The Indonesian capital, Jakarta, witnessed massive demonstrations denouncing the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and demanding a ceasefire.
Participants in the demonstration called by the Indonesian People's Alliance to Support Palestine raised slogans demanding the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip, the entry of humanitarian aid and an end to the war.
Extremist, Jewish supremacist Israeli Heritage Minister and member of the Otzma Yehudit Party Amichai Eliyahu says dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza is a possibility. These comments were made during an interview with Israeli Radio Kol Berama.
In response, Israeli PM Netanyahu has reportedly suspended Eliyahu's membership, describing the comments as "divorced from reality."
Eliyahu also said that:
○ "They can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves."
○ "We wouldn’t hand the Nazis humanitarian aid... there is no such thing as uninvolved civilians in Gaza.”
Since then, Israel has carried out a devastating bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, and recently launched a ground operation in the Strip, which is subject to an absolute siege.
In response to the journalist’s question about whether he was calling for dropping “some kind of atomic bomb” on the Gaza Strip “to kill everyone,” Eliyahu replied, “This is one of the options.”
Netanyahu's office quickly responded to the minister's statements, describing them in a statement as "far from reality" and noting that Israel is trying to spare "non-combatants" in the Gaza Strip.
After the uproar caused by Eliyahu’s statements, the minister said through his account on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that his statements were “metaphorical.”
Israel has never admitted that it possesses a nuclear bomb.
In the first reaction to the minister’s statements, Hamas described them as “an expression of the occupation’s Nazism and its practice of genocide.”
In response to a question in an interview with Kol Berama Radio about “whether an atomic bomb should be dropped on the Gaza Strip,” Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said: “This is one of the possibilities,” according to the Times of Israel newspaper.
Eliyahu belongs to the “Jewish Power” party, to which National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also belongs, a party that supports building settlements and regaining control over the Gaza Strip’s lands.
For his part, Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, launched a sharp attack on Eliyahu, saying that his statement was “shocking, crazy, and issued by an irresponsible minister.”
He continued: “The presence of extremists in the government puts us in danger, and Netanyahu must dismiss the Minister of Heritage.”
Related, dozens of doctors in Israel signed a petition calling on the security services and the Israeli army to bomb hospitals in Gaza.
The doctors, who were framed under the title “Doctors for Soldiers,” said in their letter that whoever confuses hospitals with terrorism must understand that hospitals are not a safe place for him, and terrorism must be fought everywhere and in every way, they said.
So far, more than 100 Israeli doctors have signed to on the recommendation.
The Israeli doctors see that Palestinian hospitals have become a legitimate target for the Israeli occupation forces, upholding the narrative that Palestinian Resistance groups are using hospitals for protection.
In response to this, the Israeli Association Physicians for Human Rights said that even if “the information that speaks about the presence of Hamas infrastructure under hospitals is true, this does not justify the bombing of thousands of innocent patients and displaced people in hospitals.”
The threat to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza was not limited to words by an extremist in the Israeli cabinet. Instead of de-escalation, the US seemed to validate that the threat instead of condemning.
US Central Command announced on Sunday evening that the Ohio-class nuclear submarine had arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility in the Middle East.
The Ohio-class submarine will join the Eisenhower and Gerald Ford aircraft carriers and their group of warships, which the US military had previously deployed in the region.
This news story was updated to include the US sending the nuclear sub.
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.” .
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.
More children killed in Gaza than in global conflicts annually over past 4 years, Save the Children says
The number of children reported killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world's conflict zones since 2019, Save the Children said.
Since October 7, more than 3,257 children have been reported killed, including at least 3,195 in Gaza, 33 in the West Bank, and 29 in Israel, according to the Ministries of Health in Gaza and Israel respectively. The number of children reported killed in just three weeks in Gaza is more than the number killed in armed conflict globally—across more than 20 countries—over the course of a whole year, for the last three years.
Children make up more than 40% of the 7,703 people killed in Gaza, and more than a third of all fatalities across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. With a further 1,000 children reported missing in Gaza assumed buried under the rubble, the death toll is likely much higher.
On Friday, Israeli forces announced “expanded ground operations” in the Gaza Strip, with Save the Children warning it will bring more deaths, injuries, and distress while calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Erdogan is the most successful opportunistic politician who will use every popular issue to plug in his relevance. After weeks of silence, he came to join a large crowd of people waving Turkish flags, invoking Gaza crisis but saying nothing of substance. He seemed more concerned with the optics than with the human cost accrued by people dying. Here are some of the ultimate showman’s statements.
* Unfortunately, in Turkey, there are politicians who claim that just as Netanyahu is a terrorist, so is HAMAS. They don't know what HAMAS is.
* Today, some in Turkey see Gaza as distant from us, and they don't care about what happens there. Gaza was an Ottoman city nearly 100 years ago. For us, it was one of our cities, like Adana and Mardin are today.
* Unfortunately, we were divided and separated by borders, and today they are trying to divide us with various temptations and games.
* Look closely at the statements of Israeli officials, and you will find plans of insult and betrayal, directed at our lands as well.
* I confirm that HAMAS is not a terrorist movement, and we will not be satisfied with the condemnation of what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
* Those who cried about injustice in Ukraine yesterday are today supporting Israel with blood on their hands.
* Israel won't last even three days without the support of Western countries.
* Turkey is preparing to declare Israel a war criminal to the entire world.
* Western officials have become deaf and cannot hear the cries of the casualties in Gaza or the appeals of the UN Secretary-General.
* Israel is committing a massacre in Gaza in the darkness, thinking that the world will not find out.
Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan expressed the Arab world's shock and disappointment at the world's "blatant double standards" and "deafening silence" in the face of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
She confirmed, in a live interview with journalist Christiane Amanpour on CNN yesterday evening, Tuesday, that despite the prevailing narrative in Western media, “this conflict did not begin on the seventh of October.”
Most networks cover the story under the headline “Israel is at war,” she said, but for the Palestinians on the other side of the separation wall and the other side of the barbed wire, the war has never left. This is a 75-year-old story, a story of death and displacement of the Palestinian people.
She added - during the interview - that the novel neglected to highlight that nuclear-armed regional superpower that occupies, persecutes and commits documented daily crimes against the Palestinians.
She pointed out that Palestinian mothers were forced to write their children's names on their hands because of the high probability of them being bombed to death and their bodies turning into corpses and body parts.
She stressed that the rules of engagement must apply to everyone, noting that Israel commits brutal acts under the guise of self-defense.
Queen Rania pointed out that for many in the region, the Western world is complicit in this war through the support and cover it gives to Israel.
She said, "This is the first time in modern history that we are witnessing such human suffering, and the world is not calling for a ceasefire."
Speaking about what the Palestinian people are suffering from, she said, “There are more than 500 checkpoints spread throughout the West Bank,” stressing that Israel is violating at least 30 UN resolutions demanding that it alone work to withdraw from the territories occupied in 1967, and stop settlement and the separation wall. and human rights violations.
She noted that Israel has been classified as an “apartheid regime” by Israeli and international human rights organizations.
She considered that Israel's allies were doing it no favors by providing blind support to it. “Accelerating and expanding the scope of providing lethal weapons to Israel will only lead to the expansion of this conflict. It will only prolong and deepen the suffering.”
In criticizing the role of the media in covering the current conflict, Queen Rania pointed to the double standards of interlocutors in the West who ask those representing the Palestinian side to issue immediate condemnations.
She also spoke about the suppression of expressions of solidarity with the Palestinians in Western democracies, noting that, "When people gather in support of Israel, they are exercising their right to assemble. But when they gather for the sake of Palestine, they are considered sympathizers with terrorists or anti-Semites."
"Freedom of expression is a universal value, except when Palestine is mentioned," she said.
The New York Times has quietly acknowledged that Israel’s key claim regarding the bombing of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on 17 October is false.
In the hours following the bombing, which Hamas claims killed 471 people sheltering in the courtyard of the hospital, the Israeli military claimed footage from an Al-Jazeera live stream showed the Palestinian rocket falling on the hospital.
“The footage has become a widely cited piece of evidence as Israeli and American officials have made the case that an errant Palestinian rocket malfunctioned in the sky, fell to the ground and caused a deadly explosion at Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City,” the New York Times wrote.
But the investigation by The New York Times concluded that the video clip “shows something else.”
The missile seen in the video detonated in the sky roughly two miles away from the hospital, The New York Times found, and was launched from Israel, not Gaza.
Empires don't listen to reason, because hubris attacks the mind.
A State Department official in the bureau that oversees arms transfers 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.
In his resignation letter, Josh Paul, who has been the director of congressional and public affairs for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for over 11 years, said the Biden administration’s “blind support for one side” was leading to policy decisions that were “shortsighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory to the very values we publicly espouse.”
“The response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people,” he wrote, adding, “I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it for longer.”
(Former) Director at U.S. Department of State
Previously - and for the last decade - Director of Congressional & Public Affairs, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State, with responsibility for shaping and implementing an holistic communications strategy in support of U.S. security assistance, arms transfers, and global defense partnerships. Previously - consultant for the US & UK governments in Iraq & Palestine on institutional development and security sector governance; Hill alum (Steve Israel, D-NY); stints in Army Staff (G8) & OSD Policy (ME).
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