Putting a deadly rhetorical spin on genocide
Following the UN Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire in Gaza for the remaining days of Ramadan, which the US failed to veto, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a meeting in Washington for his top aides, allegedly as a warning to Hamas that no pressure would make him renege on his war plans. There was no need2024-03-28 | Asia & Americas, Blog, Blogs - Politics
UN Humanitarian Office notes vital importance of large-scale land aid deliveries for Gaza
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) emphasised, Thursday, the importance of large-scale land deliveries of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports. OCHA warned that “There’s no alternative to large-scale deliveries of aid by land in Gaza”, on X. Stressing that “swift, safe and unimpeded humanitarian passage through all crossings is paramount,” said OCHA.2024-03-28 | ICJ, International Organisations, Israel
Egypt, UK discuss Gaza war, recognition of Palestinian State
Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, held talks in Cairo on Thursday with British Minister of State for Middle East and North African Affairs, Tariq Ahmad, to discuss Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip and the recognition of a Palestinian State, Anadolu Agency reports. Shoukry underlined the importance of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza to preserve the lives of Palestinian civilians,2024-03-28 | Africa, Egypt, Europe & Russia
New Zealanders petition Parliament, seek support for Gaza
Amid the ongoing onslaught by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, a petition was moved in the New Zealand Parliament seeking support for the people in the besieged coastal enclave, Anadolu Agency reports. “We call for the New Zealand government to fulfil its international legal obligations, and to demonstrate moral leadership to the rest of the world by supporting Palestinian human2024-03-28 | Europe & Russia, ICJ, International Organisations
‘Our Home is Our Land’ – Land Day 2024 amid Gaza Genocide
This year Land Day occurs during genocide, Israel’s destruction not only of people’s lives but also of the land. By March 30, 2024, Gaza will have undergone nearly six months of brutal genocide inflicted by the Zionist regime. – Benay Blend earned her doctorate in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. Her scholarly works include Douglas Vakoch and Sam2024-03-28 | Articles, Commentary, gaza
Activists protest Toronto Mayor's Iftar over Gaza war
Activists protest an Iftar event with Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto, Canada, for not calling for a ceasefire. They urge her to advocate for the demands of Palestinian Canadians and for the boycott of Israel by the City of Toronto. Activists refuse to participate in Ramadan's Iftar, saying they won't have it with 'politicians complicit in the genocide of Palestinians2024-03-28 | Asia & Americas, Canada, Israel
Pope expresses solidarity with Palestinian Catholics in Holy Land
Pope Francis has expressed his support for Catholics in the Holy Land as Easter approaches. He assured them, “You are not alone.” The statement came following a meeting with two peace activists, Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian, and Rami Elhanan, an Israeli, who both lost their daughters, ages ten and 13, because of the war. Aramin saw his ten-year-old Abir die2024-03-28 | Europe & Russia, Israel, Middle East
US official: We reduced some of the Houthis’ capabilities
Bloomberg quoted the US flotilla commander in the Red Sea operation saying America had reduced some of the Houthis’s capabilities, but more work remained to be done. Admiral Marc Miguez added that he could not predict when the job may be completed. He considered that the Houthi attacks have slowed down and shifted from firing cruise missiles to less dangerous2024-03-28 | Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East
My uncle died fighting for Palestine's freedom
The story of my uncle, Brigadier General Hassan Muhammad Mustafa Al-Ajrami, is not merely one of individual heroism, but a saga woven into the tapestry of Palestine’s enduring struggle for liberation. Born on 1 December, 1951, amidst the harsh realities of the Jabaliya refugee camp, my uncle’s early years were steeped in the bitter legacy of his family’s forced displacement2024-03-28 | Article, International Organisations, Israel
Decline in Nestle's sales in Lebanon reflecting ‘popular will’
The Boycott Department of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a faction of the PLO, has said the recent decline in Nestle’s sales in Lebanon is a sign of the public’s determination to boycott companies that support the Israeli occupation. According to reports from Lebanese media sources, Nestle’s sales in Lebanon have experienced a significant drop from2024-03-28 | Israel, Lebanon, Middle East
