The U.S Army is investigating
after two Georgia National Guard soldiers died Wednesday, in unrelated
non-combat incidents during their deployments in Iraq.
The Army said there is no evidence of foul play in the deaths of Spc. Travis Jordan Pameni of Douglasville and Spc. Owen James Elliott of Twin City, both 23.
Pameni died in Baghdad after an incident in another location, the Army
said. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment,
based in Lawrenceville; that unit began a mission at an undisclosed
location in the Middle East in April.
A senior Iraqi lawmaker and head of a top anti-terror
organization says Baghdad has set a timetable for the expulsion of the
US occupation forces from the Arab country.
Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance in Iraq’s
parliament and leader of the Badr Organization, made the announcement in
an interview with Al-Ahad TV on Saturday.
Pointing to the presence of foreign troops, including Americans, in
Iraq, Amiri said, “The decision to withdraw these forces from Iraq is an
irreversible decision and we will soon release a timetable for that.”
The senior parliamentarian also said the issue of Gaza has become a
“criterion for differentiating truth from falsehood,” adding that Iraq’s
position on Gaza is clear and in support of the Islamic resistance.
In just the last 10 months of its genocide, Israel has damaged or
destroyed nearly 9 out of 10 schools in Gaza, the UN has reported.
According to assessments by the UN-backed Global Education Cluster, almost 85 percent of school buildings in Gaza have been directly hit or damaged, as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) highlighted on Friday.
“Some of these schools will need full reconstruction. The war is
destroying the present and the future of Palestinian children,” the
agency wrote, calling for a ceasefire.
This is an astonishing proportion of school buildings in Gaza, and is
emblematic of Israel’s campaign to destroy all sense of structure and
community for Palestinian children — in addition to blowing off their limbs, orphaning them, and killing them through bombs, bullets, disease and starvation.
School has been suspended throughout the genocide, meaning that
Gaza’s 1.1 million children haven’t gone to school in nearly a year,
severely hampering their development amid a time of extreme trauma. The
UNRWA announced this week
that it is launching a “back to learning” program this week in Gaza
that will raise awareness of unexploded ordnance, among other things;
but children’s development has been so violently disrupted in the region
that this will likely only be a bandaid on the crisis.
The assault on schools continued. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta (REUTERS) note, "An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced persons in Gaza
City killed at least 15 Palestinians on Saturday, hours after two
strikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants including a
local Hamas commander, Hamas said." CNN's Kareem Khadder, Ibrahim Dahman, Lauren Izso and Eyad Kourdi note that the death toll increased to 17 and that "at least 63" people were left wounded. They write, "Footage obtained by CNN revealed a grim aftermath, showing the bodies of residents and injured children at the site." THE NATIONAL adds, "Earlier on Saturday, Israeli bombing killed six people in a house in the
southern area of Rafah and two others in Gaza city, Gaza health
officials said."
In
Doha, Al Jazeera journalists gathered at the media network’s
headquarters to condemn Israel’s targeted killing of their colleagues
Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi while they were reporting in Gaza
Wednesday. Al Jazeera refuted Israeli claims that it targeted al-Ghoul
because he was a Hamas operative. Al Jazeera said the claim “highlights
Israel’s long history of fabrications and false evidence used to cover
up its heinous crimes.”
Reporters Without Borders issued the following statement on the murders:
An
Israeli strike killed Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and
photographer Rami al-Rifi on 31 July while they were on assignment in
the north of Gaza. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expresses outrage
over this latest attack and calls for increased international pressure
on the Israeli government to immediately halt its forces’ massacre of
journalists.
Al Jazeera journalists Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi were
reporting live from the al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza city,
shortly before an Israeli strike hit their car, killing them both. Footage
published by their colleague Anas al-Sharif shortly after the strike at
around 4PM on 31 July shows both reporters killed inside an isolated
white car in the middle of an empty street, visibly damaged by a direct
strike. Al-Sharif said both reporters were found decapitated. They were
wearing their press vests, according to RSF’s information.
A statement by the Al
Jazeera Media Network called the killings a “targeted assassination” by
Israeli forces and pledged to “pursue all legal actions to prosecute the
perpetrators of these crimes.” According to the media outlet,
the two reporters had contacted their news desk 15 minutes before the
deadly strike. During the call, they reported on another nearby attack
and were advised to leave the area. Ismail al-Ghoul, one of Gaza’s most
recognisable reporters, had already been arrested by Israeli forces in
al-Shifa hospital on 18 March and released 12 hours later.
Al-Ghoul and al-Rifi were
on assignment along with other reporters in the al-Shatti refugee camp,
near the house of Hamas political leader Ismail Haneya. They were
covering the aftermath of Haneya’s assassination in Iran the night
before. The Israeli army did not comment on the strike that killed the
two reporters, but constantly denies targeting journalists in Gaza.
