Mayors, Journalists, Trade Union activists among 231 detained in anti-terror raids across Turkey

ByTurkish Minute
November 26, 2024

Turkish authorities have detained 231 individuals including mayors, journalists, activists allegedly linked to the terrorist organizations as part of a series of coordinated raids across 30 provinces, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Tuesday.

Authorities have accused the detainees of conducting political and media activities on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the Democratic Union Party (PYD) or the People’s Defense Units (YPG); financing terrorism; spreading propaganda on social media and participating in illegal protests causing damage to public property. Officials also reported confiscating unlicensed firearms, hunting rifles, blank-firing guns and digital material.

The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. It has conducted an armed insurgency since the 1980s, advocating for Kurdish rights and autonomy. The KCK is an umbrella group associated with the PKK, overseeing its political and military structures. The PYD is the PKK’s Syrian affiliate, while the YPG serves as its armed wing and has been a key player in the Syrian civil war. Turkish authorities have long targeted these groups in domestic and cross-border operations.

Among those detained were journalists, activists, and labor union leaders. The list of journalists includes Erdoğan Alayumat, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Bilge Aksu, Ahmet Sünbül, Roza Metina (president of the Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association), Bilal Seçkin, Mehmet Ücar and Suzan Demir. Others detained include translator-director Ardin Diren, cartoonist Doğan Güzel, poet and writer Hicri İzgören, translator and writer Ömer Barasi and publishing coordinator Baver Yoldaş.

The Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association confirmed the detention of its president, Roza Metina, in Diyarbakır. Authorities also detained Kayapınar district co-mayor Cengiz Dündar and Nimet Tanrıkulu, a founding member of the Human Rights Association.

In Adana, police detained Remzi Çalışkan, deputy chair of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) and Kemal Göksoy, its regional representative, during pre-dawn raids.

RAPE IS RAPE. IT'S ABOUT DOMINATION


Men in detention face sexual torture amid war in Ukraine

Although the vast majority of victims of conflict-related sexual violence are women and girls, it is also all too common – and severely underreported – among men and boys. 

Credit: UNFPA Ukraine

26 November 2024


KYIV, Ukraine – In the early hours of the morning, at a location in Ukraine not far from the front line of the war, Antonina* found herself staring at a disturbing message on her phone. It was a video recording of her cousin, Maksym*, being brutally raped.

“She was scared and didn’t know what to do,” recalled Olena*, a psychologist who later worked with Antonina.

Olena spoke with UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, with permission from Antonina, to emphasize the wave of sexual violence against men, and the wider societal impacts of that violence, that she and her colleagues are grappling with.

“We’ve worked with other cases where similar videos were sent, with demands or blackmail following,” Olena said. “In this case, there was no blackmail or demands. It was simply humiliation and cruelty.”

Sexual violence as torture

The world is seeing “heightened levels of conflict-related sexual violence, fuelled by arms proliferation and increased militarization,” a recent United Nations report notes. Although the vast majority of victims of this crime are women and girls, this kind of violence is also all too common – and severely underreported – among men, boys and people of diverse gender identities.

“Most of the reported incidents against men and boys occurred in detention settings,” the UN report states.

This was the case for Maksym. Antonina reached out to friends and family to find out where he was, only to learn that he had gone missing days earlier. The Russian authorities later said that Maksym was being held in the basement of a police station; his captors shared the video of his torture with people in his contact list.

“The reason for this treatment was supposedly a few [anti-occupation] memes he had posted on social media,” Olena said.

As the conflict in Ukraine grinds on, mental health workers– including UNFPA staff – are increasingly stretched to capacity. 

Credit: UNFPA Ukraine / Serhii Tymofieiev


The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has documented numerous instances of torture and abuse by Russian authorities, both in occupied regions and in the Russian Federation. The findings indicate a widespread, systematic use of violence, often in detention facilities, and “the recurrent use of sexual violence, mainly against male victims, as a form of torture.”

Digital violence amplifies reach of harm

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Prosecutor General's Office in Ukraine has documented 316 cases of conflict-related sexual violence; of these, 202 survivors were women and 114 were men.

Yet these are likely dramatic underestimates. According to estimates from UNFPA’s work in Ukraine, for every case of conflict-related sexual violence, there are between 10 and 20 cases that go unregistered. And while all forms of sexual violence are significantly underreported, male survivors have especially high rates of non-reporting because of the stigma and perceived emasculation attached to the crime.

“It’s hard to work with men because they feel ashamed of what they’ve been through,” Olena said.

She works with the UNFPA-supported Survivors Relief Centre, which provides free, confidential services, including through mobile units serving embattled communities along the front line. The centre offers specialized resources for survivors of sexual violence – even so, Olena said, she and other mental health professionals are struggling to address the profound impacts of the cases they are encountering.

UNFPA-supported counsellors and health workers are providing a range of support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine – both female and male.

 Credit: UNFPA Moldova/Siegfried Modola

The shame experienced by survivors is a serious obstacle to getting help. Psychologists must work to build trust and protect anonymity – a task that has been greatly undermined by the use of digital tools to amplify footage and photographs of sexual torture.

This digital violence compounds the already serious trauma endured by survivors, and further inflicts harm onto their families and communities, counsellors tell UNFPA. Witnessing her cousin’s rape was devastating for Antonina, who had been displaced by the war and was isolated from her support system, Olena explained.

Olena has tried to help Maksym, too. “Through Antonina, I put him in touch with online psychologists,” she said. “But it’s dangerous since messages are monitored.”

Stretched to capacity

In addition to providing comprehensive, trauma-informed care, the Survivor Relief Centre offers legal advice, medical referrals and social support. Funded by Austria, Belgium, Spain and Sweden, the centres are a collaborative initiative between UNFPA, the Ukrainian government, and local organizations.

Through this project and other initiatives, such as an online psychosocial support platform and a two-week comprehensive rehabilitation programme, UNFPA is providing a range of support to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence – both female and male.

The counsellors providing this care are dedicated to the communities they serve – but they, too, are affected by the suffering they witness.

“I was trained for this,” Olena said. “My job is to take those feelings from the client that they can’t bear, and process them into something they can carry, live with and cope with.”

But the stories she hears linger long after each session ends, she admits; as the conflict grinds on, mental health workers across the country are increasingly stretched to capacity.

*Names changed for privacy and protection

UN investigates sexual exploitation allegations against aid workers in Chad following AP story

The United Nations in Chad has launched an internal investigation, following an Associated Press report on allegations of sexual exploitation of Sudanese refugees, including by aid workers

BySAM MEDNICK 

Associated Press
November 26, 2024


DAKAR, Senegal -- The United Nations in Chad has launched an internal investigation, following an Associated Press report on allegations of sexual exploitation of Sudanese refugees, which included aid workers.

The statement, written days after the AP published the story last week, was seen on Tuesday. It said the seriousness of the allegations cited in the AP's story, warranted immediate and firm measures and that those responsible should be punished.

“Refugees are already vulnerable and traumatized by the events that led them to flee their country and under no circumstances should they be the victims of abuse by those who are supposed to help them,” said Francois Batalingaya, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Chad.

