Seven Important Reasons To Hire An Immigration Lawyer

People who are dealing with immigration concerns frequently have a variety of difficulties to overcome. It is advisable to consider hiring an immigration attorney to handle the numerous concerns and sectors involved with coming to the United States since the terminology used in immigration documents can be challenging to understand and because immigration rules are frequently complex.

Here are seven situations where using the knowledge and skills of the best immigration lawyer in Tel Aviv can help you with your immigration issues may lead to greater success.

Obtaining A Nonimmigrant Visa -

Noncitizens can enter a country on a nonimmigrant visa for a limited time and for a defined reason. There are various kinds of nonimmigrant visas; therefore, it's crucial for anyone looking to apply to understand which kind of visa will be most useful in their particular circumstance.

Additionally, applying for the right kind of visa is crucial when one wants a family to travel with them to a foreign nation because not all nonimmigrant visas permit spouses and dependent children to accompany the primary visa holder. An immigration lawyer can assist you in applying for the nonimmigrant visa type that best fits your unique circumstances because they are knowledgeable about the numerous nonimmigrant visa kinds.

Avoid Mistakes -

One of the most crucial steps in the visa application process is submitting the proper papers. It can be simple to mistakenly file the wrong form due to how similar many of the forms appear, especially to someone who has never dealt with these kinds of documents before, which will put you back at the beginning of the process.

On the other hand, if you have an immigration attorney on your side, they will have expertise in filing documentation for situations much like yours and will be aware of the proper forms to submit at what time. In addition to ensuring that your case proceeds ahead rather than backwards, doing this will assist you in avoiding wasting time filling out the lengthy documents.

They Can Discuss Your Options With You -

Regardless of the circumstances, you have choices. Having said that, if you're attempting to handle your problem alone, you might not be aware of your options, or if you are, you might not be sure how to move forward.

When you have an immigration attorney on your side, they will be able to lay out all of your options for you and assist you in navigating the process of taking whichever course you decide to take. Your immigration lawyer will have the knowledge to keep you informed at every stage of the process rather than letting you proceed blindly. Most immigration matters are also delicate and urgent, and your attorney will be able to guide you through the process as fast and stress-free as possible.

Family Based Immigration -

Family members are a common source of green cards for many people. Not all familial ties, nevertheless, are acceptable for green card acceptance. Some family visa categories have a cap on the number of visas that can be issued annually, while others have no such restriction.

Although confusing to the average person, terms like "Adjustment of Status," "Consular Processing," and "Conditional Permanent Residence" are crucial to comprehend when making a green card application.

You can be sure that you are following the best path to the quickest approval for your family-based immigration needs by working with an immigration attorney.

Getting Naturalized And Citizenship -

You must fulfil certain eligibility conditions to choose to change your permanent resident status or green card to that of a citizen of the United States. The right to vote, immunity from deportation, and eligibility for positions requiring U.S. citizenship are just a few advantages of becoming a citizen.

An experienced immigration lawyer will assist you with the application process and test preparation as they support you through the citizenship procedure.

Obtaining Asylum -

Due to threats based on race, religion, political views, or participation in a particular social group, many immigrants worry about being deported back to their native country. When you are given refuge in the United States, you are shielded from prosecution by your home nation by the American government. A knowledgeable immigration lawyer specializing in asylum cases can ensure you take advantage of all possible asylum-seeking opportunities.

An immigration lawyer can also help you plead your case in front of an immigration court if your asylum claim is rejected.

Employment-Based Immigration -

Permanent residency in the U.S. may be possible for non-residents on employment-based immigration visas. Many people obtain permanent residency by working in the United States.

Given the variety of employment-based immigrant visas available, it's crucial to hire an experienced immigration lawyer who can advise you on your options and assist you in submitting a complete and accurate application for the visa that best suits your needs.

Conclusion -

When navigating the complex landscape of immigration issues, having a seasoned and knowledgeable legal team by your side is crucial. Wildes & Weinberg PC, with its experienced lawyers in Tel Aviv, stands as a steadfast partner ready to guide you through every step of the process. With their commitment to excellence and proven track record, you can trust this law firm in Tel Aviv to provide the expert assistance you need to resolve your immigration matters successfully.

even though two-thirds of israelis surveyed said that israel should keep bombing populated areas as they have been, there are many israelis taking action to speak against the genocide despite protests like these being met with violent repercussions.

BRITAIN ARMS ISRAEL ISRAEL KILLS BRITS

The Israeli killing of seven aid workers in the Gaza Strip has reignited calls for the British government to stop selling weapons to Tel Aviv. Among the dead were three Britons who died after an airstrike hit their car. They were working for the World Central Kitchen, a charity providing food to thousands of Palestinians facing starvation amid Israel’s bombardment and blockade.

Supreme Court judges and hundreds of lawyers and academics have now written an open letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, warning the continued shipment of arms is a breach of international law. Despite the growing pressure, Downing Street insists it won’t change its policy and will continue to back Israel’s onslaught.