According to RSF’s information, however, more than 120 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in the strip since 7 October 2023.
At least 29 of them have been killed in circumstances that point to
intentional targeting, in violation of international law. RSF has filed three complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) since then, calling on the court to investigate these war crimes against journalists as a matter of urgent priority.
“We
are appalled by this violent attack on two prominent Al Jazeera
journalists – the latest incident in nearly 10 months of crimes against
journalists in Gaza, where more than 120 journalists have now lost their
lives. RSF urges the Israeli government to immediately commit to ending
the violence against journalists that continues to be mercilessly
committed by Israeli Defence Forces, constituting flagrant examples of
war crimes. We also call for increased international pressure to ensure
journalists still working in Gaza are able to safely do their jobs, and
to secure justice for the far too many already killed. This massacre
must stop now.
Rebecca Vincent
RSF’s Director of Campaigns
With the killing of al-Ghoul and al-Rifi, the number of Al Jazeera journalists killed in Gaza rises to five, all targeted by direct strikes according to RSF’s information. Journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh – the son of Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Gaza – and his colleague Moustafa Thuraya – were killed by a targeted Israeli strike at the start of January. A month later, Wael al-Dahdouh was himself injured by another targeted drone strike that killed Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa.
These deadly attacks against Al Jazeera personnel coincided with a steady defamation campaign by Israeli authorities, which accused Al Jazeera of being a “spokesperson for Hamas” that “threatens the Israeli military,” and which resulted in a temporary ban of the broadcaster
enforced in Israel and Palestine. The ban was renewed for 45 days on 5
May, then for another 45 days on 9 June. RSF has repeatedly warned that
the campaign against Al Jazeera, as well as the
relentless conflation of journalism with “terrorism,” endangers
reporters and threatens the right to information everywhere.
Gaza remains under assault. Day 302 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. 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 grows higher and higher. 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 acute food insecurity or worse." THE NATIONAL notes, "The
Gaza Health Ministry on Saturday said that at least 39,550 Palestinians
have been killed in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since
October 7. It said that 91,128 people have been injured in the war." 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."
As for 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." August 2nd, Sharon Zhang (TRUTHOUT) noted, "Israel has bombed schools at a higher rate than other buildings in Gaza,
suggesting that the Israeli military is deliberately destroying Gaza’s
school system. A UN assessment released this week found
that 63 percent of buildings in Gaza have been damaged — a staggering
proportion in itself, but one much smaller than the damage done to
schools." August 2nd also saw Jake Johnson (COMMON DREAMS) quote Dr Mohammed Salha addressing the food issue, "Malnutrition is widespread, specifically in the northern Gaza Strip. For over five months, no vegetables, fruit, or meat have
been brought into the northern Gaza Strip'."
What will it take to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza? That’s the
question confounding people of conscience all over the world since last
October. After Israeli citizens, tax-paying residents of the United
States have the most leverage over the perpetrators of genocide given
that the U.S. is Israel’s biggest weapons supplier. What if our taxes were spent on the things we need rather than on the deadly weapons Israel is thirsting for?
For months, a majority of the U.S. public has disapproved of Israel’s relentless mass killings. College students organized dramatic encampments to demand divestment from Israel. Protesters confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit.
Yet, President Joe Biden has done little
beyond paying lip service to address the public rage over Israel’s
murderous assault. Now, his proxy, Vice President Kamala Harris, faces a
similar calculus in running for the presidency: pull back U.S. weapons
from fueling genocide, as United Nations experts have urged, or risk losing voters in a critical election.
Politics? No, not tonight. I've spent the day making the case for why Josh Shapiro should not be the vice presidential candidate. I've done that over and over including to one person on Kamala's assessment team (who that is should be obvious to community members and anyone who does regular drive-bys). There's a good chance that Ava and I may try to grab that topic and toss it in a different direction. I took a shower before I started writing this entry and while showering thought, "Oh, this is the way to get the point across." So we may grab that topic for THIRD.
Baldwin-Backed Home Energy Rebates Program Launches in Wisconsin Lowering Families’ Utility Bills
Baldwin applauds new program funded through Inflation Reduction Act to provide energy rebates to families
WISCONSIN – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is applauding the launch of a program funded through the Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act
(IRA) to lower families’ utility bills by offering energy rebates to
Wisconsinites. Today, Wisconsin launched the first-in-the-nation Home
Efficiency (HOMES) rebate program – enabling households at all income
levels, with an emphasis on lower-income households, to save on energy
efficiency improvements such as insulation, air sealing, and heat pumps
that reduce whole-home energy consumption.
“Across Wisconsin, the Inflation Reduction Act is helping families
cut costs and expand access to smart upgrades that not only reduce
families’ footprint, but also save money as we invest in more efficient
appliances, vehicles, and household necessities,” said Senator Baldwin.