The U.N. did not immediately respond to questions about what the internal investigation entailed.

Earlier this month, the AP reported accusations by some Sudanese women and girls that men, including those meant to protect them such as humanitarian workers and local security forces, had instead sexually exploited them in Chad’s sites for displaced people. They said the men offered money, easier access to assistance, and jobs. Such sexual exploitation in Chad is a crime.

Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them women, have streamed into Chad to escape Sudan’s civil war, which has killed over 20,000 people.

Sexual exploitation during large humanitarian crises is not uncommon, especially in displacement sites. Aid groups have long struggled to combat the issue, citing a lack of reporting by women, not enough funds to respond and a focus on first providing basic necessities.

Experts say exploitation represents a deep failure by the aid community and that people seeking protection should never have to make choices driven by survival.

The U.N. said it raised the risk alert level for protection against sexual exploitation of abuse to four, which is very high, especially since Chad was already classified as a country at high risk. Raising the alert is meant to enable the U.N. to take rapid measures in the next three months, according to an internal email about the AP's article, circulated among aid groups and seen by the AP.

The UN said it's cooperating with local authorities and human rights groups to hold those responsible to account and that refugees’ trust in humanitarians is paramount.

The organization has encouraged anyone with information about exploitation to come forward.

AU CONTRAIRE

French ambassador to Armenia sparks controversy with social media posts

26 November 2024

Qabil Ashirov

AZERBAIJAN NEWS

French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies is trying to fish in troubled waters. The ambassador shared two posts about the Blue Mosque in Yerevan and the West Azerbaijan province of Iran, sparking ambiguity and controversy, especially in light of recent military training conducted by Azerbaijan and Iran.

The post about the mosque reads, "In the gardens of the Blue Mosque of Yerevan, emblematic of Armenia's Persian heritage." This statement echoes Armenian rhetoric about the mosques in the country. To erase Azerbaijani heritage in Armenia, these mosques were renamed as Persian mosques. For more detail, it is worth noting that until the Russian Empire's invasion of modern Armenia, the region was known as the Irevan Khanate. The Irevan Khanate was a semi-independent city-state affiliated with the Iranian Empire, ruled by an Azerbaijani dynasty. After the invasion in 1828, the Russian Empire settled Armenians from Iran and later from the Ottoman Empire in the region to create a Christian enclave within the Muslim community. This enclave eventually evolved into modern Armenia.

In the 1980s, during the Soviet era, over 250,000 Azerbaijanis comprised the second-largest ethnic group after Armenians in the country. However, Armenia aimed to seize additional territories, particularly Garabagh, from Azerbaijan under the guise of self-determination. Azerbaijanis in Armenia posed the biggest challenge to this objective, as they could demand the same right of self-determination. To address this, Armenia forcibly deported all Azerbaijanis, as well as Muslim Kurds, from the country between October 1987 and mid-February 1988. Following these deportations, Armenian residents of Garabagh began protests in Khankendi, which escalated into a full-scale war. From that point on, Yerevan has gone to great lengths to erase all traces of Azerbaijanis in Armenia, destroying buildings with Azerbaijani heritage. However, some prominent buildings, like the Blue Mosque in Yerevan, could not be destroyed. Instead, Armenia introduced a new notion in Islam, calling such mosques Persian Mosques. As is known, all nations have their own Churches in Christianity, like the Russian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church etc. Islam does not have such kind of divisions. But Armenians started to call the above-mentioned mosques Persian Mosques. It seems the French diplomat is keen to participate in this falsification, but they should remember that such attempts are short-lived. Everyone knows the true Islamic culture and history.

As for the second post about the West Azerbaijan province of Iran, it is unclear what the diplomat intended to convey. Many on social media claim that the diplomat hinted at the Western Azerbaijani Community by saying "the one and only." The Western Azerbaijani Community consists of Azerbaijanis who were expelled from Armenia 30 years ago. They rightfully call Armenia Western Azerbaijan and seek to return home. However, Iran has a province called West Azerbaijan. It seems the French diplomat aimed to sow discord between Azerbaijan and Iran, but in vain. Because even the least knowledgeable individuals in the region understand what Azerbaijanis mean when they refer to Western Azerbaijan.

Additionally, these two Muslim brother states share a common culture with a history that traces back thousands of years. In addition, over 30 million Azerbaijanis live in Iran, and both the Supreme Leader and the President of Iran are Azerbaijanis. Even during the First Garabagh War, the Iranian army hit Armenian positions to rescue civilians in Zengilan. Iran and Azerbaijan may have disagreements, but it does not mean that these two fraternal nations will not fight over Armenia. Someone should tell the diplomat that either Iran or Azerbaijan is not an Armenia that can easily become a tool for others.

MASS DEPORTATION MAKE HIM GO FIRST

Elon Musk is sharing some details about his immigration path. Experts say they still have questions

Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on October 26, hours after the Washington Post reported he began his career working illegally in the US. The billionaire later posted on X denying he’d worked in the US without authorization. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

By CNN.com Wire Service
UPDATED: November 26, 2024 
By Catherine E. Shoichet | CNN

It’s rare to hear Elon Musk discuss the details of his own immigration journey.

But the billionaire tech tycoon opened up about some of it over the weekend in a series of posts on the platform he owns, X, hours after the Washington Post reported that Musk began his career working illegally in the US when he was building a Silicon Valley startup in the 1990s.

The newspaper’s story cited court records, company documents and former business associates, including a past CEO of the company who said investors had worried that Musk could be deported.

Musk hasn’t responded to CNN’s requests for comment on the report. He also hasn’t responded to CNN’s requests for comment about remarks he once made describing his past immigration status as a “gray area.”

RELATED: ‘We were illegal immigrants’: Elon Musk is one of illegal immigration’s harshest critics. He once described his past immigration status as a ‘gray area’

In a post on X, where video circulated of President Biden referencing the Washington Post report’s claims, Musk denied that he’d worked without authorization.

“I was in fact allowed to work in the US,” Musk wrote, accusing Biden of lying.

The newspaper’s report and Biden’s remarks circulated widely among critics of Musk, some of whom accused the world’s richest man of having a double standard given how much time he’s devoted to slamming illegal immigration in the runup to the 2024 presidential election.

Supporters of Musk, including Tesla fan accounts, also swiftly rose to his defense and criticized Biden.

In response to one such post, Musk described two visas he once had — offering more detail than he’d previously shared publicly.

“I was on a J-1 visa that transitioned to an H1-B,” Musk wrote. “They know this, as they have all my records. Losing the election is making them desperate.”

But experts told CNN those details raise additional questions Musk hasn’t answered.

The J-1 visa is for exchange visitors and can be used for foreign students to pursue academic training or research. It requires a sponsoring program, such as a university. An H-1B is a temporary employment visa for specialty occupations.

Why Musk’s student status matters

Students walk between classes at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Elon Musk graduated from the university with bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics in 1997.(Charles Mostoller/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

Musk didn’t detail what institution sponsored his J-1 visa, or which years he had the visa.

Musk was born in South Africa, obtained Canadian citizenship through his mother and came to the US to study at the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. He became a US citizen a decade later, according to biographies of the billionaire.

