HEY BOUGIE

Labour figure elected Israeli president, midnight deadline for PM

Yair Lapid has until midnight on Wednesday to present a final deal to form a government.

Wednesday 02/06/2021

A file picture shows Labour veteran Isaac Herzog elected Israel’s 11th president on June 2, 2021. (AFP)

JERUSALEM — Isaac Herzog, a veteran Labour politician was elected president Tuesday, to a largely ceremonial role that is meant to serve as the nation’s moral compass and promote unity.

The anonymous vote was held among the 120 members of the Knesset, or parliament. Herzog will be Israel’s 11th president, succeeding Reuven Rivlin, who is set to leave office next month after seven years in office.

Herzog, 60, is a former head of Israel’s Labour Party and opposition leader who unsuccessfully ran against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the 2013 parliamentary elections.

He is the scion of a prominent Zionist family. His father, Chaim Herzog, was Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations before being elected president. His uncle, Abba Eban, was Israel’s first foreign minister and ambassador to the United Nations and United States. His grandfather was the country’s first chief rabbi.

Herzog defeated Miriam Peretz, an educator who was seen as an outsider. She was also seen as closer to the country’s dominant conservative and nationalist political camp.

Since resigning from parliament, Herzog has for three years been head of the Jewish Agency, an influential organisation that works closely with the government to promote immigration to Israel. He was widely seen as the favourite because of his deep ties to the political establishment. He will hold office for a single seven-year term starting July 9.

The president, while largely a ceremonial head of state, is tasked with tapping a political party leader to form governing coalitions after parliamentary elections. Israel has held four national elections in the past two years amid a protracted political crisis.

The president also has the power to grant pardons, creating a potentially sensitive situation as Netanyahu stands trial for a series of corruption charges.

— Edging out Netanyahu —

In the race to form the cabinet, Israel’s opposition leader moved closer to unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday after agreeing terms with several parties including one led by Defence Minister Benny Gantz, a spokesman said.

Yair Lapid, a centrist tasked with forming the next governing coalition after the conservative Netanyahu failed to do so in the wake of an inconclusive March 23 election, has until midnight (2100 GMT) on Wednesday to present a final slate.

Lapid, a 57-year-old former TV host and author, has yet to clinch a deal with his main partner, nationalist Naftali Bennett, who would serve as premier first under a proposed rotation between the two men.

Lapid’s Yesh Atid party and Gantz’s centrist Blue and White said in a joint statement they had “agreed on the outlines of the government and core issues relating to the strengthening of democracy and Israeli society”.

Gantz would remain defence minister in the new cabinet, the parties said.

Netanyahu, 71, has sought to discredit Bennett and two other rightists negotiating with Lapid, saying they were endangering Israel’s security, an allusion to efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear programme and manage ever-fraught Palestinian ties.

Deals have also been reached with the left-wing Meretz and centre-left Labour parties as well as with former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman’s nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, a Lapid spokesman said.

The United Arab List was also negotiating to join the coalition. If it does, it would be the first time in Israel’s history that an independent Arab party became a member of the government.

If Lapid misses Wednesday’s deadline, marking the end of a 28-day presidential mandate to put together a coalition, parliament will have three weeks to agree on a new candidate.

Should that fail, Israel will hold another election, its fifth in some two years.

Former centre-left politician Isaac Herzog elected Israel's president in wake of Israel-Palestine clashes

Former centre-left politician Isaac Herzog has been elected as the country's president, a role that is largely ceremonial but also meant to promote unity among ethnic and religious groups.

Reuters

Jerusalem

June 2, 2021

Presidential candidate Isaac Herzog (left) shakes hands with Yariv Levin, Speaker of the Knesset, during a special session of the Knesset whereby Israeli lawmakers elect a new president, at the plenum in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Israel's parliament on Wednesday elected former centre-left politician Isaac Herzog as the country's president, a role that is largely ceremonial but also meant to promote unity among ethnic and religious groups.

Herzog beat rival candidate Miriam Peretz, an educator and mother of two Israeli infantry officers killed in battle, by a vote of 87 lawmakers to 26.

He will assume the presidency next month, replacing Reuven Rivlin, who is ending his seven-year term.

First elected to parliament in 2003, Herzog, 60, went on to lead the Labour party and hold several portfolios in coalition governments. His most recent public post was as head of the Jewish Agency for Israel, which encourages immigration.

CHECK THESE OUTMORE



Naftali Bennett, right-wing leader and self-made tech millionaire, who may unseat Netanyahu

Defeated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a 2015 national ballot, Herzog was picked as president as his former nemesis faced possible toppling by a cross-partisan alliance of challengers.

ALSO READ | Netanyahu’s opponents race to finalise coalition govt ahead of midnight deadline

The struggle over the premiership has set off rancour in Netanyahu's religious-rightist base. Many left-leaning Israelis have long demanded his ouster as he is under trial on corruption charges - which he denies.

Last month's fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza also touched off rare mob violence among the Jewish majority and Arab minority within Israeli cities.

"It is essential, really essential, to tend to the open wounds that have been opened in our society recently," Herzog said in parliament, accepting the appointment.

"We must defend Israel's international standing and its good name in the family of nations, battle anti-semitism and hatred of Israel, and preserve the pillars of our democracy."

Herzog, a lawyer, is a son of the late Israeli president Chaim Herzog, who also served as his country's ambassador to the United Nations.

He is popularly known by his childhood nickname "Bougie", a combination of the Hebrew word for doll "buba" and a word for toy used by French children, "joujou".
Live TV

ALSO READ | Egypt and Israel hold talks on consolidating truce with Hamas, rebuilding Gaza Strip

ALSO WATCH | After 11 days of war between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians find way to normal life

Why Israel is angry

The success of Palestinian activism in Jerusalem angered the Israeli authorities, who launched a violent campaign to suppress it.


OPINION
Opinions|Israel-Palestine conflict

2 Jun 2021

Jalal Abukhater

Israeli forces face Palestinian protesters at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque on May 21, 2021 [Reuters/Ammar Awad]


We are witnessing a new dawn for the Palestinian national movement. Today, we are the most optimistic and hopeful we have ever been in the past two decades. With Jerusalem at the centre of this resurgent national spirit, the Palestinian movement once again stands united in resisting the Israeli occupation, apartheid, political persecution and colonial violence.