“I was proud to support this program for Wisconsin to help families
save on the front end of cost-cutting investments that will deliver
savings for years to come.”
The HOMES rebate program is part of an $8.8 billion investment under the Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act
for states, territories, and Tribes to lower energy costs and increase
efficiency in American homes by making it cheaper to install cost-saving
measures such as heat pumps, electrical panels, and insulation. These
energy-saving measures will save American households up to $1 billion
annually in energy costs and support an estimated 50,000 U.S. jobs in
residential construction, manufacturing, and other sectors.
More information on IRA Home Energy Rebates is available here. More information on Home Rebates is available here.
Senator Murray, Rep. Pressley Reintroduce BE HEARD Act to Protect Workers from Harassment
The BE HEARD Act is comprehensive
legislation to prevent workplace harassment, strengthen and expand key
protections for workers, and support workers in seeking accountability
and justice
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, reintroduced
the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and
Rejecting Discrimination (BE HEARD) in the Workplace Act of 2024.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07) introduced the bill in the
House, along with Congresswomen Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Marilyn
Strickland (D-WA-10), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08). This bill takes
critical steps to address workplace harassment and ensure workers can
seek accountability and justice. Murray first introduced the BE HEARD Act in 2019.
Workers across the country continue to face sexual harassment at
work. Women continue to file a disproportionate number of sexual
harassment charges, making up nearly 80%
of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints between
2018 and 2021. The continuing epidemic of sexual harassment at work
highlights the urgent need to reintroduce the BE HEARD Act.
This legislation includes key reforms including ending mandatory
arbitration and pre-employment NDAs to help ensure transparency and
expanding civil rights protections for workers—including independent
contractors and interns, extending the time limit for reporting and
challenging harassment, and ending the tipped minimum wage—a key reform
to ensure workers don’t have to endure harassment from customers because
their wages depend on tips.
“Whoever you are or wherever you work—everyone deserves to be treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity at their job,” said Senator Murray. “For
far too many employees across the country, going to work still means
putting up with sexual harassment and discrimination. For years I have
fought for everyone’s right to be free of harassment and discrimination
in their workplace, and the BE HEARD Act is critical to ensuring workers
get the justice and protections they deserve. I’m so proud to
re-introduce my bill alongside my colleagues—because as long as workers
continue to face sexual harassment, we will keep demanding better and
fighting for change.”
“Every worker should be able to do their job with safety,
dignity, and respect. And every worker deserves recourse when faced with
discrimination, harassment, or abuse,” said Rep. Pressley. “The
BE HEARD in the Workplace Act is deeply personal, and I am proud to put
forward a bill that brings us one step closer to ensuring justice and
accountability in the workplace. I am grateful to our colleagues,
survivors, civil rights lawyers, and community advocates for their
partnership on this legislation. Congress must pass this bill without
delay because every person, every worker deserves to be heard.”
“Work should be a place where you find fulfillment, not a
place you fear. When abusing an employee is the cost of doing business,
we have failed as a society,” said Rep. Garcia. “I am
proud to be co-leading the BE HEARD in the Workplace Act. Now more than
ever, we must do everything we can in Congress to ensure all workers can
grow professionally and provide for their families without fear of any
abusive behavior or practice in the workplace.”
“I’m proud to stand alongside my colleagues and survivors in
reintroducing the Be HEARD Act – not just to update our laws and keep
workers safe in the workplace, but to help change the leadership climate
and culture that has for too long tolerated harassment and abuse,” said Rep. Slotkin.
“For too long, women across industries and backgrounds have been unable
to come forward to report harassment or have been met with obstacles
and retaliation for demanding their right to work free of harassment or
discrimination. Enough.”
“Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with respect in their workplace,” said Rep. Strickland. “This bill ensures that workers have the tools they need to address workplace harassment.”
The BE HEARD Act will:
Strengthen understanding of workplace harassment and help businesses prevent it: The BE HEARD Act invests
in research about the economic impact of workplace harassment, requires
regular reporting on the prevalence of workplace harassment, and
ensures that workers have access to more information and training about
what constitutes harassment and their rights if they are harassed.
Help ensure transparency: The BE HEARD Act puts an end to
mandatory arbitration and pre-employment non-disclosure agreements,
which prevent workers from coming forward and holding perpetrators and
businesses accountable.
Broaden and expand civil rights protections to all workers: The BE HEARD Act builds
on and strengthens existing civil rights laws by expanding protections
for workers, while also safeguarding existing antidiscrimination laws
and protections. It strengthens civil rights protections for all workers
and makes clear that the Civil Rights Act protects against
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the
context of workplace discrimination. It also ensures that no matter
where you work—and whether you are an independent contractor or an
intern—your rights are protected.
