CLIMATE CRISIS

Super Typhoon Man-yi slams into Philippines – the sixth major storm in a month


Super Typhoon Man-yi made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday after the disaster-hit nation evacuated hundreds of thousands of people. It was the sixth major storm to hit the country in the past month, and authorities warned of a "potentially catastrophic" impact.


Issued on: 16/11/2024 -
By: FRANCE 24

People react as large waves break along a seawall ahead of the expected landfall of Super Typhoon Man-yi, Legaspi City, Albay province, Philippines, November 16, 2024. 

© Charism Sayat, AFP

Super Typhoon Man-yi battered the Philippines on Saturday, with the national weather forecaster warning of a "potentially catastrophic and life-threatening" impact as huge waves pounded the archipelago's coastline.

More than 650,000 people fled their homes ahead of Man-yi, which is the sixth major storm to hit the disaster-weary country in the past month.

Man-yi brought maximum wind speeds of 195 kilometres (121 miles) per hour as it made landfall on the sparsely populated island province of Catanduanes as a super typhoon, the weather service said, adding gusts were reaching 325 kilometres an hour.

"Potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation looms for northeastern Bicol region as Super Typhoon 'Pepito' further intensifies," the forecaster said hours before it made landfall, using the local name for the storm and referring to the southern part of the main island of Luzon.

Waves up to 14 metres (46 feet) high pummelled the shore of Catanduanes, while Manila and other vulnerable coastal regions were at risk from storm surges reaching up to more than three metres over the next 48 hours, the forecaster said.

The weather forecaster said winds walloping Catanduanes and northeastern Camarines Sur province -- both in the typhoon-prone Bicol region -- posed an "extreme threat to life and property".

Power was shut down on Catanduanes ahead of the storm, with shelters and the command centre using generators for electricity.

Read more Disaster-weary Philippines hit by Typhoon Toraji

"We're hearing sounds of things falling and things breaking while here at the evacuation centre," Catanduanes provincial disaster operations chief Roberto Monterola told AFP after Man-yi made landfall.

"We are unable to check what they are as the winds are too strong. They could be tree branches breaking off and falling on rooftops," Monterola said, adding there had been no reports of casualties.

At least 163 people died in the five storms that pounded the Philippines in recent weeks, leaving thousands homeless and wiping out crops and livestock.

Climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Southeast Asian nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people, but it is rare for multiple such weather events to take place in a small window.
Evacuations

Man-yi could hit Luzon -- the country's most populous island and economic engine -- as a super typhoon or typhoon on Sunday afternoon, crossing north of Manila and sweeping over the South China Sea on Monday.

The government urged people on Saturday to heed warnings to flee to safety.

"If preemptive evacuation is required, let us do so and not wait for the hour of peril before evacuating or seeking help, because if we did that we will be putting in danger not only our lives but also those of our rescuers," Interior Undersecretary Marlo Iringan said.

In Albay province, Legazpi City grocer Myrna Perea sheltered with her husband and their three children in a school classroom alongside nine other families after they were ordered to leave their shanty.

Conditions were hot and cramped -- the family spent Friday night sleeping together on a mat under the classroom's single ceiling fan -- but Perea said it was better to be safe.

"I think our house will be wrecked when we get back because it's made of light materials -- just two gusts are required to knock it down," Perea, 44, told AFP.

"Even if the house is destroyed, the important thing is we do not lose a family member."
A handout photo from the Office of Ubaliw Village Polangui Facebook page shows evacuated residents sheltering inside a shopping mall. © Handout / Office of Ubaliw Village Polangui Facebook page/AFP

Back 'to square one'

In Northern Samar province, disaster officer Rei Josiah Echano lamented that damage caused by typhoons was the root cause of poverty in the region.

"Whenever there's a typhoon like this, it brings us back to the medieval era, we go (back) to square one," Echano told AFP, as the province prepared for the onslaught of Man-yi.

The mayor of Naga city in Camarines Sur province imposed a curfew from midday on Saturday in a bid to force residents indoors.

A man puts sandbags on the roof of his house in Legazpi ahead of the anticipated landfall of Typhoon Man-Yi. © Charism Sayat, AFP

All vessels -- from fishing boats to oil tankers -- were ordered to stay in port or return to shore.

