It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, June 11, 2022
UK
‘Hard to comprehend:’ Fury as government plan to BURN £4bn of unusable PPE
“Sending billions of pounds up in smoke when NHS and care services are struggling will be hard for them to comprehend."
Government plans to burn £4 billion of unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) to generate power have been criticised by MPs as potentially costly – both financially and to the environment.
It comes as a firm linked to Tory peer Michelle Mone was awarded £200m of taxpayers’ money in contracts via the VIP fast lane.
Angela Rayner tweeted: “MedPro is now under National Crime Agency investigation but Ministers won’t come clean about these contracts. What have they got to hide?”
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) lost 75% of the £12 billion it spent on PPE in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic to inflated prices and faulty kit.
This included £4 billion worth which could not be used because it did not meet NHS standards.
MPs also raised concerns about “inappropriate”, unauthorised payoffs made by health bodies to staff, warning that more of these are likely to happen amid the large-scale restructuring of the NHS.
During the pandemic, three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) paid special severance payments without the required approval from the Treasury, the committee said.
PAC chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier said the DHSC has done little to “put its house in order” after wasting “huge amounts” of public money.
The Labour MP said: “The story of PPE purchasing is perhaps the most shameful episode in the UK Government response to the pandemic.
“At the start of the pandemic health service and social care staff were left to risk their own and their families’ lives due to the lack of basic PPE.
“In a desperate bid to catch up, the Government splurged huge amounts of money, paying obscenely inflated prices and payments to middlemen in a chaotic rush, during which they chucked out even the most cursory due diligence.
“This has left us with massive public contracts now under investigation by the National Crime Agency or in dispute because of allegations of modern slavery in the supply chain.
Galling
“Add to that a series of inappropriate, unauthorised severance payoffs made by clinical commissioning groups in the first year of the pandemic and the impression given falls even further from what we expect.
“The DHSC singularly failed to manage this crisis, despite years of clear and known risk of a pandemic, and the challenges facing it now are vast, from getting the NHS back on its feet to preparing for the next major crisis.
“There are, frankly, too few signs that it is putting its house in order or knows how to.”
The PAC has urged the DHSC to clarify its plan to dispose of unusable and excess PPE, including predicted costs to the Treasury and to the environment.
Chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Pat Cullen, said the burning of PPE is a “galling” reminder that the DHSC’s approach to procurement may also have cost nurses’ lives.
She said: “Our members will find this galling.
“It is a painful reminder of the worst of the pandemic – inadequate or wasteful PPE.
“Sending billions of pounds up in smoke when NHS and care services are struggling will be hard for them to comprehend.
“If this money had been used more wisely and decent quality PPE bought in the first place, then nurses’ lives might have been saved.
“It will be critical, if we are to truly learn the lessons, for the forthcoming public inquiry to pin down causes and to say clearly where mistakes were made so they are never repeated.”
BURMA/MYANMAR Nearly 600 properties seized by junta over alleged ties to armed resistance
The owners are accused of connections to the shadow government and the deposed NLD party.
By RFA Burmese Service 2022.06.08
Junta authorities seize the home of an NLD lawmaker in the Magway
region city of Pakokku, Nov. 11, 2021.
Myanmar’s junta has confiscated nearly 600 homes and other buildings owned by people it claims are members or supporters of the armed resistance, according to a report by independent research group the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP Myanmar).
The report found that, between the military’s Feb. 1, 2021, coup and May 20 this year, authorities seized 586 properties, mostly from people who have alleged ties to the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Committee of Representatives (CRPH), and anti-junta People’s Defense Force (PDF) paramilitary group — all of which the regime considers “terrorist organizations.”
Several other confiscated properties belonged to people the military regime said had a role in bombings of junta targets, anti-coup protests, and the nationwide anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
Among the seizures were the homes of NUG acting President Duwa Lashi La and Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Thann, the report said. The largest number of properties, 159, were confiscated from owners in embattled Sagaing region, where the military has faced some of the strongest resistance to date.
Myint Htwe, a former lawmaker for the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) party representing Ye-U township in the Sagaing Regional Parliament, called the military’s seizures “arbitrary” and illegal.
“These confiscations are entirely arbitrary, according to the law,” the former MP, whose home was among those confiscated, told RFA’s Burmese Service.
“The junta is a terrorist organization that has violated all the ethics of how soldiers should act and how civilians should be treated. I know they will never abide by the laws, and I don’t expect anything different.”
According to ISP Myanmar’s findings, 373 properties, or nearly two-thirds of those seized, belonged to civilians. Another 147 properties belonged to lawmakers, while 66 were owned by the NLD or its members.
Kyaw Htet Aung, senior researcher at ISP Myanmar, said the confiscations had taken an emotional, social and economic toll on the victims.
“Especially, the family members and victims of home confiscations have had their lives disrupted and ruined,” he said.
“When someone loses their home, they can live with relatives or shelter at a camp for internally displaced people,” he added. “But often it becomes difficult to maintain one’s regular social, economic, educational and medical activities after a home is lost. Owning a home is central part of one’s life.”
Attempts by RFA to contact junta deputy information minister, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, for comment on the confiscations went unanswered Wednesday.
A photo shows the exterior of the home of Moe Ma Kha, a former NLD lawmaker for the Bago Regional Parliament, which was sealed off by junta authorities in Taungoo city on Feb. 12, 2022. Credit: Citizen journalist
Targeting the NLD
NLD Central Committee member Kyaw Htwe said the junta is illegally targeting members of his party.
“The military regime is jealous of the NLD party for achieving landslide victories in every free and fair election. They know they cannot achieve a monopoly on power while the NLD is around, and that’s why they are targeting the party,” he said.
