Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War

[Michel Leclerc]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

(...)

Israeli soldier Yosee Gamzoo publish a picture showing him torturing a Palestinian civilian in West Gaza city.



(...)

A magnificent neo-Baroque painting in Caravaggio’s style depicting the torture of Christ.

[Ravenlocke]

Text:
Che Guevara in Gaza in 1959. He received a hero’s welcome. Observing the Palestinian displacement and dire conditions, Guevara remarked to Cuban Commander Omar Fernández Cañizares, “Look, this is the work of the Gringos [United States]”

A refugee in Rafah approached Che Guevara and asked that the Cubans tell the Americas the truth of what they witnessed there. Guevara hugged the refugee and replied Cuba would denounce what they had seen “before all of humanity.”

https://rumble.com/v49iet2-gaza-geno...ascists-b.html

https://x.com/GUnderground_TV/status...45887301455996

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/TheCradleMedia/status/1755307122332446750

https://thecradle.co/articles/nicara...ating-genocide

Nicaragua to take western states to ICJ for ‘facilitating genocide’
The Central American nation has called on Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada to stop sending arms to Israel

The Nicaraguan government has started legal proceedings to take Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for complicity in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and other violations of international law.

In a statement, Managua said it has informed the governments of “the [UK], Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada of its decision to hold them responsible under international law for gross and systematic violations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, international humanitarian law and customary law, including the law of occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in particular the Gaza Strip.”

The statement also states that Nicaragua called on the nations above to “immediately halt” the supply of weapons, ammunition, technology, and other components to Israel as it suspects these items may have been used to “facilitate or commit violations of the Genocide Convention including [...] acts of genocide, attempted genocide, complicity in genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide.”

Managua has also warned that the suspension of funds for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by the four governments shows their disregard for their obligations and continues to facilitate violations of international law by Israel.

“Nicaragua has underscored that this act contributes to the collective punishment of the Palestinians and to the apparent objective of forcing the Palestinian population to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly Gaza, and preventing the exercise of their right to self-determination,” the statement reads.

Nicaragua shares the stage alongside Turkey, Jordan, Venezuela, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Namibia in its support of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

On 26 January, the ICJ ruled on provisional measures in South Africa's case against Israel, which ordered the latter to stop attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, stop incitement against Palestinians as a group, provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a report in one month detailing measures being taken to ensure that these orders, alongside others, are met.

However, the ICJ failed to demand an end to Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza or call for a ceasefire.

¤=[Post Update]=¤

https://x.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1755072822962208856

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/SimonFromFlori2/status...68504772702599

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/dana916/status/1755608125351342215

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/tassagency_en/status/1755647755597336979

https://tass.com/politics/1743755?ut...m_social_share

Unacceptable to involve Lebanon in Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Lavrov says

The top Russian diplomat emphasized the inadmissibility of further escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the involvement of other states, in particular Lebanon

MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a conversation with the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon Walid Jumblatt emphasized the inadmissibility of further escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and involvement of other countries of the region, particularly Lebanon, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The sides exchanged views on the crisis situation in the Middle East. Lavrov emphasized the inadmissibility of further escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the involvement of other states, in particular Lebanon. In addition, Russia's unwavering position in support of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Lebanon was reaffirmed," the ministry said.

Besides, the parties paid special attention to the internal political situation in Lebanon. "The sides emphasized the need for the Lebanese themselves to find solutions to pressing issues on the national agenda as soon as possible on the basis of mutual consent and without external interference. The importance of further progressive development of traditionally friendly multidimensional ties between Russia and Lebanon was noted," the department emphasized.

On the same day, Russian presidential envoy for the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov held extensive consultations with Jumblatt.

https://x.com/dana916/status/1755643925837090852

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/21WIRE/status/1755616493751140621

https://21stcenturywire.com/2024/02/...cks-suspended/


Red Sea Crisis Sends Maersk Shares Crashing As Outlook Darkens

War underwriters have raised the premiums they charge to U.S., British and Israeli firms by as high as 50% for ships transiting the Red Sea and some providers are avoiding such business due to targeting of the vessels by Yemen’s Houthis, sources said. Attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers. The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza grinds on. Many companies have opted to re-route ships around southern Africa although some vessels are still sailing via the Red Sea.” (Source Reuters)


The effects of Yemen’s direct action in support of the besieged people of Gaza has rocked the global economy at a time when outlooks are already fragile for 2024.
The US and its allies will eventually have to justify their own role in further inflaming the situation in the Red Sea and the region as a whole – by backing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians ion Gaza. What will be their next move?

