Re: Palestine
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 3:06 pm
TO SUBMIT TO HEZBOLLAH
ISRAEL OPENS FIRE ON "PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD"
Elijah J Magnier
11 Aug 2022 , 8:05 pm .
Israel is a society built on an army whose creed is war and struggle, not peace, and theft of Palestinian land, not coexistence (Photo: Anas Baba / AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid wanted to show that he could not bear the "Sword of Jerusalem" insult inflicted on his political opponent, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, last year. Lapid began his brief tenure by killing "Palestinian Islamic Jihad" (PIJ) field commanders and setting the stage for the upcoming Knesset elections.
Subsequently, he assessed as unproductive and detrimental to continue the battle he had initially unleashed for fear of the losses it might inflict on his party and the Israelis. Israel believes that it has achieved multiple objectives and that it will not hurt to make promises to regional and international mediators to stop the battle, especially since it does not respect its agreements and commitments.
Israel was not wrong in its assessment of challenging the PIJ on the battlefield to show that it is not afraid of war in preparation for offering concessions to Lebanese Hezbollah. However, the Israeli Prime Minister has neglected a critical angle: Israel - which considers itself the best and most powerful army in the Middle East, with extensive military and technological capabilities - has expressed fear of Hamas involvement. It would be fighting against a small organization that has not been able to paralyze after almost three days of fighting.
What were the gains and losses of Israel and "Palestinian Islamic Jihad"?
Israel's battle against the PIJ in Gaza caused 43 deaths, including 16 children, and 320 injuries. Israel managed to isolate the "Hamas" movement from the battle with the PIJ and its considerable military power to avoid an all-out war with more than one Palestinian group and kill top PIJ leaders. Hamas leaders were faced with the choice of open warfare if it intervened or a small battle that would not cost the Gaza Strip much, as occurred in 2021 during the eleven-day "Sword of Jerusalem" battle.
Israel is aware that Gaza has not recovered from the last war, that food and health security is at its lowest levels, that the infrastructure has been damaged and the houses destroyed have not been fully built until today ( only 50%) and that the level of unemployment has reached 65%.
Por lo tanto, Israel se considera tácticamente victorioso, terminando la batalla en solo unos días para evitar más pérdidas humanas o materiales. Si la guerra hubiera continuado más tiempo, la economía israelí habría sufrido mucho y millones de israelíes en la Franja de Gaza habrían pasado más días en sus refugios. La Franja de Gaza ha sido objeto de cientos de ataques con cohetes durante los últimos días. Los cohetes de la Yihad Islámica convirtieron la zona de un radio de 65 km en ciudades fantasma y obligaron a sus habitantes a huir. Israel dijo que no podía proteger los asentamientos y ordenó a la población que evacuara sus hogares.
Israel took the initiative to start the aggression. He assassinated PIJ leaders responsible for the military command in the north (Taysir al-Jaabari) and south (Khaled Mansour) of the Gaza Strip. Israel believed that the PIJ was unable to withstand a painful blow and might hesitate to respond militarily. However, after 55 hours of fighting, Israel showed signs of weakness and unpreparedness to endure a long battle and hastened to ask Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations for a truce.
Israel has exhausted the bank of targets with no more targets to hit on the first day of the battle, without destroying the PIJ's command and control center and making sure not to provoke Hamas or target targets other than the PIJ. It is well known that the policy of assassinations has never succeeded in paralyzing any resistance group. Therefore, it was in the Israeli prime minister's interest to end the battle and make promises to the Egyptian mediator, even though Tel Aviv is well known for not keeping its promises.
Egypt was already negotiating with Israel and the PIJ a few days before the battle began to lift the siege on Gaza and defuse tension following the kidnapping of PIJ leader Sheikh Ghassan al-Saadi in the Jenin countryside earlier this month. In the past week. During the negotiations, Israel misled Egypt by assassinating al-Jaabari, triggering retaliation by the PIJ.
Israel has little regard for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. He considers that it is made up of a set of Palestinian refugee camps that are easy to isolate and attack, killing the leaders of the Palestinian resistance to break their will and starving the population when necessary. For this reason, Tel Aviv looks down on the Gaza Strip, but is happy to coordinate with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, with which it maintains relatively stable relations.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is firmly opposed to Palestinian armed resistance and cooperates with Israel on the security front, rejecting Palestinian unity with Gaza or the holding of new elections to remove him from the power he has held for 17 years. The Palestinian Authority has not regained an inch of its territory since the Madrid Summit or the Oslo Agreement. Instead, Israel is slowly gnawing away at more Palestinian land in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israel's repeated and ongoing violations of human rights and international law would not have been possible without the unconditional support of the West and the repeated narrative by Western leaders that Tel Aviv "has the right to defend itself." Western countries provide unreserved material, military, and intelligence aid to Israel, allowing it to isolate millions of people inside the Gaza Strip and carve out land for unopposed illegal settlements.
This is what helps the rulers of Tel Aviv disregard the rights of the Palestinians and besiege them by land, air and sea. Israel closes the only two crossings to and from Gaza whenever the Israeli political leadership decides to do so. Tel Aviv resorts to mediation when it is in trouble and when it cannot achieve the quick victory that the Israeli leadership needs in its elections or to support its popularity at the cost of Palestinian lives.
With the latest battle, Israel drew some of the world's attention as the West was preoccupied with war with Russia and preparing for another battle with China. Israel's message could also be directed at the nuclear deal with Iran, considered inappropriate and contrary to Israel's interests.
