The lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has announced that he is seeking arrest warrants for Benjamin #Netanyahu and Yahya #Sinwar, along with senior figures of their respective regimes, for the commission of #WarCrimes and #CrimesAgainstHumanity.
Amidst the predictable performative outrage from the US political elite, one fact is barely reported upon: the US is amongst a handful of nations that does not recognise the #ICC, and has on its books a 2002 law (colloquially dubbed 'the Hague Invasion Act') threatening war upon the #Netherlands (!) should any US citizen (or the citizen of any US ally) be brought for trial before the ICC.
Given the fact that the #US routinely fails to follow its own laws, let alone #InternationalLaw, when it comes to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the chances of an actual US invasion of the European lowlands is scant. Nonetheless, the rogue nature of #USexceptionalism is the always the elephant in the room when it comes to all discussions of accountability for the most egregious crimes of #geopolitics.
The announcement that the #ICC prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav #Gallant as well as #Hamas leaders Yahya #Sinwar and Ismail #Haniyeh is a signal to Israel that the international community will not accept the perpetration of war crimes in response to war crimes, says Yossi Mekelberg, Associate Fellow, MENA Programme at Chatham House. He spoke to France24's Mark Owen #Gaza#Israel
>> decision to seek arrest warrants… is retribution against Israel for the original [sin] of existing as a #Jewish State
The reason #Torres is completely unhinged here is because ICC prosecutor ALSO said that he had “reasonable grounds to believe” that #Sinwar, #Deif & #Haniyeh were responsible for “#warCrimes and #crimesAgainstHumanity” — including “the killing of hundreds of #Israeli civilians in attacks perpetrated by #Hamas”
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Karim Khan said that he believes Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav #Gallant and three Hamas leaders — Yehia #Sinwar, Mohammed #Deif and Ismail #Haniyeh — are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the #Gaza Strip and #Israel.
Internationaler Strafgerichtshof beantragt Haftbefehle gegen Netanyahu und #Hamas-Anführer
Stand: 20.05.2024 13:26 Uhr
Der Internationale #Strafgerichtshof (#IStGH) hat nach eigenen Angaben Haftbefehle gegen den israelischen Regierungschef #Netanyahu und Hamas-Anfüher #Sinwar beantragt.
Untergetauchter Hamas-Chef Sinwar "weiß ganz genau, was er will"
Seit dem Massaker in Israel vom 7. Oktober führt Hamas-Chef Sinwar die Terrorgruppe aus dem Untergrund. Wo er sich aufhält, wisse "nur Gott", sagt Hamas-Funktionär Hamdan. Sinwars Ziel aber sei klar: die Zerstörung des jüdischen Staates. Von M. Durm.
[The Washington Post]: Hamas leader hiding in Gaza, but killing him risks hostages, officials say By Shane Harris
Israeli officials say they are closing in on Yehiya Sinwar, the accused architect of the Oct. 7 attacks. Whether his death would help end the war is up for debate.
"Videos show demonstrators chanting against the terrorist organizations' leaders abroad, Haniyeh and Hamda, as well as against Sinwar in the Gaza Strip."
#Israel has said it has informed the families of 31 people held in the territory since 7 October that their relatives are dead. The news came as the Qatari prime minister said #Hamas had given a “generally positive” response to proposals for a deal trading a break in the fighting and release of #Palestinian prisoners for the return of more #hostages.
$400,000 for Sinwar: #Gaza residents claim IDF offers hundreds of thousands of dollars for information on senior #Hamas officials
Residents in the Strip report that the #IDF distributed a flyer saying it would give $400,000 to those providing information about Yahya #Sinwar. The flyer also stated that for information about his brother, Mohammed Sinwar, $300,000 would be given, for information about Rafeh Salameh $200,000 would be given, and for information about Mohammed Deif - only $100,000.
Kämpfe in Süd-Gaza: Israels Militär sucht den Hamas-Chef
Schwere Gefechte im südlichen Gazastreifen: Dort hat die Armee das Haus vom Hamas-Anführer Sinwar umstellt. Vermutet wird er aber im Tunnelsystem. Hoffnungen auf eine Feuerpause gibt es kaum. Von Tim Aßmann.
#AFP#France on Tuesday imposed asset freezes on Hamas Gaza chief Yahya #Sinwar, the latest leader from the Islamist group to be added to its national sanctions list, according to a decree published in the country’s official journal.
France on Nov. 13 imposed sanctions at a national level on #Hamas military commander Mohammed #Deif and his deputy, Marwan Issa.
It is working with partners to impose sanctions on Hamas individuals and its financing network at European Union level, diplomats have said.
