Friday, March 17, 2023
COMRADES IN ARMS MILITARY JUNTA'S
Facebook posts falsely claim Thai army chief 'declared war on Myanmar'
AFP Thailand
Published on Friday 17 March 2023
Burmese-language posts viewed thousands of times on Facebook are falsely claiming that the head of Thailand's army has "declared war on Myanmar". They feature videos with the same misleading thumbnail that claims he warned the Thai army would seize Myanmar's Karen state, which borders Thailand. But the army chief shown in the videos retired in 2020, and the Thai army told AFP the claim is false.
"If the Myanmar military keeps killing civilians, Thailand will completely seize Karen state. The Thai army chief has declared war on Myanmar," reads Burmese-language text on the thumbnail of a video posted on Facebook here on February 24, 2023.
Myanmar's Karen state, which borders Thailand, has long seen heavy fighting between Myanmar's military and local rebel groups and the violence has worsened since the army seized control of the country in a 2021 coup..
The video, which has been viewed more than 20,000 times, is captioned: "Cannot stand seeing Karen people suffer from war anymore."
Its thumbnail includes photos of Apirat Kongsompong, a former Thai army chief, and Myanmar general Min Aung Hlaing, who has ruled the country since 2021.
A screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on March 13, 2023
The same misleading thumbnail was also used for videos posted elsewhere on Facebook here and here.
The false claim in the thumbnail, however, is completely different to the content of the video.
The public relations team for Thailand's army also told AFP on March 10 that assertions about a war or seizing Karen state are "fake news".
Ex-army chief
The video itself addresses a range of geopolitical issues from the fighting in Myanmar to the war in Ukraine.
It carries accurate Burmese-language narration and says the Thai army has set up "safe zones" for Myanmar refugees where they can receive shelter, security and humanitarian assistance.
According to monitoring group ACAPS, camps in Thailand are housing more than 90,000 refugees along the Thailand-Myanmar border, with over 80 percent of them from Karen state.
This development has been reported by credible media outlets including the Bangkok Post and Thai-language sites The Reporters and Naewna.
When the video narrator mentions the safe zones for Myanmar refugees at the one-minute mark, a still image of former Thai army chief Apirat Kongsompong is shown.
The same photo of Apirat can be found here in AFP’s archive. It shows him attending an Indo-Pacific Army Chiefs Conference (IPACC) in Bangkok on September 9, 2019.
Apirat retired from the position in 2020.
According to the Bangkok Post, he has since been appointed by Thailand's king as vice-chamberlain of the Bureau of the Royal Household.
The current Thai army chief is General Narongpan Jitkaewtae, who has been in the position since September 2020.
Below is a comparison between former chief Apirat (left) and the current army head, Narongpan (right):
Former Thai army chief Apirat Kongsompong (left) and the current head Narongpan Jitkaewtae (right)
Unrelated video content
The rest of the video is made up of an assortment of still images which also do not support the claims made in the thumbnail.
Photos of a Thai armoured vehicle patrolling the border and a Myanmar military truck in the city of Taungoo appear while the video's narrator is talking about the Thai army setting up safe zones for Myanmar refugees at the 24-second mark.
The image of the armoured vehicle was used in an article by Thailand's Nation TV, while the Myanmar military truck picture was used in an article by Myanmar Now.
Below are screenshot comparisons of the images as they were used in video in the false post (left) and as they appear in the Nation TV and Myanmar Now articles (right):
Screenshot comparisons of the images as they were used in video in the false post (left) and as they appear in the Nation TV and Myanmar Now articles (right)
When the narrator speaks about China abstaining as the United Nations voted to demand Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine at the two-minute 35-second mark, a photo of China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian is shown.
The photo was used on the Chinese foreign ministry website.
When the narrator refers to a speech by Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing during a meeting in Naypyidaw to mark the second anniversary of the 2021 coup at the two-minute 58-second mark, an image of a Russian airbase in Syria is shown.
The photo was used in an article by Syria's North Press Agency.
Below are screenshot comparisons of the images used in the video in the false post (left) and the photos as they were used on the Chinese foreign ministry website and by Syria's North Press Agency (right):
Screenshot comparisons of the images used in the video in the false post (left) and the photos as they were used on the Chinese foreign ministry website and by Syria's North Press Agency (right)
AFP Thailand
All articles
Burmese-language posts viewed thousands of times on Facebook are falsely claiming that the head of Thailand's army has "declared war on Myanmar". They feature videos with the same misleading thumbnail that claims he warned the Thai army would seize Myanmar's Karen state, which borders Thailand. But the army chief shown in the videos retired in 2020, and the Thai army told AFP the claim is false.
"If the Myanmar military keeps killing civilians, Thailand will completely seize Karen state. The Thai army chief has declared war on Myanmar," reads Burmese-language text on the thumbnail of a video posted on Facebook here on February 24, 2023.
Myanmar's Karen state, which borders Thailand, has long seen heavy fighting between Myanmar's military and local rebel groups and the violence has worsened since the army seized control of the country in a 2021 coup..
The video, which has been viewed more than 20,000 times, is captioned: "Cannot stand seeing Karen people suffer from war anymore."
Its thumbnail includes photos of Apirat Kongsompong, a former Thai army chief, and Myanmar general Min Aung Hlaing, who has ruled the country since 2021.
A screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on March 13, 2023The same misleading thumbnail was also used for videos posted elsewhere on Facebook here and here.
The false claim in the thumbnail, however, is completely different to the content of the video.
The public relations team for Thailand's army also told AFP on March 10 that assertions about a war or seizing Karen state are "fake news".
Ex-army chief
The video itself addresses a range of geopolitical issues from the fighting in Myanmar to the war in Ukraine.
It carries accurate Burmese-language narration and says the Thai army has set up "safe zones" for Myanmar refugees where they can receive shelter, security and humanitarian assistance.
According to monitoring group ACAPS, camps in Thailand are housing more than 90,000 refugees along the Thailand-Myanmar border, with over 80 percent of them from Karen state.
This development has been reported by credible media outlets including the Bangkok Post and Thai-language sites The Reporters and Naewna.
When the video narrator mentions the safe zones for Myanmar refugees at the one-minute mark, a still image of former Thai army chief Apirat Kongsompong is shown.
The same photo of Apirat can be found here in AFP’s archive. It shows him attending an Indo-Pacific Army Chiefs Conference (IPACC) in Bangkok on September 9, 2019.
Apirat retired from the position in 2020.
According to the Bangkok Post, he has since been appointed by Thailand's king as vice-chamberlain of the Bureau of the Royal Household.
The current Thai army chief is General Narongpan Jitkaewtae, who has been in the position since September 2020.
Below is a comparison between former chief Apirat (left) and the current army head, Narongpan (right):
Former Thai army chief Apirat Kongsompong (left) and the current head Narongpan Jitkaewtae (right)Unrelated video content
The rest of the video is made up of an assortment of still images which also do not support the claims made in the thumbnail.
Photos of a Thai armoured vehicle patrolling the border and a Myanmar military truck in the city of Taungoo appear while the video's narrator is talking about the Thai army setting up safe zones for Myanmar refugees at the 24-second mark.
The image of the armoured vehicle was used in an article by Thailand's Nation TV, while the Myanmar military truck picture was used in an article by Myanmar Now.
Below are screenshot comparisons of the images as they were used in video in the false post (left) and as they appear in the Nation TV and Myanmar Now articles (right):
Screenshot comparisons of the images as they were used in video in the false post (left) and as they appear in the Nation TV and Myanmar Now articles (right)When the narrator speaks about China abstaining as the United Nations voted to demand Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine at the two-minute 35-second mark, a photo of China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian is shown.
The photo was used on the Chinese foreign ministry website.
When the narrator refers to a speech by Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing during a meeting in Naypyidaw to mark the second anniversary of the 2021 coup at the two-minute 58-second mark, an image of a Russian airbase in Syria is shown.
The photo was used in an article by Syria's North Press Agency.
Below are screenshot comparisons of the images used in the video in the false post (left) and the photos as they were used on the Chinese foreign ministry website and by Syria's North Press Agency (right):
Screenshot comparisons of the images used in the video in the false post (left) and the photos as they were used on the Chinese foreign ministry website and by Syria's North Press Agency (right)AFP Thailand
All articles
DOJ looking into TikTok owner over surveillance of journalists: reports
BY JARED GANS - 03/17/23
Associated Press-Kiichiro Sato
The Justice Department (DOJ) is investigating the Chinese company that owns the video-sharing platform TikTok over the potential surveillance of journalists who cover technology, multiple outlets reported Friday.
Three people familiar with the matter told The New York Times that the DOJ is investigating the company’s surveillance of U.S. citizens broadly, too. The Times reported that the probe seems to be related to the admission from ByteDance, which owns TikTok, in December that some of its employees inappropriately gained access to some U.S. citizens’ user data.
Internal emails that the Times obtained showed the company conducted an internal investigation and found employees gained access to data from two journalists and people associated with them. Forbes reported following the Times’s report that two additional journalists that work for the outlet were also tracked.
The employees were working as part of a monitoring program to try to find the source of leaks. All four employees involved in obtaining the data were fired.
A person with knowledge of the situation told the Times for its Friday report that the DOJ’s criminal division, the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia are conducting the investigation.
A DOJ spokesperson told the Times that they had no comment on the report.
A spokesperson for TikTok referred the Times to ByteDance for questions.
A ByteDance spokesperson told The Hill that the company “strongly” condemns the actions of the employees who obtained the data on the journalists and are no longer working for the company.
“Our internal investigation is still ongoing, and we will cooperate with any official investigations when brought to us,” they said.
Forbes also confirmed the investigation before the Times report. What Xi and Putin want to gain from their joint meetingGOP hopes energy bill hits Biden, lays marker on future negotiations
The Biden administration has recently been increasing pressure on TikTok following criticism of the app over concerns about the security of its U.S. users’ data on a platform run by a Chinese company. Critics have expressed worries that the data could be obtained by the Chinese government, while TikTok has insisted that the data is not at risk.
The administration has told ByteDance that it must sell its stake in TikTok or the app could possibly be banned in the country. The app has been banned on devices owned by the federal government and more than two dozen state governments amid the backlash.
Legislation has also been introduced in Congress to ban the app in the country entirely.
The Justice Department (DOJ) is investigating the Chinese company that owns the video-sharing platform TikTok over the potential surveillance of journalists who cover technology, multiple outlets reported Friday.
Three people familiar with the matter told The New York Times that the DOJ is investigating the company’s surveillance of U.S. citizens broadly, too. The Times reported that the probe seems to be related to the admission from ByteDance, which owns TikTok, in December that some of its employees inappropriately gained access to some U.S. citizens’ user data.