Israel hopes to deliver a blow to Iran's ally, "Islamic Jihad" in Gaza, with a message to the West that it is possible to weaken Tehran without submitting to it for fear of its nuclear program. However, the battle strengthened the PIJ which faced Israel without Hamas and increased its popularity in Gaza. Iran hosted PIJ secretary general Ziad al-Nakhala days before the assassination of his Gaza field commander, Taysir al-Jaabari.
Finally, Israel's current leadership demonstrated to their voters that they do not hesitate to engage in battle when there is a national security benefit, even if al-Jaabari's assassination has changed the PIJ's capabilities very little. Therefore, accepting the agreement with Lebanon for fear of the threat of the powerful Hezbollah (equipped with 150,000 missiles and armed drones) does not mean the cowardice of the Israeli leadership. On the contrary, it would be an assessment of the situation that does not affect Israel's interests, especially if war is avoided and as long as any decision by the Israeli government does not appear to derive from the reluctance of its officials to confront Hezbollah.
As for Islamic Jihad, he stated that, despite its small size, it could launch 330 missiles a day (360 were launched daily during last year's confrontation by all Palestinian groups, including Hamas) and paralyze Israel for days. The PIJ hit the Israeli conscience to insinuate that it was not safe to stay in the occupied territory and that the geography it occupies under the name of Palestine is not a place to live.
PIJ missiles conveyed to Israelis that no place is safe, not even for the next generation. Israel's claim that it has restored deterrence after the "Sword of Jerusalem" battle confirmed its inability to protect settlers, even after 70 years of occupation. The PIJ managed to lift the siege and sanctions on Gaza and open its crossings, restoring the full flow of fuel.
The Palestinian resistance demonstrated that the Palestinian cause is not limited to Gaza, but has a national dimension. The PIJ called for the release of prisoner Khalil Al-Awadeh (from the West Bank), confirming the link that unites all Palestinian fronts. He also called on Israel to release Sheikh Ghassan al-Saadi, detained by the PIJ in the Palestinian countryside of Jenin while Egypt negotiated a truce between Israel and the PIJ.
Thus, Israel went looking for mediators to stop a military confrontation with a small faction. Israel's enemies and allies are watching and assessing the level Israel has reached in comparison to its enemies, who will dare to challenge it in the future. This confirms that Israel is a society built on an army whose creed is war and struggle, not peace, and theft of Palestinian land, not coexistence. The killing of civilians is allowed relentlessly because the international community is complicit and disregards it.
It's one of those battles that ends sooner or later with a ceasefire (but not a lasting peace) until it's time for the next battle. Israel's military performance indicates that a war with Hezbollah is unlikely, and an Israeli war in Iran is unthinkable. The fragility of the Israeli home front prevents Israel from facing any powerful enemy at any time in the future.
https://misionverdad.com/traducciones/i ... -palestina
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On hunger strike for 162 days, Khalil Awawdeh’s health deteriorates in Israeli prison
Israel has refused to release Awawdeh despite it being a central condition of the ceasefire agreement that ended the three-day-long Israeli aggression in the besieged Gaza strip last week, in which 47 Palestinians were killed
August 12, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch
(Photo: via Al Mayadeen)
Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawdeh was moved to a hospital on Thursday, August 11, due to deterioration in his health condition after being on hunger strike for 162 days, Samidoun: Palestinian Political Prisoners Solidarity network informed.
His family members claimed that he was admitted to the hospital after he suffered “a sudden and severe cognitive decline and is at risk of death at any moment,” a statement issued by Samidoun said.
Samidoun and other Palestinian organizations have launched a #FreeKhalil campaign globally. Protests in Awawdeh’s support have been organized in different parts of the world.
The Samidoun statement also included Awawdeh’s message to his family members in which he claimed that “I went on strike for freedom, and I have sacrificed a lot for the dearest and strongest need, freedom..my abstinence from food is not a rejection of life, but rather a rejection of chains.”
Awawdeh (40) was arrested in December by the Israeli forces who claimed that he is a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). He went on hunger strike to expose the illegality of his detention and demand his release.
As per the law of administrative detention in Israel, a detainee can be held in prison without charge or trial for a period which can be renewed indefinitely. The law has been used by Israelis to incarcerate thousands of Palestinians. The policy has faced criticism from the UN and other human rights groups as a central element of the apartheid system in the occupied territories.
Awawdeh is married and has four daughters. According to his lawyer, Ahlam Haddad, he has been denied family visits and any legal aid throughout his detention by the Israeli prison authorities, in complete violations of basic human rights.
According to Samidoun, out of a total of 4,650 Palestinians currently in Israeli prisons, around 650 are being held in illegal detention.
Awawdeh’s release was one of the main conditions of the ceasefire reached on Sunday between the PIJ and Israel through Egyptian mediation. The PIJ has claimed that Israel had agreed to release Awawdeh and Bassam al-Saadi in return for ending its rocket attacks inside Israel.
Israel had launched attacks on the besieged Gaza between Friday and Sunday last month, killing more than 47 Palestinians, including 16 children, and wounding hundreds others. The PIJ fired hundreds of rockets in retaliation inside Israeli borders.
According to a report in al-Mayadeen, Israel issued a high alert after transferring Awawdeh to prison on Thursday, fearing retaliation from the PIJ.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2022/08/12/ ... li-prison/
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UN Urges Israel Be Held Accountable for Killing Palestinian Children
ORINOCOTRIBUNE AUGUST 12, 2022
Images of several Palestinian children killed during Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip between August 5 and 7, 2022. Photo: MEE.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, alarmed by the mass murder of Palestinian children by Israel in the latest escalation, urges accountability.
