Sunday, January 14, 2024

Iraq and Gaza

2023 ended 14 days ago but today John Lee (MENAFN) reports, "Iraq was the nation with the largest number of internet shutdowns in 2023, according to a survey from Top 10 VPN."  In other news, PRESS TV reports:


Iraq’s parliament will stick by a law it ratified in 2020 that ordered the government to expel a US-led coalition of foreign forces that have been operating in the Arab country under a so-called anti-terrorism mission.

A Sunday statement from the Iraqi parliament said that deputy parliament speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi had said in parliament session a day earlier that the law adopted four years ago to expel coalition forces is “a fundamental and irreversible piece of legislation” and will not change because it enjoys the support of the Iraqi people and government.

Mandalawi called on the Iraqi government to put the legislation into action and to expand the capacities of the Iraqi security forces instead of relying on foreign forces to fight terrorist groups.


NINA adds:


Up to 88 Iraqi lawmakers submitted yesterday, a proposal for a draft law, requiring the end of the presence of foreign forces in Iraq, after repeated U.S. attacks against Iraqi security forces.

Falih al-Khazali, a member of the Iraqi parliament, said in a press conference that, the proposal was signed by 88 lawmakers from the Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentary alliance and an umbrella group of Shiite parliamentary parties.

He explained that, the reason for submitting such a proposal“is that, U.S. forces continue to violate Iraqi sovereignty through repeated attacks on some headquarters and leaders of the (paramilitary) Hashd Shaabi Forces, which are considered part of the Iraqi armed forces.”


From Iraq to Gaza, THE NEW ARAB quotes the War Criminals:


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has faced growing international pressure over the killings of civilians in Gaza, vowed that "no one will stop us" as Israeli strikes pounded Gaza on the 100th day of the war.

The conflict has created a dire humanitarian crisis for the 2.4 million people in Gaza, the United Nations and aid groups warn, and reduced much of the coastal strip to rubble.

Gaza's government media office said Sunday that "more than 100 people were martyred in the attacks last night until 6:00 am in all areas of the Gaza Strip".


The world is disgusted with the slaughter taking place in Gaza.  Today, whispers of 'frustration' on the part of the White House.  Jon Queally (COMMON DREAMS) explains:


The beltway news outlet Axios on Sunday reported that President Joe Biden and other administration officials are becoming increasingly frustrated with the Israeli government's intransigence on the situation in Gaza, but critics outraged by unwavering U.S. support for the "genocidal" attack on Gaza that has been ongoing for 100 days had this to say: Where's the substantive evidence for that?

Axios cited one unnamed official familiar with the hidden sentiments of the White House, who said, "The situation sucks and we are stuck. The president's patience is running out."

The outlet also quoted Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a close ally of the president, who argued that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyu "has given Biden the finger" at nearly every turn. Administration officials, added Van Hollen, "are pleading with the Netanyahu coalition, but getting slapped in the face over and over again."

But critical observers like journalist Jeremy Scahill of The Intercept met the new reporting with deep skepticism.

"Let's unpack this: We are supposed to believe Biden's 'patience is running out' with Israel while he offers full political support, gives 'emergency' munitions to fuel the slaughter in Gaza, and is trying to shield his 'great, great friend' Bibi from international law?" tweeted Scahill. "Okay."


Gaza remains under assault.  Binoy Kampmark (DISSIDENT VOICE) points out, "Bloodletting as form; murder as fashion.  The ongoing campaign in Gaza by Israel’s Defence Forces continues without stalling and restriction.  But the burgeoning number of corpses is starting to become a challenge for the propaganda outlets:  How to justify it?  Fortunately for Israel, the United States, its unqualified defender, is happy to provide cover for murder covered in the sheath of self-defence."   CNN has explained, "The Gaza Strip is 'the most dangerous place' in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund."  ABC NEWS quotes UNICEF's December 9th statement, ""The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. Scores of children are reportedly being killed and injured on a daily basis. Entire neighborhoods, where children used to play and go to school have been turned into stacks of rubble, with no life in them."  NBC NEWS notes, "Strong majorities of all voters in the U.S. disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll. The erosion is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza."  The slaughter continues.  It has displaced over 1 million people per the US Congressional Research Service.  Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) points out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide."   The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza is now well over  20,000. NBC NEWS notes, "The vast majority of its 2.2 million people are displaced, and an estimated half face starvation amid an unfolding humanitarian crisis."    NBC NEWS notes, "More than 23,900 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 60,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead."  In addition to the dead and the injured, there are the missing.  AP notes, "About 4,000 people are reported missing."  And the area itself?  Isabele Debre (AP) reveals, "Israel’s military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells."  Kieron Monks (I NEWS) reports, "More than 40 per cent of the buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to a new study of satellite imagery by US researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University and Corey Scher at the City University of New York. The UN gave a figure of 45 per cent of housing destroyed or damaged across the strip in less than six weeks. The rate of destruction is among the highest of any conflict since the Second World War."  Max Butterworth (NBC NEWS) adds, "Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies on Sunday reveal three of the main hospitals in Gaza from above, surrounded by the rubble of destroyed buildings after weeks of intense bombing in the region by Israeli forces."


Today, Leila Sackur (NBC NEWS) reports:


Ahmad Tibi, a member of Israel's Knesset, has confirmed the deaths of three of his family members in bombings of Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Confirming the deaths reported first by Channel 12 journalists yesterday, Tibi said on X, "We love life if we can find a way to it."

The family members were Dr. Sahar Tibi, an education lecturer, Faisal Tibi, a computer science student, and Ahmed Tibi, a 10-year-old boy, according to Israeli media.

Ahmad Tibi is a Palestinian citizen of Israel and the leader of the Ta'al (Arab Movement for Renewal) party. He has served in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, since the 1990s.



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