Possible arrest warrants for Israeli leaders expose the utter perversity of the ICC

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Now is the time for choosing
Caroline Glick
April 26, 2024

…Early this week, rumors began to swirl that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan is poised to act on these groundless complaints [charging Israel with genocide] and issue international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. If Khan proceeds as reported, Israel’s top leaders will be unable to visit any of the ICC’s 120 member nations without first securing bilateral agreements with authorities in each country not to arrest them during their stay. This is terrible in and of itself, of course. But the wider implication is even more dire. If Khan goes through with his plan, he will essentially declare Israel a criminal state with no right to self-defense. READ MORE

FDD Orde Kittrie: Possible arrest warrants for Israeli leaders expose the utter perversity of the International Criminal Court The perversity of targeting Israeli leaders for justly attempting, as any other nation would, to free the hostages and prevent future Hamas atrocities is precisely why two decades of US presidents, from both parties, have refused to join the International Criminal Court. Members of Congress from both parties are making clear that ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials — a move the court is reportedly considering — would end US cooperation with the ICC and result in US sanctions on ICC officials. Such warrants would be legally and factually baseless, endanger US personnel and torpedo negotiations to free the hostages and build Middle East peace.

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The Palestinian terror organization refuses to release hostages while clinging to its last stronghold in Rafah. So why is the Biden administration throwing the full weight of the U.S. government at Israel to prevent it from routing Hamas?

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
Saving Hamas
Lee Smith
May 1, 2024

Reports are circulating that the Israelis are planning an operation in Rafah to eliminate the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza. If so, the Netanyahu government will be acting against the very public wishes of the Biden administration, which has spent the last half year moving heaven and earth to save a terrorist organization from destruction. Bizarrely, the White House’s statements and actions show that Hamas’ survival is more important than the security of a traditional American partner, Israel; more crucial to American interests than the preservation of the U.S.-led order of the Middle East; more precious than the dozens of American lives that Hamas ended on Oct. 7; more valuable than however many Americans and Israelis are still alive in the terror army’s tunnels. READ MORE

CBS NEWS White House considers welcoming some Palestinians from war-torn Gaza as refugees The Biden administration is considering bringing certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees, a move that would offer a permanent safe haven to some of those fleeing war-torn Gaza, according to internal federal government documents obtained by CBS News. In recent weeks, the documents show, senior officials across several federal U.S. agencies have discussed the practicality of different options to resettle Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents. One of those proposals involves using the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to welcome Palestinians with U.S. ties who have managed to escape Gaza and enter neighboring Egypt, according to the inter-agency planning documents. READ MORE

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Yesterday a photo circulated of a Columbia student holding a sign asking why the school would have them read Edward Said’s works if administrators didn’t want them putting the lessons into practice. Good question!

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

COMMENTARY
Where’s Biden’s Anger at the Feckless Universities?
Seth Mandel
May 2, 2024

…A UCLA protester holding a press conference yesterday was asked about the tentifada’s goal of forcing the university to divest from conceivably Israel-related companies. She responded that divestment is only the beginning: “Given that the University of California is founded on colonialism, it’s inherently a violent institution.” And all this violence, she believes, is the fault of the Jews. Therefore, “it’s a divestment from Zionism” itself that she wants, whatever that means. Where might a student have learned such concepts? Well, at UCLA, it’s hard to pin down: The school offers 82 courses dealing with colonialism, including a Jewish Studies graduate course on colonialism and Zionism. If you’re interested in decolonization, as this student seems to be, you might have taken one of UCLA’s introduction to Western civilization or contemporary history courses, or perhaps several of its world history and Middle East-related courses, which cover decolonization. READ MORE

THE HILL Columbia protest leader: ‘Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists’ A leader of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University had a video emerge on social media this week, threatening violence to “Zionists.” “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” student Khymani James said in a video from January. He is also heard saying “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” The remarks happened around the time James had a meeting with school officials over a social media post about fighting a Zionist…He added that those comments occurred when he was “unusually upset after an online mob” targeted him for being “visibly queer and Black.”

I24NEWS Columbia expels protester who said ‘Zionists don’t deserve to live’ Columbia University expelled anti-Israeli student activist Khymani James on Saturday, after a video of his saying that Zionists don’t deserve to live went viral, reports claimed.

REAL CLEAR POLITICS Charles Lipson: Five Ways Campus Turmoil Hurts Democrats and America Higher education is sinking lower and lower. That’s bad news for our country, which has benefited enormously from having the world’s best system of higher education. And it’s bad news for Democrats, who face a tight election. Their party is closely tied to education at all levels, especially at elite universities. It is the party of experts, after all, and the party of the left. Universities are both. Moreover, since the Democrats control the Executive Branch, the public holds them primarily accountable for ensuring social order. Their failures are obvious to the average voter. That’s bound to hurt Democratic Party candidates in November.