Empower workers who come forward with reports of harassment or retaliation to ensure they get support: The BE HEARD Act allows
workers more time to report harassment, authorizes grants to support
legal assistance for workers who have low incomes, invests in delivering
more resources to the state level to help workers ensure their rights
are protected, and lifts the cap on damages when workers pursue legal
action and win their cases.
Eliminate the tipped wage: The BE HEARD Act eliminates the
tipped minimum wage, because tipped workers are disproportionately
vulnerable to sexual harassment and discrimination by both clients and
supervisors.
In addition to Senator Murray, the Senate bill is co-sponsored by:
Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard
Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Ben
Cardin (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy
Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley
(D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen
(D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron
Wyden (D-OR).
In addition to Reps. Pressley, Garcia, Strickland, and Slotkin, the
House bill is co-sponsored by: Representatives John Raymond Garamendi
(CA-08), André Carson (IN-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Sheila
Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Debbie Dingell
(MI-06), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Barbara Lee
(CA-12), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Mark DeSaulnier
(CA-10), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Debbie
Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Mary Gay Scanlon
(PA-05), Dan Kildee (MI-08), and Maxine Waters (CA-43).
The legislation has been endorsed by: National Women’s Law Center,
Equal Rights Advocates, Women Employed, Economic Policy Institute,
American Association of University Women, National Alliance to End
Sexual Violence, Justice for Migrant Women, Labor Council for Latin
American Advancement, National Employment Law Project, Lift Our Voices,
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Institute for Women’s Policy
Research, Oxfam America, National Organization for Women, National
Partnership for Women & Families, Asset Building Strategies,
National Network to End Domestic Violence, YWCA USA, Gender Equality Law
Center, National Black Worker Center, California Women’s Law Center,
Human Rights Campaign, National Immigration Law Center, Legal Momentum,
The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, Service Employees
International Union (SEIU), FL National Organization for Women (FL NOW),
Greater Orlando National Organization for Women (Greater Orlando NOW).
As the former top Democrat on the Senate Labor Committee and a
longtime champion of gender equality, Senator Murray has long been a
leader when it comes to fighting workplace harassment. In 2018, Murray
spearheaded a historic report on how workplace harassment is impacting workers in industries across the country. She pressed the Secretaries of
Education, Labor, and HHS under the Trump administration on what they
were doing to prevent harassment at their workplaces and pressed trade associations representing
industries with some of the highest rates of sexual harassment to be
more transparent and accountable. In 2018, Murray led a letter
to the NIH director requesting information on how the NIH was working
to prevent and address harassment and discrimination among NIH-funded
research settings. Murray has continued to conduct oversight
over the issue of harassment at the NIH and questioned NIH Director Dr.
Monica Bertagnolli on steps being taken to address this at a hearing in
May. Murray was also a lead advocate for the confirmation of Kalpana Kotagal and Jocelyn Samuels as
EEOC Commissioners, delivering a pro-worker majority on the EEOC for
the Biden administration. As a senior member and now Chair of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, Murray has consistently fought to increase funding for EEOC, successfully boosting EEOC’s budget by over $75 million since 2019; and worked to secured a $33 million increase in the draft Appropriations bill passed out of Committee last week.
In June 2024, Rep. Pressley renewed her calls
for accountability and survivor-focused solutions following the damning
reports of a toxic work environment at the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC). In November 2021, Rep. Pressley reintroduced
the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and
Rejecting Discrimination (BE HEARD) in the Workplace Act of 2021. It was
initially introduced in 2019.
It’s official! FOREVER , a brand-new career spanning
compilation album will be out next month! Includes 21 of Cher’s personal
favorites, beautifully remastered on 2LP special crystal translucent
vinyl with silver foil cover and other with limited edition color
variants at certain retailers. The FOREVER FAN Edition will also be
available on all digital services, featuring 19 additional songs that
includes “A Woman’s Story”, available to listen to today.
Friday, August 2, 2024. Press briefings at the US White House and US State Dept demonstrate a government more than willing to overlook War Crimes, Ismail Haniyeh was buried today as questions mount over what his death means with regards to a cease-fire, and much more.
The slaughter in Gaza continues and does so with the US State Dept attempting to cover its eye and ears to reality. Let's drop back to yesterday's State Dept press briefing conducted by spokesperson Vedant Patel.
QUESTION: Okay. And last thing. I want to just bring
to your attention that an Israeli lawmaker was asked about the alleged
rape of the Palestinian detainee. And he basically says yes, it is
legitimate. And as we look at the story, it is really appalling. I mean,
it seems – pardon me for the graphic description that I am about to
describe, but they took a cell phone and they shoved it up his gluteus
maximus, all the way to the intestine, and they were calling the phone,
the Israeli soldiers.