Zero Hedge reports…
Shares of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S in Copenhagen plunged on Thursday. This decline occurred after the world’s second-largest shipping company announced fourth-quarter earnings and guidance that fell short of analysts’ forecasts, alongside the cancellation of its stock repurchase program.
Vincent Clerc, chief executive of Maersk, wrote in a statement, “While the Red Sea crisis has caused immediate capacity constraints and a temporary increase in rates, eventually, the oversupply in shipping capacity will lead to price pressure and impact our results.”
Maersk said, “Given the heightened uncertainty, the Board of Directors has decided to immediately suspend the share buy-back programme, with a re-initiation to be reviewed once market conditions in Ocean have settled.”
Shares in Copenhagen-listed Maersk sank as much as 17% in trading on Thursday. For the week, the shares are on track to record the largest decline since the first week of November.
(…) “The outlook for 2024 appears even more challenging than 2023 in the Ocean division, as oversupply of vessels peaks and Maersk’s contract exposure provides them limited benefit from spot rate increases following Red Sea diversions,” Barclays analysts wrote in a note to clients this morning.
Maersk, like many other major shipping companies, has diverted containership sailings from the Red Sea to the Cape of Good Hope following two months of Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks on commercial vessels. This has pressured shippers by raising container, fuel, and insurance costs, among many other costs, as well as adding 1-2 weeks to the journey.
On Monday, the OECD issued a warning in a report, stating that diverting around the Red Sea is expected to increase inflation. This comes at a moment when central banks worldwide are fighting the inflation monster…
Continue this report at Zero Hedge

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/bears_with/status/1755472874247163990

https://x.com/bears_with/status/1755472624799355151

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/RT_com/status/1755647681202880979

https://www.rt.com/russia/592049-put...ders-hostages/


Putin meets Russian Jewish leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with two leaders of the country’s Jewish community on Wednesday, where they discussed the conflict in Gaza and Moscow’s efforts to secure the release of hostages being held by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Representing Orthodox Jews at the event were Aleksandr Boroda, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities, and the organization’s chief rabbi, Berel Lazar.

Putin stressed that Moscow is in contact with the political wing of Hamas, and reported progress in freeing hostages who are of particular interest to Russia. These include Russian citizens as well as foreign Holocaust survivors and their family members, the president explained. The Kremlin did not disclose further details of what was discussed.

Last Friday, Lazar held a press conference alongside two former hostages who were freed by Hamas in late November. He said his organization had helped secure the release of Elena Trufanova and her mother, Irina Tatti, who are Russian nationals, as well as Elena’s Israeli sister-in-law, Sapir Cohen.

“Irina actively participated in the life of the community in Rostov-on-Don, visited the synagogue, and I remember meeting her many times when visiting the city,” Lazar said of the 73-year-old Russian doctor. The federation had petitioned Putin to intervene on the family’s behalf, he added.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict flared up in October, after Hamas fighters raided several military bases and civilian communities in southern Israel, killing hundreds of people and taking dozens of hostages. The Israeli government launched a massive military operation in retaliation, declaring the eradication of Hamas as its primary objective.

West Jerusalem has been accused of a disproportionate response, considering the heavy death toll among civilians in Gaza. Health officials in the Palestinian enclave reported that over 27,000 had been killed as of Wednesday. The UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled last month that Israel may be committing genocide in Gaza, based on evidence provided by South Africa. The Israeli leadership described the decision as “outrageous.”

Russian-Israeli have relations suffered a blow amid the escalation. Moscow has acknowledged the Jewish state’s right to defend itself, but has criticized the scale of the response. Russia has also argued that continued animosity between Israelis and Palestinians has largely been fueled by the failure to create a Palestinian state, an outcome that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to prevent.

