Archiv: excuses / promises / other gibberish / appeasement / opportunities / alibis


11.09.2024 - 13:45 [ ABC News ]

Obama: `This War, Like All Wars, Must End`

(23. Mai 2013)

Now, the speech:

The president who dramatically expanded the CIA secret drone war, ordered a troop surge in Afghanistan and aggressively prosecuted leakers made a forceful defense of his actions and an even more forceful case for winding down the war on terrorism.

The key line: „This war, like all wars, must end. That‘s what history advises. That‘s what our democracy demands.“

08.05.2024 - 19:34 [ CBS News ]

White House pauses shipment of some weapons to Israel

The White House last week paused a shipment of weapons to Israel, as Israeli leaders closed in on a decision to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official said Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday in testimony to Congress that „we paused one shipment of high payload munitions.

03.05.2024 - 04:43 [ Daily Bruin ]

Chancellor Block claims unsafe university conditions led to encampment closure

Chancellor Gene Block released a statement Thursday afternoon claiming that the Palestine solidarity encampment had been shut down because it led to unsafe university conditions and interfered with UCLA’s educational mission.

Block confirmed that more than 200 people were arrested, with more than 300 leaving voluntarily Thursday morning following a police sweep of the encampment. The dispersal followed an outbreak of violence on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, during which counter-protesters attacked the encampment using fireworks, tear gas and by throwing projectiles.

09.04.2024 - 17:15 [ International Court of Justice / Internationaler Gerichtshof ]

Public sitting held on Tuesday 9 April 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Salam presiding, in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany)

he PRESIDENT: Please be seated. The sitting is open.

The Court meets this morning to hear the single round of oral argument of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by the Republic of Nicaragua in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany).

I now give the floor to the Agent of Germany, Ms Tania von Uslar-Gleichen. You have the floor, Madam.

Ms VON USLAR-GLEICHEN:

OPENING STATEMENT

1. Members of the Court, it is an honour to address you today and to open the oral proceedings for the Federal Republic of Germany.

2. Monsieur le Président, Madame la Vice-Présidente, permettez-moi au début de vous féliciter chaleureusement pour votre élection.

3. Germany comes to these proceedings as a friend of the Court and a firm believer in the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Proceedings before this Court are rightly noted for their deep and serious engagement with the law and the facts.

4. Respect for, as well as the promotion of, international law are cornerstones of Germany’s constitution and of its foreign policy. Germany has always been an advocate for the promotion and strengthening of international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles…

09.04.2024 - 16:31 [ Reuters ]

Germany denies accusation of aiding a genocide in Gaza at World Court

(today)

Germany and other Western nations have faced street protests, various legal cases, and accusations of hypocrisy from campaign groups who say Israel has killed too many Palestinian civilians in its six-month military assault.

But Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, legal adviser for the German Foreign Ministry, told the International Court of Justice judges that Nicaragua‘s case was rushed, based on flimsy evidence and should be thrown out due to lack of jurisdiction.

06.04.2024 - 17:25 [ New York Times ]

Israel and U.S. Are on Alert for Iran to Strike Back at Israel

U.S. officials in Washington and the Middle East said on Friday that they were bracing for possible Iranian retaliation for the Israeli airstrike on Monday in Damascus, Syria. U.S. military forces in the region have been placed on heightened alert.

06.04.2024 - 17:20 [ Associated Press ]

Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria killed 2 generals and 5 other officers, Iran says

(02.04.2024)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An Israeli airstrike that demolished Iran’s consulate in Syria on Monday killed two Iranian generals and five officers, according to Iranian officials. The strike appeared to signify an escalation of Israel’s targeting of military officials from Iran, which supports militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon.

29.03.2024 - 18:35 [ CNN ]

Israeli airstrikes on Syria’s Aleppo result in civilian and military casualties, Syrian state media reports

Israel has previously launched attacks on Aleppo and the Syrian capital Damascus, including before the October 7 war, saying it feared that Iran would turn Syria into “a base for aggression” against the Jewish state.

