Who Was The Butcher Of Bosnia?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                          

Bosnia is in he green area

Who was the Butcher of Bosnia?  The President of Bosnia was interviwed by Fareed Zakaria this morning, and received a surprise answer when asked about the huge attendance at his funeral and why since he was responsible for a genocide.  Evidently the Bosnians saw it differently.                       

Yugoslavia was a federated country in Southeastern Europe that existed for much of the 20th century before dissolving into independent nations in the 1990s.

Thousands of Jews lived in Bosnia, Croatia, and the broader region of Yugoslavia prior to 1995.  Demographics before the 1990s: Before the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, about 2,000 Jews lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and approximately 2,000 Jews lived in Croatia (largely concentrated in cities like Zagreb). Across the entire former Yugoslavia, the population was several thousand strong, composed of both Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities that dated back centuries (with Sephardic Jews arriving after the 1492 Spanish Inquisition)

Jewish Solidarity: Rather than being involved in the perpetration, Jewish leaders, Holocaust survivors, and organizations such as the World Jewish Congress have consistently traveled to Srebrenica to stand in solidarity with Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) survivors, condemn the genocide, and promote joint remembrance.

Who Was the Butcher,  Ratko Mladić?

Ratko Mladić was a general who led the Army of Republika Srpska during the 1992–1995 Bosnian War.
He earned the nickname "Butcher of Bosnia" for his role in atrocities, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre where over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed.
A United Nations tribunal convicted him of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in 2017, sentencing him to life in prison.
I have always been under the impression that the UN had no power, no sentencing.  International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY): Established in 1993 to try war crimes from the Balkans conflicts. It officially concluded its work in 2017.
What Happened: Over 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and teenagers were systematically executed and buried in mass graves after Bosnian Serb forces overran the town of Srebrenica. 
When It Occurred: July 11–16, 1995. 
Where It Took Place: In and around the town of Srebrenica, a designated United Nations "safe area" in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
Forcible Transfer: Approximately 25,000 to 30,000 Bosniak women, children, and elderly residents were forcibly expelled and bused out of the enclave.
Perpetrators and Responsibility
Commanders: The massacre was mainly perpetrated by the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) under the command of General Ratko Mladić and political leadership under Radovan Karadžić. 
Judicial Rulings: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) officially classified the events as a genocide. Mladić and Karadžić were both convicted of genocide and war crimes.
Role of the United Nations
Safe Haven Failure: Srebrenica was declared a UN safe area in 1993, but lightly armed Dutch UN peacekeepers (DutchBat) were vastly outnumbered, lacked a mandate to use offensive force, and were forced to surrender after facing threats against Dutch hostages.
Commemoration: In May 2024, the UN General Assembly designated July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.

Death and Funeral Details

He died at the age of 84 in a UN prison hospital in The Hague, Netherlands.
His funeral took place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on September 7, 2026.



Thousands of mourners attended the service at the Church of St. Luke.
He was buried with military honors, drawing international criticism and condemnation from the European Union over his glorification.
                   What the War Was About
Breakup of Yugoslavia: The conflict erupted as the socialist federal republic of Yugoslavia splintered along ethnic and nationalist lines following the death of longtime leader Josip Broz Tito. 
Bosnian Independence: In 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum and voted to secede from Yugoslavia, a move heavily supported by its Bosniak (Muslim) and ethnic Croat populations. 
The Creation of a Serb State: Bosnian Serbs—backed by the Serbian government under Slobodan Milošević—opposed independence and wanted to remain part of a Serb-dominated state. They aimed to carve out an ethnically pure territory known as Republika Srpska (and ultimately unite into a "Greater Serbia") by forcefully removing Bosniaks and Croats. 
Key Details of the Conflict
Ethnic Cleansing: Mladić led the Bosnian Serb army in a brutal campaign to systematically drive out or eliminate the non-Serb civilian population. 
Impact of World War II: The region's Jewish population was heavily decimated during the Holocaust by Nazi-aligned regimes like the Ustaše in Croatia and Bosnia. Many survivors returned after 1945, though a large number subsequently emigrated to Israel during waves of post-war Aliyah. 
The 1990s Yugoslav Wars: When Yugoslavia broke apart in 1991–1992, Jewish communities found themselves caught in the middle of the conflict. Organizations like the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) coordinated emergency evacuations, famously airlifting hundreds of Jewish residents out of war-torn Sarajevo to Israel.
Siege of Sarajevo: Mladić's forces trapped the capital city of Sarajevo in a devastating 1,425-day blockade, killing roughly 11,000 to 13,000 civilians through shelling and sniper fire. 
Srebrenica Massacre: In July 1995, forces under Mladić overran the United Nations–declared "safe area" of Srebrenica and executed more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, marking Europe's worst mass killing since World War II.
Death toll: The wider war resulted in approximately 100,000 deaths and displaced over a million people before ending with the Dayton Accords in late 1995.

 his glorification

THE WANDERING JEW

Nadene Goldfoot                                     

         Portraits of Romans during time of our Wandering Jews

There are those who only know of Jews as those wandering Jews with packs on their backs without any homes. I know, I've met one.  Then, when you consider the acts of Europe and how they have reacted to Israel, there may be a lot more, as well as the many Islamic  and Oriental countries who are not familiar with the "Old 'Testament" or Torah of the Jews.

Ötzi the Iceman is a 5,300-year-old naturally preserved human mummy discovered in the Ötztal Alps on the border of Austria and Italy, who may have also been a European wanderer. 

However, the only  wandering Jews would have been from the Middle East who had been part of ancient Israel, people without a home after Rome had destroyed Jerusalem in 70 CE. They would be the few that escaped or weren't seen by the Romans.  That happened only about 1,956 years ago, and written about by Moses.  

Original family of Jacob aka Israel, standing with Rachel and baby , Rachel's sister Leah and her 7 sons, and Dinah, the baby, and then there's Leah's hand maiden and her 2 sons and Rachel's hand maiden and her 2 sons. According to biblical chronology, the patriarch Jacob lived during the second millennium BCE, traditionally placed between 1900 and 1700 BCE. Lifespan: The biblical narrative records that Jacob lived to be 147 years old.

 The 12 sons grow up to begin the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Their original names were the Israelites, the name Jacob had taken as his AKA of Israel, meaning:  Israel means "one who struggles with God" or "God contends/perseveres."  Jacob struggled physically and spiritually with a mysterious divine being (an angel or God manifested) through the night at Peniel, culminating in the surrender of his old identity of self-reliance and deception.  

The Exodus out of Egypt to Canaan of Israelites and others led by Moses happened in about 1446 BCE or 4,572 years ago.  

Israel was created by the 12 sons of Jacob aka Israel led 1st by Moses, then Joshua when Moses died at age 120 .                      

King Saul died by falling on his own sword during a battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, after being severely wounded by enemy archers.
This is when Saul came of age (1013-1010 BCE) which was 3,039 years ago and was the 1st to reign over Israel.                                 

                      

After Saul we had our beloved King David (1000 to 960 BCE) and then his wise son, King Solomon (961-920 BCE). The land of Israel was initially divided after Saul's death when the northern tribes followed Saul's son Ishbosheth, while the tribe of Judah followed David. The major, permanent division of the kingdom into two separate states—Israel and Judah—happened later after the death of King Solomon, when the northern tribes rejected Solomon's son Rehoboam and chose Jeroboam as their king).  It was over expecting the men to work without pay, pretty much.  

The empire of Israel lasted  till Hoshea was king (730-721 BCE)  while its other half, Judah, lasted  till Zedekiah was king (597-586 BCE), which was 2,747 years ago as well as 2,612 years ago. 

                      ISRAEL AN EMPIRE

 The First Empire of Israel lasted from King Saul 1013 BCE to King Zedekiah ruled to 586 BCE, a total of 427 years !!!  

My goodness, the United States is only 250 years old.  In fact, we are in the midst of celebrating this birthday, considered quite an achievement--with President Donald Trump, who is trying to trump all previous presidents in glory.  

And now all that an American remembers from her schooling was that Jews were wanderers with packs on their backs.  Not a word about the connection to Israel.

The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus by David Roberts,famous painting

The Romans attacked Israel's Jerusalem in 70 CE, starving the people first to the point of death, then took many prisoners to be used in various ways;  building, in the army, fodder for the lions, and others in their Roman circuses for amusement.

                      Roman Legionaire soldier
Jews wound up in 2 places, as they were forbidden to be in Israelite land upon pain of death;  and that was in Germany and the other exit was to Spain. Some were even able to make homes among their neighboring peoples.  

 When the Romans left, they had Jewish prisoners carry their loot back, and this is all depicted on the Arch of Titus back in Rome.  

Come 1914 and the First World War:  The First World War lasted from July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918,  4 years when Approximately 9 to 10 million military personnel died during World War I.; which was started by the Axis of Germany.  

The opposing coalition that started World War I was known as the Central Powers, not the Axis (which was the term used in World War II).  The main countries that made up the Central Powers at the start of the war in 1914 were:

Austria-Hungary, which started the conflict by declaring war on Serbia after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Germany, which supported Austria-Hungary and promptly declared war on Russia and France. Other nations joined this alliance later, including:

The Ottoman Empire, which joined in late 1914. They had the reputation of holding the Middle East for 400 years till this war came along....

Chaim Weizmann, (1874-1952) Jewish biochemist,  developed    the acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation process, which produces acetone, n-butanol and ethanol through bacterial fermentation. His acetone production method was of great importance in the manufacture of cordite explosive propellants for the British war industry during World War I, and said to had turned the tide to win the war.  He became 1st President of Israel.  

King Feisal --Emir Feisal, Ibn Hussein (1885-1933) (later King Faisal I of Iraq from 1921)  and eldest son of  Sharif Hussein bin Ali  of Mecca were the primary Arab leaders who helped Britain by leading the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War,   He was the leader of the Arab uprising against Turkey in 1916 to 1918 and was designated then as king of Syria.    Hajj Mohammed Amin el- Husseini (1893-1974)was the instigator of attacks on Jews.  
Bulgaria, which joined in 1915. 

 Jews had high hopes of returning to their native homeland, The Empire of Israel, now called Palestine due to the Romans again, who renamed it with the Israelite's worst enemy's name of the Philistines- their concept in spelling turning into Palaestine.  The Turks of Turkey were in charge there with a few overlords.  

         Chaim Weizmann and King of Iraq and King of Syria who also wanted the same land

After many meetings and many papers, Jews were given a piece of their original land.  The Holocaust started in Germany in the 1930s with the Nazis. The is when 6 million Jews were killed. They  were not allowed to work and yet were not given the rights to leave easily, either.  They found themselves trapped and then gassed in ovens provided for their murders. My own uncle was lucky to get out in May of 1939, possibly the last Jew out.   

World War II:  World War II was a global conflict that lasted from September 1, 1939, to September 2, 1945, and involved total war across the globe.                    

                                    ISRAEL THE 2ND

                        The 2nd Israel was born on May 14, 1948. 

Israel had to fight from it's birth onward, from 1947-1949 in its War of Independence;  the 1956 Suez Crisis with Egypt;  1967 Six Day War with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and others; 1973 Yom Kippur War with Egypt and Syria;  1982 Lebanon Civil War against PLO;   2006 2nd Lebanon War, 2023-Israel-Hamas War continuing involving Hezbollah     backed by IRAN..... Jews came from the state of Judah.

And is she still  in the dark as to Israel?