The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments amid the government shutdown, even though residents in some states already have received the funds.
Archiv: Drosselung / Kürzungen / Abbau / Streichungen (Austerität) / drawdown / slowdown / cuts / deletions (austerity)
President Joseph Aoun receives World Bank delegation, affirms Lebanon‘s commitment to ceasefire agreement
During the meeting, emphasis was made on „the depth of the partnership between Lebanon and the World Bank for nearly seventy years and the pivotal role the WB has played in supporting Lebanon throughout various difficult stages, from wars to economic and social crises.“
The President of the Republic thanked the delegation for „the continuous support that the World Bank provides to Lebanon,“ and presented the progress achieved so far in terms of the ongoing reforms, particularly with regard to strengthening governance and cooperation with the International Monetary Fund to rebuild confidence in the country’s financial sector and attract investments.
SNAP update: Trump admin will pay 50% of food stamp benefits in November amid shutdown
McConnell, in a written order on Sunday, gave the U.S. Department of Agriculture two options.
One option was to make the full payment of SNAP benefits for November by the end of the day Monday by using Section 32 Child Nutrition Program fundings and other unspecified funds.
The other option was to “make a partial payment of the total amount of the contingency fund and … expeditiously resolve the administrative and clerical burdens it described in its papers, but under no circumstances shall the partial payments be made later than Wednesday.”
Food stamp benefits for 42 million Americans in jeopardy today amid shutdown
Democrats are suing the Trump administration in part over its refusal to use the SNAP emergency fund, which they contend has about $5 billion, to fund the program. But a recent memo by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) argued there was no legal standing to use the fund and that federal SNAP funds would run dry by Nov. 1 if Democrats did not vote to end the shutdown.
A pair of federal judges ruled on Friday that the administration would have to pay out the food stamp benefits for November, either in full or partially.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins affirmed the memo during a Friday press conference,
Judge orders Trump administration to fund food aid for millions of Americans
U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr.’s oral order Friday came just before the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, is set to run out of money this weekend. Trump administration officials have not yet indicated whether they will appeal the ruling.
Designed To Enact Suffering
The Senate‘s barely-there approval – fuck Shady Vance – of Trump‘s heinous 900-page bill represents the largest transfer of wealth to the rich in U.S. history along with the largest cut to Medicaid and food assistance, all in the obscene name of (partly) funding a $975 billion tax break for the already richest 1%. The bill, „a tipping point between normality and fascism,“ also pours over $170.7 billion into „a campaign of extermination against immigrants that evokes the greatest human rights atrocities of the past,“ funding the hiring of vastly more Nazi thugs to terrorize, humiliate and put in cages millions of brown people who do much of this country‘s work.
It will kick about 16 million people off health insurance by cutting over $1 trillion from Medicaid, because who needs health insurance. It will throw millions of poor families, veterans, the elderly and disabled off SNAP by cutting $285 billion in food assistance, because who needs food. It will cut funding to rural hospitals, nursing homes, student loans, wind and solar energy – electric bills will soar 30% – costing millions of jobs and adding almost $4 trillion to the national debt, to be paid by our children and grandchildren, one of many excellent reasons it‘s said to be the most unpopular legislation since passage of the economically disastrous Embargo Act of 1807.
Here’s who stands to gain from the ‘big, beautiful bill.’ And who may struggle
Worse off
Low-income Americans
Many people at the lowest end of the income ladder would be worse off because the package would enact historic cuts to the nation’s safety net program, particularly Medicaid and food stamps.
Among the many changes to these programs would be the addition of federally mandated work requirements to Medicaid for the first time in its 60-year history and the expansion of the work mandate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps. Parents of children ages 14 and up are among those who would have to work, volunteer, take classes or participate in job training to keep their benefits.