18.03.2024 - 15:41 [ Reuters ]

Israeli troops raid Gaza‘s Al Shifa Hospital

The Israeli military said soldiers had conducted a „precise operation“ based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by senior Hamas leaders, and were fired upon when they entered the compound.

14.03.2024 - 15:30 [ Times of Israel ]

US would support limited, pinpoint IDF op against high-value targets in Rafah — report

Two Israeli officials told Politico that the Israel Defense Forces is still developing a plan for protecting the civilians.

But unnamed US officials told Politico that in private meetings, top administration officials have told the Israelis that the US would back a strategy for “counterterrorism operations” in Rafah rather than the full-scale war waged elsewhere in Gaza.

08.02.2024 - 19:46 [ Washington Post ]

U.S. strike in Baghdad kills key militia commander, officials say

U.S. military officials said Wednesday’s strike was carried out about 9:30 p.m. “in response to the attacks on U.S. service members” and resulted in the death of a militia commander “responsible for directly planning and participating” in those attacks. The statement, which does not identify the individual who was killed, said there were no initial indications of civilian casualties.

05.02.2024 - 11:05 [ Middle East Eye ]

US national security adviser refuses to rule out attacks on Iran

Speaking to NBC, Sullivan was asked repeatedly if the US was considering attacks inside Iran.

„Well, sitting here today on a national news programme, I‘m not going to get into what we‘ve ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of military action,“ he said.

„What I will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. The president also is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East.“

23.01.2024 - 04:21 [ Washington Post ]

Israel is still floating a plan for Gaza island. And now there’s a video.

He has estimated the cost of the project to be around $5 billion and has indicated in the past that Saudi Arabia or the Chinese might be interested in investing in the venture.

All sounds good until one factors in Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

22.01.2024 - 07:21 [ AlMayadeen.net ]

Baghdad committed to end presence of US troops in Iraq: Iraqi general

(21.01.2024)

„The end of the US-led coalition mission is a necessity for the security and stability of Iraq. It is also a necessity for preserving constructive bilateral relations between Iraq and the coalition countries,“ Sudani stated during a televised event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

03.01.2024 - 07:55 [ Al Jazeera ]

Biden under pressure to act amid new fears of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza

“The United States remains firmly opposed to any forced or enduring displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera in an email on Monday evening, without commenting specifically on the Israeli ministers’ most recent remarks.

31.12.2023 - 18:55 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF says troops fired warning shots at UN convoy on Friday due to miscommunication

Citing an investigation into Friday’s incident, the IDF Spokespersons Unit says in a statement to The Times of Israel that after the UN humanitarian convoy finished delivering aid to shelters in northern Gaza, it was asked by the military to go via a different route back south.

“This was to maintain its safety given the fighting that was taking place near the area,” the IDF says.

25.12.2023 - 21:45 [ Haaretz ]

Biden and Netanyahu Hammer Out a War Deal: Israel Can Fight as Long as Gaza Gets Aid

Christmas has arrived and the IDF is still fighting on the ground in Gaza. The early forecasts in Washington, and to some extent in Jerusalem, were that the Biden administration would demand that Israel end the high-intensity phase of the ground offensive against Hamas by the close of the year …

07.12.2023 - 09:38 [ Associated Press ]

FBI chief makes fresh pitch for spy program renewal and says it’d be ‘devastating’ if it lapsed

Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, said that during his 13 years on the committee, he’d pressed multiple FBI directors about civil liberties violations associated with the surveillance program and had repeatedly been given false reassurances about the reforms being put in place.

“Every darn one of them has told me the same thing: ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ve got this taken care of, we’ve got new procedures, it’s going to be different now,’” Lee said. “It’s never different. You haven’t changed.”

