Archiv: für die Geschichtsbücher / for the history books


11.01.2025 - 14:44 [ Guardian News / Youtube ]

How the South Korean president‘s martial law declaration unfolded

(December 3, 2024)

After South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country, thousands of protesters took to the streets alongside the leading opposition Democratic party, urging MPs to head to the national assembly and vote it down.

Following a dramatic night in which soldiers attempted to block MPs from entering parliament, lawmakers unanimously adopted a bill rejecting the martial law declaration, prompting the president to backtrack. Here is how the night unfolded in Seoul

08.01.2025 - 09:48 [ Middle East Eye ]

Assad‘s former aide says deposed Syrian president was ‚tricked‘ by Putin

“But what happened was that the Iranians told Bashar al-Assad, ‘we did not receive any signals to proceed with moving Iranian aircraft to the Hmeimim base [or to] fly through Iraqi airspace to land at the base,’” Saqr told Mazeej.

“The question was relayed to Moscow, but no answer came.”

When asked whether this was a “trick by Putin”, Saqr said there was “no other explanation”.

Saqr said the Iranians told Assad they sent a plane regardless through Iraq, but were warned by the US that the aircraft would be shot down if it continued.

30.12.2024 - 09:41 [ Middle East Eye ]

Grim statistics on Israel‘s genocide in Gaza

Here are some of the key figures:

– 1,413 Palestinian families wiped out, with 5,455 family members killed
– 17,818 children killed in Israeli attacks
– 12,287 women killed in Israeli strikes
– 238 newborns and 853 infants killed
– 35,060 children now living without one or both parents
– 44 people dead due to malnutrition and starvation
– Six deaths from extreme cold in displacement tents, including five babies
– 1,068 medical staff and 94 Civil Defence personnel killed
– 520 bodies retrieved from seven mass graves inside hospitals
– 216 shelter and displacement centres targeted

22.12.2024 - 07:24 [ Antiwar.com ]

Report: US Had Foreknowledge of HTS Offensive To Topple Assad and Prepared Other Rebel Group To Join

(December 19, 2024)

“They did not tell us how it would happen,” Bashar al-Mashadani, an RCA commander, told The Telegraph. “We were just told: ‘Everything is about to change. This is your moment. Either Assad will fall, or you will fall.’ But they did not say when or where, they just told us to be ready.”

In October, the US brought several other Sunni Muslim militias under the command of the RCA, swelling the force from 800 fighters to about 3,000. All of the fighters are armed by the US, and the US pays their salaries of $400 per month.

22.12.2024 - 05:36 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

US ‘prepared Syrian rebel group to help topple Bashar al-Assad’

(December 18, 2024)

RCA fighters who captured the Russian-controlled Syrian air base on the outskirts of the town last week said they had been told to prepare for Assad’s possible fall in early November, nearly three weeks before the offensive began.

Until one month earlier, Capt Mashadani had been second-in-command of the Abu Khatab brigade. This small unit of 150 men was created by US Special Forces and trained by their British counterparts in Jordan until 2016, to hunt down Isis fighters near Deir ez-Zor, a city in eastern Syria.

22.12.2024 - 04:23 [ Antiwar.com ]

US Official Has ‘Good, Productive’ Meeting with al-Qaeda-Linked Julani in Damascus

Julani fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq against American soldiers during the Iraq War. He then founded al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the al-Nusra Front. In recent years, he has attempted to soften his image by giving friendly interviews to Western journalists, often appearing in a suit and with a trimmed beard to obscure his jihadist ideology.

Leaf said of Julani after the meeting, who is also going by Ahmad al-Sharaa, “I heard him on his priorities, which are very much rooted in getting Syria on the road to economic recovery.”

“We’ve been hearing this for some time, some very pragmatic and moderate statements on various issues, from women’s rights to protection to equal rights for all communities,” she added. “It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words.”

20.12.2024 - 19:47 [ New York Times ]

Senior U.S. Diplomats Arrive in Syria to Meet With Governing Militias

The State Department said early Friday that three senior American diplomats had arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to meet with leaders of the militias that have seized control of the country, and to look for signs of the journalist Austin Tice and other missing U.S. citizens.