“They destroyed the party headquarters, sealed party member’s homes, and arrested the party members. They even arrest and intimidate the family members of NLD members and supporters. They are taking away the rights of the people.”
The junta says voter fraud led to the NLD’s landslide victory in the country’s November 2020 election but has yet to provide evidence for its claims. It has instead violently suppressed nationwide protests calling for a return to civilian rule, killing 1,909 people and arresting 14,046 in the 16 months since, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
Most detainees from the NLD were charged for alleged crimes that carry heavy sentences, including rebellion, corruption, unlawful association and incitement.
The NLD said in January that more than three-quarters of its members arrested by the junta remained in detention more than 11 months after the military seized power. Since the Feb. 1 coup, junta security forces have arrested hundreds of NLD members, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Win Myint.
Political Analyst Than Soe Naing said the junta is using every means at its disposal to crush the resistance movement and drive away its supporters.
“They intend to make NLD supporters and proponents of the NUG suffer and become homeless,” he said.
“There are no laws or constitutional provisions that support such actions. The junta is now using unprecedented and inhumane tactics to suppress the resistance and its supporters.”
Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Guards deny female inmates drinking water after protest in Myanmar’s Insein Prison
The women said a fellow prisoner’s miscarriage was the result of guard negligence.
By RFA Burmese 2022.06.10
A guard stands outside of Insein Prison in Yangon, in a file photo.
Authorities in Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison have cut off the drinking water supply to the cells of female political prisoners who protested poor living conditions in the facility after a fellow inmate who was denied medical treatment suffered a miscarriage, sources said Friday.
Sources who visited the prison on the outskirts of Myanmar’s commercial capital Yangon told RFA Burmese that dozens of prisoners have been forced to drink from the toilet after the taps were turned off more than two weeks ago, leaving them with no other source of water.
“The authorities cut off the drinking water since the protest,” said one recent visitor, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity.
“They put 60-70 female prisoners in one prison hall. I was told that all of them are now forced to drink water from the toilet.”
The source said that some of the prisoners have contracted cholera and other diseases after drinking the unclean water.
Last month, a 24-year-old political prisoner at Insein named Cherry Bo Kyi Naing, who is serving a three-year prison sentence for “unlawful association,” suffered an early-term miscarriage after authorities delayed sending her to the hospital for treatment.
On May 23, the female political prisoners held a protest, claiming that Cherry Bo Kyi Naing’s miscarriage was avoidable and the result of negligence by the guards. Two days later, prison authorities shut down the protest and relocated all the female political prisoners to the single prison hall, before shutting off the water supply.
When asked by RFA for comment on the situation at Insein, Prison Department spokesperson Khin Shwe denied reports that the women had been cut off access to drinking water.
“In Insein prison, we provide adequate water supplies for both drinking and hygiene,” he said.
“We don’t give such punishments for incidents that occur in the prison. We have no such thing.”
Attempts by RFA to reach the International Committee of the Red Cross in Bangkok, Thailand, went unanswered Friday. The Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) told RFA it is still making inquiries into the protest at Insein and the response by authorities and was unable to comment.
Kaythi Aye, a former political prisoner in Myanmar who now lives in Norway, told RFA that female prisoners require better hygiene conditions than their male counterparts, and access to clean water is crucial.
“Prisoners are in serious trouble when they don’t have access to clean water, especially during the monsoon season, when mosquitos proliferate and people suffer skin conditions,” she said.
“Wet conditions cause disease to spread further. It’s inhumane to cut off clean water for the female prisoners.”
According to the AAPP, security forces have arrested more than 11,000 civilians in Myanmar since the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup. There are nearly 1,200 female prisoners across the country, around 200 of which are held in Insein Prison.
Dutch government angers farmers with new emission goals
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government unveiled goals Friday to drastically reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides to protect the environment, a plan that would lead to major upheavals in the Netherlands’ multibillion dollar agriculture industry and has already angered some farmers.
Calling it an “unavoidable transition,” the government mandated reductions in emissions of up to 70 percent in many places close to protected nature areas and as high as 95 percent in other places.
The ruling coalition earmarked an extra 24.3 billion euros ($25.6 billion) to finance changes that will likely make many farmers drastically reduce their number of livestock or to get rid of them altogether.
Farming is a key sector in the Dutch economy, with exports worth nearly 105 billion euros last year. But it comes at a cost of producing of polluting gases, despite farmers taking steps to reduce emissions.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte conceded that the plan would hit many farmers hard.
“Of course, it has enormous consequences. I understand that, and it is simply terrible,” Rutte said. “And especially if they are businesses handed down in the family who want to proudly continue.”
Provincial governments across the Netherlands now have a year to draw up concrete plans to achieve the reductions outlined in the goals released Friday.
LTO, an organization that represents 35,000 farmers, called the targets “unrealistic.”
A group representing angry farmers already has called for a demonstration in The Hague later this month to protest Friday’s proposals. Past protests by the agriculture sector have seen hundreds of tractors clogging roads around the country and gathering on a park in The Hague.
Some farmers did not wait and drove their tractors in protests Friday night, including a group who parked in the street where the government minister responsible for the nitrogen policy lives, local media reported. National broadcaster NOS reported that the minister, Christianne van der Wal, left her house to speak to the farmers.
The government has been forced to act in part because European Union emissions guidelines are being breached around the country and that has led to courts blocking building and infrastructure projects in recent years because they would exacerbate the problem.