In a statement released this Thursday, August 11, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Michelle Bachelet, has sounded the alarm due to the high number of dead or injured Palestinians, including numerous children, in the occupied Palestinian territories this year, in particular during the latest Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Last week, 19 Palestinian children were killed, bringing to 37 the number of minors killed so far this year, according to figures from Bachelet’s office. 17 children lost their lives during hostilities in Gaza from August 5 to 7, and two others were killed on August 9 during Israeli incursions into the West Bank.
“Inflicting harm on any child during the course of a conflict is deeply disturbing; killing and maiming so many children this year is unacceptable,” Bachelet wrote in the statement.
The UN Human Rights Office has verified that 48 Palestinians were killed in Gaza last week, including 17 children.
In addition, 360 Palestinians were injured during the latest Israeli attacks, including 151 children and 19 elderly people, the UN disclosed.
In violation of international humanitarian law, according to the High Commissioner, several Israeli attacks hit prima facie properties that were clearly civilians, causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian properties. The High Commissioner demanded that Israel put an end to these attacks.
Bachelet condemned the widespread use of live ammunition by Israeli forces in their operations in the West Bank—including in eastern Al-Quds (Jerusalem)—which in 2022 has caused an alarming increase in Palestinian deaths, bring the total to at least 74 Palestinians, including 20 children, killed this year alone.
Likewise, she called for a prompt, independent, impartial, exhaustive, and transparent investigation of all incidents in which there were deaths or injuries.
She denounced that all this Israeli violence occurs while “an almost total lack of accountability persists in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” for violations of international humanitarian law. “This climate of impunity, together with long-standing violations, drives the cycle of violence and the recurrence of violations,” she warned.
https://orinocotribune.com/un-urges-isr ... -children/
Hundreds of Jewish Extremists Raid Al-Aqsa Mosque as Israeli Aggression on Gaza Continues (Video)
ORINOCO TRIBUNE2 AUGUST 11, 2022
Fer-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir storms Al-Aqsa Mosque. Photo: Ben-Gvir Twitter page.
Coinciding with the deadly Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, hundreds of Israeli Jewish settlers raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday. They were protected by a large number of Israeli police.
Palestinian sources say that up to 26 groups of Jewish extremists have raided Al-Aqsa so far, taking the number to 1,325 since Sunday morning.
The raid on Al-Aqsa followed a decision by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to allow settlers into the holy Muslim shrines.
(Video at link.)
The extremists included Knesset members such as far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir.
As the raids continue, the Israeli police increased restrictions on Palestinian Muslim worshippers, preventing them from reaching what is considered the first Qibla and the third holiest Muslim shrine.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its deadly attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip. 32 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were wounded as of Sunday morning. The number of the dead also includes 6 Palestinian children.
https://orinocotribune.com/hundreds-of- ... ues-video/
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An Israeli soldier on guard at a bus station near the Jewish settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank on 14 October 2021 (AFP)
Palestinian workers forced off Israeli bus to make way for Jewish passengers
Originally published: Middle East Eye on August 9, 2022 by Middle East Eye Staff (more by Middle East Eye) | (Posted Aug 12, 2022)
Three Jewish passengers, one impersonating a transport ministry official, have forced dozens of Palestinians off a bus heading to the occupied West Bank, according to Haaretz.
The incident happened last Thursday, when about 50 Palestinians workers left the bus in the city of Bnei Brak, after the Jewish passengers demanded that the driver tell them to disembark.
Tnufa Transportation Solutions, the bus owner, operates routes between Tel Aviv and the West Bank settlement of Ariel, taking Palestinian workers with work permits from Israel back to the occupied West Bank.
After a few buses went by and didn’t stop–because bus 288 is reserved for Jews only–one that was empty of Jews stopped for us and we got on,” one of the Palestinian passengers told Haaretz.
Three Jews boarded in Bnei Brak and demanded that all the Arabs be taken off.
The driver made a call to his superiors and afterwards asked the Palestinians to alight.
The law prohibits transport operators from segregating Jews and Arabs using their services. The CEO of Tnufa Transportation Solutions denied the allegations.
“We have no separate routes for Palestinians or Jews… There are lines that go to the crossings [between Israel and the West Bank] and naturally Palestinians use them more, but if a Jew wants to get on, there’s no restriction,” he said.
At Haaretz’s request, the company conducted an inquiry and said that the driver “fell victim to a shameful manipulation of a passenger who impersonated an employee of the Transportation Ministry”, who claimed that these were the new instructions from the ministry for that specific route.
“The new driver said he argued with the imposter, but he told him that he could lose his job or receive a large fine if he did not follow the instructions immediately,” said the company in a statement.
It seems, that because of the pressure put on him, the driver gave in to the racist manipulation and was forced to leave the passengers at the bus stop. The driver did not report it to his employer.
The company filed a complaint with Israeli police, reaffirmed its commitment to providing an equal service to Palestinians and Jews, and apologised to the Palestinian passengers for the “unfortunate event”.
https://mronline.org/2022/08/12/palesti ... assengers/
The Zionists and the Nazis both learned at the knee of Amerika.
