Gazans cannot be forcibly displaced: UN Security Council

January 13, 2024

Palestinians trying to carry on with their daily work even as the Israeli attacks continue, in Rafah, Gaza on January 09, 2024. [Abed Zagout – Anadolu Agency]

The UN Security Council said Friday that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip cannot be forcibly displaced and must be able to return to their homes, Anadolu Agency reports.

Amar Bendjama, permanent representative of Algeria to the UN, said what is happening in Gaza will remain a “disgrace.”

“A disgrace on the conscience of humanity,” he said at a Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The “barbaric” bombardment of Gaza and the destruction of its infrastructure and the targeting of all signs of life in Gaza clearly is making Gaza “uninhabitable,” said Bendjama.

“In addition, it seeks to kill the hope of returning home in the hearts and minds of the Palestinians in order to facilitate and implement the strategy of displacing the Palestinians outside their land,” he said, adding that it is a policy that enjoys a lot of support among the officials of the “occupying power.”

Bendjama said forced displacement of Palestinians must be rejected.

“Plan of forced displacement is unfolding now throughout the Palestinian territory, through bombardment and destruction, and through settlement and annexation,” he said. “Everyone must understand that there is no place for Palestinians except on their land.”

Bendjama also urged the international community, in particular the Security Council, to speak with one strong voice against the displacement of the Palestinians.

“No one inside this chamber can remain silent. As such plans unfold, silence is complicity,” he added.

READ: Gaza children still face unrelenting war: UN children’s agency

‘Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement’

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US envoy to the UN, said the situation is “heartbreaking and untenable.”

“The United States’ position has been clear and consistent: Palestinian civilians in Gaza must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow,” she said.

Washington has made it clear that civilians must not be pressed to leave Gaza under any circumstances, said the ambassador.

“We unequivocally reject statements by some Israeli ministers and lawmakers calling for a resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. These statements, along with statements by Israeli officials calling for the mistreatment of Palestinian detainees or the destruction of Gaza, are irresponsible, inflammatory, and only make it harder to secure a lasting peace,” she added.

Permanent Representative of the UK to the UN, Barbara Woodward, said her country firmly rejects any proposal that Palestinians should be resettled outside Gaza, including proposals from the Israeli government.

“Our views and concerns are shared by our allies and partners that Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza,” said Woodward.

She encouraged Israel to immediately cease all settlement activities in Occupied Palestinian Territories.

READ: Israel’s defence: ‘Many civilian deaths in Gaza are caused by Hamas’

Israel ‘deliberately’ destroy everything

Also addressing the Council, Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour said in 100 days virtually every Palestinian in Gaza has been displaced multiple times.

“From a home to a UN shelter, to a tent. Searching for safety, everywhere. Finding safety nowhere. Searching for life anywhere, met by death everywhere,” said Mansour.

He said Israel has “deliberately” destroyed everything.

“Palestinians in Gaza today mourn their loved ones, and mourn their homes,” he said. “They mourn the Gaza Strip as all its landmarks have been destroyed. Every place people had happy memories in has been disfigured.

For his part, Israeli envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan, said this is the 21st Council meeting since Oct. 7, and not a single resolution has condemned Hamas for killing 1,300 Israelis and taking 240 hostages..

“Let me be very clear, there is no force displacement. As Israel’s Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) has said two days ago, Israel has no intention of displacing the population in Gaza.

“Israel is solely fighting Hamas terrorists, whose core strategy is to use guys and civilians as human shields, and who have converted every inch of Gaza to a terror war machine,” he said.

At least 23,708 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 60,050 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.

180 women give birth daily in Gaza amid Israeli restrictions, says Palestinian Red Crescent

'Many of them are unable to reach hospitals due to being in besieged areas, with Israeli forces preventing ambulances from reaching them,' says humanitarian group

Ahmet Dursun |14.01.2024 



ANKARA

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Saturday that 180 women give birth every day in Gaza under "dangerous" and "inhumane" conditions due to Israeli attacks and occupation.

"In Gaza, 180 women give birth daily under dangerous and inhumane conditions. Many of them are unable to reach hospitals due to being in besieged areas, with the Israeli forces preventing ambulances from reaching them," it said in a statement.

To emphasize the severity of the situation, the humanitarian organization shared recordings on X.

The recordings documented telephone conversations between health teams and the family of a pregnant woman who could not reach a hospital in time to give birth in the Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian Red Crescent doctor guides and assists the family in the audio recordings, aiming to facilitate a safe home delivery for the woman who was in conversation with her sister.

UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative for Palestine, Dominic Allen, said in a virtual news conference Saturday from Jerusalem that 18,000 births occurred in Gaza in the last 100 days.

He noted that UNFPA could not provide sufficient supplies and the situation in hospitals is dire.

Allen highlighted that 5,500 women are expected to give birth in the coming months and he expressed concern for their struggles with water scarcity, food shortages and limited access to treatment.

He emphasized the deadly risks involved and underscored the urgency of preventing such tragedies.

-45,000 pregnant, 68,000 lactating women in Gaza face death

UNFPA announced Dec. 17, that 45,000 pregnant and 68,000 lactating women in Gaza are at risk of anemia, bleeding and even death.

Health Ministry spokesman in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra, said in a Jan. 1 statement that due to not meeting the needs of 50,000 pregnant women in centers accommodating those displaced by attacks in the Gaza Strip, patients are facing inadequate nutrition and health problems.

Al-Qudra urgently called on UN-affiliated agencies to intervene to rescue children and pregnant women from the situation.

Israel continues night raids in occupied West Bank

January 13, 2024

Israeli forces raid Nur Shams refugee camp in the city of Tulkarm, West Bank on January 04, 2024. [Nedal Eshtayah – Anadolu Agency]


The Israeli army reportedly continued night raids Saturday in parts of the occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reports.

According to the Palestinian news agency, WAFA, the targets of the raids were the cities of Hebron, Nablus, Bethlehem and Qalqilya.

Following the announcement by the army that “three armed Palestinians trying to infiltrate the Adora Jewish settlement near Hebron were killed,” raids were conducted in parts of the city.

The army claimed that an armed group of Palestinians attempting to infiltrate the settlement opened fire on Israeli security forces, resulting in the killing of three individuals.

Israeli Army Radio announced earlier that an Israeli was injured and taken to the hospital in the incident.

The military, accompanied by military vehicles, focused on the towns of Idhna and Surif near Hebron.

There is no information regarding casualties or detentions during the raids.

The army also entered two towns and one village south of Nablus, conducting raids on houses.

Separately, in another raid in Qalqilya, youngsters set car tires on fire in an act of resistance against the army.

Since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, the Israeli army has intensified its military operations in the West Bank, increasing attacks and raids on cities, towns and camps.



Unprecedented surge' in settlement activity in West Bank since war on Gaza


January 10, 2024

Israeli troops enter Nablus during a raid on the occupied West Bank city on January 10, 2024 [ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images]

In the three months since the war on Gaza was launched there has been an “unprecedented surge in settlement activities, including the construction of outposts, roads, fences, and roadblocks initiated by settlers”, Israeli rights group Peace Now has said.

In a report published last week, the group said: “Settlers persist in seizing control of Area C in the West Bank, further marginalising the Palestinian presence.”

This, along with roadblocks “prevent Palestinians from accessing main roads in the West Bank, and barriers are erected along these roads to impede Palestinian movement and presence in various buffer zones.”

“The permissive military and political environment allow the reckless construction and land seizure almost unchecked, with minimal adherence to the law. The result is not only physical harm to Palestinians and their lands but also a significant political shift in the West Bank,” the rights group added.

Since 7 October, Peace Now has documented the establishment of nine new illegal outposts, 18 illegal roads paved or authorised by settlers, the return of settlers to Amona, an illegal outpost which was evacuated in 2017 after the Supreme Court ruled it had been built illegally and without Israeli government authorisation on privately-owned Palestinian land in 1995.

Peace Now added that “a significant portion of the outposts and roads are located on private Palestinian land.”

All outposts and settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal under international law and has been deemed an impediment to peace.


Map of new outposts, roads, and land taken over by the Settlers since 7 October [PeaceNow]



Israel settlers burn olive trees in West Ban

January 11, 2024 


Palestinian farmers inspect the damage done to their olive trees that were cut down by Israeli settlers [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

Settlers yesterday set fire to olive trees owned by Palestinian Najeh Harb from the village of Kafr Ad Dik, west of occupied Salfit.

