The political crisis in France

France’s prime minister Michel Barnier

DECEMBER 7, 2024

As Macron appoints his fourth Prime Minister in a year, Andrew Coates explores the background to the deadlock and the challenges facing the left.

With three months in power Michel Barnier, French Prime Minister, outlasted Liz Truss’s 45 days of office. Appointed by President Macron to replace Gabriel Attal, a member of the head of state’s Renaissance Party, the member of the centre right  Les Républicains presided over a minority government, supported by MPs (from the classical right and Macronists) holding 212 out of 577 seats.

For some in the British media Barnier is recalled as the European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator. For many on the French left he is known for his right-wing policies, having appointed as Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau  who has called for “less immigration, more security”.

Amongst other figure were Guillaume Kasbarian, the (unwieldly-sounding) Ministre de la Fonction Publique, de la Simplification et de la Transformation de l’Action Publique (Minister of Civil Service, Streamlining and Public Sector Transformation). A member of Macron’s Parliamentary group, Ensemble pour la République, Kasbarien recently welcomed Elon Musk’s plans to tackle ‘bureaucracy’.

There was also Higher Education and Research Minister Patrick Hetzel, of the ‘Republican Right’, who is an enthusiast for ‘alternative medicine’ and has questioned vaccination. In October 2024 Hetzel took part in an event organised by the far right student union, UNI.

These figures confirm that, as widely reported, Barnier was chosen to chosen to be acceptable to parties from the centre, the right and the far right. On 9th October, the Barnier government survived a no-confidence vote brought by the left bloc, the Nouveau Front Populaire, (NFP) which fell 92 votes short of the 289 needed. The far right Rassemblement National (RN) supported the government by not voting for the motion.

This Wednesday the RN voted for a motion of no-confidence proposed by the NFP. It passed  331 to 244. The immediate cause was the finance bill, which was based on an austerity budget. On Monday Barnier had forced through Social Security measures using the constitutional provision of 49.3, designed under the 5th Republic to avoid political deadlock over legislation.

After this result, the largest bloc in the National Assembly, the Nouveau Front Populaire with 193 seats, believes it should govern, though it is far from a majority in the lower house, 577 MPs in all. Macron-backers, such as former PM Gabriel Attal, have, Le Monde reports on 5th December, turned away from the classic right and tried to negotiate with the Socialist Party wing of the NFP. But, “’Mr. Attal must have the lucidity to consider that Macronism has been defeated,’ replied Boris Vallaud, the president of the Socialist group in the Assembly.”

The left faces some challenges maintaining unity. Raphaël Glucksmann, an MEP close to the Socialists who has his own micro-party Place Publique and some allies , have called for a ‘minimum platform’, an agreement between parties that supported the ‘republican front’ (that is composed of many Macron-favourable centrists and some moderate right-wingers) against Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s RN during the Parliamentary elections. Chaos, they warn, threatens. (Le Monde. 5th December)

Strikes and protests in the public sector will take place from Thursday over austerity measures already passed by the Barnier government.

Macron has two years left of his Presidential term. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France Insoumise, by far the largest left force in the National Assembly, though not himself an MP in Parliament, suggests that he will not last the course.

Meanwhile, France’s Socialists have signaled they are ready to hold talks with President Emmanuel Macron over the formation of a new government. Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure told French media today that the party was prepared to play a part in breaking the country’s political deadlock.

Andrew Coates is a European socialist internationalist who lives in East Anglia. He blogs here.

mage: https://www.flickr.com/photos/european_parliament/48753411836 Creator: Gabor Kovacs  Licence: Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed

‘Look to the streets and strikes as French government collapses’

Denis Godard, a socialist in Paris, spoke to Thomas Foster about the collapse of Michel Barnier’s government

France’s Tory prime minister Michel Barnier has lost a vote of no confidence (Picture: European Union 2019/EP Flickr)

By Thomas Foster
Wednesday 04 December 2024  

SOCIALIST WORKER Issue 2933


The French government has collapsed after right wing prime minister Michel Barnier lost a vote of no confidence on Wednesday. His downfall has deepened the political crisis facing the French state.

On Monday, Barnier pushed through his social security budget bill for 2025 without a parliamentary vote using the authoritarian Article 49.3 of the French constitution. It sought to deliver £49 billion worth of spending cuts and tax rises, hitting working class people.

The no confidence motion in the National Assembly passed by 331 votes, an overwhelming majority of the 577 MPs.

France’s neoliberal president Emmanuel Macron installed veteran right wing Tory Michel Barnier as prime minister in September. He only held office with the backing of Marine Le Pen’s and Jordan Bardella’s fascist RN.


Elections in July produced a stalemate with three major blocs dominating parliament—the NPF, the RN and Macron’s Ensemble alliance.

The NPF is largest with 193 MPs, but divided between different parties ranging from Jean Luc Melenchon’s left wing LFI to the Labour-type Socialist Party. Macron’s alliance has 166 MPs, the fascist RN and its allies hold 142 seats, while the conservative grouping that Barnier comes from has 47.

Denis Godard, a revolutionary socialist in France, spoke to Socialist Worker about the trigger for the crisis—and where next for the left.

He said, “Since the elections in the summer, you have a parliament based on three equivalent groups with no one having a majority. Barnier’s government was based on an alliance between Macron’s party, the conservatives and the fascists. It was one of the most reactionary governments for dozens of years.

“The government was completely dependent on the support of the fascists, who were playing with the government like a cat plays with a mouse.

“The government made a lot of concessions to the fascists on the budget, showing it’s ready to adapt to some of the politics of the RN.

“Macron is more and more in the process of opening the road to the RN. The government was dealing with RN to decide what it was doing, legitimising RN as the main force in the country.

“But the fascist party is based on the middle classes and so it defends some social security measures while supporting the reactionary politics of racism and nationalism.

“The budget defended by Macron was a very ruling class programme attacking pensions and the majority of the population, even the middle class layers. So there was pressure from the base of the fascists against the alliance with the government.

“The government and Macron are very unpopular—they have no base, no majority and can only rule through decree and force.

“At one moment it looked like the fascists had decided to keep the government alive and endorse the unpopular measures. That’s because the constitution says elections can’t happen within a year of parliament being dissolved and Macron did so in July. But the contradictions were so large they couldn’t keep it alive.”

The crisis poses sharp questions for the French left. In the second round of the French elections, the NPF withdrew its candidates who had come third in the poll and urged a vote for Macron’s allies.

In practice, this meant backing racist and neoliberal candidates such as Elisabeth Borne, one of the authors of the attack on pensions that sparked mass resistance.