For Palestinians skateboarding is ‘so much more than a sport… it’s the only space where they can be free’
Sadie Whitelocks - Yesterday At a rare skate park in Nablus, young Palestinian board riders face a series of obstacles before they are even able to drop in to try their latest tricks.
“I’ll get stopped at a checkpoint and encounter some sort of stop-and-frisk… He’s not shooting me, but he’s making me feel demeaned. I’ll then go to the skate park and think, ‘Screw that border police officer who wants to make me feel minimal’,” says Maen Hammad, a 30-year-old human rights campaigner and documentary maker chronicling the rise of skate culture in the West Bank.
Mr Hammad, second son of Palestinian refugees who moved to the US aged two, returned to the country of his birth in 2014 in search of a sense of identity. Taking his beloved skateboard with him, he found a rising local scene which he eventually documented in his short film, Kickflips Over Occupation.
It captures children learning to skate in dusty concrete streets against graffiti-covered walls, scrawled with statements such as “What would Anne Frank do?”. Clips show young people practising outside shopping centres much like in American suburbs, or whizzing past mosques. Young skaters speak of how they love the sport, while others practice after dark in streets festooned with lights.
Yet seven years on from its release, skate parks remain scarce and skate shops are virtually non-existent. Mr Hammad said for many, skateboarding is a rare respite from the oppression that permeates the lives of Palestinian youth.
“It would be wrong to assume it’s only blood and grenades and arrests,” he says. “It’s who you can love or how you get to school. That’s why skateboarding is so much more than a sport or a hobby. In a lot of circumstances, it’s the only space where they can live a normal life and just be free from context for a bit.”
Mr Hammad is putting these dynamics under the spotlight through Landing, an ongoing photography project that is showcasing the “purposeful escape” provided by skateboarding amidst Israel’s military occupation.
While some of the photographs were taken by Mr Hammad, the rest were shot by the core group of Palestinian skaters using disposable cameras.
“I’ve always felt weird speaking on behalf of Palestinian skaters because who am I to do so, you know? I grew up in America and have an American passport, which brings with it a lot of privilege,” he admits. “I always knew that part of my relationship with skating in Palestine is shared, while there are also parts that I don’t share, but I think are even cooler. I wanted to make sure that this wasn’t another case of someone from the diaspora returning to assume the narrative of Palestinians.”
He chose to take a collaborative approach, with the disposable cameras aiming to allow young skaters to take photos of the world around them, providing “a glimpse into being young and Palestinian”.
“There are photos of them hanging out, doing homework, walking around, falling in love,” he says. “Sure, when looked at in isolation, they might seem meaningless. But when put into context? It’s radical to be doing even the most mundane things in a world that has effectively dehumanised their existence.”
In a place where the median age is under 21, Mr Hammad says the Israeli occupation means many young people are conditioned to feel hopeless. But the slowly growing skateboarding community is challenging this everyday reality in its own nonviolent way, he says.
“Skateboarding as a sport is very disobedient in essence. I mean, when you think of your prototypical skater, you think of a tenacious, strong-willed rebel trying to raise hell, right? Well, skateboarding in Palestine is sending that message,” he says
“It’s sending a message to the occupier and the world – it’s a refusal of the status quo. It is showing that no amount of soldiers, no amount of checkpoints, no wall, no army can keep us quiet and in place.”
Mr Hammad lives in Ramallah, just 10km north of Jerusalem in the central West Bank but refers to the city as a bubble. He says many young people demonstrate a lack of political aspiration as there has not been a Palestinian election for more than 16 years.
“It’s the same human rights crisis that Palestinians have faced for over 73 years. And why I highlight that it’s worse is because the population is still so young and there’s no real space to assume anything but hopelessness.”
While Mr Hammad is hopeful about his project, he’s wary of making any bold claims.
“I’m not saying that skateboarding is going to free Palestine, but I do think that it’s one of many important tools that allow young people to have control over how they sustain a sense of community.”
His fellow skaters have also helped his own understanding of the nuances of his birthplace. “It’s messy to assume that a Palestinian is just somebody who is wearing a keffiyeh and has a rock in his hand,” he says.
But with so many restrictions on movement, it’s perhaps not surprising that his favourite aspect of skateboarding is simply the occupation of space.
“It’s a cool way to not be a victim of physical space – whether that means being stuck in traffic or behind the separation wall – but actually engage with it.”
Blinken dismisses evidence holding Israel accountable for Shireen Abu Akleh killing
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the facts had 'not been established' in the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist A photo taken on 19 May 2022 shows drawings at an art exhibit honouring slain Palestinian Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh at the spot where she was killed (AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused to answer questions on why Israel has not been held accountable over the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, despite eyewitness testimony, media investigations and her employer blaming Israeli forces for her death.
During a Summit of the Americas event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Abby Martin, the host of the independent documentary and interview series The Empire Files, asked Blinken why there have been "absolutely no repercussions" for Israel over Abu Akleh's killing, or for Saudi Arabia for the killing of Middle East Eye columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
"Secretary Blinken, what about Shireen Abu Akleh?" asked Martin. "She was murdered by Israeli forces. CNN just agreed to this. These are our two greatest allies in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Israel. They have murdered American journalists and there have been absolutely no repercussions.
"Why is there no accountability for Israel or Saudi Arabia for murdering journalists?"
Blinken responded by saying: "I deplore the loss of Shireen. She was a remarkable journalist, an American citizen."
After Martin objected to Blinken's assertion that the evidence in the case was not yet clear, the secretary pushed back: "I'm sorry, with respect, [the facts] have not yet been established."
"We are looking for an independent, credible investigation. When that investigation happens, we will follow the facts, wherever they lead. It's as straightforward as that," he said.