07.12.2023 - 09:32 [ theHill.com ]

FBI director makes plea for 702 reauthorization without a warrant requirement

(05.12.2023)

FBI Director Christopher Wray at a Tuesday hearing gave an impassioned pitch for Congress to reauthorize warrantless surveillance powers for the intelligence community without the need to secure a court’s blessing to review information on Americans swept up in the process.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire at the end of the year unless it is reauthorized by Congress, threatening to topple a program that allows the U.S. government to monitor the communications of foreign nationals located abroad.

07.12.2023 - 09:26 [ CNN ]

FBI director warns senators he sees ‘blinking lights everywhere’ on threats against the US

(December 6, 2023)

The FBI director is pushing senators on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is set to expire at the end of this year. The law enables the US government to obtain intelligence by targeting non-Americans overseas who are using US-based communications services.

06.12.2023 - 09:24 [ Open Source Intel / Twitter ]

#Breaking: 21 medical staff members, including doctors, paramedics, and hospital workers in southern Gaza, have been arrested on suspicion of aiding the Gaza leadership in the war.

23.11.2023 - 09:35 [ Amichai Stein, Correspondent at the @kann Diplomatic desk / Twitter ]

#BREAKING: Israel has arrested the director of Shifa hospital, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, and have taken him to an interrogation – @ItayBlumental reports. In recent days, @IDFSpokesperson showed evidance Hamas HQ and tunnels were operating in the hospital, hostages were brought to the hospital on the 7/10

15.11.2023 - 08:36 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Panel Seeks to Force Justice Minister‘s Hand Over Appointment of Next Chief Justice

(14.11.2023)

Members of the Judicial Appointments Committee are looking into the option of initiating a motion to elect Justice Isaac Amit as the president of the Supreme Court, despite the opposition of Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

15.11.2023 - 08:30 [ Yonatan Touval / Twitter ]

So even as Israel is at war, #Netanyahu‘s justice minister, Yariv Levin, continues advancing the judicial coup, reportedly plotting to appoint two of his allies who actively participated in the attempted coup to the Supreme Court (per Channel 12 News).

(November 12, 2023)

15.11.2023 - 08:20 [ Reuters ]

Israeli government yields on key judicial overhaul, citing war

(November 5, 2023)

In a letter from his lawyer to the Supreme Court, Justice Minister Yariv Levin pledged to convene the Judicial Appointments Committee within 15 days. The court had been scheduled to hear challenges to his hold-ups, which have resulted in backlogs in filling vacated bench positions.

„The justice minister believes there is no justification for being preoccupied with disputes during a war,“ the letter said.

07.11.2023 - 19:52 [ @TweetNotPost / Twitter ]

US Veto a Ceasefire at the UN Security Council AGAIN!

07.11.2023 - 19:50 [ Fox News ]

UN Security Council fails once again to pass Israel-Hamas resolution

„We talked about humanitarian pauses, and we’re interested in pursuing language on that score,“ said U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood following the meeting.

07.11.2023 - 19:48 [ ABC News ]

Netanyahu to ABC‘s Muir: ‚No cease-fire‘ without release of hostages

(06.11.2023)

„Well, there‘ll be no cease-fire, general cease-fire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages,“ Netanyahu responded. „As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there. We‘ve had them before, I suppose, will check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages to leave. But I don‘t think there‘s going to be a general cease-fire.“

03.11.2023 - 18:54 [ Times of Israel ]

Projectile flying horizontally hits French news agency’s Gaza bureau, causes damage

(Today, 6:48 pm)

Asking a question at Secretary of State Blinken’s press conference earlier today, AFP’s Leon Bruneau described the incident as “apparently a missile strike.”

03.11.2023 - 18:49 [ Times of Israel ]

Pentagon confirms that US conducting drone flights over Gaza to locate hostages

(Today, 5:25 pm)

“In support of hostage recovery efforts, the US is conducting unarmed UAV flights over Gaza, as well as providing advice and assistance to support our Israeli partner as they work on their hostage recovery efforts,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder says in a statement.

