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A quick guide to South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel

The two-day public hearing in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) begins on Thursday. The South African government brought the case against Israel on December 29, accusing it of “genocidal acts” in its assaults on Gaza. Palestinians and pro-Palestine campaigners around the world are hoping the ICJ might halt Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza, which has seen more than 23,000 people killed – nearly 10,000 of them children. Here’s the ICJ case, simplified: What is the International Court of Justice? The ICJ, also called the World Court, is the highest United Nations legal body that can adjudicate on issues between member states. It is separate from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which tries individuals in criminal cases. The ICJ comprises 15 judges appointed for nine-year terms through elections at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the Security Council (UNSC). The court’s rulings are binding and cannot be appealed by member states, but it depends on the UNSC to enforce the decisions. What are South Africa’s accusations against Israel? South Africa has accused Israel of committing the crime of genocide in Gaza in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention, which both countries are party to. The killing of Palestinians in Gaza in large numbers, especially children; destruction of their homes; their expulsion and displacement; blockade on food, water and medical assistance to the strip; the imposition of measures preventing Palestinian births by destroying essential health services crucial for the survival of pregnant women and babies, are all listed as genocidal actions in the suit. South Africa is requesting that the ICJ move urgently to prevent Israel from committing further crimes in the strip using “provisional measures” – essentially an emergency order that can be applied even before the main case begins. It argues that provisional measures are necessary “to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention, which continue to be violated with impunity”. What has Israel said? Israel, which has lambasted South Africa for bringing the case, has promised to defend itself at the court. Senior Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, have called the case “preposterous” and say it constitutes a “blood libel”. Israel is likely to argue that its killing of more than 23,000 people in Gaza is in self-defence. Herzog, speaking to visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, said Israel “will present proudly our case of using self-defense under our most inherent right under international humanitarian law”. How long will the trial go on? The initial proceedings will likely last only a few weeks, so we should expect a sentencing from the court, in favour of or against South Africa’s urgent request, in a few weeks. The main case though, could take much longer – years. The ICJ’s deliberations are a painstaking process, involving detailed written submissions followed by oral arguments and counter-arguments by the team of top legal counsels representing each state. Experts say a sentence in this case could take three to four years. How does the ICJ decide cases? After the initial proceedings this week on provisional measures, and later on in the main case, ICJ judges will take a vote to decide on a sentence. Judges ought to be impartial but in the past, some have voted in line with their countries’ politics. When the bench voted in favour of a decision to provisionally order Russia out of Ukraine in March 2022, judges from Russia and China voted against the decision. Several countries and organisations have backed South Africa’s suit. Malaysia, Turkey, Jordan, Bolivia, the Maldives, Namibia, Pakistan, Columbia, and members of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) are among them. The European Union has been silent, but Israel has seen support from its number one backer and weapons supplier, the United States. Department of State spokesperson Matt Miller said in a statement the “allegations that Israel is committing genocide are unfounded”, but he added that Israel must “prevent civilian harm” and investigate allegations of humanitarian crimes. A Palestinian man sits near the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Rafah on January 9, 2024. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] Adblock test (Why?)