Internal emails that the Times obtained showed the company conducted an internal investigation and found employees gained access to data from two journalists and people associated with them. Forbes reported following the Times’s report that two additional journalists that work for the outlet were also tracked.
The employees were working as part of a monitoring program to try to find the source of leaks. All four employees involved in obtaining the data were fired.
A person with knowledge of the situation told the Times for its Friday report that the DOJ’s criminal division, the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia are conducting the investigation.
A DOJ spokesperson told the Times that they had no comment on the report.
A spokesperson for TikTok referred the Times to ByteDance for questions.
A ByteDance spokesperson told The Hill that the company “strongly” condemns the actions of the employees who obtained the data on the journalists and are no longer working for the company.
“Our internal investigation is still ongoing, and we will cooperate with any official investigations when brought to us,” they said.
Forbes also confirmed the investigation before the Times report. What Xi and Putin want to gain from their joint meetingGOP hopes energy bill hits Biden, lays marker on future negotiations
The Biden administration has recently been increasing pressure on TikTok following criticism of the app over concerns about the security of its U.S. users’ data on a platform run by a Chinese company. Critics have expressed worries that the data could be obtained by the Chinese government, while TikTok has insisted that the data is not at risk.
The administration has told ByteDance that it must sell its stake in TikTok or the app could possibly be banned in the country. The app has been banned on devices owned by the federal government and more than two dozen state governments amid the backlash.
Legislation has also been introduced in Congress to ban the app in the country entirely.
TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. This has led to fears that Chinese government, which has unrestrained control over China, could access users data and misuse it in strategic competition with the West.
TikTok is under the scanner in several countries (Representative image)
UPDATED: 17 MAR 2023
New Zealand lawmakers and Parliamentary staff cannot use Chinese app TikTok on their official phones, said officials on Friday.
The New Zealand TikTok ban will come into effect at the end of the month. The ban follows similar bans in the United Kingdom, United States, and India.
In some countries, including in the United States, broader restrictions, regulations, and even a potential ban on TikTok are under consideration.
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However, New Zealand's ban will apply only to about 500 people in the parliamentary complex, not to all government workers like bans in the United States and UK. Other New Zealand agencies could decide later to impose their own bans.
Here we explain what's TikTok, what are the concerns around it that are leading to such bans, and what the New Zealand government has said.
UPDATED: 17 MAR 2023
New Zealand lawmakers and Parliamentary staff cannot use Chinese app TikTok on their official phones, said officials on Friday.
The New Zealand TikTok ban will come into effect at the end of the month. The ban follows similar bans in the United Kingdom, United States, and India.
In some countries, including in the United States, broader restrictions, regulations, and even a potential ban on TikTok are under consideration.
Related Stories
UK Bans TikTok On Govt Phones Over Potential Threat To National Security
US Threatens To Ban TikTok If Chinese Owners Don't Sell Stakes: Report
Explained: White House Supports Bill That Could Ban TikTok, What Are The Concerns Over TikTok?
However, New Zealand's ban will apply only to about 500 people in the parliamentary complex, not to all government workers like bans in the United States and UK. Other New Zealand agencies could decide later to impose their own bans.
Here we explain what's TikTok, what are the concerns around it that are leading to such bans, and what the New Zealand government has said.
What's TikTok, how it works?
TikTok is a social media app owned and operated by Chinese company ByteDance. It's installed on mobile phones.
TikTok features 15-second videos along with chat and search functions that make emergence of trends and possibility of going viral high. It also allows for filters and music to be added to the videos. It became very popular primarily in young adults in several countries.
Considering TikTok's popularity, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube also incorporated the short video format into their interface. While Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram call such videos Reels, YouTube calls them Shorts.
However, there are security concerns over TikTok. These concerns related to the design of the app as well as its Chinese ownerships.
Security concerns over TikTok
TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Considering the fact there is a blurry line between state and public enterprise in China and there is no check and balance on the ruling Commuist Party of China's (CPC) powers, there are fears China could misuse TikTok as it competes with the United States and the West.
Global concern about TikTok come after warnings by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other agencies that ByteDance could share TikTok user data —such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers— with China's authoritarian government.
Besides knowing user preferences and behaviour patterns of users as well as societies, TikTok collects lot of data, such as:
All TikTok videos you watch
All of your messages as messages are not encrypted
Your country location, IP address, and device type
Cyber-security company Kaspersky notes TikTok also collects the following information with permission:
All of your messages as messages are not encrypted
Your country location, IP address, and device type
Cyber-security company Kaspersky notes TikTok also collects the following information with permission:
Your exact location
Your phone’s contacts and other social network connections
Your age and phone number
Payment information
While most social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram collect such data, there are key differences that raise concerns over TikTok. Firstly, unlike Meta-owned Instagram or WhatsApp, TikTok chats are not end-to-end encrypted. Second, Meta and others are based in free countries like the United States where there are checks and balances and where the government does not control private companies or accesses their data.
The potential access and misuse of US users' data by Chinese government is a concern. If Chinese government accesses US users' data, then it can study behaviour patterns and flood the platform with targeted content to influence US behaviour and even meddle elections just like Russia was accused of doing in 2016 presidential election that Donald Trump won.
Kaspersky notes that TikTok does not use two-factor authorisation which makes it vulnerable to cyber attacks.
"One of the less-discussed TikTok security issues is the absence of two-factor authentication...Single-factor authentication is not uncommon on social platforms. Coupled with a weak password, this creates a possible security issue as it can lead to phishing or ransomware attacks, among other threats. Many social media platforms now offer two-factor authentication," notes Kaspersky.
It is out of these fears of potential Chinese control and subsequent misuse of it by Chinese government that there are concerns over TikTok. Similar concerns don't exist for Facebook or Instagram as these are platforms based in free countries with robust rules and regulations and are not prone to state control. The same cannot be said about China where lines between private and state enterprises is blurry and there are no checks and balances on Communist Party's authority.
New Zealand government on TikTok ban
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he didn't have TikTok on his phone.
He said, "I'm not that hip and trendy."
The New Zealand move came on the advice of government cybersecurity experts, said Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero. He said the app would be removed from all devices with access to the parliamentary network, although officials could make special arrangements for anybody who needed TikTok to perform their democratic duties.
Gonzalez-Montero, "This decision has been made based on our own experts' analysis and following discussion with our colleagues across government and internationally...Based on this information, the service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand parliamentary environment."
Hipkins said cybersecurity advice came from New Zealand's intelligence agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau. He said New Zealand didn't take a blanket approach to all government workers, and it would be up to each department or agency to make cybersecurity decisions.
(With AP inputs)
Your phone’s contacts and other social network connections
Your age and phone number
Payment information
While most social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram collect such data, there are key differences that raise concerns over TikTok. Firstly, unlike Meta-owned Instagram or WhatsApp, TikTok chats are not end-to-end encrypted. Second, Meta and others are based in free countries like the United States where there are checks and balances and where the government does not control private companies or accesses their data.
The potential access and misuse of US users' data by Chinese government is a concern. If Chinese government accesses US users' data, then it can study behaviour patterns and flood the platform with targeted content to influence US behaviour and even meddle elections just like Russia was accused of doing in 2016 presidential election that Donald Trump won.
Kaspersky notes that TikTok does not use two-factor authorisation which makes it vulnerable to cyber attacks.
"One of the less-discussed TikTok security issues is the absence of two-factor authentication...Single-factor authentication is not uncommon on social platforms. Coupled with a weak password, this creates a possible security issue as it can lead to phishing or ransomware attacks, among other threats. Many social media platforms now offer two-factor authentication," notes Kaspersky.
It is out of these fears of potential Chinese control and subsequent misuse of it by Chinese government that there are concerns over TikTok. Similar concerns don't exist for Facebook or Instagram as these are platforms based in free countries with robust rules and regulations and are not prone to state control. The same cannot be said about China where lines between private and state enterprises is blurry and there are no checks and balances on Communist Party's authority.
New Zealand government on TikTok ban
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he didn't have TikTok on his phone.
He said, "I'm not that hip and trendy."
The New Zealand move came on the advice of government cybersecurity experts, said Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero. He said the app would be removed from all devices with access to the parliamentary network, although officials could make special arrangements for anybody who needed TikTok to perform their democratic duties.
Gonzalez-Montero, "This decision has been made based on our own experts' analysis and following discussion with our colleagues across government and internationally...Based on this information, the service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand parliamentary environment."
Hipkins said cybersecurity advice came from New Zealand's intelligence agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau. He said New Zealand didn't take a blanket approach to all government workers, and it would be up to each department or agency to make cybersecurity decisions.
(With AP inputs)
Knight Ridder: How a small team of US journalists got it right on Iraq
Twenty years after the US invasion of Iraq, the reporting team at Knight Ridder shares how they debunked the Bush administration's relentless march to war
An anti-war placard made from a collage of newspaper clippings during a rally in Bangalore on 27 February 2003 (AFP)
ByUmar A Farooq in
Washington
Published date: 17 March 2023
In the months leading up to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the American media landscape was awash with false reports linking Saddam Hussein to weapons of mass destruction.
That claim, like much of the Bush administration's justifications for the Iraq war, often went unchecked by the overwhelming majority of media organisations.
Except for one newspaper company.
The team covering Washington for Knight Ridder, a media company that merged with McClatchy in 2006, published dozens of articles in several newspapers criticising the intelligence being cited by mainstream US media at the time.
How Bush and Blair plotted war in Iraq: Read the secret memo in fullRead More »
While their reporting couldn't sway public opinion against the invasion of Iraq, twenty years later, the reporters and editors are the subject of the Hollywood-produced documentary, Shock and Awe, directed by Rob Reiner, which chronicles the story of Knight Ridder's coverage.
"I don't want to say [our reporting] brought me satisfaction. It didn't. Because we still invaded. The cost, in lives and money, is just astronomical and we're still paying for it. We're still paying for the consequences of this invasion," said Jonathan Landay, one of the reporters who led Knight Ridder's coverage on Iraq.
Nor did their work strike a serious conversation in the US Congress about the war.
The 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed through the House and Senate with little difficulty.
"Our job isn't to stop wars or to start wars, or to set American foreign policy. But I'll forever be disappointed that our reporting did not stir a real critical debate in Congress," said Warren Strobel, another Knight Ridder reporter who led their Iraq coverage.
Since the invasion in 2003, Brown University's Costs of War project estimates the direct death toll in Iraq, and later in Syria, to be between 550,000 to 580,000 people.
