Nihon Hidankyo: "In Gaza, bleeding children are like in Japan 80 years ago"

Nihon Hidankyo: "In Gaza, bleeding children are like in Japan 80 years ago"

    Monday, October 14, 2024   No comments

The Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs at the end of World War Two, won the award on Friday in what was seen as a plea to nuclear-armed countries not to use those weapons. Toshiyuki Mimaki co-chairs the organization.

Mimaki said after the prize was announced on Friday that the plight of children in Gaza was similar to what Japan faced at the end of World War II.

"In Gaza, bleeding children are being held (by their parents). It's like in Japan 80 years ago," Mimaki said.

Responding to Mimaki, Israel's ambassador to Japan attacked the comparison as "outrageous and baseless", and said such comparisons "distort history and dishonor the victims".

A representative for the Hiroshima chapter of Nihon Hidankyo could not be reached for comment about Cohen's post.

Around 140,000 people were killed when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and 74,000 more were killed in Nagasaki three days later.

Survivors of the blasts later formed Nihon Hidankyo to tell the stories of those atomic bombings and to press for a world without nuclear weapons.

   

Lily Greenberg Call: Biden corrupted the idea of Jewish safety, weaponizing my community as a shield to dodge accountability

Lily Greenberg Call: Biden corrupted the idea of Jewish safety, weaponizing my community as a shield to dodge accountability

    Tuesday, May 28, 2024   No comments

 Former Biden Political Appointee, Lily Greenberg Call, writiing to the Guardian: 

> I resigned on Wednesday, 15 May – the 76th anniversary of the Nakba – because I could no longer serve at the pleasure of a president who refuses to stop another catastrophe. 

> My former boss is the person who makes me feel most unsafe as an American Jew.

> The president of the United States has persistently corrupted the idea of Jewish safety, weaponizing my community as a shield to dodge accountability for his role in this atrocity.

> I am certain that Jews are not better protected by a war effort, endorsed by the United States and waged in the name of Jewish safety, that furthers a genocide of a whole people collectively framed as “our enemy”.

> Around the world, over Memorial Day weekend here in America, people watched on social media in horror as the IDF dropped 60 2000-pound bombs on a displaced persons camp in Rafah, burning tents and the refugees sheltering inside.

> Making Jews the face of an unrelenting, genocidal campaign only puts us at risk even more.

Greenberg Call comes after the Tents Massacre that burned children alive in Rafah.

Spanish Defense Minister: What is happening in Gaza is a real genocide... something that cannot be ignored

Spanish Defense Minister: What is happening in Gaza is a real genocide... something that cannot be ignored

    Saturday, May 25, 2024   No comments

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed today, Saturday, that the war on the Gaza Strip is a “true genocide,” in light of the deterioration of relations between “Israel” and Spain, after Madrid’s decision to recognize the Palestinian state.

“We cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, which is a true genocide,” Robles said during an interview with the official TVE television, pointing out that Madrid’s recognition of a Palestinian state aims to help “end the violence in Gaza.”

Robles' statements came after similar statements from Yolanda Diaz, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister yesterday, who also confirmed that the war on Gaza is genocide.

Diaz pledged to continue pressing, from her position in the government, to defend human rights and put an end to the genocide committed against the Palestinian people.

Diaz's pledge came in a video clip circulated by activists on social media, in which she expressed her welcome of Spain's recognition of the State of Palestine, and stressed that her country's move towards recognizing the Palestinian state, on May 28, is "just the beginning, and we cannot stop at this point."

“We are living in a moment where doing the bare minimum is heroic, but it is not enough at the same time,” added Díaz, who also serves as Minister of Labor and Economy.

She said, "Palestine will be liberated from the river to the sea," referring to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, between which Palestine lies.

In a related context, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albarez, said in a post on the “X” platform that “the precautionary measures taken by the International Court of Justice, which included the decision to stop the Israeli attack in Rafah, are mandatory,” calling for their implementation. The ICC, too, has moved to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders accusing them of crimes against humanity and other war crimes.

Yesterday, the International Court of Justice ordered the Israeli occupation to stop the military attack on Rafah, stressing that any additional military action will lead to partial or total destruction in the region, in accordance with the Genocide Convention, without urging a comprehensive ceasefire in the Strip.