He has said in the past that after leaving Penn he had planned to pursue graduate studies at Stanford, but dropped out to work on founding his first company.

That’s significant, experts say, because there are strict rules about the kind of work allowed when someone is in the US on a student visa, and work authorizations tied to student visas generally require someone to be actively studying or for the sponsoring institution to allow the student to get academic or practical training after graduation.

RELATED: Trump’s mass deportation threats in his first term fizzled. Here’s how they may play out this time.

Immigration attorney Greg Siskind, who’s co-authored multiple editions of a guide to J-1 visas, says transitioning from a J-1 visa to an H-1B visa is a possible path. But he says a J-1 visa wouldn’t provide work authorization to someone who dropped out of a degree program. The moment Musk dropped out, he would have lost his status and been unauthorized to work, Siskind says.

“Musk would have needed to be engaged in a full course of study (at least 12 academic hours a semester) in order to qualify for work while being a J-1 student,” Siskind wrote on X.

A Stanford spokeswoman told CNN last month that the university had no record Musk had ever enrolled there, but that he had been accepted into the school’s Materials Science and Engineering graduate program. Asked if Musk ever had a student visa connected with the university, the spokeswoman said she did not know because further documentation was unavailable.

What if Musk’s visa was obtained through the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied as an undergraduate?

The same criteria would apply, Siskind says.

And given Musk’s background, Siskind says it’s unlikely he would have been eligible for humanitarian exceptions sometimes granted to allow off-campus work due to economic hardship.

Atlanta immigration attorney Charles Kuck says Musk stating that he had a J-1 visa makes it clear he worked illegally, given the restrictions that would have only allowed work in connection with his academic program.

“So clearly, he’s admitting now that in fact, he did work illegally and violate his status. The only question is at that point, what did he do to fix his status violation?” Kuck says.

Working illegally isn’t a crime, Kuck says, but having done so would require certain steps to be taken to return to a legal immigration status.

Key unanswered questions, Kuck says, are what steps Musk took to get his H-1B visa, and when that occurred.

Musk graduated from Penn in May 1997, according to a university spokesman. Biographies of the SpaceX and Tesla CEO indicate he finished his studies there in 1995.

According to the Post’s report, a 1996 funding agreement with venture capitalists who’d agreed to contribute $3 million to Musk’s first company “stated that the Musk brothers and an associate had 45 days to obtain legal work status. Otherwise, the firm could reclaim its investment.” Musk had told coworkers that he was in the country on a student visa, six former associates and shareholders in the company told the Post.

“Student visas are some of the most complicated visas out there, and work related to them is also extraordinarily complicated. And to dismiss it in a in a two-line tweet, ‘Well I had a J-1 and it went to H-1B,’ yeah, trust me, there’s always a lot more to it than that,” Kuck says.
What the world’s richest man has said about his immigration journey

Elon Musk, left, and his brother Kimbal Musk, right, have repeatedly described the humble origins of their startup, including sleeping in their office in Palo Alto, California, before securing funding from investors.

(AP/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

Related Articles

Tesla excluded From EV buyer credits in Gov. Newsom’s proposal
Opinion: Elon Musk hopes to make federal budget cutting cool
PRO/CON: Could Elon Musk’s efficiency department really work?
Opinion: How Musk’s efficiency department can actually do some good
Opinion: Elon Musk’s efficiency department is highly inefficient

Musk is an increasingly powerful force shaping and amplifying conversations around immigration — especially since his 2022 takeover of Twitter, now known as X, and given his huge audience on the platform.

His more than 200 million followers on X frequently see him sharing posts endorsing conspiracy theories that claim the Biden administration has deliberately allowed undocumented immigrants to cross the border to gain political advantage. It’s also common to see posts referring to his own background as an immigrant and advocating for increased legal immigration to the US.

In response to details his mother, Maye Musk, has shared on X about her own immigration journey, Elon Musk has called legal immigration to the US “a laborious Kafkaesque nightmare” and noted that becoming a US citizen “was extremely difficult and took over a decade.”

But he’s offered few specifics about his immigration status in the early days of his career, when he and his brother were founding their early online city guide and mapping tool that was later dubbed Zip2.

His brother, Kimbal Musk, has repeatedly stated that early investors in their company soon learned they were “illegal immigrants,” but Elon Musk has disputed his brother’s characterization.

“I’d say it was a gray area,” Elon Musk said at a 2013 event.

And in a 2020 podcast interview, Elon Musk said he had a “student work visa” at the time.

“Student work visa” is not an official term, and experts told CNN last month that it’s impossible to know Musk’s immigration path without access to the paper trail in his government file.

It’s likely regulations weren’t enforced as strictly during Musk’s time as a student, according to Hunter Swanson, associate director of the Center for International Education at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. Enforcement of student visa restrictions, and the systems officials use to monitor compliance, intensified dramatically after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, Swanson told CNN earlier this year. Some of the hijackers involved in the attacks were in the U.S. on student visas, according to the official 9/11 Commission Report.

“It definitely wouldn’t be possible to do academic training now on a J-1 Visa if you dropped out in your first term,” Swanson said in an email Sunday.

What’s the importance of digging into Musk’s own immigration history?

“For me, it’s the hypocrisy,” Siskind says. ”He’s been fixated on illegal immigration in the last year. And you know, he should be empathetic to the people who are struggling with the immigration system.”

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Japan's PM Urges Biden to Approve Nippon Steel Deal Amid National Security Concerns

The CFIUS is reviewing Nippon Steel's $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel

Faizan Farooque 

Nov 26, 2024
GURU FOCUS

Summary

CFIUS previously flagged the acquisition as a potential risk to the U.S. steel supply chain critical to national security.


Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has formally urged U.S. President Joe Biden to approve Nippon Steel's (NISTF, Financials) $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel (X, Financials), highlighting the deal's importance to bilateral relations, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Biden has voiced opposition to the purchase, citing possible hazards to national security, along with a major U.S. labor organization. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is reviewing the deal; next month it has a deadline to provide a recommendation before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Government agency CFIUS, which evaluates foreign investments for security concerns, might accept the agreement with restrictions, prolong the assessment process, or suggest its rejection. The panel had already raised concerns about the vulnerability of the steel supply chain resulting from the proposed deal.

Emphasizing the geopolitical and financial advantages of the purchase, Ishiba stressed in a letter dated Nov. 20, the reflection of Japan's position as the biggest foreign investor in the United States. He noted that enhancing the economic cooperation fits the "unprecedented strength" of the Japan-U.S. relationship under Biden's leadership.

Nippon Steel has promised to invest in modern technologies and safeguard employment in line with American concerns. In the letter, Ishiba said, "The proposed acquisition will enable Japanese and U.S. steel companies to combine advanced technologies and increase competitiveness, and will contribute to enhancing steel production capacity and employment in the United States."

While Ishiba's office sent inquiries to the foreign ministry, which had no response, the U.S. Embassy in Japan refused to comment. Both Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel ignored calls for comments.

Under former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who separated his government from the agreement and presented it as a private commercial affair, this direct appeal marks a change from the posture taken by the Japanese government before.

