The recent International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants could significantly impact Israel, while Hamas remains largely unaffected.
Israel's Potential Losses
The ICC's actions pose several risks for Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu, along with Israeli ministers and IDF generals, would be unable to travel to any of the 124 countries that recognize the ICC's jurisdiction, including key EU nations. This travel restriction could severely hamper Israel's diplomatic engagements and international standing. The reputational damage might lead to halted arms deals, increased boycotts, and a decline in foreign investments. World leaders might be reluctant to be seen with individuals accused of crimes against humanity, further isolating Israel on the global stage.
Impact on Hamas
In contrast, Hamas is already heavily sanctioned and isolated by Western nations, so the ICC warrants are unlikely to alter its current status. Hamas leaders, such as Daif, Sinwar, and Haniya, rarely travel outside non-ICC member states. Haniya's visits to South Africa in 2015 are an exception, and such travel is rare. With upcoming internal elections in Hamas, both Haniya and Sinwar are expected to step down, further reducing the ICC's impact on their leadership.
Palestinian Reconciliation and Elections
The ICC warrants complicate Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Should the Palestinian Authority (PA), an ICC member, attempt to regain control over Gaza, it might face pressure to arrest Hamas leaders Sinwar and Daif. This scenario could provoke significant public backlash and hinder the PA's efforts to unify the Palestinian territories.
In the context of Palestinian general elections, Haniya was seen as a potential presidential candidate for Hamas. The PA might be hesitant to allow him to run under an ICC warrant, fearing international sanctions or defunding from the EU and the US. This is a sharp contrast to Netanyahu's situation, where Western nations are unlikely to impose similar sanctions on Israel.
With the elections announced for July 4th, in the U.K. it is seen as an opportunity for Muslims to send a message to the two main establishment political parties, and to hold them to account for their support for the genocide in GAZA. By supporting independent pro-Palestine candidates.
One of the constituency that was being targeted in order to send that message and where Muslims had a good chance of winning. Is Bethnal Green. The Lawyer Tasnime Akunjee seemed like a strong independent candidate.
But as it happens three other Independent "Pro-Palestine" candidates have also entered the race. Which means the Muslim vote will be split. And no one will beat the incumbent Labour Member Of Parliament.
x.com/RmSalih/status/1794331519269675509
What can be said. I remember Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, mentioning that there was a protest in Canada back in the 1990's for Iraq.
And a fight interrupted between the Muslims about who was going to lead the protest. This love and desire for leadership and recognition, rather then standing together for mutual benefit seems to be the primary obstacle for us at every level.
Displaced Palestinian families were burned alive as they slept in their displacement center barracks belonging to the UNRWA in Tal Al-Sultan, Rafah.
This area was acclaimed "Safe" by Israel for Palestinians to move to after forcibly displacing them from southern Rafah and Khan Yunis.
As of now, the latest toll stands at 35 killed and dozens wounded. Rescue efforts continue, with authorities affirming that the toll will likely increase due to the extensive fire and destruction on site.
A child's head and legs were decapitated due to Israeli missiles dropped on a displacement center in Rafah, where entire families were completely wiped out in this massacre, with women, children, and the elderly burned to death.
O Almighty, O Helper of the weak, O Vanquisher of the oppressors, destroy the Zionist aggressors, O Allah. Show them the wonders of Your power.
O Allah, the Revealer of the Book, the Defeater of the factions, and the Originator of the clouds, defeat them and make them return in disgrace.
O Allah, shake them and cast terror into their hearts.
O Allah, the Guardian and Helper of our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Palestine, protect them from all directions.
O Allah, protect them from what is in front of them, and behind them, from their right, from their left, and from above.
We seek refuge in You from any harm coming from below.
O Allah, make their hearts steadfast, grant them a mighty victory.
Strengthen their determination, heal their sick, have mercy on their dead, and make them among the martyrs, Ya Rahman Ya Rahim (O Most Merciful, Most Compassionate).
O Allah, protect the Muslims everywhere, unite their ranks, and gather their words upon truth and the Sunnah, Ya Kareem (O Generous One).
O Allah, secure them in their homelands.
O Allah, whoever intends harm to the people of Islam, send their evil back upon them, thwart their schemes, and make their destruction a part of their plan.
“If 30,000 martyrs, 70,000 injured and 2 million homeless Palestinians couldn't wake up the Ummah, what impact will my words make? What more do I say and to whom? Straighten your rows, let's pray.”
The US-led effort to operate a maritime aid corridor to Gaza has collapsed after strong waves destroyed a $320 million pier built by 1,000 US soldiers.
al-jazeeraenglish
US Gaza pier is broken, will take over a week to repair Humanitarian groups say US-built pier having ‘little impact’ and warn ability to deliver aid to Gaza nearing collapse.
The US Department of Defense has said a recently installed pier to bring aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip will be temporarily removed for repairs, after a section of the span was damaged in bad weather.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday afternoon that deliveries of humanitarian aid to the coastal Palestinian enclave by sea would be suspended as repairs are carried out to the so-called “Trident” pier.