The NPF won the most votes, but not a majority in the second round. And Macron—having secured the left’s votes—took the left’s votes and then put the right into office.

Denis argued that the left had to focus on struggles outside of parliament as the way forward. “The left isn’t going to cry about the collapse of the government,” he said. “Rightly, the left fought the politics of the government and the budget.

“But the big weakness of the left is that it only has a parliamentary strategy. The SP and Communist Party said, ‘Maybe we need to make an agreement with Macron against the far right to have a stable government’.

“Melenchon’s LFI will push a more militant strategy, but it will still be oriented around Macron nominating a left prime minister.

“After Macron’s nomination of Barnier as prime minister in September, the door closed to parliamentary manoeuvres as the way forward.

“It opened a space for people from below to say there’s no solution, so we are going to fight. It meant an increase of strikes in a number of sectors over wages, working conditions and job cuts.

“The multiplication of local strikes put pressure on trade unions to call for action. This month different sectors are going on strike nationally.

“On Thursday there is a national strike in public services and education, next Monday and Tuesday there is a national strike for dockers. Next Wednesday rail workers are launching an indefinite strike. Next Thursday there is a strike day in industry.

“Now the general question of who holds power is being raised—for weeks we won’t have any government. We are in an unstable situation, but strikes are a chance for the working class to answer the question.

“The focus won’t be to support parliamentary solutions, but to build working class organisation through strikes and struggle.

“But the fascists are also in a position to take advantage of the situation. Struggle of the streets is important to make it more difficult for Macron to nominate a more right government.

“The movement and strikes must be as big and determined as possible. You have to, as a force, appear stronger than the fascists.

“You have to say the fate of our country won’t be decided in parliament anymore.”

“The UN Children’s Charter lies shredded to pieces”

DECEMBER 7, 2024

We reproduce an edited version of a speech made by Doctor Josie Shakur at a vigil held in November by Healthworkers for Palestine.

Thank you for joining us in solidarity despite the atrocious weather. Our vigil today is dedicated to the children of Palestine and Lebanon who are undergoing mass, planned extermination simply because of their identity. However much you want to deny it Keir Starmer and David Lammy, we’re here to tell you: this is genocide – intent not numbers.

On November 7th 2023, 20 children held a press conference outside Al Shifa Hospital.

They stood shoulder to shoulder in solidarity, speaking in Arabic and then in perfect English They appealed to the world for help, justice and freedom.

A year later Al Shifa hospital is a cemetery and the fate of those brave children is unknown.

Their plea was ignored by politicians and mass media alike. 

Sunday  November 17th was World Prematurity Day. It’s exceptionally worrying that in Gaza premature birth rates have risen again by a third and will climb higher as 15,000 pregnant women trapped in the North of Gaza are on the brink of starvation. 

Wednesday November 20th was World Children’s Day. The UN Children’s Charter states that every child under 18 has a right to education, housing, privacy, family life, freedom from violence and abuse, peace, dignity and equality. 

Does it sound like Palestinian and Lebanese children are included in that charter? 100% no.

This has been the case for decades because of occupation, racism and dehumanisation. 

So, how did America honour the Children’s Charter on Wednesday? A ceasefire block in the UN – the only veto – and a Senate vote to continue weaponizing Israel alongside the UK and many other countries with the blood of children on their hands.

 Not in our name!

Israel has killed thousands of children like six-month old baby Abood, whose Mum Dima Al Haj was a Glasgow University alumna, a World Health Organization Patient Administrator for the Limb Reconstruction Centre in Gaza and friend of our group.

Children like 10 year oldTala Abu Ajwa, killed while roller skating in her pink roller skates.

Children like 5 year oldHind Rajab and her 15 year old cousin Layan Hamada,massacred in their family care alongside heroic paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun who tried to save them.

While many countries, the USA included, have accepted evacuated children from Gaza for specialist treatment, the UK government has said no despite desperate pleas. 

Children like Mazyouna, the 12 year old girl whose lower face was blown off. She lives in constant pain. 

Please flood your MP with messages to demand this happens. 

Our kids should not have every sense in their little bodies assaulted day and night by drones, sniper fire, buildings tumbling down. They should not witness decaying bodies of their families, friends and neighbours in the streets as they are displaced multiple times – a war crime on its own.

They have the right to avoid paralysis from polio, long-term disability from easy to treat conditions like club foot , death from infection, starvation and dehydration. 

93% of their schools and all 12 universities have been demolished along with the slaughter of hundreds of their beloved teachers. 

It is no wonder that one in six children have developed communication issues like stammering and children as young as 4 have voiced suicidality. 

The UN Children’s Charter lies shredded to pieces , just like the bodies in Palestine and Lebanon.

But we have strength in our numbers. We will not be silenced.

 We welcome 

• the Pope joining us in calling for an enquiry into war crimes and openly using the word genocide. 
• the International Criminal Court progress in issuing arrest warrants.
• the Al Haq court case against the UK government for its complicity and the pro-Palestine coalition taking the Dutch government to court. 
• Those true souls at the UN trying to broker a ceasefire. 

Please share this information and amplify the truth. Finally, more than 40% of families in Gaza are looking after children they don’t know. We must follow their lead. 

Your child is my child! Justice and freedom for our kids!

Thank you for your solidarity. 

 

Why we need a history from below

HubMP2012

DECEMBER 5, 2024

In our last episode of 2024, the Labour Left Podcast  delves into why we need a bottom-up history with Prof Harvey J Kaye – who wrote the important book The British Marxist Historians. In the second half of the podcast, we turn our attention to the aftermath of the Trump tragedy and ask the question – How can we make America radical again?

Harvey J Kaye is an important socialist figure. Christopher Hill described him as “easily the world’s greatest authority on the British Marxist historians,” the group who coined the important phrase “a history from below”.  The British Marxist historians included Rodney Hilton who wrote about the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 and introduced us to the likes of Watt Tyler and Colchester’s John Ball; Christopher Hill himself who wrote about the English Revolution of the 17th Century and introduced us to the Levellers and the Diggers; Eric Hobsbawm, whose best-known works spanned the long 19th Century; and, EP Thompson who wrote the seminal The Making of the English Working Class.

The podcast considers why the ruling classes fear history – which takes us straight back to the podcast with Corinne Fowler, who was inspired by EP Thompson, and helped us consider how our colonial and labour histories are very much two sides of the same coin.

The podcast includes some fascinating insights into the history of the British left.  Harvey describes the pivotal moment of 1956 when Soviet tanks destroyed a workers’ uprising and the British Marxists broke from the Stalinist Communist Party. The British Marxists went on to play an important role in the creation of a New Left and later the introduction of Antonio Gramsci to our country.  The leaders of what we might call a humanitarian Marxism or New Left went on to play a decisive role in the formation of a mass movement and against the siting of American nuclear weapons in the 1980s.  It is impossible to understand the story of the British left without grasping the intellectual contribution made by the subjects of this podcast. 

