The Other Elephant In The Room

Shoshin1

UN Security Council. The US proposal is vetoed ( well it wasn't much of a ceasefire proposal anyway...just more same ol same ol attempts to gaslight)

A US-proposed draft to end the war in Gaza was vetoed today (22 Mar) by permanent Council members China and Russia, in a vote of 11 favour to three against (Algeria, China, Russia) and one abstention (Guyana).

Speaking after the vote, United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “Russia and China still could not bring itself to condemn Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7th. Can we just pause on that for a moment? Russia and China refuse to condemn Hamas for burning people alive, for gunning down innocent civilians at a concert, for raping women and girls, for taking hundreds of people hostage. This was the deadliest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust.”

She also said, “If an alternative resolution comes up for a vote and does not support the diplomacy happening on the ground, we may once again find this Council deadlocked. I truly hope that that does not come about.”

For her part, Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated, “Through this resolution the Security Council would have rightly and for the first time, unequivocally condemned Hamas terrorist attacks. We're disappointed that the council was not able to send this important message.”

Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama said, “Alarmingly, this text avoided mentioning the responsibility of the Israeli occupying power. these individuals were not lost through acts of self-harm, they killed. Their perpetrators must be held accountable.”

Chinese Ambassador, Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, explained, “An immediate ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for saving lives, expanding humanitarian access and preventing greater conflicts. The US draft, on the contrary, set up preconditions for a ceasefire, which is no different from giving a green light to continued killings. Which is unacceptable.”

Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, said to the council members that voted in favor of today’s draft resolution, >“They told you that you should not be worried because the Russian Federation would veto this in any way, but you would not go against the US text. That is it. That's the whole scenario. So don't try to hypocritically tell us that you are now disappointed that Russia and China vetoed the resolution. Once again, today you have covered yourselves with disgrace voting for text which yourselves do not support and did support.”

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said, “The American resolution should it have passed would have marked a moment of morality for the UN, a place where good is evil and justice is injustice. It would have been the very first time that this council or any UN body condemned Hamas and their brutal massacre. Yet sadly, for purely political reasons, this resolution did not pass, and terrorists can continue benefiting from this council whitewashing their crime.”

He also stated, “The only way, the only way to achieve a real and permanent ceasefire is to eliminate Hamas’s capabilities entirely and this cannot happen unless all of their battalions are demolished. You cannot extinguish a fire by putting out most of it. The fire will grow again and spread. This is what will happen without an operation in Rafah. Israel sees no alternative: the road to a permanent ceasefire passes through Rafah.”

Shoshin1

Arab Group on Security Council Veto on Gaza Resolution | Security Council

Statement by Algeria after voting on draft Resolution Regarding the Situation in Gaza

Explanation of position by Her Excellency Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, delivered at the UNSC meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

After five months of war in Gaza and the horrific attacks of 7 October 2023, this Council has still not been able to adopt a text that addresses all the dimensions of the conflict in a manner that impacts the situation on the ground and upholds the rule of law. While Guyana welcomed the US’ initiative to develop a draft resolution and the transparency with which the negotiations were conducted, we are of the view that given the length of time spent on those negotiations and certain positions consistently expressed by several delegations, the draft could have better reflected that broad-based feedback.

Guyana abstained on this draft resolution for a number of reasons which I will elaborate:

First, contrary to media reports, this resolution does not call for an immediate ceasefire. Instead, we note that it “determines the imperative for a ceasefire” and calls for support for diplomatic efforts that are ongoing outside of the UN. While those efforts must be commended, given the responsibility and mandate of this Council, Guyana could not support a resolution that does not unequivocally call for an immediate ceasefire. Nearly 32,000 persons have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, the majority of whom are women and children. More than 74,000 have been maimed. Initial UN assessments have concluded that it would take years to clear the 23 million tons of rubble and unexploded weapons scattered across Gaza. The latest IPC report projects famine between now and May 2024. In summary, this man-made disaster cannot be halted without an immediate ceasefire, and it is this Council’s responsibility to unequivocally demand one, even as it acknowledges the efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Second, the demand for a ceasefire should not be linked to or conditioned on the release of hostages. The taking of hostages is strictly prohibited under international law and their release must be unconditional. Guyana reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Two wrongs cannot make a right and the Palestinian people should not be collectively punished and themselves held hostage for the crimes of others.

Third, in our view this text lacked attribution in a number of key areas. While the draft includes the condemnation of Hamas for the October 7th attacks and demands they immediately grant humanitarian access to the hostages, and rightfully so, there is no attribution or demands to the Israeli authorities for what is taking place in Gaza.

For example, who is responsible for 1.5 million Palestinians taking refuge in Rafah? And who has announced a planned military ground offensive there? To whom is the demand for compliance with obligations under international law regarding the protection of civilians and civilian objects, humanitarian access, and the protection of humanitarian relief and medical personnel, their assets and infrastructure applicable? Who has erected and maintained the existing barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale? Who is responsible for the forcible displacement of the civilian population in Gaza? Who is preventing the use of all available routes to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip? Who does not respect deconfliction and notification mechanisms? We know the answers to these questions. We have heard briefer after briefer both from the UN system and civil society describe the situation on the ground, explaining where the problems are and who is responsible for creating these problems. Why then were the relevant demands in the resolution not clearly addressed to the occupying power? Not even once was this done.

Indeed, if one were to read this resolution without background knowledge, it would be difficult to ascertain which party in this conflict is committing the atrocities in Gaza – atrocities which necessitated this draft resolution being put forward. In a resolution of 41 paragraphs, 2,036 words, the occupying power is mentioned once in the penultimate paragraph.

Fourth, preambular paragraph 7 was of particular concern to Guyana. This Council is the organ with the Charter responsibility for addressing threats to peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression. How can we endorse the idea of “ongoing and future operations” in Gaza as long as measures are taken to “reduce significantly civilian harm?” This idea was rejected by several delegations during the course of the negotiations. In Guyana’s view, this is in direct contravention of the Council’s responsibility. It would set a dangerous precedent and make the Council complicit in the atrocities being committed in Gaza now and in the future.

Fifth and final, we took note of the four paragraphs treating with the mandate of the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. While we applaud the Coordinator’s efforts, we are of the view that the scale of efforts that would be required in Gaza after the war would warrant a key role for UNRWA given its decades of experience in the Strip and its capacity vis-à-vis other agencies operating there. This Council has heard many times of the indispensability of UNRWA. It is the lifeline for Palestinians. We were, therefore, disappointed that the only mention of UNRWA in the draft pertained to the investigations into the allegations against a small number of its staff. Guyana, supported by several delegations, had requested an affirmation of UNRWA’s important mandate in the text but this was not taken onboard.

Mr. President,

This Council still has an opportunity to take action to end the suffering of all parties. Civilians in Gaza need a respite. Palestinians need a respite. Israelis need a respite. Both need a respite from this continuous cycle of violence and pain. That is the real window of opportunity – the strong desire by the people of Palestine and Israel for peace. Guyana is prepared to work with other Council members to respond to their needs and legitimate aspirations, including the two-state solution. This must not be postponed.

Shoshin1

Meet the Israeli “traitors” standing against the war in Gaza

What a brave young woman...

Shoshin1

I attended another rally today...
Ricardo Menéndez March a representative from the local Green party was one of the speakers...