The volcanology agency also warned heavy rain dumped by Man-yi could trigger flows of volcanic sediment, or lahars, from three volcanos, including Taal, south of Manila.

Man-yi hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season -- most cyclones develop between July and October.

Earlier this month, four storms were clustered simultaneously in the Pacific basin, which the Japan Meteorological Agency told AFP on Saturday was the first time such an occurrence had been observed in November since its records began in 1951.

(AFP)

CLIMATE CRISIS

Tropical storm leaves towns submerged, 66 dead in Philippines

Agence France-Presse
October 25, 2024


People walk through logs swept away by Tropical Storm Trami in Laurel, Batangas province, south of Manila (AFP)

Residents of the northern Philippines used spades and rakes to clear their homes of mud and debris on Friday while others still awaited rescue as the death toll from Tropical Storm Trami rose to 66.

Tens of thousands remained displaced after fleeing floods driven by a torrential downpour that dumped two months' worth of rainfall over just two days in some areas.

"Many are still trapped on the roofs of their homes and asking for help," Andre Dizon, police director for the hard-hit Bicol region, told AFP. "We are hoping that the floods will subside today since the rain has stopped."

But accessibility remained a major issue for rescuers Friday, particularly in Bicol, President Ferdinand Marcos said at a morning press briefing.

"That's the problem we're having with Bicol, so difficult to penetrate," he said, adding that ground saturated by rain had led to "landslides in areas that didn't have landslides before."

- 'Everything is gone' -

In Laurel, a scenic town nestled near volcanic Lake Taal south of the capital Manila, AFP reporters saw roads blocked by felled trees, vehicles half-submerged in mud and homes severely damaged by flash flooding.

"We saw washing machines, cars, home equipment, roofs being swept away," resident Mimie Dionela, 56, told AFP.

"We're lucky (the rain) happened in the morning, for sure many would've died if it happened at night," she said. "It was indescribable how scared we were."

Islao Malabanan, 63, agreed he was alive only because the flood occurred during daytime, but said his family had lost everything "including our clothes".

Jona Maulion, who started an auto repair business in Laurel less than a year ago, questioned if her family could ever afford to restart from scratch.

"We thought we were on the way to success in the business," the 47-year-old said. "I didn't know that this would happen, everything is gone."


- Death toll grows -

As Trami departed the Philippines in the early hours, traveling west over the South China Sea, the storm's death toll was swelling as fresh reports of victims emerged.

In Batangas province south of Manila, the number of confirmed dead had more than doubled to 34, police told a local radio outlet Friday afternoon.


Earlier in the day, police staff sergeant Nelson Cabuso told AFP six unidentified bodies had been found in the province's Sampaloc village.

"The area was hit by a flash flood yesterday. Our people are still in the area to check if there are other casualties," he said.

Another five people were killed in a flash flood in the coastal village of Subic Ilaya, police corporal Alvin de Leon said.


Police in the Bicol region on Friday reported a total 28 deaths there, while two other bodies were previously found in Quezon province, one in Zambales and one in Masbate.

At his morning press briefing, President Marcos noted that the cities of Naga and Legazpi had reported "many casualties, but we haven't been able to get in yet".

- 'Two months' worth of rain -


Government offices and schools across the main island of Luzon remained shuttered Friday and storm surge warnings were still in place along the west coast, with potential waves as high as two metres.

State weather agency specialist Jofren Habaluyas told AFP that Batangas province had seen "two months' worth of rain", or 391.3 millimeters, fall over October 24 and 25.

An official tally late Thursday reported 193,000 people evacuated in the face of flooding that turned streets into rivers and half-buried some towns in sludge-like volcanic sediment set loose by the storm.


Rescuers in the region's Naga city and Nabua municipality used boats to reach residents stranded on rooftops, many of whom sought assistance via Facebook posts.

The search for a missing fisherman whose boat sunk in the waters off Bulacan province west of Manila, meanwhile, remained suspended Friday due to strong currents, the local disaster office said.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters each year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens of people.


But a recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.

