Washington D.C. and wars...

Here.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/france-israel-genocide

___________

France's newly appointed foreign minister drew backlash on Wednesday after he joined other Western officials in rejecting South Africa's genocide case against Israel—and suggested it is beyond the pale to even accuse the Israeli government of committing genocide.

"To accuse the Jewish state of genocide is to cross a moral threshold," Stéphane Séjourné said in response to a question from leftist French lawmaker Danièle Obono, who argued that "if it wants to be consistent with its values, France must urgently follow South Africa's lead" at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Séjourné replied that "the notion of genocide cannot be exploited for political ends." [As if there’s not ample evidence, but just ‘political’ rhetoric. Lash]

Though the foreign minister insisted that "the rule of law applies to all" and called for an end to "systematic strikes in Gaza," observers said his dismissal of South Africa's thoroughly documented genocide charges shows a clear double standard in how France and other Western governments are choosing to apply international law as Israel decimates Gaza.

"The French government has joined the German government in stating that international law on genocide does not apply to Israel—that, because Jews have been subjected to genocide, Israel has moral and legal immunity for any war crime, even a genocide, it chooses to commit," Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister and co-founder of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), wrote in response to Séjourné's comments.

Guillaume Long, senior research fellow at the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Ecuador's foreign affairs minister, called Séjourné's statement "appalling and quite incredible" given that France's ambassador to the United Nations "had already announced that France would respect the ICJ ruling no matter what."

"But the new foreign minister appears to be yet another genocide apologist," said Long.

"I think a lot of western nations are trying to future-proof their own genocidal complicity and war crimes." [ <—in the article, this is represented in a Tweet by someone not widely known. Lash]

Séjourné's comments came a week after South Africa detailed its genocide case in a series of presentations that legal experts and human rights advocates described as compelling—and potentially enough to secure an ICJ ruling against Israel.

"I would wager that South Africa's case was strong enough that the court will impose some provisional measures on Israel in the hope of mitigating the enormous civilian harm caused by Israel's approach to fighting Hamas," Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian over the weekend.

But the United States—Israel's top arms supplier—has rejected the genocide case as "meritless," as has the United Kingdom, whose foreign secretary called South Africa's charges "nonsense." Germany has formally intervened in the ICJ proceedings in support of Israel.
_______________

I agree with Varoufakis’ synopsis of the statements.

I feel like this is a better article.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240119-france-may-not-accept-icj-ruling-because-its-morally-wrong-to-charge-israel-with-genocide/amp/

France is still dealing with a legacy of collaboration with Nazi occupiers.

That’s an angle I hadn’t considered. I’m also piqued by another theory brought up in the articles.

The West and the US in particular have never (in my lifetime) been held accountable to any meaningful degree for all their war crimes and genocides. Suddenly, a small, poor state from the global south has dragged the US’ number one vassal state to the world court (Walter, I don’t want to hear it!)

This, to me, has signified a sea change in geopolitics. The rise of BRICS, the loss of US / Western hegemony, the ripped asunder Israeli Get Out of Jail Free card.

The ICJ is a further equalizer against hegemony and for multipolarity and justice.

I don’t think the West will ever respect any ICJ verdict against any of their cronies. The ICJ would forever be a cudgel against them. In my opinion, rightly so.

BERLIN (JTA) — Recognizing Israel’s right to exist is now mandatory for those who want to become German citizens in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Applicants living in the state will have to confirm in writing “that they recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn any efforts directed against the existence of the State of Israel.” Saxony-Anhalt’s interior minister, Tamara Zieschang, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party, said Tuesday that the rule went into effect at the end of November.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-german-state-mandates-the-recognition-of-israel-in-citizenship-application/
________________________________________________________________________________________

I hope they're not trying to say that acknowledgement of Israel's ongoing crimes against humanity is too anti semitic for their taste.

In Saxony-Anhalt, it is now a prerequisite for naturalisation to acknowledge the right of the State of Israel to exist. *
The Ministry of the Interior has issued a decree (here] stating that applicants will otherwise be refused naturalisation. (Interior Minister Dr Tamara Zieschang ([DU] has thus taken up a proposal made by CDU Chairman Friedrich Merz in October).

*"I expressly recognise the special German responsibility for the State of Israel and Israel's right to exist and condemn any anti-Semitic efforts. I neither pursue nor have I pursued endeavours that are directed against the right of the State of Israel to exist."

Section 16 StAG (German Nationality Act, “Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz”) already stipulates that the naturalisation certificate can only be issued if a "solemn commitment" to Germany is made beforehand: "I solemnly declare that I will respect the Basic Law and the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and will refrain from doing anything that could harm it."

Today, the governing coalition and its majority in the Bundestag voted in favour of comprehensive changes to the Nationality Act. These are expected to come into force in April. The approval of the Bundesrat is not required for the project.

What the new requirements for naturalisation will be:
The previously required commitment to the free democratic basic order has been clarified. The draft clarifies that "anti-Semitic, racist, anti-gender or anti-sexual orientation or other inhuman acts" are incompatible with the guarantee of human dignity in the Basic Law.

Following the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel protests in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel, a further passage on the protection of Jewish life was explicitly added. It now calls for an acknowledgement of "Germany's special historical responsibility for the unjust National Socialist regime and its consequences, in particular for the protection of Jewish life".