He made some interesting points about how different our government is treating displaced Palestinians when it comes to granting special visas for the local Palestinian community to have their family members come here out of harms way, which have been few and far between, compared to what they did for the displaced Ukrainians who so far have been granted almost 2 thousand 'special' visas..

Quite a few people turned up for the rally, but not as many as the first rally I attended...

Shoshin1

I have always liked Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez political stance...which comes from the heart...

Mr. Speaker, I know a man, a decent man, who said that preventing genocide is an achievable goal. A goal that requires a level of government organization and engagement that matches in its intensity the brutality and efficiency required to carry out mass killing. Too often, these efforts have come too late, after the best and least costly opportunities to prevent them have been missed. The man that said that was then Vice President and now President Joseph Biden, and he was right.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to say that such a time is now. As we speak in this moment, millions of innocents in Gaza are at the famine door. A famine that is being intentionally precipitated through the blocking of food and global humanitarian assistance by leaders in the Israeli government. This is a mass starvation of people, engineered and orchestrated following the killing of another, the majority of whom were women and children. Hospitals are scarce, and much of this was accomplished with US resources and weapons.

If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes. It looks like the forced famine of millions of innocents. It looks like thousands of children eating grass as their bodies consume themselves while trucks of food are slowed and halted just miles away. It looks like good and decent people who do nothing or too little, too late.

It is against United States law to provide weapons to forces who block United States humanitarian assistance, and that is exactly what is happening right now. So much so that the President himself stated during the State of the Union that the United States must and will be building its own port to let aid through. It will be too late. The time is now to force compliance with US law and the standards of humanity. We must fulfill our obligations to the American people to suspend the transfer of US weapons to the Israeli government in order to stop and prevent further atrocity.

Honoring our alliances does not mean facilitating mass killing. We cannot hide from our responsibility any longer. Blocking assistance from one's closest allies to starve a million people is not unintentional. We have a responsibility to prove the value of global democracy, enshrined in the upholding of civil society, rule of law, and commitment to human and civil rights.

This is not just about Israel or Gaza; this is about us. The world will never be the same, and we will never be the same. We must write our story in this moment of what it means and who we are as Americans. And our story must be not that we were good men who did nothing, but that we were a committed democracy that did something. And we must prove that now. With that, I yield back. Thank you.

Shoshin1

Prior to the US resolution being vetoed by Russia and China, Phyllis Bennis explained to Democracy Now the language used in the US resolution. In effect, it does not advocate for an immediate ceasefire; rather, it is just another stalling tactic on the part of the US ...

person

What ideas or solutions are being put forward about what Israel should do about Hamas and its security overall? What they are doing now is having dire consequences but a large part of the motivation is security and the elimination of Hamas rather than a wish to genocide Gazans. So just telling them to stop doesn't address this deeper need. Offering an alternate solution allows Israel to take greater care of Gazans without totally giving up on their own legitimate concerns.

Shoshin1

What ideas or solutions are being put forward about what Israel should do about Hamas and its security overall?

Immediately stop the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians first...

What they are doing now is having dire consequences but a large part of the motivation is security and the elimination of Hamas rather than a wish to genocide Gazans

You may find "this" article of interest

What they have been doing for many years has led to this...Sadly it would seem killing many Palestinian civilians and a few Hamas fighters and occupying more and more Palestinian land is the Israeli government's approach to security...Netanyahu does not want the conflict to end...

What they are doing now is having dire consequences but a large part of the motivation is security and the elimination of Hamas rather than a wish to genocide Gazans.

Not according to many Israeli officials, they have openly advocated for Gaza to be flatten and its people to be ethnically cleansed, there are quite a number of Israelis who want the ongoing bombardment of Gaza to continue...

For a number of years Netanyahu had planned on claiming more Palestinian lands for the state of Israel and it would seem the opportunity has arrived for him to do just that and he is prepared to do whatever it takes to fulfill this plan...

So just telling them to stop doesn't address this deeper need. Offering an alternate solution allows Israel to take greater care of Gazans without totally giving up on their own legitimate concerns

Palestinians have a right to self determination and not be ruled over by an occupying colonial force...

Trying to force Hamas to stop by killing Palestinian civilians also does not address this deeper need.

"Palestinian self-determination refers to aspirations by Palestinian nationalists for increased autonomy and sovereign independence as well as to the international right of self-determination applied to Palestine. Such sentiments are features of both the one state solution and the two state solution."

The obstacles in the way...

Colonisation, is the process by which a country or group of people establishes control over a territory outside its own borders, often with the intent of settling it with their own population, exploiting its resources, and exerting political, economic, and cultural dominance over the indigenous population.

Key aspects of colonization typically include:

Territorial Expansion: Colonizers seek to expand their territory by acquiring land, often through conquest, treaties, or other forms of coercion.

Settlement: Colonizers establish permanent or semi-permanent settlements in the colonized territory, which may involve displacing or marginalizing indigenous populations.

Resource Extraction: Colonizers exploit the natural resources of the colonized territory for their own benefit, which can include minerals, agricultural land, and labor.

Political Control: Colonizers establish political control over the colonized territory through governance structures, laws, and administrative systems that prioritize the interests of the colonizing power.

Cultural Assimilation: Colonizers may seek to impose their language, religion, customs, and values on the indigenous population, often through education, religious conversion, and other means of cultural assimilation.

Colonization has historically been a significant driver of global expansion and has had profound and often lasting impacts on the societies, economies, and cultures of both the colonizers and the colonized peoples. It has been a subject of considerable academic study, debate, and critique, particularly in relation to issues of power, exploitation, and resistance.

Settlement Expansion: The establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, are widely considered violations of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into the territory it occupies.

Restrictions on Movement: Palestinians living in the occupied territories face numerous restrictions on their freedom of movement, including checkpoints, roadblocks, and the separation barrier, which impede their access to essential services, education, healthcare, and employment.

House Demolitions: Israel has been criticized for demolishing Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem and Area C of the West Bank, often citing lack of permits as justification. Critics argue that these demolitions disproportionately affect Palestinian communities and violate their rights to housing and property.

Excessive Use of Force: Israeli security forces have been accused of using excessive force against Palestinian civilians, including during protests and demonstrations, resulting in injuries and fatalities. Human rights organizations have documented cases of arbitrary arrests, torture, and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees.

Gaza Blockade: Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, severely restricting the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory. Critics argue that the blockade amounts to collective punishment and violates the rights of Gaza's residents, including their rights to health, education, and freedom of movement.

Israel disputes many of these allegations and argues that its actions are necessary for "security reasons". However, human rights organizations and international bodies, including the United Nations, have repeatedly called on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and respect the human rights of Palestinians.

Negotiating a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians that addresses the issue of settlements is crucial. This could involve establishing clear borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state and reaching mutual agreements on the status of settlements located in Palestinian territories..

person

So if I hear what you're saying, if Israel would stop its settlement expansions, allow greater freedom of movement in and out of Gaza and work harder to prevent excessive use of force from its soldiers the Hamas problem would essentially take care of itself?

My history isn't super informed but isn't the restrictive Gazan border a security measure? Didn't the peace talks result in a pretty good two state solution which was then rejected by Arafat and the PLO? In the current conflict didn't Hamas build tunnels and bases in humanitarian zones, also a direct violation of international law? How can one conduct a war against an enemy who metaphorically straps innocents to themselves without harming civilians?

I guess that where I'm coming from is didn't Israel try some of this stuff only to get things like the two intifadas, isn't the expressed wish of Hamas to eliminate the state of Israel, such that nothing short of "From the River to the Sea" would offer security?

