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The Beijing Declaration:
Statement from the Chinese Ambassador to Qatar, reported by al Jazeera:– “The Beijing Declaration is a key step to resolve the Palestinian question. Palestinian unity is key to the realisation of Palestinian statehood and China is committed to facilitating it.”
– “The first step is to achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground. The international community should build more synergy for ending the hostilities and establishing a ceasefire.”
– – – – – – – –I’m sure I read a post by Craig saying that the UN should issue a Section 3 order or something like that, to send in peacekeeping forces, and that China should lead the way. I have searched on this site without success, so maybe Craig posted it on X/Twitter. If anyone can find this statement, please post a link here.
As far as I understand things any peace keeping UN force can only be deployed after the UNSC passes a resolution that mandates it.
Any such proposal for a resolution mandating a peace keeping force can be vetoed by any of the 5 permanent members.
With the UK, France and the USA having a veto it isn’t going to happen.ET, I think there’s some way around a UNSC veto that involves the General Assembly or maybe a UNSC majority; that’s why I want to find what Craig had to say about it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_377
Perhaps the above outlines a possible route.
My opinion is if China (or anyone else) were to assemble a coalition of the willing which didn’t include significant western partners and send such a force to Israel we’d have the beginning of WW3. It would also take time to assemble during which Israel would be even more unhinged and nasty.That was my understanding too, but I’m perplexed by the inaction. Every day there is a new atrocity – and still no movement to prevent further indiscriminate slaughter. Now with polio and a reinfection (R) value of 6-7 and a pause in bombing for a few hours each day over the weekend so vaccination can be carried out. It takes 4-6 weeks before vaccination is effective at overcoming the viral infection so the very least that should be happening is isolation and support for all children in the area. Perhaps when the first cases arrive in Tel Aviv we may see some humility and contrition from those countries complicit in the genocide.
UK police arrest founder of Palestine Action, other activists
UK police have arrested the co-founder of Palestine Action, along with several other activists, on “terrorism” and other charges
https://www.newarab.com/news/uk-police-arrest-founder-palestine-action-other-activists
Amazing that this occur under a Labour regime! But, this is what the nasties that ousted Corbyn aimed at.In other news:
) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assured Israel that the US will support preemptive strikes against Lebanese movement Hezbollah amid signs that Israel was preparing to attack the group’s positions last week, The New York Times reported on Friday, citing a senior US official who requested anonymity.
It is sickening that there is no group of people in power that could rise up protesting, distance themselves and speaking truth to power. What a pathetic bunch of people that rule the world.
No one in the west. No one in BRICS, no one in the Arab League, No african state. What the hell are they afraid of??And I assume we are soon going to hear from the ICC that they will drop the arrest warrant against the israelis too, then we have come full circle.
What’s the use of an arrest warrant when Netanyahu can travel with impunity to the US and UK whenever he wants?
Symbolic win, since it will prove that western/western-allies are not above the law. And if the charge is dropped well then it will be perceived by the vast majority that the killing of 50000 palestinians and wholesome destruction of Gaza is within the legal realm and that the slaughter could go on unhindered. A major win, boost for Netanyahu.
Don´t know if anyone had time to look closely into the new site DROP SITE´s Gaza reporting.
It´s the new platform by Jeremy Scahill, in cooperation e.g. with Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain
https://www.dropsitenews.com/Stuff looks really engaging.
But I have had no time to check if that is met with real substance.see e.g. this older long piece about Scahill talking to Hamas.
“On the Record with Hamas
In a Drop Site News exclusive, Hamas officials discuss their motivations, political objectives, and the human costs of their armed uprising against Israel”
9/7/24
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/on-the-record-with-hamas
https://archive.is/KWqU2Or this new harrowing short story about a guy who published with LANCET and now has disappeared in an Israeli torture prison:
“Renowned Surgeon and Lead Author of New Lancet Study Tortured by Israeli Military
Dr. Khaled Alser was held for at least three months at notorious Sde Teiman detention camp and remains “forcibly disappeared,” according to colleagues ”
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-doctor-tortured-lancet
https://archive.is/BBjlfAl Jazeera, 19:35 GMT:
Protesters breach security barriers surrounding Netanyahu’s residence –
Translation of Twitter post:
– “Determined citizens broke through the barrier on the way to Netanyahu’s house!”
Israel seems to be tearing itself apart:
– “the Israeli right and radical right” who support the government “have the upper hand”, according to political analyst Akiva Eldar. “So people are losing hope,” he said. “More and more Israelis are lining up in foreign embassies to get European or American passports and leave.”