The podcast with Harvey not only explores why we need a history from below but why it is so important to us today.  In the second half of the podcast, we move on to examine how the Democrats were defeated by Donald Trump.  Drawing on the legacy of Tom Paine and Roosevelt, Harvey explains why we might need an economic Bill of Rights on both sides of the Atlantic to bring about the defeat of the world’s resurgent populist right.  In my last article for Labour Hub (link here), I argued that “if we can’t deliver noticeable improvements for our British working-class voters, who feel abandoned, no number of pleas for patience or references to the terrible Tory legacy will help us one jot.  Trump’s victory means that we know exactly where a failure to deliver will lead.” It is for this reason that I think we need to focus on the economic issues that matter to our working-class voters on both sides of the Atlantic and give a clear political offer and Harvey explains a compelling case for the Economic Bill of Rights (see below).

To accompany our deep dive into our history from below we’ve created a Spotify playlist with songs from the likes of Norma Waterson, the Young Uns, Chumbawamba, Leon Rosselson and of course Billy Bragg. Link here

If you’re new to the Labour Left Podcast – maybe an American listener to Harvey J Kaye – and want to find more about Britain’s history, please have a look at our back catalogue. Previous episodes have included historian Prof Corinne Fowler, talking about her book Our Island Stories: Country Walks Through Colonial Britain; Jeremy Gilbert, a Professor of Cultural and Political Theory, a champion of Gramsci talking about Thatcherism; Mike Jackson, co-founder of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, on the Great 1984-85 Miners’ Strike; political activist Liz Davies telling her story as the dissenter within Blair’s New Labour; Rachel Garnham, a current co-Chair of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy looking back at the history of the fight for democracy in the British Labour Party; and finally myself telling the story of Brighton Labour Briefing, a local Bennite magazine in the early 1980s.

If you are enjoying the podcast please subscribe on YouTube or your favourite podcast platform so you never miss a future episode.  If you like what the Labour Left Podcast is trying to achieve, please help us to get the podcast in front of more people by sharing, following, rating and commenting on every episode you watch.

You can watch the podcast on YouTube, Apple podcasts here, Audible here and listen to it on Spotify here  If your favourite podcast site isn’t listed, just search for the Labour Left Podcast. 

Bryn Griffiths is an activist in Colchester Labour Party and North Essex World Transformed. He is a member of both Momentum’s National Coordinating Group and the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy’s Executive. 

Bryn hosts Labour Hub’s spin off – the Labour Left Podcast.  You can find all the episodes of the Labour left Podcast here or if you prefer audio platforms (for example. Amazon, Audible Spotify, Apple, etc.,) go to your favourite podcast provider and just search for Labour Left Podcast.

‘Germany is sleepwalking into the 1930s’, warns anti-fascist campaigner

With a struggling economy, rising far-right sentiment, and creeping authoritarianism, Germany faces alarming parallels to its pre-WWII descent into fascism.

Salman Ahmed
TRT/AA

Niklas Frank at home near Hamburg in Germany. / Photo: Salman Ahmed

Germany is at a crossroads, grappling with rising far-right sentiments and authoritarian trends that echo the dark years of the 1930s.

Niklas Frank, a prominent German anti-fascism campaigner and son of senior Nazi official Hans Frank, warns that the country may be on the brink of a fascist resurgence, fuelled by economic woes and anti-migrant rhetoric.


In 2017, during the Syrian refugee crisis, and their subsequent arrival in Germany, Frank warned that Germany's democratic values might crumble under the strain of economic recession.

At the time, journalist and author Frank said, “As long as our economy is great, and as long as we make money, everything is very democratic” and that the refugees are welcome, “but a sustained economic recession could lead Germany to abandon all democratic values and push it back into the arms of authoritarianism”.

Seven years later, he fears his prediction is coming true, and that besides a failing economy, uncontrolled migration is also pushing Germany into the arms of fascism.


“German people are scared,” the 85-year-old tells TRT World in an exclusive interview, “the far-right is playing with their emotions, they are looking for a strong leader – I am scared how quickly democratic values are eroding in Germany, this is exactly what happened in Nazi times”.


Frank’s unique perspective comes from his lifelong campaign against the Nazi ideology of his father, who was a close confidant of Hitler and served as Governor General of Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II.


Today, Frank sees alarming signs of history repeating itself, with migrants and minorities bearing the brunt of societal shifts.


Frank tells TRT World, the German nation is being threatened with a double-edged sword, on the one hand, the far-right is exploiting the migrant issue, suggesting that all of Germany's problems started in 2015 with the inflow of migrants from the Middle East, and on the other - the current governing elite who, while trying to counter the threat of the far-right, are employing equally authoritative and heavy-handed policies towards minorities and the migrant and refugee community in an attempt to win back the electorate lost to the far-right AfD party.

Failing economy & the migrants


Germany’s economy is in turmoil, set to close 2024 in recession, for the second consecutive year. Unemployment is up, the economy is witnessing de-industrialisation, and the government's tax receipts are likely to see a shortfall of 43B Euros (USD 45B).

Amid this crisis, political narratives have turned hostile towards migrants. The head of the Green Party openly lamented in parliament against the so-called 'poison of Islam' being brought into Germany by migrants - while the Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, in a recent interview, suggested the high cost of the welfare state, used to help refugees, as a reason for Germany's poor economic showing.


“The media,” Frank says, “is being cowardly, no one wants to question the far-right or challenge them on their lies” - instead of countering the far-right narrative, he adds, “the media and politicians are almost giving them space”.



Opinion polls confirm a shift to the right. Once limited to eastern Germany, the far-right is now pulling big numbers in traditional centrist heartlands of western Germany.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party recently won its first state election, and, according to polls, is now Germany’s second-largest political force. Frank fears that if the AfD joins a coalition government – potentially with Angela Merkel’s CDU party following elections in February – life will worsen dramatically for migrants.

Sadly nothing will stand in its way, no constitution, no human rights conventions, nothing, they can easily change the constitution and deport all these people.”

Rising authoritarianism


As the far-right gains momentum, mainstream parties have adopted increasingly authoritarian policies in an attempt to win back voters. These include tightening internal EU border controls, expanding deportations, and clamping down on civil liberties. As media and political narratives transcend into society, migrant communities are feeling vulnerable.


Frank points to the stripping away of basic human rights such as those of assembly, free speech and expression from people expressing solidarity with Palestinians.