South African lawyers preparing lawsuit against US, UK for complicity in Israel's war crimes in Gaza

'The United States must now be held accountable for the crimes it committed,' says Wikus Van Rensburg, who is leading team of 47 lawyers and received support from US, UK for lawsuit

After South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide in Gaza, the country's nearly 50 lawyers are preparing a separate lawsuit against the US and UK governments on the grounds that they are complicit in Israeli forces' war crimes in Palestine. The initiative, led by South African lawyer Wikus Van Rensburg, aims to prosecute those who are complicit in the crime in civilian courts in collaboration with lawyers from the US and UK, with whom he is already in contact. Rensburg, who has been writing letters to various countries and the ICJ for the last few weeks demanding that Israel and its supporters be prosecuted, has begun preparations to file a lawsuit against the two Western countries, with the support of his colleagues. "The United States must now be held accountable for the crimes it committed," Rensburg told Anadolu in an interview, detailing the process by which Washington and London will be tried as complicit in Tel Aviv's war crimes against the people of Gaza.

300 lawyers hailing from different nationalities and religions across the globe have joined forces in volunteering to prosecute the Israeli regime for its war crimes against the Palestinian people.

A French lawyer, Maitre Gilles Defer, initiated the mobilization of an army of lawyers within 10 days.

Defer confirmed that the list consists of 300 lawyers and 3000 more can be mobilized, citing the door to join the cause is open to anyone.

Defer then said “we submitted a complaint to the Public Prosecutor on behalf of associations and unions committing genocide, and the Palestinian issue will be presented in all national and international courts,“ adding that the ‘’governments can do something.”

Several French ambassadors to the Middle East have also expressed their remorse over the pro-Israel stance taken by the French President Emmanuel Macron in the Israeli Regime’s war on Gaza that has now killed more than 19,000 people. According to local media, ‘’Paris is complicit in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip by exporting arms to Tel Aviv.

The government has also reportedly issued permits to export weapons to the occupation entity worth a staggering 375 million euros, including roughly 10 million for the manufacture of other weaponry as well.

I have never particularly cared about Eurovision but I do like politics and  Eurovision has become a thermometer for Europe's (and guests)'s political climate. 

Like, I remember when whatever entity controlling Eurovision banned a performance in which two young women kissed. t.A.t.U. was their name. It was deemed too provocative. They were allowed to sing but not to kiss. That was 2011 and in 2014 Conchita Wurst won in all their gender-ambiguous glory.

(Ironically, t.A.t.U. is a Russian band. How things have changed).

In 2019 the contest took place in Tel-Aviv (... yeah) and Iceland was fined for their signs in support of Palestine. The contest is supposed to be neutral and performers can't make political statements. But in 2022 Russia was banned from participating and everybody showed support for Ukraine. 

So I have been waiting to see what will happen this year. Will they ban Israel from participating? It doesn't look like it, but more and more participants are opposing Israel and showing support for Palestine. It's little, but it is more support than what we have seen in the last decades.

The contest has always been 40% insanity and 30% showing dislike to the UK (and only 10% music, the remaining 20% is a sacrifice to the old gods). But this year it looks like 50% insanity and 50% making political statements of any kind. With great pleasure, I share with you:

Finland. Finland is sending a pantless man emerging from a denim egg. Truly pantless. Nudity is forbidden in the contest but they are getting around it. I... I think it's an answer to some ridiculous rule lawyering on Eurovision's part. I don't know, you have to see it. It will be 3 minutes well spent.

Spain. Spain has gone "oh, are we getting political?" and, Tumblr, Tumblr, listen:

The performer is 56. 

She looks 56. 

When do we see women in their 50s singing and dancing? Does Madonna count? I mean women like the ones in the videoclip. I'm adding a picture.

Ma'am, I love you. 

The main video differs from the performance for the contest. Sadly, there will be no women in their 50s dancing in the stage for Eurovision. They went with professional dancers. 

Feminism 101. Let's have the male dancers perform like they expect women to perform in this kind of show.

The youtube comments have a not  inconsiderable amount of lesbians thirsting after the drummer. 

I wish them the best.

In the early morning of Jan. 11, a 21-year-old man was fatally shot in the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim, just across the Green Line from Jerusalem. It was revealed that one of the suspects had recently acquired his gun license, thanks to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s newly relaxed firearms policy.

The fear and tension across Israel since the massacre by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, mixed with the troubling turn internal security policies have taken, have created an atmosphere of armed paranoia—and led to the spread of armed militias with little training and an aggressive mindset.

Oct. 7 shattered the sense of personal security across the country, and many Israelis have started to organize their own ad hoc security arrangements in both villages and kibbutzim. This response includes a significant surge in applications for gun licenses, with more than 270,000 Israelis applying between Oct. 7 and Dec. 25. Police officials report a remarkable growth in civilian rapid response teams, which have expanded from 70 units to 900, incorporating more than 10,000 volunteers.