© Agence France-Presse

Severe Storm Damages Ships an Strands Passengers/Cargo  Philippines

RoRo ferry was diven across the harbor and against the dock by the storm (photos courtesy of PCG)

Published Oct 24, 2024 1:14 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

The Philippine Coast Guard is responding to multiple incidents as a severe storm moved through some of the most populated areas of the country on Thursday. Several vessels were reported to be in distress while the Coast Guard was also assisting with evacuations on land and rescues as parts of Luzon flooded.

The storm being called Kristine in the Philippines came ashore on the northeast coast of Luzon, the country's most populated island, and was moving across into the South China Sea. While it was below typhoon status, it had reported sustained winds of approximately 60 mph and gusts over 70 mph. It dumped a month’s worth of rain and was likely to become a typhoon as it moved back out to sea.

Early reports said more than 20 people have been killed with 150,000 or more forced to evacuate. The Coast Guard reports the storm is impacting 136 ports standing as many as 10,000 people and more than 2,800 cargoes. Approximately 150 vessels were reported stranded while an additional 315 were taking shelter from the storm.

 

 

In the early morning hours, the Coast Guard received a report that a ferry, Super Shuttle RoRo 2, was being dragged by the severe weather conditions at Batangas Port. The vessel has been laid up for the past year but had three crewmembers aboard. They were reporting it was a “dead ship,” drifting uncontrollably after losing its anchors in the storm.

The Coast Guard working with the vessel’s owners dispatched a tug. Towing operations however were aborted due to the worsening sea and weather conditions. The vessel became wedged up against one of the berths and they had been able to secure it until the storm passed.

 

Loaded container carrier was driven aground during the storm (PCG)

 

At around the same time, a container transport, LCT ASC Big Boy, loaded with 154 containers as well as seven rolling cargoes and a pre-loaded truck reported its anchor chains had broken in the storm. The vessel had 17 crewmembers aboard. 

The storm winds and waves drove the vessel ashore about 160 feet from Barangay Sugod. The Coast Guard inspected the ship and reported its engine remained operational but efforts to remove it from the sand were hampered by the weather conditions. 

Later in the day, the vessel reported that its port fuel tank had been punctured and they were attempting to transfer 4,000 liters of fuel to another tank. There however was some oil spilled. The worsening weather conditions were blamed for the vessel’s center rudder malfunctioning.

 

Coast Guard is assisting with the evacuation and rescues (PCG)

 

To the south near Cebu, another cargo vessel also grounded late on Wednesday. Strong winds and rough seas were being blamed for breaking the anchor chains of LCT Golden Bella that drifted ashore in the storm.

The Coast Guard remains on alert but as the storm has moved away reported the number of people stranded had gone down. However, the rescue operations were continuing as widespread flooding and mudslides were being reported in parts of the Philippines.
 

Some student protesters aren't deterred by the prospect of punishment

By Sergio Martínez-Beltrán
Published May 7, 2024

Michael Minasi/KUTAmmer Qaddumi was arrested at a Pro-Palestinian protest at UT-Austin on April 24, 2024.

AUSTIN– Ammer Qaddumi is jumping up and down at the beat of a drum.

He has a rolled-up piece of paper in one of his hands that he moves to the rhythm of the crowd's chant.

"Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest," he chants along with hundreds of students at the University of Texas at Austin's south lawn.

Qaddumi is a Palestinian-American studying economics and government, and for the last couple of weeks, he's been participating in the protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza.

Israel has been responding to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which killed over 1,200 and took over 200 people as hostages.

Over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war in Gaza.

"We have a duty to advocate for Palestine, to ensure that people understand the narrative, the Palestinian narrative, the history of the Palestinian struggle," Qaddumi told NPR Sunday.

The demonstrations at UT-Austin have been mostly peaceful, although at times, tensions have increased and students have been arrested, including Qaddumi, who was the first person arrested nearly two weeks ago.

"We will continue to come out and advocate for Palestine no matter what obstacles UT administration, our state government tries to put in our way," Qaddumi said.

Michael Minasi/KUTAmmer Qaddumi

Qaddumi's charges were later dropped. Most students arrested were charged with criminal trespass.