[bojancan]

Interesting video... The British followed one rule, ”Divide and conquer”.... they did with India and Pakistan....


The Israel-Palestine conflict | A British-made disaster?

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=fGH94HoSJ2s

[bojancan]

Israel-Hamas War: Blinken pushes for ceasefire as Netanyahu rejects Hamas proposal | WION News

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NhF1eJ1ydkI

And here a Great coverage both of you, really insightful discussion....

Saudis EMBARRASS Biden With Israel Rebuke

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-EsMMV4mMdg

[Kryztian]

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
https://x.com/21WIRE/status/1755616493751140621

https://21stcenturywire.com/2024/02/...cks-suspended/

Red Sea Crisis Sends Maersk Shares Crashing As Outlook Darkens

War underwriters have raised the premiums they charge to U.S., British and Israeli firms by as high as 50% for ships transiting the Red Sea and some providers are avoiding such business due to targeting of the vessels by Yemen’s Houthis, sources said. Attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers. The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza grinds on. Many companies have opted to re-route ships around southern Africa although some vessels are still sailing via the Red Sea.” (Source Reuters)


The effects of Yemen’s direct action in support of the besieged people of Gaza has rocked the global economy at a time when outlooks are already fragile for 2024.
The US and its allies will eventually have to justify their own role in further inflaming the situation in the Red Sea and the region as a whole – by backing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians ion Gaza. What will be their next move?

Zero Hedge reports…
Shares of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S in Copenhagen plunged on Thursday. This decline occurred after the world’s second-largest shipping company announced fourth-quarter earnings and guidance that fell short of analysts’ forecasts, alongside the cancellation of its stock repurchase program.
Vincent Clerc, chief executive of Maersk, wrote in a statement, “While the Red Sea crisis has caused immediate capacity constraints and a temporary increase in rates, eventually, the oversupply in shipping capacity will lead to price pressure and impact our results.”
Maersk said, “Given the heightened uncertainty, the Board of Directors has decided to immediately suspend the share buy-back programme, with a re-initiation to be reviewed once market conditions in Ocean have settled.”
Shares in Copenhagen-listed Maersk sank as much as 17% in trading on Thursday. For the week, the shares are on track to record the largest decline since the first week of November.

The Houthis claim they have a line open to communicate with passing ships and will only attack Israeli ships, ships bound for Israel, or ships otherwise related to the conflict. (Which could mean any U.S. ship.) This should mean that the Danish owned Maersk ships should be safe from attack. No mention of this policy in the article, so I imagine that Maersk is just another company that would rather screw over its own stock holders and prevent Europe from receiving essential imported goods, rather than miss participating in the deep state sponsored lie needed to create the illusion that ordinary Europeans are threatened by the Houthis.

[shaberon]

Posted by Kryztian (here)
The Houthis claim they have a line open to communicate with passing ships and will only attack Israeli ships, ships bound for Israel, or ships otherwise related to the conflict. (Which could mean any U.S. ship.) This should mean that the Dutch owned Maersk ships should be safe from attack. No mention of this policy in the article, so I imagine that Maersk is just another company that would rather screw over its own stock holders and prevent Europe from receiving essential imported goods, rather than miss participating in the deep state sponsored lie needed to create the illusion that ordinary Europeans are threatened by the Houthis.

Maersk is Danish.

One must read through the layers of "shell companies", as in the very first attack was denied it was an Israeli target.

The ship is flagged in some place, which is rarely the same as its ownership, which is rarely the same as its management, which is rarely the same as its crew, cargo, or destination.

If any of that has a tiny imprint of US/UK/Israel, the vessel may be targeted. So I would guess Maersk knows it faces some risk, which, combined with rising insurance, washed away the company's profitability, and the establishment only cares about profit--which can be paper shenanigans like stock buybacks--or else taking the collateral. Someone would be happy to take the Maesrk assets and sell them to India or China. The integrity of the company, or the well-being of Denmark, is incidental, of no concern to those not negatively affected. After all, they are led by Fascists who gave the entire Cesar battery to Ukraine, which I imagine is no longer of this world.

