Saudi astronaut shares Makkah, Grand Mosque from outer space

Published: 27 May 2023 - 


The Peninsula Online

Doha, Qatar: Rayyanah Barnawi, Saudi’s first female astronaut and one of the two Saudi astronauts recently sent to space, shared footage of Makkah as seen from outer space.

On her official social media account, the Saudi astronaut posted a video showing them passing over Makkah from space.

“This is the Grand Mosque,” noted Barnawi as she zoomed into a tiny glowing dot in the distance before exclaiming “look at how bright Makkah is!”

Barnawi was filming footage while onboard the International Space Station, which had welcomed her and other Saudi astronaut Ali al-Qarni last Monday.

On Monday, Barnawi and al-Qarni took off from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of the Axiom 2 space mission (Ax-2) to the ISS from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Saudi astronauts help to inspire a new generation of scientists


By Dr. Tim Sandle
Published May 30, 2023

Space experts say Russia's departure from the International Space Station will seriously affect the country's space sector - Copyright AFP Ludovic MARIN

Recently two astronauts – Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni – conducted three educational awareness experiments live from the International Space Station with 12,000 Saudi students across 42 different locations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

These real time experiments with the Saudi crew aboard the ISS occurred were run in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the King Fahd Abdelaziz foundation. The idea came from the Saudi Space Commission, which is a relatively new organisation, having been established as recently as December of 2018.

The aim of these sessions was to enhance the students’ knowledge of space science and how developments in space contribute to improving the quality of life on Earth. This was demonstrated by juxtaposing terrestrial based experiments, conducted by the students, to the ones being conducted in real-time by the Saudi crew aboard ISS.

Students were able to see how the experiment environment can have a real effect on the results. The areas of focus were: Liquid Fireworks, Space Kite, and Heat transfer. These three subject areas connected with fluid mechanics, aerodynamics and heat transfer.

In many cases the students were able to perform their experiments simultaneously with the ISS crew, enabling them to compare and contrast the outcomes.

The students were divided in three groups relative to their age groups. The first group, 9-12 years, experimented with liquid fireworks, focussing on fluid mechanics. Here the students could compare the effects of microgravity on the speed and shapes of the fluids in space, and witness the impact of gravity on fluids live.

The second group, 13-15 years, built space kites to experiment aerodynamics’ alteration in microgravity compared to Earth. The third group, 15-18 years, experimented with heat transfer to see the changes of colour and time in heat transfer under the impact of microgravity in space in the aim of educating the students that radiation is the only way to transfer heat in space and that heat is transferred differently in space.

The three educational experiments are part of the 14 scientific experiments taken by the two Saudi astronauts during their mission, which included a range of tests from human research and cell science to artificial rain in microgravity.

By engaging Saudi scientists and thousands of students across Saudi, the SSC is keen on growing its space sector and interacting with civil society. Through this it also hopes to inspire Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects with the student body. This forms part of the Vision 2030 programme.

Huge hammerhead shark ‘comes up right to the land’ at Texas beach

By 

Angela Barbuti  

May 27, 2023 

A Texas man spotted a massive hammerhead shark in the waters of a Texas beach.

Jason Schilling was soaking up the sun at San Luis Pass Beach, on Galveston Island’s West End, when he saw the creature swimming in a shallow area close to the shoreline. 

He posted a video of the sighting on TikTok on Wednesday, where the shark’s dorsal fin is seen protruding in the currents of the Gulf Stream, alarmingly close to where he was standing.

In the clip, which garnered 3.1 million views, he said, “Dude, look at that frickin’ thing. What the hell? This thing came up right to the land. That’s crazy. I didn’t know they go that shallow.”

He captioned the post with “This was unexpected lol Will you still go swimming here?”

A Texas man filmed a hammerhead shark swimming at a beach and posted it on TikTok.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

The post garnered 3.1 million views and over 2,000 comments.

TikTok/@fishingngigging

“Dude, look at that frickin’ thing. What the hell? This thing came up right to the land. That’s crazy. I didn’t know they go that shallow,” the man said in the video.

TikTok/@fishingngigging

Over 2,000 TikTok users commented, with some explaining the sighting was common.

