U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Wed Oct 30, 2024 3:12 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 28, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/28/headlines

U.N. Chief Urges Restraint After Israel Bombs Iranian Targets Saturday
Oct 28, 2024

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has urged for a return to diplomacy and “maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war” after Israel bombed Iranian military facilities and air defense systems Saturday. The strikes included a site linked to Iran’s ballistic missile program. Iran said four soldiers were killed. Israel also struck air defense batteries and radars in Syria and Iraq. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would take “an appropriate response” to the attack, but he reiterated that Iran does not seek a wider war. Israel’s attack came about four weeks after Iran launched a missile attack on Israeli military sites in response to Israel’s mounting assault on Lebanon and Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

“North Gaza’s Entire Population at Risk of Dying”: Israel Decimates Northern Gaza, Incl. Hospitals
Oct 28, 2024

As the death toll from Israel’s 24-day siege on northern Gaza tops 1,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the U.N.’s top humanitarian official is warning “the entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying.”

At Kamal Adwan Hospital, Israeli soldiers arrested and expelled nearly all male doctors and staff following its brutal raid. One of the victims of Israel’s assault on northern Gaza was the hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s young son Ibrahim. On Saturday, Dr. Abu Safiya led prayers for his murdered child as he laid him to rest. A nurse who survived the Israeli attack on Kamal Adwan described the siege.

Mayssoun Alian: “We were all surrounded from all sides. There was shooting from all directions with bombs and mortars, and they evacuated all those who were sheltering here, so that everyone leaves, both men and women. They separated men from women and made two queues. It was very, very humiliating for our men since they took them without clothes and nothing to cover with.”

Elsewhere in Gaza, an employee of Doctors Without Borders was killed in Khan Younis. And at least three more journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike. They were identified as Saed Radwan of Al-Aqsa TV, Hamza Abu Salmiya from Sanad News and Haneen Mahmoud Baroud from the Al-Quds Foundation.

DOJ Lawyers Call on Merrick Garland to Investigate Israeli Killings of U.S. Citizens
Oct 28, 2024

Lawyers at the U.S. Justice Department called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to launch investigations into crimes against U.S. citizens committed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied West Bank, including the killing of the activist Ayşenur Eygi. The letter to Garland highlighted the hypocrisy in the department’s refusal to acknowledge crimes by Israel while it has been outspoken against Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Israel Strikes Tyre, Killing at Least 7, as It Continues Its Assault on Lebanon
Oct 28, 2024

Israeli strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre have killed at least seven people today. The Israeli military issued evacuation orders for large areas of Tyre as it continues its deadly attacks. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s health minister says Israeli strikes have targeted 55 hospitals in Lebanon as Israel seeks to impair the country’s health infrastructure.

Microsoft Fires Employees, Harvard Suspends Professors & Students over Gaza Solidarity Protests
Oct 28, 2024

Here in the U.S., Microsoft has fired two employees who organized a vigil for Gaza. The workers, who are both Arab, belonged to the protest group “No Azure for Apartheid,” which opposes Microsoft’s sale of its cloud technology to Israel.

Meanwhile, Harvard University has temporarily suspended dozens of students and professors from its libraries after they staged a series of silent “study-in” protests to bring attention to the genocide in Gaza, as well as the crackdown on free speech at Harvard.

***

“This Carnage Needs to Stop”: Israel Bans Aid Groups from Gaza, Kills Over 1,000 in North Gaza Siege
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 28, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/28 ... transcript

Israel’s three-week siege of northern Gaza has killed at least 1,000 Palestinians. Most of the dead are women and children. On Saturday, Israeli forces withdrew from Kamal Adwan Hospital just one day after storming it, with health officials saying that soldiers detained dozens of male medical staffers and some of the patients. This comes as the Israeli government has banned six medical NGOs from entering Gaza despite the dire humanitarian crisis stemming from repeated displacements of the population, widespread disease, injuries from Israeli attacks, hunger and more. Some 43,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October, according to local officials, although the true toll is likely far higher. “The healthcare infrastructure is destroyed. Many of the local doctors have been either killed or kidnapped. The patients are left stranded; no one is providing any help to them,” says Mosab Nasser, CEO of FAJR Scientific, one of the six medical aid groups banned by Israel.

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s in northern Gaza, where Israel’s three-week siege has killed over 1,000 Palestinians, most women and children. Gaza health officials say almost 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7th, more than 100,000 wounded, though the toll is likely far higher. On Saturday, Israeli forces withdrew from north Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, one day after raiding it. Health officials say soldiers detained dozens of male medical staffers and some of the patients. This is a nurse describing how Israeli forces detained the hospital’s director.

MAYSSOUN ALIAN: [translated] They called Dr. Hussam and asked him to let the male medics out. So he did, and they left. This was also very, very humiliating for them since they were also without clothes. There were around 70 male nurses that left here. They took them to the external clinic. They started to destroy things. And we were the only nurses in the hospital without the rest of the medical team.

AMY GOODMAN: The nurse mentioned Kamal Adwan Hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician. After Israeli forces retreated from the hospital Saturday, he buried his young son Ibrahim Hussam Abu Safiya, who was reportedly killed Friday in an Israeli strike on Jabaliya in northern Gaza.

DR. HUSSAM ABU SAFIYA: Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. As-salamu alaykum. Allahu Akbar. As-salamu alaykum. Allahu Akbar.

AMY GOODMAN: The doctor praying and mourning his son in his white hospital coat.

This comes as the World Health Organization reports the Israeli government has barred six medical NGOs from entering Gaza. One of them, the Palestinian American Medical Association, released a statement, saying, quote, “We urgently demand that the Israeli authorities rescind this decision immediately and urge the U.S. State Department, along with international bodies, to advocate for the immediate reinstatement of these vital medical services, which constitute a fundamental human right protected by international law and the moral fabric of our global community,” unquote.

For more, we go to Houston, Texas, where we’re joined another head of another organization, one of six medical aid groups Israel has banned from entering Gaza. Mosab Nasser is the CEO of FAJR Scientific. He helped lead one of the largest medical missions to Gaza in August of 2023. He was last in Gaza in May during Israel’s invasion of Rafah. Nasser also helped renovate parts of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. He is himself originally from Gaza.

Thank you so much for being with us. As we watch the director of Kamal Adwan, a man you know well, mourn his son, praying at his grave in his white medical coat, can you talk about who he is and the significance of Kamal Adwan Hospital?

MOSAB NASSER: Good morning, Amy. Thank you for having me.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is a Palestinian hero. He is an amazing, amazing doctor that I have known now maybe for about four years. And I had several meetings with him when I was in Gaza in 2022 and helped, as said, renovate the Kamal Adwan Hospital’s emergency room and the external clinics, as well as the rehabilitation room for children. Dr. Hussam is the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, who, by the way, has a foreign passport. He had the choice, like, you know, many Palestinians, to leave from there at the beginning of the war, but he refused. He stood his ground at the Kamal Adwan Hospital to save lives and save limbs and take care of those children who are left stranded in this carnage.

Kamal Adwan Hospital is the only children’s hospital in north Gaza. It actually serves about 400,000 or 500,000 people in north Gaza, and there is really no other children’s hospital. It has the ICU. It has a large room for premature babies with incubators. And it’s a central hospital. If that hospital is not functional, you’re talking about thousands of children, again, left without any medical support.

AMY GOODMAN: You know, we were just speaking with another Mosab, the poet Mosab Abu Toha, on Friday, who talked about bringing his young children to this hospital and talked about the director being a pediatrician, that it’s basically the children’s hospital there. Mosab Nasser, if you can describe what has happened there in northern Gaza and what happened to this particular hospital, the Israeli forces raiding it, and this description of the doctors and medical aides being stripped naked in front of the others?

MOSAB NASSER: Amy, FAJR Scientific is a humanitarian apolitical organization. We are actually specialized in surgical — in complex surgeries. We’ve been operating in Gaza even before the war. And we have a team in the north, a local team, that actually serves the different hospitals, including the Indonesian Hospital.

And the news that we get from the team on the ground, that Kamal Adwan Hospital was attacked by the Israeli army. I believe more than 30 medical staff members were actually kidnapped by the Israeli army, including Dr. Hussam briefly, and then he was turned back. So, he’s left maybe with a few — a couple of doctors and a few nurses to take care of over 150 patients at the hospital.

The news that we received also that the Israeli army stripped those doctors naked and literally took them into no one knows where, similar to what happened to our colleagues at Nasser Hospital and Shifa Hospital. I still have many Palestinian colleagues. I’d like to name a few: Dr. Ghassan Abu Zuhri from Nasser Hospital, who’s one of the top surgeons in Gaza, orthopedic surgeons, no one knows his whereabout until today; Dr. Hani Abu Taima, the head of the surgical department at Nasser Hospital; and many others, many others across Gaza. So, the disturbing news that also we have received is that the Israeli army destroyed the oxygen concentrators and tanks at Kamal Adwan Hospital, leaving children in the ICU and in the incubators without oxygen. Many of them actually have died.

AMY GOODMAN: Have you been meeting with U.S. government officials? And what have they said? Also, do you know how Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s son died? We heard died in an Israeli airstrike on Jabaliya.

MOSAB NASSER: Regarding your first question, yes. In fact, I just came back from D.C. this past Thursday, where I met with — visited the offices of a few congressmen and senators. And before, in fact, I’ve also visited the State Department in this past visit, trying to advocate for lifting the ban or the denial on the humanitarian medical organizations that were actually denied entry by Israel, especially at this time where we are actually needed on the ground the most.

And that decision to ban or deny entry to now six organizations — in fact, initially, the initial number that we’ve heard was eight organizations — it’s mind-boggling. Especially with what’s happening in north Gaza, why would you prevent such organizations from coming to provide their services? Especially the healthcare infrastructure is destroyed. Many of the doctors, the local doctors, have been either killed or kidnapped. The patients are left stranded; no one is providing any help to them. And especially we — in FAJR Scientific, we’re actually specialized in surgical interventions. And many of the injuries that come to the hospitals across Gaza are blast injuries — broken bones, broken skulls, you know, all kinds of multiple degrees of burns. So, those patients require an immediate attention. And if you don’t provide this attention to them, many of them actually will die a slow and painful death because of infections.

Regarding Dr. Hussam’s son, I really don’t know the details surrounding his death, but I was told that he was — you know, he was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabaliya, as you mentioned.

AMY GOODMAN: Finally, I wanted to ask you about a tweet of yours. You’re talking about a girl. “Mazyona is one of the children FAJR has been trying to evacuate out of #Gaza for months now. She sustained devastating injuries to her face—her face was nearly torn off. #Surgeons have held the remaining structure together, but she urgently requires a medevac for specialized care and bone surgery. [She] also still has shrapnel in her neck. She is of course in immense pain, [and] her condition is worsening. The platinum used surgically to rebuild her face is coming out, [and] doctors have stated [that] she needs surgeries outside [of] Gaza to save her life. Mazyona has been denied medical #evacuation four times. Authorities suggested that the medevac could proceed without Mazyona’s mother accompanying her. However, when her father attempted to take the next steps, Mazyona was again denied.” Explain her fate right now where she is.

MOSAB NASSER: That is another heartbreaking story, Amy, that I have been personally, as the CEO of the organization, following closely and advocating for Mazyona’s evacuation for almost three months now. I can’t tell you how many times I visited the State Department, how many times I talked to congressmen, how many times I’ve tried to reach to the Israeli authorities to try to evacuate her out of Gaza, with no results.

Mazyona was injured in the face — in her face, a serious injury. I mean, she has a viral video on Instagram and YouTube that you see how — when she was brought to the hospital, how she was bleeding. Initially, we submitted her mother as a companion. The mother was rejected by COGAT, the Israeli authority effectively. Then we submitted her father’s name. Then her father was rejected. Then we submitted the father’s aunt; then it was rejected. And then we submitted another aunt of the father; it was rejected. So, we are kind of left without any options. I don’t know — to the point, actually, I proposed my name to be a companion for Mazyona to get her out, and still we have not been able to get her out. In fact, the recent update we got from the local team on the ground, that she has potentially an infection, and if this girl is not evacuated as soon as possible, she could die.

Mazyona is one out of thousands, Amy. In fact, we have 12 children like Mazyona with serious injuries, some of them actually with a bullet settled in the head, that we wanted to take out, and we have not been able to take any of them. So far, since May, since the closure of the Rafah border, we were able — I mean, generally speaking, only 125 children were evacuated out of Gaza out of 2,500, if not more, needed an immediate evacuation. So, this carnage needs to stop.

AMY GOODMAN: Mosab Nasser, I want to thank you for being with us, CEO of FAJR Scientific, one of six medical humanitarian organizations Israel has barred from entering Gaza. He’s based in Houston and originally from Gaza.

Next up, we turn to Israeli political scientist Neve Gordon. He’s in London. He’s one of more than 3,000 signatories to an open letter titled “We Israelis are calling for global pressure on Israel to force an immediate ceasefire.” Back in 20 seconds.

***

“Save Us from Ourselves”: 3,000+ Israelis Call for Int’l Help to Pressure Israel to Back Ceasefire
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 28, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/28 ... transcript



More than 3,000 Israelis have signed an open letter urging “global pressure on Israel to force an immediate ceasefire.” The signatories say they are motivated by patriotic duty to stop the country’s war crimes in Gaza and beyond, but say the lack of sanctions from other countries has allowed Israel to continue to pursue war, abandon the hostages still held in Gaza, ignore domestic opposition and persecute Palestinian citizens of Israel without real cost. “Unfortunately, the majority of Israelis support the continuation of the war and massacres, and a change from within is not currently feasible. The state of Israel is on a suicidal path and sows destruction and devastation that increase day by day,” reads the letter. For more, we speak with Neve Gordon, professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London, one of the signatories of the open letter, who says international powers including allies like the United States need to “put their leg down and say enough is enough.” We also speak with him about Israel’s well-documented history of using Palestinians as human shields, including in its current war on Gaza.