ISRAELI FAR RIGHT LAWMAKER ITAMAR BEN GVIR TAKES PART IN A MARCH IN JERUSALEM, ON APRIL 20, 2022. POLICE PREVENTED HUNDREDS OF ULTRA-NATIONALIST ISRAELIS FROM MARCHING AROUND PREDOMINANTLY PALESTINIAN AREAS OF JERUSALEM’S OLD CITY. PHOTO BY JERIES BSSIER (C) APA IMAGES
Israel heads further right: 30-40 percent of young support fascistic Jewish party
By Philip Weiss (Posted Aug 12, 2022)
Originally published: Mondoweiss on August 10, 2022 (more by Mondoweiss) |
Israel’s unprovoked attack on Gaza last week that resulted in yet more childrens’ death and trauma, widely related on social media, is sure to further damage Israel’s reputation among Democrats. The last time Israel attacked Gaza, in May 2021, even traditional friends got wobbly, The New York Times put the faces of 60+ dead Palestinian children on the front page, and a subsequent poll revealed that 38 percent of American Jews under 40 believe Israel is an apartheid state.
Today more U.S. politicians are daring not to support Israel’s latest attack; and one young American Jewish group damned the attack as a political stunt by Israel’s prime minister Yair Lapid to stay in power, facing an election November 1.
But Israeli politics could not be more different. Jewish Israelis saw the attack as a great success. All Israel is “united” in support of the Gaza attack, says Israel advocate Daniel Gordis, who describes “ wall-to-wall agreement in Israel (except, as expected and even understandably, from the Arab parties).”
Even Merav Michaeli, the head of the left-centrist Jewish party, Labor, took a hawkish line on the Israeli attack, saying Israel was besieged by Palestinian terrorists. Michaeli is battling for Labor to keep its seven seats in parliament in the coming election; and she faces a strong headwind: Israeli Jewish society is very rightwing. The left is slowly evaporating over the “security” issue; and about 80 of the 120 seats in the parliament are solid rightwing.
The rightwing tilt of Israeli society was captured in a discussion last week between Ori Nir of Americans for Peace Now and former Haaretz Washington reporter Chemi Shalev. (Youtube link).
The two described all the “energy” that surrounds Itamar Ben-Gvir, the head of Otzma Yehudit, the Jewish Power party–a racist Kahanist faction that had been barred from the Knesset in previous decades. Ben-Gvir’s party is now part of the Religious Zionism bloc of seven seats in the parliament, and politically loyal to Netanyahu. Polls say it could almost d ouble in size in the next election.
Nir said he witnessed Religious Zionism’s popularity on a visit recently.
I have to tell you, during those three weeks, the only billboards and flyers that I’ve seen on the street in Jerusalem, were for the extremist Kahanist Party, the religious Zionism party. Now, this is Jerusalem granted, I know that Jerusalem doesn’t reflect the overall political sentiments in Israel. But still, it’s the largest city in Israel.
Shalev agreed that Religious Zionism is gaining among young people.
You’re right. The only place where you can see real energy is on the far right among young people. I don’t know how much that’s going to translate into but don’t forget, this is July. I mean, I know we have a long election campaign… I can tell you that the right is very confident. And the left is–and I say left with quotation marks–is, as usual, very afraid. And we can go on but sure.
Shalev said that a recent poll of young Israelis showed that Religious Zionism attracts 30 to 40 percent of the young’s support. “So they are going to do well.” But if Religious Zionism gets 10 seats and Netanyahu still can’t form a majority, Religious Zionism will “make a lot of trouble inside parliament” but that’s all.
Polling in July showed that the Religious Zionism party if headed by Ben-Gvir of Jewish Power would win as many as 13 seats, making it the third largest party in the Knesset behind Lapid’s centrist party and Netanyahu’s Likud. Ben-Gvir l ately led prayers at the Haram al-Sharif, a highly provocative act that has unleashed violence in the past.
[Merav Michaeli] is not doing as well as people expected… Labor, as of now, is not yet in danger. But there, are circumstances in which it could very well be in danger.
Shalev then said that Labor and Meretz, the two left-leaning Zionist parties, which hold seven and six seats respectively, are concerned about not getting into the next parliament. If a party falls below 3.25 percent of the vote–or four seats–it gets no seats at all, and its votes are redistributed.
Meretz is likely to be led by a traditional leftist, Zehava Galon, and to field a traditional list of candidates, Shalev said.
And that means that it will hover around the threshold vote, and there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Labor and Meretz to run together.
Daniel Gordis pointed out the unity of rightwing and leftwing Zionists in support of the attack on Gaza.
Bezalel Smotrich, on the radical right, explicitly supported not just the troops, but even [Prime Minister] Yair Lapid, too, saying he had Lapid’s back and the PM should do whatever it takes. Zahava Gal’on, now running to head Meretz, the (often radical) left-most Jewish party, say, “What we need now is hope and security, not escalation,” which was obviously not a critique of the operation (and which may well have been directed at Hamas, which had not entered the fighting)?… Even Israelis on the left do not believe that military action against terrorists… to keep your children safe is illegitimate.
Of course we are not talking here about the Joint List of Palestinian parties, including Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, and Aida Touma-Sliman. They repeatedly slammed the attack and the “security” narrative. “The Israeli government commits war crimes against the Palestinian people to serve narrow political interests, and the Gazans are paying the price in blood,” Odeh wrote last week.
But the left Palestinian parties, comprising six seats, are marginalized from Israeli Zionist politics. No wonder Shalev says that the left believes the Palestinian vote will be lower this time than the last election.
https://mronline.org/2022/08/12/israel- ... her-right/..
