DAILY TRIFECTA: Israel Had To Destroy The Village So Uncle Sam Could Save It

Aiding and abetting

TITLE: EXCLUSIVE: Israeli military demolished homes to make way for US Gaza aid pier
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2024/04/30/exclusive-israeli-military-demolished-homes-make-way-us-gaza-aid-pier

EXCERPT: Using satellite photos and UN satellite monitoring data, The New Humanitarian was able to verify that buildings have been razed around the landing area Israeli authorities are setting up to receive aid from the US-led maritime route, which is expected to begin operating at the beginning of May. 

About half a square kilometre has been cleared around the landing area itself, and satellite photos show extensive demolition of buildings in an area nearby of about eight additional square kilometres in size.

The Israeli military also posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing the large area it is clearing to receive aid. According to the Israeli military, the area will occupy 67 acres, or about 0.3 square kilometres. 

UN satellite monitoring data from November 2023 shows extensive damage to buildings in al-Zahra already at that point in the war. But many buildings remained intact. The scale of damage increased in January and February – when the area around the landing area was under Israeli military control – with further demolitions taking place in March and April as the landing area began to take shape.

Homes, agricultural fields, and groves of trees that were visible in satellite images from before 7 October 2023 – when Hamas launched a deadly raid into Israel that precipitated the current war – appear to have been levelled, with many bulldozed entirely. By mid-April, almost nothing but sand appears to be left of the original buildings in the landing area. 

The demolition of civilian property in a territory under military control is illegal under international law, unless it serves a clear military objective that cannot be accomplished in another way, according to Adil Haque, a law professor at Rutgers University and an expert in international law in armed conflict.

“This is a very demanding test to satisfy because, in general, when you have control over the terrain you have a lot of options other than destruction of civilian property to conduct your military operations with minimal harm to civilians or to their homes,” Haque said, noting that this standard would apply even if the military is acting to deliver humanitarian aid.

Neither the Israeli military nor the US Defense Department, which is overseeing the project, responded to The New Humanitarian’s requests for comment on why the civilian buildings were demolished to make way for the landing area and on the legality of the demolitions.

TITLE: ICC may issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu this week; US threaten Hague court with retaliation
https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/world-int/25178-icc-may-issue-arrest-warrants-for-netanyahu-this-week-us-threaten-hague-court-with-retaliation.html

EXCERPT: Should the ICC go forward with arrest warrants, it would mark a critical point in international law, testing the court's ability to hold powerful states accountable. The implications extend beyond immediate legal consequences, potentially affecting Netanyahu’s and other officials' ability to travel internationally.

Critics argue that without accountability for actions deemed as war crimes by international standards, there remains a significant gap in justice for Palestinian victims. The situation highlights ongoing challenges within international law to balance national sovereignty against the imperative for global justice.

When last year the same ICC focused attention on Russian President Vladimir Putin, issuing an arrest warrant for him due to charges primarily related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia, the reaction from U.S. leaders and congressmen was overtly supportive. Many U.S. officials applauded the ICC's decision as a significant step toward holding Putin accountable for his actions in Ukraine. President Joe Biden endorsed the ICC's decision, stating that the warrant was "justified," highlighting the gravity of the charges, especially the unlawful deportation of children. Several members of Congress from both parties also expressed their approval, viewing the warrant as a critical move in the international effort to address war crimes and human rights abuses perpetrated during the conflict in Ukraine.  Israel on the other hand has so far killed at least 14500 Palestinian children and wounded 3 times that number and displaced over 2 million Gaza residents.

Israel has been accused of various actions that international organisations and critics have labelled as potential war crimes, particularly in the context of its conflicts in Gaza and other Palestinian territories. Here are some of the key accusations:

1. Indiscriminate Attacks and Disproportionate Use of Force: Israel has been accused of carrying out attacks that do not distinguish between military targets and civilians. During operations in densely populated areas like Gaza, the high civilian death tolls have led to allegations of disproportionate use of force.

2. Use of White Phosphorus: Israel has been criticized for its alleged use of white phosphorus, a chemical that can cause severe burns, in civilian areas. Its use in populated areas, as reported during the Gaza conflicts, has been condemned as a potential war crime.

3. Targeting Civilian Infrastructure: There have been numerous reports accusing Israel of deliberately targeting infrastructure essential for civilian life in Gaza, including schools, hospitals, water facilities, and power plants, which can constitute war crimes under international law.

4. Blockade of Gaza: The blockade of Gaza, imposed by Israel, has been described by various human rights organisations as a form of collective punishment against the civilian population, a practice prohibited by international law.

5. Destruction of Housing and Forced Evictions: The demolition of homes and forced evictions in both Gaza and the West Bank have raised serious human rights concerns. These actions are often viewed as violations of international law, especially when they result in displacement without justification or provision of adequate housing or compensation.

6. Settlement Expansions: The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is considered illegal under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

7. Attacks on Medical Personnel and Ambulances: There have been multiple reported incidents where Israeli forces allegedly targeted medical personnel and ambulances, impeding the treatment and transportation of injured Palestinians, which contravenes international humanitarian laws that protect medical services during conflicts.

These accusations have been the subject of various international debates and inquiries, including investigations by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC), though Israel disputes many of these claims and justifies its actions as necessary for its security.

As of April 30 at 3:20 pm in Gaza (12:20 GMT), the Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported staggering casualty figures with at least 34,535 people killed, including over 14,500 children and 8,400 women. Additionally, more than 77,704 individuals have been injured, and over 8,000 are missing.

In the occupied West Bank, at least 492 people have been killed, including 124 children, and over 4,800 have been injured. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have revised the death toll from the October 7 attacks down from 1,405 to 1,139, with at least 8,730 injured.

The extent of destruction in Gaza includes more than half of the homes being destroyed or damaged, 80% of commercial facilities, 73% of school buildings, and 11 out of 35 hospitals only partially functioning. Additionally, 83% of groundwater wells are not operational, and 267 places of worship have been damaged, according to the latest data from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, and the Palestinian government as of April 28. The amount of explosives dropped on Gaza equal to 3 Hiroshima atomic bombs.

TITLE: Netzah Yehuda: the Israeli military unit the US may sanction
https://asiatimes.com/2024/05/netzah-yehuda-the-israeli-military-unit-the-us-may-sanction/

EXCERPT: Netzah Yehuda is an ultra-Orthodox division of the IDF that was established as a way of encouraging Haredi Jews, currently exempted from military service, into the Israeli armed forces. It was reported on April 20 that the Biden administration was considering sanctioning the unit under the “Leahy Law.”

This 1997 law prohibits the US government from providing funds to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in “gross violations of human rights.”

But following a series of exchanges between the US and Israeli governments, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “The Israeli government has presented new information regarding the status of the unit and we will engage on identifying a path to effective remediation for this unit.”

The Netzah Yehuda battalion has been mired in misconduct controversies since long before the outbreak of the current hostilities with Hamas. But one incident from 2022 has particularly rankled with Washington as it involved a Palestinian-American former resident of Milwaukee. Omar Assad, 80, died after being forcibly detained and left outside overnight on a construction site near a makeshift IDF checkpoint in his West Bank hometown of Jiljilya.

Assad, who is reported to have been gagged and bound when detained, was allegedly unresponsive when left by the IDF soldiers. He was found dead the following morning. A subsequent Palestinian autopsy found that Assad, who had a history of heart problems, had suffered cardiac arrest caused by stress.

The IDF conducted an investigation and discharged two junior officers from the unit, but no legal action was taken. This is just one episode in a list of human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by members of Netzah Yehuda on Palestinian civilians that have come under investigation by the US government.