Full report here
Batches 11 & 12: 4800 hot meals for the people of Gaza
Let's complete this target in the most blessed 10 days of Dhul Hijjah - wherein righteous deeds are most beloved to Allah - so that our brothers and sisters can maybe have a hot meal in the Days of Eid!
"As the Israel-Hamas conflict is on the eve of entering its ninth month, US officials are urging Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to turn up the heat on Hamas by using multiple pressure points. They’ve asked multiple countries to threaten to freeze the bank accounts of Hamas members and clamp down on their ability to freely travel in the region, according to two US officials. In many cases, members of Hamas have long been able to operate freely despite members of the terror group
The US has urged Qatar – who allows Hamas to operate a political office in its capital – to declare that it will kick out the terrorist group if they don’t accept the deal, according to one of those US officials. After months of telling Hamas that they could risk getting kicked out, Qatar has now actually made that threat, that official said.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said on Wednesday that the US has seen both Egypt and Qatar “exert significant pressure on Hamas,” but he refused to get into the details of those separate pressure campaigns."
Israel Agrees to a Ceasefire… as Long as It Can Keep Fighting Mike Whitney – The Unz Review June 14, 2024
Good news! Israel has agreed to accept Biden’s ceasefire deal as long as it can keep fighting. This is from CNN:
Israeli statement on Tuesday indicated it was poised to formally sign up to the current ceasefire plan for Gaza, while at the same time maintaining the freedom to keep fighting. CNN
Can you see how absurd this is? It’s like the fat man who agrees to go on a diet as long as he can still eat as much as he wants. It’s nonsense.
A ceasefire is a ceasefire. It is the termination of hostilities and an end to the fighting. Period. Israeli’s lawyerly wordplay does not change the meaning of the word or twist it to fit Israel’s strategic agenda. It is semantical gymnastics intended to hoodwink the public.
We shouldn’t have to point this out, but the media appears to be pressing the issue by carefully rephrasing Israel’s deliberate misunderstanding of what “ceasefire” means. Now –in the last 24 hours– they have slightly modified their approach again to better conceal their trickery. Now, instead of saying that a ceasefire allows them “the freedom to keep fighting”, they’re saying that “the ceasefire plan enables its war goals.”
There’s a subtle difference, but the meaning is the same. Israel wants to continue slaughtering civilians while saying they are in compliance with the ceasefire. It boggles the mind to think they’d put so much effort into finding a benign phrase for ‘continuing the killing’.
So, what’s really going on behind this misleading language?
That’s easy. Israel wants it to look like they’re cooperating with the Biden-backed ceasefire deal while continuing their military operation in Gaza. That’s it in a nutshell. Take a look at this Tuesday article at Newsweek:
Amid conflicting narratives over U.S. President Joe Biden’s latest push for a ceasefire… an Israeli official has told Newsweek that the U.S. proposal aligns with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of inflicting a lasting, decisive defeat against the Palestinian movement.
“Israel will not end the war before achieving all its war objectives: destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, freeing all the hostages and ensuring Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel in the future,” the Israeli official told Newsweek on background.
“The proposal presented enables Israel to achieve these goals and Israel will indeed do so,” the Israeli official said. Israel Official Says Biden Ceasefire Plan Allows IDF to Destroy Hamas, Newsweek
Obviously, the ceasefire proposal does NOT align with Netanyahu’s plan to keep fighting or it wouldn’t be a ceasefire. Right?
But the foofaraw over the meaning of “ceasefire” is just one of many cringe-worthy particulars linked to Biden’s ham-fisted Gaza policy. There’s also the administration’s wacko messaging problem. For example, on Tuesday:
Joe Biden announced that the ceasefire resolution (approved by the Security Council on Monday) was “Israel’s proposal.”
Also, on Tuesday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the ceasefire resolution was “Israel’s proposal.”
U.S. National Security Spokesperson John Kirby repeated the same claim that “This was an Israeli proposal.
And just to round it off, UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the same thing in an interview with Wolf Blitzer adding that “Israel has already accepted this deal.”
Naturally, their claims were uncritically reiterated in all the media: This was an Israeli proposal.
But none of it was true. It was all lies.
And, just hours after Blinken made his case to the media, Netanyahu’s office issued the following statement:
“The claim that Israel agreed to end the war before achieving all its goals is a total lie,” …
As you can see, Netanyahu had no interest in pulling his punches. He basically read Blinken the ‘riot act’ in what-amounts-to a humiliating slapdown.
Now, you’d assume that if you had just been exposed to the world as a liar, you might show a bit of shame or remorse. But not Blinken. Without missing a beat, the mercurial Secretary tweaked his talking-points from “This is Israel’s deal” to ‘it’s all Hamas’ fault’, which is the blame-shifting narrative he is prattling today. Here he is on Twitter:
My message to governments and people throughout the region is this: If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering in Gaza, to get all the hostages home, to put Israelis and Palestinians on the path to durable peace — then press Hamas to say yes to the ceasefire. Anthony Blinken @SecBlinken
Yeah, because Hamas is the obstacle to peace. Got that?
