Netanyahu has everything to lose and nothing to gain from deescalating Copyright AP Photo/Euronews By Shlomo Roiter Jesner, 28/06/2024 Once known as Mr Security, Netanyahu has made a career out of the persona he built for himself: the self-proclaimed "King Bibi" who can save Israel. Now, he'll do anything to ensure self-preservation, Shlomo Roiter Jesner writes. The statement by Israel Defence Forces Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari earlier this week took many by surprise, considering the severity of the picture he painted of the ongoing escalation on Israel’s northern border. Warning that “Hezbollah’s increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation”, his statement was followed by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, not known to skimp on words, warning that the country was ready for an “all-out war” that would “change the rules of the game”. What inspired statements as strong as these coming from Israel’s military and political leadership was the most violent week so far on the border with Lebanon — that is, since the recent escalation began following Hamas’s 7 October attack. A similar escalation in rhetoric has been seen from Hezbollah’s side, which, for the first time in a number of days, took direct responsibility for UAV attacks near the Israeli city of Metullah. Considering the death of the most senior Hezbollah official thus far, commander Taleb Abdullah, coupled with Hezbollah launching what has been some of its heaviest rocket barrages to date, in addition to overt threats from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to attack Israeli critical infrastructure using footage filmed by the terror organisation’s reconnaissance drones, the threat of escalation is very real. Spats with Washington are not helping With Amos Hochstein, US President Joe Biden’s senior aide, who has been serving as Biden's mediator since the conflict began, visiting the region with an eye towards preventing further escalation, the question begging to be asked is what the US administration can practically do. The state of relations between the United States and Israel is currently at an all-time low, rivalled only by the end of President Barack Obama’s time in office when Washington, in a rare move, abstained from a controversial UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to settlements. While Washington tries to reign in Israel’s prime minister ... what the Biden administration is missing is that they are dealing with a man who quite literally has nothing to lose. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as he meets with President Joe Biden, October 2023AP Photo/Evan Vucci Relations between Biden and Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu reached their own low this week when Netanyahu, in an English-language social media video, accused the Biden administration of withholding military aid to Israel, the single largest recipient of American military aid globally. The spat led to the rare cancellation of a strategic dialogue on Iran only a day before it was meant to take place in Washington with members of the Israeli delegation, including Israel’s National Security Advisor, already en route. “This decision makes it clear that there are consequences for pulling such stunts,” a US official, referring to Netanyahu’s clip, said. And while Washington tries to reign in Israel’s prime minister, setting demands regarding Israeli operations in Rafah and cancelling the discussed meeting, what the Biden administration is missing is that they are dealing with a man who quite literally has nothing to lose. Mr Security's fall from grace Israel’s longest-serving PM, once known as Mr Security, lacks the vast public support he once had, finding himself fourth out of six Israeli politicians, with only 42% support in a poll conducted in March. He was followed only by Israel’s hard-right leaders, Bezalel Smotritch and Itamar Ben Gvir (with 37% and 33%, respectively). The 7 October massacre and the intelligence and military failures that will forever be associated with that day saw all preconceived notions of Netanyahu as the only one who could ensure the safety and security which Israeli citizens so desperately seek shattered. Indeed, calls for accountability are only getting stronger. Just this week, tens of thousands of protesters from all walks of Israeli society demanded a commission of inquiry, something that Netanyahu has been blocking State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman from putting together. Charged with fraud, bribery and breach of trust in three separate cases, it is obvious what Netanyahu has to gain by prolonging, if not escalating, Israel’s security situation. Israeli mounted police officers disperse demonstrators blocking a road during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, June 2024AP Photo/Leo Correa Despite his 17 years in power, shockingly, not one commission of inquiry has ever been formed, making “the likelihood of an inquiry very, very low,” according to professor of public policy at Hebrew University Raanan Sulitzeanu-Kenan. On a personal level, it cannot be forgotten that Netanyahu is still facing an ongoing corruption trial, which resumed this December despite the war in Gaza. Charged with fraud, bribery and breach of trust in three separate cases, it is obvious what Netanyahu has to gain by prolonging, if not escalating, Israel’s security situation. In this light, only three months ago, Netanyahu’s lawyers petitioned the Jerusalem District Court to postpone testimonies “as long as there is no substantial change in the security situation in the country”. Vast arsenal of tools for self-preservation With Netanyahu in a position where he exemplifies what James Baldwin called “the most dangerous creation in any society, the man who has nothing to lose”, Biden and the US must tread carefully when calling for deescalation. Commonly known by his favourite nickname, Bibi, he has made a career out of the persona he built for himself: the self-proclaimed "King Bibi" who can save Israel. Vilifying the US Democrats in an election year and perhaps subtly doing everything in his power to ensure an administration change are only some of the tools in his vast arsenal of