Monday, June 2, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Sources: Mossad tried to pressure ICC prosecutor to drop war crimes investigation

Published 2 June 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Mossad chief Yossi Cohen allegedly tried to influence ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for several years.

Yossi Cohen, the former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, is alleged to have threatened the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in a series of secret meetings aimed at influencing and pressuring her not to open an investigation into Israeli war crimes.

Cohen’s secret contacts with then ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda reportedly took place over several years before she decided in 2021 to open a formal investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a review by The Guardian.

Recently, Bensouda’s successor, Karim Khan, also announced that he wants Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrested for abuses and crimes committed during the ongoing invasion of Gaza.

Yossi Cohen served as the head of the Mossad between 2016 and 2021, and before that as Israel’s national security adviser. According to sources, he was tasked with pressuring the ICC prosecutor not to open an investigation into Israel on the grounds that Israeli military personnel would be at risk of prosecution.

Yossi Cohen with Benjamin Netanyahu and then US Secretary of State John Kerry (2015). Photo: U.S. Department of State

Another source says the Mossad’s goal was to get Bensouda to agree to Israeli demands, and a third describes Cohen as Netanyahu’s “unofficial messenger”. The Mossad chief’s attempts to pressure the prosecutor are said to have gone on for years, and she is also said to have informed other senior ICC officials of Cohen’s threatening behavior.

“You should help us and let us take care of you. You don’t want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family”, and similar threats were allegedly made by the chief of intelligence, among others.

“Threats and manipulation”

The goal of allegedly intimidating Bensouda was also directed at her family members, with transcripts of secret recordings of her husband then used to discredit the prosecutor.

The Mossad also enlisted the help of former Congolese President Joseph Kabila to pressure the prosecutor. When Bensouda went to meet him in his New York hotel room, the prosecutor’s staff was suddenly asked to leave the room – and the Mossad chief entered through a door instead. Again, the situation was reportedly perceived as threatening.

On another occasion, Cohen allegedly called Bensouda repeatedly, and when she asked him how he got her number, the spy chief allegedly replied, “did you forget what I do for a living?”

Initially, Yossi Cohen also allegedly tried to “build a relationship” with the ICC prosecutor, but when that did not work, he began using “threats and manipulation” instead, according to a person with insight into the meetings.

Targeted the family

In December 2019, the prosecutor announced that she had grounds to open a full criminal investigation into allegations of war crimes in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. However, she delayed the opening of the investigation and decided to first request a decision from the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber to confirm that the Court has jurisdiction over Palestine.

At this point, Cohen allegedly escalated his attempts to pressure Bensouda not to pursue a full investigation. Between 2019 and 2021, the spy chief allegedly initiated at least three physical meetings and displayed behavior so threatening and obsessive that he was likened to a stalker.

Netanyahu with former Mossad top brass. Cohen is on the far left. Photo: Haim Zach/Israeli President

A source familiar with Bensouda’s accounts of her last two meetings with Cohen said he raised questions about her and her family’s safety in a way she found threatening.

On another occasion, Cohen allegedly showed Bensouda copies of photographs of her husband that had been secretly taken when the couple visited London. On another occasion, Cohen allegedly suggested to the prosecutor that a decision to open a full investigation would be detrimental to her career.

The Mossad is said to have actively sought leverage and compromising information on the prosecutor and her family, as well as attempting to smear Bensouda’s husband through diplomatic channels. Someone also spied on her husband and secretly recorded his conversations – but it is unclear whether the Mossad itself was behind the operation or whether the material was simply accessed.

Getting Trump on board

However, the attempts to undermine and smear the prosecutor were largely unsuccessful – although they did prompt then-US President Donald Trump and his administration to also publicly and privately pressure Bensouda and her staff.

Between 2019 and 2020, in an unprecedented move, the Trump administration imposed visa restrictions and sanctions on the attorney general. Officially, this was because Bensouda was conducting a separate investigation into US war crimes in Afghanistan – but analysts say the sanctions were actually a joint Israeli-US action.

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: White House

In February 2021, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber issued a decision confirming that the ICC had jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian territories. The following month, Bensouda announced the opening of the investigation.

Her successor also under threat

Three months later, she left her post and was replaced by Karim Khan, who recently requested an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the Guardian’s sources, this “was the conclusion Israel’s political, military and intelligence establishment had feared”.

“The fact they chose the head of Mossad to be the prime minister’s unofficial messenger to [Bensouda] was to intimidate, by definition”, said a source with insight into Cohen’s operation. “It failed”, the source concludes.

It should also be noted that the new ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been subjected to veiled threats and influence campaigns by both Israeli and American politicians to prevent him from investigating Netanyahu or other Israeli officials for war crimes.