The remarks effectively dismissed an investigation carried out by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which concluded last month that Abu Akleh had been deliberately targeted by Israeli troops.
Eyewitnesses and colleagues who were present at the time of the killing, including Middle East Eye correspondent Shatha Hanaysha, have all said that Abu Akleh was targeted by an Israeli sniper. Al Jazeera has said Abu Akleh was "assassinated in cold blood". The CNN investigation that Martin referenced concluded that "there was no active combat, nor any Palestinian militants, near Abu Akleh in the moments leading up to her death” and that the evidence "suggests that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces".
The Associated Press has also carried out a reconstruction of Abu Akleh's killing and reported that their findings lend "support to assertions from both Palestinian authorities and Abu Akleh's colleagues that the bullet that cut her down came from an Israeli gun".
Shireen Abu Akleh: UN renames Palestinian media programme after slain journalist
Calls have grown both in the US and internationally for an independent investigation into Abu Akleh's killing.
More than 50 US lawmakers signed a letter last month calling on the FBI and State Department to intervene and lead a probe.
On Monday, Republican Senator Mitt Romney, along with his Democratic colleague Senator Jon Ossoff, called on the Biden administration to conduct "a full and transparent investigation" into the killing.
The PA has refused to hand over the bullet to Israel, saying Israel could not be trusted to investigate the conduct of its military. Rights groups have also said Israel has a poor record of investigating the conduct of its forces in relation to Palestinian deaths.
Al Jazeera has referred the case to the International Criminal Court in the Hague and vowed to bring the killers to justice through all international legal platforms.
The ICC opens investigations in places where domestic authorities are unable or unwilling to look into allegations of abuse.
Israel, however, maintains that it is not subject to the court's mandate because it is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the tribunal, and that the ICC cannot investigate abuses in the Palestinian territories because Palestine is not a state.
Shireen Abu Akleh: US senators call for investigation into journalist's killing
Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Jon Ossoff call on the Biden administration to ensure 'justice is served' over the killing of Palestinian-American journalist
Pro-Palestine activists call for justice for Shireen Abu Akleh
at a Nakba Day rally in New York City, on 15 May 2022
Two senior US senators have called on the Biden administration to conduct "a full and transparent investigation" into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney, along with his Democratic colleague Senator Jon Ossoff, called on the State Department on Monday to ensure that "justice is served", in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"The killing of a US citizen and of a journalist engaged in the work of reporting in a conflict zone is unacceptable. All over the world, journalists pursue truth and accountability at great personal risk," the letter said.
"Press freedom is a core American value, and we cannot accept impunity when journalists are killed in the line of duty. We insist that the Administration ensure a full and transparent investigation is completed and that justice is served for Ms Akleh's death."
Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead by Israeli forces on 11 May near the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank while covering an Israeli raid. Her colleague Ali al-Samoudi was also shot and injured.
Israel had initially said Palestinian gunmen may have been responsible for the death but then backtracked on its statement, saying it was still unclear what transpired.
Eyewitnesses, including MEE correspondent Shatha Hanaysha, said Abu Akleh was targeted by an Israeli sniper.
The bullet that killed Abu Akleh is in the possession of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has refused a joint probe with the Israelis, saying Israel could not be trusted to investigate the conduct of its military.
Rights groups have also said this, saying Israel has a poor record of investigating the conduct of its forces in relation to Palestinian deaths.
The State Department did not respond to a request from Middle East Eye for comment on the letter or whether the Biden administration would launch an investigation into the killing of a US citizen.
Monday's letter comes just days after a bipartisan group of US lawmakers called for an independent investigation into Abu Akleh's killing. The letter was signed by 24 members of the House - 14 Democrats and 10 Republicans.
That letter was met with criticism from Palestinians and some Jewish groups, saying that it follows Israeli government viewpoints and calls the Palestinian Authority "obstinate" for not complying with Israel on an investigation.
Al Jazeera has referred the case to the International Criminal Court in the Hague and vowed to bring the killers to justice through all international legal platforms.
Shireen Abu Akleh: US lawmakers call for independent probe into journalist's killing
Letter marks the second effort by members of congress calling for investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera reporter
Protestors hold signs calling for justice for Shireen Abu Akleh in the Bay Ridge neighbourhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on 15 May 2022 (AFP)
By MEE staff in Washington Published date: 3 June 2022
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is calling for an independent investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the second such congressional effort in the past two weeks.
The letter, obtained by Jewish Insider, has been signed by 24 members of the House - 14 Democrats and 10 Republicans - and is expected to be sent to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.
"No journalist should face threats or violence for doing their job. As such, it is critical that we get to the bottom of what happened in the incident involving Ms Akleh," the letter said.
"Only an independent investigation can resolve this situation, and provide solace to the families and all parties."
The letter was met with criticism from Palestinians and some Jewish groups, saying that it follows Israeli government viewpoints and calls the Palestinian Authority “obstinate” for not complying with Israel on an investigation.
Abu Akleh, a 25-year veteran journalist for Al Jazeera Arabic, was shot dead by Israeli forces on 11 May while covering an Israeli raid into the Palestinian village of Jenin.
Israel had initially said Palestinian gunmen may have been responsible for the death but then backtracked on its statement, saying it was still unclear what transpired.
Eyewitnesses, including MEE correspondent Shatha Hanaysha, said Abu Akleh was targeted by an Israeli sniper.
Shireen Abu Akleh: Dozens of US lawmakers demand FBI probe into killing
Last month, a larger group of 57 lawmakers signed another letter to Blinken demanding that the FBI and State Department investigate the murder of Abu Akleh.
