Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Palestinian Resistance Continues to Score Successes
Disinformation to Hide the Role of the
People in Making History
Dublin, November 9, 2024
• Disinformation to Hide the Role of the People in Making History
Threats Against Countries Duty-Bound to Implement Arrest Warrants
by International Criminal Court
• U.S. Senator Threatens Sanctions Against Britain,
Canada, France,
Germany
For Your Information
• UN Special Committee Finds Israel's Warfare Methods in Gaza Consistent with Genocide
• International Criminal Court Arrest Warrants for
Benjamin
Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant
Palestinian Resistance Continues to Score Successes
Disinformation to Hide the Role of the
People in Making History
Sana'a, Yemen, November 1, 2024
The Palestinian Resistance continues to score successes against the brutal attacks of the U.S./Zionist forces with the tremendous support of the Lebanese Resistance and that of Ansarallah in Yemen. It becomes increasingly clear when looking into the disinformation of the U.S., Britain, Canada and other countries how their covert operations are used to hide the crimes they are committing against humanity. They even go so far as to deny they are committing any crimes and instead call on everyone to question and doubt the Resistance as well as the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC), International Court of Justice (ICJ) and UN organizations. Most importantly, they completely deny the decisive role of the peoples in creating their own history.
In this regard, it is important to note that disinformation is not about lying or manufacturing consent per se. It is primarily about the information that is missing -– what is not said or even outright denied or misrepresented. The ICC just issued arrest warrants for war crimes for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and (the now dismissed) Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The White House immediately "fundamentally rejected" the decision. Congresspeople said the ICC had no credibility and that the U.S. had "refuted the allegations" –- meaning Israel is not guilty of using starvation as a weapon of war, or the many other war crimes and crimes against humanity occurring daily. The crimes of the U.S., equally guilty of genocide, are completely ignored.
More importantly, when it comes to the disinformation spread by official circles in the U.S., Britain, and Canada, among others, and their media, both official and private, which are an integral part of state-disinformation, usually what is missing is the role of the people in making history. The heroic resistance fighters are to be dismissed as "terrorists." Decisions are to be made by the rulers alone, or as it was put at the recent U.S./NATO conference in Montreal, "the future belongs to us" where the "us" is the U.S., European powers and their adherents. In the world view of the Anglo-American imperialists and their partners in crime, the people simply do not exist. Accountability for the impunity of the rulers committing and supporting genocide, their crimes, does not exist.
The aim of the disinformation is to imbue the polity with an outlook that is complicit with the crimes the imperialists commit against humanity. It is to disrupt the resistance, deprive it of its legitimacy, and sow doubt about the fact that it is the peoples and their organized collective resistance that are the decisive factor in achieving success.
One
of the crucial tasks facing the peoples of Canada and the world is to
raise the level of political discourse to not permit the official
circles to eliminate the role of the people in making history. In
Canada and Quebec those who speak out in their own name, by discussing
what is pertinent
and what is not, can get at the heart of the matter and hold the
governments, their officials, cartel parties, official and private
media and pundits that spread disinformation to account.
By strengthening the resistance and defending the rights of all at home and abroad, the rulers' use of positions of power and privilege to act with impunity can be confronted with the irrefutable evidence which exposes their shameless coverups and their guilt for crimes against humanity.
Threats Against Countries Duty-Bound to Implement Arrest Warrant by International Criminal Court
U.S. Senator Threatens Sanctions Against
Britain, Canada, France,
Germany
Washington DC demonstration against Netanyahu addressing U.S. Congress, July 24, 2024
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a major Trump supporter, has threatened U.S. allies with sanctions if they implement the arrest warrants for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
"To any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we're going to sanction you," Graham told Fox News in an interview late on November 22. Expressing U.S. concerns, given the U.S. is equally guilty of genocide and war crimes in Palestine, he added: "We should crush your economy because we're next. Why can't they go after Trump or any other American president?"
While Graham cannot himself issue sanctions, Congress does have the authority to do so, and he is an influential member, backed by Trump.
Most members of Congress also condemned the ICC's actions, as did President Joe Biden. His spokeswoman said, "We fundamentally reject the court's decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials."
Congressman Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret who Trump is appointing to serve as his national security adviser, said, "The ICC has no credibility, and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government." He promised "a strong response" when the Trump administration takes office on January 20.
The crimes have been verified by many organizations worldwide, including in another United Nations report just issued by the UN Special Committee that investigates Israeli practices in Palestine. They are on display daily for all the world to see, with women and children brutally massacred and schools and hospitals destroyed. Gaza has eliminated any ability for the U.S. or Israel to claim they uphold human rights and shown both guilty of genocide.
