Atlantic Council’s Post

Around 70% of the people that Israel has been killing have been WOMEN (>11K) & CHILDREN (>15K), & they have been killing & starving everyone, including babies, disabled people, the elderly, & pregnant women. And most of the men they’ve been killing have been civilians – fathers, grandfathers, & even great grandfathers, & they are now finding mass graves all over Gaza proving this. Paid for with OUR TAX DOLLARS. They’ve even killed over 400 doctors, nurses, & medics, over 220 U.N. aid workers, & over 140 journalists (because their pesky cameras document too much evidence). And they’ve destroyed most of the homes, hospitals, schools, & infrastructure, making most of Gaza uninhabitable, as their leaders promised multiple times, & already have plans to move-in Jewish settlers. So if you still doubt that Israel is committing both genocide & ethnic cleansing with the weapons & funding that WE keep giving them, then I have bridge to sell you. 🙏 Please write & call your representatives & the White House to demand they stop helping Israel kill children & maintain its brutal, racist apartheid with our tax dollars. I condemn the harming of any civilians, but this horror show did NOT start on October 7th, & the proof is the nearly 2300 Palestinian kids killed by Israeli soldiers & settlers between 2000 & October 2023, including 43 kids during the 9 months just before 10/7 (all names & details on BTselem.org) Israel has also continued stealing more Palestinian homes & farms EVERY YEAR as part of its 57 year apartheid & has imposed a brutal blockade of Gaza since 2005. ALL illegal, immoral, & ongoing acts of war. EVEN the ex-head of Israel’s Mossad (their CIA), appointed by Netanyahu, said “There is an apartheid state here. In a territory where two people are judged under two legal systems, that is an apartheid state.” lnkd.in/gF_2dqvM. And decades of brutal racist apartheid & ethnic cleansing is why even the ex-head of Israel’s Shin Bet (their FBI), Ami Ayalon, & ex-Israeli PM & General, Ehud Barak, BOTH say IF THEY WERE PALESTINIAN THEY WOULD FIGHT ISRAEL BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THEIR LIBERTY: lnkd.in/guNE7vay I will keep calling for peaceful resistance & Palestinians have tried for decades, but IDF soldiers shoot them in the knees, kill them, or at least imprison & beat them. If you don't believe it, read this 2020 Haaretz article titled: '42 Knees in One Day': Israeli Snipers Open Up About Shooting Gaza Protesters: lnkd.in/g4VqQRzs The only solution to end this madness is to end Israel’s brutal, racist apartheid. Israel needs to either: 1) Give EVERYONE under its control 100% EQUAL RIGHTS (from the river to the sea) regardless of race or religion. OR 2) Follow international law and withdraw to 1967 borders so Palestinians can have their own independent state on only 22% of original Palestine. But Israel refuses both paths & wants to continue abusing Palestines under its racist apartheid forever. What would you do in their shoes?

This is a very informative article on international criminal law and the territorial jurisdiction of the ICC.

Education is not memorizing that Hitler killed six million Jews. Education is understanding how millions of ordinary Germans were convinced that it was required. Education is learning how to spot the signs of history repeating itself. ~Noam Chomsky It’s because Nazi propaganda was so pervasive and effective that regular Germans were actually convinced that it was somehow necessary to murder children. That is exactly the kind of pervasive propaganda that has brainwashed most Israelis with countless lies, starting with “A land without a people for a people without a land”, the slogan Israel’s founders used to convince European Jews to move to Palestine to help create a Jewish state. And that’s why Seth Rogen said that he and other Jewish people were “fed a huge amount of lies about Israel'' and cited this lie as an example, saying “they never tell you that, oh by the way, there were people there“. Here is the clip: https://lnkd.in/gJqJfHug. So is it really that surprising that Israeli soldiers have now killed over 12,000 Palestinian children after Israeli leaders repeatedly call Palestinian children things like the "children of darkness” and say they are “Amalek”, implying that they should all be slaughtered (as Netanyahu has said), and say “there are no innocent civilians in Gaza” even though 50% are children (as Israeli President Herzog did)? And Israeli leaders and media repeatedly tell dehumanizing lies like the 40 beheaded babies lie, and say that this conflict started on October 7th, denying the many atrocities and injustices against Palestinians in the months before and over the past 75 years, from the ongoing ethnic cleansing and dozens of massacres that started in 1948, to the brutal illegal occupation and apartheid since 1967, to the brutal illegal blockade and repeated bombardment of Gaza since 2005 that have consistently killed over 50% women and children every time. What Israel is doing now is genocide & our government is helping them do it. In addition to killing over 12,000 Palestinian children in under 5 months, Israel has orphaned over 25,000 more children, & has made over 900,000 children homeless during winter. And Israel is still blocking aid to these children, killing them with starvation, dehydration, & disease, in addition to U.S. supplied bombs. I also cry for the 36 innocent Israeli children killed on October 7th, but this horrible conflict did NOT start on that day. The proof is the nearly 2300 Palestinian children Israeli soldiers and settlers killed between the year 2000 and October 2023, including 43 children during the 9 months just before October 7th (all names & details documented on BTselem.org). Not to mention Israel’s brutal 57 year occupation/apartheid, and the blockade of Gaza since 2005 — both illegal under international law, and simply immoral and inhumane.