However, a Biden administration official told The Times of Israel last week that it would not be carrying out its own probe of the incident, and would instead be assisting Israel. The official also said that the US hopes the PA will share its "evidence" with Israel when asked about the bullet.
The bullet that killed Abu Akleh is in the possession of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has refused a joint probe with the Israelis, saying Israel could not be trusted to investigate the conduct of its military.
Rights groups have also said this, saying Israel has a poor record of investigating the conduct of its forces in relation to Palestinian deaths.
The lawmakers, however, accused the PA of prohibiting a proper investigation by refusing to hand over the bullet, saying that without giving the bullet to the Israelis, "it is impossible to determine all the facts".
However, a CNN investigation concluded that it was possible to investigate the killing without the bullet by "analysing the type of gunfire, the sound of the shots and the marks left by the bullets at the scene".
The PA, along with Al Jazeera and a consortium of international lawyers, have all called on the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into the killing.
The ICC opens investigations in places where domestic authorities are unable or unwilling to look into allegations of abuse.
Israel, however, maintains that it is not subject to the court's mandate because it is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the tribunal, and that the ICC cannot investigate abuses in the Palestinian territories because Palestine is not a state.
Israel: Palestinian prisoner's health deteriorates after 100 days of hunger strike
Khalil Awawda is protesting against an Israeli administrative detention sentence issued against him in December 2021 Khalil Awawda, 40, has been told by the Israeli Prison Service he will be transferred to hospital only if he falls into a coma(Screengrab)
A rights group warned on Friday of the deteriorating health of a Palestinian political prisoner on hunger strike for 100 days in an Israeli jail.
Khalil Awawda was moved from Ramle prison, where he was detained, to an Israeli hospital after his health deteriorated this week, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said in a statement.
Qaddoura Fares, the head of the Prisoners' Club, told local media that the Israel Prison Service (IPS) used to move Palestinian prisoners to hospitals on their 50th day on hunger strike. However, in the case of Awawda, the IPS refused to move him and told him that he would only be hospitalised if he fell into a coma.
"[Israel] is employing the aches and pains and the health condition to put more pressure on him," Fares said.
Awawda, 40, is from Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank. His laywer, Jawwad Boulous, visited him on Monday in Ramle prison and described his condition as "very critical".
"He was vomiting during my visit and had difficulty seeing me, and he complained of sharp pains all over his body, in particular his muscles and limbs," Boulous said.
Awawda has been striking in protest against an Israeli administrative sentence of six months, issued against him in December 2021, the month he was arrested. The sentence ends on 26 June, but Israeli authorities have the power to issue another administrative detention order against him without charge, or put him on trial.
He has been arrested five times since 2005 for political activism, and has been placed in administrative detention three times. He is married and a father of four daughters.
Administrative detentions, a highly controversial policy used by Israel almost exclusively against Palestinians, allow detention without charge or trial for renewable periods of three to six months, without the possibility of appeal or of knowing what accusations are being levelled against the detainee.
Currently, there are around 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Israeli anti-torture body refers Israel to International Criminal Court
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel says after 30 years it has concluded Israeli authorities not interested and unable to stop abuse of Palestinians
Palestinians take part in a protest in solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails, in front of the Erez Crossing in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip (Reuters)
By Lubna Masarwa in Jerusalem Published date: 10 June 2022
An Israeli anti-torture body has referred its own country to the International Criminal Court (ICC) after concluding that Israel is “not interested and unable to stop the use of torture against Palestinians”.
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) said on Friday it had demanded that Israelis involved in torture be tried as part of an investigation by the Hague-based ICC over suspected war crimes committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.
It said that after 30 years of fighting torture it had “reached the unfortunate conclusion” that Israel has no wish to end torture, honestly investigate victims' complaints and prosecute those responsible.
"For us, this is a necessary and obligatory step today in our struggle for the moral image of Israeli society, and for the sake of justice for the victims we represent," it said in a statement.
Established in 1990, the PCATI has represented and worked to protect Israelis, Palestinians, refugees and migrants who have suffered torture and inhuman or degrading treatment in detention.
'This is a necessary and obligatory step today in our struggle for the moral image of Israeli society, and for the sake of justice for the victims we represent' - Public Committee Against Torture in Israel
The PCATI noted that over 1,300 complaints of torture victims had been filed with Israeli law enforcement authorities between 2001 and 2021 in the belief that the system will fulfil its duty, conduct fair and exhaustive investigations and do justice to the victims.
However, the group said, that led to zero indictments and just two criminal investigations - including in cases where “unequivocal evidence of serious violations of the law” has been collected.
“The law in Israel backs up the culture of falsehood and cover-up that still exists in the security system,” the PCATI said.
Tal Steiner, PCATI’s executive director, told Middle East Eye that appealing to the international court is a very radical step.
“We understood after 30 years that the system of Israeli courts is unwilling and unable to create change. They have a culture of immunity,” she said.
“We are the first Israeli organisation to take such a step and we expect very hard and difficult reactions.”
The PCATI appeal represents 17 clients who Steiner says “went through very severe physical torture”.
“All of their complaints were rejected in Israel. Maybe finally justice can be achieved for them in the international court,” she said.
Unlike the Palestinian Authority, Israel is not a signatory of the ICC’s Rome Statute, which the country says means the court has no jurisdiction there.
However, the ICC prosecutor in March 2021 formally began probing war crimes allegedly committed in the occupied Palestinian territories – by both Israel and Palestinian groups such as Hamas.