Referring to police brutality in shutting down Palestine solidarity protests when compared to the considerable leniency shown towards far-right rallies, Frank says, “all parties are complicit in this”.

In September, BKMO, a federal alliance of organisations advocating for migrants, called on the government to better protect racial and religious minorities. In a statement echoing fears similar to Frank's, the association highlighted a new dangerous trend, saying “we urgently need to take action.''

The 2023 annual report on right-wing, racist and anti-Semitic violence also reveals that racially motivated attacks against children and young people in particular are at a frighteningly high level: ''Of the total of 2,600 right-wing attacks, almost 600 children and young people in particular need of protection were affected”.


Frank laments that anti-facism campaigners like him are also being sidelined in public debates. “My agent has been trying to get me media space for a long time, he's spent a lot of time and money but no one wants my views on TV”.




He complains that more and more space is being given to right-wing narratives and that campaigners like him are losing the fight in stopping Germany's decline into the arms of fascism.


As Germany struggles with a faltering economy, unchecked migration, and political polarisation, Frank warns that the nation risks sliding into a fascistic past—a chilling reminder that democracy requires constant vigilance.

SOURCE: TRT World

Salman Ahmed is a journalist and a political analyst covering European affairs for various international news organisations

From Istanbul’s libraries to digital realm: Reviving Ottoman legacy with AI

How a student-led initiative is using artificial intelligence to preserve and digitise millions of Ottoman-era texts, bringing a forgotten literary heritage into the modern age.

Edibe Beyza Caglar
TRT/AA


AA

Vesiqari has created a digital platform that makes Ottoman Turkish texts available in modern Turkish using the Latin alphabet. / Photo: AA

From the heart of Istanbul, nestled among its storied bookshops and cobblestone streets, a group of university students embarked on a mission to breathe new life into the Ottoman language.

Their project, “Vesiqari,” uses artificial intelligence to bridge centuries of history, making the Ottoman Empire’s literary treasures accessible to modern audiences.

What began as a casual stroll through the historic bookstores of Istanbul’s Cagaloglu district led to a groundbreaking initiative: the digitisation and translation of millions of Ottoman Turkish texts into modern Turkish using the Latin alphabet. An effort to preserve these invaluable cultural artefacts for future generations.

Ranging from historical chronicles and religious treatises to epic poetry and scientific texts, the Ottoman Turkish texts offer a window into the empire’s rich cultural and intellectual heritage.

Among the enduring classics are Seyahatname by Evliya Çelebi, a vivid travelogue capturing his journeys across the empire, and Leyla and Majnun by Fuzuli, a timeless love poem.

Through the Vesiqari project - its name derived from the Arabic words "vesiqa" (document) and "qari" (reader), meaning "document reader" – countless works are now accessible in modern Turkish and even English translations.


“One day, I was showing my cousin around Cagaloglu,” Abdullah Tarik Omeroglu, the 27-year-old project’s lead, tells TRT World as he reflects on the pivotal moment in April 2018 that sparked the idea.

He adds: “Then I told him, ‘Here, book-selling is dying, let’s visit some publishers.’ We ended up in a publishing house, where I tried to buy Amak-i Hayal by Ahmet Hilmi of Filibe”.



TRT World

For Omeroglu and his team, the journey has been one of innovation and an unwavering passion for reviving the literary heritage of the Ottoman era.


The early 20th-century philosophical text is an important piece of Ottoman literature that blends mysticism and romantic idealism during a period of cultural transformation.

“The publisher offered me a discounted version with a torn page,” he adds.


At another Istanbul publishing house, Büyüyen Ay Publishing, Omeroglu queried why more books didn’t offer student discounts. Here, his query piqued the publisher's interest, and soon, Omeroglu found himself leaving with two sacks of books—and the start of a collaboration.


The publisher also asked a key question: "Do you know Ottoman Turkish?"


When Omeroglu confirmed he did, the partnership expanded to transliterating Ottoman texts into the modern Turkish alphabet.


The birth of Vesiqari

Two years later, while immersed in these translations— Omeroglu’s roommate, a software engineering student, introduced the idea that would lead to the birth of the project: “We could use artificial intelligence to automate the transliteration process.”


Together with their other roommate, an industrial engineering student, the trio, aged 18-22, formed a team. Six months later, they secured a grant from TÜBİTAK, Türkiye’s Scientific and Technological Research Council.


They began developing Vesiqari at Istanbul Technical University’s Technopark.


"It took us three and a half years, but we finally did it,” Omeroglu says.


Achieving success made them very happy, as Omeroglu recalls: “Starting as students together, achieving something for the first time gave us a deep sense of elation.”


Reviving 7 million pages


Following Türkiye’s Alphabet Reform of 1928, which replaced the Arabic script with the Latin alphabet, Ottoman-era texts became largely unreadable to the general public. Vast archives of historical, scientific, and literary works fell into obscurity.

For Omeroglu and his team, the journey has been one of innovation and an unwavering passion for reviving the literary heritage of the Ottoman era.

“Our goal was to bring these neglected pages back into the world of knowledge and scholarship,” Omeroglu explains.


“Through this effort, millions of pages will now be transliterated.”

“Libraries can contribute their collections to the platform, benefiting everyone, while still maintaining control over their own materials,” Omeroglu explains.


The initiative has created a digital platform that makes Ottoman Turkish texts available in modern Turkish using the Latin alphabet.


Today, Vesiqari boasts over 7 million digitised pages, offering free access to institutions through university databases and affordable subscriptions for individual users.

“Our goal isn’t to profit, but to make these texts accessible.”


The AI-powered system not only offers scholars and readers access to rare historical documents but does so in a way that was once thought impossible. One of their first test cases was Halide Edib Adivar’s Seviye Talip, a 1919 novel exploring personal ambition, love, and societal transformation.


Evolving database

“Using this small dataset, we saw immediate success,” Omeroglu recalls.

“That’s when we realised we could do so much more with a larger database.”

This success proved that their idea had real potential, addressing a long-standing problem: the unreadability and inaccessibility of century-old texts. “Now, these works can be enjoyed by a much larger audience,” he adds.


The beauty of Vesiqari lies in its collaborative nature.


“Libraries can contribute their collections to the platform, benefiting everyone, while still maintaining control over their own materials,” Omeroglu explains.

“If a library prefers not to share its works, it’s not forced to. We’ve found a way to respect privacy while creating a shared space for those who want to contribute.”


One of the most exciting features of Vesiqari is its speed and efficiency.


“I think what makes Vesiqari unique is that the existing database is stored in memory, constantly evolving,” Omeroglu says. “This means that all Ottoman printed documents are brought together, allowing users to perform a single search and obtain the desired text in translation within just one minute.”


The platform’s open-source nature also encourages other institutions to contribute their own collections, further expanding the database and enhancing its capabilities.


Academic praise Dr Hasan Umut, Assistant Professor at Boğaziçi University and an advisor to the project, applauds Vesiqari as a milestone in digital humanities.

Speaking to TRT World, he says: “Vesiqari is an important achievement in integrating Ottoman studies with digital skills. I believe it will be helpful to researchers and those interested in the field. I'm pleased that the project has achieved such success.”


Dr Umut, who specialises in Ottoman intellectual history, sees the platform as a transformative resource. “

Digital humanities in Ottoman studies have seen remarkable progress,” he remarks. For Omeroglu and his team, the journey from casual bookstore visits to technological innovation exemplifies the power of curiosity and collaboration.


Today, Vesiqari stands as a testament to their vision: a digital bridge connecting past and present, preserving the Ottoman Empire’s literary legacy for generations to come.

Liberte, egalite, fraternite – unless you are Black or Arab in France

A year after France's top court acknowledged systemic racial profiling, discriminatory practices persist, disproportionately targeting Black and Arab communities.

Zeynep Conkar
TRT/AA


Reuters

Racial profiling stems from the long-standing issue of institutional inequality plaguing France and other parts of Europe. / Photo: Reuters

Paris, the so-called city of romance and lights, has an utterly dangerous dark side, where people with dark skin or Arab origin are tormented, labelled as ‘outsiders’ and not French enough.


Black and Arab individuals are frequently stopped by the French police, asked for identification, and subjected to frisking and even strip searches – all because of their skin colour and ethnic or religious background.


Last year, France's highest administrative court, the Council of State, recognised that racial profiling by law enforcement was a systemic issue rather than isolated incidents.


The government is yet to wake up to this stark reality and take serious measures to make its minorities feel safe.


Dr. Amina Easat-Daas, a Political Scientist at De Montfort University and an author, tells TRT World that calls from international organisations such as the UN to limit racial profiling have gone unheeded.


“Racial profiling by law enforcement cannot be viewed in isolation but must be understood as a symptom of larger systemic issues,” Easat-Daas says.


“Evidence suggests that French racialised communities are twenty times more likely to be stopped by police.”


Police identity checks, particularly targeting Black and Arab youth and even teenagers, often escalate into violence.

One recent harrowing example is the fatal shooting of Nahel, a 17-year-old of Algerian descent, during a traffic stop last year. Such incidents have eroded trust between law enforcement and marginalised communities, compounding a sense of injustice.


The broader pattern

Racial profiling stems from the long-standing issue of institutional inequality plaguing France and other parts of Europe.


A survey by the Representative Council of France's Black Associations (CRAN) revealed that 91 percent of Black respondents in mainland France reported experiencing racial discrimination, with 85 percent citing their skin colour as a direct cause.


These issues are most prevalent in public spaces and workplaces, with significant barriers also reported in housing and education.


Muslims face similar challenges.


According to a report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), nearly half of Muslim respondents across Europe have experienced racism in daily life, often tied to their clothing, ethnic background, or beliefs, despite varying professional and social realities across the region.


More than half of Europe’s 44 million Muslims born on the continent report racial discrimination when applying for jobs, suggesting unequal treatment compared to individuals with comparable language skills and qualifications.


Women wearing visible religious symbols, such as headscarves, face even higher levels of bias in the workplace, with 45 percent experiencing discrimination in professional environments, a significant increase from 31 percent in 2016.


Muslims also encounter notable obstacles in the housing market, with roughly 35 percent reporting discrimination while attempting to rent or buy property, up from 22 percent in 2016, according to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).


The FRA attributes this rise in anti-Muslim sentiment to conflicts in the Middle East and dehumanising rhetoric used by politicians and far-right figures across the continent.


Easat-Daas offers a similar viewpoint, arguing that these discriminatory practices are deeply entrenched in global racist frameworks rooted in colonialism.


“The pseudo-legitimisation of the dehumanisation of Black and Arab/Muslim populations through racist structures allows law enforcement to disproportionately target racialised groups seemingly without consequence,” she says.

Ban on ‘ostentatious’ faith symbols


The effects of racial profiling extend beyond policing. Easat-Daas highlights how systemic racism impacts marginalised communities on multiple levels.


“In France, racialised communities are likely to find themselves excluded from education, such as through the ban on ostentatious faith symbols in schools, which disproportionately affects Muslim women. They are also excluded from employment and housing through profiling,” she says.


These forms of exclusion have deep social and psychological effects, further entrenching cycles of inequality. Only a fraction of victims file complaints due to trust deficit with the judicial system.


Drawing parallels with high-profile cases like the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, in the US or the police killing of Adil, a 19-year-old Moroccan boy, in Belgium, Easat-Daas says France’s racial profiling is a deep seated problem that needs to be tackled head on.




“These instances highlight how Black men and Arab/Muslim men disproportionately bear the brunt of racist policing globally, often with grave consequences, including loss of life,” she says.







Zeynep Conkar
Zeynep Conkar is a deputy producer at TRT World.

U.S. mainstream media downplays Amnesty International’s finding that Israel is committing genocide

Pressure is mounting on the international community over Israel's genocide in Gaza. With the latest report from Amnesty International, the mainstream U.S. media faced an excruciating dilemma. How could it downplay the damning report this time?

By James North 

 December 6, 2024 4
MONDOWEISS

Palestinians check the damage following Israeli strikes in Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 17, 2024. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images)

The mainstream U.S. media faced an excruciating dilemma. Amnesty International, the respected human rights organization, just released a 296-page report, based on months of research, that said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. How much would American newspapers and cable news networks downplay or try to neutralize the report?

The preliminary results are already clear. The media could not entirely ignore the news; after all, Amnesty has been around since 1961, and the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. But the New York Times, CNN, and the rest partly concealed Amnesty’s genocide finding to an astonishing extent. There was one shining exception, Chris Hayes of MSNBC, who covered the news with an 8-minute segment, and which included an in-person interview with Amnesty’s U.S. director.

Let’s start with the New York Times, which to a great extent sets the tone for the rest of the mainstream. The Times buried the story on page 8, and ran only 20 paragraphs, nearly half of which were devoted to Israel’s denial of the genocide allegation. A day later, the story was already off the paper’s online home page. In general, the paper has no problem citing Amnesty’s findings; over the past year it quoted the organization about human rights violations in Iran, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.

