Egypt denies Israel's allegations of preventing aid from entering Gaza

Egypt denies Israel's allegations of preventing aid from entering Gaza

    Friday, January 12, 2024   No comments

As reported in international media outlets, Dia Rashwan, head of the Egyptian Information Service, categorically denied the allegations and lies of the Israeli defense team before the International Court of Justice, that Egypt is responsible for preventing the entry of humanitarian and relief aid into the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.

Rashwan explained in a statement today, Friday, that the inconsistency and lies of the Israeli allegations are evident in the following points:

All Israeli officials, especially the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Energy, have confirmed dozens of times in public statements since the start of the aggression on Gaza that they will not allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip, especially fuel, because this is part of the war that their state is waging against the Strip.

  After all these statements, which did not consider this prevention and siege to be war crimes and genocide under international law, and when the occupying state found itself before the International Court of Justice accused with documented evidence of these crimes, it resorted to throwing accusations against Egypt in an attempt to escape its likely condemnation by the court. .

He said that it is known that Egypt's sovereignty extends only to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, while the other side of it in Gaza is subject to the actual occupation authority, which was actually demonstrated in the mechanism for the entry of aid from the Egyptian side to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Israeli territory, where She is inspected by the Israeli army, before being allowed to enter the Gaza Strip.

He said that Egypt has announced dozens of times in official statements, starting with the President of the Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all concerned parties, that the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side is open without interruption, calling on the Israeli side not to prevent the flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip and to stop deliberately obstructing or delaying the entry of aid under the pretext of inspecting it.

He said that many of the world's senior officials, led by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, had visited the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, and none of them were able to cross it into the Gaza Strip, due to the Israeli army preventing them from doing so, or fearing for their lives due to the ongoing Israeli bombing of the Strip.

He said that the negotiations that took place over the humanitarian truces, which lasted for a week in the Gaza Strip, in which Egypt, Qatar, and the United States were parties, witnessed extreme intransigence on the part of the Israeli side in determining the amount of aid that the occupation forces would allow to enter the Strip, given that they control it militarily, which resulted in The end of the entry of quantities announced at the time.

Rashwan said that in light of the continued Israeli intention to obstruct the entry of aid at the Kerem Shalom crossing, Egypt has resorted to assigning Egyptian trucks with Egyptian drivers to enter, after inspection, directly into the territory of the Gaza Strip to distribute aid to its residents, instead of transferring it to Palestinian trucks to do this.

He said that what confirms the Israeli occupation army’s control over the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and its deliberate obstruction of it is what US President Joe Biden asked it to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to facilitate its entry, which was announced by his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on December 13, as good news.

Rashwan concluded his statement by saying: “If the Israeli authorities really want food, medical supplies, and fuel to enter the Gaza Strip, they have six (6) crossings from their lands with the Gaza Strip, and they must open them immediately for trade and not for the entry of aid, especially since this trade with the Gaza Strip has reached Gaza in 2022, more than $4.7 billion for the benefit of the Israeli commercial and industrial sector.”

The Washington Institute: Hezbollah's popularity and support for Hamas have risen in Lebanon

The Washington Institute: Hezbollah's popularity and support for Hamas have risen in Lebanon

    Wednesday, January 10, 2024   No comments

The American "Washington Institute" conducted an opinion poll in Lebanon, and found that there was an increase in Hezbollah's popularity compared to the last poll conducted in November 2020, and that support for Hamas was more widespread in Lebanese society.

The Institute conducted this survey in the aftermath of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” saga and the escalation between the Israeli forces and Hezbollah, during the period extending from November 14 to December 6.

The Washington Institute poll showed that 79% of the Lebanese express a positive opinion of Hamas, while perceptions of a military solution to the conflict with the occupation, rather than a “political solution,” are much more widespread in Lebanon than in other Arab countries.

As for the position on the United States of America, the poll found that most Lebanese, specifically 71%, do not agree with the idea that Washington “is still in the best position to help end the war in Gaza.”

The institute also noted that there is “a noticeable shift in Lebanese society, away from the United States and towards other powers,” as the percentage of those who agree that their country “cannot rely on the United States these days, and therefore must look more to Russia or China.” As partners, it rose by 17 points.

Contrary to Ankara’s political rhetoric in support of Palestinians, Turkish exports to Israel increased

Contrary to Ankara’s political rhetoric in support of Palestinians, Turkish exports to Israel increased

    Saturday, January 06, 2024   No comments

Economics is the overriding engine in global relations

Contrary to Ankara’s political rhetoric on the war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, Turkish exports to Israel rose by 34.8 percent last month, according to official figures, as the country’s trade relations with Tel Aviv come under scrutiny.