Taiwan hits back at China for ‘repeated interference’ in upcoming elections

Taipei responds to Beijing calling frontrunner candidate Lai ‘dangerous’ and towards ‘evil path’ of independence. Taiwan has condemned China for what it called intimidation of its citizenry and attempts to influence the island’s elections on Saturday. On Thursday, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu criticised China’s “repeated interference” in the upcoming polls, lambasting Beijing for “once again blatantly intimidating the Taiwanese people and the international community”. The elections “are in the international spotlight & PRC’s repeated interference steals the focus. Frankly, Beijing should stop messing with other countries’ elections & hold their own,” he posted on X, using the acronym for China’s official name. #Taiwan’s upcoming elections are in the international spotlight & the #PRC’s repeated interference steals the focus. Frankly, #Beijing should stop messing with other countries’ elections & hold their own. Let the #Chinese people freely choose their leaders. JW https://t.co/Wcamt885QM pic.twitter.com/TdTghS82sr — 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) January 11, 2024 The statement was in response to China and Taiwan’s largest opposition party warning that Vice President and presidential hopeful Lai Ching-te, from the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), would be a threat to peace in the region if he wins. “I sincerely hope the majority of Taiwan compatriots recognise the extreme harm of the DPP’s ‘Taiwan independence’ line and the extreme danger of Lai Ching-te’s triggering of cross-Strait confrontation and conflict, and to make the right choice at the crossroads of cross-Strait relations,” said China’s Taiwan Affairs Office in a statement. If elected, Lai would further promote separatist activities towards the “evil path” of independence, the statement said. The China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party also denounced Lai for his independence stance. The KMT’s vice presidential candidate, Jaw Shaw-kong, said if Lai wins, then tensions would surge before May 20, when President Tsai Ing-wen hands over power. “Tsai Ing-wen is more low key, not shouting every day about ‘I’m for Taiwan independence’ and the Taiwan Strait is already so tense. If Lai Ching-te wins, do you think the cross-strait situation will be better than it is now,” said Jaw. Taiwan is holding presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, an event that is being closely watched globally due to geopolitical tensions. China has not publicly referred to a preferred candidate but has called the election a choice between war and peace. It has long claimed Taiwan as its own territory, viewing the island as a renegade province. It has not given up on the idea of using force to take Taiwan, ramping up military activity around the island in recent years. On Thursday, China called on the United States to “refrain from intervening” in the elections, saying it “firmly opposed” official visits between the island and the US after Washington said it would send a delegation there following this week’s polls. This would serve to cause “serious damage to China-US relations”, said China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning. Lai has said he is committed to peace in the region and open to conditional engagement with Beijing. The frontrunner said on Tuesday that he has no intention of changing Taiwan’s formal name, the Republic of China, which was established in 1949 after a civil war involving Mao Zedong’s Communists, who established the People’s Republic of China. The DPP has portrayed the KMT and its presidential candidate, Hou Yu-ih, as pro-Beijing. Hou, however, has rejected the allegation that he is “pro-China and a sell-out of Taiwan”. He said he would not touch the issue of “unification” if elected. Instead, he would encourage communication with China. He has also said he is opposed to the “one country, two systems” autonomy model Beijing has offered to Taiwan. Lai has also opposed China’s autonomy model. “We cannot have illusions about peace. Accepting China’s ‘one-China’ principle is not true peace,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)

Hunter Biden to appear in federal court for first appearance in Special Counsel Weiss tax case

Hunter Biden is expected to make his initial appearance in the federal criminal case stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss’ investigation on Thursday in California. The first son will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Downtown Los Angeles Thursday at 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. local time. HERE’S WHAT’S IN HUNTER BIDEN’S NEW CALIFORNIA INDICTMENT Judge Mark Scarsi will preside over the proceedings. Biden is expected to be processed after the hearing by the U.S. Marshals Service. Weiss charged Biden in December, alleging a “four-year scheme” when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports. Weiss filed the charges in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.  The charges break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Hunter “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020.” Weiss said that, in “furtherance of that scheme,” the younger Biden “subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions” from the company “outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform.” IRS WHISTLEBLOWERS: HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT IS A ‘COMPLETE VINDICATION’ OF INVESTIGATION, ALLEGATIONS The special counsel alleged that Hunter “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” and that in 2018, he “stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015.” Weiss alleged that Hunter “willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes,” and that he “willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time.” Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in October to federal gun charges brought by Weiss. Hunter’s defense attorney Abbe Lowell attacked Weiss over the charges last month, accusing the special counsel of “bowing to Republican pressure” when talking to the press. “Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought,” Lowell said in a statement. HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING Hunter’s court appearance in California comes a day after he made a surprise appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, as the House Oversight Committee considered a resolution on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress. The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees had subpoenaed Hunter Biden to appear for a closed-door deposition, scheduled for Dec. 13, as part of the House GOP impeachment inquiry against President Biden. Hunter Biden offered to testify publicly, but Republicans rejected the request. Oversight Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan cited the setting of other witness interviews, saying Biden would not receive special treatment. The chairmen did, however, vow to release a full transcript of his deposition, as they had for previous witnesses, and agreed to schedule a subsequent public hearing. On Dec. 13, Hunter Biden appeared on Capitol Hill, but not for his deposition. Instead, he delivered a statement to the press, defying the subpoena. If the resolution passes, the House will hold a full vote on whether to hold the first son in contempt. Fox News’ Lee Ross contributed to this report. 