15.12.2024 - 07:31 [ New York Times ]

U.S. in Direct Contact With Rebels Who Took Over Syria

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the United States was communicating directly with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant rebel faction, despite its designation as a terrorist group.

11.12.2024 - 07:34 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany, France ready to cooperate with new Syrian leadership

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their willingness to engage with Syria‘s new leadership, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, under certain conditions, a statement from the German government revealed after a call between the two leaders.

11.12.2024 - 07:21 [ Washington Post ]

U.S. would recognize a Syrian government that comes from inclusive process, Blinken says

The U.S. government would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from an inclusive and transparent transition process, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, outlining a first set of principles regarding the Biden administration’s hopes to influence discussions over Syria’s future after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

08.12.2024 - 22:10 [ C-SPAN / Youtube ]

President Biden on Situation in Syria: „At long last the Assad regime has fallen.“

President Biden: „After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office, flee the country.“

08.12.2024 - 18:45 [ Fox News ]

Syria Gunmen storm Iranian embassy in Damascus as Russia claims Assad left ‚instructions‘ to ‚transfer power‘

Iranian state television reported on the embassy incident, saying they did not believe the gunmen were affiliated with the wider rebel group that took the city. (…)

Russia‘s Foreign Ministry said in a Telegram post Sunday that Assad left Syria following negotiations with rebel groups, and that the long-time Syrian leader had left „instructions“ to „transfer power peacefully.“ The Russian ministry said the Kremlin was not directly involved in those discussions.

08.12.2024 - 18:30 [ Tehran Times ]

Syrian army command tells officers that Assad‘s rule has ended

The unnamed officer made the remarks to Reuters on Sunday after reports said President Assad had flown out of Damascus for an unknown destination.

Meanwhile, the militants declared that they had captured the capital, announcing the fall of the Assad government.

08.12.2024 - 18:23 [ New York Times ]

Syria Live Updates: Assad Has Resigned and Left Syria, Russia Says

President Bashar al-Assad’s immediate location was not initially clear after rebels took control of Syria’s capital. Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not provide details on where he had gone, saying only that he had resigned and left the country.

04.12.2024 - 01:00 [ ABC News (Australia) / Youtube ]

South Korea’s martial law: How democracy thwarted military rule in hours | ABC News

South Korean politicians and protesters have rallied overnight to block President Yoon Suk Yeol’s shock declaration of martial law hours after it was issued. The short-lived military rule marked the first time it was enacted since the country’s military dictatorship during the 1980s. ABC presenter Gemma Veness describes how the night of turmoil unfolded.

21.11.2024 - 20:10 [ International Criminal Court ]

Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC on the issuance of arrest warrants in the Situation in the State of Palestine

Today, our collective mind and focus should be on the victims of international crimes in Israel and in the State of Palestine. In my own meetings with the victims and families of hostages taken from kibbutzim, and with victims from Gaza who have lost so many loved ones, I have underlined that the law is there for all, that its role is to vindicate the rights of all persons.

20.11.2024 - 17:51 [ ORF.at ]

USA blockieren erneut Resolution für Waffenruhe in Gaza

Der Text war von allen zehn nicht ständigen Mitgliedern des mächtigsten Gremiums der Vereinten Nationen eingereicht worden. Nach wochenlangen Verhandlungen und Änderungen auf Wunsch des Israel-Verbündeten USA blieb am Ende Uneinigkeit vor allem über eine Formulierung: Im Entwurf hieß es, der Sicherheitsrat „verlangt eine sofortige, bedingungslose und dauerhafte Waffenruhe, die von allen Parteien zu respektieren ist; bekräftigt ferner seine Forderung nach der sofortigen und bedingungslosen Freilassung aller Geiseln“.

20.11.2024 - 17:39 [ Middle East Eye ]

US vetoes another UN Security Council resolution seeking Gaza ceasefire

Unlike several previous resolutions regarding a ceasefire in Gaza, Wednesday‘s measure was brought forward by all 10 elected members of the Security Council.

