Friday, July 10, 2020
Liverpool addresses its slave trade past
Issued on: 11/07/2020
Issued on: 11/07/2020
Councillor Anna Rothery, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, says its links to the slave trade amounts to "an awful, wicked history for the city" OLI SCARFF AFP
Liverpool (AFP)
Anna Rothery is the first black woman to hold the position of Lord Mayor of Liverpool, a largely ceremonial role for elected councillors to promote the interests of the city.
But she finds hard one aspect of Liverpool's past that made the city what it is today -- its links to the international slave trade.
"It's an awful, wicked history for the city," the city council member told AFP, pointing to a street sign named after one of Liverpool's leading slave-trading dynasties.
"Earle Street depicts a family that expanded over a century in terms of dealing with ships, slavery, working with plantations, transporting goods from Virginia," she said.
At the junction of Cunliffe Street and Sir Thomas Street, she points out that both were named after owners of the first registered slave ships to leave the city in northwest England.
"Everybody from around the world comes to the city to visit because they want to understand the role that Liverpool played in the transatlantic slave trade," she went on.
"And it was a huge role."
- Apologies -
The death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, during a US police arrest sparked outrage across the world and a wave of anti-racism protests.
In Britain, as elsewhere, it also sparked heated debate about whether prestigious buildings and streets should still be named after people at the forefront of the slave trade.
Statues erected to honour slave traders have been torn down or cautiously removed by councils in response to the public mood.
For visitors, Liverpool is football, the Beatles and its so-called "Three Graces" -- the imposing Liver Building, Cunard Building, and Port of Liverpool Building.
But for locals, Rothery said "everybody recognises where the finance came from" to develop the port and grand buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries that still stand.
The city is coming to terms with its past: the International Slavery Museum opened in 2007 in Royal Albert Dock, yards from where slave ships were fitted out and repaired.
Liverpool University is planning to rename a student hall of residence named after the former prime minister William Gladstone because of his family's links to slavery.
But Rothery said "in 2020 you look around the city, you will see very few black people employed", denouncing "systemic racism".
University College London recently published a database of leading British institutions and companies that profited from slavery.
Included on the list were the Church of England, the Bank of England, insurers Lloyds of London, and the Greene King brewery chain.
Recognising the public mood, they apologised but the debate has not subsided, with discussion centred on the extent to which the British economy benefited from the practice.
A 2018 report by Klas Ronnback, professor of economics at the University of Gothenburg, estimated that in 1800, the slave trade accounted for 11.1 percent of Britain's economic output.
After Britain's abolition of slavery in 1833, damages were paid either directly or indirectly to thousands of former slave owners for the loss of "property".
In all, £20 million was paid -- a colossal sum for the time.
- Damages -
Today, it is damages to descendants of victims of slavery that are under discussion.
Some oppose such a move, arguing that descendants are impossible to identify or that organisations with links to the slave trade are not responsible for what happened 200 years ago.
Others, like Rothery, want money to fight inequality and give black people a fairer chance in society and the workplace.
"We must not only move forward on the question of statues and street names but also on the lack of economic opportunities for the black population," she said.
Joe Anderson, the city's directly elected mayor, has acknowledged Liverpool "hasn't done anywhere near the amount of things it should have done".
That included in the workplace and political representation.
UCL historian Keith McClelland, who works on the slavery database, believes funding scholarships for black students from disadvantaged backgrounds and donations to anti-racist associations would be a good way of addressing the issue of reparations.
This is already happening, with Greene King and Lloyds committed to offering "significant" payments to support black and ethnic minority communities, and improve racial diversity in their businesses.
© 2020 AFP
Liverpool (AFP)
Anna Rothery is the first black woman to hold the position of Lord Mayor of Liverpool, a largely ceremonial role for elected councillors to promote the interests of the city.
But she finds hard one aspect of Liverpool's past that made the city what it is today -- its links to the international slave trade.
"It's an awful, wicked history for the city," the city council member told AFP, pointing to a street sign named after one of Liverpool's leading slave-trading dynasties.
"Earle Street depicts a family that expanded over a century in terms of dealing with ships, slavery, working with plantations, transporting goods from Virginia," she said.
At the junction of Cunliffe Street and Sir Thomas Street, she points out that both were named after owners of the first registered slave ships to leave the city in northwest England.
"Everybody from around the world comes to the city to visit because they want to understand the role that Liverpool played in the transatlantic slave trade," she went on.
"And it was a huge role."
- Apologies -
The death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, during a US police arrest sparked outrage across the world and a wave of anti-racism protests.
In Britain, as elsewhere, it also sparked heated debate about whether prestigious buildings and streets should still be named after people at the forefront of the slave trade.
Statues erected to honour slave traders have been torn down or cautiously removed by councils in response to the public mood.
For visitors, Liverpool is football, the Beatles and its so-called "Three Graces" -- the imposing Liver Building, Cunard Building, and Port of Liverpool Building.
But for locals, Rothery said "everybody recognises where the finance came from" to develop the port and grand buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries that still stand.
The city is coming to terms with its past: the International Slavery Museum opened in 2007 in Royal Albert Dock, yards from where slave ships were fitted out and repaired.
Liverpool University is planning to rename a student hall of residence named after the former prime minister William Gladstone because of his family's links to slavery.
But Rothery said "in 2020 you look around the city, you will see very few black people employed", denouncing "systemic racism".
University College London recently published a database of leading British institutions and companies that profited from slavery.
Included on the list were the Church of England, the Bank of England, insurers Lloyds of London, and the Greene King brewery chain.
Recognising the public mood, they apologised but the debate has not subsided, with discussion centred on the extent to which the British economy benefited from the practice.
A 2018 report by Klas Ronnback, professor of economics at the University of Gothenburg, estimated that in 1800, the slave trade accounted for 11.1 percent of Britain's economic output.
After Britain's abolition of slavery in 1833, damages were paid either directly or indirectly to thousands of former slave owners for the loss of "property".
In all, £20 million was paid -- a colossal sum for the time.
- Damages -
Today, it is damages to descendants of victims of slavery that are under discussion.
Some oppose such a move, arguing that descendants are impossible to identify or that organisations with links to the slave trade are not responsible for what happened 200 years ago.
Others, like Rothery, want money to fight inequality and give black people a fairer chance in society and the workplace.
"We must not only move forward on the question of statues and street names but also on the lack of economic opportunities for the black population," she said.
Joe Anderson, the city's directly elected mayor, has acknowledged Liverpool "hasn't done anywhere near the amount of things it should have done".
That included in the workplace and political representation.
UCL historian Keith McClelland, who works on the slavery database, believes funding scholarships for black students from disadvantaged backgrounds and donations to anti-racist associations would be a good way of addressing the issue of reparations.
This is already happening, with Greene King and Lloyds committed to offering "significant" payments to support black and ethnic minority communities, and improve racial diversity in their businesses.
© 2020 AFP
Bella Hadid says ‘proud to be Palestinian’ after Instagram deletes story showing her father's birthplace
July 8, 2020
Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid
July 8, 2020
Bella Hadid has hit out at Instagram after the site deleted a Story post of her father’s expired passport, which listed his place of birth as Palestine, saying she’s “proud to be Palestinian”.
Hadid, 23, shared the picture last week, writing, “My baba and his birthplace of Palestine”, but revealed yesterday Instagram had removed the post for violating “community guidelines”.
The 23-year-old supermodel, who is of Dutch and Palestinian descent, explained yesterday why the Story had been removed, writing: “Instagram removed my story that only said, “My baba And his birthplace of Palestine”, with a photograph of his American passport. @instragram exactly what part of me being proud of my fathers birth place of Palestine is “bullying, harassment, graphic, or sexual nudity”?”.
Adding, alongside a screenshot of the notification from Instagram:
Are we not allowed to be Palestinian on Instagram? This, to me, is bullying. You can’t erase history by silencing people. It doesn’t work like that.
July 8, 2020
Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid
July 8, 2020
Bella Hadid has hit out at Instagram after the site deleted a Story post of her father’s expired passport, which listed his place of birth as Palestine, saying she’s “proud to be Palestinian”.
Hadid, 23, shared the picture last week, writing, “My baba and his birthplace of Palestine”, but revealed yesterday Instagram had removed the post for violating “community guidelines”.
The 23-year-old supermodel, who is of Dutch and Palestinian descent, explained yesterday why the Story had been removed, writing: “Instagram removed my story that only said, “My baba And his birthplace of Palestine”, with a photograph of his American passport. @instragram exactly what part of me being proud of my fathers birth place of Palestine is “bullying, harassment, graphic, or sexual nudity”?”.
Adding, alongside a screenshot of the notification from Instagram:
Are we not allowed to be Palestinian on Instagram? This, to me, is bullying. You can’t erase history by silencing people. It doesn’t work like that.
