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The Palestine Chronicle

The Palestine Chronicle
7 Nov 2024 | 3:28 pm

1. ‘Learn a Lesson’ – How Gaza Genocide Shaped the 2024 US Elections


By Romana Rubeo  

The voting patterns of Arabs, Muslims and their allies suggest that Gaza played a major role in decisive votes in seveal US states. 

George Helmy, a Democratic senator and a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Al-Jazeera on Wednesday that the war in Gaza contributed to Kamala Harris's loss of the state of Michigan. 

Earlier, official results from the state, home to hundreds of thousands of Arab-Americans, indicated that approximately 110,000 votes went to candidates other than Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

The voting patterns of Arabs and Muslims and their allies suggest that Gaza played a major role in decisive votes in some American states. 

Donald Trump Elected as US President – How Did the World React?

The Case of Michigan

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris lost Michigan, a crucial swing state, where votes from Arab and Muslim communities proved influential.

Republican candidate Donald Trump claimed Michigan's 15 electoral votes. Many American Muslims in the state expressed frustration with the Biden-Harris administration's unwavering support for Israel amid the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

According to the Associated Press, with 99% of precincts reporting, Trump gained 49,8 % of votes in the key state, while Harris received 48.3%. Green Party candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, gained 0.8%, absorbing some of the dissatisfaction among Arab communities.

For example, in the city of Dearborn, which is considered the 'capital' of the Arab American community, Jill Stein garnered an impressive 18.37%.

In addition to her support for Israel, Harris's campaign appeared to suffer from other choices or mistakes.

'Israel Forced to Kill Civilians in Gaza' – Clinton's Remarks Spark Outrage

Last August, for instance, she refused to have a Muslim or Arab speaker at the Democratic National Convention. 

Last week, former US President Bill Clinton was sent by the Democratic Party to rally support for Harris. However, Clinton faced wide criticism for remarks justifying Palestinian civilian casualties, claiming that Hamas "forced" Israel into such actions.

"I understand why young Palestinians and Arab Americans in Michigan think too many people have died. I get that," Clinton said addressing Arab-American voters.

"But if you lived in one of those kibbutzim in Israel right next to Gaza, where the people there were the most pro-friendship with Palestine, most pro-two-state solution of any of the Israeli communities — were the ones right next to Gaza. And Hamas butchered them," he continued.

In an attempt to engage with "leaders of the Arab-American community," Harris herself headed to Michigan, and vowed to do "everything in her power to end the war".

Yet voters appeared skeptical of her commitment. While acknowledging the "suffering in Gaza", she reiterated, once again, that she must "ensure Israel is secure".

'I Will Always Defend Israel' – Kamala Harris Reaffirms Israel's 'Right to Self-Defense'

Demands Rejected

US voters opposing Israel's genocide on Gaza openly declared that they would not support the Democratic party and the outgoing administration, which provided Israel a record $17.9 billion in military aid during the first year of the war, according to a report from Brown University's Costs of War Project.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Arab American activist Adam Abusalah stated that Harris's campaign disregarded warnings from the community.

"We've been warning the Democrats for over a year now, and the Democrats continue to downplay what's going on," he was quoted as saying. 

Just a few days before election day, a report published in The Intercept noted that,

"after months of protests on the streets and organizing within the Democratic party, Kamala Harris's campaign has not shown signs it will stray from the Biden administration's steadfast support for Israel amid its genocidal war in Gaza and invasion into Lebanon".

The Intercept interviewed "voters who are horrified by the ongoing U.S. support for Israel's war" and found out that "each voter(…) had demanded of Biden, and now Harris, an immediate, permanent ceasefire, and an end to the U.S. policy of unconditional military aid to Israel".

"The rejection of such demands have left voters uneasy about their choices," the report stated.

The Exception: Rashida Tlaib

Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib won re-election in Michigan's 12th congressional district, securing her fourth term as the only Palestinian-American woman in the US House of Representatives. 

The Associated Press declared her victory early, with only 18 percent of precincts reporting. Tlaib garnered a remarkable 77 percent of the vote, while her Republican challenger, James Hooper, only received 19 percent.

Notably, Tlaib was the only member of the so-called 'Squad ' not to endorse the Democrat candidate.

Tlaib has been outspoken in her criticism of the Democratic Party's stance on the ongoing genocide, stating that it was "hard not to feel invisible" when the party chose not to include a Palestinian-American speaker at its convention.

"Our trauma and pain feel unseen and ignored by both parties," she said in an interview with former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan at the time. "One party uses our identity as a slur, and the other refuses to hear from us. Where is the shared humanity? Ignoring us won't stop the genocide."

'Future Stolen' – Tlaib Brings List of Children Killed in Gaza to US Congress

'Learn a Lesson'

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, issued a statement on Wednesday calling for Democratic leaders to "learn lessons from Vice President Harris's loss of support among Muslims and other voters opposed to the Gaza genocide."

"It is important for Democratic and other elected officials to recognize that Vice President Harris' steep drop in support in key states compared to President Biden's 2020 victory resulted, in part, from the deep frustration and disillusionment that many young, Muslim, Arab, Black, and other voters feel with the Biden-Harris administration due to its steadfast financial and military support for Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza," the statement said.

"Rather than listening to the clear majority of American who support both a ceasefire and a suspension of weapons to Israel, Vice President Harris only struck a slightly more sympathetic tone toward Palestinians while sticking with the substance of President Biden's disastrous stance."

"This led to an unprecedented shift of support from Muslim, Arab, and other communities who traditionally vote for Democratic presidents," the statement concluded.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master's Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.

The post 'Learn a Lesson' – How Gaza Genocide Shaped the 2024 US Elections appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
6 Nov 2024 | 8:00 pm

2. ‘Court of Humanity and Conscience’ – Gaza Tribunal Launched in London 


By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

"Why establish a People's Tribunal despite the International Court of Justice's involvement? Because the international order has failed its duty—the ICJ, even after defining Israel's actions as genocide, cannot enforce its rulings."

A group of renowned intellectuals, jurists, artists, human rights advocates, and representatives from the media and civil society organizations gathered in London last week, to launch the Gaza Tribunal – an independent initiative serving as a "court of humanity and conscience."

"Gaza represents a breaking point in the historical journey of humanity, where a global system based on power, not justice, prevails," the Gaza Tribunal website states. "Based on this perspective, the need to address what is happening in Gaza through its historical, political, philosophical, and legal dimensions is becoming an urgent, necessary duty for humanity."

The Gaza Tribunal initiates its process

Gaza marks a critical point in humanity's journey, revealing a global system rooted in power over justice. Addressing Gaza's situation through historical, political, philosophical, and legal lenses has become an urgent duty.

The Gaza… pic.twitter.com/rzivTMQTWw

— Gaza Tribunal (@gazatribunal) November 4, 2024

Led by Richard Falk, a distinguished international law expert and former UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, the tribunal is taking an alternative route to international justice, aiming to spotlight voices from civil society in the examination of abuses following the conflict that escalated after the October 7 Resistance operation.

Why the Need?

Despite the genocide case against Israel currently underway at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the initiative is seen as a People's Tribunal.

"The international order's failure in fulfilling its duty is exactly why a people's tribunal is needed. The International Court of Justice, despite designating Israel's current war as a genocide, is unable to enforce its rulings," the website states.

The Gaza Tribunal, which convened for two days of initial preparatory meetings in London, brought together around 100 participants.

Who is Involved?