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

“We, Israelis, are calling for global pressure on Israel to force an immediate ceasefire.” That’s the headline of an open letter signed by more than 3,000 Israelis, along with our next guest, the Israeli political scientist Neve Gordon. The letter concludes by noting, “The leaders of many countries make repeated statements about the horror they feel and verbally denounce Israel’s operations, but these condemnations are not backed by practical actions. We are replete with empty words and declarations. Please, for our futures and the futures of all of the residents of Israel and the region, save us from ourselves and use real pressure on Israel for an immediate ceasefire,” the letter says.

For more, we go to London. We’re joined by Neve Gordon, professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London. His recent Al Jazeera article is headlined “Israel has taken human shields to a whole new criminal level.” He’s author of Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire and co-editor of Torture: Human Rights, Medical Ethics and the Case of Israel.

Neve Gordon, welcome back to Democracy Now! Can you start off actually by talking about what this letter says? And the number of people is — the last time we looked, it was 2,000 Israelis who have signed it. Now it’s over 3,000, Professor Gordon.

NEVE GORDON: There’s a feeling among Israelis that the change cannot come from within. We do not have enough power from within to change the course of actions that Netanyahu and his government have put in place. And the only way to stop the violence, to stop the genocidal violence in Gaza, to stop the violence in Lebanon, and to stop future attacks and geopolitical war in the region is that leaders in Europe and leaders in North America, particularly the United States, put their leg down and say enough is enough and threaten Israel that if there is no ceasefire, they will sanction Israel, they will stop arms trade with Israel, they’ll stop sending Israel money, and ultimately stop trading with Israel. So, our belief is, to save the populations that inhabit this region, we need such an action.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk directly about what’s happening in the United States, clearly the major arms supplier to Israel, and what you think of the role of the Biden administration, of President Biden himself?

NEVE GORDON: The United States has a memorandum for arms trade. And in that memorandum for arms trade, it says very clearly that countries or warring parties that violate international humanitarian law and the laws of war, the U.S. will not sell weapons to them, will not give them weapons or sell weapons to them. It is beyond doubt that Israel has been systematically violating the laws of war since October 7th, 8th, and yet the United States continues to send arms. And that has to do with many reasons. One is the power of the military corporations in the United States. The other is the lobbying groups in the United States. And all the United States really has to do — all Kamala Harris has to do today is say that “the minute I’m president, if there is violation of international law, I will stop sending arms.” And yet the United States is breaking its own laws in order to continue giving Israel arms so that it continues its violence in Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere.

AMY GOODMAN: And your response to the grassroots protests across the country of the Biden administration continuing to support Israel?

NEVE GORDON: There’s a major gap, both in the United States but all across Europe and North America, between civil society and the political and financial elites. Civil society has been saying now for over a year, “Enough. We want to ceasefire. We’re against this human catastrophe. We’re against what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people. We want the Palestinian people to enjoy self-determination, to enjoy statehood like everyone else.” And yet the political and financial elites are continuing as if nothing is happening, supporting Israel. Here and there, there’s a kind of criticism from Biden, and yet Netanyahu is doing exactly as he wants to do, and the Biden administration is not doing anything. And there is fear from donors here during an election campaign. It’s a very complex system. But what we see is this major gap between the two kind of poles, the civil society pole, on the one hand, and the ruling political and financial elites. And I think we just need to continue doing what we do until we get them to follow their own laws, as they appear, for example, in the memorandum of arms trade.

AMY GOODMAN: Professor Gordon, does Netanyahu have a plan for Gaza? And what about these negotiations that are now taking place in Doha, in Qatar? Apparently, Egypt has proposed a two-day ceasefire, release of four hostages. What is happening there? And what do you think needs to happen?

NEVE GORDON: Well, I’d like to say a few words about the bigger picture. I think Netanyahu, pre-October 7, 2023, saw himself as a figure of history, one that has led Israel to economic success, one that will normalize relations with Arab countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, and one that is slowly managing to erase the Palestinians from history. Come October 7th and the failure of the Israeli intelligence and after 35 weeks of protest against the judicial overhaul and the death of 1,200 Israelis and 250 Israeli hostages, he understood that his position in history has changed. And he’s trying to rebuild that through, I think, three axes.

One is the Gaza Strip. And I don’t — I have very little belief in the current negotiations. I think large parts of his coalition want to resettle the northern Gaza Strip, and that’s why we’re seeing what we’re seeing there and what your previous guest told us about the kind of displacement of the population there, the destruction of the whole infrastructure of existence of the population through the destruction of the hospitals, of the schools, of the mosques, etc. And ultimately, what Netanyahu’s coalition would like is to resettle that part of the Gaza Strip, enclose the rest of the Palestinians in the south, and probably maintain some kind of ethnic policing there for years to come.

In Lebanon, I think Netanyahu would like to cleanse the area that’s south of the Litani River from any presence of Hezbollah. And I think that’s going to last for quite a while now. I hope I’m wrong. But I think that it’s not going to end soon.

But I think that the crown of the jewel for Netanyahu and the only way that he thinks of himself as returning to history as a hero is through the bombing of the nuclear plants in Iran. I think everything is leading in that direction. Again, I hope I’m wrong. But I think now Netanyahu will wait for the elections on November 5th, and then he’ll decide how to continue on that strategy. So, I think the talks now in Doha are more of a cosmetic to a large process that we see unfolding now in Israel and the Middle East.

AMY GOODMAN: Professor Gordon, we just have a minute, but you begin your recent Al Jazeera piece headlined “Israel has taken human shields to a whole new criminal level,” writing, quote, “The use of human shields in war is not a new phenomenon. Militaries have forced civilians to serve as human shields for centuries. Yet, despite this long and dubious history, Israel has managed to introduce a new form of shielding in Gaza, one that appears unprecedented in the history of warfare.” We have one minute. If you could explain?

NEVE GORDON: So, human shielding works through a politics of vulnerability, through the recognition that the civilian that is shielding a military target is not like a robust landmine or anti-missile defense system, but it’s the moral value that is ascribed to the civilian that supposedly deters the enemy from firing. So, if Hamas sees a co-patriarch dressed in civilian clothes, then, hopefully, that will dissuade them from firing and killing the human shield or try to deter it. When you dress the human shield in military garb, you’re not trying to deter Hamas from firing at the civilian, but you’re trying to actually lure Hamas so that they think it’s an Israeli soldier, that they fire at him, and then the Israeli soldiers can see where the fire is coming from and fire back. So it’s changing the whole logic of human shielding and using the vulnerability, instead of as a form of deterrence, in order to lure fire in, and basically relating to the Palestinian civilians not only as not quite human, as any kind of human shielding would relate to him, but actually as fodder, as a thing, as a shield, without the human in it.

AMY GOODMAN: Neve Gordon, we want to thank you being with us, Israeli political scientist, professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London, is one of the main signatories of the letter that has now more than 3,000 signatories of Israelis calling on international pressure on Israel.

***

“We Are in an Escalatory Cycle”: Trita Parsi on Latest Israeli Attack on Iran, Risk of Wider War
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 28, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/28 ... transcript



We speak with Iranian American policy analyst Trita Parsi about Israel’s latest attack on Iran on Saturday, when it bombed military facilities and air defense systems in the country. Iran said four soldiers were killed in the attack. Israel also struck air defense batteries and radars in Syria and Iraq. Israel’s assault this weekend came about four weeks after Iran launched a missile attack on Israeli military sites in response to Israel’s war on Lebanon and Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, part of a series of actions between the two countries since the outbreak of the war on Gaza last year. “The Israelis are just continuously escalating the situation,” says Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He warns that Iran’s relatively restrained responses to Israeli actions could encourage decision-makers in both Israel and the United States to “go all the way” and strike Iranian nuclear sites and other major targets. “This, unfortunately, is leading — much thanks to the approach of the Biden administration — towards a much larger escalation.”

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has urged for a return to diplomacy and, quote, “maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war” after Israel bombed Iranian military facilities and air defense systems Saturday. The strikes included a site linked to Iran’s ballistic missile program. Iran said four soldiers were killed. Israel also struck air defense batteries and radars in Syria and Iraq.

The Iranian president said Iran would take an appropriate response to the attack but reiterated that Iran does not seek a wider war. Israel’s attack came about four weeks after Iran launched a missile attack on Israeli military sites in response to Israel’s mounting assault on Lebanon and Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, the Hamas leader in Tehran, Iran, on Inauguration Day, where the Israelis killed him.

For more, we go to Washington, D.C., where we’re joined by Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, author of several books, including Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy.

Trita, thanks so much for joining us for just these few minutes. If you can explain what took place this weekend and where you think where Iran and Israel will go next?

TRITA PARSI: Well, what happened over the weekend is the expected Israeli response to the Iranian response to Israel’s initial attack earlier on in April that started this whole exchange of fire between the two countries. What we don’t know, at least with confidence, is exactly how much damage the Israelis managed to cause in Iran. Clearly, there’s been some damage. There’s been at least five deaths. But the extent to which Iran’s air defenses have been taken out, etc., remains unclear. The Iranians initially played down the attack, signaled that they would not respond because it was not a significant attack, but the debate inside Iran seems to be shifting on that issue, precisely because of the deaths that has been caused by the Israelis.

The question the Iranians have is not only what options do they have that would avoid further escalation, but also how would it impact the American elections. Are they better off responding before or after the Iran elections? Is there a way for them to avoid responding at all, or would a lack of a response only further increase Israel’s appetite for striking Iran increasingly with impunity, if the Iranians are not striking back?

AMY GOODMAN: So, I wanted to ask you about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s response to Israel’s attack on Iran. She said she’d like to see deescalation in the region, but added, quote, “I feel very strongly, we as the United States feel very strongly that Iran must stop what it is doing in terms of the threat that it presents to the region and we will always defend Israel against any attacks by Iran in that way.” Your response?

TRITA PARSI: Well, it is exactly this type of approach that has led us to this level of escalation — on the one hand, saying that we don’t want to see escalation; on the other hand, providing the Israelis with every equipment, every bomb, every piece of intelligence that allows them to escalate, then offering them protection against any Iranian retaliation, which then reduces the cost of escalation for the Israelis. And lo and behold, here we are. The Israelis are just continuously escalating the situation, striking more and more. They are now striking five or six countries in the Middle East. And all the United States says is that we would not like to see escalation, but we are providing every opportunity and every equipment and every logistical piece of material in order for the Israelis to have an easier time escalating the situation.

AMY GOODMAN: And your response to The Washington Post report that the Biden administration won assurances from Israel that Israel will not strike Iranian nuclear or oil sites in any retaliatory act? Do you agree with what our previous guest, the Israeli professor Neve Gordon, said, that he is concerned that that’s just where Israel is headed, perhaps waiting for Election Day next week, and then would do something like that after?

TRITA PARSI: Absolutely. The signals coming out of Israel, the signals coming out of those in Washington who want Israel to go further, is to essentially say, “See, it was relatively easy to strike Iran. What are we waiting for? Let’s go all the way.” And moreover, as I said on this show before, just because the first response at this time now was not going after the nuclear sites, because we are on an escalatory cycle, does not then mean that we will not end up with strike against nuclear sites and a full-scale war that that would prompt. So, the point is, it’s not where the first step is; it’s where this is leading to that is important. And this, unfortunately, is leading, much thanks to the approach of the Biden administration, towards a much larger escalation.

AMY GOODMAN: So, finally, Trita Parsi, you’re the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. What do you feel would be responsible statecraft right now?

TRITA PARSI: Right now the most responsible thing the United States could do, that would also lie in the U.S.’s own interests, is to actually pursue a strategy that truly deescalates the situation. Such a strategy would put pressure on all of the different parties, including of course the Iranians and the Houthis and Hezbollah, but it would also put pressure on Israel. And it would deprive Israel from all of the American bombs and all of the American material that the Biden administration has given them that allows them to just continue this war and to escalate this war. This is not terribly difficult to deescalate, if we actually pursue a strategy that is aimed at deescalation.

AMY GOODMAN: Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, author of several books, including Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy.
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Wed Oct 30, 2024 3:49 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 29, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/29/headlines

Israeli Attack on Beit Lahia Kills at Least 93 Palestinians as Siege of Northern Gaza Continues
Oct 29, 2024

In northern Gaza, at least 93 Palestinians, including children, were killed today when an Israeli airstrike leveled a five-story apartment building sheltering displaced families in Beit Lahia. Dozens of wounded people were rushed to the Kamal Adwan Hospital only to be denied care. Just one doctor and a few exhausted medical workers remain at the hospital after Israeli forces in recent days raided the facility, separated men and women, and arrested much of the remaining staff and patients. U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called Israel’s ongoing siege on northern Gaza the “darkest moment” of the conflict.

Volker Türk: “The Israeli government’s policies and practices risk emptying the area of all Palestinians. We are facing what could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity.”

Israeli Lawmakers Ban U.N. Aid Agency for Palestinian Refugees
Oct 29, 2024

Israel’s parliament has approved a law banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine from operating inside Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The U.N. agency, known as UNRWA, is tasked with providing food, healthcare and social services to Palestinians and is a critical lifeline to Gaza’s surviving 2.3 million residents who face widespread famine and malnutrition due to Israel’s unrelenting, yearlong assault. The ban on UNRWA was approved in a 92-10 vote with the full support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party. Israeli lawmaker Sharren Haskel co-authored the legislation.

Sharren Haskel: “If the United Nations is not willing to clean this organization from terrorism, from Hamas activists, then we have to take measures to make sure they cannot harm our people ever again.”

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, called the bill’s passage a “dangerous precedent,” “collective punishment” and a violation of the U.N. Charter and international law. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called it “unacceptable” and said the ban would have devastating consequences for Palestinian refugees. Its passage has increased support for a Palestinian Authority initiative to expel Israel from the United Nations General Assembly.

Israeli Attacks on Lebanon Flatten Homes in Tyre and Kill at Least 60 in Beqaa Valley
Oct 29, 2024

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says at least 60 people were killed as Israeli strikes pounded the eastern Beqaa Valley, including the city of Baalbek. At least two of the dead were children. The killings bring the death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon to over 2,700. Meanwhile, multiple Israeli airstrikes on Monday collapsed entire residential buildings and sparked fires in the southern port city of Tyre. A survivor said the attacks were aimed at civilians.

Survivor: “What do you expect us to do? They fired at random. They are not hitting military targets; they are only targeting civilians. Can you see people fighting? Why are they targeting us? Are we fighting them?”