“Do you want him to change his birthplace for you? I am proud to be Palestinian”, Hadid added alongside a repost of the picture of her father’s expired passport.
READ: Gigi Hadid’s dad and his childhood home in Palestine
It was not immediately clear the exact reason Hadid’s post was removed under Instagram’s “community guidelines on harassment or bullying”, but the supermodel’s fans were quick to show their support on Twitter.
One user praised Hadid, writing: “Too many Arabs allow society/Hollywood/social media to shut them down & then they participate in their own erasure. You said, “not today.” And the rest of us say, “Not ever.”
Thank you @bellahadid for being a visible & vocal advocate of Palestine. Too many Arabs allow society/Hollywood/social media to shut them down & then they participate in their own erasure. You said, “Not today.” And the rest of us say, “Not ever.” #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/NBFp6vVAFH
— Philistine Ayad 🇵🇸 Free Palestine (@PhilistineAyad) July 8, 2020
While another wrote: “I am absolutely here for a young woman as prominent and influential as Bella Hadid openly discussing Palestine and the struggles of the Palestinian people. She’s the only “A-lister” I’ve seen do it”.
Bella Hadid, along with siblings Gigi, Anwar and father Mohamed, have been vocal advocates of Palestinian rights for years, using their platforms to promote the cause.
In December 2017, the 23-year-old reportedly spontaneously joined a Palestinian solidarity march in London. While, in the same month, the supermodel condemned the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, writing on Instagram: “Watching the news and seeing the pain of the Palestinian people makes me cry for the many many generations of Palestine… the treatment of the Palestinian people is unfair, one-sided and should not be tolerated. I stand with Palestine”.
READ: Gigi Hadid’s dad and his childhood home in Palestine
It was not immediately clear the exact reason Hadid’s post was removed under Instagram’s “community guidelines on harassment or bullying”, but the supermodel’s fans were quick to show their support on Twitter.
One user praised Hadid, writing: “Too many Arabs allow society/Hollywood/social media to shut them down & then they participate in their own erasure. You said, “not today.” And the rest of us say, “Not ever.”
Thank you @bellahadid for being a visible & vocal advocate of Palestine. Too many Arabs allow society/Hollywood/social media to shut them down & then they participate in their own erasure. You said, “Not today.” And the rest of us say, “Not ever.” #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/NBFp6vVAFH
— Philistine Ayad 🇵🇸 Free Palestine (@PhilistineAyad) July 8, 2020
While another wrote: “I am absolutely here for a young woman as prominent and influential as Bella Hadid openly discussing Palestine and the struggles of the Palestinian people. She’s the only “A-lister” I’ve seen do it”.
Bella Hadid, along with siblings Gigi, Anwar and father Mohamed, have been vocal advocates of Palestinian rights for years, using their platforms to promote the cause.
In December 2017, the 23-year-old reportedly spontaneously joined a Palestinian solidarity march in London. While, in the same month, the supermodel condemned the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, writing on Instagram: “Watching the news and seeing the pain of the Palestinian people makes me cry for the many many generations of Palestine… the treatment of the Palestinian people is unfair, one-sided and should not be tolerated. I stand with Palestine”.
bellahadid
Verified
💔I've been waiting to put this into perfect words but I realized there is no perfect way to speak of something so unjust. A very very sad day.Watching the news and seeing the pain of the Palestinian people makes me cry for the many many generations of Palestine.
Seeing the sadness of my father, cousins, and Palestinian family that are feeling for our Palestinian ancestors makes this even harder to write. Jerusalem is home of all religions. For this to happen, I feel, makes us take 5 steps back making it harder to live in a world of peace.
The TREATMENT of the Palestinian people is unfair, one-sided and should not be tolerated. I stand with Palestine.
There is no hate against anyone... There are no sides... All religions living side by side.. Now it is Just one man..it has always been a factor of trying to bring peace... Where is the hope..?
Coronavirus: Yemen's hungry turn to begging as crisis deepens
Many Yemenis are losing their sources of income because of the pandemic and fear hunger far more than Covid-19
'No one wants to beg or to see their children beg but this
Many Yemenis are losing their sources of income because of the pandemic and fear hunger far more than Covid-19
'No one wants to beg or to see their children beg but this
is better than staying at home and going hungry,'
Azizah Hayani said (MEE/Khalid al-Banna)
By MEE correspondent in Sanaa Published date: 21 June 2020
Azizah al-Hayani is a 40-year-old displaced woman in al-Kadaha camp, which lies south of the Yemeni city of Taiz.
After the fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces reached their village in 2017, her family of 10 fled Maqbana district, located on the road between Taiz and Hodeidah provinces.
Hayani’s husband was a day labourer, but after being forced to leave their home, he started suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, leaving her to become the family’s main provider.
Yemenis do not need a fundraising conference. They need the war to endRead More »
“I’ve been the breadwinner since 2017. I started going from house to house selling vegetables in this area,” Hayani told Middle East Eye.
“It is very difficult being a mother of eight children and the breadwinner of the family."
Hayani and her family live under one tent made of wood and tarp, where the only food to be found is whatever she brings in that day.
“When we arrived to this area, the residents helped us set up the tent and then some displaced people helped us with food. They still do that sometimes," she said.
The income that Hayani earns from selling vegetables was already hardly enough to buy the most basic necessities, but when coronavirus spread in Taiz, things became even worse.
“I used to earn around 1,500 rials ($2) per day and I struggled to provide my children with food and buy my husband his medicines," she said.
“But there’s no more work these days. People stopped buying vegetables from me, saying I’m spreading corona from house to house."
Closed doors
Hayani wasn’t fully aware of Covid-19 and its dangers until her customers started closing their front doors in her face because they were afraid of contracting the virus.
“I used to have some customers who supported my work over the past three years, but nowadays they close their doors, telling me not to knock on them again," she recalled.
Hayani believes that her customers are good people but the danger of Covid-19 has forced them to behave this way.
“I’ve lost my work and if I stay at home, we would starve to death and my husband wouldn’t get his medicines. We had no other solution but to beg in the market."
In the morning, Hayani sends her children to the market daily to beg until noon so that the family has food to eat that day. She sometimes begs herself.
“No one wants to beg or to see their children beg but this is better than staying at home and going hungry."
Azizah al-Hayani is a 40-year-old displaced woman in al-Kadaha camp, which lies south of the Yemeni city of Taiz.
After the fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces reached their village in 2017, her family of 10 fled Maqbana district, located on the road between Taiz and Hodeidah provinces.
Hayani’s husband was a day labourer, but after being forced to leave their home, he started suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, leaving her to become the family’s main provider.
Yemenis do not need a fundraising conference. They need the war to endRead More »
“I’ve been the breadwinner since 2017. I started going from house to house selling vegetables in this area,” Hayani told Middle East Eye.
“It is very difficult being a mother of eight children and the breadwinner of the family."
Hayani and her family live under one tent made of wood and tarp, where the only food to be found is whatever she brings in that day.
“When we arrived to this area, the residents helped us set up the tent and then some displaced people helped us with food. They still do that sometimes," she said.
The income that Hayani earns from selling vegetables was already hardly enough to buy the most basic necessities, but when coronavirus spread in Taiz, things became even worse.
“I used to earn around 1,500 rials ($2) per day and I struggled to provide my children with food and buy my husband his medicines," she said.
“But there’s no more work these days. People stopped buying vegetables from me, saying I’m spreading corona from house to house."
Closed doors
Hayani wasn’t fully aware of Covid-19 and its dangers until her customers started closing their front doors in her face because they were afraid of contracting the virus.
“I used to have some customers who supported my work over the past three years, but nowadays they close their doors, telling me not to knock on them again," she recalled.
Hayani believes that her customers are good people but the danger of Covid-19 has forced them to behave this way.
“I’ve lost my work and if I stay at home, we would starve to death and my husband wouldn’t get his medicines. We had no other solution but to beg in the market."
In the morning, Hayani sends her children to the market daily to beg until noon so that the family has food to eat that day. She sometimes begs herself.
“No one wants to beg or to see their children beg but this is better than staying at home and going hungry."
UNHCR estimates that more than 3.6 million people have been forced to flee their houses in Yemen since the start of the latest conflict in 2015 (MEE/Khalid al-Banna)
Most of the displaced people in al-Kadaha have sent their children to beg in the streets and markets after having lost their jobs either after fleeing their homes or with the spread of Covid-19.
Many women in the camp have also been forced to beg.
'I don’t care about corona as this is a disease from God, but I’m worried about my children starving to death'
- Azizah al-Hayani
Hayani said she is not afraid of the virus.
To her, it is not more dangerous than hunger, and the family cannot take any precautionary measures in an overcrowded camp.
“We are ten people under the same tent and there are thousands of people living in this overcrowded camp who are in need of all basic services, including water and soap, so how can we save ourselves from corona?” she said.
“I don’t care about corona as this is a disease from God, but I’m worried about my children starving to death."