Lawyers to add Shireen Abu Akleh killing to Israel war crimes ICC case
Then in April 2022, the International Federation of Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians filed a complaint with the ICC alleging that Israel's "systematic targeting" of Palestinian journalists and its failure to investigate their killings amounts to war crimes.
When Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank's Jenin last month, the Palestinian Authority asked the ICC to add her case to other alleged crimes being investigated.
Investigations are opened by the ICC in places where the domestic authorities are unable or unwilling to probe allegations of abuse. Israel has previously said it will not cooperate with any ICC investigation.
The PCATI application is submitted in cooperation with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), an organisation that unites 192 human rights organisations from around the world.
"Israeli security agents and other state officials have systematically tortured, degraded, and inhumanely treated Palestinian individuals suspected of involvement in national security crimes," said Alice Mogwe, FIDH president.
"They have unlawfully deported them from the Palestinian territories into Israel for the purpose of such treatment. They have denied them the fundamental right to a fair trial."
The PCATI is not the first Israeli human rights organisation to conclude that the country's authorities are unwilling and unable to investigate abuses. In 2016, leading human rights group B'Tselem ceased submitting complaints to the Israeli army regarding the alleged mistreatment of Palestinians, complaining the system's real function was to cover up abuses.
Russia-Ukraine war: US quest to preserve global hegemony could be its downfall
Washington, London and some eastern European capitals seem determined to fight for Russia's collapse, down to the last Ukrainian soldier and European consumer
US President Joe Biden speaks in Washington on 14 January 2022 (AFP)
When the doyen of foreign policy gurus, Henry Kissinger, is hinting that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia to help end the invasion, you know in your stomach that the West is about to make another major mistake.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kissinger also urged western countries not to seek an embarrassing defeat for Russia in Ukraine, warning it could endanger Europe’s long-term stability. He seems to be focused on Europe-Russia relations in the longer term, considering that for four centuries, Russia has been an essential part of Europe and a factor in re-establishing its balance.
Just 50 years after former US President Richard Nixon’s historic trip to China, Kissinger’s ultimate concern is to avoid driving Moscow into a permanent alliance with Beijing. It is too late for that.
As for the Russian economy, it is certainly suffering, but - contrary to what was confidently predicted months ago - it has not collapsed
In an ideal world, Kissinger’s solemn warnings would sound alarm bells, prompting European chancelleries - which have followed a script on the Russia-Ukraine war that was hastily drafted in Washington and London - to at least review their overall strategy. They could ask themselves what “winning” looks like for Ukraine, rather than simply accepting Ukraine’s contention that all Russian forces must be pushed back to the lines of 24 February, which appears increasingly unlikely.
Instead, the EU has just approved its sixth package of sanctions, agreeing to reduce Russian oil supplies in a last-minute compromise that barely conceals the cracks surfacing within European resoluteness.
Nevertheless, the Nato-EU-G7 triad officially continues to believe that Ukraine’s unexpected resistance and the West’s unity in helping it, along with unprecedented sanctions against Russia, will determine Kyiv’s victory and Moscow’s economic collapse. Their “strategists” say more time is needed, and the West should hold its nerve. Italy’s prime minister has said that sanctions will really bite this summer. We’ll see.
Major economic test
Meanwhile, facts on the ground show that Russia, after initial serious military blunders, is slowly obtaining the upper hand in Donbas, and even media in the West are starting to admit that the situation is getting complicated. Ukrainians are losing up to 100 soldiers a day.
As for the Russian economy, it is certainly suffering, but - contrary to what was confidently predicted months ago - it has not collapsed. In the words of the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, the conflict in Ukraine is subjecting the global economy to perhaps its “biggest test since the Second World War”.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the stage was carefully set to reinforce the Ukrainian message, which essentially expels Russia from the “civilised world”. Yet, it remains unclear as to how this perspective has been welcomed by the world’s top business leaders, who have gathered for decades in the Swiss luxury resort under the motto “make money, not war”.
Panellists speak at an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos,Switzerland, on 25 May 2022 (AFP)
Davos has been the temple where globalisation and interconnectedness are preached and celebrated. Should we now believe that its participants agree that the right move is to cut a global commodities powerhouse off from the rest of the world economy?
Has any reliable economic simulation been conducted to assess the global impact of such a decision? Probably not. Are we thus once again watching the US-led bloc of western democracies sleepwalking towards another miscalculation of unknown proportions - similar to what we saw in western and central Asia over the last two decades?
Just a month into the conflict and the collateral damage of sanctions, I wondered who would crash first: Russia or the global economy, due to the underestimated knock-on consequences. While the jury is still out on this, the economic data appear worrisome.
Global trade war
Supply chain disruptions, food and energy insecurity, unprecedented inflation, and a major stock market collapse: this is the menu on offer, after two dramatic years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Famine could spur new refugee flows from Africa and the Middle East, a prospect of great concern to the EU.
BRICS and the so-called Global South have shown no desire to join the sanctions against Russia. Could secondary sanctions against them be adopted to force them to change their minds? Does the Nato-EU-G7 triad really want to inflict upon the whole world the bankrupt blueprint it unsuccessfully applied to Iran over the last four decades?
Russia-Ukraine war: The future of the world is being decided in Beijing
Is the Davos crowd keen to move from a globalised and interconnected world to conflicting trading blocs, or even a global trade war? What would happen if, after Russia, the US goes after China, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently outlined in a comprehensive speech at the Asia Society?
American voters could soon be wondering why the Biden administration pushed Congress to approve, in a matter of months, $54bn in aid to Ukraine, while the US struggles to provide formula to its newborns amid soaring inflation. The Democratic Party risks being decimated in November’s midterm elections.