Autoritäre Sozialpolitik: Arbeitszwang und Geld auf null für Arme unter einem Kanzler Merz
Merz darf nicht Kanzler werden – auf keinen Fall. Nun hat er auch noch vor, „Totalverweigerern“ das Bürgergeld zu streichen. Will Deutschland wirklich dem Geist von BlackRock die Sozialpolitik überlassen? Mit Taurus gegen Russland und mit Unverstand gegen die Armen im eigenen Land? Das ist keine Lösung, sondern eine Gefahr für ganz Deutschland.
World Food Program Halts Gaza Aid Deliveries After Workers Are Attacked
The World Food Program said it is suspending deliveries of aid in Gaza after one of its humanitarian teams was hit by gunfire this week as it approached an Israeli military checkpoint.
In a statement, the United Nations agency said none of its employees were injured during the shooting on Tuesday night, which occurred after a convoy of its trucks had delivered assistance to central Gaza. The agency said one of its vehicles had been hit by 10 bullets — five on the driver’s side — a few yards from the Israeli security post at the Wadi Gaza bridge.
Electricity and water cut off for 48 hours in Jenin
„The situation is really, really bad. Food in out refrigerators has gone bad so we are forced to leave Jenin and take shelter with relatives outside the city.“
The resident said there was no internet or event the ability to charge phones. „It feels like Gaza‘s conditions,“ they added.
In Gaza, evacuation orders threaten to uproot UN’s aid hub once again
The plight of Gaza’s people continues to worsen in the enclave where humanitarian operations are “ongoing where feasible” amid repeated evacuation orders from the Israeli military, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned on Tuesday.
In an update, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke rejected any suggestion of stopping the lifesaving aid operation, despite the multiple challenges linked to the war and ongoing fighting, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October.
“There’s been no decision to halt, there never has been, we’ve been there for 10 months, so [it is] ongoing where feasible. I want to remind you that only 11 per cent of the territory of the Gaza Strip is not under evacuation orders…so we’re trying to work with that number and keep the operation going.”
War on Gaza: UN halts aid operations after Israeli ejection order
„We‘re unable to deliver today with the conditions that we‘re in,“ a senior UN official told Reuters. „As of this morning, we‘re not operating in Gaza.“
„Where do we move now?“ the official said, adding that staff were forced to move so quickly that equipment was left behind.
Human Rights Council Adopts Five Resolutions, including a Text Calling for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza, Urging States to Prevent the Continued Forcible Transfer of Palestinians Within or From Gaza, and Calling on States to Cease the Sale or Transfer of Arms to Israel
In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.30) on the Human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice, adopted by a vote of 28 in favour, 6 against and 13 abstentions (as orally revised), the Council demands that Israel, the occupying power, end its occupation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem; also demands that Israel immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment; calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for immediate emergency humanitarian access and assistance, and for the urgent restoration of basic necessities to the Palestinian population in Gaza; calls upon all States to take immediate action to prevent the continued forcible transfer of Palestinians within or from Gaza; calls upon all States to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel; urges all States to continue to provide emergency assistance to the Palestinian people and calls upon all States to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East receives predictable sustained and sufficient funding to fulfil its mandate; invites the General Assembly to recommend that the Government of Switzerland promptly convene the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Convention on measures to enforce the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem; requests the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel to report on both the direct and indirect transfer or sale of arms, munitions, parts, components and dual use items to Israel, the occupying power, and to analyse the legal consequences of these transfers, and to present its report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session; requests the Secretary-General to ensure the availability of all additional resources, including through voluntary resources, necessary to enable the Commission of Inquiry to carry out its mandate; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to deploy the additional necessary personnel, expertise and logistics to the occupied Palestinian territory country office to document and pursue accountability for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem; and requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the implementation of the present resolution to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; and decides to remain seized of the matter.
The results of the vote are as follows:
In favour (28): Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, Chile, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Qatar, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Viet Nam.
Against(6): Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany, Malawi, Paraguay and United States.
Abstentions (13): Albania, Benin, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, India, Japan, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, and Romania.
Gaza: Human Rights Council resolution urges arms embargo on Israel
(05.04.2024)
The UN’s top human rights body adopted a resolution on Friday condemning the alleged “use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in Gaza”, while also calling for an arms embargo on Israel.
