Friday, May 30, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Comment: Washington demands that the ICC bend to its will

The situation in Gaza

The American double standard is striking, and it is astonishing that the White House believes that nothing on this planet can happen without its approval. The US abandoned the ICC when there was a danger that its own soldiers would be convicted of war crimes, and now Washington believes that the court should once again bend to its will.

Published 5 May 2024
– By Jenny Piper
Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

When the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided last year to issue an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes over the alleged illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia, it was strongly supported by US President Joe Biden, even though the US itself is not a member of the ICC.

These allegations were later refuted when these children turned up in Germany, but of course no one suggested that the erroneous arrest warrant should be withdrawn.

But now that the Hague-based court will soon issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials for their roles in alleged war crimes against the Palestinians, it’s a very different story.

Axios reported Monday that Netanyahu has asked Biden to stop the ICC from trying to prosecute him or other officials in his government, while both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the US have called for retaliation against the ICC if it issues arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.

For example, US Representative Brad Sherman (Democrat, California) has insisted that Washington should retaliate against any attempt to arrest Israeli leaders during its ongoing war with Hamas.

“The International Criminal Court is apparently considering rulings against Israeli leaders for legitimate self-defense”. Such a move would, according to him, turn the court into a “kangaroo court”. The “President [Joe Biden] must condemn this, and I know Congress will ensure consequences for such an absurd decision”.

Ritchie Torres (Democrat, New York) has insisted that both Congress and Biden must respond with “strong consequences” if the ICC issues arrest warrants against Israelis:

The weaponization of international law—in the service of terror—cannot be allowed to stand.

Republicans have made similar statements. Representative Elise Stefanik (Republican, New York) said that “The ICC is propping up Hamas by attempting to punish the only democracy in the Middle East just for defending itself against barbaric terrorism”.

Senator John Fetterman (Democrat, Pennsylvania) said that an attempt to prosecute Israeli leaders “would be a fatal blow to the judicial and moral standing of ICC” and called on Biden to intervene.

Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican, Louisiana) insisted that the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel and called the possible order “baseless and illegitimate”, adding that it would undermine US national security.

The double standard is striking, and it is astonishing that Americans believe that nothing on this planet can happen without their approval.

The US abandoned the ICC when its own soldiers were in danger of being convicted of war crimes, and now Washington thinks the court should bend to its will.

In a “law-based society”, criminals who break laws are prosecuted, but only if the US likes the charges, not if the accused is a friend of the US.

#hypocrites

#itsokwhenwedoit

 

Jenny Piper

All Jenny Piper's articles can be found on her blog.

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European diplomats forced to flee Israeli shelling

The situation in Gaza

Published 23 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Stock image - Israeli snipers in the West Bank.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has demanded that those responsible be “held accountable” after Israeli soldiers opened fire near a diplomatic delegation during a recent visit to the Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank, with several EU countries now demanding immediate explanations from Israel.

The delegation, which according to the Palestinian Authority included diplomats from the EU, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, Russia, China, Denmark, and other countries, had visited a refugee camp in Jenin when several shots were fired. No one was injured, but video footage shows delegates being forced to flee and seek shelter during the shooting.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry claims that the delegation left an “approved route” and was in an area where they “were not authorized to be”. The statement on social media claims that the soldiers fired “warning shots” to disperse the group.

Critics, however, are skeptical of the explanation and that it would be reasonable or proportionate to start shooting at a group of diplomats instead of trying to communicate with them.

– Any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable, Kallas said at a press conference on Wednesday. She emphasized that even so-called warning shots are considered gunfire and that those responsible must be “held accountable”.

“Unprovoked” attack

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) say they regret the incident and are launching an investigation. They promise to inform the countries concerned of the results, but at the same time do not acknowledge that their actions were wrong.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that a French diplomat was at the scene:

– A visit to Jenin, in which one of our diplomats was participating, was fired upon by Israeli soldiers. This is unacceptable, he said, announcing that Israel’s ambassador in Paris had been summoned for talks.

The German Foreign Ministry also reacted sharply:

– It was a matter of luck that nothing worse had happened, they wrote in a statement describing the shots fired by Israeli soldiers as “unprovoked”. Minister Johann Wadephul has spoken with diplomats on the ground and is demanding an explanation from his Israeli counterpart.

Demanding “convincing explanations”

Belgium’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Maxime Prévot, confirmed that a Belgian diplomat was also in the group.

– Fortunately, he is all right. Belgium demands convincing explanations from Israel, he said.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry called the incident a “heinous crime” and accused Israeli forces of deliberately firing live ammunition at an accredited international delegation.

Images of the incident, published by the Palestinian Authority, show chaotic scenes with delegates running in panic while shots are heard in the background.

Belgium’s aid office bombed

The incident occurred just one day after Kallas announced that the EU would review its association agreement with Israel – an agreement governing political and economic cooperation – citing Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe that followed in its wake.

Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, wrote on social media that he too had summoned Israel’s ambassador to Rome to demand official clarification about the shooting in Jenin.

During Israel’s invasion and bombing of Gaza, a large number of journalists, photographers, aid workers, and UN personnel have been killed without any major consequences.

However, European diplomats and government officials have so far been relatively spared from the violence – even though the Israeli army bombed Belgium’s development aid office as recently as February this year. As far as is known, this incident did not lead to any significant consequences either.