ISRAEL OPENS FIRE ON "PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD"
Elijah J Magnier
11 Aug 2022 , 8:05 pm .
Israel is a society built on an army whose creed is war and struggle, not peace, and theft of Palestinian land, not coexistence (Photo: Anas Baba / AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid wanted to show that he could not bear the "Sword of Jerusalem" insult inflicted on his political opponent, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, last year. Lapid began his brief tenure by killing "Palestinian Islamic Jihad" (PIJ) field commanders and setting the stage for the upcoming Knesset elections.
Subsequently, he assessed as unproductive and detrimental to continue the battle he had initially unleashed for fear of the losses it might inflict on his party and the Israelis. Israel believes that it has achieved multiple objectives and that it will not hurt to make promises to regional and international mediators to stop the battle, especially since it does not respect its agreements and commitments.
Israel was not wrong in its assessment of challenging the PIJ on the battlefield to show that it is not afraid of war in preparation for offering concessions to Lebanese Hezbollah. However, the Israeli Prime Minister has neglected a critical angle: Israel - which considers itself the best and most powerful army in the Middle East, with extensive military and technological capabilities - has expressed fear of Hamas involvement. It would be fighting against a small organization that has not been able to paralyze after almost three days of fighting.
What were the gains and losses of Israel and "Palestinian Islamic Jihad"?
Israel's battle against the PIJ in Gaza caused 43 deaths, including 16 children, and 320 injuries. Israel managed to isolate the "Hamas" movement from the battle with the PIJ and its considerable military power to avoid an all-out war with more than one Palestinian group and kill top PIJ leaders. Hamas leaders were faced with the choice of open warfare if it intervened or a small battle that would not cost the Gaza Strip much, as occurred in 2021 during the eleven-day "Sword of Jerusalem" battle.
Israel is aware that Gaza has not recovered from the last war, that food and health security is at its lowest levels, that the infrastructure has been damaged and the houses destroyed have not been fully built until today ( only 50%) and that the level of unemployment has reached 65%.
Por lo tanto, Israel se considera tácticamente victorioso, terminando la batalla en solo unos días para evitar más pérdidas humanas o materiales. Si la guerra hubiera continuado más tiempo, la economía israelí habría sufrido mucho y millones de israelíes en la Franja de Gaza habrían pasado más días en sus refugios. La Franja de Gaza ha sido objeto de cientos de ataques con cohetes durante los últimos días. Los cohetes de la Yihad Islámica convirtieron la zona de un radio de 65 km en ciudades fantasma y obligaron a sus habitantes a huir. Israel dijo que no podía proteger los asentamientos y ordenó a la población que evacuara sus hogares.
Israel took the initiative to start the aggression. He assassinated PIJ leaders responsible for the military command in the north (Taysir al-Jaabari) and south (Khaled Mansour) of the Gaza Strip. Israel believed that the PIJ was unable to withstand a painful blow and might hesitate to respond militarily. However, after 55 hours of fighting, Israel showed signs of weakness and unpreparedness to endure a long battle and hastened to ask Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations for a truce.
Israel has exhausted the bank of targets with no more targets to hit on the first day of the battle, without destroying the PIJ's command and control center and making sure not to provoke Hamas or target targets other than the PIJ. It is well known that the policy of assassinations has never succeeded in paralyzing any resistance group. Therefore, it was in the Israeli prime minister's interest to end the battle and make promises to the Egyptian mediator, even though Tel Aviv is well known for not keeping its promises.
Egypt was already negotiating with Israel and the PIJ a few days before the battle began to lift the siege on Gaza and defuse tension following the kidnapping of PIJ leader Sheikh Ghassan al-Saadi in the Jenin countryside earlier this month. In the past week. During the negotiations, Israel misled Egypt by assassinating al-Jaabari, triggering retaliation by the PIJ.
Israel has little regard for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. He considers that it is made up of a set of Palestinian refugee camps that are easy to isolate and attack, killing the leaders of the Palestinian resistance to break their will and starving the population when necessary. For this reason, Tel Aviv looks down on the Gaza Strip, but is happy to coordinate with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, with which it maintains relatively stable relations.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is firmly opposed to Palestinian armed resistance and cooperates with Israel on the security front, rejecting Palestinian unity with Gaza or the holding of new elections to remove him from the power he has held for 17 years. The Palestinian Authority has not regained an inch of its territory since the Madrid Summit or the Oslo Agreement. Instead, Israel is slowly gnawing away at more Palestinian land in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israel's repeated and ongoing violations of human rights and international law would not have been possible without the unconditional support of the West and the repeated narrative by Western leaders that Tel Aviv "has the right to defend itself." Western countries provide unreserved material, military, and intelligence aid to Israel, allowing it to isolate millions of people inside the Gaza Strip and carve out land for unopposed illegal settlements.
This is what helps the rulers of Tel Aviv disregard the rights of the Palestinians and besiege them by land, air and sea. Israel closes the only two crossings to and from Gaza whenever the Israeli political leadership decides to do so. Tel Aviv resorts to mediation when it is in trouble and when it cannot achieve the quick victory that the Israeli leadership needs in its elections or to support its popularity at the cost of Palestinian lives.
With the latest battle, Israel drew some of the world's attention as the West was preoccupied with war with Russia and preparing for another battle with China. Israel's message could also be directed at the nuclear deal with Iran, considered inappropriate and contrary to Israel's interests.