Knight Ridder news
Knight Ridder's coverage in the lead-up to the Iraq war was led by John Walcott, Jonathan Landay, Warren Strobel, and Joe Galloway, who passed away in August 2021.
Walcott, who served as the Washington news editor and later bureau chief from 1999-2006, said many of the towns and cities in the US where Knight Ridder had a strong readership were military towns.
As a result, their outlook on news coverage related to wars can be summed up in a line Walcott stated in the film Shock and Awe, which Walcott, Strobel, and Landay said was based on a real conversation in the newsroom.
"We don't write for people who send other people's kids to war. We write for people whose kids get sent to war," Walcott, played by Reiner, was depicted as saying.
Their coverage exposed holes in the US intelligence against Iraq's then-leader Saddam Hussein as early as 2001.
"Very soon after the 9/11 attacks, I found out that the Bush administration was considering not just Afghanistan, but also looking at Iraq in terms of military and diplomatic options," Strobel said.
"This is long before they started making the case for war, but just the very fact that they were considering Iraq as a potential target made no sense to me."
What set them apart, according to Walcott, was that the reporters had an extensive network of sources inside the lower and mid-levels of the US military and intelligence apparatus. The links date back to the days of the Vietnam War, according to Walcott.
So rather than relying on the official line toed by top American officials, like other newspapers were doing at the time, Landay, Strobel, and Galloway were able to speak with officials that were more insulated from the politics of national security.
"The value of a source is more often inversely proportional to their rank, rather than directly proportional. The higher you go up the ladder, the more politicised the sources become, understandably so - their job is sales, not research," Walcott said.
"I think there were a lot of reporters who liked to run in those circles. They want to be invited to the right parties. They really want to be part of the first estate, not stand outside and be part of the fourth estate."
This was a part of the problem, Walcott noted. Much of the press corps in Washington at the time was relying on high-level officials in the Bush administration, and failed to push back against their claims or even at times to fact-check.
Debunking intelligence
Between 2001 and 2004, the team of Walcott, Strobel, Landay and Galloway published more than 80 stories related to faulty intelligence on Iraq. The articles are currently available at McClatchy (under a paywall).
The reports included debunking the infamous aluminium tubes intel, in which the Bush administration had stated that Hussein was purchasing thousands of aluminium tubes for the purposes of creating centrifuges and ultimately a nuclear weapon.
Landay wrote a story citing a CIA report that disputed this and instead said the aluminium tubes were likely meant for conventional weapons, not a nuclear bomb.
Landay said he had several favourite stories from that time, including one revealing how the Iraqi National Congress (INC), an Iraqi exiled group, fed false reports and intelligence to numerous western newspapers.
One such report was published by the New York Times and was based on an interview with an Iraqi defector who claimed he had visited 20 sites in Iraq associated with a biological weapons programme, adding that there were labs under two presidential sites in residential areas.
9/11 attacks 20 years on: How the 'war on terror' turned full circle
"Are we accurate? Why isn't anyone else reporting what we're reporting?" he wondered on those nights.
Few voices in Washington, at the time, were critical of the war, and several figures in the mainstream media who were critical found themselves no longer employed.
There were some people in the administration as well as members of the press, however, that were supporting their work and cheering them on, albeit in private.
"The rest of the press mostly left us alone. There were some people at other news organisations who quietly cheered us on because their organisations weren't doing what we were doing," Walcott added.
But aside from the silent support, they received a lot of hate, and their reporting had also led to a death threat that was sent to the newsroom, which Landay said didn't do anything to stop their work.
"That really never caused us to pause or dissuaded us from pursuing the journalism that we did, it was journalism. It was our job," Landay said.
'Just do journalism'
Sitting in the Edward B Bunn Intercultural Center at Georgetown University in Washington, Walcott said that he has very few regrets from his time covering the lead-up to the war.
Looking back at his time at Knight Ridder, Walcott said his only regret was not getting to break the story of Curveball, the name given to a now-discredited Iraqi defector who had provided information that was the basis for Bush's claims that Hussein "built a fleet of trucks and railroad cars to produce anthrax and other deadly germs".
He continues to teach at Georgetown and has assigned his students this semester to watch the 2017 film Shock and Awe.
Iraq war architect Ahmed Chalabi dies aged 71
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.
Twenty years after the US invasion of Iraq, the reporting team at Knight Ridder shares how they debunked the Bush administration's relentless march to war
An anti-war placard made from a collage of newspaper clippings during a rally in Bangalore on 27 February 2003 (AFP)
ByUmar A Farooq in
Washington
Published date: 17 March 2023
In the months leading up to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the American media landscape was awash with false reports linking Saddam Hussein to weapons of mass destruction.
That claim, like much of the Bush administration's justifications for the Iraq war, often went unchecked by the overwhelming majority of media organisations.
Except for one newspaper company.
The team covering Washington for Knight Ridder, a media company that merged with McClatchy in 2006, published dozens of articles in several newspapers criticising the intelligence being cited by mainstream US media at the time.
How Bush and Blair plotted war in Iraq: Read the secret memo in fullRead More »
While their reporting couldn't sway public opinion against the invasion of Iraq, twenty years later, the reporters and editors are the subject of the Hollywood-produced documentary, Shock and Awe, directed by Rob Reiner, which chronicles the story of Knight Ridder's coverage.
"I don't want to say [our reporting] brought me satisfaction. It didn't. Because we still invaded. The cost, in lives and money, is just astronomical and we're still paying for it. We're still paying for the consequences of this invasion," said Jonathan Landay, one of the reporters who led Knight Ridder's coverage on Iraq.
Nor did their work strike a serious conversation in the US Congress about the war.
The 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed through the House and Senate with little difficulty.
"Our job isn't to stop wars or to start wars, or to set American foreign policy. But I'll forever be disappointed that our reporting did not stir a real critical debate in Congress," said Warren Strobel, another Knight Ridder reporter who led their Iraq coverage.
Since the invasion in 2003, Brown University's Costs of War project estimates the direct death toll in Iraq, and later in Syria, to be between 550,000 to 580,000 people.
Knight Ridder news
Knight Ridder's coverage in the lead-up to the Iraq war was led by John Walcott, Jonathan Landay, Warren Strobel, and Joe Galloway, who passed away in August 2021.
Walcott, who served as the Washington news editor and later bureau chief from 1999-2006, said many of the towns and cities in the US where Knight Ridder had a strong readership were military towns.
As a result, their outlook on news coverage related to wars can be summed up in a line Walcott stated in the film Shock and Awe, which Walcott, Strobel, and Landay said was based on a real conversation in the newsroom.
"We don't write for people who send other people's kids to war. We write for people whose kids get sent to war," Walcott, played by Reiner, was depicted as saying.
Their coverage exposed holes in the US intelligence against Iraq's then-leader Saddam Hussein as early as 2001.
'We don't write for people who send other people's kids to war. We write for people whose kids get sent to war'- John Walcott, Washington editor at Knight Ridder
"Very soon after the 9/11 attacks, I found out that the Bush administration was considering not just Afghanistan, but also looking at Iraq in terms of military and diplomatic options," Strobel said.
"This is long before they started making the case for war, but just the very fact that they were considering Iraq as a potential target made no sense to me."
What set them apart, according to Walcott, was that the reporters had an extensive network of sources inside the lower and mid-levels of the US military and intelligence apparatus. The links date back to the days of the Vietnam War, according to Walcott.
So rather than relying on the official line toed by top American officials, like other newspapers were doing at the time, Landay, Strobel, and Galloway were able to speak with officials that were more insulated from the politics of national security.
"The value of a source is more often inversely proportional to their rank, rather than directly proportional. The higher you go up the ladder, the more politicised the sources become, understandably so - their job is sales, not research," Walcott said.
"I think there were a lot of reporters who liked to run in those circles. They want to be invited to the right parties. They really want to be part of the first estate, not stand outside and be part of the fourth estate."
This was a part of the problem, Walcott noted. Much of the press corps in Washington at the time was relying on high-level officials in the Bush administration, and failed to push back against their claims or even at times to fact-check.
Debunking intelligence
Between 2001 and 2004, the team of Walcott, Strobel, Landay and Galloway published more than 80 stories related to faulty intelligence on Iraq. The articles are currently available at McClatchy (under a paywall).
The reports included debunking the infamous aluminium tubes intel, in which the Bush administration had stated that Hussein was purchasing thousands of aluminium tubes for the purposes of creating centrifuges and ultimately a nuclear weapon.
Landay wrote a story citing a CIA report that disputed this and instead said the aluminium tubes were likely meant for conventional weapons, not a nuclear bomb.
Landay said he had several favourite stories from that time, including one revealing how the Iraqi National Congress (INC), an Iraqi exiled group, fed false reports and intelligence to numerous western newspapers.
One such report was published by the New York Times and was based on an interview with an Iraqi defector who claimed he had visited 20 sites in Iraq associated with a biological weapons programme, adding that there were labs under two presidential sites in residential areas.
9/11 attacks 20 years on: How the 'war on terror' turned full circle
Read More »
"Who puts a bioweapons lab under their home?" Landay wondered when he saw that report.
It turned out that the defector was coached into saying these things and was even trained to pass a polygraph lie detector test.
"I won't even call it intelligence because it wasn't intelligence. And this stuff was leaked deliberately to The New York Times and other news organisations by an administration that was eager to gin up public support for an invasion," Landay said of the information fed to both US officials and the news media by the INC.
One of Strobel's favourite reports was a story he did with Walcott in February 2002, citing several officials that said Bush had decided "Saddam had to go".
"That story got a lot of attention. We got angry emails from people saying we've given away the president's plans and put American lives at risk, which of course is ridiculous. I'm proud of that story," Strobel said.
By the end of 2002 alone, the team had published more than a dozen stories pushing back against the faulty intelligence being used to justify the war.
"One by one, almost every argument they made to justify invading Iraq just either fell apart or didn't hold water," Walcott said.
"Who puts a bioweapons lab under their home?" Landay wondered when he saw that report.
It turned out that the defector was coached into saying these things and was even trained to pass a polygraph lie detector test.
"I won't even call it intelligence because it wasn't intelligence. And this stuff was leaked deliberately to The New York Times and other news organisations by an administration that was eager to gin up public support for an invasion," Landay said of the information fed to both US officials and the news media by the INC.
One of Strobel's favourite reports was a story he did with Walcott in February 2002, citing several officials that said Bush had decided "Saddam had to go".
"That story got a lot of attention. We got angry emails from people saying we've given away the president's plans and put American lives at risk, which of course is ridiculous. I'm proud of that story," Strobel said.
