Why genocide experts believe Israel is guilty of the crime of crimes
Since stopping aid deliveries in March more and more nations and International law experts have accused Israel not only of war crimes but of the much more serious international crime of genocide, a deeply contested claim. But what constitutes genocide and what should nations who are signatories to the UN declaration be doing to stop it?
GUESTS:
Dr Omar Bartov, a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University
Dr Simon Adams, former Executive Director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Sareta Ashraph, a barrister specialising in international criminal law
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Aussie activists ‘psychologically brutalised' by Israeli soldiers
A pair of Aussie activists have touched down in Sydney after they spent several weeks in Israeli Defence Forces custody after a failed mission to supply food and aid to the starving people of Gaza. Journalist and filmmaker Tan Safi and activist Robert Martin were part of a 21-strong crew that set sail aboard the 'Handala' as part of a humanitarian mission. Since Israel began military operations in Gaza in October 2023, 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in a campaign that prominent Israeli humanitarian organisations labelled as 'genocide' on Monday. While speaking to the media at Sydney Airport on Friday morning, the pair said they were 'psychologically brutalised' by their captors. 'We were in international waters at the time, and we were taken completely against our will and just brutalised psychologically in every way,' Safi said. 'We were on a hunger and water strike, but the only time they offered food was once and it was a tomato about (the size of a golf ball),' she said. In a video published on Sunday, Safi said she had been 'abducted' by the Israeli military, and urged supporters to 'put pressure on the Australian government to sanction Israel'. The Freedom Flotilla departed from Syracuse, Italy, on July 13, fully equipped with humanitarian supplies, en route to Gaza. Free Gaza Australia, the Australian branch of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) that organised the expedition, said the cargo of the Handala 'carried desperately needed lifesaving humanitarian cargo, including baby formula, food, and medical supplies, to the Palestinian people in Gaza'. At about midnight on July 26, the Handala was intercepted by the Israeli military about 80km miles off the coast of Gaza – an area that is considered to be international waters. Footage shows the moment Israeli troops boarded the flotilla, brandishing assault weapons and pointing them in the direction of flotilla activists who sat in the middle of their ship with hands outstretched. The crew had agreed before their arrest they would engage in a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinians. Every crew member has now been deported to their country of residence or are in the process of repatriation. In a social media post on Friday morning, Free Gaza Australia said plans were already under way for another expedition to Palestine. 'Robert and Tan are home and we're already preparing the next Freedom Flotilla boat to break the siege of Gaza. We sail until Palestine is free,' it said. Allegations have also surfaced of other Freedom Flotilla crew members being abused by IDF soldiers. The FFC said US crew member Chris Smalls was beaten, kicked and choked by at least seven IDF soldiers as he and the other crew members were being detained in the only physical display of brutality catalogued by members of the Flotilla. Among the activists was Greta Thunberg, who has since been sent back to Sweden by Israeli authorities.
SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Russia says it has 'immunity' to US sanctions as Kyiv hit by large-scale attack
Russian President Vladimir Putin is defying pressure from the United States to end the war on Ukraine. (Sound of explosions in Kyiv) Russia's latest deadly attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv has killed at least 16 people, including two children, and injured 155 others. Rescuers are scrambling through rubble to search for people trapped underneath, following Russia's pre-dawn attack. Twenty-three year-old Veronika was in her bed on the ninth floor of her apartment when the building was struck. "I did not realise what I was doing. I was in shock. I didn't understand what to do, where to go. When I looked at my leg, I panicked even more. I should have evaluated the situation – what was going on. But instead, I panicked." The drone and missile attack has further angered US President Donald Trump, who described Russia's behaviour against Ukraine as "disgusting". "Russia, I think it's disgusting what they're doing. I think it's disgusting. This is Biden's war, it's not my war. But I said, if I get in, I'll try and get the thing stopped. But I think what Russia is doing is very sad. A lot of Russians are dying. You have a lot of Russians. More Russians are dying, but Russians are dying. Ukrainians are dying." The US leader plans to impose sanctions on Russia if no agreement can be reached, despite admitting he's unsure if sanctions would act as a deterrent. Mr Trump has given President Putin until August the 8th to make a deal or else he will respond. "Yeah, we're going to put sanctions. I don't know that sanctions bother him. You know, they know about sanctions. I know better than anybody about sanctions and tariffs and everything else. I don't know if that has any effect, but we're going to do it. Europe is extremely upset, but this is a war that should have never happened." But the Russian government says it can withstand the pressure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the deadline following President Trump's announcement on Wednesday, saying Russia has immunity to sanctions already imposed on the country. "We have taken note of President Trump's statement yesterday. The special military operation continues, and we remain committed to the peace process to settle the conflict in Ukraine and ensure our interests during this settlement." This comes as Russia announced it had captured the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, opening the way for potential further advances. Russian flags were raised on roads and rooftops, while Russia's Defence Ministry said forces had "liberated" the town. Russia's latest attack follows airstrikes on a prison and hospital in southeastern Ukraine earlier this week, that killed at least 19 people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the attack was deliberate, repeating his plea for global pressure to end the war on Ukraine. "Each such Russian strike, each instance of Russian arrogance in response to global calls to end the war, all of this only confirms that pressure is necessary. More sanctions against Russia are needed, consistent support for Ukraine and our defence of life, and coordinated diplomacy for the sake of peace. I want to thank everyone who is working with us in this way." Kyiv and Moscow have held three rounds of talks in Istanbul this year that yielded exchanges of prisoners and bodies, but no breakthrough to end the more than three-year conflict. Russia's deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, has told the UN Security Council that Russia intends to continue negotiations in Istanbul, even as he criticised previous diplomacy efforts as "a way of criticising Russia and exerting pressure on it".