Brian Davis, a spokesperson for UT-Austin, told NPR in an email that students violated several institutional rules, which include attempting to establish an encampment, unauthorized use of amplified sound, and shoving staff. However, no student has been charged with assault.

It's unclear if these students would be put on probation, suspended or expelled.

Davis said no disciplinary action has been distributed, but that it could happen once final exams are done this week.

Sam Law, a Jewish American graduate student, was arrested after participated in a pro-Palestinian protest at UT-Austin. He was charged with criminal trespass and now is concerned about potential punishment.

"As a person of conscience, I cannot let threats like that deter me," Law told NPR from his Austin home. "I really am worried and I've had a lot of conversations with the chair of my department, with lawyers about what might happen if the university pursues disciplinary action."

According to the Associated Press, there have been over2,000 arrests on college campuses in relation to pro-Palestinian protests and encampments.

The disciplinary actions taken by the universities are unknown — some of them have cited federal education privacy laws to not provide numbers on how many students are subject to disciplinary action.

But some students have been sharing their stories.

Jacob Mack / USA Today Network/Reuters
/
USA Today Network/ReutersCornell University divestment protestors set up this encampment on the University's Arts Quad.

Cornell University doctoral student Momodou Taal was suspended for participating in a pro-Palestinian encampment.

"The school has deemed that my activity or my participation on campus is a threat somehow," Taal said.

Taal was never arrested, but his involvement with a pro-Palestinian team negotiating with Cornell University administrators got him suspended, he said.

He is now in a fairly unique position.Taal is a British student, and a suspension could lead to him losing his international student visa.

"Fundamentally, I risked all that I've risked so far for what I believe is a just cause, and that's the Palestinian cause," Taal said.

In a written response to NPR, Cornell University said students have been offered an opportunity to get their suspensions lifted.

"The university determined that if a student could commit to abide by the terms of the temporary suspension and not facilitate, engage in, participate or assist in any other violations of university policy, it would be appropriate to modify the temporary suspension to allow for incompletes to be entered for the spring 2024 term," Joel M. Malina, Cornell's vice president for university relations said.

"This would provide an opportunity to complete course work and earn credit for the term at a later date when the student is able to resume academic activities."

Taal is considering his options. He said he was guided by his conscience, and that participating in the protests was the right thing to do.

Anna Ivey, a former dean of admissions at the University of Chicago Law School, said suspensions and expulsions could pose serious consequences since they remain in the students' academic records.

"You probably will have to disclose it somewhere when you try to find other alternatives and move on with your life," Ivey, who owns a company that advises students on their college application, said.

But the disciplinary actions are not necessarily career-ending for students.

"I think a lot of admissions officers are watching in horror at how students are being treated," Ivey said. "So, I don't think they should assume that they are necessarily going to encounter hostility or that people aren't even going to look at the circumstances."

Someone who is thinking about what to do next is Nick Wilson, a suspended undergraduate student at Cornell University.

He was one of the students arrested in March for occupying an administrative building.

He said it was scary to learn about the disciplinary actions Cornell was taking against him.

"What's happening in Gaza is so striking, such a moral atrocity," Wilson said from his on-campus housing room. "For me and for students like me — students who are facing police violence, students who are facing arrests, students who are facing suspension — this is a cause that just matters more."

Wilson and the other students said they'd do it again, as long as their universities refuse to divest from businesses with ties to Israel.

Copyright 2024 NPR

KNESSET

Vote to expel far-left Israeli lawmaker narrowly fails

BY ELIYAHU FREEDMAN FEBRUARY 19, 2024 

Ofer Cassif, pictured in 2019. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — An effort to expel a far-left Israeli lawmaker from Israel’s Knesset narrowly failed, the first time the parliament voted on a measure to expel one of its own members.

The vote on Monday to expel Ofer Cassif, the only Jewish member of the majority Arab-Israeli Hadash-Taal party, fell short of the two-thirds majority necessary for expulsion, garnering 85 of the 90 votes needed in the 120-seat Knesset.

Cassif faced expulsion after he publicly supported South Africa’s charge in the International Court of Justice that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has roundly rejected the accusation.