The UN refugee agency said last month that its work in Yemen was approaching a "potential breaking point" as the coronavirus spreads, with rising numbers of families resorting to begging, child labour and the marrying of children.
An estimated 80 percent of the population - 24 million people - require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The first Covid-19 case was confirmed in Yemen on 10 April. There are currently more than 900 confirmed cases in the areas under the control of the internationally recognised government, while the Houthis have announced only four cases with one death, all in Sanaa. However, the number of cases is likely far higher than what has been reported.
Ahlam Mohamed, a member of Shiryan al-Ata, one of the civil society organisations working in Taiz, said there has been an increase in the number of beggars after the virus broke in Yemen.
She said people cannot afford to maintain social distance, otherwise they would starve, with many having lost their jobs and now dependent on charity.
Food vs Covid-19
Soleiman al-Moghabesh, a young displaced man in al-Kadaha, said that most of the displaced families do not have food in their tents and rely on begging.
“Some families in this camp have been depending on begging since 2017, while others only started in the past few months after they lost their jobs due to corona”, Moghabesh told MEE.
'If the children don’t beg, who is going to provide us with food? Can you imagine how hunger will kill us in our tents?'
- Soleiman al-Moghabesh
“Food is the priority for us. We still go to the market to look for work and our children beg to help us provide for our families.”
While Moghabesh is aware of the spread of Covid-19 in Taiz he, like Hayani, believes that it is not more dangerous than hunger.
“We’ve heard that some people got infected with corona, but they have recovered as it isn’t always very dangerous,” he said.
“At the same time, we’ve also heard that malnutrition has led to the death of many people, including many children."
Almost 20 million people in Yemen are food insecure, while an estimated quarter of a million are on the brink of starvation.
Moghabesh said that he will not stop going to the market, even if the virus spreads in his area. The children of the camp, he says, will keep working the markets and the streets.
“If the children don’t beg, who is going to provide us with food? Can you imagine how hunger will kill us in our tents? I thank the generous people who are helping the children and women with some food and money because they are helping us to stay alive.”
Most of the displaced people in al-Kadaha have sent their children to beg in the streets and markets after having lost their jobs either after fleeing their homes or with the spread of Covid-19.
Many women in the camp have also been forced to beg.
'I don’t care about corona as this is a disease from God, but I’m worried about my children starving to death'
- Azizah al-Hayani
Hayani said she is not afraid of the virus.
To her, it is not more dangerous than hunger, and the family cannot take any precautionary measures in an overcrowded camp.
“We are ten people under the same tent and there are thousands of people living in this overcrowded camp who are in need of all basic services, including water and soap, so how can we save ourselves from corona?” she said.
“I don’t care about corona as this is a disease from God, but I’m worried about my children starving to death."
The UN refugee agency said last month that its work in Yemen was approaching a "potential breaking point" as the coronavirus spreads, with rising numbers of families resorting to begging, child labour and the marrying of children.
An estimated 80 percent of the population - 24 million people - require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The first Covid-19 case was confirmed in Yemen on 10 April. There are currently more than 900 confirmed cases in the areas under the control of the internationally recognised government, while the Houthis have announced only four cases with one death, all in Sanaa. However, the number of cases is likely far higher than what has been reported.
Ahlam Mohamed, a member of Shiryan al-Ata, one of the civil society organisations working in Taiz, said there has been an increase in the number of beggars after the virus broke in Yemen.
She said people cannot afford to maintain social distance, otherwise they would starve, with many having lost their jobs and now dependent on charity.
Food vs Covid-19
Soleiman al-Moghabesh, a young displaced man in al-Kadaha, said that most of the displaced families do not have food in their tents and rely on begging.
“Some families in this camp have been depending on begging since 2017, while others only started in the past few months after they lost their jobs due to corona”, Moghabesh told MEE.
'If the children don’t beg, who is going to provide us with food? Can you imagine how hunger will kill us in our tents?'
- Soleiman al-Moghabesh
“Food is the priority for us. We still go to the market to look for work and our children beg to help us provide for our families.”
While Moghabesh is aware of the spread of Covid-19 in Taiz he, like Hayani, believes that it is not more dangerous than hunger.
“We’ve heard that some people got infected with corona, but they have recovered as it isn’t always very dangerous,” he said.
“At the same time, we’ve also heard that malnutrition has led to the death of many people, including many children."
Almost 20 million people in Yemen are food insecure, while an estimated quarter of a million are on the brink of starvation.
Moghabesh said that he will not stop going to the market, even if the virus spreads in his area. The children of the camp, he says, will keep working the markets and the streets.
“If the children don’t beg, who is going to provide us with food? Can you imagine how hunger will kill us in our tents? I thank the generous people who are helping the children and women with some food and money because they are helping us to stay alive.”
Soleiman al-Moghabesh is aware of the spread of Covid-19 in Taiz but believes that it is not more dangerous than hunger (MEE/Khalid al-Banna)
Moghabesh is pessimistic. He has had many hopes dashed across the course of his life, including his dream of returning home.
“I used to dream to have my own project, but in displacement all we can think about, all the time, is getting food and basic services,” he added.
“The biggest dream has become to return home.”
No place like home
The sociology professor Mamoon Mohammed says that the increase of beggars is an expected result of the ongoing war and the pandemic.
While people have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 all over the world, the situation is more critical in Yemen, Mohammed believes, because it was already dire before the virus.
“It is very difficult to tell people to stay at home when they don’t have food to eat or water to wash their hands,” he said.
Coronavirus: Yemeni expats, from breadwinners to dependentsRead More »
“The government and organisations should intervene and provide displaced and needy people with enough food to stay home.”
It is estimated that more than 3.6 million people have been forced to flee their houses in Yemen since the start of the latest conflict in 2015, according to the UNHCR.
Hayani said she hopes to return to her house and resume her normal life. That’s proving difficult, with fighting ongoing there.
“There is no place better than home," she said.
“If I was at home, I would have cared about corona, but here I’m facing many challenges and corona will not be worse.”
Moghabesh is pessimistic. He has had many hopes dashed across the course of his life, including his dream of returning home.
“I used to dream to have my own project, but in displacement all we can think about, all the time, is getting food and basic services,” he added.
“The biggest dream has become to return home.”
No place like home
The sociology professor Mamoon Mohammed says that the increase of beggars is an expected result of the ongoing war and the pandemic.
While people have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 all over the world, the situation is more critical in Yemen, Mohammed believes, because it was already dire before the virus.
“It is very difficult to tell people to stay at home when they don’t have food to eat or water to wash their hands,” he said.
Coronavirus: Yemeni expats, from breadwinners to dependentsRead More »
“The government and organisations should intervene and provide displaced and needy people with enough food to stay home.”
It is estimated that more than 3.6 million people have been forced to flee their houses in Yemen since the start of the latest conflict in 2015, according to the UNHCR.
Hayani said she hopes to return to her house and resume her normal life. That’s proving difficult, with fighting ongoing there.
“There is no place better than home," she said.
“If I was at home, I would have cared about corona, but here I’m facing many challenges and corona will not be worse.”
US envoy slammed for accusing Jewish-American group of antisemitism
Elan Carr's remarks draw outrage as J Street accuses diplomat of using charge of antisemitism 'for political purposes'
J Street promotion image from last March, which US envoy
Elan Carr said promoted 'crude antisemitic conspiracy theories'
(AFP/File photo)
By MEE staff Published date: 9 July 2020
The United States envoy to combat antisemitism has sparked outrage after accusing a liberal Jewish-American group of using an image that he said promoted "crude antisemitic conspiracy theories".
Elan Carr on Wednesday tweeted a screenshot of a J Street post, featuring a picture from March 2019 in which US President Donald Trump is looking up at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surrounded by White House advisers who happen to be Jewish Americans.
"How dare @jstreetdotorg use this picture in this context. Their imagery uses #Antisemitism and crude anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to advance their agenda. They should withdraw this and apologize to @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and to #Jewish Americans who serve our great country," Carr wrote.
The photo was used as a promotional image for an anti-annexation campaign launched by J Street, which describes itself as pro-Israel and pro-peace. The Jewish-American group has been calling on US senators to oppose Israel’s plans to claim large swaths of the occupied West Bank.
How dare @jstreetdotorg use this picture in this context. Their imagery uses #Antisemitism and crude anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to advance their agenda. They should withdraw this and apologize to @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and to #Jewish Americans who serve our great country. pic.twitter.com/g4nz13g8K3— U.S. Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism (@USEAntiSemitism) July 8, 2020
The organisation was quick to respond, calling Carr's comments "a shameful, bad faith attack".
"This is a photo of some of the primary contributors to Trump's disastrous annexation plan. Please do your job & combat actual antisemitic bigotry instead of launching transparently partisan attacks against critics of your boss' Mideast policies," the group continued.
