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

SvennoJ on 05 February 2025

‘Shocked’: UN rapporteur slams international community for ignoring Israeli genocide in Gaza

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, says she is “shocked at the defiance towards international law, not just by Israel, but by most countries in the international community”.

Speaking at a news conference in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen, she expressed frustration at the limited effect of international court rulings condemning Israel’s war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank.

“We are at a very interesting and dangerous crossroads [in Israel’s war on Gaza],” said Albanese. “After 15 months, the ceasefire … offers a ray of hope. However, the situation on the ground remains catastrophic.”

Albanese said her fear that Israel would use the war in Gaza to seize more territory and displace Palestinians had been justified.

“Israel has committed acts of genocide under the fog of war,” she said.


Trump’s ‘immoral’ Gaza plan includes ‘international crime’: UN’s Albanese

“It’s unlawful, immoral and completely irresponsible,” says Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, when asked about US President Trump’s suggestion to remove Palestinians from Gaza and have the US take ownership.

“What he proposes is … nonsense,” Albanese said at a news conference in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen. “It will make the regional crisis even worse.

“It’s incitement to commit forced displacement, which is an international crime,” she added. “The international community is made up of 193 states and this is the time to give the US what it has been looking for: isolation.”


More from UN’s Albanese: ‘Peace through economic development will not work’ in Gaza

The UN rapporteur also addressed whether economic development plans in Gaza could be a catalyst for long-term peace.

For too long, she said, “the international community has treated the issue of Palestine like something that can be managed in perpetuity through means of development, economic incentives and encouraging growth … or managing it as a humanitarian process”.

“Frankly … it doesn’t work,” she said.

“Of course, economic development must happen,” Albanese added, “but not at the expense of fundamental rights and freedoms, which Israel, the United States and others seem to expect the Palestinians will accept.

“Peace through economic development is expectation of surrender and it will not work,” she said. “The only way to stop the violence is to give peace a chance through freedom.”

Trump’s plan for Gaza takeover a violation of Geneva Conventions: Analyst

Trump’s proposal to displace Gaza’s population and for a US “takeover” of the Palestinian territory is a “radical plan that violates international law, including the Geneva Conventions,” said Evangeline Cheng, a research associate at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.

“It is also an idea that would infuriate Arab populations and allies alike while further damaging American standing in the Middle East at a time when this is already at a low end given the previous administration’s unflinching support for Israel in Gaza,” Cheng told Al Jazeera.

“Trump’s assertion that all Gazans must leave, rather than supporting a post-Hamas governance model, suggests a maximalist approach that aligns closely with Israel’s right-wing position,” Cheng said.

“Even if full evacuation never happens, Trump’s hardline stance could help Israel by making the idea of displacing Gazans seem more normal.”



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SvennoJ on 05 February 2025

Netanyahu claims of normalised ties with Saudi Arabia are ‘outside of reality'

Last night, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was taking questions at that joint press conference, he said that “normalisation with Saudi would come soon and would shock people”.

But he is speaking outside of reality because Riyadh has been quite clear that until their main condition is met, until there is an establishment of a Palestinian state, at least a pathway to it, then that is not going to happen.

You have Netanyahu, who for the last year has been going around and proudly saying that he himself has prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state and would use the rest of his political career to block that very move.

So it’s a little bit difficult to tell exactly what’s going to happen.

But you have two completely different views here. On the one hand, Netanyahu is saying that it is going to happen and the Saudis are saying that it’s absolutely not going to happen until this one condition is met – that which Netanyahu says he’s absolutely not going to do.




Switzerland opens probe against Israeli soldier currently on its soil: Hind Rajab Foundation

The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), which advocates for legal action against Israeli soldiers and officials suspected of complicity in Gaza war crimes, says that “Switzerland has opened a criminal investigation into a suspected Israeli war criminal on its soil.”

The probe is based on a complaint filed by HRF, said the statement shared on X.

“The complaint provides extensive evidence implicating the individual in war crimes and crimes against humanity, including attacks on civilians, destruction of homes and hospitals, forced displacement, and other grave violations of international law committed in the Gaza Strip,” it added.



Gaza people lack heating, warm clothing amid ‘harsh’ winter conditions: Aid agency

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that people in Gaza are facing cold temperatures without sufficient heating or proper clothing, putting children at heightened risk of respiratory illnesses.