“The voice against the war, the voice against the carnage of innocent civilians, the voice for the immediate release of the hostages, the voice for peace and justice will not be silenced – My voice will not be silenced!” Cassif wrote on X, formerly Twitter, following the vote. “My colleagues and I, democratic Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians, will keep our struggle alive and loud – for the end of the brutal occupation and war, and for the wellbeing and prosperity of both peoples in their independent sovereign states.

Moments after celebrating the result of the vote, Cassif remained in his seat for the next item on the Knesset’s agenda.

Cassif was previously suspended for 45 days beginning in mid-October for comparing Israel’s war effort to the Holocaust.

Eleven lawmakers voted against expulsion, and 24 absented themselves, including leading centrist politicians Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, as well as significant portions of their respective parties, Yesh Atid and National Unity.

Leading the charge against Cassif was Oded Forer, a lawmaker from the right-wing Israel Beiteinu party, who argued that supporting South Africa’s case against Israel meant that Cassif stood on the side of Hamas.

“Ofer Cassif owes a huge thank you to Yair Lapid and Yesh Atid for avoiding expulsion by the skin of his teeth, after supporting the screwed-up struggle against the state of Israel,” Forer posted online following the vote. “I feel dismay on behalf of the soldiers of the IDF, who according to Cassif are war criminals who need to stand trial in international court. I will continue working to take out of Knesset whoever acts against the existence of the state of Israel.”

The vote marked the first time the Knesset had employed a law passed in 2016 allowing it to expel one of its members. Before Monday’s vote, a Knesset committee had approved the expulsion, and a petition in support of expelling Cassif had garnered the signatures of 70 lawmakers.

Before the vote, the Knesset’s legal adviser had suggested that Cassif’s actions likely did not meet the technical qualifications for expulsion. Had the expulsion passed Knesset, it would have likely been appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court.

 

Why I am obsessed with an ancient story about giant frogs

Yes, they are a metaphor for the challenges of our time.

Gerard Jollain’s 1670 etching, “The Plague of the Frogs.” Etching by Gerard Jollain, via Wikimedia/Creative Commons

January 9, 2024

By 

Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — If you are Jewish — and, frankly, even if you are not — think about the last time you attended a Passover Seder.

You will recall that moment in the Seder when it’s time to recite the plagues that fell upon the land of Egypt. Many Jews know the list by heart: dam, blood; tzfardea, frogs; kinim, locusts …

So it goes. We recite each plague, and as we do so, we spill a drop of wine on our plates to symbolize the lessening of our joy at the downfall of our enemies.

But wait a moment.

We always translate tzfardea as “frogs,” but that’s not exactly right.

The verse from Exodus that comes right out of our Torah portion for this Shabbat reads as follows: Va-taal ha-tzfardea vatkas et eretz Mitzrayim — literally, “And the frog arose and it covered the whole land of Egypt.”

Should it not have said tzfardayim — frogs — as in many frogs? Isn’t that the way we have always imagined it, and the way we have always pictured it? Wasn’t it a plague of frogs?

No. It was not “frogs,” but “frog.”

Let me bring in an ancient rabbinic interpretation, that is either delightful or monstrous.

“Rabbi Elazar said: At first, it was one frog, and it spawned and filled the entire land of Egypt with frogs.” (Talmud, Sanhedrin 67b).

Let me walk you through how a modern American rabbi interpreted this interpretation — this one frog that produced many frogs.

One of the greatest rabbis in modern American history was Rabbi Israel H. Levinthal.

He was the spiritual leader of the Brooklyn Jewish Center during the 1930s and 1940s. Those were golden times for the Brooklyn Jewish Center. Its majestic building was located on the equally majestic Eastern Parkway. Worshipping at the Brooklyn Jewish Center in those days must have been an awe-inspiring experience, because in the 1940s the cantor happened to be the great opera singer Richard Tucker.

Slightly more than 80 years ago, Rabbi Levinthal preached about how that one frog became many frogs.

These are his words:

No one in America, or in England, except discredited, outlawed charlatans and racketeers, would have dared a few years ago openly to advocate the overthrow of democracy and liberty. They would have dreaded the reaction of public opinion. How shall we explain the sudden appearance in many quarters of men and women, high in social and public life, who would betray the ideals of democracy? Their hatred of democracy and all liberal thought was there before, but it had been repressed, it had been kept hidden; the bearers of the hate feared the shame that would have been heaped upon them … But the one frog appeared, and he croaked his venomous message, and lo and behold, from out of the dark hiding places, they suddenly arose to echo the call that came from that one poisonous throat.