Harb reported that the settlers also set fire to an agricultural room in the Jufa area in the northern part of the village, and burned several mature olive trees nearby.

He added that this was the fifth assault by the settlers on his land, in an attempt to force him out and occupy

‘Nobody Can Stop Israel’: Benjamin Netanyahu As Gaza War Reaches 100 Day Mark

Israel argues that ending the war means victory for Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is bent on Israel's destruction.

Palestinians mourn deaths of their relatives. AP

Outlook Web Desk
UPDATED: 14 JAN 2024 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said no one will be able to stop Israel from pursuing its war against Hamas until its victory.

Netanyahu’s speech came as the war between Israel and Hamas which left Gaza ravaged approached the 100-day mark, AP reported.

His remarks also came after the International Court of Justice(ICJ) at The Hague held two days of hearings on South Africa's allegations that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, a charge Israel has rejected as libelous and hypocritical.

What has South Africa urged ICJ on Palestinian killings?

South Africa has asked the ICJ to order Israel to halt its blistering air and ground offensive in an interim step.

South Africa cited the soaring death toll and hardships among Gaza civilians, along with inflammatory comments from Israeli leaders presented, as proof of what it called genocidal intent.

In counter arguments on Friday, Israel asked for the case to be dismissed as meritless.

What Netanyahu said?

"No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anyone else," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.

Case before ICJ to continue for years:

The case before the world court is expected to go on for years but a ruling on interim steps could come within weeks, AP reported.

Court rulings are binding but difficult to enforce. Netanyahu made clear that Israel would ignore orders to halt the fighting, potentially deepening its isolation.

World bats for ceasefire in Gaza:

Israel has been under growing international pressure to end the war, which has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza and led to widespread suffering in the besieged enclave but has so far been shielded by US diplomatic and military support.

Israel argues that ending the war means victory for Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is bent on Israel's destruction.

The war was triggered by a deadly October 7 attack in which Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians. About 250 more were taken hostage, and while some have been released or confirmed dead, more than half are believed to still be in captivity. Sunday marks 100 days of fighting.

Wider Middle East Conflagration:

Fears of a wider conflagration have been palpable since the start of the war. New fronts quickly opened, with Iran-backed groups -- Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria -- carrying out a range of attacks. From the start, the US increased its military presence in the region to deter an escalation.

Following a Houthi campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the US and Britain launched multiple airstrikes against the rebels on Friday, and the US hit another site Saturday.

In more fallout from the war, the world court this week heard arguments on South Africa's complaint against Israel.

Israel has no immediate plans of returning from Gaza:

Netanyahu and his army chief, Herzl Halevi, said they have no immediate plans to allow the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, the initial focus of Israel's offensive.

Netanyahu said the issue had been raised by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit earlier this week.

The Israeli leader said he told Blinken that "we will not return residents (to their homes) when there is fighting".

Israel mulling to close Egypt border with Gaza:

At the same time, Netanyahu said Israel would eventually need to close what he said were breaches along Gaza's border with Egypt.

However, the border area, particularly the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, is packed with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had fled northern Gaza, and their presence would complicate any plans to widen Israel's ground offensive.

"We will not end the war until we close this breach," Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding that the government has not yet decided how to do that.

Mounting causalities in Gaza:

In Gaza, where Hamas has put up stiff resistance to Israel's blistering air and ground campaign, the war continued unabated.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday that 135 Palestinians had been killed in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall toll of the war to 23,843. The count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, but the ministry has said about two-thirds of the dead are women and children. The ministry said the total number of war-wounded surpassed 60,000.

Since the start of Israel's ground operation in late October, 187 Israeli soldiers have been killed and another 1,099 injured in Gaza, according to the military.

More than 85 per cent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million has been displaced as a result of Israel's air and ground offensive, and vast swathes of the territory have been levelled.

Only 15 of the territory's 36 hospitals are still partially functional, according to OCHA, the United Nations' humanitarian affairs agency.

Shortage of essentials lurks in Gaza:

Amid already severe shortages of food, clean water and fuel in Gaza, OCHA said in its daily report that Israel's severe constraints on humanitarian missions and outright denials had increased since the start of the year.

The agency said only 21 per cent of planned deliveries of food, medicine, water and other supplies have been successfully reaching northern Gaza.

40 Israeli commanders named for Gaza war crimes probe

TEHRAN, Jan. 13 (MNA) – Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), founded by the late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, released a list of 40 Israeli military commanders deemed "prime suspects" for an international war crimes investigation.

In late December, DAWN submitted a dossier to the International Criminal Court (ICC) outlining the roles of these commanders in executing Israel's war on Gaza.

"These 40 IDF (Israeli military) commanders who have been responsible for planning, ordering, and executing Israel's indiscriminate bombardment, wanton destruction, and mass killing of civilians in Gaza should be prime suspects in any ICC investigation," DAWN executive director Sarah Leah Whitson stated. "While Israel has done its best to conceal the identities of many of its officers, they should be put on notice that they face individual criminal liability for the crimes underway in Gaza."

While Israel is not an ICC signatory, the court's jurisdiction covers Palestine, subjecting individuals committing war crimes there to prosecution.

Israeli minister Yoav Gallant tops the list, accused of ordering a complete siege on Gaza City and cutting off essential supplies. Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, head of COGAT, responsible for Gaza's siege, is also included. DAWN alleges intentional war crimes, including targeting civilians and vital facilities.

The list includes only Israeli officers "from the rank of lieutenant-general and up who command units no smaller than battalion level forces."

The list of officers submitted by DAWN for an international war crimes investigation includes Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfuss, Maj. Gen. Oded Basyuk, Lt. Col. Almog Rotem, Lt. Col. David Cohen, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, Lt. Col. Daniel Ella, Lt. Col. Or Klasser, Col. Ehud Bibi, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Col. Elad Tzuri, Col. Edo Kass, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Lt. Col. Dvir Edri, Lt. Col. Katy Perry, Lt. Col. Adoniram Sharabi, Yoav Gallant, Brig. Gen. Gilad Keinan.

The group published individual "Prime Suspect" cards identifying each officer on its website.

MNA/TSNM

Thousands Rally in Tel Aviv Against Israeli Government


TEHRAN (FNA)- Israeli protesters closed a major street Saturday in Tel Aviv to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the return of Israeli prisoners from the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media.

“Protesters calling for the dismissal of the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and the return of hostages from Gaza closed Ayalon Street as part of their protest actions,” said private Channel 12.

It noted that the closure of the street was an unusual step. Police reportedly arrested eight Israelis on charges of participating in the street closure.

The closure coincided with thousands of Israelis demonstrating in the center of Tel Aviv to demand the release of the hostages held in Gaza, according to Channel 12.​​​​​​​

Hundreds also reportedly demonstrated in the city of Haifa to demand the immediate resignation of the Netanyahu government, accusing it of failing to manage the war in Gaza.

This comes as the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, announced Saturday that it lost connection with a group holding four Israeli hostages detained in Gaza since 2014.

Hamas links the negotiation for the release of Israeli hostages it holds to “a complete cessation of the war on the Gaza Strip”, a demand Israel has repeatedly rejected, stating its “understanding for temporary humanitarian pauses”.

Egypt and Qatar, along with the United States, are spearheading efforts to reach a second temporary pause in Gaza.

The first pause was reached in November that resulted in the release of 105 detainees held by Hamas, including 81 Israelis, 23 Thai citizens, and one from the Philippines. There were 240 Palestinian prisoners who were released by Israel.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out an attack on Israeli settlements near Gaza, resulting in the death of 1,200 Israelis, injury to 5,431 and the capture of at least 239 hostages.

Israel estimates the presence of “137 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip”, according to media reports and statements from Israeli officials.

IRELAND

Thousands join pro-Palestinian march in central Dublin



Protesters from the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign during a march in O’Connell Street, Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

Today 


Thousands of people have marched through Dublin city centre in a protest against Israel’s military operations in Gaza.


The Pro-Palestinian march began at around 1.30pm from the Garden of Remembrance and proceeded along the city’s main thoroughfare O’Connell Street before arriving outside the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Protesters waved Palestinian flags and held placards critical of the Irish, US and Israeli governments.




