Gaza conditions were almost unbelievable to me: Ai Weiwei (That's in 2016)
Ai Weiwei, the famed Chinese dissident artist, has spoken to Al Jazeera about being censored for his views on Gaza and life after detention.
In November, his London show was cancelled after he tweeted criticism of US-Israel relations in the early days of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Several years ago, Ai had the opportunity to witness the situation in Gaza firsthand. “In 2016, during the making of Human Flow, I travelled to Gaza. Despite difficulties, I persisted and eventually obtained military permission from Israel, granting me the permit to enter and exit Gaza,” he said. “While in Gaza, I witnessed the lives of its people, including children, women, and ordinary citizens, who grapple with survival under the weight of daily and unjust violence.
“Even as someone who grew up in an extremely authoritarian Communist country, such conditions were almost unbelievable to me,” Ai said, adding that the “suppression and humiliation were experiences beyond my previous imagination. The stark reality of such a confinement in the 21st century left me utterly astonished.”
Egypt considered pulling envoy from Tel Aviv after Israel’s Rafah claims: Report
The legal team that defended Israel against the genocide charge at the ICJ on January 12 accused Egypt of being responsible for preventing the entry of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.
Now, a new report by The Wall Street Journal says top Egyptian intelligence and security officials called a meeting on the same day to discuss withdrawing Egypt’s ambassador from Tel Aviv in response to the allegations. “After almost five hours of discussions, they decided it was best to instead issue a statement denying the claims, leading some who are familiar with the thinking of both sides to conclude there is still scope for calmer heads to prevail,” the publication reported.
A reminder that Egypt’s statement, issued by Diaa Rashwan, head of the Information Service, said what the Israeli legal team relayed to the World Court about the crossing was lies. Rashwan said that Israeli top officials had confirmed many times “since the start of the aggression on Gaza that they will not allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip, particularly fuel because this is a part of the war that their state is waging against the Strip.”
‘Israel’s actions in Gaza cannot be described as genocide’: UK
The UK has reacted to the ICJ interim ruling by doubling down on London’s position that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza.
“We respect the role and independence of the ICJ. However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire,” a spokesperson with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Al Jazeera. “Our view is that Israel’s actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa’s decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.”
The spokesperson welcomed the court’s call for the immediate release of captives in Gaza and said Israel has a right to defend itself. They added that maintained that an “immediate pause” that would eventually build towards a permanent ceasefire is required to get captives out of and humanitarian aid into Gaza.
What would the UK describe it as?
PNC warns of Israel’s plan to reduce the area of the Gaza Strip
In a news statement, Fattouh said that any action of this kind – which has seen the destruction of more than 1,200 Palestinian homes – is condemnable and a war crime. “This plan has a colonial goal, to implement the agenda of the right-wing extremist government. It also constitutes a tightening of the siege, collective punishment, and pressure on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is considered one of the most crowded areas in the world.”
Fattouh added that the so-called buffer zone is nothing but a “reoccupation and a perpetuation of the racist fascist colonial approach that will deprive the Palestinians of agricultural spaces”. “Gaza is experiencing a war of extermination that has never been witnessed in history,” he said.
How Palestinian shepherds are squeezed by Israeli settlers, forces
Palestinian shepherd Kadri Daraghmeh, 57, has seen two of his sons imprisoned by Israeli forces and his cattle – his livelihood – all but emptied. “My children are in prison, and every day it’s just more money I need to pay when we don’t even have money to buy food,” said a devastated Kadri.
‘We thought ICJ would at least demand a ceasefire’: Displaced Palestinians
We continue to gather reactions from Palestinians in Gaza to the ICJ’s interim ruling. “The international court was supposed to at least demand an immediate ceasefire, but unfortunately it didn’t,” said Ahmad al-Zinaty. “We’re really disappointed because it’s like saying this aggression can continue. It’s a pity.”
Seham al-Emawi, a displaced person from Beit Hanoon, also said the court’s decision was not what people expected. “Most of the displaced people are civilians, including children. We hoped that the decision would reflect that we’re human beings. Human beings being exposed to ethnic cleansing – and we should be treated as such,” she said.
“We thought the court would at least demand a ceasefire.”
Immediate ceasefire ‘only way’ to implement ICJ ruling: Palestine
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said an immediate ceasefire is “the only way” to implement Friday’s ICJ interim ruling.
It condemned the “continuation of the ongoing genocidal war against our people” in a statement which it said shows “Israeli determination to complete the destruction of the Gaza Strip”. It also highlighted the fact that not a single high-ranking Israeli official promised to abide by the ruling, and top officials, including Netanyahu, promised to continue the war, effectively undermining the ruling.
ICJ ruling highlights ‘evidence that Israel has committed genocide’
The ICJ ruling on Friday marked the first time any high-ranking official body described conditions that show Israel is committing genocide, according to Ilias Bantekas, a professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha.
“Reading between the lines, this is a clear call that there is evidence that Israel has committed genocide,” he told Al Jazeera. “The [US and Western leaders] can spin this as much as they like, the bottom line is that the implication of this is that the US is now in the wrong by providing more arms and money to Israel.”
Bantekas added that he doubts Israel will follow the ICJ ruling. “Netanyahu himself has declared that this war is going to go on until 2025, and if he were to take any measures that would seem like reversing his own policy,” he said.
The bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks are being buried in a mass grave, in Khan Younis
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