Middle East crisis live: Briton and dual US citizen among seven killed in Israeli strike in Gaza, food aid charity says (Guardian, 2024-04-02)
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“The [death] toll updates an earlier number of five.
“The food charity said in a statement on its website that the seven killed were from Australia, Poland, the UK, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and Palestine.
“World Central Kitchen’s chief executive, Erin Gore, said its team was ‘travelling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle’”.
Four foreign aid workers and Palestinian translator killed in Israeli strike, Gaza officials say (Guardian, 2024-04-02)
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“Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese confirmed an Australian national was among those killed while doing ‘extraordinarily important work’, naming her as Zomi Frankcom.”
“Albanese said on Tuesday the government would call in the Israeli ambassador over an incident that was ‘beyond any reasonable circumstances’, adding: ‘Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable.’”
Four foreign aid workers and Palestinian translator killed in Israeli strike, Gaza officials say (Guardian, 2024-04-01)
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“Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese confirmed an Australian national was among those killed while doing ‘extraordinarily important work’, naming her as Zomi Frankcom.”
“Albanese said on Tuesday the government would call in the Israeli ambassador over an incident that was ‘beyond any reasonable circumstances’, adding: ‘Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable.’”
Israeli strike kills five World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza (Middle East Eye, 2024-04-01)
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[Quote]
Palestinian outlets have reported that an Israeli attack on a vehicle south of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza killed five aid workers affiliated with World Central Kitchen (WCK).
According to the reports, the organisation was coordinating with Israeli authorities preparing to receive its first aid ship coming to Gaza via sea. Just today a ship arrived in the newly created pier by Israel and WCK was offloading it and working to distribute it.
Four of the five killed are British, Australian, Polish and Palestinian. The nationally of the fifth person still unknown.
Check this Petition:
Demand #Egypt to Open the Rafah Border Crossing and Waive Exit Fees (Change.org, 2024-03-11)
"The Egyptian government is currently charging each person who wishes to leave Gaza a staggering $5,000 USD. With an estimated population of 1.5 million Gazans, these amounts to an exorbitant sum that most cannot afford..."
"We urge Egyptian officials on humanitarian grounds to either reduce this exit fee or waive it completely..."
"We are working together with activists based in Egypt who will present our petition to the Egyptian government.
"The world is watching how Egypt responds during this crisis..."
Time for Autonomous Action for Palestine: A Conversation with Within Our Lifetime
'We will also discuss the benefit of - and existing calls for - decentralized actions, de-occupations, assemblies and gatherings, public testimonies, research/writing, media-making and agitprop, mutual aid stations, trainings and teach-ins in the streets, roving shutdowns, disruptive poetry readings, sit-ins and slow downs, strikes and marches, singing and amplifying sound, painting walls, resistance parties, wheatpasting, and other happenings.
"Within Our Lifetime is not only a name, but a promise, a motivational cry, a rally, and a call to action. It is the steadfast belief that no matter what obstacles we will face, victory of the oppressed is inevitable."'
Michigan lawmaker says Gaza should be approached ‘like Nagasaki and Hiroshima’: The office of Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) says the congressman was speaking metaphorically (Washington Post, 2024-03-31) *Gift Article
"Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) was answering a question from a constituent during a town hall in Dundee, Mich., on Monday, about the United States’ plan to build a floating pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid."
"Walberg,... responds by saying that the United States 'shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid' and then references the two Japanese cities where the United States dropped atomic bombs during World War II."
"The lawmaker’s comments have drawn criticism from Democrats in the state."
Michigan lawmaker says Gaza should be approached ‘like Nagasaki and Hiroshima’: The office of Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) says the congressman was speaking metaphorically (Washington Post, 2024-03-31)
"Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) was answering a question from a constituent during a town hall in Dundee, Mich., on Monday, about the United States’ plan to build a floating pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid."
"Walberg,... responds by saying that the United States 'shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid' and then references the two Japanese cities where the United States dropped atomic bombs during World War II."
"The lawmaker’s comments have drawn criticism from Democrats in the state."
Three U.N. observers and a translator wounded in south Lebanon, peacekeeping mission says (NBC News, 2024-03-30)
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“A blast injured several United Nations technical observers outside a southern Lebanese border town on Saturday, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the area said — an incident two security sources told Reuters was the result of an Israeli strike.
“The Israeli military’s spokesman, Avichay Adraee, denied that Israeli forces hit a vehicle belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, near the town of Rmeish.”