House Republicans roll out new election integrity ‘tool kit’ days before 2024 Iowa caucuses

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are rolling out a “tool kit” for states that they argue will help strengthen U.S. election security. The Committee on House Administration, led by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., is introducing the Uniform State American Confidence in Elections Act, a package of recommended legislation for states aimed at increasing voter confidence in elections. It comes on the eve of the 2024 election cycle’s first big test: the 2024 Republican Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15. “I’m focused on increasing voters’ confidence and participation in our elections,” Steil told Fox News Digital. “By providing a tool kit of election integrity bills to states, we are going one step further in securing our elections and increasing Americans’ confidence.” AMERICANS DELIVER BLUNT ASSESSMENT OF BIDEN’S REELECTABILITY AHEAD OF 2024: ‘RETIRE AND MOVE ON’ Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., chair of the subcommittee on elections, said, “Americans need to feel confident that their elections are secure, which is why we have compiled crucial election integrity measures into model state legislation.” The package is not a set of mandatory bills but rather a “practical framework, drawing upon successful election integrity measures implemented in various states,” according to a one-page summary obtained by Fox News Digital. WILL MICHELLE OBAMA TAKE BIDEN’S PLACE IN 2024 THANKS TO HUNTER’S SCANDALS? Some of the legislative recommendations include implementing voter ID requirements, banning ballot harvesting and stopping noncitizens from voting, among others. It would also push states to ban private dollars from being used in elections. Republicans had pushed back on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg after nonprofits linked to him and his wife, Priscilla Chan, saw grant money distributed to local election offices throughout the country during the 2020 race. RFK JR MEETS REQUIREMENTS TO APPEAR ON FIRST 2024 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT AS CAMPAIGN SEASON HEATS UP Meanwhile, Democrat-run cities like Washington, D.C., and New York City have tried to pass laws to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, both of which were challenged in court. The new bills being rolled out on Thursday are not likely to get much Democrat support. Democrats have broadly opposed GOP election security efforts, accusing Republicans of trying to make it harder to vote. Republicans, however, have pointed to data that shows increased voter turnout in places like Georgia, which saw the number of people voting increase between 2020 and 2022 despite the state levying its own election security measures like stronger voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots and barring people from handing out food and drink to people standing in line at the ballot box.

Closing arguments in NYAG case expected after judge rescinds offer for Trump to speak in court

Closing arguments in the non-jury civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Trump and his business empire are expected to be delivered Thursday. The trial began in October, after James sued Trump, his family and his business empire claiming he inflated his financial statements and deceived banks. NEW YORK JUDGE ENGORON RESCINDS OFFER FOR TRUMP TO DELIVER CLOSING ARGUMENT IN NYAG CIVIL TRIAL Trump and his family have denied any wrongdoing. The former president has repeatedly said his assets were actually undervalued. Trump has repeatedly said his financial statements had disclaimers, requesting that the numbers be evaluated by the banks. Closing arguments are set to begin at 10 a.m. ET. It is unclear if Trump will be present for the proceedings.  Judge Arthur Engoron on Wednesday rescinded the court’s offer for Trump to deliver his own closing argument in the case Thursday. Engoron had initially approved the request for Trump to make his own closing statement, but said the former president would be required to limit his remarks to “commentary on the relevant, material facts that are in evidence, and application of the relevant law to those facts.” Engoron said Trump would be prohibited from introducing new evidence or commenting on “irrelevant matters” and said he could not “deliver a campaign speech” or speak ill of court staff or the attorney general. However, Trump attorney Chris Kise, in an email to Engoron, said Trump has “been wrongfully demeaned and belittled by an out of control, politically motivated Attorney General” and he should be allowed to “speak about the things that must be spoken about.”  DEUTSCHE BANK SOUGHT OUT ‘WHALE’ OF A CLIENT IN TRUMP, BENEFITED FROM RELATIONSHIP, FORMER EXECUTIVE TESTIFIES Kise also requested to postpone closing arguments, citing the death of Trump’s mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, whom Kise said Trump “was very close to.”  Former first lady Melania Trump made the announcement about her mother’s passing on X late Tuesday. Engoron said he was “sorry to hear the sad news,” but denied the request. Engoron went on to impose a deadline for Kise to agree, on behalf of Trump, to abide by his rules for the closing argument — a deadline Kise missed. “Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow,” Engoron wrote in an email Wednesday. MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES PASSING OF ‘BELOVED’ MOTHER: ‘WE WILL MISS HER BEYOND MEASURE’ James filed the lawsuit against Trump “under a consumer protection statute that denies the right to a jury,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” the spokesperson said. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.” James is seeking more than $370 million from Trump and his family, claiming the funds would be repayment for the profits she claims were illicitly gained. TRUMP DEMANDS JURY, SAYS NEW YORK AG HAS ‘NO CASE’ IN HEATED TESTIMONY Back in September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud while building his real estate empire, by deceiving banks, insurers and others, by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. “He ruled against me without knowing anything about me,” Trump said on the stand during the trial. “He called me a fraud, and he didn’t know anything about me.” Throughout the trial, Trump attorneys brought witnesses, like former Deutsche Bank top executives, who testified the banks sought additional business from Trump, who they viewed as a “whale of a client.” Trump’s defense also brought in expert witnesses, like New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, who reviewed the Trump financial statements at issue in the case and said he found no evidence of accounting fraud. Bartov testified last month that Trump’s financial statements didn’t violate accounting principles, and he suggested that anything problematic — like a huge year-to-year leap in the estimated value of his Trump Tower penthouse — was simply an error. “My main finding is that there is no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud,” Bartov testified. Trump’s financial statements, he said, “were not materially misstated.”