By the end of 2002 alone, the team had published more than a dozen stories pushing back against the faulty intelligence being used to justify the war.
"One by one, almost every argument they made to justify invading Iraq just either fell apart or didn't hold water," Walcott said.
Knight Ridder was one of the largest newspaper companies in the US during the early 2000s (AFP/File photo)
Yet even though they had done intense, well-researched stories that bucked the mainstream media's coverage, they at times struggled to have their stories read by the public.
Some of their own newspapers wouldn't publish their stories, citing that the information they had wasn't in The New York Times or the Washington Post.
"We probably had greater resources than anyone else. What we didn't have the ability to do - and it's probably right that we didn't - is to tell the newspapers what to print. And so there was a constant struggle going on with newspapers wanting to run with the New York Times," Walcott said.
"There was one editor's meeting I remember at San Jose, when the editor of a fairly prominent newspaper said 'that's the New York Times'," the editor recalled. "'We have to run that'."
The New York Times did get it wrong, and on 26 May 2004, the editorial page published a note to editors, in which it outlined in detail the various stories that were "not as rigorous as it should have been".
Middle East Eye reached out to The New York Times for an interview regarding its coverage leading up to the Iraq War, but the newspaper said no one was available for an interview and referred to its 2004 editor's note.
Incredibly lonely
This period in time was "incredibly lonely", as both Strobel and Landay described it.
"As journalists, you want to be out there in front with a scoop or with a story or with a fresh take on a story," Strobel said.
"But you also want to look behind you and see that others are racing to catch up. We looked behind us and nobody was racing to catch up."
Landay recalled that sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night wondering whether what he was reporting was right.
Yet even though they had done intense, well-researched stories that bucked the mainstream media's coverage, they at times struggled to have their stories read by the public.
Some of their own newspapers wouldn't publish their stories, citing that the information they had wasn't in The New York Times or the Washington Post.
"We probably had greater resources than anyone else. What we didn't have the ability to do - and it's probably right that we didn't - is to tell the newspapers what to print. And so there was a constant struggle going on with newspapers wanting to run with the New York Times," Walcott said.
"There was one editor's meeting I remember at San Jose, when the editor of a fairly prominent newspaper said 'that's the New York Times'," the editor recalled. "'We have to run that'."
The New York Times did get it wrong, and on 26 May 2004, the editorial page published a note to editors, in which it outlined in detail the various stories that were "not as rigorous as it should have been".
Middle East Eye reached out to The New York Times for an interview regarding its coverage leading up to the Iraq War, but the newspaper said no one was available for an interview and referred to its 2004 editor's note.
Incredibly lonely
This period in time was "incredibly lonely", as both Strobel and Landay described it.
"As journalists, you want to be out there in front with a scoop or with a story or with a fresh take on a story," Strobel said.
"But you also want to look behind you and see that others are racing to catch up. We looked behind us and nobody was racing to catch up."
Landay recalled that sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night wondering whether what he was reporting was right.
'Why isn't anyone else reporting what we're reporting?'- Jonathan Landay, reporter at Knight Ridder
"Are we accurate? Why isn't anyone else reporting what we're reporting?" he wondered on those nights.
Few voices in Washington, at the time, were critical of the war, and several figures in the mainstream media who were critical found themselves no longer employed.
There were some people in the administration as well as members of the press, however, that were supporting their work and cheering them on, albeit in private.
"The rest of the press mostly left us alone. There were some people at other news organisations who quietly cheered us on because their organisations weren't doing what we were doing," Walcott added.
But aside from the silent support, they received a lot of hate, and their reporting had also led to a death threat that was sent to the newsroom, which Landay said didn't do anything to stop their work.
"That really never caused us to pause or dissuaded us from pursuing the journalism that we did, it was journalism. It was our job," Landay said.
'Just do journalism'
Sitting in the Edward B Bunn Intercultural Center at Georgetown University in Washington, Walcott said that he has very few regrets from his time covering the lead-up to the war.
Looking back at his time at Knight Ridder, Walcott said his only regret was not getting to break the story of Curveball, the name given to a now-discredited Iraqi defector who had provided information that was the basis for Bush's claims that Hussein "built a fleet of trucks and railroad cars to produce anthrax and other deadly germs".
He continues to teach at Georgetown and has assigned his students this semester to watch the 2017 film Shock and Awe.
Iraq war architect Ahmed Chalabi dies aged 71
Read More »
Since his team's coverage of Iraq in the early 2000s, Knight Ridder has been bought by the publishing company McClatchy. Walcott went on to work for McClatchy for a number of years before moving on to other news companies.
Landay stayed on at McClatchy for nearly a decade before moving to Reuters, where he works in a similar role as national security correspondent. Stroebel is now at the Wall Street Journal, where he is a national security reporter. Galloway died on 18 August 2021.
Besides The New York Times' editor's note in 2004, there has been little public apology from American media for their coverage leading up to the Iraq War.
Walcott noted that Knight Ridder's own newspapers haven't issued any apology and he wasn't expecting them to make one anytime soon.
"The New York Times to its credit, apologised. But I don't recall any of our newspapers apologising to me or anyone else. That would be painful, I understand."
The three journalists have stayed in touch throughout the years, and Strobel and Landay continue to work in the field of national security reporting, where they say that the lessons of the Iraq war coverage are still relevant today.
"A national crisis is no time to lose your head or lose your bearings," said Strobel.
Strobel noted that reporters should continue to be skeptical, pointing to today's cases of fear over a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, as well as the reports of Iran's nuclear programme.
"Just do journalism. Ask the right questions. Don't accept what the government tells you at face value, which is what was happening on the part of virtually all of the media in the run-up to the war in Iraq," said Landay.
Since his team's coverage of Iraq in the early 2000s, Knight Ridder has been bought by the publishing company McClatchy. Walcott went on to work for McClatchy for a number of years before moving on to other news companies.
Landay stayed on at McClatchy for nearly a decade before moving to Reuters, where he works in a similar role as national security correspondent. Stroebel is now at the Wall Street Journal, where he is a national security reporter. Galloway died on 18 August 2021.
Besides The New York Times' editor's note in 2004, there has been little public apology from American media for their coverage leading up to the Iraq War.
Walcott noted that Knight Ridder's own newspapers haven't issued any apology and he wasn't expecting them to make one anytime soon.
"The New York Times to its credit, apologised. But I don't recall any of our newspapers apologising to me or anyone else. That would be painful, I understand."
The three journalists have stayed in touch throughout the years, and Strobel and Landay continue to work in the field of national security reporting, where they say that the lessons of the Iraq war coverage are still relevant today.
"A national crisis is no time to lose your head or lose your bearings," said Strobel.
Strobel noted that reporters should continue to be skeptical, pointing to today's cases of fear over a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, as well as the reports of Iran's nuclear programme.
"Just do journalism. Ask the right questions. Don't accept what the government tells you at face value, which is what was happening on the part of virtually all of the media in the run-up to the war in Iraq," said Landay.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.
Detroit customs officials find 6 live Giant African Snails in suitcase at airport
The Giant African Snails are meant to be eaten and are even kept as pets in some countries
By Louis Casiano | Fox News
Border officials seized six live Giant African Snails inside a suitcase belonging to a traveler who traveled from Africa to Detroit, authorities said Friday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) found the snails at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. They were found in the suitcase of a traveler who had just arrived from Ghana.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials found six Giant African Snails inside a suitcase in Detroit belonging to a traveler who had arrived from Ghana. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
"Our CBP officers and agriculture specialists work diligently to target, detect, and intercept potential threats before they have a chance to do harm to U.S. interests," said Port Director Robert Larkin. "The discovery of this highly invasive pest truly benefits the health and well-being of the American people."
The snails were meant to be eaten, authorities aid. They pose health risks to humans and the environment.
The Giant African Snails can carry a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis in humans. They can also eat at least 500 different types of plants, along with plaster and stucco, meaning they can cause significant damage to structures and ecosystems.
They are prohibited in the United States and are popular for consumption and are even kept as pets in some countries.
The Giant African Snails are meant to be eaten and are even kept as pets in some countries
By Louis Casiano | Fox News
Border officials seized six live Giant African Snails inside a suitcase belonging to a traveler who traveled from Africa to Detroit, authorities said Friday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) found the snails at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. They were found in the suitcase of a traveler who had just arrived from Ghana.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials found six Giant African Snails inside a suitcase in Detroit belonging to a traveler who had arrived from Ghana. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
"Our CBP officers and agriculture specialists work diligently to target, detect, and intercept potential threats before they have a chance to do harm to U.S. interests," said Port Director Robert Larkin. "The discovery of this highly invasive pest truly benefits the health and well-being of the American people."
The snails were meant to be eaten, authorities aid. They pose health risks to humans and the environment.
The Giant African Snails can carry a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis in humans. They can also eat at least 500 different types of plants, along with plaster and stucco, meaning they can cause significant damage to structures and ecosystems.
They are prohibited in the United States and are popular for consumption and are even kept as pets in some countries.
Half of bottled water sales enough to provide safe tap water to all: UN report
CGTN
Drinking water. /CFP
The report notes that the bottled water industry is mostly unregulated, as policymakers have been unable to keep pace with its rapid expansion.
This has brought risks such as "uncontrolled groundwater withdrawal for bottling," which could eventually lead to groundwater depletion or scarcity, the authors said.
Vladimir Smakhtin of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) in Hamilton, Canada, said that two billion people still do not have access to safely managed drinking water.
The situation is worst in Sub-Saharan Africa, and globally it is compounded by the continuing expansion of bottled water markets, which he argued distracts attention and resources from public water systems development.
There has been some progress, with 74 percent of the world's population in 2020 using safely managed drinking water, up from 62 percent in 2000.
But "we are significantly off-track" to meeting a UN target of making drinking water universally available by 2030, said Smakhtin, a co-author of the report, adding that "the current trend is not sustainable."
"We must try to invest more in public water supplies to provide people with stable reliable water rather than bottled," he said.
The reports' authors also called for more transparency and legal measures that would compel bottled water companies to publicly disclose water volumes extracted and assess the environmental consequences of their activities.
Source(s): AFP
CGTN
Environment 17-Mar-2023
Half of the money spent globally on bottled water, sales of which have exploded in recent decades, would be enough to provide universal access to clean drinking water from taps, according to a UN study released Thursday.
A shift in drinking habits away from bottled water would also lead to a big drop in plastics waste, as an estimated 85 percent of bottles end up in landfills, the report says.
However, the study's Canada-based authors flag that a misconception around the safety of both tap and bottled water plays a major role in individuals' preferences.