[Rizotto]

Very intriguing investigation, especially since there is not one word on this from mainstream media... What is on these Israeli war planes landing in UK?

"Nine Israeli Air Force flights have landed in Britain since the war in Gaza began, Declassified has found, but secrecy surrounds what was on these planes. With tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, Matt Kennard investigates whether these transits have deepened Britain's complicity in the slaughter."

Why Are Israeli War Planes Landing in Britain? Matt Kennard Investigates (11 minute video)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=lONcBFlOTTs

[Rizotto]

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/...nds-to-icj-for

Nicaragua taking Germany, Canada, UK, Netherlands to ICJ for genocide

February 5, 2024

The Nicaraguan government started Monday proceedings to take Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for their complicity in the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by providing the Israeli occupation with the weapons and means to carry out the horrendous act.

The executive authority in Nicaragua published an official statement in which it revealed that it warned the governments of said Western powers that they might be jointly complicit in the "flagrant and systemic violations" of the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.

In its note verbal, Nicaragua urged the four states to immediately cease the provision of arms, munitions, and technologies to "Israel" because it might use them to facilitate or commit violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.

The memorandum underlined that the countries supporting "Israel" are obligated to cut off supplies to it "from the moment the state becomes aware of the existence of a serious risk of committing genocide."

This has been achieved, the memorandum adds, since "the International Court of Justice issued, on January 26, a preliminary ruling in which it considered it reasonable that the Genocide Convention had been violated by Israel in Gaza."

The court recognized the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide, adding that the Palestinians are a protected group under the Genocide Convention.

The Court ordered "Israel" to take all measures to prevent genocide acts in Gaza, ensure its forces do not commit genocide, and take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

"Israel" is required to submit a report to the court within a month, detailing its actions to comply with the order. Furthermore, it must implement measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in the context of its war on Gaza.

South Africa hailed temporary measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the genocide lawsuit against "Israel" at the Hague, describing them as a "decisive victory" for the international legal system.
A French left-wing legislator praised the temporary measures, describing the verdict as "historic", noting that it "clearly established the risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip."

[Rizotto]

I need to say this, I'm so outraged that Turdeau is dragging Canada into Israel's spree of genocide. Why? Because Turdeau is bought and paid for by zionists. Like Bronfman, who's heavily invested into the 'Birthright' program for Israel.

Here's the title of one article (there are many more on the internet) describing the $$$ links between Turdeau and Bronfman:

https://www.icij.org/investigations/...tax-maneuvers/
November 5, 2017
Justin Trudeau’s chief fundraiser linked to offshore tax maneuvers
Long-standing offshore ties of the Liberal Party moneyman and his famous family provide jarring contrast to Canadian prime minister’s campaign for tax fairness.

It's no coincidence that all these western leaders that imposed insane covid mandates on their population, just like Israel did too, are also joined to Israel in carrying its genocide against Palestinians. Connect the dots... They don't give a damn about their people anywhere, not even Isrealis. These elites use us as practice targets, their main tactic is pitching people against each other in order to control them. Turdeau abused this 'divide & conquer' tactic during the covid mandates, fabricating all sorts of wild accusations against protesters.

I strongly suspect that this cabal's on-going genocide of Palestinians, including testing new types of weapons, is just a practice for what they intend to do to the rest of us in the west, and possibly worldwide. I had vivid dreams about this, decades ago, and now I see it's becoming a nightmarish reality.

[Ravenlocke]

Posted by Rizotto (here)
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/...nds-to-icj-for

Nicaragua taking Germany, Canada, UK, Netherlands to ICJ for genocide

February 5, 2024

The Nicaraguan government started Monday proceedings to take Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for their complicity in the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by providing the Israeli occupation with the weapons and means to carry out the horrendous act.

The executive authority in Nicaragua published an official statement in which it revealed that it warned the governments of said Western powers that they might be jointly complicit in the "flagrant and systemic violations" of the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.

