Germany to come in on Israel’s side at the ICJ
Germany is planning to intervene in the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the UN’s top court, a government spokesman said on Friday.
“German government firmly and explicitly rejects the accusation of genocide that has now been made against Israel before the International Court of Justice. This accusation has no basis whatsoever,” spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.
He stressed that Germany bears special responsibility for Israel due to the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II, and said the government will continue to support Israel to defend itself against Hamas.
This Politico article (which seems to have an anti-Israel slant) reports on the following exchange:
Caroline Gennez asked German officials a rhetorical question in an interview with a Belgian weekly: “Do you really want to be on the wrong side of history twice? Will we continue to stand by while ethnic cleansing takes place? Surely that was ‘never again’?”
Germany, which has offered Israel unyielding support since the October 7 Hamas attack, has stood in stark contrast to public statements in recent months from officials from Ireland, Spain and Belgium.
I’m not sure how the German officials responded, but I’d suggest the following response to people like Gennez: “Why do you want to be on the wrong side of history this time, defending savage genocidal Jew-hating murderers like Hamas, and blaming Israel for defending itself?”
As for Caroline Gennez herself, she’s pretty much what you’d expect:
Caroline Gennez … is a Belgian socialist politician who has been serving as the Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy in the De Croo Government since December 2022. She is a former chairwoman of the Socialist Party … in Flanders. …
[In 2003] she called for a boycott of the Israeli song in the Eurovision song festival contest.
Many countries of Europe are right up there – or down there – with Belgium. But I must say that Belgium is in the forefront.
But at least some countries besides Germany, in Europe and elsewhere, are on Israel’s side, although I don’t think they’re planning to do as Germany has announced it will do: to intervene in the ICJ proceeding on Israel’s behalf. But support is support, and I’m surprised that Trudeau voiced any support for Israel at all. My guess is his motive was fear of political disapproval from the Canadian people if he didn’t at least offer some sort of verbal support:
Now Canada speaks out against South Africa's baseless #ICJ genocide claim against Israel, with @JustinTrudeau saying Canada does not support "the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa."
Canada now joins US, Germany, UK and Austria, in opposing South Africa's claim. pic.twitter.com/PF8kwwTtia
— Arsen Ostrovsky ?? (@Ostrov_A) January 12, 2024
Germany’s statement is very strong:
The German government sharply rejected on Friday allegations before the UN’s top court that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza and warned against “political instrumentalization” of the charge …
As a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention, [Germany] has the right to join cases and put forward its arguments on the case. …
[German spokesman] Hebestreit acknowledged diverging views in the international community on Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza.
“However the German government decisively and expressly rejects the accusation of genocide brought against Israel before the International Court of Justice,” he said.
“The accusation has no basis in fact,” he said.
Netanyahu told German Chancellor Scholz, “Your stance and Germany’s stance on the side of the truth moves all the citizens of Israel.” Scholz was the very first Western leader to visit Israel in support after 10/7.
It’s been almost eighty years since the end of WWII, but this is indeed moving – in both senses of the word.
Scholz, not Stolz.
Philip Sells:
Thanks, will fix.
This “genocide” charge against Israel is complete nonsense. Of course, “genocide” is what Hamas wanted to do to Jews.
https://www.frontpagemag.com/shoah-business-in-norway/
Kate:
That’s why some people call the claim an example of “Holocaust inversion.”
I consider it an obscene gesture to mount this kangaroo court
Has the Middle East Media Research Institute (Memri) come up on this blog yet? Everyone should know about them. They’re dedicated to documenting, and translating, everything that gets said in Arabic, Farsi, whatever, by these evil bastards. Things like:
“The Al Aqsa Flood (what Hamas calls Oct 7) is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth.” – Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas politburo member.
“We made them (Israel) think that Hamas was busy with governing Gaza, and that it wanted to focus on the 2.5 million Palestinians.” – Ali Baraka on Oct 8
Memri is the outfit that caught Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, celebrating the Oct 7 attacks while speaking to a Muslim American group calling it an act of “Gazan liberation”.
They seem to be having great success with Blinken quoting their quotes repeatedly. In Israel’s opening statement in this “trial”, or whatever they’re calling it, they played videos with the Memri logo intact.
Actually I just used the search function to see they have come up before.
Really shocked that Trudeau is backing Israel on this, far bigger surprise than Germany.
As long as we’re wondering….
“How pro-Hamas rhetoric infected US high schools”—
https://nypost.com/2024/01/13/opinion/how-pro-hamas-rhetoric-infected-elementary-schools/
– – – – – – –
And here’s a rather strange one (given that “Biden” HAS ALREADY “Let the Houthis Take Yemen”)…
“Washington Can’t Let the Houthis Take Yemen”—
https://washington-cant-let-houthis-take-yemen.tiiny.co/
H/T Powerline blog (for both).