The widespread increase in firearms possession is not solely a spontaneous reaction from a worried populace but rather the result of pro-gun policies championed by the hard right, which have intensified under Ben-Gvir’s influence in the past year. This policy shift toward greater gun accessibility and ownership is a calculated move aligned with the hard right’s agenda, rather than just a direct response to public concern.

Ben-Gvir has advocated for increased private gun ownership, significantly relaxing the country’s traditionally stringent gun control laws and easing the rules of engagement for police officers. Last August, Ben-Gvir publicly commended an Israeli settler for fatally shooting a Palestinian teenager during a clash near the West Bank town of Burqa. After Oct. 7, Ben-Gvir called for a national campaign to give weapons to Israelis. His former cover photo on X, formerly Twitter, said in Hebrew, “Israel is arming!”

“People have lost their sense of security and felt that having a gun would bring it back. Ben-Gvir exploited this to advance his agenda,” said Wisal Raed, the coordinator of a project to combat violence and crime in Arab society at Sikkuy-Aufoq, a Jewish and Arab nonprofit organization.

“We need to go back to 20 years ago, to the Second Intifada,” said Eitay Mack, a human rights lawyer who writes about Israel’s gun industry. “In response to the Intifada, Israel saw a proliferation of security guards in public spaces, from cafes to malls to train stations, with tens of thousands of them armed. Fast-forward to the ‘knife intifada’ [a period of increased Israeli-Palestinian violence starting in October 2015, characterized by numerous stabbing attacks by Palestinians against Israelis] and the late 2010s, when then-Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan passed a law lowering the bar for who can get a gun. Then, in the last elections in November 2022, Ben-Gvir ran on relaxing these laws even more. For the hard right, weapons aren’t a pragmatic necessity but an ideological belief.”

Ben-Gvir’s agenda was clear long before Oct. 7. After he took office in late 2022, he ordered the police to abolish the practice of requiring citizens involved in an attack to hand over their personal weapons for extended examination and investigation. During the protests that swept Israel in 2023, Ben-Gvir worked to oust Tel Aviv District Commander Ami Eshed, whom he saw as siding with anti-government protesters. Meanwhile, Israel saw its deadliest year on record among Arabs, with 244 killings attributed to crime and protection issues—six times the number among Jews—and a mere 10 percent solve rate, less than half the solve rate for cases involving Jews.

“Ben-Gvir has deliberately weakened the police to establish a ‘national guard.’ The privatization of law enforcement leaves citizens with no choice but to protect themselves,” Mack said.

For Ben-Gvir and his allies in the gun lobby, Oct. 7 was an opportunity. The new regulations initiated by Ben-Gvir have significantly reduced the criteria for obtaining firearms. Among other measures, they allow volunteers in rescue organizations (such as Israel’s national medical emergency, disaster, ambulance, and blood service) to obtain gun licenses; lower the certification threshold from “Rifleman 07” (a soldier who’s skilled in combatant training and advanced weaponry) to “Rifleman 02” (a noncombat soldier who has gone through basic training); and permit, from the age of 27, even those who have not served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and reside in eligible settlements (those near the Gaza border, including Ofakim, Netivot, and Sderot) to acquire a handgun license. Licensing regulations have been loosened, and in-person interviews are no longer required.

Members of kibbutzim and moshavim can now obtain handgun licenses through their agricultural associations. This move, alongside the establishment of hundreds of rapid response teams equipped with rifles, has created a sense of an “arming nation.”

In a Jewish Power party meeting last October, Ben-Gvir doubled down on his gun policies, saying, “The war’s onset confirmed our belief: Having a weapon in every location can save lives.”

But guns aren’t for everyone. The licenses of several members of the anti-Netanyahu group “Brothers in Arms” were taken away for “conspicuous reasons,” with members saying they were targeted for their anti-government stance.

Ben-Gvir also put out a directive permitting police to use live fire against those blocking roads, thereby hindering the movement of IDF personnel and access to settlements. Critics of this directive argued that it was meant to target anti-government protesters and Arab communities. When Arab members of Israel’s parliament, or Knesset, planned a protest to call for a cease-fire, they were detained by the police.

The new militias—and their weapons—are visible on the streets, to public alarm. Tel Aviv council member Tzipi Brand sent a letter to Mayor Ron Huldai protesting the actions of rapid response units that arbitrarily stop Arab residents, causing terror among the population. One of these units includes “The Shadow,” a rap artist with extreme-right views and a notoriously violent following.

Crime is also up. In early 2024, a woman was sexually assaulted at gunpoint allegedly by a man who had obtained his weapon after Ben-Gvir loosened regulations.

Guns have also not proved effective even in stopping terrorism. On Nov. 30, 2023, a shooting attack at the entrance to Jerusalem resulted in the deaths of four Israelis, including a tragic case of mistaken identity. Yuval Doron Castleman, a 38-year-old lawyer from Jerusalem’s outskirts, was among those killed. Castleman, who was at the scene, used his weapon to engage the attackers. However, in a distressing turn of events, he was mistakenly shot by Aviad Frija, a reservist soldier.