20.11.2024 - 17:22 [ New York Times ]

U.S. Vetoes Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution at U.N. Security Council

The veto was the fourth time the United States blocked an effort by the Council to demand a cease-fire since the war began over a year ago when Hamas attacked Israel and took more than 200 people hostage. In the months since, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the local health authorities.

14.11.2024 - 22:16 [ United Nations ]

Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories

The present report contains information regarding the efforts of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories to implement its mandate and documents human rights concerns in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan from October 2023 to July 2024. The Special Committee was not able to conduct visits to the occupied territories, but did conduct its annual consultations in Geneva and undertook a visit to Amman, and met with government officials, United Nations organizations and mechanisms, representatives of civil society organizations, youth representatives, human rights defenders, and Palestinian families.

The report raises serious concerns of breaches of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including starvation as a weapon of war, the possibility of genocide in Gaza and an apartheid system in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It documents the impact of the conflict escalation since 7 October 2023 on Palestinians’ rights to food; to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; to physical integrity, liberty and security of persons; as well as the disproportionate effects on the rights of women, children, and future generations more broadly. The report also highlights the ongoing attacks against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and refers to developments in the occupied Syrian Golan. The report provides recommendations to the General Assembly and Member States; to the State of Israel; and to businesses operating with Israel, that in any way contribute to maintaining Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied territories.

(…)

IX. Conclusions

69. The developments in this report lead the Special Committee to conclude that the policies and practices of Israel during the reporting period are consistent with the characteristics of genocide. The targeting of Palestinians as a group; the life-threatening conditions imposed on Palestinians in Gaza through warfare and restrictions on humanitarian aid – resulting in physical destruction, increased miscarriages and stillbirths – and the killing of and serious bodily or mental harm caused to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are violations under international law. Civilians have been indiscriminately and disproportionally killed en masse in Gaza, while in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli colonial settlers, military and security personnel have continued to violate human rights and humanitarian law with impunity. Senior Israeli government and military officials must be held accountable, including for using dehumanizing language and inciting violence.

14.11.2024 - 22:04 [ Common Dreams ]

As US Keeps Arms Flowing, UN Panel Says Israeli Assault on Gaza ‚Consistent With Genocide‘

Less than 48 hours after the Biden administration said it does not believe Israel is unlawfully obstructing humanitarian assistance in Gaza, a United Nations special committee issued a report Thursday arguing that the Israeli military‘s actions in the Palestinian enclave bear „the characteristics of genocide.“

14.11.2024 - 21:01 [ Common Dreams ]

Global Fury After State Dept Claims Israel Not Violating US Law by Blocking Gaza Aid

(November 12, 2024)

Last month, the Biden administration—which has approved tens of billions of dollars in military aid for Israel and provided nearly unconditional diplomatic support since October 2023—sent a letter to the Israeli government threatening to cut off U.S. arms transfers if it failed to take „urgent and sustained actions“ to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within 30 days.

Asked during a Tuesday press conference if the Israeli government has met the letter‘s demands, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that „we have not made an assessment that they are in violation of U.S. law.“

12.11.2024 - 00:10 [ theStar.com.my ]

Anwar calls for world consensus to expel Israel from UN

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on the world community to build a consensus on suspending or even expelling Israel from the United Nations (UN).

Delivering the national statement at the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday (Nov 11), Anwar reiterated that Israel has gone beyond reason and humanity itself in its vile and blatant perpetration of the genocide of the people of Palestine.

29.10.2024 - 23:10 [ Umair Malik / Twitter ]

this is the biggest blunder in American history. Mark my words

(December 9, 2023)

28.10.2024 - 06:09 [ United Nations ]

‘Entire population of north Gaza at risk of dying,’ warns UN’s top humanitarian official

(October 27, 2024)

The UN’s top humanitarian official warned on Saturday that the entire population of northern Gaza is at risk of dying, calling for an immediate stop to “blatant disregard for basic humanity” by Israeli forces.

“What Israeli forces are doing in besieged north Gaza cannot be allowed to continue,” said Joyce Msuya, acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a statement posted on the social media platform X.