Protesters from the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Brian Lawless/PA)

Demonstrators accused Israel of committing genocide as they chanted “free, free Palestine” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Participants variously called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland and for the Irish government to support South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Israel is committing genocide.

It is almost 100 days since Hamas gunmen launched an assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing 1,200 and taking about 240 hostages, to which Israeli military responded with air strikes and a ground offensive on Palestinian territory.

Ireland’s main opposition parties, including Sinn Fein, Labour and the Social Democrats, have called on the Government to endorse South Africa’s action.




Protesters during a march in O’Connell Street (Brian Lawless/PA)

However, the Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said the Government does not intend to join the case.

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organised the rally, said the demonstration was part of an international day of action calling for an end to Israel’s operations in Gaza.

The march is endorsed by dozens of Irish civil society organisations including trade unions, political parties and community groups.




Protesters in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

Spokeswoman Betty Purcell told the PA news agency: “It’s a huge demonstration, it is the biggest one we’ve had so far. We’ve been marching every Saturday.


“We need a ceasefire now but most of all we want to call out the Irish Government for its disgraceful refusal to support the South African case at the ICJ.

“They don’t speak for the Irish people, not by any means.”




Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign chairwoman Zoe Lawlor (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

IPSC chairwoman Zoe Lawlor said the demonstration was a “total and utter rejection of Israel’s genocide”.

Ms Lawlor said: “We are here today to express our outrage that this has been allowed, that world leaders have enabled, funded and green-lighted genocide and our Government has done absolutely nothing to stop it.”

The crowd booed and shouted “shame” at the Government while others joined chants calling for support of boycott, divestment and sanction (BDS) actions against Israel.


She added: “The Palestinian people should be able to exist in a world without violence and oppression, to live in the ordinary, to live in freedom.”




Bernadette McAliskey addressing the demonstration (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

Veteran Northern Irish civil rights campaigner Bernadette McAliskey told the crowd that “Palestine is the litmus test of our humanity”.

The 76-year-old activist said she had been standing up for the rights of Palestinians for more than 50 years.

She called on Irish premier Leo Varadkar and deputy premier Micheal Martin, as well as Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald to boycott traditional St Patrick’s Day visits to Washington as she accused US president Joe Biden of “enabling genocide”.

“Who in their right mind and conscience, on the national day of a country that freed itself from oppression, would go to America and give the bastard a bunch of fecking shamrock?


“It is not much to ask. Weigh up the corpses of Gaza against a jolly in the United States.”

To applause, Ms McAliskey also encouraged the demonstrators not to give any preference vote to politicians who do travel to Washington.




Protesters take part in a march organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign on O’Connell Street (Brian Lawless/PA)

Protesters of all ages, some wearing keffiyehs or waving South African flags, took part in the march through drizzly conditions in Dublin.

Among them, Fiona Sullivan and Geraldine Lee travelled from Belfast in Northern Ireland to participate.

Ms Sullivan said: “It’s an absolute disgrace what’s going on, the world needs to show that we’re not going to accept it



Geraldine Lee and Fiona Sullivan (right) travelled from Belfast to participate in the Dublin rally (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

“This is the little that we can do to show the people of Gaza and Palestine that the Irish people are 100% behind them whether our government is behind them or not – we are.”

Ms Lee added: “They’re not in line with the public at all. The public have completely different ideas.

“The Government must not watch anything or see the children dying in Palestine. They don’t understand what’s going on – I can’t sleep thinking about it.”

Derry Girls’ Jamie-Lee O’Donnell takes to the streets for pro-Palestine rally





Actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell joins pro-Palestine march in Derry on Saturday. 

Pic by Martin McKeown.

Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell joined hundreds of Pro-Palestine protestors in the Maiden City during an international day of action.

Saturday’s rally was organised by the Derry Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (DIPSC) which is calling for the "immediate end to the Israeli war on Gaza".

The actress joined demonstrators who retraced the steps of the historic civil rights route of 1968 from the Waterside to the Guildhall.

Some of those taking part carried a banner which read “end genocide in Gaza now”.

O’Donnell was carrying a baby doll wrapped in a white cloth to represent a dead infant – dozens of them were laid out on the ground in the city centre.



Pro-Palestine march in Derry on Saturday. Pic by Martin McKeown.

The star of the hit Channel 4 comedy series also carried a Palestinian flag during one of many marches which took place in 30 countries around the world.

It comes after local People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin urged the Irish government to back South Africa's case against Israel at the United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) which formally accuses Israel of committing war crimes.

A final judgement could take years, however South Africa is pursuing an emergency order meaning an interim sentence could be reached in weeks.

Mr Harkin said: "Israel has used terror to drive Palestinians from their homes - and is using terror now to drive Palestinians out of Gaza.

"Israel must be held accountable for its barbaric actions in Gaza.”

Israel has denied the claims and accused South Africa of ignoring the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023 during which 1,200 people were murdered. Another 240 were kidnapped and held as hostages.

Meanwhile Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald addressed thousands of protesters who took to the streets of London telling the crowd that Palestinian freedom is possible.

"When I say this, standing in London, in common cause with you, (having) walked our own journey out of conflict, building peace for 25 years, this can happen," she said.

"This must happen and we will ensure that it does."



Pro-Palestine march in Derry on Saturday. Pic by Martin McKeown.

Thousands of people also marched through Dublin city centre making their way from the Garden of Remembrance along O'Connell Street to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Fiona Sullivan and Geraldine Lee travelled from Belfast to take part.

"It's an absolute disgrace what's going, the world needs to show that we're not going to accept it,” Ms Sullivan said.

"This is the little that we can do to show the people of Gaza and Palestine that the Irish people are 100% behind them whether our government is behind them or not - we are."

Ms Lee added: "They're not in line with the public at all. The public have completely different ideas.

"The Government must not watch anything or see the children dying in Palestine. They don't understand what's going on - I can't sleep thinking about it."

Demonstrators carried placards criticising the Irish, US and Israeli governments as many chanted "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".

They demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, and for the Irish government to support South Africa's case at the ICJ.

Ireland's main opposition parties, including Sinn Fein, Labour and the Social Democrats, have called on the Government to endorse South Africa's action.

But Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government does not intend to join the case.



Actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell joins pro-Palestine march in Derry on Saturday. Pic by Martin McKeown.

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign spokesperson Betty Purcell hailed the “biggest” demonstration held so far.

"We need a ceasefire now but most of all we want to call out the Irish Government for its disgraceful refusal to support the South African case at the ICJ," she said.

"They don't speak for the Irish people, not by any means."

More than 30 Palestinians, including children, were killed in two Israeli air strikes overnight into Saturday in the Gaza Strip.

Video provided by Gaza's civil defence department showed rescue workers searching through the rubble of a home in Gaza City by flashlight early on Saturday after it was hit by an Israeli attack.

The footage also showed a young girl wrapped in blankets with injuries to her face and at least two other children who appeared dead.

A boy covered in dust winced as he was loaded into an ambulance.

According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 23,843 Palestinians have died in the conflict.

UPDATED

Palestine protesters march through London en masse as TENS OF THOUSANDS demand end to Yemen air strikes

Palestine protesters are marching to Parliament Square
GB NEWS/ PA

By Dan Falvey
Published: 13/01/2024 - 

The Met Police has deployed hundreds of officers in order to try and ensure that there is no trouble at the march

Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have gathered in London to take part in a mass march through the capital.

The event, which comes just days after the UK and US carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, started at around midday on Queen Victoria Street and is set to end in Parliament Square.

Protesters were seen filing past St Paul’s, with one man holding a placard claiming Yemen “supports Palestine”.

The placard read: “UK + US wants war. Yemen supports Palestine. Gaza wants to live.”




MET POLICE

The Met Police has deployed hundreds of officers in order to try and ensure that there is no trouble at the march.

Warnings have been issued that any placards deemed to be antisemitic will be confiscated and activists potentially arrested.

"Around 1,700 officers will be on duty to police the march on Saturday, including many from forces outside London," the Met said in a statement on Friday.

"Officers are there to ensure the events take place safely and peacefully, that disruption to other members of the public is kept to a minimum and that any offences are seen and dealt with."

