Archiv: areas of influence / hegemonies / occupations / colonies / annexations


17.01.2021 - 15:11 [ Haaretz ]

Abbas Declares Palestinian Elections, but They’re Unlikely to Actually Happen

If the infection, severe illness and fatality rates do not decline significantly before May, the pandemic could serve as another excuse to postpone the elections – especially if Fatah were to discover, on the eve of the election, that it stood to take a big hit again because the accusations of corruption and nepotism have not disappeared.

That, plus the failing grades both Fatah and Abbas receive for their performance. In that December opinion poll, which was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 66 percent of respondents said Abbas should resign.

19.12.2020 - 11:07 [ theIntercept.com ]

The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

While CIA officers run the operations, most of the ground support during strike force unit missions, including the control of air power, is provided by fighters loaned out by Joint Special Operations Command. Variations on this arrangement have been used by the CIA since the Church Committee clamped down on agency excesses at home and abroad in 1975. Originally dubbed “Omega” in Afghanistan, the program temporarily strips special forces of their regular military designation — a process known as “sheep-dipping”— and places them under CIA command. This enables the CIA to circumvent the restrictions placed on fighters who ordinarily operate under regular wartime Title 10 authority, placing them instead under the agency’s Title 50 authority for covert actions.

19.12.2020 - 10:35 [ CNN ]

Congressional backers cite cybersecurity provisions as they push Trump to sign defense bill

The massive defense bill that President Donald Trump is threatening to veto contains provisions for increased cybersecurity, which has taken on significantly more importance in the wake of a massive cyberattack on federal agencies at the hands of suspected Russian hackers.

The National Defense Authorization Act includes pay raises for America’s soldiers, modernizations for equipment and provisions to require more scrutiny before troops are withdrawn from Germany or Afghanistan.

17.12.2020 - 10:42 [ Globes.co.il ]

Israeli drones leased to Germany to remain unarmed

Felgentreu is considered one of the biggest supporters of the move to arm the UAVs, which was separated from the actual procurement of the UAVs due to previous opposition within the SPD, which caused him to resign over the issue. Felgentreu has told „Globes“ in the past that the German army needs the Israeli UAVs to help protect its combat soldiers on missions in Afghanistan and Mali.

16.12.2020 - 18:38 [ theGuardian.com ]

Victims‘ families tell their stories following Nato airstrike in Afghanistan

(September 12, 2009)

‚I took some flesh home and called it my son.‘ The Guardian interviews 11 villagers

16.12.2020 - 18:29 [ Washington Post ]

Decision on Airstrike in Afghanistan Was Based Largely on Sole Informant’s Assessment

(September 6, 2009)

McChrystal’s advisers allowed a Washington Post reporter to travel with a NATO fact-finding team and attend its otherwise closed-door meetings with German troops and Afghan officials. Portions of this account are based on those discussions.

03.12.2020 - 17:16 [ theDiplomat.com ]

NATO Huddles With Asia-Pacific Democracies to Talk China

The incoming Biden administration has pledged to do even more to partner with allies on the China challenge.

In another step in that direction, on December 2, the foreign ministers of the NATO members, along with delegations from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, gathered virtually to discuss the rise of China and the implications for the global balance of power.

24.11.2020 - 11:22 [ Rashida Tlaib, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

So long as he doesn’t suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against Netanyahu’s racist and inhumane policies. The Palestinian people deserve equality and justice.

24.11.2020 - 11:20 [ Fox News ]

Rashida Tlaib accused of anti-Semitism for reaction to Biden’s Jewish Sec of State nominee

„Biden names a Jew to his cabinet What’s Rashida’s response?! ‚Welp, as long as that Judische pick doesn’t stop me from focusing my hatred on one country, Israel, then he’s a good Jew!‘ It’s not your 1A right you’re trying to protect but your vile Jew-hatred! That’s ALL yours!“ Americans Against Antisemitism founder Dov Hikind reacted.

„You can just say you’re worried because he’s Jewish…“ the Republican Jewish Coalition tweeted.

30.10.2020 - 06:20 [ Youtube ]

Yitzhak Rabin – The Last Speech (English Subtitles)

The last speech of prime minister and minister of defense Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by right-wing Israeli radical on November 4th 1995 in Tel Aviv.

22.10.2020 - 08:53 [ theHill.com ]

Obama tears into Trump at Philadelphia rally: ‚The next 13 days will matter for decades to come‘

Obama framed the election as a battle for democracy.