Israel hopes to deliver a blow to Iran's ally, "Islamic Jihad" in Gaza, with a message to the West that it is possible to weaken Tehran without submitting to it for fear of its nuclear program. However, the battle strengthened the PIJ which faced Israel without Hamas and increased its popularity in Gaza. Iran hosted PIJ secretary general Ziad al-Nakhala days before the assassination of his Gaza field commander, Taysir al-Jaabari.
Finally, Israel's current leadership demonstrated to their voters that they do not hesitate to engage in battle when there is a national security benefit, even if al-Jaabari's assassination has changed the PIJ's capabilities very little. Therefore, accepting the agreement with Lebanon for fear of the threat of the powerful Hezbollah (equipped with 150,000 missiles and armed drones) does not mean the cowardice of the Israeli leadership. On the contrary, it would be an assessment of the situation that does not affect Israel's interests, especially if war is avoided and as long as any decision by the Israeli government does not appear to derive from the reluctance of its officials to confront Hezbollah.
As for Islamic Jihad, he stated that, despite its small size, it could launch 330 missiles a day (360 were launched daily during last year's confrontation by all Palestinian groups, including Hamas) and paralyze Israel for days. The PIJ hit the Israeli conscience to insinuate that it was not safe to stay in the occupied territory and that the geography it occupies under the name of Palestine is not a place to live.
PIJ missiles conveyed to Israelis that no place is safe, not even for the next generation. Israel's claim that it has restored deterrence after the "Sword of Jerusalem" battle confirmed its inability to protect settlers, even after 70 years of occupation. The PIJ managed to lift the siege and sanctions on Gaza and open its crossings, restoring the full flow of fuel.
The Palestinian resistance demonstrated that the Palestinian cause is not limited to Gaza, but has a national dimension. The PIJ called for the release of prisoner Khalil Al-Awadeh (from the West Bank), confirming the link that unites all Palestinian fronts. He also called on Israel to release Sheikh Ghassan al-Saadi, detained by the PIJ in the Palestinian countryside of Jenin while Egypt negotiated a truce between Israel and the PIJ.
Thus, Israel went looking for mediators to stop a military confrontation with a small faction. Israel's enemies and allies are watching and assessing the level Israel has reached in comparison to its enemies, who will dare to challenge it in the future. This confirms that Israel is a society built on an army whose creed is war and struggle, not peace, and theft of Palestinian land, not coexistence. The killing of civilians is allowed relentlessly because the international community is complicit and disregards it.
It's one of those battles that ends sooner or later with a ceasefire (but not a lasting peace) until it's time for the next battle. Israel's military performance indicates that a war with Hezbollah is unlikely, and an Israeli war in Iran is unthinkable. The fragility of the Israeli home front prevents Israel from facing any powerful enemy at any time in the future.
https://misionverdad.com/traducciones/i ... -palestina
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On hunger strike for 162 days, Khalil Awawdeh’s health deteriorates in Israeli prison
Israel has refused to release Awawdeh despite it being a central condition of the ceasefire agreement that ended the three-day-long Israeli aggression in the besieged Gaza strip last week, in which 47 Palestinians were killed
August 12, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch
(Photo: via Al Mayadeen)
Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawdeh was moved to a hospital on Thursday, August 11, due to deterioration in his health condition after being on hunger strike for 162 days, Samidoun: Palestinian Political Prisoners Solidarity network informed.
His family members claimed that he was admitted to the hospital after he suffered “a sudden and severe cognitive decline and is at risk of death at any moment,” a statement issued by Samidoun said.
Samidoun and other Palestinian organizations have launched a #FreeKhalil campaign globally. Protests in Awawdeh’s support have been organized in different parts of the world.
The Samidoun statement also included Awawdeh’s message to his family members in which he claimed that “I went on strike for freedom, and I have sacrificed a lot for the dearest and strongest need, freedom..my abstinence from food is not a rejection of life, but rather a rejection of chains.”
Awawdeh (40) was arrested in December by the Israeli forces who claimed that he is a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). He went on hunger strike to expose the illegality of his detention and demand his release.
As per the law of administrative detention in Israel, a detainee can be held in prison without charge or trial for a period which can be renewed indefinitely. The law has been used by Israelis to incarcerate thousands of Palestinians. The policy has faced criticism from the UN and other human rights groups as a central element of the apartheid system in the occupied territories.
Awawdeh is married and has four daughters. According to his lawyer, Ahlam Haddad, he has been denied family visits and any legal aid throughout his detention by the Israeli prison authorities, in complete violations of basic human rights.
According to Samidoun, out of a total of 4,650 Palestinians currently in Israeli prisons, around 650 are being held in illegal detention.
Awawdeh’s release was one of the main conditions of the ceasefire reached on Sunday between the PIJ and Israel through Egyptian mediation. The PIJ has claimed that Israel had agreed to release Awawdeh and Bassam al-Saadi in return for ending its rocket attacks inside Israel.
Israel had launched attacks on the besieged Gaza between Friday and Sunday last month, killing more than 47 Palestinians, including 16 children, and wounding hundreds others. The PIJ fired hundreds of rockets in retaliation inside Israeli borders.
According to a report in al-Mayadeen, Israel issued a high alert after transferring Awawdeh to prison on Thursday, fearing retaliation from the PIJ.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2022/08/12/ ... li-prison/
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UN Urges Israel Be Held Accountable for Killing Palestinian Children
ORINOCOTRIBUNE AUGUST 12, 2022
Images of several Palestinian children killed during Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip between August 5 and 7, 2022. Photo: MEE.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, alarmed by the mass murder of Palestinian children by Israel in the latest escalation, urges accountability.
