The Catholic Church Should Admit Its Sins

Opinion. Thursday was a historic news day for Native Americans.

Levi Rickert

NATIVE NEWS ONLINE
Sun, April 2, 2023

A protester holds a sign as Pope Francis takes part in a public event in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Friday, July 29, 2022, during his papal visit across Canada. (Dustin Patar/The Canadian Press via AP)


While most of the country — perhaps the world — was focused on news about the first-ever indictment of a former President of the United States, many in Indian Country were more concerned with a statement from an obscure, academic-sounding department of the Vatican.

The joint statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the “Doctrine of Discovery” came early Thursday in Michigan. The statement was historic because it repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, which for almost 500 years provided the basis for Europeans nations to justify and legitimize their taking of Indigenous lands throughout the world, including in the Americas, Africa, and Australia.

Scholars have argued that the doctrine originated in a series of papal bulls—or decrees—that granted permission to colonial powers such as Spain and Portugal to seize lands in the “New World” — providing the people living on the lands were not Christians.

Thursday’s statement cites three papal bulls: the Bulls Dum Diversas (1452), Romanus Pontifex (1455) and Inter Caetera (1493). The latter decreed in 1493, one year after Columbus first arrived in what are now known as the Americas.

The historic statement was welcomed news until you got past the headline and began to read the 9-point statement. Upon examination, the statement lacks real teeth in that the Vatican fails to accept accountability and admit its sins for a doctrine set forth in the name of Christianity or, more specifically, the Catholic Church.

Some Native American friends who are well-versed on the topic compared the repudiation to Pope Francis’ apology last year in Canada for the horrific deeds committed against innocent Indigenous students in residential schools. In that apology, Francis blamed individuals versus the Catholic Church. Similarly, Thursday’s statement denied that doctrine was never fully sanctioned by the Church.

“In what could have been a groundbreaking and historic repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, the Vatican instead released a series of political statements that sought to rewrite history, shield the Catholic Church from legal liability and shift the blame for the Doctrine of Discovery to governmental and colonial powers,” Mark Charles, author of Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery, said to Native News Online.

Two-thirds into the document, the sixth point reads: “The ‘doctrine of discovery’ is not part of the teaching of the Catholic Church. Historical research clearly demonstrates that the papal documents in question, written in a specific historical period and linked to political questions, have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith.”

While the Catholic Church still chooses to deny their sins, the truth is that governments around the world have long justified their taking of the Indigenous lands because of the doctrine’s Christian authorship.

The government of the United States was heavily influenced by the doctrine in 1823, when the U.S. Supreme Court used it as the basis for its ruling that Indigenous people had only the rights of occupancy, not ownership, over lands on which they dwelled. This made way for non-Natives to seize Native lands across the country and commit acts of genocide that led to the near annihilation of our ancestors.

As recently as 2005, the Doctrine of Discovery was used by the Supreme Court to justify limiting the expansion of the Oneida Nation in the Sherrill v. Oneida Nation of New York case when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg cited it in the majority opinion she crafted. The Court, she wrote, must prevent “the Tribe from rekindling the embers of sovereignty that long ago grew cold.”

It’s unfortunate that Justice Ginsburg failed to recognize that the Doctrine of Discovery was created to extinguish our sovereignty — and millions of our ancestors. Even today, we still live with the consequences of those decrees written a half-millennia ago. But I’m also reminded that the embers of some fires can burn for months or even years.

I am grateful to the Creator that some of our ancestors survived so that we are still here as tribal nations, in spite of the sins of the Catholic Church.

Thayék gde nwéndëmen - We are all related.

About the Author: "Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net."

Tribal leaders in Wisconsin applaud Vatican’s repudiation of 'Doctrine of Discovery': ‘It’s good to hear that recognition, however late it is’

Frank Vaisvilas, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Mon, April 3, 2023 

Pope Francis arrives for a pilgrimage at the Lac Saint Anne, Canada, on July 26, 2022. The Vatican on Thursday, March 30, 2023, responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.More

GREEN BAY - After more than half a millennium, the Catholic Church finally repudiated its Doctrine of Discovery, which civil rights advocates say gave Europeans the belief they had the moral license to steal land from Indigenous people.

“It’s been a long time coming, but it’s good to hear that recognition, however late it is,” said Brandon Yellowbird-Stevens, vice chairman of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin. “The Doctrine was the basis for the dispossession of Indigenous lands.”

FILE - Oneida Nation Vice Chairman Brandon Yellowbird-Stevens is shown in this file photo.

The Doctrine was a series of papal bulls from the Middle Ages from the Vatican that essentially permitted Christian European nations to subjugate and spread forced Christianity on Indigenous people in the Americas and Africa, as well as steal their lands.

The Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine on March 30, responding to demands from Indigenous groups.

“The Doctrine has become the foundation of people’s understanding relative to North America and its original inhabitants,” said the Rev. Kerri Parker, executive director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches. “The settlers had a sense of understanding that their mission was for God and king. That understanding has become part of our psyche. It’s ingrained in our laws and was part of the idea of Manifest Destiny. It’s not just history, but still happening today.”

Experts say the Doctrine was incorporated into some U.S. laws that allowed the government to take Indigenous lands.

“While the Vatican’s decision to renounce the Doctrine of Discovery is the right one, it downplays the Church’s role and accountability for the harm it has caused to Native peoples,” said Deborah Park, CEO of the Minneapolis-based National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. “It does not change the fact that the Church’s views gave permission to colonizers to take Native lands and assimilate Native peoples. This doctrine imposed itself into U.S. policies and played a crucial role in justifying the genocide of Native peoples. It gave colonizers the ‘go ahead’ to steal land and kill Native children and destroy families.”

Indigenous advocates believe church leaders in the past had used the Doctrine to justify forcefully assimilating Indigenous children in the infamous boarding schools of history. Several of these boarding schools had been located in Wisconsin.

Boarding schools in Wisconsin: 'People need to know what happened': Wisconsin tribes, families welcome federal scrutiny of Indian boarding school system

"We demand more transparency (from the Catholic Church), including access to Indian boarding school documents, which they have refused to provide. We demand that the Church returns lands to the Tribal Nations in which it operated Indian boarding schools,” Park said. “We demand that the Church supports the Truth and Healing Bill, which would establish a federal commission and conduct a full inquiry into the assimilative policies of U.S. Indian boarding schools.”

Deborah Haaland, the first Native American woman to lead the Department of the Interior, announced the Federal Board School Initiative in 2021, which includes a comprehensive review of the horrific legacy of federal boarding school policies.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland celebrate the announcement of the expansion of areas of three national monuments at the White House on October 8, 2021. The Biden administration restored the areas of two Utah parks with lands held sacred by several Native American tribes, Bears Ears National Monument and the Grand Staircase-Escalante, as well as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts of the New England coast, after former President Donald Trump opened them to mining, drilling and development during his time in office.

