US duplicity and Arab cowardice facilitating genocide in Gaza

President Biden, looking somber, keeps urging Israel to avoid civilian deaths and to use targeted strikes on Hamas. Yet he keeps supplying Israel with 2,000 pound bunker buster bombs that are designed to kill indiscriminately and over a wide area. 

He reels against nuclear proliferation and vows to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Yet the United States will not even acknowledge the fact that Israel possesses over 200 nukes, let alone endorse a longstanding Arab and Iranian proposal to declare the region a nuclear-free zone, simply to facilitate Israel to threaten its neighbors of risk of a nuclear war. 

The United State says it wants an end to hostilities and civilian deaths, largely those of women and children in the Gaza war that is not a war because what we have is an army of well-equipped soldiers massacring defenseless women and children. Yet at the United Nations Security Council, the US has exercised vetoed three resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire.

The world recognizes that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is illegal and the US says these settlements should not be expanded, yet it is overlooking proliferation of settlements.

Lately, at the International Court of Justice, the US rushed to Israel’s defense—urging the 15-judge panel not to call for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory. The American State Department lawyer in support of Israel argued that the solution was not an Israeli withdrawal but that a sovereign Palestinian state living safely and securely alongside Israel would bring about lasting peace, repeating longstanding US platitudes that Netanyahu and two of his cabinet ministers have said will never be allowed by Israel.

The US espouses these words in public in support of a Palestinian state, yet does nothing to make it a reality. 

The US officials say that they have limited power over Netanyahu and Israel. Why doesn’t Biden announce: 1) US will no longer support Israeli intransigence at the United Nations, 2) US will suspend all financial and military aid to Israel (amounting to around US$300 billion over the years), and US will no longer sell arms to Israel?

Netanyahu will do as he is told. If Netanyahu does not do as told by the US and if Israel then loses US backing, Israelis would feel so naked and vulnerable that they would demand a change of government, it is that simple.

Regrettably, no US president dares taking such a stand because of the power of the Jewish lobby. It’s time for the US citizens to wake up and demand their government treat Israel as an ally but not as the 51st state.

It will not be wrong to say that the US foreign policy toward the Middle East is in large part subservient to Israeli demands and the Jewish lobby.

Palestinians have also received little or no effective backing from their Arab and Muslim brethren. Most Arab and Muslim countries have supported South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and others have voiced their anger at Israel’s attack on Gaza, but there is much more that they could do if they had a little courage and compassion in the face of the massacre of innocent civilians, largely women and children. 

If Arabs and Muslims want to force a change in the US policies and create a Palestinian state forthwith, they should: 1) recall their ambassadors to Washington (and to Tel Aviv for those having relations), 2) expel all US military personnel (bases) from their territories, 3) follow up with both primary and secondary economic sanctions on Israel, and 4) bring cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli leaders and American and European heads of state for complicity in Israeli war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Cognizant of the fact that Israel and the US are not members of the ICC, enforcement of the court verdicts is difficult, still a conviction would be a black mark that no one would want.

Some Arab countries would be wise to consider these steps sooner rather than later as they may face growing domestic demands for action, while may lead to unrest.

Courtesy: Tehran Times

 

Washington denounces Xi visit to Moscow

According to Reuters, Vladimir Putin and his dear friend Chinese leader Xi Jinping planned more talks on Tuesday after a Kremlin dinner where the isolated Russian president showcased his most powerful ally in the face of Western opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Washington denounced Xi's visit, saying the timing just days after an international court accused Putin of war crimes indicated Beijing was providing Moscow with diplomatic cover to commit additional crimes.

It was Xi's first trip abroad since he obtained an unprecedented third term last month. The Chinese leader has been trying to portray Beijing as a potential peacemaker in Ukraine, even as he deepens economic ties with his closest ally.

Putin and Xi greeted one another as dear friend when they met in the Kremlin on Monday, and Russian state news agencies later reported they held informal talks for nearly 4-1/2 hours, with more official talks scheduled for Tuesday.

In televised comments, Putin told Xi he viewed China's proposals for resolution of the Ukraine conflict with respect. He confessed to being slightly envious of China's very effective system for developing the economy and strengthening the state.

Xi, for his part, praised Putin and predicted Russians would re-elect him next year.

Moscow has been publicly promoting plans for a visit by Xi for months. But the timing gave the Chinese leader's personal support new meaning, after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on Friday accusing Putin of war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine.

Moscow denies illegally deporting children, saying it has taken in orphans to protect them. It opened a criminal case against the court's prosecutor and judges. Beijing said the warrant reflected double standards.

The West says the warrant should make the Russian leader a pariah.

"That President Xi is travelling to Russia days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

"Instead of even condemning them, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those grave crimes.”

White House spokesman John Kirby said Xi should use his influence to press Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine, and Washington was concerned that Beijing might instead call for a ceasefire that would let Russian troops stay.

China has released a proposal to solve the Ukraine crisis, largely dismissed in the West as a ploy to buy Putin time to regroup his forces and solidify his grip on occupied land.

Russia and China do not have the same network of friends and partners around the world as the United States, and that's why they are tightening their relationship now, Kirby said.

"It's a bit of a marriage of convenience, I'd say, less than it is of affection," Kirby told reporters.

Washington has said in recent weeks it also fears China might arm Russia, which Beijing has denied.

