Conflicts in the Middle East: International Criminal Court

Showing posts with label International Criminal Court. Show all posts

Thursday, December 17

Right Wing Incitement against the Moderates in Israel

English: Breaking the Silence (BtS) (in Hebrew Shovrim Shtika) logo. Shovrim Shtika is an Israel human rights organization. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One can heap much criticism on “Breaking the Silence” as well as many other NGOs that are not using accepted methodology in their claims of ill treatment of Palestinian civilians under Israeli occupation. There is a report that Breaking the Silence received money for interviewing soldiers that have served in Operation Protective Edge in July/August 2014 about their experiences of abuse of innocent Palestinian citizens.

Those right wing NGOs such as "Im Tirtzu" and others also receive funds from oversea donors sympathetic to their causes. (Check out NGO Monitor on my Blog page)

Be that as it may, the right to criticize IDF behavior towards a defenseless, innocent Palestinian population in a war situation where justified, should be maintained. The statements of the Minister of Defense, Moshe Ayalon, claiming that the IDF must have internal investigations that are not open to public scrutiny in cases of ill treatment of innocent Palestinians. In other words, if there are cases of soldier abuse, it must be swept under the carpet from the public. Internal investigations of public institutions or in this case, the IDF for individuals, who are suspected of abusing civilians, are bound to result in cover-ups. Soldiers, who are guilty of cruelty towards innocent Palestinians, will go unpunished. Transparency in the IDF does not mean that Israel’s security is compromised. Transparency means the right of the public to know if any abuse against innocent civilians has occurred and that those responsible are brought to justice. It certainly does not mean that the public must be informed of military secrets for obvious reasons. The IDF will be viewed as being sensitive to basic human rights and its claim of being the “most moral army in the world” will have more credibility.

This will also enhance Israel’s world image in the long run that has taken a severe battering because of self-righteous, hypocritical, double standard humanists that are funded by countries that are not Israel friendly. At least the findings of NGO watchdog groups in an atmosphere of openness will make it more difficult for Israel to be accused of human rights abuses at the International Criminal Court.

Betzelem and Breaking the Silence organizations do have a positive role to play by exposing basic human rights abuses towards innocent Palestinian civilians. Internal inquiries by the IDF usually result in cover-ups, where abuse and torture is suspected. These two organizations are a thorn in the flesh of the self-righteous, ruling right wing coalition. They view them as traitors to Israel and against the IDF. It is an excellent propaganda ploy that the right wing coalition uses to justify themselves and their rule. Some right wingers take it even further. They incite against the moderates on the political spectrum with hate clips and use the social media to condemn watchdog groups sensitive to human rights abuses.

The right wing Israeli Government condemns “Breaking the Silence” and anybody who has contact with them as being traitors that must be put down. According to an Haaretz report 17/12/15, they are the most hated group in Israel.

The President of Israel, Ruby Rivlin, who addressed the Haaretz Q conference in New York shared a platform with “Breaking the Silence” and was severely criticized for doing so. The firebrands of the right wing went on a verbal rampage of incitement against him. Rivlin is no left winger. He exercised his democratic right to share platforms with all members of the Israeli spectrum, irrespective of their political views. He represents all Israel’s citizens, irrespective of their race, color or creed and political views. This of course does not suit the right wing Netanyahu Coalition that claims the moral high ground. They do not like criticism and do all in their power to delegitimize those who do not agree with them by labeling them as traitors that are working against Israel in collusion with Israel’s enemies. Is Israel on the road to becoming a totalitarian state by compromising on democracy? Hopefully this is not the case. However, we must be aware of the danger sign in that direction.

The signs of erosion of democracy are occurring in the Education Ministry. The Education Minister, Naphtali Bennett, has banned “Breaking the Silence” from visiting schools. “Jewish” values or rather his narrow right wing interpretation of them is encouraged and is considered appropriate beyond criticism.

Even Yuval Diskin, the past head of the Shin Bet, believes that “Breaking the Silence” is a legitimate organization that poses no threat to Israel. He admits that he does not agree with their methodology and ideology, but they do serve a positive role. If he admits this then why consider them as hostile to Israel and treacherous? Who are we to judge?

Monday, October 19

P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu's UN Speech and "Silence".Third Intifada has begun?

P.M. Netanyahu's Speech in the UN was brilliant in rhetoric as usual. He feels most at ease when delivering speeches from the UN podium. This time he used a 44 second "silence mode" gimmick to illustrate a very relevant point of the UN delegates' silence and inaction when it comes to their indifference to the bloody massacres and genocide in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The unnecessary loss of life and cruelties of the murderous Islamist groups such as Daesh (ISIS) and others is treated with total UN delegate apathy. The number of people that lost their lives there over a short period of time is far greater than all Israelis and Palestinians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

The UN is busy bashing Israel rather than passing effective resolutions to end the bloody massacres and human cruelties committed there. The speech was mostly devoted to condemning the Anti-Nuclear Treaty recently signed and supported by the EU and P5. So far, so good! There is sense in what Netanyahu stated. However, is that enough? We have a reality that he purposely overlooked - the increasing Palestinian violence in Jerusalem. Here there is further hate, stone throwing as well as Molotov cocktails and further violence in the West Bank that has a danger of deterioration into a third intifada with further loss of life on both sides.