“Our democracy is not gonna work if the people who are supposed to be our leaders lie every day and just make things up,” Obama said. “This notion of truthfulness and democracy and citizenship and being responsible — these aren’t Republican or Democratic principles. They’re American principles. … We need to reclaim them.”

16.10.2020 - 04:14 [ Ben Reiff / Twitter ]

Stunning action this morning: activists from the Bloc Against Occupation fill TLV’s Rabin Square with the words “DEMOCRACY OR OCCUPATION”. They write: “The problem does not begin or end with Netanyahu. Only when we end the occupation can we start talking about what democracy is”

16.09.2020 - 08:48 [ Haaretz ]

Annexation Plan Is Being Realized

In the meetings of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee from July 29 and August 18, MKs from Likud and Yamina and settlers whom they hosted, openly declared what the natural evolution of this process would be: The Palestinians must make do with Areas A and B; that is, no more than 39 percent of the West Bank, with non-contiguous strips of land. So said the man from the right-wing NGO Regavim, Meir Deutsch; so said Likud MK Nir Barkat, who also called for the settlement of two million Jews in the West Bank;

12.09.2020 - 16:55 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Used Doctored Video of Abbas to Influence Trump’s Policy, Woodward Reveals

The incident occurred on May 22, 2017, at a time when Trump was beginning to have doubts about Netanyahu and wondering aloud if the Israeli prime minister might be the real obstacle to peace with the Palestinians, Woodward wrote, according to excerpts from the book published by U.S. media.

12.09.2020 - 13:29 [ teleSUR ]

Chile: September 11 Protesters Clash with Police All Over Chile

Chileans took to the streets to pay homage to former president Salvador Allende, in the 47th anniversary of his death, and to condemn the coup d’etat which brought about the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

03.09.2020 - 20:32 [ Internationaler Strafgerichtshof / International Criminal Court (ICC) ]

International Criminal Court condemns US economic sanctions

The new measures, announced pursuant to the US Executive Order 13928 dated 11 June 2020, are another attempt to interfere with the Court’s judicial and prosecutorial independence and crucial work to address grave crimes of concern to the international community as mandated under the ICC Rome Statute.

These coercive acts, directed at an international judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the Court, the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally.

The Court continues to stand firmly by its personnel and its mission of fighting impunity for the world’s most serious crimes under international law, independently and impartially, in accordance with its mandate. In doing so, the Court benefits from the strong support and commitment of two thirds of the world’s States which are parties to the Rome Statute.

03.09.2020 - 20:30 [ European Union External Action (EEAS) / Auswärtiger Dienst der Europäischen Union ]

International Criminal Court: Statement by the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on US sanctions

The European Union is unwavering in its support for the universality of the Rome Statute and for the ICC. We will resolutely defend it from any attempts aimed at obstructing the course of justice and undermining the international system of criminal justice.

03.09.2020 - 20:22 [ Metro.us ]

U.S. blacklists ICC prosecutor over Afghanistan war crimes probe

Pompeo also said Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC’s Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, had also been blacklisted under sanctions authorized by President Donald Trump in June that allow for asset freezes and travel bans.

“Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly,” Pompeo told reporters.

03.09.2020 - 20:22 [ Times of Israel ]

US sanctions ICC prosecutor who allowed complaint of Israeli ‘war crimes’

The US has imposed sanctions on the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court just weeks after she allowed a complaint of Israeli “war crimes” to proceed.

Announcing sanctions against the ICC’s Fatou Bensouda, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the court “continues to target Americans”, in apparent reference to investigations into US Army actions in Afghanistan.

03.09.2020 - 18:23 [ The New York Times ]

UK’s Raab Discusses Middle East With Trump Adviser Kushner

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also attended part of the meeting with the visiting Kushner.

„The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary were clear about their commitment to a negotiated two-state solution,” the spokesman said.

27.08.2020 - 20:42 [ Haaretz ]

How the UAE and Saudi Arabia Now Hold Israel Hostage

The UAE and Saudi Arabia now have significant leverage over Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians. And Riyadh is Israel’s real prize

27.08.2020 - 20:35 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu’s ‘Normalization’ Policy Will Turn Israel Into an Arab State

The fruits of the prime minister’s labors will ultimately propel Israel toward a single-state solution, but not before a long spell as an apartheid regime

22.08.2020 - 05:44 [ Haaretz ]

Democratic Convention Proves That on Israel, This Is Still Joe Biden’s Party

Much of this was by design. Onstage and off, the convention organizers delicately and carefully walked a tightrope in order to create as unified a front as possible. They needed to show respect to Sanders, who came in second in the primary contest, and to win the trust of high-profile acolytes like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, so that the party’s activist progressive wing will remain engaged in the election.