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Tensions high at Jerusalem's Temple Mount
Sabra Lane: Another front in a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians which has been simmering away in Jerusalem for many years is threatening to boil over. With nationalists further taking hold in Israel and the debate about Palestinian statehood ricocheting around the world, the Israeli government has dramatically relaxed the restrictions on Jews praying at the Temple Mount al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem, but it's angering the site's Muslim guardians. Here's Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran. Matthew Doran: It's just after half past seven in the morning and these Jews have come to the Old City to pray. The exact spot they've chosen to sing and chant is provocative. Standing on the steps leading up to one of Islam's holiest shrines, the Dome of the Rock, this group is being given freedom to worship like never before under the watchful gaze of Israeli police. Yehuda Glick: When we come here, we recharge our batteries. We tune in and we're connected. Matthew Doran: Yehuda Glick is a rabbi and former member of the Israeli parliament. For decades, he's been agitating for the rules restricting non-Muslim worship in this compound to be relaxed. Yehuda Glick: Since you see how big this place is, it's the size of 20 football stadiums. It's extremely big and there's enough room for everybody. Matthew Doran: Known as the Temple Mount to Jews and Christians and al-Aqsa to Muslims, the precinct on the southeastern side of the old city is one of the most sacred places in Jerusalem. It's where two Jewish temples are believed to have stood, the second destroyed by the Romans around 2,000 years ago. The western wall, where Jews go to pray, is the remnant of those buildings. The area above is now home to the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, where the Muslim prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven. Muhammad Al-Ashab : We emphasise that this is an Islamic mosque for only the Muslims. It cannot be divided or shared and there is no link to any other religion with the al-Aqsa mosque. Matthew Doran: Muhammad al-Ashab is the spokesman for the Jerusalem Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the precinct appointed by the Jordanian government. Muhammad Al-Ashab : We consider incursion into the blessed al-Aqsa mosque to be a change to the historical and legal situation. Matthew Doran: Muhammad al-Ashab is referring to a set of rules and policies known as the status quo. For decades, the compound has been reserved solely for Muslim worship under a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan. In previous years, Jews who've tried to enter to pray have been arrested, but the tables have turned. Even though the site is administered by Jordanian authorities, all access in and out is controlled by Israeli police. This group is being escorted around the precinct by Israeli police officers, some even moving Palestinians out of the way as they walked through the area. It's the influence of Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itmar Ben Gvir, who has responsibility for the police and has given them the green light to allow Jewish worshippers in. It's deeply confronting and upsetting to the Muslim population, but Yehuda Glick insists it's simply progress. Yehuda Glick: The word status quo is really a word that, it's sort of a joke Matthew Doran: The Temple Mount al-Aqsa compound has been a flashpoint for many years. In 2021, Israeli police stormed the area. Hamas in Gaza responded, firing rockets into Israel, which in turn retaliated with airstrikes in the strip. Two weeks of fighting ensued, with 260 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed. While people like Yehuda Glick want to pray at the Temple Mount, traditional Jews argue it's against Jewish law. Shcmuel Rabinovich is the rabbi of the Western Wall and says his message is clear. Schmuel Rabinovich : I tell them that the vast majority of rabbis of Israel have forbidden the ascension on the Temple Mount. That's the message I give them. Some of them have other rabbis that have another opinion. It causes me great pain. Matthew Doran: While the Netanyahu government insists the status quo remains, the actions of police show otherwise, further inflaming long-held tensions in the heart of the Old City. This is Matthew Doran in Jerusalem, reporting for AM.