Bensouda’s successor, Karim Khan. Photo: UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia/CC BY 2.0

The Nordic Times previously reported on how a group of pro-Israeli republicans threatened the prosecutor’s staff and family, promising in part, “If you target Israel, we will target you”.

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Jewish Power leader: “Time to go full force into Gaza”

The situation in Gaza

Published 30 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Ben-Gvir has long been identified as one of Israel's most belligerent voices - and wants Gaza completely emptied of Palestinians.

Israel’s invasion and bombing of Gaza have been described as among the most extensive in modern times and condemned worldwide because of the high number of civilian casualties.

However, the country’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has long been one of the strongest voices calling for further escalation of the situation – now he is insisting that it is time for Israel to “go in with full force” into the already bombed-out territory.

Ben-Gvir, who also leads the Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party, believes that Israel should take control of both Gaza and the West Bank and has been criticized over the years, even in Israel, for praising Jewish terrorists and mass murderers.

Itamar Ben-Gvir also caused a major uproar when he attended the so-called “wedding of hate” in 2015, where guests celebrated the murder of a Palestinian family in the village of Duma. At the wedding, participants waved weapons and stabbed knives into a picture of the 18-month-old boy who was killed in the arson attack – an act that Ben-Gvir had previously defended.

The number of Palestinians killed during Israel’s invasion and bombings is unclear – but is estimated to be between 40,000 and hundreds of thousands.

However, given that Hamas has said that the new US-backed ceasefire proposal does not meet their demands, Ben-Gvir believes that too much caution has been exercised so far and that it is now time to seriously use military force.

Mr. Prime Minister, after Hamas rejected the deal proposal again – there are no more excuses, Ben-Gvir said on his Telegram channel.

– The confusion, the shuffling and the weakness must end. We have already missed too many opportunities. It is time to go in with full force, without blinking, to destroy, and kill Hamas to the last one.

Ben-Gvir’s definition of terrorists who must be eliminated includes, according to him, not only combatants but also all Palestinians who are considered to sympathize with the Islamist group.

He has also previously argued that it is difficult to determine which Palestinians belong to Hamas and which do not, and he has repeatedly argued that Gaza should be permanently emptied of Palestinians.

Australian whistleblower loses court appeal – remains in prison

Published 30 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The documents leaked to the press by McBride showed, among other things, how Australian special forces executed unarmed Afghans.

Australian whistleblower David McBride will not have his prison sentence reduced. The Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday, rejecting McBride’s attempt to appeal the five-year and eight-month sentence he was handed down last year.

McBride, a former army lawyer, pleaded guilty to stealing and leaking classified documents about war crimes committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. This information was then used as the basis for ABC’s high-profile investigation, The Afghan Files, in 2017.

In his appeal, McBride claimed that he had acted in the public interest, citing the oath he had sworn as a member of the military. However, the court rejected this argument and ruled that the oath actually obliged him to act “according to the law“.

– It is my own conscience and the people of Australia that I answer to. I have kept my oath to the Australian people, McBride said in a statement through his lawyers.

– People who have stood up for what is right in history have suffered far more than I have. … It is a great privilege to sacrifice for the country and I am confident the outrage produced by this judgment will be felt by all Australians. I will not give up.

“It can’t be illegal to tell the truth”

McBride can apply for parole after serving two years and three months, which means August 2025 at the earliest. However, his lawyer Eddie Lloyd says he will probably not be able to begin parole hearings until August 2026.

The decision has drawn criticism from rights groups and lawyers, who point out that McBride is the only person so far to be jailed over allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan. A 2020 military report recommended that 19 soldiers be investigated for 39 cases of suspected war crimes, but only one – Oliver Schulz – has been charged so far.

Australia’s most decorated soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, recently lost a civil case that found he had killed four unarmed Afghans in violation of the laws of war, but he has not yet been charged.

It cannot be a crime to expose a crime. It cannot be illegal to tell the truth”, McBride’s lawyers wrote, announcing that they will now take the case to Australia’s highest court.

“Those who committed the crimes are walking free”

The lawyers are also calling on Justice Minister Michelle Rowland to pardon McBride. Her office declined to comment, but said it was considering further protections for whistleblowers in the public sector.

– David should never have spent a single day behind bars. Yet as we speak, he is returning to a cold, dark prison cell – preparing for winter in a concrete jungle – while those who committed crimes walk free and those who covered up those crimes have been rewarded with medals and promotions, Lloyd said.

The Nordic Times has previously reported on McBride’s case in connection with his prison sentence.

Merz: Defiant EU nations could be hit with economic punishment

The globalist agenda

Published 28 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Merz at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year.

German Chancellor and former BlackRock executive Friedrich Merz is threatening to support a freeze on EU funding for Slovakia and Hungary if the countries continue to oppose EU leaders’ sanctions policy against Russia.