When the soldiers arrived, Castleman knelt down, discarded his weapon, and identified himself as Israeli, yet Frija, who is linked to the Hilltop Youth—a group of young extremist settlers—fatally shot him. Frija served in the “Sfar Hamidbar” (“Desert Frontier”) unit, a military group formed to integrate Hilltop Youth members into army service in the West Bank. This unit has faced scrutiny and is under investigation for alleged torture of Palestinians and violence against leftist activists.

Frija was initially placed under house arrest but was released in early January amid a controversial investigation. Although the police initially stated that an autopsy was unnecessary, Castleman’s body was later exhumed when the Military Police disagreed and determined it was needed. The subsequent examination revealed bullets from an M16, the same make of Frija’s gun.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, already condemned by many Israelis for the security failures leading up to Oct. 7 and the subsequent handling of the war, has faced additional criticism for his perceived dismissive reaction to Castleman’s death. Responding to a question about the accidental killing, Netanyahu remarked, “That’s life.”

Following the shooting, the IDF clarified that its engagement rules prohibit shooting at suspects with raised hands. They announced the “preliminary arrest” of Frija, who later said he acted in self-defense.

“Reservists didn’t used to take guns off the base,” Mack said. “It’s a result of the chaotic environment coupled with right-wing policies. Rapid response units are supposed to be linked to the police. They are supposed to train them. But with so many units and so many weapons, the police can’t oversee all [of] them.”

With so many guns and groups of citizens organizing, there’s a concern that some of these guns are falling into the hands of fringe right elements: Rafi Kedoshim, a member of the Likud party who has a history of incarceration and is alleged to be the head of a crime family, runs a rapid response biker unit. Moshe Ben Zikri, associated with the Jewish Power party and known for his right-wing activism, also leads a rapid response team. Ben Zikri, who has been arrested for protesting LGBTQ Pride events and interfaith marriages, heads a unit that the mayor of Harish says has become uncontrollable and refuses to cooperate with municipal authorities. Another group, the Barel Unit, was established by Jewish Power MK Almog Cohen to bring “security back to the Negev.”

For Arabs in Israel, the civilian arms race is particularly terrifying because the incitement against them is coming from the top, whether from Netanyahu, who in 2015 claimed “droves of Arabs” were heading to the polls to oust him, or Ben-Gvir, a Kahanist who was convicted of racist incitement, or Cohen, who made animal noises at Arab MKs during a parliamentary session last year.

Arab-Jewish relations in Israel have always been fragile, but since Oct. 7, they have reached a critical point. Many Arabs perceive increasing hostility from higher authorities, as shown in the recent arrests of Arabs over social media posts and likes. These incidents contribute to a growing sense of unease among everyday Arabs, who feel threatened in a public sphere brimming with firearms. “It feels like all these weapons are aimed at me,” said Raed, the Sikkuy-Aufoq coordinator.

Scrutiny over Ben-Gvir’s policies has been mounting. In late November, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the Ministry of National Security had improperly appointed staff to approve gun licenses. In response to the high demand, Ben-Gvir had called for an increase in the number of clerks in the Firearm Licensing Department to process these licenses.

The responsibilities of these clerks include assessing the physical and mental fitness of applicants and verifying their training. But it turned out that training was inadequately short, lasting only one day instead of the usual month, and was done from within the ministry. Following these revelations, Yisrael Avisar, the head of Firearm Licensing Department, resigned.

Ben-Gvir also came under scrutiny from the White House when pictures of him distributing assault rifles to civilians at a political event were circulated online. In response, the White House delayed a shipment of thousands of U.S.-made rifles, worried that they would fall into the hands of settlers.

In early 2023, MK Mickey Levy of the Yesh Atid party petitioned Israel’s High Court against a law expanding Ben-Gvir’s powers over the civilian police. Following the Haaretz revelations, Levy and MK Gilad Kariv of the Labor Party also called on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to consider a criminal investigation regarding the issuance of licenses in the Ministry of National Security.

The widespread availability of guns raises the alarming prospect of political violence, including by the police, which has intensified over the past year due to the movement against judicial reforms and the war. Recently, right-wing protesters have been targeting the families of hostages, accusing them of undermining Netanyahu’s government. The day after the war ends will not mean an end to violence in Israel.

UN EXPERT TRASHES ‘NO GENOCIDE’ CLAIM

Can a journalist ask a more ridiculous question? This viral video shows a reporter from a pro-Israeli German paper asking a UN expert if the Israeli government has explicitly stated in a document its intent to commit genocide in Gaza. The suggestion being, without it, there’s no case against Tel Aviv. Well, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestinian territories, gave the perfect comeback. The 47-year-old Italian lawyer lists past genocides where perpetrators never formally declared intent, and says there’s enough evidence against Israel to keep investigators busy for decades.