Most everything you say is legitimate AND at the same time though, many believe, Israel has legitimate security concerns. They can't simply lay down their weapons and hope to be left in peace.

Shoshin1

So if I hear what you're saying, if Israel would stop its settlement expansions, allow greater freedom of movement in and out of Gaza and work harder to prevent excessive use of force from its soldiers the Hamas problem would essentially take care of itself?

The so called Hamas problem is an interesting one...
The New York Times

"As far back as December 2012, Mr. Netanyahu told the prominent Israeli journalist Dan Margalit that it was important to keep Hamas strong, as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Mr. Margalit, in an interview, said that Mr. Netanyahu told him that having two strong rivals, including Hamas, would lessen pressure on him to negotiate toward a Palestinian state."

My history isn't super informed but isn't the restrictive Gazan border a security measure? Didn't the peace talks result in a pretty good two state solution which was then rejected by Arafat and the PLO? In the current conflict didn't Hamas build tunnels and bases in humanitarian zones, also a direct violation of international law? How can one conduct a war against an enemy who metaphorically straps innocents to themselves without harming civilians?

If Israel see it has fair games to kill innocent civilians to get at the target , using the same kind of logic, this would also justify Hamas's attack on innocent Israelis...Hamas could argue that because Israel has compulsory conscription (with few exceptions), in warfare, all Israelis are a potential targets... using this logic...

I guess that where I'm coming from is didn't Israel try some of this stuff only to get things like the two intifadas, isn't the expressed wish of Hamas to eliminate the state of Israel, such that nothing short of "From the River to the Sea" would offer security?

If you think about it, the Palestinian people have had the cards stacked against them from the outset...The British forcefully occupied their land and then gave some of it to the European Jewish settlers aka the Zionists, who decided that the land they had wasn't enough and forcefully removed more Palestinians from their land and have continued to do so ...As it stands Israel is holding over 9000 Palestinians in their prisons, men women and children, some were released with the first hostage exchange but shortly after many were put back in prison again during IOF raids....

Most everything you say is legitimate AND at the same time though, many believe, Israel has legitimate security concerns. They can't simply lay down their weapons and hope to be left in peace.

But they can stop killing innocent men women children and babies....

Over the years the Palestinians have tried peaceful means to stop Israel from illegally confiscating more of their land, for example, through the ICJ but Israel just ignore any of rulings against them.

Which brings me to this other point ....the Bully tactics used by Israel against the Palestinian people...

A bully is someone who repeatedly and intentionally seeks to harm, intimidate, or exert control over others, often through verbal, physical, or psychological means. Key characteristics of bullying behavior include:

Aggression: Bullies engage in aggressive behavior towards their targets, which can take various forms such as physical violence, verbal abuse, threats, or intimidation.

Power Imbalance: Bullies typically possess some form of power, whether it's physical strength, social status, or influence, which they use to exert control over their victims. This power dynamic often leaves the victim feeling powerless or unable to defend themselves.

Repetition: Bullying behavior is typically repetitive and ongoing, rather than isolated incidents. Bullies may target the same individual repeatedly over time or target multiple individuals with similar characteristics or vulnerabilities.

Intent to Harm: Unlike conflict or disagreement, bullying behavior is characterized by the deliberate intent to cause harm, distress, or humiliation to the victim. Bullies often derive satisfaction or a sense of power from their actions.

Lack of Empathy: Bullies often lack empathy for their victims and may disregard or minimize the impact of their behavior on others. They may rationalize or justify their actions as harmless teasing or "just joking," even when it causes significant harm to the victim.

Targeting Vulnerable Individuals: Bullies frequently target individuals who they perceive as vulnerable or different in some way, such as those who are perceived as weaker, socially isolated, or different from the majority.

Overall, bullying behavior is characterized by a pattern of aggression, intimidation, and abuse directed towards others, often with the aim of asserting dominance or control over them. It can have serious and lasting consequences for the victims, including emotional trauma, social isolation, and long-term psychological effects

@person I agree that Hamas is a significant problem when it comes to peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. However, their hatred and resentment of Israel didn't happen in a vacuum. One only has to look at the history of the modern state of Israel and how they have treated the Palestinians. Netanyahu and his predecessors have done very little to bring about a peaceful two-state or one-state solution. In fact, he and his party followers have been stoking the fire of hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians...
In regards to Yasser Arafat...

Yasser Arafat, did not outright reject a two-state solution, but rather his stance on the matter evolved over time and was influenced by various factors:

Complex Negotiations: Arafat engaged in peace negotiations with Israel throughout the 1990s, culminating in the Oslo Accords in 1993. While the Oslo Accords laid the groundwork for a two-state solution by establishing the Palestinian Authority and outlining a process for Palestinian self-governance in parts of the occupied territories, they did not definitively resolve the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as borders, settlements, Jerusalem, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Settlement Expansion: The continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, particularly in the West Bank, undermined the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory and creating facts on the ground that would make the establishment of a contiguous and independent Palestinian state more difficult.

Jerusalem: The status of Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital, emerged as a major stumbling block in negotiations. Arafat and the Palestinian leadership insisted on East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, while Israel maintained sovereignty over the entire city.

Internal Palestinian Politics: Arafat faced internal political challenges within the Palestinian territories, including opposition from more hardline factions that rejected any compromise with Israel and advocated for armed resistance. Balancing these internal dynamics while negotiating with Israel proved challenging for Arafat and the Palestinian leadership.

Final Status Issues: Despite progress made in interim agreements, final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians stalled over contentious issues such as borders, settlements, refugees, and Jerusalem. Arafat's reluctance to make concessions >on these issues, coupled with Israeli concerns about security and the status of settlements, contributed to the breakdown of negotiations.

Shoshin1

@person it's hard to say when the hostilities will come to an end ...

I think that most people on the outside looking in, want an end to hostilities and see both Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully and equally side by side in two separate states or one state ...

The present situation can't go on forever, a compromise which suits both parties must be reached...

Shoshin1

The Security Council approved a resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Draft Resolution -
Algeria, Guyana, Malta, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland: draft resolution

The Security Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling all of its relevant resolutions on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,

Reiterating its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and in this regard deploring all attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as all violence and hostilities against civilians, and all acts of terrorism,

Expressing deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,

Acknowledging the ongoing diplomatic efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, aimed at reaching a cessation of hostilities, releasing the hostages and increasing the provision and distribution of humanitarian aid,

1. Demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire;

2. Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs, and further demands that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain;

3. Emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip and reiterates its demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale, in line with international humanitarian law as well as resolutions 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023);

4. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

The 10 non-permanent members (E10)-proposed draft was adopted today (25 Mar) in a vote of 14 favour and one abstention (United States).

Speaking after the vote, Algeria’s Ambassador Amar Benjama said that today’s resolution conveys a clear message to the Palestinian people: “The international community, in its entirety, did not abandon you.”

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations said, “Once such atrocities are being committed in broad daylight against defenceless civilians, including women and children, the right thing to do the only thing to do morally legally, politically, is to put to put an end to it. There can be no justification for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Accepting any justification for such crimes is renouncing our humanity and destroying the rule of international law beyond repair.”

He also said, “This must be a turning point. This must lead to saving lives on the ground. This must signal the end of this assault of atrocities against our people. A nation is being murdered. A nation is being dispossessed. A nation is being displaced for decades now, but never at this scale since the Nakba.”