Particularly in swing states crucial to the next U.S. presidential contest, the purchase has become politically contentious. As the next government gets ready to assume office, Biden's choice might influence opinions on foreign investment policy.

Following the election, CFIUS expanded its investigation to evaluate the deal's ramifications more fully. Ishiba has expressed worries about the possible consequences of a refusal of the purchase. The prime minister reportedly brought up the matter at his most recent meeting with Biden at an international forum, stressing its significance for Japan-U.S. economic ties.

U.S. Steel review targeted by Republicans for potential probe

Four House Republicans wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Friday, saying that recent developments related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) "have called into question the integrity of its decision-making process,” and demanding the preservation of records related to a potential sale of U.S. Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel. | REUTERS

By Josh Wingrove
BLOOMBERG
Nov 26, 2024

Republican lawmakers are calling on U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to preserve documents related to the proposed sale of United States Steel to Japan-based Nippon Steel, expressing "serious concerns” that politics have tainted an ongoing national security review of the deal and raising the prospect of a congressional probe.

Four House Republicans wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Friday, saying that recent developments related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) "have called into question the integrity of its decision-making process,” and demanding the preservation of records related to the steel transaction.

The matter raises "broader issues about whether the statutory mandate of CFIUS to prioritize national security considerations has been subordinated to political interests,” the lawmakers wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Bloomberg News. The documents should "remain intact and available for any forthcoming oversight needs,” the letter, from some members of the House Financial Services Committee, adds.

The Treasury Department declined to comment. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"I don’t have a comment on the process, and we are careful to follow all rules and regulations when it comes to the preservation of records,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Monday.

The GOP letter suggests that the political firestorm over the proposed sale of an iconic American firm — a transaction which became a flash point during the 2024 presidential campaign — is unlikely to subside even with Biden signaling opposition to the deal and Republican President-elect Donald Trump pledging to block it. Trump’s opposition to the deal could complicate Republican attempts to make political hay of Biden’s efforts to block its consummation, with the current and incoming president politically aligned.

The deal has faced heightened scrutiny, touching on questions about union jobs and wages, which were at the centerpiece of an election that largely revolved around voter anxiety about the economy. U.S. Steel is based in Pennsylvania, a state that was fiercely contested by Trump and his general election opponent Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden has opposed the deal for months but deferred to a review by the secretive CFIUS panel, which scrutinizes proposals by foreign entities to buy companies or property in the U.S. The transaction is barreling toward another deadline in December when the panel must present a recommendation and can refer the case back to the president for a decision. Even as he has awaited the review, Biden has pledged that U.S. Steel will remain domestically owned.

The letter was signed by Republican Reps. Bill Huizenga, Andy Barr, Dan Meuser and John Rose. Huizenga chairs the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. Republicans will also control the House in the next Congress.

The lawmakers are demanding the preservation of communications between the White House and CFIUS, as well as communications between federal agencies and other stakeholders, such as the United Steelworkers, who oppose the sale, and Cleveland-Cliffs, a rival domestic bidder.

Rose, in a statement, alleged that the Biden administration had "politicized CFIUS in an attempt to score cheap political points.”

"It is important to national security that during the transition CFIUS keeps all records,” he added.

The high-profile case is unusual, with CFIUS reviews more commonly reserved for acquisitions by adversarial nations, like China, and not allied ones, like Japan. They also typically are aimed at technology companies or other sensitive sectors.

Biden’s administration has argued that steel is a strategically important industry. The CFIUS panel granted a request in September to refile the submission, effectively approving a delay.

KEYWORDS

 SPACE/COSMOS

Lasers ‘powered by sunlight’ could transform space travel, scientists say

The technology is inspired by the way plants and bacteria convert light into chemical energy through a process called photosynthesis

‘Sun-powered lasers’ that harness bacteria’s ability to convert sunlight into energy could power future missions to Mars, scientists have announced. Picture: Alamy/PA

Tue, 26 Nov, 2024 - 16:35

Nick Forbes, PA Scotland

Lasers that harness bacteria’s natural ability to convert sunlight into energy could power missions to Mars and provide a source of clean energy on Earth, scientists have announced.

The technology is inspired by the way plants and bacteria convert light into chemical energy through a process called photosynthesis.

The aim is to repurpose the light-harvesting antennae from certain types of photosynthetic bacteria to “amplify” energy from sunlight, and convert it into laser beams that can transmit that energy across space.

This technology has the potential to revolutionise how we power space operations, making exploration more sustainable while also advancing clean energy technology here on Earth

The scientists also hope that using organic materials rather than “perishable” artificial components means the lasers could be effectively re-grown in space – meaning they could be kept in operation without new parts having to be sent up from Earth.

Unlike conventional semiconductor solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity, this process would not rely on any electronic components.

The project – called APACE – is first looking at developing the technology under laboratory conditions, before testing and refining its suitability for use in space.

If it is successful, the researchers say it could be used by global space agencies to power space exploration – including lunar bases or missions to Mars – as well as providing a new way of transmitting clean, wireless energy on Earth.

The technology is being developed by an international team that includes researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Professor Erik Gauger, from the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences at Heriot-Watt, said the technology was potentially a “breakthrough in space power”.

“Sustainable generation of power in space, without relying on perishable components sent from Earth, represents a big challenge,” he said.

“Yet, living organisms are experts at being self-sufficient and harnessing self-assembly.

“Our project not only takes biological inspiration but goes one step beyond by piggybacking on functionality that already exists in the photosynthetic machinery of bacteria to achieve a breakthrough in space power.

“Our APACE project aims to create a new type of laser powered by sunlight.

If our new technology can be built and used on space stations, it could help to generate power locally and even offer a route to sending power to satellites or back to Earth using infrared laser beams

“Regular sunlight is usually too weak to power a laser directly, but these special bacteria are incredibly efficient at collecting and channelling sunlight through their intricately designed light harvesting structures, which can effectively amplify the energy flux from sunlight to the reaction centre by several orders of magnitude.

“Our project will make use of this level of amplification to convert sunlight into a laser beam without relying on electrical components.

“We already know it is possible to grow bacteria in space, for example through studies on the International Space Station. Some tough bacteria have even survived exposure to open space.

“If our new technology can be built and used on space stations, it could help to generate power locally and even offer a route to sending power to satellites or back to Earth using infrared laser beams.

“This technology has the potential to revolutionise how we power space operations, making exploration more sustainable while also advancing clean energy technology here on Earth.

Scientists hope to use the technology to convert sunlight into a laser beam that can power space exploration and provide a clean source of energy on Earth (Aaron Chown/PA)

“All major space agencies have lunar or Mars missions in their plans, and we hope to help power them.”

The research team will begin by extracting and studying the natural light-harvesting machinery from types of bacteria that have evolved to survive in extremely low light conditions.

These bacteria have highly specialised molecular antenna structures that can capture and channel almost every photon of light they receive – making them nature’s most efficient solar collectors.

The researchers will also develop artificial versions of these structures and new laser materials that can work with both natural and artificial light-harvesters.