“It’s literally the San Luis Pass… what do you think is passing???” said @aidenweaver55.

@fishingngigging This was unexpected lol Will you still go swimming here? 😅 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #fishtok #shark #hammerhead #fishing #galveston #sanluispass ♬ original sound - Jason Schilling

Killer whales attacking boats to avenge injured matriarch: scientists

By 

Peter Aitken, Fox News

May 27, 2023 

The first orca may have suffered a "critical moment of agony" 

that caused the aggression.Shutterstock

Orcas have reportedly attacked and sunk three boats off the coast of Spain in apparent acts of revenge that experts worry other whales in their pod might copy.

“The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side,” Werner Schafelberger told German publication Yacht. “The two little orcas observed the bigger one’s technique and, with a slight run-up, they too slammed into the boat.”

Hundreds of incidents between orcas and boats off the Iberian coast have occurred since May 2020, with all but a handful resulting in only minor injuries or damage. However, the attacks have grown more frequent and a few have led to the boats sinking – the latest such attack happening just this month. 

Marine biologist Alfredo Lopez Fernandez told Live Science that the lead whale, a female orca scientists have called White Gladis, suffered a “critical moment of agony,” likely a collision with a boat or entanglement with a fishing line, that turned her more aggressive. 

The whales approach the boats from behind, striking the rudder or hull of the boat, sailors and other eyewitnesses have said. 

“That traumatized orca is the one that started this behavior of physical contact with the boat,” Fernandez said. 

The whales approach the boats from behind, striking the rudder or hull of the boat.

Shutterstock

“We do not interpret that the orcas are teaching the young, although the behavior has spread to the young vertically, simply by imitation, and later horizontally among them, because they consider it something important in their lives,” he added.

Fernandez speculated that the orcas might perceive the behavior as “advantageous” despite the risks associated with such brazen attacks. He said that four orcas from the same subpopulation have died since May 2020. 

The behavior may have spread even beyond that population, with a British couple recently sharing their own experience of an orca attack near the coast of Morocco. 

Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell of Cambridge, in eastern England, were enjoying a sailing course off the coast of Morocco recently when they spotted a pod of orcas, they said.

Hundreds of incidents between orcas and boats off the Iberian coast have occurred since May 2020.

Shutterstock

The attack lasted for an hour as the whales repeatedly bumped the boat, but the crew managed to navigate to calmer waters and safety. Morris said that he was worried they were “sitting ducks.” 

“We were amazingly calm but underneath we were thinking, ‘Oh my God,’” Morris told British news service SWNS. 

Scientists have documented orcas exhibiting violent behaviors and appearing to teach them to others, according to Marine Mammal Science: One incident saw a group of orcas attack, kill and eat blue whales. 

National report reveals Canada's disaster vulnerabilities, risk areas


Nathan HowesDigital Journalist
Updated on May. 28, 2023

Canada's first-ever disaster report at the national level showcases the threats the country faces, the regions at risk, and what is needed for agencies and people to better handle future catastrophes

The release of Canada's inaugural national disaster risk assessment this month couldn't have been more timely with Alberta's expanding and damaging wildfires.

On May 11, the federal government unveiled the country's first national-level disaster risk assessment, highlighting the catastrophe threats facing Canada and the current measures and resources in its emergency management systems to address them. The inaugural report addressed three hazards: Earthquakes, wildland fires, and floods, along with a section on the effects of pandemics such as COVID-19.

SEE ALSO: Is Canada prone to a devastating earthquake? Answer isn't so simple

The goal of the assessment is to help Canadians understand the disaster risks they face so they can prepare for, manage and recover from emergencies, assist all emergency management partners make informed decisions to reduce, prepare for and respond to disasters, and aid in identifying strengths and weaknesses nationally to lessen the impacts of disasters for all Canadians.

To address the problems posed by the various disasters, millions of dollars have been bookmarked in the 2023 federal budget  

.
(Shoshi Soni/Submitted)

“When we understand the risks we face, we can better protect ourselves and our communities from them. The national risk profile is a foundational piece of emergency preparedness work that draws upon scientific evidence and stakeholder perspectives to support decision-making that will strengthen Canada’s emergency management and resiliency to climate-related risks and disasters," said Bill Blair, Canada's Emergency Preparedness Minister, in a press release.

