by Ronn Torossian
Adalah, B'tselem, other NPOs aided by the New Israel Fund, do not even make a pretense of being pro-Israel. Why are US Jews donating to them?
On Friday, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, announced that her office will open a long-anticipated investigation into alleged war crimes perpetrated in the 'West Bank' and Gaza.
Specifically, Bensouda will attempt to focus on the issue of the Israeli "settlements" and the IDF's 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Israel has challenged the Court's jurisdiction over the 'West Bank' and Gaza, along with Israel's activities there, as it is not a member of the Court and has never signed the Rome Treaty. Moreover, Israel contends that the Palestinian Arabs do not represent a state and therefore are not entitled to membership in the ICC. Therefore, the Court has no jurisdiction to delve into any events or actions in the conflict.
Across the mainstream political spectrum in Israel, the move has been condemned. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday lambasted the move as “a dark day for truth and justice,” calling Bensouda’s ruling “scandalous and baseless.” He said the decision made the Hague-based court, which Israel has refused to sign on to since its creation in 2002, a “political tool” against the Jewish state.
He claimed that Bensouda “entirely ignored serious judicial arguments we presented.” Netanyahu argued that the ICC “has no authority to adjudicate the matter. It has jurisdiction only in lawsuits presented by sovereign states, but there has never been a Palestinian state. We will not accept or acquiesce to this injustice. We will continue to fight it with all the tools at our disposal.”
Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue & White Party, and Netanyahu’s chief political opponent said “…when it comes to the international legitimacy and the right of the State of Israel to defend itself, there is no coalition and no opposition.” He added “There is no basis for the demand to initiate an investigation against Israel at the Hague – it is clear this is a political decision, not a legal one.”
Yair Lapid, another opposition leader noted, “The announcement of the prosecutor at The Hague is a surrender to the propaganda of lies and slander spread by the Palestinian terror organizations. As a former member of the [Israeli] cabinet and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, I can attest that throughout the entire history of warfare, there has been no army that has done more to avoid harming innocent civilians than the Israel Defense Forces.”
Meanwhile, the extremist organization B’Tselem funded by the New Israel Fund commended the decision, noting that the announcement “… was the only possible outcome arising from the facts. They added that Israel "must not be allowed to whitewash its crimes… and should be held to account.”
It is a continuation of the scandalous behavior of New Israel Fund grantees attacking the Israel Defense Forces.
As Mosaic Magazine noted, previously, another NIF grantee, Adalah “…which is supported to the tune of millions of shekels by the NIF and foreign entities, was a partner in the promotion of the UN resolution to investigate Israel over “war crimes committed in Gaza.”
According to the NGO Monitor organization, between 2008 and 2016 the NIF gave Adalah more than 7.3 million shekels.
It’s a natural continuation of the radical extremist behavior funded by the New Israel Fund. Across the mainstream left and right in Israel and American Jewry, we stand with the Israel Defense Forces.
We cannot state too often that The New Israel Fund is a radical organization which while continuing to advocate a boycott of the State of Israel, also harms the IDF.
Ronn Torossian is a Public Relations executive.
Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/24935
Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment