Saudi Arabia issues stark warning to Iran
(JNS) — Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister said on Mar. 19 that his country reserves the right to act militarily after Iran launched an attack against a Saudi oil installation.
Speaking after a meeting in Riyadh which brought together the foreign ministers of 12 Arab and Muslim countries, Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Iran “doesn’t believe in talking to its neighbors. It tries to pressure its neighbors.”
Iran’s tactics won’t work, he said. “The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure. On the contrary, this pressure will backfire.”
The mood of participants at the meeting was such that if Iran did not immediately stop its attacks, it would be virtually impossible to reestablish trust between their countries and Iran, he continued.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers condemned Iran’s missile and drone strikes as totally unjustifiable under any circumstances.
They called on Iran to “immediately cease its attacks.”
Iran fired a drone at a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea. The installation allows oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is attempting to block in an attempt to drive up oil prices.
It also struck the Qatari section of the South Pars Field. Located in the Persian Gulf, it’s the largest known natural gas reserve in the world.
Both attacks were made in retaliation for an attack by Israel on Iran’s section of the same Pars field.
US formally defends Israel in International Court of Justice genocide case
(JTA) — The United States has defended Israel against the charge of genocide in the United Nations’ highest court, as Iceland and the Netherlands gave different opinions.
South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice in 2023 over Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
The United States has long criticized the case and said in a formal filing on Mar. 12 that the claim of genocide was “false” and part of a broader campaign “to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Jewish people and to justify or encourage terrorism against them.”
The United States also argued that Israel did not show the “specific intent” to destroy a group in whole or in part, a requirement of the legal definition of genocide. “Civilian casualties, even widespread civilian casualties, are not necessarily probative of genocidal intent, particularly when they occur in the context of an armed conflict involving urban combat,” said the filing.
More than a dozen other countries, mostly critical of Israel, have submitted interventions in the case, with Iceland and the Netherlands joining on Mar. 11. The interventions serve to provide interpretations of the 1948 Genocide Convention, a treaty that outlined the crime under international law in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
China deepening ties with Iran, providing drones to Tehran, per report to Congress
(JNS) — Amid the war in the Middle East, China has provided Iran with offensive drones, rocket fuel-related chemicals and satellite navigation support in a “less restrained” approach to ties with the regime, according to a new fact sheet from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, an independent body that advises Congress.
After U.S. strikes on the Islamic Republic began on Feb. 28, China “allowed two state-owned Iranian vessels in a Chinese port to be loaded with sodium perchlorate, which is used in solid rocket fuel for missiles,” per the March 16 fact sheet.
“China enables Iran to mitigate global sanctions through trade and financial networks, technology transfers and dual-use trade,” per the report. “Chinese banks, front companies and intermediary firms facilitate oil transactions, the shadow fleet that transports Iranian oil, access to controlled technologies that support Iran’s missile and drone programs and money laundering that enables it all.”
In exchange, “Iran supplies China with relatively low-cost oil and is a partner in China’s efforts to undermine the U.S.-led global order,” the fact sheet says.
China has become Iran’s main economic booster, according to the report, purchasing about 90% of all Iranian oil exports last year. That translates to revenues of $31.2 billion last year, accounting for nearly half of the Iranian governmental budget.
Amsterdam Jewish school bombed, in 2nd attack in days on Dutch Jewish institution
(JTA) — A blast late Mar. 13 outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam has Dutch police racing to safeguard Jewish institutions after two attacks in two days.
As in a blast outside a synagogue in Rotterdam the day before, there were no injuries in the Amsterdam explosion, which caused damage to the school building’s outer wall.
“This is a cowardly act of aggression towards the Jewish community,” Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said in a statement. “I understand the fear and anger of Jewish Amsterdammers. They are increasingly confronted with antisemitism, and that is unacceptable. A school must be a place where children can receive lessons safely. Amsterdam must be a place where Jews can live safely.”
Prime Minister Rob Wetten condemned the attack. “Terrible. In the Netherlands, there must be no place for antisemitism,” he said. “I understand the anger and fear and will quickly engage in talks with the Jewish community. They must always feel safe in our country.”
Calling the incident a “cowardly attack,” David Van Weel, the Dutch security minister, said in a statement, “Thanks to measures and alertness, greater damage has been prevented. The safety of Jewish institutions has our full attention.”
The same group that took credit for the Rotterdam incident as well as a synagogue attack last week in Belgium said in a video that it was responsible for the Amsterdam blast. The group, Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, was previously unknown.
Jewish groups slam ‘Nazi-like’ signs at Toronto rally
(JNS) — Jewish organizations are condemning antisemitic placards displayed at a weekend anti-Israel demonstration in a heavily Jewish North York neighborhood as Toronto police probe whether the imagery constitutes hate propaganda under the Criminal Code.
“We are aware of antisemitic signs displayed at a demonstration this weekend at Bathurst and Sheppard,” Toronto Police posted to social media on Mar. 17. “Hate Crime Unit investigators are consulting with the Ministry of the Attorney General regarding promotion of hatred offences under the Criminal Code.”
The signs, seen Mar. 15 and shared widely on social media, depicted caricatured Orthodox Jewish figures and rats emerging from a Star of David, which groups including B’nai Brith Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said were “reminiscent of Nazi incitement” and dehumanized Jews.
“At protests at Bathurst & Sheppard, extremists openly made threats of violence, glorified terrorism, and depicted Jews as sub-human — yet no arrests have been announced,” CIJA posted to social media in a call to action. “After multiple attacks on our community, many are asking why the law is not being enforced. Toronto Police Service must do better.” The post included a link to send a message to Toronto Police Chief Demkiw demanding a response.