Last month, we shared about Argentina’s recent request for arrest warrants in a Federal Court against #Myanmar officials for crimes against the #Rohingya, highlighting the powerful role small states can play in advancing international justice. Read more about how Argentina is championing justice for serious international crimes through #UniversalJurisdiction in this article from VAI on Opinio Juris. https://lnkd.in/gc_dtRTZ

Today is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance. In my latest piece for the Center for Civil Liberties, I reflect on the effects of this heinous crime and call for accountability: #DayoftheDisappeared #HumanRights

⚖️ The situation in Middle East does not interest only public international law but also *private* international law ! 🇩🇪🇮🇱 A German court (Stuttgart) has ordered the return of a 1 y.o. child to Israel under the Hague Convention on Child Abduction, despite the ongoing conflict. The decision detailles the differences between Israel and Ukraine regarding child safety according to Art. 13(1)b). I wrote a short presentation of this interesting case for Conflict of Laws .net : #InternationalLaw #ChildAbduction #HagueConvention #LegalInsights #FamilyLaw #ConflictOfLaws

🇺🇳 UN Report Exposes Russia's Systematic Torture and Crimes Against Humanity in Ukraine 🇺🇦 The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has presented a chilling report to the UN Human Rights Council, documenting grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws committed by Russian authorities. The report reveals widespread and systematic use of torture against Ukrainian prisoners of war in detention facilities across Russia. Former detainees recounted brutal treatment, including beatings, electric shocks, and being forced to eat worms and dog food remnants. Cases of rape and sexual violence committed by Russian soldiers against women in Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts were uncovered. A 54-year-old woman was beaten, subjected to electric shocks, and repeatedly raped by two Russian soldiers who told her, "We will make sure to show you what happens to the nazis and Ukrainian armed forces' fans like you." The report also documents evidence of the unlawful transfer of children from Ukraine to Russian-occupied areas or the Russian Federation, with 46 children from the Kherson Oblast Children's Home being transferred to Crimea in October 2022, most of them still not returned as of November 2023. Willful killings and torture of civilians were documented, including the summary executions of four civilian men in Novopetrivka village, Mykolaiv Oblast. Torture occurred in various detention facilities, with perpetrators using methods like beatings and electric shocks to extract information about the Ukrainian armed forces and their supporters. The siege of Mariupol city stands as a stark reminder of the horrors endured by civilians, with satellite imagery revealing 15,555 structures affected, including 831 destroyed. Residents faced relentless shelling, collapsed buildings, and a lack of essential resources. The report emphasizes the need for timely, effective, thorough, and transparent investigations and prosecutions of all international crimes and violations. It calls on states and international organizations to strengthen accountability mechanisms and integrate the human rights dimensions of the armed conflict into the Security Council's agenda. As professionals, it is crucial to be aware of these findings and support efforts to hold perpetrators accountable and prevent such atrocities from occurring in the future.

In a landmark ruling, the Three-Member Misdemeanor Court has acquitted a Turkish Supreme Judge who faced persecution under the Erdogan administration following the failed coup of July 2016. Case Background - The Judge held a prominent role in a major Turkish city's courts. - She was responsible for high-profile terrorism and public interest cases. - Following the coup, she was dismissed along with numerous other judges and prosecutors. - Accused of being members of an “armed terrorist organization.” - A warrant was issued for her arrest, and her passport was invalidated. Seeking Asylum - Fled with her 2.5-year-old daughter. - Sought asylum in Germany. - Apprehended at Athens International Airport. - Charged with using a forged passport and attempting to exit the country illegally. - Endured days of detention in holding cells and transfer centers. Initially convicted in the first instance, her case was reviewed. The appellate court upheld our defense that she acted out of "necessity" while seeking asylum in a European country, thus nullifying any wrongful acts. This ruling not only serves as a personal vindication but also underscores the critical importance of safeguarding judicial independence in Turkey, which is under severe threat. The prosecution in Turkey was a clear attempt by the regime to illegitimately interfere with judicial proceedings and decisions. #JudicialIndependence #HumanRights #LegalVictory #RuleOfLaw #Turkey #Greece #AsylumSeekers #JusticePrevails

Modern Legal Challenges in Surrey Assault Cases Can Complicate a Defense Strategy. Read This Article to Learn More. https://lnkd.in/guavZjHM