Friday Links Part 1

From Ian:

---

Israeli lawyer goes after Abbas, Hamas in ICC
Files request to prosecute "Palestine," as a state; allege crimes by Palestinians against Israelis and Palestinians alike.

An Israeli law firm on Thursday formally announced its request to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensada, to open a criminal investigation into violations by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and nine members of Hamas for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression.
The allegations include alleged war crimes against Israeli civilians and by the Palestinians against rival Palestinian groups, such as Fatah’s forces against Hamas’s sympathizers during rounds of in-fighting.

Israeli Director of Military Intelligence warns Iran and Hezbollah have established 50,000 strong army operating in Syria

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the Israeli Director of Military Intelligence, today gave his analysis of the deteriorating situation in Syria, saying that “the damages of the imminent fall of Syria are very high for both Iran and Hezbollah.” Speaking at the annual Herzliya security conference held in Israel, he highlighted that Iran is losing its sole ally in the region surrounding Israel, and thus also the ability to transfer weaponry through Syria to Hezbollah.

UN says it’s worried about arms flow from Syria to Lebanon
Security Council ‘encouraged’ by calm along Israeli-Lebanese Blue Line, but says attempts being made to undermine Lebanese stability

The UN Security Council underscored its grave concern Thursday at the arms trafficking and repeated weapons fire across the Lebanon-Syria border, but said it was happy that arms had not been used against Israel.

IDF Blog: Two Years On: The “Victoria” Weapon-Smuggling Interception

Two years ago today, the Victoria set sail from a port in Syria, loaded with Iranian-made weapons bound for Gaza and the terrorist group Hamas.

Stone Throwing Arabs Cause Car Crash, Critically Injuring 3 Year Old Girl, 3 Others

Palestinian Arab stone throwing at a road near the Jewish community of Ariel in Judea and Samaria led to a car crash that critically injured a 3-year-old girl and moderately injured her mother and her two other daughters, ages 4 and 6.

Soldiers Shoot Terrorist, Discover Huge Cache of Firebombs

IDF soldiers shot a Palestinian Authority Arab terrorist on Thursday evening, after he threw a firebomb at them near Nitzanei Oz in the Sharon region.
The terrorist sustained moderate to severe wounds and was taken by a Red Crescent ambulance to a hospital in the PA city of Tulkarm.
After the terrorist was shot, the soldiers searched the area and discovered a huge cache of ready-to-use firebombs. It is believed that the terrorist had been planning to throw more firebombs at the soldiers, but his plan was foiled when he was shot by them.

CAMERA: Human Rights Watch Goes to Bat for Hamas's Al Aqsa TV

Are the activities of Al Aqsa TV as innocuous Whitson claims? And who is responsible for blurring the distinction between civilian and combatant, Israel or Hamas? Whitson blames Israel, relieving Hamas of accountability. HRW criticized the Israelis for failing to produce evidence of the station's direct support of Hamas's violent activities. However, Al Aqsa programs are well documented.

Hamas accuses Egyptian media of anti-Palestinian incitement
Press had reported that seven Palestinians detained in Cairo were planning to target local installations

Hamas leaders on Thursday attacked the Egyptian press for attempting “to sow strife between Egypt and Gaza” by reporting that seven Palestinians detained at the Cairo airport were planning to target vital infrastructures in the country.
Egyptian media reported the arrest of the seven, who arrived in Cairo on a flight from Damascus early Wednesday morning, after they were found carrying maps of installations and documents specifying ways of manufacturing explosives.

Saudi Arabia may stop beheading due to swordsmen shortages

Oil-rich kingdom mulls abolition of beheading in favour of firing squads for capital punishments due to reported shortages of government swordsmen, Saudi daily reports

University College London bans hard-line Islamic group which tried to segregate men and women at a debate held on university premises

A Muslim group has been banned from a university after segregating men and women during a debate.
Visitors to the event at University College London were told to use men’s or women’s entrances.
Organisers Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) told women to sit at the back, while men and couples were sent to the front. Three people who objected were ordered to leave.

Jewish group lodges complaint against South African minister
Deputy FM in hot water over ‘inflammatory remarks’ alleging foul play in awarding of building contracts to Jewish developers

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies lodged a complaint with the country’s Human Rights Commission over ”inflammatory remarks” made by Deputy Foreign Minister Marius Fransman.
In a radio interview last month, Fransman claimed that Jewish businessmen in the Western Cape region have benefited from contracts previously held by members of the local Muslim community. “We saw that the DA [Democratic Alliance party] had given over building contracts… that historically were in the hands of Muslim participants and now they have given it to people from the Jewish community,” Fransman said.