J Street's president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, tweeted that Carr was using a "charge of Anti-Semitism for political purposes" and should be disqualified from his postion for doing so.
Just making sure I understand, @simonwiesenthal, you're asking us to remove an actual photo of Donald Trump, Bibi Netanyahu and their advisers at the White House because the picture - which ran in many news outlets - is anti-Semitic? This so demeans your name and mission. https://t.co/rrov61BOaq— Jeremy Ben-Ami (@JeremyBenAmi) July 8, 2020
Harry Reis, director of policy and strategy at the New Israel Fund, an Israeli lobby group, called the accusation of antisemitism "a grotesque distortion".
"These are literally the plan's authors," Reis said, referring to the most recent US plan for the Middle East. "That [Trump] appointed three Orthodox Jews with deep ties to the settlement enterprise to draft a US 'peace' plan does not make a photo op of these senior policy makers anti-Semitic. What a shande."
Others also expressed outrage and confusion at Carr's accusation.
"This is a real photo, though. What is antisemitic about it? What are the conspiracy theories?" Arieh Kovler, a communications consultant based in Israel, tweeted.
The photo, which was tinted red, is a real image taken during a meeting last year, during which Trump signed a declaration recognising Israel’s claimed sovereignty over Syria's Golan Heights.
Also sharing Carr's post, Ben Friedman, an adjunct professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, accused the US envoy of making "a mockery out of anti-semitism by applying the term to speech he dislikes".
Friedman called Carr's comments a "timely reminder of how people have used the specter of anti-semitism to block debate".
Here the "U.S. Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism," @USEAntiSemitism, makes a mockery out of anti-semitism by applying the term to speech he dislikes. https://t.co/rnIlrLjQTF— Ben Friedman (@BH_Friedman) July 8, 2020
Middle East Eye reached out to the US State Department, which oversees the envoy's office, but did not receive a response by the time of this article's publication.
Replying to a request for comment from the Jewish News Syndicate, J Street pointed out that all the men in the photo, with the exception of Jason Greenblatt, who no longer has a White House position, "are now publicly, openly coordinating together on the potential illegal annexation of the West Bank".
"If the Trump administration wants to provide us with photos from their closed-door meetings with the Netanyahu government to discuss illegal annexation and unilaterally redraw the map of the West Bank, we’d gladly use those pictures as well," the group said.
The United States envoy to combat antisemitism has sparked outrage after accusing a liberal Jewish-American group of using an image that he said promoted "crude antisemitic conspiracy theories".
Elan Carr on Wednesday tweeted a screenshot of a J Street post, featuring a picture from March 2019 in which US President Donald Trump is looking up at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surrounded by White House advisers who happen to be Jewish Americans.
"How dare @jstreetdotorg use this picture in this context. Their imagery uses #Antisemitism and crude anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to advance their agenda. They should withdraw this and apologize to @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and to #Jewish Americans who serve our great country," Carr wrote.
The photo was used as a promotional image for an anti-annexation campaign launched by J Street, which describes itself as pro-Israel and pro-peace. The Jewish-American group has been calling on US senators to oppose Israel’s plans to claim large swaths of the occupied West Bank.
How dare @jstreetdotorg use this picture in this context. Their imagery uses #Antisemitism and crude anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to advance their agenda. They should withdraw this and apologize to @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and to #Jewish Americans who serve our great country. pic.twitter.com/g4nz13g8K3— U.S. Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism (@USEAntiSemitism) July 8, 2020
The organisation was quick to respond, calling Carr's comments "a shameful, bad faith attack".
"This is a photo of some of the primary contributors to Trump's disastrous annexation plan. Please do your job & combat actual antisemitic bigotry instead of launching transparently partisan attacks against critics of your boss' Mideast policies," the group continued.
J Street's president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, tweeted that Carr was using a "charge of Anti-Semitism for political purposes" and should be disqualified from his postion for doing so.
Just making sure I understand, @simonwiesenthal, you're asking us to remove an actual photo of Donald Trump, Bibi Netanyahu and their advisers at the White House because the picture - which ran in many news outlets - is anti-Semitic? This so demeans your name and mission. https://t.co/rrov61BOaq— Jeremy Ben-Ami (@JeremyBenAmi) July 8, 2020
Harry Reis, director of policy and strategy at the New Israel Fund, an Israeli lobby group, called the accusation of antisemitism "a grotesque distortion".
"These are literally the plan's authors," Reis said, referring to the most recent US plan for the Middle East. "That [Trump] appointed three Orthodox Jews with deep ties to the settlement enterprise to draft a US 'peace' plan does not make a photo op of these senior policy makers anti-Semitic. What a shande."
Others also expressed outrage and confusion at Carr's accusation.
"This is a real photo, though. What is antisemitic about it? What are the conspiracy theories?" Arieh Kovler, a communications consultant based in Israel, tweeted.
The photo, which was tinted red, is a real image taken during a meeting last year, during which Trump signed a declaration recognising Israel’s claimed sovereignty over Syria's Golan Heights.
Also sharing Carr's post, Ben Friedman, an adjunct professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, accused the US envoy of making "a mockery out of anti-semitism by applying the term to speech he dislikes".
Friedman called Carr's comments a "timely reminder of how people have used the specter of anti-semitism to block debate".
Here the "U.S. Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism," @USEAntiSemitism, makes a mockery out of anti-semitism by applying the term to speech he dislikes. https://t.co/rnIlrLjQTF— Ben Friedman (@BH_Friedman) July 8, 2020
Middle East Eye reached out to the US State Department, which oversees the envoy's office, but did not receive a response by the time of this article's publication.
Replying to a request for comment from the Jewish News Syndicate, J Street pointed out that all the men in the photo, with the exception of Jason Greenblatt, who no longer has a White House position, "are now publicly, openly coordinating together on the potential illegal annexation of the West Bank".
"If the Trump administration wants to provide us with photos from their closed-door meetings with the Netanyahu government to discuss illegal annexation and unilaterally redraw the map of the West Bank, we’d gladly use those pictures as well," the group said.
UK discreetly called Saudi Arabia in support after imposing Khashoggi sanctions
Defence minister reportedly told his counterpart in Riyadh that Britain was keen to strengthen military partnership between the kingdoms
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's call was not publicised by the British government (Reuters)
By MEE staff Published date: 10 July 2020
The British government discreetly called Saudi Arabia and reportedly praised the kingdom, a day after imposing sanctions on a number of Saudis accused of killing Jamal Khashoggi.
On Monday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced 19 Saudis, including former officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were being sanctioned as part of a raft of penalties targeting human rights abusers.
However, the next day, it has emerged, Ben Wallace, secretary of state for defence, called his Saudi counterpart Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in a conversation unpublicised by the British government.
In it, Riyadh's official Saudi Press Agency reported, Wallace "expressed his country’s appreciation for the kingdom’s role in addressing threats to stability in the region" and "affirmed the country's government's keenness to strengthen defence relations between the two friendly countries, especially in the field of military exports".
UK sanctions against Saudi Arabia and Myanmar are an exercise in saving face
The British government discreetly called Saudi Arabia and reportedly praised the kingdom, a day after imposing sanctions on a number of Saudis accused of killing Jamal Khashoggi.
On Monday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced 19 Saudis, including former officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were being sanctioned as part of a raft of penalties targeting human rights abusers.
However, the next day, it has emerged, Ben Wallace, secretary of state for defence, called his Saudi counterpart Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in a conversation unpublicised by the British government.
In it, Riyadh's official Saudi Press Agency reported, Wallace "expressed his country’s appreciation for the kingdom’s role in addressing threats to stability in the region" and "affirmed the country's government's keenness to strengthen defence relations between the two friendly countries, especially in the field of military exports".
UK sanctions against Saudi Arabia and Myanmar are an exercise in saving face
Read More »
The British government did not publicise the call or provide a readout. However when contacted by Middle East Eye, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that Wallace spoke to Saudi Arabia to "discuss wider regional security and export licences".
An MoD spokesperson added: "The government takes its export responsibilities seriously."
Wallace's call came on the same day that the UK announced the resumption of arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite evidence of "possible" war crimes in Yemen.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss made the announcement on Tuesday saying the government regarded any breaches of international law as "isolated incidents".
She said the government had completed a review of how arms export licences were granted, complying with an earlier court ruling that suspended sales over rights abuse concerns.
"The incidents which have been assessed to be possible violations of international humanitarian law occurred at different times, in different circumstances and for different reasons," Truss said in a statement.
The government said it would not approve new licences prior to a review.
'The Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the government itself admits that UK-made arms may have played a central role on the bombing'
- Andrew Smith, CAAT
In a statement, the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) slammed the decision as "morally bankrupt".
"The Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the government itself admits that UK-made arms may have played a central role in the bombing," said CAAT's Andrew Smith.
"We will be considering this new decision with our lawyers, and will be exploring all options available to challenge it."
