Media Review: Human Rights, Selective Outrage, and the Politics of Condemnation

Media Review: Human Rights, Selective Outrage, and the Politics of Condemnation

    Monday, May 26, 2025   No comments

In the realm of global politics, the language of morality is often wielded not as a principle, but as a weapon—selectively applied, conveniently ignored. Nowhere is this hypocrisy more glaring than in the recent reactions of Western leaders to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. When Russia retaliated against a Ukrainian drone assault by launching strikes that killed 12 people, leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump were quick to label Vladimir Putin as “absolutely crazy” and a “killer.” Yet, just days later, Israel launched a brutal airstrike on a school in Gaza sheltering displaced families, killing at least 54 Palestinians—mostly children—and silence or cautious equivocation followed. In fact, these same leaders continue to fund, arm, and diplomatically shield Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a man already indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes. This double standard reveals a painful truth: in the eyes of Western powers, not all human lives are equal, and not all victims are mourned.

The facts are indisputable. According to reports from Al Jazeera, the BBC, and eyewitness accounts, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Fahmi al-Jargawi school in Gaza City, killing dozens, many of whom were burnt beyond recognition. These were not militants or combatants; they were civilians—babies and children asleep in makeshift shelters after fleeing other bombardments. Just days earlier, another Israeli strike obliterated the home of Palestinian doctor Alaa Al-Najjar, killing all nine of her children. She was saving other lives in a hospital while her own were buried in rubble. The loss was not just personal—it was emblematic of a systemic campaign of destruction. As the Arabic-language article poignantly described, “this is not a story of one family, it is the recurring scene of Gaza.”

Meanwhile, when Russia responded to a coordinated assault involving 96 drones launched by Ukraine toward Moscow, killing 12 civilians in a retaliatory strike, the condemnation from Western capitals was swift and categorical. Putin was called irrational, genocidal, and in Trump’s words, “absolutely CRAZY.” While no act of violence against civilians can be morally justified, the disparity in the global reaction is stark. What makes the death of 12 Ukrainians worthy of universal outrage and sanctions, while the burning of 36 Palestinian children in their sleep barely moves the needle of Western conscience?

The answer lies not in law or logic, but in power and politics. Israel is a key ally of the United States and other Western nations. It receives billions in annual military aid, enjoys diplomatic protection at the United Nations, and is portrayed as a bastion of democracy in a volatile region. Russia, by contrast, is a geopolitical rival. Condemning its actions aligns with the strategic and ideological interests of the West. But in elevating political allegiance over human dignity, Western leaders have exposed the hollowness of their professed values.

The roots of this selective empathy is found in supremacism. As Israeli journalist Gideon Levy notes, the Israeli public is conditioned to view Palestinians not as humans, but as threats—mere shadows on a moral map that excludes them. This dehumanization enables the normalization of mass death, the obliteration of entire neighborhoods, and the bombing of hospitals and schools. Western complicity compounds this tragedy by offering political and military support without meaningful accountability. When the victims are viewed as less than human, their deaths demand no justice.

The implications are devastating—not just for Gaza, but for the moral credibility of the West itself. If the universal declaration of human rights only applies to those within a favored political camp, then it is not universal at all. If war crimes are condemned in Moscow but ignored in Tel Aviv, then the West is not defending international law—it is manipulating it. And if leaders like Netanyahu are embraced while others are vilified for similar or lesser acts, then the claim to moral leadership rings hollow.

In Gaza, as one article lamented, people no longer wait for justice from the world. “We write, we witness, we record,” it says, “so that if we die today, history will know who killed us—and why no one trembled.” It is a chilling testament to the abandonment of an entire people, not just by their occupiers, but by the global community that claims to uphold their rights.

Justice cannot be selective. Empathy cannot be conditional. If Western leaders are to retain even a shred of moral authority, they must confront their own hypocrisy. The lives of Palestinian children matter as much as those in Kyiv. War crimes are war crimes, whether committed by an adversary or an ally. And silence, when the bombs fall on schools and hospitals, is not neutrality—it is complicity.

Academic Leaders Unite Against Trump Administration's Threats to Higher Education

Academic Leaders Unite Against Trump Administration's Threats to Higher Education

    Monday, April 28, 2025   No comments

In a significant display of unity, over 500 college and university presidents, along with leaders from scholarly societies, have signed a public letter denouncing the Trump administration's recent actions against academic institutions. The letter, organized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU), criticizes what signatories describe as "unprecedented government overreach and political interference" threatening the core principles of higher education. ​

The petition emerged in response to a series of federal actions targeting universities, particularly those with perceived liberal leanings. Notably, Harvard University faced a $2.3 billion funding freeze and threats to its tax-exempt status after refusing to comply with demands to audit its academic programs for ideological diversity and expel students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. In retaliation, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration, arguing that such measures violate constitutional rights and academic freedom. ​

The petition has garnered support from a diverse array of institutions, including Ivy League schools like Yale and Princeton, as well as public universities such as the University of Hawaii. Signatories emphasize their commitment to academic independence and the free exchange of ideas, asserting that universities should not be coerced into aligning with political agendas. ​

In addition to the petition, several universities have taken legal action against the administration. Harvard's lawsuit challenges the legality of the funding freeze and the broader implications for academic autonomy. Other institutions are exploring similar legal avenues to protect their rights and resist federal overreach. ​

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also voiced strong opposition, urging universities to uphold free speech protections and resist federal pressure to surveil or punish students and faculty for their political views. The ACLU's letter outlines key principles for institutions to follow, including encouraging robust discussion, protecting student privacy, and abiding by constitutional protections. ​

The petition remains open for additional signatures, reflecting the growing concern among academic leaders nationwide. Supporters argue that defending academic freedom is essential not only for the integrity of educational institutions but also for the preservation of democratic values. As the situation develops, universities continue to navigate the complex balance between federal expectations and their commitment to independent scholarship.

In recent months, universities have increasingly become focal points of governmental efforts to suppress dissent against the ongoing war in Gaza. Institutions of higher education, traditionally seen as bastions of free thought and expression, have been subjected to heightened scrutiny and intervention. Student activists who have organized peaceful protests or voiced criticism of the war have faced severe consequences, including disciplinary actions and surveillance.

