From Jim Carter

Blanchardville

To the Editor:

I am very happy that four local papers have printed three of my politically oriented letters. One of them was a bit whimsical but this letter is serious.

Putin is a war criminal and a KGB thug. Netanyahu is a convicted war criminal and an Israeli thug. Trump has our government assisting them in conducting their two wars. As their accomplice, he may be accused of being guilty of several war crimes just as they have been.

International Humanitarian Law defines several grave war crimes. Also, war crimes defined in the Geneva Convention of 1949 are “serious violations of the laws and customs of war against both combatants and civilians.”

The International Criminal Court in 2002 defined crimes against humanity. Part of the definitions is “acts committed as part of a wide spread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.” Crimes against humanity, in contrast to genocide, do not need to specify a specific group and in contrast to war crimes, they do not have to occur during a war.

The UN Commission of Experts has defined ethnic cleansing as “a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove, by violent and terror inspiring means, the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from a geographic area.” (Omar Vartov)

Perhaps a person could decide what the intent of the Russian, Israel and United States leaders is by looking at some of what has been said about their wars. “Gaza will become a place where no human can exist.” (Major General Eiland). Or “we are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly” (Yoav Gallant). “The country most responsible for allowing the continuation of this undertaking was and remains the United States without whose constant military and political support the fighting would have ended much sooner. (Omar Bartov)

In February 2025, President Trump stated “the United States could take ownership of the Gaza Strip following the displacement of Palestinians from the territory.” Recently, he has talked about “eliminating the entire civilization” and “sending them all to hell.”

What is the possibility that the World Court or another world organization will accuse Trump of violating one of the crimes against society and the world?

It seems that people will have to be patient and wait to see what happens in the near future.