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Antisemitism Awareness Act overwhelmingly passed by Congress, 320 to 91; Naftali Bennett gives the history of Zionism in 3 minutes

Posted on May 1, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK POST
Four out of five Americans favor Israel over Hamas, most back Rafah operation: poll
Ryan King
April 29, 2024

Americans favor Israel in its war against Hamas by a margin of four-to-one and nearly three-quarters support a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Four out of five voters (80%) back the Jewish state in its nearly seven-month-old war against the Islamic terrorist group, with the highest levels of support concentrated among older age groups, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey released Monday. Meanwhile, 72% of voters say they back an Israel Defense Forces military operation in Rafah to “finish the war,” with 28% saying Israel should “back off now and allow Hamas to continue running Gaza. READ MORE

ASSOCIATED PRESS House passes bill to expand definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests over Gaza war The House passed legislation Wednesday that would establish a broader definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws, the latest response from lawmakers to a nationwide student protest movement over the Israel-Hamas war. The proposal, which passed 320-91 with some bipartisan support, would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal anti-discrimination law that bars discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics or national origin. It now goes to the Senate where its fate is uncertain.

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Northwestern University caves to the Jew-bashers

Posted on April 30, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
ADL slams Northwestern University’s agreement with anti-Israel protesters: ‘Reprehensible’
Jack Birle
April 29, 2024

Northwestern University announced on Monday that it had reached an agreement with anti-Israel protesters, leading to condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League, which called the agreement “reprehensible” and “dangerous.”…The ADL said the encampment is only the most recent example of antisemitism at the university, with the environment at Northwestern becoming “increasingly hostile toward Jewish students. This didn’t start last week or even last year, but it exploded and intensified on 10/7.” The group also downgraded the university to an “F” rating for its antisemitism Campus Report Card. READ MORE

STANDWITHUS ADL, StandWithUs and Brandeis Center Call for the Resignation of Northwestern University President Michael Schill “It is clear from President Schill’s actions that he is unfit to lead Northwestern and must resign. President Schill capitulated to hatred and bigotry and empowered and emboldened those who have used intimidation, harassment, and violence to achieve their ends. Instead of issuing fines and suspensions in accordance with university policies, he awarded protest groups with scholarships, professorships, and a renovated community home. Instead of permanently shutting down the encampment and making campus safe for all, he told protesters they can stay until June 1.”

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John Ondrasik won’t let his industry forget those slaughtered at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7.

Posted on April 30, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

WSJ
Five for Fighting: A Lone Voice Sings for Israel
Matthew Hennessey
April 26, 2024

.. The ability to shine a light on issues and causes that matter is a perk of fame. For John Ondrasik, right now, that’s Israel. The Grammy-nominated American singer and musician, who goes by the nom de chanson Five for Fighting, has been steadfast and outspoken about the Jewish state’s security needs since the Oct. 7 attacks. This has made him a unicorn among his music-industry peers. Most prefer simply to keep their heads down…Mr. Ondrasik, 59, isn’t keeping his head down. He appears on Fox News and on Mark Levin’s radio show. He’s aggressive on Twitter in support of Israel. He is, as his stage name suggests, something of a brawler. On April 13, the night before Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel, he performed at an outdoor concert in Tel Aviv and condemned “the evil that is Hamas.” He sang his Oct. 7-themed song, “OK”—the refrain is “We are not OK”—for the families of hostages still in Gaza. READ MORE

Click here to view “WE ARE NOT OK” viewer discretion advised

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Perspective from a Gaza City Palestinian: Jew-hating protesters are clueless and not helping our cause

Posted on April 28, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

NEWSWEEK
Message From a Gazan to Campus Protesters: You’re Hurting the Palestinian Cause
Hamza Howidy
April 26, 2024

Protests are spreading across the United States at college campuses, where university students are gathering in the name of Palestinian rights and occupying campus spaces with tents. Sadly, not everyone who purports to support Palestinians is truly interested in safeguarding our rights. It pains me to say this as a Palestinian from Gaza. As my home is destroyed and too many killed, I never thought I would find myself criticizing those speaking up. And yet, I cannot be silent about what I am seeing. The truth is that the manner in which many gather to voice their support for Palestinians does more to hurt our cause than help it…But it’s not just the antisemitism that has me despairing. It’s the hypocrisy. Where were these caring young people when Hamas took over Gaza and slaughtered hundreds of Gazans, or when Hamas held 2 million Gazans captive for more than 17 years? READ MORE

GATESTONE Bassam Tawil: U.S. Campuses: Grooming Terrorists “Dear White Americans and Gen Zs who support or tolerate Hamas supporters on US campuses, a gentle reminder from a credible Arab Muslim voice from the Middle East: You are supporting a terror group with the same Islamist/ Muslim brotherhood pathological creed that brought down the twin towers in Manhattan in 2001. You would not survive a day in Gaza under Hamas, which demands that ‘infidels’ live with dignity only if they are subordinate to Islamists. You would not endure a day under the rule of these radicals. You do not understand Arabic, nor do you know Islam well enough to comprehend what awaits you if Hamas prevails (God forbid).”

