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Israel got hit hard again this week when Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan said he was requesting arrest warrants, pending the approval of three judges, against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant for their conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Most egregiously, Khan charges the two Israeli leaders with “extermination and/or murder…including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity.” In international law, crimes against humanity are second only to genocide in severity.  

Simultaneously, Khan asked for arrest warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh for charges including “extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape and sexual assault in detention.” Khan did not stint to publicly bracket the two democratically elected Israeli leaders with the three heinous Hamas terrorists.

The charges against Netanyahu and Gallant are outrageous on a number of counts. As the Wall Street Journal notes in a stinging editorial (paywall):

Khan alleges “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.” Hamas lists 31 Gazans who it claims died of malnutrition and dehydration in seven months of war. That’s out of 2.3 million whom Egypt won’t let out over its border.

Israel has facilitated the entry of 542,570 tons of aid, and 28,255 aid trucks, in an unprecedented effort to supply an enemy’s civilians, even while Hamas steals the aid and tries to frustrate delivery. Israel has begged Egypt for two weeks to let in aid at Rafah, while Egypt refuses. Is this the behavior of an Israeli government bent on starving Gazans?

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20658/gaza-aid-stolen

Close to three-fourths of the humanitarian aid transported from a new $320 million floating pier built by the U.S. military off the Gaza coast was stolen on Saturday en route to a U.N. warehouse, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Eleven trucks “were cleaned out by Palestinians” on the journey to the World Food Programme warehouse in Deir El Balah in the central Strip, with only five truckloads making it to the destination.

“They’ve not seen trucks for a while,” a U.N. official told Reuters. “They just basically mounted on the trucks and helped themselves to some of the food parcels.”

According to the United Nations, no aid was delivered to the warehouse from the U.S. military’s pier on Sunday and Monday.

The United Nations said that 10 truckloads of food aid from the pier arrived at the warehouse on Friday, its first day of operation. It was transported by U.N. contractors.

“We need to make sure that the necessary security and logistical arrangements are in place before we proceed,” said the U.N. official.

According to Israeli estimates, Hamas has been stealing up to 60% of the aid entering the Gaza Strip, and a Channel 12 report last week revealed that the terrorist organization has made at least $500 million in profit off humanitarian aid since the start of the war on Oct. 7.

The pier was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod before being anchored to a beach in the coastal enclave on Thursday. No American troops went ashore during the installation of the pier, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Some 1,000 U.S. soldiers and sailors helped build the floating pier.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/05/20/a-judicial-pogrom/

So it’s a crime now to defend yourself against fascist violence? Some of the imperious prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) seem to think so. Just 226 days after the Jews of southern Israel were subjected to the worst act of anti-Semitic slaughter since the Holocaust, the chief prosecutor of the ICC says he’s seeking arrest warrants for Israeli officials. The preening overlord of international law says he has ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe they’ve committed crimes against humanity. Behold the great moral inversion of our times: the victims of a crime against humanity are themselves suspected of crimes against humanity. The targets of fascism are treated as fascists. Rarely has the moral decomposition and blind arrogance of globalist institutions been so graphically illustrated.

This is the news that Karim Khan has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant. He also wants arrest warrants for Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar. He says all have possibly committed war crimes. In Israel’s case, there has been questionable military activity ‘from at least 8 October 2023’, he says. One of his examples is Israel’s closing of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings that link the Gaza Strip to Israel on 8 October, ‘for extended periods’. Yes, that’s because the day before an army of anti-Semites crossed the border and raped women, murdered children, slit the throats of migrant workers and massacred entire families. Are the people at the ICC okay? Name me one state on Earth – one – that would not secure its borders in the aftermath of such a devastating experience of racist barbarism.

The moral equivalence in Khan’s statement is especially galling. To speak of Hamas and Israel in the same breath, to treat them as equally suspect, is to abandon entirely the fundamentals of morality and even Enlightenment. There is no equivalence between Hamas’s intentional targeting of civilians on the basis of their race and Israel’s subsequent war on Hamas in Gaza. In the former, civilians – let’s say it: Jews – were sought out for murder. In the latter, as with every war in history, civilians are tragically dying in the violent maelstrom. The former was a war crime, the latter is war. The former was a villainous transgression of the norms of conflict, the latter was a response to that transgression. That the ICC seems unable to distinguish between war and war crimes, between democracy and terror, between the Jewish State and a movement devoted to the mass murder of Jews, is truly alarming.

The consequence of the seeking of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders will be to embolden Hamas. Anyone who thinks this is a fair development because it targets both sides in the war is delusional.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

Here are a few highlights from this week’s catalog of positive news from Israel brought to us by Michael Ordman. Read it all. And, if you can, show this to a befuddled protester glamping on campus.  rsk

New Israeli treatments for Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.