With regard to Russia's attack on Ukraine, reference is also made to the "prohibition of waging a war of aggression". Attitudes that run counter to this should make naturalisation impossible.

As before, only those who can support themselves and dependent family members from their own resources will be granted German nationality. However, there are exceptions, for example for former "guest workers".

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was established in 1945 by the UN Charter, the court began work in 1946.
In 1948, the United Nations Genocide Convention was defined.

So only afterwards a (signatory) country could be held accountable.
This time, it's only the fourth time that a country has brought a genocide case before the I.C.J:
the first was in 1993, 44 years after the Convention was drafted in 1948. And the other three have been filed in just the last four years: a 2019 case against Myanmar alleging genocide against the Rohingya minority; a 2022 case alleging Russia had abused the Genocide Convention as a pretext for an illegal invasion of Ukraine, and that Russia appeared to be planning acts of genocide in Ukraine; and the current case against Israel.

Some countries never followed the verdict of the International Court of Justice.


The United Nations Charter,Article 94(1), places the obligation of member states:

..each member of the United Nations undertakes to comply with the decisions of the International Court in any case to which it is a party.

This provision appears in the Charter, but not the Statute of the ICJ, highlighting a weakness in the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court that has seen defiance by some states.

Anyone who expects the International Court of Justice to wield the power that courts do in most domestic legal systems is likely to be sorely disappointed. The I.C.J. has little investigative power, and it has no police force or ability to enforce its orders.

It should be noted, too, that Hamas is not part of this case for the simple reason that it can’t be: it’s neither a state, nor a signatory to the Genocide Convention.

Hamas members, however, could be criminally tried for genocide in a different court: the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over those crimes, and currently has (I've noted that also before already) an open investigation into allegations of war crimes by Israel and by Palestinian militant groups.

My commands have gone unheeded. Sad!

Hopefully, the fact that the citizens Hamas represents are largely caged prisoners, who’ve suffered murders, random incarcerations, oppressive control of food, medicine, movement—who’ve also been subject to the theft of their homes, farms, businesses, properties—

I hope the desperation of an occupied people will factor in to any trial they will face.

What do you mean here by "citizens" and "represents"?

Most - at least those, who don't object it per se - think that Gaza is part of the State of Palestine.

As far as I know. Hamas is a political and military organisation, not a state or country.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/10/was-hamas-elected-to-govern-gaza-george-w-bush-2006-palestinian-election.html

I don’t have enough independent knowledge to sign on to this article, but I was under the impression that Yasser Arafat and the PLO were in leadership for the Palestinians due to an election—and a later election also installed (or led to the authorization of) Hamas’ leadership later.

Excerpt:

It was in January 2006 that the Palestinian territories held what turned out to be their last parliamentary elections. Hamas won a bare plurality of votes (44 percent to the more moderate Fatah party’s 41 percent) but, given the electoral system, a strong majority of seats (74 to 45). Neither party was keen on sharing power. Fighting broke out between the two. When a unity government was finally formed in June 2007, Hamas broke the deal, started murdering Fatah members, and, in the end, took total control of the Gaza Strip. Those who weren’t killed fled to the West Bank, and the territories have remained split ever since.
_______________

Balance at the link.

The State of Palestine has been recognized by 139 of the 193 UN members.

I'm not aware of recognising the "State of Hamas".

It is reported today that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell believes Israelis and Palestinians are no longer capable of compromise. A Palestinian state must therefore be "imposed on Israel from outside".
Borrell also accused Israel of financing the establishment of the Islamist Hamas in order to weaken the more moderate Palestinian Authority of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and thereby prevent a Palestinian state. Israel's head of government has repeatedly rejected this accusation, which has already been levelled by some of his critics.


Meanwhile, the EU is sanctioning Hamas supporters.
As a first step, six individuals have now been sanctioned, as reported in the EU Official Journal (>here<). They include Hamas donors from Sudan and Algeria as well as men who are allegedly involved in money laundering and money transfer activities for the benefit of the organisation. Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin is also affected. According to the EU, he is a leading player in Hamas and a member of the group's politburo.

<—-newest Josep Borrell groupie

I don't think the rise of Brics is anything to get excited about.

Neither Russia nor China have shown any real regard for human rights.

Not just UKraine, but Chechnya and all sorts of other little areas.

China is being fairly genocidal towards the Uighurs.

Erdogan has rowed back the reforms of Ataturk, locked up political opponants and devoted an inordinate amout of time prosecuting individuals who have insulted him.

One German presenter faced court action until Merkel did a volte face.

Where Russia and China have helped with infrastructure in developing countries there is a price, which normally involves access to mineral resources.

And almost all of their deals are with autocratic anti democracy bastards.

Wagner's record in Africa is even worse than that in Ukraine.

Lula is alright but he's dealing with Bolsonaro's legacy, and popularity. Bolsonaro supporters haven't gone awy. After the election my dol's father spent two months burning tyres with l9rry drivers 9n the motorway.

And he's got so much domestic **** dealing with illegal loggers etc in the Amazon thathis internation presence will be muted.

You are? (Maybe, because he's a member of and was leading politicians in the Socialists' Party of Catalonia?

I expressly recognize Germany's responsibility to condemn Israel's current war crimes against the Palestinian people.

There is no excuse for turning a blind eye to Israel's crimes against humanity. I wonder if Germany views the calling out of Israel for their ongoing war crimes against women and children in Gaza is considered anti semitic.