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has announced Naim Qassem will succeed Hassan Nasrallah as secretary-general of the group, following Israel’s assassination of Nasrallah in an airstrike last month. Qassem said Hezbollah fighters are continuing to repel Israeli attacks along the border and that the group’s military structure has remained intact.

South Africa Files Documents with ICJ Providing Evidence of Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
Oct 29, 2024

South Africa on Monday filed over 750 pages of evidence in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. South Africa says the documents lay out how Israel is “promoting the destruction of Palestinians living in Gaza, physically killing them with an assortment of destructive weapons, depriving them access to humanitarian assistance, causing conditions of life which are aimed at their physical destruction, … and using starvation as a weapon of war and to further Israel’s aims to depopulate Gaza through mass death and forced displacement of Palestinians.” Over 30 countries and regional blocs are supporting South Africa’s case at the ICJ.

Israelis Protest Outside Knesset to Call for Hostage Deal
Oct 29, 2024

In Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters rallied outside Israel’s Knesset on Monday to demand a Gaza ceasefire deal and an exchange of hostages. Israeli police arrested nine of the protesters as they nonviolently blocked a road near the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shraga Tichover: “It’s solidarity with the hostages. We want our prime minister to make a deal, to cut a deal. We want the war to stop. We want the stop of killing and everything. We want, you know, a sane country. That’s it. We want to live. I’m 55 years old. I have four kids. I’m doing this for my kids.”

1,000+ Writers Sign On to Israeli Boycott Pledge over Gaza Genocide, Occupation of Palestine
Oct 29, 2024

More than a thousand writers and publishing industry figures have signed on to what they’re calling the largest-ever cultural boycott against Israeli institutions. In an open letter, the authors denounce the ongoing genocide in Gaza, writing, “Israeli cultural institutions, often working directly with the state, have been crucial in obfuscating, disguising and artwashing the dispossession and oppression of millions of Palestinians for decades.”
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Tue Nov 19, 2024 11:30 pm

Israeli politician dragged out of Knesset for defying Netanyahu
by PoliticsJOE
Nov 19, 2024

Left coalition leader Ayman Odeh recounted a harrowing experience of a Palestinian father on the floor of the Knesset on Monday, and was dragged from the podium after levelling criticism against Benjamin Netanyahu's attacks on Gaza.



Transcript [Google translate Hebrew to English]

In Gaza there is
1738 and 5 babies your system killed Benjamin
Netanyahu what is your vision what is your vision
Tell me in 30 years you want a series of
Peace no no no stop by Binyamin Netanyahu I am
I want to tell you the story of Muhammad Abul Kosan
32 years old
From Gaza I got married two months before and after the war
Then Vino the journey
The chalk we moved from place to place starting from the north to
When we arrived at Der Balach on Shabbat Ha'er in August, I was born
Twins son and daughter of R. Yesel and this after surgery
My wife, a postman, was called to Arapi Simcha
Filled our hearts with the arrival of our first child
The excitement was indescribable that morning
Tuesday, August 1, I happily left for the hospital
I took out the birth certificate for my babies from
Glad I sent my wife photos from the birth
on WhatsApp but she didn't answer at the time I received it
A call from one of the neighbors who asked if I was okay, I answered
I'm fine and he told me the apartment you know
I was bombarded, my heart was pounding with fear and worry for fate
My family until I arrived at the reception desk of a house
The patients and some of the neighbors told me with trepidation that they were inside
jelly
The dead have not been 10 minutes since the certificate was set on fire
The birth and suddenly I issue them the death certificates
The
When in Gaza there is
1738 Ha babies your system killed
Babies under one year old in Gaza today
3555 Orphan babies, everyone's blood will be chased
You and you are fiercely frowning when you are away in Beit HaDan
Behg Beniman
Netanyahu, what is your vision, tell me
For 30 years you have been running for the no no no no no
Stop Stop Stop Red Red from the stand immediately red
From the stand immediately get off the stand
[music]
Immediately
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Sat Nov 23, 2024 12:41 am

An historical step towards ending Israel's impunity ! FRANCESCA ALBANESE reacts to ICC decision.
by Frank Barat
Nov 22, 2024

In this conversation, Frank Barat and Francesca Albanese discuss the recent arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu. They explore the implications of these warrants for international law, the reactions from various states, and the broader context of accountability for war crimes and genocide in Palestine. Albanese emphasises the historical significance of the ICC's decision and the ongoing challenges faced by Palestinians, while also addressing the responsibilities of member states in enforcing these warrants.

Audio podcast here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show...

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context of the ICC Arrest Warrants
02:05 Significance of the ICC's Decision
04:45 Legal Obligations of Member States
06:57 Potential for Broader Accountability
10:59 Implications of Ongoing Violence
17:42 Understanding Genocide as Colonial Erasure



Transcript

Introduction and Context of the ICC Arrest Warrants
0:01
hi Franchesca hi
0:04
Frank um it's it's really great to to
0:06
have you on today I know how busy you
0:08
are so it's much much
0:11
appreciated thank you thank you very
0:13
much it's always a pleasure to be with
0:15
you I I wanted to talk to you obviously
0:18
about the international criminal court
0:21
coming back after months and months with
0:24
ARs warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu
0:29
yav galand
0:30
and Muhammad de um Hamas leader Israel
0:35
said you they killed Muhammad de in
0:38
August so we're not sure if he's alive
0:40
or not but obviously I'm going to focus
0:42
more about what it means in regards to
0:44
Netanyahu and Gallant I'll give a brief
0:47
background so on May 21st Karim K the
0:51
pro prosecutor of the international
0:53
criminal court asked the court to issue
0:56
arrest warrants against Netanyahu Galant
0:58
Han Di and sinir Han was assassinated in
1:02
Iran sinir died in Gaza recently and
1:06
again we're not sure if Dave is is alive
1:09
or not following Karim can um you know
1:14
demand in may we know the court and some
1:18
judges were put under huge pressure by
1:20
various actors actually one of the judge
1:24
the Romanian judge had to leave the
1:25
court this is very unusual then in
1:28
August Kim Khan asked the court for an
1:30
Urgent Response to his request because
1:33
between May and August we didn't hear
1:34
anything from the court and then finally
1:37
yesterday and to be honest I didn't
1:40
expect this anymore I was like this is
1:41
over I'm not sure what's going to happen
1:43
with the IC you know international law
1:45
is dead International Justice is dead
1:47
but yesterday for me out of the blue we
1:50
get the news the IC comes back with the
1:53
RS warrants against Natan gallant and
1:56
Dave how did you react to the news and
2:01
why is it important in your opinion yeah
Significance of the ICC's Decision
2:05
I have to say that I I share your
2:08
feelings I mean like many I've been
2:11
disheartened by the delay uh because
2:16
uh Israel has consistently evaded
2:20
accountability for decades and the
2:23
pressure that has been excerted on the
2:26
international justice system and
2:28
particularly the uh ICC has led many
2:32
including myself to think that this
2:36
yesterday decision would never see the
2:40
uh the light of the day so I reacted
2:43
yeah with a moment of I I felt elated
2:47
there was a moment
2:49
of yeah Joy satisfaction thinking of
2:52
what accountability means although the
2:55
problems on the ground are many and I
2:58
don't think that this step in particular
3:02
in particular although necessary is
3:04
going to make the life of the
3:06
Palestinians in Gaza any better in the
3:08
in the in the immediate short term I
3:11
mean in the last 24 hours the the
3:14
attacks on the population of
3:16
Gaza have intensified but the this
3:20
decision represents an historical and
3:23
overdue step toward dismantling the
3:25
decades long impunity enjoyed by by
3:29
Israel and it's a I mean it's a moment
3:32
that signals a pivotal turning point in
3:35
the global pursuit of Justice holding
3:37
Israel leaders accountable and also the
3:41
state apparatus that has allowed Decades
3:44
of impunity and including what I for me
3:47
it's without the without any doubt a
3:50
genocide so it is the opportunity to H
3:53
to hold that status apparatus
3:55
accountable for orchestrating and perpet
3:58
perpetuating
4:00
the gravest international
4:04
crimes so so what happens what happens
4:07
now you know as you know following a
4:09
year of genocide with very little um you
4:12
know um action you know to con to
4:15
actually condemn Israel uh I mean
4:18
condemning Israel has happened but very
4:19
little concrete action to stop the
4:21
genocide a lot of people including
4:23
myself I've lost trust in international
4:26
Justice and international law
4:28
international Humanity militarian law
4:31
but um it's different with the IC right
4:34
it's it's a binding decision what does
4:36
it mean now for the
4:38
124 states that are signatory to the ICC
4:42
and the Rome statute do they have a
4:44
binding obligation to act yes well let
Legal Obligations of Member States
4:47
me say that when we talk
4:49
about uh the right of self-determination
4:52
of the Palestinians that has been
4:53
crucially reaffirmed by the
4:55
international court of justice this year
4:57
ordering the immediate I mean as rapidly
5:00
as possible uh the dismantlement of the
5:02
occupation the dismantlement of the
5:05
military apparatus in the West Bank the
5:07
Gaza Strip and Jerusalem the
5:09
dismantlement of the settlements the end
5:11
of the uh control of Israel Over
5:14
Palestinian national sorry natural
5:18
resources um this is all binding because
5:20
it's premised upon uh erga omness
5:23
obligations of member states so there is
5:25
a critical element of law of State
5:28
responsibility uh that has been violated
5:30
but also the provisional measures
5:32
ordered by the international court of
5:34
justice this year in the genocide case
5:37
initiated by South Africa they are
5:39
binding so but you're right these adds
5:42
something more because it uh imposes an
5:47
obligation on all member states party to
5:51
the Rome statute to
5:54
arrest uh the the the the IND indicted
5:58
uh the the identified
6:00
um responsible so the two Israeli
6:04
leaders and one Hamas leader this is a
6:07
crucial step toward ending Decades of
6:09
suffering and ensuring the
6:10
accountability particularly this is a
6:13
test for the Western world because I I
6:16
would disagree with you it's not that
6:18
all member states have done very little
6:21
member states in the global South have
6:23
done more than any anyone else including
6:27
incl I mean particularly South Africa
6:29
but this is a test for the Western World
6:32
particularly the the states parties to
6:35
the Rome status state to demonstrate
6:37
their commitment to International
6:40
Justice uh to international law and here
6:43
as I've often said the system is at a
6:46
Breaking Point either it is strengthened
6:49
by accountability and respect for
6:51
fundamental principles of international
6:53
law or it will
Potential for Broader Accountability
6:57
break so in concrete terms let's say um
7:01
if Netanyahu or Galant or Mohammed Dave
7:05
um travels tomorrow to
7:07
Spain what are the Spanish
7:10
authorities obligated to do yes uh to
7:16
arrest to arrest them to arrest them and
7:19
make sure they are transferred to the he
7:22
so for the trial to start so look the
7:26
laws the international laws that have
7:28
been uh uh breached are very clear and
7:32
the evidence of crimes and violations is
7:36
overwhelming beyond what has been used
7:40
relied upon within the realm and the
7:43
confines of the current investigation
7:45
initiated by the the office of the
7:48
prosecutor but we know that the IC has
7:51
no power power to enforce the arrest
7:54
warrants on its own so the power rests
7:57
with the governments of the world so yes
8:00
there is an obligation to arrest and
8:03
it's very interesting the reaction that
8:05
has been registered by member states
8:08
it's a clear black and white there are
8:10
member states who have who have uh said
8:14
that they would they would comply with
8:16
the ICC uh with the ICC arrest warrants
8:21
which is totally obvious to me there are
8:23
member states who have uh who
8:28
have like
8:30
really asserted unable
8:33
unable um that who have made untenable
8:37
arguments um accusing the court of being
8:40
anti-semitic accusing the court of
8:42
having made a comparison between Israeli
8:46
leaders and terrorists so again these
8:48
denotes the immense bias that rests with
8:52
this with this countries but again I
8:54
want to stress that governments are
8:56
morally and legally obliged to to ensure
9:00
that um war criminals do not go
9:02
unpunished and let me say there is
9:04
another there is a flip side of it what
9:07
the international criminal court does is
9:10
operating delivering Justice over
9:12
International crimes on the basis of
9:14
complimentarity this doesn't absolve
9:17
member states from their uh
9:19
responsibility to investigate and
9:22
prosecute International crimes uh
9:25
including the crime of genocide there
9:28
therefore I do expect that member states
9:31
initiate their own investigations over
9:34
war crimes crimes against humanity and
9:36
the crime of including the crime of
9:38
apartheid and the crime of genocide that
9:41
has been committed that have been
9:42
committed in the occupied Palestinian
9:45
territory and there is an even more
9:47
stringent responsibility because a
9:50
number of um people allegedly
9:54
responsible apparently involved in these
9:57
crimes have double nationalities a
9:59
number of them have nationality from the
10:02
UK France Belgium Italy even Arab
10:06
countries I discovered Australia Canada
10:09
the US so it's an even greater
10:12
responsibility that these states have
10:15
toward Justice ensuring that their
10:18
citizens have are are brought to Justice
10:21
if they have committed uh or they are
10:23
suspected of having committed
10:26
crimes I I wanted to ask you about this
10:28
actually um is it the beginning of the
10:31
inway investigation or or the end what I
10:35
mean by that is could the IC now come
10:39
with more arrest warrants for example I
10:41
mean your recent report um genocide as
10:45
Colonial eraser focused a lot as well
10:48
about on what's happening in the West
10:49
Bank so could the IC come back with
10:52
arrest warrants for settlers and for
10:55
others or for other sort of senior
10:58
officials yeah I I think that there is
Implications of Ongoing Violence
11:00
no doubt that this is the beginning of
11:03
uh a potentially much broader uh
11:07
accountability process for a number of
11:09
reasons first of all because this is
11:11
what the office of the prosecutor and
11:13
through the prosecutor himself uh
11:17
declared months ago when the arrest
11:20
warrants were
11:21
demanded um and um and this leaves a
11:25
room to further arrest warrants but also
11:29
further crimes I was um initially not
11:33
disappointed but surprised by the narrow
11:36
scope of the investigation initiated by
11:40
the office of the prosecutor because he
11:43
has only looked at what has happened in
11:46
the occupied Palestinian territory Gaza
11:48
in particular um after October 7 but
11:52
what about what has happened before
11:54
which amounts
11:56
to war crimes and crimes against
11:58
humanity so these for sure it should be
12:01
broaden but also I think there there are
12:03
questions about the the crimes that um
12:07
the current arrest warrants have been
12:10
issued for because there is the uh the
12:13
crime of starvation of civilians as a
12:17
method of warfare um and as a war crime
12:21
the crime of extermination has not been
12:25
uh has not been identified doesn't
12:28
appear in the arrest warrants so does it
12:32
mean that the court is not looking into
12:35
a into extermination as someone has uh
12:38
has claimed I don't think so because my
12:41
understanding is that the office of the
12:44
prosecutor linked extermination
12:46
primarily to starvation and the lack of
12:48
humanitarian aid but in fact in my view
12:51
and there the evidence of the
12:54
extermination is still limited because
12:56
back then within the cutting date of the
12:59
investigation uh which is May this year
13:02
uh only 40 only 46 people had been
13:06
reported uh having died because of
13:08
starvation but there is extermination
13:11
and the numbers are shocking we are
13:14
talking of almost
13:16
45,000 people are certained uh killed
13:20
primarily by bombing a sniper fire
13:23
including 177,000 children so the the
13:26
crime of Investigation is still uh to be
13:29
investigated and prosecuted Again by
13:32
connect connected to another sort of
13:35
evidence not linked to starvation per
13:38
se and I've read the the press release
13:41
that the court issued um yesterday Court
13:44
said that um they have really strong you
13:48
know they strongly believe that these
13:49
crimes are continuing right now and also
13:53
I think they've mentioned something very
13:54
important they've mentioned the
13:56
intentional targeting of the civilian
13:59
population because we've heard over and
14:01
over and over again from the Israeli
14:03
press office from the Israeli Prime
14:05
Minister from the US from the lot of
14:08
people in the mainstream media yes a lot
14:11
of civilians have died but poor them
14:13
it's collateral damage but now the court
14:15
is saying it's
14:17
intentional this is something very
14:19
serious right absolutely there are so
14:22
many elements that I was surprised to
14:25
see in the arrest warrants and I would
14:28
like to return part particularly to uh
14:31
to a couple of them uh but definitely
14:34
the there is a without saying that there
14:38
is a the the the acknowledgment of what
14:44
I have denounced like um as humanitarian
14:47
camouflage the fact that Israel uh has
14:50
used concept of international
14:53
humanitarian law which if observed would
14:57
have prevented the
14:59
these numbers of people killed for
15:02
example Israel has has not denied the
15:06
the the the numbers of people killed
15:08
yeah we might have complained at times
15:11
that they were inflated but because now
15:14
they have beened and verified with
15:17
identity um name family name identity
15:20
numbers associated with them it's it's
15:23
it cannot be denied however Israel has
15:25
Justified this killings as saying
15:28
blaming Hamas saying that Hamas was
15:31
hiding uh and using the
15:34
population of Gaza as human Shields this
15:37
has not been proved I'm not saying that
15:39
this didn't happen but then not only
15:41
there is no evidence that Hamas has not
15:43
used Palestinians as human Shields as a
15:46
method of War there is evidence that
15:48
Israel has used Palestinians as human
15:51
Shields also um we cannot interpret
15:55
international law does not allowed to
15:58
interpret Shield as a blanket argument
16:01
to obscure the fact the fact that Urban
16:04
Gua
16:06
um
16:07
Warfare implies the moving of um
16:11
combatants in uh in a he in a heavily
16:14
populated areas which implies more
16:16
precautions to be taken by the
16:19
belligerant parties another element is
16:21
collateral damage this is a an affront
16:25
to the meaning the pure meaning of
16:27
principles of distinct iction precaution
16:30
proportionality in the military conduct
16:33
and also the way Israel has used the
16:35
concept of evacuation zones sorry
16:38
evacuation orders and safe zones we know
16:41
that evacuation orders are that have
16:43
been issued are not in compliance with
16:46
international law because it they have
16:48
failed the principle of Distinction and
16:50
the principle of military necessity but
16:52
also what were the precautions taken how
16:54
the safety of the forcibly displaced
16:57
Palestinians not evacuated from possibly
16:59
displac Palestinians were met where were
17:01
the the shelters where was the
17:04
humanitarian Aid the food the Medical
17:06
Aid afforded to these people and Al also
17:10
the the safe zones have been bombed
17:13
there are people who have been burned
17:14
alive intense so look it's it's
17:17
untenable and I'm so glad the court
17:19
picked on this the first question is are
17:22
you worried that Israel will actually
17:23
react even more feroc you know
17:26
ferociously in in Gaza and the second
17:29
part is why did you think it was
17:31
important to write this report genocide
17:33
as Colonial eraser so first of all this
17:36
is the second report I write on the
17:38
topic of genocide h a report that I it
Understanding Genocide as Colonial Erasure
17:42
was clearly not in my mind as I started
17:47
and as I travel through the first year
17:49
and a half of my mandate as a special
17:52
report so when I uh wrote anatomy of a
17:57
genocide uh highlighting that there were
18:00
uh reasonable grounds to believe that
18:02
Israel had committed acts of genocide
18:04
and had used international humanitarian
18:06
law in fact as a camouflage uh for its
18:09
crimes and its its conduct um I thought
18:14
that this would contribute on the one
18:16
hand to the work of the of the Court
18:18
which somewhat it did somewhat it did
18:21
because the the South African legal team
18:23
has used some of the argument I made but
18:25
also I would have expected a greater
18:27
response uh uh from member states
18:30
greater pressure particularly because
18:31
there is an obligation that the court
18:33
has mentioned for member states not to
18:37
transfer weapons to a state that might
18:39
be committing atrocities and this was uh
18:42
uh established in the Nicaragua versus
18:46
Germany case

