South American countries recall ambassadors and cut ties with Israel / Belgian workers refuse to handle arms shipments for Israel

A number of South American countries have registered diplomatic protests against Israel, in response to its latest conflict with Hamas, with Bolivia’s leftwing government cutting ties entirely and attributing its decision to alleged war crimes and human rights abuses being committed in the Gaza Strip. The decision by Bolivia was announced at a press conference on… Read More South American countries recall ambassadors and cut ties with Israel / Belgian workers refuse to handle arms shipments for Israel

‘A new Nakba’: settler violence forces Palestinians out of West Bank villages / Israel bombs Jabalia refugee camp; Director, UNHCHR resigns to protest genocide

Life in Zanuta, a Palestinian village atop a windy ridge in the desolate south Hebron hills, deep in the occupied West Bank, has never been easy. The community are mostly herders who raise goats and sheep through the barren landscape’s scorching summers and freezing winters, and who have steadfastly refused to leave their homes despite… Read More ‘A new Nakba’: settler violence forces Palestinians out of West Bank villages / Israel bombs Jabalia refugee camp; Director, UNHCHR resigns to protest genocide

Iran arrests lawyer at funeral of girl who died after metro incident

Iranian authorities have arrested a prominent lawyer and human rights defender as she attended the funeral of a teenage girl who died after a disputed metro incident, her husband has said. Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested on Sunday in Tehran during the funeral of 16-year-old Armita Garawand, who died a day earlier after nearly a month in intensive… Read More Iran arrests lawyer at funeral of girl who died after metro incident

Palestine and Israel: Historical, Legal and Moral Issues

NB: An excellent introduction to a complex issue. This interview with a scholar of Middle Eastern history is also worth listening to: Violence Is Bred by Occupation: Rashid Khalidi on Israel-Gaza. DS ROHINI HENSMAN On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a massive attack on Israeli territory, killing over 1300 people, many of… Read More Palestine and Israel: Historical, Legal and Moral Issues

Israel-Hamas War: US arms industry stocks rocket (October 10)

NB: The only people benefiting from this conflict are arms dealers. Western establishments make immense profits from warfare, and have an interest in eternal conflict. As Orwell said, war has been abolished by becoming permanent. DS Defence majors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Gruman, Huntington Ingalls, L3Harris Tech and General Dynamics have gained at least… Read More Israel-Hamas War: US arms industry stocks rocket (October 10)

Israel must stop weaponising the Holocaust

Scholars of genocide are criticizing the dangerous use of the Holocaust to justify Israeli mass violence against Palestinians…This weaponization of Holocaust memory by Israeli politicians runs deep. In 1982, Israeli PM, Menachem Begin compared the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Beirut to Adolf Hitler in his bunker in Berlin… in October 2015, Netanyahu took this weaponization to… Read More Israel must stop weaponising the Holocaust

What will the children who survive the onslaught of Gaza think of those who let it happen?

At least 3,250 children have been injured, with 1,240 needing specialised medical care, as of last week. Many have extensive burns and shrapnel wounds or have lost limbs. Yet hospitals and clinics that have been damaged or destroyed or are short of medical supplies – due to Israel’s siege – are unable to treat them… Read More What will the children who survive the onslaught of Gaza think of those who let it happen?