self-preservation. Although Hezbollah does not see a severe escalation with Israel to be in its strategic interest, it may nevertheless take advantage of Netanyahu’s desperate need for an ongoing security crisis ... to score a much-needed win on the security front. Fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in the Jezzine District, May 2023AP Photo/Hassan Ammar President Biden himself is also limited in this regard, needing to ensure the pro-Israel vote while painting a picture of someone who also cares about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Netanyahu easily takes advantage of this delicate balance, portraying every action by Washington as calling into question US' unwavering support for the Jewish state. Although Hezbollah does not see a severe escalation with Israel to be in its strategic interest, it may nevertheless take advantage of Netanyahu’s desperate need for an ongoing security crisis, coupled with what it perceives to be a lull in the US-Israel relationship, to score a much-needed win on the security front. Nasrallah is even less restrained than Netanyahu, with little regard for the future of Lebanon. Who will shoot first? Hezbollah will win in the eyes of the Lebanese public if it is seen as keeping Israel’s military at bay and will win the battle for hearts and minds if an escalation occurs, too. This is due to the military losses that Israel would undoubtedly suffer, including on the home front and during an eventual reconstruction process in Lebanon. Although Hezbollah would be responsible for the country’s destruction, it would also play an important role in its rebuilding, given the virtual non-existence of a central government in Lebanon. However, with recent polling in Israel showing 60% support attacking Hezbollah with full force and 36% wanting to see this in the immediate term, it is impossible to know which side the US has little to no control over will be the first to escalate.
Israel will need to put a more moderate government in place led by Gallant to have any hope of a path to a two state solution involving the Palestinians. No Palestinian government of any kind in Gaza after war, Netanyahu says Netanyahu has once again rejected any Palestinian involvement in ruling postwar Gaza, despite his defence minister disagreeing with him on a trip to the US. https://www.newarab.com/news/no-palestinian-rule-any-kind-post-war-gaza-netanyahu
US politicians terrified of the ICC: “We are next” warns Lindsey Graham By Medea Benjamin Jun 1, 2024 https://johnmenadue.com/us-politicians-terrified-of-the-icc-we-are-next-warns-lindsey-graham/ Pro-Israel forces in Washington are trying to derail Karim Khan’s request for Israeli and Hamas arrest warrants. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was bursting with contempt for the International Criminal Court (ICC) when he grilled U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a May 21 congressional hearing. Wagging his finger, he warned that, if the ICC gets away with issuing arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, “we are next.” The audience at the hearing, stacked with CODEPINK pro-Palestine supporters, burst out in applause at the notion of the U.S. being hauled before the world’s highest court. “You can clap all you want,” an angry Graham retorted, “but they tried to come after our soldiers in Afghanistan.” Graham was thankful that in the Afghan case “reason prevailed” when the case was dropped, adding that the U.S. must level sanctions against the ICC “not only to protect our friends in Israel but to protect ourselves.” Graham was referring to the 2019 efforts of former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to hold both the Taliban and the U.S. accountable for war crimes in Afghanistan. When Graham said “reason prevailed,” he really meant that U.S. thuggery prevailed because the Trump administration brazenly imposed sanctions against ICC officials, denying them visas to the U.S. and freezing their assets in U.S. banks. President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions but did so with the tacit understanding that the court would not resume the probe of U.S. crimes in Afghanistan. The message from both Democratic and Republican presidents was clear: Do not dare hold the U.S. to the same standards you use for others. The International Criminal Court was founded in 1998 as the result of a lifetime’s work by an American (and Jewish) international lawyer, Benjamin Ferencz, rooted in his experience as an investigator and chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg tribunals after the Second World War. Ben passed away in 2023 at the age of 103, but the universal jurisdiction that the court is exercising in this case is the fruition of his life’s work to hold war criminals accountable under international law, no matter what country they are from or who their victims are. Enter Israel. The ICC has been building a case against Israel for nearly a decade. A recent blockbuster investigation by The Guardian and two Israeli-based news outlets revealed a shocking, almost decade-long secret campaign against the court by Israeli intelligence agencies, which surveilled, hacked, pressured, smeared and threatened ICC officials in an effort to derail the court’s inquiries. Despite the pressure, on May 20, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan made his request for Israeli and Hamas arrest warrants. Among the charges against the Israeli officials are extermination, using starvation as a method of warfare, willfully causing great suffering and intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population. Khan’s request has now gone to a panel of three judges who will determine in the coming weeks whether the request is granted. But pro-Israel forces in the U.S. are trying their best to throw sand in the wheels of justice with threats of new sanctions. One ultimatum already came from Sen. Tom Cotton and 11 other Republican senators in a toxic April 24 letter. “Target Israel and we will target you,” the senators signalled to the ICC. “If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States.” The letter concluded with a hair-raising: “You have been warned.” The Biden administration has responded to the ICC by flip flopping like a fish on dry land. On May 20, the White House put out a statement calling the ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders “outrageous,” adding, “Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.” Blinken called the request “shameful.” At a hearing on May 22, he told Graham that he welcomed working with him on efforts to sanction the ICC. But on May 28, National Security Council Communications Advisor John Kirby said at a White House press briefing, “We don’t believe that sanctions against the ICC is the right approach here.