Francesca Albanese: so after the release of my
18:50
report in fact anatomy of genocide I've
18:52
noticed and this is an this links to the
18:55
first question you were asking I've
18:57
noticed that at
18:59
legal development at the international
19:01
Justice level there has been a sort
19:05
of apparent
19:07
Vengeance uh against the Gaza Strip
19:11
certain massacres have occurred in the
19:13
immediate after math of the of the icj
19:18
provisional measures or uh the ICC
19:21
arrest warrants and same yesterday as I
19:24
said I I still need to go through the
19:26
entire evidence that comes out out of
19:29
that but in the past 24 hours I have
19:31
received notice of nine massacres that
19:34
have been carried out so I'm really
19:36
scared of the impact that this important
19:39
development might have on the people of
19:41
Gaza
but going to my my report why did I
19:44
write a second report because genocide
19:47
was continuing and genocide was
19:49
continuing as a as as part of a of a
19:53
long trajectory over Erasure of the
19:55
Palestinian people especially in the
19:57
past six months the elements of
20:00
Vengeance and the rasure have
20:02
intensified for example the discourse of
20:05
pal the discourse of Israeli leaders
20:08
wanting to resettle Gaza starting from
20:12
the northern uh Gaza uh which is matched
20:16
by the evidence on the ground and the
20:18
recent statements of the military that
20:20
they will not allow the population uh
20:23
forcibly displaced from northern Gaza to
20:25
return the fact that the settlers have
20:28
visited several times Northern Gaza and
20:30
even made plans to how to rebuild the
20:33
settlements The Continuous call for
20:36
forceable transfer and ethnic cleansing
20:39
of the entire occupied Palestinian
20:41
territory The Continuous land grab in
20:44
the West Bank so I took a step back from
20:47
all these and I said what is the plan
20:50
here because the genocidal intent is
20:53
pretty clear but it needs to be
20:55
understood Beyond any reasonable ground
20:58
and this is why I refer to Greater
21:00
Israel greater Israel has been pursued
21:04
since the very foundation of the state
21:06
of Israel and since the very beginning
21:08
of the occupation of what remained of
21:11
historical Palestine I understand that
21:14
there was opposition to this within
21:15
Israel among many including many in the
21:18
military system nonetheless the facts on
21:21
the ground reveal that this plan has
21:24
continued today 60% of the Gaza Strip is
21:28
completely under Israel's control the
21:30
this Jerusalem is completely annexed
21:33
which is a crime and Gaza is happening
21:36
so I think that in line with what has
21:39
happened in other uh cases um genocide
21:44
is a especially settler Colonial
21:47
genocides this genocide has happened as
21:49
a as a means to an end as a means to
21:53
advance Israel's settler Colonial plan
21:56
and so the intent is clear and shouldn't
21:59
be confused with the motives Frank I
22:01
mean I know that Israeli leaders have
22:03
said we are here to eradicate AAS
22:06
whatever it means we are here to um
22:09
Liberate the hostages and simply defeat
22:11
a mass this is not matched by the
22:13
reality on the ground and this might be
22:15
motives but it it doesn't nothing of
22:17
this um disprove the main intent meaning
22:22
the determination of Erasure and
22:24
Destructor which has been said
22:26
predicated and enacted upon so it's a
22:30
it's a long it's the it's a escalation
22:32
of a steady violence against the
22:35
Palestinians which has been over
22:38
especially 57 years of occupation Fast
22:40
Pace low Pace at different times of
22:43
history but again we cannot miss the
22:46
forest for the
22:50
trees thank you
22:52
Francesca um you know gra for for you
22:56
know it's it's was very important to um
22:59
to highlight you know the you know way
23:02
what's happening at the IC but I think
23:04
it's crucial as You' just said you know
23:07
and did to put it in you know to put it
23:10
Israel's action in the broader context
23:13
um of the anyway of the great Israel
23:15
project so um so again thank you uh
23:19
thank you Franchesca thank you very much
23:21
Frank
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Thu Nov 28, 2024 1:24 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 30, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/30/headlines

WFP Calls for Urgent Action to Prevent Famine as Israeli Siege on Gaza Continues
Oct 30, 2024

The World Food Programme is calling for immediate action to prevent famine in the Gaza Strip, warning Palestinians across the besieged territory are losing hope of finding any food for their starving children. The aid agency said Tuesday it has nearly 100,000 tons of food ready for shipment from Egypt and Jordan — enough to feed a million Palestinians for four months — but that Israel has largely denied access to convoys. The situation is most dire in northern Gaza, where the Israeli army has blocked all aid access for a 25th consecutive day. This comes amid dire warnings from aid organizations over Israel’s decision to ban the U.N. relief agency UNRWA. On Tuesday, the U.N. humanitarian office called the policy “collective punishment” — a war crime — while UNICEF spokesperson James Elder warned of a complete collapse of Gaza’s humanitarian system.

James Elder: “You take away the healthcare workers, you take away the nutritional support, you take away the people who will provide the lifesaving supplies for a population that is physically, physically, absolutely on death’s door — and psychologically, of course, in uncharted territory — you take away these healthcare workers, you take away the nutritionists, then we will see many more children die.”

On Tuesday, Israel’s military once again bombed residential buildings in Beit Lahia, killing at least 19 Palestinians just hours after a separate attack killed at least 93 people, including 25 children. Beit Lahia has been declared a “disaster area” amid weeks of relentless Israeli bombings and military siege.

Meanwhile, a new report by the research group Forensic Architecture finds Israel is systematically committing crimes of persecution and destruction in Gaza, amounting to genocide. The group found Israel has destroyed over 83% of all plant life in Gaza, over 70% of agricultural land, nearly half of all groundwater wells and two-thirds of water tanks. Of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, Israel has forced 35 to stop service at least once, targeted 31 in bombings and attacks, and violently invaded 10 hospitals.

Israeli Military Orders Entire Population of Baalbek to Flee or Face Bombs
Oct 30, 2024

In Lebanon, residents of the city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley rushed to flee their homes and businesses today after Israel’s military ordered them to leave the city and surrounding villages. The panicked forced displacement came after two days of stepped-up attacks by Israel killed at least 60 people in Baalbek. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 77 people across Lebanon. Among the dead are 10 people, mostly women and children, killed when Israel bombed a residential block in the town of Sarafand.

Palestinian Political Prisoner Marwan Barghouti Says He Was Assaulted by Israeli Guards

Oct 30, 2024
In the occupied West Bank, lawyers for Marwan Barghouti say the longtime Palestinian political prisoner was assaulted by Israeli guards as he was held in solitary confinement. The beating in early September reportedly left Barghouti with numerous injuries to his upper body and a bloody ear that later became infected due to medical neglect. Barghouthi’s lawyers say he was previously subjected to at least two other attacks by Israeli prison guards. Barghouti is the most high-profile Palestinian in Israeli detention, who many have described as the “Palestinian Nelson Mandela.”

Norway Seeks ICJ Opinion on Whether Israel’s UNRWA Ban Violates International Law
Oct 30, 2024

Diplomats from Norway said Tuesday they’re preparing a U.N. General Assembly resolution asking the International Court of Justice to rule on whether Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip violates international law. On Tuesday, U.S. envoy to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the U.N. Security Council that Israel must allow food, medicine and other supplies into all of Gaza.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield: “The United States has made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that one year into this conflict, Israel must address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, that the United States rejects any Israeli efforts to starve Palestinians in Jabaliya or anywhere else, and that Israel’s words must be matched by action on the ground.”

Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour called on Security Council members to match their words with action, saying, “Stop this genocide, or forever remain silent.”

Riyad Mansour: “The entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are at risk of imminent death, faced with the death penalty for refusing to leave their land.”
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Thu Nov 28, 2024 1:25 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 31, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/shows/2024/10/31

Israeli Attacks on Lebanon’s Baalbek Kill 19 as Prime Minister Mikati Hopes for Ceasefire Soon
Oct 31, 2024

Israeli forces killed at least 19 people after launching fresh attacks on Lebanon’s ancient city of Baalbek. The strikes on the UNESCO World Heritage city came just hours after tens of thousands of people fled the area after Israel issued forced evacuation orders.

Despite the mounting death toll, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says he hopes a ceasefire deal will be announced in the coming days as U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein arrives in Jerusalem today for more talks.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s new chief, Naim Qassem, said the group is prepared to keep fighting Israel but that it was open to a ceasefire deal. Qassem, who replaces assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, also addressed Israel’s war on Gaza.