02.11.2023 - 13:55 [ CNN / Youtube ]

CNN anchor asks IDF spokesman where Palestinians were supposed to go after strike. Hear his response

IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus talks with CNN‘s Erin Burnett after a blast, targeting a Hamas commander, in a neighborhood of the Jabalya refugee camp left catastrophic damage and killed dozens of people.

12.10.2023 - 17:46 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF chief Halevi admits military failed to prevent Hamas attack, vows to investigate

Halevi says a time will come to investigate how Hamas managed to carry out the attack.

06.10.2023 - 11:55 [ AsiaTimes.com ]

Saudi nuclear weapon talk is no empty threat

(October 5, 2023)

Fitzpatrick notes Saudi Arabia acquired more advanced DF-21 missiles from China in 2007, although Riyadh has never acknowledged the purchase. He also says that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) approved Saudi Arabia’s acquisition because they were modified not to carry nuclear warheads.

However, the inaccuracy of those missiles means that they are only suitable for large targets such as cities and would be ineffective with anything less than a nuclear warhead.

29.09.2023 - 04:52 [ CNN ]

France will end its military presence in Niger by the end of 2023, Macron says

(September 25, 2023)

“We are putting an end to our military cooperation with the de facto authorities of Niger because they don’t want to fight terrorism anymore,” Macron said regarding the military leaders who took over rule of the northwest African country.

28.09.2023 - 08:30 [ New York Times ]

Canadian Speaker in House of Commons Quits After Honoring Ukrainian Who Fought for Nazis

(26.09.2023)

Mr. Trudeau was in Toronto for an event with auto parts manufacturers. Karina Gould, the government’s house leader responded on his behalf by repeatedly pointing out that the invitation to Mr. Hunka was done without the government’s knowledge.

25.09.2023 - 23:04 [ Times of Israel ]

Canada’s parliament, Trudeau and Zelensky give inadvertent ovation to Nazi war veteran

Speaker apologizes to Jews worldwide for encouraging parliament to hail Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a volunteer fighter in a Waffen SS unit, as a ‘Ukrainian and Canadian hero’

17.09.2023 - 01:50 [ Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington / New York Times ]

Why Is the Biden Administration Working So Hard on a Saudi-Israel Deal?

(Sept. 11, 2023)

The Biden administration is working overtime to consolidate what is arguably Washington’s most significant advantage over its great power rivals, especially China. (…)

It’s easy to see what the Saudis and Israelis, facing security threats in the region, particularly from Iran, would gain. (…)

For Israel, establishing formal ties with Saudi Arabia would bolster its position against Iran….

04.09.2023 - 20:00 [ Freiheitsrechte.org ]

Chat control: incompatible with fundamental rights

Authorities can impose so-called „detection orders“ against providers of interpersonal communications services. This means that authorities can, for example, oblige messenger services to monitor the communications of all their users. It is sufficient that the authority has identified a significant risk that the service in question is being used for the dissemination of depictions of sexual violence against children. Detection orders do not have to be limited to monitoring the communications of specific users who are under suspicion. Instead, authorities can order that the content of all communications of all users of the service be monitored preventively.

21.08.2023 - 16:12 [ Reuters ]

UK invites Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit

(17.08.2023)

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the crown prince spoke earlier on Thursday to discuss trade, investment, defence and security cooperation, according to a readout of the call issued by Downing Street.

19.08.2023 - 22:12 [ Arabnews.com ]

Saudi foreign minister receives phone call from US Secretary of State Saudi foreign minister receives phone call from US Secretary of State

Saudi foreign affairs minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday.
The two officials discussed the importance of stopping military escalation and ending violence in Sudan during their telephone conversation, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

14.08.2023 - 16:20 [ Yahoo.com ]

Comer says Kushner ‘crossed the line of ethics’ with Saudi deal

(August 11, 2023)

“I’ve been vocal that I think that what Kushner did crossed the line of ethics,” Comer said on CNN when asked to respond to Christie’s claim. “What Christie said — it happened after he left office. Still no excuse, Jake, but it happened after he left office.