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said, “It should be very clear that as long as Hamas refuses to release the hostages in the diplomatic channels, there is no other way to secure their return other than through a military operation.”

He concluded, “Sadly, it's for the same reason why you can condemn terror attacks in Russia and Iran, but not in Israel. To this council is Israeli blood is cheap. This is a travesty, and I'm disgusted.”

Following the Security Council meeting, Ambassador Pedro Comissario, Permanent Representative of Mozambique to the United Nations, read a joint statement on behalf of the E10 Group (Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland) regarding the adoption.

He said “We are happy that the council has successfully adopted the much-needed resolution to demand the immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. It also demands that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons that they detain.”

Also addressing to the press, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour, stated, “Security Council resolutions are binding and if Israel is not going to implement it, then it is the duty of the Security Council to use chapter 7 to take measures and punitive measures in order to make them obey the resolution of the Security Council.”

Briefing journalists, UK ambassador Barbara Woodward, said, “All barriers to aid delivery need to be lifted. We have not yet seen the improvements that we need to get more aid in. The council's message today is an important one and I reiterate, we call for it to be implemented immediately.”

Hamas's response regarding the immediate Ceasefire resolution

The Palestinian group Hamas said it was committed to the conditions of the resolution and said Israel must be held accountable in adhering to it. “It is the role of the international community to oblige Israel and to end this double standard,” Basem Naim, a senior official in Hamas's political bureau, told Al Jazeera.

Shoshin1

HRC55 | Independent UN Expert Alleges Israeli Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza

Summary

After five months of military operations, Israel has destroyed Gaza. Over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 13,000 children. Over 12,000 are presumed dead and 71,000 injured, many with life-changing mutilations. Seventy percent of residential areas have been destroyed. Eighty percent of the whole population has been forcibly displaced. Thousands of families have lost loved ones or have been wiped out. Many could not bury and mourn their relatives, forced instead to leave their bodies decomposing in homes, in the street or under the rubble. Thousands have been detained and systematically subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment. The incalculable collective trauma will be experienced for generations to come.

By analysing the patterns of violence and Israel’s policies in its onslaught on Gaza, this report concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide is met. One of the key findings is that Israel's executive and military leadership and soldiers have intentionally distorted jus in bello principles, subverting their protective functions, in an attempt to legitimize genocidal violence against the Palestinian people.

The Jerusalem Post** Article** in response to the report...

Shoshin1

IOD solider assault a 7 year old Palestinian child in a shop in the West Bank

Shoshin1

A State Department official working on human rights issues in the Middle East resigned Wednesday in protest of U.S. support for Israel's assault on Gaza. Annelle Sheline, who worked as a foreign affairs officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, was not planning on publicly resigning, but her colleagues asked her to "please speak out" against the Biden administration's unconditional support for Israel. "At the end of the day, many people inside [the State Department] know that this is a horrific policy, and can't believe that the United States government is engaged in such actions that contravene American values so directly, but the leadership is not listening," says Sheline. "I'm trying to speak on behalf of those many, many people who feel so betrayed by our government's stance." Sheline describes being moved by the words of Aaron Bushnell, the active-duty U.S. airman who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in protest of the war on Gaza, who implored everyone to take a stand against genocide. "I have a young daughter, and I thought about, in the future, if she were to ask me, 'What were you doing when this was happening? You were at the State Department.' I want to be able to tell her that I didn't stay silent."

The words of Aaron Bushnell
"Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I were alive during slavery or the Jim Crow South, or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?' The answer is, 'You're doing it right now.'"

Shoshin1

I attended another rally today

Met a young Palestinian girl there called Noor (maybe late teens early twenties) who had recently moved from Wellington (where she had been living since arriving in Aotearoa one year ago)... to Auckland to finish her studies at Auckland Uni, she's studying to become a physiotherapist. ...

Her mother had been offered a teaching position at Wellington Uni and had moved here six years ago with the Noor's younger siblings...

Noor and her family come from a village in the West Bank close to Jerusalem, Noor was telling me about how difficult it was for her and other Palestinians to travel around the West Bank to visit their families/relatives and to get into Jerusalem to get to their place of work or study...having to wait hours in line at check points with no guarantee the Israeli soldiers would let them through, sometimes the soldiers would just close the gate and tell the people who had been waiting in line for hours, to go to another gate ....

She said when she has finished her studies and the conflict is over she wants to return to Palestine to help rebuild it...

I asked her if she had any Israeli friends, , she said "No the only Israelis I come into contact with are the soldiers and they are not friendly."

Shoshin1

Meeting the young Palestinian girl yesterday reminded me of the encounter I had with a young Israeli girl on the island.

A few years back when out for a walk (I lived on the other side of the village at the time), I saw a young girl walking towards me, she looked quite sad and lost. I asked her if she needed help. She said she was looking for the local Maori medical centre (The Hau Ora). I gave her directions and we got talking... It turns out she was Israeli and she had just arrived over from Israel to visit her father who lived on the island (there are a few Israeli individuals and families living here).

After her father divorced her mother in Israel, he moved here and had been married to a friend of mine on the island, but they got divorced a while back...

Anyhow, I could tell she was sad by her voice, so I walked with her for a while, and we chatted. She suffers from depression and anxiety and was hoping to see someone at the medical centre who she could talk with (at the centre they also provide free counselling)...

I wondered how many other young Israelis of military age would be feeling the same, perhaps for some, the fear of having to serve, and for others, the aftermath of military service...

I haven't seen her around, but I do hope that she somehow managed to stay here safe and sound...

Imagine how messed up many young people are after being fed so much propaganda by those in power, then being filled with anger and hatred, and ultimately being brainwashed into going out and killing people.

Shoshin1

Daniel Maté (the son of Gabor Maté)

From a live event hosted by the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign at An Spailpín Fánach, Cork, Ireland, March 25th 2024.

What do you have to say on the treatment of this genocide as a continuation of the Holocaust trauma and the comparison between the two genocides just made?

Yeah, it's true and it's not true. It's appropriate and it's not appropriate. I'm tired of it; like I'm just tired of it. Let the Holocaust be the Holocaust and let this be this, and yet they are connected so we have to talk about it, I guess. But I think we all are feeling a certain amount of fatigue because we can't just talk about this; we have to bring in so many other things. The Palestinian people should not have to answer for the Holocaust. From the perspective of a Palestinian, I would understand if someone never wanted to hear that capitalized word again because what's happening now is a holocaust, small age; it just is the definition of the word is a ritual sacrifice, and the Palestinians are being it's a blood sacrifice to satisfy the Heathen gods of a country that only pretends to be monotheistic, that only pretends to believe in the one true law of the universe, but in fact worships power and security and ethnic Purity and other things that have led other cultures down the road to ruin throughout history. I am the grandson and son of Holocaust Survivors. I am the great-grandson of Holocaust victims. My great-grandparents died in Auschwitz.