A war crime? Israeli soldiers play with Gaza women's underwear in online posts
Israeli soldiers have been posting photos and videos of themselves toying with lingerie found in Palestinian homes, creating a dissonant visual record of the war in Gaza as a looming famine intensifies world scrutiny of Israel’s offensive. In one video, an Israeli soldier sits in an armchair in a room in Gaza grinning, with a gun in one hand and2024-03-28 | Asia & Americas, Blog, Canada
UN ceasefire resolution is ‘long overdue’, needs to relieve suffering in Gaza: Amnesty
To alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and ensure a lasting ceasefire, implementation of the UN Security Council’s “overdue resolution” is critical, Amnesty International said on Monday. “This resolution is long overdue, but in order to truly relieve the toll on civilians and address the mass devastation and suffering in Gaza, it is vital that it is implemented immediately2024-03-28 | Amnesty International, Asia & Americas, International Organisations
UNICEF: Ceasefire in Gaza must be 'substantive' to end 'darkest chapters' of humanity
A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must be “substantive, not symbolic” to end the “darkest chapters” of humanity, a UNICEF official said on Tuesday. “Gaza has shattered humanity’s records for its darkest chapters. Humanity must now urgently write a different chapter,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder said at a UN press briefing in Geneva. “In the three months between my visits,2024-03-28 | International Organisations, Israel, Middle East
Ex-chief of staff: Netanyahu leading Israel ‘from bad to worse’
Former Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he was leading Israel “from bad to worse”, Anadolu reported. Speaking during an interview on Israeli Channel 13 yesterday, Halutz said in reference to the 7 October attack: “He [Netanyahu] is responsible, and I don’t know a country in the world where a prime minister would2024-03-28 | Israel, Middle East, News
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli seizure of 800 hectares of Palestinian land in West Bank
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, joining the growing list of nations opposing the move, which violates international law. Last week, the Israeli authorities seized more land in the Jordan Valley area of the occupied West Bank, in a move overseen by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for2024-03-28 | International Organisations, Israel, Middle East
Religious Scholars Urge Maryland Senator to Stand for Justice on Gaza
Open Letter Attacking A Lifeline The United Nations’ regional refugee agency – the United Nations’ Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East, or UNRWA, led currently by Philippe Lazzarini – has been a lifeline for Palestinians in the region since its foundation in 1949, taking on added importance after Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank in2024-03-28 | #Current Affairs, featured, Featured Current Affairs
Exclusive: Graham claims financials ‘fake’ – but they were ‘on Unite Sharepoint’
‘Unhinged’ claim challenged by screenshots – no response from Unite to request to confirm whether union management stands by bizarre comment from general secretary in letter to all staff, officers and organisers banned Unite officials and national banners from pro-Gaza protests banned and smeared films and books exposing the ‘Labour antisemitism’ scam placed an official under investigation who refused to cancel a Palestine solidarity fringe event2024-03-27 | Analysis, Breaking, Exclusive
Israel asks US to reschedule scrapped meeting on Rafah offensive plans
Israel has asked to reschedule a meeting with US officials to discuss its military plans in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, a US official said on Wednesday, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly scrapped the planned talks, Reuters reports. Netanyahu called off a planned visit to Washington by a senior Israeli delegation after the US allowed passage of a2024-03-27 | Asia & Americas, International Organisations, Israel
Ghassan Abu-Sittah voted rector of University of Glasgow
War surgeon Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah was elected rector of the University of Glasgow yesterday. Abu-Sittah, a world-leading plastic and reconstructive surgeon, is a former student of the university and has recently spent time operating on Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip during Israel’s current bombing campaign. Dr Abu-Sittah received 4,172 votes and stood on a platform which focused on Gaza,2024-03-27 | Europe & Russia, Israel, Middle East
Americans do not want to be 'complicit in the slaughter' of Palestinian children: Senator