The Times report also left out one obvious expert source: Omer Bartov, the distinguished Israeli-born professor at Brown University who is arguably the world’s leading authority on genocide. Bartov, who has written 10 books on the subject, did appear in the Times at the end of 2023, when he concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza did not — yet — constitute genocide. He changed his mind earlier this year, based on more evidence, but the paper seems to have lost his phone number and email address.

National Public Radio was even more pathetic. NPR does have a reporter in Tel Aviv, Michele Keleman, but it only put her on the air briefly, and her short, 500-word report gave nearly as much time to Israel’s denials. CNN was curious. The network’s website has a long (29 paragraph) written report by Nada Bashir, which does include the kinds of detail about Amnesty’s genocide finding that is missing in the other outlets. But the report, at least so far, never went on the air, so people who watch CNN instead of visiting its website remain in the dark. A video report by Bashir did appear on CNN’s social media channels.

The Washington Post was somewhat better. The paper ran an Associated Press report that outdid the other outlets; the AP said, for example, that Amnesty found that Israel was inflicting on the Gazan people “a slow, calculated death,” the kind of strong language missing in the New York Times and on NPR. And then the Post also published an explainer by its own reporters, which would have given its audience at least some idea of the scope and importance of the Amnesty finding.

But “All In with Chris Hayes,” on MSNBC, ran a long report on December 5 that showed how Amnesty’s genocide finding could have been covered. Hayes started by briefly outlining Amnesty’s history, explaining that it is the world’s largest human rights organization, with some 7 million members globally. He then introduced his guest, Amnesty’s U.S. Executive Director Paul O’Brien, who calmly explained that Amnesty’s report was not done overnight. O’Brien said that Amnesty researched for many months, including 200 interviews, and more than 200 statements from Israeli officials.

Hayes did his job as a journalist. He politely but firmly raised questions about the genocide finding. Under international law, genocide requires “intent” on the part of those committing it. Documenting war crimes “alone” is not enough. O’Brien responded well, and anyone watching would have gotten a broader view of the issue.

How much of a backlash will Chris Hayes face from the pro-Israel forces for running this report? Or will Israel’s defenders decide to ignore it, and hope it sinks quickly from view? We shall see.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza is fully intentional, and other takeaways from the Amnesty International report

Amnesty International this week confirmed what many others have already said: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. But the report goes to many lengths to prove one critical element in the case against Israel: that the genocide is fully intentional.

By Jonathan Ofir 

 December 7, 2024 
MONDOWEISS

Displaced Palestinians flee past Israeli tanks following military orders to leave Khan Younis and go toward Rafah near the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip, January 26, 2024. (Photo: Haitham Imad/EFE via ZUMA Press APA Images)

Wednesday, a landmark report was issued by Amnesty International, titled: ‘You Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza.”

Amnesty is unequivocal – Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Agnés Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General presented the report with uncompromising terms. There are no ifs and buts, Israel has been committing genocide, it still is:

“Amnesty International’s report demonstrates that Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza,” Callamard said.

“These acts include killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction. Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them.”

Israel’s intent to commit genocide

The crime of Genocide is known as the “crime of crimes”, and it is also considered the crime against humanity which demands the highest level of proof as to intent. It is not enough to refer to acts which in themselves may fall under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (‘Genocide convention’) – genocidal intent must be proven as the only possible conclusion of the analysis.

This is why the reports conclusive language is so important, it says:

“There is only one reasonable inference that can be drawn from the evidence presented: genocidal intent has been part and parcel of Israel’s conduct in Gaza since 7 October 2023, including its military campaign.”

Since the intent aspect is so singularly crucial in this, Amnesty dedicates nearly one-third of the 296-page report to intent (81 pages inside the main section “Israel’s intent in Gaza” p. 202-282, plus other parts on the matter in other sections of the report).

The genocide definition

The report refers to three of the five items in the UN genocide definition Article II and deems them fulfilled: Killing members of the group;
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

Any one of these could constitute genocide, as it states that “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such” (my emphasis).

The ‘military necessity’ argument

Amnesty concludes that “genocidal intent has been part and parcel of Israel’s conduct in Gaza since 7 October 2023, including its military campaign” (p. 35).

The claim of military necessity is a central claim of Israel, unsurprisingly so – under the apparent idea that such goals legitimize the means applied to achieve them. Israel is not an exception in this – the argument is often used in order to rebuff charges of war crimes or crimes against humanity.

But Amnesty rejects the either-or argument:

“Amnesty International concedes that identifying genocide in armed conflict is complex and challenging, because of the multiple objectives that may exist simultaneously. Nonetheless, it is critical to recognize genocide when it occurs in the context of armed conflict, and to insist that war can never excuse it.”

Callamard emphasizes:

“Israel has repeatedly argued that its actions in Gaza are lawful and can be justified by its military goal to eradicate Hamas. But genocidal intent can co-exist alongside military goals and does not need to be Israel’s sole intent.”

So the military intent can exist alongside the genocidal intent – but it does not cancel the genocidal intent. If the genocidal intent is “part and parcel” of Israel’s conduct, “including its military campaign”, then this means Israel’s “war” is indeed a genocidal one.

Genocidal statements by Israeli officials

In the chapter on Intent, concerning the statements on the destruction of Palestinians (7.3, p. 241), Amnesty limited itself to addressing 102 statements of high Israeli officials:

“The organization identified 102 statements that dehumanized Palestinians, or called for, or justified, prohibited acts under the Genocide Convention or other crimes under international law against Palestinians in Gaza, such as settlement expansion, forcible transfer or indiscriminate attacks. They were made by members of the war and security cabinets and senior members of the military, as well as Israel’s president, in addition to some Knesset members and cabinet ministers.”

To be sure, statements inciting genocide are almost countless in Israel, and the Law for Palestine project has a database with over 500 of these by leaders down to journalists and influencers. But Amnesty applied the limitation also in order to suffice Israel’s own claim to the International Court of Justice in the Genocide case (South Africa vs Israel).

Amnesty:

“Given Israel’s contention before the ICJ that the “policy and intentions” of the Israeli government can only be determined through an examination of decisions by the war and security cabinets, as well as an analysis of “whether particular comments expressed conform, or not, with the policies and decisions made”, Amnesty International limited its analysis to statements made by officials with direct responsibilities over the conduct of the offensive on Gaza. With the exception of Israel’s president, this included members of the war and security cabinets and senior military officials. Amnesty International also limited its analysis to statements that appeared to call for, or justify, the destruction of Palestinians, including: Calls to deny Palestinians in Gaza access to essential services and items critical for the population’s survival until Hamas is destroyed or until hostages are released; Statements deliberately conflating Palestinians in Gaza with Hamas, thereby appearing to justify direct actions against Palestinian civilians;
Statements calling for the physical destruction of Gaza, including its entire population and civilian infrastructure, or calling for the destruction of Hamas by physically destroying Palestinians in Gaza.”