The analysis outlined several impacts and findings about earthquakes, wildland fires and floods in Canada.

Earthquakes

Expected direct losses from a large earthquake could be as high as $75 billion


The risks from earthquakes are increasing due to population growth and rising number of people and property density in urban areas, as well as a growing reliance on infrastructure systems


The national risk profile identified gaps in Canada's earthquake resilience including seismic retrofit programs to make existing buildings stronger and more resistant; access to public information; the number of Canadians underinsured or uninsured for earthquake damages; and challenges in the emergency management system and limited access to services in remote, isolated and Indigenous communities

MOST EARTHQUAKES IN BC AND ALBERTA ARE FRACKING QUAKES (FRACKQUAKES)

Wildland fires

The area burned annually by wildland fires has more than doubled since the 1970s. It is predicted that, by 2100, the area burned could double again

The risk of wildland fires will likely increase over time because climate change is creating longer and more intense fire seasons

Current trends point to more people and infrastructure in harm's way in the event of a wildland fire

The report identified the following gaps in Canada's wildland fire resilience including low public awareness and preventive action to protect homes, properties, and neighbourhoods; gaps in scientific knowledge and wildland fire management tools and technologies; inclusion of Indigenous peoples and diverse Indigenous knowledge in wildland fire management and response; and structural resilience to wildland fires, especially in high-risk areas

Floods

The risks from flood events will increase over time due to the impacts of climate change on weather patterns and the increasing number of people living in urban areas

The threat profile identified the following gaps in Canada's flood resilience including co-ordination among governments to manage flood risk; lack of flood risk information that impacts the management of evacuations; low awareness among Canadians of their personal flood risk; and lack of sustained investment in a national flood insurance arrangement and in countrywide infrastructure measures for prevention, like planting trees to prevent erosion

(Jaclyn Whittal/The Weather Network)

The next component to the national risk profile will focus on heat events, hurricanes and space weather. The federal government stated these three hazards were selected given their high impacts on public health, critical infrastructure, the economy, and ecosystems.

The full report can be viewed here.

Thumbnail courtesy of Getty Images-1356603199.

Firefighters in east Canada battle ‘unprecedented’ blazes

By AFP
Published May 31, 2023

Firefighters with Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency work to put out fires in the Tantallon area of Nova Scotia - Copyright Nova Scotia Government/AFP Handout

Firefighters on Wednesday faced a grueling uphill battle against wildfires in Canada’s Nova Scotia province, including one threatening suburbs of Halifax.

Federal help was coming, officials said, along with firefighters from the United States.

“We’re in a crisis in the province and we want and we need and we will take all the support we can get,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told a news conference. “These fires are unprecedented.”

Already, additional kit have been shipped in from Ontario, and a dozen water bombers from neighboring regions and the Coast Guard joined efforts to douse the flames and assist with evacuations.

Houston said he has also asked for the military to help out.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the wildfires “heartbreaking,” and vowed unlimited support.

As of Wednesday, 14 wildfires were burning in Nova Scotia, including three out of control. They’ve so far destroyed or damaged more than 200 homes and other structures including a wooden bridge, but no injuries have been reported.

One couple described to public broadcaster CBC having lost both their home and their childcare business. “That’s my life,” a tearful Terri Kottwitz said.

Others said they saw trees on fire in their backyard as they fled with just a moment’s notice.

Evacuee Janis Churchill-Moher told CBC that she didn’t know if her home in the picturesque rural south of the province was still standing.

“Our neighbors have working farms and they just had to pack up their kids, pack up as many animals as fast as they could and run,” she said.

More than 2,000 residents of the area were ordered to evacuate earlier in the week as fires swept through the area.

“It’s a devastating situation for everybody,” she said.

– ‘Frustrated and frightened’ –

Smoke from the wildfires blew down the Atlantic coast, prompting air quality alerts for the US state of New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia area.

More than 16,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes in Canada’s eastern province of Nova Scotia. — © AFP

David Meldrum of the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, pointing to record-high temperatures forecast this week, warned of “a prolonged operation” to bring under control a large fire northwest of the port city that has displaced more than 16,000 residents.