How were the Israelis treated in captivity? #Haaretz vs #NYT. Both are quoting conversations with relatives:
“They have some difficult stories to tell of the way they were captured and treated,” Ahal Besorai said of his nephew and niece. He said he had spoken with them on a video call at the hospital where they are staying.
"The conversations also reveal that several of the captives said that #Hamas did not mistreat them, and that their daily routine in captivity was rather fixed. According to the relatives of those released, one of the main difficulties for the captives was boredom and lack of activity. At some point, one of the groups of captives was given a radio receiver and through it they managed to stay updated on what was happening in the country. At the same time, they said that sleeping conditions were difficult, especially for the older captives, who had to sleep on a mattress on the floor or on benches. According to several people who spoke with some of the returned captives, the food was simple and monotonous."
While Israeli media is tying to set a naartive of starvation and mistreatment of hostages in the hands of #Hamas, released hostages refuse to cooperate.
[…] On her release, she turned to shake the hand of a masked captor. Asked why, she replied: "They treated us gently and met all our needs."
Her claim she had met with Yaya #Sinwar was later corrected by her son, who said she didn’t understand who she had met with, as reported on Israeli media.
#translation#analysis Dr. Gruzberg is a clinical psychologist and researcher of cultures, who worked at the Intelligence Division of Aman (Military Intelligence Directorate). In this opinion column in Haaretz (Hebrew only) he is trying to analyze the failure of the Israeli concept in respect to the Hamas (would never attack, too weak, too dependent on Qatari money funneled through Israel.)
[...] From August 2021 to January 2022 I worked as a psychologist in the Intelligence Division of Aman (Military Intelligence Directorate). By profession, I am a clinical psychologist and researcher in the field of cross-cultural psychology. I was invited to work in Intelligence because of their sense that I present a perspective different from what they are familiar with. I was the only psychologist in the system, and to the best of my knowledge, psychologists have not survived there for long periods.
[...] The structure of Aman, like the whole army, is hierarchical in a way that restricts open, critical and creative thinking. Commanders want to advance up the pyramid, which becomes narrower and narrower, and therefore do not allow themselves to freely express their opinions. These things are especially important in intelligence, which is supposed to be the thinking brain of the army and state.
[...] The need for psychological oversight within the Research Division is clear: First, to help division members speak freely and openly, and protect them from limiting, castrating authority. An experienced psychologist sitting in such meetings can definitely promote this goal.
[...] Yahya #Sinwar's case can demonstrate the importance of the clinical psychologist in another aspect. During my work, I met with most of the Research Division's senior staff. Some are people who closely follow Sinwar's conduct and have known him for years. On the walls of some of their offices is a large picture of him. Clearly, such a close connection develops emotions towards the research subject. I encouraged them to express their feelings about him. Some said they greatly appreciate him, one pitied him and described him as a man in constant panic. Another said he sees him as a figure of a warm father, while another said he feels pure hatred towards him.
[...] Each of this senior staff recommended the system act differently towards Sinwar. The recommendations were rationally justified, but it was clear they depend on the emotional attitude of each recommender: those who appreciated him or saw him as a father figure were less inclined to harm him, whereas the one who felt hatred complained that he doesn't understand why the bosses think nothing can be done against him. "What do they think, that he’s God?!" he protested, arguing that Sinwar should be eliminated. In other words, the senior staff were in fact exercising rationalization - a defense mechanism meant to justify emotional positions – and not rational thinking as they surely believed. A clinical psychologist can point out such biases.
[...] When I started work, I was asked to read a thick volume on the perception of intelligence and how it works. As a clinical psychologist, I was horrified by the cognitive agenda's domination of the enemy's mind. #Nasrallah for example was described as thinking according to a flow chart (yes or no choice nodes) suitable for computer work. I asked whether Nasrallah really thinks that way, eliciting a smile and agreement that he does not think that way. Where is the emotional world guiding us all? Where are the defenses, the well known Arab honor, the sophisticated lies that fool us for years, the aspirations to destroy us? There is no doubt that these talented young men do wonderful cognitive work with efficient technology, but both due to their age and analytical tendency they sorely lack the emotional aspect - both towards themselves and the enemy – leaving us exposed.
A recap of main events today (while i was working on a completely different story so details to come later):
-emergency government and war cabinet formed in #Israel
#Gaza 's only power station stopped working, leaving the territory without main electricity
17 Brits, including children are dead or missing after #hamas attack in Israel
He was captured by Israel just two years later and sentenced to life - but being behind bars did not stop him from rising through the ranks, and it also gave him the opportunity to learn to speak Hebrew'
Israel-Hamas hostage deal: Did the IDF misjudge Sinwar's desire to live? - Analysis (jpost.com)
What if negotiations are destined to fail – unless Israel changes its premise of who Sinwar is and how far he is willing to go?