Anne Boyer, a poetry writer for the American New York Times Magazine, resigned in protest against the Gaza war

Anne Boyer, a poetry writer for the American New York Times Magazine, resigned in protest against the Gaza war

    Friday, November 17, 2023   No comments

Anne Boyer, a poetry writer for the American New York Times Magazine, resigned in protest against the Gaza war and the Israeli lies, which she called “the American-backed Israeli war against the people of Gaza”

Anne Boyer wrote:

I have resigned as poetry editor of The New York Times Magazine.  

The Israeli state's U.S-backed war against the people of Gaza is not a war for anyone. There is no safety in it or from it, not for Israel, not for the United States or Europe, and especially not for the many Jewish people slandered by those who claim falsely to fight in their names. Its only profit is the deadly profit of oil interests and weapon manufacturers.

...

I can’t write about poetry amidst the "reasonable" tones of those who aim to acclimatize us to this unreasonable suffering. No more ghoulish euphemisms. No more verbally sanitized hellscapes. No more warmongering lies. 

... full statement

 

 

The world, the future, our hearts—everything grows smaller and harder from from this war. It is not only a war of missiles and land invasions. It is an ongoing war against the people of Palestine, people who have resisted through decades of occupation, forced dislocation, deprivation, surveillance, siege, imprisonment, and torture.

A memorandum now signed by 100s of State Department employees and the US Agency for Development accuses Biden of spreading misleading information about the war in Gaza

A memorandum now signed by 100s of State Department employees and the US Agency for Development accuses Biden of spreading misleading information about the war in Gaza

    Wednesday, November 15, 2023   No comments

The American website Axios leaked a memorandum signed by 100 (today NYT reported 500) employees of the State Department and the US Agency for Development, accusing President Joe Biden of spreading misleading information about the war in the Gaza Strip, and also accusing Israel of committing war crimes in the besieged Strip.

The memorandum, signed by 100 employees of the State Department and USAID, urges the American leadership to reconsider its policy towards Israel and demand a ceasefire in Gaza, where the number of Palestinians martyred in this war has reached more than 11,000 according to Palestinian Health.

The five-page memorandum also shows clear divisions and disagreements within the Biden administration regarding the Israeli war on Gaza, and is characterized by sharp language, as one of the signatories of the memorandum indicated that Biden’s support for Israel made him a “partner in genocide” in Gaza, which is a rare allegation within The corridors of American diplomacy.

The memo explicitly accuses Biden of spreading incorrect information in his October 10 speech in support of Israel, and calls for pressure from the United States to release hostages by Hamas and Israel, referring to the thousands of Palestinians detained in Israel.

The memorandum reviews the events of the Hamas attack on October 7, but focuses on the Israeli response, considering that the Israeli actions constitute “war crimes and/or crimes against humanity in accordance with international law.”

The memorandum refutes these measures, explaining that they included cutting off electricity, reducing aid, and carrying out attacks that led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

She pointed out that "we failed to re-evaluate our position towards Israel," adding: "We have firmly adhered to our consistent military assistance to the government of Israel without clear red lines or implementable measures."

The memo also monitors broader criticism of US policy in the Middle East and its failure to provide a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and points to White House members’ disdain for the lives of Palestinians and a lack of strategic foresight.

This leak reveals new challenges facing Biden's 2024 presidential campaign, in light of escalating anger and protests within the Democratic Party.

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.

Doctors in the Al-Shifa hospital are now being forced to carry out artificial respiration by hand on the 36 babies that they’re caring for

Doctors in the Al-Shifa hospital are now being forced to carry out artificial respiration by hand on the 36 babies that they’re caring for

    Saturday, November 11, 2023   No comments

Biden was moved by a fake news story about 40 babies beheaded by Palestinians. But he is not moved by actually killed children stories, including these 36 babies living through pain and facing death, as reported by CNN, not Palestinian sources that he does not trust.

No commentary is needed for this.

  

US administration, Blinken: "We need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians" | Angelina Jolie: “World leaders complicit in the crime of turning Gaza into a mass grave.”

US administration, Blinken: "We need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians" | Angelina Jolie: “World leaders complicit in the crime of turning Gaza into a mass grave.”

    Friday, November 03, 2023   No comments

The US credibility is hemorrhaging at a rate so fast that if no dramatic action is taken immediately, it will not be able to recover in a generation of more.  For example, the fact that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has to take a second trip Israel in a matter of weeks, and also just weeks from a visit by Biden, speaks to rash decisions that must be now revised given the events on the ground. For Blinken to say now that the US needs “to do more to protect Palestinian civilians”, reflects total disconnect with reality. Because of Biden’s and Blinken’s unconditional support to Israel’s disproportionate, unhinged reaction to the Oct. 7 attacks, any measures the US could do now will be dwarfed by the numbers of the dead and injured among civilians, especially children in Gaza. 

If Blinken is “shocked” that “the brutality of Hamas’ attack ‘has receded so quickly in the memories of so many’”, and just needs to see the brutality of the response. Unless, of course, the lives of the Palestinians do not have the same values as the lives of the Israelis.

He does not have to see the images of dead Palestinian children is he does not want to. But he will be able to get the picture even by looking at the statements and reactions of Americans, especially influential Americans like artists or even ordinary persons. The recent statement by Angelina Jolie is a good example. She concluded that “World leaders [obviously that would include US leaders] are complicit in the crime of turning Gaza into a mass grave.”

American actress Angelina Jolie said on her official Instagram account, “This is the deliberate bombing of a besieged population who have nowhere to flee.”

She added in a post that she accompanied with a photo of the devastation caused by the Israeli raids on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, “Gaza has been an open prison for nearly two decades, and is rapidly turning into a mass grave. 40% of the dead are innocent children, Entire families, got killed.

She continued, “As the world watches and with the active support of many governments, millions of Palestinian civilians - children, women and families - are being subjected to collective punishment and dehumanization, all while being deprived of food, medicine and humanitarian aid, which is contrary to international law. By rejecting the claim “By providing a humanitarian ceasefire and preventing the UN Security Council from imposing a ceasefire on both sides, world leaders are complicit in these crimes.”

The post achieved widespread interaction among the American star’s followers, exceeding 2 million likes, and a number of celebrities from the Arab world commented on Jolie’s message. Lebanese broadcaster Joelle Mardinian wrote, “Thank you for telling the truth about this massacre in Palestine.”

Jolie also published information about Jabalia refugee camp, the largest in the Gaza Strip out of eight camps, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Jolie, who holds the position of Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, explained, “After the 1948 war, a number of Palestinian refugees settled in the camp, after being displaced from villages in southern Palestine. The camp covers an area of 1.4 square kilometers, and 116,011 Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA live in it.” .

China, Russia and Brazil demand an end to the aggression: “Israel” is causing an unparalleled disaster

China, Russia and Brazil demand an end to the aggression: “Israel” is causing an unparalleled disaster

    Tuesday, October 31, 2023   No comments

On Tuesday, Russia, Brazil, and China condemned the aggression launched by “Israel” on the Gaza Strip, during the UN Security Council meeting.

Russia's representative, Vasily Nebenzia, expressed his astonishment at what happened in Gaza, "the blind killing and displacement of 1.6 million people, the killing of 63 international employees, the management of UNRWA buildings, and the application of a comprehensive siege on the Strip."

He also condemned the prevention of aid entry through the Rifaat border crossing with Egypt, as Israel allowed only 90 trucks to enter, explaining that the population in the Gaza Strip had reached a state of despair, at a time when Israel entered into a ground attack from several fronts.

Nebenzia indicated that "Israel" is "working on a plan to expel the population," considering that "Israel's" position on the United Nations was "defiant and contemptuous."

He added that Washington and "Israel" had a plan other than stopping the fighting, noting that "the tension and raids launched by the United States and "Israel" against Syria's sovereignty should not be ignored, which would spark a conflict that includes the entire region.

The Russian delegate explained that what is currently required is “to stop the fighting and move to a comprehensive solution to the conflict by establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

Nebenzia also asked the US representative, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, about her refusal to call for a ceasefire, accusing her of "practicing double standards between Ukraine and Palestine."

For his part, China's representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, recalled the General Assembly's decision, noting that "Israel" "turned a deaf ear and continued the ground attack on Gaza," causing an unparalleled humanitarian catastrophe.

Jang explained that the people of Gaza are experiencing an "unparalleled" humanitarian catastrophe, under a siege that has been going on for 16 years, expressing his "deep sympathy" with the people of the Strip, and calling on the parties to stop the fighting and prevent further escalation.

The Chinese representative called on “Israel” to lift the siege on Gaza “so that a greater catastrophe does not occur.”

In turn, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira considered that the killing of a thousand children in Gaza, a week ago, is “a morally intolerable matter,” considering that the world is “staring at the Council’s inability to do anything to stop these massacres.”

Vieira pointed out that "the justification for the existence of the Security Council is at stake," explaining that the Council must be "saved like humans," which can only be achieved if "politicization is abandoned, as well as morality."

The Brazilian Foreign Minister added that the Council must follow up on calls to stop the fighting and bring in aid, which were called for by both the Secretary-General of the Council and the General Assembly, noting that "the situation is deteriorating by the hour, and there is an urgent need for aid and the release of hostages."

Vieira stressed that the “hostages” cannot be released under bombardment, noting that his country asked the Council to advance the issuance of a resolution requiring the release of “the hostages without delay, and that food, water and medicine must be brought in quickly.”

Vieira considered that the Security Council's record is "very weak" when it comes to the Middle East, as it used the veto 35 times out of 250.

The positions of the countries' delegates and representatives come at a time when the Israeli "army" continues to attack the Gaza Strip, with various weapons, in the wake of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, on October 7, which caused thousands of martyrs and wounded, and difficult humanitarian conditions inside the Strip.