Of the 102 statements it reviewed, Amnesty International identified 22 such statements. The remaining 80 statements either called for other crimes under international law against Palestinians in Gaza, such as settlement expansion, forcible transfer, or indiscriminate attacks or used racist and dehumanizing language against Palestinians. The organization analyzed the 22 statements apparently calling for or justifying the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza by focusing on the identity of the speaker and his/her influence and the content of the speech.”

These genocidal proclamations have often used the Israeli hostages/captives as their excuse. This has also come from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Speaking at a joint press conference with then Minister of Defense Gallant on 5 December 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu explained that the war cabinet’s recommendation to allow the entry of two to four trucks of fuel a day to meet “the minimum humanitarian needs” of the population in Gaza, which authorities “assess every day, even every few hours”, was designed to allow the fighting to continue:

“We also know that if there is a collapse, plagues, diseases, groundwater contamination, etc., this will stop the fighting. We understand that. Therefore, we do not see a contradiction between the war effort, which… we have already seen is the most effective factor in returning our abductees, and the humanitarian effort that accompanies the war and is a major part of it.”

This “reasoning”, by the way, was rampant across the Israeli political spectrum, and even the current leader of the Labor-Meretz party “The Democrats” has stated “you can die from starvation, it’s totally legitimate.”

Such statements informed Israel’s military campaign in a clear way. Amnesty:

“The statements of senior Israeli officials were heard and received by soldiers engaged in the military campaign in Gaza, and appear to have communicated, either explicitly or implicitly through known cultural references, a perceived mission of the campaign.”

These statements were then echoed by leading military officers, who were leading the military campaign, and the actions of their soldiers were boasted on social media through countless videos celebrating the genocidal destruction.

Amnesty rebuffs Israel’s claim before the ICJ that these statements were merely “rhetorical”:

“Amnesty International recognizes that, at the start of the military offensive, Israeli officials defined its objectives as dismantling the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, subsequently adding to them the release of hostages and captives. Following that, Prime Minister Netanyahu, then Minister of Defense Gallant and Israeli army spokespeople publicly clarified on numerous occasions that the offensive was directed at Hamas rather than the Palestinian people.

However, they appear to have intensified such clarifications only following mounting pressure from Israel’s Western allies over the scale of deaths and destruction resulting from weeks of relentless bombardment. Crucially, as highlighted above, there is a large amount of evidence of soldiers continuing to circulate and make use of these officials’ earlier statements long after they were first uttered.

Videos point as well to soldiers making these calls while engaged in apparent acts of destruction. This indicates the widespread circulation and impact of officials’ statements. It also shows that Israeli officials largely failed to build alternative narratives. Indeed, the widespread circulation of statements calling for the destruction of Gaza and civilian objects within it appear to have been condoned and not adequately investigated, let alone punished, by the Israeli authorities, which failed to take any action for months.

Furthermore, throughout the nine-month period under review, Israel continued to carry out unlawful attacks that killed and seriously injured Palestinian civilians, and to deliberately impose conditions of life on the entire population of Gaza, challenging Israel’s defence that the statements made by senior government officials, and which reverberated through the military, were merely the type of inflammatory comments that can be expected at the start of an armed conflict.”

But the intent is not just to be inferred from statements, the acts confirm the intents:

“In assessing genocidal intent, Amnesty International analysed such violations of international law, including those detailed in Chapter 6 “Israel’s actions in Gaza”, in the context of the entire offensive: it reviewed them together and cumulatively, taking into account their recurrence and their simultaneous occurrence time and time again, compounding each other’s harmful impact. Furthermore, the organization considered the scale and severity of the casualties and destruction repeated over time, in spite of continuous warnings by the UN and Israel’s own allies, as well as the multiple binding orders of the ICJ” (p. 279).
Overall context of Israeli apartheid

Amnesty assesses Israel’s genocide in a historical context, to point out that the “endemic dehumanization of Palestinians” has been a feature that preceded October 7, 2023 – it has a long history, including systemic war crimes and crimes against humanity:

“An assessment of the historical context demonstrates that Israel’s offensive is occurring in the context of its unlawful military occupation and system of apartheid against Palestinians, including Palestinians in Gaza, a context replete with serious violations of international law and predicated on endemic dehumanization of Palestinians” (p. 278).

It is a system of dehumanization of Palestinians in general, where Gaza in particular has been made “uniquely vulnerable”:

“Indeed, many high-level Israeli officials, as well as other politicians and public figures with significant reach and influence in Israel, have used deeply rooted dehumanizing, derogatory and racist language towards Palestinians for years, without any genuine or effective accountability.

The dehumanization of Palestinians has been a constant feature of Israel’s apartheid system: they are treated as an inferior racial group undeserving of basic human rights and necessities. To maintain this system of oppression and domination, Israel has long subjected Palestinians, including those in Gaza, to torture, arbitrary detention, forcible transfer and unlawful killings and injuries. As part of this system of apartheid, Israel’s unlawful blockade of Gaza had been slowly inflicting harmful conditions of life on Palestinians there for 16 years prior to 7 October 2023, leaving them in a uniquely vulnerable situation.”
Difference between motive and intent

Similar to the “military necessity” argument, people can claim various motives for their genocidal acts – they may not consider them genocidal intent as such (people rarely admit to that outright), and they may claim “security” or “revenge” – but these motives do not cancel out genocidal intent:

“Finally, Amnesty International recognizes that Israel’s policy towards Gaza may have been driven by different motives held by various officials in the government. Motive does not equal intent, though.

International jurisprudence is clear that many motives may prompt genocidal acts, including a desire for profit, political advantage and so on. Ultimately, as long as genocidal intent is clear, the underlying motive of individual officials does not matter – whether it be security, revenge, a resolve to remain in power, the desire to show overwhelming strength in the region, or the pursuit of Gaza’s resettlement” (p. 281).
Hesitancy to point out genocidal intent regarding Israel

One of Israel’s oft claimed points is the “double standards” point, saying that Israel is being unfairly “singled out”. This point has also made it into the notorious IHRA-definition of antisemitism, which conflates critique of Israel with hatred of Jews.