The protest action that began in Jerusalem engulfed the entire nation. We were one in rejecting the forced evictions and ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem, the infringements on religious rights of Christian and Muslim Palestinians and the brutal bombardment of Gaza. On May 18, Palestinians across historic Palestine closed their businesses and lifted the Palestinian flag, joining an historic general strike against Israeli colonialism

Palestinians were not deterred by the barbaric bombing of civilians in Gaza, nor by the Israeli lynch mobs which attacked Palestinian citizens of Israel, nor by Israel’s increasingly violent policies targeting Palestinians in the occupied territories.

This unity has terrified the Israeli state. After the ceasefire announced between Israel and the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza, it launched a revenge campaign, targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel. The campaign, dubbed “law and order”, aimed to intimidate and terrorise into silence and submission the Palestinians who dared to take to the streets in a show of national solidarity.

Adalah, a human rights organisation and legal centre based in Israel, called the mass arrests by Israeli police a “militarised war against Palestinian citizens of Israel”, adding that the police intended to “intimidate and to exact revenge – ‘to settle the score’ in the police’s own words, as punishment for their political positions and activities”.

Predictably, there was no security campaign to restore “law and order” in Israeli communities that went on a rampage, attacking Palestinians, their homes and businesses. In fact, the Israeli police picked up where the lynch mobs left off, ramping up the racist, colonial violence against Palestinians.

In occupied Jerusalem, Israeli police subjected to “stop and search” and violently assaulted and arrested Palestinian youths. Palestinians were even detained for “giving police the finger” and in some cases, the complicit Israeli courts approved police requests to extend detention as further punishment.

Since the beginning of May, the Israeli authorities have issued 155 administrative detention orders against Palestinians from occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank. This means 155 more Palestinians are now arbitrarily jailed for a minimum of six months without charges, with the total of administrative detainees in Israeli jails now reaching 500.

The raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque, which triggered the escalation in the first place, did not cease either. Less than three days after announcing a ceasefire with the Palestinian factions in Gaza, Israeli forces stormed the premises of the mosque again, attacking worshippers, forcing many out while arresting youth who protested. Their aim was to clear the way for extremist Jewish activists to enter Al-Aqsa, in a move of showing Israeli dominance over the Muslim holy site.

The Israeli wrath was also unleashed on to Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, where forced evictions of Palestinians shocked the world and put the international media spotlight on the issue of ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem. Since the end of Ramadan in mid-May, the Israeli police have imposed a blockade on the neighbourhood, denying entry to all Palestinians who are not its residents. Jewish settlers are of course free to come and go even if they do not reside in Sheikh Jarrah.

The increased aggression of the Israeli police was apparent on May 18, when I and other Jerusalemites headed to Sheikh Jarrah to show solidarity with the Palestinian families. They were violent for no reason, spraying foul-smelling skunk water and shooting rubber bullets, sponge-tipped bullets and stun grenades.

The following day, 16-year-old Jana Kiswani, a resident of the neighbourhood, was shot with a sponge-tipped bullet in her back, as she stood at the front door of her yard. She suffered fractures in her spine and severe bruising in her lungs.

The violence we saw in Sheikh Jarrah over the past few weeks is not coincidental. The Israeli authorities are angry that the local youth-led grassroots organising under the hashtag, #SaveSheikhJarrah, has now grown into a massive movement, capturing the attention of millions of people around the world. The Israeli ire was apparent not only in the violence they unleashed on the neighbourhood but also in their decision to whitewash murals that Palestinian residents had painted on the walls of their own houses and to threaten them with fines if the murals return. Needless to say, the murals reappeared the next morning.

Although the Israeli court postponed the hearing on the eviction of seven Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah to June, it is clear that the Israeli authorities have no intention of slowing down the ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem and the rest of historic Palestine.

Palestinians in Silwan, the Jerusalemite town my family originally comes from, also continue to face the same threats of evictions and home demolitions based on the same “legal” grounds the Israeli courts have deployed in Sheikh Jarrah. Some 100 Palestinians from 18 households in Silwan are fighting for their right to remain in their homes. The fact that – as Amnesty International and other organisations have pointed out – forced evictions amount to war crimes has not dissuaded the Israeli government from pushing forward with this brutal plan to maintain “a solid Jewish majority in the city”, as laid out officially in the Jerusalem municipality’s master plan.

Its ethnic cleansing campaign is aided by settler organisations, such as Ateret Cohanim and Nahalat Shimon International, which are registered in the United States as non-profits and are able to fundraise tax-free to help evict native Palestinians from their land. In this battle, Palestinians have only themselves and international grassroots solidarity to rely on. And yet, they keep going even when their oppressor feels the most emboldened.

Despite the continuing Israeli repression of the Palestinian protests and activism, the spirit of the Palestinian national movement is alive, well and thriving, with Jerusalem at its heart. The youth of this city and all of historic Palestine radiate courage and their energy is contagious. They are capturing the hearts and minds of people around the world, opening their eyes to the Israeli crimes and apartheid, and delivering one moral defeat after another to the Israeli regime.

Our voice is powerful. We are united, we feel dignified, and are proudly and unashamedly saying “we are Palestinians and we are here to stay!”


The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Jalal Abukhater, a Jerusalemite, holds an MA in International Relations and Politics from the University of Dundee.

KEEP READING

‘Staggering’: WHO says 200,000 Palestinians in need of health aid

UN says forced expulsion of Palestinians a ‘violation’ of law

Israel will ask US for $1bn to ‘replenish’ Iron Dome

Shattered rooms in Gaza show Israeli attacks’ toll on children

The Belarusian 'Pressure Chamber' Threat That Drove Activist To Attempt Suicide

June 02, 2021 
By Volha Zharnasek
Michael Scollon
RFE/RL's Belarus Service

Stsyapan Latypau is carried out of the courtroom after stabbing himself in the neck.

Belarusian activist Stsyapan Latypau, jailed for more than six months on charges he denies, was locked behind bars in a Minsk courtroom on June 1 when he was given the chance to question a character witness who had been called to testify on his behalf.