Israel’s Genocide Must Not Go Unpunished, Speakers Say as Civil Society Organizations Conference Working on Question of Palestine Concludes
(03.04.2024)
Calling Israel “an extension of European colonialism”, Ahmed Abofoul, a Legal Expert at Al-Haq, said that South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice represents the Global South’s impatience with Western hypocrisy. He criticized the West’s relentless campaign of distorting international law to support their stance — an example is the right to self-defence. There is no doubt that an occupying Power does not have the right to self-defence against the people it is occupying, as those people, according to international humanitarian law, have the right to self-defence. The West’s complicity has made Gaza “not only a graveyard of children but a graveyard of international law”, he asserted. On the UNRWA accusations, he observed that Western democracies moved fast to suspend funding without waiting for evidence, only to discover later that Israel was lying.
Scholz: Goals of Gaza war do not seem to justify the means
Germany has been one of Israel’s staunch allies in its war against Hamas.
In a manner akin to the Biden administration, Scholz has a stern message for Netanyahu about the IDF’s conduct during the war, particularly its failure to ensure the distribution of aid, which has led to a hunger crisis in Gaza.
Germany can‘t sit by and watch Gaza starve, Scholz tells Netanyahu
„We cannot stand by and risk Palestinian women and men starving. Much more humanitarian aid must reach Gaza, a way must be found to improve the means of distribution,“ Scholz said, as Western nations increase their criticism of ally Israel.
Still, Scholz reaffirmed his belief that Israel „has a right to defend itself“ without addressing whether that same right is extended to Palestinians.
Proceedings instituted by Nicaragua against Germany on 1 March 2024 – Request for the indication of provisional measures – Public hearings to be held on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 April 2024
It is recalled that Nicaragua filed an Application instituting proceedings against Germany concerning alleged violations by Germany of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, “intransgressible principles of international humanitarian law” and other norms of general international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly the Gaza Strip (see press release 2024/19).
The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures contained in Nicaragua’s Application. Nicaragua asks the Court to indicate provisional measures as a matter of extreme urgency, pending the Court’s determination on the merits of the case, with respect to Germany’s “participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international
humanitarian law and other peremptory norms of general international law occurring in the Gaza
Strip”.
Beihilfe zum Völkermord? IGH verhandelt Klage gegen Deutschland im April
Am 8. und 9. April wird der Internationale Gerichtshof (IGH) im Verfahren gegen Deutschland verhandeln. Nicaragua wirft der Bundesrepublik Beihilfe zum Völkermord im Gazastreifen vor, indem sie Israel politisch, finanziell und militärisch unterstützt sowie die Mittel für das UN-Palästinenserhilfswerk gestrichen habe.
Im Gazastreifen bestehe seit Oktober 2023 „die anerkannte Gefahr eines Völkermordes am palästinensischen Volk“. Deutschland habe durch seine Unterstützung für Israel gegen seine Verpflichtungen aus der Völkermordkonvention verstoßen, heißt es in der Klage Nicaraguas.
ICJ to hold hearings on Nicaragua’s case accusing Germany of facilitating ‘genocide’ in Gaza
Top UN judges will start listening to submissions next month in the case filed by Nicaragua accusing Berlin of facilitating “genocide” in Gaza because of its support for Israel in the war against Hamas, officials say.
Two weeks ago Nicaragua filed a case against Germany before the International Court of Justice, saying Berlin was “facilitating the commission of genocide and… failed in its obligation to do everything possible to prevent the commission of genocide,” in Gaza.
UK will continue UNRWA funding suspension despite Gaza famine
The UK government will continue to suspend funding to Palestinian relief works agency UNRWA, the Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell has said, despite famine gripping Gaza and crippling food shortages.
The US, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Finland, Australia and the Netherlands will also continue their freeze to critical life saving aid to the UN aid agency for Palestinians until an interim report about Israel allegations that UNRWA aid workers were involved in Hamas‘s 7 October attacks is released, the minister said.