The researchers then plan to combine these components into a new type of laser material and test it in increasingly larger systems.

The first prototype of the new technology is expected to be ready for testing within three years.

The €4m APACE project is jointly funded by the European Innovation Council and Innovate UK.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M ALL THE RAGE

Analysis:

Adani's 'renewable energy marvel' trapped in US bribery indictment

 Adani Green, described by U.S. prosecutors as being at the heart of "The Corrupt Solar Project."

November 26, 2024
By Reuters

Workers install solar panels at the Khavda Renewable Energy Park of Adani Green Energy Ltd in Khavda, India, April 12, 2024.


NEW DELHI —

Betting big on the clean energy goals of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, billionaire Gautam Adani found backers in France's TotalEnergies and the Qatar Investment Authority as he set out to build the world's biggest renewable energy project.

The crown jewel of his company, Adani Green, is an energy park in western Gujarat state planned to be five times the size of Paris on completion, and producing 50 gigawatts by 2030, or roughly a tenth of India's clean energy goals.

Now the plan faces a hurdle in the form of a U.S. indictment of Adani, his nephew and executive director Sagar Adani and managing director Vneet S. Jaain, accusing them of paying bribes of $265 million to secure Indian power supply contracts, and misleading U.S. investors during fund raises there.

Since the news, stock of Adani Green has nosedived 36%, losing $9.6 billion in market value

.
India's Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani addresses the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar, India, Jan.10, 2024.


Adani Group has denied the accusations in the U.S. indictment as baseless, and vowed to seek all legal recourse.

But fund-raising could get complicated.

"To the extent of raising additional capital for newer projects, any sort of regulatory issues become problematic," said Deepika Mundra, a senior analyst at M&G Investments based in Britain.

"Particularly if you want to tap international markets."

Adani Green is one of many public and private companies key to helping India achieve its goals, she added. "It is quite important that all these (Adani Green) projects go through."

The Adani Green boom is reflected in a surge of 10,000% in its shares between 2018 and 2022 as power demand in India swells, spurring it to develop the energy park in Khavda in Gujarat.

"For us, this renewable energy park is a symbol of our commitment to sustainability and a symbol of national pride," Adani wrote in his annual report in June.

When complete, its output would be "enough to power nations like Belgium, Chile, and Switzerland," he added.

Adani has committed investment of $100 billion in the renewables sector, seen as core to the ports-to-airports conglomerate that is worth more than $135 billion.

Now the tide is turning for Adani Green, described by U.S. prosecutors as being at the heart of "The Corrupt Solar Project."

Workers assemble Photovoltaic Modules at the plant of Adani Green Energy Ltd
in Mundra, India, April 11, 2024.

After the U.S. indictment, TotalEnergies, which holds a stake of nearly 19.8% in Adani Green, was among the first to react, saying it would not invest more in the group for now.

It had not been made aware of the bribery case, even though Sagar Adani was served a grand jury subpoena last year by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, it added.

The Qatar Investment Authority, with a stake of 2.7%, declined comment.

But standing firm for now is GQG Investors, which holds a stake of 4.2%. In an internal client note seen by Reuters, it said, "We believe the fundamentals of the companies we are invested in remain sound."

Adani Green added power capacity of 37% each year to reach 11.2 GW by September this year, from a mere 2 GW in the 2018-19 financial year.

Its next big target is 50 GW goal by 2030, or a capacity addition of 31% each year, it told investors in a presentation in November.

'Renewable energy marvel'

Adani Green's revenues of $574 million during the period from April to September this year were up 20% on the year, boosting its cash profit 27% to $313 million over that time.

With large solar, wind and hybrid power developments in Gujarat and the desert state of Rajasthan, it is developing smaller pumped-storage hydro power projects in five Indian states.

The facilities in Rajasthan and Gujarat were to have supplied the power contracted for in the Adani deals that U.S. prosecutors allege to have been granted after payment of bribes.

One of them is the partly developed marquee project in Khavda, just 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the international border with Pakistan. It is described by Adani as "a renewable energy marvel in the making."

Adani is targeting a massive jump in operational capacity at the location to 30 GW by 2029, up from 2.25 GW now. Energy from the park can power 16.1 million homes each year, Adani says.

Windmill tubes of Adani Green Energy are loaded on transport trucks along Ahmedabad-Mundra National Highway near Viramgam in the western state of Gujarat, India, Nov. 25, 2024.

Reuters was among media which toured the project site in April, when thousands of laborers worked on construction and scores of solar panels were being installed.

Engineers that day talked up the potential of the project, which would sprawl across 540 sq km (210 sq miles) when complete, saying it would be visible from space.

"The kind of support being provided by the central government, and I must say, the state governments also, is extraordinary," Managing Director Vneet S. Jaain said at the time.

Jaain, one of three Adani executives, besides Gautam and Sagar Adani, indicted for offering bribes to Indian state officials to secure deals, has not responded to a request for comment from Reuters.

Bombed into silence: Hearing loss skyrockets in besieged Gaza

Palestinians in Gaza have been shocked to find their hearing impaired following Israeli bombing and are concerned they won't be able to hear incoming attacks

Nadda Osman
Sally Ibrahim
26 November, 2024
THE NEW ARAB

More people in Gaza are experiencing hearing loss as a result of Israel's attacks and the spread of disease [Getty]

When Samir Al-Dadah woke up from a two-week coma after Israel bombed his apartment in Gaza's Al-Jalaa neighbourhood, he was startled to see people's mouths moving but could not hear a sound.

The 39-year-old completely lost his hearing on 24 December 2023 after the Israeli bombing, which killed over 20 people, including five of his family members.

He was wounded in his foot and back, but more startling was when people around him shouted or spoke loudly - he still could hardly hear a word.

Al-Dadah later underwent several medical examinations, learning that he had gone completely deaf in one ear and lost 60 percent of his hearing in the other.

Medical professionals told him he needs to undergo urgent surgery to insert a cochlear implant, however, due to Israel’s closure of land crossings, he has been unable to get the treatment.

"I only remember hearing the sound of a strong explosion and the glow of fire surrounding me, and then I fell to the ground. I don't remember anything after that," Al-Dadah told The New Arab.

He is just one of many Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip experiencing hearing loss and respiratory issues, which experts say is because of relentless Israeli bombardment and the rapid spread of diseases.

Specialists believe that such cases have risen two to threefold compared to before Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.

Since the start of the war, which has killed at least 44,249 people in Gaza and wounded at least 104,746, Israeli attacks have forced medical facilities to close while the destruction of key infrastructure, such as sewage networks, has allowed diseases to proliferate, some affecting people's hearing.

Chest diseases and ear infections, which result in ear canals being blocked, are becoming more common in the Gaza Strip, experts say, with little medical assistance available to solve the issue.

Children and babies vulnerable

Children and babies are particularly susceptible to diseases and the consequences of Israeli bombardment.

According to Raja Sharaf, the head of the audiology department at Gaza’s Hamad Hospital, there is a notable increase in the number of deaf people, of all ages, in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive on the territory just over a year ago.

Sharaf attributed this to the piercing sound of shelling and explosions, or in some cases direct injuries.