10.08.2023 - 13:52 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Minister Accuses AG of Delaying Gender-segregated Parks Pilot Panned by Justice Ministry

Silman wrote a letter to Baharav-Miara on Wednesday, stating that the project had been initiated „following appeals by Haredi and Arab communities.“

However, it has come to light that an extreme right-wing organization has significantly influenced this project.

10.08.2023 - 13:47 [ IsraelHayom.com ]

Exclusive: Pilot program for gender-segregated bathing gets underway

(01.08.2023)

The program, which seeks to touch on a sensitive issue as more religious circle call for segregated bathing hours while liberal groups see this as a slipper slope toward the sidelining of women, will not impact the existing arraignment for mixed-gender bathers as it will take place only between 6 pm to 9 pm and later. Israeli natural springs are usually closed for bathers by 5 p.m.

02.08.2023 - 11:28 [ APNews.com ]

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard runs drill on disputed islands as US military presence in region grows

Iran did not provide a reason for launching the drill, though such snap exercises have happened in the past.

02.08.2023 - 11:20 [ APNews.com ]

Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict

Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight.

The dispatch of the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan to the Gulf, alongside stealth F-35 fighters and other warplanes, comes as America wants to focus on China and Russia.

31.07.2023 - 07:36 [ Haaretz ]

Post-judicial Coup Talk of a Unity Government Is Foolish, Netanyahu Isn‘t Even Interested

Attempting to imagine an escape route which also includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s acquittal of criminal charges, is a result of the painful realization that the hawkish factions on both sides – even though one can‘t compare the governmental sadism led by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and the most rigid and militant anti-overhaul protesters – ignore the will of the majority and charge onward, almost with lust, to the very dangerous disagreement known as a constitutional crisis.

This hope, however, whether you want to surrender to it or to resist it in disgust, is in no way realistic. For now. According to knowledgeable sources, Netanyahu is simply not interested: not in stopping the judicial overhaul nor in a unity government.

25.07.2023 - 22:45 [ New York Times ]

How Israel’s Supreme Court Might React to the Challenge to Its Power

“If the court dismisses the petitions, that could deflate the protests” against judicial overhaul, said Adam Shinar, a law professor at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel. “But if the court acts against the government, that will inflame its critics. So you have all these strategic political considerations.”

24.07.2023 - 11:23 [ IsraelHayom.com ]

Intense talks as reform bill heads for final vote; mega firms announce strike

The Histadrut labor federation proposed a scaled-down version of the bill but has chosen not to call a general strike in the public sector, saying it will the talks play themselves out until noon, at which point a decision would be made.

24.07.2023 - 11:10 [ Times of Israel ]

Yesh Atid MK defends Lapid over last-ditch talks: Israel in ‘a catastrophic situation’

Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar defends the decision by opposition leader Yair Lapid’s party to take part in talks to restrict the scope of the “reasonableness” bill and pause the rest of the judicial overhaul as further negotiations are held.

“There are moments in life when you can’t only make political calculations. Someone needs to be the adult in the room,” she tells the Ynet news site.

23.07.2023 - 18:23 [ Times of Israel ]

Likud, protest leaders reject labor union’s compromise overhaul bill

Likud minister David Amsalem launched a public attack on Bar-David, anticipating that the latter could end up launching a nationwide strike.

“I remind you that you represent workers who are mostly Likud people who are struggling to make a living,” Amsalem tweeted. “The issue of the judicial reform should be decided in the Knesset, not in the corridors of the Mapai-like Histadrut,” he argued, citing the workers’ party that was a precursor to left-wing Labor and was the ruling party for Israel’s first three decades.