But also note:
“UNIFIL said it was now investigating the origin of the explosion, and has so far not attributed the strike to Israel. “
Protesters interrupt Biden, Obama, Clinton at $25 million New York fundraiser (Reuters, 2024-03-28)
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“President Joe Biden and … Barack Obama, … with former President Bill Clinton …, offering a robust defense of the White House's handling of the Gaza crisis as protesters interrupted the event.”
“… the fundraiser was punctuated by several protests inside the massive auditorium, with attendees rising at several different moments to shout over the discussion, referencing Biden's backing of Israel in the Hamas war that has killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza.
‘Shame on you, Joe Biden!’ one yelled.”
“Before the event, the three leaders' motorcade passed hundreds of protesters demonstrating against Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza…”
European money for the war in Gaza: how EU research funding supports the Israeli arms industry (Statewatch, 2024-03-22)
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“… the Horizon Europe programme, … In addition to organisations and companies from the member states, Turkey and Israel have been granted privileged access to the associated funds, while companies and institutions from the USA and other regions are largely excluded.”
“… Statewatch published an open letter from 300 academics calling on the #EU to stop funding research projects that could contribute to the violation of international law or human rights. The criticism focuses on the funding of dual-use research in Israel – that is, technologies that can also be used for military purposes. The letter explicitly mentions the two large Israeli arms companies Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which have received funding from the EU for several projects.”
Ex-U.N. Official Craig Mokhiber: Israel Must Be Held Accountable (Democracy Now!, 2024-03-26)
Video with full transcription.
Sporadic quotes, pls check the original yourself 🙏
"it’s a signal,... of the very broad consensus across the global community against Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, and it will be another legal tool that can help in holding perpetrators accountable ..."
"And in the end,... we also know that Israel is unlikely to respect any of the terms of this resolution. They’ve already declared that they will not do so... We also know that the United States is very unlikely to use any leverage to compel Israel to comply with the resolution."
"In the end, this all comes down to ... secondly, the obligation on all of us in civil society to make sure that we keep up the pressure,... on our own countries to make sure that there are appropriate sanctions imposed on Israel to force it to comply and to end its genocide."
Ex-U.N. Official Craig Mokhiber: Israel Must Be Held Accountable (Democracy Now!, 2024-03-26)
Video with full transcription.
Sporadic quotes, pls check the original yourself 🙏
"it’s a signal,... of the very broad consensus across the global community against Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, and it will be another legal tool that can help in holding perpetrators accountable ..."
"And in the end,... we also know that Israel is unlikely to respect any of the terms of this resolution. They’ve already declared that they will not do so... We also know that the United States is very unlikely to use any leverage to compel Israel to comply with the resolution."
"secondly, the obligation on all of us in civil society to make sure that we keep up the pressure,... on our own countries to make sure that there are appropriate sanctions imposed on Israel to force it to comply and to end its genocide."
Why Today’s UN Security Council Resolution Demanding an Immediate Ceasefire is Legally Binding (Hannah Birkenkötter | Verfassungsblog, 2024-03-25)
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[sections]
Is the resolution legally binding?
It is not necessary to adopt a resolution under Chapter VII for it to be legally binding
It is not necessary to explicitly use the word “decide” for a resolution to be legally binding
Resolution 2728 (2024) is legally binding – but for whom?
“In conclusion, the resolution is … legally binding and creates a legally binding request for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan and a legally binding request to immediately release all hostages. The obvious elephant in the room is enforcement: who is to enforce the Security Council resolution in the current situation? It ultimately falls to the parties of the conflict to heed the Security Council’s call, and to the Council itself to enforce its requests...”
#UK / Britain ‘threatens to withhold weapons’ from Israel unless it allows aid into Gaza, Red Cross visits to Hamas prisoners
[...] Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, is ready to suspend the UK’s export licence to Israel if there is a change in his department’s legal advice on whether Israel is complying with international humanitarian law.
[...] He is understood to have told Israeli officials in recent talks that an “arms embargo” could be declared if Hamas prisoners held in Israeli jails are denied access to visits from the Red Cross.
UK could halt arms sales to Israel next week, says head of foreign affairs committee (Middle East Eye, 2024-03-22)
Quote:
Alicia Kearns, the Conservative MP who chairs the influential parliamentary committee, told LBC Radio on Thursday evening she would "be very surprised" if the government did not make a public determination within the week of Israel's commitment to international humanitarian law.