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who spoke after Kirby, reiterated that message. She said that legislation against the ICC “is not something the administration is going to support” and that “sanctions on the ICC are not an effective or appropriate tool to address U.S. concerns.” This new position from the White House will make it easier for more Democrats to say no to the bills that will be introduced as soon as Congress returns from recess on June 3. Already, duelling statements are coming out from congressional members. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the ICC appeal “reprehensible” and Democrat Joe Manchin joined with Republicans to call for visa bans for ICC officials and sanctions on the international body. Sen. Bernie Sanders, however, defended the court, saying, “The ICC is doing its job. It’s doing what it is supposed to do. We cannot only apply international law when it is convenient.” On the House side, progressives voiced support for the ICC. Rep. Cori Bush said, “Seeking arrest warrants for human rights abuses is an important step towards accountability. It’s shameful for U.S. officials to threaten the ICC while continuing to send weapons that enable war crimes.” Rep. Mark Pocan gave a gutsy response, saying, “If Netanyahu comes to address Congress, I would be more than glad to show the ICC the way to the House floor to issue that warrant.” While most Republicans and pro-Israel hawks in the Democratic Party will likely join hands to hammer the international court, Biden may ultimately feel pressured to adopt the position best articulated by Sen. Van Hollen: “It is fine to express opposition to a possible judicial action, but it is absolutely wrong to interfere in a judicial matter by threatening judicial officers, their family members and their employees with retribution. This thuggery is something befitting the mafia, not U.S. senators.” It is also not befitting the White House, especially one that has been such a willing partner to Israel’s war crimes. Republished from Consortium News, May 29, 2024
https://apnews.com/video/protests-a...srael-courts-e369c451efe74bbbb62de540a94e78a0 Video Scuffles in Jerusalem as ultra-Orthodox men protest ruling on Israel army enlistment Jewish ultra-Orthodox men clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem on Sunday. The protesters were demonstrating a Supreme Court order for them to begin enlisting for military service. Water cannons filled with skunk-scented water, police on foot and police mounted on horses were used to disperse the crowd. (AP video Shlomo Mor) Published 1:12 PM GMT+8, July 1, 2024
About time these ultra-Orthodox Jews were required to show up and serve their country like all the other citizens.
Gaza policy makes US a ‘target’: Former officials The 12 officials say the cover provided to Israel has ‘ensured’ the US’s ‘complicity’ in the war on Gaza. The US support for Israel's war in Gaza continued to provoke protest [File: David McNew/Getty Images] Published 3 Jul 2024 A group of former United States government officials have claimed that Washington’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza puts national security at risk. The 12 officials, who resigned over the last nine months protesting against the US policy, said in a letter released late on Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s support for Israel means that Washington has “undeniable complicity” in the killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. They labelled the White House policy on the war in the enclave “a failure and a threat to US national security”. While Biden and his administration have made rhetorical efforts urging Israel to show restraint in recent weeks, Washington continues to provide military and diplomatic support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition government, which includes hardline nationalist parties. That has seen several officials quit in protest since Netanyahu launched the war on the enclave following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7. Maryam Hassanein, who left her post as a special assistant at the Department of the Interior on Tuesday, was the latest to resign. She was one of the signatories, alongside former officials from the Department of State, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the military, and four political staff members. “America’s diplomatic cover for, and continuous flow of arms to, Israel has ensured our undeniable complicity in the killings and forced starvation of a besieged Palestinian population in Gaza,” the letter read. “This is not only morally reprehensible and in clear violation of international humanitarian law and US laws, but it has also put a target on America’s back,” the former officials warned. Palestinians fled the eastern part of Khan Younis after being ordered by the Israeli army to evacuate the southern Gaza city [File: Mohammed Salem/Reuters] ‘Credibility of US values’ The protest letter comes as international protests against Israel’s conduct in Gaza persist, with US military and diplomatic support for its ally also increasingly criticised. Gaza’s Ministry of Health says nearly 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, with many more feared to be under the rubble as Israeli bombardments flattened once-populated areas of the besieged enclave. The October attack by Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, killed about 1,200 people. A further 250 or so were abducted and taken to Gaza. It is estimated that some 120 remain captive. With Israel having blockaded Gaza, the enclave’s 2.4 million people have also been plunged into a deep humanitarian crisis, with food, water, medicine