MR PATEL: Said —
QUESTION: This is documented.
MR PATEL: So —
QUESTION: I mean, how – don’t you find this appalling?
MR PATEL: We are aware of these concerning reports.
And of course, if they are true they are appalling. The IDF itself has
indicated that it is looking into these allegations, and we, of course,
welcome that. It is essential that the rule of law and due process
prevail. And in democracies, no one is above the law. And so we are
going to let the process play out here. But of course, these reports are
incredibly concerning. But there is an investigation taking place, and
therefore I don’t want to offer any judgment until that process has
concluded.
Isn't that interesting? Vedant, spokesperson for the US government, and the US government's sudden reticence when it comes to discussing rape in the region?
For any who have forgotten, this is the same group that used US tax dollars and time on the American's citizen's clock to pimp lies about women raped on October 7th by Hamas -- women who never existed, women who never came forward (because they didn't exist to begin with). But there was no talk of "an investigation is going on."
President Joe Biden on Tuesday forcefully denounced the reported rape and sexual violence
against Israeli girls and women by Hamas militants following the Oct. 7
attack on Israel, calling on the world to condemn such conduct “without
equivocation” and “without exception.”
Speaking at a campaign fundraiser in Boston,
Biden noted that in recent weeks, female survivors and witnesses to the
attacks have shared “horrific accounts of unimaginable cruelty.”
“Reports
of women raped — repeatedly raped — and their bodies being mutilated
while still alive — of women corpses being desecrated, Hamas terrorists
inflicting as much pain and suffering on women and girls as possible and
then murdering them,” Biden said. “It is appalling.”
Israel has said it is investigating several cases of sexual assault and rape from the Hamas attack on Israel.
Lies. There were no women raped on October 7th during the attack. But that didn't stop the US government from condemning the mythical rapes. There was no such reticence when it came to that.
It's only when the victims are Palestinian that the US government turns all shy Ronnie on the topic.
A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, speaking
Monday at a meeting of lawmakers, justified the rape and abuse of
Palestinian prisoners, shouting angrily at colleagues questioning the
alleged behavior that anything was legitimate to do to "terrorists" in
custody.
Lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky was asked as he defended the
alleged abuse whether it was legitimate, "to insert a stick into a
person's rectum?"
"Yes!" he shouted in reply to his fellow parliamentarian. "If he is a
Nukhba [Hamas militant], everything is legitimate to do! Everything!"
Israel’s military has charged a reservist with
aggravated abuse of Palestinian prisoners, a spokesperson said on
Tuesday, as nine other soldiers appeared in military court for an
initial hearing over allegations they had sexually abused a detainee
from Gaza.
The new indictment alleges that the
unnamed soldier, assigned to escort handcuffed and blindfolded
Palestinians, used a baton and his assault rifle to attack prisoners on
multiple occasions.
He
did this even though their restraints meant they posed no threat, and
he made videos of the violence. “The accused used severe violence
against the detainees he was entrusted with guarding,” the IDF
spokesperson said.
The other soldiers detained
on Monday are accused of raping and attacking a Palestinian prisoner at
the Sde Teiman detention centre so violently that he was taken to
hospital in critical condition, Israeli media reported.
The
new indictment alleges that the unnamed soldier, assigned to escort
handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinians, used a baton and his assault
rifle to attack prisoners on multiple occasions.
He
did this even though their restraints meant they posed no threat, and
he made videos of the violence. “The accused used severe violence
against the detainees he was entrusted with guarding,” the IDF
spokesperson said.
The other soldiers detained
on Monday are accused of raping and attacking a Palestinian prisoner at
the Sde Teiman detention centre so violently that he was taken to
hospital in critical condition, Israeli media reported. His
injuries included a ruptured intestine, severe injury to the anus and
lungs, and broken ribs, the Israel daily Haaretz reported. A doctor who
treated the man told the paper that when he saw the horrific extent of
the injuries, he initially assumed they were caused by other inmates.
“I
didn’t believe that an Israeli jailer would do such a thing,” said Yoel
Donchin, who is also a professor at the Hadassah university hospital.
Haaretz
quoted him saying: “If the state and the members of the Knesset think
there is no limit to the abuse of prisoners – let them come and kill
them themselves like the Nazis, or close the hospital.”
Wednesday's snapshot included this press release from the office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights:
The UN Human Rights Office today published a report on arbitrary, prolonged and incommunicado detention
by Israeli authorities, affecting thousands of Palestinians since last
October. The report also covers allegations of torture and other forms
of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including sexual abuse of
women and men.
Since 7 October, thousands of Palestinians -
including medical staff, patients and residents fleeing the conflict, as
well as captured fighters - have been taken from Gaza to Israel,
usually shackled and blindfolded. Thousands more have been detained in
the West Bank and Israel. They have generally been held in secret,
without being given a reason for their detention, access to a lawyer or
effective judicial review, the report states.