His speech presented nothing new. No foresight, no hope and not even a hint of opening new avenues to end the tragic conflict. It was the usual diatribe on emphasis of the evil Iranian regime and its dangers to the world. Despite the valid points he made, more emphasis should have been made on solving the conflict with new ideas.

The violence in Jerusalem seems to be getting out of hand. The "band aid" technique of retaliating against Palestinian violence by the Security Forces is not stopping the violence. President Mahmoud Abbas has no power base and does not represent his Palestinian People. We must remember that Abbas was not elected and his strength lies in the support that he gets from the US and even Israel that uses him. How can there ever be negotiations for peace when the Palestinian Authority has Hamas and Palestinian Jihadis breathing down Abbas's neck and never allowing him to sign a treaty with Israel. If Abbas signs a treaty with Israel, he will be assassinated, so his anti-Israel showmanship in rhetoric will not change. It is a vicious circle.

Abbas can deliver addresses as much as he wishes but we must remember that he is an empty vessel that makes a lot of sound. If he ceases to cooperate with Israel on security matters as he threatens, the West Bank will slip into violence and his shaky position will be weakened even further. He knows that. He also threatens to take Israel to the International Court of Justice for Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. These utterances of his are part of his fantasies and it will not strengthen him or the Palestinian Authority. OK! So the Palestinian flag is flying with the other flags at the UN. This is a boost to their ego but nothing more than that. A flag does not make an independent state.

There are no partners on both sides to end the Palestinian - Israeli Conflict. New solutions must be found. Maybe a Marshall-type plan such as the Bermigo Plan should be given more serious thought as this could be the basis of a solution. Nothing else has worked and this plan should be investigated as a possible solution. It is complicated but not impossible.

A new round of Palestinian violence has begun. Stabbing of innocent people in Jerusalem, increased stabbing attacks against security forces in various towns in Israel, violent demonstrations by Arab citizens of Israel, accompanied by pelting of stones, Molotov cocktails, as well as general unrest has become the order of the day. Added to this is sporadic rocket fire in the south from Gaza, with movement of the Iron Dome defense system to areas vulnerable to rocket attacks.

Jerusalem has become a battleground with flare ups occurring in many parts of Israel close to the Arab villages. There does not seem to be any cessation of violence. No town in Israel is immune from Palestinian savagery, and, it is just that. The talk that the Palestinians are frustrated because of the Israeli Occupation is nothing more than hogwash. These unadulterated claims by Palestinian pundits to justify stabbings of innocent people ought to be treated with the contempt that it deserves. These humanists are conspicuous by their silence when it comes to condemning the atrocities committed by Daesh and the other caliphate toting Islamists against Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The violence seems to be getting out of hand and the government does not seem to have any strategy to contain the violence or reach a long term solution to the conflict. All doors of negotiation seems to be closing (not that the two sides to the conflict had any desire to end the conflict anyway) and the violence is becoming uncontrollable.

It all started with the imaginary Palestinian claim that Israel is out to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Palestinians have been stockpiling crude weapons in the Al Aqsa Mosque - rocks, pipe bombs for the purpose of creating and fomenting violence against Israelis. The claim by the Palestinian Leadership that Israel is determined to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque is a huge lie if not a figment of the imagination with no basis. This is not a new phenomenon on the Palestinian side. They have an ingrained habit of living in a fantasy world of lies and delusions of grandeur that is self-destructive and suicidal. They believe that if you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. These savages stab and kill, claiming that they are carrying out Allah's will. Many of these savages are not even believers, but are brainwashed by Palestinian terrorist groups to kill Israelis at every opportunity. Hardly a day goes by without a stabbing or brutal killing authorized by these evil Palestinian terrorist groups whose aims are in tune with ISIS.

While Israel bashing goes on in the UN and its failure to pass any resolution condemning ISIS will only weaken this body even further as it panders to the terrorist savagery in the name of Islam by its apathy.

Saturday, January 17

Two States for Two Peoples and Islamist Terror

Countries in which Islamist terrorist attacks have occurred on or after September 11, 2001. Based on Image:BlankMap-World6, compact.svg with information from Image:WOT map4a.PNG. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is shocking! The Jihadi terrorist attacks occurring in the world today is on the increase because of the tolerant attitude of many Western European countries towards Islamist extremists, who appear to be observant Muslims and take them at face value. The sensitivities of the EU towards Muslims are now reaping the rewards of their folly as they continue in Israel bashing and ignoring the real danger on their doorstep, which is NOT Israel.

The terror attacks by Jihadis in Paris are another tragic, unjustifiable terrorist act of many against innocent people in many parts of the world! Where is the Muslim clergy? Why are they not condemning these terrorist acts and the claims made by Islamists that they are acting according to the teachings of the Quran? Their deafening silence conveys a message of complicity with Islamist terror. The venomous racist, anti-Semitic sermons coming from Imams in mosques in the major cities of Europe without any protest from mainstream Islam, as well as tolerance of most governments in Europe by its complacency and indifference to this Islamist venom, is fuel to Jihadi extremists in their desire for murder in cold blood with accompanying screams of "Allahu Aqba!" Anjem Chaudary is a radical Muslim with British citizenship. He is an example of Islamist thought that inspires Islamist terrorism.