Americans do not want to see Palestinian children killed in the Gaza Strip, Independent Senator, Bernie Sanders, said Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports. “The American people, in my view, no matter what your politics may be, do not want to be complicit in the slaughter of small kids who are bombed to death while they sleep. “The American people, in my2024-03-27 | Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East
Graham tells staff/organisers Unite will always put arms jobs before fighting Gaza genocide
‘Unhinged’ letter to all staff, organisers and officers includes ‘ isgusting’ section about Palestine Emphases added banned Unite officials and national banners from pro-Gaza protests banned and smeared films and books exposing the ‘Labour antisemitism’ scam placed an official under investigation who refused to cancel a Palestine solidarity fringe event at Labour’s 2023 annual conference told her chief of staff to threaten a soon-to-retire official with the loss of2024-03-27 | Analysis, Breaking, Exclusive
Hamas says will not release Israel hostages until demands met
Hamas vowed, Wednesday, that it will not release any Israeli hostage in its captivity until its demands are fulfilled, Anadolu Agency reports. Hamas demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Territory for any hostage-prisoner swap deal with Tel Aviv. “Hamas will not release any Israeli hostage until2024-03-27 | Israel, Middle East, News
Distinctions without difference: The UN Security Council and the Gaza ceasefire
The UN Security Council presents one of the great contradictions of power within the international system. On the one hand vested with enormous latitude in order to preserve international peace and security, it remains checked, limited and, it can be argued, crippled by an all too regular use of the veto by members of the permanent five powers: the US,2024-03-27 | Article, Asia & Americas, China
Al-Azhar University demands ‘permanent cessation’ of Israeli crimes
Egypt’s venerable Al-Azhar University has called for continuous international and popular pressure to implement the UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan Quds Press has reported. China has reiterated that the resolution is binding on Israel, despite the claim to the contrary by the US. “This resolution was long overdue due2024-03-27 | Africa, Asia & Americas, Egypt
‘This Story is False’ – New Video Challenges New York Times’ Sexual Violence Investigative Report
New footage, taken by an Israeli soldier who was in Be’eri on October 7, “shows the bodies of three female victims, fully clothed and with no apparent signs of sexual violence, at a home where many residents had believed the assaults occurred.” Key Testimony Debunked ‘They Weren’t Sexually Assaulted’ Co-Author Investigated The Black Dress Investigation2024-03-27 | Blog, News, gaza genocide
Jonathan Cook – Assange’s ‘reprieve’ is another lie, hiding the real goal of keeping him endlessly locked up
Jonathan Cook is the author of three books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His website and blog can be found at www.jonathan-cook.net deny Assange his basic free speech rights; discriminate against him on the basis of his nationality, as a non-US citizen; or place him under threat of the death penalty in the2024-03-26 | Geopolitics, Media, Article
Dominic Tierney – The Tyranny of Expectations
Dominic Tierney is the Claude Smith Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College, a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the author of The Right Way to Lose a War: America in an Age of Unwinnable Conflicts Due to the Israeli war crimes in Gaza we have increased our coverage from five to six days a week. We2024-03-26 | Geopolitics, Article, Dominic Tierney
Vijay Prashad – Europe Sleepwalks Through Its Own Dilemmas
Vijay Prashad’s most recent book (with Noam Chomsky) is The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and the Fragility of US Power (New Press, August 2022) Due to the Israeli war crimes in Gaza we have increased our coverage from five to six days a week. We do not have the funds to do this, but felt that it was the only right2024-03-26 | EU politics, EU-Institutions, Geopolitics
With ATMS Down and Israelis Stealing Cash from Banks, Liquidity Crisis Adds to Gaza Plights
Islam Times - Massive destruction of health infrastructure and hospitals, routes, communication, and famine are not the only consequences of Israeli war on Gaza, and the Gaza people now are struggling with "liquidity crisis" due to closure of a majority of banks and their branches and blockade of currency flow to the besieged enclave.2024-03-26 | Palestine
No justification to subject Palestinians to collective punishment: UN envoy