"The sounds of violent shelling causes damage to the auditory nerve and permanent hearing problems that may continue with a person throughout their life. Most injuries are concentrated in one ear, where the infection rate is more than 50 per cent" Sharaf explained, adding that the only means of treatment is to install medical hearing aids.

However, she also noted that some cases are difficult and cannot even be treated with hearing aids, rendering people completely deaf.

On 7 August this year, the Abu Aram family welcomed their newborn baby daughter Julia in the central Gaza Strip. Despite the war on the enclave and harrowing conditions they were subjected to, she was still a glimmer of hope.

Just three days after her birth, the Israeli army targeted a house near where they were staying, forcing everyone in the area to flee for their lives.

In the chaos of being displaced again, Julia’s father Mohammed noticed something unusual in his daughter.

"My baby seemed quiet and only cried when she wanted to breastfeed. Two months later, the baby stopped responding to any sounds" he told The New Arab.

Abu Aram took her to several doctors where his daughter underwent medical tests, all confirming she had indeed completely lost her hearing.

"The news came as a shock to me, as I never expected that my baby would lose her hearing. Every time I try to play with her, I cry a lot because of how she has gone deaf," her father said.

Unable to hear bombing

One of the biggest obstacles Palestinians who are now suffering from hearing loss have faced is being unable to hear airstrikes or calls to evacuate.

Al-Dadah, who has been forcibly displaced and ended up in a tent in the Mawasi area of Gaza’s Khan Younis says this is something that has intensified fears amidst heavy Israeli shelling.

"About a week ago, the Israeli army targeted a tent that was only 500 metres away from my tent, but I never heard the bombing," he explained.

He said that he only knew there was bombing after seeing plumes of smoke arising from the targeted tent.

"I didn't run away like other people. I just felt my heart trembling and didn't know what to do. Day after day, I feel like I will die without even being able to hear the bombing," he added.

Al-Dadah is not the only one with this fear and is one of many who have been affected by Israeli attacks.

Earlier this year, Hashem Ghazal, a well-known carpenter, Palestinian sign language teacher and disability rights activist was killed in an Israeli strike which also killed his wife and wounded his children.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, around 10,000 Palestinians have been made disabled, the Palestinian NGOs Network said in June.

The NGO added that destruction of key infrastructure, such as roads and healthcare facilities, only make it harder for people with disabilities.

"This has significantly diminished their ability to mobilise and evacuate safely, and has resulted in the loss of crucial assistive devices, abandoned in the face of bombardment," the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, citing findings from the NGO.

In displacement camps, the experience of people with disabilities can be even more difficult, with experts highlighting that people with disabilities are more vulnerable to malnutrition and chronic illnesses, as well as death.

Rise in tinnitus

Earlier this year, Palestinians described having to wait months before being able to see doctors specialising in ear, nose and throat conditions, and for many, even when they are diagnosed they cannot access treatment.

Palestinians in Gaza who spoke to The New Arab said there has been a sharp increase in tinnitus among people, particularly after loud explosions.

For some, this is a constant ringing in the ears and for others it can be painful and cause headaches. While it is common, it can hugely impact peoples’ quality of life, by affecting their concentration and sleep, even triggering anxiety or depression.

Tinnitus can be caused by exposure to extreme loud noise, a build-up of ear wax or infections that causes ringing in the ears. Some experience it in one or both ears and it can come and go or be ever present.

Despite international organisations condemning attacks on Gaza and highlighting the impact on civilians, Israeli attacks and siege show no signs of ending.

Israeli forces bombed Gaza City’s Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children earlier this year, with Israeli soldiers grinning and posing with rifles in front of the building, as it was engulfed by flames.

The organisation has supported deaf and disabled Palestinians in the enclave since 1992 and employed deaf staff members.

Now, however, those experiencing tinnitus or other problems with their hearing have nowhere to turn to.

"While this is not the first school Israel has attacked using bombs and white phosphorous, this was an attack on what was once a safe and empowering place for deaf and disabled children and directly affects our community and the people we serve," the non-profit organisation Off-The-Grid Missions said in a statement following the attack.

According to Raja Sharaf, audiologist and speech-language pathologist from Gaza, hearing loss has remained a significant and growing problem since the Israeli siege on the enclave in 2007 due to frequent Israeli bombing and sonic booms.

Historically, Israel has imposed severe restrictions on hearing aids entering Gaza, most of which were delivered through the Erez Crossing. Patients would face months of delays while Israel carries out security checks, as well as during national Jewish holidays.

 

FASCIST UNITY

Netanyahu to Visit Hungary Amid ICC Controversy

By Charlie McCarthy    |   Tuesday, 26 November 2024 

NEWSMAX

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly accepted President Viktor Orbán's invitation to visit Hungary.

Orbán said Friday he had invited Netanyahu to visit Hungary after several other European nations said the Israeli premier would be detained if he set foot on their soil, after the issuing of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Netanyahu over Israel's war in Gaza.

Netanyahu quickly accepted Orbán's offer, Világgazdaság reported.

"I thank Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for the warm support for me and the State of Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Against the shameful weakness of those who have lined up alongside the outrageous decision against the State of Israel's right to defend itself, Hungary – like our friends in the US – has shown moral clarity and steadfastness on the side of justice and the truth."

The ICC last week issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks that triggered Israel's offensive in the Palestinian territory.

Assuring Netanyahu that he would face no risks if he visited Hungary, Orbán branded the arrest warrants a "brazen, cynical, and completely unacceptable decision." Orbán, who is often at odds with his European Union peers, has forged warm ties with Netanyahu.

"Today I will invite Israel's prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu, for a visit to Hungary, and in that invite, I will guarantee him that if he comes, the ICC ruling will have no effect in Hungary, and we will not follow its contents," Orbán said.

Orbán was not only leader to criticize the ICC's move.

President Joe Biden said the ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders were outrageous.

"Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security," Biden said in a statement.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be national security adviser, took to social media to condemn the ICC.

"The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government," Waltz posted on X with The Associated Press story about the ICC's action. "Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January."

Reuters contributed to this report.

Israel civil inquiry blames Netanyahu for October 7 failure


By Africanews with AP

11/26/2024


The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and heads of security services.

The commission led by retired judge Varda Alsheik presented its findings on Tuesday after a four month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe.

The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.”

It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of October 7, for his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues.

The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means. On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking.

The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attack.

Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over.

UN committee observes solidarity day, urges action for Palestinian rights, peace

Officials, envoys emphasize urgency of ending Israel's occupation, addressing humanitarian crises, pursuing two-state solution

Servet Gunerigok |26.11.2024 - TRT/AA


WASHINGTON

The UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held a special meeting Tuesday to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which falls on Friday.

"Today we once more gather to observe International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, not as a mere commemoration, but as a solemn reminder of unfulfilled promises, denied rights and the historic injustice," said Committee chair Cheikh Niang.

Stating that this year's commemoration takes place amid unprecedented suffering and tragedy, Niang, who is Senegal’s UN envoy, said: "The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people remain unrealized, including their right to self-determination, a right owed to all peoples on earth."