"The perception is that bottled water is the healthiest option," lead author Zeineb Bouhlel said.
"But we've shown that this is not necessarily the case, and people are paying a lot more for bottled water, from 150 to 1,000 times higher than for a liter of tap water," she said.
According to the study, contaminants have been found in hundreds of bottled water brands in more than 40 countries, often exceeding local or global standards.
Over the past decade, global bottled water sales jumped 73 percent to almost $270 billion and 350 billion liters.
Some 600 billion plastic bottles are produced each year, amounting to approximately 25 million tonnes of plastic waste.
In the Global North, consumers tend to buy bottled water because of its portability and a perception it is healthier and tastier than tap water, whereas in the Global South sales are usually spurred by a lack of reliable public water supplies.
Half of the money spent globally on bottled water, sales of which have exploded in recent decades, would be enough to provide universal access to clean drinking water from taps, according to a UN study released Thursday.
A shift in drinking habits away from bottled water would also lead to a big drop in plastics waste, as an estimated 85 percent of bottles end up in landfills, the report says.
However, the study's Canada-based authors flag that a misconception around the safety of both tap and bottled water plays a major role in individuals' preferences.
"The perception is that bottled water is the healthiest option," lead author Zeineb Bouhlel said.
"But we've shown that this is not necessarily the case, and people are paying a lot more for bottled water, from 150 to 1,000 times higher than for a liter of tap water," she said.
According to the study, contaminants have been found in hundreds of bottled water brands in more than 40 countries, often exceeding local or global standards.
Over the past decade, global bottled water sales jumped 73 percent to almost $270 billion and 350 billion liters.
Some 600 billion plastic bottles are produced each year, amounting to approximately 25 million tonnes of plastic waste.
In the Global North, consumers tend to buy bottled water because of its portability and a perception it is healthier and tastier than tap water, whereas in the Global South sales are usually spurred by a lack of reliable public water supplies.
Drinking water. /CFP
The report notes that the bottled water industry is mostly unregulated, as policymakers have been unable to keep pace with its rapid expansion.
This has brought risks such as "uncontrolled groundwater withdrawal for bottling," which could eventually lead to groundwater depletion or scarcity, the authors said.
Vladimir Smakhtin of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) in Hamilton, Canada, said that two billion people still do not have access to safely managed drinking water.
The situation is worst in Sub-Saharan Africa, and globally it is compounded by the continuing expansion of bottled water markets, which he argued distracts attention and resources from public water systems development.
There has been some progress, with 74 percent of the world's population in 2020 using safely managed drinking water, up from 62 percent in 2000.
But "we are significantly off-track" to meeting a UN target of making drinking water universally available by 2030, said Smakhtin, a co-author of the report, adding that "the current trend is not sustainable."
"We must try to invest more in public water supplies to provide people with stable reliable water rather than bottled," he said.
The reports' authors also called for more transparency and legal measures that would compel bottled water companies to publicly disclose water volumes extracted and assess the environmental consequences of their activities.
Source(s): AFP
French govt faces no-confidence votes over pensions fight
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government on Friday faced no-confidence motions in parliament and intensified protests after imposing a contentious pension reform without a vote in the lower house. — AFP pic
Saturday, 18 Mar 2023
PARIS, March 18 — French President Emmanuel Macron’s government on Friday faced no-confidence motions in parliament and intensified protests after imposing a contentious pension reform without a vote in the lower house.
The situation presents Macron, who has only made occasional public comments on the matter, with one of his biggest challenges less than one year into his second and final mandate.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Thursday invoked article 49.3 of the constitution to impose the pension overhaul by decree, sparking angry demonstrations nationwide that raged unabated yesterday.
French opposition lawmakers on Friday retaliated by filing motions of no-confidence in the government, hoping to repeal the deeply unpopular law, which will hike the retirement age from 62 to 64.
“The vote on this motion will allow us to get out on top of a deep political crisis,” said lawmaker Bertrand Pancher, whose motion was signed by independents and members of the broad left-wing NUPES coalition.
The far-right National Rally (RN) filed a second motion. It was expected to get less backing, but the party said it would also vote for the other motion.
They are likely to be debated in parliament on Monday afternoon, parliamentary sources told AFP.
Borne’s government is largely expected to survive any vote. The no-confidence motion would need backing from around half the contingent of the opposition right-wing Republicans, a scenario seen as highly improbable.
‘Won’t give up’
Across France, fresh protests erupted on Friday, the latest show of popular opposition to the bill since mid-January.
“We won’t give up,” said Philippe Melaine, a 49-year-old biology teacher. “There’s still hope that the reform can be revoked.”
In Paris, thousands of demonstrators gathered for a second night running at the historic Place de la Concorde across the river from parliament, where a large fire burned.
Groups of people threw bottles and fireworks at the security forces, who responded by firing tear gas to try to clear the square. Police said they made 12 arrests.
In the energy sector, CGT union representative Eric Sellini strikers would halt production at a large refinery by this weekend or Monday.
Strikers continued to deliver less fuel than normal from several other sites, he added.
Dozens of protesters flooded onto the train tracks at the main station in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, an AFP photographer said.
Unions have called for another day of mass strikes and protests for next Thursday, branding the government’s move “a complete denial of democracy”.
“Changing the government or prime minister will not put out this fire, only withdrawing the reform,” said the head of the moderate CFDT union, Laurent Berger.
‘Playing with fire’
Macron put the pensions reform, which also seeks to increase the number of years people have to work to receive a full pension, at the centre of his re-election campaign last year.
But the 45-year-old former banker lost his parliamentary majority in June after elections for the lower-house National Assembly.
Opposition lawmakers jeered and booed as Borne invoked the controversial article 49.3 to ram through the pensions law on Thursday, having failed to ensure a majority.
The influential Le Monde newspaper warned that Macron was “playing with fire”.
“If the country slides into a new bout of anger or locks itself into vengeful paralysis, the executive will only have itself to blame,” it said in an editorial.
Borne, whose own position is now on the line, has used the contested loophole to bypass a parliament vote 11 times since becoming prime minister last year.
RN figurehead Marine Le Pen, who leads its MPs in parliament, has described Thursday’s cabinet move as “a total failure for the government”.
‘Wreaking havoc’
Trains, schools, public services and ports have since January been disrupted by strikes against the proposed reform.
A rolling strike by municipal garbage collectors in Paris has left about 10,000 tonnes of trash piled up in the streets, according to the mayor’s office, attracting rats and putting off tourists.
Unions from national train operator SNCF Friday meanwhile urged workers to continue a rolling strike that has caused major disruption on the network.
Already on Thursday night, police used tear gas to clear demonstrators after a fire was lit at the Place de la Concorde, and similar scenes unfolded across France.
The ensuing unrest saw 310 people arrested around the country, including 258 in Paris, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
“The opposition is legitimate, the protests are legitimate, but wreaking havoc is not,” he said.
According to polls, two-thirds of French people oppose the pensions overhaul. — AFP
retirement age
Sylvie Corbet and Barbara Surk
Mar 18 2023
Angry protesters took to the streets in Paris and other cities for a second day on Friday (local time), trying to pressure lawmakers to bring down French President Emmanuel Macron's government and doom the unpopular retirement age increase he's trying to impose without a vote in the National Assembly.
A day after Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne invoked a special constitutional power to skirt a vote in the chaotic lower chamber, lawmakers on the right and left filed no-confidence motions to be voted on Monday.
At the elegant Place de Concorde, a festive protest by several thousand, with chants, dancing and a huge bonfire, degenerated into a scene echoing the night before. Riot police charged and threw tear gas to empty the huge square across from the National Assembly after troublemakers climbed scaffolding on a renovation site, arming themselves with wood. They lobbed fireworks and paving stones at police in a standoff.
On Thursday night, security forces charged and used water cannons to evacuate the area, and small groups then set street fires in chic neighbourhoods nearby. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told radio station RTL that 310 people were arrested overnight, most of them in Paris.
READ MORE:
* Neither protests nor rubbish piles stop French bill that will raise retirement age
* Why France is arguing about work, and the right to be lazy
* French election: Macron in pole position, Le Pen racing hard
* Macron leads French presidential race, despite barely campaigning
DANIEL COLE/AP
Protesters march during a demonstration in Marseille, southern France,
on March 16, 2023.
Mostly small, scattered protests were held in cities around France, from a march in Bordeaux to a rally in Toulouse. Port officers in Calais temporarily stopped ferries from crossing the English Channel to Dover. Some university campuses in Paris were blocked and protesters occupied a high-traffic ring road around the French capital.
Paris garbage collectors extended their strike for a 12th day, with piles of foul-smelling rubbish growing daily in the French capital. Striking sanitation workers continued to block Europe’s largest incineration site and two other sites that treat Paris garbage.
Some yellow vest activists, who mounted formidable protests against Macron’s economic policies during his first term, were among those who relayed Friday's Paris protest on social media. Police say that “radicalised yellow vests” are among troublemakers at protest marches.
Trade unions organising the opposition urged demonstrators to remain peaceful during more strikes and marches in the days ahead. They have called on people to leave schools, factories, refineries and other workplaces to force Macron to abandon his plan to make the French to work two more years, until 64, before receiving a full pension.
Protesters march during a demonstration in Marseille, southern France,
on March 16, 2023.
Mostly small, scattered protests were held in cities around France, from a march in Bordeaux to a rally in Toulouse. Port officers in Calais temporarily stopped ferries from crossing the English Channel to Dover. Some university campuses in Paris were blocked and protesters occupied a high-traffic ring road around the French capital.
Paris garbage collectors extended their strike for a 12th day, with piles of foul-smelling rubbish growing daily in the French capital. Striking sanitation workers continued to block Europe’s largest incineration site and two other sites that treat Paris garbage.
Some yellow vest activists, who mounted formidable protests against Macron’s economic policies during his first term, were among those who relayed Friday's Paris protest on social media. Police say that “radicalised yellow vests” are among troublemakers at protest marches.
Trade unions organising the opposition urged demonstrators to remain peaceful during more strikes and marches in the days ahead. They have called on people to leave schools, factories, refineries and other workplaces to force Macron to abandon his plan to make the French to work two more years, until 64, before receiving a full pension.
LEWIS JOLY/AP
Rubbish, which is left on the roadside as Paris rubbish collectors strike,
is set on fire by protesters after a demonstration near Concorde square, in Paris.
Macron took a calculated risk ordering Borne to invoke a special constitutional power that she had used 10 times before without triggering such an outpouring of anger.
If the no-confidence votes fail, the bill becomes law. If a majority agrees, it would spell the end of the retirement reform plan and force the government to resign, although Macron could always reappoint Borne to name the new Cabinet.