“Winter in Gaza has always been harsh, but this year’s suffering is beyond imagination for displaced families,” said Faten Abu Mousa, the aid agency’s child protection manager in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“They are finding it extremely difficult to access basic needs and secure winter clothing. Where winter clothing is available in the market, prices are beyond reach.”


Palestinians line up for bread in Gaza City, February 3


Palestinian child shot dead by Israeli forces in Khan Younis

A Palestinian child has been shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in the city in southern Gaza. The minor was targeted in the eastern part of Khan Younis, according to the Wafa news agency.

Israeli forces have continued to shoot at civilians, at times with deadly effect, despite the ceasefire in Gaza. The Israeli military also launched an air strike on a vehicle along the Gaza coast earlier this week, saying it was not allowed to travel on that road.



SvennoJ on 05 February 2025

Fareed Zakaria on implications if Trump decides to take over Gaza Strip



CNN's Fareed Zakaria discusses President Donald Trump's comments that the United States “will take over” Gaza — possibly with the help of American troops — while the Palestinians who live there should leave, a stunning proposal that would dramatically reorient the Middle East and subject a population of more than a million to further displacement.

Jordan 'ready for war' with Israel amidst fresh snubbing of Trump on Gaza plan | Janta Ka Reporter


Trump Gaza relocation plans ‘recipe for creating chaos and tension’: Hamas


Saudi Arabia says no ties with Israel without Palestinian state




SvennoJ on 05 February 2025

Main events on February 5th

  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said US President Donald Trump only wants Palestinians to be “temporarily relocated” and that he has not “yet” committed to sending US troops to Gaza.
  • Leavitt’s remarks come as a plan put forward by US President Donald Trump to “take over” and “own” Gaza has drawn widespread condemnation, including from Palestinians in Gaza and UN officials.
  • US Congressman Al Green has said he is introducing impeachment articles against Trump over the president’s comments on Gaza, condemning the proposal as “dastardly”.
  • Hamas has agreed to hand over the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, after a request from Israel via mediators, Al Jazeera Arabic has reported.
  • An Israeli sniper has shot and killed a Palestinian child in the vicinity of al-Awda Square in central Rafah, southern Gaza, an Al Jazeera correspondent has reported.


Palestinians wait to fill up containers with water in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday


‘Catastrophic’ conditions due to Israeli siege in West Bank town

The humanitarian situation is “catastrophic” in the town of Tammun, south of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, due to a siege imposed by the Israeli military, local sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic.

The sources said Israeli forces have announced a 48-hour curfew, while dozens of besieged families in Tammun have issued distress calls.

Israeli forces have also arrested a Palestinian man and his two sons in Tammun over recent hours, the Wafa news agency reports.


Israeli soldiers stand during an Israeli raid, in the Far’a camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank


One killed, others injured as storm rattles Gaza

The wall of a building has collapsed onto a family in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of northern Gaza City, resulting in one death and several injuries, the Quds News Network and the Palestinian Information Center report.

Thousands of Palestinians living in displacement tents have been exposed to very high winds across Gaza overnight.



SvennoJ on 05 February 2025

UN chief says essential to avoid ethnic cleansing in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has shared a post on social media, reaffirming his warning against ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.

“In the search for solutions on Gaza, we must not make the problem worse,” Guterres wrote. “It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”

Guterres made similar remarks in an address to a UN committee on the rights of Palestinians on Wednesday.

While Guterres did not mention US President Donald Trump by name, his comments come one day after Trump said the United States could “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip and suggested Palestinians could be “permanently” elsewhere.

Palestinians face ‘chilling, systematic dehumanisation and demonisation’, UN chief says

The UN chief warned against ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the dehumanisation of Palestinians as he rejected President Donald Trump’s bombshell proposal for the US to take control of the Palestinian territory and displace all its people.

“At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech to a UN committee that deals with the rights of Palestinians.

“We have seen the realisation of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach. We have seen a chilling, systematic dehumanisation and demonisation of an entire people. It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”


Wide rejection of forceful removal of Palestinians at the UN

Within the building of the UN, it’s very clear that any forceful removal of the Palestinian people would be considered ethnic cleansing. Period. Full stop.

That’s really the view of the wide range of people within this building because the UN was founded on such things as self-determination, territorial integrity, jurisdiction – all key principles by the UN.

We also heard from the Chinese ambassador. He’s the president of the Security Council for this month.

