US report: Israel ‘takes effective action to prevent gross violations’
The Wall Street Journal reports the US plans to transfer more weaponry to Israel as it continues to bomb and kill Gaza civilians in staggering numbers. The Journal noted an arms-transfer report was done by the American embassy in Jerusalem, which said “there were no potential human rights concerns with the sale”.
“Israel takes effective action to prevent gross violations of human rights and to hold security forces responsible that violate those rights. In the past, Israel has been a transparent partner in US investigations into allegations of defence article misuse,” the news report quoted the document as saying.
About 21,000 precision-guided missiles have been provided to Israel already since the war began in October, it said. Nearly 29,000 people have died in Gaza, mostly children and women, in Israeli attacks.
US plans to send more weapons to Israel: Report
The United States intends to bolster Israel’s military arsenal even as Washington pushes for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. The Israeli government requested the “rapid acquisition” of tens of millions of dollars worth of weapons from the US, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. According to unnamed current and former US officials cited, the proposed arms delivery includes about 1,000 each of:
- MK-82 bombs
- KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to add “precision guidance” to bombs
- FMU-139 bomb fuses
The Biden administration would need congressional committee members to approve the transfer, an official told WSJ, although the administration has bypassed Congress to increase weapons sales to Israel in recent months.
‘Tools of empire’: African Methodist Episcopal Church urges US to pull support for Israel
The Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church has called on the US to immediately withdraw funding and other support to Israel, according to a statement. The statement said Israeli forces have denied Palestinians access to food, water, shelter and healthcare.
“After this torture, they plan to murder them. The United States of America will have likely paid for the weapons they use. This must not be allowed to happen,” it read. The church said Israel has shown a “willful disregard for the human dignity of Palestinians” since 1954, and called for a ceasefire, denouncing Hamas’s October 7 attack as well.
“Surely there is a grassroots solution that affirms the dignity and humanity of all God’s people in Palestine and Israel,” the council said. “The tools of empire, colonialism, and domination will not solve the problems they created.”
Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on a residential building in Rafah
Thousands march in Madrid demanding Gaza ceasefire
Waving pro-Palestinian flags and banners, thousands have marched through the streets of Madrid to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The crowd snaked through closed-off streets in the Spanish capital from Atocha train station to the central Plaza del Sol square behind a large banner that read: Freedom for Palestine. Many carried signs that read “Peace for Palestine” and “Don’t ignore Palestinian suffering”.
At least six ministers from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s cabinet took part in the demonstration, five from hard-left party Sumar, his junior coalition partners, as well as Transport Minister Oscar Puente of the premier’s Socialist party. “We need an immediate ceasefire, an end to the killing and attacks against innocents, we must achieve the release of all hostages,” Puente told reporters at the start of the march.
Hundreds have taken the streets in Madrid, Spain, in support of Gaza and demanding a ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/CGFuD6x3y3
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 17, 2024
London protest in solidarity with Palestinians
Organisers say the demonstration taking place in London is expected to be among the top three in terms of size since the start of the war in Gaza in October.
This could be an indication of the increasing concern about the situation in Gaza, on the cusp of Israel’s intended intensification of military operations in Rafah in the south. YouGov has issued a poll saying that two-thirds of people in the UK now support an immediate ceasefire.
It’s certainly in the tens of thousands at least, as people march in the eastern and southern fringes of Hyde Park. They’re marching down Park Lane and towards the entrance to Kensington High Street. There will be a static protest outside the Israeli Embassy and this is where the main body of the march will arrive.
Police say there are 1,500 officers on the streets of London and that they are keen to ensure that sensitivities are monitored and any hate speech is acted against. The organisers timed the setting off of this march to ensure that an event at a nearby Jewish synagogue was over. There has been one arrest so far with regard to a placard of a proscribed organisation.
Tokyo activist protesting against Gaza war for three months
Yusuke Furusawa has been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza for the past three months. Furusawa demonstrates alone in Tokyo, with a banner that reads: Stop Gaza Genocide. The activist also uploads videos to his Instagram account and chooses his protest locations strategically, and is often seen outside Starbucks and McDonald’s outlets.
For the past three months, Yusuke Furusawa has been demonstrating on the streets of Tokyo for a ceasefire in Gaza. Although he is alone, the activist mobilizes almost every day with his banner. pic.twitter.com/ZOvkRq3m0D
— AJ+ (@ajplus) February 17, 2024