Cassidy introduces bill to stop federal tax dollars from going to healthcare for illegal immigrants

FIRST ON FOX: Top Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is introducing a bill Thursday to prohibit liberal states from forcing American citizens in other states to subsidize state programs that expand public healthcare benefits to illegal immigrants. The legislation, called the Protect Medicaid Act, would prevent federal funds from being used to administer state Medicaid benefits provided to noncitizens by American citizens. If a state opts to extend Medicaid benefits to undocumented residents, the bill mandates that the state bears the full financial responsibility without imposing any costs on taxpayers from other states. While federal law already prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid, certain states, such as California, circumvent this restriction by using state funds from their public healthcare system, known as Medi-Cal, to extend Medicaid benefits to individuals without legal immigration status. CALIFORNIA STATE HEALTH INSURANCE TO COVER SEX CHANGES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “Medicaid for migrants will be a magnet for more people to come to that state illegally,” Cassidy told Fox News last week. “As well as running up their state debt.” The bill seeks to require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to investigate how states offering Medicaid services to illegal individuals maintain the separation of federal and state funds. The review would also examine whether these states employ loophole strategies like provider taxes and intergovernmental transfers to manipulate federal dollars. Additionally, it assesses if individuals without legal status benefit from covered outpatient drugs, and whether this affects prices for American citizens. CALIFORNIA’S NEW MENTAL HEALTH COURT SEES OVER 100 PETITIONS IN 2 MONTHS In the Golden State, nearly 700,000 illegal immigrants between the ages of 26 and 49 qualify, as of Jan. 1, for health care services, which will cost California taxpayers an estimated $3.1 billion. For those living in California illegally within this age range, it translates to approximately $4,058 per year in medical coverage subsidies funded by the state’s general fund. Newsom announced California would begin providing health care coverage to additional illegal immigrants on top of the 1.1 million already in the Medi-Cal system. More than one-third of California’s shrinking population of 39 million is enrolled in the Medi-Cal program, which also covers transgender procedures such as sex change surgeries. The bill comes as from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, over 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border, the highest total for a single month ever recorded. It also marked the first time monthly migrant encounters surpassed 300,000.

‘Don’t have…’: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Congress turning down Ram Temple invite

On Wednesday, senior Congress leaders–Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury– ‘declined’ the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya, the party’s general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.

South Carolina lawmakers bring bill banning surgeries, medications for trans minors to House floor

Republican lawmakers in South Carolina are bringing a bill banning hormone therapy, the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs and gender transition surgery for anyone under 18 years old to the House floor. During the first two days of the 2024 legislative session, the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee voted to advance the bill, which is similar to restrictions on health care for transgender minors already in effect in at least 22 other states, according to the Associated Press. House bill 4624 focuses on preventing health professionals from providing the aforementioned therapy, medication and procedure to minors, and also prevents Medicaid from covering such services for anyone under 26 years old. It specifies that transgender youth would still be able to seek and utilize mental health services. TEXAS SUPREME COURT ALLOWS BAN ON PUBERTY BLOCKERS AND HORMONE THERAPY FOR TRANS KIDS TO TAKE EFFECT HB 4624 also states that school employees cannot withhold information related to a student’s gender identity from their parents or legal guardians nor can they “encourage or coerce” a minor to withhold that information from their parents or legal guardians. It also requires school employees who think a student may be struggling with “gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, or other psychological conditions that can result in a person identifying with a gender different than that of their sex” to notify the child’s parents or legal guardians. Rep. Thomas Beach, who is on the committee that advanced the bill, told the AP that “parents need to know what’s going on in their child’s life.” Rep. Jordan Pace, who is also on the committee, echoed those sentiments and, as a former educator, said he would have been neglecting his duty if he had ever concealed such information from a student’s parents. SECOND UNIVERSITY IN MISSOURI TO STOP PRESCRIBING TRANSGENDER MEDICATION TO MINORS The piece of legislation comes with criticism from parents of transgender children and some health professionals in the state. Eric Childs, the father of a 15-year-old transgender son, told the AP choosing to undergo hormone replacement therapy should be up to his child, not lawmakers. Childs also said that his family wants the child to have every medically recommended option available and that none of their health care decisions have been made “on a whim.” South Carolina pediatrician Dr. Deborah Greenhouse, who said she has taken care of some transgender children during her three decades in the field, told the AP that minors in the state do not receive gender-transition surgeries and that the treatments they do receive are given with the consent of “fully-involved” parents.  She also said minors do not begin taking medication until puberty begins. Major medical groups, like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, deem such treatments for trans youth as safe when administered properly. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on our Fox News Digital election hub. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hunter crashes hearing, Austin hid prostate cancer, both hurting the president