Germany, incidentally, is supporting Israel as it faces allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. The case was brought by South Africa, and in January the ICJ ruled the claims were plausible. At the time, the German government said it would intervene as a third party to argue Israel’s innocence.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a ruling on Friday that stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire but otherwise marked a momentous acknowledgment of the plausibility of South Africa’s claims of genocide against Israel. ICJ President Joan Donoghue read out the decision, which stated that the court had jurisdiction to rule in this case – likely paving the way for a longer-term case – and issued provisional measures ordering Israel to report back within one month to show it had taken measures to protect Palestinians, punish incitement to genocide, and allow in humanitarian aid in Gaza.  South Africa, which brought the case in front of the court, will be allowed to respond to Israel’s report in front of the ICJ, and potentially challenge its claims if it believes Tel Aviv is not abiding by the court’s order. Mondoweiss will be delving more in-depth into the ruling and its ramifications. Israel has repeatedly made clear since the initial hearings on the case earlier this month that it would not abide by the ICJ ruling – but the decision will likely make it more difficult for Tel Aviv to argue its case on the international stage, and put its staunchest ally, the United States, which is also a signatory to the Genocide Convention, in an even more uncomfortable position. Controversial American lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who had initially been considered to help represent Israel in front of the ICJ, had said earlier this week that Israel had made a mistake in recognizing the court’s legitimacy in the first place.

“It is not a real court. It’s a court whose judges are picked by their countries, it reflects foreign policy, not rule of law, not judiciary,” Dershowitz told Ynet on Wednesday. “I think that Israel made a mistake in submitting to the jurisdiction of the court, and it would make a mistake in complying with any ruling of the court. This is one of the most absurd abuses of the judicial process in modern history.”

“If the decision is in favour of provisional measures, there will be an implementation crisis and there will be a tug of war as to whether this ruling will be implemented and enforced and complied with by Israel,” Richard Falk, former UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, told Al Jazeera ahead of the ruling, as he called the situation in Gaza “the most transparent genocide in human history.” On Friday, the Palestinian Authority welcomed the ruling.

“The ICJ judges assessed the facts and the law. They ruled in favor of humanity and international law,” the P.A. Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “The ICJ order is an important reminder that no state is above the law. It should serve as a wake-up call for Israel and actors who enabled its entrenched impunity.” “Palestine reaffirms its eternal gratitude to the people and government of South Africa for taking this bold step of active solidarity and will continue to work closely with South Africa and other countries to ensure that justice is served,” the statement added. Hamas also welcomed the decision, with senior official Sami Abu Zuhri telling Reuters that it was isolating Israel and exposing its crimes in Gaza. “We call for forcing the occupation to implement the court’s decisions,” he adds. South Africa meanwhile welcomed Friday’s news as a “decisive victory.” 

“Today marks a decisive victory for the international rule of law and a significant milestone in the search for justice for the Palestinian people,” its government said in a statement.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that his country was fighting a “just war like no other,” while continuing to claim Israel was abiding by international law. The Israeli Foreign Ministry repeated its claims that the case at the ICJ was “baseless.”

“The charge of genocide levelled against Israel at the International Court of Justice is false and outrageous. It constitutes a shameful exploitation of the Genocide Convention that is not only wholly unfounded in fact and law, but morally repugnant,” spokesman Lior Haiat wrote. Far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir issued his own eloquent response to serious allegations of genocide.

“Hague-schmague,” he wrote on X.

-- From "‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 112" from Mondoweiss, 26 Jan 2024

Navigating immigration challenges can be daunting. Learn how an immigration attorney in Tel Aviv can assist in obtaining visas, avoiding mistakes, discussing options, handling family-based immigration, achieving naturalization, seeking asylum, and managing employment-based immigration. Trust experienced legal guidance for a smoother immigration process.

me and tandem guy spent almost the whole day naked in bed and I made him watch the Union game with me and I'm just having this realization of how crazy life is

Like I'm here in Jerusalem with a sweet guy who's currently singing fiddler on the roof songs as he's cooking us dinner, I'm a real lawyer and next week I'll be back working in Tel Aviv at what is still essentially my dream job and Union plays CL. If somebody had told me this five years ago I would not have believed it. Things really do get better etc etc but in the weird way where you still feel profoundly like yourself in the end