Latypau addressed the man, his own father, and dropped the bombshell that he had been threatened in detention by the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK).

"Father! After meeting, the GUBOP came to see me. He promised that if I did not admit my guilt, I would get the 'pressure chamber,' and criminal cases would be filed against my relatives and neighbors. I have already been in the pressure chamber -- for 51 days. So, prepare yourself."

Latypau, standing on a bench so guards could not reach him, then raised his hands and stabbed himself in the neck with a pen.

As he slumped onto the bench, guards fumbled to find the key to the courtroom cell while onlookers watched aghast. Eventually, the guards gained entry, and the bloody and heavily bandaged activist was carried to a waiting ambulance.

WATCH: Who Is The Man Who Cut His Own Throat In A Belarusian Court?

Who Is The Man Who Cut His Own Throat In A Belarusian Court?

That a prisoner in Belarus would rather kill himself than face the pressure chamber is not isolated to Latypau, who is accused of leading mass protests for trying to keep the authorities from removing a courtyard mural dedicated to the country's opposition movement.

According to rights watchdogs and former inmates, "pressure chambers" in Belarusian jails and prisons are literally torture chambers, and the threat of being sent there is enough to drive many to take drastic measures.

The chambers are often described as cells that contain hardened criminals who are working with the authorities.

Syarhey Ustsinau of Legal Initiative, a Belarusian NGO that helps people file cases with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), told Current Time on June 1 that detainees are sent to the chambers to have a confession beaten out of them by fellow inmates.

Human rights activist Mikhail Zhamchuzhny, who spent 6 1/2 years in prison on politically motivated charges, explained to RFE/RL's Belarus Service what it means to spend time in a "pressure chamber."

He said that every pretrial detention center in the country has one, in violation of international law, and that the authorities claim the chambers are needed for secret but official purposes.

SEE ALSO:
Belarus Protesters Tell Of Police Abuse And Torture

Zhamchuzhny said the cells reserved to be used as a "pressure chamber" are usually about 4x6 meters and completely soundproofed with wall panels and double doors. In other cases, he said, normal cells are used and music is pumped in to cover detainees' screams.

Detainees are well aware of the chambers' existence, and the fear of being sent there is immense.

"I have often witnessed convicts or defendants open up [admit to crimes] just in front of the door of the pressure chamber," Zhamchuzhny said.

The rights activist said that others attempt to avoid being sent to the chambers by maiming themselves. This is because an open, bleeding, wound will require detainees to be hospitalized, sparing them torture for at least a little while.

Some detainees do try to pass the test of the "pressure chamber," but the outcome depends on the strength of their will and resilience to threats, Zhamchuzhny said.

Others have mentioned the strong influence such threats can have on those detained amid Belarus's brutal crackdown on mass anti-government demonstrations that erupted after strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka was named the winner of the country's disputed August 9 election.

Alesya Kakhanouskaya told RFE/RL in May that her son, Yauhen Kakhanouski, was beaten until he confessed to charges related to his participation in the protests.

"The testimony was beaten out of him," she said. "When they started threatening to put him in a 'pressure chamber'...he gave up and implicated himself."

In court, Kakhanouski pleaded not guilty, saying he had confessed under psychological and physical pressure.

Crisis In Belarus



Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.

"I was beaten by the police in the stomach, on the head, and on the legs, threatened to be sent to a 'pressure chamber' if I did not give the testimony as it should be," Kakhanouski told the court. "I signed [the confession] without reading, because I was afraid that they would beat me again."

In the end Kakhanouski was found guilty of participating in mass riots and sentenced to serve more than 3 1/2 years in prison.

Legal Initiative's Ustsinau said that the torture of demonstrators has not stopped since the protests against Lukashenka's electoral victory began.

He said that while most instances of torture took place in the first week of the mass demonstrations, from August 9 to 13, " they are still tortured today, they are tortured in prisons."

"There are many cases when in the courts people stated that they were beaten in order to obtain confessions," Ustinov said, adding that the courts simply do not pay attention to retractions

The Belarusian 'Pressure Chamber' Threat That Drove Activist To Attempt Suicide (rferl.org)

ABUSIVE WORKPLACE

Family of man who killed self after 5-hour scolding sues ex-employer in Japan

June 2, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)

A member of the bereaved family of a man who killed himself in 2016 is seen speaking to reporters after filing the damages suit with the Sendai District Court, in this photo taken in Sendai's Aoba Ward. (Mainichi/Mie Omokawa)

SENDAI -- The family of a man who took his own life while working as a care manager at a medical corporation in this northeastern Japan city has sued the former employer, claiming that his suicide was triggered by a superior's harassment toward him, including a lengthy rebuke lasting as long as five hours.

The bereaved family of the then 41-year-old employee of Midorijuji, a medical corporation in Sendai's Taihaku Ward, brought the case to the Sendai District Court on June 1, demanding the firm pay some 63 million yen (about $570,000) in compensation. The man killed himself in October 2016.

The plaintiffs said they filed the suit to coincide with the first anniversary of power harassment being added to the criteria for recognizing workers' compensation related to mental illness.

According to the complaint, the man was working at Midorijuji's affiliate firm operated by the head of the medical corporation and others, and was involved in the development of hydrogen energy. From around March 2016, he started getting called in to his superior's room repeatedly on the grounds of mistakes he made at work. At one point, his superior chastised him for as long as five hours, including the rebuke, "You idiot!"

The worker was later diagnosed with depression among other conditions, and left the firm in June 2016. He subsequently started working at a different corporation, but went missing in October that year. His body was found the following month.

At a press conference following the filing of the suit, the man's wife told reporters, "Rebuking someone to the point of letting them break down is power harassment. I filed this suit to let it widely be known to society how much such language and actions hurt people, as I think my husband is not the only victim."

The wife earlier applied for workers' compensation in September 2017, but the Sendai Labor Standards Inspection Office turnd down the request in September the following year, prompting the wife to file a complaint. After the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare revised the recognition criteria for work-related compensation in June last year, the Miyagi Labor Bureau accordingly nullified the Sendai labor inspection office's decision not to pay compensation to the wife. In response, the Sendai office recognized the case as eligible for industrial compensation.