“People are understandably tired, frustrated and frightened,” said Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, adding that “some have no home to return to.”

Houston announced a ban on all activities in Nova Scotia forests, including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, the use of off-road vehicles and logging.

“For God’s sake, stop burning. Stop flicking cigarette butts out of the car window. Just stop it. Our resources are stretched incredibly thin right now fighting existing fires,” he pleaded after several illegal burns were reported by conservation officers.

Government data shows a decline in the number of wildfires in Canada since the 1980s, likely due to improved fire prevention.

But the past decade also saw more disastrous wildfires scorching a lot more land and displacing many more people — problems set to worsen with climate change.

In recent years western Canada has been hit repeatedly by extreme weather, including floods and mudslides, forest fires that destroyed an entire town, and record-high summer temperatures that killed more than 500 people in 2021.

On Tuesday, 800 residents of Fort Chiepwyan in northern Alberta had to be airlifted to safety as fires beared down on the remote hamlet.

Earlier this month, wildfires in Alberta burned nearly one million hectares of forests and grasslands, and at one point displaced 30,000 people.

Nearly 200 structures damaged in Halifax-area wildfire

By Karen Graham
Published May 30, 2023

Westwood Hills, Tantallon update: The wildfire, estimated to cover 788.3 hectares, is out of control. Firefighters on scene include 170 from the HRM, 32 DNRR staff, 3 helicopters and 1 waterbomber from Newfoundland and Labrador. Source - Nova Scotia Natural Resources and Renewables

Early estimates are that about 200 structures have been damaged in the wildfire in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area.

CBC News is reporting today that most of the damaged or destroyed structures are single-family homes. Halifax Fire Deputy Chief David Meldrum asked for patience from some 16,400 residents who are anxiously awaiting information about their properties.

He added that fire officials working on compiling information and creating a geographic map with the precise locations of every damaged property, but it will take some time.

Officials are reminding people not to try and return to their homes.

The fire was first reported on Sunday around 3:30 p.m. in the Westwood Hills subdivision off Hammonds Plains Road. The cause of that fire is under investigation, though it is likely that human activity played a role, according to Scott Tingley, the DNR’s manager of forest protection,

“It’s safe to say they have all been human-caused, we haven’t had reports of lightning in the area, so it’s human activity that’s causing them,” Tingley said.

Progress made on out-of-control wildfire

David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said while some progress has been made in fighting the out-of-control wildfire outside Halifax overnight, a change in the weather today is expected to pose a “dangerous” challenge for firefighters.

Steeves said that southwest winds are expected to pick up during the afternoon, and the sun is expected to heat up.

“We are hopeful that we can make some gain today, but we’ll have to wait and see how the environment is going to work with us on that,” Steeves said during a press conference at the incident command center in the community of Tantallon.

“There’s going to be an increasingly dangerous situation for the firefighters that are on the ground. Safety is going to be paramount in all our tactical decisions.”

In an update from Nova Scotia Natural Resources and Renewables, the wildfire, estimated at 788 hectares (1,947 acres), remains out of control at 10:51 a.m. ET. Winds are expected to gust up to 30 kph (19 mph) throughout today, May 30, so fire may spread further this afternoon

‘Wilderness Urban Interface’ wildfires are on the rise across North America

By Karen Graham
Published May 30, 2023

The Simi Valley Fire in Southern California was a devastating 2003 wildfire that burned 108,204 acres. and destroyed 37 residences and 278 outbuildings. Credit - U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dennis W. Goff, Public Domain

Wildfires that put homes at risk are growing larger and more frequent as people move into transitional zones.

CTV News Canada is reporting on the severe consequences created as the number of wildfires crashing into communities continues to grow.

They cite the 2011 Slave Lake, Alberta wildfire that – despite suppression measures – pushed past fire barriers and destroyed several hundred homes and other buildings. The wildfire burned 4,700 hectares (12,000 acres) and ended up costing $750 million.

Close to one-third of Slave Lake, a community of 7,000 people, was destroyed, with 374 properties destroyed and 52 damaged in the town, and another 59 destroyed and 32 damaged in the surrounding Municipal District.