Israel began pounding Gaza after Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented attack in the country on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage. Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks on Gaza have so far claimed the lives of more than 22,000 people, according to the local authorities, in addition to leading to vast destruction in the enclave.

The United States, alone, again, blocking a UNSC resolution backed by more than 100 countries calling for a stop to the War on Gaza

The United States, alone, again, blocking a UNSC resolution backed by more than 100 countries calling for a stop to the War on Gaza

    Friday, December 08, 2023   No comments

Not a single country among the current members of the United Nations Security Council sided with the United States to vote against the resolution calling for the end of violence in Gaza on humanitarian grounds. 

The support for the resolution was unprecedented, with more than 100 countries out of 193 sponsoring the resolution.

The resolution was introduced when the UN Secretary General invoked the rarely used Chapter 99 of the UN Charter. Guterres invoked Article 99, which says the secretary-general may inform the council of matters he believes threaten international peace and security. Nonetheless, the US government vetoed the resolution. 

The UK, this time, too, found another reason to abstain from taking a stand. The UK government justified its abstention by the need to condemn Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack as an act of terrorism. During a similar UNSC vote that included language that condemned Hamas, the UK still refused to support the resolution. 

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Powerful countries who habitually abuse their power will always find excuses and justifications for the abuses.

The isolation of the United States in the world community is indicative of the loss of credibility, something that is very hard to recover from at a time when the US and its allies are struggling to find support to counter Russia and China.

But We Must Speak: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Rashid Khalidi on Israeli Occupation, Apartheid & the 100-Year War on Palestine

But We Must Speak: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Rashid Khalidi on Israeli Occupation, Apartheid & the 100-Year War on Palestine

    Thursday, December 07, 2023   No comments

ISR WEEKLY connects you to a timely and informative program hosted by Democracy Now!:

In this special broadcast, we air excerpts from a recent event organized by the Palestine Festival of Literature at the Union Theological Seminary here in New York. The event featured a discussion between the acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi. Coates won the National Book Award for his book Between the World and Me. Rashid Khalidi is the Edward Said professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia. His books include The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine. Their conversation was moderated by civil rights attorney Michelle Alexander.

 

Argentina will likely withdraw its application to join BRICS

Argentina will likely withdraw its application to join BRICS

    Tuesday, November 21, 2023   No comments

With a new president who wants to align Argentina with the US, especially if Trump returns to the White House next year, Argentina is likely to halt its pursuit of joining BRICS.

Diana Mondino, the candidate for Argentine Foreign Minister, relayed to Sputnik after the elections that Argentina will not be joining BRICS.

 “I don’t know why there is such interest in BRICS,” Mondino added.

 Mondino further added that joint collaborations with China and Brazil will stop, despite them being Argentina's main trading partners, as she stressed that the country intends to stay in the South American trade bloc Mercosur.

 It is worth noting that Milei is against joining BRICS.

Earlier in August, Argentina, alongside Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, UAE, and Saudi Arabia were invited to join BRICS.

Argentinian president Fernandez articulated at the time that Buenos Aires is grappling with an economic crisis with high inflation and weak foreign currency reserves, and was looking to join the bloc.

Meanwhile, BRICS nations meet today in a virtual summit to discuss the crisis in Gaza. After the meeting, the President of South Africa read the final statement of the BRICS countries regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The statement expresses condolences to all those affected in Israel and the Gaza Strip, while also accusing Israel of violating international law. Ramaphosa, states that the primary cause of the conflict is Israel's illegal construction of settlements. The President of South Africa calls for the release of hostages taken during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict — a statement from the BRICS countries. The President of South Africa urges the International Criminal Court to initiate an investigation into those who committed war crimes during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict — a statement from the BRICS countries.

Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament: The Nations of the world will not be lectured amy more by Europe about Human Rights

Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament: The Nations of the world will not be lectured amy more by Europe about Human Rights

    Monday, November 13, 2023   No comments

Clare Daly about the hypocrisy regarding Western talking heads' "standing with Ukraine" & silence on Gaza.

"We are in a situation now in Gaza, where we have genocide openly declared and carried out. where the numbers of civilians slaughtered and murdered in 30 days in Gaza exceeds the civilian death toll in Ukraine."

One million signatures on an Amnesty petition calling for an end to the aggression against Gaza

One million signatures on an Amnesty petition calling for an end to the aggression against Gaza

    Sunday, November 12, 2023   No comments

More than one million people around the world have signed an Amnesty International petition demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where the Israeli war machine has claimed more than 11,000 lives.

The organization called on activists to continue to sign the petition “to demand that all parties to the conflict cease fire immediately,” and also urged countries to “act” now to contribute to stopping the aggression.

The number of martyrs who have fallen so far in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli bombing has reached more than 11,100 people, including more than 8,000 children and women, and the number of wounded is more than 28,000.