At least 53
Palestinian detainees are known to have died in Israeli military
facilities and prisons since the horrific attacks by Hamas and other
Palestinian armed groups against Israeli civilians on 7 October.
The
staggering number of men, women, children, doctors, journalists and
human rights defenders detained since 7 October, most of them without
charge or trial and held in deplorable conditions, along with reports of
ill-treatment and torture and violation of due process guarantees,
raises serious concerns regarding the arbitrariness and the
fundamentally punitive nature of such arrests and detention, said UN
Human Rights Chief Volker Türk.
“The testimonies gathered by my
Office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as
waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts,
in flagrant violation of international human rights law and
international humanitarian law,” he said.
On Monday, the Israeli
authorities said they were investigating a number of soldiers for
allegedly abusing a Palestinian prisoner earlier this month at the Sde
Teiman detention centre in the Negev desert.
In Gaza, mostly men
and adolescent boys have been detained. Many have been taken into
custody while sheltering in schools, hospitals and residential
buildings, or at checkpoints during their displacement from north to
south, the report finds.
The Israeli military does not usually
explain publicly the basis for taking Palestinians into custody in Gaza,
although it has in some cases alleged affiliation with Palestinian
armed groups or their political wings.
Israel has also not
provided information regarding the fate or whereabouts of many of those
detained, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has
been denied access to facilities where they are held.
Conditions
in military-run detention facilities appear worse, the report states,
adding children were among those held, in some cases jointly with
adults.
Detainees said they were held in cage-like facilities,
stripped naked for prolonged periods, wearing only diapers. Their
testimonies told of prolonged blindfolding, deprivation of food, sleep
and water, and being subjected to electric shocks and being burnt with
cigarettes. Some detainees said dogs were released on them, and others
said they were subjected to waterboarding, or that their hands were tied
and they were suspended from the ceiling. Some women and men also spoke
of sexual and gender-based violence.
Accounts of hostages taken
by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups last October also described
appalling conditions of captivity, including lack of food, water and
poor sanitary conditions, and lack of fresh air and sunlight. Some
described being beaten while being taken into Gaza, or seeing other
hostages being beaten while in captivity; receiving surgery or stitches
without anaesthetic. There were also reports of sexual and gender-based
violence in captivity. In addition, the report criticises the
Palestinian Authority for continuing to carry out arbitrary detention
and torture or other ill-treatment in the West Bank, reportedly
principally to suppress criticism and political opposition.
“International
humanitarian law protects all those being held, requiring their humane
treatment and protection against all acts of violence or threats
thereof,” said Türk.
“International law requires that all those
deprived of their liberty be treated with humanity and dignity, and it
strictly prohibits torture or other ill-treatment, including rape and
other forms of sexual violence. Secret, prolonged incommunicado detention may also amount to a form of torture.”
The
High Commissioner reiterated his call for the immediate release of all
hostages still held in Gaza. All Palestinians arbitrarily detained
by Israel must be released. He also called for prompt, thorough,
independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all incidents
that have led to serious violations of international law; ensure that
perpetrators are held accountable and that all victims and their
families are provided with their right to remedy and reparations.
We could go on and on with this. There is an actual victims (there's more than one but we're referring to the one raised in the State Dept briefing). There is a doctor on the record. There are witnesses, there is video.
But the US government that repeatedly pimped the lie that women were raped during the October 7th attack now wants to play the quiet game?
In other news, Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated earlier this week (see Wednesday's snapshot). THE NATIONAL notes, "Funeral ceremonies for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh are being held in
Qatar. He will be buried at a cemetery in Lusail, north of Doha, after
prayers at the country’s largest mosque, Imam Muhammad ibn Abd Al Wahab.
Hamas has said representatives of other Palestinian factions and
members of the public would attend the events."
Repercussions from the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail
Haniyeh, for which all fingers were pointed at Israel, reverberated
Thursday, throwing into doubt when and how diplomats could end the war
in Gaza.
The
tough question facing mediators and observers: How can talks continue
if one side kills the main negotiator for the other side?
Mr. Haniyeh, who was buried in a state funeral in Tehran Thursday,
was viewed by Israel as a terrorist and a planner of the Oct. 7 attack
that killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.
Yet
to Palestinian rivals, Middle East governments, and many European
diplomats, Hamas’ politiburo chief was a pragmatic moderate within
Hamas, a figure with whom they could negotiate and prod the movement’s
more hard-line factions.
The assassination was noted at yesterday's White House press briefing.