It was an undeniable stunt by Hunter Biden – and it wasn’t even as effective as his last stunt. The president’s son crashed his own House contempt hearing yesterday, sat in the front row and dramatically walked out – with all three cable news networks following him to the press mob in the hallway. His lawyer ripped the Republican-run committee for refusing to hold a public hearing, and Hunter soon slipped into a waiting SUV while mumbling only a few words to the press.  None of this was good for his father, whose White House aides are frustrated when Hunter seizes the spotlight, reviving questions about unethical business practices tied to the impeachment inquiry of the president. TRUMP GOES TO FEDERAL IMMUNITY HEARING, SKIPPING IOWA, SEIZES MEDIA SPOTLIGHT Just a day earlier, Lloyd Austin’s disappearing act turned into a full-fledged firestorm. We learned–not long after the White House did – that the Pentagon chief is battling prostate cancer. The idea that nine days after he was rushed to Walter Reed, we finally found out that Austin was being treated for a serious disease, and not the “minor” elective procedure he had claimed, is mind-boggling. Of course we all wish the retired general, who is still hospitalized, a speedy recovery. For days, Joe Biden couldn’t consult with the man overseeing America’s armed forces, didn’t even know he was in the hospital. The secretary of Defense, who is in the nuclear chain of command, was AWOL. And yet the White House coughed up a statement saying the president still has confidence in him. All of which makes Biden look weak and unwilling to fire anyone. The two episodes are unconnected, but they underscore how the administration often seems to lose control of events. BIDEN TEAM COMPLAINS ABOUT TRUMP COVERAGE; THE ‘FULL HITLER’ CONFRONTATION When Hunter Biden last made a surprise appearance, outside the Capitol, he spoke to reporters about how he was ready to testify, but not in a closed-door session. At least the public got to hear him and weigh his case. The argument for public testimony has a certain populist appeal. But the truth is that Hill committees routinely demand private depositions, spending hours vacuuming up details, before they grant a televised hearing. And Biden could be charged with contempt of Congress on that basis alone. When Hunter and his entourage walked in, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace demanded he be immediately jailed. When they walked about, Marjorie Taylor Greene accused him of being afraid of strong conservative women. By the time his attorney was making his hallway comments, Hunter briskly walked toward the exit, looking like he was heading back into hiding. The novelty had worn off. And keep in mind that Hunter is under criminal indictment. So he’s going to continue to be an albatross for his dad. Meanwhile, bipartisan criticism continues to build over Austin’s shocking lack of candor. Pennsylvania Democrat Chris Deluzio yesterday became the first lawmaker in his party to call for the secretary’s resignation. The prostate cancer disclosure has brought into sharp relief that Austin did something that might have gotten an ordinary soldier court-martialed for being MIA. And one broader point: The reclusive Austin rarely talks to reporters or holds news conferences and takes only a handful of journalists on foreign trips. So how can he be an effective advocate for the military and for the commander-in-chief? Maybe it’s time for him to concentrate on healing. SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES Footnote: Chris Christie dropped out of the presidential race yesterday, after days of insisting he would do no such thing. I thought he’d at least wait till after Iowa, since his departure will mainly help Haley in New Hampshire. When he was preparing to run, the former New Jersey governor told me he would stay in as long as he had a shot at the nomination. But he came to be viewed as an anti-Trump spoiler, didn’t qualify for last night’s debate, and said last night he no longer had a path. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win,” Christie said. He accused Republican lawmakers who endorse him of “cowardice” and “hypocrisy.” And now he’s he’s folded his tent.

Who is Israeli MP Ofer Cassif, why is he backing South Africa at the ICJ?