What Blinken fails to mention in his tweet is that Netanyahu never had any intention of accepting a ceasefire, in fact, he has said repeatedly that there will be no permanent ceasefire until Hamas is destroyed and the hostages are freed. There’s no wiggle-room in the Israeli position at all. Netanyahu and his lieutenants are more determined than ever to achieve their maximalist strategic objectives. And Blinken supports those objectives which is why he shifted his attention from Netanyahu (the real problem) to Hamas.
But you got to hand it to him, Blinken’s performance has been a remarkable display of diplomatic choreography. Think about it: He was sent to Israel to persuade the two warring parties to find common ground and end the hostilities. But after just one day of promoting Biden’s deal, he switched into full Zionist-mode by covering-up Netanyahu’s intransigence while scapegoating Hamas for virtually everything.
Whatever happened to the “honest broker” concept? Here’s Blinken again:
Hamas asked for changes in the hostage deal proposal – some are workable and some are unworkable. Hamas could have replied with one word – yes. Instead they presented more changes – some of them go further than their previous positions”@Megatron_ron
What changes?
Hamas has welcomed the Biden-backed ceasefire from the beginning as was reported by CNN, Reuters and many other news agencies. In the words of one Hamas official:
“We want a ceasefire,” (but) the “burden is on the Israeli side to implement this resolution.”
But now that Netanyahu has rejected the ceasefire, the media has to make it look like Hamas is the ‘bad guy’. This is from Axios:
Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Wednesday that Hamas has not accepted the U.S.-backed proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal and presented “numerous changes” that go beyond its previous positions….
Israeli officials said on Tuesday that Hamas effectively rejected the proposal, which President Biden presented in a speech 12 days ago…. Speaking from Doha after meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Blinken said: “Hamas proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table. Some of the changes are workable and some are not.” Blinken says Hamas didn’t accept ceasefire deal, Axios
This isn’t even remotely true. It’s just more blame-shifting. Of course, Hamas wants a ceasefire. Does anyone seriously think they want to see another 30,000 Palestinians slaughtered by Israel. Of course, not. And their demands are modest and reasonable.
What does Hamas want? This is from NPR:
Hamas wants a guaranteed end to the war, removal of Israeli troops from the Egypt-Gaza border and a say in which Palestinian prisoners get released…. But Israel says it won’t agree to end the war until it ensures Hamas will no longer govern Gaza. NPR
These are not just reasonable demands; they are explicitly required under the Biden ceasefire proposal. And this is what the vast majority of Americans want too. (See chart below) They want an end to the fighting, an end to the killing, and an end to the genocide.
Only Israel opposes these measures. Only Israel sees some advantage to continuing the slaughter and mayhem. Only Israel wants more civilians to suffer and die. And, judging by his performance, Blinken’s sympathies align more with Israel’s than they do with the national security interests of the United States.
What’s clear is that Secretary Blinken is considerably more interested in shielding the intractable Netanyahu from blame and advancing the strategic interests of the Jewish state than he is with ending the butchery of innocent civilians or salvaging what’s left of America’s tattered reputation. Perhaps, he’s playing on the wrong team?
What’s clear is that Secretary Blinken is considerably more interested in shielding the intractable Netanyahu from blame and advancing the strategic interests of the Jewish state than he is with ending the butchery of innocent civilians or salvaging what’s left of America’s tattered reputation. Perhaps, he’s playing on the wrong team?
He should move to "israel" and work openly for zios! His lies and hypocricy have truly been exposed as in the case of all western leaders and media...and unfortunately Muslim leaders
The pier is being moved "temporarily"
aljazeeraenglish
US aid pier will again be moved from Gaza to Ashdod, Israel, a Defense Department official told several US media outlets, citing high tides and rough seas in the coming days.
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The relocation is the third time within a month that operations at the pier have been stopped. Meanwhile, aid that has been delivered in recent days has been held up at facilities near the pier after the #UN paused deliveries last week, citing security concerns.
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Aid deliveries from the US-constructed pier began in mid-May but were halted by the end of that month when parts of the structure became unmoored during rough seas.
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Officials have said more than 3,500 tonnes of aid have so far been delivered via the pier although the deliveries often face delays and other obstacles within #Gaza.
"Tactical pause" along along road in Southern Gaza
The Israeli military says it will pause fighting along a road in the south of #Gaza during certain hours to allow humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave.
The army said in a post on X that the pause would begin at 8am (05:00 GMT) and remain in effect until 7pm (16:00 GMT), and would be repeated each day until further notice.
aljazeeraenglish
The Israeli army has tweeted in Hebrew that it would continue fighting in the southern #Gaza Strip and that the “tactical pause for humanitarian purposes” that it had announced would only apply to humanitarian aid transport
aljazeeraenglish
Intentions are pretty clear...it was not about October 7th or the hostages....
Hasbunallaahu wani'mal wakeel
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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