Statistics on Palestinians in Israeli custody
At the end of June 2024, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) was holding 9,440 Palestinians in detention or in prison on what it defined “security” grounds, including 1,761 from the Gaza Strip. At that time, the IPS was also holding 1,526 Palestinians, 11 of them from the Gaza Strip, for being in Israel illegally.
https://www.btselem.org/statistics/detainees_and_prisoners
So over 10k palestinians in custody, oftentimes, with no charge agains them. Thus this is nothing but kidnapped people.
How much do western MSM report on this compared to to the israelis taken by Hamas? Nothing!Sources in Israel apparently believe that ICC will decide this week if the arrest warrants against israeli leaders will be rejected or not. The onus is on Israel, they could block it by initiating a investigation of their own.
Israeli Officials: Not Launching Oct. 7 Inquiry Risks ICC Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
“Under the court’s principle of complementarity, if a country with an independent legal system seriously investigates violations of the laws of war and international humanitarian law on its own, that preempts investigations by the international court.”
It is unclear if Israel have any plan to investigate their own crimes, also, unfortunately, Israel have gotten away with this in previous wars/investigations.
If ICC drop their charge against Israel I assume we will see a clear brutal, escalation by Israel especially after the israeli public want to see blood after the 6 hostages found to be dead the other day..
US Presidential election campaign money:
– Saban has long been a major Democratic political donor, especially to Bill and Hillary Clinton. In 2016, one reporter even claimed that “no single political patron has done more for the Clintons over the span of their careers.” Now Saban is donating big towards Biden’s 2024 reelection: he and his wife Cheryl gave a combined $1,859,199 to the Biden Victory Fund through two donations in September 2023 and February 2024. Saban also hosted a fundraiser for Biden at his Los Angeles home.
– Why does Saban donate millions? According to Saban: “I’m a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.” Indeed, Saban is a major donor to Zionist groups, including Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, and he has no qualms about directly lashing out at politicians who criticize Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Sigh
US charges Hamas leaders over October 7 attack
The armed group’s political chief has been charged with planning and conducting acts of terrorism against Israelis and Americanshttps://swentr.site/news/603475-us-charges-hamas-leaders/
Why do not US charge Israel on killing, abusing, planning attacks against palestinians in West Bank, Gaza with american passports?Palestinian-American teen one of hundreds killed by Israelis in West Bank
They are using US tax dollars to ‘kill our own children’, says father after Israeli soldiers and settlers opened fire, killing his 17-year-old son.Also…
US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced …
Inside the Jewish life of Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland
Experienced judge who may soon be fourth sitting Jewish justice sees his family’s Jewish immigrant story as impetus for life of public servicehttps://www.timesofisrael.com/inside-the-jewish-life-of-supreme-court-nominee-merrick-garland/
Lets put it this way, would the same US attorney charge palestinians if he were of palestinian descent himself. No. Equally this US attorney is biased from the getgo on Israel/Palestine issues.
No doubt the world is facing a fanatical religious sect called zionism:
Chief rabbi of France calls for Israel to ‘finish the job’ in Gaza
Critics of Rabbi Haim Korsia condemned him for condoning Israeli war crimes in Gazahttps://www.middleeasteye.net/news/chief-rabbi-france-calls-israel-finish-job-gaza
In response to a French TV interviewer asking if he condemned the massacres in Gaza as he did the Israeli deaths on 7 October, Korsia said: “They are not of the same order.”
Palestinian lives – of fathers, mothers, old people, teenagers, children, infants – are “not of the same order” as Israeli lives. They do not weigh as much in the scale of humanity. They can be discounted.This is on par if the highest imam in France called on ISIS to “finish the job”.