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, on Tuesday, denounced the killing of civilians, emphasising there is no justification for subjecting Palestinians to collective punishment, Anadolu Agency reports. “I am appalled by the immense scale of death, destruction and human suffering wrought by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, with civilian killings at a rate that is unprecedented,” Tor2024-03-26 | ICJ, International Organisations, Israel
Colombia President threatens to break relations with Israel if ceasefire not implemented
Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, warned on Tuesday that Colombia will break diplomatic relations with Israel if it does not comply with the recent resolution of the United Nations Security Council, which demands a ceasefire in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports. “If Israel does not comply with the United Nations ceasefire resolution, we will break diplomatic relations with Israel,” Petro published on2024-03-26 | Asia & Americas, Colombia, International Organisations
Australia's ABC staff concerned network is ‘favouring Israeli narrative’ on Gaza
Internal communications at Australia’s national broadcaster reveal staff warnings about the Gaza war coverage, indicating an overreliance on Israeli sources and language “favouring the Israeli narrative over objective reporting.” Concerns outlined by the staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) include accepting Israeli facts without question, while scrutinising Palestinian perspectives and refraining from using the term “Palestine”. The three-page summary,2024-03-26 | Australia, Israel, Middle East
Finland condemns Israel seizure of 800 hectares of land in Occupied Palestinian Territory
Finland, on Tuesday, condemned the Israeli seizure of 800 hectares (1,976 acres) of land in the Jordan Valley in the Occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reports. “This runs counter to not only international law but also international efforts to de-escalate,” the Finnish Foreign Ministry said on X. “We do not recognise changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the2024-03-26 | Europe & Russia, Finland, Israel
Indirect talks between Israel, Hamas for Gaza ceasefire still ongoing: Qatar
Qatar said, Tuesday, that indirect talks between Hamas and Israel are still ongoing between technical teams, Anadolu Agency reports. “We are continuing our mediation efforts with our partners,” Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed Al-Ansari, told a press conference in Doha. He cited “difficulties” on the ground related to the ceasefire negotiations. “There is no set timeline for the indirect negotiations,” the2024-03-26 | ICJ, International Organisations, Israel
‘We can't allow nations just to rise up and try to eradicate other people’
Former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner says what happens in Gaza reflects what happens all around the world, urging people to care about Gaza and about holding politicians accountable. Speaking on The Breakfast Club, Turner said, ‘What happens over there is a reflection of what happens over here. And so we've got to say to people that we are2024-03-26 | Israel, Middle East, Palestine
UN expert: Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, calls for arms embargo
A United Nations expert told the global body’s Human Rights Council today that she believed that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since 7 October amounted to genocide and called on countries to immediately impose sanctions and an arms embargo, Reuters reports. “I find that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of2024-03-26 | International Organisations, Israel, Middle East
US gives go ahead for arms sale to Israel after getting international law ‘assurance’
The US has determined that Israel is in compliance with President Joe Biden’s national security memorandum, which stipulates that recipients of US weapons must adhere to international law and refrain from blocking humanitarian assistance. This decision comes despite concerns raised by Congressional Democrats and leading international NGOs about Israel’s conduct in its ongoing military offensive in Gaza. According to State2024-03-26 | Asia & Americas, Canada, Israel
Complicit in genocide: Where Israel gets its weapons from
Over 9,000 Palestinian women have been killed since the start of Israel’s war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Mothers have been the largest civilian population group killed by the occupation state, at an average of 37 per day since 7 October. These statistics, from the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza and the Red Crescent Society respectively, only convey2024-03-26 | Article, Asia & Americas, Canada
A Ramadan Quran Journal: A MuslimMatters Series – [Juz 15] The Night Is Darkest Before The Dawn