Q And then one — one more thing. On — on Iran- Israel-Hamas
negotiations. Now that the lead Hamas negotiator is — is dead, who is
there to negotiate with? And why — why, in your estimation, would Hamas
continue towards negotiating a ceasefire deal when their lead
negotiator was just killed by the people they’re negotiating with?
MR.
SULLIVAN: It is too soon to tell what the impact of his death will
have on the negotiations, and so I’m not going to speculate on that,
especially in light of the broader dynamics and set of events unfolding
in the region right now.
What I will say is this. The ceasefire
and hostage deal is the pathway to ending this war. It is the pathway
to getting all of the hostages home, including the American citizen
hostages, who we’re relentlessly focused on getting home. And we remain
determined to get it done.
The Israeli Mossad assassinated Hamas political leader
Ismail Haniyeh by detonating an explosive device planted in advance in
his bedroom at the Iranian government official residence in Tehran, two
sources with knowledge of the issue confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: The
fact that the Mossad managed to plant the explosive device in a
high-security facility shows not only the deep penetration of Israeli
intelligence services inside Iran but also the vulnerabilities of the
Iranian intelligence and security apparatus.
The details about the planted explosive device were first reported by the New York Times and confirmed to Axios by two sources.
Tom Bennett and Raffi Berg (BBC NEWS) quote US President Joe Biden stating, "We have the basis for a ceasefire. He [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu] should move on it and they [Hamas] should move on it now." But any negotiation has an element of blind faith built into it and how can you move forward with the trust required when one of the two sides is assassinating leaders?
Al
Jazeera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi
were killed by an Israeli airstrike Wednesday, shortly after reporting
from the destroyed home of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’
political wing, who had earlier in the day been assassinated in Iran.
Graphic video of the scene of the airstrike
shows al-Ghoul was wearing a blue vest reading, “PRESS,” when he was
killed. Both al-Ghoul and al-Rifi were wearing press vests and their
vehicle carried “identifying signs,” Al Jazeera reported. Multiplereports indicated a nearby child was also killed in the strike.
In
a tweet Thursday, the Israeli military indicated it had purposefully
targeted the journalist, claiming without evidence that al-Ghoul was a
“terrorist” and a member of Hamas’ military wing.
Returning to yesterday's underwhelming State Dept press briefing:
QUESTION: So in the same vein, journalists should not be punished for what they do – anywhere in the world.
MR PATEL: That is absolutely true, Said.
QUESTION: Yeah. But
what we have seen yesterday is a premeditated crime to kill a journalist
for doing their job. They were right there on the front of Ismail
Haniyeh’s home just to show the destroyed home from our colleagues from
Al Jazeera, Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman man, Rami. And they were
told by the Israelis to leave the scene. They did. They got in their
car, and they moved, and then they were bombed. I mean, this is – that
is summary execution, isn’t it?
MR PATEL: Said, I spoke to this a little bit
yesterday. And the good news that we have relating to these American
citizens who have returned – who will be returning to the United States,
I don’t have an update on this, on their situations for you beyond
that.
QUESTION: Okay. But —
MR PATEL: Let me just say, because you asked the
question, the reports that you mentioned yesterday as well, we’ve seen
those reports. We’re tracking the details. We continue to engage with
our partners in Israel about any additional information.
But beyond that, when we have talked about journalists who have been
killed in Gaza – this is something that the Secretary has spoken to a
great deal. We have, time and time again, offered our – not just our
condolences to Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza, but we have
attempted to make clear just how vital the work of journalism has been
to showcase the ongoing dire conditions in the Gaza strip and how key
certain outlets and certain media organizations, including Al Jazeera,
have been to that line of effort. And that’s something we will continue
to not just say publicly, but we will raise privately with partners in
the region and we’ll continue to stress with our partners in Israel as
well.
QUESTION: Now there are also dozens of Palestinian
journalists who are currently detained by Israel. Overwhelmingly,
they’re not charged with anything. They’re held under administrative
detention and so on. Do you call on the Israeli Government to either
charge those journalists that are being held under administrative
detention or let go?
MR PATEL: Look, Said, we have been clear and
consistent that Israel needs to treat all detainees humanely, with
dignity, and in accordance with international law. And it – the
detainees’ human rights must be expected – respected. Beyond that, I’m
just not – I don’t have specifics as it relates to these specific cases
to speak to.
QUESTION: But certainly you urge the Israelis to
release those who are not charged with anything if they – if they don’t
charge them, correct?
MR PATEL: I’m not going to speak to specific cases —
QUESTION: Okay. All right.
MR PATEL: — in the judicial system that I’m not
tracking. But what I want to say, again, is that we’ve been clear and
consistent that Israel must treat all detainees humanely.
You're not going to speak to specific cases? You're not going to do anything. You're a useless tool in an ongoing cover up for War Crimes carried out by the Israeli government.