The 8th IHRA example says “Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”

But Amnesty points out the opposite – that there is precisely a double-standard of hesitancy in terms of addressing Israel with genocidal intent – where it would be easier done with other countries. It has proven harder for Amnesty’s separate Israel branch to accept the genocide finding, so they went against the findings of the international report – as was the case in 2022 with Amnesty International’s Israel-Apartheid report. Although Amnesty boasts of being “independent of any government [and] political ideology” (report, p. 2), local political bias does exist. Amnesty calls for a universal standard:

“Amnesty International recognizes that there is resistance and a hesitancy among many in finding genocidal intent when it comes to Israel’s conduct in Gaza. This resistance has impeded justice and accountability with respect to past conflicts around the world and should be avoided in the future. Amnesty International rejects a hierarchy among crimes under international law.”
Wake-up call

The world has been letting this happen, in a slumber of denial and Israel-bias that has allowed the most televised genocide in history to go on for over a year.

Callamard states: “Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now.”

Stopping this includes a range of actions, not least by third states. Amnesty is calling upon the International Criminal Court to upgrade its assessment of the situation of Palestine to include genocide, also in terms of arrest warrants like those issued for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant:

“Urgently consider the commission of the crime of genocide by Israeli officials since 7 October 2023 in the ongoing investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine… Consider how the Office of the Prosecutor’s investigations into the situation in the State of Palestine could be further expedited. Where appropriate, apply for arrest warrants against suspected individuals, including for the crime of genocide.”

This must be a great shock for those who believed that “never again” was under Israeli monopoly, to protect the Jews forever. It turns out that the self-proclaimed “Jewish state” is not immune to perpetrating genocide. Israel can now only respond with the knee-jerk of “fake news”, and deny, deny, deny.

But this report is no quick propaganda item. It is a lengthy and meticulous documentation by one of the leading legal heavyweights, Amnesty International. This will be adding weight to the growing international consensus on the matter. And all of us are responsible, all of us must wake up now, for it is already way too late.

UNRWA slams Israel over global disinformation campaign

UNRWA has accused Israel of labelling it as a terror organisation, creating 'intense reputational damage'.

The New Arab Staff
07 December, 2024


Israel has long targeted UNRWA and made claims against it without providing evidence [GETTY]

The UN's agency for Palestinian refugees has hit back at Israel after the country's foreign ministry launched an ad campaign portraying the group's workers as terrorists.

UNRWA accused Israel of running ‘a global disinformation campaign’ after images of a masked man wearing its logo in the colours of Hamas began appearing on billboards near its headquarters in New York and Times Square.

"Do you support humanitarian aid free of terror?" read one of the ads, while another said, "Paychecks to terrorists or humanitarian aid?"

In a statement published on their website on Wednesday, UNRWA said the campaign is the "latest global effort by a UN member state to label a UN agency as a terror organisation” that “may amount to hate speech".

"This campaign is creating immense reputational damage to UNRWA," the agency wrote.

"These ads can put the lives of UNRWA personnel at serious risk."

The organisation also called for regulations to "control the spread of such damaging and possibly dangerous messages".

The head of the digital department at Israel's Foreign Ministry and Deputy Director General for Public Diplomacy, David Saranga, responded to the statement by showing an alleged UNRWA worker participating in the 7 October attacks.

"UNRWA has lost legitimacy and can no longer function as a U.N. body," Saranga wrote on X.

Israel’s official X account also weighed in, saying: "You’ve done enough reputational damage on your own by literally employing hundreds of terrorists."

Sources in the ministry told Ynet that there was no intention of halting the campaign, which had reportedly reached millions within two days.

The sources say the goal of the campaign is to "amplify the campaign's content and reach, aiming to convince decision-makers of the need to find an alternative to the aid agency, whose many members are reportedly involved in terrorist activities, as demonstrated in the events of October 7".

Israel has long accused the organisation of affiliations with Hamas with no evidence to back up its claims.

It has claimed that 12 UNRWA staff members had directly or indirectly participated in the 7 October attack.

The accusations caused 16 Western countries to freeze their funding to the organisation, affecting the 87 percent of Palestinians who are dependent on its services. UNRWA is the largest provider of aid to the Palestinians, including throughout Israel's most recent onslaught.

While some states have resumed their contributions to UNRWA, it has not stopped the Israeli state from moving to formally designate the organisation as "terrorist" group.

If the law is passed, Israel could openly target UNRWA facilities and its staff, destroying the agency's ability to continue its aid to Palestinians as famine looms in the Strip.

Israel has long opposed the operations of UNRWA, which was established after the 1948 expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland to make way for the creation of Israel.

The Knesset has approved two bills banning UNRWA from Israel and limiting it in Gaza and the West Bank.

A total of 251 UNRWA staff have been killed since Israel’s current war on Gaza, while two-thirds of its buildings in Gaza have been hit many directly or several times, according to the agency.

US, Canadian universities hire Israeli firms to curb pro-Palestinian protests

MEMO
December 7, 2024 

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate outside the Columbia University in New York City, United States on February 02, 2024. protesters.

 [Fatih Aktaş – Anadolu Agency]


A report published on Saturday by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that several universities in both the US and Canada have entered into agreements with Israeli security companies to suppress pro-Palestinian protests occurring on their campuses, Anadolu Agency reports.

The report notes that after the election of former US President Donald Trump, who pledged to penalize academic institutions that failed to control “radicals and Hamas supporters,” a number of universities in both countries turned to Israeli security firms, or those with links to Israel, to manage protests supporting Palestine.

The City University of New York (CUNY), a major hotspot for protests last year, has recently signed a $4 million contract with Strategy Security Corp. This company, owned by Yosef Sordi, a former New York City police officer, has publicly disclosed his professional training in Israel.

The report also draws attention to the involvement of Israeli security firms in violent confrontations that occurred in May at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Protesters stated that personnel from Magen Am, a company with Israeli military ties, were aggressive in their actions during the demonstrations. UCLA confirmed that the firm worked alongside local police to manage the protests, with the company receiving $1 million in return.

In addition, the Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), which has an exclusive branch in Israel, was contracted to oversee protests across multiple US university campuses and protest locations.

Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, also enlisted two Israeli security firms: Perceptage International, led by Adam Cohen, the former head of security for the Israeli Central Court in Jerusalem, and Moshav Security Consulting, operated by Eyal Feldman, a former Israeli army reserve commander and ex-advisor to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

In April, students and faculty opposing Israel’s war on Gaza held a sit-in at Columbia University in New York, demanding that the administration sever academic ties with Israeli universities and pull investments from companies supporting the occupation of Palestinian territories.

As police intervened and arrested dozens of protesters at US universities, similar demonstrations spread to universities across France, the UK, Germany, Canada, and India, as protesters expressed solidarity with their American counterparts and called for an end to the war in Gaza.

Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza has killed over 44,600 people, most of them women and children, since October 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice due to its war in Gaza.