"We are aware of the complicated history of the residential schools, and the Catholic Church’s involvement in running these schools in the United States,” read a previous statement from the Diocese of Green Bay. “We remain committed to understanding our history of involvement with Native American communities in the Diocese of Green Bay as we work towards a place of healing for all."

Justine Lodl, spokesperson for the Diocese, said the March 30 formal announcement from the Vatican speaks for itself and they have nothing further to add.

The Diocese of Green Bay is headquartered at 1825 Riverside Drive in Allouez, Wis.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, secretary for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, released a statement saying that there were times in history when church leaders failed to fully oppose the destructive and immoral actions of the competing colonial powers against Indigenous people.

“As a Church, it is important for us to fully understand how our words have been used and misused to justify acts that would be abhorrent to Jesus Christ,” he wrote. “We hope for more dialogue among Indigenous and Catholic scholars to promote greater and wider understanding of this difficult history.”

Local church leaders say more needs to be done.

“The Vatican's statement is a long-needed recognition of the tragic and devastating consequences that the Doctrine of Discovery has had on Indigenous peoples around the world,” said the Rev. Peter Bakken, justice and witness coordinator for the Wisconsin Council of Churches. “But as Christian churches we must do much more to take full responsibility for our active role in the dispossession, oppression and genocide of Native peoples. We have to take costly, meaningful action to repair the damage that has been done, actively pursue justice for Native communities, and join them in working for the well-being of all people and for the health of our common home.”

The Wisconsin Council of Churches includes 34 member churches.

Yellowbird-Stevens said the repudiation of the Doctrine may help some people understand history better as tribal leaders do today. And that history is a major factor in tribal responses today.

He said, “I think it’s a beginning of a better understanding of the tribes’ position reacquiring our original homeland.”

Dig deeper:

Indigenous exhibits: Exhibits in this Wisconsin city on Native American boarding schools and violence against Indigenous women are leaving some in tears

Boarding school survivors: 'They never broke my spirit': Survivors of Indian schools on Menominee Reservation demand Catholic church to acknowledge abuse

Landcestry: Wisconsin’s story doesn't start with Jean Nicolet. A brief history of forced relocation and 'landcestry.'

Frank Vaisvilas is a Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.You can directly support his work with a tax-deductible donation online at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wisconsin tribes applaud Vatican repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery

AUSTRALIA

Aboriginal 'giant of a nation' Yunupingu dies aged 74

Tiffanie Turnbull - BBC News, Sydney
Mon, April 3, 2023 

One of Australia's most influential Aboriginal leaders Yunupingu has died after a long illness in the Northern Territory, aged 74.

Yunupingu was a trailblazer in the fight for land rights and the constitutional recognition of Indigenous people in Australia.

The Gumatj clan leader was named Australian of the Year in 1978.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led tributes to him, saying he had been a great leader and statesman.

Note to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: Yunupingu's last name and image are used here in accordance with the wishes of his family.

"Yunupingu walked in two worlds within authority, power and grace, and he worked to make them whole - together," Mr Albanese wrote on Twitter.

"He now walks in another place, but he has left such great footsteps for us to follow in this one."

Yunupingu rose to prominence in the land rights movement in the 1960s, and was part of the first Australian legal case which tested the native title rights of First Nations people.

Over the next 50 years Yunupingu went on to advise successive governments and was also celebrated as a singer, artist and promoter of Indigenous culture.

He helped set up the Northern Land Council, which represents traditional owners in the Northern Territory's Top End, and also helped create the Yothu Yindi Foundation, which is one of the peak advocacy bodies for Aboriginal Australians.

He received an Order of Australia medal for his services to the Aboriginal community in 1985.

In recent years he advocated for constitutional recognition of Indigenous people through the Voice to Parliament, on which a national referendum will take place later this year.

His daughter, Binmila Yunupingu, said her father's death was a profound loss.

"Yunupingu lived his entire life on his land, surrounded by the sound of bilma (clapsticks), yidaki (didgeridoo) and the manikay (sacred song) and dhulang (sacred designs) of our people. He was born on our land… and he died on our land secure in the knowledge that his life's work was secure," she said.

The Yothu Yindi Foundation described Yunupingu as "a giant of the nation".

"He was first and foremost a leader of his people, whose welfare was his most pressing concern and responsibility," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Additional reporting by Tom Housden.

‘A great Australian’: Anthony Albanese leads tributes to Yunupingu
Lorena Allam Indigenous affairs editor
Sun, 2 April 2023 


The Yolŋu elder and Indigenous leader Yunupingu, who died on Monday, has been remembered as one of the “greatest of Australians” and a fierce leader.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said: “Yunupingu walked in two worlds with authority, power and grace, and he worked to make them whole – together …

“He was a leader, a statesman, a great Yolngu man and a great Australian. He now walks in another place, but he has left such great footsteps for us to follow in this one.”

Albanese said he would speak to Yunupingu’s family about potentially holding a state funeral.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, also both paid tribute to the Gumatj leader, with Wong describing him as an “extraordinary leader and powerful advocate”.



In a joint statement, the minister for Indigenous Australians and the two Indigenous Northern Territory Labor senators, Marion Scrymgour and Malarndirri McCarthy, simply said: “Australia has lost a giant.”

“His gifts to us as a nation was a life of truth-telling and a passionate belief in his people and in Australia, and we as a nation can gift to him a successful referendum later this year,” they said.

“In his final months Yunupingu reminded us: “the future is our responsibility”, and that we all have a responsibility to show leadership on: reconciliation, recognition, and the referendum.”

Yunupingu’s daughter, Binmila Yunupiŋu, issued a statement behalf of the family, saying their loss was “profound”.

Related: Yunupingu, Yolŋu leader and campaigner for Indigenous rights, dies aged 74

“We are hurting, but we honour him and remember with love everything he has done for us.

“We remember him for his fierce leadership, and total strength for Yolŋu and for Aboriginal people throughout Australia. He lived by our laws always.”

The Gumatj Corporation, which he helped establish, said Yunupingu held a vision of self-determination for Yolŋu people.

“He believed that Yolŋu people, like all of us, were economic beings,” said the corporation’s chair, Djawa Yunupingu. “He saw welfare as poison for his people. His view was that welfare anchored his people to a future without independence and to a life controlled by government.”

The powerful Northern Land Council, representing hundreds of traditional owner groups across the top end of the Northern Territory – said it would close its offices on Monday out of respect.

Yunupingu was chairman of the NLC for more than 24 years, and fought many hard political battles over land rights claims against hostile governments.

“He was in the frontline of the fight for land rights,” said the NLC chair, Dr Samuel Bush-Blanasi.

“Those days were tough. But he was tougher. Governments and everyone opposed us all the way. He took the fight to the streets, to Canberra and to the High Court many times.

“Lots of people today don’t remember what it was like. But we do, and we will never forget.”

The Central Land Council said it is flying the Aboriginal flag at half-mast outside its offices in Alice Springs.

“Mr Yunupingu devoted his life to fighting for our land rights and our right to determine our own affairs,” Central Land Council chair Matthew Palmer said.

“Later this year we have an opportunity to right this wrong and take a significant step towards Mr Yunupingu’s vision. Let’s honour him by not wasting this once-in-a lifetime chance,” Palmer said.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Yunupingu “helped Indigenous Australians in negotiations with mining companies. And he was deeply respected by all sides of politics and all the prime ministers with whom he engaged.”

Opposition spokesman on Indigenous Australians, Julia Leeser described Yunupingu as “one of the great Indigenous leaders modern Australia has produced”.

“Yunupingu was a great moral voice to our country.

“He was a man of strength, conviction and determination,” Leeser said.

The image and naming protocol used in this article have been approved by the Yunupingu family

Australia PM Albanese boosted by historic by-election win

Becoming the first government in more than 100 years to take a district off the opposition outside a national vote.


Anthony Albanese, Australia's Prime Minister

Sun, April 2, 2023 
By Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he would not "get carried away" after his Labor party defied the odds to snatch a seat from the opposition at a by-election, a 100-year first, even as voters battled higher living costs.

Labor's Mary Doyle won the weekend by-election for the lower house federal seat of Aston in Melbourne's eastern suburbs with a swing of more than 6%, in a blow to the conservative Liberal-National opposition coalition in one of its traditional strongholds in Victoria state.

Albanese said the government's focus on making a practical difference in people's lives resonated with voters, who understood the spike in living costs was because of global supply chain problems linked to Russia's war in Ukraine.

But despite calling the election result "a historic win", Albanese said his government would remain grounded.

"This was a significant victory ... but we don't get carried away with this," Albanese told ABC Radio in an interview.

The last time the opposition lost a by-election to a government candidate was in 1920, in the Western Australia state goldfields electorate of Kalgoorlie.

The by-election in Aston was triggered after former Liberal minister Alan Tudge, who won with a slim 2.8% margin in the 2022 general election, quit politics due to personal reasons.

Albanese, who is set to finish a year in power next month, has enjoyed high approval ratings since becoming prime minister. A newspoll published by the Australian newspaper on Monday showed him stretching his lead to 58% as the preferred leader, eclipsing opposition leader Peter Dutton's 26% support.

The survey of 1,500 voters also showed Labor extending its lead on a two-party preferred basis to 55%, against the opposition's 45%.

The by-election win comes a week after Labor returned to power in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state. The win means the party now governs at state and federal levels across Australia's mainland, leaving island state Tasmania as the conservative outlier.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed)

Australia’s Government Strengthens Grip With By-Election Win



Ben Westcott
Sat, April 1, 2023 

(Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won a historic victory at a by-election in the state of Victoria, becoming the first government in more than 100 years to take a district off the opposition outside a national vote.

The ruling Labor party’s candidate, Mary Doyle, was set to win the district of Aston in eastern Melbourne, according to Australian Broadcasting Corp. projections. The victory bolsters Albanese’s parliamentary majority and confirms his government’s popularity after 10 months in office amid rising interest rates and inflation.

Following the Aston win, Albanese’s government holds 78 districts in the 151-member House of Representatives. The result comes a week after Labor won an election in New South Wales, the most populous state, meaning the center-left now controls all seven state and territory governments on Australia’s mainland. Only the southern island state of Tasmania has a center-right government.

A by-election is a vote to fill a vacancy caused by the departure of a lawmaker outside a general election, with Saturday’s ballot triggered by former minister Alan Tudge’s resignation from parliament. No government has won a seat off an opposition party at a by-election since 1920, and ahead of the vote it was expected that the center-right Liberal Party would narrowly retain the district.

The loss is likely to spark questions about the performance of Liberal Party leader and former Defence Minister Peter Dutton after less than one year in the role. Dutton has generally stuck to the script of an opposition leader, regularly rejecting government policies, including increased action on climate change.

Dutton, speaking on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, said he took responsibility for the election loss and would be analyzing the result. But he still had the support of his party, he said.

“We have a particular problem in Victoria, there’s no question about that,” he said. “I think there are issues in relation to policy and personnel, issues in relation to our campaigning techniques.”

The party would not be rushing to announce any policy changes, Dutton said.

“In recent years the Liberal Party has allowed itself to be defined by our opponents and I think it’s time for us to stand up for what we believe in, whether it’s trendy or not,” he said.

Finland shifts right, ousts Prime Minister Sanna Marin from office

Justin Klawans, Staff writer
Sun, April 2, 2023 

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin Roni Rekomaa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Finland headed to the polls on Sunday and ousted Prime Minister Sanna Marin from office in the country's parliamentary elections, denying her a second term as the head of government, The Associated Press reported.

Marin was looking to win re-election by keeping her liberal Social Democrats party in power. However, with 97.7 percent of the votes tallied, it was the conservative National Coalition party emerging victorious with 20.7 percent, AP reported. In second place was the far-right, nationalist Finns party with 20.1 percent, with the Social Democrats garnering 19.9 percent.

The head of the National Coalition, Petteri Orpo, claimed victory, stating, "We got the biggest mandate." Marin conceded the election soon after.

The loss is a stunning fall from grace for Marin, a 37-year-old who is among the youngest world leaders. She was a well-liked but polarizing figure in Finland, with the country's Helsingin Sanomat newspaper publishing a December opinion poll that found 64 percent of respondents approved of her premiership. However, while a large portion of Finland saw Marin "as a strong leader who skillfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the country's NATO membership process, others say her partying scandals and youthful behavior make her unfit for office," France24 reported.

The election was neck-and-neck right up until the last vote was counted. A final poll cited by The Guardian, with a two percent margin of error, had the National Coalition at 19.8 percent, the Finns at 19.5, and the Social Democrats at 18.7.

However, even with the conservative victory, Reuters noted that "the election is likely to be followed by lengthy coalition talks."

The National Coalition will now help lead Finland through its first years as a NATO member, and with its victory symbolizing a drastic shift to the right in the liberal Nordic country.

Meet Vogue’s 106-year-old cover model: Indigenous Filipino tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od

Ines Shin
Fri, March 31, 2023 

Vogue Philippines recently unveiled the cover of their April 2023 beauty issue featuring Apo Whang-Od, an Indigenous tattoo artist who has made history as the oldest person to ever be showcased on a Vogue cover.

Whang-Od, a 106-year-old woman, is renowned as the last and oldest “mambabatok,” which is a traditional Kalinga tattooist who uses the hand-tapping technique called “batok.” Traditionally, only male members of the Butbut tribe practiced this technique, but Whang-Od became the first woman to do so at the age of 15 under her father’s guidance.

Vogue Philippines has praised Whang-Od, who also goes by Maria Oggay, for her tireless efforts to preserve the tradition at a time when Western beauty standards threatened to erase the tattoo technique. With the arrival of American Catholic missionaries in Kalinga, tattooed women from the village were forced to cover up their tattoos, which were seen as shameful.