Nobody really knows what Washington’s endgame is in Ukraine. If it is Russia’s defeat, this sounds unrealistic. If it is denying President Vladimir Putin a sound victory, this is difficult to define. If it is creating facts on the ground to improve Kyiv’s negotiating leverage - as recently leaked US National Security Council documents indicate - this is possible, but with high costs and unpredictable outcomes.
Western double standards
The main problem is that the Nato-EU-G7 triad, in yet another moment of cognitive dissonance, has framed the war as an apocalyptic and existential struggle between democracy and autocracy.
BRICS and the Global South are not buying it, nor is the narrative fully shared among western public opinion. Contrary to the triad’s spin efforts, there is a growing feeling that the biggest threats to democracy are not China and Russia, but the western neoliberal model’s failure of governance and deep inequalities. Put simply, there have been broad inconsistencies between the words western democracies have uttered in recent decades, and the actions they have taken.
They ought to ask themselves what the US represents today; on what are they still placing their hopes?
Russia and China certainly represent a problem for the US-led rules-based world order. But this same order has progressively lost its credibility through endless wars and double standards, and by conveying the clear sense that such rules have always been valid for all but the US and its closest allies. The discourse about freedom and human rights sounds increasingly unconvincing when western allies violate it at will.
BRICS and the Global South are reluctant to accept that it is the West’s exclusive prerogative to make the rules around which a new world order is based. Unfortunately, US President Joe Biden and his close allies truly believe that this must be the case. In March, Biden said: “Now is a time when things are shifting. We’re going to - there’s going to be a new world order out there, and we’ve got to lead it.”
The bare truth is that Washington, regardless of its official rhetoric, rejects a multipolar world. It clings to its global hegemony, brazenly established by the so-called Wolfowitz Doctrine in the early 1990s. But in the last 30 years, the world has changed. Expanding Nato
After the Trump era, European countries breathed a sigh of relief over Biden’s slogan, “America is back”. They ought to ask themselves what the US represents today; on what are they still placing their hopes?
One of the wisest American diplomats, Chas Freeman, recently noted: “[American] politics are polarised and dysfunctional, we are in a chronic fiscal deficit, our infrastructure is collapsing, our educational system is increasingly mediocre, our social fabric is fraying, our international prestige is declining, and we are more divided internally than at any time since our civil war. We appear to have achieved herd immunity to strategic reasoning.”
The topic of a possible new American civil war is no longer taboo. Judging from his claimed intentions of reforming his country, Biden might be good for the US; less so for the rest of the world. The facts, unfortunately, speak for themselves.
Ukrainian tank near the eastern city of Bakhmut on 15 May 2022 (AFP)
Having ignored caution and pushed for Nato’s eastward expansion, the US, through a process that has apparently been ongoing for the last eight years, has emboldened, supplied and effectively trained Ukraine’s armed forces. The net result was the failure of the Minsk II agreement, paving the way for the wretched and bloody Russian invasion.
The discomforting impression is that Washington, London and some eastern European capitals seem determined to fight for Russia’s collapse, down to the last Ukrainian soldier and European consumer. Washington has now even taken the escalatory measure of delivering long-range rockets to Ukraine, which could potentially allow it to strike Russian territory. Does this strategy really suit Europe’s interests?
Power at any cost
Washington also seems to be on a confrontation path with China. During a recent visit to Japan, Biden vowed to militarily defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese threat. This is a guarantee that no US president has ever issued before, and one that undermines four decades of US-Chinese discourse on this delicate topic.
Blinken, in presenting the Biden administration’s strategy towards China, asserted that “even as President Putin’s war continues, we will remain focused on the most serious long-term challenge to the international order - and that’s posed by the People’s Republic of China”.
At the same time, the chances for a renewed nuclear deal with Iran appear to have almost disappeared. The US will not remove a symbolic listing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the State Department’s terrorist entities list, as requested by Tehran, even though the organisation would regardless still be sanctioned by the US Treasury. As a consequence, Iran could soon reach the nuclear threshold, with all the imaginable consequences.
The US seems determined to maintain its global hegemony at any cost, and to maintain or re-establish - on its own - the rules-based world order. This ambition may ultimately deliver its coup de grace.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Marco Carnelos is a former Italian diplomat. He has been assigned to Somalia, Australia and the United Nations. He served in the foreign policy staff of three Italian prime ministers between 1995 and 2011. More recently he has been Middle East peace process coordinator special envoy for Syria for the Italian government and, until November 2017, Italy's ambassador to Iraq.
Russian-held Ukraine region scheming to sell grain to North America -RIA
Authorities in a part of Ukraine seized by Russia are using "cunning schemes" to avoid Western sanctions and sell grain to North America and other parts of the world, Russian state-run RIA news agency reported on Friday.
Authorities in a part of Ukraine seized by Russia are using "cunning schemes" to avoid Western sanctions and sell grain to North America and other parts of the world, Russian state-run RIA news agency reported on Friday. Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain from the territories Moscow occupied since launching what it calls a special military operation in February. The war threatens to cause severe food shortages as Russia and Ukraine account for about 29% of global wheat exports
Vladimir Rogov, a member of the administration in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, was quoted by RIA as saying grain was also being sold to Middle Eastern and African nations. "They are afraid of sanctions but nevertheless buy our grain with joy - of course, through intermediaries and cunning schemes," RIA quoted Rogov as telling Russian television.
Rogov said there were 1.5 million tonnes of grain in the region, RIA added. He did not say whether any of the grain had been delivered to customers. Last week the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut said Russia had sent its ally Syria an estimated 100,000 tonnes of stolen wheat, describing the shipments as "criminal activity".
