICC was a legitimate tribunal it should have issued arrest warrants for Hamas leaders.
Israel’s military retaliation, now in its eighth month, has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children according to Gaza health officials, and it has sparked worldwide protests.
Algeria’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Nacim Gaouaoui, expressed hope the ICC will take “a serious approach” to its Palestinian investigations and “demonstrate that it is not a tool used by some members of the international community to threaten whoever they want, whenever they want.”
Khan said he wanted to assure Russia’s ambassador that “we will not be swayed, whether it’s by warrants for my arrest or the arrest of elected officials of the court by the Russian Federation, pr whether it’s by other elected officials in any other jurisdiction.”
Khan said the ICC endeavors to be “deaf to the noise” and this should be a time “for the law to be allowed to breathe,” whether dealing with world crises like Ukraine, Gaza and the Palestinians, Libya or the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
“We have a duty to stand up for justice, to stand up for victims,” Khan said. “We will stand up and apply the law with integrity, with independence.”
ICC prosecutor faces demand for action against Israeli leaders
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders
