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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

‘Closing Al Jazeera is a retrograde and ridiculous decision’

Tim Dawson, the deputy general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, says he is “appalled” by Israel’s move to shut down Al Jazeera.

“It is utterly a retrograde and ridiculous decision. Closing down media, closing down television stations is a sort of thing that despots do,” he told Al Jazeera from London. “Israel makes much of being a democracy and the idea that it can simply close down an international broadcaster of considerable reputation and history is atrocious,” Dawson said.

He also said the move was one of a number of actions the Israeli government has taken to try and fight free reporting in this conflict. Dawson stressed that international reporters were barred from Gaza from day one, calling the mortality rate among Palestinian journalists in the enclave “beyond shocking”. “Some 10 percent of them lost have their lives,” he said.

Dawson explained that the Israeli media was not allowed to operate freely during the war as media institutions were threatened. “All of this is the stuff of desperate suppression of free reporting,” Dawson said.

Palestinian politician says Israel ‘terrified of the truth’

Commenting on Israel’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera, Sami Abou Shahadeh, the head of the Balad party – which represents Palestinian citizens of Israel – asked rhetorically what Israel’s democratic allies would “do to defend freedom of expression”.

“Netanyahu’s extreme government is dangerous for Israel and the Middle East,” he added.



Satellite, cable providers take Al Jazeera off air in Israel

Messages have appeared instead of Al Jazeera’s broadcast on a number of satellite providers, including “Yes” and “Hot”.

The message displayed by Yes read: “In accordance with the government decision, the Al Jazeera station’s broadcasts have been stopped in Israel.”

Israeli civil rights group requests High Court delay gov’t ban on Al Jazeera

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the Israel Association for Civil Rights has submitted to the Israel High Court a request for an interim order to delay the government’s decision to close Al Jazeera.

On its website, the association says the ban – which it labelled the “Al Jazeera law” – “violates freedom of expression, the right to information and freedom of the press, and blocks citizens and residents from receiving a variety of information that does not fit the Israeli narrative or is not broadcast on Israeli media channels”.

Al Jazeera’s teams in Israel cease operations, continue in occupied West Bank, Gaza

I know my colleagues who were working out of occupied East Jerusalem have now stopped working out of there, and both Arabic and English channels have stopped broadcasting from there.

The reason that those of us here in Ramallah and Gaza are still operating is because this is the occupied Palestinian territories. The Cabinet decision applies in Israel and Israel’s domestic territory. To close Al Jazeera’s operations in this part of the occupied West Bank, a military order from the governor would be required.

That hasn’t come yet. The network might be looking at some legal appeal, but it’s a 45-day closure for now. It could be extended again, but it gives the Israeli authorities the right to seize Al Jazeera’s broadcasting equipment and cut the channel from cable and satellite broadcasters.

We know that’s already happened in the last couple of hours in Israel; any operators that have been broadcasting Al Jazeera English or Arabic now have a sign on their screens saying they’re no longer allowed to transmit and receive Al Jazeera.

Israel joins ‘dubious club of authoritarian governments’ after Al Jazeera closure: FPA

The Foreign Press Association – which represents the international media working in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory – has published a statement in which it says Israel’s ban of Al Jazeera “should be a cause for concern for all supporters of a free press”.



‘Israel should stop committing atrocities rather than silencing’: HRW

Omar Shakir, director of Israel and Palestine for Human Rights Watch (HRW), has slammed Israel’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations, saying that the network has been a critical source of information on Israel and Palestine and a main source of news for Arab audiences.

“Their offices have been bombed in Gaza. Their staff have been beaten in the West Bank. They’ve been killed in the West Bank and Gaza,” he said, adding that Israel is trying to set a precedent to muzzle the media and cover up its atrocities.

“Rather than trying to silence reporting on its atrocities in Gaza, Israel should stop committing them.”

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 05 May 2024

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SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Israeli official down plays chances of ending war with Hamas: Report

A senior Israeli official has downplayed the prospects of a full end to the war on Gaza, according to The Associated Press news agency, even as ceasefire negotiations continue in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

The official, who spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity, said Israel was committed to launching a ground invasion of Rafah and that it will not agree in any circumstance to end the war as part of a deal to release captives.

Israeli media reported that statement had been dictated by Netanyahu, whose government could be threatened if he agrees to such a deal as hard-line politicians in his cabinet are demanding a ground assault on Rafah.

Earlier, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, of the far-right Otzma Yehudit faction, said that Netanyahu is committed to refusing a “reckless” deal with Hamas, adding that the Israeli leader knows the price of breaking his commitments.

Biden has ‘total leverage’ over Israel in truce talks

Rami Khouri, a distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut, says that while Hamas and Israel continue to be far apart in the ongoing ceasefire talks, the gap appears to be narrowing.

“When the CIA Director, Will Burns, joins the talks, it means something serious is happening,” he told Al Jazeera from Boston.

“One of the problems in situations like this is that whatever anybody says, it could be factual, it could be wishful thinking, it could be for domestic political advantage and it could be to hold off foreign pressures. So probably only about 30 to 40 percent of what people say – Israeli, American or Hamas – is accurate.”

Khouri added that Biden had “total leverage” over Israel if he wanted to exercise it.

“Because Israel cannot do anything militarily without the US. But the US president is hesitant to use that power. What we’ve seen from the US is a lot of verbal pressure, and threats and cajoling, but without any carry through. For instance, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made seven trips to Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, and it’s increased by 10 percent or 15 percent.”

Netanyahu urged to ignore political pressure, return captives: Report

The families of Israeli captives in Gaza have urged Netanyahu to ignore political pressure and secure a deal that would bring their relatives home, according to the Channel Seven broadcaster.

The statement comes as far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet threaten to leave his coalition if the prime minister agrees to a ceasefire and captive release deal that would end the war on Gaza.

“It’s time to take the lead, show courage and bring about the return of all 132 [Hamas-held captives],” the families said. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, history will not forgive you if you miss this opportunity to return our relatives,” they added.

 

Majority of Israeli protesters do not want Rafah ground offensive

The majority of the protesters at the weekly protests call for a deal to bring the captives home. The feeling is that if Israel goes into Rafah, there will be no captives that make it home alive.

There are many calling for Netanyahu to stand down because they hold him responsible, mainly accusing him of prolonging this war for his own political survival.

He’s under increasing pressure. From right-wing elements of this government that he depends on for his political survival. Yesterday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he expects the prime minister to adhere to the promises he made in a recent meeting with him and that Rafah should happen. If it doesn’t, the prime minister knows what the consequences will be.

So, reading between the lines, that can be seen as a threat that he will potentially withdraw from the government. People who know Netanyahu and have followed his political career will tell you that his priority is his own political survival. He is under immense pressure not just from the people, but from his own cabinet and from the Americans.



Bring the captives home, ‘but not in surrender’: Smotrich

Israeli Army Radio has posted a video on X, in which Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich appears to tell the war cabinet not to “surrender” as he called for “Rafah now” at a demonstration in Jerusalem.



SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Palestinian official says Hamas wants a deal, but not at any price: Report

A Palestinian official close to the truce mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel has reportedly said that the Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo with a determination to reach a deal, “but not at any price”.

“A deal must end the war and get Israeli forces out of Gaza and Israel hasn’t yet committed it was willing to do so,” the official told the Reuters news agency, asking not to be named.

Quoted by the agency, another Palestinian official said the negotiations are “facing challenges because the occupation [Israel] refuses to commit to a comprehensive ceasefire” but added that the Hamas delegation was still in Cairo in the hope mediators could press Israel to change its position.

Israel wants a deal to free at least some of the about 130 captives held by Hamas but has been reluctant to commit to an agreement to end the war. Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire and assurances that Israel won’t invade Rafah, which shelters about 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the seven-month-old war.


Hamas is keen on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire: Haniyeh

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh says that the group is keen on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire that will end Israeli “aggression”, guarantee Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, and achieve a serious captive swap deal.

Haniyeh, in a statement, also blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “the continuation of the aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, and sabotaging the efforts made through the mediators and various parties”.

Ending war on Gaza would keep Hamas in power: Netanyahu

Netanyahu has hardened his rejection of Hamas’s demands for an end to the war on Gaza in exchange for the freeing of captives, saying it would keep the group in power and pose a threat to Israel.

He said Israel was willing to pause fighting in Gaza to secure the release of the captives still being held by Hamas, believed to number more than 130.

“While Israel has shown willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power,” Netanyahu said, adding, “Israel cannot accept that.”

To remove Hamas from power is by providing / allowing an alternative to arrise. That's not going to happen while continuing to bomb and occupy Gaza.

Ben-Gvir: ‘Netanyahu, go to Rafah now!’

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a post on X to “go to Rafah now!” “We did not attack Gaza and received the seventh of October,” he wrote, referring to the Hamas attack inside Israel on that day.

Rafah fighting could happen ‘very soon’, says Israeli defence minister

Yoav Gallant says military action in Rafah in southern Gaza could happen very soon in light of what he claims is Hamas’s disinterest in a deal.

“We gave it a period of time, and we wanted to reach a situation in which we would achieve the release of the hostages as quickly as possible, with some delay in operational activity – because the hostages are in a difficult situation, and we need to make every effort to free them,” he said in remarks during a visit to central Gaza, as reported by the Israeli media.

He added: “We recognise alarming signs that Hamas actually does not intend to follow any agreement with us. This means action in Rafah and the entire Gaza Strip in the near future.”

The international community has warned Israel against a military operation in Rafah, which shelters about 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the seven-month-old war. Hamas has reiterated its support for a deal that would involve a permanent end to the fighting in Gaza.


Ceasefire talks seem to be at a deadlock, both sides maintaining entrenched positions

From the Israelis, there’s an insistence that the most Hamas is going to get is this initial 40-day truce in exchange for 33 Israeli captives and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners.

From Hamas, there’s an insistence that any agreement with Israel should lead to an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Israel has been hammering home its position over the last couple of days. Netanyahu has said again that Israel’s aim since the start of the war has been to disarm and dismantle Hamas, and he’s going to go into Rafah to do that.

You have Gallant, the defence minister, who accuses Hamas of not being serious, and he says they are going to hit Rafah soon – even though, if you’re already in Rafah, it will feel like Israel is already attacking.

Hamas’s leader says the group is still keen on reaching what he calls a comprehensive ceasefire that ends Israel’s aggression, including a withdrawal from Gaza. He says they’re looking for a serious deal to free Israelis in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

However, despite teams from Qatar, Egypt, and the US being in Cairo on the second day of these latest truce talks, the Israelis have not sent a delegation, so it seems there is a dwindling window of opportunity for some truce.


Hamas delegation to leave Cairo talks

In a statement, the Palestinian group says that the current round of ceasefire talks in the Egyptian capital has ended, and that its negotiating team will leave for Doha this evening after two days of meetings.

“The movement’s delegation had delivered the movement’s response to the mediator brothers in Egypt and Qatar, where in-depth and serious discussions took place with them”, Hamas’s statement reads.

Earlier, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said the group is keen on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire that will end Israeli “aggression” in Gaza, and blamed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for “sabotaging” negotiations.



SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

BBC CALLED OUT For MISLEADING Headline About UCLA Protest




Max Blumenthal : Undercover on Campus: The Shadowy World of Rebecca Weiner


 

UCLA Student Press Conference on Zionist Attacks

Students who were attacked at UCLA on 4/30/2024 by right wing extremists and Zionists share their stories. One student was sent to the ER and received 14 staples on the back of his head. Others were bear maced and repeatedly hit with metal poles and wooden boards.



SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Israel’s decision to shut Al Jazeera

The watchdog group says the move could set a dangerous precedent for other international media and news outlets working in the country. “CPJ condemns the closure of Al Jazeera’s office in Israel and the blocking of the channel’s websites,” Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in New York.

“This move sets an extremely alarming precedent for restricting international media outlets working in Israel. The Israeli cabinet must allow Al Jazeera and all international media outlets to operate freely in Israel, especially during wartime.”

Al Jazeera banned by Israel for ‘brave journalism’: ECFR’s Bildt

Carl Bildt, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), points out that Al Jazeera has been reporting from inside Gaza throughout the war, showing the disturbing realities of Israel’s war to the world.

“You might agree or disagree with [Israel’s] policies, but it has been brave journalism,” the former Swedish prime minister wrote in a post on X. “As a result they are now banned by the Israeli government.”

Still no response from US on shutting down of Al Jazeera in Israel

We’re still waiting for some sort of comment from the US government. We’ve reached out to the White House. We’ve reached out to the State Department, but … it is still early on Sunday here in the United States. So it may be a while before we get some sort of comment.

Now, of course, there has been some reporting earlier on in the war in Gaza suggesting that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had made appeals to Qatari officials to put pressure on journalists at Al Jazeera to tone down some of their rhetoric in their reporting.

The State Department has refused to confirm that this conversation ever took place.


Shutting of Al Jazeera like closing down ‘free press’

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy has called Israel’s shutdown of Al Jazeera a “shame”.

“I can tell you as a viewer … not as a commentator, and not as a writer, that for me the last seven months Al Jazeera English … was one of the most important sources of information about what’s going on in Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera.

“To close it down means closing down the option of a free press.”

Levy, a columnist at Israeli newspaper Haaretz, speculated that the shutdown may be politically motivated to pressure Qatar in the ongoing truce negotiations. “Al Jazeera is a Qatari network. And Qatar is one of those [countries] that are pulling and pushing for a settlement [to reach a truce deal in Gaza], some deal,” he said.

“[Israeli PM] Netanyahu is doing everything possible in the last two or three days to sabotage a deal.”

Netanyahu says Gaza victory is ‘only way to guarantee our existence’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again insisted that “victory” in the Gaza war will be an existential issue for Israel, during a state-organised Holocaust memorial ceremony.

“Our test is to continue and stand together until we reach victory because these are fateful days and this is the only way to guarantee our existence and our future,” he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.

He emphasised that Hamas has the “same intention” as the Nazis did during World War II to eliminate the Jewish people, and has only failed to do so because Israel is now able to “defend” itself.

This comes as Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed his intention for “total victory” in Gaza, through launching a ground invasion of Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering.

I doubt he even sees destroying Rafah as victory, he only wants to keep the war and occupation going on indefinitely. He's nothing but a fear mongering psychopathic dictator wannabee.



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SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Casualties after Israeli air strike hits a house in Rafah

The Israeli military has been ramping up its bombardment of areas across Rafah in southern Gaza as it continues to promise a ground invasion soon. The footage below, verified by our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic, shows the aftermath of one of the strikes earlier today, which left multiple Palestinians dead and injured.

Israel continues to ‘deny humanitarian access to UN’: Lazzarini

The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says Israeli authorities continue to deny humanitarian access to Gaza.

Philippe Lazzarini himself was denied access to the besieged enclave for the second time this week, he said, also reporting “an increase in the denial of humanitarian access and attacks on humanitarian workers and convoys”.

“Only in the past 2 weeks, we have recorded 10 incidents involving shooting at convoys, arrests of UN staff including bullying, stripping them naked, threats with arms & long delays at checkpoints forcing convoys to move during the dark or abort,” Lazzarini said on X.




UNRWA schools used as shelters amid Gaza education shutdown

About 300,000 children in Gaza used to receive their education in schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Some of those schools have now been fully destroyed or damaged by Israeli military attacks. Most others have to be used as emergency shelters.

“Education abruptly stopped and children’s sense of safety shattered – depriving deeply traumatized children of any hope for a better future,” the agency says.


Israeli military claims attack on UNRWA facility ‘used by Hamas’

The Israeli military says it worked with Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet to attack a facility belonging to the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) that it claims was being used by Hamas.

It said the facility was located in central Gaza, and was being used as a “command and control centre” in order to launch attacks on Israeli soldiers in recent weeks. The Israeli military claimed its assault was carried out in a way to “avoid as much harm as possible” to people not involved with Hamas activities.

Israel has consistently claimed that UN facilities are being used by Hamas, and has used this as justification to strike dozens of schools and other UNRWA facilities, but the United Nations rejects the claims.


Islamic Cooperation denounces Israel’s ‘genocidal war’ on Gaza: Report

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called on its members to impose “sanctions on Israel, the occupying power, and halting the export of weapons and ammunition used by its army to perpetrate the crime of genocide in Gaza”.

The resolution, seen by AFP news agency, urged members “to exercise diplomatic, political and legal pressure and to take any deterrent measures to stop the crimes of the Israeli colonial occupation, and the genocidal war it is waging against the Palestinian people, including by imposing sanctions”.

It also called for “an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire”.

In November 2023, it met with the Arab League in Riyadh for a joint summit, condemning the actions of Israeli forces in Gaza, but refraining from setting out punitive economic and political measures against Israel.



SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Some more nonsense





Another point on the genocide list

Why Israel Kidnaps Children (Jewish Ones Too)


 

Exposing The Bad Faith Arguments About Women In Gaza






SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in multiple West Bank towns

Israeli settlers have been behind several new attacks on Palestinians across the occupied West Bank as the war on Gaza rages.

Settlers attacked farmers in the past few hours in the town of Kafr Ra’i south of Jenin, according to the Wafa news agency, which said the farmers were prevented from entering their lands.

It also reported settler attacks on two Palestinian-owned homes in a Bedouin community northwest of Jericho, coming hours after members of the community received notices from Israeli authorities to demolish eight homes, a sheep barn and a solar energy complex.

Settlers also reportedly attacked Palestinian civilians’ vehicles west of Nablus and threw stones at them.

 

Several killed in Israeli attack on Rafah

Al Jazeera’s correspondent reports that at least 10 people are dead in two separate Israeli army air attacks on homes in the central and eastern areas of the southern Gaza city. Health officials who spoke to the Reuters news agency said at least nine people were killed in an attack on a home in Rafah.

Qassam Brigades says Israeli soldier sniped in central Gaza

The armed wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip has released a video that shows one of its fighters sniping an Israeli soldier in the central part of the enclave.

The Qassam Brigades said the Israeli soldier was hit south of the TAl al-Hawa neighbourhood along the so-called Netzarim Corridor that the Israeli military has constructed across Gaza to separate the northern and southern parts.

The video then showed a military ambulance deployed to transport the soldier.

Hamas rocket attack kills three Israeli soldiers, wounds 11 others

The 10 rockets that Hamas launched at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing between Gaza and Israel have left three Israeli soldiers dead and 11 others wounded, according to the Israeli military.

Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement that three staff sergeants, namely 19-year-old Ruben Marc Mordechai Assouline, 19-year-old Ido Testa and 21-year-old Tal Shavit, were killed.

The 11 soldiers who were wounded include two soldiers from the 931st Battalion and a soldier from the Shaked Battalion who are listed as in serious condition.

Israeli officials had claimed the attack had targeted “humanitarian aid”, with Hamas saying it hit a military headquarters at the crossing – which has now been closed by Israeli authorities.



SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Reporters Without Borders condemns Israel’s Al Jazeera shutdown

The French-based organisation said it “strongly condemns freedom-threatening legislation that censors a TV network for its coverage of the war in Gaza”.

The Qatar-based network Al Jazeera described the move by the Israeli government as a “criminal act” and warned that the country’s suppression of the free press “stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law”.

Israeli police raid Al Jazeera office after shutdown order, seize equipment

Israeli police raided Al Jazeera’s office in occupied East Jerusalem after Netanyahu’s government decided to shut down the network’s local operations in Israel. A video on social media showed officers removing camera equipment.



Al Jazeera shutdown a ‘violation of freedom of expression’: Gaza media office

The Government Media Office in Gaza says in a statement that the closure of Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel is a “scandal and a blatant violation of freedom of opinion and expression”.

It said the move would be a blow to the Israeli government as it “falsely praises democracy and human rights” but has shown it commits many violations.

“We condemn the shameful silence of many countries that consider themselves guardians of the world and human rights, while they are engaged in a war of genocide, and participate in the war to silence media professionals, journalists, and their media outlets.”




‘Use of force against students protesting genocide unacceptable’: CAIR

The footage below is from the University of Virginia in the eastern US, showing how state police were deployed to contain pro-Palestine protests on campus.

“The use of excessive force against students attempting to stand up against a genocide that is being funded by our government is unacceptable,” says the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The US-based civil rights organisation says the university must conduct a full investigation, apologise for calling in police and engage with its students.



SvennoJ on 05 May 2024

Here's Why Israel Is Losing Hugely in the War | Col. Jacques Baud



Jacques Baud is a former member of Swiss strategic intelligence, a specialist in Eastern European countries and head of United Nations peace operations doctrine. He was engaged in negotiations with top Russian military and intelligence officials right after the fall of the USSR. Within NATO, he participated in programs in Ukraine and in particular during the Maidan revolution in 2014.

It's almost like Netanyahu wants anti-semitism to rise, so he can paint Israel further as the only safe place for Jews to live. In the end it's still a numbers game and there are still more non Jews than Jews in the combined Israel, Palestine territories. Kill Palestinians while encouraging more hatred towards Jews, 2 birds with one stone.

However Netanyahu is making Israel less safe the longer this goes on.



What the Kent State Massacre Shows Us About The Student Uprisings for Gaza, 54 Years Later