"We urgently call on the international community to take decisive action to end Israel's occupation to ensure accountability for protectors, deliver justice for the victims, and uphold the long overdue liberal rights of the Palestinian people," he added.

General Assembly President Philemon Yang said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved through force, endless occupation or annexation.

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only end when both Israelis and Palestinians are able to live side by side in their own independent states, in peace, security and dignity," said the president.

"We must restore hope, and some Palestinians hope that a better future is possible, and trust in the United Nations and its commitments, we can start building that future here today by demanding a cease-fire, an immediate return of the hostages, and the commencement of negotiations towards a long, lasting peace," Yang said.

Barbara Woodward, the UK's envoy to the UN, said a lasting and comprehensive solution in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can only be achieved by peaceful means.

She said the international community needs to redouble efforts to support a cease-fire, release all hostages and take urgent action to address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis and work toward the realization of a two-state solution to the conflict.

"We reiterate our unwavering commitment two-state solution and undermine the need to put in place urgent steps to revitalize a political pathway towards its realization," said Woodward.

Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the UN, conveyed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ message, saying the international community stands in solidarity for the dignity, rights, justice and self-determination of the Palestinians.

"This year's commemoration is especially painful, as those fundamental goals are as distant as they have ever been," said Mohammed.

Call for international intervention to stop Gaza tragedy

She said nothing justifies the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in Israel and nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

"Yet, more than a year later, Gaza is in ruins. More than 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been reportedly killed and the humanitarian crisis is getting worse by the day," said Mohammed, who called it "appalling" and "inexcusable".

For his part, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent observer to the UN, read a message from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who said urgent international intervention is needed to stop the tragedy in Gaza, which he said is taking place before the eyes and ears of the world.

"The international community has declared this international day in support of the rights of our people, foremost their right to self-determination and the independence of their state, which necessitates taking practical and dramatic steps to the dangers that are threatening millions of lives and the possibility of achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on international legitimacy," it said.

Abbas demanded suspending Israel's membership in the UN because of its refusal to abide by international law and obligations, and due to its insistence on continuing its crimes against the Palestinian people.

"At the same time, it's imperative to reject Israel's plans to separate Gaza from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, to diminish the state of Palestine's responsibility," said Abbas.

He said Israel needs to stop its settlement and occupation, killings, settler terrorism, attacks on the holy sites and the attempts to alter the legal status quo as well as raids on cities, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests in Palestine.

"Once again, I reiterate that the occupation will end and Palestinian rights will prevail no matter how long it takes," the message concludes.

In 1977, the UN General Assembly called for the annual observance on Nov. 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

On that day, in 1947, the Assembly adopted a resolution on the partition of Palestine into two states, one Arab and one Jewish.

PS; ZIONISTS OPPOSE CHRISTIANITY

Israeli soldiers film themselves desecrating church, mocking rituals in south Lebanon

Israeli soldiers filmed themselves breaking into a south Lebanon church and imitating wedding rituals, leading to widespread outrage.

The New Arab Staff
26 November, 2024

Churches and other religious buildings have come under attack as a result of Israel's war on Lebanon [Getty]

Israeli soldiers published video footage of themselves mocking wedding rituals and desecrating a church located in the village of Deir Mimas in south Lebanon.

In video footage widely shared online, the soldiers break into the church at night with torches and mimic the religious imagery on the walls, before going on to imitate a bride and groom at the altar while holding microphones.

The soldiers then proceed to mimic intimate acts on the church floor, pile on top of each other and sing.

The Israeli army issued a statement, saying they condemn the act and will be taking disciplinary measures.

"This is a serious act that is not in line with the IDF’s values and orders. The IDF respects all religions and condemns this type of behaviour. This incident is under investigation and those involved will be dealt with disciplinary action," an Israeli army spokesperson said.


The actions have been heavily denounced online, with many calling for the Israeli army to be held accountable for its actions in Lebanon and Gaza.

"Deafening silence of US and European politicians who spent the past 20 years masquerading as defenders of Eastern Christians, only to pander to western Islamophobes," Karim Emile Bitar, a professor of international relations wrote on social media platform X.

"Nihilist barbarians. Obscene and depraved," another social media user commented.

The video also prompted scathing criticism from Christian groups worldwide.

"What if this happened in a synagogue? They’d be screaming antisemitism," Wadie Abu Nassar, the coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum said according to Israeli media.

The Vatican also reportedly condemned the actions as "outrageous".

Since the start of Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon, faith leaders around the world have urged for a ceasefire and the protection of places of worship.

Last week, Pope Francis said that allegations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza should be "carefully investigated", marking some of his strongest remarks since the eruption of Israel’s offensive.

Israeli forces have also shared images of themselves in Gaza urinating on pages of the holy Quran and destroying and setting fire to mosques.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 44,249 Palestinians and wounded an additional 104,746 others since 7 October 2023. Israeli attacks have also killed at least 3,768 in Lebanon and wounded 15,699 others.

Eyewitnesses in Gaza say Israel is using sniper drones to shoot Palestinians

"No boots on the ground."

November 26, 2024
By  Kat Lonsdorf

NPR

Palestinians inspect damage following an Israeli airstrike that hit a home in the north of Gaza City on Thursday

.Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images

TEL AVIV, Israel — "The shelling isn't far from us at all," says Fatma Daama. "The shelling is on our street, around us."

In a series of voice messages recorded for NPR in her apartment on Oct. 9, the 37-year-old Palestinian in Jabalia describes Israeli tanks closing in, as her city and other parts of north Gaza were besieged by Israeli forces.

In one message, she's interrupted by the sound of four quick gunshots.

"Oh, hear that?" she says casually. "That's the quadcopter. It's here most of the time. If I go to the door to get better cell service, the quadcopter starts shooting at me and I have to go back inside. It's very dangerous."



The quadcopter is what many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip call a small sniper drone with a gun attached that can fire single bullets. Over the past five months, NPR has collected accounts about sniper drones from more than a dozen eyewitnesses in Gaza, including Daama. Many say they've seen the drones shoot — and kill — civilians.

Adeeb Shaqfa, 55, lost his 32-year-old son Saher in such an attack. He says he and his son were walking in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on May 31. It was a quiet afternoon and there was no fighting nearby, he says, when a sniper drone appeared in the sky and shot Saher, who was walking up ahead.

"Two men rushed to help him, but the quadcopter also shot them," Shaqfa says. "The quadcopter kept shooting everyone who tried to help."

He says two older women nearby were shot in the head. Shaqfa tried to help them, but they were already dead. One of the men who tried to help his son was killed too, he says.
Eyewitness accounts point to use of sniper drones in different parts of Gaza

The Israeli military tells NPR it is unaware of this incident, which it says "do[es] not align in any way with IDF directives and protocols," using the initials for the Israel Defense Forces. It says any suggestion that it "intends to harm civilians is unfounded and baseless."

Earlier this month, British surgeon Dr. Nizam Mamode testified before the U.K. Parliament's International Development Committee about his experience volunteering in August and September at Nasser Hospital in central Gaza, where he said he treated many injuries from sniper drones.