Protesters have been warned they must stick to an agreed route

It added: "The majority of protests and other events held in recent months have taken place without any notable disorder, with most people attending to express their views in a lawful and peaceful way.

"Regrettably not everyone has acted responsibly and we have seen multiple arrests at a number of protests.

"In particular, there have been repeated examples of placards, banners and other items being carried or worn, or statements being chanted, that have crossed the line into religiously or racially aggravated offences.

"Some have even been so serious as to be dealt with under the Terrorism Act.

"The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command has launched around 30 investigations into suspected offending at protests since 7 October, the majority of which relate to potential terrorism offences. Officers will be working again this weekend to identify any further offences."

A set route for the march has been set out by police with those participating in the march warned not to deviate from the agreed path. A strict 5pm curfew has also been set.

Pro-Palestine marches held in France, Italy, Ireland

TEHRAN, Jan. 14 (MNA) – Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied in cities across Europe to show their support for the Palestinians amid the brutal Israeli military onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

Simultaneous pro-Palestine marches were held on Saturday in Paris, Rome, Milan, and Dublin as well as in London, Amsterdam, and Washington.

Demonstrators in the Irish capital of Dublin waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans "Free Palestine" while criticizing Western governments for their support for the Israeli regime's aggression on Gaza. 

Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in Rome, the capital of Italy, calling for a stop to the genocide being committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza.

The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.

Since the start of the aggression, Israel has killed more than 23,843 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Nearly 60,317 Palestinians have also been wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

MP/IRN

Israel's relentless attacks on Gaza protested in Athens

Hundreds of people from left-wing student organizations, trade unions, and political parties condemn Israeli attacks, demanding Palestine's right to live in freedom

 13/01/2024 Saturday
AA


Israel's relentless attacks on Gaza, which have continued since Oct. 7 of last year, as well as NATO, EU, and US policies regarding the plight of Palestinians, were protested on Saturday noon in the Greek capital city of Athens.

The rally was organized by the Palestinian Community of Greece and Stop the War-Alliance with Palestine, and it was attended by hundreds of people from left-wing student organizations, trade unions, and political parties who carried Palestinian flags and banners condemning Israeli attacks and demanding Palestine's right to live in freedom.

The protestors also chanted slogans condemning Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and the West's failure to acknowledge Israel's war crimes in the enclave and the West Bank.

At a separate rally in the northern port city of Thessaloniki organized by the Thessaloniki Committee for International Recession and Peace, hundreds of people protested the use of the port by US, German, and British military ships, as well as Western policies on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, the Greek Communist Party's (KKE) media platform reported.

“People's killers are not welcome,” and “Thessaloniki is a port of the people, and not a stronghold of the imperialists,” they chanted during the anti-Israel rally.

The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli army's ongoing attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 has risen to 23,843, with 60,317 injured, the Health Ministry in Gaza announced on Saturday.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Authorities claim the attacks by Hamas have killed around 1,200 Israelis.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.

Activists protest at British base in Cyprus used in Yemen strikes

Reuters
Sun, January 14, 2024 





Protest at gates of RAF Akrotiri, British base on Cyprus used to launch strikes against Houthi militia in Yemen, near Limassol

AKROTIRI, Cyprus (Reuters) - Pro-Palestinian activists protested at the gates of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday, angry that the British base was used as a launch pad for strikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen.

U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen overnight Thursday to Friday in retaliation for attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed group says is a response to the war in Gaza.

RAF Akrotiri was used as a staging point for Typhoon fighter jets involved in the operation.

Several hundred protesters chanted "Out with the Bases of Death" at the entrance to RAF Akrotiri, one of two bases Britain retains in Cyprus, a former colony.

The iron gates to the heavily-guarded compound, which sits on a peninsula on Cyprus's southernmost tip, were locked with dozens of police present.

"We are here because we condemn the complicity of the UK government and using Cypriot land for their agenda to support Israel in their onslaught of Gaza," said Natalia Olivia of the Cyprus-based United for Palestine organisation.

Another activist, Nicos Panayiotou, called the use of the British bases a disgrace. "They are using Cypriot land to do something every Cypriot is condemning," he said.

Britain is not obliged to seek permission from Cyprus for operations out of Akrotiri under the terms of the bases' presence on the island.

The strikes have added to concerns that the Israel-Gaza war could spread through the Middle East, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

Sunday's demonstration was organised before Akrotiri was used for the strikes on Yemen amid perceptions - denied by Britain - that the base is being used to offer logistical support to Israel.

In response to the protests, a British Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "British Forces Cyprus continue to support the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and no RAF flights into Israel have transported any lethal cargo."

(Reporting By Michele Kambas; editing by Christina Fincher)

Hundreds of peace protesters rally outside British base in Cyprus

AFP
Sun, January 14, 2024 

Peace protesters rally outside the Royal Air Force Akrotiri base near the Cypriot coastal city of Limassol (Iakovos Hatzistavrou)

About 300 peace protesters rallied on Sunday outside Britain's Akrotiri military base in Cyprus, charging it is fuelling regional conflicts in Gaza and Yemen.

The demonstrators demanded the closure of military bases that have been under British control since the eastern Mediterranean island nation's independence in 1960.

They carried a banner demanding a "Ceasefire Now" in the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Palestinian territory since October 7 while another read "Stop funding genocide".

Some online reports in Britain have pointed to UK and US military flights from Akrotiri to Tel Aviv and charged they were carrying military supplies for Israel.

A British defence ministry spokesperson told AFP that "British Forces Cyprus continue to support the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and no RAF flights into Israel have transported any lethal cargo".

The spokesperson also said that a British naval vessel "with the support of British Forces Cyprus, delivered 87 tonnes of UK and Cypriot aid to Egypt for the people of Gaza".

Police stood between the protesters and the gates of the Royal Air Force Akrotiri base, a British overseas territory near the southern coastal city of Limassol.

The head of the Cyprus Peace Council, Tasos Kosteas said at the demonstration: "Cyprus is a living example that military bases do not solve problems, do not provide stability and security, but intensify militarisation and perpetuate tension."

The march was organised by the Cyprus Peace Council and supported by the leftist opposition party AKEL, the group United For Palestine and other leftist groups.

A United For Palestine activist, Leandros Fischer, a professor from Limassol, said the base was also used in recent US and British bombing of Yemen's Huthi rebels, after the Iran-backed group had attacked ships in the Red Sea.

Fischer said that protesters also voiced "opposition to the very presence of British bases on Cyprus' soil" and that they make the island "a potential target".

Vera Polycarpou, AKEL's head of international relations, said "we're demonstrating against the uses of the bases against the peoples of the region, against the bases' presence in Cyprus. We want them to be dismantled."

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack of October 7 on southern Israel, which resulted in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel in response vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless military campaign that the Gaza health ministry says has killed nearly 24,000 people, most of them women and children.

sk-anr/fz

Port of Oakland: Protesters gathered early Saturday morning opposing U.S. aid in Israel-Hamas war

Community members began pounding drums and chanting hours before sunrise

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Port of Oakland by 5 a.m. Saturday, opposing the United States’ continued military aid to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.

By KATIE LAUER | klauer@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

UPDATED: January 14, 2024

OAKLAND — Rain did not dissuade scores of protesters from gathering at the Port of Oakland by 5 a.m. Saturday, opposing the United States’ continued military aid in Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.

Several hours before sunrise, hundreds of community members began pounding drums and chanting near Middle Harbor Shoreline Park and Seventh Street to disrupt port operations.

The demonstration, organized by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, successfully shut down the first shift of longshoremen scheduled for work Saturday, according to Wassim Hage, an AROC spokesperson.

The crowd dispersed by late morning, but Hage said protesters vowed to return to the port by 2 p.m. “to shut down any business as usual for the afternoon shift.”

Organizers said they believed a ship carrying military supplies was set to arrive at the port, though that claim could not be immediately verified. In November, a similar protest at the Port of Oakland targeted the Cape Orlando vessel, a ship with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, authorities said.

Hage said a shuttle was made available for any protesters who arrived at the West Oakland BART station for Saturday’s afternoon protest, which also coincided with a global day of action against the longest and deadliest war between Israel and Palestinians in 75 years. The group has also called for a ceasefire.

Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day this weekend, AROC said the action was also a way to “honor and uphold (his) radical legacy … and his internationalist vision for human rights, racial justice, and an end to war and exploitation across the world.”

