‘Extremist settlers undermining security and stability,’ UK’s Cameron says

Body of Israeli previously presumed a captive is found

Israel claims ‘great surge’ in Gaza aid, countering UN criticism

Israeli military held woman in Gaza to force brother’s surrender: Rights group

‘An entire family wiped out’

Israeli raid targets home in central Gaza

Palestinian family forced by Israel to demolish shops in occupied East Jerusalem

Houthis say ‘millions’ march again in Yemen in support of Gaza, military ops

‘Only violence we’ve seen has been against college encampments’: CAIR

US diplomat who quit over Biden administration’s Gaza policy speaks out

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/politics/hala-rharrit-us-diplomat-biden-gaza/index.html

Hala Rharrit never expected that she would choose to leave her career as a US diplomat.

She had spent her “entire adult life” at the State Department having joined the foreign service in 2006, raising her hand for one of the toughest postings — Yemen — for her first assignment and going on to serve in places like Hong Kong, Qatar and South Africa. About a year and a half ago, after mostly behind-the-scenes roles, Rharrit became an Arab language spokesperson for the State Department.

“I had full intentions of continuing on in my career until I reached senior levels. I never had the intention of resigning,” she told CNN.

...

Rharrit told CNN that she and her colleagues were “horrified” by the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, which triggered the war in Gaza.

“Everyone was sort of bracing themselves, ‘Oh, my goodness, what’s going to happen next?’” Rharrit recounted. She said they “knew obviously there was going to be a forceful reaction, but I don’t think anyone predicted the outcome would be 34,000 killed, famine conditions.”

Rharrit told CNN there wasn’t one particular incident that prompted her to resign, but rather the cumulative build-up of events throughout the war — and the growing sense of that her warnings about “destabilizing” policy were going unheeded.

“I’m fundamentally concerned that we’re on the wrong side of history and we are hurting our interests,” she said, referring to the Biden administration’s strong backing for Israel in the war with Hamas.

Rharrit also pointed to a “double standard” in US policy around the effects of the war, including the humanitarian crisis and the deaths of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

“As the United States we have to stand on our principles. We cannot make exceptions. Our allies and our adversaries are watching and it is hurting us as a nation,” Rharrit explained. “It was just one devastating frustration after another. I just kept on hoping until finally I was just like, I think I need to start planning. I don’t think things are going to get any better.”

As a spokesperson, Rharrit was tasked with presenting the US policy on the war to an Arabic-speaking audience, but from the outset, she said, the talking points were sharply distant from the images that audience was seeing on a daily basis, she explained.

Those talking points “focused towards a domestic US audience,” she said, and she warned the State Department that they would spark backlash and “be seen as dehumanizing to Palestinians.”

“That’s indeed what we saw. Through polls, we saw just growing anti-Americanism, our favorability plummet across the entire region, in countries where we had great relations,” Rharrit said.

Divided views within the department

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/28/politics/state-department-israel-gaza-international-law-us-weapons/index.html

continued here https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/politics/hala-rharrit-us-diplomat-biden-gaza/index.html

A look at an actual demonstration instead of police beating down students

The Popular University for Gaza Liberated Zone Day 1



May 1st is my Birthday so I decided to spend it at the QUAD with the bright and idealistic young students in the "liberated zone" at the University of Washington. I am 72 and I remember the last student rebellion that helped end the Vietnam war. Methinks this country needs a rebellion something fierce! I couldn't ask for a better birthday present...

CNN occasionally makes good investigative articles, but also straight up repeats propaganda

CNN DISGRACES Itself Over Gaza

Where would the United States of America be today without protests?

Here's The SHOCKING Truth About Protests From Columbia Students, Faculty



TYT's David Shuster interviews students and faculty at the entrance gate of Columbia University about pro-Palestinian protests and encampments.

Not shocking at all if you've been following the protests on social media and comparing it to mainstream media. It does a good job of exposing the main stream media agenda.



Documentary about Israeli Settlements

Inter-dasting. Yeah, it's a tricky situation. Like, that initial Oct 7th attack was obviously horrible, but now it seems like Israel has gone overboard in their response and are massively losing the optics war currently, especially to the younger voters who HUGELY favor Palestine. I feel for the Palestinian people who have had their lands decimated at this point, though - it probably doesn't need to be said - very much NOT pro-Hamas. And that includes protestors that side with Hamas.

I give a bit more leniency to Israel in a sense too, being essentially the only Jewish state (and a small one) in a sea of larger nations surrounding them, some of them hostile to them. And I also certainly don't think that means they should be hauling off and basically occupying what remains of Gaza, and bombing 10s of thousands of innocents just because they're in the wrong country, for sure. 

I'm typically more knowledgable and passionate about the culture side of things vs straight-up politics, but this issue is starting to capture my interest somewhat, as it seems to be ballooning. Interesting that it's also causing a schism in both the left (Neolibs/older Dems who are more pro Israel vs far left who are mostly pro Palestine) and the right (MAGA/Populists who are mostly neutral/non-interventionist and Neocons who are almost all pro Israel)

Yeah that bill is super ambiguous and anti 1A, so very little chance it survives thankfully. 

I hear you. The whole situation disgusts me. It's time for this to end. It's time for everyone to get more reasonable and work out a diplomatic solution because there isn't another one. Realistically though, I think the region is headed straight for another years-long cycle of violence. Ugh.

On the protests, it looks like I'm more sympathetic and nuanced toward the pro-Palestinian protesters than most of the public. Did you see that recent Morning Consult poll on the subject? Apparently 76% of Americans (including 75% of Democrats) support the decision of many colleges and universities to call the cops in and nearly half think participants should be banned from campus entirely (compared to less than one-third who feel otherwise) and 41% also feel that pro-Israeli demonstrators should also be banned from campus. I get the sense from these numbers that the public is no mood to recreate '68 (or respect people's freedom of speech). I guess part of me can relate to the sense of exhaustion that's likely behind that sentiment, honestly. I can't disagree with the sentiment that basic human decency does not prevail on either side. I am tired of reading stories like this. I'm tired of hearing demands that university presidents resign over student protests. And I am tired of hearing stories of protesters demanding to know whether passers-by speak Hebrew and holding signs with crossed-out stars of David, stuff like this. I guess that's not surprising considering that it is a war that's being fought over (so to speak). It is disappointing though.