More from NextShark: Meet Camryn Bynum, the NFL star proudly repping his Filipino heritage

During her career, Whang-Od has tattooed thousands of international visitors who traveled great distances to be tattooed using only a bamboo stick, a pomelo tree thorn, water and coal.

As the craft is traditionally only passed through bloodlines and Whang-Od has no children, she made the decision to teach the technique to her grandnieces, Grace Palicas and Elyang Wigan.

This significant choice ensured that her legacy would be carried on by a woman.

Palicas and her cousin Elyang are the tattooists who greet and ink the hundreds of visitors who come to their village each day. After her apprentices finish the tattoos, Whang-Od marks them with her signature three dots representing herself and her apprentices.

Although Whang-Od is the last “mambabatok” of her generation, she is “not afraid that the tradition will end” because she is preparing the next generation of tattoo masters.

The editor-in-chief of Vogue Philippines, Bea Valdes, revealed that Whang-Od was selected as the cover model through a unanimous vote because the publication’s staff agreed that “she represented our ideals of what is beautiful about our Filipino culture.”

"We believe that the concept of beauty needs to evolve, and include diverse and inclusive faces and forms. What we hope to speak about is the beauty of humanity," Valdes added.

ULTRA RIGHT WING ZIONIST BROWN SHIRTS 

Israel approves 'national guard' sought by far-right security minister

Arab politicians have denounced the national guard as a 'militia' for Itamar Ben-Gvir, while some say new force could be used to crack down on protests against the government

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to the media ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting in the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, 19 March 2023 (AFP)

By MEE and agencies
Published date: 2 April 2023 

Israel authorised on Sunday the setting up of a national guard under far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has said it would focus on Arab unrest, while political rivals accused him of setting up a sectarian "militia".

The previous government had begun moves to set up an auxiliary police force to tackle internal political violence following pro-Palestinian protests in mixed Jewish-Arab areas during the Gaza Strip war of May 2021. That government fell before the force was finalised.

The exact powers of the new national guard will be discussed by a committee comprised of all Israeli security agencies, which will submit recommendations within 90 days, the prime minister's office said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear who would have direct authority over the national guard.

Israel's police chief, Inspector-General Yaakov Shabtai, has expressed misgivings about the new force in a letter to Ben-Gvir, local media reported.

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Ben-Gvir, a hardline Jewish settler from the occupied West Bank with past convictions for support for terrorism and incitement against Arabs - who make up 21 per cent of Israel's population - rose in politics partly due to the 2021 unrest.

Having moderated some of his positions, he wields an expanded law-and-order portfolio in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist governing coalition.

'Militia'

Ben-Gvir has described the planned national guard in media interviews as an update of the previous government's initiative. Discussing its planned deployments, he named only Arab communities hit by riots or crime, in Israel as well as along the boundaries with the Palestinian West Bank.

"It will deal with this exclusively. The police does not deal exclusively with this. It's busy with a thousand and one things," he told Army Radio.

Arab politicians have denounced the national guard as a "militia" for Ben-Gvir. Other opposition figures have accused Ben-Gvir of wanting a new force to crack down on nationwide demonstrations against the government's judicial overhaul plan.

How Ben Gvir's 'private militia' threatens Palestinians and Israel's security

Read More »

"Why does the State of Israel - which has an army, police, military intelligence, the Shin Bet, Mossad, National Security Council, Prisons Service, riot police, a SWAT team - need another national guard?" Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh wrote on Twitter.

Government funding will enable an initial intake of 1,850 personnel for the new force, Ben-Gvir said, adding that these could be seconded police officers and volunteers, including from the Arab sector.

He said that the national guard would take months to get off the ground and that he was trying to fill police posts in parallel.

Israeli police chief Shabtai questioned the need for the national guard and warned that any separation of it from the police hierarchy "could prove most costly and even harm the security of the citizenry", according to the Ynet news site.

Confirming the existence of the letter, Ben-Gvir said he would meet Shabtai on Monday and was open to the possibility of putting the national guard under the command authority of the police "if they're serious and really want it".
Netanyahu in weak position

The plan was part of a deal between Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir, who had threatened to resign after the prime minister paused a controversial plan to overhaul the judiciary following weeks of mass protests that brought the country to a stand-still on Monday.

Ben-Gvir agreed to the delay in return for allowing the creation of a national guard loyal to his ministry.

'Clearly, Netanyahu’s political standing is extremely weak. His polling numbers are at historic lows, and his own party is extremely resentful of him'

- Yonatan Touval, analyst

"Clearly, Netanyahu’s political standing is extremely weak," said Yonatan Touval, an analyst at the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies (Mitvim), following the decision on the national guard.

"His polling numbers are at historic lows, and his own party is extremely resentful of him," added Touval speaking to Middle East Eye.

Ben-Gvir has long supported the creation of a national guard and wants to "have a paramilitary force directly under his command that he can deploy in mixed Arab-Israeli towns inside Israel," said Touval.

"It goes without saying that the force would focus on enforcing law and order on Arab residents whenever tensions and violence erupt," he added.

Ben-Gvir has already told police to crack down harder on anti-government protests that have rocked the country since January.

'Anti-Palestinian agenda'

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has said: "We already saw what happened when Ben-Gvir wanted to suppress the protests; now one can only imagine what will happen when he has his own militias."

Palestinian citizens of Israel and those living in the occupied territories are also likely to fear the move, since it could likely be used against them.

"Giving a private militia to Kahanist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is a convicted criminal, is likely to occasion a new low for Palestinian human security across the occupied Palestinian Territories," said Robert Andrews, the public relations officer at the human rights NGO the EuroPal Forum.

Netanyahu has taken Israel to the abyss. What is his exit strategy?

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Rabbi Meir Kahane was an Israeli-American who led a far-right group that gave rise to Kahanism, an extremist religious Zionist worldview premised on Jewish supremacy.

Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party has in the past espoused Kahanist ideology and is an important coalition member in Netanyahu's ruling coalition.

"The decision to award the fascistic Ben-Gvir with a private militia will undoubtedly serve to embolden his clear anti-Palestinian agenda," Andrews told MEE.

In the last few months, Ben-Gvir has already introduced a series of draconian measures against Palestinians.

In February, Israel's parliament passed the first stage of a bill, introduced by the Jewish Power Party, to stop funding non-essential medical treatment for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Since joining Netanyahu's government late last year, the security minister has vowed to crack down on the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, whom he claims are being treated too well.

'Legal challenges'

Ben-Gvir has also ordered the closure of Palestinian prisoner-run bakeries in Israeli prisons and that detainees only be given four minutes to shower.

"With a private militia now under his absolute control, it is already clear - as per his statements thus far - that Ben-Gvir will use the group to further legitimise settler violence against Palestinian communities under the guise of ‘protecting law and order'," said Andrews.

"The Hilltop Youth, [an extremist religious-nationalist settler group], already routinely terrorise and attack Palestinian civilians and property with impunity," he added.

"One can expect Ben-Gvir’s militia to continue the acts of violence and terrorism against Palestinians, albeit while wearing uniforms and officially part of the state’s apparatus."

