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SvennoJ on 21 February 2024
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US congressman tells pro-Palestine activist ‘we should kill ’em all’



‘We should kill them all’ and other anti-Palestinian remarks by US politicians

Republican Congressman Andy Ogles, who said “we should kill them all” when confronted about the growing casualties amongst Palestinian children, is only the latest US politician to make such comments. Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, several lawmakers and officials in Washington have used what activists say is dehumanising language against Palestinians and Gaza.

Here are some of their comments:

  • Senator Lindsey Graham: “We are in a religious war here. I am with Israel. Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourselves. Level the place.”
  • Congressman Max Miller: “They [Palestine] are a territory that’s about to probably get eviscerated and go away here shortly, as we’re going to turn that into a parking lot.”
  • Congressman Brian Mast: “There are very few innocent Palestinian civilians.”
  • Presidential candidate Nikki Haley: “Finish them. Finish them.”
  • Florida state legislator Michelle Salzman when asked how many Palestinians need to be killed: “All of them.”
  • President Joe Biden: “I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war.”

Massive uptick in attempts to quell advocacy for Palestine in the US

According to the Center for Constitutional Rights and Palestine Legal, since October 7, attempts to quash advocacy for Palestine in the US have increased, including demands to deploy “terrorism” laws against student activists, “a dangerous attack on constitutionally protected speech and association”.

In a paper written jointly, the legal rights groups reconstruct the history of a joint US-Israeli effort to suppress all forms of Palestinian opposition to Israel’s colonisation of Palestine. “Attacks on advocacy for Palestine also represent the culmination of a decades-long campaign by Israel-aligned organizations, including the ADL, to expand US antiterrorism law to turn it against advocates for Palestinian liberation,” the groups said, referring to the Anti-Defamation League.



Scottish first minister calls for ceasefire in Gaza after Parliament row

After members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) walked out of the UK’s Parliament during an intense debate over competing measures calling for a pause and an end to the fighting in Gaza, the party’s leader has taken to social media to reiterate demands for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“This suffering has to end. … Enough is enough,” Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister and the SNP’s leader, said on X.

Here’s what happened at the UK parliament’s chaotic ceasefire vote

The speaker of the British House of Commons has drawn fury from critics after he broke with precedent to allow the Labour Party to put forward its own measure for a ceasefire in Gaza over a motion by the Scottish National Party (SNP), which included stronger criticism of Israel.

The tumult reflected the deepening division in British politics over London’s backing of Israel. The original motion, which was put forward on a designated SNP opposition day, risked a rebellion within Labour against party leader Keir Starmer – a staunch Israel supporter.

But with the help of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, Starmer – who is widely expected to become the UK’s next prime minister – was able to avoid the dissent from MPs pledging to vote for the SNP measure. Hoyle allowed Labour to introduce its own amendment to the SNP motion, removing references to Israel’s “collective punishment” of Palestinians, and adding language saying that Israel cannot be expected to end the war “if Hamas continues with violence”.

SNP leaders were furious at the decision, and the party’s MPs along with Conservatives, walked out of the chamber. Eventually, the Labour-amended motion calling for a ceasefire was adopted. Early in the war, Starmer said that Israel “does have that right” to cut off water and electricity in Gaza, but he added that the country should act within international law.




UN committee calls on Israel to facilitate aid operations in Gaza

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which facilitates cooperation between UN and non-UN humanitarian groups, has called on Israel to fulfil its “legal obligation” to provide food and medical supplies to Gaza and allow aid operations to move forward. Israel has blocked large portions of aid from being delivered in Gaza and targeted humanitarian convoys, even as the Strip faces the risk of widespread famine.

In a statement today, the group said that 10 requirements need to be met in order to provide “the bare essentials” in Gaza. Among the steps are an immediate ceasefire, security assurances for aid delivery efforts, the restoration of necessary resources for UNRWA, and the release of the remaining captives in Gaza.

“Humanitarian agencies remain committed, despite the risks. But they cannot be left to pick up the pieces,” the statement reads. “We are calling on Israel to fulfil its legal obligation, under international humanitarian and human rights law, to provide food and medical supplies and facilitate aid operations, and on the world’s leaders to prevent an even worse catastrophe from happening.”