(with lyrics that are in actuality just particular parts of the song that i really like, because the full thing would be too big for tumblr to let me post) Well, Sasha had heard about the Emigratzia, (aliyah) And the talk wasn't just in the family anymore, But in the Kharkov streets, there was a kind of thaw… "We're going home!" said old Saminsky when he filed his application to leave, And Anya already had family in Tel Aviv… But Sasha didn't know; 200 years among Slavs being called "Hebrews", He knew they'd only be called "Russians" by the Jews. And then on the prospekt lenina ovtobus, he heard the Saminsky's lost their apartment and were denied their pass… The weather seemed like it was never gonna pass. He chose to make an Inner Emigration! He chose to keep his alien inside! And all the bureaucratic frus-tra-ations… He chose to keep his status bona fide. And what's the bother of finding a new nation! A border isn't art, it's just a frame! Just make a secret Inner Emigration… The Holy Land and Exile are the same. [...] Anat was a Sabra. The daughter of a Sephardic Kibbutznik nurse, And a Yekke lawyer from Bonn. She fell in love with Khais, Born in a PLO refugee camp in Lebanon, And they married in Cyprus. He almost got arrested living with her family in Ramat Gan, So she tried wrapping her hair and serving coffee with his family, in Hebron… But that didn't work either…. They thought about leaving to live with her cousin David in Brookyln, But he and his boyfriend Patrick wanted to get married, and were maybe moving to Berlin… So she went to the Jaffa beach, and stared at the sea, and thought about how someday all of this would pass… If she could only find someone to help Khais pass… So, should she make an Inner Emigration? Tell me what you think she should decide…. Considering the couple's situation, She'd be better off as someone else's bride. But she and he comprise a kind of nation! The kind we build inside, when we're alone… But if they just make Inner Emigrations, Then they'll only have a home when they're at home. Compare yourself! What does all this have to do with you? How does your experience ring true? You're where, yourself? You aren't suffering anyone's regime. You're free to follow every little dream. Be fair to yourself, You needn't be oppressed to feel alone! You don't have to be driven from your home! To spare yourself, From feeling like a part of the control! With an internal diplomatic role… SOOOOO, Make a kind of Inner Emigration! It's a kind of shift accomplished easily! We all have made our disassociations, Whether on the job or in our families! And what could be more irrelevant than Nations?! When everywhere you go, it's buy or sell? But if we all make only Inner Emigrations…Then everything will only go to hell.

my favorite daniel kahn song, probably. though nakam also just has a certain allure to it that i can't quite quantify...

Murder and rhetoric: How SA built its genocide case against Israel

The genocide case against Israel opened this month at the International Court of Justice at The Hague where South Africa is looking to prove that Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian enclave.

Fighting “human animals.” Making Gaza a “slaughterhouse”. And “erasing Gaza from the face of the earth.”

Such inflammatory rhetoric by Israel has become a key component of the genocide case against Israel at the UN world court, where South Africa is accusing Tel Aviv of crimes against humanity by targetting innocent Palestinians in the occupied territories.

South Africa says the language — in comments by Israeli leaders, soldiers and entertainers about Palestinians in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attacks — is proof of Israel’s intent to commit genocide.

Israeli leaders have downplayed the comments and doubled down on the military offensive in Gaza that has led to the massacre of nearly 24,000 people, most of them women and children.

Rights groups and activists say the jingoistic rhetoric is an inevitable byproduct of Israel's decades-old, open-ended rule over the Palestinians and that they've intensified during the brutal war on Gaza. They say such language has been left unchecked, inciting violence and dehumanising Palestinians.

“Words lead to deeds,” said Michael Sfard, a prominent Israeli lawyer. “Words that normalise or legitimise serious crimes against civilians create the social, political and moral basis for other people to do things like that.”

The genocide case against Israel opened last week at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. South Africa is looking to prove that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that Israel has specific intent to commit genocide. It is using the litany of harsh statements as part of the evidence in its case.

With the ground offensive getting underway in late October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the Bible in a televised address: “You must remember what Amalek has done to you.” Amalekites were persecutors of the biblical Israelites, and a biblical commandment says they must be destroyed.

South Africa argued that the remarks showed Israel's intent to commit genocide against Palestinians. Netanyahu denied that this week and said he was referring to Amalek as a way to describe Hamas and its attack.

Two days after the Hamas attack, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was “fighting human animals,” in announcing a complete siege on Gaza.

Deputy Knesset speaker Nissim Vaturi from the ruling Likud party wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Israelis had one common goal, “erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.” Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, from the far-right Jewish Power party, suggested that Israel drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza and said there were “no uninvolved civilians” in the territory.

Israeli soldiers were caught on video making similar remarks as they sang and danced in the early days of Israel’s ground offensive.

On Oct. 7, a journalist wrote on X that Gaza should become “a slaughterhouse” if the roughly 250 people taken hostage by Hamas were not returned.

Military officials and two Israeli pop singers are also cited by South Africa for making inflammatory comments.

“The language of systemic dehumanisation is evident here,” lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi said for South Africa in remarks before the court. “Genocidal utterances are therefore not out in the fringes. They are embodied in state policy.”

South Africa is asking for a series of legally binding rulings declaring that Israel is breaching “its obligations under the Genocide Convention” — a decision that could take years — and for a binding interim order that Israel cease hostilities, a ruling on which is expected in the coming weeks.

Defending Israel in court, lawyer Malcolm Shaw said the remarks were made mostly by officials with little role in determining Israeli policy, calling them “random quotes” that were misleading and had been, in some cases, repudiated by Netanyahu.

But Roy Schondorf, a former Israeli deputy attorney general, said in an interview that the statements still carried risk, even out of context: “It would have been better if some of these remarks had not been said.”