Despite such fears, Touval said that the decision to form the national guard is likely to be fought in the courts and Ben-Gvir’s control over it is still far from assured.

"The establishment of such a force is likely to meet legal challenges, especially if, as the latest plan states, the national guard is to be separate and independent of the police and subject directly to the Ministry of National Security and its minister, Ben-Gvir himself," said Touval.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Promised to Give a Racist Security Minister His Own Government Militia

Lloyd Green
Wed, March 29, 2023 

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters

Last November, the far-right neo-Kahanist Itamar Ben-Gvir helped deliver Benjamin Netanyahu’s election victory. Once a fringe fixture of Israel’s radical right, he is now the country’s minister of public security. Unlike the late Meir Kahane, his hero, Ben-Gvir walks the corridors of power. Like Kahane, however, he finds himself at the eye of a continuous political storm.

On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, placed a temporary hold on his bid to degrade the country’s judiciary. To garner Ben-Gvir’s support, Netanyahu made a jarring concession that left critics seething and Ben-Gvir grinning—he would hand control of the National Guard (presently a unit of the Border Patrol) over to the ministry of national security, which is currently run by Ben-Gvir (the Border Patrol would then be subsumed into the reconstituted National Guard).

If Bibi’s Attacks on Democracy Continue, Biden Should Consider Withholding Aid to Israel

That’s a ton of clout for any one person, particularly Ben-Gvir, who decades earlier was declared by Israel’s military as unfit to serve.

In the end, Netanyahu may fail to honor his pledge. Funds might not be allocated. The government might fall. For the moment, however, the prospect of Ben-Gvir at the helm of a state-backed militia sets plenty of nerves on edge.

“It could be very dangerous,” a senior police official told Ha’aretz.

Earlier this week as throngs protested outside the Knesset, the unnamed official pondered whether “the minister would have sent companies from the National Guard to deal with the protesters, it looks bad.” (For the record, Kobi Shabtai, the police commissioner, opposes Ben-Gvir’s bid.)

Ben-Gvir said the Guard would be focused on “extortion in areas with criminal organizations and ‘mixed’ cities,” which The Jerusalem Post said is “a clear implication of focusing on Israeli-Arab crime,” adding, “National guard members would be issued guns and be considered combat police.”

Combat police under the control of a racist security minister, patrolling Arab neighborhoods. What could go wrong?

The specifics of his proposal have yet to be laid out, let alone finalized. But the events of the past few days have stoked fear that a National Guard in Ben-Gvir’s hands would serve as a cross between a personal praetorian and a band of bully-boys.

Remember when Donald Trump told the neofascist Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”? Well, they ended up being the primary instigators of violence at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

For all of his talk of law and order, Ben-Gvir also has fans among “La Familia,” a right-wing booster club of Jerusalem’s Beitar soccer team. The group also brings its share of menace and law breaking.

“Ben-Gvir’s militias from La Familia are going wild right now on the streets of Jerusalem. Looking for Arabs to beat up,” Merav Michaeli, the leader of the opposition Labor Party tweeted. Part of the group then beat an Arab cab driver. “There are eggs, there are knives, there are weapons. We are on our way to Jerusalem,” one hooligan bragged on video.

“This is the man that Netanyahu promised to set up for him his own militia with regular salaries at the expense of the state,” she added.

Israelis Are Trying to Save a Democracy That Never Existed

In a letter addressed to Yoav Gallant, the supposedly fired defense minister, Merav Cohen, a member of the opposition Yesh Atid party, urged that he classify La Familia as a terror group. (For the moment, Gallant still appears on the job.)

As Israel approaches its 75th anniversary, it’s worth recalling when David Ben-Gurion, the country’s first prime minister, made clear that the state would alone possess the monopoly on armed violence.

At the outset, the nascent government worked with Menachem Begin—leader of the Irgun Underground, a right-wing paramilitary group that committed numerous deadly bombings in Israel’s infancy—to integrate his troops into the newly formed Israel Defense Forces. In June 1948, Begin inked a formal agreement, but things did not proceed smoothly.

Armed confrontation between the Irgun and the Palmach (an elite force attached to the Haganah, the official pre-state underground) followed in what would become known as the Altalena Affair, an attempt by the Irgun to smuggle weapons. A sunk ship, standoff, deaths, and arrests followed. In September 1948, Begin disbanded the Irgun.

For decades, he then led the parliamentary opposition. Rule of law and democracy mattered. (Begin became prime minister in 1978).

But it wasn’t just the right-wing engaging in violence.

In November 1948, Ben-Gurion ordered the Palmach to be dismantled. Its alumni, “Palmachniks,” included Yitzhak Rabin, a future Labor prime minister, and Yigal Allon, a foreign minister and an interim prime minister.

Current relations between the U.S. grind loudly. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced that Netanyahu would not be at the White House anytime soon. The president also stressed that Israel’s favored status is directly tied to its commitment to democracy.

This Is Israel’s Most Dire Week Since the Yom Kippur War

An alarmed Netanyahu pushed back at 1am local time, saying in a series of tweets: “I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his longstanding commitment to Israel. The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us…Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends.”

Ben-Gvir, for his part, was thoroughly unimpressed. “Israel is an independent country and no longer a star on the U.S. flag,” he remarked.

The Daily Beast.

Palestinian cities in Israel go on strike over killing of Palestinian doctor

The general strike is in response to Israeli forces killing Mohammed al-Osaibi at the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Friday

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Mohammed al-Osaibi, during his funeral in the Bedouin village of Hura in southern Israel on 2 April 2023 (AFP)

By Fayha Shalash in
Ramallah, occupied Palestine

Published date: 2 April 2023

Palestinian cities and towns across Israel on Sunday observed a one-day strike following a call by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel in response to the killing of Mohammed al-Osaibi, a Palestinian doctor who was fatally shot by Israeli forces.

Eyewitnesses said police shot Osaibi 10 times at the Chain Gate (Bab al-Silsela), one of the gates to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in the Old City of Jerusalem, on Friday evening after he tried to prevent them from harassing a woman trying to re-enter the mosque.

Israeli police said in a statement that the man tried to grab a soldier's weapon and was subsequently shot and "neutralised". Osaibi was a 26-year-old resident of the bedouin town of Hura in the Naqab (Negev) region in southern Israel.

Osaibi's family has disputed the police account of his death and demanded to see CCTV footage, Israeli media reported. Osaibi had recently earned his medical degree in Romania and returned to his hometown a month ago, the family said.

The Israeli police, meanwhile, stood by their original version of events and issued another statement on Saturday afternoon saying that the site of the attack was not covered by surveillance cameras.

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Following an emergency meeting on Saturday in Hura, the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel called for a strike that includes all municipalities, public educational facilities and shops in Palestinian cities and towns in Israel.