In a statement released this Thursday, August 11, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Michelle Bachelet, has sounded the alarm due to the high number of dead or injured Palestinians, including numerous children, in the occupied Palestinian territories this year, in particular during the latest Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Last week, 19 Palestinian children were killed, bringing to 37 the number of minors killed so far this year, according to figures from Bachelet’s office. 17 children lost their lives during hostilities in Gaza from August 5 to 7, and two others were killed on August 9 during Israeli incursions into the West Bank.
“Inflicting harm on any child during the course of a conflict is deeply disturbing; killing and maiming so many children this year is unacceptable,” Bachelet wrote in the statement.
The UN Human Rights Office has verified that 48 Palestinians were killed in Gaza last week, including 17 children.
In addition, 360 Palestinians were injured during the latest Israeli attacks, including 151 children and 19 elderly people, the UN disclosed.
In violation of international humanitarian law, according to the High Commissioner, several Israeli attacks hit prima facie properties that were clearly civilians, causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian properties. The High Commissioner demanded that Israel put an end to these attacks.
Bachelet condemned the widespread use of live ammunition by Israeli forces in their operations in the West Bank—including in eastern Al-Quds (Jerusalem)—which in 2022 has caused an alarming increase in Palestinian deaths, bring the total to at least 74 Palestinians, including 20 children, killed this year alone.
Likewise, she called for a prompt, independent, impartial, exhaustive, and transparent investigation of all incidents in which there were deaths or injuries.
She denounced that all this Israeli violence occurs while “an almost total lack of accountability persists in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” for violations of international humanitarian law. “This climate of impunity, together with long-standing violations, drives the cycle of violence and the recurrence of violations,” she warned.
https://orinocotribune.com/un-urges-isr ... -children/
Hundreds of Jewish Extremists Raid Al-Aqsa Mosque as Israeli Aggression on Gaza Continues (Video)
ORINOCO TRIBUNE2 AUGUST 11, 2022
Fer-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir storms Al-Aqsa Mosque. Photo: Ben-Gvir Twitter page.
Coinciding with the deadly Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, hundreds of Israeli Jewish settlers raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday. They were protected by a large number of Israeli police.
Palestinian sources say that up to 26 groups of Jewish extremists have raided Al-Aqsa so far, taking the number to 1,325 since Sunday morning.
The raid on Al-Aqsa followed a decision by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to allow settlers into the holy Muslim shrines.
(Video at link.)
The extremists included Knesset members such as far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir.
As the raids continue, the Israeli police increased restrictions on Palestinian Muslim worshippers, preventing them from reaching what is considered the first Qibla and the third holiest Muslim shrine.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its deadly attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip. 32 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were wounded as of Sunday morning. The number of the dead also includes 6 Palestinian children.
https://orinocotribune.com/hundreds-of- ... ues-video/
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An Israeli soldier on guard at a bus station near the Jewish settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank on 14 October 2021 (AFP)
Palestinian workers forced off Israeli bus to make way for Jewish passengers
Originally published: Middle East Eye on August 9, 2022 by Middle East Eye Staff (more by Middle East Eye) | (Posted Aug 12, 2022)
Three Jewish passengers, one impersonating a transport ministry official, have forced dozens of Palestinians off a bus heading to the occupied West Bank, according to Haaretz.
The incident happened last Thursday, when about 50 Palestinians workers left the bus in the city of Bnei Brak, after the Jewish passengers demanded that the driver tell them to disembark.
Tnufa Transportation Solutions, the bus owner, operates routes between Tel Aviv and the West Bank settlement of Ariel, taking Palestinian workers with work permits from Israel back to the occupied West Bank.
After a few buses went by and didn’t stop–because bus 288 is reserved for Jews only–one that was empty of Jews stopped for us and we got on,” one of the Palestinian passengers told Haaretz.
Three Jews boarded in Bnei Brak and demanded that all the Arabs be taken off.
The driver made a call to his superiors and afterwards asked the Palestinians to alight.
The law prohibits transport operators from segregating Jews and Arabs using their services. The CEO of Tnufa Transportation Solutions denied the allegations.
“We have no separate routes for Palestinians or Jews… There are lines that go to the crossings [between Israel and the West Bank] and naturally Palestinians use them more, but if a Jew wants to get on, there’s no restriction,” he said.
At Haaretz’s request, the company conducted an inquiry and said that the driver “fell victim to a shameful manipulation of a passenger who impersonated an employee of the Transportation Ministry”, who claimed that these were the new instructions from the ministry for that specific route.
“The new driver said he argued with the imposter, but he told him that he could lose his job or receive a large fine if he did not follow the instructions immediately,” said the company in a statement.
It seems, that because of the pressure put on him, the driver gave in to the racist manipulation and was forced to leave the passengers at the bus stop. The driver did not report it to his employer.
The company filed a complaint with Israeli police, reaffirmed its commitment to providing an equal service to Palestinians and Jews, and apologised to the Palestinian passengers for the “unfortunate event”.
https://mronline.org/2022/08/12/palesti ... assengers/
The Zionists and the Nazis both learned at the knee of Amerika.