10 new life-changing biomed innovators
Israel is developing non-surgical ultrasonic bioprinting of disease cures.

Netherlands to move embassy to Jerusalem. 
Romania’s Friendship and Solidarity Day with Israel
New Orleans Jazz in Tel Aviv. 
104-year-old survivor brings 400 of her descendants to the Western Wall.

POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR

Gaza border incubator is back in business. The attacks on Oct 7 took a severe toll on the SouthUp business incubator (see here previously). But now the Nir Am center has fully reopened. Four new startups have joined the portfolio of 27 companies working in the fields of agritech, food tech, medical tech, clean tech, and IoT.
https://www.israel21c.org/startup-incubator-near-gaza-border-is-back-in-business/
 
75% of employees in the reserves. On Oct 7, 60 of the 80 Israeli-based employees at Israel’s Exodigo (see here previously) were drafted into the IDF reserves. The remaining Israeli office and overseas staff managed to close new deals but persuaded those customers to wait a while for implementation.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rjb00lx0fr
 
Raising funds for child survivors. Israel’s Valoo has launched a fund assembled to provide support for the child survivors of Oct 7. Operating with the social fund Tmura (see here previously), it will regularly distribute cash to these children over the next 10 years. The fund has already raised some $20 million in stock donations.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/skgzgn7qr
 
 
ISRAEL’S  MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
Another schizophrenia treatment. Israel’s Teva has reported positive results of the Phase III trial of its Olanzapine LAI schizophrenia treatment that it has been developing with France’s Medincell. The once-a-month injections met all endpoints. It is likely to be an effective remedy without any serious side effects.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-teva-schizophrenia-drug-phase-iii-results-excite-analysts-1001478459
 
Alzheimer’s researcher sees the light. More about the groundbreaking research of Prof. Shai Rahimipour of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University (see here previously). His Alzheimer’s disease target is a soluble amyloid protein that can be destroyed by nanoparticles that generate light when exposed to low-intensity X rays. 
https://nocamels.com/2024/04/new-alzheimers-treatment-uses-light-x-rays-to-hit-harmful-protein/
 
Edison award for cancer diagnosis. Israel’s Ibex Medical Analytics (see here previously) was a bronze winner in the Diagnostic Technologies category at the 2024 Edison Awards. Ibex won the award for its Galen Breast HER2 platform, that identifies the protein responsible for the proliferation of cancer cells.
https://nocamels.com/2024/04/breast-cancer-diagnosis-platform-wins-edison-innovation-award/
 
Diagnosing Endometriosis. Israel’s EndoCure (see here previously) is developing a diagnostic tool combining AI and ultrasound that would allow physicians to clearly see the tiny lesions responsible for Endometriosis. The disease causes pelvic pain and infertility for women. It can spread to other organs and is sometimes fatal.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-diagnostic-tool-for-forgotten-disease-of-endometriosis/
 
Navigating the US health system. Israel’s Healthee (see here previously) helps employers and employees select and navigate the most suitable health plan. It also connects the user with round-the-clock telehealth services that are free of charge. https://healthee.com/
https://nocamels.com/2024/05/israeli-ai-helps-us-workers-navigate-maze-of-private-healthcare/
 
Lasers to reduce pain. Doctors at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center are using low-level lasers to treat soldiers and civilians for chronic pain caused from wounds sustained in the Oct 7 war. They stimulate mitochondria which releases ATP causing muscles to contract. Many patients experience up to 80% immediate improvement.
https://nocamels.com/2024/05/laser-zaps-away-chronic-pain-for-wounded-israeli-soldiers/
 
Gel helps bones repair faster. Israel’s OrthoTreat has developed ModulX – a gel containing both a known medication plus a plant-based compound. The gel is injected directly onto the bone as a bonding agent where it strengthens the bone and improves its psychological structure.
https://nocamels.com/2024/05/new-gel-jab-aims-to-help-broken-bones-heal-back-better/
 
Bio-printing cells into the body. Technion Professor Shulamit Levenberg (see here previously) has made yet another medical breakthrough. She has developed a non-surgical medication delivery and tissue implantation technique using ultrasound waves. Live cells from injected biological ink are “printed” deep inside the body.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-technique-bioprints-live-cells-inside-the-body-using-ultrasonic-waves/
 
10 new life-changing biomed innovators. The first graduates of the SHAAR Innovation Hub (see here previously) include BeCapio, CaleeTech, Gento Gel-LR (sustained release antibiotics), Luseed Vascular, Panacea-ml, Predicta Med, Sherman Diagnostics, Snipe Medical, Sorlis, and TechnoPulm.
https://www.israel21c.org/10-biomed-startups-complete-innovation-hub-on-way-to-market/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1wa7gab0
 

https://www.jns.org/a-tale-of-two-traffic-jams/

Hours before his daughter Shani’s funeral on Sunday afternoon, Nissim Louk warned viewers of Channel 14’s “This Morning in Israel” program about the likelihood of massive traffic on the way to the burial site near the family home in Srigim. Since tens of thousands of people were expected to arrive to pay their respects, he realized that the roads would be seriously congested.