and fuel all in short supply. Washington has called for more aid to be allowed into Gaza, but Israel continues to impose tight restrictions. The former officials argue in their letter that Israel’s ability to enforce this blockade on Gaza is another failure of US policy. “Rather than hold the Government of Israel responsible for its role in arbitrarily impeding humanitarian assistance, the US has cut off funding to the single largest provider of humanitarian assistance in Gaza: UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinians,” it read. “Rather than using our immense leverage to establish guardrails that can guide Israel towards a lasting and just peace, we have facilitated its self-destructive actions that have deepened its political quagmire and contributed to its enduring global isolation.” The statement added that the US policy regarding the Middle East had also been damaging to the “credibility of US values” as the US condemns Russia’s war on Ukraine while “unconditionally arming and excusing Israel’s”. The former officials outlined steps for the government to ensure that, including implementing the Leahy Laws that prohibit providing military assistance to forces involved in human rights violations and for the government to ensure the expansion of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the reconstruction of the territory. Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
What it has particularly done has undermined people's trust in USA's morals. American fairness has taken a huge hit. The hypocrisy of American politicians is mind boggling, they present a facade of goodness which is easily seen through, an attempt to hoodwink the world which won't work out in the long run. I'm expecting more wars are coming shortly and we can thank Biden and his motley crew for that. Trump is just as bad but I wouldn't say worse.
We will see. Israel and Hamas appear on brink of framework agreement for ceasefire and hostage deal, Israeli source says https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/middleeast/israel-hamas-ceasefire-hostage-talks-intl-latam/index.html
West Bank colonialism: Israel steals more Palestinian land July 3, 2024 By Roger McKenzie https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/west-bank-colonialism-israel-steals-more-palestinian-land/ Palestinians walk along a damaged road following an Israeli operation in Nur Shams refugee camp, near the West Bank town of Tulkarem, July 1, 2024. | AP Israel has approved the largest seizure of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades, an anti-settlement watchdog revealed Wednesday. Peace Now said that authorities had recently approved the appropriation of nearly five square miles of land in the Jordan Valley. The group’s data indicate that it is the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Settler violence against Palestinians has surged in the West Bank since Israel’s invasion of Gaza, which has so far killed more than 37,000 people. The land seizure, which was approved late last month but only publicized Wednesday, follows the seizure of roughly three square miles of land in the West Bank in March and one square mile in February. That makes 2024 by far the peak year for Israeli land seizures in the occupied West Bank, Peace Now said. The parcels of land are contiguous and located northeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered. By declaring them state lands, the Israeli government has opened them up to being leased to Israelis and prohibited private Palestinian ownership. Palestinians view the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank as one of the main barriers to any lasting peace agreement. Most countries consider them illegal. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, but the Palestinians want those territories for a future state. Israel’s current government considers the West Bank part of “Greater Israel” and is opposed to Palestinian statehood. Israel has built well over 100 settlements across the West Bank, some of which resemble fully developed suburbs or small towns. They are home to over 500,000 Jewish settlers who have Israeli citizenship, while the three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under open-ended Israeli military rule. The Palestinian Authority administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but is barred from operating in 60% of the territory, where the settlements are located. Prominent human rights organizations have pointed to Israel’s rule in the West Bank in accusing it of the international crime of apartheid, allegations that Israel rejects as an attack on its legitimacy. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has turbocharged land seizures and settlement construction since gaining expanded powers over Israel’s administration of the occupied territory under the current governing coalition, which is the most politically extreme in Israeli history.
US sees major ‘breakthrough’ in Israel-Hamas talks July 5, 2024 https://www.watoday.com.au/world/mi...gh-in-israel-hamas-talks-20240705-p5jra5.html Washington: Hamas made a pretty significant adjustment in its position over a potential hostage release deal with Israel, a senior US administration official said on Thursday (Friday AEST), expressing hope that it would lead to a pact that would be a step to a permanent ceasefire. Protesters hold signs during a demonstration against the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government in late June in Tel Aviv.Credit: Getty Images “We’ve had a breakthrough,” the official told reporters on a conference call, adding there were still outstanding issues related to implementation of the agreement and that a deal was not expected to be closed in a period of days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden he has decided to send a delegation to resume stalled negotiations on a hostage release deal with Hamas, their administrations said. A source in the Israeli negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a real chance of achieving agreement after Hamas made a revised proposal on the terms of a deal. “The proposal put forward by Hamas includes a very significant breakthrough,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Reuters