ISRAELI FAR RIGHT LAWMAKER ITAMAR BEN GVIR TAKES PART IN A MARCH IN JERUSALEM, ON APRIL 20, 2022. POLICE PREVENTED HUNDREDS OF ULTRA-NATIONALIST ISRAELIS FROM MARCHING AROUND PREDOMINANTLY PALESTINIAN AREAS OF JERUSALEM’S OLD CITY. PHOTO BY JERIES BSSIER (C) APA IMAGES
Israel heads further right: 30-40 percent of young support fascistic Jewish party
By Philip Weiss (Posted Aug 12, 2022)
Originally published: Mondoweiss on August 10, 2022 (more by Mondoweiss) |
Israel’s unprovoked attack on Gaza last week that resulted in yet more childrens’ death and trauma, widely related on social media, is sure to further damage Israel’s reputation among Democrats. The last time Israel attacked Gaza, in May 2021, even traditional friends got wobbly, The New York Times put the faces of 60+ dead Palestinian children on the front page, and a subsequent poll revealed that 38 percent of American Jews under 40 believe Israel is an apartheid state.
Today more U.S. politicians are daring not to support Israel’s latest attack; and one young American Jewish group damned the attack as a political stunt by Israel’s prime minister Yair Lapid to stay in power, facing an election November 1.
But Israeli politics could not be more different. Jewish Israelis saw the attack as a great success. All Israel is “united” in support of the Gaza attack, says Israel advocate Daniel Gordis, who describes “ wall-to-wall agreement in Israel (except, as expected and even understandably, from the Arab parties).”
Even Merav Michaeli, the head of the left-centrist Jewish party, Labor, took a hawkish line on the Israeli attack, saying Israel was besieged by Palestinian terrorists. Michaeli is battling for Labor to keep its seven seats in parliament in the coming election; and she faces a strong headwind: Israeli Jewish society is very rightwing. The left is slowly evaporating over the “security” issue; and about 80 of the 120 seats in the parliament are solid rightwing.
The rightwing tilt of Israeli society was captured in a discussion last week between Ori Nir of Americans for Peace Now and former Haaretz Washington reporter Chemi Shalev. (Youtube link).
The two described all the “energy” that surrounds Itamar Ben-Gvir, the head of Otzma Yehudit, the Jewish Power party–a racist Kahanist faction that had been barred from the Knesset in previous decades. Ben-Gvir’s party is now part of the Religious Zionism bloc of seven seats in the parliament, and politically loyal to Netanyahu. Polls say it could almost d ouble in size in the next election.
Nir said he witnessed Religious Zionism’s popularity on a visit recently.
I have to tell you, during those three weeks, the only billboards and flyers that I’ve seen on the street in Jerusalem, were for the extremist Kahanist Party, the religious Zionism party. Now, this is Jerusalem granted, I know that Jerusalem doesn’t reflect the overall political sentiments in Israel. But still, it’s the largest city in Israel.
Shalev agreed that Religious Zionism is gaining among young people.
You’re right. The only place where you can see real energy is on the far right among young people. I don’t know how much that’s going to translate into but don’t forget, this is July. I mean, I know we have a long election campaign… I can tell you that the right is very confident. And the left is–and I say left with quotation marks–is, as usual, very afraid. And we can go on but sure.
Shalev said that a recent poll of young Israelis showed that Religious Zionism attracts 30 to 40 percent of the young’s support. “So they are going to do well.” But if Religious Zionism gets 10 seats and Netanyahu still can’t form a majority, Religious Zionism will “make a lot of trouble inside parliament” but that’s all.
Polling in July showed that the Religious Zionism party if headed by Ben-Gvir of Jewish Power would win as many as 13 seats, making it the third largest party in the Knesset behind Lapid’s centrist party and Netanyahu’s Likud. Ben-Gvir l ately led prayers at the Haram al-Sharif, a highly provocative act that has unleashed violence in the past.
[Merav Michaeli] is not doing as well as people expected… Labor, as of now, is not yet in danger. But there, are circumstances in which it could very well be in danger.
Shalev then said that Labor and Meretz, the two left-leaning Zionist parties, which hold seven and six seats respectively, are concerned about not getting into the next parliament. If a party falls below 3.25 percent of the vote–or four seats–it gets no seats at all, and its votes are redistributed.
Meretz is likely to be led by a traditional leftist, Zehava Galon, and to field a traditional list of candidates, Shalev said.
And that means that it will hover around the threshold vote, and there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Labor and Meretz to run together.
Daniel Gordis pointed out the unity of rightwing and leftwing Zionists in support of the attack on Gaza.
Bezalel Smotrich, on the radical right, explicitly supported not just the troops, but even [Prime Minister] Yair Lapid, too, saying he had Lapid’s back and the PM should do whatever it takes. Zahava Gal’on, now running to head Meretz, the (often radical) left-most Jewish party, say, “What we need now is hope and security, not escalation,” which was obviously not a critique of the operation (and which may well have been directed at Hamas, which had not entered the fighting)?… Even Israelis on the left do not believe that military action against terrorists… to keep your children safe is illegitimate.
Of course we are not talking here about the Joint List of Palestinian parties, including Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, and Aida Touma-Sliman. They repeatedly slammed the attack and the “security” narrative. “The Israeli government commits war crimes against the Palestinian people to serve narrow political interests, and the Gazans are paying the price in blood,” Odeh wrote last week.
But the left Palestinian parties, comprising six seats, are marginalized from Israeli Zionist politics. No wonder Shalev says that the left believes the Palestinian vote will be lower this time than the last election.
https://mronline.org/2022/08/12/israel- ... her-right/..