Moreover, there has been a disturbing rise in the deportation of international students holding valid student visas, alongside professors and researchers, solely based on their participation in protests or public expressions of opposition to the war. These actions reflect a broader strategy to silence critical voices within academic spaces, undermining fundamental principles of academic freedom, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceful assembly. The targeting of scholars and students in this manner not only threatens individual rights but also weakens the role of universities as centers for critical inquiry and social debate.

The Escalation of Violence in Syria: A Path to Deepen Syria's fragmentation

The Escalation of Violence in Syria: A Path to Deepen Syria's fragmentation

    Monday, March 10, 2025   No comments

Syria has witnessed its most violent outbreak of conflict since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, with over 1,300 deaths reported in just three days. The clashes between forces aligned with Syria’s new government and remnants of Assad’s loyalists have resulted in widespread civilian casualties, particularly affecting the Alawite community, which previously supported the former regime. The intensity of the violence has drawn international concern, as reports of field executions, communal massacres, and forced displacement emerge.

The conflict ignited when HTS-led government forces attempted to arrest what it calls members of the former regime. The attempt was met by armed resistance, which escalated when government brought it more of its armed militias from nearby Idlib, most of whom are not Syrian fighters. While the government aimed to restore order, retaliatory attacks by armed groups have further escalated tensions, leading to mass executions and acts of revenge against Alawite civilians. Human rights organizations, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian Network for Human Rights, have documented atrocities, including systematic killings and the destruction of homes.

Eyewitnesses and video evidence reveal harrowing acts of violence, with reports of militants conducting executions and vowing to "purify" Syria of perceived enemies. Civilians, including elderly residents and families, have been caught in the crossfire, facing persecution irrespective of their allegiance to Assad’s regime. Many Alawites, who have distanced themselves from the former government, continue to suffer the consequences of sectarian retaliation.

Despite Syria’s Ministry of Defense announcing the end of security operations, reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicate that armed groups continue to commit atrocities against civilians in the coastal regions. Armed factions, some of whom entered towns alongside government forces, have been accused of looting, arson, and indiscriminate violence in areas such as Harisun in Baniyas. Residents from multiple villages in Latakia have pleaded for protection as killings, kidnappings, and destruction persist, highlighting the deteriorating security situation.

Survivors and local witnesses describe an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing, with entire villages being targeted. Calls for international intervention and independent investigations have grown louder as displaced civilians report being too afraid to return home. Some refugees have sought shelter in the Russian-operated Hmeimim Airbase, refusing to leave due to ongoing threats from armed groups. The humanitarian crisis is worsening, with severe shortages of food, electricity, and water reported across affected regions, exacerbating the suffering of civilians trapped in the conflict.

Syria’s interim leadership has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the civilian massacres and has called for national unity. However, the government faces significant challenges in maintaining security, especially as extremist factions continue to exploit the instability. Al-Sharaa’s administration, which emerged from an Islamist insurgency, faces scrutiny over its ability to protect minorities and establish a functioning security apparatus.

The United States has condemned the extremist violence, particularly the involvement of foreign jihadists, and has expressed solidarity with Syria’s diverse religious and ethnic minorities, including Christians, Druze, Alawites, and Kurds. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Syria’s interim authorities to ensure accountability for those responsible for the massacres.

The ongoing bloodshed underscores the fragile nature of Syria’s post-Assad transition and highlights the deep-seated sectarian divisions that continue to fuel violence. Without immediate and effective intervention, Syria risks descending further into chaos, jeopardizing any hopes for stability and peace in the war-torn nation.

Daraa the epicenter of 2011 protest movement against Asad government just started an uprising against the HTS-led regime in Syria

Daraa the epicenter of 2011 protest movement against Asad government just started an uprising against the HTS-led regime in Syria

    Friday, March 07, 2025   No comments

 Massacres against civilians in the countryside of Latakia

Meida correspondents in Syria confirmed today, Friday, that a series of massacres took place in areas on the Syrian coast, quoting local sources that "a group wearing military uniforms and public security entered the village of Al-Mukhtariyya and separated the men from the women and children, and killed the males."

The correspondents stressed that the scene of the massacres was repeated in the town of Al-Haffa and in the village of Al-Qabu, describing the day as "bloody" in the countryside of Latakia.

Earlier in the week, in the south of Syria, protesters took to the street in opposition to the new regime in Syria, which is led by the HTS, a former al-Qaeda group.

The killing of civilians was also confirmed by an NGO, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which reported that security forces “executed” 134 civilians from the Alawite sect to which ousted President Bashar al-Assad belongs, during a large-scale sweep in western Syria.

The director of the observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, told Agence France-Presse that “134 Alawite civilians, including at least 13 women and five children… were executed by security forces in the areas of Baniyas, Latakia and Jableh.” He pointed out that members of the security forces, including foreigners, stormed homes and summarily executed civilians, especially in the city of Baniyas. This raised the death toll to 229 people since the outbreak of bloody clashes on Thursday. The SOHR has been reporting about Syrian since 2011, and it was seen as anti-Asad regime and pro-rebel by some observers.

Reacting to the massacres, the head of an Alawite representative body issued the following statement:

The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

In light of the recent developments, and our follow-up of the ongoing escalations

And the number of convoys entering the Syrian coast under the pretext of the remnants of the regime and with the intent to terrorize and kill the Syrian people in general and the Alawite sect in particular, and with evidence, we demand from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the State of Russia and the international community.

The President and members of the permanent UN Security Council.

Place the Syrian coast and the areas of the Alawite sect under the protection of the United Nations and implement the provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter to protect the Alawite sect and the rest of the minorities.

We also address the Sheikh of the Mind of the Druze Monotheists, His Eminence Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri

And we say that with the intensification of the ordeal, we put our hand in your hand, His Eminence Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, and we ask you to support us and lift the injustice from us. We do not support an oppressor, nor do we stand with hands stained with blood. Rather, we stand with truth and justice, and we are ready to hold accountable any criminal who committed a crime against our people, even if he is one of our own.

We appeal to you to stand with us, for you are the people of chivalry and rescue, and the national reference that we trust in this ordeal. Let your position be a support for us, and let your voices be raised with us so that our call reaches every person with a living conscience.

Clashes in Daraa and a sit-in in Sweida

BBC reported that clashes in Daraa ended while the city of Sweida witnessed a massive sit-in against the new administration in Syria, as citizens flocked to the city in response to calls spread on social media.

Protesters in Sweida raised banners of monotheism and banners denouncing the policies of the new government, considering that "the interim government only seeks to cling to positions and does not see it as building a state," according to them.

The protesters gathered in Al-Karama Square to express their rejection of the current situation, demanding a real change in the ruling policies and justice in representing the people, according to calls on social media.

In a parallel development, the "Men of Dignity" movement announced coordination with the Ministry of Interior to activate the role of internal security in the province. The movement explained that special internal security mechanisms have been sent to Sweida, where the province's factions will work with the Interior Ministry to better organize the security situation.

In Daraa, the security operation launched by the Internal Security Forces affiliated with the Military Operations Room against an armed group led by "Mohsen al-Haimed", who was previously supported by the Military Intelligence, ended in the city of al-Sanamayn in the Daraa countryside, after violent clashes that lasted 24 hours.

With the end of the operation, the Internal Security Forces announced control over the city, while the area remains in a state of continuous tension amid tight security measures.

The final death toll from the clashes reached 15 dead, including 8 members of the Internal Security Forces, 6 local gunmen, in addition to the killing of a civilian and the injury of a number of civilians, including women and children.

Forces affiliated with the transitional authority said that they surrounded the house in which al-Haimed was holed up, amid information that he fled to an unknown location with a number of his members.

The clashes erupted after negotiations failed and al-Hamid and his group refused to surrender, leading to fighting that killed eight members of the Internal Security Forces and six local gunmen, in addition to the killing of a civilian and the injury of a number of civilians, including women and children, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The clashes began on Wednesday in the city of al-Sanamayn in the northern countryside of the governorate between security forces and an armed group linked to the former Military Security, and continued until Thursday, amid a state of panic among civilians living in the areas of the clashes.

According to estimates, the number of al-Hamid's group is 200 armed men, and it was previously affiliated with the Military Security Service and the security forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime, according to media reports.

The Internal Security Forces are carrying out a large-scale campaign in the city with the aim of "searching for wanted persons and weapons," and the Observatory says that the campaign came the day after clashes between the security forces and the same group, which led to the killing of three gunmen and the injury of three civilians, including a child, according to the Observatory.

The official page of Daraa Governorate on Telegram quoted a source in the Internal Security as saying that the security forces are continuing military operations "to cleanse the area of ​​armed elements."

Military reinforcements arrived in the city in the morning to raid gatherings of armed groups outside the law, according to what the governorate's page quoted from the official in the Internal Security, Abdul Razzaq Al-Khatib.

He added that the clashes are still at their peak in some buildings in the southwestern neighborhood of the city. Daraa Governorate was the cradle of popular protests against the authorities in Damascus in 2011. Regime forces regained control of it in July 2018, but it has witnessed cases of security tension in recent years.

Since the new authorities took control of power in Damascus, clashes and shooting incidents have been recorded in a number of areas, and security officials accuse some militants loyal to the former regime of being behind them.

Imposing and controlling security throughout Syria is one of the most prominent challenges facing the head of the transitional phase, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, after a devastating conflict that began 13 years ago and its parties have branched out.

Assassinations and liquidations on the rise

Assassinations and physical liquidations have continued in Syria since the beginning of 2025, bringing the number of victims in various Syrian governorates to 343, including 334 men, 7 women, and 2 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On Thursday, a new assassination incident occurred in the city of Aleppo, where three unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle shot a person directly inside his office in the Salah al-Din neighborhood, killing him instantly, before fleeing.

According to information obtained by the Observatory, the victim was accused of dealing with the former regime.

In the Homs countryside, a similar incident occurred in the village of Aqrabiyah, where an armed group stormed a citizen's house, wearing uniforms similar to those of the Internal Security Forces, and took the owner of the house to an unknown destination. His body was found hours later on the Samaqiyat road, with five gunshot wounds.

These operations come amid escalating security tensions in several areas, raising fears among residents of a new wave of assassinations targeting specific figures in mysterious circumstances.

At the same time, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Wednesday the killing of at least four civilians during a security campaign launched by security forces in the city of Latakia in western Syria, and the killing of seven others in the south of the country during two days of clashes between gunmen and security forces.

The official media quoted security sources as saying that security forces launched a campaign on Tuesday in the Daatour neighborhood in the city of Latakia, after its members were subjected to an armed ambush "set up by groups of remnants of Assad's militias", which resulted in the death of two of them.

The Observatory counted the killing of at least four civilians in the neighborhood, including two construction workers in a building under construction and two school guards, noting that cautious calm has returned to the area after the arrest of a number of residents and wanted persons.

The General Security announced, for its part, the arrest of a number of people involved in the attack, and the neutralization of others without mentioning their number.

The Ministry of Interior quoted the Director of the General Security Department in Latakia Governorate, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Knefati, as saying, "After receiving a report about what happened, a special security force was prepared and gathered related information, and reached one of the members of the criminal cell and raided his hideout immediately."

He added that "the criminal cell threw bombs at security patrols, which resulted in the injury of a number of members." He said, "Our forces responded immediately to the sources of fire, and were able to arrest several people involved in these criminal acts, in addition to neutralizing a number of others."

The city of Latakia, which is inhabited by a large percentage of the Alawite sect, witnessed security tensions in the first days after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's rule, which have recently subsided.

Attacks are still being recorded at security forces' checkpoints from time to time, sometimes carried out by gunmen loyal to Assad, or former members of the Syrian army, according to the observatory.

The New Regime's Narrative

The HTS government in Syria claims that its military operation in in eastern Syria is targeting members of the former regime (fulul al-nizam al-ba'id), as reported by Aljazeera, Qatar's TV network that supported HTS since the start of the violence in 2011.

Is this what self-defense looks like?

Is this what self-defense looks like?

    Wednesday, September 25, 2024   No comments

 France's Macron to Israel: stop killing babies

If these are the images and characterization of what Israeli "self-defense" looks like, then what basis is there to condemn other "self-defenses"?

If Israel can kill babies and women, starve two million people, throw injured persons off rooftops, kills medical doctors and aid workers, sexually abuse Palestinian prisoners, and torture detained Palestinians, then what basis is there to condemn others if they do it?

UN approves proposal for arms embargo on Israel

UN approves proposal for arms embargo on Israel

    Wednesday, September 18, 2024   No comments

Ignoring the US plea for UN to reject the resolution, the UN overwhelmingly adopted resolution to impose sanctions, arms embargo on Israel. The US does not have the veto power it enjoys and always uses to shield Israel from UNSC resolutions.

The U.S. urged the General Assembly to reject the resolution demanding Israel end its 'unlawful presence' in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months, arguing it undermines the two-state solution, but lacked veto power. Only a handful of small nation-states joined the US to vote against it. Even other Western nations, including some European US allies voted for the resolution, or abstained. Although UNGA resolution are not binding, they represent a moral and ethical judgement by the world community, exposing US's double standard, and lack of principles in relations to human rights and respect to International Humanitarian Law, which has been violated by Israel many times.

Israeli media took notice of this development.

Media review, CNN: "Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble"

Media review, CNN: "Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble"

    Sunday, September 01, 2024   No comments

For the first time since the Israeli military began ground operations in Gaza in October, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has sent out messages to people’s phones and on social media saying that the residents of some areas can return to their neighborhoods.

The IDF posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday that people who had been ordered to leave three neighborhoods of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza could go home.

CNN interviewed a number of families who had returned to find scenes of destruction.

One man, Abdulfattah Al Bourdaini, said: “We came home and found nothing, no power, no gas, no house, and we cannot change our clothes.”

All he had been able to salvage was a teddy bear for the son he hoped one day to have.

“I am penniless like the day I was born,” Al Bourdaini said. “I have nothing. I came to check on my house, didn’t find a house or anything, nothing is left… There is nothing left to cry about.”

‘Nothing is left’: Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble.

The colonial pillaging and plunder continues

The colonial pillaging and plunder continues

    Friday, August 30, 2024   No comments

In 2022, Josep Borell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, triggered a controversy by saying that Europe was a garden of prosperity and “most of the rest of the world” was a jungle. 

Some accused him of tone-deafness and racism. He defended his statement saying that his "reference to 'jungle' has no racist, cultural or geographical connotation." But he never explained how the "jungle" has become, in his mind, a jungle and how the garden of prosperity has become a garden of prosperity and how has it been kept a garden of prosperity. That task was left to the French president who, in a different context, identified the systems by which the Western world accumulated wealth and siphoned it from the rest of the world causing not only a desert of capital in the Global South, but also created a brain drain that continues to pillage and plunder the human resources of the rest of the world, turning them into the "jungle" they describe. 

The plunder and pillaging continue without direct war, allowing the pillagers to plunder and claim the moral high ground at the same time, which, the moral posturing that is, too, can be used to suppress resisters and attract willing collaborators.

Here is France's president explaining how the Russian citizen, who is now worth $15 billion, became a French citizen, a member of the garden of prosperity:

"It's a decision we made in 2018, which I fully stand by," Macron said Thursday. He added that it was "part of a strategy to allow women and men when they are artists, sportsmen, entrepreneurs, when they make the effort to learn the language, when they create wealth, when they ask for it, to grant them French citizenship. I did it for Mr Durov, who took the trouble to learn French, just as I did it for Spiegel. I think it's good for our country," he declared as reported Politico.

... excerpted from The colonial pillaging and plunder continues.

Dehumanizing Opponents as an Instrument of Supremacism: "human animals"

Dehumanizing Opponents as an Instrument of Supremacism: "human animals"

    Monday, July 15, 2024   No comments

We have not forgotten the descriptions and expressions that Yoav Galant, the occupation's Minister of War, made at the beginning of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, when he said, "Israel is fighting human animals and is acting accordingly," until he returned, after more than nine months of the war of extermination that "Israel" is practicing in the Strip, to repeat the same descriptions about the resistance and its people. Is it a coincidence that Galant, followed by Netanyahu, returned two or three days later to the same speech, or is the matter related to considerations and a general context that governs Israeli colonial behavior. The expressions that Minister Galant used at the time, or those he uses today, were not born of the moment of the shock of the flood or the "outburst of anger" that was generated in Israeli society immediately after October 7, as some like to describe it, and this behavior of "Israel" is not a new policy that it is practicing today, but rather an extension of a colonial policy that it has been practicing for many years, the title of which is death, destruction, pain and terror, and what it produced in this war is nothing but a double mixture of the same horrors.

Looking at "others" with inferiority, from a position of superiority, as something "different", as "goyim", primitives, or "human animals" living in this universe that is harnessed to serve the "chosen Jew" and is fed by a huge store of hatred and arrogance.

This superior, “Western in origin” view of the “backward” world has not disappeared since the time of colonial Europe, just as racism has not disappeared today in the Zionist racial mentality, even after 9 months of massacres, and even after these racist, supremacist descriptions were used against “Israel” and its leaders by the South African representative and by judges in the International Court of Justice.

Although it was met with strong international human rights rejection, as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch considered the statements of the occupation’s minister of war “disgusting and an explicit call to commit war massacres,” Netanyahu and his Zionist minister of war still see Gaza as a “human animal cage,” slaughtering whoever he wants, whenever he wants, and however he wants, then razing it to the ground, and torturing its “primitive” people, who are cut off from electricity, water, and food, just as the Minister’s European ancestors did with the “human animals” they brought from Senegal and the Congo until they died of thirst, cold, and disease outside the walls of the Roman Catholic Church in Brussels, because they are “human animals, nothing more.” This description, which Galant deliberately and provocatively uses, is enough to indicate Israel's intention, coupled with action, to do everything and anything to take revenge on the Palestinians, even if this revenge results in killing children and the elderly and demolishing hospitals, shelters, schools and mosques on the heads of the displaced. As long as these are just "human animals", any harm that Israel inflicts on them, no matter how heinous, is "permissible and legitimate because they deserve it".

More importantly, in addition to what we have indicated about the deep-rootedness of this approach in the Israeli consciousness and behavior since the inception of this usurping entity, understanding the Israeli reaction, which adopts a policy of complete destruction without restrictions and without any regard for the rules of international humanitarian law, requires understanding the backgrounds and motives that specifically drive it today and push its leaders to return and insist on repeating its ABCs, especially describing the Palestinians as "human animals".

The first of these motives is to reproduce the narrative of the war and its spirit within Israeli society as if it were its first day, so that Israeli society remains led by its government and its agenda, thus silencing all voices and protests calling for an end to the war and demanding a negotiating path that leads to political arrangements, allowing Netanyahu and his partners to evade the societal accountability that will end the rule of this extremist right-wing coalition if the war stops, as if the charge of anger that is being fueled by the continued evocation of the narrative of “human animals” will, over time, reduce the extent of what many of them described as the massive military and security failure on October 7 and what followed. Because this narrative needs support to remain present in the consciousness of Israelis and the world, it must continue to be reminded and broadcast through media platforms from time to time. The second is the fierce competition in which the leaders of "Israel" compete to incite against the Palestinians and the people of Gaza in particular, as Israeli politicians, military personnel and religious men excel in inciting against the Palestinians, to the point that repeatedly describing the Palestinians as "animals" has become an essential part of their political discourse.

In this race of incitement, "Israel", its leadership and its army are using everything they have at their disposal without limits, crushing all of Gaza and leveling it to the ground without mercy. For the people of Gaza and Palestine in general, mercy has always been outside the dictionary of Israeli aggression, which means that the repeated mention of "human animals" in Galant and Netanyahu's speech was nothing more than a "natural" description in the context of the spirit of war and fighting that has inhabited Israeli society since its inception.

The third is that "peaceful" and "civilized" "Israel" must weave its vision of the other "barbaric and backward" party, as the Palestinians are not human beings, and it is determined to give the world a new narrative that moves it from the position of self-defense to the position of "exterminating animals", while preserving its "humanity".

In order to ensure that it "whitens its image and behavior", Israel must continue to criminalize and dehumanize the "other", to ensure that the world does not turn against it while it exterminates "these animals", accusing it of confronting what it calls "atrocities" with greater atrocities, and what it calls "terrorism" with more horrific terrorism. This is what was expressed by the position of the Chief of Staff of the occupation army, Herzi Halevi, a few months after the beginning of the war, when he said: "We fight with determination and remain human, unlike the other side that fights like animals."

The fourth motive is the contempt for international law and its institutions, as "Israel" has a superior ability to destroy, and its history is littered with the rubble of cities and villages and human remains, and its record also has a long history of destroying international law, kicking it and turning its back on it, as Netanyahu stood proudly a few days ago, saying: "We have proven that no force in the world can stop us."

Because international law, when it comes to "Israel", is very theoretical, very timid, very weak, and far removed from reality, all its prohibitions are violated and violated to the point of insane chaos as long as the victim is a "Palestinian Arab" and the killer is an "Israeli Jew." Perhaps this is also a message to those who rely on the rules of international law and the Geneva Conventions, and bet on "rationalizing" "Israel's" behavior and preventing it from targeting unarmed civilians, as the Israeli army, according to Galant, does not see itself bound by these agreements, as it kills "human" animals, and these rules and agreements do not include them. It seems that stripping opponents of their humanity has become a basic method in racist wars, and "Israel" is the protégé of the colonial West and its creation and image, imitating today, as it used to do in the past, what its early Western European colonial ancestors did, and it is inhabited by narratives of violence that shape the public conscience in "Israel", and in which religion, culture, and art intertwine by pressing the trigger of the fire that Gaza is burning with Today, the earth is uprooted and its "human animals" are burned alive.

_________

Muhammad Halsa, Writer and researcher; content of byline articles express the opinion of author(s).

Media review: Gaza War, Famine, Israeli troops documenting themselves committing war crimes, and the terrifying war between Hezbollah and Israel

Media review: Gaza War, Famine, Israeli troops documenting themselves committing war crimes, and the terrifying war between Hezbollah and Israel

    Friday, July 05, 2024   No comments

Despite the consequential events happening around the world, Gaza remains the central issue driving the news for the ninth month. Even in national elections in France, UK, and Iran (and the US Nov. elections), candidates were forced to answer questions related to the war in Gaza, and in the UK, many candidates campaigned and won on a platform that put ending the suffering in Gaza on top of the list. Here are some news stories from this week.

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.

Media Matters: Clash of views about Gaza, Palestine, human rights abuses, and Iranian retaliation on attack on its diplomatic mission in Syria

Media Matters: Clash of views about Gaza, Palestine, human rights abuses, and Iranian retaliation on attack on its diplomatic mission in Syria

    Sunday, April 21, 2024   No comments

One of the most representative clashes between two worldviews: Iranian worldview versus Western worldview as represented in Piers Morgan's interview, debate with Iranian Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi.

Morgan repeating the fabricated story of 40 babies beheaded by Hamas, to justify to mass killings in Gaza, and Mirandi referencing the investigative journalists and NGO reports that challenged the narrative of beheadings, and finding that Israeli forces have committed sexual violence and torture against Palestinians, turned Morgan flustered and rude. 

The interview is available on a number of Internet sites, and embedded from a couple of sites below.

  

Why does it take the killing of non-Gazans for the West to see war crimes?

Why does it take the killing of non-Gazans for the West to see war crimes?

    Wednesday, April 03, 2024   No comments

Politico reported that the US and other Western governments were “outraged” by the “devastating” attack that killed 7 workers from the World Central Kitchen, just another a war crime. Ironically, these governments do not seem to be outraged by the fact that these seven aid workers were killed because they were in Gaza feeding 2 million people starved by a war that is enabled by them. 33,000 civilians killed in Gaza, 70% of whom are children and women, did not cause outrage to summoned Israel diplomats. But this incident does.

The news outlet reported that

 "Israel’s strike against aid workers trying to get food to residents in Gaza reverberated across Washington on Tuesday, particularly resonating because of the American death and the connections the group’s founder — José Andrés — has to the capital. Administration officials lashed out at new levels, and Israel was left struggling for damage control."

Western media provided extensive coverage as if these are the only seven uninvolved civilians killed by Israelis strikes in the past 6 months. 

Another US government employeee resigning in protest of gaza War: "Why I’m resigning from the State Department"

Another US government employeee resigning in protest of gaza War: "Why I’m resigning from the State Department"

    Wednesday, March 27, 2024   No comments

Another US government employeee resigning in protest of gaza War: "Why I’m resigning from the State Department", the State Department employee, Annelle Sheline, PhD,  wrote on CNN.

For the past year, I worked for the office devoted to promoting human rights in the Middle East. I believe strongly in the mission and in the important work of that office. However, as a representative of a government that is directly enabling what the International Court of Justice has said could plausibly be a genocide in Gaza, such work has become almost impossible. Unable to serve an administration that enables such atrocities, I have decided to resign from my position at the Department of State.

...

President Joe Biden himself indirectly admits that Israel is not protecting Palestinian civilians from harm. Under pressure from some congressional Democrats, the administration issued a new policy to ensure that foreign military transfers don’t violate relevant domestic and international laws.

...

She also invoked another employee of US government, Aaron Bushnell, US Navy Pilot, who committed the most extreme act of protest, setting oneself on fire.

I am haunted by the final social media post of Aaron Bushnell, the 25-year-old US Air Force serviceman who self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington on February 25: “Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’ The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.”

I can no longer continue what I was doing. I hope that my resignation can contribute to the many efforts to push the administration to withdraw support for Israel’s war, for the sake of the 2 million Palestinians whose lives are at risk and for the sake of America’s moral standing in the world.

In October, another State Department official in the bureau that oversees arms transfers, Josh Paul, resigned this week in protest of the Biden administration’s decision to continue sending weapons and ammunition to Israel as it lays siege to Gaza in its war with Hamas.

Canada bans the export of weapons to Israel... Will other Western governments follow

Canada bans the export of weapons to Israel... Will other Western governments follow

    Sunday, March 24, 2024   No comments

In a remarkable decision, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie announced that her country would suspend arms exports to Israel, describing the decision as important and that it was “not a symbolic change.”

This step comes after Parliament approved a non-binding resolution proposal presented by the New Democratic Party, urging the government on a set of points, including demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, halting further arms export permits to Israel, and ensuring continued support for UNRWA and active work to establish the State of Palestine. As part of a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East.

Despite the non-binding nature of the resolution, it represents a historic step, according to what many observers described, and comes in line with the shift witnessed in Ottawa’s speech towards the war on Gaza.

Following the October 7 operation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement in support of Israel and its right to defend itself, before later announcing his condemnation of the pro-Palestinian marches.

The contrast between Ottawa and Tel Aviv became clear with Canada voting in favor of a UN resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza in December, while Jolie later stated that her country had not agreed to issue a permit to export military lethal products to Israel since October 7, as It has stopped issuing any permits at all since January 8.

The stage before submitting the proposal to a vote witnessed strenuous efforts by representatives of the ruling Liberal and New Democratic parties to amend a proposal from the latter that included many points, the most important of which was urging the government to call for an immediate ceasefire, suspension of trade in all goods and military technology with Israel, and official recognition of the state of Israel. Palestine.

These efforts resulted in fundamental amendments to many items, as a more flexible formula was agreed upon, including “stopping further permits and transferring arms exports to Israel, and working with international partners to actively pursue the goal of reaching a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including: This is the establishment of the State of Palestine as part of a negotiated two-state solution.”

The move of the ruling party’s representatives is due to many reasons, the most important of which is that voting on the proposal in its initial form, yes or no, would have led to damage to the party’s popularity among one of the two blocs, whether supporting Israel or opposing the war on Gaza.

This is important given that next year's general election will be held amid an unprecedented decline in the Prime Minister's popularity, according to a Mainstreet Research poll, which showed Trudeau trailing his biggest rival, the Conservative Party, by more than 15 points. While 63% of respondents expressed a somewhat negative or unfavorable view of Trudeau.

The arrival of the Liberals and New Democrats to a settlement formula also strengthens the agreement between the two parties, as the two parties signed an agreement in 2022 that allowed the Trudeau government to continue without the threat of a no-confidence vote against it in Parliament by the opponents, as the two parties have 181 deputies out of 338.

Canada, the main ally of the United States, provides Israel with military aid annually, but it has already reduced its arms shipments to Israel to non-lethal equipment, such as communications equipment, after the war that Israel declared on Gaza following the October 7 attack.

A Canadian official told news agencies, requesting anonymity, that the conditions on the ground make it difficult for Canada to export any type of military equipment to Israel.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie confirmed to the Toronto Star that Ottawa will halt future arms exports.

The issue of arms delivery to Israel raises public anger in a number of countries around the world and has led to legal measures being taken in many of them.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed great concern about the possible Israeli attack on the city of Rafah, which houses hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

Canada is not the first to decide to suspend arms sales to Israel. The Netherlands, Japan, Spain and Belgium preceded it, and many other countries said that they would no longer buy Israeli weapons.

Last week, a group of Danish NGOs said they would sue Denmark to stop arms exports to Israel, citing fears that its weapons would be used to commit serious crimes against civilians during the war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, a Dutch court in February ordered the Netherlands to ban all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns they would be used to violate international law in Gaza.

Israel denounced the decision to suspend arms sales, and its Foreign Minister Israel Katz commented by saying that the decision “undermines Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists.”

“History will judge Canada’s current behavior harshly,” he wrote on the X platform.

But US Senator Bernie Sanders welcomed the Canadian move and wrote on X: “Given the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, including the spread and worsening of hunger, the United States should stop sending a dime to Netanyahu’s war machine.”

Israel is one of the most prominent importers of Canadian weapons, as it received military equipment worth 21 million Canadian dollars in 2022, according to Radio-Canada, and this was preceded by shipments worth 26 million dollars in 2021.

This puts Israel in the top 10 recipients of Canadian arms exports. But a Canadian government official explained that his country has not sent any exports to Israel since the beginning of this year.

This month, a group of Canadian lawyers and activists of Palestinian origin filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government demanding the suspension of arms exports to Israel, considering that Ottawa, with these exports, violates domestic and international law.

French artist Corinne Raye, known as "Coco" publishes a cartoon in the newspaper "Liberation" mocking Muslims in Gaza, who are being starved to death

French artist Corinne Raye, known as "Coco" publishes a cartoon in the newspaper "Liberation" mocking Muslims in Gaza, who are being starved to death

    Wednesday, March 13, 2024   No comments

Freedom of expression has no limits in the West, when the freedom of expression is used to attack Muslims, and now Muslims who are subjected starvation. The left-wing newspaper Liberation in France published a racist cartoon about the month of Ramadan in Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to a murderous, destructive Israeli war since last October 7.

 The French artist wanted to depict the scene of hunger in the Strip, so she showed the man chasing rats in search of food to satisfy his hunger.

Liberation newspaper's editor-in-chief is Dov Alfon, who formerly worked for Israel's military intelligence unit 8200. The newspaper is owned by French-Israeli billionaire Patrick Drahi.

This happens at a time when UN agencies gave reported catastrophic conditions in Gaza due to US government repeated vetoes that prevented UNSC resolutions from being adopted, and thanks to Western governments lack of concern for the deaths among civilians, 31,000 at this point, 72% are children and women. 

 

In Gaza, thousands of children have been injured and killed, more are losing their lives to malnutrition and diseases, hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

All children in Gaza are exposed to widespread destruction, deeply distressing events and trauma. ~ UNICEF, Mar. 12, 2024.

  

Guterres: Despite the start of Ramadan, killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza, and the attack on Rafah pushes the population to new depths in hell

Guterres: Despite the start of Ramadan, killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza, and the attack on Rafah pushes the population to new depths in hell

    Monday, March 11, 2024   No comments

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was "appalled" by conflict continuing in Gaza despite the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking after the failure of attempts to negotiate a ceasefire, Guterres called for "silencing the guns" in Gaza and warned that "hunger and malnutrition" are taking hold.

"This is heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable," Guterres told reporters.

"I am appalled and outraged that conflict is continuing in Gaza during this holy month," he said, adding that "all obstacles" to aid delivery should be removed.

The United Nations says that lack of humanitarian aid means famine is a growing risk in Gaza, where 2.4 million people are under near-total siege by the Israeli military, as it battles Hamas militants.

"We cannot look away. We must act to avoid more preventable deaths," Guterres said.

"We have witnessed month after month of civilian killing and destruction at a level that is unprecedented in all my years as Secretary-General," he said.

But aid "is coming in trickles – if it comes at all. International humanitarian law lies in tatters."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that despite the start of the holy month of Ramadan, killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in the Gaza Strip.

Guterres warned, in a press conference, that “the threat of an attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip may push the people of Gaza to new depths in hell.”

He urged action to avoid more “preventable” deaths in Gaza.

He stressed that “despite the month of Ramadan, killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza.”

Guterres said: “My strongest call today is to silence the weapons in Gaza and Sudan “out of respect for the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan.”

He also called for removing “all obstacles to ensure the rapid and widespread delivery of life-saving aid.”

He also called for the “immediate release of all hostages” held by Hamas.

Regarding life-saving aid, Guterres said that it “comes in drops, if it arrives at all.”

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip that has left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction of infrastructure, which led to Tel Aviv being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of “genocide.” Collective.”

The Secretary-General of the United Nations also touched on the situation in Sudan, reiterating his call for “a cessation of hostilities during the month of Ramadan.”

“The fighting there must end for the sake of the Sudanese people who face hunger, horrors and untold hardships,” he said.

He stressed that “the time has come for peace” in Gaza, Sudan and beyond.

Guterres concluded his speech by saying: “We have witnessed, month after month, the killing and destruction of civilians at an unprecedented level throughout the years I spent as Secretary-General of the United Nations.”

Israeli Minister of Defense wished Muslims of Gaza a Ramadan Kareem

Meanwhile, Galant, the Israeli Minister of Defense wished Muslims of Gaza a Ramadan Kareem. Of note, the same official ordered food, water, electricity, gas cut off.

Ramadan Mubarak to you; blessed is the cherished month.

Every year and you are well. May God bring it back to you with good and prosperity.

 

Sensing US fractured foreign policy, China formulates its foreign policy with Taiwan and recognition of independent Palestine top priorities

Sensing US fractured foreign policy, China formulates its foreign policy with Taiwan and recognition of independent Palestine top priorities

    Saturday, March 09, 2024   No comments

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the US foreign policy was built on a compelling narrative of human rights and democracy and on a powerful military. Because powerful militaries need justifying rhetoric, the US prioritized is human rights claims. The nexus between human rights norms and Western intervention has collapsed with the ongoing starvation of civilians in Gaza and the near total destruction of homes and infrastructure in the Strip. The difference of Western postures to the war and Ukraine and the War in Gaza made the disconnect even more obvious. China sees these developments as an opportunity to create a foreign policy that is more consistent and that benefit from the self-inflicted injuries of Western powers. The analysis of current events provides more background information.

In Beijing yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a press conference on the sidelines of the “Meeting of the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress,” in which he discussed the “shape” that the foreign policy of the “People’s Republic of China” will take during the coming year. While the Chinese official repeated some of the well-known broad lines of his country’s foreign policy, it seemed remarkable that he escalated “in tone” with regard to some files, especially those related to “Taiwan independence” and American practices towards China. On the other hand, in response to a question about Chinese-Russian relations, Wang Yi stressed that Moscow and Beijing had made the choice to “preserve bilateral relations and develop them strategically, on the basis of the fundamental interests of the two peoples,” considering that the two countries had established a “new model” of relations between large countries. It is represented by a commitment to permanent good neighborliness and deepening comprehensive strategic cooperation on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of a third party,” which “is different from what existed during the Cold War.” Speaking about the latter, the Chinese official considered that “this war should not be repeated,” given that the people have now “rejected the idea of hegemony” and will not accept division. When asked about the Israeli crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, Yi stressed that the “inability” to stop “the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the twenty-first century, is tragic for humanity, and a disgrace to civilization,” noting that “what “There is no pretext or excuse that justifies the continuation of the conflict and the killing of civilians,” he said. Wang Yi also stressed that “it is not permissible to continue to ignore the long-term occupation of the Palestinian territories, and the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state, as well as the continuation of the historical injustice that this people has suffered over the generations, without correcting it.” According to the Chinese official, “Getting out of the spiral of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict once and for all, removing the fertile ground for extremist ideas of all kinds, and truly achieving lasting peace in the Middle East is not possible except by restoring the Palestinian people’s rights,” and implementing the “two-state solution.” In a comprehensive manner. He also renewed the call for granting Palestine “full membership in the Security Council,” along with “holding a more effective and credible international peace conference,” to set a timetable for implementing the principle of the “two-state solution.” With regard to Taiwan, Beijing, through its Foreign Minister, reiterated Emphasizing that its “clear” policy is to continuously seek the peaceful reunification of the island, warning, in return, that “the red line is clear” on this issue as well, which is not to allow “the separation of Taiwan from the motherland.” Wang Yi added, addressing the authorities in Taiwan and their allies: “Whoever prepares (for Taiwan independence) from within the island of Taiwan will inevitably be held accountable by history. Whoever tolerates that independence and supports it on the international scene will be consumed by the fire he kindled, and will eat the bitter fruits he sowed.” Wang Yi also called on all Chinese people to “give priority to the supreme national interest” and oppose Taiwan independence “together.”

Prior to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statements, some Chinese media outlets, especially the state-owned Global Times newspaper, hinted that Prime Minister Li Qiang had escalated, in the annual “government work report” he submitted to the “Chinese People’s Congress,” regarding... Taiwan, as he did not mention the term “peaceful reunification,” stressing instead that China “will be resolute in pushing for the reunification of China.” While some Western observers said that this step was “deliberate” by Beijing, considering that it may be “an indication of a more assertive future stance towards Taiwan,” the deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University did not deny this, in an interview with the newspaper. The Chinese, the aforementioned point of view, considered that deleting the phrase “indicates that confronting secession attempts and containing Taiwan independence provocations will be a more urgent and practical task for the mainland in the coming years.”

Although the Chinese Foreign Minister stressed, once again, the necessity of not dragging Beijing and Washington into any kind of confrontation or conflict, in order to avoid “unpleasant consequences,” he quickly “escalated” his criticism of American practices, asking: “If The United States was saying one thing and doing another, so where is its credibility as a major country? If the United States feels tense and anxious just hearing the name (China), where is its self-confidence as a major country? (...)». He added that Washington faces problems “with itself, not with China,” considering that the American “addiction” to Beijing’s “suppression” will ultimately harm the United States itself. The Chinese minister’s criticism also extended to Europe, as he saw that the latter “classified China in three categories at the same time, that is, partner, competitor, and systemic adversary,” considering that such a classification is unrealistic and unenforceable.

Rim Hani

Media review: Haaretz says Israelis must wake up before it is too late

Media review: Haaretz says Israelis must wake up before it is too late

    Sunday, March 03, 2024   No comments

Will the Flour Massacre be a turning point on this road paved by blood? It is unlikely because tomorrow, the day after, or a week after, there will be another equally harrowing event that will supersede this massacre. However, some Israeli media outlets now see it as a red flag, if not a turning point. This point was made this week in the opinion essay, Gaza's Night of Death and Hunger, published in Haaretz. 

The author, Gideon Levy, argues that the people of Gaza lived through the “flour massacre” that took place in the Nabulsi roundabout in the Gaza Strip last Thursday, as a “night of death and hunger”, when at least 118 people (figure updated after the death of injured who cannot be treated due to destroyed hospitals) were killed and 760 others were injured, explaining that Israel tried to deny its responsibility, which cannot be denied because it is the occupying power in sector.

In his article in Haaretz newspaper, Gideon Levy refuted the Israeli army’s account of the massacre, and pointed out that among the 176 wounded who were taken to the hospital, 142 had gunshot wounds.

Levy pointed out sarcastically that the trucks - according to what is known - do not fire, and that the claim that the security guards of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) were the ones who fired such an insane amount of ammunition into the crowd carries no more credibility than the credibility that the Palestinians were the ones who fired Palestinian-American journalist Sherine Abu Aqla was shot in Jenin in 2022.

The writer explained that video clips published on the Instagram platform show hundreds of people gathering around fires in an attempt to alleviate the winter cold, while they are waiting for trucks, before a convoy of trucks coming from Egypt heads through the Israeli checkpoint north on Al-Rashid Street.

He continued that Al Jazeera also showed a video clip that was partially filmed at the back of the convoy, where gunfire could be heard and people could be seen crawling to the trucks or taking cover behind them. Eyewitnesses also reported that the gunfire came from the direction of the Israeli vehicles, and even more than that. The Israelis prevented access to the wounded.

However, if it were proven that the occupation army soldiers were the ones who opened fire on this gathering and killed and wounded hundreds of hungry residents, no one in Israel would be upset about that - according to Gideon Levy - because it is “a war as you know: remember October 7th.”

Levy said, "The minimum level of sympathy for the Palestinians completely stopped in Israel on October 7, as if we were in a coma. We only feel sympathy for ourselves, our soldiers and our hostages, and anyone else could explode."

Indeed, Levy continues, Gazans and the world are exploding with anger, and Israel is on the verge of being outcast, as it has never been condemned, denounced, or incited such hatred as is the case today, and soon every Israeli will feel this.

The writer wondered: What must happen in order for the Israelis to wake up from their sense of complacency and activate their moral sensors regarding what has happened since October 7?

He concluded that the night of death and hunger, in which body bags replaced food bags in trucks, and blood mixed with flour, did not inspire Israel to confront the continuation of the war, and nothing would stop it, even to think about its fate, if not because of the horrific price that the residents of Gaza are paying, At least for the price that Israel itself will pay.

The United States fails to approve a UN statement on “Al-Rashid Street Massacre”

The United States fails to approve a UN statement on “Al-Rashid Street Massacre”

    Friday, March 01, 2024   No comments

The UN Security Council failed to approve a statement holding the Israel responsible for the massacre committed by its forces on “Al-Rashid Street” in Gaza City, against Palestinians who were waiting for aid trucks to arrive.

The Council had held a closed session, at the request of Algeria, regarding the recent developments in the Gaza Strip, following the Al-Rashid Street massacre.

Algeria presented to the Council table a draft presidential statement holding responsibility for the occupation army that opened fire on thousands of civilians who were waiting for aid trucks to arrive.

But the text did not pass because presidential statements can only be approved unanimously, as 14 members supported the text and the United States of America opposed it.

In turn, a diplomatic source said that the United States voted against the text, because it refused to hold the occupation forces responsible for what happened, indicating that discussions in the corridors of the Security Council will continue in an attempt to reach a formula that receives the required consensus.

As for the French Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Nicolas de Rivière, he confirmed that “the humanitarian situation of the civilian population in Gaza is deteriorating day by day,” and added: “We are facing an unprecedented catastrophe.”

He continued that this is not the first time he has stated that the Security Council must “assume all of its responsibilities,” calling again for “an immediate ceasefire, for humanitarian reasons.”

For its part, the German government affirmed that “the circumstances of the killing of residents of Gaza who were seeking humanitarian aid must be investigated,” calling for a “ceasefire, for humanitarian reasons.”

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the X platform that people “wanted to bring relief supplies for themselves and their families, and they ended up dead.”

She added: “The reports coming from Gaza shocked me,” noting that “the Israeli army must provide a full explanation of the panic and mass shooting that occurred.”

As for France, it called for an “independent investigation” into the circumstances in which the occupation forces opened fire on crowds seeking humanitarian aid.

In an interview with French radio France Inter, French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségornet said that Paris “will ask for clarifications,” noting that if the investigation concludes that the Israeli shooting was a war crime, “it is clear that this becomes a matter of judicial authority.”