It is noteworthy that Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced, two days ago, officially recognizing the State of Palestine as of May 28, amid Arab welcome and Israeli anger.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday, "If more countries recognize the Palestinian state, this will increase international pressure for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."

Before this development, European Union member countries had previously recognized the State of Palestine, including Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Sweden.

International condemnation of the American “veto”... “History will not forget Washington’s actions”... Israel conducting mass-arrests of "military-aged" Gazan Men

International condemnation of the American “veto”... “History will not forget Washington’s actions”... Israel conducting mass-arrests of "military-aged" Gazan Men

    Saturday, December 09, 2023   No comments

Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Security Council, Dmitry Polyansky, announced that the United States, by using its veto power against the draft resolution presented by the Arab group in the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, “sentenced the death penalty to thousands of civilians.”

Polyansky said during a voting session in the UN Security Council: “It will not be an exaggeration if we say that today is one of the darkest days in the history of the Middle East, as our colleagues in the United States have sentenced to death before our eyes thousands, if not tens of thousands, of civilians, including women and children. "By obstructing the call for a ceasefire."

Polyansky stressed that history will not forget Washington's actions in this regard.

The Russian deputy delegate continued, saying, "You can say as many empty words as you want about democracy, human rights, women, peace, security, and some rules, but we have seen their true price now, when two members of the Security Council chose to remain complicit in this genocide committed by Israel."

For his part, China's permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Zhang Jun, strongly supported the Arab draft resolution as a means to save lives, and criticized the United States for using the veto, saying that expressing grief for civilians and using the veto to continue the fighting is "the utmost hypocrisy."

John pointed out that "the ceasefire helps to achieve a two-state solution to establish lasting peace in the Middle East," pointing out that "the continuation of the war would increase the collapse of security in the region, and the Security Council must assume its responsibilities without delay."

He also called on "Israel" to stop the policy of collective punishment that it is committing against the residents of the Gaza Strip. He also described what is happening as a "humanitarian catastrophe," stressing that "any slowdown means more bloodshed."

For his part, Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, stressed that the “veto” in the United Nations cannot be used to allow massacres, noting that in order for “democracy and peace to shine on the American continent, America cannot allow genocide anywhere in the world.”

In turn, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian confirmed that as long as Washington supports the crimes of the occupation and the continuation of the war, the scope of the war will not be limited to the current situation only, but will expand, pointing to the possibility of an “uncontrollable” explosion in the situation in the region.

In a phone call with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, the Iranian minister appreciated the latter’s activation of Article 99 of the United Nations Charter regarding developments in Palestine and the genocide in Gaza, describing it as a “courageous act.”

This comes after the UN Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution submitted by the Arab group to the UN Security Council with a record sponsorship of 100 countries, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, despite receiving 13 votes, after the United States used its veto power. Veto to block the draft resolution.

The draft resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons. It also stresses the need for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners, ensuring the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and the entry of aid in sufficient quantities into the besieged Strip and from all crossings.

It is noteworthy that Britain abstained from voting, while the French representative, François de Rivière, regretted not adopting the resolution and wished it had included a condemnation of “Hamas.”

Israeli leaders thanked the United States for the veto, and attacked the UN General Secretary, once again invoking anti-semitism.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the decision of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to push for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is anti-Semitism.

Lapid said anti-Semitism was the only “logical explanation” for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ decision to push for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

“Just when Israel was defending itself after our children were killed by brutal terrorists and our people were taken hostage, the UN Security Council suddenly decided to activate Article 99 to help Hamas,” Lapid wrote in a series of social media posts on Saturday.

“How do we know it is anti-Semitic?” he added. Because there is no other logical explanation.”

Lapid cited a number of other bloody conflicts, including in Sudan and Syria, in which neither Guterres nor any of his predecessors used Article 99 power to force debate in the Security Council.

Guterres used Article 99 of the UN Charter, which has not been used for decades, to force the UN Security Council to discuss a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

The United States used its veto power yesterday, Friday, against the draft resolution submitted by the UAE for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Meanwhile, a UN source confirmed to Sputnik that a delegation from the UN Security Council intends to visit the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip next Monday.

The source added that the delegation heading to the crossing will include the Russian permanent representative to the Security Council, Vasily Nebenzia.

In a related context, the American website “Axios”, citing an Israeli official, said that the United States is not “pressing the brakes” or giving “Israel” a specific deadline to stop the military operation in Gaza, but it points to the fact that time is running out.