In its note verbal, Nicaragua urged the four states to immediately cease the provision of arms, munitions, and technologies to "Israel" because it might use them to facilitate or commit violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.

The memorandum underlined that the countries supporting "Israel" are obligated to cut off supplies to it "from the moment the state becomes aware of the existence of a serious risk of committing genocide."

This has been achieved, the memorandum adds, since "the International Court of Justice issued, on January 26, a preliminary ruling in which it considered it reasonable that the Genocide Convention had been violated by Israel in Gaza."

The court recognized the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide, adding that the Palestinians are a protected group under the Genocide Convention.

The Court ordered "Israel" to take all measures to prevent genocide acts in Gaza, ensure its forces do not commit genocide, and take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

"Israel" is required to submit a report to the court within a month, detailing its actions to comply with the order. Furthermore, it must implement measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in the context of its war on Gaza.

South Africa hailed temporary measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the genocide lawsuit against "Israel" at the Hague, describing them as a "decisive victory" for the international legal system.
A French left-wing legislator praised the temporary measures, describing the verdict as "historic", noting that it "clearly established the risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip."

Same article also here,
https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1599444

[Ravenlocke]

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/i...=ap_onp1zkhykx

Countries froze Unrwa funds without seeing evidence of Israeli claims

Almost two weeks after the United States suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), swiftly followed by a host of other donors, Middle East Eye has learned that in a number of cases the decision to withold funding was based solely on Israel's assertions.

At least two countries that followed in the footsteps of the US - the Netherlands and Latvia - did not see evidence of Israeli allegations that employees at the agency for Palestinian refugees played a role in the Hamas-led 7 October attacks before they made their decisions, Middle East Eye has established.

An informed source told MEE this week that British Foreign Secretary David Cameron suspended funding “only on the basis of information in the public domain”. The Foreign Office declined to answer whether this was true and on what basis it had made its decision.

Reports have also emerged in Canada and Australia in the past 24 hours suggesting their foreign ministries did not see evidence - or "all of the evidence" in the case of Australia - ahead of making their decisions to suspend aid.

Additionally, MEE understands that the European Union, Unrwa’s third largest donor, which has said it is awaiting the outcome of a UN investigation before its funding is due at the end of the month, also received no information from Israel to corroborate its claims.

A source who has been in contact with EU diplomats in recent weeks told MEE that the Europeans have been saying, "we have nothing, and others say they have nothing".

"So governments are taking these decisions impacting hundreds of thousands of people because others did it and based on press reports," the source said.

An EU spokesperson did not respond to MEE’s request for comment on the matter.

A second source told MEE that in a recent meeting of EU members states, including some that suspended Unrwa funding, diplomats said they had neither received evidence from Israel, nor had they asked for any.

These revelations come as Unrwa, the main UN agency that supports Palestinians and the largest relief agency operating in Gaza, says it will have to suspend operations by the end of this month or in early March as a result of the funding freeze.

“People are going to die if the agency is not supported and if the agency is forced to take very tough decisions that no humanitarian agency or organisation should take," Juliette Touma, Unrwa's director of communications, told MEE on Thursday.

"We call on all of these countries that have suspended the funding to reconsider their decisions because the lives of millions of people not only in Gaza but in the region depend on that assistance and that funding."

Israel and Unrwa

There have been longstanding tensions between Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu, and Unrwa, even while Israel counts on the agency to provide services to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank it would otherwise have to provide itself.

Unrwa has said it first learned about the allegations that a dozen of its roughly 13,000 employees based in Gaza were involved in the 7 October attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed, in an 18 January meeting between Unrwa Commissoner General Philippe Lazzarini and Israeli officials.

The Israeli officials told Lazzarini about the allegations during the meeting, including verbally sharing the names of 12 employees alleged to have been involved, but did not share any documents or reports, Unrwa told MEE.

On 26 January, Lazzarini announced that "to protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance", Unrwa had terminated the contracts of the staff members in question and would "launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay".

That same day, the US announced its decision to suspend funding from Unrwa. Within 24 hours, eight more countries had followed suit.