"The drones would come down and pick off civilians, children. And we had description after description. This is not, you know, an occasional thing," Mamode testified. "This was day after day after day, operating on children, who would say, 'I was lying on the ground after a bomb had dropped, and this quadcopter came down and hovered over me and shot me.' "

Many of those who spoke with NPR brought up these attacks in an offhand way — a reflection, perhaps, of how common the technology seems to them in the war. But little has been reported on it. Israel has not confirmed using sniper drone technology. Israel's United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon told NPR's All Things Considered he could not respond to specific questions about sniper drone use, saying, "We are using sophisticated weapons in order to minimize civilian casualties. The fact that we have sophisticated weapons, it helps us to target and kill the terrorists. And that's what we are trying to do."

NPR has gathered the following additional accounts from eyewitnesses in Gaza:
In Beit Lahiya, in the north, several Palestinians tell NPR that sniper drones shot at civilians late last month as they rushed to help pull people from the rubble after an Israeli airstrike leveled a building full of families. "We came back the day after the strike to try to recover the bodies of our family, but the Israeli quadcopter started shooting at us. We weren't able to get to them," Mohammed Ashraf Abu El Nasr, 18, says.

Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta, a visiting surgeon from the U.K., describes sniper drones firing on people as they tried to enter Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City, where he was working last November. He tells NPR he saw more than 20 injuries in one day from sniper drone shots, including at least one child shot in the neck. That child later died.

Khaled Abdel Moneim, 27, tells NPR in July he witnessed a sniper drone opening fire in a camp full of displaced people in Nuseirat, in central Gaza. "It fired at people randomly," he says. "It fired very, very, very heavily."

Dr. Mimi Syed, an American emergency and trauma physician who worked at Nasser Hospital in central Gaza for a month this past summer, says she had multiple patients a day — many in pediatrics — with single gunshot wounds to the head. "Every time someone would come in, they would be brought by family, and it was my routine practice to ask what happened. And every time, it would be a quadcopter drone shot," Dr. Syed says. "And this was on individual days, from different parts of Gaza, in individual incidents, over and over again."

In July, Youssef Abd-Alatif, 30, told NPR about his experience with a sniper drone in central Gaza. "We were sitting at home, and then suddenly a sound came, like the sound of fans, and it started getting closer," Abd-Alatif said, describing hearing the drone. "Then it started firing randomly everywhere, and the sound kept getting closer and closer, and the shooting increased everywhere." He and his family fled and found shelter in a school. But many others in his neighborhood, he says, were injured or killed in that incident.

NPR shared details of these accounts with Israel's military, which responded: "The claim that the IDF carries out indiscriminate fire towards children or other uninvolved civilians is completely baseless. The IDF is committed to the international law, as well as the law of armed conflict, and operates accordingly."

There is evidence that Israel's military has sniper drone technology

The Israeli military has not responded to NPR's repeated question if it could verify its use of sniper drone technology in Gaza.

"Israel, frankly, like many militaries, is very cautious about what kinds of information it provides about its operations and tactics that it uses," says Seth Jones, director of defense and security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "But that also makes it more difficult for everyday Israelis or journalists or other researchers to understand how these things are being used."

Further hampering that understanding was a decades-long Israeli censorship law — lifted in 2022 — forbidding the media from reporting on its use of armed drones. And Israel has not allowed outside journalists independent access to report on the war inside Gaza, where health officials say more than 44,000 people have been killed since the war began after the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, which Israel says killed some 1,200 people.

But sniper drone technology — distinct from that of other armed drones, which often carry bombs — does exist, and videos released by some drone makers and the Israeli defense ministry indicate that the Israeli military has acquired it.

In 2014, veterans of Israeli special forces units formed a U.S.-based company called Duke Robotics, which later announced it had created the TIKAD — a small drone with a camera that could be outfitted with several different types of lightweight firearms and shoot while it hovers, adjusting for the recoil of the weapons. A 2018 marketing video describes the drones as "the future soldier" that can be "deployed to places human soldiers can't reach, or simply shouldn't have to go." The video says the company "is in the process of implementing orders from Israeli forces."

At the end is a tagline: "No boots on the ground."

Around the same time, the Israeli defense ministry shared a video with Israeli press showing some of its newest technology, starting with soldiers seen operating one of Duke Robotics' sniper drones and firing at targets at an outdoor shooting range.


In 2021, Duke Robotics announced it had joined with an Israeli company, Elbit Systems, specifically to further develop the TIKAD drone and market it globally.

Other similar drones are on the market, also made by Israeli companies.

In 2022, an Israeli company called Smartshooter announced a drone called Smash Dragon. A YouTube video posted by the company shows a small drone attached with a rifle barrel taking flight. The video then zooms in through the drone viewfinder to show the drone locking in on a human-shaped target before taking a shot. Smartshooter's website says it uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to provide what it calls "'one shot-one hit' precision."

In response to a question from NPR, Smartshooter denied that its Smash Dragon drone is being used by the Israeli military. But Israeli forces have touted the use of other Smartshooter technology in the past, and some other Smartshooter products are partially funded by Israel's Defense Ministry's research and development wing.

A Gaza hospital treats sniper drone attack victims — including its own personnel

Dr. Ahmad Moghrabi, a head surgeon at Nasser Hospital in central Gaza, says he and his colleagues are very familiar with the sniper drone, which they refer to as the quadcopter.

"The gunshot of the quadcopter, it has a special sound," he explains. "They used to shoot at the displaced people inside the hospital, and they killed many people actually at the hospital," he says.

In early February, Nasser Hospital was a focus of the Israeli military, which said Hamas fighters were hiding there. (The hospital has not commented publicly on this allegation). Hundreds of Palestinian civilians, displaced by fighting, had taken shelter there.

Moghrabi says he has treated many people shot by sniper drones — and saved the life of his own co-worker, a nurse who was shot in the chest by a drone on Feb. 1 while the two men were taking a break together on a first-floor balcony after a long surgery.



In a video from the day, which Moghrabi recorded on his phone and sent to NPR, blood blooms from a bullet wound on the nurse's right chest as two colleagues hurriedly help him through the hospital hallways, and then lift him onto an operating table. Colleagues cut away his jacket and scrubs and start an IV drip, getting ready to operate.

The Israeli military tells NPR it is unaware of this incident.

Weaponized drones are part of warfare's present and future

"We're reaching a point where there is increasingly diminished human oversight over the practice of killing in war, and also the decision-making process around who lives or dies," says James Rogers, an expert on drone warfare and emerging technologies at Cornell University.

"No matter how precise your weapon systems are," he says, "if your intelligence is wrong, then all that precision, that guaranteed destruction of the target, means is the guaranteed death of the wrong person."

And, as Jones from CSIS points out, once technology exists, it rarely goes away.

"The reality is, this is an evolution in the character of war," Jones says. "So I don't think we're going to turn around and go the other direction."

Weaponized drones, he says, are part of the future of warfare.

Ahmed Abuhamda contributed to this report from Cairo. Abu Bakr Bashir contributed from London. Itay Stern contributed from Tel Aviv and Yanal Jabarin contributed from Jerusalem.