When asked what he thought about Trump’s comments, he simply said it’s beyond comprehension, and that his country, China, would never go along with any such plan.

I think those comments there by the Chinese echoed what we’re hearing, both public and private statements, from other member states as well, sort of scratching their heads, saying there’s no way we would ever agree to this.

Also, because, quite frankly, as you heard the secretary-general say, it would be considered ethnic cleansing.


Palestine’s UN envoy says Gaza is ‘not a free land for anyone to grab’

Palestine’s ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour has addressed journalists in New York, responding to Trump’s comments on “taking over” the Gaza Strip.

“The Gaza Strip is not a free land for anyone to grab it,” Mansour said. “Those days in history are gone. Every piece of land in any country belongs to the people who live in this piece of land.”

“Therefore, you know, we are determined to stay in the Gaza Strip.”



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SvennoJ on 05 February 2025

Israel leaves ‘biased’ UN rights body, following Trump’s lead

Israel’s UN envoy has said his country will “stand with” the United States and “not participate” in the UN Human Rights Council, accusing the body of “moral failure”.

“The UN Human Rights Council is a biased body that is obsessively focused on attacking Israel,” said Danny Danon, in a post on X. “We will not support a council that has long abandoned its moral compass.”

The Geneva-based council is made up of 47 UN member states, who are elected to serve four-year terms on a rotating basis by other UN member states.

Trump signed an executive order announcing the US would leave the council on Tuesday, on the same day Netanyahu visited the White House.

Neither the US nor Israel are currently elected members of the council, although the council’s work covers all UN member states.


US President Donald Trump holds an executive order regarding withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday

Israeli forces continue days-long siege in Far’a camp

The Israeli military has continued its days-long siege in the Far’a camp, south of Tubas in the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

They are preventing residents in the camp from receiving food and water, while ambulance crews have also been blocked from entering the area.

Israeli forces have also stormed the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem, with an explosion reported there, local sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic.

Israeli raids have been reported in other locations across the occupied West Bank, including:

  • The town of Attil, north of Tulkarem, where a Palestinian man has been arrested
  • The city of Jenin, where two men have been arrested
  • The town of Tammun, south of Tubas, where a man and his two sons have been arrested
  • The city of Nablus


deskpro2k3 on 06 February 2025

Texas Representative Al Green is gearing up for Trump's 3rd impeachment, this time over his "take over Gaza" plan. Will the third time be the charm?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/05/al-green-trump-impeachment-articles-gaza



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SvennoJ on 06 February 2025

Defense Secretary Hegseth emphasises ‘unbreakable bond’ in Netanyahu meeting

We have been reporting on Defense Secretary Hegseth’s meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

The Department of Defense has released a readout of that meeting – Hegseth’s first hosting of a foreign dignitary – stating that he emphasised to the Israeli leader the “unbreakable bond that exists” between the countries and praised Israel as a “model ally in the Middle East”.

“The Secretary made clear that the United States, under President Trump’s leadership, will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel to pursue peace through strength,” the readout said.


Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Pentagon on Wednesday

Netanyahu says Trump’s ‘remarkable’ Gaza displacement plan should be pursued

Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he didn’t see any issues with Trump’s proposal to displace Gaza’s population, a plan that has been widely decried as a form of “ethnic cleansing”.

“The actual idea of allowing Gazans who want to leave to leave. I mean, what’s wrong with that? They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza. If you want to rebuild Gaza, you can’t have …” Netanyahu said, without finishing his sentence.

“This is the first good idea I’ve heard. It’s a remarkable idea, and I think it should be really pursued, examined, and done,” Netanyahu added.


Israeli poll shows 72% of respondents support Trump Gaza plan

Some 72 percent of respondents to the Channel 13 poll said they would support the resettlement of Palestinians away from Gaza, as proposed by President Trump on Tuesday.

Only 17 percent of respondents in the Channel 13 poll said they were against the plan, while 11 percent responded saying they didn’t know either way.

Similar results were seen in another poll this week, as reported by the Jewish People Policy Institute think tank. In that poll, approximately seven in 10 respondents agreed with the notion that “Arabs from Gaza should relocate to another country”.

A narrow majority of 52 percent of Jewish Israelis also agreed with the notion that Trump’s plan is “practical” and should be pursued.

72% are pro ethnic cleansing.