Most Muslims are law-abiding citizens in their adopted countries and we did see many Muslims joining the march against the tragic murders of 12 cartoonists of the Charles Hebdo magazine in Paris. We must also remember the hero,Lassana Bathily, an immigrant from Mali - a Muslim, who saved Jews in the Kosher Supermarket in Paris, by hiding them in the refrigerator.

Unfortunately various European Governments have been bending over backwards to be "politically correct" in their treatment of the millions of Muslim immigrants in their countries. They were oblivious to the Islamist terror cells that were created by European Islamist citizens returning from training in ISIS camps in Syria and Iraq. Many mosques became places where racist and hateful imams gave sermons against Jews and Christians as well as rabble rousing their flock into joining ISIS for Jihad to establish a caliphate or Islamic State in Europe. The European Governments discreetly closed their eyes to these developments in the hope of "not offending the religious sensitivities" of Muslim immigrants. The religious sensitivities of other faiths were overlooked. Today they are reaping the fruits of their own mistakes. The police have now discovered a number of dormant Islamist terrorist cells in Belgium, Berlin, Paris and it remains to be seen where the next discovery of Islamist terrorist cells will occur. Hopefully, the security police will be able to track down these Muslim extremists and bring them to justice before they become killing machines.

There is only one way to deal with this tirade of Islamist hate and terror that threatens our civilization and that is to arrest them, close down the mosques and madrassas, where the racist imams preach, and deport them from their adopted country to the countries of their origin. Anti-Semitic hate-speech or racist speeches against any religious group, including Muslims, must be given zero tolerance by those bodies responsible for maintaining law and order. Perhaps it would be prudent to expel close family of terrorists (parents, brothers and sisters) to the countries of their origin. The amount of young people going for training via Turkey to Syria and Iraq where they get training for committing terrorist acts has reached a stage where Europe cannot afford to turn a blind eye for the purpose of expediency and tolerance.

On the Israeli-Palestinian track these events must also be borne in mind. While Hamas may not be ISIS and their fight against Israel is localized to Israel, the hateful sermons of the Gaza and West Bank imams are just as venomous and rabble rousing. The terrorist acts they carry out against Israelis is unjustifiable! The ramming of vehicles into innocent Israelis, stabbings at every opportunity as well as butchering innocent people does show signs of similarity to the Islamist terrorists in Paris.

While there are many Israelis and of course the world community, who support a two-state solution to the conflict and an end to the occupation, we must come to terms with the hostile environment in which we Israelis live. The occupation is immoral and a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians must be negotiated in order to end the occupation, which is eroding the morality of Israel's society. Of course this is our desire but is it realistic, especially today?

While many argue that Israel has no leaders that can lead the negotiations to end the occupation. The problem is that the Palestinians also do not have the leadership to negotiate a peace treaty that will end the occupation. President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority do not have the support of the Palestinian People. There have been no Palestinian elections since 2005. Mahmoud Abbas has no power base. According to Palestinian polls, if elections were held today, Hamas will gain power in the West Bank. We, in Israel will be faced with Hamas on our doorstep and they have no desire to come to terms with Israel's existence let alone negotiate a peace treaty. This is no mantra; this is a fact by the utterances of Hamas and backed up by the Hamas Charter itself. If a choice is to be made between a Palestinian State controlled by Hamas on the West Bank, with all the "human rights and democracy" as well as "freedom" that it gives to the Palestinian people as is illustrated in Gaza, and the current occupation of Israel, the conclusion is obvious. Hamas wants to destroy Israel and until it becomes pragmatic, accepting Israel's right to exist within secure borders and ceases to be a terrorist organization, there will never be negotiations for peace let alone a Two-State solution.

The PA request to join the ICC when it is part of the National Unity Government with Hamas is insipid! This in itself makes them equally responsible for the high death toll of Palestinians during Operation Naked Edge. The use of Palestinians as human shields as well as the use of UNRWA compounds for launching missiles into Israel disqualifies the Hamas-Abbas Unity Government to charge Israel with war crimes - not to mention the Hamas tunnels dug for infiltrating and creating killing fields against Israelis on the Gaza borders. Hamas terror is responsible for Palestinian suffering as Israel has every right to defend itself against Hamas-Islamic Jihad, whose similarities in ideology to IS are very obvious. Hamas has committed war crimes against Palestinians and Israelis. Hamas must be held accountable for the tragic consequences in Gaza. After the war their cowardly, wealthy leadership under the polecats, Khaled Mashaal, Ismail Hanniyeh and Moussa Mohammad abu Marzook, suddenly come out of their rat holes after the cease-fire was declared, claiming a victory against Israel with their usual fantasies accompanied by their hateful rhetoric! The hypocrisy of the PA leadership to take Israel to the ICC in The Hague is just as logical as ISIS and Jabat al Nusra taking France to the ICC for war crimes against terrorists who killed 17 people in France.