I’m surprised, very pleasantly, about Germany. There’s so much anti-West sentiment, usually complaining that life is not perfect, it’s even unfair.
I’m a little disappointed at how little time is spent on defining genocide, human shields, and acceptable vs unacceptable military operations against terrorists using human shields.
In a scathing, excoriating, breathtaking post, Brendan O’Neill ingeniously articulates precisely WHY Israel MUST be accused—and FOUND GUILTY—of Genocide.
It is, similarly, the reason why Alfred Dreyfus HAD TO BE FOUND GUILTY of betraying his country.
And the reason why Donald Trump MUST BE FOUND GUILTY of any and every possible crime that his criminal opponents can—and must—conjure up, invent, create and manufacture.
A breathtaking column:
“These accusations of ‘genocide’ bring shame on humanity;
“South Africa’s case against Israel is the most absurd and sinister spectacle of the 21st century so far.”—
https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/01/13/these-accusations-of-genocide-bring-shame-on-humanity/
H/T Powerline blog.
Its paradoxical because the south of the country is somewhat less houthi preponderant, the area that was more commie in the 70s and 80s where habbash of the pflp hung his hat
Given Houthi successes (and Iran’s encouragement and ambitions), I’m not sure that’s still true, though.
Don’t they currently control Aden? Or am I mistaken…?
You just don’t come for a slaughter group of human beings and expect me to go along. It’s not happening.
No I’m not leaving the door open
Without in any way diminishing the significance of Germany’s stance… it comes as northern Europe – and especially Scandinavia – breaks its silence about Muslim immigration and its problems.
Any Europeans who condemn Israel are placing their own hands in shackles when it comes to dealing with their own Muslim population… of course I may be assuming more intellectual and moral consistency than the Left has demonstrated… and hamstringing Europe’s response may be exactly what Leftists want.
I’m very happy that Germany has done this. To me it shows very strongly that Germany, as a nation, is still feeling the guilt and sorrow of the Holocaust. As for Canada, I think most Canadians would be aghast if Trudeau didn’t say they stood by Israel. Many, many good people in Canada.
Why are progressives/socialists anti-semitic? Why are so many American Jews of the same progressive persuasion? Is it ethnicity over religion?
When one willfully refuses to acknowledge EVIL, as in Hamas, one is lost. I am not happy to share the USA with those types. I am Catholic, and that Church emphasizes and teaches the difference between Good and Evil.
the oppresssor/oppressor framework, yes it doesn’t make sense,
Cicero:
I’ve written many many posts on why the left is anti-Semitic. I’ve also written several posts that deal the fact that progressive “Jews” are almost all ethnic Jews who are not religious and may not know much about Judaism at all. The more religious the Jew, the more likely to vote on the right, with Orthodox Jews being strongly on the right (percentages in the 80s).
The Pope, by the way, seems to want a ceasefire, which means Hamas lives to attack again and again.
dejavu
https://spinstrangenesscharm.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/richard-goldstone-retracts-israel-genocide-accusation-after-damage-done/
I sincerely doubt if my analogies stemming from straining myself earlier and this moment would pass muster. After all, NEO must have standards. But I was having amongst other things an epiphany.
the Pontiff has dissappointed in the recent past, see how tactful I can be, what job does he think he has, spreading the gospel doesn’t seem to really enter into it,
I’ve been rereading Hara (Japanese Destroyer Captain), Orita (I boat Captain) and Sakai (Samurai!). Amongst others. Also King Rat. What do you do when you’re ordered by lesser men to surrender
One of our boys brought this to our attention recently.
It was written in 1970, the summer after I graduated from HS.
Our family did not take the NYT, or the WaPo, New Republic, or even National Review; if it wasn’t in the local paper, I didn’t know about it, and I seldom read even that. We had 3 TV networks, which it seems now were allied in their presentation of the news they wanted us to know; there was no social media because there was no internet; and the counter-culture liberals of my ensuing college years was apparently in thrall to Soviet propaganda, even if many of them didn’t realize that at the time.
The only thing that has changed in 53 years is that some things have gotten worse.
And there is no way the Times would print this today.
https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/12/archives/intellectuals-as-an-ethnic-group-intellectuals-as-an-ethnic-group.html
Intellectuals As an ‘Ethnic Group’
By Andrew M. Greeley July 12, 1970
It’s long, but RTWT.
Father Greeley was not a conservative, per the Wiki article, but he knew what he was talking about here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Greeley