The Republic of Nicaragua institutes proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany and requests the Court to indicate provisional measures
THE HAGUE, 1 March 2024. Nicaragua today filed an Application instituting proceedings against Germany before the International Court of Justice for alleged violations by Germany of its obligations deriving from the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”), the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, “intransgressible principles of international humanitarian law” and other norms of general international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly the Gaza Strip.
The Applicant states that “[e]ach and every Contracting Party to the Genocide Convention has a duty under the Convention to do everything possible to prevent the commission of genocide” and that, since October 2023, there has been “a recognised risk of genocide against the Palestinian people, directed first of all against the population of the Gaza Strip”. Nicaragua argues that by providing political, financial and military support to Israel and by defunding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), “Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide and, in any case has failed in its obligation to do everything possible to prevent the commission of genocide”.
Nicaragua files case at World Court against Germany for aiding Israel
Nicaragua has filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Germany for giving financial and military aid to Israel and for defunding the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), the U.N.‘s top court said on Friday.
Nicaragua asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to issue emergency measures requiring Berlin to stop its military aid to Israel and reverse its decision to stop funding UNRWA.
US says it cannot independently verify Israel‘s UNRWA claims
The intelligence report‘s findings are in stark contrast to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s remarks in January, in which he said that the accusations against UNRWA were “highly, highly credible”.
The Journal also reported that Israel has not “shared the raw intelligence behind its assessments with the US” despite the strong security relationship between the two countries.
Israel has shared a dossier of sorts outlining its accusations, alongside details of where their evidence stems from, with the US and several western news organisations.
A US intelligence report has said that Israel‘s claims that UNRWA staff took part in Oct 7 „cannot be independently verified“, & that it had “low confidence” in the allegation.
Major UNRWA donors, incl the US, have frozen vital funds bcz of Israel‘s allegations.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says „the UN has never, never, ever received any written dossier, despite our repeated call.“
@antonioguterres, in consultation @UNLazzarini, has appointed an independent review group to assess whether @UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality & respond to allegations of serious breaches:
Breaking .. Channel 4 have finally been shown the dossier for Israel’s claims that UNRWA staff were behind Oct. 7th. Channel 4 concludes that “Israel provides NO evidence to support this claim”.
As donors suspend critical funding to UNRWA, allegations against staff remain murky
But Israel refuses to share either its evidence or the intelligence dossier – a summary of which was seen by FRANCE 24 – with UNRWA, posing a challenge for the UN agency to complete its inquiry.
UNRWA Set to Lose $65 Million, Documents Show
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the main aid agency in Gaza, is set to lose $65 million by the end of February as donors’ funding cuts begin to kick in, according to internal accounting documents reviewed by The New York Times.
‘We cannot abandon the people of Gaza’: chiefs of UN agencies and NGOs unite in appeal for UNRWA
The IASC signatories to the appeal are:
– Martin Griffiths, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
– Qu Dongyu, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
– Jane Backhurst, Chair, ICVA (Christian Aid)
– Jamie Munn, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)
– Amy E. Pope, Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
– Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
– Paula Gaviria Betancur, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (SR on HR of IDPs)
– Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
– Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
– Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
– Michal Mlynár, Executive Director a.i., United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat)
– Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
– Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women
– Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP)
– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO)
Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #106
Statement on UNRWA
Norway is a major donor to UNRWA. Currently, some countries have paused their aid to the Palestinian people through UNRWA in this situation. Norway has decided to continue its funding. While I share the concern over the very serious allegations against some UNRWA staff, I urge other donors to reflect on the wider consequences of cutting funding to UNRWA in this time of extreme humanitarian distress. We should not collectively punish millions of people.
We must distinguish between what individuals may have done and what UNRWA stands for. UNRWA has 30,000 staff across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. 13,000 of these work in Gaza to distribute aid, save lives and ensure the population’s essential needs and rights. The people of Gaza urgently need humanitarian assistance and must not pay the price for the actions of others.
This would be a great time for Arab States such as Saudi Arabia, Algeria, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and others to step in and increase their funding of @UNRWA
(…)