Many opposition politicians noted the juxtaposition of sanctioning Saudi officials over human rights abuses one day, then opening up arms exports the next.
While announcing the sanctions in parliament on Monday, Raab said the new sanctions would make it "crystal clear to those who abuse their power to inflict unimaginable suffering: we will not look the other way, you cannot set foot in this country and we will seize your blood-drenched, ill-gotten gains if you try".
Caroline Lucas, of the Green Party, tweeted: "How the foreign secretary can say on one day that the UK will act as a force for good in the world, standing up for human rights, and then on the next, agree to this moral outrage is just unbelievable".
"The hypocrisy leaves me lost for words," she added.
The British government did not publicise the call or provide a readout. However when contacted by Middle East Eye, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that Wallace spoke to Saudi Arabia to "discuss wider regional security and export licences".
An MoD spokesperson added: "The government takes its export responsibilities seriously."
Wallace's call came on the same day that the UK announced the resumption of arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite evidence of "possible" war crimes in Yemen.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss made the announcement on Tuesday saying the government regarded any breaches of international law as "isolated incidents".
She said the government had completed a review of how arms export licences were granted, complying with an earlier court ruling that suspended sales over rights abuse concerns.
"The incidents which have been assessed to be possible violations of international humanitarian law occurred at different times, in different circumstances and for different reasons," Truss said in a statement.
The government said it would not approve new licences prior to a review.
'The Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the government itself admits that UK-made arms may have played a central role on the bombing'
- Andrew Smith, CAAT
In a statement, the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) slammed the decision as "morally bankrupt".
"The Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the government itself admits that UK-made arms may have played a central role in the bombing," said CAAT's Andrew Smith.
"We will be considering this new decision with our lawyers, and will be exploring all options available to challenge it."
Many opposition politicians noted the juxtaposition of sanctioning Saudi officials over human rights abuses one day, then opening up arms exports the next.
While announcing the sanctions in parliament on Monday, Raab said the new sanctions would make it "crystal clear to those who abuse their power to inflict unimaginable suffering: we will not look the other way, you cannot set foot in this country and we will seize your blood-drenched, ill-gotten gains if you try".
Caroline Lucas, of the Green Party, tweeted: "How the foreign secretary can say on one day that the UK will act as a force for good in the world, standing up for human rights, and then on the next, agree to this moral outrage is just unbelievable".
"The hypocrisy leaves me lost for words," she added.
ISRAEL OCCUPATION
West Bank village mourns Palestinian killed by Israeli forces on nighttime stroll
Relatives say Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub, was killed 'in cold blood' by Israeli forces in Kifl Haris on Thursday night
Relatives and friends mourn 32-year-old Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub in the village of Kifl Haris on 10 July 2020, a day after he was shot dead by Israeli forces (MEE/Akram al-Waara)
West Bank village mourns Palestinian killed by Israeli forces on nighttime stroll
Relatives say Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub, was killed 'in cold blood' by Israeli forces in Kifl Haris on Thursday night
Relatives and friends mourn 32-year-old Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub in the village of Kifl Haris on 10 July 2020, a day after he was shot dead by Israeli forces (MEE/Akram al-Waara)
By Akram Al-Waara in Kifl Haris, occupied West Bank
Published date: 10 July 2020
It was about 10pm on a Thursday night and Haitham Abu Hammad was taking a nighttime stroll with his friend Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub, 32, along the main road of their village, Kifl Haris, in the northern occupied West Bank district of Salfit.
The pair had been bored at home, and thought they’d pass the time by taking a walk to their friend’s house down the road.
Published date: 10 July 2020
It was about 10pm on a Thursday night and Haitham Abu Hammad was taking a nighttime stroll with his friend Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub, 32, along the main road of their village, Kifl Haris, in the northern occupied West Bank district of Salfit.
The pair had been bored at home, and thought they’d pass the time by taking a walk to their friend’s house down the road.
Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub was 32 years old (Social media)
Halfway there, in the middle of conversation, Haitham and Ibrahim heard the sound of a gunshot. Before Haitham knew what was happening, Ibrahim stumbled, clutching his neck.
“He grabbed onto me and started saying ‘I’ve been shot’,” Abu Hammad told Middle East Eye, recounting the events of the previous night. “He gave me his phone and told me to call his family and tell them what happened to him.”
As Ibrahim lay on the pavement, blood spilling from his neck, Abu Hammad frantically looked around for whoever had shot his friend, trying to make sense of what happened.
“I couldn’t see the soldiers anywhere,” he said, speculating that Ibrahim was shot by an Israeli sniper positioned somewhere in a nearby olive grove. “It all happened out of nowhere.”
As Abu Hammad cried out for help, neighbours helped the pair into vehicles and began speeding towards the main entrance of Kifl Haris, just 500 metres away.
But when they arrived, they found that Israeli soldiers had closed the steel gate at the entrance of the village.
“As soon as we arrived, the soldiers stationed at the (nearby) military tower started firing towards our cars, forcing us to turn around and take the back roads to the Salfit hospital,” Abu Hammad said.
“By the time we finally arrived, Ibrahim was on his last dying breath,” he said, choking through tears.
According to Abu Hammad, what should have been a five-minute drive to the Salfit governmental hospital ended up taking close to 20 minutes.
“Maybe if we had gotten to the hospital faster, we could have saved him,” Abu Hammad said.
“I don’t know, I just don’t know what to say.”
The Israeli military later confirmed that it had shot at two people that night in the village.
Killed in ‘cold-blood’
On Friday afternoon, hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the main square in Kifl Haris for Ibrahim’s funeral procession.
As they marched down the main road to the village cemetery carrying his body wrapped in a Palestinian flag, friends and family chanted slogans against the Israeli occupation and prayers for his safe passage into heaven.
Halfway there, in the middle of conversation, Haitham and Ibrahim heard the sound of a gunshot. Before Haitham knew what was happening, Ibrahim stumbled, clutching his neck.
“He grabbed onto me and started saying ‘I’ve been shot’,” Abu Hammad told Middle East Eye, recounting the events of the previous night. “He gave me his phone and told me to call his family and tell them what happened to him.”
As Ibrahim lay on the pavement, blood spilling from his neck, Abu Hammad frantically looked around for whoever had shot his friend, trying to make sense of what happened.
“I couldn’t see the soldiers anywhere,” he said, speculating that Ibrahim was shot by an Israeli sniper positioned somewhere in a nearby olive grove. “It all happened out of nowhere.”
As Abu Hammad cried out for help, neighbours helped the pair into vehicles and began speeding towards the main entrance of Kifl Haris, just 500 metres away.
But when they arrived, they found that Israeli soldiers had closed the steel gate at the entrance of the village.
“As soon as we arrived, the soldiers stationed at the (nearby) military tower started firing towards our cars, forcing us to turn around and take the back roads to the Salfit hospital,” Abu Hammad said.
“By the time we finally arrived, Ibrahim was on his last dying breath,” he said, choking through tears.
According to Abu Hammad, what should have been a five-minute drive to the Salfit governmental hospital ended up taking close to 20 minutes.
“Maybe if we had gotten to the hospital faster, we could have saved him,” Abu Hammad said.
“I don’t know, I just don’t know what to say.”
The Israeli military later confirmed that it had shot at two people that night in the village.
Killed in ‘cold-blood’
On Friday afternoon, hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the main square in Kifl Haris for Ibrahim’s funeral procession.
As they marched down the main road to the village cemetery carrying his body wrapped in a Palestinian flag, friends and family chanted slogans against the Israeli occupation and prayers for his safe passage into heaven.
Mourners carry Ibrahim Abu Yaaqoub's body during his funeral in the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris on 10 July 2020 (MEE/Akram al-Waara)
“We are devastated, absolutely shocked,” Rami Abu Yaaqoub, Ibrahim’s cousin, told MEE. “Ibrahim was loved by everyone. He was hard-working, self-made, and had big goals for his life.”
According to Rami, Ibrahim was the primary caretaker of his widowed mother, who has a number of chronic health issues including diabetes and hypertension.
“His mother is beside herself. She doesn’t know what to do,” Rami said.
According to locals, another youth from Kifl Haris, identified as 17-year-old Mohammed Abd al-Salam, was shot in the legs close to the permanent military tower at the entrance to the village. He was reportedly denied medical care from the soldiers, and locals were similarly prevented from taking him to the hospital.
Only when Palestinian ambulances arrived was Abd al-Salam allowed to be evacuated to the hospital.
Following Ibrahim’s killing, the Israeli army claimed it opened fire in response to "two assailants throwing Molotov cocktails".
‘They didn’t have to kill him’
- Rami Abu Yaaqoub, cousin of slain Palestinian
But his friends and family strongly rejected these accusations.
“We were just walking to go to our friend’s house,” Abu Hammad said, adding that he hadn’t heard any sort of commotion or clashes with soldiers before Ibrahim was shot.