22.08.2020 - 05:15 [ Richard Medhurst / Twitter ]

Turkey has cut water to 1 million people in Hasakah. Meanwhile the Kurdish SDF are helping US steal our oil, Gulf & Turkish-backed jihadists are running Idlib; UK, US, FR troops running around… All of these countries occupying Syria are like a fucking virus that won’t go away.

19.08.2020 - 06:34 [ Haaretz ]

Why a U.S.-led Coup Seven Decades Ago Still Matters to Young Iranians

A nationalist and champion of secular democracy, Mossadegh (also spelled Mosaddegh and Mosaddeq) gained prominence in Iranian politics by focusing on two key issues: devolving more power from the monarchy to parliament, based on Iran’s 1906 constitution; and wresting back control of Iran’s oil industry, which had been dominated by the British.

In 1949, Mossadegh formed the National Front Party and spearheaded protests against Iran’s reigning monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and the ongoing involvement of the British Empire.

By early 1951, the Shah was overwhelmed by widespread public demonstrations.

17.08.2020 - 08:34 [ theIntercept.com ]

House Democrats, Working With Liz Cheney, Restrict Trump’s Planned Withdrawal of Troops From Afghanistan and Germany

The NDAA that was approved last night by the Committee also imposed restrictions on Trump’s plan to withdraw troops from Germany. Trump’s plan called for the removal of roughly 9,500 troops from German soil, reducing the number of U.S. troops in this extremely prosperous and rich European nation from 34,500 to 25,000. But by an overwhelming vote of 49-7, the Armed Service Committee approved an amendment to the NDAA that “bans the administration from lowering troop levels below current levels until 180 days after Pentagon leaders present a plan to Congress and certify it will not harm U.S. or allied interests.”

15.08.2020 - 19:53 [ Countrystudies.us ]

South Korea Under United States Occupation, 1945-48

Before United States forces had landed in Korea in September 1945, the Koreans had established self-governing bodies, or people’s committees. The leaders of these committees had organized the Central People’s Committee, which proclaimed the establishment of the „Korean People’s Republic“ on September 6, 1945. Exiles, abroad, mainly in China, had organized the „Korean Provisional Government“ in Shanghai as early as 1919 and had sustained a skeletal organization in other parts of China until 1945.

The United States recognized neither the republic nor the provisional government. T

15.08.2020 - 19:49 [ KBS.co.kr ]

Pompeo Sends Well Wishes for Liberation Day

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday issued a message celebrating Liberation Day on August 15, which marks the day Korea was liberated from Japan’s colonial rule.

15.08.2020 - 04:37 [ Dominican Today ]

What’s behind Mike Pompeo’s visit to the Dominican Republic?

This Sunday, August 16, will be the third time, after the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, that a Secretary of State of the United States attends the inauguration of a Dominican president. This action sends a direct message of the expectation about the fundamental issues that the United States has with the government that Luis Abinader will lead as of August 16.

The North American authorities are interested in halting the decline of its hegemony as a political and commercial partner of the Dominican Republic and in solidifying relations between the two countries, which were affected by the foreign policy developed by the outgoing president, Danilo Medina.

14.08.2020 - 23:37 [ The White House / Twitter ]

President @realDonaldTrump was able to get Israel to agree to a two-state solution with the Palestinian people—and, for the first time in history, agree to a map that outlined the territory.

(13.08.2020)

14.08.2020 - 23:34 [ Times of Israel ]

UAE committed to Palestinian state, Arab Peace Initiative, spokeswoman tells ToI

The United Arab Emirates remains committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state and to the terms of the Arab Peace Initiative, a senior official from the Arab Gulf state told The Times of Israel on Thursday, in rare on-the-record remarks to Israeli media.

14.08.2020 - 23:31 [ israeltoday.co.il ]

Jordan’s King Does Not Want a Palestinian State

(06.08.2020)

King Abdullah II of Jordan does not really want a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, despite his repeated opposition to the extension of Israeli sovereignty to the so-called “West Bank.”