The move comes more than three months after Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7 left roughly 1,200 people dead across southern Israel. Since then, the death toll from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has eclipsed 23,000 people, which is roughly 1% of the Palestinian territory’s population. Experts say the Israeli bombing is among the most intense in modern history.

Lara Kiswani, executive director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, said Saturday’s protest aimed to disrupt business at the port, which generates around $12 million in revenue daily.

“This is nearly the same amount of money that the US sends to Israel per day in economic and military aid,” Kiswani said in a statement. “The Oakland port has facilitated the transport of weapons, military equipment, and technology that fuel the Israeli genocide of Palestinians. As long as the US enables this war with our tax dollars and through our port, there can be no business as usual.”

Roberto Bernardo, a spokesperson for the Port of Oakland, could not confirm Saturday afternoon if the same ship from the November protest was at the port this weekend. However, he said that officials continue to work with their maritime partners to “ensure safety and security, which is paramount for the Port of Oakland.”

“For us, the most important thing is that no one gets hurt,” Bernardo said Saturday afternoon.

While it’s unclear if the AROC protest specifically aimed to stop specific vessels from leaving the Port of Oakland, Bernardo said delayed ships may simply opt to dock in another city that is more accessible — potentially affecting the livelihoods of nearly 100,000 local jobs.

“What’s important is how these types of disruptions impact all of us,” Bernardo said, explaining how the entire Bay Area community would feel the repercussions of delayed shipments of goods such as medical supplies, food products and auto manufacturing parts. “We do a disservice to ourselves when we give our business to someone else.”

Pro-Palestine protesters rally in Washington, London; demand Israel war ceasefire

Pro-Palestine protesters in Washington, London, and other locations rallied for a global day of action. Demonstrators expressed solidarity, calling for an end to the conflict and condemning alleged war crimes.




A person wearing a mask depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a doll as people take part in a protest in London, UK, to mark 100 days since the start of the war on Gaza (Reuters)


Agence France-Presse
Washington,

Jan 14, 2024

Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters marched in Washington, London and elsewhere on Saturday as part of a "global day of action" to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza fighting and to oppose US and British support for Israel.

In Washington, large crowds waved Palestinian flags as the mostly young protesters -- many wearing the traditional keffiyeh -- gathered in a show of solidarity on the 99th day of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

"Cease-fire now," people chanted, while carrying banners and posters that read "Free Palestine" and "End the War on Gaza."

On a stage a few blocks from the White House, several Palestinian-Americans -- originally from Gaza, but now living in US states from Michigan to Texas -- offered emotional accounts of friends and relatives killed or wounded in Gaza.

They exhorted US President Joe Biden to end military and financial support for Israel.We'd like two minutes of your time in order to understand you better. Please take this reader survey.

"President Biden can easily stop this madness" by pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, one speaker said to wide applause.

London, meantime, saw its seventh pro-Palestinian demonstration since October 7, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel and killed around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless bombardment of Gaza that has killed at least 23,843 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the territory's health ministry.

Around 1,700 police were on duty Saturday to ensure security for the London protest.

"We want to show the people of Palestine we are with them, and to speak up against our government as well," 27-year-old health service worker Maleeha Ahmed, who was at the march with her family, told AFP.

"They are playing a very, very big role in allowing Israel to continue what they are doing and it's just not acceptable," she said.

Another marcher, Dipesh Kothar, 37, said it was "very frustrating to sit and watch the world do nothing."

"That's why we come out to show support for the Palestinian people and show our unhappiness with the governments around the world," he said.

Saturday's marches held particular significance given US and British air strikes in Yemen this week against Huthi bases, after the Iran-backed militants attacked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza.

The day of action, called by a British organising coalition, involved protests in 30 countries.

Kate Hudson of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which is part of the coalition, said the event was "to demand a permanent cease-fire and a lasting political settlement for all Palestinians."

She said the British government "must end its support for Israel's brutal war in Gaza, and join the wider international community in condemning its war crimes."

Hundreds of thousands attend 7th national march for Palestine in London

January 13, 2024 

An aerial view of thousands of people, holding banners and Palestinian flags, stage a demonstration in support of Palestinians, and demanding ceasefire as they march towards Parliament Square in London, United Kingdom on January 13, 2024. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency]


A pro-Palestine march began on Saturday in the heart of London, marking the seventh demonstration in the British capital since Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip began in early October, Anadolu Agency reports.

Drawing hundreds of thousands of participants, the event was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which has lauded the protests as constituting “one of the largest, sustained political campaigns in British history.”

This demonstration is part of a global day of action, mobilizing for a comprehensive cease-fire in Gaza across 60 cities and over 30 countries.

The groups departed from Bank junction in the City of London at roughly midday, heading via Fleet Street and Victoria Embankment to Parliament Square, where speeches are to take place.

READ: 135 more Palestinians killed as Israel continues onslaught on Gaza: Health Ministry

The PSC, expecting about 250,000 participants in the march, which is the first since the new year began, acknowledged the myriad of developments in the region during this period.

Notably, the march featured the presence of Little Amal, a giant puppet representing a Syrian child refugee, who will join a group of Palestinian children in the procession. The symbolic addition aims to draw attention to the plight of refugees in the region.

Home Secretary James Cleverly, in anticipation of the protest, voiced confidence in the Metropolitan Police’s ability to ensure order and safety during the event.

He endorsed the use of police powers to manage the protest and address any potential criminal activities.

Around 1,700 officers are on duty to police the march on Saturday, including many from forces outside London, with attendees warned that those who intentionally push legal limits on placards and slogans could face arrest.

‘Hands off Yemen’

One thing that sets this march apart from its predecessors, which followed a different route through the city, was the diverse array of flags and banners unfurled throughout the crowd.

Alongside the familiar calls for a free Palestine and cease-fire in Gaza, it featured banners supporting South Africa, which has filed charges of genocide against Israel with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and Yemen, where members of the Houthi group are blocking Israel-affiliated ships from entering the Red Sea.

The rally drew attention to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, with protesters holding banners with the demand, “Hands off Yemen.”

Protesters holding banners with the demand, “Hands off Yemen” in London, United Kingdom on January 13, 2024.

The UK and US, with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted airstrikes Thursday against military targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, following a string of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that destabilized trading routes.

“We won’t stop until a permanent cease-fire is achieved,” a protestor told Anadolu, asserting that the demonstration was sending a strong message that “the world is waking up to the interconnectedness of our struggles.”

“South Africa’s case against Israel resonates with us, and we’re here to demand justice for all those facing injustice, be it in Gaza, Yemen, or anywhere else,” she added.

South Africa, which filed the case in December, accused Israeli authorities of perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It requested provisional measures from the court to protect Palestinians, including by calling upon Israel to immediately halt military attacks.

South Africa laid out a list of alleged genocidal acts by Israel on the first day of the hearing Thursday, while Israel defended itself Friday.

Israel has killed more than 23,800 Palestinians in Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by Palestinian resistance group Hamas. The military campaign has also caused mass displacement, destruction, and hunger.

READ: 53% of Israelis believe Tel Aviv did not defeat Hamas, 22% believe army lost war

Little Amal stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people at the London march

Little Amal, popular puppet representing a refugee girl, joined the Global Action Day for Gaza in London. The Walk with Amal page announced that they are joining to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Little Amal is known for their advocacy for children around the world to have safe refuge, health education and prosperity.


January 13, 2024 

 

Israel has achieved little but a humanitarian catastrophe

13th January
By David Pratt

THE HERALD SCOTLAND

Foreign Affairs Editor

Western arrogance and miscalculation has led to an uptick in hostilities across the Middle East and no-one this time is taking much notice of America’s ‘big stick’. Foreign Editor David Pratt reports

IT was never supposed to play out this way, not according to the Israeli government anyway. This time around the old “mowing the grass” metaphor so favoured in the past by Israeli officials to describe their strategy of keeping Palestinian militants in Gaza down didn’t begin to convey what was coming Hamas’s way.


For in the words of Israel’s own war cabinet, this time Hamas would be “wiped off the face of the Earth,” and never for one moment did the government of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubt their country’s military capacity to do just that.

Why should they b given Israel’s regional “superpower” status?

Likewise, Israel’s allies in the West, notably the US and UK, equally never doubted for a moment that should things get out of hand then they would always be able to rein in any overzealous Israeli military campaign.

This was how it was handled in the past and this is how it would be handled again, was the prevailing view, even given the scale of Hamas’s murderous attack on October 7.

The only difference this time was that Hamas would be eliminated and a new security apparatus for Gaza would be put in place preventing any regional escalation and keeping the Middle East in check.

Job done and normal diplomatic business would be resumed.

Such was the conventional thinking in Washington, London, Riyadh and elsewhere in the wake of October 7, even if just to be on the safe side the US sent its newest, most advanced aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean.

America’s ‘big stick’

The USS Gerald Ford would be a signal that America, if necessary, still meant military business and was determined to deter Iran and its myriad proxy militias in the region for upping the ante.

But now, as we mark 100 days into the war in Gaza, no-one, it seems, is taking much notice of America’s “big stick”.

Hamas has far from been eviscerated and fights on.

In the interim, meanwhile, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and millions more displaced.

Then there is the ominous reality that an even bigger war between Israel and Hezbollah is only a blink away, and elsewhere in the region other Iranian backed militias in places like Syria and Iraq now have Western interests in their sights.

And, as if this was not escalation enough, US and UK warplanes are now bombing Yemen as the Red Sea comes under threat from Houthi fighters attempting to turn it into a maritime no-go zone that could put a choke lock on world trade.

Along with Hamas and Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis have stepped up as part of the Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance” opposed to Israel and its allies.

From Jerusalem to Washington, London to Riyadh, it’s a fair bet that those in the respective corridors of power in these countries – and others – never expected things to play out this way.

That very thing Western and Middle East policy had so sought to avoid, a regional escalation, has now become an unwelcome reality.

Such now is the fear of a full-blown conflict in one of the most politically fragile and strategically important parts of the world, that security analysts to energy markets, shipping companies to oil suppliers, already show signs of being thoroughly spooked and rattled.

A child watches as a mourner cries over the bodies of family members at al-Najar hospital in Rafah in the Gaza Strip after they were killed during Israeli bombardment, on January 10

Western failings

The obvious trigger of the war in Gaza aside for a moment, the current crisis, many argue, has laid bare what for some time has been the failings of Western policy in the Middle East. And at the heart of this failure, say some analysts, are the United States’ main regional partnerships.

“The two crucial US partners in the region, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are liabilities to the United States, not assets,” says says Jon Hoffman a foreign-policy analyst at the Washington, DC-based Cato Institute.

“Although the two states maintain considerable political, economic, and social differences, they both consistently undermine US interests and the values that the United States claims to stand for. Washington should fundamentally reorient its approach to both countries, moving from unconditional support to arm’s-length relationships,” Hoffman argued recently in an article in Foreign Policy magazine, expressing a view shared by other Middle East watchers.

Far from leveraging its relationship with Israel, Washington, says Hoffman, has continued its “blank-cheque approach” to Israel, providing more than $14 billion in military aid in a package approved in November which risked massive escalation in the process.

As for America’s other regional partner, Saudi Arabia, Hoffman reminds us that it remains one of the most autocratic countries in the world and is “a principal source of political, economic, and societal disorder across the Middle East”.

In other words, with two key partners like this in the region the scene was set whereby America and others who cosied up to Jerusalem and Riyadh, while all but ignoring other countries concerns in the Middle East, would eventually face some kind of backlash.

Anyone who doubts the extent to which Washington had taken its eye off the ball in the region needs only consider remarks made by US national security adviser Jake Sullivan last September, who asseretd that “the Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades”.

“Now challenges remain, but the amount of time that I have to spend on crisis and conflict in the Middle East today compared to any of my predecessors going back to 9/11 is significantly reduced,” maintained Sullivan in a statement that has aged both horribly and embarrassingly for the Biden administration.

Palestinians line up for food in Rafah last Tuesday during the ongoing Israeli air and ground offensive on Gaza

Volatile region

SULLIVAN’S remarks act as a sharp reminder of the dangers of diplomatic complacency and inaction in a region almost constantly in a state of volatile political flux.

Now, the United States along with the UK and other Western allies are reaping the whirlwind for such diplomatic miscalculation and neglect. The Houthi “problem” in the Red Sea is by far the most pressing for now.

Backed by their sponsor Iran, the Houthis in the past have proven resistant to attacks from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), suggesting that they will not be quickly subdued by the American and British strikes.


As Michelle Wiese Bockmann, principal analyst at Lloyd’s Intelligence List observed writing in the Financial Times a few days ago, the Houthis’ tactics “show how swiftly the vulnerabilities of key trade chokepoints can be exploited to upset global supply chains, causing maximum disruption”.

Before the Houthi attack, the Red Sea was usually one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. But by mid-December, the world’s four largest shipping companies – MSC, Maersk, CMA-CGM, and COSCO – had suspended the Red Sea transit.

In response, under what’s been dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, five warships from the US and UK now

patrol the Red Sea to thwart the attacks, yet so far this effort has failed to secure safe passage for the 12% of world trade that crosses Bab-el-Mandeb Strait to the Suez Canal.

In Britain, there have been calls to increase the Royal Navy’s involvement, with one newspaper columnist calling for the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to be deployed to the Red Sea, and for “offensive strikes against into Houthi territory”.

Last Friday, America and Britain responded with more than 60 sea and air attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen in an attempt to restore open passage and yesterday the attacks continued with what the Americans said was a strike on a “radar site”.

President Joe Biden has threatened further military action and said America would not allow “hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes”.


But critics of the UK-US military operation say they risk further escalation and little mention has been made of years of brutal war in Yemen, sustained in many instances by the US and Britain, and resulting in a death toll of hundreds of thousands.

They point also to what they say are double standards in that little action has been taken to lift Israel’s long-time maritime blockade of Gaza which, if currently removed, could assist in the supply of humanitarian aid to the devastated coastal strip.

‘Harsh and painful’

In Yemen itself, meanwhile, the Houthis – whose official name is Ansar Allah – have been characteristically brazen, insisting that their response to the “hostile actions” by the US and Britain, would be “very harsh and painful”.

According to one former US national intelligence officer for the Near East, the Western strikes are “unlikely to immediately halt Houthi aggression.”

“That will almost certainly mean having to continue to respond to Houthi strikes, and potentially with increasing aggression,” Jonathan Panikoff was cited by the US-based magazine Politico as saying.

“The Houthis view themselves as having little to lose, emboldened militarily by Iranian provisions of support and confident the US will not entertain a ground war,” Panikoff added.

While the Houthis claim that their attacks on military and civilian vessels are tied to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and are aimed specifically at those vessels connected with Israel, one senior US official briefing reporters in Washington last Friday dismissed such claims as “baseless and illegitimate”.

But as Politico magazine has highlighted, the escalation has thrown the spotlight on the difficulty both Washington and London have “in striving to distinguish their bid to deter the Houthis in the Red Sea from the war in Gaza, fearful that merging the two will hand Tehran a propaganda advantage in the Middle East.

“The Houthis and Iran are keen to accomplish the reverse.”

Biden’s problem, then, and that of Washington’s allies like the UK, is how to balance responding to hostile action with trying to contain the Israel-Hamas conflict as Israeli officials warn that their military onslaught in Gaza will continue for months. So far, Israel has failed to achieve its military objectives.

Despite entering the Gaza operation with the most advanced capabilities in the detection and destruction of tunnels of any army in the world, Hamas’s fighters are still operating from them – resulting in an increasing number of casualties among Israeli soldiers.

Little also has been heard of those hostages still said to be held by Hamas in Gaza.

With Hamas still functioning – albeit diminished – the only thing Israel has achieved to date in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe. Even the hoped for mass exodus of Palestinians into Egypt so desired by those Israeli nationalists and right-wingers within Netanyahu’s government has failed to materialise.

As veteran regional reporter David Hearst pointed out in the online UK-based news website Middle East Eye the other day, “there have been no attempts to storm the border with Egypt at Rafah. Nor is there any evidence, so far, of a popular revolt against Hamas”.

Meanwhile, as the fighting continues in Gaza, there are other flashpoints too for the Israelis and their US and western allies.