Naim Qassem: “The people of Gaza have a right over us, and everyone must support them. They have a human right, an Arab right, an Islamic right, a religious right and a national right. We should not be asking why we supported them. Rather, others should be asked, 'Why didn't you support the people of Gaza?’”

Israel Is Committing War Crimes by Targeting Health Infrastructure, U.N. Peacekeepers in Lebanon
Oct 31, 2024

Human Rights Watch is calling on countries to suspend arms sales to Israel, accusing it of committing war crimes by attacking medical workers and healthcare facilities in Lebanon. As of last week, Israel killed over 160 health and rescue workers across Lebanon and damaged over 150 ambulances and 55 hospitals.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, says its forces are continuing to come under attack.

Andrea Tenenti: “Since the 1st of October, UNIFIL has recorded over 30 incidents resulting in damage to U.N. property or premises or injury to peacekeepers. About 20 of those, we could attribute to IDF fire or actions, with seven being clearly deliberate.”

Israel Attacks Kamal Adwan in North Gaza, Continues Deadly Strikes Across the Strip
Oct 31, 2024

Israeli forces in northern Gaza have carried out more attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital, injuring health workers and destroying already scarce medical supplies, water tanks, as well as a nearby water desalination station. In southern Gaza, loved ones grieved four relatives who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, including a child. This is a neighbor of the victims.

Ramez al-Qassas: “Exactly three days ago, the Israeli army declared this area a safe zone and classified it as a humanitarian zone. … We don’t know where to go. We stay in the safe area or return to the sea, or where to go? So we found that the safest place to take refuge is the sky.”

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers have carried out more raids, including on the Nur Shams refugee camp, where at least three Palestinians were killed.

State Dept. Largely Ignoring 500 Reports of U.S. Weapons Used to Kill or Injure Palestinians in Gaza
Oct 31, 2024

The Biden administration has received nearly 500 reports of Israel using U.S.-supplied weapons for attacks that killed and maimed civilians in the Gaza Strip, but it has failed to comply with its own policies requiring swift investigations of such claims. That’s according to The Washington Post, which reports some of the cases presented to the State Department likely amount to violations of U.S. and international law. State Department policy requires officials to complete an investigation and recommend action within two months of launching an inquiry. Despite that requirement, none of the hundreds of reports has generated an active response, and most cases remain open. Many claims are awaiting a response from the Israeli government, which the State Department consults to verify each case’s circumstances.

On Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller defended the delays, calling it “incredibly difficult” to determine whether U.S. weapons were being used by Israel to commit war crimes. Miller also criticized Israel for failing to facilitate food and other humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians in Gaza.

Matthew Miller: “The situation still remains not at a level that we find acceptable. And that’s not just about the level of aid that is making it to Gaza, but also the distribution inside Gaza. And we continue to see breakdowns in communication between Israeli forces and U.N. agencies.”

Despite the admission, the U.S. has not taken any action against Israel for blocking the distribution of aid.

***

“Genocide as Colonial Erasure”: U.N. Expert Francesca Albanese on Israel’s “Intent to Destroy” Gaza
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
October 31, 2024

We are joined by U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, who says Israel is committing genocide on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Facing accusations of antisemitism from Israeli and U.S. officials, Albanese is in New York to present her report, titled “Genocide as colonial erasure,” which finds that Israel’s genocide is founded on “ideological hatred” and “dehumanization” and “enabled through the various organs of the state,” and recommends that Israel be unseated from the United Nations over its conduct. She argues that Israel’s attacks on U.N. employees, including the killings of at least 230 U.N. staff in Gaza, its flagrant violations of U.N. resolutions and international law and the unique status of “the first settler-colonial genocide to be ever litigated before [an international] court” justify this unprecedented measure. Israel’s continued impunity, Albanese warns, “is the nail in the coffin of the U.N. Charter.”

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Israel’s deadly siege on northern Gaza has entered a 26th day. Earlier this week, the World Health Organization managed to deliver some medical supplies to the Kamal Adwan Hospital, but earlier today, Israeli fighter jets bombed the hospital’s third floor, where the supplies were being stored.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports Israeli forces are continuing to shell Beit Lahia, the scene of multiple massacres this week. On Wednesday, an Israeli attack on a market in Beit Lahia killed at least 10 Palestinians. Earlier in the week, Israel struck a five-story residential building, killing at least 93 people, including 25 children.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has released a major report accusing Israel of committing genocide. Albanese concludes that Israel’s war on Gaza is part of a campaign of, quote, “long-term intentional, systematic, State-organized forced displacement and replacement of the Palestinians,” end-quote. The report is titled “Genocide as colonial erasure.”

AMY GOODMAN: Francesca Albanese is now facing intensifying personal attacks from Israeli and U.S. officials. She was set to brief Congress earlier this week, but the briefing was canceled. On Tuesday, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield wrote on social media, quote, “As UN Special Rapporteur Albanese visits New York, I want to reiterate the U.S. belief she is unfit for her role. The United Nations should not tolerate antisemitism from a UN-affiliated official hired to promote human rights,” unquote. On Wednesday, Francesca Albanese spoke at the United Nations and responded to the U.S. attacks.

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: I have the same shock that you have, looking at how the United States is behaving in this context, in the context of the genocide that is unfolding in Gaza. I’m not — I’m not surprised that they attack anyone who speaks to the facts that are, frankly, on our watch in Gaza. And they do that so brutally because they feel called out, because it’s not that it’s that the United States is simply an observer. The United States is being an enabler in what Israel has been doing.

AMY GOODMAN: That was U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese speaking at the United Nations Wednesday. She joins us here in our studio.

Welcome back to Democracy Now! Thanks so much for joining us.

Well, before we get you to further respond to what the U.S. and Israel is saying, can you lay out the findings of your report?

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Absolutely. First of all, thank you for having me.

I have to say that this report is the second I write on — and I present to the United Nations on the topic of genocide. And it has been very reluctantly that I’ve taken on the responsibility to be the chronicler of — the chronicler of an unfolding genocide in Gaza. In March this year, I concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Israel had committed at least the three acts of genocide in Gaza, like killing members of the protected group, Palestinians, and inflicting severe bodily and mental harm, and creating conditions of life that would lead to the destruction of the group. And the reason why I identified these were not just war crimes and crimes against humanity is because I identified an intent to destroy. And I understand that even in this country, people are quite confused about what is genocidal intent, because it’s not a motive. One can have many motives to commit a crime. And I understand genocide is a very insidious one, and it’s difficult to identify what’s a motive. But this is not about the motives. The intent to commit genocide is the determination to destroy, which is fully evident in — especially in the Gaza Strip, as I identified in — as argued in March already.

The reason why I continue to write about genocide — and, in fact, this report walks on the heels of the previous one — is in order to better explain the intent, especially state intent, because there is another misunderstanding that there should be a trial of the alleged perpetrators in order to have — to attribute responsibility to a state. No, because not only you have had acts committed that should have been prevented by the — in a rule of law, in a proclaimed rule of law system like Israel, where there is the government, the parliament, the judiciary, working as checks and balances, genocide has not only been not prevented, has been enabled through the various organs of the state.

And I explain what has happened as of October 7, which has provided the opportunity to escalate violence, to build on the rage and on the fury of many Israelis, turning the soldiers into willful executioners, is that there was already a plan, hatred. I mean, the Palestinians, like Ilan Pappé says, are victims not of war, but of a political ideology that has been unleashed. Palestinians have always been an unwanted encumbrance in the Israeli mindset, because they are an obstacle both as an identity and as legal status to the realization of Greater Israel as a state for Jewish Israelis only.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, we’ll go back to — because I do want to ask about the Israeli state institutions that you name and the branches of the Israeli state that have been involved in forming this state’s intent. But if you could elaborate on the point that you make, the difference between intent and motive, and in particular what you say in the report about how it’s critical to determine genocidal intent, quote, “by way of inference”? You know, that’s a different phrasing than one has heard in all of this conversation about genocide so far. If you explain what you mean by that and what such a determination makes possible? So, rather than just looking at genocidal intent in other forms, what it means to infer genocidal intent?

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: So, first of all, what constitutes genocide is established by Article II of the Genocide Convention, which creates a twofold obligation for member states, to prevent genocide so genocide doesn’t have to complete itself. When there is a manifestation of intent, even genocidal intent, there is already an obligation to intervene, because a crime is unfolding.

And then there is an obligation to punish. How the jurisprudence, especially after Rwanda and after former Yugoslavia, there have been cases both for criminal proceedings, where individual perpetrators have been investigated and tried, and responsibility of the state, litigated before the International Court of Justice. This is how the jurisprudence on genocide has developed.

And the intent has been further elaborated upon what the Genocide Convention says. And while it might be difficult to have direct intent, meaning to have — it’s difficult but not impossible, in fact, to have a state official say, “Yes, let’s go and destroy everyone” — although I do believe that there is direct intent in this genocide in Gaza. But the court also established that genocide can be inferred from the scale of the attack on the people, the nature of the attack, the general conduct. And what it says is that normally there should be a holistic approach in order to identify intent, which is exactly what I’ve done.

And indeed, this is why I proposed in this report what I called the triple lens approach. We need to look at the conduct, like the totality of the conduct, instead of studying with a microscope each and every crime. We need to look at the whole, against the totality of the people, the Palestinians as such, in the totality of the land, that Israel has slated as its own by divine design.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: No, absolutely. And then, if you could — the other precedent you’ve just spoken about — of course, Rwanda and former Yugoslavia — another case that you cite in the International Court of Justice is The Gambia v. Myanmar. So, how is that comparable to what we see happening in Gaza? Why is that a relevant example and different from both Rwanda and former Yugoslavia?

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Let me tell you what I see as the major differences in the case of Israel, because it’s a very complex discussion. But in all four cases, there is a toxic combination of hatred, ideological hatred, which has informed political doctrines. And this is true in all the various contexts we are mentioning. The other common element is that there is combination of crimes. Like, forced displacement is not an act of genocide per se, but the jurisprudence says that it can contribute to corroborate the intent. But the, again, mass killing or mass destruction of property, torture and other crimes against a person, which translate into an infliction of physical and mental harm to the group, not individuals as such, but individuals as part of the group, these are common elements to all genocides.

What I find characteristic in this one is, first of all, this is not — I mean, the state of Israel is not Myanmar and is not Rwanda 30 years ago. This is not war-torn former Yugoslavia. This is a state which has a separation of powers, different organs, as I said, checks and balances. And let me give you a specific example, because you asked me to comment on the state functions. In January this year, the International Court of Justice issued a set of preliminary measures in the context of its identification, before even looking at the merits of the case initiated by South Africa for Israel’s breach, alleged breach, of the Genocide Convention, which identified the plausibility of risk for the rights protected — of the rights of the Palestinians protected under the Genocide Convention, which means plausibility — it’s semantics, but it’s plausibility that genocide might be committed against the Palestinians in Gaza. And the provisional measures included an obligation to investigate and prosecute the various cases of incitement, genocidal incitement, that the court had already identified. And it mentions leaders, senior leaders, of the Israeli state. Has there been any investigation? Has there been any prosecution?

But I’m telling you more. The genocidal statements didn’t resonate as shocking in the Israeli public, not only because there was rage, an enormous rage and animosity, of course. I mean, this is understandable, that the facts of October 7 were brutal and traumatized the people. But at the same time, hatred against the Palestinians and hate speech, it’s not something that started on October 7. I do remember, and I do remember the shock I felt because no one was reacting, and years ago, there were Israeli ministers talking of — freely, of killing, justifying the killing of Palestinians’ mothers and children because they would turn into terrorists.

AMY GOODMAN: Francesca Albanese, talk about the title of your report, “Genocide as colonial erasure.”

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: This is another element which I think — and, in fact, it’s the most important, where we see the difference between this genocide and others, because there is a settler-colonial component. And again, if you look at what the International Court of Justice in July this year concluded, when it decided that the — when it found that Israel’s 57 years of occupation in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is unlawful and needs to be withdrawn totally and unconditionally, as rapidly as possibly, which the General Assembly says before — by September 2025. The court said that it amounts to — that the colonies amount to — have led to a process of annexation and racial segregation and apartheid. And these are the features of settler colonialism, the taking of the land, the taking of the resources, displacing the local population and replacing it. This has been a feature.

Now, it is in this context that we need to analyze what is happening today. And by the way, don’t believe, don’t listen only to Francesca Albanese. Listen to what these Israeli leaders and ministers are saying — reoccupying Gaza, retaking Gaza, recolonizing Gaza, reconquesting Gaza. This is what they are saying. And there are settlers on expeditions, not only to Gaza but also to Lebanon. So, this is why I say that the main difference, the main feature of this genocide, apart all the horrible aspects of it, is that this is the first settler-colonial genocide to be ever litigated before a court, an international court.

And this is why coming to this country, which is a country birthed from a genocide, when I meet the Native Americans, for example, I feel the pain of these people. And I say if we manage to build on the intersectionality of Indigenous struggle, the cry for justice behind this case for Palestine will resonate even louder, because it will somewhat be an act of atonement from the settler-colonial endeavor, which has sprouted out of Europe, toward Indigenous peoples. So there is a lot of symbolism behind it.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, you know, the analogy — first of all, you talked about the case brought by South Africa, so what they share, apart from South Africa and Israel-Palestine, is both the fact that they were colonial-settler states, as well as the fact that apartheid has been established as having occurred in both places. Now, in the case of South Africa, it was a decision that was taken by the United Nations at the time of apartheid, was unseating South Africa from the General Assembly. There have been calls now to do the same with Israel. So, if you could — if you could comment on that? And then, I just want to quote another short sentence from your report, in which you say, “As the world watches the first live-streamed settler-colonial genocide, only justice can heal the wounds that political expedience has allowed to fester.” So, if you could talk about the International Criminal — Court of Justice’s case in that context, what role you think they can play, South Africa’s case, in resolving or addressing — seeing and addressing this wound?

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: First of all, let me unpack the question of the unseating Israel, because this is one of the recommendations I made in my report. Under Article 6 of the U.N. Charter, a member state can be suspended of its credentials or its membership by the General Assembly upon recommendation of the U.N. Security Council. And the first criticism I got is that we cannot do that, because every states commit international law violations. Absolutely. Absolutely.