Currently, 20 donor countries have placed a hold on funding commitments to Unrwa or said they would reassess future pledges. The agency says these donors account for around half of its operational budget.

A Channel 4 report on Monday revealed details of a six-page Israeli dossier said to have been shared with donor countries.

The dossier, which MEE has seen, alleges that 12 Unrwa employees were involved in the 7 October attacks, including kidnapping, coordinating weapons movements and taking part in raids on the border communities of the Be’eri and Re’im kibbutzim.

The document, written in Hebrew, also says it is “possible to flag” around 190 employees who are Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives.

It says the information is based on intelligence and documents and identity cards seized since 7 October, and includes names and photos of the 12 employees and the activities they are said to have carried out, but provides no further evidence.

Since the dossier was reported on, politicians and journalists, among others, have questioned why governments relied on the unproven details presented in the document.

But it remains unclear to MEE how many governments saw the dossier - or any other evidence beyond what has been reported in the media - before they made their funding decisions.

'I have not seen any evidence'

MEE asked the foreign ministries of more than a dozen countries that have suspended or delayed funds whether they received the dossier, on what basis they had made their decision and whether they asked for or had received further information from Israel.

Only Latvia made clear how it had come to its decision to temporarily suspend its annual payment, which a foreign ministry spokesperson told MEE was “based on the information publicly confirmed by the UN Secretary General and other UN officials”.

The Netherlands did not respond to MEE’s request, but on 31 January, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Geoffrey van Leeuwen told the Dutch House of Representatives he had seen no evidence.

“I have not seen any evidence yet,” Van Leeuwen said, according to an official transcript. “But Unrwa itself has already fired those people. They are apparently very serious about the allegations.”

On Wednesday, the CBC reported that Canadian government sources told the outlet that Israel had still not shared evidence to substantiate its claims about Unrwa staff.

On Thursday, Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, told ABC News that she had sought further information from Israel while admitting that she "does not yet have all the evidence to hand".

US officials have said Israel gave them a dossier on the day they announced the suspension of funds, but it remains unclear to MEE whether the US was given the six-page dossier which has been shared with media or something more or different.

During a 31 January press conference, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that while the US had not been able to confirm the allegations, they were "highly, highly credible".

MEE asked the State Department whether Blinken was referring to the six-page dossier with his comments and whether the US had asked for further evidence beyond what it was given on 26 January, but did not get a response.

US uses firing as reason

In a press briefing on 1 February, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US based its decision on both the dossier that officials received as well as Unrwa’s decision to fire the employees.

"I should make it very clear our decision to temporarily pause funding was not just based on the strength of Israeli evidence, but it was based on Unrwa's own conclusion that those allegations were credible," Miller told reporters.

On Thursday, Touma told MEE that, until now, Unrwa has "never received in writing any information about these allegations".

She further underlined that staff contracts were terminated not as a result of evidence before Unrwa, but rather "in the best interests of the agency due to the huge reputational risk that these allegations have on the agency and also the risk that such allegations have on the humanitarian operation in Gaza".

The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the UN's internal investigation authority, is currently looking into the allegations, which former OIOS investigators have said could take between six months and a year.

An independent review led by former French foreign minister Catherina Colona, which will assess whether the agency is doing "everything within its power" to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made, is to begin work on 14 February with an interim report expected by late March.

As famine looms in Gaza, several of the countries that have suspended funding to Unrwa have chanelled money to other organisations working in the war zone.

But aid experts, former Unrwa officials and others, including Sigrid Kaag, the UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, have said there are no other organisations in Gaza right now that have the capacity to deliver the immediate humanitarian aid that is required, and was ordered by the International Court of Justice last month.

Chris Gunness, a former spokesperson for Unrwa, told MEE: "All of the agencies in Gaza - the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - that does not add up to more than about 100 or 200 people. It’s tiny."

He estimated that if Unrwa was abolished, it would take three years to hire, vet and train another 13,000 employees and twice the amount of money to establish an equivalent agency.

Meanwhile, he warned of mass starvation if the funding is not put back in place or new donors, potentially in the Gulf where Lazzarini has visited this week, are not found.