I think it's only partly true that Israel's insanity is a function of Holocaust trauma. You might call it Holocaust psychosis because the topic of the Holocaust is drilled into Israeli children from a young age, and they're all flown over to Poland to drape themselves hugging each other in the Israeli flag as they cry over a history they know very little about, and they're told in only small part. Now again, here's another sort of Def. I got the best of it because I lived in Israel for 10 months on a Kubutz sent by this youth group. It was like they're selling this program to you from the time you're small. After High School, you go to the Kubutz for 10 months, and during that in the middle, and we were living very near Gaza, actually, we knew very little about what was happening only 20 kilometres from us. But in the middle of that year, there was an optional trip to Poland, but it wasn't like the march of the living or Birthright trips because we were coming from we were already in Israel, so we had already kind of the shine had already been. We're living just in the country, just another. It was like a place, and it was full of we weren't idealizing it anymore. We knew Israelis, we knew some of them were Pricks, we knew some of them were great. We had a sense of the tensions inside the culture, and from there, we went to Poland, and I remember we had a tour guide who was a holocaust Survivor, and most of the week was about how Jews lived in relative peace and harmony with Poland Polish people for about a thousand years; that was the main thrust of the trip. And then we went to the death camps, so it was rather well-rounded. But that's not what Israeli kids get. Israeli kids get terrorized into a fascist ideology, so it's hand-me-down trauma, distorted, pickled, fermented, and turned into a very toxic thing that then justifies whatever. So that's not the Holocaust; that's the bastardization of Holocaust. That's the exploitation of the Holocaust; that's the weaponization of the Holocaust; that's got nothing to do with the Holocaust itself. And Norman Feldstein wrote the book The Holocaust industry 20 years ago now, you know very on point as always. He's always ahead of the curve that guy. And here's the other fact: Israel was created 3 years after World War II ended. Zionism started 60 years before that as a political project, and there was no inkling of the Holocaust. Maybe there was an inkling of bad things coming in Europe, and certainly pogroms were happening, Jews were not safe in many places. The persecution was real, and the trauma of that was real, and the insecurity was real, but that was, but the Holocaust was not the main driver of most of those waves of immigration up to that point; it just accelerated the game, and the Zionists exploited it very cynically and very craftily. You know, so and then you've got the fact and this never gets talked about that it was the European Jews in large part who suffered the Holocaust, but that's not the only Jews in the world, and that's certainly not the only Jews in Israel; you've got the mizi Jews or the Jews of the east or the Safari Jews or whatever you want to call them, right, and they themselves are an oppressed, exploited, and weaponized minority because they've turned into much of Netanyahu's Base. But what happened to them? How did they get to Israel? Well, it's a whole story I still don't know enough about I'm still learning about it, but they like the Jews of Poland had lived in other societies not even other societies it was just their they were Arab Jews there were you know Arab Christians Arab Muslims and Arab Jews and they all lived in relative congruence with of course some flare-ups of this in that but the you know the Jews of Morocco the Jews of Syria the Jews of Iraq these were all well integrated into the society and then Israel came along and everything changed, and Israel exploited the unrest that was there and did a lot to ferment a lot of insecurity in those places and to impel Jews to immigrate to a place they had never wanted to go and then treated them horribly. The Yemenite Jews were sprayed with pesticides, there were sterilizations, and they were told that they were during Arabs and they they needed to become Israelis and the Israel of the Marai Jews is another kind of trauma that's got nothing to do with the Holocaust. So yeah, you're talking about a people, the Israeli people, that is deeply traumatized, but it's not traumatized just by the gas Chambers and the Nazis; it's traumatized by the consequences of the choices of the Zionist movement and by the fundamental wrongheadedness of the idea that the Jews can't belong anywhere, therefore we need to go create a place where only we belong, and you you see Israelis talking about how we're indigenous to this land; they don't act like indigenous people; they're there, but they're not there, and they hate the Palestinians. I think because the Palestinians do belong there; they actually have that sense of belonging. For in the Zionist idea, this land is ours; God gave this land to us; you know the land belongs to us. In the Indigenous idea which every Palestinian I know seems to embody, we belong to the land.

Shoshin1

More and more humanitarian aid workers being targeted...And there are still those who are in denial of what the Israeli government plans are for Gaza...

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant quotes
“Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.”
“I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,”
“We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly,”

Lionduck

It is a sad thought that the current "leadership" of the Israeli government and military are seemingly incapable of differentiating between Hamas and the people of Palistine or the aid workers. Anyone within Gaza, per the leadership, it seems, who is not IDF or a verified hostage seems to be labeled an armed hostile.
Netenyahu - The innocent men women and children are not Hama. The aid workers are not Hamas.

Jeroen

@Lionduck said:
It is a sad thought that the current "leadership" of the Israeli government and military are seemingly incapable of differentiating between Hamas and the people of Palestine or the aid workers.

From what @Shoshin1 has been posting it seems to be a purposeful strategy to do this. At this point I don’t believe they are making mistakes.

Shoshin1

Why Israel Slaughters Aid Workers - And How Media Outlets Covered It Up

Israeli Dissidents EXPOSE Genocidal Language (Three months ago)

Shoshin1

Channel 4 News

Israel-Gaza war: aid demand intensifies after strike on charity convoy

When one of the UK lawyers was asked if he believes that what is going on in Palestine is a genocide, he replied
"The UK is a party to the genocide convention, and that gives it certain obligations. One of the obligations arises when there's a serious risk of genocide. Specific words are used to define what's going on if there is such a risk. When there's a serious risk of genocide, the UK is required to take all reasonable steps to try to avoid it. The government is constantly receiving legal advice. Labor has asked for that legal advice to be made public."
Do you want it to be made public?
"Personally, yes, I'd welcome that. The legal advice being made public is not something that appears in the letter, but I'm sure the majority of the population would agree. This is such an issue of public concern, both nationally and internationally. It calls for greater openness than there might normally be on the part of the government."

World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés on the attack on his aid workers in Gaza

"It's a war against humanity itself"

Evil knows no bounds

Shoshin1

UN Secretary General

Dear members of the media, over the last six months, the Israeli military campaign has brought relentless deaths and destruction to Palestinians in Gaza, with more than people reportedly killed and more than injured, the vast majority being women and children. Lives are shattered, and respect for international humanitarian law is in tatters.

During my visit to the Rafah Crossing 10 days ago, I met veteran humanitarians who told me categorically that the crisis and suffering in Gaza is unlike any they have ever seen. Meanwhile, as I saw on my way to the Rafah Crossing, long lines of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid continue to face obstacle after obstacle. When the gates to aid are closed, the doors to starvation are opened. More than half the population, over a million people, are facing catastrophic hunger. Children in Gaza today are dying for lack of food and water. This is incomprehensible and entirely avoidable. Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

I am also deeply troubled by reports that the Israeli military's bombing campaign includes artificial intelligence as a tool in the identification of targets, particularly in densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties. No part of life-and-death decisions, which impact entire families, should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms. I've warned for many years of the dangers of weaponizing artificial intelligence and reducing the essential role of human agency. AI should be used as a force for good to benefit the world, not to contribute to waging war on an industrial level, blurring accountability in its speed, scale, and inhumane ferocity.

The war in Gaza is the deadliest of conflicts for civilians, aid workers, journalists, and other workers. Some humanitarian aid workers, including more than members of our own UN staff, have been killed. The vast majority were serving UNRWA, the backbone of all relief efforts in Gaza. Others include colleagues from the World Health Organization, the World Food Program, as well as humanitarians from Doctors Without Borders, the Red Crescent, and just a few days ago, World Central Kitchen.