Israel argued that its justice system would take action against unacceptable speech. But critics say statements against Palestinians have gone unpunished or undenounced. Lawyer Sfard appealed to the country’s attorney general earlier this month on behalf of a group of prominent Israeli figures, demanding to know why the rhetoric hasn't been reined in.

In a statement two days before the case launched at the world court, Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara said calling for intentional harm to civilians could amount to a criminal offense and that Israeli authorities were examining several such cases, without elaborating. The comments appeared to be aimed at heading off the South African accusations.

Mainstreaming the rhetoric

The war is being fought under Israel’s most hardline government ever, dominated by far-right Cabinet ministers with a long record of controversial remarks well before Oct. 7.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich once called for “erasing” a Palestinian West Bank town. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir -- a rabble-rousing ultra-nationalist -- talked of the supremacy of freedom of movement  for illegal Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank over that same right for Palestinians.

While little appears to have been done to confront violent rhetoric directed at Palestinians, Palestinian citizens of Israel who have shown empathy for people in Gaza are facing a crackdown, according to Adalah, a legal rights group. Police say the speech amounts to "incitement, promotes violence or shows support for terror groups".

Adalah says at least 270 Palestinian citizens of Israel have had some sort of interaction with law enforcement — arrests, investigations or warnings, with at least 86 charged for speech offenses. Some Jewish Israelis who expressed sympathy for Palestinians have also faced arrest or sanction by their employers.

Aeyal Gross, a professor of international law at Tel Aviv University, said that how Israel responds to the inflammatory rhetoric matters in the case with South Africa, because Israel, as a signatory to the Genocide Convention, is prohibited not only from committing genocide but also from inciting to genocide.

Gross said that it was probably too late for Israel to take steps that show it doesn’t condone such speech. Punishing such remarks could have sent a message to the court as well as to Israeli society that the state doesn’t tolerate incendiary rhetoric.

“It’s important because it would have said, ‘It’s not our intent,’" he said. "But it’s also important because it would have meant we are sending the soldiers on the ground a message not to act in this way.”

​​Francesca P. Albanese, An Italian International Lawyer, An Academic and The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, is a legal scholar, the first woman to hold this pivotal position, and an all-round pain in the neck for “Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Genocidal and Occupier Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐗” from Tel Aviv to London to New York. Today, she is the voice of the global conscience speaking truth to the vulgar warmongers committing atrocities in Gaza.

The bold, brilliant and thoroughly researched report Albanese recently issued, aptly titled 'Anatomy of a Genocide, has inspired much admiration around the globe for her tireless work - but also horror and fury among 🐖 Zionist Cunts who do not want Israel's genocide in Palestine to have such an eloquent, precise and detailed account.

This is the second such account after the one prepared by South Africa's legal team against the unfolding Israeli genocide at the International Court of Justice. That equally compelling document now foregrounds Albanese's report as two solid records holding the Israeli settler colony to account for the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people.

Fooled and deluded by the Israel lobby in the US, and by western media propaganda, “Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Genocidal and Occupier Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐗” might be under the illusion that like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand, the world is blind to the Israeli state's savagery in Palestine - especially as the lobby has bought and paid for American politicians, who continue to procure weapons that fuel this horror.

Reports such as the one from Albanese, and legal documents such as that of South Africa, comprise a global indictment against a morally depraved and politically bankrupt ideology of theft, murder and mayhem, which lies at the roots of the Israeli settler colony.

What drives Albanese in this report are the facts on the ground, including children and their parents slaughtered in broad daylight. From Satan-Yahu in his garrison state, to the American and European leaders who have backed him, all are implicated in this historic report."

— ✍️ By Professor Hamid Dabashi

TEL AVIV (JTA) — When he spoke with a news anchor on Thursday night, Israeli reservist Aviad Frija was hailed by right-wing politicians and commentators as a hero for his role in responding to a terror attack at a Jerusalem bus stop earlier that day.

By Monday, Frija was arrested by the IDF and under investigation. The man he had shot was not a suspected terrorist but an Israeli civilian who had himself played a role in halting the attack.

According to video from the scene, Frija had shot the man, a 38-year-old lawyer named Yuval Doron Castleman, after Castleman had gotten on his knees, dropped his gun and put his hands in the air to show that he was not a threat. Castleman, a former police officer turned lawyer, was initially left bleeding on the ground and later died of his wounds, a day shy of his 38th birthday.

Castleman “did everything he needed to do so they could identify him. He went down on his knees, opened his jacket to show he didn’t have any explosives on him, yelled at them, ‘Don’t shoot, I’m Jewish, I’m Israeli,’ and they continued to shoot him,” his father, Moshe Castleman, said on Israeli Army Radio.

Castleman’s death has drawn scrutiny to the ways in which Israel’s right-wing government has encouraged everyday Israelis to own guns and fight terror themselves — a gambit to boost security that, critics say, has instead led to the spilling of more Israeli blood. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who already faces widespread public disapproval over his handling of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel — has come in for more criticism in recent days over what some say was a flippant response to Castleman’s death.