Asked whether he was recommending a smaller turnout, the bereaved parent answered that it was a matter of personal choice. His reply was gracious.

Since Friday, when it was announced that Shani was among the three (which turned out later to be four) dead hostages retrieved from Gaza in a joint Israel Defense Forces-Shin Bet operation, he’d been urging the public to attend the ceremony. The request was unnecessary.

The beautiful 23-year-old became an international household name in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre. The young woman rose to unwitting fame due to a photo of her twisted, half-naked body being hauled off to Gaza on a pickup truck filled with gleeful Hamas terrorists.

Though the Louks were informed months ago that Shani was already dead in that vile picture—which would come to win a prestigious award—her return from Hamas captivity provided some solace. And it gave them the opportunity to lay her properly to rest in their vicinity.

Still, Nissim’s empathy with the plight of drivers was behind his mentioning the probability of blocked highways in the lead-up to the highly publicized event. This isn’t surprising, given his unfathomably honorable behavior during the 230 days that have elapsed since the Black Sabbath when monsters snuffed out his child’s life and kidnapped her corpse for sport—and leverage.

https://www.jns.org/sunflowers-and-bad-news/

Friday afternoon. Gordon Beach in Tel Aviv. Less crowded than last year at this time. Fewer tourists.

It’s the fault of the war. Airline cancellations and El Al price hikes didn’t help.

Still, rows of chaises with tanning nymphets are packed. So is the water. The Mediterranean is calm. No black flags warning of undertow. Kids splash around. Parents play paddle ball.

Tattooed waiters bustle back and forth, carrying trays with iced coffee and watermelon. Couples seated at low tables bury their feet in the sand, talking about nothing in particular.

A hang-glider flies overhead. It’s startling for a second—reminiscent of Hamas’s infiltration on Oct. 7.

My phone vibrates with an incoming message from my son. It’s a photo of a field of sunflowers in the Gaza envelope. He stopped to snap it on his way back to the front. Beauty before battle.

The Home Front Command app informs of incoming rockets in the south: Sderot, Nir Am and elsewhere. Then drones along the “confrontation line” separating Israel from Lebanon: Dalton, Rehaniya, Kerem Ben Zimra. Afterwards, Kadita in the Upper Galilee. Again, the confrontation line: Daphna, Kibbutz Dan, Hagoshrim, She’ar Yeshuv, Snir.

Katzrin in the southern Golan Heights and Ma’ayan Baruch on the confrontation line are also in the crosshairs. More barrages in the Upper Galilee—in Gadot and back to Katzrin. A repeat performance at the confrontation line: Misgav Am, Kiryat Shmona … the list of Hezbollah’s targets goes on.

But no sirens here in Tel Aviv. It’s been more than two months since the last time the White City was hit with Hamas projectiles, forcing residents to run for cover.

https://www.jns.org/eurovision-handed-israel-the-win/

 Israel finished fifth overall in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. That surprise finish was widely celebrated by Israelis as a great success. In fact, it was a success greater than they realized.

The European public’s vote for a singer was a protest vote against the anti-Israel narrative of the elites and the antisemitic demonstrations marching through Europe’s cities by those celebrating Hamas.

“In a competition invaded by politics, the European public decided to respond and reject the clear bias and anti-Israel trend by supporting massively the Israeli candidate Eden Golan,” Daniel Shadmy, spokesperson of ELNET-Israel, a group dedicated to strengthening Europe-Israel relations, told JNS.

“After the judges of the competition snubbed the Israeli candidate, the European public voted with a loud and clear voice and put Israel as their second favorite song of the whole competition. Israel got top scores from 14 countries, this year’s record,” Shadmy said.

Israel actually won a 15th “country.” A new category, “Rest of the World,” includes voters from countries that aren’t participating in the contest.

Among countries whose public voted Israel into the top spot were the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, Portugal and Italy.

The Irish public, considered among the most hostile to Israel (although perhaps that assumption should be revisited), put Israel in a respectable second place, giving it 10 votes.

“It is noteworthy that countries that were very critical of Israel, both politically and during the competition itself, such as Belgium and Spain, were among those whose public gave the most points to Israel in a clear message of protest,” Shadmy said.

Eurovision voting is a tally of two sets of votes: public and jury. Each counts for 50% of the total tally.