“We are not going to stop,” CGT union representative Régis Vieceli told The Associated Press on Friday. He said overwhelming the streets with discontent and refusing to continue working is “the only way that we will get them to back down.”
Macron has made the proposed pension changes the key priority of his second term, arguing that reform is needed to make the French economy more competitive and to keep the pension system from diving into deficit. France, like many richer nations, faces lower birth rates and longer life expectancy.
Rubbish, which is left on the roadside as Paris rubbish collectors strike,
is set on fire by protesters after a demonstration near Concorde square, in Paris.
Macron took a calculated risk ordering Borne to invoke a special constitutional power that she had used 10 times before without triggering such an outpouring of anger.
If the no-confidence votes fail, the bill becomes law. If a majority agrees, it would spell the end of the retirement reform plan and force the government to resign, although Macron could always reappoint Borne to name the new Cabinet.
“We are not going to stop,” CGT union representative Régis Vieceli told The Associated Press on Friday. He said overwhelming the streets with discontent and refusing to continue working is “the only way that we will get them to back down.”
Macron has made the proposed pension changes the key priority of his second term, arguing that reform is needed to make the French economy more competitive and to keep the pension system from diving into deficit. France, like many richer nations, faces lower birth rates and longer life expectancy.
DANIEL COLE/AP
People run from tear gas fired by French riot police during a
demonstration in Marseille, southern France.
Macron's conservative allies in the Senate passed the bill, but frantic counts of lower-house lawmakers Thursday showed a slight risk it would fall short of a majority, so Macron decided to invoke the constitution's Article 49-3 to bypass a vote.
Getting a no-confidence motion to pass will be challenging – none have succeeded since 1962, and Macron’s centrist alliance still has the most seats in the National Assembly. A minority of conservatives could stray from the Republicans party line, but it remains to be seen whether they're willing to bring down Macron's government.
Associated Press reporters Elaine Ganley, Alex Turnbull and Nicolas Garriga contributed to this report.
People run from tear gas fired by French riot police during a
demonstration in Marseille, southern France.
Macron's conservative allies in the Senate passed the bill, but frantic counts of lower-house lawmakers Thursday showed a slight risk it would fall short of a majority, so Macron decided to invoke the constitution's Article 49-3 to bypass a vote.
Getting a no-confidence motion to pass will be challenging – none have succeeded since 1962, and Macron’s centrist alliance still has the most seats in the National Assembly. A minority of conservatives could stray from the Republicans party line, but it remains to be seen whether they're willing to bring down Macron's government.
Associated Press reporters Elaine Ganley, Alex Turnbull and Nicolas Garriga contributed to this report.
Heathrow strike threatens 'severe delays and disruption' for Easter
London airport says it has contingency plans in place to keep the travel hub running
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More than 1,400 security workers at Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport, will strike from March 31 through April 9, which is Easter Sunday. PA
Simon Rushton
Mar 17, 2023
Security staff at London's Heathrow Airport have voted to strike for 10 days in a walkout that will occur during the busy Easter bank holiday period.
The strike involves security guards employed at Terminal Five, which is used exclusively by British Airways, and campus security guards who are responsible for checking all cargo that enters the airport.
The Unite union warned the airport would “experience severe delays and disruption” around Easter.
READ MORE
Anti-Macron protests as French leader 'plays with fire' over pensions
More than 1,400 security workers at Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport, will strike from March 31 through April 9, which is Easter Sunday.
It is the latest flare-up after months of strikes over pay across a number of sectors, including health care, railways and education, as the cost-of-living crisis leads inflation past 10 per cent.
“Workers at Heathrow Airport are on poverty wages while the chief executive and senior managers enjoy huge salaries,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
“It is the airport's workers who are fundamental to its success and they deserve a fair pay increase.
“Our members are simply unable to make ends meet due to the low wages paid by Heathrow. They are being forced to take strike action due to need not greed.
“Unite has a laser-like focus on prioritising the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and Heathrow needs to be in no doubt that the workers at the airport will receive the union's unstinting support.”
Updated: March 17, 2023, 3:16 p.m.
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London airport says it has contingency plans in place to keep the travel hub running
More than 1,400 security workers at Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport, will strike from March 31 through April 9, which is Easter Sunday. PA
Simon Rushton
Mar 17, 2023
Security staff at London's Heathrow Airport have voted to strike for 10 days in a walkout that will occur during the busy Easter bank holiday period.
The strike involves security guards employed at Terminal Five, which is used exclusively by British Airways, and campus security guards who are responsible for checking all cargo that enters the airport.
The Unite union warned the airport would “experience severe delays and disruption” around Easter.
READ MORE
Anti-Macron protests as French leader 'plays with fire' over pensions
More than 1,400 security workers at Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport, will strike from March 31 through April 9, which is Easter Sunday.
It is the latest flare-up after months of strikes over pay across a number of sectors, including health care, railways and education, as the cost-of-living crisis leads inflation past 10 per cent.
“Workers at Heathrow Airport are on poverty wages while the chief executive and senior managers enjoy huge salaries,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
“It is the airport's workers who are fundamental to its success and they deserve a fair pay increase.
“Our members are simply unable to make ends meet due to the low wages paid by Heathrow. They are being forced to take strike action due to need not greed.
“Unite has a laser-like focus on prioritising the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and Heathrow needs to be in no doubt that the workers at the airport will receive the union's unstinting support.”
The union said the airport's offer of a 10 per cent pay increase did not make up for years of pay freezes and cuts.
Heathrow said it had contingency plans in place to keep the airport running.
“Passengers can be reassured that we have contingency plans which will keep the airport open and operational despite unnecessary threats of strike action by Unite,” an representative said.
“We have proposed an inflation-beating 10 per cent increase in pay which the public will recognise is fair and a majority of our colleagues have told Unite is not worth striking over. We urge Unite to come back to the table to discuss implementing it.
“Threatening to ruin people's hard-earned holidays with strike action will not improve the deal. We want to do the right thing by our people and our passengers; each day only delays this pay rise reaching Unite members' pockets.”
Earlier this week in the UK, train drivers, junior doctors, teachers, civil servants and London Underground workers walked out as part of continuing protests over pay.
On Thursday, unions representing more than 1,000 passport office workers said they would go on strike for five weeks before the summer travel season.
Nurses have suspended further planned strikes after a revised pay offer from managers.
Heathrow said it had contingency plans in place to keep the airport running.
“Passengers can be reassured that we have contingency plans which will keep the airport open and operational despite unnecessary threats of strike action by Unite,” an representative said.
“We have proposed an inflation-beating 10 per cent increase in pay which the public will recognise is fair and a majority of our colleagues have told Unite is not worth striking over. We urge Unite to come back to the table to discuss implementing it.
“Threatening to ruin people's hard-earned holidays with strike action will not improve the deal. We want to do the right thing by our people and our passengers; each day only delays this pay rise reaching Unite members' pockets.”
Earlier this week in the UK, train drivers, junior doctors, teachers, civil servants and London Underground workers walked out as part of continuing protests over pay.
On Thursday, unions representing more than 1,000 passport office workers said they would go on strike for five weeks before the summer travel season.
Nurses have suspended further planned strikes after a revised pay offer from managers.
Updated: March 17, 2023, 3:16 p.m.
A CANADIAN ON THE PICKET LINE
Democratic Senators Mull Legislation Conditioning US Aid to Israel
by Andrew Bernard
MARCH 17, 2023
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks after the senate voted on a resolution ending US military support for the war in Yemen on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, December 13, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts.
US Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) on Thursday said that he believes the US should condition aid to Israel based on the country’s support for a two-state solution.
“I worry that we are at a moment in which we are watching a future Palestinian state be obliterated by the pace of settlements, by the legalization of outposts,” Murphy said in an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson. “And I think the United States needs to draw a harder line with this government. If we’re going to continue to be in the business of supporting the Israeli government, they have to be in the continued business of a future Palestinian state. And that does not seem to be the policy of this government right now. So whether it’s conditionality of aid to Israel, whether it’s conditionality of visits to the United States, we have got to send a message that this assault on the two–state solution, in particular, is very bad for the US-Israel relationship in the long run.”
In December, the US provided some $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel and an additional $500 million for cooperative missile defense programs like Iron Dome. Israel is the largest regular recipient of annual US aid, and under the 2016 memorandum of understanding between the two countries, Israel will continue to receive $3.8 billion from the US each year until 2028.
While that money is spent by Israel largely on buying US-made arms, including the F-35, and on defensive systems like Iron Dome, making that aid conditional on Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians has become a rallying cry of the progressive wing of the Democratic party.
Speaking in 2019 during the Democratic presidential primaries, then-candidate Joe Biden said it would be “absolutely outrageous” and a “gigantic mistake” to condition US aid to Israel on policy choices regarding the Palestinians. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), however, said during the race that “everything is on the table” if Israel appeared to be retreating from the two-state solution, while Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made it his position that military aid to Israel should be conditioned on Israeli humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Sanders, however, said on Face the Nation on Feb. 19, that he was now considering introducing legislation conditioning US aid on Israel’s Palestinian policies.
“I am very worried about what Netanyahu is doing and some of his allies in government and what may happen to the Palestinian people,” Sanders said. “And let me tell you something, I haven’t said this publicly, but I think the United States gives billions of dollars in aid to Israel, and I think we’ve got to put some strings attached to that and say you cannot run a racist government. You cannot turn your back on a two-state solution. You cannot demean the Palestinian people there. You just can’t do it and then come to America and ask for money.”
Sanders added that he was “embarrassed” by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and also accused AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups of trying to destroy the American progressive movement by supporting pro-Israel candidates in Democratic primaries.
Democratic primaries have become a key battleground for campaign spending by pro-Israel groups like AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel as they try to shore up Democratic support for Israel in Congress against the party’s increasingly hostile left flank.
The proposals to condition aid come amid a period of heightened tension between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu-led Israeli government. Israeli media report that Netanyahu has instructed his ministers not to visit Washington until he has received an invitation to visit the White House. US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said in an interview in February that Israel should “pump the brakes” on its judicial reform package, prompting Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli to say that Nides should “mind [his] own business.”
That conflicted attitude towards Israel now increasingly extends to the Democratic party electorate. The polling organization Gallup on Thursday found that for the first time Democrats are more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israelis.
“It’s clear that the presidential and Congressional wings of the party remain strongly pro-Israel even as we all struggle with some specific policies of the current Israeli government,” DMFI President Mark Mellman told The Algemeiner. “But it’s no secret that support for Israel is fraying among some key constituencies.”