“This has allowed a jungle in terms of everything related to distributing weapons, using weapons,” Eran Etzion, a former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council, said on Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster. “This is a terrible thing that will have far-reaching consequences… an atmosphere where everyone will take a weapon, and use it.”

Castleman’s family is also castigating officials for their response. His father and sister Shaked have called his death an “execution,” while his sister Noga said the family did not hear from the police until several hours after the incident and did not get the chance to comfort Castleman in his final hours of life.

“We carried on with our lives as he was fighting for his life,” Noga said, according to Kan. “We weren’t there to caress him, to call to him. I wouldn’t wish upon anyone that they hear what happened to a loved one in such an unclear way.”

After his death, said Shaked, “instead of mourning, we find ourselves in a war for justice.”

For more than a year, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, has encouraged private citizens to own guns and has made Israel’s historically strict gun-control requirements more lenient. He has also pushed to loosen open-fire regulations for police officers, whom he oversees. Earlier this year, he praised an Israeli settler who killed a Palestinian in an altercation. (Frija is a member of the Hilltop Youth, a group of young extremist settlers, as well as a reservist in the IDF.)

Since Oct. 7, Ben-Gvir said in a recent government hearing, more than 260,000 people have applied for gun licenses. “When the war started, we knew that we were right when we said that every place that has a weapon can save a life,” he said at a recent meeting of his party, Otzma Yehudit or Jewish Power.

But Ben-Gvir’s policies have faced backlash. In recent weeks, Israeli media reported that U.S. officials were threatening to stop supplying guns to Israel if they continued to wind up in the hands of civilians. (The Department of State declined to comment, with an official telling JTA the department does not comment as a matter of policy on “the status of licensed direct commercial defense sales activities.”) On Monday, the head of Israel’s Firearm Licensing Department resigned in protest of the loosened gun ownership requirements.

And critics of Netanyahu’s government have drawn a link between Ben-Gvir’s policies and Frija’s shooting of Castleman, even though Frija was in uniform at the time.

Moshe Yaalon, a former Netanyahu ally and defense minister, posted online that Ben Gvir’s “populist calls” to loosen open-fire regulations “contributed to the tragic result.” Yaalon and others also linked the shooting to a 2016 incident in which IDF soldier Elor Azaria shot dead a disarmed Palestinian terrorist who was lying on the ground. Azaria was tried and convicted but also became a hero to some on the right.

Netayahu’s critics have also chided him for his initial response to the incident, in which he defended Ben-Gvir’s policy though he acknowledged that it posed potential dangers.

“We know that in the waves of terror in the last decade and earlier, the presence of armed civilians often saves the situation and has prevented a huge disaster,” he said. “I think that in the present situation we need to continue this policy. I fully support that. It may be that we will pay a price for this, and that’s life.”

The “that’s life” comment particularly irked critics, and on Sunday, Netanyahu offered a more sympathetic message in a video shared to his social media in which he said he had spoken to Castleman’s father.

“Yuval Doron Castleman is a hero of Israel. In a supreme act of bravery, Yuval saved many lives,” Netanyahu said. “However, unfortunately, a terrible tragedy occurred there – and the man who had saved others was killed. There must be a thorough inquiry.”

In the days following the incident, the IDF has released several statements indicating that its rules of engagement forbid firing upon suspects with their hands raised, and announced on Monday that Frija is being detained and questioned in what is called a “preliminary arrest.” Since his initial interview, Frija has subsequently claimed that he was acting out of fear for his own life.

Critics of the shooting on the left do not see it as an isolated incident, but as the result of a culture that has been nurtured for years on the Israeli right. Avner Gvaryahu, director of the Breaking the Silence, an anti-occupation group focused on the experiences of combat veterans, described a “years-long campaign led by the right-wing politicians, organizations, spokespeople, and journalists to ‘not tie the hands of our soldiers’” when they face a threat — though he noted that it was impossible to know what Frija was thinking in the moment.

Gvaryahu, whose organization leads tours in the West Bank, said he sees that culture taking hold there as well. He said, from what he’s witnessed, rules of engagement for soldiers are “becoming more flexible, basically, making it easier to shoot.”

In the face of the criticism, Ben Gvir and others on the right have portrayed the incident as a horrible accident. In an online post, right-wing journalist Yotam Zimri called the shooting a “terrible tragedy” and implied that it was wrong to place blame on Frija.

“There are no bad guys in this story except for the two Arab murderers,” he said, referring to the two Hamas-affiliated terrorists who perpetrated Thursday’s attack. “If you’re looking for other bad guys, there’s something wrong with you.”

But during a visit with Castleman’s family on Monday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog acknowledged that the state bore some responsibility for his death.

“I have come here not as a private citizen but as the president of the state of Israel, to ask forgiveness and express great appreciation for a hero of Israel who did something great and courageous,” Herzog said, adding that Castleman “paid with his life in what I see as the worst and most outrageous way possible.”