“We were not throwing stones or Molotov cocktails, and we didn’t hear or see anyone else doing that either,” he said.
Rami Abu Yaaqoub pointed to the fact that Ibrahim and Haitham were both walking on the main road of the village, which is well-lit with a number of street lights.
“They were walking in perfect visibility,” he said. “Wherever the soldiers were, they would have been able to see Haitham and Ibrahim clearly. If Ibrahim was throwing any kind of stones or something at the soldiers, they could have fired warning shots, or gone to arrest him. They didn’t have to kill him.”
The fact that Ibrahim was shot in the neck, Abu Yaaqoub said, proved that he was “executed”.
“He was shot in cold blood by a sniper whose one goal was to kill. They killed Ibrahim not because of who he was, or because he was dangerous to them. They killed him because he was Palestinian.”
A history of intimidation
Ibrahim’s death comes on the heels of a tense week in Kifl Haris, according to locals, who say Israeli soldiers have been terrorising them for several days.
‘This is what the occupation looks like’: Israeli forces beat, arrest Palestinian farmers
“We are devastated, absolutely shocked,” Rami Abu Yaaqoub, Ibrahim’s cousin, told MEE. “Ibrahim was loved by everyone. He was hard-working, self-made, and had big goals for his life.”
According to Rami, Ibrahim was the primary caretaker of his widowed mother, who has a number of chronic health issues including diabetes and hypertension.
“His mother is beside herself. She doesn’t know what to do,” Rami said.
According to locals, another youth from Kifl Haris, identified as 17-year-old Mohammed Abd al-Salam, was shot in the legs close to the permanent military tower at the entrance to the village. He was reportedly denied medical care from the soldiers, and locals were similarly prevented from taking him to the hospital.
Only when Palestinian ambulances arrived was Abd al-Salam allowed to be evacuated to the hospital.
Following Ibrahim’s killing, the Israeli army claimed it opened fire in response to "two assailants throwing Molotov cocktails".
‘They didn’t have to kill him’
- Rami Abu Yaaqoub, cousin of slain Palestinian
But his friends and family strongly rejected these accusations.
“We were just walking to go to our friend’s house,” Abu Hammad said, adding that he hadn’t heard any sort of commotion or clashes with soldiers before Ibrahim was shot.
“We were not throwing stones or Molotov cocktails, and we didn’t hear or see anyone else doing that either,” he said.
Rami Abu Yaaqoub pointed to the fact that Ibrahim and Haitham were both walking on the main road of the village, which is well-lit with a number of street lights.
“They were walking in perfect visibility,” he said. “Wherever the soldiers were, they would have been able to see Haitham and Ibrahim clearly. If Ibrahim was throwing any kind of stones or something at the soldiers, they could have fired warning shots, or gone to arrest him. They didn’t have to kill him.”
The fact that Ibrahim was shot in the neck, Abu Yaaqoub said, proved that he was “executed”.
“He was shot in cold blood by a sniper whose one goal was to kill. They killed Ibrahim not because of who he was, or because he was dangerous to them. They killed him because he was Palestinian.”
A history of intimidation
Ibrahim’s death comes on the heels of a tense week in Kifl Haris, according to locals, who say Israeli soldiers have been terrorising them for several days.
‘This is what the occupation looks like’: Israeli forces beat, arrest Palestinian farmers
Read More »
“In general, Kifl Haris has always had problems with the Israeli soldiers and settlers due to its religious and historical significance,” Rami Abu Yaaqoub told MEE.
Kifl Haris is an ancient Canaanite village, with religious and archaeological sites dating back hundreds, even thousands of years.
The village is home to what locals believe is the ancient shrine of Muslim prophet Thul-Kifl. The site is also believed by Jews to be the tomb of the biblical Joshua.
“For years the settlers have tried to claim this holy site as their own, and are constantly raiding the village under the protection of the soldiers to visit the site and pray there,” Abu Yaaqoub said.
“Every few weeks, groups of settlers come to the village to pray at the shrine, and the soldiers shut down our town, restrict our movement, fire tear gas, sound bombs, and use violent force against us,” he continued.
Just last month, settlers and soldiers were documented raiding Kifl Haris, shouting anti-Palestinian slurs as they passed through the village on the way to the shrine.
While the residents are used to Israeli incursions, in recent days soldiers have been stepping up their attacks on the village.
“Over the past week, soldiers have been raiding the village every night, into the early hours of the morning, firing sound grenades close to the houses, and scaring the townspeople,” Rami Abu Yaaqoub said, adding that his children have started sleeping in his room out of fear of the nightly raids.
In addition to the raids, Abu Yaaqoub said soldiers have been closing the main gate to the village more often as a “provocation”, and on a number of occasions, have patrolled the streets of the village in their military jeeps, shouting profanities over loudspeakers.
“This harassment is all part of Israel’s routine, and their policy to make life so hard for us Palestinians that we will leave our lands,” he said.
‘We demand accountability’
As the family processes the death of their son, Rami and other cousins of Ibrahim have been urging the young man’s relatives to begin the proceedings of filing a complaint against the soldiers.
‘It shouldn’t be illegal to take a walk with your friends, but in Palestine, it can get you killed’
- Rami Abu Yaaqoub
“We demand that an investigation be opened into Ibrahim’s killing,” Rami said, adding that while he didn’t have much faith in the Israeli justice system, “we need to try to hold someone accountable”.
“The killing of Ibrahim was a crime. It was a cold-blooded killing,” he said, choking up. “There is no excuse for the soldiers to use such excessive force against us, time and time again.”
Abu Yaaqoub urged the international community to take action, and hold Israel accountable for its “crimes against humanity, which they commit on a daily basis”.
“Ibrahim left his house to go visit his friend, and came back a martyr. This kind of tragedy only happens in Palestine,” he said.
“To the international community, and to all the people who claim to believe in human rights, look at what is happening in Palestine,” he said. “We are an oppressed people, under occupation, with no means to defend ourselves and our homeland.”
“He was going on a stroll with his friends. It shouldn’t be illegal to take a walk with your friends, but in Palestine, it can get you killed."
Palestinian man fatally shot by Israeli forces in West Bank
Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Yaaqoub was reportedly shot by Israeli troops as he walked alongside his friends
Killing of Abu Yaaqoub follows numerous other shooting deaths at hands of Israeli forces (AFP/File photo)
“In general, Kifl Haris has always had problems with the Israeli soldiers and settlers due to its religious and historical significance,” Rami Abu Yaaqoub told MEE.
Kifl Haris is an ancient Canaanite village, with religious and archaeological sites dating back hundreds, even thousands of years.
The village is home to what locals believe is the ancient shrine of Muslim prophet Thul-Kifl. The site is also believed by Jews to be the tomb of the biblical Joshua.
“For years the settlers have tried to claim this holy site as their own, and are constantly raiding the village under the protection of the soldiers to visit the site and pray there,” Abu Yaaqoub said.
“Every few weeks, groups of settlers come to the village to pray at the shrine, and the soldiers shut down our town, restrict our movement, fire tear gas, sound bombs, and use violent force against us,” he continued.
Just last month, settlers and soldiers were documented raiding Kifl Haris, shouting anti-Palestinian slurs as they passed through the village on the way to the shrine.
While the residents are used to Israeli incursions, in recent days soldiers have been stepping up their attacks on the village.
“Over the past week, soldiers have been raiding the village every night, into the early hours of the morning, firing sound grenades close to the houses, and scaring the townspeople,” Rami Abu Yaaqoub said, adding that his children have started sleeping in his room out of fear of the nightly raids.
In addition to the raids, Abu Yaaqoub said soldiers have been closing the main gate to the village more often as a “provocation”, and on a number of occasions, have patrolled the streets of the village in their military jeeps, shouting profanities over loudspeakers.
“This harassment is all part of Israel’s routine, and their policy to make life so hard for us Palestinians that we will leave our lands,” he said.
‘We demand accountability’
As the family processes the death of their son, Rami and other cousins of Ibrahim have been urging the young man’s relatives to begin the proceedings of filing a complaint against the soldiers.
‘It shouldn’t be illegal to take a walk with your friends, but in Palestine, it can get you killed’
- Rami Abu Yaaqoub
“We demand that an investigation be opened into Ibrahim’s killing,” Rami said, adding that while he didn’t have much faith in the Israeli justice system, “we need to try to hold someone accountable”.
“The killing of Ibrahim was a crime. It was a cold-blooded killing,” he said, choking up. “There is no excuse for the soldiers to use such excessive force against us, time and time again.”
Abu Yaaqoub urged the international community to take action, and hold Israel accountable for its “crimes against humanity, which they commit on a daily basis”.
“Ibrahim left his house to go visit his friend, and came back a martyr. This kind of tragedy only happens in Palestine,” he said.