It should be manifestly clear to whom Rabbi Levinthal was referring. The sprouting of many frogs was a metaphor for the sprouting of fascism and Nazism.

If Rabbi Levinthal were alive today, he could have easily been preaching about the potential for tyranny in this country — dangers that historian Timothy Snyder has enumerated in his New York Times bestseller, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century.”

Snyder compares the notions of patriotism and nationalism. His words ring true today:

It is not patriotic to try to sabotage an American election, nor to claim victory after defeat. It is not patriotic to try to end democracy. A nationalist might do all these things, but a nationalist is not a patriot … Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others. As the novelist Danilo Kiš put it, nationalism “has no universal values, aesthetic or ethical.” A patriot, by contrast, wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves.

Democracy failed in Europe in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, and it is failing not only in much of Europe but in many parts of the world today. It is that history and experience that reveals to us the dark range of our possible futures. A nationalist will say that “it can’t happen here,” which is the first step toward disaster. A patriot says that it could happen here, but that we will stop it.

But I find myself turning to yet another interpretation of tzfardea — that one frog.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya (not to be confused with the previous Rabbi Elazar) said, “It was one frog; it whistled to the other frogs, and they all came after it.” (Talmud, Sanhedrin 67b)

It was not a large, deafening croak from a gargantuan frog. Rather, it was a simple, quiet whistle. Even, perhaps, a dog whistle.

The hidden frogs have appeared and they have covered all the land. The whistles are clear, and often they do not even appear as dog whistles. I am referring, of course, to the almost daily occurrences of antisemitism in this country.

Antisemitism has gone viral, for it is, in fact, a virus that spreads into the body politic particularly when a society’s immune system has broken down.

What is the response to a virus?

Another kind of virus.

A word that also begins with the letters V-I-R.

A virus of virtue, of personal responsibility, of communal responsibility, and of bearing moral witness.

As of today, COVID-19 is still quite present among us. Almost three years later, it has not receded, though in many cases its severity has diminished. It is as if we have gone from a biological virus to a social virus — Jew-hatred — with not a moment of respite. 

During the early days of COVID-19, there was an Israeli popular song, written by the great Chava Alberstein: “Rikma Enoshit Achat,” “One Human Tapestry.”

All of us are one human tapestry,

and if one of us dies, something within all of us dies,

and yet something of each person remains within us.

If only we knew how to calm the hatred…

In Hebrew the word rikma is “tapestry” or “embroidery.”

But rikma is also a word for human tissue.

Spiritually and physically, we are all part of the same human body.

As we approach what would have been the 95th birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., let us review these words from his “Letter from Birmingham Jail“: 

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly … ”

Because the lessons of history are abundantly clear.

Yes, one frog can produce many frogs.

And, yes: A single frog can whistle, and that whistling will coax the other frogs out of their hiding places.

Please enjoy my new book — the first book to outline what a post-Oct. 7 American Judaism will look like — and how we can restore communal obligation to liberal Jewish life. “Tikkun Ha’Am/ Repairing Our People: Israel and the Crisis of Liberal Judaism.”

Israeli Arabs arrested over Gaza social media posts

Publishe

IMAGE SOURCE,SUPPLIED

Image caption,

Dalal Abu Amneh was detained for a social media post

By Sara Monetta

BBC News, Jerusalem

Dozens of Arab citizens of Israel have been arrested in connection with social media posts about the war in Gaza.

Among them is a well-known singer and influencer from Nazareth, Dalal Abu Amneh, who was held in police custody for two days before being released on Wednesday on bail. She's now under house arrest until Monday.

According to her lawyer, Abeer Baker, she was accused of "disruptive behaviour" by police officers, who said her posts could incite violence among her followers.

The post that attracted police attention was an image of the Palestinian flag with the Arabic motto: "There is no victor but God."

