Sunday, September 01, 2024

Israelis protest and call for a strike

THE GUARDIAN reports, "Israel is braced for its first nationwide general strike since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, amid widespread public anger at the government’s handling of the war in Gaza after the discovery of the bodies of six hostages at the weekend.  Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, ordered a nationwide general strike from 6am on Monday that is expected to bring large parts of the economy to a halt. Government and municipal offices were due to close, as well as schools and many private businesses. Israel’s international airport, Ben Gurion, is due to shut down at 8am local time (0600 BST) for an unknown period."  A cease-fire could have delivered the hostages home safely; however, War Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu did not want a cease-fire for numerous reasons including it would allow the criminal case against Netanyahu to move forward.  He's a corrupt politician who's in deep trouble and the assault on Gaza has allowed him to distract from that.  We'll include this from WIKIPEDIA:


On 21 November 2019, Netanyahu was officially indicted for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud, leading him to legally relinquish his ministry portfolios other than prime minister. Netanyahu's trial in the Jerusalem District Court began on 24 May 2020, with witness testimony starting on 5 April 2021. The prosecution listed 333 witnesses.[1] As of June 2024, the trial is still ongoing.[2][3][4][5]


Yesterday's discovery of six dead hostages has only inflamed anger at Netanyahu who should not have taken nearly nine months to bring the hostages home.  BBC NEWS notes, "The mayor of Tel Aviv says the municipality will join tomorrow's strikes, he says in a post on X.  Ron Huldai goes on in the social media post to say the Israeli government 'abandoned' the six hostages whose bodies were recovered from an underground tunnel in southern Gaza."  Holly Johnston and Taylor Heyman (THE NATIONAL) add, "Israel's Ben Gurion Airport will be closed for take-off and landings from 8am, the country's Trade Union Federation said, and schools would only open until 11.45am. Nurseries would be closed all day, the Teachers Union, a branch of Histarut, said."  And ALZEERA reports, "Tevel Dan, the company that operates light rail services, in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area said train services will “operate in a reduced format” and that there may be disruptions and delays, according to YNet.  In West Jerusalem, Cfir said the city’s light rail system will not operate until 12:00pm local time (09:00 GMT) because of the strike called by the Histadrut, the country’s largest labour union."


Today saw massive protests across Israel.  THE JERUSALEM POST offers a photo essay here.  Dearbail Jordan and Alice Cuddy (BBC NEWS) note, "Protesters - many clad in Israeli flags - descended on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities, accusing PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of not doing enough to reach a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas during the 7 October attacks." Josef Federman and Melanie Lidman (AP) explain, "The mass outpouring appeared to be the largest such demonstration in 11 months of war and protesters said it felt like a possible turning point, although the country is deeply divided." And how were the protesters recognized by the police?  CNN reports, "Police in Tel Aviv used stun grenades to disperse protesters on Sunday night, according to video footage and Naama Lazimi, a member of Israel’s parliament who was present at the demonstration.  In video footage verified by CNN, police are seen throwing stun grenades at protestors blocking Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway, who were calling for the release of hostages in Gaza."      

ALJAZEERA adds, "The protesters chanted 'Now! Now!' and demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a ceasefire with Palestinian group Hamas to bring the remaining captives home.  Many Israelis blocked roads in Tel Aviv and demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s office in West Jerusalem."  IPS analyst Phyllis Bennis tells ALJAZEERA, "Clearly the best way to bring all the hostages home, to get the Palestinian prisoners released --  some 10,000 of them who are being held illegally inside Israeli prisons, 6,000 of them without any charges, and stopping this genocidal war that Israel is waging in Gaza -- the best way to do that is for the United States to stop sending weapons."


 Barak Ravid (AXIOS) notes, "White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday told families of U.S. hostages held in Gaza that President Biden is considering presenting Israel and Hamas a final proposal for a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal later this week, two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told Axios."  What's holding it up?  ALJAZEERA notes, "Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya told Al Jazeera that the Palestinian group has been ready to sign a ceasefire agreement for Gaza, but Netanyahu has prevented that from happening."  Again, the minute the assault ends, Netanyahu has to deal with the criminal charges he faces for his corruption.  BBC NEWS reports, "Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas to bring the remaining hostages home from Gaza"


In other news, the Israeli government has bombed another school in Gaza.  AFP quotes a Palestinian government spokesperson, Mahmud Bassal, stating, "Eleven people, including a woman and girl, were killed when an Israeli air strike struck the Safad school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people.

 

Gaza remains under assault. Day 330 of  the assault in the wave that began in October.  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.  THE NATIONAL notes, "Gaza's death toll rose to 40,738 on Sunday after 47 people were killed in the past 24 hours. Another 94 were wounded, taking the total number of injured to 94,154 since the war began, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Among the latest victims were a baby and three others killed in strikes in Gaza city and the central Bureij refugee camp, according to reports from the official Wafa news agency."   Early on, Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) pointed out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide."    Months ago, United Nations Women noted, "More than 1.9 million people -- 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza -- have been displaced, including what UN Women estimates to be nearly 1 million women and girls. The entire population of Gaza -- roughly 2.2 million people -- are in crisis levels of of acute food insecurity or worse."   Months ago,  AP  noted, "About 4,000 people are reported missing."  February 7th, Jeremy Scahill explained on DEMOCRACY NOW! that "there’s an estimated 7,000 or 8,000 Palestinians missing, many of them in graves that are the rubble of their former home."  February 5th, the United Nations' Phillipe Lazzarini Tweeted:

 


April 11th, Sharon Zhang (TRUTHOUT) reported, "In addition to the over 34,000 Palestinians who have been counted as killed in Israel’s genocidal assault so far, there are 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza who are missing, a humanitarian aid group has estimated, either buried in rubble or mass graves or disappeared into Israeli prisons.  In a report released Thursday, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that the estimate is based on initial reports and that the actual number of people missing is likely even higher."


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