“To the international community, and to all the people who claim to believe in human rights, look at what is happening in Palestine,” he said. “We are an oppressed people, under occupation, with no means to defend ourselves and our homeland.”
“He was going on a stroll with his friends. It shouldn’t be illegal to take a walk with your friends, but in Palestine, it can get you killed."
Palestinian man fatally shot by Israeli forces in West Bank
Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Yaaqoub was reportedly shot by Israeli troops as he walked alongside his friends
Killing of Abu Yaaqoub follows numerous other shooting deaths at hands of Israeli forces (AFP/File photo)
By MEE and agencies Published date: 9 July 2020
Israeli security forces fatally shot a Palestinian civilian on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry.
The ministry did not give any details about the victim, but said "a civilian was killed by Israeli forces" after being shot in the neck in Kifl Haris, a village in the governorate of Salfit.
The Salfit governor Abdullah Kamil, identified the victim as 29-year-old Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Yaaqoub.
After being shot, Abu Yaaqoub was taken to the Salfit government hospital, where he was declared dead.
The Israeli military said it responded with fire as "two assailants were throwing Molotov cocktails".
Kamil, however, said that Abu Yaaqoub was simply out walking with his friends when he was shot.
The killing of Abu Yaaqoub follows a number of recent shooting deaths by Israeli forces, including that of 32-year-old Iyad al-Halak, an autistic Palestinian man who also slain by Israeli police.
Ahmad Erekat, another Palestinian civilian, was shot and killed by Israeli security forces on his way to pick up his mother and sister for a wedding later that day.
Israeli investigation into Iyad al-Halak killing hampered by
Israeli security forces fatally shot a Palestinian civilian on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry.
The ministry did not give any details about the victim, but said "a civilian was killed by Israeli forces" after being shot in the neck in Kifl Haris, a village in the governorate of Salfit.
The Salfit governor Abdullah Kamil, identified the victim as 29-year-old Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Yaaqoub.
After being shot, Abu Yaaqoub was taken to the Salfit government hospital, where he was declared dead.
The Israeli military said it responded with fire as "two assailants were throwing Molotov cocktails".
Kamil, however, said that Abu Yaaqoub was simply out walking with his friends when he was shot.
The killing of Abu Yaaqoub follows a number of recent shooting deaths by Israeli forces, including that of 32-year-old Iyad al-Halak, an autistic Palestinian man who also slain by Israeli police.
Ahmad Erekat, another Palestinian civilian, was shot and killed by Israeli security forces on his way to pick up his mother and sister for a wedding later that day.
Israeli investigation into Iyad al-Halak killing hampered by
lack of footage: Report Read More »
Palestinians have drawn comparisons between Halak's death and that of African American George Floyd, after a police officer in Minneapolis pressed a knee into Floyd's neck while detaining him on 25 May, just a few days before Halak's death at the hands of Israeli police.
Palestinians have long accused the country of carrying out superficial investigations into crimes committed by Israeli forces or settlers against Palestinians. Israelis are rarely tried for killing Palestinians, and if found guilty, typically receive lenient sentences.
In response to the killing, Kamil called for unity and solidarity against Israel's plans for occupation.
"This is another despicable crime in the chain of crimes that occupation forces are committing against our people everywhere," Kamil said, as reported by the Palestinian Quds News Network.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has missed his self-imposed 1 July deadline to begin annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, as talks with the US have yet to yield results.
Last week, Netanyahu's coalition partner Benny Gantz told a US envoy that annexation would have to wait while the country deals with a surge in coronavirus cases.
Palestinians have drawn comparisons between Halak's death and that of African American George Floyd, after a police officer in Minneapolis pressed a knee into Floyd's neck while detaining him on 25 May, just a few days before Halak's death at the hands of Israeli police.
Palestinians have long accused the country of carrying out superficial investigations into crimes committed by Israeli forces or settlers against Palestinians. Israelis are rarely tried for killing Palestinians, and if found guilty, typically receive lenient sentences.
In response to the killing, Kamil called for unity and solidarity against Israel's plans for occupation.
"This is another despicable crime in the chain of crimes that occupation forces are committing against our people everywhere," Kamil said, as reported by the Palestinian Quds News Network.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has missed his self-imposed 1 July deadline to begin annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, as talks with the US have yet to yield results.
Last week, Netanyahu's coalition partner Benny Gantz told a US envoy that annexation would have to wait while the country deals with a surge in coronavirus cases.
MSF accused by staff of upholding white supremacy and colonialism
At least 1,000 former and current employees sign internal statement calling Medecins Sans Frontieres 'institutionally racist'
Despite 90 percent of its staff being hired locally, most of its operations are run by European senior managers from one of its five operation centres in western Europe (AFP)
By MEE and agencies Published date: 10 July 2020
At least 1,000 former and current employees sign internal statement calling Medecins Sans Frontieres 'institutionally racist'
Despite 90 percent of its staff being hired locally, most of its operations are run by European senior managers from one of its five operation centres in western Europe (AFP)
By MEE and agencies Published date: 10 July 2020
The medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres has been accused of propping up white supremacy and colonialism, according to an internal statement signed by at least 1,000 current and former employees of the organisation.
The statement accused MSF of failing to recognise the racism it perpetuated by its policies and how its workplace culture contributed towards propping up the "privileged white majority" within the organisation.
The statement called for an independent investigation into racism within the organisation and calls to address "decades of power and paternalism".
The statement accused MSF of failing to recognise the racism it perpetuated by its policies and how its workplace culture contributed towards propping up the "privileged white majority" within the organisation.
The statement called for an independent investigation into racism within the organisation and calls to address "decades of power and paternalism".
'Change requires brave and bold leadership and it requires a lot of 'do-gooding' white people with power to get out of the way'
- Shaista Aziz, MSF aid worker
Prominent signatories of the statement include Agnes Musonda, president of the board in southern Africa, Florian Westphal, managing director of MSF Germany, and Javid Abdelmoneim, chair of the board at MSF UK.
Former MSF aid worker Shaista Aziz described the statement as a "moment of reckoning that is massively overdue".
Speaking to the Guardian, Aziz said: "Change requires brave and bold leadership and it requires a lot of 'do-gooding' white people with power to get out of the way".
This statement came after intense internal debate within the organisation following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Staff within the organisation were particularly concerned, according to the Guardian, by a statement released by MSF Italy which suggested it should not use the term "racism" and that everyone should discuss "all lives matter".
MSF is one of the world's largest humanitarian organisations, providing medical services to people in poor countries and conflict zones across the world. Its staff work in some of the most dangerous and difficult conditions in the world, and aid people in conflict-afflicted countries such as Syria and Yemen.
Despite 90 percent of its staff being hired locally, most of its operations are run by European senior managers from one of its five operation centres in western Europe, with only one centre, opened last year in Senegal, run from the global South.
Christos Christou, MSF's international president, welcomed the statement and described it as a "catalyst" for reforms planned for the organisation.
"I look at this as an opportunity that has come through a tragic event that triggered rage and discussion within our movement," said Christou.
“Our priority is to shift the decision-making closer to where the needs are, and involving the patients and community in designing strategies of intervention. To shrink the decision-making power of Europe and redistribute it to the rest of the world.”
- Shaista Aziz, MSF aid worker
Prominent signatories of the statement include Agnes Musonda, president of the board in southern Africa, Florian Westphal, managing director of MSF Germany, and Javid Abdelmoneim, chair of the board at MSF UK.
Former MSF aid worker Shaista Aziz described the statement as a "moment of reckoning that is massively overdue".
Speaking to the Guardian, Aziz said: "Change requires brave and bold leadership and it requires a lot of 'do-gooding' white people with power to get out of the way".
This statement came after intense internal debate within the organisation following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Staff within the organisation were particularly concerned, according to the Guardian, by a statement released by MSF Italy which suggested it should not use the term "racism" and that everyone should discuss "all lives matter".
MSF is one of the world's largest humanitarian organisations, providing medical services to people in poor countries and conflict zones across the world. Its staff work in some of the most dangerous and difficult conditions in the world, and aid people in conflict-afflicted countries such as Syria and Yemen.
Despite 90 percent of its staff being hired locally, most of its operations are run by European senior managers from one of its five operation centres in western Europe, with only one centre, opened last year in Senegal, run from the global South.
Christos Christou, MSF's international president, welcomed the statement and described it as a "catalyst" for reforms planned for the organisation.
"I look at this as an opportunity that has come through a tragic event that triggered rage and discussion within our movement," said Christou.
“Our priority is to shift the decision-making closer to where the needs are, and involving the patients and community in designing strategies of intervention. To shrink the decision-making power of Europe and redistribute it to the rest of the world.”