Israeli human rights organisation, Btselem, delivered aspeech to the UNSC the other day, claiming amongst other things that Israel pursue of a policy of jewish supremacism regarding palestinians:
Video in the link:
‘Israel is pursuing Jewish supremacy’ UN told by experts
‘Since Israel was founded, its guiding logic has been to promote Jewish supremacy over the entire territory under its control,’ Israeli human rights group B’Tselem told the UN Security Council, highlighting Israel’s violations of international and humanitarian law.https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240905-israel-is-pursuing-jewish-supremacy-un-told-by-experts/
And now the same woman is harassed by the israeli leading party, Likud, threatening that she needs to be punished for what she said:
Israeli lawmaker calls for B’Tselem chief to be arrested for ‘assisting the enemy’
Likud MP urges police to question Yuli Novak under law punishable by death penalty or life sentence after Security Council speechhttps://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-lawmaker-calls-btselem-chief-arrested-assisting-enemy
Mmmm, I can see I’ve got a lot of reading to do! (having not checked out this thread before). Anyway, I posted the following in the comments section re Craig’s article entitled The End of Western Pluralist Democracy, and AG suggested in a reply that I post it in the forum (and I assume in this thread) so that the sources and quotes are in one place/space and relatively easy to find for research purposes. It’s not ‘breaking news’, as such, but here it goes anyway:
In a Guardian article posted on October 9th it said the following near the end:
Many family members of those attending the party headed to a missing persons centre at a police station near Ben Gurion airport on Sunday. Relatives were told to bring items, such as toothbrushes, that could contain DNA.
On November 8th (and the following days) the MSM reported that Israel had revised the number of Israelis killed on October 7th from 1,400 down to 1,200, and did so without explanation:
Israel Revises Death Toll Estimate to 1,200, Down From 1,400
By Gordon Lubold, Wall Street Journal November 8th
The Israeli government revised its death toll for the number of people killed in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 from the prior estimate of 1,400 to a new count of about 1,200.
It couldn’t be determined what led to the revised figure. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lior Haiat, said Friday that the estimate could change again as more bodies are identified.https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-2023-11-08/card/israel-revises-death-toll-estimate-to-1-200-down-from-1-400-OCJ3lf9HQUmM0u6VLrmY (scroll down a tad)
On November 18th Skwawkbox reported that the former Israeli ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, inadvertently let the cat out of the bag:
Challenged by MSNBC interviewer Mehdi Hasan about Israel’s revision of its claimed death toll from 1,400 to 1,200, Regev answered that two hundred bodies they had thought were ‘ours’ were in fact Hamas operatives [who were identified by their DNA because they were burnt beyond recognition, and obviously weren’t killed and burnt beyond recognition by other Hamas fighters]
Two or three weeks after the figure was revised down to 1,200 it was further quietly revised down again, without explanation, by another 50 or so, and they were undoubtedly also Hamas fighters burnt beyond recognition, making around 250 altogether.
And my point in posting all of the above is that if the helicopter gunships and tanks incinerated 250 or so Hamas fighters, then it’s more-then-likely that they killed and incinerated at least as many Israelis, and quite possibly a lot more than that, and the Israeli authorities and BN and Co obviously must know exactly how many Israelis were killed and incinerated by ‘friendly fire’ (or to be more precice, the Hannibal Directive).
But they will never-ever reveal the number of course, and the only way it will ever be determined is by a newspaper like Haaretz investigating the matter and asking all the families whose relative(s) had to be identified by their DNA to contact them.
Thanks!
Craig posted the following right at the end of his recent article entitled The End of Western Pluralist Democracy (a graphic, that is):
A dark evil has descended over the West. As the genocide in Palestine continues, the US, UK, Germany & other Western governments, instead of cracking down on those committing, aiding and inciting the genocide, are cracking down on those opposing the genocide. Human rights defenders are being persecuted on college campuses, on city streets, in workplaces, at airports and beyond, with suspensions, beatings, firings, slander, arrests, asset seizures, social media bans. All to defend the perpetrators of genocide and to protect the “feelings” of genocide supporters. Be a light in the darkness. Raise your voice. Fight back.
Craig Mokhiber (August 31st on X)And RoS posted the following at the end of the comments section in the same thread (the 535th comment!):
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – has spoken about his dream.
“The mission of my life is to build the land of Israel and thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state. That is why I have taken upon myself, in addition to the position of Minister of Finance, responsibility for civil issues in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank),” Smotrich wrote in a post on X on Monday [September 9th].
“I will continue to work with all my might so that the half a million settlers who are on the front line and under fire enjoy the rights of every citizen in Israel and establish the facts on the ground,” he added.
“My plan is not a secret. I will fight with all my might the danger of establishing a Palestinian state; for the sake of Israel and its citizens, I will continue, through my powers, to develop settlements in the West Bank and strengthen security,”
To think much of the West – is backing this mad man’s plans – its just frightening.
In both cases I don’t think there’s any need for me to check to see if any of the MSM covered either of these comments because it is highly HIGHLY unlikely that any of them did. And for the obvious reason!