But there are two striking features here. First, Israel is quite unique in maintaining an unlawful occupation, which has deemed such by — in at least one full occasion, but again, there was already a case brought before the ICJ in 2004, so there have been two ICJ advisory opinion. There is a pending case for genocide. There has been the violations of hundreds of resolutions by the — on Israel, over occupied Palestinian territory, by the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and steady violation of international humanitarian law, human rights law, the Apartheid Convention, the Genocide Convention. So this is quite unique.

But all the more, this year alone, Israel has conducted an attack, an unprecedented attack, against the United Nations. It has attacked physically, through artillery, weapons, bombs, U.N. premises. Seventy percent of UNRWA offices and UNRWA buildings, clinics, distribution centers have been hit and shelled by the Israeli army. Two hundred thirty U.N. staff members have been killed by Israel in Gaza alone. U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon have been attacked. And this doesn’t even take into account the smear, the defamation against senior U.N. officials, the declaration of the secretary-general as persona non grata, the referring to the General Assembly as a cloak of antisemites.

Again, this has mounted to a level — the hubris against the United Nations and international law has been unchecked and unbounded forever, but now, especially after the Knesset passed a law outlawing UNRWA, declaring UNRWA a terrorist organization, and therefore disabling it from its capacity to deliver aid and assistance especially in Gaza and the West Bank and East Jerusalem, this is the nail in the coffin of the U.N. Charter. And it can also contribute to that sense of colonial erasure, because here it’s not just at stake the function of a U.N. body — and UNRWA is a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, so it’s even more serious. But there is the capacity of UNRWA to deliver humanitarian aid in a desperate situation, and also the fact that UNRWA is seen by Israel as the symbol of Palestinian identity, especially the Palestinian refugees. So there is an attempt to erase Palestinianness, including by hitting UNRWA.

AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you about your trip here, as we begin to wrap up. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield quoted on — tweeted on Tuesday, “As UN Special Rapporteur Albanese visits New York, I want to reiterate the U.S. belief she is unfit for her role. The United Nations should not tolerate antisemitism from a UN-affiliated official hired to promote human rights.” If you can further address their charge of antisemitism against you?

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yeah.

AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what happened. You were supposed to come to Congress and speak and brief them, but that was canceled this week.

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yes, it was canceled. But let me — first of all, I’m very embarrassed to read this, because a senior U.S. official who writes this, I mean, it shows a little bit of desperation. I’m sorry, but, you know, I’m very candid. And let me unpack my antisemitism for the audience. So, what I’ve been accused — the reason why I’ve been accused of antisemitism is because I’ve allegedly compared the Jews to the Nazis. Never done. Never done. What I’ve said, what I’ve done is saying, and I keep on saying, that history is repeating itself. I’ve never done such a comparison where I draw the parallel. It’s on the behavior of member states who have the legal and moral obligation to prevent atrocities, including an unfolding genocide. In the past, they have done nothing — nothing — until the end of the Second World War, to prevent the genocide of the Jews and the Roma and Sinti. And they’ve done nothing to prevent the genocide of the Bosnians. And they’ve done nothing to prevent the genocide of the Rwandans. And they are doing the same today. This is where I insist that now, compared to when there was the Holocaust, now we have a human rights framework that should prevent this. The Genocide Convention to prevent this. So, this is one of the points.

The second point, because — which leads to portray me as an antisemite, which is really offensive, is that I’ve said that the October 7 was not — I’ve contested, I’ve challenged the argument that October 7 was an antisemitic attack. October 7 was a crime, was heinous. And again, I’ve condemned the acts that were directed against the Israeli civilians, and expressed solidarity with the victims, with the families. I’ve been in contact with the families of the hostages. But I’ve also said the hatred that led that attack, that prompted that attack, to the extent it hit civilians, not the military, but it was prompted not by the fact that the Israelis are Jews, but the fact that the Israelis — I mean, the Israelis are part of that endeavor that has kept the Palestinians in a cage for 17 years and, before, under martial law for 37 years. And Palestinians have tried — it’s true they have used violence, but before violence, they have tried dialogue. They have tried collaboration. They have tried a number of means, access to justice, and they have gone nowhere.

I can — I mean, let me relate just this case, because last year I worked with children. And someone who was 17 before — 17 years old before October 7 last year had never set foot out of Gaza. This is the reality. And I spoke with children while I was writing my report on unchilding, the experience of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. And one of them — I mean, there were these two girls fighting, because one of them had been able to go to Israel and the West Bank because she had cancer and could be treated, and the other was jealous, because, she said, “At least she was sick, and she could go, she could travel. I’ve never seen the mountains.”

And again, this doesn’t justify violence, but, please, please, put things in context. And even Israeli scholars have said claiming that October 7 was prompted by antisemitism is a way to decontextualize history and to deresponsibilize Israel. I condemn Israel not because it’s a Jewish state. It’s not about that, but because it’s in breach of international law through and through. And were the majority of Israelis Buddhists, Christians, atheists, it would be the same. I would be as vocal as I am now.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Francesca, just one last question, and we only have a minute. Your recent book, J’Accuse, you take the title, of course, from the letter Émile Zola wrote during the Dreyfus Affair to the French president. You came under severe criticism for the choice of that title. Could you explain why you chose it and what it means in this context?

FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Absolutely. I have the sense that whatever I say comes under scrutiny and criticism. But J’Accuse is — first of all, it’s the title that was proposed by the editor, the publisher. And I was against it until October 7. When I saw the narrative, the dehumanization of the Palestinians after October 7, and what it was legitimized, I said, “This is the title. We need to use it,” because I draw the parallel between what is happening to the Palestinians and what has happened to other groups, particularly the Jewish people in Europe. I say the Holocaust was not just about the concentration camps. The Holocaust was a culmination of centuries of discrimination, and the previous decades had led the Jewish people in Europe to be kicked out of jobs, professions, to be treated like subhumans, as animals. And it’s this dehumanization that we need to look at in the face today, in the eyes today, and recognize as leading to atrocity crimes.

AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you for being with us, Francesca Albanese, U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory.
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Thu Nov 28, 2024 2:02 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
November 1, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/1/headlines

At Least 95 Palestinians Are Killed in One Day as Israel Intensifies Attacks on Northern Gaza
Nov 01, 2024

In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 95 Palestinians since Thursday morning as Israel intensifies its attacks on Deir al-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp in northern Gaza. The Associated Press has revealed a shocking story about a Palestinian ambulance worker who was transporting a corpse wrapped in a bloody sheet. Once he arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, he learned the body was of his own mother who had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders has confirmed one of its own orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Mohammed Obeid, has been detained by Israeli forces along with other medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital.

Israeli Forces Detain, Beat and Brand Palestinians After Deadly West Bank Raid
Nov 01, 2024

In the occupied West Bank, the death toll from an Israeli raid on the Nur Shams refugee camp has risen to at least five. Israeli troops destroyed roads, water infrastructure and a health clinic run by UNRWA, the U.N. refugee organization. UNRWA said their office was a hub to deliver services to 14,000 Palestinian refugees in the camp. Israeli forces also reportedly detained and beat a number of Palestinians during the deadly raid. One Palestinian named Usama Shaheen said Israeli troops wrote numbers on the forehead of each prisoner.

Usama Shaheen: “At the time of dawn prayers exactly, they raided the house. They broke down the door and damaged everything in the house. Nothing was left in the house. I was beaten from the moment I left the house to when we went to Majnoune. They brought me back here. All sorts of beatings, all sorts of beatings, on my chest, on my head. It was severe. … Each one got a number on his forehead. And in the army jeep, everyone there hits you. Everyone hits you. Most of the beating is to the head, mostly to the head.”

Israel’s Assault on Lebanon Destroys or Damages One-Quarter of All Buildings Near Border
Nov 01, 2024

The Washington Post is reporting Israel’s bombing campaign in southern Lebanon has now damaged or destroyed nearly 5,900 buildings near the Israeli border. That’s about 25% of all buildings in the area. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported six medics were killed Thursday in Israel’s ongoing attacks. Israel bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut overnight, destroying dozens more buildings. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati blasted Israel over the latest attacks, saying it is a sign that Israel is rejecting efforts to secure a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Hezbollah responded with rocket attacks on northern Israel Thursday that killed seven people, including four agricultural workers from Thailand.

Peace Activists Celebrate as Barclays Sells Shares of Israeli Weapons Maker Elbit Systems
Nov 01, 2024

In Britain, pro-Palestinian activists have called off protests targeting Barclays after the banking giant revealed it had sold its shares in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company. The British group Palestine Action had organized over 50 direct action protests targeting Barclays over the past year.

Bill Clinton Sparks Outrage After Saying Israel Was “Forced” to Kill Civilians in Gaza
Nov 01, 2024

Donald Trump is heading to Dearborn, Michigan, today, the nation’s largest Arab-majority city, where many former Biden voters have vowed not to back Harris over her support for Israel’s war on Gaza. Harris has not yet campaigned in Dearborn.

Earlier this week, former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Harris in Michigan and sparked outcry after he said Israel was being “forced” to kill civilians in Gaza.

Bill Clinton: “Hamas makes sure that they’re shielded by civilians. They’ll force you to kill civilians if you want to defend yourself.”
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Thu Nov 28, 2024 2:09 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
November 4, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/4/headlines

Israel’s Genocidal Assault on Northern Gaza Continues as Israel Severs Ties with UNRWA
Nov 04, 2024

Top United Nations officials are warning again the “entire Palestinian population” in north Gaza is at “imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.” In a warning issued on Friday, the heads of 15 humanitarian organizations wrote, “The situation unfolding in North Gaza is apocalyptic. The area has been under siege for almost a month, denied basic aid and lifesaving supplies while bombardment and other attacks continue.”

According to UNICEF, Israeli attacks killed more than 50 children over a 48-hour period this weekend in the Jabaliya refugee camp. Earlier today, Israeli forces shelled the Kamal Adwan Hospital. The hospital’s director said multiple children were injured when the Israeli shells struck the pediatric ward and nursery. Israel is also accused of attacking a polio vaccination center in Gaza City, injuring at least four children.

On Friday, an Israeli airstrike killed Palestinian photojournalist Bilal Mohamed Rajab, bringing the death toll of journalists killed in Gaza to as high as 183 over the past 13 months.

Aid groups fear the humanitarian situation will soon worsen in Gaza as Israel has officially notified the U.N. that it has cut off ties to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestine refugees. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condemned Israel’s move.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “This ban will not make Israel safer. It will only deepen the suffering of the people of Gaza and increase the risk of disease outbreaks.”

Progressive Reps Warn U.S. Involvement in Middle East Unlawful as Pentagon Sends More Arms to Israel
Nov 04, 2024

On Friday, the Pentagon announced new deployments to the Middle East, including B-52 long-range bombers and ballistic missile defense destroyers. In a statement, the Pentagon said the move was done in part for the “defense of Israel.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, a group of progressive lawmakers led by Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush have sent President Biden a letter warning that the growing U.S. involvement in regional wars in the Middle East has not been authorized by Congress. The lawmakers wrote, “These destructive wars must end, as must any unauthorized U.S. involvement in them.”

“No Votes for Genocide”: Protesters in NYC Decry U.S. Support for Israel Ahead of Nov. 5
Nov 04, 2024

Here in New York City, protesters took to the streets Saturday to demand “No votes for Genocide.” Protesters decried both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for supporting Israel’s war on Gaza and refusing to back an arms embargo on Israel. Participants at the protest included Claudia de la Cruz, who is running for president on the Party for Socialism and Liberation ticket.

Claudia de la Cruz: “We are here to remind the capitalist state that there is an entire movement of hundreds of thousands of people all across this country that has been demanding a ceasefire, that has been demanding an arms embargo, that has been demanding an end to the expansion of genocide and war in the Middle East, and that we have not been heard. We have not been considered. And in that same way, we will engage in our political right not to engage with a two-party system that continuously insists on paying for and bombing babies across the Middle East.”

Meanwhile, in London, pro-Palestinian protesters held a symbolic “die-in” in front of the British prime minister’s office on Saturday.

***

Save the Children in Gaza: Israel Bombs Polio Vax Site, Bans UNRWA in Attacks on Humanitarian Aid
by Amy Goodman
Democracy Now!
November 04, 2024

As Israel continues to block lifesaving humanitarian aid from entering northern Gaza, humanitarian organizations are describing its siege as “apocalyptic” and warning of mass Palestinian starvation and death. “The situation is absolutely desperate,” says Rachael Cummings of the aid group Save the Children International. Cummings joins us from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where aid organizations have been halted from entering the north. She responds to news of Israel’s bombing of a polio vaccination center in an area that had been marked for an official humanitarian pause, and the Knesset’s vote to ban the U.N. relief agency UNRWA.

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

It was another deadly weekend in Gaza, where UNICEF reports more than 50 children were killed in Israeli strikes on the Jabaliya refugee camp in the span of 48 hours. Two residential buildings sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians were reportedly leveled in the attack. UNICEF is also demanding Israel launch an immediate investigation after a vehicle driven by one of its staff members came under fire by an Israeli quadcopter flying above Jabaliya this weekend.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said at least four children were injured after Israeli forces dropped a stun grenade on a polio immunization center in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan district. Israel’s attack came despite agreeing to a humanitarian pause in order to carry out the final phase of the polio immunization campaign, after it was postponed in October due to Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment, siege and repeated targeting of humanitarian aid workers.

This is a Palestinian mother of three speaking from Gaza City.

AZHAR AL-NAJJAR: [translated] I stayed here in northern Gaza, along with all my children, and came here to give my children the polio vaccine. They were supposed to get it a month ago, but due to the Israeli offensive and the siege, it was delayed a month. We hope it will protect the children against polio. … I call on the world to stop the genocide of northern Gaza, because we are literally dying. Those who do not die from bombardments are dying from hunger. The situation is catastrophic.

AMY GOODMAN: Some 15,000 children under the age of 10 in towns across northern Gaza, including Jabaliya, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, still remain inaccessible and will likely not receive this dose of the oral polio vaccine due to Israel’s attacks and blockade.