A lawyer representing Midorijuji commented, "Through the court procedures, we'd like to ask the bereaved family to provide counterarguments to our corporation's claims, and reveal the facts."

(Japanese original by Mie Omokawa, Sendai Bureau)

***

-- Suicide prevention hotline in Japan with English support

TELL Japan (English): https://telljp.com/

Telephone hotline: 03-5774-0992 (Daily)

Online chat: https://telljp.com/lifeline/tell-chat/

Counseling inquiries: 03-4550-1146 (Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.)

A selection of emergency numbers with multilingual support is also provided at the bottom of their home page.

SCHADENFREUDE 

Anti-vaxxer hospitalised with Covid after saying vaccines would wipe out ‘stupid people’

Christian broadcaster says he believes vaccines are used to commit ‘genocide’

Gustaf Kilander
Washington, DC@GustafKilander

Rick Wiles says Covid-19 vaccines are a plot to carry out ‘global genocide’

Rick Wiles, a right-wing Christian talk show host and anti-vaxxer has been hospitalised with Covid-19 after saying vaccines would wipe out “stupid people”.

Less than a month ago, Mr Wiles said he would never get vaccinated. His website, TruNews, announced over the weekend that had been infected and taken to hospital where he had been given oxygen. The announcement was reported by Right Wing Watch.

TruNews has pushed conspiracy theorists considered to be racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and Islamophobic. The outlet has called President Obama a “demon from hell” multiple times. Mr Wiles has said that Mr Obama “spiritually sodomised the nation”.

The right-wing broadcaster told his audience last month that he wasn’t getting vaccinated because he believed the vaccines were being used to commit a “genocide,” to kill hundreds of millions of people.

“I am not going to be vaccinated,” Mr Wiles said. “I’m going to be one of the survivors. I’m going to survive the genocide ... The only good thing that will come out of this is a lot of stupid people will be killed off. If the vaccine wipes out a lot of stupid people, well, we’ll have a better world.”

TruNews has said that eternal damnation would await anyone mocking Mr Wiles’s affliction.

“Already, the naysayers and mockers have started with their taunts,” the website said. “Let them speak their foolish words and let them mock. It will only serve to be used to fuel their flames of torment in hell unless they repent.”

TruNews suddenly suspended its broadcast last week, announcing that it was “experiencing a sudden cluster of flu and COVID among some employees and their relatives”.

The outlet then said on Sunday that Mr Wiles had been hospitalised.

TruNews has announced that Lauren Witzke, a Republican Senate candidate in Delaware in 2020, will fill in and co-host his nightly TV programme for the next two weeks.

The Daily Beast reported that Ms Witzke has pushed conspiracy theories related to QAnon, antisemitism, Flat Earth, and 9/11

Recommended
Ted Cruz’s Army flub shows he’s not even good at being right-wing
Leaked video shows right-wing group bragging about coordinated voting restrictions campaign
Richard Spencer’s right-wing think tank ordered to pay $2.4m to man severely injured at Charlottesville rally

In new tally, decade of war in Syria killed nearly 500,000 people

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the conflict has claimed 494,438 lives since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. The war monitor has since confirmed an additional 105,015 deaths following months of documentation efforts supported by its network of sources on the ground.

Tuesday 01/06/2021

A file picture shows a Kurdish Syrian woman walkingwith her child past the ruins of the town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab. (AFP)

BEIRUT – A decade of war in Syria has left nearly half a million people dead, a war monitor said Tuesday, in a new toll that includes 100,000 recently confirmed deaths.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the conflict has claimed 494,438 lives since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

The previous tally, issued by the Observatory only in March this year, stood at more than 388,000 dead.

— Months of documentation —

The war monitor has since confirmed an additional 105,015 deaths following months of documentation efforts supported by its network of sources on the ground.

“The overwhelming majority of these deaths occurred between the end of 2012 and November 2015,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said, referring to the latest additions.

Of the recently confirmed fatalities, more than 42,000 are civilians, most of them dying under torture in Syrian regime prisons, according to the monitor.

Abdel Rahman said that a lull in the fighting allowed his organisation to investigate reports of deaths that had not been included in the overall tally for lack of documentation.

“It provided us with a window to document tens of thousands of cases for which we lacked evidence,” he said.

With government forces having reconquered large swathes of Syria and a ceasefire still holding along the main front line in Idlib region in the northwest, violence levels are at their lowest since the start of the conflict.

— Prison deaths —

The new figures published by the Observatory bring the total civilian death toll to 159,774, with attacks by Syrian government forces and allied militia accounting for the majority of fatalities.

The Observatory also documented a total of at least 57,567 deaths in government prisons and detention centres since 2011, up from the 16,000 confirmed deaths it reported in March.

It also reported 168,326 deaths among Syrian soldiers and allied militia, with troops accounting for more than half of the tally.

The conflict has killed 68,393 jihadists, mostly members of the Islamic State group or of organisations linked to Al-Qaeda, as well as 79,844 other rebels.

A deal brokered by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 froze a government offensive on the rebel-controlled Idlib enclave which many feared would have caused human suffering on a scale yet unseen in the conflict.

The attention on both sides has since turned to battling the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 saw the lowest number of conflict-related deaths since the start of the war with 10,000, according to the Observatory.

Today the Damascus government controls more than two-thirds of the country after a string of Russia-backed victories since 2015.

President Bashar al-Assad, in power since 2000, was re-elected in May for a fourth seven-year term.

The war has forced more than half the country’s pre-war population to flee their homes.

  

Al-Aqsa: Israeli settlers break into mosque as 35th Palestinian killed in West Bank

The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf said that settlers had toured the site 'provocatively', having entered from the Morrocan Gate

Israeli settlers entering al-Aqsa Mosque complex through the Moroccan Gate on 30 May 2021 (Screengrab)

By Mustafa Abu Sneineh
Published date: 2 June 2021 

Dozens of Israeli settlers broke into the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, flanked by police officers, as Israeli authorities placed restrictions on Palestinians entering the mosque in the Old City.

Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, which manages and administers Islam's third-holiest mosque, said that 61 settlers had toured the site “provocatively” after entering from the Moroccan Gate.