The Israeli official said that the United States would be satisfied if Israel finished the high-intensity phase of the operation by the end of December, while Israel aims for the end of January.

“The message from the United States is that they want us to finish faster, with fewer civilian casualties and more humanitarian aid to Gaza,” the official explained, adding: “We want the same thing, but there is another player here and that is the enemy who does not agree.”

He continued by saying, "The United States understands this. We are working together. We need them and they need us."

Media Review: Aljazeera highlights Qassam fighters' treatment of Israeli prisoners and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces

Media Review: Aljazeera highlights Qassam fighters' treatment of Israeli prisoners and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces

    Monday, November 27, 2023   No comments

The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas,” broadcast a video recording showing the handover of the second batch of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip to an International Committee of the Red Cross team under a prisoner exchange agreement with Israel.

الجزيرة تبث مشاهد لتسليم كتائب القسام الدفعة الثانية من المحتجزين الإسرائيليين والأجانب إلى الصليب الأحمر#حرب_غزة #الأخبار pic.twitter.com/B3HpDpFYpG

— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) November 25, 2023

5 women and 8 children were handed over, in addition to 4 foreigners outside the agreement, in exchange for the release of 39 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israeli occupation prisons.

The scenes showed some Israeli prisoners, women and children, bidding farewell to al-Qassam fighters with a smile on their faces and a greeting, which sparked widespread controversy on social media, especially in light of Israeli doctors and the families of the prisoners declaring that they were in good health and were being treated humanely.

The release of the second batch came shortly before midnight, as it was hours late than scheduled on Saturday afternoon, the second day of the truce in the Gaza Strip, after al-Qassam Brigades announced the postponement of the operation until the occupation adhered to the criteria of the exchange deal, which the occupation authorities agreed to later, after Qatari-Egyptian mediation. .

What caught attention in the published “Al-Qassam” video was that the Israeli detainees saluted Hamas members, the moment they were released and transferred to the Red Cross vehicles, where one of the Qassam fighters bid them farewell by saying: “See you now,” and a woman and her child greeted him while smiling.

Other media outlets from the region, inclduing Aljazeera reported that one of the released woman left a two-page letter addressed to Qassam "generals" thanking them for the way they treated her daughter.

The sister of a young girl who was held in Gaza tells Israeli Channel 12 that she has developed new positive habits she did not have before — such as offering others to eat first.

Media review: New York Times: Gaza is a graveyard for children

Media review: New York Times: Gaza is a graveyard for children

    Saturday, November 18, 2023   No comments

After weeks of Western politicians and media outlets refusing to accept the death figures of civilians in Gaza or casting some doubt about the accuracy of the statistics, some Western media are now providing some coverage of the massacres. Better Late than Never.

The New York Times published an investigation into the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the Israeli aggression targeting civilians, especially children and women.

The American newspaper recalled the stories of children who died under Israeli bombing, and the effects of devastation left by these attacks on the surviving children.

The New York Times reported the story of Khaleda Joudah (9 years old), who ran barefoot, crying, towards dozens of bodies wrapped in white shrouds, blankets and carpets, outside the crowded morgue, shouting, “Where is my mother? I want to see my mother,” before adding, “Where is Khalil?” He is his 12-year-old brother.

A morgue worker opened a white shroud so Khaled could kiss his brother's body for the last time, then said goodbye to his 8-month-old sister. Another shroud was pulled back, revealing the blood-stained face of a child, whose hair was red.

Khaled burst into tears when he recognized her. Her name was Misk. “Mama was very happy when she gave birth to you,” he says, gently touching her forehead, and tears streaming down her face.

His relatives later mentioned that “Misk” was the source of joy for his family, and she was born after 3 boys. Umm Khaled was happy for Misk to wear colorful dresses and fix her small curls with shiny hair clips.

The newspaper says that Khaled bid farewell with tears to his mother, father, older brother and sister, and only he and his younger brother Tamer (7 years old) survived, after an Israeli raid on October 22 last year, which brought down two buildings housing Khaled and Tamer’s large family, where 68 members of the Joudeh family were killed. They are sleeping in their beds in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

The New York Times points out that determining the exact number of children killed in Gaza - in the midst of a ferocious bombing campaign, the collapse of hospitals, the burial of bodies under rubble and destroyed neighborhoods - is a “futile task.”