Search Results for: 2015-03-10

Without irony, Chef Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen (WCK) accused Israel of a “crime against humanity” in the recent accidental deaths of seven WCK volunteers by an Israeli air strike in Gaza. His accusation has generated a furious, and troubling discussion — focused on Israel’s culpability. US President Joe Biden claimed Israel has not [...]

Constructive dialogue over complex issues seems increasingly difficult to find in these extremely polarizing times. For the Jewish community of which I am a part, the highly valued idea of any such “makhloket l’sheim shamayim” — the Talmudic notion of an argument for the sake of heaven — seems all the more elusive when attempting [...]

Israel concluded on Friday its weeks-long investigation into the alleged deaths of multiple hostages held by Hamas via friendly fire, asserting that it is likely that at least one hostage was killed by an Israeli helicopter. In its investigation, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) found that Efrat Katz, who was kidnapped from her home in [...]

In the wake of the deadly Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, many of Israel’s supporters, myself included, have succumbed to the understandable impulse for violent retribution. Israel is a land that I love, both culturally as a Jew — and third-generation Holocaust survivor — and spiritually as an ordained cantor. It follows that [...]

The UK government released a new definition of extremism on Thursday in response to a rise in extremist threats across the country. Groups that meet the new definition will be automatically barred from receiving government funding. The statement outlining this definition noted that the change is due to the increasing pervasiveness of extremist ideologies in recent [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a new superseding indictment Tuesday against Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife Nadine Menendez. The superseding indictment added new obstruction of justice charges against the couple in the ongoing case for bribery, honest services wire fraud, extortion and acting as an unregistered foreign agent of Egypt. The [...]

The current conflict engulfing Israel and Palestine raises significant issues of international law and policy. This is part one in an anticipated two-part series that will discuss some of the relevant legal questions before the International Criminal Court (ICC; Part I) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ; Part II).  With both courts located in [...]

Barring the unlikely success of last-minute litigation, today, at 6 p.m. CST, Kenneth Eugene Smith is scheduled to become the first person in history to be executed by forced nitrogen gas inhalation. In Smith’s final minutes, personnel at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama will strap an industrial-grade mask to his face. Secured [...]

The governments of Mexico and Chile released a joint statement Thursday calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to look into possible crimes occurring in Gaza amidst the Israel-Hamas war. The countries urged the ICC to investigate due to the escalating violence against civilians since Hamas’s October 7 attacks. They further explained that ICC intervention [...]

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) expressed discontent on Wednesday over Kenyan President William Ruto’s comments concerning the judiciary’s functioning. Chairperson of the JSC Chief Justice Martha Koome issued a statement highlighting concerns about criticism faced by judges for perceived opposition to state programs. According to the statement: The Commission wishes to draw the attention of [...]