Ms Baker says the singer, who is well known across the Arab world for her songs about Palestinian heritage, was expressing a religious sentiment. Israeli authorities interpreted the singer's post as a call to arms for Palestinians.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, police in Israel have adopted what they call a "zero tolerance policy" towards social media activity deemed to express support for Hamas, an Islamist group which is committed to the destruction of Israel and designated as a terrorist group by Israel, as well as the US, UK, and many other countries.

Ms Abu Amneh is one of dozens of Arab citizens of Israel arrested in connection with social media posts about the war.

Many others have been suspended or sacked from their jobs or face disciplinary action from their universities.

Israeli Arabs - many of whom prefer to be called Palestinian citizens of Israel - make up a fifth of the country's population.

Since Hamas's attack, police say they have investigated and detained more than 100 people for their social media activity. Sixty-three have been arrested and questioned in Jerusalem alone.

"Anyone inciting against the State of Israel, its government symbols, elected officials, military personnel and police, should be aware that the Israel Police will respond firmly and without leniency," said Israel's Police Commissioner, Yaakov Shabtai, at a meeting with senior leaders this week.

Adalah, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, believes the number of detained is higher as more arrests have been made recently.

By comparison, during the Israel-Gaza conflict in May 2021, only 16 people - 15 of whom were Arab - were charged with inciting violence, according to a report released by Adalah.

Human rights activists worry this spike in detentions is due to the police adopting a wider interpretation of what constitutes incitement to violence.

In the Bedouin city of Rahat, for example, police have detained a former mayoral candidate, Dr Amer al-Huzail, who shared on social media a map of the Gaza Strip with an analysis of possible scenarios for an expected ground operation by Israeli forces.

This has led him to be accused of aiding the enemy in a time of war.

But even when no criminal charges are filed, some people in Israel are still facing heavy consequences for their social media activity.

Lawyers working for Adalah say they have received more than 40 cases of Israeli Arab workers suspended or fired from their workplaces overnight.

"People are getting their livelihood threatened sometimes just for liking a post," says Salam Irsheid, a lawyer at the organisation. "We even have a case of a worker who is at risk of being fired for liking a news report on the situation in Gaza on social media."

Arab students in Israel are also facing disciplinary actions from their universities.

Last week, Ariel Porat, the president of Tel Aviv University, said that a few students had been flagged for expressing "support for the atrocities of Hamas".

"We will be very strict with this handful of students," he wrote in a statement on the university's website, "and when we feel the offence is criminal in nature, we shall report them to the police. We will act swiftly, as required in this sensitive situation, but will not deny any student the right to a fair investigation."

Lawyers from Adalah say they have received complaints from 83 students who have been suspended from schools across the country and, in some cases, told to leave their accommodation at short notice.

"None of the cases are about actions, demonstrations or participating in illegal things. They're all about posts on social media," says Dr Hassan Jabareen, the general director of Adalah.

"More than 90% of the posts are clearly against the war, against Israel's actions in Gaza, supporting the victims of war in Gaza," he adds.

"Ten percent of the posts fall in a vague area that may be interpreted as indirectly supporting the acts of Hamas against civilians.

"In normal times, they wouldn't be interpreted like that, but these days Israel tends to give the harshest interpretation to these posts."

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,

Nazareth, in northern Israel, is a major centre of the country's Arab population

Public outrage at the attack by Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in areas near the Gaza Strip, has also led to anger at Jewish Israeli voices calling for de-escalation.

Last Sunday, a prominent left-wing ultra-Orthodox Jewish journalist, Israel Frey, had to be escorted by police away from his home in Tel Aviv for his own protection.

Protesters had gathered outside the building and shot flares at his apartment after he posted on social media a video where he was praying for civilians in Gaza.

And on Wednesday, Ofer Cassif, a Jewish lawmaker for the Arab-led Hadash-Taal alliance, was suspended from the Israeli parliament for 45 days after he strongly condemned the bombing of Gaza.

In one of his most recent posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, he criticised the police who, he said, hadn't intervened promptly in Mr Frey's defence.

"Armed police forces are sent to arrest anyone who shows a trace of empathy for the massacres in Gaza," he wrote.

"But the police have no desire to protect a left-wing journalist whose life is in danger."