On Monday, Merz removed restrictions on Ukraine’s use of German long-range weapons deep inside Russia, a decision the Kremlin described as a “serious escalation”. Slovakia and Hungary have also taken a critical stance toward the West’s policy in the Ukraine war.

However, Merz does not appreciate the criticism and issued a clear warning to Bratislava and Budapest, stating that EU countries considered to be in breach of the rule of law could face infringement proceedings.

– Withdrawing European funds is always an option… If it is necessary, then we will deal with it, he added.

He also emphasized that “we cannot allow the decisions of the entire EU to depend on a small minority” and hinted that there could be “clearer words and possibly also harder conflicts” if the two countries do not change course.

“The end of democracy in Europe”

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have long criticized EU leaders for prolonging the war with military and economic support for Kiev without any visible progress.

Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in May 2024, has taken a more neutral stance than his predecessors since coming to power in 2023. Under his leadership, Slovakia has reduced its military support for Ukraine and promised to veto new EU sanctions that could damage the country’s economy. Fico has also visited Moscow twice since December to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has sparked anger and criticism from both the EU and NATO.

The Slovak prime minister rejected Merz’s threat to withdraw funding and called the attack unacceptable.

– If someone wants to push a policy where only one opinion is allowed, that’s the end of democracy in Europe, he told reporters during a visit to Armenia on Tuesday.

“Not the path to unity and cooperation”

He argued that a policy where only one opinion is allowed is as dangerous for Europe as a third world war, and that German leaders must accept that not everyone shares their views.

Slovakia is not a little schoolchild that needs to be lectured. Slovakia’s sovereign positions do not stem from vanity, but are based on our national interests“, Fico stated, continuing:

When you hear such aggressive remarks, it feels like we are not heading into good times. The words of the German Chancellor are absolutely unacceptable in modern Europe. If we don’t obey, are we to be punished? This is not the path toward cohesion and cooperation”.

French parliament approves law legalizing euthanasia

Published 28 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In the 21st century, several European countries have chosen to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide - and now France is next.

The French parliament has voted to legalize active euthanasia, allowing healthcare providers to help terminally ill patients end their lives.

The bill was approved by the National Assembly with 305 votes in favor and 199 against, while a separate law on the right to palliative care was passed unanimously.

The new law, called the “law on end of life”, is described by the government as “an ethical response to the need to support the sick and the suffering“. It allows medical teams to decide whether a patient can have access to a lethal substance, either through self-administration or with the help of healthcare professionals.

To qualify, the patient must be over 18, have French citizenship or residency, and suffer from a “serious and incurable, life-threatening, advanced or terminal illness” that causes “constant, unbearable physical or psychological suffering” without relief. The patient must also express their wishes freely and in an informed manner.

The proposal was supported by President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist MPs and the left, while conservative and nationalist parties opposed it.

Socialist MP Stéphane Delautrette called the decision “historic” and compared it to the introduction of abortion rights or the abolition of the death penalty.

– The French people are ready for this, and we owe them this rendezvous with history.

May come into force next year

However, Patrick Hetzel (Les Républicains) was not nearly as enthusiastic, warning of the risks of allowing assisted suicide.

– It is illusory to and even dangerous to even think of debating a legalization of euthanasia without having first fully deployed proper access to palliative care, he argued.

France has previously allowed passive euthanasia and deep sedation, but active euthanasia required travel to neighboring countries such as Switzerland. Although the parliament has given its approval, the law must now be reviewed by the Senate and return to the National Assembly, and is expected to come into force sometime next year at the earliest.

In countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal, active euthanasia is already permitted, and in Germany and Switzerland, physician-assisted suicide is permitted. In the UK, politicians will soon take a position on a bill to allow euthanasia.

Critics argue, however, that assisted suicide and active euthanasia risk undermining human dignity and opening up gray areas where vulnerable people, such as the elderly, the sick, or the disabled, may feel pressured or compelled to end their lives.

Risks becoming a quick and cheap solution

There are also warnings that legal certainty is lacking and that end-of-life care should be strengthened instead. Several experts have pointed out that access to palliative care is uneven and that euthanasia risks becoming a quick and cheap solution instead of offering relief, care, and support to those who need it most.

In several countries, euthanasia is not only provided to people with incurable and painful physical conditions, but also to those suffering from mental illness if this is considered to cause unbearable suffering.

Critics have pointed out, however, that mental illness is often treatable and that people in mental crisis need care and help to get better, rather than help to end their lives.

Experts have also emphasized that people suffering from deep depression or similar severe mental illness are not capable of making life-and-death decisions on their own, and that there is a real risk that mentally ill and highly vulnerable individuals will be pressured or persuaded to believe that death is the best option for them.

In Canada, where the rules are among the most liberal in the world, medically assisted dying accounted for nearly five percent of all deaths in the country in 2023.

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