Hospitals have been hit, health workers detained and first responders prevented from rescuing people trapped under the rubble, she noted.

“Shelters have been emptied and burned down…families have been separated, and men and boys taken away by the truckload,” she added.

27.10.2024 - 19:50 [ United Nations General Secretary ]

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on North Gaza

In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General reiterates his calls for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and accountability for crimes under international law.

27.10.2024 - 19:44 [ United Nations ]

UN chief ‘shocked’ at harrowing death and destruction in north Gaza

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed shock at the “harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction” in north Gaza amid an ongoing intense Israeli military operation, his Spokesperson said on Sunday.

17.10.2024 - 00:05 [ CNN ]

Who supplies Israel with weapons?

The United States is overwhelmingly the biggest supplier of arms to Israel. In 2023 69% of Israel’s arm imports came from the US, according to a report into international arms transfers by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Germany was the second largest, providing 30%, followed by Italy with 0.9%. The UK, France and Spain were among other minor contributors.

14.10.2024 - 18:04 [ theCradle.co ]

Nearly two percent of Gaza’s population killed by US-Israel war machine

(August 12, 2024)

The bureau said in a statement that Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians. “This constitutes around 1.8 percent of the total population in the territory,” PCBS said.

According to the data, approximately 24 percent of those killed by Israel in Gaza are youths.

11.10.2024 - 16:35 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Krieg in Nahost: Scholz kündigt weitere Waffenexporte nach Israel an

„Wir haben Waffen geliefert, und wir werden Waffen liefern“, stellte Scholz in seiner Rede vor den Abgeordneten klar. Die Bundesregierung habe Entscheidungen getroffen, „die auch sicherstellen, dass es demnächst weitere Lieferungen geben wird“.

11.10.2024 - 16:30 [ Reuters ]

Germany will send more weapons to Israel soon, Scholz says

„We have not decided not to supply weapons. We have supplied weapons and we will supply weapons,“ Scholz told parliament at an event to commemorate the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, countering an accusation from opposition leader Friedrich Merz.

The government had made decisions „that also ensure that there will be further deliveries soon,“ the chancellor said.

07.10.2024 - 21:50 [ Middle East Monitor ]

‚Free fall descent into barbarism‘: UN Agency head laments 1 year of war on Gaza

The UN Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) head, Philippe Lazzarini, on Monday described the situation in Gaza as a “free fall descent into barbarism”, underscoring the desperate need for diplomacy and an end to the violence, Anadolu Agency reports.

On X, he said the Gaza Strip, home to two million people, has been transformed into “an unrecognisable sea of ​​rubble after twelve months of relentless air strikes and warfare.”

07.10.2024 - 10:35 [ static1.squarespace.com ]

Appendix to letter of October 2, 2024 re: American physicians observations from the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023

This appendix complements the letter sent to President Joseph R. Biden, Vice President Kamala D. Harris, and others on October 2, 2024 by 99 American healthcare workers who have served in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

(…)

In total it is likely that 62,413 people have died of starvation and its compilations in Gaza from October 7, 2023 to September 30, 2024. Most of these will have been young children.

As long as aid agencies and public health experts are denied entry to Gaza the true
numbers cannot be known. However, if these estimates are accurate they will approximately match the projected estimates of 85,750 total (direct and indirect) excess deaths in Gaza by August 2024 under the epidemics and military escalation scenarios published by a joint project from Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This is the population-adjusted equivalent of 13.3 million deaths and 26.6 million injuries in the United States.