Nurses and midwives take the lead in providing HIV services in Eastern and Southern Africa
'NIMART' faces challenges and opportunities in eliminating HIV/AIDS, reports study in JANAC
July 8, 2020 - "Nurse-initiated and managed antiretroviral therapy" (NIMART) is an innovative approach to making effective medications more accessible to people living with HIV (PLWH) in low-resource countries. A new study identifies challenges and opportunities to promoting nurse- and midwife-led HIV services in eastern and southern Africa, reports the July/August issue of The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (JANAC). The official journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, JANAC is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Improved training, supportive supervision, and formal mentorship programs are key steps toward establishing or strengthening NIMART care, suggests the new research by Rebecca E. MacKay, MPH, of Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, and colleagues. They write, "Health facilities have important opportunities to advance NIMART practice through strengthening these aspects of in-service support."
Nurses/ Midwives Need Support and Education to Meet NIMART Goals
Eastern and southern Africa accounts for more than half of the PLWH globally - however, the region has also shown remarkable progress toward eliminating HIV. From 2010 to 2018, new HIV/AIDS cases declined by 28 percent in eastern and southern Africa, compared to a global decline of 16 percent.
Increasing access to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a major part of the Fast-Track Strategy of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which aims to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Designed to make ART more accessible, NIMART is a "task-sharing" approach that enables nurses, midwives, and nurse-midwives - professionals who are far more available than physicians in sub-Saharan African - to provide advanced clinical services, including HIV testing and prescribing of ART for PLWH.
The study included a questionnaire completed by 200 nurses, midwives, and nurse-midwives at 30 healthcare facilities in 11 eastern and southern African countries. Up to 80 percent of nurses/midwives responded that they had "sufficient authority" to provide NIMART care. Sixty percent or more agreed that their pre-service education and in-service training had effectively prepared them to offer HIV treatment.
However, the nurses/midwives expressed more concerns about their level of supervision and mentorship. More than one-third of respondents felt they did not receive adequate supportive supervision or feedback on care provided. Nurses, midwives, and nurse-midwives providing pediatric HIV care tended to have less-positive responses than those providing prevention of mother-to-child transmission services for pregnant and breastfeeding women or HIV-exposed infants.
Interviews with 62 clinical supervisors at the same facilities identified several barriers to effective NIMART care: deficiencies in training, staff shortages, inadequate supplies or space, high workloads, and challenges in managing children with HIV. But the supervisors interpreted many of these barriers and challenges as potential opportunities for improving NIMART services: strengthening in-service training, increasing staffing, providing adequate supplies and space, and increasing capacity for pediatric services.
In a triangulation step, the issues identified in the nurse/midwife questionnaires and supervisor interviews were consistent with each other. "Although the nurses, midwives, and nurse midwives in the facilities assessed clearly had the authority to provide NIMART services, a substantial proportion did not feel that they were well prepared or well supported to deliver this care," Ms. MacKay and coauthors write.
The researchers believe their findings have implications for efforts to promote effective provision of NIMART care in southern and eastern Africa. Steps facilities can take to improve NIMART services include standardized in-service training, formal clinical mentorship programs in prevention, and specific protocols for ongoing supportive supervision. Ms. MacKay and colleagues conclude: "Taking advantage of these opportunities may be a critically important step toward meeting the Fast Track Strategy to the AIDS epidemic by 2030."
###
DOI: 10.1097/JNC.0000000000000176
About JANAC
The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (JANAC) is a peer-reviewed, international nursing journal that covers the full spectrum of the global HIV epidemic, focusing on prevention, evidence-based care management, interprofessional clinical care, research, advocacy, policy, education, social determinants of health, epidemiology, and program development. JANAC functions according to the highest standards of ethical publishing practices and offers innovative publication options, including Open Access and prepublication article posting, where the journal can post articles before they are published with an issue.
About the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Since 1987, the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) has been the leading nursing organization responding to HIV/AIDS. The mission of ANAC is to foster the professional development of nurses and others involved in the delivery of healthcare for persons at risk for, living with, and/or affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its co-morbidities. ANAC promotes the health, welfare and rights of people living with HIV around the world.
About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the clinicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and tax, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services.
Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of €4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.
Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit http://healthclarity.wolterskluwer.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.
For more information, visit http://www.
University of Guam: Two climate patterns predict coral bleaching months earlier
Earlier warnings can help islands become more proactive in managing reefs
IMAGE: PIIS PATCH REEF ON THE MICRONESIAN ISLAND OF CHUUK IS SHOWN IN AUGUST 2016 BEFORE A CORAL BLEACHING EVENT ASSOCIATED WITH EL NIÑO, OR THE WARMING PHASE OF SEA TEMPERATURES.... view more
CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF GUAM
A new study by the Marine Laboratory at the University of Guam may help researchers predict coral bleaching months earlier than current tools, and, for the first time, may help predict invasion events of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish. The study was published on May 8 in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal published by Nature Research.
Coral bleaching and the crown-of-thorns starfish represent the two biggest disturbances coral reefs face, while local stressors like pollution and overfishing represent the two biggest impediments to recovery following disturbances.
Unlike other prediction tools, this study used the interaction of two major oceanographic modulators -- El Nin?o and Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO -- to predict how "warm blobs" of seawater and excess nutrients move around the tropical Western Pacific to cause these two destructive events. Existing tools typically provide bleaching warnings two to three weeks in advance; however, this new tool extends the warning period to between three and five months.
Piis Patch Reef on the Micronesian Island of Chuuk is shown in August 2018 following a coral bleaching event associated with El Niño, or the warming phase of sea temperatures.
Important implications
Advanced warnings have important implications for coral reef management efforts in the Pacific region and potentially beyond.
"It takes management from a reactive position to a more proactive one," said senior author Peter Houk, an associate professor of marine biology in the Marine Lab. "Not a lot can be accomplished with only a couple weeks' notice, but predicting bleaching and starfish disturbance events a few months out may give governments and other agencies more time to acquire supplies, create legislation, and create support networks to ensure reefs are better equipped to handle these forces."
For example, it allows more time to revise temporary fisheries regulations, raise funds for the removal of starfish, and procure supplies needed to support these acts. The authors have predicted outbreaks of starfish to emerge in Eastern Micronesia this year, providing time for Kosrae's tourism industry and resources agencies to gather supplies and build monitoring and removal plans now. Further, the authors can provide warnings for other islands down current to be on the lookout as starfish outbreaks are known to spread across islands and reefs in the direction of prevailing currents.
An unanswered question
Above-average sea-surface temperatures are common across the tropical Pacific following El Nin?o Southern Oscillation events, which are increasingly exacerbated by climate change. However, islands -- from Palau to Kosrae -- can be affected differently. One may bleach, while another experiences little to none.
That question motivated researchers to study the impact of El Nin?o interacting with the PDO. Together, the two patterns predict maximum sea-surface temperatures and also the movement of "nutrient plumes" filled with what is known as "chlorophyll a" around the Pacific Ocean that attract plankton and cause the crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks that wreak havoc on coral. Both sea-surface temperatures and nutrient plumes have been mapped by satellites for years; however, predicting their future has been a challenge.
Lorenzo Stephan, a coral reef monitoring team member in Chuuk, holds one of many coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish found during the El Niño-Southern Oscillation event of 2015-2017. A recently published study out of the University of Guam Marine Laboratory found a predictable pattern between starfish invasions and the interaction of El Niño and Pacific Decadal Oscillation climate event.
Lorenzo Stephan, a coral reef monitoring team member in Chuuk, holds one of many coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish found during the El Niño-Southern Oscillation event of 2015-2017. A recently published study out of the University of Guam Marine Laboratory found a predictable pattern between starfish invasions and the interaction of El Niño and Pacific Decadal Oscillation climate event.
Predictions based on decades of data
The researchers analyzed sea temperatures dating back to 1980 and biological data dating back to 1998, including coral cover and chlorophyll a plumes, from 82 survey sites on the main islands of Micronesia to track how they are influenced by the interaction of these two cycles.
Using those observations, they built models that accurately predicted both sea surface temperatures and nutrients. The models accounted for 77% of the variation in sea temperature and 55% of the variation in chlorophyll a concentrations between 1980 to the present, both of which support strong predictions.
The study shows that including PDO events into forecasts may improve predictions of when and where bleaching and starfish outbreaks will occur. The next step will be to build an online resource to host the predictive model for scientists and resources managers to access and to keep improving the model to the extent possible.
"We provide the first insight into how PDO and El Niño cycles predicted sea-surface temperatures, chlorophyll a concentrations, and changes to coral cover across the tropical north Pacific Ocean," the authors said. "These results may be transferrable to other oceanic regions to help predict coral reef status at even larger scales."
###
Houk's co-authors include graduate students Christy Starsinic and Andrew McInnis of the Marine Lab, as well as numerous regional researchers including Anthony Yalon of the Yap Community Action Program, Selino Maxin of the Conservation Society of Pohnpei, Marine Gouezo and Yimnang Golbuu of Palau International Coral Reef Center, and Robert van Woesik of the Florida Institute of Technology.
Read the full study at https:/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)