Some who attended the London meeting include Michael Lynk, Ilan Pappe, Jeff Halper, Ussama Makdisi, Ayhan Citil, Cornel West, Avi Shlaim, Naomi Klein, Aslı Bali, Mahmood Mamdani, Craig Mokhiber, Hatem Bazian, Mehmet Karlı, Sami Al-Arian, Frank Barat, Raji Sourani, Hilal Elver, Diana Buttu, Ahmet Köroğlu, Noura Erakat, Susan Akram, Judith Butler, Daud Abdullah, Ramzy Baraoud, Wasem Ahmed, Shahd Hammouri.

Last week in London, the Gaza Tribunal was launched as a 'court of humanity and conscience' ⤵

➡ Aims to bring civil society voices into the investigation of war crimes in Gaza

➡ Led by Richard Falk, former UN rapporteur on occupied Palestinian territories… pic.twitter.com/efufFcbdPN

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 4, 2024

 

Among the participating organizations were Law for Palestine, the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network, the Arab Network for Food Sovereignty (APN), Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, BADIL, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, the prisoner support and human rights group Addameer, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR).

What are Its Objectives?

The Gaza Tribunal has two main objectives: one particular and one universal. The particular goal is to assist in bringing the tragic events to an end as soon as possible and to hold the perpetrators accountable in the public conscience.

The universal aim is to issue a decision grounded in humanity's intellectual and moral values, one that can serve as a reference to prevent future atrocities worldwide.

Horrific scenes unfold as the relentless Israeli bombardment target Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, resulting in injuries among medical staff and children, as well as damage to the hospital's property and buildings. pic.twitter.com/LszLUbgM7E

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 5, 2024

 

Dwelling on the multi-dimensional underpinnings of the fact that such grave events can, have, and still occur at this point in human history, the Tribunal aims to explain why humanity has been unable to put a stop to such atrocities/how humanity can put a stop to such atrocities.

According to the website, the Tribunal's "legitimacy comes from addressing the long-standing wounds of the Palestinian issue, with a focus on the ongoing tragedy in Gaza."

The Outcome

The comprehensive document to be created by the Tribunal after all these investigations and evaluations will fill a critical gap that the nations have realized and will serve as a guiding document for all the world's nations, states the website.

How Tribunal Operates

According to its website, the Gaza Tribunal mainly consists of the Presidential Committee, the Grand Chamber and 3 Specialized Chambers and six Administrative and Supportive Units.

Acting as a jury of conscience, the Grand Chamber of the Tribunal will consist of all committees' members and around ten invited people as well. Additionally, jurists, academicians, artists, and intellectuals who have been recognized but have not served on these chambers may also be included in the Public Session Members. The Public Sessions make decisions by a majority rule. Having each member's opinion be reflected in the decision is essential, and each member has the right to write positive, negative, or differing opinions to be appended to the decision.

GAZA CIVIL DEFENSE: 

The occupation continues to forcibly disrupt our services in the northern Gaza Strip for the 14th consecutive day.

We are facing a real famine in the northern Gaza Strip due to the occupation's insistence on preventing the entry of aid. pic.twitter.com/RddbnREpe0

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 5, 2024

 

Each chamber will consist of five to six members. These members will be among the renowned people in their respective fields. The chambers will discuss and arrive at decisions within their specific areas of discussion, including International Law Chamber, International Relations and World Order Chamber and  History, Ethics, and Philosophy Chamber.

Given the Tribunal's purpose of drawing attention to the genocide happening in Gaza, the aim is to have the physical sessions of each chamber be broadcast live on such international media channels as TRT World, Associated Press and Al Jazeera.

It will also be comprised of Administrative and Supportive Units.

Administrative Units ensure the efficient and proper functioning of the Tribunal and provide the necessary conditions for fair decision-making. Supportive Units, created at the discretion of the Presidential Committee, facilitate steps that contribute to the achievement of the Tribunal's objectives.

Inclusivity and Accessibility

In a statement, the tribunal emphasized its commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, inviting Palestinian civil society groups and individuals directly affected by the conflict to submit evidence and testimony, the Anadolu news agency reported.

This body, organizers said, aimed to fill a gap by focusing on the human impact of Israel's policies and actions on Palestinian civilians.

20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli shelling that targeted a house in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

Two Palestinians were killed as a result of a drone attack and shelling carried out by the occupation forces on the village of Al-Shuhada, south of Jenin in the… pic.twitter.com/xeG6A7WnIt

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 5, 2024

Beyond addressing recent events, the tribunal's legal framework will integrate themes of settler-colonialism and apartheid, contextualizing its findings within the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and historic events such as the 1948 Nakba and Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories post-1967.

According to the organizers, the Gaza Tribunal "derives its power and authority not from governments but from the people in general and Palestinians in particular, that uses the intellectual and conscientious accumulation of humanity, with which anyone with common sense can agree and that can produce judgments and documents to which one can refer regarding future problems."

Second Phase

According to organizers, the Gaza Tribunal's second phase is scheduled for May 2025 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where prepared reports, witness statements, and draft declarations will be shared with the public.

Representatives of affected communities and expert witnesses are expected to speak at the Sarajevo session.

The tribunal's main hearing, a crucial part of the initiative, is planned for October 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

In Istanbul, an expert panel will present a draft of the tribunal's findings and decisions, incorporating testimonies from witnesses and statements from Palestinian civilians and organizations affected by the crisis.

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

'Systematic Policy' – Israel Targeted 65 Shelters for Displaced in Gaza from August to October 

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, 43,391 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 102,347 wounded.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by 'friendly fire'.

Millions Displaced

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine's largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.

(PC, Anadolu)

The post 'Court of Humanity and Conscience' – Gaza Tribunal Launched in London  appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
6 Nov 2024 | 3:02 pm

3. Gallant Out, Katz In – Netanyahu Uses US Election Day to Reshuffle amid Israeli Chaos


By Robert Inlakesh

Immediately following the decision, statements were issued by a number of Israeli opposition party leaders, condemning the move.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has dismissed Yoav Gallant from his position as minister of defense and replaced him with his hawkish Likud Party ally Israel Katz, while also appointing Gideon Sa'ar as Foreign Minister. The move quickly triggered street protests from outraged Israelis concerned about the move's security effect during the war.

Back in July, the Israeli premier took the decision to dissolve the emergency War Cabinet that had overseen military affairs on all fronts and was formed as a "unity war government" between the ruling Likud Party-led coalition and the Israeli opposition. 

This decision was made by Benjamin Netanyahu after the resignations of senior War Cabinet members from the opposition such as Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz, in addition to Gideon Sa'ar.

Another Front – Israel's Attacks on United Nations are Tantamount to War

Interestingly, one of the key items of disagreement between members of Israel's former War Cabinet was the handling of the escalation along the southern Lebanese border. Many had speculated at the time that Benny Gantz and other senior officials had disagreed with the stances taken by the Israeli Prime Minister. 

The latest dismissal of Israel's defense minister comes as an apparent response to a breakdown of trust between Yoav Gallant and the Israeli PM Netanyahu, which came as a result of an ongoing series of disagreements on how to manage the now regional war that has been opened since Israel's assault on Lebanon in September. 

In Gallant's departure speech this Tuesday night, he asserted that there were three key reasons behind Netanyahu's choice to dismiss him from his post: His insistence on drafting the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish population into the army upon the age of conscription, his commitment to concluding a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, and finally his advocacy for establishing an official commission to investigate the Israeli failure on October 7, 2023.

