Hague court rejects Israeli request to vacate warrants, suspend investigation of Netanyahu, Gallant
(JNS) — The International Criminal Court, an independent court in The Hague that is not part of the United Nations, said on Wednesday that it rejected Israel’s request that it withdraw or vacate the arrest warrants it sought for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
The Jewish state has also asked the court to suspend its investigation of alleged war crimes in Gaza until it first settles the question of whether or not it has jurisdiction to do so. Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute, which created the International Criminal Court.
The court also dismissed that request in a decision its pre-trial chamber published on Wednesday.
“There is no legal basis for withdrawing, vacating or declaring them of no force or effect at this point in time,” the court said of the warrants. “The impact of Israel’s jurisdiction challenge on the warrants, if any, is something that can only be determined when the chamber will have ruled on the substance thereof.”
French, Saudi leaders bow out of own UN summit amid political headwinds
(JNS) — A United Nations summit set for the end of the month with the goal of establishing a Palestinian state is off to a shaky start. Originally scheduled for June but delayed by Israel’s operation against Iran, it’s now reported that the co-hosts will be no-shows.
Le Monde reported this weekend that neither of the conference’s conveners, French President Emmanuel Macron nor Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will attend, though earlier reports said they had planned to appear at the summit.
The two leaders may have encountered political headwinds, most significantly from the United States. On June 10, a week before the summit’s original scheduled date (June 17-20), the United States sent a cable warning other countries against participating, stating that those taking “anti-Israel actions” following the conference would be considered to be acting against U.S. foreign policy interests, Reuters reported.
Century-old scripture found during preservation work on Siberian synagogue
(JNS) — During preservation work this month on a rare wooden synagogue in Siberia — originally built nearly 120 years ago — workers uncovered a century-old prayer book that had remained hidden in the attic since the Communists closed the building in 1930.
The scripture, found at the Soldiers’ Synagogue in Tomsk, is an annotated siddur, a prayer book containing a set order of daily, weekly and special prayers, Levy Kaminetsky, a Chabad emissary who in 2004 moved to the Russian city with his wife Gitty, told JNS.
The Soldiers’ Synagogue is one of just a few dozen wooden synagogues that dot Eastern Europe and Russia, many of which are falling into disrepair. The Russian government this year allocated tens of thousands of dollars toward renovating the building, which it gifted to the Jewish community in 2018. It has not served as a synagogue since 1930.
Hitler impersonator arrested in Germany
(JNS) — A neo-Nazi was arrested for wearing a Hitler costume at the Moto Grand Prix motorcycle race in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz, eastern Germany, last weekend. The impersonator drew support from some spectators.
The 40-year-old suspect, who faces significant legal penalties for his actions, attended the race wearing a brown shirt emblazoned with “Adolf” and the numeral 8 beneath it. This combination referred to Adolf Hitler — symbols forbidden under German law.
Neo-Nazi groups routinely employ the number 88 as coded language for “Heil Hitler,” utilizing the numerical position of the letter H in the alphabet.
Furthermore, while competitors thundered around the track, the law-breaking suspect approached a beer concession stand and donned a rubber Hitler mask, parading openly with the offensive costume.
Some race attendees posed for photographs with him, apparently delighted to capture selfies with “the Führer.”