The Waqf said that the identities of Palestinians entering the complex were checked by Israeli police at the gates.

The al-Aqsa Mosque was one of the flashpoints of the violence in May. Israeli forces stormed the site in the month of Ramadan and assaulted Palestinian worshippers, firing rubber-coated bullets and tear gas at them.

EU leaders condemn attacks on ICC probe into Israeli war crimesRead More »

Israeli settlers regularly tour the al-Aqsa Mosque through the Moroccan Gate, which leads to the Western Wall plaza. They are always accompanied by police and members of the intelligence services, and sometimes by Israeli officials, including ministers and Knesset members.

In May, Israeli settlers were not allowed to enter the complex for almost 20 days during Palestinian protests in Shiekh Jarrah and Damascus Gate, and later the bombing of the Gaza Strip.

They resumed their tours on 23 May, two days after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Two days before, Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and teargas at worshippers who had gathered to celebrate the announcement of the ceasefire.

At the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, in early 2020, the complex was closed altogether for 69 days, finally reopening on 31 May. During the closure, Israeli authorities still allowed settlers to tour and enter the site.
Palestinian killed in West Bank

Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrested 17 people in various cities of the West Bank, including Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and al-Bireh on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, an NGO.

On Wednesday, Fadi Sadiq Mousa Washhah, 34, from the village of Birzeit, north of Ramallah, succumbed to his wounds, two weeks after being shot by the Israeli army at the entrance of al-Bireh, near Ramallah.

Washhah was shot in the head with a live bullet, according to the Wafa news agency, and placed in intensive care.

He was a former political prisoner who spent a total of eight years in Israeli jails, five of them while studying political science at Birzeit University. He had been wounded several times during confrontations with Israeli forces.

Washhah became the 35th Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces or far-right settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since protests against the Israeli forced eviction of residents of Sheikh Jarrah started in early May.

Two Palestinian citizens of Israel were also killed in May: Mousa Hassouneh in Lod, and Mohammad Kiwan in the town of Umm al-Fahm, in the north of Israel.

The New York Tides: Is discourse on Israel-Palestine truly shifting?

A few recent articles have prompted speculation that the pro-Israel tide is turning in the US mainstream media - but what's really needed is a sustained war on the Zionist narrative

Belen Fernandez
2 June 2021 


The New York Times has finally cast a spotlight on the Palestinians' plight (AFP)

On 23 May, the New York Times ran a lengthy front-page article titled “The Misery of Life Under Occupation”, recounting the personal stories of various Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem subjected to lifetimes of misery by the state of Israel.

The article appeared just days after a ceasefire halted the Israeli military’s latest bout of butchery in the Gaza Strip, which killed 248 Palestinians - including 67 children - and was touched off by, inter alia, Israel’s ethnic cleansing operations in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem.

Bret Stephens used his own platform at the Times to argue mid-carnage against delusional demands from the left - like an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Among those profiled in the Times piece was Muhammad Sandouka, 42, who was forced to tear down his own family’s Jerusalem home after being given a choice between do-it-yourself demolition and Israeli government demolition - the latter option also entailing a $10,000 fee to be paid by Sandouka, for the privilege of being made homeless.

The alleged reason for disappearing the Sandouka home: it was interfering with touristic views of the Old City.

Stressing that “no Palestinian is insulated from the occupation’s reach”, the Times writers note that - for the approximately three million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem - the impending forcible removal of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah was a “story [that] was exceptional only because it attracted an international spotlight”.

And yet, the front-page story is itself pretty exceptional, appearing as it does in a publication that has long been known for whitewashing Israeli atrocities and portraying the slaughter of Palestinian children as a legitimate component of Israel’s “self-defence”.

Decades of victimisation

To be sure, the US newspaper of record has never been terribly concerned with humanising the Palestinian story or conveying a reality of more than 70 years of victimisation. This particular article is even more unusual in that, in addition to underscoring the systematic nature of Israeli oppression, it also casts Palestinian violence as a logical outcome of the “occupation’s provocations” - which are a “constant and key driver of the conflict, giving Hamas an excuse to fire rockets or lone-wolf attackers grievances to channel into killings by knives or automobiles”.

Granted, the cause-and-effect relationship could be more rigorously explained, but, as far as western corporate media coverage goes, it certainly beats the normal reduction to “terrorism” of every instance of Palestinian violence occurring in reaction to quantitatively and qualitatively superior Israeli violence - which is what started the whole “conflict” in the first place.

Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian man during a protest against the seizure of Palestinian farmland by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank on 13 January 2021 (AFP)   LOOKS MORE LIKE A TEENAGER

Other deviations from the discourse-as-usual have prompted hopeful speculation that the tide may be turning in favour of the truth. At the end of April, Human Rights Watch reported that Israel is “committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution” - which was not exactly a news flash, but hey, better late than never.

In the aftermath of the report, the use of the apartheid designation and general criticism of Israeli crimes have, it seems, been increasingly mainstreamed. A Washington Post opinion piece by Raphael Mimoun, for example, bears the headline: “Zionism cannot produce a just peace. Only external pressure can end the Israeli apartheid.” Mimoun, who was himself born into a Zionist community in France and later lived in Israel, affirms: “The Israeli occupation of the West Bank is, by every definition, apartheid.”
'Sea change' in US discourse

Another Washington Post article by foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal helpfully makes clear that the “apartheid” arrangement applies not only to Palestinians under occupation but to Palestinian citizens of Israel, as well, who are also subject to institutionalised discrimination.

Over at the Mondoweiss website, a pleasantly astonished Philip Weiss draws attention to a New York Times op-ed by Basma Ghalayini, who declares that “legitimate resistance cannot be a right only for those Palestinians who believe exclusively in nonviolent self-defence - not in the face of the violence we endure”.

Sheikh Jarrah: Clashes, scuffles, conflict - western media's euphemisms for Israel's violence  Read More »

Weiss remarks: “Some observers speak of a sea change in the American discourse, and of course point to the Congressional Democrats who are willing to challenge the Israeli narrative”. The Financial Times, for its part, reckons that the “conversation on Israel-Palestine is changing”. Add to this all of the social media speculation about “turning tides”.