As Palestinians and humanitarians around the world marked 300 days of horror in Gaza,
an aid organization highlighted a pernicious consequence of Israel's
nearly 10-month assault: A hospital in the northern part of the enclave
was forced to turn away many who arrived to give blood to help those
wounded by bombs and bullets because the potential donors themselves
were too malnourished and sick.
Gazans turned out in significant numbers in recent weeks to give blood
at Al-Awda Hospital, an already underresourced facility that faced an influx of wounded patients following the Israeli military's latest attacks on Gaza City.
ActionAid
International, a global humanitarian group, said Friday that "despite
facing appalling personal circumstances, many people selflessly
responded to Al-Awda Hospital's call-out for blood donations, but with
the whole of Gaza at high risk of famine, many were deemed too unwell to
undergo the process."
Dr. Mohammed Salha, the acting director of
Al-Awda, said a "large percentage" of potential blood donors were turned
away because they were "suffering from malnutrition." An estimated 96% of Gaza's population is facing crisis-level hunger.
"Malnutrition
is widespread, specifically in the northern Gaza Strip," said Salha.
"For over five months, no vegetables, fruit, or meat have been brought
into the northern Gaza Strip."
Al-Awda is one of the few hospitals in Gaza that is still partially
functioning amid Israel's devastating military assault, which has killed
nearly 40,000 Palestinians since October and sparked an unprecedented
humanitarian emergency.
No one has been spared: Entire families,
journalists, aid workers, nurses and doctors, and U.N. staff have been
killed by the U.S.-armed Israeli military, and those who have survived
have been repeatedly displaced and forced to live amid rotting trash,
sewage, and the ruins of homes and buildings with little to no access
to clean water, reliable food sources, bathrooms, and other necessities.
The fetid conditions have become what the World Health Organization described as a "perfect breeding ground for disease." Earlier this week, Gaza's Health Ministry declared the enclave a "polio epidemic zone" and warned the consequences could spill over into neighboring countries.
Lice, scabies, and rashes are also rampant
in the enclave given overcrowded conditions. Israel's forced
evacuations of large swaths of Gaza have meant that more than two
million people have sought refuge in just 14% of the territory.
US Vice President Kamala Harris can present a break with the embrace of War Crimes in Gaza. She cannot, however, represent such a break if she makes the hideous Josh Shairo her running mate. This topic was discussed yesterday in a ZETEO segment.
When it comes to politics, they are some of the loudest voices in
Pennsylvania: left-leaning activist types who protest the fracking
industry, rally for more public school funding, or join anti-war
marches. When the Democrats put forward a 2022 gubernatorial candidate in then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro from the party’s center flank — with iconoclastic views on some issues important to progressives, like school vouchers — the noise coming from his left flank was truly remarkable.
Utter silence.
That’s because Shapiro, unchallenged in the 2022 primary, faced a GOP fall opponent in Doug Mastriano — a Christian nationalist state senator with ties on the extreme right, a record of 2020 election denial, and a fondness for the Confederacy
— who was seen by many voters as a threat to democracy. Disagreements
over issues like the future of fracking didn’t seem important compared
to fears of what a Mastriano administration might do.
Two years later, Shapiro is considered one of the nation’s most popular governors — with an approval rating that’s gone as high as 61%. And with the surprise elevation
of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democrat ticket and
the party scrambling to make up lost ground in Pennsylvania, the largest
swing state, Shapiro is one of the top contenders to become Harris’ running mate.
But that means the 51-year-old Shapiro’s rivals for the job aren’t right-wing Republicans like Mastriano but other Democrats like popular Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly,
the former astronaut married to anti-gun activist Gabby Giffords.
Pennsylvania’s progressives, who bit their tongues in 2022 and have seen
their grievances largely ignored in Harrisburg, are reverting to form.
Many are speaking out against their home-state governor as a Democratic
veep — raising questions among the party’s base that could derail his
bid.
Upper Darby’s Colleen Kennedy, who represents Delaware County
on the Democratic state committee, echoed other critics in saying that
they’ll work hard for Harris no matter whom is picked. However, they
contend, while Shapiro has some strong achievements that are comparable
to his VP rivals, parts of his record make him a weaker choice for the
Democrats.
“Shapiro has repeatedly pursued education policies that
would permit discrimination against queer and trans students, disabled
students, working class students, and immigrant students,” said Kennedy,
in a criticism of his support for a school voucher plan. “We must
continue to attract the political support of young people, who want to
see accountability of rogue police departments, not student arrests”
such as the raid on a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Pennsylvaniaurged by the governor.
Gaza remains under assault. Day 301 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. 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 grows higher and higher. 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 acute food insecurity or worse." THE NATIONAL notes, "Gaza death toll rises to 39,480 with 91,128 wounded." 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."
As for 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."