On May 15, 2011, a fireball rises over the town of Slave Lake, at 5:40 pm as residents evacuate themselves from town as a wildfire destroys a third of the town. Credit – Mrsramsey, CC SA 3.0.

“I think that was the most shocking time of my entire career and maybe of my life, where you’re so sure that something’s going to work, and then it doesn’t with crushing consequences,” said Jamie Coutts, the former Slave Lake fire chief.

A firefighter for more than 30 years, Coutts said wildfires have been burning “hotter, faster (and) crazier” over the last decade, and “every single person that lives in the forest is on a collision course with something disastrous happening.”

The wildland-urban interface (WUI)

Research suggests that so-called Wildland-Urban Interface wildfires, which occur where forests and flames meet human development, are on the rise. This area is sometimes called a transitional zone. Keep in mind that on Sunday, a WUI fire crashed into Halifax, destroying or damaging dozens of homes in the west of the city.

As the risk of forest fire increases, so does the risk to urban peripheries in Canada that come into contact with wild or forested areas. Following are just two devastating examples:

In 2016, a wildfire forced 80,000 people in Fort McMurray and other parts of northern Alberta to evacuate, destroyed more than 2400 buildings, and caused an estimated $3.8 billion in damage.

2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. Large flames and heavy smoke surround congested Highway 63 South. 

Credit – DarrenRD, CC SA 4.0.

In 2018, British Columbia experienced its worst fire season on record forcing 3,200 people to evacuate, and close to another 22,000 to be on alert.

In the United States, which has a much larger population than its neighbor to the north, over 60,000 communities are situated where they are at risk for WUI wildfires.

And between 2002 and 2016, an average of over 3,000 structures per year were lost to WUI wildfires in the United States. In the meantime, people continue to move to parts of the country more likely to burn, raising the odds of catastrophe.

Nowhere is this dynamic more visible than in California, where eight of the largest blazes on record have struck in the past five years. The state now has roughly 5.1 million homes in what’s known as the “wildland-urban interface.”

The rapid growth of housing in flammable areas is a key reason wildfires have become more destructive over time. Not only are the homes themselves more likely to burn, but when more people live near forests and grasslands, there’s also a greater chance that fires will start in the first place.

LIFE UNDER WHITE SUPREMACY

Alzheimer’s is one of many illnesses that disproportionately affects Black Americans. #shorts

 Police who botched Uvalde shooting response face few consequences | Visual Forensics

VIDEO DURATION 29 MINUTES

Washington Post

7 days ago

In the year since the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, much of the blame for law enforcement’s decision to wait more than an hour to confront the gunman has centered on the former chief of the school district’s small police force.

SEE ALL 3,045 Comments

SAMPLE

Johnny Tanise

7 days ago (edited)

All that tax-paying dollars for these officers to get the best training, high-end gear, ARs, and yet, what they were missing was a set of balls.

Jason

7 days ago

The level of incompetence in this incident are almost incomprehensible.

Tawny Tirado

7 days ago

They FAILED in such a profound way there is not a word to describe the disgrace of these officers

J Man

2 days ago

As a law enforcement officer in Texas I'll say we will never live this down. That was a complete failure by everyone in that hallway. How they continue to wear that uniform is beyond me. They have no shame.

A. Thomas

3 days ago

"We didn't have the tools we needed." The tools you needed were BALLS!! So many parents unnecessarily lost the lives of their babies because these guys were SCARED!

Thomas Spencer

2 days ago

There is no more cowardice than that of an Uvalde police officer.

Drought causing dramatic erosion in Grand Canyon

Washington Post
 May 23, 2023

The biodiversity in the Grand Canyon is dependent on annual buildups of sediment rich sandbars, which have eroded after 20 years of drought. Because of the strong snow pack from this past winter, scientists are relying on a pulse of water released from Glen Canyon Dam, called a high flow experiment, to push monsoonal runoff into the canyon and restore seasonal sandbars. 

Revealed: How British spies pull the PA’s strings

Asa Winstanley and Kit Klarenberg

The Electronic Intifada 

31 May 2023

Secret files reveal the names of British agents who influenced the Palestinian Authority.