This all comes as 15 humanitarian groups are describing the situation in northern Gaza as “apocalyptic,” with top U.N. officials again warning the entire Palestinian population in north Gaza is, quote, “at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence,” unquote. The region has been under an Israeli siege for nearly a month while Israel continues to block lifesaving humanitarian aid from entering north Gaza. Aid groups fear the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza will soon worsen, as Israel has officially notified the U.N. that it’s cut off ties to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestine refugees.

We go directly to Deir al-Balah in Gaza, where we’re joined by Rachael Cummings, Save the Children International humanitarian director and team lead there in Gaza.

Rachael, can you describe what’s happening on the ground and what you’re calling for?

RACHAEL CUMMINGS: Hello, and thanks for the opportunity.

I mean, we are calling for a ceasefire, a definitive ceasefire. You know, children in Gaza are facing an extraordinary situation. You’ve described it extremely well in terms of the constant onslaught and bombardment of children in Gaza, in the north, in the middle area and in the south of Gaza, across the whole of the Gaza Strip. You know, we have over 14,000 children who have been killed. You referenced the 50 children who were killed most recently in an attack in a shelter in the north of Gaza. But this is a constant bombardment, and children are dying every single day. There is not enough food in Gaza. There is not enough water and clean water for people in Gaza. The situation is absolutely desperate.

AMY GOODMAN: And so, what exactly has to happen at this moment? Describe the level of aid you can get and the polio immunization programs being stopped because of the bombardment.

RACHAEL CUMMINGS: You know, the fact that the center that was providing the polio vaccines was attacked at this time is unfathomable. It’s extraordinary that that event has happened. And, of course, that will have a knock-on effect and an impact, not only the people that were impacted at that time, but then the faith and the trust for women and parents and family members take their children to health centers. They know it’s very important, obviously, for children to be vaccinated. But with the attacks on healthcare that are persistent, people will have lost faith and trust in the safety or the presumed safety of going to healthcare facilities to receive vaccines. So, the knock-on effects on that will be massive.

Now, what we need is improved access to humanitarian supplies, bring supplies in to Gaza, and then, of course, safe passage of those supplies and of our teams to be able to then reach the populations who are most in need. Every day, humanitarian workers, Save the Children, our staff, our partners and other humanitarian workers across the whole of Gaza are literally risking their lives to deliver lifesaving services to children and their families. This is an extraordinary and a very unique situation that we’re seeing in Gaza.

To be a child in Gaza — and I’m in Deir al-Balah at the moment, in the middle area of the Gaza Strip — it’s a miserable existence for children. They’re living under this constant fear. They’ve had no formal education for over 12 months now. So, that normality of life, that routine and education provides protection to children, not only for their physical health, but also for their mental health. We’re deeply, deeply concerned about the mental health of 1 million children in Gaza. Every single child in Gaza has been affected by this war.

AMY GOODMAN: And if you could comment more on the targeting of humanitarian aid workers and Israel now officially notifying the U.N. it’s cut off ties with UNRWA? How important is UNRWA in getting aid to and being observers on the ground to what’s happening there in Gaza, where you are?

RACHAEL CUMMINGS: It’s hard to quantify or describe how important, how essential UNRWA is for the humanitarian endeavor, the humanitarian response in Gaza. But Gaza is and has been for many decades, of course, wholly reliant and integrated within UNRWA, or, rather, UNRWA is integrated within the whole of Gaza and the Palestinian population. So, as humanitarian agencies, we heavily rely on UNRWA to receive fuel, to support on coordination of access and movement of supplies. So, UNRWA are a huge provider of lifesaving services. Every day, they’re providing over 15,000 consultations in the health facilities. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in the UNRWA-designated shelter system or previous UNRWA schools. Every sort of strand of society is wrapped up with UNRWA. So, the cessation of UNRWA in terms of providing humanitarian lifesaving support for the population here is extraordinary to even consider.

AMY GOODMAN: Rachael Cummings, I want to thank you so much for being with us, Save the Children’s international humanitarian director and team lead in Gaza, speaking to us from Deir al-Balah.
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Thu Nov 28, 2024 2:11 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
November 5, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/5/headlines

Israel Kills 70+ People in Gaza over Past Day, Launches More Attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital
Nov 05, 2024

Palestinian medical sources say at least 70 people were killed by Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours. At least 20 were killed in the besieged northern town of Beit Lahia when an Israeli airstrike ripped through two homes.

Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers have withdrawn from the Kamal Adwan Hospital after raiding it for a second day in a row. The hospital had already been operating with a skeleton crew after Israeli forces last week detained dozens of medical workers. Israel’s most recent attacks damaged the hospital’s upper floors where the children’s ward was located, seriously wounding a child who was recovering from surgery.

Aid Entering Gaza at Just 6% of Pre-Genocide Deliveries as Israel Severs Ties with UNRWA
Nov 05, 2024

On Monday, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said the amount of aid entering Gaza reached a new low in October, with a daily average of just 30 trucks entering into Gaza. That’s just 6% of the cargo allowed to cross before Israel began its assault on Gaza nearly 13 months ago. Palestinians say the situation will be even worse after Israel this week formally ended a decades-old cooperation agreement that allowed UNRWA to operate.

Abu Khalil Salim: “This is considered a death sentence for Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip. … How many thousand students will be deprived of schooling? How many thousand patients will be deprived of treatment? How many thousand employees will lose their jobs? How many thousand people will be deprived of aid? This is a violation of international norms and the laws that exist in the world.”

“Not the End of the Semester”: State Dept. Says Too Early to “Grade” Israel on North Gaza Actions
Nov 05, 2024

The Biden administration continues to provide weapons and ammunition to Israel, ignoring foreign assistance laws that bar such aid to countries that commit gross human rights violations. On Monday, Associated Press reporter Matt Lee asked State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller to grade Israel’s response to a 30-day deadline imposed by the U.S. to end its starvation campaign in northern Gaza.

Matthew Miller: “They certainly do not have a passing grade. They have failed — I said they have failed to implement all the things that we recommended in that letter. Now, that said, we are not at the end of the 30-day period. And we are — we are in” —

Matt Lee: “OK, so it’s a fail, but you’re not ready to give them an F.”

Matthew Miller: “It’s not the end — it’s not the end of the semester. You don’t give out — you don’t hand out grades in the middle — in the middle.”

Matt Lee: “OK. Well, I suspect that the levity is a little bit inappropriate.”

“I expect that the levity is a little bit inappropriate,” said AP reporter Matt Lee as State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller chuckled at his own joke.

At Least 4 West Bank Palestinians Killed as Israeli Soldiers and Settlers Continue Deadly Attacks
Nov 05, 2024

Israeli forces have killed at least four Palestinians during airstrikes on the occupied West Bank. Two Palestinians were killed by an Israeli drone attack near the city of Qabatiya and two others in an aerial attack on Tammun outside the city of Nablus.

The killings come after armed Israeli settlers launched a wave of attacks on West Bank Palestinians, burning their homes and property and destroying olive trees. On Sunday evening, settlers torched more than 20 vehicles in the city of Al-Bireh, while in the town of Deir Dibwan near Ramallah settlers scrawled hateful graffiti on walls and set fire to a parking lot. Elsewhere, settlers burned dozens of trees in an olive grove on Palestinian land in the town of Burqa, northwest of Nablus. When Palestinians tried to put out the flames, they say they were beaten by settlers who also threw rocks at them.

Death Toll from Israeli Assault on Lebanon Tops 3,000 After More Deadly Strikes This Week
Nov 05, 2024

Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday killed at least 15 people and wounded 90 others. The attacks bring the overall death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon to more than 3,000. Hezbollah responded by firing rockets toward Israel in what it said were attacks on soldiers’ barracks and other military targets. Lebanon’s National News Agency reports Israeli attacks have devastated 37 towns across southern Lebanon, destroying more than 40,000 housing units.

Syria Blasts Israeli Airstrikes Near Damascus, Which Killed at Least 2 People
Nov 05, 2024

Syria’s government has condemned Israel for carrying out airstrikes on a civilian area south of the capital Damascus. On Monday, Syrian media reported two people were killed and five others wounded when Israeli warplanes launched an air attack from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel’s Air Force later claimed it had hit Hezbollah “targets” in Syria.
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Re: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim

Postby admin » Thu Nov 28, 2024 2:13 am

Headlines
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
November 6, 2024
https://www.democracynow.org/shows/2024/11/6

Protests Erupt Across Israel After Netanyahu Fires War Chief Yoav Gallant
Nov 06, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Tuesday in a surprise move that triggered large-scale protests across Israel. Gallant had publicly disagreed with Netanyahu over a temporary deal to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners; he also insisted Israel carry out a full investigation into the failures that led to Hamas’s October 7 attack — something Netanyahu rejected. Netanyahu appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to succeed Gallant. Katz recently led a successful campaign to cancel Israel’s agreements with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. Earlier this year, he proposed creating an artificial island off Gaza’s coast where Palestinians could be forcibly relocated. In August, Katz called for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, declaring, “This is a war on all fronts, and we must win it.” On Tuesday, protests erupted in Jerusalem near Netanyahu’s official residence calling for the prime minister to resign. Meanwhile, tens of thousands marched in Tel Aviv, where protesters blocked a major highway.

Itamar Berger: “We believe it has never ever been this urgent. We believe the worst threat on the very existence of the state of Israel is not posed by Iran or Hezbollah or Hamas, but by our own government. Our own government is doing whatever is within its power to destroy us from within.”

Palestinians Condemn Biden’s Support for Israeli Military as Assault on Gaza Continues
Nov 06, 2024

In the Gaza Strip, four Palestinians were killed when Israeli troops shelled a home southeast of Khan Younis. Elsewhere, an Israeli airstrike leveled an apartment building in Gaza City, killing five people. On Tuesday, Palestinians in Gaza observed the U.S. election with a mix of dread and resignation. This is Ikram Al Hamm, a Khan Younis resident who spoke to reporters surrounded by the rubble of her home, which was destroyed by Israeli attacks.

Ikram Al Hamm: “Here’s our destruction. The destruction of the Gaza Strip is at the hands of the Americans. All the explosive materials that America sends to Gaza only bring destruction. What can we benefit from America? What will we gain from it, from the U.S. elections? Did the U.S. president encourage us in any way? No, he stood against us, against our kids in the Gaza Strip and against our very lives. He destroyed us and the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli Raids on Occupied West Bank Kill 8, Wound Child and Photojournalist
Nov 06, 2024

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have killed at least eight Palestinians in a series of raids that began on Monday. Two people were killed in the town of Tamoun, where Israeli troops were seen moving a body with an armored bulldozer. Elsewhere, at least four people were killed in the city of Qabatiya near Jenin. During the raid, photojournalist Rabie Al-Munir was shot in the abdomen and rushed to a hospital where he’s in stable condition. Palestinian medics said a 3-year-old child was also hospitalized after being bitten by an Israeli attack dog.

Israeli Strike on Residential Building Kills 20 in Beirut Suburb
Nov 06, 2024

Israel’s military is continuing its assault on towns and villages in southern Lebanon, where on Tuesday at least 20 people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded when an Israeli airstrike tore through a high-rise apartment building in the coastal town of Barja south of Beirut. The attack came without warning. Resident Moussa Zahran showed reporters the twisted wreckage of his home after he narrowly survived the attack, which left his young son and wife hospitalized when their home collapsed around them.

Moussa Zahran: “We were drinking coffee in the living room. These slabs that you see here weigh 100 kilograms. They fell on a 13-kilogram child. And all of these fell on my wife.”

NGOs Ask U.N. Human Rights Council to Probe Israel’s Assault on Lebanon
Nov 06, 2024

Today, a group of 12 NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate abuses committed during Israel’s war on Lebanon, which has killed over 3,000 people. Jeremie Smith of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies said in a statement, “There’s a huge risk of the same types of atrocities occurring in Lebanon as in Gaza.”

U.K. Authorities Drop Terrorism Charges for Retired Academic Who Advocated for Palestinian Rights
Nov 06, 2024

In the U.K., police arrested Israeli filmmaker, activist and retired academic Haim Bresheeth under the British Terrorism Act after he gave a speech on Friday advocating for Palestinian rights during a protest. Bresheeth is a child of Holocaust survivors and founder of the Jewish Network for Palestine. Police accused him of “making a hate speech” but refused to answer questions from Bresheeth and his supporters when pressed over what specifically triggered the arrest. He was released without charge the next day. It’s the latest in a series of arrests in Britain under the Terrorism Act targeting people who voice criticism of Israel. At least three journalists have been detained and/or raided over their reporting.

***

Linda Sarsour: Harris’s Embrace of Pro-Israel Policies at Odds with Democratic Base
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
November 6, 2024

In the Arab American-majority city of Dearborn, Michigan, Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris by over six percentage points, with third-party candidate Jill Stein capturing nearly one-fifth of the vote. During the primary elections, a majority of Democratic voters in Dearborn selected “uncommitted” over then-presumptive nominee Joe Biden, citing disapproval of the president’s handling of Israel’s aggression in the Middle East. “Uncommitted” voters continued to press the Harris campaign to shift its Israel policy as the election went on, but were routinely ignored. Democrats “made a calculation that they did not need Arab American, Muslim American and Palestinian American voters,” says Palestinian American organizer Linda Sarsour, who was in Dearborn on election night. We speak to Sarsour about the Harris campaign’s failure to secure the support of a previously key part of the Democratic base. “We are going to be in big trouble, and I blame that solely on the Democratic Party and one of the worst campaigns I have seen in my 23 years in organizing.”

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: I also wanted to address the issue of foreign policy. From Dearborn, Michigan, to talk about Donald Trump’s election, we want to go to Michigan, where we’re joined by Linda Sarsour, Palestinian American Muslim organizer, author of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders, co-founder of MPower Action Fund. Yes, Dearborn, the Arab-majority city, Trump won 42% of the vote over Vice President Kamala Harris, who received 36%. Jill Stein received 18%. Stein campaigned calling for an arms embargo against Israel. And I also want to hear what Ralph Nader has to say about this.

Linda Sarsour, if you can respond? We spoke to you last night. Now a lot of the results are in. If you can comment on what happened and what a Trump presidency will mean for Israel-Palestine?

LINDA SARSOUR: I appreciated hearing Ralph Nader’s analysis, which I share. And this all goes to the feet of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party literally marginalized Arab American, Palestinian, Muslim American voters. Kamala Harris did not really, in my opinion, make any effort to really win over the votes of these demographics. Kamala Harris continued to parrot the usual talking points about humanitarian aid and about what’s happening, Gaza being devastated, without any action plan. She was asked many times, “Would you break from the policies of Joe Biden or in the ways in which Joe Biden has addressed the genocide in Gaza?” And she has said no multiple times.

Again, Donald Trump engaged in outreach in the Muslim American community. He went and visited mosques. He met with religious leaders. He had billboards all across Dearborn that were multilingual, in the language — in Arabic languages, in Bangla, in Urdu. And whether or not people agree with Donald Trump or whether or not — and you know me, Amy. I’m having déjà vu of 2016. I was a frontline organizer when Donald Trump was president, so I’m not looking forward to the next four years. But the Trump campaign did the outreach. They filled in a gap that was left by the Democratic Party.

And all Kamala Harris had to say in this election was “I will uphold international law. I will actually enforce the laws we already have on the books when it comes to military aid to any country violating human rights.” But the campaign made a calculation. They made a calculation that they did not need Arab American, Muslim American and Palestinian American voters, that they can actually win this election without this important electorate. They were too busy courting Liz Cheney and her friends instead of coming to Michigan and actually having deep, courageous conversations with the critics of the Kamala and Biden administration.

So, this is a devastating moment for our communities. Donald Trump is someone that we know very well. We don’t only know him on domestic policy. We know him also on foreign policy. He gave sovereignty to Israel over the Golan Heights. He declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel. There is an Israeli settlement that is named after Donald Trump. His son-in-law Jared Kushner believes that Gaza is this beautiful waterfront property. We are going to be in big trouble. And I blame that solely on the Democratic Party and one of the worst-run campaigns that I’ve seen in my 23 years in organizing.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Linda, I wanted to ask you something I asked earlier to some of our other guests. There was not a large outpouring of independent votes, but there definitely was a decline in the overall Democratic vote. Kamala Harris has apparently gotten 15 million votes less than sleepy Joe Biden did in 2020. I’m wondering, your sense was that those who stayed home, a reflection of some of the failures of the Democrats this time around?

LINDA SARSOUR: Absolutely. And the thing that people don’t want to talk about — and as you know, the Democratic Party is not a fan of mine, because they don’t like to listen to critics who actually are organizers and know how to mobilize communities. Somebody should ask the Democratic Party: How much money did you invest in Black and Brown-led organizations who do get-out-the-vote efforts, who engage and build power locally in communities? Somebody needs to ask them that question.

They spent a majority of their money on ads, on television ads, and really ignored the grassroots. I was on the ground in Pitt County, North Carolina. I was in Saginaw, Michigan. I was in Dearborn. I went to Georgia. And I did not see the type of field operation that is worthy of our communities. And Joe Biden had the Democratic House, Senate and White House in his first two years, and he couldn’t deliver on things like protecting and expanding voting rights. He blamed Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for being obstacles to his agenda. He couldn’t even get two Democrats in line to pass legislation.

Lots of women across the country care about things like reproductive rights. Well, why didn’t the Joe Biden administration push Congress to codify Roe? We are in this situation because Democrats want to be in power, but they don’t know how to use their power once they are in office. And that is a failure of the party. And the party has to go back to its roots if it wants to move from here. You are either going to be loyal to your base, which majority supported ceasefire and support arms embargo against Israel, that support progressive issues, or you’re going to continue to try to recruit a constituency that does not exist, that did not turn out for you in this election. And I hope somebody in the campaign right now is sitting and reflecting on this, and hopefully some people are fired and no longer will be working for the party after this election.

AMY GOODMAN: Linda Sarsour is Palestinian American. Ralph Nader, you are Lebanese American. We only have a minute, but your response on the issue of the Democratic position, the Biden-Harris position on Israel, Palestine and Lebanon right now, and what you think has to happen? Because, in fact, the Democrats are in power right now, before Trump takes over.

RALPH NADER: Are you asking me?

AMY GOODMAN: I am.

RALPH NADER: Yeah. Well, Biden is projecting weakness. There are a lot of voters who want strength, and Trump understands that. And on the Middle East, he’s projecting incredible weakness. That’s why we call him Bibi Biden, and his secretary of state, Bibi Blinken. He’s giving Netanyahu whatever he wants — daily shipments of deadly weapons of mass destruction, diplomatic cover, veto in the U.N., pushing allied countries to get in line. He even refuses to demand that Netanyahu let American reporters into Gaza to report what’s going on. He won’t even allow airlifting at the request of American doctors who are over in Gaza, airlifting burned babies and amputee children for treatment in ready and able American hospitals. He is a co-combatant with the Palestinian holocaust and the genocide that’s going on. And Israel’s making no bones of this. Netanyahu wants the whole of Palestine, the West Bank, southern Lebanon to the Litani River. And it’s an all-go signal from Biden. So he’s projecting weakness here. He is weakly representing the mighty United States of America as if he’s an adjunct, a poodle for the Netanyahu regime.

AMY GOODMAN: We have to leave it there. That does it for this hour. I want to thank Ralph Nader, Linda Sarsour and John Nichols of The Nation.

***

Rami Khouri: U.S. Voters Are Sick of Foreign Wars. Can Trump Strike a Grand Bargain in Middle East?
by Amy Goodman
DemocracyNow
November 6, 2024

Palestinian American journalist and a senior public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut, as well as a nonresident senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.
Shortly after Donald Trump was announced as the winner of the U.S. presidential election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to enthusiastically congratulate him. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continued its violent assault on Gaza, killing multiple Palestinians in strikes on apartment buildings and homes. We speak to Palestinian American journalist Rami Khouri about what we know of Trump’s pro-Israel policies and how Trump beat Kamala Harris for the presidency. “Trump out-dramatized Harris, and that’s how he won,” he says.

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, “War, Peace and the Presidency.” I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

One of the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his presidential victory was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He wrote a message online that read, quote, “Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback! Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory! In true friendship, yours, Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu.”

We’re joined right now by Rami Khouri, Palestinian American journalist, senior public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut, also a nonresident senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.

Rami Khouri, welcome back to Democracy Now! Your response to the Trump victory and what this means for Israel-Palestine and for Lebanon and beyond?

RAMI KHOURI: I’m not surprised by the victory. We knew it was going to be very close, and we knew that a lot of voters were not precisely telegraphing what they were going to do. The nature of the whole electorate has changed. It keeps changing every four years, due to many reasons. And the main reason I think that Trump won is that he ran a campaign — much as people don’t like him, for valid reasons usually, he did run a campaign that emotionally connected with not only his supporters, but a lot of other Americans. And Kamala Harris was a rank amateur. She had no idea what she was doing at that level of politics, which she showed four years ago when she ran in the primaries for the Democratic presidency candidate and got nowhere. And she just — she didn’t really touch on the issues that matter, other than abortion and maybe immigration a little bit. But even there, she was just following Trump’s lead.

So it’s no surprise. Many people are shocked. The trouble with Trump is that he’s so unpredictable in many areas. But the difference between now and four years ago is that we’ve had four years of his presidency and we’ve had four years of his being outside the presidency talking about issues. So he’s not an unknown quantity like he was eight years ago. And many of the things that he is going to do, internally and internationally, are predictable, I think. So, I would just hold my horses and wait and see what happens.

The last point I’d make is that the role of the Gaza Israeli plausible genocide, as the International Court of Justice calls it, the role of that plausible genocide by Israel, which was heavily, heavily, enthusiastically, consistently and clearly supported by the United States clearly had an impact. American people have shown now, as they did when I was in college in the late '60s, that they don't want their country being involved in a great war overseas that kills thousands and thousands of people that doesn’t really relate to them. And this is a really powerful lesson. We can’t draw the conclusions yet of exactly what the Gaza war did, but it clearly has mobilized a constituency that goes way beyond Arab and Muslim Americans. And I was in Dearborn, Michigan, last weekend for three days at a convention of Arab Americans, and what I saw was really, really, very, very powerful.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: But, Rami, how do you see the Trump administration changing policy in the Middle East versus what Biden has done, once he gets into office?

RAMI KHOURI: You know, one of the fascinating things about watching this stuff go on for half a century now, as I have, is there are little changes here and there. So, last time Trump was in, he recognized Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem, the annexation of the Golan Heights. He closed the PLO offices. He stopped funding UNRWA. He did all kinds of things that Palestinians don’t like and justice supporters don’t like, and that Israelis like and the evangelical right-wing American Christian fanatic supporters of Israel like. He did a lot of these things, and then Biden kept most of them. He didn’t really change really any of them significantly. And then Biden got involved in this incredible plausible genocide, and Harris followed him completely. So, I don’t think there’s really much change. Looking back and empirically speaking, looking back over the last 40, 50 years, there are only minor cosmetic changes between Republican and Democratic administrations. The bottom line that all of them accept, with only the occasional minor adjustment, is that they will do almost anything that Israel wants, for many reasons, which we don’t have time to get into here. But the American political establishment is fully and enthusiastically supporting Israel, even in its plausible genocide.

The American public is not. So, there’s a moral issue that came out of the American people over the last year and a half. And it was not just Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in Dearborn, Michigan. It was people all over the country, progressive Jews, labor unions, students, the student movement. So, this is a movement that is still young. This is like Vietnam antiwar protests in 1965. It took a long time, another seven, eight years, to get the Vietnam War ended. And this is a similar situation.

How it impacts Trump is not clear. And this is where we have to really wait, because it’s very hard to predict what Trump is going to do. He cares about two things. He cares about drama, entertainment, and he cares about making deals. And the deals may be political deals, and they’re also commercial deals, for him and his family and his cronies and his friends and his supporters. And that’s what politicians do all over the world. There’s nothing illegal about that. It’s just how politics works in superficially democratic societies. But they are democratic, and the vote counts, and new people come to power, and they make deals, and they do dramatic things. Trump outdramatized Harris, and that’s why he won. He appealed to people’s emotions, and that’s how people vote. They don’t vote on, you know, is our democracy threatened. That was a very important line from Harris and all her millions of supporters on the American mainstream television, who look like idiots now, because they were — not because the message is bad, because the message doesn’t resonate with ordinary people all over the country, which is what we saw. So, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

I think the greatest arena that we should look at is that combination, which Trump sort of looked at a little bit, you know, when he was president — Iran, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and the United States — that ring of powers that have — or, they’re not all powers — that ring of actors who all have important interests at play. He pulled out of the Iran agreement, the nuclear and sanctions removal agreement with Iran. And this is one of the triggers that brought this situation of war in the region about. And he also did the Abrahamic Accords with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who knows about the Middle East as much as I know about underwater fishing in China, which is nothing. But the Abraham Accords are one of the things that set the stage for the continued conflict and the marginalization of Palestine, which set the stage for the October 7 attacks. So, if they don’t understand the connection among all of these issues and the growth of resistance movements in Yemen and Iraq and Lebanon and Palestine, if people don’t understand that, they’ll just come down to perpetual conflict.

I think if somebody can explain to Trump that he can be a great hero by making — a great hero to everybody by making a grand bargain that gives the Iranians, the Israelis, the Palestinians, the Saudis, everybody, what they really want, which is to live in peace and a normal life. And I think it’s attainable. I think it’s possible. But you’ve got to have the level of smart, sensitive and daring statesmanship, which we have not seen from Trump in a significant way. We’ve seen it very superficially, where it helps either his political constituents or helps Jared Kushner’s bank account in terms of deals, which he of course did with the Saudis. So, this is the position we’re in. We have to really wait and see. Is a second Trump presidency going to be more sophisticated and more meaningful than his first one? He is more experienced. And we’ll just have to wait and see.

AMY GOODMAN: On Saturday, Rami Khouri, the Palestinian youth movement organized a No Votes for Genocide protest. This is Sophie, a student here in New York City.

SOPHIE: I’m not voting for the capitalist ruling class, so I’m not voting for either Kamala or Trump. I don’t think they do anything for my people. Half of — I’m half-Bengali. Half of my family are Muslim Bengali immigrants. And they actually experienced their own genocide that was funded by the U.S. And I’ve never seen any of U.S. presidents do anything for the Global South, including Bangladesh, Pakistan or any of the Middle East. The argument that a vote for Jill Stein or Claudia and Karina or third party is a vote for Trump is really frustrating. I think it’s also — it’s not a vote for Trump or Kamala. It’s a vote for neither of them. And if Kamala loses, it’s her own damn fault. You know, like, this is the one thing that’s important to me. If she were to do anything for Palestine, I would consider voting for her.

AMY GOODMAN: So, that was a protest that happened just on Saturday. And I wanted to end, Rami Khouri, by asking you about what happened after President Trump won and he got his congratulations from Benjamin Netanyahu. Just before that, he fired the Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and he installed Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who proposed creating an artificial island off Gaza’s coast where Palestinians could be forcibly relocated. Katz also called for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, saying, “This is a war on all fronts, and we must win it.” Are you concerned, under Trump, that Netanyahu will follow through with annexing, for example, the West Bank?

RAMI KHOURI: Yes. I mean, we have to be concerned about Trump and Netanyahu and others doing really outrageous things. They’ve done them in the past, and they’ll do them again, unless somebody checks them. And this is the missing element in this situation in Palestine and in U.S.-Israel, U.S.-Middle East relations. The Israelis — Netanyahu is quite desperate right now, so he’s doing desperate things like this, only appealing to his right-wing fascist extremists in government and to their supporters overseas, who actually don’t know much about the details of the situation, but emotionally respond to this kind of process, where Israel is strong and protects itself and defends itself. So, yes, we have to be careful about what might happen. The response to the excesses of the Israeli—

AMY GOODMAN: We just have 30 seconds.

RAMI KHOURI: Yeah, the response has to be continued mobilization, protest, solidarity and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians simultaneously. That’s the winning formula. And bring in Iran, and everybody will be on board happily, including the Saudis, too.

AMY GOODMAN: Rami Khouri, Palestinian American journalist, senior public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut.
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