'Act of Madness'

Immediately following the decision, statements were issued by a number of Israeli opposition party leaders, condemning the move, the first of which was a post of X (formerly Twitter) by Blue and White Party leader, Benny Gantz, who wrote "politics at the expense of national security."

"Dismissing Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness. Netanyahu is trading Israel's security and the safety of IDF soldiers for disgraceful political survival. The far-right government prioritizes opportunists over true servants. I urge the people of Yesh Atid and all Zionist patriots to take to the streets tonight in protest," said Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid.

To Understand Israel's Ambitions, You Need Only Listen To Netanyahu's UN Speeches

The Israeli Labour Party leader, Yair Golan, also added to the calls for protests:

"I call on all heads of universities and all heads of colleges – suspend studies. I call on all the heads of the economy, stop work. I call on all the heads of the security system, raise a cry, even now while you are in uniform. I call on all citizens of Israel, take to the streets. Netanyahu is destroying Israel and only we can save it."

The Israeli public quickly answered these calls, locking down streets in central Tel Aviv, clashing with police in Haifa and even breaking through a barricade in an attempt to reach Netanyahu's house in Jerusalem.

What this display of solidarity with Yoav Gallant shows, from the Israeli political and domestic anti-Netanyahu opposition, is that there are no real disagreements when it comes to the handling of the war from any large contingent within Israeli society. The only places where the Israeli opposition and its supporters fundamentally differ from the ruling coalition – on the question of the war – is their insistence on returning their captives and on the personality of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gallant, after all, is still an active Knesset Member for Netanyahu's Likud Party. On top of this, he is infamous for labeling the people of Gaza "human animals", asserting at the beginning of the war that "I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed". 

This man, who is awaiting an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice (ICC) for war crimes, is the individual that the Israeli opposition has gone to bat for.

'Not a Drop of Water'

Yet, the dismissal may have broader implications than triggering Israeli civil unrest. Israel Katz who has now replaced Gallant as defense minister, is also a Likud Party member, but is known to be loyal to Netanyahu and is even more hawkish than his predecessor. 

On October 13 he stated that "all the civilian population in Gaza is ordered to leave immediately. We will win. They will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world."

Katz also stated the following in October of 2023:

"Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home. Humanitarianism for humanitarianism. And no one will preach morality to us."

Both of the above-mentioned statements from Israel Katz were mentioned in South Africa's submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide.

Why Israel Started the War with Lebanon, Not Hezbollah – ANALYSIS

While Gideon Sa'ar of the New Hope Party was previously believed to be the favorite for taking Yoav Gallant's position, he was instead handed the Foreign Ministry as a token in order to end his feud with Benjamin Netanyahu. 

What the Israeli PM is signaling by placing an extreme right-wing ally as defense minister, is that he seeks to surround himself with yes men.

Gallant was widely seen as representing some semblance of balance in the decision-making room, most certainly a man who the US sought to keep in his seat as it made the Israeli government's actions more predictable. Therefore, it appears likely that Netanyahu timed his dismal to occur on the US election day when they understand that Washington's attention is diverted.

What this may signal, is the beginning of an even more violent phase of the conflict, one in which Benjamin Netanyahu may be pondering the possibility of expanding the intensity of the war in Lebanon, implementing an annexation plan in northern Gaza and even striking Iran again. It is also clear that this move came as a means of saving himself politically.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.

The post Gallant Out, Katz In – Netanyahu Uses US Election Day to Reshuffle amid Israeli Chaos appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
6 Nov 2024 | 2:49 pm

4. The Story Began Years Ago: Why Israel Banned UNRWA


By Ramzy Baroud  

Israel's banning of UNRWA should represent an opportunity for those concerned about the standing of the United Nations, to remind Israel that UN members who have no respect for international law deserve to be delegitimized

On October 28, the Israeli Knesset passed a second reading of two bills that effectively ban the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) from carrying out "any activity" in Israel and occupied Palestine.

Simply put, the decision is catastrophic, because UNRWA is the main international body responsible for the welfare of millions of Palestinians throughout the occupied territories, and throughout much of the region.

Israel followed its decision by attacking and damaging an UNRWA office in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. It was the Israeli government's way of demonstrating its seriousness regarding the matter.

This is not the first time that Israel has pursued an anti-UNRWA agenda and, contrary to claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israel officials, the decision is not linked to the current genocidal war on Gaza, or the unfounded claims that UNRWA supports 'terrorism'.

An independent review commissioned by the UN revealed that Israel "made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations", but that it "has yet to provide supporting evidence of this."

Israeli claims, however, did a great deal of damage to the organization, as 13 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany and Italy, withheld badly needed funds that were helping Gaza stave off a horrific famine.

Eventually, most of these countries reinstated their financial support, though without apologizing to the Palestinians who were adversely impacted by these countries' initial, unfair decision.

Unrepenting, Israel continued to unleash its relentless war on the organization. "UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable," Netanyahu, said in a statement on October 28.

The anti-UNRWA rhetoric remains functional for Israel. Amplified by the ever-willing US mainstream media, Israel has managed to keep UNRWA's name in the news, always associating it with 'supporting terrorism'. So, when the Israeli Knesset voted for the anti-UNRWA bills, mainstream media conveyed the news as if they were the only rational conclusion to an essentially fabricated story.

Israel's problem with UNRWA has little to do with the organization itself, but with its underlying political representation as a UN entity whose mission is predicated on providing "assistance and protection to Palestine refugees".

UNRWA was established in 1949 by the UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV). It began its operations on May 1, 1950, and with time, it became central to the survival of a large number of Palestinian refugee communities in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

Many have rightly criticized the UN for failing to supplement UNRWA's humanitarian mandate with a political equivalent that would ultimately help Palestinians achieve their Right of Return in accordance with UN Resolution 194. For Israel, however, UNRWA remained problematic.

According to Tel Aviv's thinking, UNRWA's existence is a constant reminder that there is a distinct group of people called Palestinian refugees. And though UNRWA is not a political organization, the Palestinian refugee crisis and all related UN resolutions that emphasize the 'inalienable' rights of these refugees are very political.

Taking advantage of the initial, albeit brief sympathy with Israel worldwide, and the massive campaign of misinformation emanating from Israel and its allies, Netanyahu used October 7 as an opportunity to further demonize UNRWA. However, his campaign had started much earlier.

A key player in the war on UNRWA was Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump. Kushner, who invested much time in helping Israel defeat the Palestinians once and for all, made UNRWA a key point in his plan.  He vowed to carry out "sincere effort to disrupt" the work of the organization, a leaked email revealed.

Due to international rejection and solidarity, Kushner ultimately failed. Even the withholding of funds by the US administration did not force the organization to shut down, although it did negatively impact the lives of millions of Palestinians.

The ongoing war on Gaza and the push to annex large parts of the West Bank represented a golden opportunity for Netanyahu and his extremist government to increase the pressure on UNRWA. They have been enabled by unconditional US support, and the willingness of various western governments to recklessly act upon Israel's false claims regarding the UN organization.

By allowing Israel to delegitimize the very organization responsible for enforcing international law, the UN's crisis becomes much deeper.

The impassioned plea on October 30 by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese reflects the frustration felt by many UN-affiliated officials regarding the growing irrelevance of the UN.

In her speech, Albanese pointed out that, if the UN's failures continue, its impact will become even "more and more irrelevant to the rest of the world", especially during these times of turmoil.

This irrelevance is already being felt by millions of Palestinians, mainly in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. Though Palestinians continue to withstand and reject and resist Israeli aggression, they are fed up with an international system that seems to offer them only words, but little action.