14.08.2020 - 03:32 [ Haaretz ]

After Netanyahu Commits to Future Annexation, Trump Says It’s ‚Off the Table for Now‘

„Israel agreed not to annex parts of the West Bank. It is more than taking it off the table – they agreed not to do it. This is a very smart concession by Israel. It is off the table now,“ Trump said during a White House briefing.

12.08.2020 - 18:22 [ Haaretz ]

How Biden VP Kamala Harris Could Tip U.S.-Israel Ties

Not long after her election as California senator, but well before her presidential bid, Harris was the star performer at the powerful pro-Israel lobby’s 2017 Policy Conference, in a much-quoted appearance: “Having grown up in the Bay Area, I fondly remember those Jewish National Fund boxes that we would use to collect donations to plant trees for Israel,” she said at that conference, followed by a rapturous travelogue of a recent tour of Israel and the West Bank, which she visited with her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, whom she married in an interfaith ceremony in 2014.

09.08.2020 - 06:42 [ AnNahar.com ]

Is France helping Lebanon, or trying to reconquer it?

Macron himself firmly rejected the idea of reviving the French mandate.

“You can’t ask me to substitute for your leaders. It’s not possible,” he said. “There is no French solution.”

But he made a point of noting that he plans to return to Lebanon to verify that promised reforms are being undertaken on Sept. 1, the 100th anniversary of the declaration of Greater Lebanon – and the beginning of French rule.

03.08.2020 - 18:33 [ NBC News / Twitter ]

The US 2020 election presents two drastically different visions of German’s future. „This is the most important US election in the history of Germany… This means almost as much to the future of Germany as it does to the US“

(1/5) #NBCNewsThreads

10.07.2020 - 02:06 [ The Hill ]

Biden to review Trump move pulling troops from Germany if elected, aide says

President Trump confirmed last month his administration plans to cut the U.S. troop size in Germany roughly in half. The decision drew backlash from both sides of the aisle.

06.07.2020 - 15:38 [ Haaretz ]

U.S. Jews Are Clear: We Won’t Back Bibi’s Conspiracies, Colonial Inclinations or Corruption

We believe in a Jewish and democratic Israel. We feel no obligation to defend Netanyahu’s pathological viciousness, monumentally stupid annexation, incitement and self-enrichment

05.07.2020 - 19:19 [ Kathimerini ]

Mitsotakis: Greece will not accept conditions on coronavirus aid

The former „troika“ of Greece’s creditors, the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund had „forced (Greece) to do reforms“ even though „there was never really any domestic buy-in“

A six-monthly review of economic performance carried out by the European Commission was sufficient, Mitsotakis said.

04.07.2020 - 14:27 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Joint List to EU: Suspend Ties with Israel if It Won’t Desert Annexation

In letters to senior EU officials, including foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the 15 Joint List MKs wrote that “the traditional approach based on providing incentives to Israel has thus far failed to achieve our shared legitimate positions.” According to Hadash MK Youssef Jabareen, “We requested that top EU officials act to prevent annexation including re-evaluating the EU-Israel partnership agreement, recognizing a Palestinian state according to the ’67 borders and labeling goods from the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinians deserve independence and freedom.”

04.07.2020 - 14:26 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Joint List Urges Major British Parties to Oppose Annexation

The Joint List called on Britain’s biggest political parties to vigorously oppose Israel’s plans to annex parts of the Palestinian occupied West Bank. The two letters, dated June 26 were penned by Hadash MK Yousef Jabareen, the head of the Joint List’s international relations committee, and were sent to the UK Conservative party leader, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the Labour party’s leader, Sir Keir Starmer. In the letters, the Joint List parliamentarians said the UK needed to “actively oppose” attempts by Israel to unilaterally annex territory.

“History has demonstrated the tragic consequences of illegal annexations,” the letter read. “We fear that if Britain and its European allies do not urgently act to prevent this impending annexation, our region may witness yet another major upheaval.”

04.07.2020 - 14:24 [ Middle East Eye ]

Palestinian-Israeli Joint List urges US Democrats to stop annexation

(25.06.2020)

So far, the party has only verbally denounced Israel’s plans. The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has categorically ruled out setting conditions on US aid to Israel.

In the Senate, a letter warning that annexation would „erode the strong support among the American people for the special relationship and diplomatic partnership with the United States that Israel currently enjoys“ only gained the support of 21 legislators.