The thing about tides, though, is that they’re always turning. Take actor Mark Ruffalo, who came in with one Twitter tide (“Sanctions on South Africa helped free its black people - it’s time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians”) and went out on the next, after the bloodbath in Gaza (“I have reflected & wanted to apologise for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing ‘genocide’”…).

Celebrity socialite Paris Hilton also rode a very brief, and immensely befuddling, pro-Palestinian wave on Twitter.

Other celebrities have proved rather more durable - like supermodel sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid and singer Dua Lipa, the featured co-villains of a ludicrous advertisement published in the New York Times about Hamas’s alleged desire for “a second Holocaust”. In other words, the same publication that ran Ghalayini’s piece and the exposé on the “misery of life under occupation” also happily played host to an almost comically fear-mongering campaign to demonise three famous people for supporting Palestinian rights.

Call it the New York Tides.

Cascade of Zionist propaganda

The Times also continues to devote plenty of space to the likes of foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman, whose opinions include that it is “logical” for Israel to bomb civilian populations. Following the latest round of carnage, Friedman lamented that “Israel’s use of sophisticated air power, no matter how justified and precise, triggered a set of images and video, in the age of social networks, that inflamed and energized Israel’s critics around the world”.

After all, you can’t get much more precise than 67 children in 11 days. The real culprits in the whole matter, obviously, are the international critics of Israel.

Bret Stephens, meanwhile, used his own platform at the Times to argue mid-carnage against delusional demands from the left - like an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to West Bank settlement construction, and expedited negotiations for Palestinian statehood. Regarding Israel’s crippling and illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, Stephens wagers that “the end of the so-called blockade… would turn the steady trickle of military equipment into the strip, most of it from Iran, into a cascade”.

Under the guise of objectivity, media outlets have taken to placing more fact-based accounts alongside the traditional cascade of Zionist propaganda

This is the same Stephens who, during the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza that wiped out 2,251 Palestinians, among them 299 women and 551 children, assured readers of the Wall Street Journal that “Palestine Makes You Dumb” - and that “to argue the Palestinian side, in this war, is to make the case for barbarism”.

Nowadays, the case of the Times illustrates how, under the guise of objectivity, media outlets have taken to placing more fact-based accounts alongside the traditional cascade of Zionist propaganda. But imagine this for a moment: say I own a newspaper, and I run a couple of articles stating that the Earth is round and a bunch of articles stating that the Earth is a trapezoid. In the end, I’m not presenting two equal sides of an argument. I’m either schizophrenic or a liar.

Tidal wave of truth

For all of the mainstream articles out there defending the apartheid designation, there are plenty accusing Human Rights Watch and anyone else using the A-word of antisemitism - a preferred Zionist tactic for drowning out rational discussion.

So what to do to try to ensure that the current prospect of a turning tide doesn’t mutate into a one-step-forward-two-steps-back scenario?

As the authors of the Times article on Sandouka et al write, the occupation’s “provocations do not stop when the fighting ends”. Nor, it bears adding, does Israel’s war on Palestinians ever really end, even when the bombs are not physically raining down.

For starters, then, what’s needed is sustained media coverage of the in-between periods - a war on the Zionist narrative, as it were, and a commitment to dismantling the foundations that have underpinned crimes against humanity for more than seven decades.

In short, what’s needed is a tidal wave of truth.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.

Belen Fernandez is the author of Exile: Rejecting America and Finding the World and The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work. She is a contributing editor at Jacobin magazine.

Joe Biden says he will “not rest” until LGBTQ+ community has full equality in powerful Pride Month essay

BY SAM DAMSHENAS


Joe Biden has proven his status as one of the most inclusive presidents in history with his essay for Pride Month.

The US president began his proclamation by remembering the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, calling the liberation movement a “call to action that continues to inspire us to live up to our Nation’s promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all,” before reaffirming his commitment to LGBTQ+ Americans in their “ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice”.

Biden proceeded to recognise the “remarkable progress” that’s been made since Stonewall, including marriage equality and workplace protections for LGBTQ+ citizens, as well as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which “broadened the definition of hate crimes to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity”.

“Members of the LGBTQ+ community now serve in nearly every level of public office — in city halls and State capitals, Governors’ mansions and the halls of the Congress, and throughout my Administration,” said Biden.

Biden continued to say that he’s “honoured” to have the service of Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, who made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in the Cabinet, and Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, who made history as the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

Later, Biden addressed the lack of protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in areas such as hospitals, schools and public accommodations, and the ongoing violence against transgender women of colour in the United States.

“LGBTQ+ individuals — especially youth who defy sex or gender norms — face bullying and harassment in educational settings and are at a disproportionate risk of self-harm and death by suicide,” explained Biden.

“Some States have chosen to actively target transgender youth through discriminatory bills that defy our Nation’s values of inclusivity and freedom for all. Our Nation also continues to face tragic levels of violence against transgender people, especially transgender women of color.

“And we are still haunted by tragedies such as the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando. Ending violence and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community demands our continued focus and diligence. As President, I am committed to defending the rights of all LGBTQ+ individuals.”

In his proclamation, Biden promised to take “historic actions” to ensure full equality for LGBTQ+ families and referred to his first day as president, in which he signed an executive order “to fully enforce all Federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.”

Pexels



US State Department calls for Ghana national leaders to support LGBTQ+ rights

Biden has also signed an order “affirming all qualified Americans” will be able to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States — including patriotic transgender Americans who can once again proudly and openly serve their Nation in uniform — and a National Security Memorandum that commits to supporting LGBTQ+ Federal employees serving overseas.

“My Administration is also working to promote and protect LGBTQ+ human rights abroad. LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, which is why my Administration has reaffirmed America’s commitment to supporting those on the front lines of the equality and democracy movements around the world, often at great risk.”

Biden concluded his proclamation by telling his LGBTQ+ followers that he will “not rest” until equality is finally achieved and “codified into law”, before officially proclaiming June 2021 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month to “celebrate the great diversity of the American people and to wave their flags of pride high.”

The proclamation is the first for a US president since Barack Obama, after the two-time impeached television personality Donald Trump deserted the practice. He also denied several US embassies the right to fly rainbow flags for Pride Month.