07.10.2024 - 10:06 [ Watson Institute for Internatonal and Public Affairs / Brown University ]

The Human Toll: Indirect Deaths from War in Gaza and the West Bank, October 7, 2023 Forward

Figure 1: Direct Deaths from Violence Reported in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank
(Oct. 7, 2023 – Oct. 1, 2024)
Israeli Fatalities in Israel 1,200
Israeli Fatalities in Gaza 34
Israeli Fatalities in West Bank 339
Palestinian Fatalities in Gaza 41,615
Palestinian Fatalities in West Bank 693
Palestinians Missing/Estimated Dead Underthe Rubble 10,000
Total > 53,887

(…)

Figure 2: Estimates of Indirect Deaths in Gaza (Oct. 7, 2023 – Sept. 30, 2024)15
Estimated Deaths from Starvation 62,413
Estimated Deaths from Lack of Access to Care for Chronic Diseases 5,000
Estimated Deaths from Infectious Diseases, Maternal/Neonatal Deaths, and Others ?
Total > 67,413

07.10.2024 - 09:55 [ Watson Institute for Internatonal and Public Affairs / Brown University ]

United States Spending on Israel’s Military Operations and Related U.S. Operations in the Region, October 7, 2023 – September 30, 2024

Figure 1: U.S. Military Aid to Israel from October 7, 2023 to September 2024 (in millions of dollars)

Foreign Military Financing $6,8009
Missile Defense $4,500
Missile Defense (Iron Beam) $1,200
Enhancing Artillery Production $1,000
Replenishing Arms Delivered to Israel from U.S. Stocks $4,400
TOTAL $17.9 billion

04.10.2024 - 15:22 [ CNN ]

Hezbollah leader agreed to temporary ceasefire days before assassination, says Lebanese foreign minister

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a 21-day ceasefire just days before he was assassinated by Israel.

The temporary ceasefire was called for by US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and other allies during last week’s UN General Assembly.

04.10.2024 - 15:12 [ Democracy Now! ]

Lebanese FM Claims Israel Killed Nasrallah Shortly After He Agreed to Ceasefire

Christiane Amanpour: “Are you saying Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a ceasefire just moments before he was assassinated?”

Abdallah Bou Habib: “He agreed. He agreed, yes, yes. We agreed completely. Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire, but consulting with the Hezbollah. The speaker, Mr. Berri, consulted with Hezbollah. And we informed the Americans and the French that that’s what happened.”

Christiane Amanpour: “So” —

Abdallah Bou Habib: “And they told us that Mr. Netanyahu also agreed on the statement that was issued by both presidents.”

26.09.2024 - 17:33 [ NewArab.com ]

Israel sends scores of unidentified, decomposing bodies of Palestinians to Gaza

The Gaza health ministry has demanded that Israel provide details about their identities and how they were killed after Israel sent the bodies across the border loaded into a container.

Health officials at Khan Younis‘ Nasser Hospital urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene and retrieve the information from Israel.

18.09.2024 - 17:59 [ webtv.UN.org ]

General Assembly: 55th plenary meeting, Tenth emergency special session (resumed)

Summary
Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory – Item 5

18.09.2024 - 17:55 [ Viory Video / Youtube ]

The UN General Assembly demands Israel end its occupation of Palestinian land within 12 months

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land within 12 months.

The resolution urges Israel to promptly comply with its legal obligations under international law, including those set by the International Court of Justice.

18.09.2024 - 17:41 [ Michael Downey / floss.social / Mastodon ]

The resolution passes: – 124 in favour – 14 against – 43 abstentions

18.09.2024 - 16:16 [ Umair Malik / Twitter ]

this is the biggest blunder in American history. Mark my words

(December 9, 2023)

12.09.2024 - 20:15 [ Middle East Monitor ]

Palestine to seek end to ‘unlawful’ Israel occupation within 12 months at UN

Palestine’s permanent mission to the UN is expected to present a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly next week demanding Israel to end its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories within 12 months, according to a document obtained by Anadolu on Thursday.

12.09.2024 - 20:08 [ Palestinian News and Information Agency – WAFA.ps ]

State of Palestine takes a seat in the UN General Assembly

This significant moment follows a decision by the General Assembly in May, where a majority of members voted in favor of granting Palestine full membership rights. This resolution came after the United States used its veto power in the Security Council to block Palestine‘s bid for full UN membership. (…)

To be granted full UN membership, a state must receive a two-thirds majority vote from the General Assembly following a positive recommendation from the Security Council.

The U.S. vetoed this recommendation on April 18, preventing Palestine from achieving full membership.