Editorials & Actions

Adam Keller: Israeli Supreme Court paving the war to a war crime

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Israel’s Supreme Court green lights state to commit war crime; if implemented, the justices will also be liable
by Adam Keller, Gush Shalom

On Thursday, 24 May 2018, three Israeli Supreme Court justices – Noam Sohlberg, Anat Baron and Yael Willner – ruled that the state may demolish the homes of the community of Khan al-Ahmar, transfer the residents from their homes and relocate them. This ruling removes the last stumbling block in Israel’s way in the matter, lifting the impediment which had thus far served to defer the transfer of the community, a war crime under international law. While it is a policy shaped by the government, the justices – here as well as in other cases – pitched in and paved the road to the commission of a war crime. Personal liability for the commission of this crime will fall not only on policy-makers. Those who paved the juridical route enabling the crime are equally liable.

Editorials & Actions

Adam Keller on Obama, Netanyahu, and the 1967 Borders

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by Adam Keller

President Obama has made his long awaited speech and uttered the magic number which some hoped and other dreaded that he would mention – Nineteen Hundred Sixty Seven. And Prime Minister Netanyahu retorted with an angry outburst and total denunciation and rejection of the 1967 borders. Israel’s newspapers all came out with banner headlines proclaiming “Confrontation!” and “Collision Course!”. In the evening, Obama and Netahayhu met at the White House and made a rather pale effort to paper over the cracks and present the TV cameras with a friendly, smiling, hand-shaking façade – what today’s Wall Street Journal called “The most undiplomatic moments of international diplomacy ever offered for cameras”.