US report finds possible Israeli violations of international law in Gaza

(They withheld the report on Monday so they could drop it on Friday hoping it would get lost in the weekend news fog because everything we do is to benefit Glorious Israel you know)

from al Jazeera

A report from the administration of President Joe Biden has found that Israeli forces likely used United States-supplied weapons in a manner “inconsistent” with international law, but it stopped short of identifying violations that would put an end to the ongoing military aid.

In the report, released on Friday after a delay, the US State Department indicated Israel did not provide adequate information to verify whether US weapons were used in possible violations of international law during its war in Gaza.

... 

“It is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL [international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm,” the report said.

The report nevertheless adds that the Biden administration believes Israel is taking “appropriate steps” to address such concerns...

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The Saudi Regime Change Operation Turns into Game of Thrones

by Scott Creighton

Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, the only remaining brother of the current king of Saudi Arabia and the uncle of Mohamed bin Salman (MbS), has been shipped from London, the epicenter of global neoliberalism (and it's birthplace), to Riyadh where he is supposedly going to try to make some kind of arrangement to bring MbS back under full Western control or to curb his powers or replace him outright. They are calling it "crisis control" and the estranged prince only agreed to go back once Western neoliberal powers promised him their help with his security detail.

"...  some analysts are calling a potential challenge to the authority of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman...

"I think the gesture means there is a change coming some time soon,"..

... agreed to return to Riyadh only after receiving security assurances from the UK and United States." al Jazeera

 Much is being made about this in places like the Middle East Eye which have been calling for KOS regime change since the beginning of 2018 (a place intimately connected to Jamal Khashoggi by the way) but in reality, MbS met Prince Ahmad on the tarmac and allowed him to meet with other heads of state without issue. Seems like MoB is fully confident in his job security at this point.

" Michael Stephens, an expert on the Gulf and a fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a defence and security think tank, urged people to be cautious about Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz’s visit to Riyadh.

“Saudi court politics is always full of intrigue, but people should stop over-reading into things. [King] Salman has invested too much into MBS to watch him fall. Secondly, MBS still has the monopoly on security decisions, a threat emerging from a recalled prince is small indeed,” he said." The Independent

You see, the problem with regime changing Saudi Arabia is though there are literally thousands of Saud royal family members to choose from and to bribe, only a few in one of the 7 major tribes are actually in control of the government over there... and MbS along with the king, have made sure to put him in control of most of it.

Which is kind of what you would expect of a future king.

Which is kind of what you would expect the current king to do... make sure his son, MbS, is secure and ready to take control when he abdicates the crown.

King Salman suffers from Alzheimer's disease and though he is extremely wealthy, some things are beyond even his control.

So a father is in a position to ensure his son rises to power and nothing foreign leaders demand or his estranged London-based brother can say or do will change that decision.

Its all very Game of Thrones stuff when you think about it.

ICC shrugs off US threats over Afghan war crimes probe

from Press TV

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has firmly dismissed a threat of sanctions against it by US National Security Adviser John Bolton in case it probes possible US war crimes in Afghanistan, declaring that it will continue its work “undeterred.”

“The ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its work undeterred, in accordance with those principles and the overarching idea of the rule of law,” the ICC announced in a Tuesday statement, a day after Bolton used bullying rhetoric against the UN-backed tribunal in The Hague.

Bolton brazenly threatened on Monday that if the ICC proceeded with a possible probe into possible war crimes committed by the US military and intelligence operatives during its war in Afghanistan or pursued any investigation into war crimes by the Israeli regime or other American allies, Washington would impose sanctions against the court and seek to prosecute its officials where possible...

... Washington has refused to ratify the Rome Treaty that established the ICC. The US has adopted the so-called American Services-Members’ Protection Act — nicknamed The Hague Invasion Act — which authorizes the use of any means necessary to free any American personnel held by the court...

[read more here]