"We have worked with these very same donors time and time again to depoliticise Unrwa. What have they done? They’ve weaponised Unrwa," he said. "It’s unforgivable what they are doing."

¤=[Post Update]=¤

https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1755739314984567255

[Ravenlocke]

Text:
"I never thought this day would come."

Palestinian prisoner Miqdad Al-Qawasmi is free after months of suffering in Israeli prisons.

Al-Qawasmi went on a hunger strike back in 2021 in protest of the arbitrary Israeli policy of administrative detention and was freed after 113 days. He was re-arrested by the Israeli occupation last year but released today.

This further highlights the suffering of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, where they endure torture and deprivation of their basic human rights.
https://x.com/MayadeenEnglish/status...28315606876534

¤=[Post Update]=¤

https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1755678732239475191

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/MayadeenEnglish/status...99890045243877

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/...ponse-to-drone

Hezbollah bombs Israeli 'Meron' airbase in response to drone strike

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced on Thursday evening that they targeted the "Meron" airbase with Falaq rockets, with several rockets hitting the occupation's strategically significant air traffic base.

The resistance issued a statement affirming that it attacked "Meron" in support of the resilient Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, as well as in response to the Israeli occupation's attacks on Lebanese villages and civilians, the latest of which was the aggression on the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon

Before the bombing of "Meron" Israeli fighter jets repeatedly violated Lebanese airspace, which was followed by an Israeli drone strike on a car in a commercial street in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced on Thursday afternoon that it launched several operations against the Israeli occupation forces, namely targeting the "Ma'aleh Golan" barracks with a Falaq heavy rocket. Additionally, the resistance targeted a building in the settlement of "Metula" where occupation soldiers are stationed, as well as the radar site in the occupied Shebaa Farms, confirming direct hits.

Israeli media reported that two houses were directly hit in the settlements of "Metula" and "Shtula" in western al-Jalil, and several missiles were launched toward the surroundings of the Israeli Hadb al-Bustan site.

Israeli media also mentioned that air raid sirens were sounded in "Zar'it", "Shomera", and Arab al-Aramsha in the western al-Jalil, with several missiles falling in open areas in northern al-Jalil.

Simultaneously, Israeli media reported that "3 soldiers from the Israeli army were wounded, one of whom suffered serious injuries, due to the missiles launched by Hezbollah this morning on Kiryat Shmona and Biranit."

Earlier in the day, the Resistance targeted the headquarters of the Eastern Brigade 769, affiliated with the northern region's Division 91, in the "Kiryat Shmona" barracks and the "Biranit" barracks.

The mayor of Kiryat Shmona, Avihai Stern, announced that around 20 apartments were directly hit in northern settlements, with 100,000 settlers being displaced from these settlements. Stern confirmed that "Israelis will be prevented from entering Kiryat Shmona until the Radwan force is removed from [the border area]."

Hezbollah's operations since October have led hundreds of thousands of settlers to flee border settlements, warning their government that they would not return unless the Resistance's "threat" is resolved and calling out their authorities for failing to protect them or provide them with the needed security.

Read more: Settlers are frantic, Hezbollah rockets earth-shaking: Israeli media

Having succeeded with its plans to place huge pressure on "Tel Aviv" in response to its brutal war on Gaza, Hezbollah has conditioned ending the aggression on the Strip to end its operations against Israeli forces.

Falling under unprecedented crises and seeking to return Israelis to their settlements, the occupation entity warned that border calm would be restored either through diplomatic means or through a military operation.

Contradicting all previous media reports, the source told Axios that "Israel" did not plan to launch a war on Lebanon in January.

However, the outlet said, citing sources, that "Tel Aviv" was concerned that the Resistance in Lebanon would be the party initiating an operation, adding that it took time for the Israeli Security Minister to convince Hochstein that the entity was truly interested in a diplomatic solution.

Meron attacked previously

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon Hezbollah announced in early January that "Meron" was attacked with 62 missiles and rockets, noting that this is the "initial response" to the Israeli assassination of Hamas' senior leader Shiekh Saleh al-Arouri and his companions in Beirut's Southern Suburb.