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, known for calling for the use of military force, including against U.S. protesters, called for invoking a U.S. law completely contrary to international law, nicknamed the "The Hague Invasion Act." The act, passed in 2002, authorizes the U.S. president to use "all means necessary and appropriate," which includes military force, to free Americans or allied individuals detained at the request of the ICC. Cotton is a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and on the Select Intelligence Committee, so he carries some weight.
Graham's comments followed news reports that Britain has indicated it will implement the arrest warrants if either Netanyahu or Gallant travel to Britain. The ICC's member countries, which include Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other countries, are members with legal obligations. Palestine is also a member, while the U.S. and Israel refuse to be members.
While not commenting on the specific case, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "The government would fulfill its obligations under the act and indeed its legal obligations." This refers to Britain's International Criminal Court Act 2001, which states that if the ICC issues a warrant for arrest, a designated minister "shall transmit the request to an appropriate judicial officer," who, if satisfied the warrant appears to have been issued by the ICC, "shall endorse the warrant for execution in the United Kingdom."
The Prime Minister's spokesperson confirmed the government stands by the process outlined in the act and would "always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law."
Graham's threats came as NATO members were meeting in Montreal in NATO's annual Parliamentary Assembly. The threats are indicative of the contention and conflicts within NATO and between European countries and the U.S. in terms of continued support for U.S./Zionist genocide in Palestine. The U.S. thinks these threats will keep the forces united. They are likely to backfire, especially given the great anger and demands of the peoples for an end to the genocide and accountability for all those guilty, the U.S. and Israel first and foremost.
Abdullah Hammoud, the Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, which borders Detroit and has one of the largest Arab American populations in the country, said the city would enforce the ICC warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu. "Dearborn will arrest Netanyahu [and] Gallant if they step within Dearborn city limits," Hammoud wrote in a social media post. "Other cities should declare the same. Our president may not take action, but city leaders can ensure Netanyahu [and] other war criminals are not welcome to travel freely across these United States."
Demands are being made worldwide that the genocide end and decisions of the international institutions including the ICC, the UN, and the International Court of Justice be implemented. All the countries that are signatories to the Convention on Genocide, the U.S. included, are obligated to intervene to stop genocide. It is the resistance that is upholding that obligation, in Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, standing against crimes and calling on all others to do the same. The failure of international institutions to end the genocide has also raised the necessity for developing new international relations and institutions of the peoples' own making.
For Your Information
UN Special Committee Finds Israel's Warfare
Methods in Gaza
Consistent with Genocide
Vast encampment of diplaced people in Gaza facing winter conditions, November 24, 2024
Israel's warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians there, the UN Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices said in a new report released today [November 14].[1]
"Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life -– food, water, and fuel," the Committee said. "These statements along with the systematic and unlawful interference of humanitarian aid make clear Israel's intent to instrumentalize life-saving supplies for political and military gains."
Covering the period from October 2023 to July 2024, the report examines developments across the occupied Palestinian territory and the occupied Syrian Golan but focuses on the catastrophic impact of the current war in Gaza on the rights of Palestinians.
"Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population," the Committee said.
The
report documents how Israel's extensive bombing campaign in Gaza has
decimated essential services and unleashed an environmental catastrophe
that will have lasting health impacts. By early 2024, over 25,000 tons
of explosives — equivalent to two nuclear bombs — had been
dropped on Gaza,
causing massive destruction and the collapse of water and sanitation
systems, agricultural devastation, and toxic pollution.
"By destroying vital water, sanitation and food systems, and contaminating the environment, Israel has created a lethal mix of crises that will inflict severe harm on generations to come," the Committee said.
The report raises serious concerns about Israel's use of AI-enhanced targeting systems in directing its military operations, and the impact it has had on civilians, particularly evident in the overwhelming number of women and children among the casualties.
"The Israeli military's use of AI-assisted targeting, with minimal human oversight, combined with heavy bombs, underscores Israel's disregard of its obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and take adequate safeguards to prevent civilian deaths," the Committee said.
Amid the devastation in Gaza, Israel's escalating media censorship, suppression of dissent, and targeting of journalists are deliberate efforts to block global access to information, the Committee found. It also noted how social media companies disproportionately removed "pro-Palestinian content" in comparison with posts inciting violence against Palestinians.
The Committee condemned the ongoing smear campaign and other attacks against UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) and the UN at large.
"This deliberate silencing of reporting, combined with disinformation and attacks on humanitarian workers, is a clear strategy to undermine the vital work of the UN, sever the lifeline of aid still reaching Gaza, and dismantle the international legal order," the Committee said.
The Committee called on all Member States to uphold their legal obligations to prevent and stop Israel's violations of international law and hold it accountable.