As with SO many aspects of this genocidal war on the people of Gaza – and increasingly so the Palestinians in the West Bank), we should always bear in mind that the vast majority of the populations in the West never get to hear about them, and it’s mainly only people on the left/independent thinkers (and people on the rabid right!) who do.
NB Craig Gerard Mokhiber is an international human rights lawyer and activist and a former senior United Nations human rights official. A human rights activist in the 1980s, he would go on to serve for more than three decades at the United Nations, with postings in Switzerland, Palestine, Afghanistan, and UN Headquarters in New York, undertaking dozens of human rights missions to countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. In October of 2023, he left the United Nations, penning a widely read letter criticizing the UN’s human rights failures in the Middle East, warning of unfolding genocide in Gaza, and calling for a new approach to Palestine and Israel based on international law, human rights, and equality. I think everyone knows who and what Bezalel Smotrich is.
PS You’re very welcome AG.
Video (Warning): Another palestinian toddler slaughtered by Israel
https://x.com/MuhammadSmiry/status/1833161654030192830
Now imagine these type of videos being publicized as the first news segment in the western msm, daily. In just one 1 week the support for Israel would go down just like that. Because the westerner have no friggin idea what Israel do in Gaza because the msm news is always sanitized and framed from the israeli perspective.
Of course, if this toddler above was Ukrainian the video would be publicized all over the msm already.In other news: Here we have a short clip from a recent interview with Yahya Sinwar:
Not on CNN. Yahya Sinwar explains why the #Palestinian people were forced into armed resistance. A 2021 interview, banned on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
https://x.com/timand2037/status/1833454067001266703
What he say is what every other person would say being under a 70+ year brutal occupation. But of course the westerner are told that palestinians are religious fanatics that makes no sense, they have no idea that palestinians are humans like any other group of people, with the same dreams, wishes and basic logic of defending their own people.*sorry it was not a recent interview, too quick, sorry.
Just came across this Middle East Eye article via an Owen Jones youtube video (posted seven hours ago):
Forged Hamas documents leaked to shape public opinion, report says
Jewish Chronicle and Bild reports appear to have been an attempt to sway opinions on Israel’s continued occupation of Philadelphi Corridor, says Yedioth Ahronoth
Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth reports that leaked Hamas documents that purported to show plans to smuggle Israeli captives out of Gaza were forged.
Speaking to military officials, the Israeli outlet says the documents were leaked in an attempt to influence public opinion and present a view that Hamas and its leader, Yahya Sinwar, were uninterested in a ceasefire deal and attempting to pin the failure to reach an agreement on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The documents were used by the UK’s Jewish Chronicle and Germany’s Bild.
The Jewish Chronicle claimed that documents seized by the Israeli army in Gaza on 29 August revealed a plan to smuggle captives from Gaza to Egypt across the Philadelphi corridor buffer zone, and then to Iran…..
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/forged-hamas-documents-leaked-shape-public-opinion
I wonder who forged them. And who had the idea to forge them??!
Caitlin Johnstone posted this little ditty in an article yesterday:
Next month will mark the one-year anniversary October 7th, that terrible day when more than a thousand people were brutally massacred in southern Israel by Israeli helicopters and Israeli tanks and also by Hamas a bit.
Yep, the reality is that Israel/IDF could well be responsible for half of them or more. And here’s another by Caitlin (following on directly after the one above):
A new poll says 70 percent of Jewish Israelis think it should be forbidden to express any sympathy for civilians in Gaza on social media platforms. Israelis will murder, oppress and steal from an ethnic group they’ve designated as less than human for 75 years, cry victim when that group retaliates, commit genocide in response to the retaliation, and then say you should be forcefully banned from criticizing them for this.
https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/rainbow-flag-genocide-vs-maga-hat-genocide-579998dfaae7
Caitlin has a way of hitting the nail right flat bang on the head. With a sledge hammer!
Tariq Ali (whose political writing was always better than his fiction) in an interview on GB and Israel, among other things, with Democracy Now:
“Tariq Ali on U.S. & U.K. Arming Israel’s War on Gaza, Pakistan Protests & Macron’s Embrace of the Right”
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/9/10/tariq_aliSouth Africa to submit Gaza war crimes evidence to UN court
The BRICS member accuses Israel of having committed multiple atrocities
…reports that West Jerusalem has begun lobbying the US Congress to put pressure on South Africa’s new multi-party government to drop the ICJ suit.
https://swentr.site/africa/603840-south-africa-israel-genocide-case-evidence-icj/
