International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda surely felt compelled to announce an investigation of Israel’s conduct in the occupation so as not to appear to be completely failing her job, but her referral of a “question” concerning the “territory” under jurisdiciton to a “Pre-trial Chamber” of the court risks dragging this process out by months, maybe even years.
Israeli snipers targeting participants in Gaza’s weekly Great Return March protests have aimed for the legs – and eyes. To date, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reports that 50 protesters have been shot in the eye with teargas canisters or rubber bullets since the demonstrations began March 30, 2018 – leaving them permanently blind, according to an investigation by al-Araby.
Takeaway from the latest Democratic debate: the Israel brand is not so popular in the Democratic Party. The embraces were lukewarm. Bernie Sanders said Benjamin Netanyahu is a racist and if elected, Sanders would have an even-handed policy, including being “pro-Palestinian.” Joe Biden was the only candidate to laud the “Jewish state” but he said Netanyahu’s actions in the West Bank are “outrageous.”
After years of delays into launching a full investigation into Israeli war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda announced on Friday that there is basis to investigate Israel for its actions in the West Bank and Gaza.
Majed Abusalama writes that Palestinians are tired of demanding their obvious human rights, but there is now an opportunity to compel the international community to humanize Palestine and to treat Palestinians with full rights — the BDS movement.
Canada recently voted to support “the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” at the UN. The move broke with the country’s decade-old tradition of steadfast support for Israel at the UN by either voting against or abstaining on these resolutions. Marion Kawas looks at the motives behind the vote, and whether it is a sign of change for the Trudeau government.
Joel Doerfler reviews University of Pennsylvania political scientist Ian S. Lustick’s “Paradigm Lost: From Two-State Solution to One-State Reality” which says goodbye to the two-state solution, and calls for a new paradigm and a new politics based on a One-State Reality.
“Amos Oz eroticized the land and language of Israel, and it gave me permission to do the same.” Nearly a year after the writer’s death, Liz Rose reflects on the ways that Oz fostered her youthful excitement about liberal Zionism. And how she looks on his writing now that she opposes Zionism.
Liberal Zionists say Trump is bending over backwards for Israel to win evangelical voters in swing states. This is not true, as his recent rallies in MI and PA demonstrate– scarcely a mention of Israel. He saves his Israel pandering for a Jewish audience, with donor Sheldon Adelson present.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement hit back at UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to ban public authorities from participating in the international movement boycotting Israeli goods, and likened the move to Margaret Thatcher’s decision to ban local British councils from boycotts and divestment against apartheid South Africa.