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Al Jazeera on Tuesday filed a complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American journalist who was shot during a West Bank counter-terror raid earlier this year.
In a press release, Al Jazeera said it contacted ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in the wake of “new evidence” it uncovered. Claiming the killing of Abu Akleh was “deliberate,” the Qatar-run broadcaster argued that the incident was part of a campaign by “Israeli Occupation Forces [sic]… to target and silence Al Jazeera.”
Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli operation against US-designated Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Jenin.
An IDF probe previously concluded that she was likely mistakenly shot by a soldier who failed to identify her as a member of the press. After pinpointing every spot where troops had come under fire, the investigation found that they had strictly complied with the IDF’s rules of engagement. Soldiers acted accordingly during the protracted firefight.
In July, a report issued by the US State Department similarly concluded that Israeli forces probably fired the shot that killed Abu Akleh, but that there was no indication Israelis intentionally shot the correspondent.
The International Criminal Court in 2021 ruled that it has jurisdiction over Israel and “Palestine” for the purpose of charging Israelis with alleged war crimes, and the Office of the Prosecutor has since opened a formal investigation. Under the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, individuals and organizations have the right to submit information on crimes within the court’s jurisdiction.
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Two Israeli Border Police officers sustained light injuries on Monday afternoon after Palestinian terrorists threw an explosive device at forces operating in the area of Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem.
One of the officers hit by the explosion was taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for further treatment, while the second officer was reportedly treated at the scene.
It was unclear what prompted the riot, but a police spokesperson said troops only arrived after it began. The officers came under attack by a group of 40 Palestinians, who also hurled rocks, he told local media. There were no reports of Palestinians wounded in the violence.
In another terror attack just hours later, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the settlement of Ofra, located several miles northeast of the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
A soldier at a military post reported that a Palestinian car approached and fired several rounds at Ofra’s rear entrance. No casualties were reported. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene, prompting security forces to launch a search.
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Wrapping up his two-day visit to the Gulf region, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Monday. During the tête-à-tête, both men praised the 2020 Abraham Accords which normalized relations between the two countries.
“It is a great honor and pleasure to be here, to be your guest, and to meet with you. The UAE is a major linchpin in the movement towards peace in the region. The Abraham Accords are a national consensus in the State of Israel, for all parties and for all factions of Israeli politics,” Herzog said, according to a statement from his office.
“After two years of the Abraham Accords, when we took off so beautifully, now we need to reach cruising altitude, meaning upgrading the relationship even further, strengthening it and bringing more nations on board with the Abraham Accords,” the president added.
For his part, Sheikh Mohammed thanked Herzog for returning to his “second home” in the UAE. Earlier this year, Herzog became the first Israeli president to visit the Emirates.
On Sunday, he made history as the first Israeli head of state to visit Bahrain, some two years after Jerusalem and Manama normalized ties. In the Bahraini capital, he met with Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Jewish community members, and local business leaders.
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Hate crimes against Jews in New York City more than doubled last month compared to 2021, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said on Monday. Officers recorded 45 attacks motivated by antisemitism in November versus 20 in November 2021.
This month’s 125 percent rise amounts to an average of an anti-Jewish incident once every 16 hours. Meanwhile, antisemitic crimes made up a staggering 60 percent of all hate crimes in the city last month.
Anti-Jewish hate in the Big Apple continues to soar this year. The worst spike so far took place in February, which saw 56 hate crimes against the Jewish community, compared to only 11 in February 2021. Notably, Jews are targeted more than other minorities in absolute and per capita terms.
On November 10, NYC Mayor Eric Adams told the Anti-Defamation League’s Never is Now summit that the rise of antisemitism cannot be ignored. “I know the last few weeks have been tense for the Jewish community here and across the nation,” Adams said. “Many of you are feeling fear and anxiety, no matter where you live. Let me be clear: Hatred and antisemitism will not be tolerated in New York City.”
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Nike announced it formally cut all ties with Brooklyn Nets basketball star Kyrie Irving over his promotion of antisemitism. “Kyrie is no longer a Nike athlete,” a Nike company spokesperson told ESPN on Monday.
For her part, Irving’s agent claimed the decision was mutual. “We have mutually decided to part ways and wish Nike the best in their future endeavors,” Shetellia Riley Irving told CNBC.
Irving came under fire after he published a social media post in which he offered a link to the movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America,” a 2018 film that was widely criticized as containing a range of anti-Jewish tropes.
In the wake of his initial Twitter post, Irving was already removed from the Nets roster and suspended for eight games, forfeiting millions of dollars in salary. Additionally, Nike in November froze its relationship with the NBA star and pulled the “Kyrie 8” shoe that had been due for release last month.
Despite weeks of public pressure from Jewish organizations, Amazon last week made clear that the company would not stop selling “Hebrews to Negroes.” CEO Andy Jassy said that Amazon had no plans to remove or add a disclaimer to the antisemitic film because “we have to allow access to those viewpoints, even if they are objectionable.”
Recommended Reading
- UN Peddling of False Narrative on Israel Does Not Promote Mideast Peace (Dan Burton, Washington Times)
- NGO Monitor Finds Over 300 Flaws With Human Rights Watch Report on Israel’s ‘Apartheid’ (Steve Postal, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Iran Supporting New West Bank Terrorist Groups With Money and Weapons (Yoni Ben Menachem, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
- Will the EU Choose to Work With or Boycott Netanyahu’s Government? – Opinion (Shlomo Roiter Jesner, Jerusalem Post)
- Israeli UFC Fighter Who Challenged Ye Says He’s ‘Still Waiting On Him’ (Ynetnews)