An information war has added to the trauma, obscuring facts, shifting blame, and denying international journalists entry into Gaza, allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish. We honor all humanitarian workers who have been killed in this conflict and pledge to remember their commitment and sacrifice. Following this week's appalling killing of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, the Israeli government has acknowledged mistakes and announced some disciplinary measures. But the essential problem is not who made the mistakes; it is the military strategy and procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again. Fixing those failures requires independent investigations and meaningful and measurable changes on the ground.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, the United Nations was also informed by the Israeli government of its intention to allow a substantial increase in humanitarian aid distributed in Gaza. I sincerely hope that these announced intentions are effectively and quickly materialized because the situation in Gaza is absolutely desperate. Dramatic humanitarian conditions require a quantum leap in the delivery of life-saving aid, a true paradigm shift.

I repeat my urgent appeals for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid. Last week, the Security Council called for just that, and in December, the Council demanded accelerating the delivery of life-saving aid and UN mechanisms. All these demands must be implemented; failure would be unforgivable.

Six months on, we are at the brink of starvation, of regional conflagration, of a total loss of faith in global standards and norms. It is time to step back from the brink, to silence the guns, to ease the horrible suffering, and to stop a potential famine before it is too late. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General.

Thank you. Mr. Secretary-General, you've said there should be an independent investigation. What can the United Nations do to promote such an investigation?

Well, it is obviously for the government of Israel to accept the possibility of that independent investigation because the investigation can only work with the cooperation of the Israeli authorities. But, as I said, the question is not this only specific incident. 196 humanitarian workers have been killed, and we want to know why each one of them was killed.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. Gabriel Alando from Al Jazeera English. Sir, the Israeli government seemed to indicate that they would only open the Erez crossing temporarily. Are you satisfied with that?

We don't know yet what kind of measures will be announced in Erez. It is obvious that, as I said, it's not enough to have scattered measures; we need a paradigm shift. We will see if it comes, and after that, we will pronounce ourselves. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Secretary-General, we have been grown accustomed to straight talk without fear or favor in this United Nations of Antonio Guterres. On the 25th of March, when resolution 2728 was endorsed by the council with the extension of the United States, we heard statements from high officials in the United States, including the National Security Council in the White House, that this resolution is nonbinding. This really concerned thousands, and I could say millions, of people in my region. Can you put the Met to today and please clarify to us whether the Security Council resolutions are binding or non-binding? Another point quickly: today, Israel has fired two low-level officers and reminded some high officers for the bombing of the World Central Kitchen. Is that enough?

Well, first of all, the Secretary-General is guided by the charter, and the charter is clear in article 25. Please read article 25, and you will be perfectly aware of the nature of the resolutions of the Security Council. As I said, the question is not only to know if some mistakes were committed and who committed them. The question is the system that allows those mistakes to happen time and time again, and it is the change of that system that is required, which implies a change in the strategy and the procedures that the military are using in Gaza. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Shoshin1

When it comes to the Israeli government's use of the term anti Semitic when wanting to shut down any criticism of their actions...

In 2002 when Democracy Now (during a radio interview ) asked the following question to Shulamit Aloni the former Israeli Minister of Education....

Question: Often when there is dissent expressed in the United States against policies of the Israeli government, people here are called anti-Semitic. What is your response to that as an Israeli Jew?

Shulamit Aloni replied:

“Well, it’s a trick, we always use it. When from Europe somebody is criticizing Israel, then we bring up the Holocaust. When in this country people are criticizing Israel, then they are anti-Semitic. And the organization is strong, and has a lot of money, and the ties between Israel and the American Jewish establishment are very strong and they are strong in this country, as you know. And they have power, which is okay. They are talented people and they have power and money, and the media and other things, and their attitude is “Israel, my country right or wrong,” identification. And they are not ready to hear criticism. And it’s very easy to blame people who criticize certain acts of the Israeli government as anti-Semitic, and to bring up the Holocaust, and the suffering of the Jewish people, and that is to justify everything we do to the Palestinians.”

Democracy Now
Israeli Director of "No Other Land" Slams Claims of Antisemitism over Apartheid Comment at Berlinale

Democracy Now
Top US & World Headlines

Lionduck

When one group fails to recognize another group as worthy of consideration as human beings, as per Russia attacking Ukraine, Israel attacking Gaza (Palestine) or others, then the tragedy of war and cruel atrocities are justified against the supposed lesser beings.
the same, on a smaller scale in often a less obvious manner occurs at the individual level when subtle and not so subtle discrimination occurs against a minority or an individual who's physical characteristics, beliefs, speech, and such is different from what the antagonist(s) deem correct or normal. This is the tragedy of the Fundamental Darkness manifest in individual ignorance, jealousy, mistrust, fear and hatred of others.This expands to groups, cultures, nations.
We are engaged in a great battle to overcome this fundamental darkness, to enable and generate compassion, trust, to the reality that all are equally worthy of respect, of our compassion. We each start at ground zero, working inward and working outward to create this awakening - A daunting but oh so necessary endeavor.

Prayers for Peace
Prayers for Compassion and Mercy
Prayers that our actions enable thus to be manifest

Peace to all

Jeroen

“Israël, my country right or wrong”

This kind of nationalist thinking has caused massive problems in the last hundred years. It is hugely outdated and far surpassed by attitudes of “this person, my friend and brother”.

Shoshin1

What does “genocide” mean?
According to article II of the Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group:

(a) Killing members of the group

(b) Causing serious physical or mental harm to members of the group

(c) Intentionally subjecting the group to living conditions intended to cause its physical destruction, in whole or in part

(d) Imposing measures aimed at preventing the birth of children within the group

(e) Forcibly transferring children from the group to another group

What actions are punishable?
Under article III of the Convention, the following acts are punishable:

(a) Genocide

(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide

(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide

(d) Attempt to commit genocide

(e) Participation in genocide

Does anyone have immunity from prosecution for genocide?
No.

No one is immune from the charge of genocide. Under the Convention, perpetrators of genocide or any of the other acts mentioned in article III shall be punished, whether they are constitutional rulers, public officials or individuals.
Where do trials take place?
Persons accused of such acts are tried before a competent court of the State on whose territory the act was committed.

The accused can also be tried before an international criminal court that has jurisdiction over any of the contracting parties whose jurisdiction it has recognized.

This includes the ICJ.

person

I think this is the strategy and trap Hamas set and Israel has fallen right into it. Build an infrastructure with humans as shields so the only way Israel can respond militarily to a horrendous attack is to commit atrocities like it is currently doing. And I think it will work, at the end of this even if Israel continues and truly eliminates Hamas, especially with the prevention of humanitarian aid, they will lose the support of their allies and be isolated from the rest of the world. Leaving them vulnerable and alone.

Shoshin1

The Israeli people have only their government's action to blame...
The people who will suffer the most are always the innocent...
It would seem Netanyahu continues to dig the hole deeper by targeting the Iranian embassy in Syria and attacking areas in Lebanon... Perhaps his plan is to get the US involved, (the US being Israel's biggest supplier of arms and other military assistance). US military bases in the Middle East have now become prime targets for reprisal attacks....Just what Netanyahu wanted....

Jeroen

Well it was totally predictable what would happen if Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza.

Shoshin1

'It’s Bisan From Gaza, I’m Still Alive After Six Months Of Bombing'

Shoshin1

He sums up what many around the world (both Gentiles & Jews) are thinking right now...
Daniel Maté
It Can't Be Fun Defending Israel These Days...