A firebrand Israeli parliamentarian provoked a political and social media storm earlier this week when he signed a petition supporting South Africa’s case of genocide against Israel, which is to be heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Ofer Cassif, who declared his backing for South Africa on social media, will support the country’s legal bid when it comes before the ICJ on Thursday and Friday this week. “My constitutional duty is to Israeli society and all its residents,” he wrote on X on January 7. “Not to a government whose members and its coalition are calling for ethnic cleansing and even actual genocide. They are the ones who harm the country and the people, they are the ones who led to South Africa’s appeal to The Hague, not me and my friends.” The Palestinian death toll from Israel’s near-100-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip has crossed 23,000 people, including nearly 10,000 children. Who is Ofer Cassif? Cassif is a politician from the left-wing, Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party, Hadash being the Hebrew acronym for the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality. Born in Rishon LeZion near Tel Aviv in 1964, he has been a member of the Israeli parliament for nearly five years. Cassif has a doctorate in political philosophy from the London School of Economics and he was an academic at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before he entered parliament. His penchant for going against the grain of Israeli society is not new. In the late 1980s, the pro-Palestinian Israeli, who is also a proud communist, spent time in jail for refusing to serve as a soldier in the occupied territories. In 2021, he claimed police beat him while he participated in a protest against an illegal Jewish settlement in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. Police scuffle with Ofer Cassif, the only Jewish member of the Joint List, an alliance of Arab parties in Israel’s Knesset, during a protest against planned evictions in East Jerusalem, April 9, 2021 [Mahmoud Illean/AP] His pre-parliamentarian attacks on the Israeli state – for instance, calling one-time Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked “neo-Nazi scum” – led the Central Elections Committee to keep him off the ballot for the 2019 elections. That decision was overturned by the Supreme Court, however, and he was elected that year, with Hadash-Ta’al receiving just below 4.5 percent of the national vote and six seats in the Knesset. This compares with more than 26 percent of the vote and 35 seats for each of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and Kahol Lavan, the opposition political alliance led by former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who is also a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet. Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, called Cassif “an anomaly in Israeli politics”. “The vast majority of Israeli members of the Knesset are serving in Zionist parties – and this is not the case with Cassif,” said Mekelberg of the anti-Zionist politician. He angered some by refusing to take a supportive stance towards Ukraine in its war with Russia. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Knesset via Zoom in March 2022, a month after the Russian invasion, Cassif declined to attend. “I don’t take sides in a needless war that harms innocent civilians, strengthens people in power and enriches the lords of war,” said Cassif in a tweet. “I do not support nationalists and persecutors of the communists in Ukraine, and no, neither do I support Putin and the Russian communist-hating nationalists. No to war – yes to peace.” What is his vision for Palestine? Cassif is a staunch supporter of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. In December 2023, during a conversation which was transcribed on the website of the Communist Party of Israel, he said, “The Palestinians, as a people, are entitled to have their own independent state. “The compromise is by dividing the land alongside the state of Israel, an independent, sovereign, Palestinian state, which would exist in the old territories that Israel occupied in June ’67. That means the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. There is no other way.” He is strongly opposed to Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories and has protested against them. In February 2022, he joined protesters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, where families were being evicted from their homes so that settlers could be moved in. Cassif speaks to reporters during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem on February 18, 2022 [Enes Canli/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images] How has Cassif’s stance gone down with the Israeli people? Not well. Cassif is one of just 400 Israelis, in a population of nearly 9.5 million, to sign a petition supporting South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel. As a member of the Knesset, his public act of defiance has gone down like a red rag to a bull. In the wake of the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, which prompted the country to unleash its campaign of aerial bombardments against Gaza, Cassif was suspended from the Knesset for 45 days for criticising the war. Fellow Israeli parliamentarian Oded Forer called Cassif’s decision to stand against the country of his birth “treasonous”, adding that his “words can no longer be heard while the blood of our soldiers and citizens screams from the ground”. Forer is currently collecting lawmakers’ signatures in a bid to have Cassif thrown out of the Knesset. Under Knesset rules, Forer needs to convince 70 members of parliament to support his bid and then gain approval from the Knesset House Committee, before parliament can vote on Cassif’s expulsion. But Cassif appears to enjoy the rough and tumble of Israel’s volatile political scene. “He is, in many ways, more of an activist than a parliamentarian,” said Mekelberg of Cassif. “And what you see is what you get.” Cassif lost friends in the Hamas assault, which killed some 1,139 people. Indeed, in an October 19,