Protests against Gaza war continue at Columbia University
Students are still camping out in protest against Israel’s war on Gaza in Columbia University in New York, even after some students were suspended and more than 100 people were arrested. The student protesters reportedly suspended include Isra Hirsi, the daughter of US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
Demonstrators gathered inside and outside Columbia University as pro-Palestinian protests continued into a third night on Saturday
New Yorkers have rallied outside the university in support of students after news spread of the arrests and suspensions
Law requires US to impose sanctions on Israeli military unit
There’s been nothing from the State Department. Instead, they have leaked this information to a favoured journalist: We’re getting tough on a military unit in Israel as part of a third round of sanctions the Biden administration is imposing on Israeli violence in the West Bank.
But it’s not as simple as that. This isn’t part of some executive action by the Biden administration. This is simply what’s required by law.
And certainly, on the face of it, it seems the Biden administration and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in particular, have actively not been abiding by the law since December.
They were called out on Thursday when the US watchdog group Pro Publica published an extensive report based on the testimony of several current and former members of the State Department saying that the State Department got a panel together to investigate human rights abuses alleged to be committed by this Netzah Yehuda Israeli military unit and found in December that they were credible.
These are human rights abuses, extrajudicial murder – including of a Palestinian-American – rape and torture. They presented that report to Blinken in December and in the words of one of the officials of the report, ‘It’s been in his briefcase ever since’.
