How did you react when you heard the news about Sinwar? There’s been a lot of discussion about whether joy was appropriate. Some say yes, often quoting sources such as Proverbs 11:10 which says the death of the wicked is gladness. Others say no, and they also have texts in the Jewish tradition to cite. …
I admit that I did not purchase or read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ (TNC) new book. Ordinarily that ought to disqualify me from writing a review. But in this case, I think it’s fair to make an exception. I’ve heard quite a bit about his book, and I also read through an hour and twenty minute interview of …
The United Nations was established to promote human rights and safeguard international peace and security. Over the past year, its many organs have devoted tremendous attention to the Mideast crisis. One would therefore have hoped for and anticipated progress. Consider: In April, the UN Human Rights Council adopted five resolutions related to Gaza. In May …
The UN Should Blame Itself When Israel Doesn’t Listen Read More »
In its recent advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice decided that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory violates the Palestinian right to self-determination. It was a key basis for the court finding the continued occupation illegal (see paragraphs 230-243). The right of self-determination emerged as a response to colonialism, to put an end to local …
Self Determination: The Crucial Question That Hasn’t Been Asked Read More »
Israel’s recent strike on Beirut killing Hezbollah’s leader was welcomed by U.S. officials and praised in Israel across the political spectrum. However, countries and political figures hostile to Israel have condemned the strike as a violation of international law. Unfortunately for them, in this case Israel is on fairly solid ground legal ground. Israel and …
My purpose here is not to pass judgment or even give an opinion as to whether the pager attack was right or wrong. (For a more scholarly and in-depth analysis of the legal aspects see this article on Just Security or this thorough review from West Point.) I also do not want to join (or …
Why the Pager Attack Causes Alarm: Condemnations are Biased, but Concerns Are Real Read More »
After Israel, Egypt is the second-highest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, with $1.3 billion in military assistance allocated each year. Of that sum, $225 million is conditioned on ‘clear and consistent progress’ in improving human rights, and $95 million on releasing political prisoners. But in spite of limited or no movement on these matters, on …
Help Human Rights by Overlooking Them? What Releasing Aid to Egypt Says About Israel Read More »
Numerous Palestinian activists have used the slogan, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ on Facebook. This was flagged by other Facebook users for breaking rules on hate speech, incitement to violence, and glorifying dangerous organizations. Nevertheless, Facebook recently made a final decision to leave the posts untouched. We need some background …
On August 27th an organization called UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) sent a detailed, 25 page letter to International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan. The letter, which reads like a legal brief, spells out what they claim are numerous factual errors in the application Kahn submitted for arrest warrants against Bibi Netanyahu and Yoav …
On May 24th Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, along with Hamas leaders, for war crimes in Gaza. Now the matter rests with a panel of three ICC judges who must decide whether the warrants should …
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