"There are attempts to [push forward] a fabricated Israeli scenario to distort the truth and hide the evidence, which points to the Ben Gvir police and condemns them for committing the heinous crime against Mohammed al-Osaibi," the committee said in a statement in reference to National Security Minisiter Itamar Ben Gvir.
'It will not go unnoticed'

Palestinians, who have called Osaibi's killing "an execution", responded to the strike in great numbers, closing their shops and holding marches and vigils, where pictures of the doctor were raised.

Writer and political analyst Saher Ghazzawi said scenes from the strike brought back memories of the comprehensive strike that took place in Palestinian towns and cities in Israel in the early days of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in October 2000.

'Palestinian public opinion rejects the occupation police's account... this crime will not go unnoticed'

- Saher Ghazzawi, writer and analyst

"It isn't inconceivable to see things develop and take the same direction of escalation and the ignition of the Palestinian street. There's an atmosphere of tension being felt by Palestinian society following the murder of the young doctor," he told Middle East Eye.

Ghazzawi said that the tension comes in tandem with the racist practices and statements of the Israeli government and political parties "against everything that is Palestinian".

The vigils that took place in many Palestinian cities in Israel, at crossroads and town entrances, on Saturday, are expected to continue well into Sunday after Osaibi's funeral in his hometown, and are likely to turn into a mass demonstration.

"Palestinian public opinion completely rejects the occupation police's account that condemns the victim, so this crime will not go unnoticed," Ghazzawi said.

Osaibi is an only child, and was caring for his ailing father as he worked to get certified in Israel. As the whole town came to a standstill following the news of his death, Osaibi's family opened their home to mourners, as they waited for the Israeli authorities to release their son's body.

Ibrahim al-Osaibi said that the family rejects the police's claims that his cousin had tried to snatch the weapon of one of its forces. He added that Osaibi was unarmed and had tried to free the Palestinian woman being assaulted by the police.

"We consider it a crime, by all standards, for a young man to be shot just because he tried to defend a woman who was being subjected to abuse," said Ibrahim al-Osaibi.
'Field executions'

Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu has, meanwhile, praised the doctor's killing and said the police had "prevented an attack in the area".

Israel-Palestine: What's driving tensions in the West Bank?

Read More »

The committee, an umbrella organisation representing Israel's Palestinian citizens, called for a special investigation committee to look into Osaibi's killing.

It also encouraged a massive turnout to his funeral in protest against all "occupation policies, oppression and racial discrimination".

The Mizan Foundation for Human Rights described Osaibi's killing as "a heinous crime" and part of "a systematic policy based on field executions and the killing of Palestinians".

"The policy of easily pulling the trigger against Palestinians has become a rooted 'culture' in the psyche of the Israeli security services, and a systematic policy that feeds on an atmosphere of incitement [and] murder," Mizan said in a statement.

Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces have killed at least 87 Palestinians, including fighters and civilians, in the deadliest start to a year since 2000, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

On Saturday, Israeli forces killed 23-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Baradyah after he allegedly conducted a car-ramming attack near the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, wounding three Israelis.

The weekend's escalation threatens to end a relative lull during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan so far, a period that usually witnesses an increase in confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians, especially in East Jerusalem as Israel tightens restrictions against Palestinians in the area.

Family of Arab Israeli killed at Al-Aqsa dispute police claims

Hiba ASLAN
Sun, April 2, 2023 


The family of an Arab Israeli medical student shot dead by police at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound rejected on Sunday claims by the force that he grabbed and fired an officer's gun.

Medical student Mohammed al-Asibi was killed late Friday, hours after worshippers marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan held prayers at the sacred site.

Israeli police said the 26-year-old "managed to take the gun (from an officer) and fire two bullets" before being shot dead by officers.

The force said Sunday that Asibi's DNA was found "on the (loading) slide and handle of the pistol", providing "unambiguous" proof that officers "acted courageously".

As mourners gathered Sunday in Asibi's Bedouin village of Hura, in southern Israel, his family said he had travelled to Jerusalem only to pray.

"We reject the police's story, which is false and slanderous," said one of his sisters, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation.

She described her brother as a "polite and well-mannered person who loved helping others and (had) a peaceful personality".

Raam, the Israeli parliament's Islamist party, noted in a Facebook post claims from "witnesses" who said Asibi had gone to the aid of a woman who was in a scuffle with police.

Asibi was reaching the end of his medical studies in Romania and had just renewed his residency visa ahead of his final exam, his family said.

Relatives told AFP that police raided their home after the shooting, interrogated his parents and seized Asibi's personal belongings.

The head of Hura's municipal council, Habis al-Atawneh, said his community "all believe that the young man was executed."

- No footage of shooting -

Doubts have been raised over the shooting in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, particularly because police said there was no footage of the shooting at the heavily-surveilled compound.

A police spokesman told AFP on Sunday that the incident happened in a surveillance camera blind spot, while the officer whose weapon was grabbed by Asibi did not have time to turn on his body camera.

Police earlier rejected the notion of a woman being involved, saying Asibi was at the mosque compound alone and therefore "aroused suspicion".

"He was questioned by the police and asked to leave the Temple Mount compound since it was after closing hours, and then carried out the aforementioned attack," their statement added, using the Jewish name for the site.

The compound in Jerusalem's Old City is the most sacred site for Jews and the third-holiest place for Muslims.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday gave "full backing to the Israel police for thwarting the terrorist on the Temple Mount."

Waleed Alhwashla, from Raam, was among Arab lawmakers attending Asibi's funeral on Sunday.

He said parliamentarians were in touch with foreign diplomats to "internationalise the issue of the Arabs of the Negev (in southern Israel) and the issue of the martyr Mohammed."

Asibi's Bedouin community is part of Israel's Arab minority, which makes up around 20 percent of the population and many of whom identify as Palestinian.

Businesses in the village shut Sunday as residents went on strike to protest Asibi's killing, an action also observed in other Arab-Israeli communities, according to local media.

Asibi is one of more than a hundred people killed so far this year in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

His death followed a relative lull in the violence since Ramadan began on March 23.

In addition to him, the conflict has claimed the lives of 88 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, since the start of the year.

Separately, fourteen Israelis, including members of the security forces and civilians, and one Ukrainian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.

ha/rsc/jjm/it

Israeli police fatally shoot man at Jerusalem's holiest site

IOF ISRAEL OCCUPATION FORCE

Israeli police deploy in the Old City of Jerusalem after shots were fired in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Saturday, April 1, 2023. (AP Photo/ Mahmoud Illean)

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISABEL DEBRE
Fri, March 31, 2023 

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police shot and killed a man who they alleged tried to snatch an officer’s gun at an entrance to a Jerusalem holy site early Saturday, raising fears of further violence during a time of heightened tensions at the flashpoint compound.

Later Saturday, the Israeli military said a Palestinian driver rammed his vehicle into a group of Israelis in the occupied West Bank. Israeli medics said three people were wounded, two seriously, and the alleged attacker was shot dead.