SvennoJ on 06 February 2025

Israeli defence minister orders army to prepare for mass exodus from Gaza

Israel Katz has ordered the Israeli military to ready a plan by which any resident of Gaza who wants to can emigrate to any place that agrees to absorb them, according to a statement from the defence minister’s office.

Katz’s office quoted the minister as praising Trump’s “courageous plan, which could enable a wide swath of the population in Gaza to leave to various places around the world”.

Potential destinations Katz mentioned were Spain, Ireland and Norway – countries he accused of levelling “false accusations” against Israel regarding its war on Gaza. He argued that if they refuse to accept Palestinians, “their hypocrisy will be exposed”.

Katz also accused Hamas of “preventing” people from leaving Gaza and using them as human shields.

“Gaza’s residents should be allowed the freedom to exit and emigrate, as is the practice anywhere around the world,” Katz said.

Now it's Hamas preventing people from leaving Gaza? That while MSF is begging Israel to be allowed to evacuate patients in dire need of healthcare. Israel preventing aid workers from leaving, not allowing family nor students to leave etc. Most people do not want to leave, be displaced again into another refugee camp, yet even those that do have places to go outside Gaza are kept locked in by Israel.

 

Israel’s far-right leaders praise Katz’s order to prepare plan for exodus from Gaza: Report

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was quoted by The Times of Israel newspaper as saying “there is no other realistic solution that will ensure peace and security for Israel and personal wellbeing for the residents of Gaza.

“I congratulate the defence minister on his decision to instruct the [army] to prepare to fulfil our role in the migration plan to allow the departure of Gazans from Gaza to receiving countries,” he said.

According to the newspaper, ex-Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit party – also known as the Jewish Power Party – said Katz’s preparations for “the voluntary departure of Gaza residents” are an “important step, which recognises that the real solution for Gaza is no longer dreams of ‘reconstruction’ and a return to the previous situation, but a fundamental change in reality”.

He called on the government “to move forward with determination, remove every bureaucratic obstacle, and ensure that this option becomes a reality as soon as possible”, the report said.


Israel ‘on the way to a new era in Gaza’: Settlement minister

Israeli Settlement Minister Orit Strook has told Israel’s Army Radio that the previous US administration “tied our hands with an arms embargo and severely harmed our soldiers”.

She also said Israel’s now former army chief Herzi Halevi and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant “undermined cabinet decisions and forced us to transfer humanitarian aid directly to Hamas”.

“We are on the way to a new era in Gaza with an absolutely great fighting capacity,” Strook concluded.



SvennoJ on 06 February 2025

White House backtracks on Gaza displacement plan amid global criticism

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt faced questions from reporters a day after Trump unveiled a plan for the US to take over Gaza and indicated he is willing to send US forces there.

Asked repeatedly whether that meant US troops might be deployed in a war against Hamas, Leavitt said: “The president has not committed to that yet.”

“The president is prepared to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians and all people in the region, peace-loving people, who want real economic development and opportunity in the region,” she said.


That's not what Trump said:

“Being in its presence just has not been good and it should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there. Instead, we should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly bad luck.

“This can be paid for by neighbouring countries of great wealth. It could be one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, 12. It could be numerous sites, or it could be one large site. But the people will be able to live in comfort and peace and we’ll make sure something really spectacular is done.

More on Secretary of State Rubio’s softening of Gaza plan

As we reported earlier, the US Secretary of State described President Trump’s proposal as a unique offer to clear debris and destruction in Gaza.

“What he very generously has offered is the ability of the United States to go in and help with debris removal, help with munitions removal, help with reconstruction, the rebuilding homes and businesses and things of this nature so that then people can move back in,” Rubio said at a news conference in Guatemala City.

“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” he added.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also backtracked on Trump’s initial suggestion the US would “own” Gaza, saying the president only wants Palestinians to be “temporarily relocated”.

According to Senator Josh Hawley, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff also told Republican senators at a closed-door lunch that Trump “doesn’t want to put any US troops on the ground, and he doesn’t want to spend any US dollars at all” on Gaza.

So how is Trump "prepared to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians". The US contradicts itself even in there 'softening' attempts


Trump says no US soldiers needed in Gaza, Israel will hand Palestinian land over after war

US President Donald Trump has said that Israel would hand Gaza over to the United States once fighting in the besieged enclave ends, and that no US soldiers would be needed during the process.

“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians … would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region,” he said in a Truth Social post, building on his controversial comments about Gaza’s future earlier this week.

“No soldiers by the US would be needed!”