Border clashes

THERE are rising concerns, for example, that border clashes between Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel are getting perilously close to spiralling into full-blown conflict while in Iraq, Iranian-backed militias like al-Hashd al-Shaabi have been targeting US troops just as they have been in Syria. In all, there have been at least 115 attacks on US military personnel throughout the Middle East by Iranian proxies since October 17.

This weekend, as the 100-day mark passes since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza, there has been much talk from Jerusalem of the war “transitioning” to a new phase with fewer troops, less bombing, and more use of “targeted strikes”.

But the evidence on the ground in Gaza suggests otherwise.

Likewise from the Israel-Lebanon border to Iraq, Syria, and especially in the Red Sea and Yemen, the shooting war is heating up.

As Middle East Eye rightly pointed out on Friday: “If anything, these 100 days feel like the opening shots of a much larger and longer war, which would be catastrophic for everyone –both Jews and Arabs.”

Watching events unfold right now with diplomacy nowhere to be seen and war-war rather than jaw-jaw the order of the day, it would be hard to disagree with such a bleak assessment.

How Britain’s corrupt political funding helps the Right

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead

Yesterday

With the 2024 general election set to be the dirtiest battle yet, the party which receives the most money from donors could be at a distinct advantage.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and facing the ‘worst outcome in the party’s history’, as described by Sir John Curtice, the UK’s top polling guru, Rishi Sunak has pulled out what could be the mother of all trump cards – a stealthily passed plan to increase the election spending cap.

Despite public support for the party nosediving, donations to the Tories keep flooding in, made by a small pool of filthy rich supporters. As of September 2023, the ruling party had raised £22m compared to Labour’s £16m. In the last quarter of 2023, the Conservatives raised three times as much in election funding than the opposition.

With large sums of money already flowing into party coffers, it is not surprising that the government wants to increase the spending limits for parties and campaigners at elections.

In November, the government passed a statutory instrument that will increase the national election spending cap from £19.5m to around £35m. The major reform to election policy cannot be challenged by opposition parties. The Electoral Commission sounded the alarm, saying that the ‘sneaking out’ of the plan would give an unfair advantage to the biggest parties.

Warning of the injustices of Britain’s big-donor culture, the Electoral Reform Society said, rather than fixing ‘worrying loopholes,’ in deciding to raise the cap, the government is just ‘increasing the amount that can flood in.’

The same statutory instrument will increase the amount of money that an individual can donate to a party without declaring who donated it, from £7,500 to £11,180. “We are concerned about any move that could see more money flowing anonymously into our politics,” the watchdog continued.

Liberal Democrat Peer and Left Foot Forward contributor, Lord Chris Rennard, voiced similar concerns, with a reminder that no party had ever reached the former spending cap of £30,000 for every constituency they contested. This would equate to £19.5m nationally if they stood a candidate in every seat. He said that only the Tories had come close and accused the government of a ‘desperate’ bid to gain an advantage at the next election.

Writing for Byline Times, Rennard said that increasing the amount political parties can spend on general elections is ‘another warning sign for British democracy.’

“It will now be legally possible for a single billionaire to stump up the entire £36 million, or for six billionaires to pay £6 million each, and cover a party’s total general election spend at the national level,” warned Rennard.

The Tories claim the rise allows for inflation, since the limit was last set in 2000. (It’s a shame such inflation-busting enthusiasm isn’t extended to junior doctors, and other public sector workers, who are forced to work for real-time pay cuts.)

Unlike other advanced democracies, like France and Canada, which have strict political donor limits, in Britain, there is no cap on how much donors can give, meaning rich people can basically attempt to buy elections. Hell, even in the US, there are restrictions on how much you can give to candidates.

Friends in high places

As we know, the Tories have rich mates, extremely rich. In recent years, the Conservative party has become dependent on big money coming from a tiny elite.

As prime minister, David Cameron promised to rebuild trust in politics, and, among other things, limit donations to political parties. Yet rather than practising what he preached, it was revealed that since Cameron became Conservative party leader in 2005, funding for the Tories from the City’s wealthiest had risen fourfold to £11.4m a year.

The party’s reliance on wealthy donors carried on during the Cameron years. In 2013, Electoral Commission figures revealed that ten wealthy Tory supporters who attended private dinners with Cameron had between them provided a £1m boost to party coffers.

In the subsequent years, Britain’s corrupt system that effectively enables money to buy political power without transparency, has escalated.

In the run-up to the 2019 general election, the Tories smashed their own record for the most money raised in a general election, with large, overwhelmingly pro-Brexit donors contributing at least £12m to the party coffers. £1m came from Peter Hargreaves, despite the billionaire having labelled Boris Johnson a ‘buffoon.’ Hargreaves, a staunch Brexiteer, had previously donated £3.2m to the Leave.EU campaign, founded by Arron Banks.

By contrast, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour received just £4m during the first three weeks of the election campaign, most of which came from the unions.

Data from the Election Commission showed that the Conservatives spent more than £16m on its election campaign to claim its biggest majority since Thatcher’s victory in 1987, with each winning seat costing £200,000. Labour, meanwhile, spent £12m.

Analysis in September 2023 showed that since Rishi Sunak became prime minister, an astonishing four-fifths of all individual donations made to the Tories came from just ten super rich people. This handful of backers had given a combined sum of £10.6m, accounting for 83 percent of the £12.7m received from individuals since Sunak had been in Downing Street. That figure is however lower than under Boris Johnson, Theresa May, and David Cameron, and suggests that the party has become more reliant on a small group of elite supporters.

In May 2023, the party received its largest single donation in more than two decades. Egyptian-born billionaire, Mohamed Mansour is the biggest single backer of the Sunak era. The retail magnate said he donated £5m because Sunak “understands how growth is generated.” Mansour, who served under Egyptian autocrat Honsi Mubarak, was appointed as senior treasurer of the Conservative party at a reception dinner for donors in December 2022, a job that will reportedly involve fundraising in the run-up to the next general election

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The appointment was criticised by Labour. “Just when you think the Conservatives have plumbed the depths of sleaze and scandal we have this: a billionaire who was a part of Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic regime being put in charge of drumming up donations, to plug the gap left by those deserting this chaotic and stagnant government,” said Anneliese Dodds, chair of the Labour party.

Mansour’s company Unatrac has ties to Russia. In May, the company announced it was suspending its business activities in Russia after it was reported that the firm was supplying machinery to the Russian oil and gas industry. Labour has urged the Conservatives to hand back the £5m donation from Mubarak. Dodds called on the party to justify donations of almost £7.5m that she said had come from people and firms who had had links to business in Russia.

Another major backer in the Sunak era is Lubov Chernukhin , wife of the former Russian oligarch Vladimir Chernukhin, who gave £136,000. Her lawyer has insisted that her donations “have never been tainted by Kremlin or any other influence.”

But it’s not just the Tories who are lucratively lapping up funds from super wealthy individuals wanting to play politics with their millions. In 2016, £8.4m – the biggest political donation in UK history at the time – was given to the Brexit Party. It came from Arron Banks, the insurance tycoon who also has links to Russia and Vladimir Putin. Banks reportedly went on to lavishly fund Nigel Farage in the year after the referendum. Just last week, the billionaire Brexiteer claimed he could find £10 million for Reform UK, if Farage jumped back into the fray.

Labour meanwhile is busy building its own election war chest. The party has struggled for money in recent years, with membership – and the revenue it provides – having dropped significantly since 2020. Additionally, since 2018, trade union contributions have fallen by more than a million. Such shortfalls however have been made up by large donations from wealthy sources. In the second quarter of 2023, the party raised a record £10.4m. £3m came from supermarket baron, David Sainsbury.

Sainsbury family donor wars

The story involving the Sainsbury family’s political donations is interesting, if not slightly amusing. The largest private donors to both the Tories and Labour at the end of 2023 were made by Lord Sainsbury, but not the same Lord Sainsbury. John Sainsbury, who was knighted in 1980 and made a life peer in 1989, passed away in 2022, and left a record £10m to the Conservatives in his will, the largest single sum ever given to the party. His cousin, Lord David Sainsbury, is a Labour backer, at least he is under Sir Keir Starmer. The former Sainsbury company chair also gave generously to Labour during the Blair years. An ardent Remainer, he also donated funds to Labour and the Liberal Democrats during the EU referendum, and gave £4m to the anti-Brexit group, Britain Stronger in Europe. Sainsbury, who was made a Labour peer in 1997, withdrew his support for the party during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. In the 2019 election, he gave £8m to the Liberal Democrats. Sainsbury also formerly funded the Progress group, which is associated with the Labour right. He also gave a small donation to a Tory MP in 2018.