In Jerusalem's police shooting, Palestinian worshippers at the entrance to the site on Saturday morning had a different account, saying that police shot the man at least 10 times after he tried to prevent them from harassing a woman who was on her way to the holy compound, home to Al-Aqsa Mosque in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City — the third holiest shrine in Islam. The compound, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, is also the most sacred site in Judaism.

The police said the slain man was 26-year-old Mohammed Alasibi from Hura, a Bedouin Arab village in southern Israel. The village council called for a thorough investigation of his killing and a general strike Saturday in protest.

Hours after the incident, the muddy stone alleyway leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque was still stained with blood. Alasibi's family said he was a physician who had recently passed his exams and earned his M.D. in Romania. He returned to his hometown a month ago, his cousin said, and was caring for his sick father as he worked to get certified in Israel.

“He is a polite, kind man from a family of doctors who was going to Al-Aqsa for spiritual reasons,” his cousin Fahad Alasibi said. “If you want us to believe that he tried to attack police, then show us the security footage.”

A police spokesperson pushed back on Palestinian accounts, insisting there was no woman walking to the compound at midnight because the complex was closed to visitors under an agreement with an Islamic trust called the Waqf controlled by Jordan.

Nonetheless, a few dozen people have been trying to sleep at the mosque overnight during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, prompting Israeli police to intervene and try to evict the worshippers.

The police spokesperson said Alasibi first aroused suspicion walking toward the shuttered compound. After being stopped for questioning, the spokesperson said Alasibi jumped on one of the officers and grabbed his gun, managing to fire two bullets toward policemen as the officer struggled to restrain him. Police described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack and said they shot and killed him in self-defense. No officers were injured. The spokesperson said there was no camera on the inner wall of the compound that could have captured the incident.

Palestinian worshippers at the compound Saturday disagreed. Noureddine, a 17-year-old who lived in the neighborhood and declined to give his last name for fear of reprisals, said he saw Alasibi confront police who had stopped a female worshipper on her way to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Alasibi’s relationship to the woman was not clear. He said some kind of disagreement broke out between Alasibi and the officers before he heard a dozen shots ring out.

“Nothing could justify that many shots,” he said, pointing to chaotic footage he filmed that showed Palestinian vendors and worshippers screaming at the sound of bullets being fired in rapid succession. “They were fired at close range.”

His cousin Fahad said Alasibi was worried about making the trip from Israel's Negev desert to Al-Aqsa because his ailing father relied on him. “But he went because praying there during Ramadan means a lot to him," he said.

The city's contested compound has been a focus for clashes in the past, particularly in times of turmoil in Israel and the West Bank. This year, as violence surges in the occupied territory under the most right-wing government in Israeli history, fears of an escalation in Jerusalem have mounted with the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Israeli police have boosted their forces as tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers flock to Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers.

On Friday, more than 200,000 Palestinians gathered at the compound for noon prayers, which passed peacefully.

Noureddine said police forced Palestinian vendors and worshippers out of the area after the incident, beating him and others with batons. Israeli police briefly closed the site before reopening it for dawn prayers.

Confrontations at the hilltop compound have triggered wider violence in the region in the past. Clashes at the site in May 2021 helped fuel the outbreak of a bloody 11-day war between Israel and Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers.

This year's convergence of Ramadan with the Jewish holiday of Passover could increase the possibility of friction as the Old City hosts a massive influx of pilgrims.

For the past year, Israeli-Palestinian fighting has surged in the occupied West Bank. At least 86 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli or settler gunfire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15 people in the same period. Israel says most of those killed have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting police incursions and people not involved in the confrontations have also been killed.

Dutch government pauses nitrogen emissions policy after pro-farming party’s election win

REACTIONARY INDUSTRIAL AGRIBUSINESS 

AKA FARMERS

Arthur Scott-Geddes
Sat, April 1, 2023 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visits a dairy farm before a discussion with farmers about the nitrogen plans in Koudum - AFP

The Dutch government has agreed to pause its plan to drastically cut nitrogen-based emissions after a pro-farming party delivered a major upset in provincial elections.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, on Friday announced that the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party, one of his coalition partners, wants to renegotiate the commitment to halving the country’s nitrogen emissions by 2030.

Keen to protect his environmental credentials, Mr Rutte said the public should not think the coalition was putting the brakes on its emissions policy.

“The opposite is true, we are actually accelerating,” he said. “Nevertheless, there are opposing views in the Cabinet.”

Wopke Hoekstra, the CDA leader and Dutch Deputy Prime Minister, said: “2030 is not feasible for us.”

Pressure from the looming deadline, he said, “has pushed the solution further away”.

The Netherlands is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in Europe, with farming accounting for 46 per cent of its total emissions.

The government’s pledge to cut nitrogen emissions in 2019 ignited a dispute with the country’s farmers, who fear for their livelihoods.

Farmers holding a blockade to protest against government plans that may require them to reduce livestock - AFP

The government has tried to convince farmers to reduce their livestock herds or leave the industry in order to cut back on nitrogen use.

But the farmers have hit back with repeated protests, using their tractors to blockade roads, airports and supermarkets around the country.

In some cities, as many as 40,000 protesters have gathered to oppose the government’s plan, sometimes fighting police in violent, running battles.

The farmers, through a new party set up in 2019, were also the big winners in last month’s provincial elections, winning 15 out of 75 seats and becoming the largest force in Parliament’s high chamber.

The election was a major blow for Mr Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, and was seen as a referendum on the Prime Minister’s rule.

Mr Rutte has said he soon wants to open a government buy-out scheme to compensate farmers who opt to leave the industry.

The government created a £22 billion programme to buy out farming businesses at 100 per cent of their value, but it remains to be seen whether many farmers will opt in to the scheme.

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit Collapses

The British billionaire's rocket company is ceasing its operations. Its stock has fallen by more than 89% this year.

LUC OLINGA
APR 1, 2023 10:03 AM EDT

It is a blow that will resonate throughout the British aerospace industry for a long time.

Great Britain had bet on Virgin Orbit, the company of billionaire Sir Richard Branson, to become a space power. But these ambitions, which manifested themselves in the development of a satellite manufacturing industry, have just taken a huge blow.

The company is ceasing operations "for the foreseeable future” after failing to secure a funding lifeline, only five years after it was created, CEO Dan Hart told employees on March 30, according to CNBC.

"Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to secure the funding to provide a clear path for this company,” Hart said, according to an audio recording of the meeting.
'No Choice'

"We have no choice but to implement immediate, dramatic and extremely painful changes,” Hart said, adding that this would be "probably the hardest all-hands that we’ve ever done in my life.”

Virgin Orbit (VORB) didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company confirmed in a regulatory filing that it is laying off 85% of its workforce, or 675 employees, "in order to reduce expenses in light of the company's inability to secure meaningful funding."

Those impacted are located in all areas of the firm, according to the document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Virgin Orbit said it estimates that it will incur aggregate charges of approximately $15 million, consisting primarily of $8.8 million in severance payments and employee benefits costs, and $6.5 million in other costs primarily related to outplacement services.

 

The company expects to recognize the majority of these charges in the first quarter of 2023. The layoffs will be substantially complete by April 3.

"In addition, the company may incur other charges or cash expenditures not currently contemplated due to unanticipated events that may occur, including in connection with the implementation of the workforce reduction," Virgin Orbit warned.

These developments have accelerated the fall in Virgin Orbit's stock. The stock started the year at $1.85. It is currently trading at around 20 cents. This is a decline of 89.1% in just three months. It's a spectacular stock market rout for a company that went public, via a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, with a valuation of nearly $4 billion in December 2021.

Virgin Orbit only has a stock market capitalization of $67.4 million at the time of writing.

Founded in 2017 and based in California, Virgin Orbit suffered a major setback earlier this year when an attempt to launch the first rocket into space from British soil ended in failure. Virgin Orbit was the company organizing this mission, in collaboration with the British Space Agency and Spaceport Cornwall, which aimed to launch nine satellites into space, which would have been a major first for the UK. An “anomaly” prevented the rocket from being put into orbit.

"The data is indicating that from the beginning of the second stage first burn, a fuel filter within the fuel feedline had been dislodged from its normal position," Virgin Orbit explained mid-February. "Additional data shows that the fuel pump that is downstream of the filter operated at a degraded efficiency level, resulting in the Newton 4 engine being starved for fuel. Performing in this anomalous manner resulted in the engine operating at a significantly higher than rated engine temperature."
Unique Method

Virgin Orbit was not the same in the days following this failure.

In mid-March, the company had suspended its operations while it held discussions on possible sources of financing and explored strategic opportunities. It had indicated a few days later that it had resumed its activities.

Virgin Orbit stood out from rivals like Elon Musk's SpaceX. It wants to offer a fast and adaptable space launch service for small satellites weighing between 300 and 500 kg, a growing market.

The 21-meter Virgin Orbit rocket, dubbed LauncherOne, does not take off vertically, but is attached under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 called "Cosmic Girl”. Once the correct altitude is reached, the plane releases the rocket, which starts its own engine to push itself into space and to place its cargo in orbit.

Launching a rocket from an airplane is easier than a vertical take-off, because theoretically a simple airstrip is enough, instead of an expensive space launch pad, experts say. In summary, the advantage of this launch method is that it is more flexible and less expensive to put satellites into orbit than vertical rocket launchers.

Sir Richard Branson's space ambitions are now supported only by Virgin Galactic, which aims to send tourists into space.

Long Beach's Virgin Orbit lays off 675 people, 85% of its workforce

Samantha Masunaga
Fri, March 31, 2023 at 2:39 PM MDT

A repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft named Cosmic Girl, carrying Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket, takes off from Spaceport Cornwall at Cornwall Airport Newquay in England. (Ben Birchall / Associated Press)

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit is laying off about 675 employees, or 85% of its workforce, as the air-launched rocket company failed to find funding to sustain its operations.

Most of the affected employees were based in Long Beach and Mojave.

The Long Beach company plans to spend $8.8 million in severance payments and employee benefit costs and an additional $6.5 million on outplacement services and other related costs, according to a company filing Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

To fund the severance and outplacement costs, Virgin Orbit sold a $10.9-million senior secured convertible note to Virgin Investments, the investment arm of Branson's Virgin Group, according to the filing.

The layoffs will be "substantially" complete by Monday. The remaining employees will focus on making progress on the company's next LauncherOne rocket, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment. That rocket is in production and nearly complete.

Virgin Orbit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The layoffs come two weeks after the company said it would pause operations and put most of its staff on furlough while it looked for additional cash.

Virgin Orbit faced a tough market for fundraising, with higher interest rates and greater reluctance from investors to fund technology that wasn't a sure-fire bet. Other small-satellite launch companies have also faced financial struggles this year, including Alameda-based Astra, which received a delisting warning from the NASDAQ late last year for having a share price below $1 for 30 consecutive days.

Virgin Orbit Holdings' stock traded for a little over $7 a share last year at this time. On Friday, the stock closed at 20 cents.

Virgin Orbit had hoped for a lifeline from private investor Matthew Brown, but talks between the two broke down late last week, according to CNBC.

The company launches small satellites via a rocket that blasts off from beneath the wing of a modified Boeing 747 aircraft. Virgin Orbit had four successful launches before a failure earlier this year that resulted in the loss of its customers' satellites.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Virgin Orbit officially shutters its space launch operations

In the end, only four of its six attempts ended with satellites in orbit.

Henry Nicholls / reuters

Andrew Tarantola
·Senior Editor
Thu, March 30, 2023 

Virgin Orbit’s days of slinging satellites into space aboard aircraft-launched rockets have come to an end Thursday. After six years in business, Virgin’s satellite launch subsidiary has announced via SEC filing that it does not have the funding to continue operations and will be shuttering for “the foreseeable future,” per CNBC. Nearly 90 percent of Virgin Orbit’s employees — 675 people in total — will be laid off immediately.

Virgin Orbit was founded in 2017 for the purpose of developing and commercializing LauncherOne, a satellite launch system fitted under a modified 747 airliner, dubbed Cosmic Girl. The system was designed to put 500 pounds of cubesats into Low Earth Orbit by firing them in a rocket from said airliner flying at an altitude of 30,000 - 50,000 feet. Despite a string of early successes — both in terms of development milestones and expanding service contracts with the UK military, LauncherOne’s first official test in May of 2020 failed to deliver its simulated payload into orbit.

A second attempt the following January in 2022 however was a success with the launch of 10 NASA cube sats into LEO, as was Virgin Orbit’s first commercial satellite launch that June. It successfully sent seven more satellites into orbit in January 2022 and quietly launched Space Force assets that July.

In all, Virgin Orbit made six total flights between 2020 and 2023, only four successfully. The most recent attempt was dubbed the Start Me Up event and was supposed to mark the first commercial space launch from UK soil. Despite the rocket successfully separating from its parent aircraft, an upper stage “anomaly” prevented the rocket’s payload from entering orbit. It was later determined that a $100 fuel filter had failed and resulted in the fault.

As TechCrunch points out, Virgin Group founder, Sir Richard Branson, “threw upwards of $55 million to the sinking space company,” in recent months but Start Me Up’s embarrassing failure turned out to be the final straw. On March 16th, Virgin Orbit announced an “operational pause” and worker furlough for its roughly 750 employees as company leadership scrambled to find new funding sources. The company extended the furlough two weeks later and called it quits on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to secure the funding to provide a clear path for this company,” Virgin CEO Dan Hart said in an all-hands call obtained by CNBC. “We have no choice but to implement immediate, dramatic and extremely painful changes.”

Impacted employees will reportedly receive severance packages, according to Hart, including a cash payment, continued benefits and a “direct pipeline” to Virgin Galactic’s hiring department. Virgin Orbit’s two top executives will also receive “golden parachute” severances which were approved by the company’s board, conveniently, back in mid-March right when the furloughs first took effect.