Israel's banning of UNRWA should represent an opportunity for those concerned about the standing of the United Nations, to remind Israel that UN members who have no respect for international law deserve to be delegitimized. This time, words must be accompanied by action. Nothing else will suffice.

– Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is 'Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out'. His other books include 'My Father was a Freedom Fighter' and 'The Last Earth'. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net

– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is "Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out". Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net

The post The Story Began Years Ago: Why Israel Banned UNRWA appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
5 Nov 2024 | 2:58 pm

5. Election Day Spotlight – Where Harris and Trump Stand on Israel, Gaza


By Romana Rubeo  

Both Harris and Trump have repeatedly emphasized the importance of US-Israel relations, framing Israel's security as a priority in the region.

US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have always expressed strong support for Israel, even throughout the 13-month genocidal war on Gaza, which has resulted in over 43,000 Palestinian fatalities and more than 102,000 injuries. 

Both US politicians have repeatedly emphasized the importance of US-Israel relations, framing Israel's security as a priority in the region.

But where do Harris and Trump stand on Israel and Gaza, based on their most recent statements?

'Unwavering Commitment' – Harris

Kamala Harris has consistently voiced her support for Israel's right to defend itself and the longstanding US-Israel alliance

Although she has acknowledged the severe humanitarian toll on Gaza, she has consistently framed the current situation as beginning with the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, carried out by the Palestinian Resistance on October 7, 2023.

In her first interview as Democratic presidential nominee, last August, Harris clearly told CNN that US policy on arming Israel would remain unchanged if she were elected president.

While rhetorically emphasizing the importance of international law, Harris has repeatedly indicated that no significant pressure will come from the US to compel Israel to alter its unlawful practices on the ground. 

"Let me be very clear: I am unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel's defense and its ability to defend itself, and that's not going to change," she told CNN.

Due to the Biden administration's blind and unconditional support for Israel throughout the war, part of the Arab-American community has distanced itself from the Democratic Party.

In an effort to engage with "leaders of the Arab-American community," Harris headed to Michigan, a key swing state that is home to more than 200,000 Arab American voters.

There, she pledged to do "everything in her power to end the war". While acknowledging the "suffering in Gaza", she reiterated, once again, that she must "ensure Israel is secure".

"Why haven't you called for a ceasefire?"

Delaware state representative @MadinahForDE interrupts Kamala Harris's holiday party to demand an end to Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. Watch Stand Up for Madinah by @ZainabSultan: https://t.co/IM4Mb8GIUZ pic.twitter.com/p6QBbjPcKW

— Witness Docs (@AJWitness) November 5, 2024

'Get Your Victory' – Trump

Despite Harris' reassurances, recent polling indicates that Israelis would broadly favor Trump for the US presidency. 

According to a survey conducted last September by Langer Research Associates and PORI (Public Opinion Research Israel), 58 percent of Israelis believe Trump would be better for Israel's security.

Indeed, Trump has consistently prioritized 'security' concerns over humanitarian considerations and criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to protect Israel's interests.

This allegation comes despite a report from Brown University's Costs of War Project, which revealed a record $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel during the first year of the war. 

In his statements, Trump has frequently voiced skepticism about the two-state solution, suggesting that achieving peace might be difficult under this framework. 

"There was a time when I thought two states could work. Now I think two states is going to be very, very tough," he said last May.

Trump has also repeatedly affirmed that Israel should seek a swift victory.

"I did encourage him (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) to get this over with. You want to get it over with fast. Have victory, get your victory, and get it over with. It has to stop, the killing has to stop," Trump reportedly said last August.

However, according to an October 30 report in the Times of Israel, Trump has recently told Netanyahu that "he wants Israel to wrap up the war in Gaza by the time he returns to office if he wins the election".

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master's Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.

The post Election Day Spotlight – Where Harris and Trump Stand on Israel, Gaza appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
5 Nov 2024 | 1:00 pm

6. The Israeli Settlers and Their Stones – The Daily Journey of Palestinian Students in West Bank


By Fayha Shalash – Ramallah

The distance between the family home and the school is 800 meters, but they are forced to take a bumpy dirt road to reach their destination.

Mahmoud Hamadna is forced to walk with his children along a dirt road to reach their school in the town of Ya'bad, south of Jenin.

The daily journey of Palestinian students to school has become fraught with danger due to the increasing closure of main roads and streets between Palestinian cities, villages, and towns, as well as the erection of military checkpoints and iron gates at their entrances.

The presence of armed illegal Jewish settlers and the expansion of settlements heighten the dangers of the trip for school students who try to find alternative routes to avoid assaults and attacks from settlers.

'No Place is Safe'

Hamadna accompanies his children from their home in Mariha village, near Ya'bad, to their school every day.

The distance between the family home and the school is 800 meters, but they are forced to take a bumpy dirt road to reach their destination.

The Israeli army has closed all entrances to the village with an iron gate and dirt barriers to restrict the movement of residents, forcing many to walk on foot to fulfill their needs.

"I wish, as a father, like all other fathers in the world, I could drive my children to school and pick them up in my car, but these are just dreams for us, as vehicles are useless in a village surrounded by dirt mounds," Hamadna told the Palestine Chronicle.

To make things worse, illegal settlers deliberately remain on that dirt road to attack Palestinian students while they head and return from school.

'Like Monsters' – Palestinian Olive Farmers Face Rising Settler Violence

"Once, my daughter called us crying from school because she tried to take the road, but when she saw a group of settlers throwing stones at the children, she got terrified and returned to school," Hamadna explained.

The danger facing school students in this village and others is significant, as they could easily become targets of gunfire from armed illegal settlers with the support of the Israeli occupation army.

Last September, settlers attacked several female students on this dirt road, and when some tried to hide between the olive trees, Israeli soldiers detained them for hours amidst their non-stop crying.

The families of the students attempted to secure a minibus for their children to transport them without fear; however, the Israeli occupation army declined their request.

"There is no safe place here. Soldiers and settlers surround us from every angle and their main goal is to get rid of us," Hamadna said.

ttps://www.palestinechronicle.com/cutting-down-olive-trees-israels-way-to-steal-palestinian-land/

Attacks on Schools

Not only are Palestinian students subjected to attacks by illegal Jewish settlers but their schools are as well.

The assaults on students and their schools are part of a comprehensive plan by illegal settlers and the Israeli government to expel the Palestinians and confine them into cramped gatherings.

On Monday, November 4, several groups of settlers attacked Burqa, east of Ramallah, and besieged the main school in the village.

Muhammad Sumrain, a journalist from Burqa, told the Palestine Chronicle that a state of terror reigned among the students due to the heavy presence of armed illegal settlers at the school entrance.

Endless appeals emanated from parents during the school day, begging to allow their children to leave safely to avoid potential attacks by the illegal settlers who were present, with the cover of the Israeli occupation army.

This is just one incident among many, since some schools in specific areas of occupied Palestine are more vulnerable to attacks by illegal Jewish settlers.

'My Tears Don't Dry' – Layan's Story Sheds Light on Administrative Detention of Palestinian Women

The schools of Bedouin communities in the Palestinian Jordan Valley area are particularly susceptible to these violent attacks.

The Arab Al-Kaabneh School, northwest of Jericho, was attacked over a month ago by illegal settlers targeting students and their teachers, with the risk of repeated daily attacks.

Hassan Mlihat, director of the Al-Baidar Foundation for Bedouin Defense, told the Palestine Chronicle that assaults on schools in Palestinian Bedouin communities have become an integral part of illegal settler attacks.

According to Mlihat, their goal is not merely to carry out the attacks or cause injuries, but rather to instill terror and dissuade students and teachers alike from attending school. This would eventually lead to the dismantling of the school and abandonment of the land, making it easier for illegal settlers to control it.

"When the Al-Kaabneh School was attacked (on September 17 – PC), students and teachers were beaten, and the school principal, along with some of the teachers, were tied with wires, while students screamed and cried for hours in fear," Mlihat said.

When the Israeli occupation forces arrived at the school, instead of holding the settlers accountable for their actions, they arrested the principal and teachers and warned them not to assault the illegal settlers or confront them.

Umm Safa is Dying – Palestinian Village Left without Land, under Lock and Key

The attacks by illegal settlers on Bedouin tin-built schools have been familiar and ongoing for years.

Illegal Jewish settlers smash fragile windows with stones, vandalize property, and cut off water and electricity, in addition to targeting students and teachers and inflicting physical harm on them.

"The steadfastness of the Palestinians in these areas has become a major challenge in the face of these ferocious settler attacks. Schools are supposed to be among the safest places, but here they are the most exposed to danger," Mlihat concluded

Following the attack on the Al-Kaabneh School, the Education Cluster and the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC) issued a joint statement describing the incident as another red line being crossed in the increasingly aggressive violence by Israeli settlers.

The groups called on the international community to ensure the protection of Palestinians, including schoolchildren and their teachers, from settler violence, and to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable.

The two organizations noted that Israel, as the occupying power, is obliged to protect school students and facilitate the continuation of their education.

"The International Community must emphasize not just in words, but in policy, the protection of children's rights and adherence to international laws and conventions including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," the statement read.

The statement also stressed that the level of diplomatic pressure must reflect the critical situation of Palestinian children, who face extremely high protection risks and threats to their education. 

"The international community should demand immediate actions from the Government of Israel to address the key barriers that are preventing continuous and safe access to education in the West Bank," it continued.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Fayha' Shalash is a Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist. She graduated from Birzeit University in 2008 and she has been working as a reporter and broadcaster ever since. Her articles appeared in several online publications. She contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.

The post The Israeli Settlers and Their Stones – The Daily Journey of Palestinian Students in West Bank appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
4 Nov 2024 | 8:05 pm

7. Art Imitating Life – Israel’s ‘Triumph of Death’ in Gaza


By Jeremy Salt

This is the dark side of what is called 'human nature,' the fate of millions of people, enslaved,  invaded, occupied, terrorized and massacred through the millennia.

In the 16th century, the Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder had already painted Gaza in the 21st century.

His canvas, The Triumph of Death, depicts an army of skeletons moving across a darkened landscape destroying the living.

A skeleton on an emaciated horse cuts them down with a scythe, skeletons hang and flog, a skeleton on horseback drags a wagonload of skulls, skeletons stand in white-shrouded rows while ranks of others press into against the scene from all directions, warlike and bent on more killing.

A dog nibbles on the corpse of an infant. Sinking boats, plumes of smoke, and fire by the sea and on a distant headland signify destruction everywhere.

An isolated cross stands below a bell rung by skeletons while others enjoy themselves banging a tympani and turning a hurdy-gurdy, a medieval stringed instrument driven by a wooden wheel.

A noble awaits his fate while gold coins pour out of an overturned chest.

No one is safe, nothing is sacrosanct, yet oblivious to what is happening elsewhere and will happen to them, a woman turns the pages of music undisturbed while a man plays the lute. As allegory 'The Triumph of Death' has been subjected to numerous interpretations but death is at the bottom of them all.  Hieronymous Bosch and Goya shared Bruegel's bleak vision of a world that was no more than a crust, forever hammered at by death as it breaks through.

Goya's 'black paintings' include one of a colossus striding over a valley of fleeing humans and stampeding livestock and another of the Roman god 'Saturn devouring his son' because he fears his children are going to destroy him.

The thousands of dead children in Gaza are not Israel's but the fear that when they grow up they will take their revenge, has been repeated in Israel many times.

The allegories to Gaza abound.

The colossus is the Israeli military filling the people in its path with terror, and Bruegel's skeletons are the soldiers massacring, murdering, torturing, tormenting and humiliating and often taking pleasure in doing it.

No one and nothing is safe.

Soldiers recently out of schools and universities take pleasure in blowing them up in Gaza.  They wear or pose with women's dresses and underwear in the homes they have destroyed,  they loot and smash while mocking their victims, even the children whose classrooms they have wrecked and whose toys they steal to mock them further.

The 'Triumph of Death' is art imitating life, not the other way around.

Those tormented figures on the canvas could be Vietnamese running away from napalm dropped from on high or trapped by Lieutenant Calley and his buddies as they machine-gunned villagers in 1968 while lounging on a bridge at My Lai.

Men, women, children,  young and old, they did not differentiate.

They were in no danger themselves. Like the Israelis, they shot people who could not shoot back because they had no weapons. They shot them because they could, because they were bored and shot them because they were not real people anyway, only 'gooks' and 'slopes', the 'human animals' of their time.

From the few photographs available they were indifferent to the carnage they were spitting out from their guns.

This is the dark side of what is called 'human nature,' the fate of millions of people, enslaved,  invaded, occupied, terrorised and massacred through the millennia, now the fate inflicted on the people of Gaza just as remorselessly and cruelly as that inflicted by the skeletons in 'The Triumph of Death.'

After a year it is even more incomprehensible that Gaza's Palestinians still are being wiped out while the governments of the world look on and do nothing to stop the genocide, while in many ways enabling it.

In her latest report, 'Genocide as Colonial Erasure,  the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, notes that the Gaza genocide is "part of a long-term systematic, state-organized forced displacement and replacement of the Palestinians."

The Israeli order given to 1.1 million Palestinians to move to the south of Gaza on October 14, 2023, was "one of the fastest mass displacements in history" and an acceleration of the ongoing 1948 Nakba.

Since then, at least 90 percent of the Palestinians have been displaced, some more than 10 times, amidst calls in Israel for settlers to rebuild the colonies that were dismantled in 2005.

Israeli soldiers have built roads and military bases in 26 percent of Gaza, "suggesting the aim of a permanent presence."

A 'buffer zone' along the Gaza perimeter has been expanded to 16 percent of the strip, with homes, apartment blocks and farms being "flattened" in the process.

By August 2024 repeated evacuation orders over about 84 percent of Gaza had "corralled" the majority of the population into a shrinking unsafe 'humanitarian' zone covering 12.6 percent of Gaza's territory "now being reconfigured in preparation for annexation."

The genocide is comprehensive in nature, "prompting allegations of domicide, urbicide, scholasticide, medicide, cultural genocide and ecocide,"  Albanese writes.

An estimated 93 percent of agricultural, fishing and forestry economies have been destroyed, with 83 percent of food aid prevented from reaching Gaza in recent months.

The tens of thousands of civilians "killed", ie mass murdered, include police and clan leaders, while others have been subjected to systematic abuse "in a network of torture camps."

Thousands have disappeared, many after long periods of detention in appalling conditions, "often bound to beds, blindfolded and in diapers, deprived of medical treatment and subject to unsanitary conditions, starvation, tortuous cuffing, severe beatings, electrocution and sexual assault by both animals and humans."  Dozens, including doctors, have died while in 'custody'.

The sexual assault would include at least one reported rape of a man by a dog, along with rape by other men. When the video of the gang rape of a man by soldiers at the Sde Teiman prison was leaked, Finance Minister Bezalel  Smotrich was outraged more by the video than the alleged rape, because of the damage it had done to Israel's image around the world. He demanded the arrest of the person who leaked it while supporting protests against the "terrible injustice" of arresting the accused soldiers.

The destruction in Gaza has created 40 million tons of debris, writes Francesca Albanese, "including unexploded ordnance and human remains," contaminating the ecosystem, while more than 140 temporary waste sites and 340,000 tons of waste and sewage overflow contribute to the spread of diseases such as hepatitis A, respiratory infections, diarrhea and skin infections. As Israeli leaders promised, Gaza has been made unfit for human life."

With Gaza largely destroyed the genocide "metastasized" to the West Bank, as Yoav Gallant had said it would in December 2023, remarking that "when what the IDF did in Gaza becomes clear, that will also be projected on to Judea and Samaria" (the West Bank of Palestine).

From October 7, 2023, to September 30, 2024,  the West Bank was raided more than 5505 times by Israeli forces. Illegal settlers launched 1084 attacks.

By September 30, 692 Palestinians had been killed by soldiers or settlers, 165 of them children, nearly 80 percent shot in the head or the upper torso.

The 9,400 West Bank Palestinians detained include academics, students, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders, with at least 12 of those abducted dying in custody.

In August 2024 Israel launched 'Operation Summer Camps,' targeting mainly Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarem and Tubas, thus "fulfilling the promise to treat the West Bank like Gaza." Curfews were declared, ambulances targeted, hospitals besieged, roads and infrastructure destroyed by D9 bulldozers.

In May, the West Bank had already been placed under the full administrative control of Bezalel Smotrich, who had referred to the Palestinians as "two million Nazis."

Land seizures and home demolitions followed along with the "depopulation" of 18 Palestinian communities in area C, the 60 percent of the West Bank totally and directly controlled by the occupying regime.

Albanese asks whether there is a genocidal mentality. The facts certainly leave no doubt that one has been created.

She refers to three totalities behind the genocide of the Palestinians:

  1.     the totality of the land ('eretz Israel')
  2.     the totality of the group to be destroyed (the Palestinians)
  3.     the totality of the conduct by the genocidaire, rationalized by Israel as 'self-defense' when there can be no 'self-defense' against the population under its occupation.

Israel's conduct has been on global display for more than 12 months although only when the dust settles on Gaza, she writes, "will the true extent of the horror experienced by Palestinians become known."

Genocidal intent – implicit in zionist ideology from the beginning – was signaled in genocidal statements by members of the security and war cabinets,  "who used their ministerial responsibilities to implement their words."

Israel's Attorney-General had failed to investigate and prosecute "acts preparatory to and associated with genocide"; its judiciary had failed to enforce accountability; while its media had a role in inciting genocide.

The UN rapporteur found that the state of Israel "is predicated on the goal of Palestinian erasure; its entire political system is directed towards this goal."

The Palestinians were treated like a "hated encumbrance" and a threat that had to be eradicated through their removal. The entire state apparatus had "encouraged, articulated and engineered genocidal violence through acts which in their totality may lead to the destruction of the Palestinian people."

The genocidal violence in Gaza,  Albanese writes,  is "part of a century-long project of eliminatory settler colonialism in Palestine (that is) a stain on the international system and humanity." 

Her findings are augmented in a recent research report by Sophie Stamatopoulou-Robbins; 'Costs of War. The Human Toll: Indirect Deaths from War in Gaza and the West Bank, October 7 2023 forward,' Brown University, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, October 7, 2024.

She refers to the conclusion reached in October by 99 US volunteer doctors, nurses and midwives in Gaza that more than 118,908 people had already been killed or had died as a result of the Israeli onslaught (5.4 percent of the population),  including 62,413 from starvation.

In their report – addressed to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris –  these American medical volunteers said malnutrition in Gaza was leading to spontaneous abortions, underweight newborns and the inability of mothers to breastfeed, with polluted water adding to the risks for malnourished mothers and their children.

The rate of infections in C-sections was "astonishing." Women were having vaginal or C-section deliveries without anesthetic, "and were given nothing but Tylenol (paracetamol) afterward because no other pain medication was available."

With epidemics raging, the Palestinian population was being 'displaced' to areas without even running water or toilets. Even the polio virus had re-emerged: many would die in the coming winter months, and "most of them will be young children."

On the operating table, "every one of us who worked in emergency intensive care or surgical settings treated pre-teen children who were shot in the head or chest on a regular or even daily basis.

"It is impossible that such widespread shooting of children throughout Gaza, sustained over the course of an entire year, is accidental or unknown to the highest Israeli civil and military authorities."

The US government (through its arms supplies and political support for Israel) was a participant in "scenes of unbearable cruelty" directed at women and children."

Hospital emergency departments (the few still open and able to take in patients) were overloaded by patients seeking treatment for chronic medical conditions such as renal failure, hypertension and diabetes.

Most ICU beds "were occupied by patients with type 1 diabetes who no longer had access to insulin … the lack of medication, loss of electricity and refrigeration or inconsistent access to food made managing these diseases impossible."

In her report,  Sophie Stamatopoulou-Robbins estimates that up to September 30, 2024, there have been 67,413 "indirect deaths" in Gaza, including 62,413 from starvation. She notes that in July 2024, the British Lancet medical journal put the number of "direct and indirect deaths" as of June 19 at 186,000.

She repeats statistics that must now be familiar to many: the number of hospitals damaged or destroyed, the 96 percent food insecure, the 90 percent of the population 'displaced,' the 17-18,000 children who lost one or both parents in the first three months of the Israeli onslaught and the UN Women estimate in January 2024 that two mothers were being killed every hour.

A new acronym had to be invented for children – WCNSF (Wounded Child No Surviving Family)  –  estimated months ago to number about 17,000.

Women were giving birth in tents or on the streets (one reason being that the hospitals were no longer safe from Israeli attack) and hospital staff were no longer seeing "normal-sized" babies. Cancer care was no longer available.

Ninety percent of the population was living in tents or makeshift shelters. As of March 2024, there was one shower for 3600 people in Rafah and one toilet for 850.  Sanitation systems, including 65 sewage pumping stations that no longer pump and 43 miles (69 km) of the sewage network, have been destroyed.

An estimated 35 million gallons of wastewater flow into the streets of Gaza and shelters for displaced people every day.

In Mawasi, the strip of sand in southern Gaza into which thousands of Palestinians have been herded, there is no infrastructure at all. Already in June Oxfam reported that there were 121 latrines for 500,000 people.

As Sofia Stamatopoulou-Robbins observes,  since October 7, 2023,  the US has spent $22.76 billion on aid to Israel and other "aid in the region," thus underwriting the genocide with continuing arms supplies and protection of Israel through the buildup of its military presence in the region.

The destruction is systematic, as Albanese writes,  and part of a long-term program.

In 2010 UNICEF estimated that Israel's Cast Lead attack on Gaza (2008-9) had damaged more than 30 km of water networks,11 groundwater wells, 6000 roof tanks and 840 household connections, leaving about 500,000 people without clean water.

In 2020 the UNDP (UN Development Program) reported that 92 percent of water in Gaza was unfit for human condition. Even before October 7, 2023, the figure was being raised to 97 percent.

Food was being eked out years before by the occupying regime at a bare subsistence level:  now it has been deliberately lowered and the malnourished are dying of starvation.

The destruction of clean water sources and sewage plants and the lack of products needed to maintain basic hygiene beginning with soap has generated waves of disease.

In May 2024 the WHO reported 800,000 cases of acute respiratory infection and 345,000 cases of bloody diarrhea, including 100,000 in children under the age of five, with scabies, skin rashes, lice, chicken pox and jaundice also spreading among the young.

UNICEF now describes the level of child deaths in Gaza as "horrific" even though they have been horrific from the beginning.

Indeed, Gaza is the horror of Bruegel in real life. The Israeli soldiers, pilots and operators of quadcopters and killer drones are not skeletons, however, but flesh and blood. They are not an allegory but the real thing.

The inhumanity of these mainly young people is measurable thousands of times over.

Creating their own triumph of death in Gaza, they have been groomed for this moment by decades of propaganda and indoctrination. The cost to Israel is global revulsion, isolation, the possibility of suspension from the UN and what even Israelis horrified at the madness of their government see as a doomed future.

– Jeremy Salt taught at the University of Melbourne, at Bosporus University in Istanbul and Bilkent University in Ankara for many years, specializing in the modern history of the Middle East. Among his recent publications is his 2008 book, The Unmaking of the Middle East. A History of Western Disorder in Arab Lands (University of California Press) and The Last Ottoman Wars. The Human Cost 1877-1923 (University of Utah Press, 2019). He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.

The post Art Imitating Life – Israel's 'Triumph of Death' in Gaza appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
4 Nov 2024 | 8:01 pm

8. Sacha Baron Cohen’s 21st Century Revival Of The Minstrel Show


By Karan Singh

Treating every culture besides his own like a costume is central to Sacha Baron Cohen's widespread allure.

A little over a month after the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which claimed more than 1,000 Israeli lives last year according to official Israeli data, Jewish-English actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen accused TikTok and its participants of "creating the biggest antisemitic movement since the Nazis."

Whereas he insisted the platform was to blame for spreading misinformation about people of his ethnicity, it has in fact been one of the most effective resources for documenting and transmitting the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian (and now Lebanese) civilians in the aftermath of the aforementioned attack.

Today, the death toll in Gaza continues to move upward of 40,000.

Back in 2021, amid the escalating violence over Palestinian evictions in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, he tweeted: "The surge in antisemitism on the streets is fueled by antisemitism on social media […] Twitter – Why do you allow #HitlerWasRight ?! Those who celebrate the Holocaust aim to perpetuate another."

What he failed to address was that over 256 Palestinians were killed during the conflict, 66 of whom were children, while thousands were left injured.

The surge in antisemitism on the streets is fueled by antisemitism on social media.@Jack, @Twitter — Why do you allow #HitlerWasRight ?!

Those who celebrate the Holocaust aim to perpetuate another.#StopHateForProfithttps://t.co/RMWwBZGFiX

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) May 22, 2021

Criticizing major players in the media space for invigorating lies is necessary, except the 53-year-old funnyman hadn't a leg to stand on in making the above claims. There remains a blinding irony to his perturbed comments considering he established himself in the entertainment circuit by fudging Arabs and Muslims while foisting his antics off as harmless jokes during a phase when Islamophobia was (and still is) proliferating with no end in sight.

By the mid-2000s, Cohen was starting to find immense success as Borat Sagdiyev, a deeply humiliating caricature of Kazakhstani folk that depicts them as incestuous and sexist antisemites with an insouciance toward rape. What's most worrisome about the shtick, however, is the number of people whose impression of the country is still limited to this mischaracterization.

In late October, just as vote centers for the 2024 presidential elections began opening up across the United States, he reprised the character on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon while addressing the Democratic and Republican candidates.

"Mr. (Donald) Trump, you say in Ohio people eat the cats and the dogs," he began, with the host adlibbing snickers between each sentence. "Which restaurant do they serve them at? Can you get me (a) reservation please? In my country, we have KFC: Kazakh Fried Cat. It's pussy licking good!"

About Kamala Harris, he added: "You are a woman, a person of color and married to a Jew. I advise you not to come to Kazakhstan. You have already made three out of four crimes punishable by death."

Borat is a problem for the same reasons as Apu from The Simpsons — his farcical behavior and outlook is written off as a satire on American attitudes, creating a purported balance that obscures the Western tradition of painting the Other as unrefined and backward for laughs.

Whereas Apu wasn't deemed offensive at first given the lack of South Asian representation in the 90s, the frugal convenience store owner and his catchphrase "Thank you, come again" has now become not only the most common Indian stereotype but also a widely acceptable one. Hence,the voice actor behind the inflated accent stepped down from the role in 2020.

Cohen, on the other hand, teamed up with Amazon Studios that same year on a multi-million-dollar sequel to his blockbuster Borat film from 2006. Just like the original, the scenes set in Kazakhstan were shot in a Romanian village and the "Kazakhstanis" were in fact Romanians. After all, it's tough to believe that any self-respecting Kazakhs would partake in such a revolting portrayal of their culture for the same reasons White folk had to paint their faces to degrade the Black community with complete flexibility.

Treating every culture besides his own like a costume is central to Cohen's widespread allure. Take, for instance, his Orientalist extravaganza The Dictator, which portrays Arabs and Muslims as brutish, sex-obsessed misogynists in the form of East African despot Admiral General Aladeen and his orbit. Sure enough, the character's fixation on destroying Israel is rolled out in conjunction with his hatred of Jewish people, which he is never able to fully conquer even as he comes just inches away from redeeming himself toward the end of the movie. Then, of course, there is the animated lemur King Julien from the Madagascar films. Whereas this part only features his voice, it is still unclear why he chose to go with an Apuesque Indian accent for an animal native to southeast Africa — perhaps misrepresentation is just part of the services he offers.

Contrarily, the actor and writer also played an Israeli anti-terror expert Erran Morad on his Who Is America? series in 2018. Prejudiced and blithe, the heedless tyrant talks about developing a technique to weed out the enemy from civilians by sliding smartphone cameras under burqas. The catch, unsurprisingly, is that he never served the Zionist state in an official capacity, and so he is made out to be an embodiment of everything the Mossad isn't

Given the Cambridge alum's critically acclaimed portrayal of Eli Cohen (who he has likened himself to) in The Spy, it makes sense why he has never ridiculed the intelligence agency's unethical practices — that and his admiration for government officials such as former prime minister Shimon Peres, who was directly involved in the 1940s ethnic cleansing of Palestine that came to be known as the Nakba.

'No Revolution within Counter-Revolutionary Party' – Dr. Stein Speaks to Palestine Chronicle

For decades, Cohen has been serving up his one-dimensional impression of the world with a shameless entitlement to lenient grading. Yet, he is particularly sensitive when it comes to his own Jewish identity, which he continues to hide behind while smearing other cultures. Quite craftily, he has played several antisemitic characters throughout his career to create the illusion of making fun of his own while reinvigorating stereotypes that allow him more freedom to persist in his nearsighted, racist comedy.

In one of his early sketches, for example, Borat starts a singalong at an American country bar with the lyrics: "Throw the Jew down the well so my country can be free / You must grab him by his horns, then we have [a] big party." In a similar spirit, the Academy Award nominee was sued for $110 million after interviewing a grocer named Ayman Abu Aita from the Israeli-occupied West Bank for his 2009 mockumentary Brüno. Ultimately settled under undisclosed terms, the lawsuit alleged that the subject was falsely portrayed as a terrorist through manipulative editing despite being promised that his activism for Palestinian rights would be the feature's main focus. 

What the film didn't properly show was how the title character, a gay fashion journalist from Austria, had a near-death experience in Jerusalem after coming very close to being stoned by Hasidic Jews for donning a provocative twist on their traditional outfit.

Cohen often paints an overdramatized picture of Arab and Muslim antisemitism, likening it to white supremacy and creating a false proximity between the two that belies the crux of Islamophobia. This notion alone has allowed even the most "progressive" political forces of the West to continue tormenting the Middle East with little to no accountability. 

Constructing a joke around a subject isn't the same as positioning it at the center and imposing humor on it. Skilled comedians know how to locate hilarity on the edge of serious issues without saying that it in itself is funny — the failure (or refusal) to make this distinction has made Sacha Baron Cohen's facetious brand far more dangerous than amusing as racial and cultural tensions continue to reach new heights.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Karan Singh is an Indian American journalist based in Los Angeles. He contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle.

The post Sacha Baron Cohen's 21st Century Revival Of The Minstrel Show appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
3 Nov 2024 | 4:06 pm

9. ‘Like Monsters’ – Palestinian Olive Farmers Face Rising Settler Violence


By Fayha Shalash – Ramallah

When the Palestinian villagers refused to leave, the illegal settlers began beating them, disregarding the presence of children and women.

Every October during the olive season, Abdullah Samhan heads with his family to their land in the village of Al-Lubban Al-Gharbi, west of Ramallah, to pick olives.

At the beginning of last month, he and his family were filled with joy as they headed to their land to kick-start the olive harvest season.

However, this joyful experience quickly turned distressing, as the illegal settlers had other plans for this Palestinian family.

Over 50 armed Israeli illegal settlers attacked Palestinian families on the western side of the village, in an attempt to force them to leave at gunpoint.

Cutting Down Olive Trees – Israel's Way to Steal Palestinian Land

'Like Monsters'

When the Palestinian villagers refused to leave, the illegal settlers began beating them, disregarding the presence of children and women.

"They attacked us and beat us with thick iron sticks. They didn't care about the screams of children and women. They were like monsters!" Abdullah Samhan told the Palestine Chronicle.

As a result, 13 Palestinian villagers sustained injuries, fractures, and bruises that day, including a child under seven and three women. The illegal settlers did not stop there, they also stole olives that the villagers had harvested and threatened them.

According to Samhan, the Israeli occupation army helped the illegal settlers to expel the villagers from their lands.
"Every year we suffer during the olive harvest season and we are always threatened by settlers, but this year they were armed and more violent and attacked us immediately," he added.

The Israeli occupation authorities have already controlled large areas of the village's lands in service of illegal settlements.  

Today, illegal Jewish settlers, with the protection of the occupation army, are trying to seize additional olive-planted lands, preventing Palestinians from accessing their fields to claim instead.

'My Tears Don't Dry' – Layan's Story Sheds Light on Administrative Detention of Palestinian Women

Non-Stop Harassment

Despite years of harassment during the olive-picking season, Palestinians have faced an alarming increase in settler attacks this year.

Dozens of incidents were reported throughout October, including beatings, verbal assaults, aggressions, and crop theft at gunpoint.

The illegal Jewish settlers know very well how crucial the olive harvest season is to the Palestinian people, especially since olive oil is a staple in Palestinian cuisine, so this year they have intensified their attacks to discourage Palestinians from accessing their fields.

Palestinians recognize the systematic harassment by illegal settlers as a tactic to eventually confiscate and annex their lands to illegal settlements.

'Israel Doesn't See Us'

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Israeli soldiers and settlers carried out 90 attacks against Palestinian farmers from the beginning of the olive harvest season in October until the 24th.

According to a statement by the commission, the attacks and violations included live ammunition and tear gas fired at farmers, restrictions on access to fields, and military orders resulting in arrests.

'Buying Our Own Stolen Water' – Scorching Summer Awaits Palestinians in the West Bank

Some of these military orders closed agricultural fields near illegal settlements, preventing farmers from reaching their olive groves, according to the commission.

For its part, in an October report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that Israel is using "war-like" tactics against farmers and olive groves in the occupied West Bank.

The report emphasized that these attacks not only target people but also the olive groves, which represent an economic lifeline for tens of thousands of Palestinian families in the West Bank. 

The village of Madama, south of Nablus, has been among the hardest hit by settler violence this year.

Head of the Village Council, Abdullah Ziadeh, told the Palestine Chronicle that settlers have attacked the village almost daily since the olive harvest season began. 

Alongside the Israeli army, settlers have expelled Palestinian farmers, stolen olives and personal belongings, and assaulted villagers.

The settlement of Yitzhar was established on the southern side of Madama,  occupying thousands of dunams of village land. The village is also encircled by a large settlement road, further consuming vast areas of land. 

Umm Safa is Dying – Palestinian Village Left without Land, under Lock and Key

Despite the obstacles, Madama's villagers continue to cultivate their remaining fields, but the attacks are concentrated on these agricultural areas to eventually take control of them.

"The settlers who attack us are all armed, and we don't distinguish them from the soldiers, and they don't even need the army's protection. Their attacks greatly affected us. For example, one of the plots usually produces 320 kilos of olive oil, but its owner was denied access to it," Ziadeh explained.

The head of the village council revealed that before the olive harvest season started, the Israeli army and settlers burned 20 percent of the village's olive trees, with 70 percent of these areas falling within Area B, under both Palestinian and Israeli control.

"We contacted all relevant organizations and the Palestinian Authority, but unfortunately the situation is very bad. Israel doesn't see us and only wants to deport us, disregarding any international law," Ziadeh concluded.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Fayha' Shalash is a Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist. She graduated from Birzeit University in 2008 and she has been working as a reporter and broadcaster ever since. Her articles appeared in several online publications. She contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.

The post 'Like Monsters' – Palestinian Olive Farmers Face Rising Settler Violence appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

The Palestine Chronicle
3 Nov 2024 | 3:43 pm

10. From Gaza to South Africa – The Mavrix Honor Legacy of Refaat Alareer


By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Formed in 1984 by Ayub Mayet and Jeremy Karodia, The Mavrix began composing music of resistance against apartheid in South Africa. 

The South African band, The Mavrix, recently announced on Sunday the release of their new song, If I Must Die, with music composed by Jeremy Karodia and lyrics by Palestinian poets Mohammed Moussa and Refaat Alareer.

Formed in 1984 by Ayub Mayet and Jeremy Karodia, The Mavrix began composing music of resistance against apartheid in South Africa. 

The band has since provided a platform for young artists, continuing their legacy of solidarity and advocacy through music. 

For this song, Mahtaab Hayat – a young lecturer, singer, and activist – was invited to feature as the lead vocalist, lending her voice to this powerful tribute.

Alareer, a professor, poet, intellectual, and father, was assassinated by Israeli forces on December 6, 2023. 

Just a month prior, he had written If I Must Die, a poignant poem and personal letter to his young daughter, Shymaa. 

"The two were separated by displacement when Israel began their atrocities," The Mavrix shared in a statement. The tragedy intensified in April 2024, when Shymaa, along with her newborn son and husband, was also killed by Israeli forces.

Mohammed Moussa, co-writer of the song and founder of the Gaza Poets Society, is known for his surrealist poetry, which reflects the collective resilience of Palestinians under siege. His work highlights the isolation felt when global solidarity is lacking, further intensifying Palestinian suffering.

Years after their fight against apartheid, The Mavrix continue to use music to confront injustices worldwide, staying true to their roots in resistance and unwavering support for the oppressed.

The song is available here.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

The post From Gaza to South Africa – The Mavrix Honor Legacy of Refaat Alareer appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.

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