A cache of leaked documents obtained by The Electronic Intifada reveals the extent of British intelligence penetration of Palestinian Authority forces, including “daily direction” from a UK military officer.

The documents detail how shadowy British contractor Adam Smith International (ASI) has influenced the Palestinian Authority for almost 15 years.

They expose several military intelligence trainers, naming names for the first time.

Two of the British agents, including a likely MI6 officer, worked closely with Israeli spies.

Some ASI personnel who worked with the Palestinian Authority are named in the files as also working with the contractor’s controversial “Free Syrian Police” project.

The program used British government funds to support al-Qaida-linked groups fighting the Syrian government – inadvertently, ASI claims.

ASI training to the Palestinian Authority is done in Ramallah, Jericho and Jordan, under the ultimate command of a US general, and in coordination with Israel.

The Electronic Intifada used the same document cache to reveal in February that the contractor had carried out a secret British government project to spy on Palestinian refugee camps, with the aim of monitoring “criticism of Western and Israeli foreign policy.”
No comment

You can read extracts from the files on this page and some of the full documents at the end of this article. The cache has been publicly available from a file sharing site since October last year. The Electronic Intifada has chosen to publish only files it has reviewed and determined to be in the public interest.

ASI declined to comment, directing us to the Foreign Office for queries “regarding any particular project.” A spokesperson for the UK’s foreign ministry declined to comment.

The Electronic Intifada understands that ASI has been ordering those named in the leaked documents not to speak to this publication.

“It is important that you do not respond to these requests for information, and that you let us know if you are contacted,” ASI director Daniel Pimlott wrote in one internal email seen by The Electronic Intifada

“The Electronic Intifada is not a credible media organization and has a pro-Russian slant,” he claimed.

“Remember the confidentiality clauses you signed up to and your obligations to the UK government,” he added in an implicit warning to anyone who might consider speaking out.
The Palestinian Authority has always been a brutal collaborationist proxy force for Israel’s occupation. Its leader Mahmoud Abbas once described security collaboration with Israel as “sacred.”

In 2021 there were weeks of protests after Abbas’ goons beat to death Nizar Banat, one of his most prominent critics, whose influential Facebook videos often denounced collaboration.



One of the main US goals in the region is to preserve the Palestinian Authority.

To further that goal, they established the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The position was founded in 2005 and the first person to take the role was Keith Dayton, a US army general.

In 2007, Dayton was instrumental in a CIA-backed coup against the elected Palestinian Authority leadership. Hamas’ political wing had won the 2006 legislative elections, much to the anger of Israel and the US.

The coup failed in the Gaza Strip, but was successful in the West Bank, resulting in a bitter and sometimes violent split between Hamas and Abbas’ faction Fatah.

LONG READ WITH DOCUMENTATION 

Revealed: How British spies pull the PA's strings | The Electronic Intifada

Washington Post Exposes Israeli Occupation Crimes in Investigative Report

M.Y | DOP - 27 May, 2023

The Washington Post released a report on Friday which uncovered Israeli occupation forces deliberately slaying Palestinian civilians, including minors, in the guise of “secret missions.”

For many years, nighttime raids and arrests featured heavily in the lives of Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank. However, since the rise to power of the most right-wing government in Israeli history, there has been a notable uptick in daytime raids conducted in crowded areas such as Jenin.

The Washington Post compiled 15 videos related to the violent Israeli raid in Jenin on March 16, causing the deaths of four Palestinians – Nidal Khazem, Yousef Shreim, Omar Awadin, and Louay Al-Saghir. Internal video recordings from local stores near the incident were obtained to reenact the attack, and nine eyewitnesses were surveyed with four more providing testimonies to construct the event using three-dimensional imaging.

A number of experts informed the American newspaper that the Israeli intrusion into Jenin on March 16 transgressed the worldwide illegality on extrajudicial executions.

This violation is made worse because the ones that the Israeli occupation deemed to be armed did not pose a danger to the Israeli forces during the assassination, coupled with the presence of numerous innocent people in the area.

According to Philip Alston, the former U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, after analyzing the evidence given by The Washington Post, it is possible to conclude with certainty that the incident constituted extrajudicial executions.

Alston stated that the situation was further exacerbated by the use of deadly shots even after the two Palestinians had been neutralized.