I've been thinking about what must it be like at this stage to still be clinging to the idea that Israel is the victim, to still be hoping to convince the world of that view. It's got to be really painful. I think it must be sinking in at this point in the wake of the killings. What the consensus seems to be, no matter what the Israeli Army's internal self-investigation says, were deliberate targeted killings. Pretty systematic. Whatever you think of the deliberateness, they seem to have been pretty systematic killings of the world Central Kitchen Aid workers, the bombing of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. A whole lot of just madness on Israel's part, just kind of a lot of going rogue and doing things that are very hard to explain or defend. What must it be like in this moment?

The great Indian writer Arundhati Roy wrote,“The trouble is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There’s no innocence. Either way, you’re accountable."

Shoshin1

Press Briefing on Gaza by Doctors Without Borders, April 4, 2024

On April 4, 2024, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) held a virtual press briefing to report on the situation in Gaza. Speakers included MSF Secretary General Christopher Lockyear, MSF Emergency Coordinator Marie-Aure Perreaut Revial, and MSF Deputy Program Manager for the Middle East Amber Alayyan.

Gavin_R

Allow Buddhism to shape your politics, not the other way around.

Shoshin1

Novara Media
Iran Attack On Israel Imminent, Says U.S.

Shoshin1

Interesting interview....
Democracy Now
Israeli Scholar Neve Gordon on Israeli Mass Surveillance in Gaza & Use of AI to Kill Palestinians

"Israel is a small country and the degree of separation between either a person that was killed or a person that was kidnapped in Israel, the maximum degree of separation is probably one degree. So, everyone knew someone or knew someone that knew someone, and there was this kind of immense pain. Alongside that pain, there was also a major fear because everything seemed to have collapsed. The major IDF intelligence apparatus was not working, the defense system was not working, the fence was breached without any problems, and the whole apparatus of the state seemed not to be functioning. So, most Israelis were in great pain, were in great fear, but also immediately came this notion of revenge, kind of a sense we have to hit back, we have to hit back hard, and so forth.
My fear is that most Israelis are still trapped, still stuck in that October moment and unwilling to lift their eyes to see basically the genocide unfolding in the Gaza Strip. That's what we've been seeing in the past 6 months, is this horrific, devastating, massive killings of civilians. I mean Hamas killed 30 Israeli children on October 7th, and that is horrific. Israel has killed close to 15000 children, not counting those that are under the rubble since October 7th. We need to understand that figure 15000 children have been killed. We have women, thousands of women have been killed, and thousands of innocent men have been killed. Israel categorizes all the men as terrorists, but thousands of these men were not fighters. They were just men that were in the homes with their wives, with their children, and their homes were bombed."
Neve Gordon

It's worth noting that this conflict isn't about Jews defending Western democracy versus Muslim terrorists, as Netanyahu often portrays it. I think it's more about the state of Israel, whose majority population happens to be Jewish, and the Palestinian people, predominantly Muslim. There are many Jewish people around the world who also oppose what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinian people. they have adopted the slogan "Not In Our Name"... This conflict is about a settler colonial apartheid state "Israel" versus the indigenous population who oppose the occupation and the theft of their lands

This situation is no different from what has occurred throughout the history of colonialism....

The Powhatan Confederacy (Virginia, USA): Led by Chief Powhatan, this confederation of Native American tribes in Virginia resisted English colonial expansion in the early 17th century, notably during the Anglo-Powhatan Wars.

The Pueblo Revolt (New Mexico, USA): In 1680, various Pueblo peoples in present-day New Mexico, led by figures like Popé, coordinated a successful revolt against Spanish colonial rule, driving the Spanish out of the region for over a decade.

The Aztec Resistance (Mexico): After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521, indigenous groups in present-day Mexico, such as the Tlaxcalans, continued to resist Spanish rule for years, sometimes aligning with the Spanish against their common enemies.

The Tupac Amaru II Rebellion (Peru): In the late 18th century, José Gabriel Condorcanqui, known as Tupac Amaru II, led a major indigenous uprising against Spanish colonial rule in Peru, demanding an end to oppression and exploitation.

The Maori Wars (New Zealand): Throughout the 19th century, the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand fought a series of conflicts against British colonial forces, known as the New Zealand Wars or the Maori Wars, over land rights and sovereignty.

The Algerian Resistance (Algeria): Algerian resistance against French colonial rule was significant, with notable figures like Emir Abdelkader leading armed uprisings against the French in the 19th century. The struggle for independence culminated in the Algerian War of Independence from 1954 to 1962.

The Mahdist Revolution (Sudan): Led by Muhammad Ahmad, who proclaimed himself the Mahdi (a messianic figure), this movement rose up against Anglo-Egyptian rule in Sudan in the late 19th century. The Mahdists inflicted a major defeat on British forces at the Battle of Khartoum in 1885.

The Libyan Resistance (Libya): Libyan tribes, led by figures like Omar Mukhtar, fiercely resisted Italian colonization in the early 20th century. Mukhtar's guerrilla tactics against Italian forces in Cyrenaica earned him the nickname "The Lion of the Desert."

The Yemeni Revolts (Yemen): Yemeni tribes, particularly in the north, resisted British colonial rule during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The British faced numerous uprisings and conflicts, including the Aden Emergency in the 1960s, as Yemen sought independence.

The Arab Revolt (Middle East): During World War I, led by figures like Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca and his son Faisal, Arabs in the Middle East revolted against Ottoman rule with the support of the British. This revolt played a significant role in the eventual dismantling of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of Arab states.

Shoshin1

Jon Stewart's political satire highlights the US government's hypocrisy when it comes to Gaza...

person

@Shoshin1 said:

"Israel is a small country and the degree of separation between either a person that was killed or a person that was kidnapped in Israel, the maximum degree of separation is probably one degree. So, everyone knew someone or knew someone that knew someone, and there was this kind of immense pain. Alongside that pain, there was also a major fear because everything seemed to have collapsed. The major IDF intelligence apparatus was not working, the defense system was not working, the fence was breached without any problems, and the whole apparatus of the state seemed not to be functioning. So, most Israelis were in great pain, were in great fear, but also immediately came this notion of revenge, kind of a sense we have to hit back, we have to hit back hard, and so forth.
My fear is that most Israelis are still trapped, still stuck in that October moment and unwilling to lift their eyes to see basically the genocide unfolding in the Gaza Strip. That's what we've been seeing in the past 6 months, is this horrific, devastating, massive killings of civilians. I mean Hamas killed 30 Israeli children on October 7th, and that is horrific. Israel has killed close to 15000 children, not counting those that are under the rubble since October 7th. We need to understand that figure 15000 children have been killed. We have women, thousands of women have been killed, and thousands of innocent men have been killed. Israel categorizes all the men as terrorists, but thousands of these men were not fighters. They were just men that were in the homes with their wives, with their children, and their homes were bombed."
Neve Gordon

It's worth noting that this conflict isn't about Jews defending Western democracy versus Muslim terrorists, as Netanyahu often portrays it. I think it's more about the state of Israel, whose majority population happens to be Jewish, and the Palestinian people, predominantly Muslim. There are many Jewish people around the world who also oppose what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinian people. they have adopted the slogan "Not In Our Name"...

I was pretty with you on the current state of the conflict up to this point.

This conflict is about a settler colonial apartheid state "Israel" versus the indigenous population who oppose the occupation and the theft of their lands

This just sounds like, 'this conflict is about the good guys vs the bad guys' to my ears. A too simplistic narrative, there's blame and victimhood all around even if right now Israeli action is the core problem.