Russia and Ukraine are in a deadlock over grain exports from Ukrainian ports. Russia has seized large parts of Ukraine's coast, blocking farm exports and driving up the cost of grain. Moscow blames the food crisis on sanctions restricting its own grain exports.
Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey seeks 25 percent discount from Kyiv over grain deal
Grain would be transferred from the port of Odessa to Istanbul in a joint deal between Ankara, Kyiv and Moscow
Prior to Russia’s invasion in February, Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat and sunflower oil
By Ragip Soylu in Ankara Published date: 7 June 2022
Turkey is seeking a 25 percent discount on Ukrainian grain that would be transferred from the port of Odessa to Istanbul in a joint deal between Ankara, Kyiv and Moscow, senior Turkish officials said this week.
Vahit Kirisci, the Turkish agriculture minister, told journalists over the weekend that Ukraine had continued to voice its concerns over the demining of the port - in order to transfer around 25 million tonnes of grain - due to possible Russian naval attacks afterwards.
“However Ukraine agreed to give a 25 percent discount on the grain to us if the deal goes forwards,” said Kirisci.
The Turkish military has offered to remove the naval mines planted by Ukraine, as well as guard the grain ships off Odessa.
Anadolu, the Turkish public news agency, reported that a command centre in Istanbul would be established to oversee the grain operation.
However, Kyiv continues to be sceptical about Russian intentions.
A naval blockade by Moscow has disrupted the whole grain chain of exports and threatened global food security, with the United Nations voicing alarm.
Many Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey, depend on Ukraine grain exports. 'We cannot trust Putin'
Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, will visit Ankara on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
However, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, said on Monday that Kyiv had not been invited to the talks.
“Putin says he will not use trade routes to attack Odessa,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a tweet on Monday.
“This is the same Putin who told German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron he would not attack Ukraine - days before launching a full-scale invasion of our country. We cannot trust Putin, his words are empty.”
Turkish experts believe Ankara will not be unduly troubled even if the Ukrainian grain deal falls apart.
Ozkan Taspinar, the head of the national grain council, told Turkish media that 20 million tonne wheat crop yield is expected in Turkey, meeting overall Turkish needs. Delicate balance
On Friday, during a news conference marking the 100th-day since the conflict began, Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey accused Russia of "stealing" Ukrainian grain and sending it abroad.
Russia is shamelessly stealing Ukrainian grains and getting it out from the invaded Crimea," Vasyl Bodnar told reporters in the Turkish capital. Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey facilitating talks to establish safe corridor for grain exportsRead More »
"These grains are being shipped to foreign countries, including Turkey.
"We have made our appeal for Turkey to help us and, upon the suggestion of the Turkish side, are launching criminal cases regarding those stealing and selling the grains."
The Ukrainian embassy in Ankara later said the vessels involved in the stolen grain shipments were the Nadezhda, Finikia, Sormivskiy, Vera, and Mikhail Nenashev ships. Reuters was not able to independently verify the embassy's claims.
So far, Ankara has maintained a delicate balance between Kyiv and Moscow.
Turkey has delivered combat drones to Ukraine and has sought to act as a mediator in the conflict.
But it has also refrained from placing sanctions on Russia, which it relies on for grain and energy.
Russia-Ukraine: Ambassador accuses Moscow of exporting 'stolen' grain to Turkey
Vasyl Bodnar said grain was being shipped out of Crimea and Kyiv was working with Ankara and Interpol to find the culprits Before Russia’s invasion in February, Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat and sunflower oil (AFP)
Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey has accused Russia of "stealing" and sending Ukrainian grain abroad to countries that include Turkey, during a news conference marking the 100th-day since the conflict began.
Speaking in Ankara on Friday, Vasyl Bodnar said Russia was shipping the stolen grain out of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and added that Kyiv was working with Turkey and Interpol to find the culprits.
"Russia is shamelessly stealing Ukrainian grains and getting it out from the invaded Crimea. These grains are being shipped to foreign countries, including Turkey," he told reporters in the Turkish capital.
"We have made our appeal for Turkey to help us and, upon the suggestion of the Turkish side, are launching criminal cases regarding those stealing and selling the grains," he said.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara later said the vessels involved in the stolen grain shipments were the Nadezhda, Finikia, Sormivskiy, Vera, and Mikhail Nenashev ships. Reuters was not able to independently verify the embassy's claims.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara was in talks with Moscow to establish a safe corridor for blocked Ukraine grain exports via Istanbul. Putin floats Belarus solution
Before Russia's invasion in February, Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat and sunflower oil. However, Russia's army has seized much of the country's southern coastline and Russian warships control access to Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey facilitating talks to establish safe corridor for grain exports Read More »
More than 20 million tonnes of grain are now stuck in silos in Ukraine, which has had a knock-on effect on many countries in the Middle East and Africa that have suffered a shortage and a subsequent rise in food prices.
However, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin denied on Friday that Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting grain, blaming rising food prices on the West.
Speaking on national television, Putin said: "We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market, onto Russia."
He said the best solution would be for western sanctions on Russian ally Belarus to be lifted and for Ukraine to export grain through that country. Balancing act
So far, Ankara has maintained a delicate balance between Kyiv and Moscow.
Turkey has delivered combat drones to Ukraine and has sought to act as a mediator in the conflict. But it has also refrained from placing sanctions on Russia, which it relies on for grain and energy.
At the request of the United Nations, Ankara has offered to help secure maritime corridors for the export of Ukrainian grain.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will be in Turkey on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
Since the war began in February, thousands of people have died and millions have been uprooted from their homes.
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