In April, the Biden Administration overruled that ridiculous decision and announced that all US embassies can fly the flag, marking a stark contrast in Biden and Trump’s stances on LGBTQ+ equality and visibility.

You can read Joe Biden’s proclamation for Pride Month here in full.

June is Pride Month: This year, it's different. 2021 LGBTQ events and more

June is Pride Month. See how you can get involved, whether it's from your couch or marching down the road.

Katie Conner
June 1, 2021
CNET


Celebrate Pride Month from your home or at an event.James Martin/CNET

June marks the 51st celebration of Pride Month -- a time when millions of people come together in support of the LGBTQ community. This year, many celebrations across the globe will resume as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and more people are vaccinated.

So why does Pride Month take place in June? It goes back to June 28, 1969, when police raided a gay club called the Stonewall Inn in New York. Though the police claimed the bar was operating with an improper liquor license, the raid was about nothing more than violently harassing and arresting LGBTQ people in one of the few places where they felt safe. Similar raids on gay-friendly businesses had been occurring for decades, but Stonewall was one of the first times when the patrons fought back. A diverse crowd of lesbians, gay men and transgender women, many of whom were people of color, clashed with the police, threw bottles and refused to be intimidated. The six-day period of protests and demonstrations is now known as the Stonewall Riots. A New York rally held the next year to commemorate the first anniversary of the riots started the now-regular tradition of Pride Month

Below, we've suggested ways you can get involved, what you can watch and read, and other ways to celebrate the LGBTQ community.
Attend a Pride parade or festival

This year, some Pride Month festivities will resume in person, depending on where you live. However, many have been postponed until later this year or next due to the coronavirus. If you can't find a parade in your area (you can search "Pride parade Chicago," for instance), see if there are other events you can attend.

San Francisco, for example, will not have a parade, but will have a Pride movie night with face masks and social distancing required. Los Angeles will have two outdoor Pride events. See this calendar for more Pride events happening around the world in June.

Atlanta Pride Run is also happening this year in person. The run is for generating LGBTQ awareness in the community. You can also participate in this event virtually -- see below.

You can also find Pride events for different parts of the LGBTQ community including women, transgender people and people of color. 

Netflix has many shows and movies for Pride Month.César Salza/CNET
Support Pride organizations by donating

Can't make it to any events but would like to support the LGBTQ community? You can do so by donating to Pride organizations. The International LGBTQ Travel Association organization helps provide marketing support to LGBTQ businesses.
What to watch for Pride Month -- and where

Netflix has a genre page for Pride Month, including movies, TV shows, documentaries, GLAAD award nominees and more. New seasons of Feel Good and Elite will also be available in June, Netflix told CNET.

Hulu has a designated page for Pride Month, as well. A popular option is the documentary, Pride.

CNET editors also have recommendations for LGBTQ movies and shows to watch in June -- or any other time. Some of these include The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Moonlight.
What to read during Pride Month

Here's what CNET editors recommend adding to your reading list this summer.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Rainbow Boy by Taylor Rouanzion
Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome
Reach out to your company's diversity and inclusion groups

If you'd like to get involved for Pride Month at work, you can contact your company's diversity and inclusion groups to see how you can help. You could help coordinate a virtual event where you play trivia games and decorate your Zoom background with a Pride flag. If your company doesn't have any Pride events scheduled, consider organizing one yourself

.

Host a Pride event on Zoom for your company.Sarah Tew/CNET
How to show your support from home

There are plenty of ways to show your support from home. We've listed several to get you started.
Hang a Pride flag outside your home.
Place a Pride sticker on your car.
Host your own Pride-themed movie night.
Wear some Pride clothing.
Join virtual events.
Be an ally to your LGBTQ colleagues, friends and family members.
Support LGBTQ organizations in schools.
Support businesses that support the LGBTQ community.
Celebrate virtually

If there's not a Pride event happening near you, don't fret. There are plenty of ways to celebrate virtually, and even watch Pride parades and events happening around the world. You can also participate in events virtually -- for instance, the Atlanta Pride Run has a virtual option you can sign up for and run anywhere you want (plus, it comes with a shirt).

Look up events you're interested in watching or being a part of, even if it's in another country, because there will likely be a link for viewing. Here's a calendar of Pride events happening around the world.

First published on June 1, 2021 at 4:15 a.m. PT

REvil Ransomware Ground Down JBS: Sources

Author:Lisa Vaas
June 2, 2021 

Responsible nations don’t harbor cybercrooks, the Biden administration admonished Russia, home to the gang that reportedly froze the global food distributor’s systems.

The cyberattack that flattened operations at JBS Foods over the weekend was indeed a ransomware strike, the global food distributor has confirmed, with sources pointing to the REvil Group as the responsible gang.

Four people familiar with the matter who weren’t authorized to speak publicly told Bloomberg that the notorious Russia-linked hacking group is behind the attack against JBS SA. The REvil cyber gang also goes by the name Sodinokibi.

REvil is known for both audacious attacks on the world’s biggest organizations and suitably astronomical ransoms. In April, it put the squeeze on Apple just hours before its splashy new product launch, demanding a whopping $50 million extortion fee: a bold move, even for the notorious ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) gang. The original attack was launched against Quanta, a Global Fortune 500 manufacturer of electronics, which claims Apple among its customers. The Taiwanese-based company was contracted to assemble Apple products, including Apple Watch, Apple Macbook Air and Pro, and ThinkPad, from an Apple-provided set of design schematics.

The JBS attackers targeted several servers supporting North American and Australian IT systems of JBS Foods on Sunday, according to a statement by JBS USA. JBS is a global provider of beef, chicken and pork with 245,000 employees operating on several continents and serving brands such as Country Pride, Swift, Certified Angus Beef, Clear River Farms and Pilgrim’s.

The “vast majority” of JBS Foods’ beef, pork, poultry and prepared foods plants will be operational by today, the company said on Tuesday.

Andre Nogueira, JBS USA CEO, said in a statement that the company’s systems are coming back online and that it’s “not sparing any resources to fight this threat.” JBS has cybersecurity plans in place for these types of incidents and is successfully executing them, he said. In the case of a ransomware attack, that means relying on backups. Fortunately, JBS’ backup servers weren’t affected, and it’s been working with a third-party incident-response firm to restore operations as soon as possible.