The Night is Darkest Before the Dawn Introduction Reflections on Surah Al ‘Israa This verse is describing one of the most significant moments in the Seerah, known as Israa wa al-Mi’raj. This was the moment when the Prophet engaged in his night journey from the Ka’bah in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in present-day Jerusalem and from there ascended through the heavens to2024-03-26 | #Islam, featured, Featured Islam
At least 3,000 unexploded bombs in Gaza in first 3 months of war
At least 3,000 of the 45,000 Israeli bombs dropped on the Gaza Strip between 7 October and mid-January have failed to explode, according to estimates by Handicap International, an NGO specialising in mine action. “Of these 45,000 bombs, 3,000 have not exploded, and it is in fact these that will cause additional danger, particularly for civilians, when humanitarian aid is2024-03-26 | International Organisations, Israel, Middle East
Volunteer doctor in Gaza recounts Israeli bombing of hospital
British Professor Nick Maynard, part of a delegation of doctors who volunteered in Gaza, recounted how the Israeli forces repeatedly bombed a hospital that was in a supposedly ‘de-conflicted’ zone which resulted in him and his colleagues being evacuated from there, leaving the hospital non-functional. He says to date, the Israeli forces have not provided any credible explanation for these2024-03-26 | International Organisations, Israel, Middle East
For Haya...
Islam Times - A poem in praise of a martyred Palestinian child Haya was a little Palestinian girl from Gaza. Before she was martyred, she wrote her will on a piece of paper, giving away his savings, clothes, etc. Her will was found from under the rubbles after she was martyred by Zionist bombings of her house.2024-03-26 | Palestine
South Africa welcomes UN ceasefire resolution in Gaza
South Africa yesterday welcomed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)’s adoption of Resolution 2728 which demands an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip during the remaining two weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Responding to the adoption of the resolution, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, said: “South Africa is pleased that the Security Council has,2024-03-26 | Africa, ICJ, International Organisations
Israel will stop working with UNRWA in Gaza, official
Israel will stop working with the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, a government spokesperson said yesterday, accusing the aid agency of “perpetuating conflict”, Reuters reported. “UNRWA are part of the problem, and we will now stop working with them. We are actively phasing out the use of UNRWA because they perpetuate the conflict rather than2024-03-26 | International Organisations, Israel, Middle East
Pro-Israeli judge Myerson sanctioned for ‘judicial misconduct’ for social media
Well-known Israel advocate and Corbyn critic found to have breached professional standards in attack on trans rights campaigner Myerson supports Israel against accusations of genocide and has frequently attacked Corbyn and his supporters Myerson insists Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza despite its slaughter of tens of thousands of women and children and insulted a Jewish anti-genocide campaigner M Simon Myerson criticised a2024-03-25 | Analysis, Breaking, abuse
Netanyahu Threatens No Government Without Haredi Draft Law, Israeli Media Reports
Islam Times - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that there will be no government without the controversial Haredi draft law, according to Israeli media reports. Netanyahu has made it clear to ministers in his Likud party that he will not back down on this issue, emphasizing that the status quo must be maintained.2024-03-25 | Palestine
Israel's Netanyahu cancels delegation to Washington after UN vote on Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday said he would not send a delegation as planned to Washington after the United States did not veto a UN Security Council proposal calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters reports. Netanyahu, according to a statement from his office, said that Washington’s failure to veto the proposal was a “clear retreat” from its2024-03-25 | Asia & Americas, International Organisations, Israel
Singapore forces Israel embassy to delete ‘insensitive’ Quran post from Facebook
Singaporean authorities have ordered the Israeli embassy to remove a controversial post on its official Facebook page which was used to justify the existence of the occupation state. The post, which was published yesterday and removed the same day, asserted that “Israel is mentioned 43 times in the Quran. On the other hand, Palestine is not mentioned even once.” The2024-03-25 | Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East