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Israeli officials are bracing for the International Criminal Court to formally open an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians “in the coming days.” According to Haaretz, Israeli officials widely expect the judges to rule that the ICC has jurisdiction for such an investigation.
Israel argues that the Palestinian Authority isn’t a state, has no standing to take action in The Hague, and that such an investigation only politicizes the ICC.
The US recently placed sanctions on ICC officials in retaliation for an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan. That move was coordinated with Israel.
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An airstrike widely attributed to Israel killed at least six members of a pro-Iranian militia on Saturday night. The base, known as Abu Kamel, is along the Syria-Iraq border and a key position in Iranian efforts to create a strategic land bridge to the Mediterranean.
The strike came hours after Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani visited the site and threatened Israel and the US.
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Annexation: BDS groups are planning a “Day of Rage” across the US on Wednesday in opposition to annexation.
In a welcome sign of cooperation, a number of private companies in Israel and the United Arab Emirates are working together on medical projects, including some to combat COVID-19. Israel and the UAE don’t have diplomatic ties; the Emirati government made it clear that the ties are between businesses and not at the governmental level.
South Africa’s ruling party wants to censure Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng over comments he made in support of Israel. During a webinar hosted by the Jerusalem Post, Mogoeng said South Africa would have more influence if it took a more balanced position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. More at the Johannesburg Times.
Hamas promises to resist annexation, but analysts told AFP the terror group’s options are extremely limited.
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Gaza terrorists fired two rockets at Israel on Friday, prompting retaliatory IDF fire. No injuries were reported on either side. On Saturday, Israel Border Police thwarted a stabbing attack at the Qalandiya crossing.
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Antisemitism Watch: UK Labour chief Keir Starmer sacked shadow education minister Rebecca Long Bailey after she retweeted an antisemitic conspiracy theory and described its author as “an absolute diamond.”
Activists in St. Louis want to remove a statue of the city’s antisemitic namesake. A Florida State U. student government official apologized for retweeting a diatribe against the campus ‘Zionist Community.’
Spanish courts struck down two municipalities’ support for Israel boycotts. A concrete slab was hurled into the living room of an 84-year-old Jewish woman in Paris.
Last but not least, Calcalist examines pervasive antisemitism on Tik Tok.
Recommended Reading
- Israeli strikes in Syria are message to Assad and Tehran (Ron Ben-Yishai)
- How Iran’s land bridge threatens the entire Middle East (Tyler Cotler)
- ‘Annexation’ is a misnomer: Israel wants a safe way to hand land to Palestinians in return for peace (Gregory Rose)
- Israel must decide on annexation, not US (Nahum Barnea)
- Annexation’s irony: Bringing Israeli politics closer to Palestinian statehood (Haviv Rettig Gur)
- Why Israel’s warming Gulf ties will survive annexation (Jonathan Ferziger)
- Palestinians: Is it really about ‘annexation’? (Khaled Abu Toameh)
- ‘Historic Palestine’ – A misleading anachronism (Salo Aizenberg)
- Israel not to blame for the tragic killing of George Floyd (Steerpike)
- The Left’s obsession with Israel grows more bizarre by the day (Michael Deacon)