"It is the collective responsibility of every State to stop supporting the assault on Gaza and the apartheid system in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem," the Committee said.
"Upholding international law and ensuring accountability for violations rests squarely on Member States. A failure to do so weakens the very core of the international legal system and sets a dangerous precedent, allowing atrocities to go unchecked."
Note
1. The United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli
Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and
Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories was established by the UN
General Assembly in December 1968 to examine the human rights situation
in the occupied Syrian Golan,
the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Special
Committee is composed of three Member States: Malaysia, Senegal, and
Sri Lanka.
International Criminal Court Arrest Warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant
On November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a press release entitled "Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I rejects the State of Israel's challenges to jurisdiction and issues warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant." The following are excerpts from this announcement.
Today, on 21 November 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court ('Court'), in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by the State of Israel ('Israel') brought under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute (the 'Statute'). It also issued warrants of arrest for Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr. Yoav Gallant. [...]
Warrants of Arrest
The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr. Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest.
The arrest warrants are classified as 'secret,' in order to protect
witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of the investigations. However,
the Chamber decided to release the information below since conduct
similar to that addressed in the warrant of arrest appears to be
ongoing. Moreover, the
Chamber considers it to be in the interest of victims and their
families that they are made aware of the warrants' existence. [...]
With regard to the crimes, the Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Netanyahu, born on 21 October 1949, Prime Minister of Israel at the time of the relevant conduct, and Mr. Gallant, born on 8 November 1958, Minister of Defence of Israel at the time of the alleged conduct, each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
The Chamber also found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.
Alleged Crimes
The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that during the relevant time, international humanitarian law related to international armed conflict between Israel and Palestine applied. This is because they are two High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and because Israel occupies at least parts of Palestine. The Chamber also found that the law related to non-international armed conflict applied to the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The Chamber found that the alleged conduct of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant concerned the activities of Israeli government bodies and the armed forces against the civilian population in Palestine, more specifically civilians in Gaza. It therefore concerned the relationship between two parties to an international armed conflict, as well as the relationship between an occupying power and the population in occupied territory. For these reasons, with regards to war crimes, the Chamber found it appropriate to issue the arrest warrants pursuant to the law of international armed conflict. The Chamber also found that the alleged crimes against humanity were part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza.
The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024. This finding is based on the role of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant in impeding humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate relief by all means at its disposal. The Chamber found that their conduct led to the disruption of the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide food and other essential goods to the population in need in Gaza. The aforementioned restrictions together with cutting off electricity and reducing fuel supply also had a severe impact on the availability of water in Gaza and the ability of hospitals to provide medical care. [...]
Furthermore, the Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that no clear military need or other justification under international humanitarian law could be identified for the restrictions placed on access for humanitarian relief operations. Despite warnings and appeals made by, inter alia, the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General, States, and governmental and civil society organizations about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, only minimal humanitarian assistance was authorised. In this regard, the Chamber considered the prolonged period of deprivation and Mr. Netanyahu's statement connecting the halt in the essential goods and humanitarian aid with the goals of war.
The Chamber therefore found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.
The Chamber found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the lack of food, water, electricity and fuel, and specific medical supplies, created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children due to malnutrition and dehydration. On the basis of material presented by the Prosecution covering the period until 20 May 2024, the Chamber could not determine that all elements of the crime against humanity of extermination were met. However, the Chamber did find that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the crime against humanity of murder was committed in relation to these victims.
In addition, by intentionally limiting or preventing medical supplies and medicine from getting into Gaza, in particular anaesthetics and anaesthesia machines, the two individuals are also responsible for inflicting great suffering by means of inhumane acts on persons in need of treatment. Doctors were forced to operate on wounded persons and carry out amputations, including on children, without anaesthetics, and/or were forced to use inadequate and unsafe means to sedate patients, causing these persons extreme pain and suffering. This amounts to the crime against humanity of other inhumane acts.
The Chamber also found reasonable grounds to believe that the above-mentioned conduct deprived a significant portion of the civilian population in Gaza of their fundamental rights, including the rights to life and health, and that the population was targeted based on political and/or national grounds. It therefore found that the crime against humanity of persecution was committed.
Finally, the Chamber assessed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza. In this regard, the Chamber found that the material provided by the Prosecution only allowed it to make findings on two incidents that qualified as attacks that were intentionally directed against civilians. Reasonable grounds to believe exist that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant, despite having measures available to them to prevent or repress the commission of crimes or ensure the submittal of the matter to the competent authorities, failed to do so.
To see the full report, click here.
(To access articles individually click on the black headline.)
Website: www.cpcml.ca • Email: editor@cpcml.ca