Senators Sanders and Murphy did not immediately respond to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.
by Andrew Bernard
MARCH 17, 2023
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks after the senate voted on a resolution ending US military support for the war in Yemen on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, December 13, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts.
US Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) on Thursday said that he believes the US should condition aid to Israel based on the country’s support for a two-state solution.
“I worry that we are at a moment in which we are watching a future Palestinian state be obliterated by the pace of settlements, by the legalization of outposts,” Murphy said in an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson. “And I think the United States needs to draw a harder line with this government. If we’re going to continue to be in the business of supporting the Israeli government, they have to be in the continued business of a future Palestinian state. And that does not seem to be the policy of this government right now. So whether it’s conditionality of aid to Israel, whether it’s conditionality of visits to the United States, we have got to send a message that this assault on the two–state solution, in particular, is very bad for the US-Israel relationship in the long run.”
In December, the US provided some $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel and an additional $500 million for cooperative missile defense programs like Iron Dome. Israel is the largest regular recipient of annual US aid, and under the 2016 memorandum of understanding between the two countries, Israel will continue to receive $3.8 billion from the US each year until 2028.
While that money is spent by Israel largely on buying US-made arms, including the F-35, and on defensive systems like Iron Dome, making that aid conditional on Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians has become a rallying cry of the progressive wing of the Democratic party.
Speaking in 2019 during the Democratic presidential primaries, then-candidate Joe Biden said it would be “absolutely outrageous” and a “gigantic mistake” to condition US aid to Israel on policy choices regarding the Palestinians. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), however, said during the race that “everything is on the table” if Israel appeared to be retreating from the two-state solution, while Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made it his position that military aid to Israel should be conditioned on Israeli humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Sanders, however, said on Face the Nation on Feb. 19, that he was now considering introducing legislation conditioning US aid on Israel’s Palestinian policies.
“I am very worried about what Netanyahu is doing and some of his allies in government and what may happen to the Palestinian people,” Sanders said. “And let me tell you something, I haven’t said this publicly, but I think the United States gives billions of dollars in aid to Israel, and I think we’ve got to put some strings attached to that and say you cannot run a racist government. You cannot turn your back on a two-state solution. You cannot demean the Palestinian people there. You just can’t do it and then come to America and ask for money.”
Sanders added that he was “embarrassed” by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and also accused AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups of trying to destroy the American progressive movement by supporting pro-Israel candidates in Democratic primaries.
Democratic primaries have become a key battleground for campaign spending by pro-Israel groups like AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel as they try to shore up Democratic support for Israel in Congress against the party’s increasingly hostile left flank.
The proposals to condition aid come amid a period of heightened tension between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu-led Israeli government. Israeli media report that Netanyahu has instructed his ministers not to visit Washington until he has received an invitation to visit the White House. US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said in an interview in February that Israel should “pump the brakes” on its judicial reform package, prompting Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli to say that Nides should “mind [his] own business.”
That conflicted attitude towards Israel now increasingly extends to the Democratic party electorate. The polling organization Gallup on Thursday found that for the first time Democrats are more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israelis.
“It’s clear that the presidential and Congressional wings of the party remain strongly pro-Israel even as we all struggle with some specific policies of the current Israeli government,” DMFI President Mark Mellman told The Algemeiner. “But it’s no secret that support for Israel is fraying among some key constituencies.”
Senators Sanders and Murphy did not immediately respond to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.
Far-right Israeli minister finds enemy in JDC, the mainstream American Jewish aid group
BY PHILISSA CRAMER MARCH 17, 2023
An employee of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, right, hands out an aid package to a Jewish woman in Kharkiv, Ukraine during the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.
JDC staff packing matzahs and haggadahs for online seders in Odessa, Ukraine, April 7, 2022. (JDC)
In Israel, the group funds and operates efforts to help needy populations — including immigrants, the elderly, people with disabilities and people living in poverty. Those efforts often involve working with the government, which in 2007 gave the JDC Israel’s most prestigious prize for its work. This year, according to a spokesman, the group is spending $129 million on Israel initiatives.
The JDC’s government-funded programs include the anti-violence effort that Ben-Gvir is targeting. It was made possible last year due to nearly $1 billion in funding to curb crime in Arab communities by the previous governing coalition, which was centrist. The allocation followed lobbying by Arab and civil society organizations, including the Abraham Initiatives, which is now monitoring how the money is being used as well as its impact.
Arab citizens of Israel make up 84% of crime victims despite comprising just 20% of the population, according to government data released last year that showed a sharp rise in the proportion of Arab Israelis who had experienced violent crime.
Many in Arab communities have called for heightened law enforcement and have charged Israeli police with making inadequate efforts to keep their communities safe. This week, commenting on the shooting death of an Arab Israeli woman, Arab Israeli opposition lawmaker Ahmad Tibi accused Ben-Gvir of being “occupied with other matters,” such as clashes with the attorney general and police officials in Tel Aviv. “Maybe the time has come for senior officials to demonstrate responsibility when it comes to crime organizations and weapons running rampant,” Tibi said.
Other initiatives have aimed to tackle the violence in ways that go beyond policing. The program that Ben-Gvir said he is shutting down is one of them. Called Stop the Bleeding, it involves multiple government ministries as well as local community groups and education efforts and has operated in seven cities with large Arab populations, including a Bedouin town and Lod, a city with significant Arab organized crime networks that also has a large Jewish population.
Be’eri-Sulitzeanu said the program was already starting to bear fruit and had contributed to a slowdown in a multi-year rise in murders. Canceling the program, he said, reflects the current government’s general approach to tackling Israel’s problems.
“It’s not about collaboration. It’s not about hearing the concerns and pain and hopes and needs of the Arab community,” he said. “It’s about doing everything unilaterally, and really without a lot of care for the lives of those people. I think that’s what we are watching.”
MK Ahmad Tibi attends a meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Dec. 6, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
A year ago, around the time when the previous government awarded the Stop the Bleeding contract to the JDC, Bezalel Smotrich, a key Ben-Gvir ally who was then an opposition lawmaker and now serves alongside Ben-Gvir as finance minister, proposed that Israel create a “command center” of “all of the relevant entities” that provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian Jewish refugees. Included on his list, alongside the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Red Cross: the JDC.
The JDC is not the first mainstream group to be targeted by far-right members of Israel’s new right-wing government, whose signature legislative effort aims to sap the power and independence of the country’s judiciary. That legislation has given rise to a sweeping protest movement and to grave warnings about Israel’s future from a broad range of public figures — including elder statesmen, foreign governments and religious leaders.
Avi Maoz, the leader of the anti-LGBTQ Noam Party who briefly held a leadership role in Israel’s Education Ministry, compiled a list of American and British groups that he believes are trying to impose their liberal values on Israeli schoolchildren. “We must protect our people and our state from the infiltration of the alien bodies that arrive from foreign countries, foreign bodies, foreign foundations,” Maoz once said. Maoz has since resigned from that role, saying that he did not think he was being sufficiently empowered to fulfill his goals by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
But Be’eri-Sulitzeanu said he remains concerned about civil-society programs, especially those falling under the purview of far-right ministers including Ben-Gvir or those funded by American Jews, whom some on the right perceive as universally liberal.
People who are paying attention to local governance in Israel expect further tensions around initiatives that do not match Ben-Gvir’s attitudes about harsh policing. Ben-Gvir wants officers to have the right to shoot Arabs who throw stones, has called for a crackdown on anti-government protesters and is increasingly clashing with police officials who believe his orders could jeopardize public safety. Multiple former police commissioners have called for his dismissal.
“Ben-Gvir has his own political agenda and he has his own ax to grind, and at the moment, I think he’s not keen on developing services of the Arab population, either in security or juvenile delinquency or education,” said Amos Avgar, who worked for the JDC in Israel, Russia and the United States for 30 years until 2010, including as chief programming officer.
Avgar emphasized that the JDC has always studiously avoided political activity. “If there’s one thing that the JDC is not, it is not political,” he said. “It always shied [away] from anything that had the smell of politics and never dealt with any project by political agenda.”
It’s unclear how quickly Ben-Gvir’s announcement, made during a government meeting and first reported by Israel’s public broadcaster, will ultimately translate into changes. Geller, the JDC spokesman, said the organization had learned about the criticism only from the media, not from Ben-Gvir’s office. Later, amid an outcry, Ben-Gvir’s office said the funding decision had followed a review of contracts that revealed missing documentation from the JDC, a charge that the JDC denied.
Amnon-Sulitzeanu said he didn’t have high hopes for the program’s future.
“I think the first [characterization] is unfortunately going to be the correct one — that he is actually intending to stop it, which is very unfortunate because it is among the more serious programs that are willing to deal with this catastrophe,” he said. “And it shows again that the current minister is not so much interested in saving lives of Arab citizens.”
BY PHILISSA CRAMER MARCH 17, 2023
An employee of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, right, hands out an aid package to a Jewish woman in Kharkiv, Ukraine during the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.
(Courtesy of JDC)
(JTA) — An American Jewish group that has provided aid to Jewish communities in crisis for more than a century has become the target of one of Israel’s newly empowered far-right ministers.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who serves as national security minister, said on Wednesday that he was shutting down a program dedicated to reducing violence in Arab Israeli towns. His reason: The program is operated by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which he called a “leftist organization.”
“JDC is a nonpolitical organization and has been so since our founding in 1914,” Michael Geller, a spokesperson for JDC, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Ben-Gvir’s characterization baffled many across the Jewish communal world who know the JDC as a nonpartisan group with an extensive track record of providing humanitarian aid to Jews in distress.
To them, Ben-Gvir’s criticism of the group is the latest sign that the rupture of political norms in Israel extends beyond the judicial reforms advanced by the government, which have drawn unprecedented protests.
“To call the JDC a left-wing organization is a joke. It is not political in any way,” said Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeanu, co-CEO of the Abraham Initiatives, a nonprofit that works toward an “equal and shared society” for Jewish and Arab Israelis.
Be’eri-Sulitzeanu, who is Jewish, said he anticipated changes by the right-wing government, which was inaugurated in December. But he was surprised by Ben-Gvir’s announcement.
“I could expect revisiting collaboration with organizations that are branded as civil rights or human rights or Israeli-Palestinian organizations,” he added. “But the JDC — it’s very strange.”
Founded in 1914 by the American Jewish banker Jacob Schiff to aid Jews living in Palestine, the “Joint” has distributed billions of dollars in assistance across 70 countries — including, over the last year, to 43,000 Ukrainian Jews amid the war there. It played a central role in aiding Holocaust survivors following World War II, as well as in the resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union.