I've said previously in this thread that I do think what the problem boils down to, is the foundation of Israel as a Jewish state legitimate, can and/or should it be undone and what means are justified in doing that?

My reading of your position here is that the state of Israel is illegal, or unjust, and should be abolished. Hamas are actually freedom fighters, despite their despicable acts, their cause is just. I think this is a fairly provocative reading, so feel free to correct me.

Also, I've heard the term settler colonialism, but I'm not sure of the distinction between that and a level of immigration to the point that the character of the region is changed. Anti immigration rhetoric isn't unusual in the US and this kind has some of that vibe. Even if it is, Sephardic Jews, not Ashkenazi make up a slight majority of the population

This situation is no different from what has occurred throughout the history of colonialism....

The history is way beyond me, but this also sounds like spin, a listing of the most justified and effective resistance fights in history with no mention of bad movements and then saying this situation is identical. Is there really NO difference?

I hesitate to post this. I don't want to provoke or delegitimize an important message. The majority of what you've posted comes across to me as an authentic and reasonable perspective, the last bit of this post struck a nerve of disagreement though.

Shoshin1

My reading of your position here is that the state of Israel is illegal, or unjust, and should be abolished. Hamas are actually freedom fighters, despite their despicable acts, their cause is just. I think this is a fairly provocative reading, so feel free to correct me.

Do I think that the state of Israel is illegal?
I feel that the actions carried out by the Israeli state over the last 75 years against the Palestinian people have for the most part been illegal ones.
Example the killing and displacement of thousands upon thousands of Palestinians, forced from their ancestral home and then Israeli settlers set up illegal communities on Palestinian lands, (this by the way is ongoing)...

Do I think that Jewish people born and living in the area known as Israel have a right to live in peace and harmony "on equal terms" with the Palestinian people? Yes, and I strongly support this...

For a while when Yitzhak Rabin was Israel's PM both Israel and the PLO were moving towards a peaceful solution, but then he was assassinated by an Israeli right-wing extremist back in the early 1990s (not unlike many of the right wing extremists Knesset members presently servicing) . And then in the early 2000s Yasser Arafat died under mysterious circumstances...

The history is way beyond me, but this also sounds like spin, a listing of the most justified and effective resistance fights in history with no mention of bad movements and then saying this situation is identical. Is there really NO difference?

I support the Palestinian people's right to resist occupation and their right to self determination...

However when it comes to despicable acts, yes I do feel what Hamas has been doing is unethical and despicable...I also feel what the Israeli government has been doing to the Palestinian people over the last 75 years also unethical and despicable...Two wrongs don't make it right...

Colonial powers, didn't shy away from using brutal tactics to crush resistance from indigenous peoples. Often with missionaries tagging along with colonial expeditions, their mission being to spread Christianity (some would say false hope) and Western practices and beliefs. However, this often meant trampling over indigenous cultures, which were deeply connected to the land. This uncomfortable history brings to light the injustices faced by indigenous communities. While people today aren't responsible for their ancestors' actions, they still have a duty to address these injustices.

From a humanitarian viewpoint, we all must acknowledge the past if we want a better future for all.

SuraShine

I deleted this post because it would likely cause more harm than good and that in itself is not worth it.

I'm just going to take a break instead...

Jeroen

@Shoshin1 said:
From a humanitarian viewpoint, we all must acknowledge the past if we want a better future for all.

I’m not convinced that that is true, I think holding on to the past is one thing that is standing in the way of a lasting settlement and peace. If both sides were to wake up one day as amnesiacs, having completely forgotten religion and their history, they would probably find themselves living in peace.

Shoshin1

I attended another peaceful solidarity rally today..

Shoshin1

@Jeroen said:

@Shoshin1 said:
From a humanitarian viewpoint, we all must acknowledge the past if we want a better future for all.

I’m not convinced that that is true, I think holding on to the past is one thing that is standing in the way of a lasting settlement and peace. If both sides were to wake up one day as amnesiacs, having completely forgotten religion and their history, they would probably find themselves living in peace.

As it stands now @Jeroen acknowledging the past ('mistakes' learn from them in order not to repeat them) if we want a better future...

I don't think religion is the problem, because history has shown that both Arab and Jew lived in relative peace together in the Middle East for hundreds of years ....however, if there was a magic pill which made people forget about religion and all the unwholesome baggage that comes with it...I would put the pills into the world's drinking water supplies....

Shoshin1

Security Council on The Middle East

The speeches by the Russian and Chinese spokespersons on upholding international law were interesting. No matter what one may think of Russia and China, they are on the right side of history when it comes to what has been unfolding in the Middle East, Gaza in particular.

Bearing in mind, over the last six months, the US, UK, and the EU have for the most part lost all credibility when it comes to being upholders of human rights.

What a topsy turvy world we live in....

Shoshin1

Hypocrisy Over Iran Becomes Total Carcrash

lobster

What a topsy turvy world we live in …

ah yes, I noticed that too. That is why I did not go to Israel or Palestine when offered. ❤️‍🩹

I was only following the situation for 49 years or so. Now that BP want to start drilling for oil, all the richest Jews have cashed in to their second homelands. All the PLO money has been stored/converted for who knows what … I am content to wear an invisible Madonna type Star of David and … where is the Dukkha Lama and her Dharma Peace Corp, when you need her?

☸️☯️☦️

Shoshin1

Katie Halper
Iran Scholar & Former Marine BREAK DOWN War In The Middle East

Scholar Assal Rad and Veterans for Peace members Matt Hoh and Barry Riesch react to Iran's retaliatory strike on Israel, Israel's continued genocidal attack on Gaza and predict what's next. Matt and Barry also discuss the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) which will sail in mid April with multiple vessels, carrying 5500 tons of humanitarian aid and hundreds of international human rights observers to challenge the ongoing illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

"If the law doesn't apply equally to people, it's either prejudice or it's corrupt and that's what we are looking at in this situation."

~Assal Rad~

The discussion with Matt Hoh and Barry Riesch was interesting ...Aotearoa's Kia Ora Gaza is also part of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition,

Assal makes some interesting points regarding the hypocrisy of Western leaders...

Freedom Flotilla Coalition "Break the Siege" Mission Fact Sheet

Shoshin1

Interesting debate on Breaking Point
LIVE ISRAEL DEBATE: Cenk Uygur, Dave Smith VS. Dennis Prager, Batya Ungar-Sargon

Out of the four debaters, I have to say that the stand up comedian 'Dave Smith' made the most sense...Funny that....a funny guy/comedian very clear and precise in his answers to serious questions...

Batya Ungar-Sargon was good to....when she mentioned the areas of common ground...

Shoshin1

Clare Daly
The Worst Is Yet To Come

A public hearing was held on April 9th at the European Parliament on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the failure of EU Member States and institutions to meet their obligations to prevent it.
The full event is available here:

• The Worst Is Yet To Come? ...

• Francesca Albanese (United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories)
• Daniel Levy (President of US-Middle East Project, former senior adviser to the Israeli government of Ehud Barak and former member of official Israeli delegation to peace talks at Taba and Oslo B under Yitzhak Rabin.)
• Diana Buttu (Lawyer and analyst, former legal adviser to Palestinian negotiating team and to President Mahmoud Abbas)

Hosted by the Left in the European Parliament, the event was organised by MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace MEP, and co-chaired with Manu Pineda MEP (Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine) and Marc Botenga MEP.

The event was attended by MEPs and a large number of EU staff from the EU institutions in Brussels, including the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the EU.