It lucked out in that regard: Security experts have noted that attacks are getting more vicious and more destructive, with attackers taking the extra time and effort to remove backups prior to deploying ransomware.

As of Tuesday, JBS USA and Pilgrim’s were able to ship food from nearly all of its U.S. facilities, Nogueira noted, and were still making progress in resuming plant operations in the U.S. and Australia. “Several of the company’s pork, poultry and prepared foods plants were operational today and its Canada beef facility resumed production,” he said.

To date, JBS hasn’t found evidence that any customer, supplier or employee data was compromised.

White House Chides Russia

According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, JBS told the administration on Sunday that it believes the ransomware attack was launched from a criminal organization, likely based in Russia.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday aboard Air Force One, Jean-Pierre said that the Biden administration told the Russian government that it’s not nice to harbor cybercrooks. “The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter and delivering the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals,” she said, according to a transcript of her remarks.

The White House has offered assistance to JBS: Its team and the Department of Agriculture have spoken to the company’s leadership several times since Sunday’s attack, Jean-Pierre said. As well, the FBI is investigating the incident in coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to offer technical support to the company as it pulls itself back into production.

“Combating ransomware is a priority for the administration,” the press secretary went on. “President Biden has already launched a rapid strategic review to address the increased threat of ransomware to include four lines of effort: one, distribution of ransomware infrastructure and actors working closely with the private sector; two, building an international coalition to hold countries who harbor ransom actors accountable; expanding cryptocurrency analysis to find and pursue criminal transaction; and reviewing the USG’s ransomware policies.”

The government’s reaction to the JBS hit is an echo of the reaction to last month’s attack on a major U.S. oil pipeline, when ransomware group DarkSide targeted operator Colonial Pipeline Co., disrupting fuel supply in the Eastern part of the U.S.

That attack prompted President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency and caused substantial pain at gas pumps in the Southeast. DarkSide made off with a $5 million ransomware payout from Colonial to decrypt its frozen systems but published a mea culpa over the uproar, emphasizing that it was in it for the cash, not to disrupt people’s lives. Somebody or somebodies weren’t convinced: The ransomware-as-a-server (RaaS) gang’s servers were subsequently shuttered. A week later, DarkSide got hauled into the underground’s “Hacker’s Court” for failing to pay its affiliates.

Biden’s executive order asked for “bold and significant changes” to tight deadlines on complex systems — tethered to a significant shift in technology. It does raise question, however, as noted by David Wolpoff, CTO and co-founder of Randori. Writing for Threatpost’s Infosec Insider, he questioned the EO’s “Heavy emphasis on migrating traditionally on-premises systems to the cloud” and call for rapid change in the name of cybersecurity. “It does not address the issue of the interconnectedness of a cloud migration,” Wolpoff noted. “If we move too fast, while attempting to shift to the cloud, we will create more issues.”

The Meat Industry’s Full of Sitting Ducks

Security ratings provider BitSight has been tracking the ransomware risk to the food production industry and says that the industry is setting itself up, with 40 percent of companies at increased risk due to poor patching practices. On Tuesday, the company told Threatpost in an email that food companies “are taking longer to patch vulnerabilities than the recommended industry standard, leaving them at higher risk.”

In fact, BitSight said, more than 70 percent of food companies are at increased risk of ransomware due to “less-than-ideal” security practices. ” Compared to other sectors, food production is in the 60th percentile of security performance, making it markedly more at-risk to ransomware than other sectors like Credit Unions (52 percent), Insurance (62 percent) and Finance (60 percent), which lead all sectors in security performance excellence,” it said.

But all industries are vulnerable, according to cyber threat intelligence firm Cyber Security Cloud Inc. “The recent cyberattacks on the Colonial Pipeline and now JBS USA show us that all infrastructures are vulnerable,” CEO Toshihiro Koike told Threatpost via email on Tuesday. “If organizations don’t start taking cybersecurity seriously, these attacks will continue to happen. Preventing a cyberattack is like preventing a home invasion: You must continuously update your security and educate the persons behind the walls.”

Threatpost has asked JBS Foods to comment on the attribution of the attack to REvil/Sodinokibi.    REvil Ransomware Ground Down JBS: Sources | Threatpost

Russia-linked cybercriminal group REvil behind meatpacker JBS attack

PUBLISHED WED, JUN 2 2021
CNBC
MacKenzie Sigalos@KENZIESIGALOS

KEY POINTS

Well-known hacker collective REvil Group is behind the cyberattack on Brazil’s JBS, according to a source speaking to CNBC on the condition of anonymity.

The assault on the world’s largest meatpacker disrupted meat production in North America and Australia.

In this article
JBSS-BR-0.55 (-1.78%)

VIDEO02:41
JBS to have most of meat plants online soon after suspected Russia cyberattack

Well-known hacker collective REvil Group is behind the cyberattack on JBS, according to a source speaking to CNBC on the condition of anonymity. It caused JBS, the world’s largest meatpacking company to shut down operations.

The assault on the world’s largest meatpacker disrupted meat production in North America and Australia, at one point stoking concerns over the potential for rising prices and inadequate supply during the busy summer grilling season.

REvil — pronounced like the letter “R” followed by the word “evil” — is mostly comprised of native Russian speakers. It is also believed to be based in a former Soviet state.

The organization runs a site on the dark web, anachronistically known as the “Happy Blog.” If victims don’t comply with demands, the group posts stolen documents on its blog.

“We know that they are protected most likely by Russian intelligence or the Russian government, as are most ransomware groups, which has allowed them to flourish over the last 18 months,” Marc Bleicher of Arete Incident Response, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in negotiations with criminal hackers, previously told CNBC.

Packages of beef cuts are displayed at a Costco store on May 24, 2021 in Novato, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

By Tuesday night, the company said that it had made “significant progress in resolving the cyberattack” and that the “vast majority” of the company’s beef, pork, poultry and prepared food plants will be operational Wednesday.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter, “delivering the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals.”

-- CNBC’s Eamon Javers contributed to this report.