The occupation also destroyed 41 thousand housing units completely and 222 thousand housing units partially.

The organization accused the international community of failing for more than a month to act in the face of “the horrific levels of civilian bloodshed, destruction, and unimaginable human suffering in Gaza,” saying that this failure constitutes “a stain on humanity,” noting that, more Therefore, some countries continue to supply parties to the conflict with weapons that are used to commit flagrant human rights violations.

In response to the signature campaign, Amnesty International's Director of Campaigns, Erika Guevara Rosas, said that the world “watches in horror as more and more civilians are lost every day amid Israel’s relentless bombings and ongoing ground operations, and as chapters unfold.” "The unprecedented man-made humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied Gaza Strip."

According to the organization, "Israel's tightening of its illegal blockade of Gaza has deprived two million people of access to drinking water, food, medical supplies, and fuel, leading to the collapse of the health system" at a time when the number of wounded exceeds 28,000 people.

At least 1.5 million Gazans were forcibly displaced from their homes due to attacks and as a result of orders issued by the Israeli army for them to move to the south of the Strip.

The final statement of the Arab-Islamic Summit calls for breaking the siege on Gaza and bringing in humanitarian aid

The final statement of the Arab-Islamic Summit calls for breaking the siege on Gaza and bringing in humanitarian aid

    Sunday, November 12, 2023   No comments

The draft final statement of the Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh, today, Saturday, stressed the necessity of breaking the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and imposing the immediate entry of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel.

The statement called for "the participation of international organizations in the process of introducing aid convoys, and that these organizations must enter the Strip, protect their crews, enable them to fully carry out their role, and support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)."

The statement called on "the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to begin an immediate investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Israel is committing against the Palestinian people in all the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem."

The final statement of the Arab-Islamic Summit condemned “the inhumane crimes and massacres committed by the colonial occupation government,” rejecting “characterizing this retaliatory war as self-defense, or justifying it under any pretext.”

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi said, in his speech during the joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, that “all our problems can be solved through unity, and we want to take a historic and decisive decision regarding what is happening in the Palestinian territories.”

The Iranian President also affirmed that “the United States is the one commanding and conspiring in this war, and it is the one that encourages the Zionist entity to commit its crimes in Gaza, and it entered the war on the side of Israel, and opens the way for it to oppress the residents of Gaza, and sends shipments of weapons to it.”

Raisi called for an end to the Israeli bombing of civilians and hospitals in Gaza, a comprehensive lifting of the siege on the Strip, and the opening of the Rafah crossing without restrictions or conditions. He stressed the necessity of Islamic countries arming the Palestinian people to confront the Zionist entity, and the importance of boycotting trade with "Israel."

In turn, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed in his speech during the joint Arab-Islamic summit that “the only result of the failed peace is that the Israeli entity has become more aggressive, and the Palestinian situation has become more miserable.”

Al-Assad pointed out that "the ongoing criminality cannot be isolated from the way we, as Arab and Islamic countries, deal with repeated events in a fragmented manner regarding the Palestinian issue," stressing that "more Arab meekness equals more Zionist ferocity and massacres against us."

Regarding the Palestinian resistance, Al-Assad said, “The new reality imposed by the valiant resistance in our region has made us possess the political tools that enable us to change the equations.”

It is noteworthy that an “extraordinary joint Arab Islamic summit” was held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, today, Saturday, regarding the “dangerous and unprecedented developments” that Gaza and the Palestinian territories are witnessing.

The summit comes at a time when the Israeli occupation continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip, for the 36th day, targeting hospitals, residential neighborhoods, and all necessities of life, amid a stifling siege that the Strip is suffering from, where there is no water, food, medicine, or fuel.

The aggression resulted in more than 11,078 martyrs, including 4,506 children, 3,027 women, and 678 elderly people, in addition to 27,490 wounded, since last October 7.

US Diplomats warn Biden: We are losing support of Arabs for a generation

US Diplomats warn Biden: We are losing support of Arabs for a generation

    Friday, November 10, 2023   No comments

In a sign that even if Israel were to win this battle in Gaza, the US will end up losing the war for minds and hearts in the world for generations to come. This possibility is now being expressed by US diplomats from around the world, especially the fragile Arab world.

The US embassy in Oman sent a diplomatic cable to the White House this week warning that President Joe Biden's unwavering support for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza “is losing us Arab publics for a generation.”

“We are losing badly on the messaging battlespace,” the cable drafted by the second-highest US official in Muscat reads, according to CNN. It adds that US support for Israel’s actions is seen “as material and moral culpability in what [Arabs] consider to be possible war crimes.”

The cable was sent to the White House’s National Security Council, the CIA, and the FBI.