Sources: US wants to expel Palestinians to Libya

The situation in Gaza

Published 18 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The US advises its own citizens against traveling to Libya - but at the same time, according to sources, it wants around one million Palestinians to be deported there.

According to multiple sources speaking to NBC News, Donald Trump’s administration is currently working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya. However, the White House dismisses the claims as false and denies that any such plans exist at present.

The administration of former US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering permanently relocating up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya, NBC News reports, citing informed sources. The White House denies that any such plan exists.

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly said the US is ready to take control of Gaza and turn the area into a “Riviera of the Middle East”. However, the proposals have faced strong opposition from other countries in the region, who argue that they violate international law, threaten regional stability and undermine the right of Palestinians to remain on their ancestral land.

According to NBC’s sources, the White House is now “seriously” considering a proposal to relocate about half of Gaza’s population to Libya. In exchange for Libya agreeing to take in the Palestinians, the US is reportedly prepared to release about $30 billion in Libyan assets that were frozen more than a decade ago.

NBC says talks have already been held with the Libyan leadership, but it is not clear which of the country’s rival governments has been involved in the discussions.

Civil war and chaos

Libya has been in a state of chaos since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Today, the country is divided between two rival power centers: the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the UN-backed Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) based in Tobruk.

Notably, the leader of the SSA, Abdulghani al-Kikli – also known as “Ghaniwa” – was killed just last Monday, sparking violent clashes in the capital. The US State Department today advised its own citizens against traveling to Libya at all because of “due to crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict“.

The sources also state that Israel has been informed about the discussions between the US and Libya. However, no final agreement on a possible relocation of Palestinians has been reached yet and details on how or when such a plan could be implemented are described as “murky”.

A Trump administration spokesperson rejects the NBC reports as “untrue” and stressed that “situation on the ground (in Libya) is untenable for such a plan. Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense”.

Trump wants to make Gaza an American “freedom zone”

The situation in Gaza

Published 15 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Many Palestinians are very hostile to the idea of Israel's main ally taking control of their homes.

Donald Trump has once again proposed that the US take control of the Gaza Strip and turn the entire area into a “freedom zone”.

However, what this would mean in practice for the population is highly unclear, and Palestinian activists emphasize that they have no interest in coming under US sovereignty.

During a visit to Doha, Qatar, Donald Trump reiterated his vision of the US “taking over” the Gaza Strip and creating a so-called freedom zone.

The statement comes in the middle of a regional tour and follows earlier heavily criticized proposals to transform Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East by moving the Palestinian population to neighboring countries and replacing them with “people from all over the world”.

– We are working very hard on Gaza and Gaza has been a territory of death and destruction, the president proclaimed, continuing:

– I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.

Israel’s most important ally

He did not clarify exactly what a “freedom zone” means, nor has Trump previously provided details on how a relocation or reconstruction of Gaza would be carried out.

Qatar and Egypt, which are mediating in the war between Israel and Hamas, have seen peace negotiations stall in recent months, as large-scale displacement of Palestinians is rejected not only by the Palestinians themselves, but also by many Arab states.

Trump’s proposal raises questions about whether the people of Gaza have any interest in breaking Israeli occupation under American control. Since the outbreak of the war, over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and most of the infrastructure destroyed, according to the UN. Many more have been injured or are missing under the rubble, and more and more voices are describing the situation as ongoing genocide.

Many Palestinian activists and outside observers point out that the US supports and has enabled Israel’s invasion, bombings, and war crimes, and that from a Palestinian perspective, it is hardly desirable for Israel’s closest ally, the US, to take control of the area.

Others emphasize that the Palestinian people want and have the right to independence and self-determination and to rule over their own territory without having to submit to either Israel or the US.

Journalist asked critical questions about Israel – banned from Eurovision

The situation in Gaza

Published 15 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Journalist Szymon Stellmaszyk, banned from Eurovision 2025.

Polish journalist Szymon Stellmaszyk has been denied accreditation for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. He believes this is due to a critical question he asked Israeli artist Eden Golan last year – something the EBU denies.

Szymon Stellmaszyk has covered the Eurovision Song Contest for 20 years and runs both the Facebook page “Let’s talk about ESC” and the industry website “Radio Newsletter”. This year, for the first time, he has been denied accreditation to cover the contest in Basel.

The background, according to Stellmaszyk himself, is a critical question he asked Israel’s contestant, Eden Golan, during Eurovision in Malmö last year. He asked whether Golan, given the political situation and the war in Gaza, thought her presence could pose a security risk to other participants and the audience.

The question attracted attention and was criticized by some, but Stellmaszyk emphasizes that it was not intended to be offensive or “anti-Semitic”. In an email to Stellmaszyk, which the Swedish state broadcaster SVT has seen, the EBU justifies its decision by saying that the platforms Stellmaszyk uses do not have sufficient reach.

“Restriction”

Szymon Stellmaszyk himself is convinced that the EBU is making excuses and that it is in fact about the question he asked last year.

– This is some kind of revenge and, in practice, a restriction of freedom of expression, he says.

It should also be noted that this year’s EBU media handbook contains a new rule stating that published content must be “respectful” towards Eurovision and the EBU. Eurovision boss Martin Green says the wording is unfortunate and promises that it will be reworded for next year.

At the same time, he does not want to comment on individual cases, but points out that there are a limited number of places for journalists.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland.

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