 

 

ICC issues arrest warrants of Russian President

Piotr Hofmanski, President, International Criminal Court (ICC) said in a video statement Friday that an arrest warrant has been issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the alleged war crimes of deportation of children from Ukrainian occupied territories into the Russian Federation.

International law prohibits occupying powers from transferring civilians from occupied areas to other territories.

Hofmanski said the contents of the warrants would be kept secret to protect the identities of the allegedly abducted children.

“Nevertheless, the judges of the chamber dealing with this case decided to make the existence of the warrants public in the interest of justice and to prevent the commission of future crimes,” he said.

While the ICC’s judges have issued the warrants, it will be up to the international community to enforce them as the ICC has no police force of its own.

“The execution depends on international cooperation,” Hofmanski said.

While it’s unclear what type of international cooperation would lead to Putin’s arrest, Russia has made clear it has no intention of cooperating.

The Kremlin said earlier this week that it doesn’t acknowledge the ICC’s jurisdiction or authority.

“We do not recognize this court; we do not recognize its jurisdiction,” Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists in Moscow on Tuesday.

Peskov’s dismissal of the court’s authority came amid media speculation that ICC prosecutors would open two war crimes cases and issue several arrest warrants for those deemed responsible for the targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and for the mass abduction of children.

Besides seeking Putin’s arrest, the ICC on Friday also announced it had issued an arrest warrant for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, on similar allegations.

The ICC said in a statement that both Putin and Lvova-Belova are allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from February 24, 2022; the court said which marks the date of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a special military operation.

The arrest warrants come about a year after ICC prosecutor Karim Khan opened an investigation into possible war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Ukraine.

Khan has said that, during four trips to Ukraine, he was looking at the alleged targeting of civilian infrastructure and crimes against children.

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin hailed the ICC’s decision in a statement on social media.

“The world received a signal that the Russian regime is criminal and its leadership and henchmen will be held accountable,” he said. “This is a historic decision for Ukraine and the entire system of international law.”

Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff said the move was “just the beginning.”

There were no immediate comments from Russia following the ICC’s announcement.

On Thursday, a United Nations-backed inquiry accused Russia of committing numerous war crimes in Ukraine, including forcibly deporting children to Russian territory.

The ICC’s announcement came as Slovakia on Thursday announced that it would send its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

With the move, Slovakia joined Poland, which on March 16 became the first NATO country to send its fighter jets to its embattled neighbor.

Ukraine’s leaders have repeatedly asked Western powers for fighter jets to help them in the fight against Russian forces.

Analysts say that neither Moscow nor Kyiv has air superiority in the skies above Ukraine, with the decision to send in the jets seen as a potential turning point in repelling Russia’s offensive.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly requested jet fighters, while Washington and other NATO allies have refused, citing concern about escalating the alliance’s role in the conflict.

Peskov downplayed the decision to send Polish and Slovak planes to Ukraine.

“In the course of the special military operation, all this equipment will be subject to destruction,” Peskov said. “It feels like all of these countries are thus engaged in the disposal of old unnecessary equipment.”

Poland, which considers Russia’s regional ambitions a threat to its security, has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since the conflict began.

Warsaw has already provided Ukraine with some 250 combat tanks and pledged dozens more last month, including advanced German-made Leopard tanks.

 

Britain must keep Tony Blair out of Brexit discussion

Having roots in Pakistan, once upon a time a British Colony and a member of Common Wealth for a long time, I believed that Britain was the oldest democracy. However, this belief has been shattered after hearing that its ex-prime minister Tony Blair would steer the country out of the turmoil. In my opinion, he should have been punished for committing war crimes, the worst being his support for Iraq invasion on the premise of having weapons of mass destruction. Ideally, he should be hiding his face because tendering an apology could not save him from the ultimate fate.

In the recent past, I was engrossed with other topics that included Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, facing disqualification, US president not behaving in the desired manner and his visit to Saudi Arabia, elections in Iran and ongoing war in my country’s neighborhood, Afghanistan. I confess that I missed statements of Tony Blair saying that he plans to become more involved in the debate surrounding Britain’s departure from the European Union because of the harm it would cause the country.

The 63-year-old, who was speaking on the 20th anniversary of his landslide win over John Major in the general election of 1997, told the Daily Mirror, “I am going to be taking an active part in trying to shape the policy debate and that means getting out into the country and reconnecting. This Brexit thing has given me a direct motivation to get more involved in politics. You need to get your hands dirty, and I will.” I believe Britishers should not pay any heed to his uttering.

I regret that Britisher, who are the custodian of democracy and good behavior gave him a chance to resurface, whereas he should have been completely dumped for bringing the worst disgrace to them. I will even ask a question, are the politicians from treasury and opposition benches incapable of bringing the country out of the turmoil?

My question to Tony Blair, if he is such an ardent supporter of Britain remaining in the European Union (EU), why did he keep his country out of the common currency, euro? I understand that somewhere at the back of his mind was that if Britain joins euro; it would become subservient to Germany and France.

At this juncture, both Germany and France are adamant at punishing Britain out of the EU or be ready to pay a huge cost to stay its member. If Tony Blair committed a mistake of becoming the spokesman of war monger George Bush and now living in isolation, Britain also faces isolation for its decision to quit the community. Even if the new parliament wishes to reverse the process, it would only be at the stringent conditions of the EU.