Anger has been growing across the Arab world against the US for its role in arming, financing, and protecting Israel since the start of the war in Gaza last month. US embassies across the region have become targets for angry protesters, while US bases in Iraq and Syria have been bombed dozens of times over the past three weeks.

This week, US ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea was forced to cancel a scheduled visit to Dar al-Fatwa to meet with the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, due to widespread anger at her presence.

Similarly, US State Secretary Antony Blinken faced a cold welcome during his visit to multiple nations in West Asia earlier this month, as diplomats urged the senior US official on the need to stop the genocide unfolding in Gaza.

In Washington, the situation is reportedly just as critical, with State Department staffers harshly criticizing the White House's stance in a recent dissent memo.

[The gap between the US private and public messaging] contributes to regional public perceptions that the United States is a biased and dishonest actor, which at best does not advance, and at worst harms, US interests worldwide,” the memo, leaked to POLITICO, reads.

“We must publicly criticize Israel’s violations of international norms such as failure to limit offensive operations to legitimate military targets,” it adds. “When Israel supports settler violence and illegal land seizures or employs excessive use of force against Palestinians, we must communicate publicly that this goes against our American values so that Israel does not act with impunity.”

The internal strife comes as Biden faces a significant dip in popularity ahead of next year's elections, as recent opinion polls show he is trailing behind former president Donald Trump in five of the six most crucial battleground states.

Furthermore, tens of thousands of protesters have continuously taken to the streets of multiple cities in the US over the past month to demand that the president call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Media Review: The New York Times warns Biden: “Israel” is about to make a grave mistake

Media Review: The New York Times warns Biden: “Israel” is about to make a grave mistake

    Saturday, October 21, 2023   No comments

Empires don't listen to reason, because hubris attacks the mind.

After the American writer, Thomas Friedman, warned US President Joe Biden in two previous articles against allowing “Israel” to launch a ground attack on Gaza, Friedman renewed his demand for Biden to pressure “Israel” not to fall into the trap of a ground invasion.

The resistance launches rockets and the number of martyrs of the Israeli bombing rises

The resistance launches rockets and the number of martyrs of the Israeli bombing rises

    Friday, May 12, 2023   No comments

Reports from regional media outlets, including Aljazeera and Almayadeen, are documenting the death and destruction of the attacks on Gaza and the rocket launches, reacting the the assassinations of Palestinian leaders.

The Palestinian resistance factions responded to the assassination of the Israeli occupation army, a prominent military leader in the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza, by launching a new batch of rockets, some of which reached the outskirts of Jerusalem for the first time since the start of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip at dawn last Tuesday.

The occupation said that it bombed residential apartments and sites that it says belong to the Islamic Jihad movement in the Gaza Strip. For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that the number of victims of the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza rose to 33 martyrs and 147 wounded.

Earlier, the Israeli media quoted well-informed officials as saying that the security services believe that the "required achievements" have been achieved in the ongoing operation against the Gaza Strip, and that "calm will be met with calm."

The Occupation Army Radio stated that the Egyptian mediation efforts failed to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, and added that the Egyptian proposal for calm in the Strip calls for a mutual cease-fire as of midnight, and indicated that the Egyptian proposal does not include an Israeli commitment to stop the assassinations of leaders in the Palestinian resistance factions.

A Saudi prince claims Western bias, comparing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza

A Saudi prince claims Western bias, comparing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza

    Monday, August 08, 2022   No comments

A Saudi prince responded to the sympathy of the Ukrainian ambassador in Israel: The hypocrisy of the West and its double standards have exceeded all limits.. People in Ukraine in the eyes of the West are not like people in Palestine

The Saudi prince, Abd al-Rahman bin Musaed, said, "The hypocrisy of the West and its double standards have exceeded all limits... People in Ukraine in the eyes of the West are not like people in Palestine."

The Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, Yevgeny Kornichuk, expressed his “great” sympathy with the Israelis, which a prominent Saudi prince considered “hypocrisy.”

In a tweet published by the Ukrainian embassy in Israel, Cornicheuk said: “As a Ukrainian whose country is under a long-term brutal attack by its closest neighbor, I feel great sympathy for the Israeli people.”

Cornichuk added, “Terrorism and attacks against civilians have become a daily routine for Israelis and Ukrainians. We have to put an end to this. We pray for peace and hope for an end to the escalation soon,” before the shooting stops between Israel and the “Islamic Jihad.”

It is a good sign that even the Saudi ruling family is moved by the plight of vulnerable peoples and outraged by the disproportionate use of force. But it is not clear if the Saudi ruling family would have the same sympathy and concern for civilians living in Yemen, a country that has been under Saudi armed attack, sanctions, and isolation killing thousands of children and pushing poverty in that country to record levels.