Michael Lynk, former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said these particular killings were “profoundly unlawful” under international standards. He added that the unlawfulness was “heightened by the apparent choice to conduct these targeted killings in a busy civilian market.”

Lynk observed that neither of the two young men who were the focus of the raid showed any signs of posing a danger at that moment in time, not even any sort of imminent danger, and they likely could have been detained.

Michael Sfard, a human rights lawyer who has previously challenged the legality of Israel’s assassinations in Israel’s Supreme Court, described the Jenin raid as extremely typical of how Israel conducts its lethal-force operations.

Washington Post publishes an investigation exposing crimes of Zionist enemy

Washington Post publishes an investigation exposing crimes of Zionist enemy

[27/May/2023]


WASHINGTON May 27. 2023 (Saba) - On Friday, the Washington Post published an investigation of Zionist special forces directly targeting Palestinian citizens "Al-Musta'rebon" by killing them, especially those involving children.
Zionist intrusions have long been an essential component of life in the occupied West Bank, but they have often occurred at night, usually ending in arrests, but this year, under the most right-wing government in the occupying entity's history, an increasing number of intrusions were carried out during the day in densely populated areas such as Jenin.
The newspaper synchronized 15 videos of the Zionist bloody incursion into the city of Jenin on the day of March 16, which led to the martyrdom of four Palestinians, Nidal Khazem, Yousef Shrem, Omar Awadin and Luai al-Saghir, the investigation obtained video footage from CCTV from shops adjacent to the Zionist special forces' entry point.
The newspaper spoke to nine witnesses and obtained testimony from four others to reproduce the intrusion with a three-dimensional system.
The newspaper quoted a number of experts that spoke to: "The Zionist intrusion into the city of Jenin on the day of March 16 is a violation of the international ban on extrajudicial killings, and this violation is aggravated by the fact that the occupation entity claimed to be armed did not pose any threat to the Zionist forces at the time of the assassination, along with the presence of many civilians in the place.
"One can say with some confidence that these are extrajudicial executions," former United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Philip Alston told The Washington Post after reviewing the evidence presented by the newspaper.
It was then compounded by more fatal shots, even after the neutralization of the two people, "Alston added. According to his expression.
For his part, former United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Michael Lynk said: "These killings are highly illegal under international standards, and what increases their illegality is the choice to carry out the assassinations in a clearly crowded civilian market."
Lynk pointed out that neither of the two young people targeted "appeared to represent any threat, not even an imminent threat, and could have been arrested".
Michael Sfard, a human rights lawyer who has previously challenged the legality of assassinations carried out by the occupying entity in its Supreme Court, described the intrusion into Jenin as "an ideal model for how Israel can carry out operations involving lethal force".
E.M

The Guardian: Study Unearths 3 Mass Graves in Massacred Tantura Village

M.Y | DOP - 27 May, 2023

An investigation has uncovered three possible mass graves underneath the wreckage of the coastal village of Tantura in the Haifa area, which was annihilated during the Israeli occupation of Palestine in 1948.

Researchers and historians, according to The Guardian, reported that a massacre conducted by Zionist gangs resulted in the death of many Palestinians who resided in the village that contained around 1500 people. Strikingly, Israeli beach resorts now sit atop the mass graves that linger as a reminder of the tragedy.

The newspaper said that a car park at one of the holiday destinations had been constructed over some mass graves.

The “Forensic Architecture” research agency has supplied experts to lead the new investigation, as reported by “the Guardian.”

The newspaper studied mapping information and aerial photographs from the British Mandate period, as well as testimonies recently gathered from both survivors and those responsible for the events and data from the Israeli occupation forces.

The data obtained was utilized to construct three-dimensional diagrams that pinpointed potential sites for murder and mass burials, the limits of cemetery grounds that had been present before, and if any gravesites were unearthed or taken away.

Just recently, the International Center for Justice for Palestinians hosted a showing of a documentary on the Tantura massacre at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London.

The movie centers around an Israeli scholar’s recording of the bloody events in the town of Tantura in Haifa after the 1948 Nakba, as well as the resultant prosecution and torment that caused him to lose his academic title at the end of the 1990s.