Among its biggest sources of support are Jewish federations, the nonpartisan umbrella charities found in nearly every major North American Jewish community.
“JDC is an apolitical organization that has worked with every government since the establishment of the State of Israel, providing critical services to the elderly, youth-at-risk, people with disabilities and other underserved populations across all sectors, including Haredim and Arab-Israelis,” the Jewish Federations of North America said in a statement. “JDC’s activities are a living and breathing example of the Jewish values of tikkun olam and tzedakah that guide Jewish Federations’ work every day,” Hebrew phrases that connote the Jewish imperative to repair the world, as well as charity.
(JTA) — An American Jewish group that has provided aid to Jewish communities in crisis for more than a century has become the target of one of Israel’s newly empowered far-right ministers.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who serves as national security minister, said on Wednesday that he was shutting down a program dedicated to reducing violence in Arab Israeli towns. His reason: The program is operated by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which he called a “leftist organization.”
“JDC is a nonpolitical organization and has been so since our founding in 1914,” Michael Geller, a spokesperson for JDC, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Ben-Gvir’s characterization baffled many across the Jewish communal world who know the JDC as a nonpartisan group with an extensive track record of providing humanitarian aid to Jews in distress.
To them, Ben-Gvir’s criticism of the group is the latest sign that the rupture of political norms in Israel extends beyond the judicial reforms advanced by the government, which have drawn unprecedented protests.
“To call the JDC a left-wing organization is a joke. It is not political in any way,” said Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeanu, co-CEO of the Abraham Initiatives, a nonprofit that works toward an “equal and shared society” for Jewish and Arab Israelis.
Be’eri-Sulitzeanu, who is Jewish, said he anticipated changes by the right-wing government, which was inaugurated in December. But he was surprised by Ben-Gvir’s announcement.
“I could expect revisiting collaboration with organizations that are branded as civil rights or human rights or Israeli-Palestinian organizations,” he added. “But the JDC — it’s very strange.”
Founded in 1914 by the American Jewish banker Jacob Schiff to aid Jews living in Palestine, the “Joint” has distributed billions of dollars in assistance across 70 countries — including, over the last year, to 43,000 Ukrainian Jews amid the war there. It played a central role in aiding Holocaust survivors following World War II, as well as in the resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union.
Among its biggest sources of support are Jewish federations, the nonpartisan umbrella charities found in nearly every major North American Jewish community.
“JDC is an apolitical organization that has worked with every government since the establishment of the State of Israel, providing critical services to the elderly, youth-at-risk, people with disabilities and other underserved populations across all sectors, including Haredim and Arab-Israelis,” the Jewish Federations of North America said in a statement. “JDC’s activities are a living and breathing example of the Jewish values of tikkun olam and tzedakah that guide Jewish Federations’ work every day,” Hebrew phrases that connote the Jewish imperative to repair the world, as well as charity.
JDC staff packing matzahs and haggadahs for online seders in Odessa, Ukraine, April 7, 2022. (JDC)
In Israel, the group funds and operates efforts to help needy populations — including immigrants, the elderly, people with disabilities and people living in poverty. Those efforts often involve working with the government, which in 2007 gave the JDC Israel’s most prestigious prize for its work. This year, according to a spokesman, the group is spending $129 million on Israel initiatives.
The JDC’s government-funded programs include the anti-violence effort that Ben-Gvir is targeting. It was made possible last year due to nearly $1 billion in funding to curb crime in Arab communities by the previous governing coalition, which was centrist. The allocation followed lobbying by Arab and civil society organizations, including the Abraham Initiatives, which is now monitoring how the money is being used as well as its impact.
Arab citizens of Israel make up 84% of crime victims despite comprising just 20% of the population, according to government data released last year that showed a sharp rise in the proportion of Arab Israelis who had experienced violent crime.
Many in Arab communities have called for heightened law enforcement and have charged Israeli police with making inadequate efforts to keep their communities safe. This week, commenting on the shooting death of an Arab Israeli woman, Arab Israeli opposition lawmaker Ahmad Tibi accused Ben-Gvir of being “occupied with other matters,” such as clashes with the attorney general and police officials in Tel Aviv. “Maybe the time has come for senior officials to demonstrate responsibility when it comes to crime organizations and weapons running rampant,” Tibi said.
Other initiatives have aimed to tackle the violence in ways that go beyond policing. The program that Ben-Gvir said he is shutting down is one of them. Called Stop the Bleeding, it involves multiple government ministries as well as local community groups and education efforts and has operated in seven cities with large Arab populations, including a Bedouin town and Lod, a city with significant Arab organized crime networks that also has a large Jewish population.
Be’eri-Sulitzeanu said the program was already starting to bear fruit and had contributed to a slowdown in a multi-year rise in murders. Canceling the program, he said, reflects the current government’s general approach to tackling Israel’s problems.
“It’s not about collaboration. It’s not about hearing the concerns and pain and hopes and needs of the Arab community,” he said. “It’s about doing everything unilaterally, and really without a lot of care for the lives of those people. I think that’s what we are watching.”
MK Ahmad Tibi attends a meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Dec. 6, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
A year ago, around the time when the previous government awarded the Stop the Bleeding contract to the JDC, Bezalel Smotrich, a key Ben-Gvir ally who was then an opposition lawmaker and now serves alongside Ben-Gvir as finance minister, proposed that Israel create a “command center” of “all of the relevant entities” that provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian Jewish refugees. Included on his list, alongside the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Red Cross: the JDC.
The JDC is not the first mainstream group to be targeted by far-right members of Israel’s new right-wing government, whose signature legislative effort aims to sap the power and independence of the country’s judiciary. That legislation has given rise to a sweeping protest movement and to grave warnings about Israel’s future from a broad range of public figures — including elder statesmen, foreign governments and religious leaders.
Avi Maoz, the leader of the anti-LGBTQ Noam Party who briefly held a leadership role in Israel’s Education Ministry, compiled a list of American and British groups that he believes are trying to impose their liberal values on Israeli schoolchildren. “We must protect our people and our state from the infiltration of the alien bodies that arrive from foreign countries, foreign bodies, foreign foundations,” Maoz once said. Maoz has since resigned from that role, saying that he did not think he was being sufficiently empowered to fulfill his goals by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
But Be’eri-Sulitzeanu said he remains concerned about civil-society programs, especially those falling under the purview of far-right ministers including Ben-Gvir or those funded by American Jews, whom some on the right perceive as universally liberal.
People who are paying attention to local governance in Israel expect further tensions around initiatives that do not match Ben-Gvir’s attitudes about harsh policing. Ben-Gvir wants officers to have the right to shoot Arabs who throw stones, has called for a crackdown on anti-government protesters and is increasingly clashing with police officials who believe his orders could jeopardize public safety. Multiple former police commissioners have called for his dismissal.
“Ben-Gvir has his own political agenda and he has his own ax to grind, and at the moment, I think he’s not keen on developing services of the Arab population, either in security or juvenile delinquency or education,” said Amos Avgar, who worked for the JDC in Israel, Russia and the United States for 30 years until 2010, including as chief programming officer.
Avgar emphasized that the JDC has always studiously avoided political activity. “If there’s one thing that the JDC is not, it is not political,” he said. “It always shied [away] from anything that had the smell of politics and never dealt with any project by political agenda.”
It’s unclear how quickly Ben-Gvir’s announcement, made during a government meeting and first reported by Israel’s public broadcaster, will ultimately translate into changes. Geller, the JDC spokesman, said the organization had learned about the criticism only from the media, not from Ben-Gvir’s office. Later, amid an outcry, Ben-Gvir’s office said the funding decision had followed a review of contracts that revealed missing documentation from the JDC, a charge that the JDC denied.
Amnon-Sulitzeanu said he didn’t have high hopes for the program’s future.
“I think the first [characterization] is unfortunately going to be the correct one — that he is actually intending to stop it, which is very unfortunate because it is among the more serious programs that are willing to deal with this catastrophe,” he said. “And it shows again that the current minister is not so much interested in saving lives of Arab citizens.”
SCHOOLS ARE COMMUNITY CENTRES
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signs free school meals bill into law
Minnesota is the third state in the nation to require schools to serve free lunch and breakfast to all students, regardless of income.
School meals will become free for every Minnesota public and charter school student. Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill Friday that makes the change, while surrounded by children who got a firsthand lesson in how legislation becomes law.
The official signing at Webster Elementary in northeast Minneapolis — where pepperoni pizza and turkey salami sandwiches were on the lunch menu — marked a step toward the governor's proposal to "make Minnesota the best state in the country to raise a child."
"We will feed our children," Walz said.
Until now, Minnesota law required parents to apply for free meals through a federal reimbursement program based on their income. Starting this year, districts could also automatically add a student to the benefit rolls if their family qualified for Medicaid.
But Walz and other backers of providing universal free meals said those forms created unnecessary barriers.
"This just makes sense," Walz said. "This is the assurance that no one falls through the cracks because a busy parent didn't fill out a form."
Minnesota is the third state in the nation to require schools to offer all students free breakfast and lunch, regardless of their family income, behind California and Maine. In Colorado, a similar law allows schools to opt in to a state-funded free meals program.
In a Senate floor speech earlier this week that's since gone viral, Sen. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, said he has "yet to meet a person in Minnesota who is hungry."
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan took aim at those remarks Friday when she opened up about the food insecurity her family experienced when she was growing up. Her family received food stamps and Flanagan's mother would sometimes refrain from eating dinner and tell her children it was because she wasn't hungry.
"It wasn't until I was an adult and I was a parent that I realized she was lying to protect me from the reality of our food insecurity," Flanagan said.
Advocacy group Hunger Solutions estimates that 1 in 6 Minnesota students experience food insecurity, about a quarter of them living in a household that doesn't qualify for free meals
Willie Lumpkins, whose father was hit particularly hard by the increase in food and gas prices over the past year, said ensuring students have access to free meals is a step toward helping them succeed in the classroom.
"It's really stressful," he said of going hungry at school. "You're always angry. Yu're drowning in anxiety. It shouldn't be that way at all."
Some lawmakers, including some Republicans, argue that providing free meals for schoolchildren relieves the financial burden on families.
Sen. Heather Gustafson, DFL-Vadnais Heights, estimates that a family of four living in White Bear Lake would save about $1,900 per school year if their children ate two meals at school. She sponsored the bill in the Senate and called it a "lunchbox tax cut," at the signing ceremony.
Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis, who sponsored the bill in the House, said the legislation helps families who earn too much to qualify for federally funded free meals but still struggle to put food on the table.
"This is a bill that's going to make Minnesota a better place for everyone," she said.
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