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“The contrast between the bon vivant Hersh that the country has come to know in the last 200 days through photos and the thin, scared, and dour Hersh in Wednesday’s video was startling”

Posted on April 28, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
Clip of Hersh Goldberg-Polin evokes joy and heartbreak throughout the country
Editorial Board
April 26, 2024

The video clip of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, which dominated social media channels on Wednesday night, achieved the nearly impossible task of simultaneously evoking joy and heartbreak. A blinding joy because it seems to verify that the 24-year-old Jerusalem resident, who was taken captive by Hamas on October 7 after having part of his arm blown off by a grenade thrown at him at the Nova festival, is alive. His statements, which he was likely forced to read on camera at gunpoint, mention 200 days of captivity and Passover, implying that the video was made in the recent past. READ MORE

Dan Senor: Proof of Life with Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin When I was in Israel, I visited with Rachel and Jon and we recorded a conversation for this podcast about the video, as well as what else they had learned from it, especially about Hersh’s severe wound — he continues to be medically fragile. Jon and Rachel discussed why they decided to approve media release and coverage of the video. Rachel and Jon also reacted to the shocking protests on US campuses — they are both from the US, as is Hersh, and they reflected on what they regarded as some encouraging news about a statement on the hostages, which was signed by 18 countries. 

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Accepting that Israel’s enemies are waging a religious war can reframe the narrative

Posted on April 26, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
‘The massacre that took place in Israel may be just a prelude to what awaits the whole world’
Matan Hasidim/Makor Rishon
March 7, 2024

“I feel that since October 7, humanity has been in a very delicate and dangerous transitional state. Everything I’ve been shouting and warning about for years has suddenly come out all at once for the whole world to see through the GoPro cameras of the Hamas terrorists,” says Yasmine Mohammed, one of the world’s leading activists for the rights of Muslim women and support for ex-Muslims. “If the West sobers up and realizes who it is up against and how the worst versions of Islam entered the most important Western institutions, and if it then proceeds to tackle it at the core, then there could remain a chance to correct course,” she says, “but if Western liberals continue to play the role of useful idiots for Muslims who use them to promote their ideology, then things will get much worse. The massacre that took place in Israel may be just a prelude to what awaits the whole world.” READ MORE

JNS Accepting that Israel’s enemies are waging a religious war can reframe the narrative The renowned 15th-century Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun stated that jihad is “a religious duty because of the universalism of the [Muslim] mission and the [obligation to convert] everybody to Islam by persuasion or by force. … Islam is under obligation to gain power over other nations.” This definition of jihad is universally accepted by all Islamic schools of thought. It is the reason why, in the seventh century, Islam conquered the Land of Israel, which had a majority Jewish population descended directly from the ancient Israelites. Under Muslim rule, the indigenous inhabitants immediately became subject to the rules of dhimmitude, a set of onerous apartheid religious and legal restrictions that oppress and abuse non-Muslims or dhimmis. The modern State of Israel, as historian Bat Ye’or explained, “represents the successful national liberation of a dhimmi civilization.” To many religious Muslims, this liberation is intolerable. READ MORE

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Sheryl Sandberg has produced a documentary on the rapes and violence against women that were a big part of October 7 Hamas attacks

Posted on April 26, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
‘Screams Before Silence’: Sheryl Sandberg releases documentary on Hamas sex crimes on October 7
Renee Ghert-Zand
April 26, 2024

A documentary about Hamas’s sexual crimes on and after October 7 has been published on YouTube, featuring testimonies from survivors, released hostages and first responders. The aim of the film, titled ‘Screams Before Silence’ and fronted by former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, is to highlight sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas during and after the terror group’s devastating massacre on southern Israel…In March, the United Nations published a report indicating that rape and gang rape likely occurred during the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught, and said that there is “clear and convincing” evidence showing that hostages were raped while being held in Gaza and that those currently held captive are still facing such abuse. READ MORE

VIEW “Screams Before Silence” by clicking here, viewer discretion advised

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