Another Labour megadonor is Gary Lubner, who donated £2.2m to the party last year. Lubner has made his millions by running the company behind Autoglass. The South-African born businessman said that he hoped his support will keep Labour in power “for a long time.”

In 2022, during Liz Truss’s disastrous reign, multimillionaire Gareth Quarry, a top Tory party donor, announced his defection from the Tories to Labour, with a £100,000 donation to Starmer’s party.

It has been argued that the resurgence in support for Labour among the business community, is pushing Starmer’s party to ditch its progressive policies. Adam Ramsay, openDemocracy’s special correspondent, notes how some members of the shadow cabinet have just one advisor, funded by the Labour Party, while others have whole teams, paid for by major donors.

“It’s generally those associated with the right of the Labour Party who seem able to attract the funding of the handful of hedge funders and millionaires who chip in to such things. As a result, they get the researchers and spinners who make them look more competent, allowing them to deliver more, to grow their profiles, to succeed,” Ramsay argues.

Void of the political donation restrictions in other developed democracies, the UK political party system is prone to a corrupt practice by those seeking to buy or sell influence in return for contributions to party coffers.

The scandal of how politics is funded in Britain seems to be something of an ‘elephant in the room’ issue that no one really wants to talk about. It is a subject that remains relatively ignored in the mainstream media. As the anti-corruption group Transparency International UK warns, while it is not always easy to connect policy outcomes directly to donations by individuals, the ‘very possibility of such a link is in itself corrosive to a healthy democracy.’

With the 2024 general election set to be the dirtiest battle yet, the party which receives the most money from donors could be at a distinct advantage. And in effectively buying political access, these megadonors are likely to have favourable consideration in policy development and legislation, as they don’t give away their money for nothing. Worrying times indeed. And if that was not enough to worry about, the whole business speaks of the decline of democracy as defined by mass membership of political parties. A generation ago the Conservative Party had a membership of 250,000 and becoming ‘a young Con’ was part of the rite of passage for thousands of middle-class young people, not necessarily for political reasons it has to be said. Now it consists of an elderly rump, something not entirely disconnected from its run of appalling leaders in recent years.

Right-Wing Media Watch – Fleet Street’s Post Office scandal failings confirms why alternative media is vital

It took an ITV drama to expose the true magnitude of what is now widely regarded as the UK’s greatest miscarriage of justice.

But rather than the mainstream media, the so-called ‘Fleet Street’ publications with their power, contacts, influence, and money doing the groundwork for the captivating four-part drama, it was Computer Weekly, a niche digital trade magazine for IT professionals.

Since breaking the story in 2009 about Horizon, the faulty Fujitsu accounting software responsible for the ‘missing’ money, the niche publication has printed around 350 stories about Horizon, 70 of which were published before the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance brought legal action against the Post Office in 2018. By this time, the story was public knowledge, yet it still remained relatively muted in the mainstream media.

In 2022, Rebecca Thomson, the journalist who first investigated and broke the story, told the Times that Computer Weekly had expected major follow-ups, none of which came. “It really did go out to a clanging silence. I was super-ambitious, and I was disappointed, and a bit confused about the fact that there had been so little reaction to the story, because I still continue to feel like it was incredibly strong,” she said.

Freelance journalist Nick Wallis had recognised the magnitude of the story and, with a crowdfunding campaign, had researched and written extensively about it. His outlets included Private Eye, the fortnightly satirical newsprint magazine, which was among the first to report on the scandal.

Meanwhile, the nationals, the bigwigs which love to talk up their own importance, were notably off the pace. The Mail, whose editor Geordie Greig had a personal link to the story, having a weekend cottage in a village where one of the postmasters lived, devoted some editorial space to the story in the late 2010s. Boasting with typical self-importance, when the postmasters began winning, the newspaper claimed the settlement was a victory for the Daily Mail. ‘Our £58m Post Office victory,’ it splashed.

But the newspaper hardly dedicated the same attention to the story as it does to Republican-inspired culture wars, Harry and Meghan, Westminster theatrics, and so on. Remember the fake ‘Beergate’ drama in 2021? The Mail ran a series of frontpage splashes on Starmer’s apparent beer and curry eating activities in a desperate attempt to distract from the ‘Partygate’ scandal which engulfed Boris Johnson’s government at the time. And remember the newspaper’s constant over the top support for Liz Truss? Say no more.

Today, as the mainstream media desperately backpedals on its prolonged silence on the Post Office scandal, the right-wing press seems intent on gunning for certain political figures. The Murdoch-owned Times is lashing out at Ed Davey, who was postal affairs minister in 2010 – 2012. ‘Ed Davey can make history – by resigning, was its headline this week. “Lib Dem leader has the chance to become a symbol for those who want something brought to book for the Post Office scandal,” the article continues.

Such was the singling out of Ed Davey by Nigel Farage on GB News, that the Lib Dems have called for Ofcom to investigate the broadcaster over alleged impartiality breaches.

Where are the media calls for Rishi Sunak to resign? After all, Fujitsu was awarded billions of pounds worth of contracts under his watch, even after the company’s software was found to be at fault.

And where was the media outcry when Paula Vennells was appointed as CBE for services to the Post Office and to charity in the 2019 New Year’s Honours, despite ongoing legal action against the Post Office? No, it took a petition signed by over 1 million people calling for her to hand her CBE back for the mainstreamers to bother reporting it. Then, showing typical right-wing media hypocrisy, they report the story with feverish venom.

“Stamped Out: Rishi backs calls for probe into stripping ex-Post Office boss of CBE as more than one million sign petition,” splashed the Sun this week.

Perhaps, until it captured the hearts of the nation via a televised drama, the story was considered too ‘lefty’ or dangerous to touch by the mainstream media, as Liz Gerard suggests in a piece for The New European on how the nationals missed the scandal, and the disturbing questions it raises.

As Fleet Street seemingly turns a blind eye on stories that don’t quite fit their agenda, the alternatives, the likes of Byline Times, openDemocracy, The New European, trade publications, and of course, Left Foot Forward, are picking up the pieces, disseminating information that is ignored or overlooked by the major outlets, while reporting the truth and challenging the media mafia.

Woke-bashing of the week – Liz Truss ‘PopCon’ group calls for ‘anti-woke’ agenda to be at heart of Tory manifesto

Another Tory group of right-wing rebels is set to launch, this time, by Liz Truss. And the usual suspects are lining up to be involved – Priti Patel, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke.

Labelled ‘Popular Conservatism’ or ‘PopCon’ to make it punchier, the group is aimed at reconnecting party members and stemming defections to Reform UK. They will urge Rishi Sunak to go to the country later this year, with policies that appeal to traditional Tory voters. So, what exactly are those policies? Putting an anti-woke agenda at the heart of Tory manifesto, according to the Mail’s headline of a report on the new group.

In other words, they are likely to be looking at amending the Equality Act, which some Tory MPs blame for watering down transgender guidance in schools, and calling for reforms to the Human Right Act, amid claims it cripples the government’s strategy to remove illegal migrants to Rwanda.

Jacob Rees-Mogg explained the general doctrine of the new Tory rebel group: “It is only right that we try to ensure that the manifesto Rishi Sunak presents to the electorate is something that will chime with what Conservative voters want.

“That way we can help the PM to be re-elected and save the country from the disaster of a Starmer-led socialist government,” he said.

Don’t these people realise that voters can see through the Right’s obsession with invented culture wars? Rees-Mogg obviously isn’t aware of, or chooses to ignore, surveys that show more than half of people feel politicians are using co-called culture wars as a political tactic to distract from other issues? And that the top issues which will determine people’s votes are the likes of living/inflation, the NHS and social care?

And such sentiment extends to traditional Tory voters. One survey found that almost three in four people who voted Tory in 2019 said there were more important things than challenging political correctness and fighting ‘culture wars.’

In this sense, in focusing on ‘anti-wokeness,’ PopCons’ aspirations to appeal to traditional Tory voters are likely to garner them little support. Why isn’t that a surprise?



Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is author of Right-Wing Watch