#Palestine / Josh Paul: ‘Israel declared charity who raised alarm over rape in Israeli prison a terrorist entity’ (December 2023)
[…] Former US State Department official, Josh Paul, said Israel declared a charity a terrorist entity after it raised allegations about the rape of a 13-year-old boy in an Israeli prison. Paul made the comments while speaking with Christiane Amanpour on CNN on Monday.
[…] The U.S. government considers torture, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, and rape under color of law as GVHRs when implementing the Leahy law. Incidents are examined on a fact-specific basis. The State Department Leahy law includes an exception permitting resumption of assistance to a unit if the Secretary of State determines and reports to Congress that the government of the country is taking effective steps to bring the responsible members of the security forces unit to justice.
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🔻 There was a McCarthyite Congressional hearing recently where they were more concerned about a slogan for freedom than people dying in a genocide.
In the clip, McClain, a representative, even says "infantada" demonstrating the care and knowledge level were dealing with: https://www.democracynow.org/2024/4/18/columbia_university_israel_palestine
An intelligent analysis of what's been going on with Iran - including the puzzling minority of Iranians who appear to support Israel. (Sometimes the enemy of your enemy is not a friend! Evidence being Zionism and genocide, hello.)
As of April 17, more than 8,000 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank were held in Israeli captivity, according to estimates from the rights group Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.
#US / Sanctioned on an Israeli military unit “Netzah Yehuda”
#Blinken and #Biden respond to criticism about ignoring human rights violations by Israel by picking low-hanging fruit, while sending more aid to Israel and ignoring the continued massacre in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
#Axios is reporting that the U.S. is expected to impose sanctions on #IDF "Netzah Yehuda" battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. This would be the first time the U.S. has sanctioned an Israeli military unit.
The battalion was formed as a special unit for ultra-Orthodox soldiers, but over time became a destination for radical right-wing settlers who were not accepted into other IDF combat units.
One incident that led to the sanctions was the death of 80-year-old Palestinian American Omar Assad, who was arrested, handcuffed, and left in the cold by Netzah Yehuda soldiers, and was later found dead.
State Department has failed to act on internal reports of human rights abuses by Israeli military and police units, despite recommendations from a special panel to deny funding to these units https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/112294455860672263
DAWN. “Israel: Netzah Yehudah Battalion Carries Out War Crimes In the West Bank, Including the Killing of Palestinian-American Omar Assad.” DAWN, 29 Nov. 2022, https://dawnmena.org/culprit-netzah-yehuda-battalion/.
[cont’d] Minister Dichter to the U.S. administration: “back off from this; step down”
Reading Israeli politicians and MKs response it is difficult not get an impression that the sanctions are performative, and both sides know it, same like the previous ones, issued against a couple of violent settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Minister and member of the security cabinet, Gadi Eizenkot: "The idea of imposing sanctions on a combat brigade in the IDF is fundamentally flawed. We will work together to prevent the decision, because if there are claims, they should be directed at the political and military leadership, not at the commanders,"
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter called on the Biden administration not to impose sanctions. In a post in his X account he wrote: "Decades ago you demanded to stop the promotion of a senior Air Force officer because you claimed he was involved in the Pollard affair - we didn't like it but respected your request. As for the Netzah Yehuda combat brigade, back off from this - step down."
#Haaretz reporting that an IDF spokesman said that the army is still not aware of the American decision to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion. "If a decision is made on the matter, it will be examined," the IDF stated, adding that "the IDF operates and will continue to operate to investigate any exceptional incident objectively and in accordance with the law."
It was further stated that "the fighters of Netzah Yehuda are currently participating in the war in the Gaza Strip with courage and professionalism, while upholding the values and spirit of the IDF and the principles of international law." 🤮
#Nederlands / Sakir Khader: Winner of Zilveren Camera 2023
[…] Palestinian-Dutch documentary photographer and filmmaker Sakir Khader won the Silver Camera 2023 with the impressive black-and-white series Life in the West Bank on Oct. 7. Photographer Sakir Khader made this series last year in Jenin, a West Bank refugee camp. According to the jury, they are all strong images that stick with you and touch you. "The series stands out for its photographic quality and emotional impact.
Khader is a documentary photographer and film director based in the Netherlands. His main focus is the relation between life and death in conflict zones, especially across the Middle East.
"At least five Palestinians, including a teenager, have been killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem.
"Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Tulkarem, said the Israeli military went into the Nur Shams refugee camp late on Thursday night in an hours-long operation that stretched into Friday."
Israeli settlers in Ein Hilwaeh, Jordan Valley, poison Palestinian wells by killing sheep and dumping waste into the village's well.
This contamination makes farming difficult for Palestinians, aiming to force them off their lands and establish settlements on the ruins of their homes.
»A slow, structural genocide targeting Palestinians in the West Bank has been in place for decades. It is now escalating against the backdrop of the genocide in Gaza. The Lemkin Institute has been consistent in labeling Israel's war on Gaza as genocidal and in pointing out the genocidal structural dynamics of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. It is misleading to separate the Israeli campaign in Gaza from its actions in the West Bank. The tactics employed by Israel in both locations are part of the same eliminationist, genocidal campaign.«
It seems like Biden managed to make a deal with Netanyahu, his cooperation with US and refraining from lager attack against iran, in exchange for new weapons andcarte blanche for IDF in Gaza and occupied West Bank. Plus letting in just enough food into Gaza to avoid the famine charges but only to keep them slightly above that level.
I#DF have stepped up their barbaric attacks against Palestinians in #Gaza, #Lebanon and occupied #WestBank without any objections from the "world".
#Netanyahu did a great job, killing WCK aid workers and attacking Iranian consulate the day after the news about their multiple war crimes during the seage of Al Shifa hospital, bit only took the world attention away from that, but also made israel like a victim in the minds of the people in west against the big bad axis-of-evil Iran.
And on top of it, he got a billion dollars worth of free weapons and right to attack #Rafah as he pleases.
Isn't Biden a great president or what? He is such an amazing deal maker.
#US / State Department has failed to act on internal reports of human rights abuses by Israeli military and police units, despite recommendations from a special panel to deny funding to these units
The #Biden administration has justified continued arms sales to Israel by claiming internal mechanisms have not found violations of international law, but critics say the processes are designed to avoid reaching conclusions.
Human rights groups say they have provided evidence of Israeli violations, but the State Department claims it has not found any. There are concerns the administration may try to avoid making a definitive finding against Israel in the upcoming report.
#House Speaker #MikeJohnson is plowing ahead on a #ForeignAid plan that has roiled his conference & prompted 2 #Republicans to push an effort to oust him….
But instead of the complex 4-part plan he floated this week, Johnson now intends to try to pass 5 bills — 1 each for #aid to #Ukraine, #Israel, & #IndoPacific allies, …a #GOP wish list of #ForeignPolicy priorities & a 5th…to address widespread Republican… [#border ] demands….
The #House#legislation turns a portion of the #aid, the money sent directly to #Ukraine, into a * #loan* & is endorsed by #Trump. It also includes just over $9B in #humanitarian aid for #Gaza, the #WestBank, Ukraine & other places in need, which #Democrats have demanded as a condition of any support from them. #MikeJohnson signaled Wed evening that there would probably be an amendment to the package to strip the #HumanitarianAid, which he said he has “concerns” with.
[the good Christian] #GOP
"Armed Israeli settlers raided more than a dozen Palestinian communities under the army’s guard, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake"