Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
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Take a minute to understand the massive extent of ISraeli killing and maiming in Gaza during last thirteen weeks: the famous O2 Arena in London holds 20.000 people.
ISrael has KILLED at least 21.000 people in Gaza, more than one full O2-arena.
They have INJURED at least 55.000, or three full arenas. So, FOUR ARENAS killed and wounded Palestinians.
Almost three arenas filled only with children and women (70%).
It takes another 95 O2-arenas to shelter the 1,9 mill. forcefully transferred people in Gaza.
https://x.com/DrMadsGilbert/status/1740526603283689703
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
War on Gaza: Jordanian rage over Israel is set to explode further in 2024
Jordan is witnessing the largest wave of solidarity with Palestinians in the history of the kingdom.
Nothing like this has been seen in two generations. It is crossing the geographic divide between Palestinians and eastern Jordanians. It is bedevilling the king's attempts to keep a lid on it.
It might yet fundamentally reverse Jordan's recognition of its mighty neighbour, making its 360km border - over four times the length of Israel's border with Lebanon - a live one.
It reached its peak two weeks ago when the kingdom woke up to a general strike, the largest in its history, as the streets were almost empty, and the main demand of the millions of Jordanians who participated was a ceasefire in Gaza and the severing of Jordan's relations with Israel - in all its forms and immediately.
On that Monday, shops and markets closed their doors, and even bakeries, restaurants and cafes stopped working. The next day, the Jordanian Artists Association suspended concert permits for New Year's Eve and during the Christmas holiday season, in solidarity with Gaza and out of respect for the blood of the victims who have died in the war.
The stand-out feature of all this was that the strike was generated and grew from the bottom-up - there were no political forces, unions or civil society institutions behind it.
It was called for by hundreds of individuals and observed by millions. This made it impossible to prosecute or control the organisers. Had the strike been the work of a political party, a crackdown would have followed, as day follows night.
Nervous government
The spontaneity and popularity of the protest were enough to cause the ever-nervous government huge concern. The next day, King Abdullah convened an emergency meeting of his generals, security chiefs and the Ministry of Interior.
The meeting ended with statements by the king, broadcast by the government news agency, which bent with the wind of popular mood.
He said that "Jordan must remain strong" and that "a strong Jordan is [one] that can support the Palestinians". He reiterated "the necessity of reaching a political solution to the Palestinian issue and ending the war in Gaza".
Almost 60 percent of the population is Palestinian, but the striking thing about this wave of protest is that it was not limited to them. This time the anger generated by the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza permeated all segments of Jordanian society, clans and tribes.
This represents a complete about-turn. Jordan had a miserable history of conflict between the army and the Palestine Liberation Organisation. A bloody war broke out in 1970 between the Jordanian army and the forces affiliated with the PLO, and that war ended with the departure of all Palestinian fighters from Jordan to Lebanon in the summer of 1971.
Since then, the Jordanian scene has been almost completely neutralised from the conflict with Israel. The borders have calmed down and, most importantly, Jordan has since witnessed a sharp division within society between citizens whose origins go back to Palestine (and who arrived in Jordan as refugees), and the original citizens, many of whom consider the Palestine issue not to be a priority for them.
The degree to which Jordan interacted with the events in Palestine has varied sharply throughout these years, but this situation is witnessing a tangible change.
The historic division between Palestinians and east Jordanians has melted away in a generational change. The new generation no longer feels the barriers that their fathers adhered to.
'All Jordan is Hamas'
The rise of the Hamas movement during the last two decades has also played an important role in ending the Jordanian-Palestinian divide, because many Jordanians believe that the dispute was only with the PLO, of which Hamas is not a member.
This was clearly demonstrated in recent protests in Jordan, when hundreds of thousands chanted in the street: "They said Hamas is terrorist. All of Jordan is Hamas." The Jordanians also chanted slogans praising the symbols of the Hamas movement, including the military spokesman named "Abu Ubaida", whose face no one has ever seen because he is always masked.
All of this constitutes clear support on the part of the Jordanians for the Hamas movement. On the other hand, since 1970, no demonstrations in Jordan have seen chanting in support of the Fatah movement or the PLO or, indeed, Yasser Arafat.
Solidarity festivals have sprung up in towns and cities across the land, with demands that have gone far beyond official government policy, and way beyond the carefully manicured political elite in parliament.
There were calls for volunteers to fight. There were calls on the army not to prevent them from crossing the border into the occupied West Bank to support the Palestinians being continually attacked by settlers and the Israeli army.
These calls are not without weight. It would be foolish to dismiss this as hot air from the Arab street, which blows itself out the moment the conflict stops.
For a start, Jordan hosts the largest Palestinian refugee diaspora in the world. It has 13 refugee camps, which are home to 396,000 people. That is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians who hold Jordanian citizenship and live in the cities and regions.
But there are no official statistics. If over half the citizens of the kingdom are Palestinian then that means they are in their millions.
Smuggling weapons
Then there is the border. Before the peace treaty that former King Hussein signed with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in October 1994, the border was an open front through which fighters could pass easily and launch attacks.
From 1965 to 1971, it proved impossible to secure completely. The Israeli army was unable to calm it until the PLO left Jordan and moved to Lebanon.
When compared to the borders between Israel and Lebanon - 79km - and between Israel and Syria - 70km - it is easy to see why. To secure the 360km border, Israel would need five times the forces it currently has in the north facing Hezbollah's positions south of the Litani river.
Unlike Lebanon or Syria, popular rage in Jordan has very specific and local targets, with dozens of protests focused on the Israeli and American embassies.
The security forces were forced to close many of the roads around them, and on more than one occasion the demonstrators almost stormed the Israeli embassy compound.
More important than this are the repeated attempts to reach the border. The army has had to beef up its presence on the borders and the security forces have arrested more than one group trying to smuggle weapons into the occupied West Bank - one of the demands of the protesters.
None of this is going to die down anytime soon, particularly if Israel continues its offensive against the Jenin refugee camp and the settlers continue attacking defenceless Palestinian villagers in the occupied West Bank.
If 2023 was a year plagued by war, then 2024 will, as far as Jordan is concerned, be hotter still.
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
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RECAP #Israel #Palestine (as of 23:30 GMT, 29, December)
- Over 29,000 people in Gaza are dead or missing since the Israeli onslaught started on 7 October.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken authorised the prospective sale of projectiles an equipment to Israel, valued at $147.5m, bypassing the customary congressional review process
- South Africa filed a case against Israel for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice
- The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said he was "very concerned" regarding the escalating threat of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip
- More than 1,000 children in Gaza have had one or more limbs amputated since October 7, with many undergoing the procedure without anaesthetic
Read more here ⤵️
https://middleeasteye.net/news/israe...amas-ceasefire
https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1740880318104740253
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
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🇺🇸 🇮🇱 💵 The Biden administration once again bypasses Congress on an emergency weapons sale to Israel
The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had told Congress that he had made a second emergency determination covering a $147.5 million sale for equipment, including fuses, chargers and primers, that is needed to make the 155 mm shells that Israel has already purchased function.
Bypassing Congress with emergency determinations for arms sales is an unusual step that has in the past met resistance from lawmakers, who normally have a period of time to weigh in on proposed weapons transfers and, in some cases, block them.
https://pbs.org/newshour/politics/th...sale-to-israel
https://x.com/dana916/status/1740915180500906074
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🇵🇸🇮🇱🇺🇸👀 Nothing to see here, just the US helping murder children again...
155mm shells are indiscriminate, unguided and have a high error radius, landing 25 meters away from their intended target.
They also expel 2,000 sharp metal fragments in every direction, risking injury, death and permanent disability to civilians within 300 metres.
Yeah, but you don't need congressional review for that!
RiseGS
https://x.com/dana916/status/1740914481021018585
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
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South Africa has launched a case at the UN's international court of justice accusing Israel of genocide. Israel has responded by (deep sigh) accusing South Africa of "blood libel".
Blood libel, for those who don't know, refers to the way medieval Europeans would falsely accuse Jews of murdering Christians in blood sacrifices in order to justify persecuting them. Which is to say, Israel has responded to South Africa's accusations by accusing South Africa of anti-semitism.
False accusations of anti-semitism are all Israel and its defenders have left. It's the only tool left in their toolbox. Once you've exhausted the "But Hamas!" and "But October 7!" excuses they make for Israel's deliberate butchery of civilians via airstrikes and siege warfare, false accusations of hating Jews is all that remains.
And it's so sick, because it exploits a healthy impulse in those of us who oppose racism and genocide, and does so *in order to defend racist acts of genocide*. It causes people who care deeply about human rights to take a step back and say "Hold on, am I guilty of embodying the same hateful prejudices which led to the Holocaust?" and shuts us down and shuts us up, even as Israel rolls out its own holocaust against Palestinians.
It exploits a noble, healthy inclination we cultivate in ourselves in good faith in order to support the horrific genocidal nightmare in Gaza in entirely bad faith. It exploits our good nature to advance a profoundly evil cause. It's despicable. It's depraved.
But fewer and fewer people are buying it. There's only so many times the boy can falsely cry wolf before the villagers stop running to his defense. Hopefully this desensitization that Israel and its apologists have created doesn't have dark consequences in the future. It's just one more ugly thing they have birthed into the world that the rest of us will have to bring consciousness to.
https://x.com/caitoz/status/1740864209599287419
https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1740831130419384362
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/...ds-one-month-c
Israeli media citing Mossad chief: Hamas demands one month ceasefire
Israeli media reported that Mossad Director David Barnea informed the Israeli cabinet that Hamas is demanding a 20-30 day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 50 captives, including children, women, and the elderly, who are being held captive.
In turn, Axios quoted Israeli officials saying that Qatari mediators conveyed to "Israel" that Hamas has "tentatively agreed" to resume discussions on a new agreement for the release of over 40 captives in Gaza. This would be in exchange for a one-month ceasefire, according to three Israeli officials.
The website reported that Israeli officials are treating the message “with extreme caution,” hoping for further clarification over the weekend to determine the "seriousness" of Hamas's intentions.
On that note, one Israeli official said the Qatari message is still in its early stages "but it is positive because, for the first time since the previous deal ended, Hamas signals that it is ready to go back to the table. We move from freezing to very cold."
It is worth noting that the Israeli website "Walah" reported that "Israel" conveyed its readiness to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for a week. This proposal is contingent on the willingness to release Palestinian prisoners, with the condition that more than 40 Israeli captives held by the Palestinian resistance in the Strip are also released.
Read next: Five Israeli settlers presumed dead in Israeli strike, Abu Obeida says
The website highlighted that this proposal is the first from "Israel" since the termination of the previous agreement a few weeks ago, following the breakdown of the week-long truce. Israeli officials have suggested that the proposal signifies "Israel's commitment to recommence negotiations."
The families of Israeli captives, held by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip, have heightened their calls for an immediate exchange deal. These demands intensified after the al-Shujaiya incident, along with the killing of captives by the IOF, and the resistance confirming the deaths of several Israeli captives due to the ongoing bombardment of the Strip.
It's important to note that the leader of the Hamas movement, Osama Hamdan, emphasized yesterday that the leaders of the occupation "will not see their prisoners alive unless there is a comprehensive cessation of aggression against Gaza, and negotiations are conducted in accordance with the interests of our people."
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
South Africa institutes legal proceedings against the State of Israel with the International Court of Justice, as shared by Bill in this post here. Good :muscle:
Here's the document that was filed:
https://avalonlibrary.net/Tintin/202..._Africa%29.jpg
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
Courageous young Isreali speaking truth. Hopefully this is the beginning of a major shift towards a permanent ceasefire.
Israeli Teen Accuses IDF Of Slaughter In Gaza; Refuses To Join Military, Gets Prison Term
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hrSW71cg2hc
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
"Gideon Levy is a man of immense moral courage and leadership: the award-winning Ha'aretz columnist has spoken out against the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people, and has become an increasingly lone voice. Here he tells me how Israeli society has degenerated to a terrifying degree, why he has so little hope, the forgotten horrors of the West Bank - and why the only chance for a just peace will come from sanctions against Israel."
"Sanctions On Israel Are The Only Hope": Israel's Most Distinguished Journalist Gideon Levy
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LuSPFuHSopo
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
Palestine delivers the greatest speech in modern history at the UN Security Council.
https://twitter.com/Resist_05/status/1740908444838952986
Re: Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War
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Posted by
Ravenlocke
Max Blumenthal: (TheGrayZone) - What the IDF Did on Christmas
MUST WATCH: w/
@MaxBlumenthal
Max,
@TheGrayzoneNews
with his sharp analytical skills, unveils the chilling realities of Gaza, including accounts of torture and claims of organ theft, that stir a profound reaction internationally. Max shreds recent reporting by the
@nytimes
of rape and beheading. A truly remarkable interview.
Our candid conversation probes into the heart of these accusations, the difficulties faced in reporting such incidents, and the psychological impact they have on all involved—from the Palestinian community to the Israeli soldiers caught in the cycle of violence. These narratives weave a complex tapestry of suffering and societal perceptions that are rarely brought to light.
The discussion takes an even darker turn as we examine the targeting of journalists in Gaza, an issue that has captured global headlines and elicited responses from political figures such as U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken. This episode does not shy away from hard truths, dissecting the intertwining of U.S.-Israel relations and the military strategies that shape the conflict. From scrutinizing the most recent military deals to interpreting Prime Minister Netanyahu's strategic maneuvers, we lay bare the multifaceted nature of warfare and diplomacy. Closing on a note of international jurisprudence, we explore South Africa's unprecedented steps toward seeking justice at the International Court of Justice, presenting a glimmer of hope for accountability amidst the turmoil.
WATCH The Full Interview:
https://youtube.com/live/zYlAYU4r66c
~~~
Yes, Must watch.
I was pretty sure what Max would be sharing in this video, so I delayed watching it until this morning. I was armed with a good night's sleep and two cups of strong coffee.
:heart:
