michaelkorg-blog-blog

[odinsblog]

A hospital administrator in Gaza has refused Israeli orders to evacuate, calling such a move medically “impossible” as he begged the international community to pressure Israel to dial back.

“I am refusing this because I cannot discharge our patients,” Dr Ahmed Mhanna, who manages two Al-Awda Hospital branches, said.

He explained too many patients in his care are suffering from gunshot and shrapnel wounds and cannot be moved.

In a video diary, Mhanna appealed to world political forces to persuade Israel to dial back on rockets being launched in Gaza.

“I'm asking all members, international societies, and Red Cross and WHO, and in law societies international to (put) pressure on the Israeli government to stop these procedures against the civilians and to stop that attack,” he said.

“Stop the war. Stop the bombs being against our civilians.”

(continue reading)

[gorgeousgreymatter-x]

Imagine being so brainwashed that when someone confronts you about literal proof of war crimes committed by Israel, all you can do is scream denialism

Recognizing that Israel is a fucking genocider actually has nothing to do with denying the Holocaust. Which I know happened because we have evidence that it fucking happened. We saw the evidence and heard the stories and we know it's historical fucking fact.

But evidence doesn't count when it challenges zionist dogma I guess. There's literally video evidence of Palestinian children being murdered. Mothers in gaza are having to have c sections without anesthesia. There are hundreds of babies in incubators at the mercy of IDF who won't stop bombing every fucking hospital in gaza.

That story about the baby in the oven literally happened to a Palestinian in 1948.

But those babies don't count I guess

[evelynstarshine]

The State of Israel can butcher thousands of innocents but New Zealand would not lift a finger to provide support to its victims. IDF soldiers can gun down old men and women waving white flags, shell lines of refugees queuing for aid, and deprive hospitals of power and medicine – and all New Zealand does is a collective shrug. When, however, Yemen’s Houthis disrupt the passage of frozen meat, pizza bases and iPhones through the Red Sea, suddenly New Zealand goes on the warpath. We have declared war on Ansar Allah (the Houthis) and sent a strike force of six men and a dinghy to join Operation Prosperity Guardian, led by the USA.

I think New Zealand’s moral compass is pointing somewhere just south of Hell, while the Houthis, along with South Africa, in their own distinct ways, have become champions for human decency as they confront the genocidal state of Israel and its powerful enablers.

“New Zealand and other nations are suffering from the problems with the Red Sea and the inability to take cargo ships through there – and that is adding a lot of cost… that is affecting every New Zealander,” says Minister of Defence Judith Collins.

Collins had the chutzpah, the incredible cheek, to say she was concerned the Houthi’s actions were impacting people who depended on food imports. Sorry, Judith, that is outrageous hypocrisy at a time when the UN says 500,000 Gazans have already entered the famine stage of food deprivation.

The massive empathy gap between our government and the Houthis when it comes to the suffering of Gaza is simple. The Houthi have direct experience of a genocidal siege that, along with military strikes and disease, killed 400,000 people (please absorb that number) – the greatest humanitarian crisis on the planet from 2015 until recently. Saudi Arabia, supported by US and British intelligence, weapons and bombs, sought to control Yemen and inflict collective punishment on its people. During those years, according to the UN, hundreds of thousands suffered from cholera – a fate that awaits Gazans if Judith Collins and her ilk get their way.

The Yemeni – who rallied in the streets in their millions this month to defy the UK and USA – have empathy born of suffering. They have humanity; our government does not. Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a spokesperson for Ansar Allah (the Houthis), says their goal is simple: stop the genocide and get fuel, food and medicine into Gaza.

“We cannot allow these crimes to be repeated,” Al-Bukhaiti told Grayzone's Max Blumenthal this week. He went on to say: “Our war is a war of morality.” Interesting turn of phrase. People ignorant of history and geopolitics, like our own defence minister, can write the Houthis off as “pirates”. I don’t. Nor do people like the great American Jewish scholar Norman Finkelstein who said this week:

“As a Jew I would have respected any government, any people in the world during the Nazi Holocaust who had done what the Houthis are doing.”

Finkelstein went on to say that what the Houthis have signalled is that there will be no business as usual in the shipping lanes while the US and Israel commit genocide in Gaza. That is a moral stance if I ever heard one. He reminded us that “No Business As Usual” was one of the slogans of the Vietnam War peace movement.

“No Justice, No Peace” was another slogan that echoed a similar sentiment - it first appeared in the USA in the 1980s in response to pervasive violence and discrimination against African Americans. Here in Aotearoa, “Ka whawhai tonu matou, ake, ake, ake” (We will fight on, for ever and ever and ever) originally a riposte to a call to surrender to the British and settler colonial forces at the battle of Ōrākau, was adopted by activists in recent decades as a challenge to the State to address injustice or face Maori resistance.

At Ōrākau, our white forces slaughtered Maori women and men as they attempted to flee – bayoneting the already-wounded as they lay defenceless, which I think helps partially explain the powerful speeches of solidarity I heard in Civic Square Wellington this week delivered by Maori in solidarity with Palestine. Like the Yemeni, like the Vietnamese, like the Palestinians, like the Aborigines, like African and Native Americans and others like we of Irish descent, Maori know all too well what siege, slaughter and famine mean.

We were also very disruptive during our confrontation with the New Zealand state when we opposed sporting contacts with apartheid South Africa. In 1981 we had a National Government fighting for the rights of both white supremacists and Kiwis who loved rugby but lacked human empathy when it came to black people. Now in 2024 we again have a National Government, again indifferent to the suffering of people of darker skin, a coalition government fighting for Jewish Supremacists (as the Zionists state is described by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem).

Today the moral compass points to South Africa and to Yemen. One route is navigated by the legal scholars of South Africa; the other, more immediate and muscular, by the Houthi who know all about the violence the powerful can inflict on them but chose to stand with the oppressed, not the oppressors.

I’ll give the last word to Ansar Allah’s Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, because it’s so rare to hear these people unmediated by some US general or neo-conservative commentator:

“We know the story of David whose slingshot defeated Goliath. We don’t fear the weapons of the enemy. We believe a victory for Yemen will be a victory for morality and the highest values. We believe that a victory on the awareness front is more important than a military one - because the main cause of suffering from wars around the world is due to a lack of awareness.

We know there are a lot of good people around the world – if they found out the truth, their positions would change.”

EUGENE DOYLE is a Wellington community organiser and environmental campaigner.

[cfijerusalem]

55,000 students miss school as rockets rain down on Southern Israel

At least 14 Palestinian rockets rained down on southwestern Israel on Monday, with one striking and damaging a playground in the town of Sderot and another shattering a car windshield in Nir Am. Twelve of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air-defense system, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The rocket fire was a continuation of Sunday’s attacks, which saw some 30 projectiles launched at Israel. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Iron Dome is only activated when an incoming missile is predicted to be heading toward a populated area.s 

The rocket launches sent thousands of residents of Sderot, Sha’ar HaNegev and Netiv Ha’asara scrambling for bomb shelters. Due to the Sunday night attacks, the IDF on Monday morning had already ordered closures of areas and roads adjacent to the Gaza border fence, as well as Zikim Beach between Ashkelon and Gaza. 

Following a directive from Israel’s Home Front Command, school was canceled on Monday for 55,000 students in Ashkelon, Netivot, Sderot, Hof Ashkelon, Eshkol Regional Council and Sha’ar HaNegev. Israelis were allowed to go work as usual, provided that shelters were immediately available. 

Israel responded to the attacks by launching airstrikes on PIJ sites in both the Gaza Strip and Syria, reportedly killing two members outside Damascus and another four pro-Iranian militants. 

 Piece of a rocket launched from Gaza that landed next to a health clinic in the city of Sderot (Youtube)

“IDF fighter jets struck terror sites belonging to the PIJ terror group south of Damascus in Syria, as well as dozens of PIJ sites throughout the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement. According to initial reports, the IDF apparently did not target Hamas sites. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Radio Jerusalem on Monday morning that Israel might have no choice but to launch a major military operation, bigger even than 2014’s “Operation Protective Edge.” 

“If Israel is in the position of entering a large-scale military operation, we will have to deal a bigger blow than ‘Cast Lead,’ ‘Pillar of Smoke’ and ‘Protective Edge,’ ” he said. “It could very well be that we may have to carry out, I don’t really want to say it, but ‘the mother of all operations.’ ” 

The rocket fire comes after Israeli troops killed two Gazans on Sunday who were attempting to plant a bomb along the Israel-Gaza border. Video uploaded to social media showed IDF troops using a military bulldozer to retrieve the terrorists’ bodies, under a hail of stones from Palestinian rioters. The Israeli military argues that the bodies of terrorists may be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with Gaza terror organizations, which currently hold two Israeli civilian hostages, along with the bodies of two IDF soldiers. (February 24, 2020 / JNS) 

Second corona virus case in Israel confirmed 

A second Israeli who returned to Israel on Friday from the Diamond Princess cruise ship has tested positive Sunday for the virus, according to Sheba Medical Center. The individual is in isolation at the hospital. 

The medical center said that the individual did not contract the virus in Israel. 

The news comes as hundreds of Israelis have called a special hotline focused on treating people suspected of having contracted corona virus, according to Magen David Adom. The Health Ministry has canceled upcoming trips to Poland for thousands of Israeli students, and only Israelis will run in Friday’s Tel Aviv Marathon. 

A mild panic had erupted across Israel on Sunday following an announcement on Saturday that nine members of a large group of South Koreans who had been in the country from February 8 to 15 were diagnosed with corona virus and might have had the virus while in Israel. The South Koreans travelled across the country, from the North to the South with stops in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, among other places. At the start of the week, 200 Israeli students were in isolation after reporting being exposed to the tourists. 

“We are prepared to prevent the spread of the corona virus in Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated during an emergency meeting at the Health Ministry in Tel Aviv Sunday, in an effort to calm the country. “We are conducting assessments every day and I will appoint a team of ministers to meet on a daily basis to address this major challenge.” He said that the government is constantly reviewing its policy and adjusting it to adapt to evolving circumstances, including monitoring entry into Israel from other countries. 

On Sunday, the Health Ministry sent a memo to citizens sharing where the South Koreans went and reviewing guidelines, if people came into contact with the pilgrims, including putting themselves under a 14-day period of isolation. The ministry also recommends that if signs of illness – fever over 38 degrees Celsius, cough or other respiratory symptoms develop, individuals should seek medical attention. (JPost, By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN , 2-23-2020). 

“Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding...My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings...for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:7, 20-22). 

Reporting for CFI Jerusalem 

Lonnie C. Mings 

Christian Friends of Israel - Jerusalem 

email: prayer@cfijerusalem.org

[clubofinfo]

Expert: After 70 years, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still unresolved. The conflict simmers for a few years, then erupts again with new massacres and violence. This article describes recent events, the failure of the “two state solution” and need for a different approach. In the past couple months, Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers have killed 118 Palestinian protesters and seriously wounded many thousands more. The protesters were unarmed and no threat to the soldiers. Gaza hospitals overflow with victims. In the wake of this violence, human rights groups filed a legal petition to make it unlawful for Israeli soldiers to fire on unarmed protesters. Last week the Israeli Supreme Court rejected the petition. Israeli violence is usually portrayed as a “response” to Palestinian violence, but the reality is the opposite. The sequence of recent events is as follows: – From the end of March til May 25, Palestinians in Gaza protested against their oppression as close as they could get to the border fences. About 118 were killed and many thousands seriously injured by Israeli snipers. They were all shot inside Gaza. – On May 27 – 28, the Israeli military launched tank mortars at Palestinian military outposts inside Gaza, killing four. – Next day, on May 29, Palestinian militants launched unguided mortars into nearby Israel. Most of them fell harmlessly and there were no Israeli casualties. – Next day, on May 30, Israeli jets and helicopters launched guided missiles and bombs on 65 different locations within Gaza. Clearly, the violence started with Israelis killing protesters and then militants inside Gaza, but it’s not portrayed that way. Time magazine began its article with, “Palestinian militants bombarded southern Israel….” Pro Israel advocates wish to prevent people from seeing what is really happening. They know the potential damage if people see video such as Israeli snipers celebrating the shooting of unarmed protesters. To prevent this, a proposed law will make it illegal to photograph or video record Israeli soldiers. Palestinian journalists have condemned this attempt to criminalize journalism. The Reality of the Israeli Occupation Israel calls itself the “Startup Nation” because of the economic and technological achievements. But in Gaza and the West Bank, Israeli policies and actions strangle the economies and worsen living conditions. Palestinians in Gaza are kept separate from Palestinians in the West Bank. There is no trade, travel or inter-family visitation. This is in violation of international agreements including the Oslo Accords. The claim that Israel “departed” Gaza is false. Israel controls the borders, sky and waters around Gaza, a coastal strip just 5 miles wide by 25 miles in length. Unemployment in Gaza is approaching 50%, the highest unemployment in the world. Fisherman are prevented from going out into deeper waters and shot at when they go beyond Israel’s imposed zone. Gazan farmers cannot export independently. Israel frequently blocks the import and export of crops and products. It is almost impossible to leave Gaza. Even outstanding students winning international scholarships may have their exit denied. The electrical and water treatment facilities have been bombed and destroyed by Israel. Nearly all the drinking water is contaminated. Israel restricts the amount of food permitted to enter Gaza so there is continual shortage leading to nutritional deprivation, stunted growth and anemia. This situation is not new. Eighteen years ago, Israeli journalist Amira Hass described the history, the facts and statistics as well as her personal experience living in Gaza in the profound book Drinking the Seat at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege. The situation was extremely grim then but keeps getting worse. At the northern Gaza border, Israel is now building a sea barrier extending far out into the Mediterranean. It will be above and below the water line. A major reason for this expensive project is to block sewage and pollution from the waters in front of Gaza. Because of Israeli attacks on sewage treatment and electrical infrastructure, sewage flows into the sea. Last summer, Zikim Beach in southern Israel had to be closed due to the inflow of sewage from Gaza. The ‘sea barrier’ now in construction will block the sea currents. This will keep the Israeli beach clean and greatly compound the problem in Gaza. The strangulation, impoverishment and oppression is not confined to Gaza. In the West Bank, Israeli settlements continue to expand. This increases the number of check points, restrictions and repression. Travel from Bethlehem to Jerusalem is impossible for most Palestinians. The majority of West Bank water from the aquifers is transferred to Israel or provided cheaply to settlers while Palestinians must buy water and store it in tanks on their rooftops. In the last few years, Israel has made it increasingly difficult or impossible for humanitarian groups to provide medical support including breast cancer screening. A compelling new book titled The Other Side of the Wall describes the daily struggle in the West Bank where Palestinians and international allies protest against the theft of land, abuses, random killings and imprisonments. Defiant Courage There seems to be a trend toward greater Palestinian unity and strategic agreement. The tens of thousands of Palestinians protesting in Gaza were unarmed and united behind the Palestinian flag rather than separate party or movement flags of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, DFLP, etc..     The Palestinian protesters in Gaza show remarkable courage. Beginning on Friday March 30, they have returned week after week despite seeing thousands of their fellows shot and wounded or killed. In an article titled “The Gaza Fence that Separates the Brave from the Cowardly“, Amira Hass wrote: The desperate courage demonstrated by tens of thousands of citizens of Gaza over the past few weeks in general and on Monday in particular hints at the energies, the talents, the dreams, the creativity and the vitality of the inhabitants of this strip of land – who have been subjected to a 27 year policy of closure and siege aimed at suffocating and crushing them. Steadfast and Persistent Palestinian resistance continues despite Israeli violence and bloodshed. Seven years ago Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon held “March of Return” protests at the northern borders. Israeli soldiers killed 13 and wounded many more. In recent days, Gazans have again challenged the Israeli port blockade which prevents ships from departing or arriving. International solidarity with the Palestinian cause is also persistent. Three ships (two Swedish and one Norwegian) recently departed Scandinavia heading for the Mediterranean Sea and Gaza. Named the 2018 Freedom Flotilla, the ships are carrying dozens of international citizens to again demand that Israel stop its blockade of Gaza. Despite the huge imbalance today, time may be on the side of the Palestinian cause. Systemic apartheid in South Africa existed for a long time and seemed strong. But ultimately it collapsed quickly. The same may unfold in Israel/Palestine. Today, South Africa is an important supporter of the Palestinian cause. South Africa was the first nation to recall its ambassador to protest the “indiscriminate and grave Israeli attack” in Gaza. Israel has the military might but Palestinian resistance and courage persists. The Palestinian population is steadfast, persistent and growing. They have increasing number of allies who support their cause. Young American Jews are unlike their parents and increasingly critical of Israeli policies. Some courageous Israelis, such as Miko Peled, speak out unequivocally that Israeli apartheid must end and be replaced by one state with democracy and equality for all. A million registered Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon and Syria, patiently waiting. They have not forgotten their legal claim and right to return. The recent bloodshed and massacres underscore the fact that there is no solution on the current path. It only leads to increasingly unlivable conditions in Gaza plus more illegal settlements and oppression in the West Bank. The so-called “two state solution” has been dead for many years and should be forgotten. As happened in South Africa, the international community can and should help. It is time to increase international pressure and expand BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) against Israel to help bring a peaceful end to this conflict with its constant oppression and recurring massacres. The alternative is very grim. As described by Israeli journalist Gideon Levy: The truth is that Israel is well prepared to massacre hundreds and thousands, and to expel tens of thousands. Nothing will stop it. This is the end of conscience, the show of morality is over. The last few days’ events have proved it decisively. The tracks have been laid, the infrastructure for the horror has been cast. Dozens of years of brainwashing, demonization and dehumanization have borne fruit. The alliance between the politicians and the media to suppress reality and deny it has succeeded. Israel is set to commit horrors. Nobody will stand in its way any longer. Not from within or from without. Palestinian courage should spur international action. http://clubof.info/