03.07.2020 - 14:47 [ Max Blumenthal / The Grayzone ]

US claim of ‘Russian Bounty’ plot in Afghanistan is dubious and dangerous

Max Blumenthal breaks down the “Russian bounty” story’s flaws and how it aims to prolong the war in Afghanistan — and uses Russiagate tactics to continue pushing the Democratic Party to the right

03.07.2020 - 12:40 [ MondoWeiss.net ]

Engel bragged, ‘I sit down with AIPAC on every piece of legislation’ coming out of Foreign Affairs Committee

(20.06.2020)

Embattled congressman Eliot Engel, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has bragged that he sits down with the rightwing pro-Israel organization AIPAC on “every piece of legislation coming out of the Foreign Affairs Committee.”

In a 2018 speech to an AIPAC gathering in his NY district, Engel noted that he and Rep. Nita Lowey had both been in the House 30 years and were soon to assume chair positions that they could use to help Israel.

02.07.2020 - 11:16 [ Bloomberg ]

Netanyahu Will Miss Trump, But Can Live With Biden

In the last three Israeli electoral campaigns, Trump worked hard to keep Bibi in office. Now it is Trump who is running for re-election. The president fully expects Bibi to reciprocate.

But loyalty and gratitude are not among Bibi’s virtues.

02.07.2020 - 10:52 [ Haaretz ]

Many Will Take Credit, but This Is the Real Reason Netanyahu Delayed His Annexation Plan

Joe Biden is the main reason Netanyahu is not annexing.

There are few politicians who have a keener understanding of polls than Netanyahu. He has several pollsters on his official and unofficial payroll, and keeps in touch with others. His polling brain-trust is heavily American and though they have misled at least once in the past, when he thought that Mitt Romney had a chance of denying Barack Obama a second term in 2012. He is fully aware now that Trump’s chances of winning in November are vanishing.

30.06.2020 - 12:42 [ IMEU / Twitter ]

15 members of the Israeli Knesset’s Joint List sent a letter to Democrats, calling on them to oppose annexation: „Democrats have a decision to make. Will they keep wringing their hands and expressing ‘concern,’ or are they going to do something about it?“

30.06.2020 - 08:25 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Palestinians offer negotiations days before planned annexation – report

The Palestinian Authority dispatched a letter on Monday addressed to the Quartet on the Middle East stating that it’s prepared to renew negotiations with Israel and agree to „minor territorial exchanges,“ according to reports by Ynet News on Monday night.

The Quartet on the Middle East, a foursome consisting of the United Nations, the US, Russia and the European Union involved in mediating the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.

29.06.2020 - 20:53 [ Haaretz ]

Coronavirus Israel Live: Public Gatherings Capped Amid Fears of Second Wave

Palestinian Authority to lock down all areas with confirmed cases

28.06.2020 - 16:55 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Joint List MKs to Democrats in the US Congress: Stop the Annexation

Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Joint List), who initiated the letter, said about the appeal to Congress: “The annexation and the occupation are international issues. The US administration constantly intervenes in the region and gives backing to the oppression of Palestinians. The administration can give the green light or put the brakes on annexation. Therefore, we have asked members of the Democratic Party, who might assume power soon, to express their clear objection to Israel’s annexation plans, to denounce the entire Trump plan, and to clarify that, if such plans are implemented, future administrations will not recognize their legitimacy. Annexation is illegal according to international law and is a crime against the Palestinian people. The entire international community must stand against it.”

28.06.2020 - 16:48 [ CommonDreams.org ]

Palestinian Members of Israeli Parliament Call on Democrats to Oppose Annexation

House Democrats are currently circulating a letter opposing annexation, but its wording is based around concerns for Israel’s security and there’s no mention of holding the country accountable for any of its actions towards Palestinians. A letter developed by Senate Democrats earlier this year implied that the United States/Israel relationship could be threatened by annexation, but any mention of this possibility was quickly removed.

28.06.2020 - 16:41 [ Yousef Jabareen, Member of Knesset / Twitter ]

This letter was sent to democratic members of US congress. The Joint List calls on Democrats to state loudly and clearly that they oppose Israel’s illegitimate annexation plans and the occupation.

(26.06.2020)

28.06.2020 - 16:13 [ Haaretz ]

The Blatant Moral Bankruptcy of U.S. Jewish Groups Shilling for Israel’s Annexation

How is it that despite the warnings of three previous Israeli prime ministers, including two IDF Chiefs of Staff and a former justice and foreign minister, that these sorts of steps towards annexation would lead to „apartheid,“ that not a single leader of a dominant Jewish organization in America can bring themselves to use the same word publicly?

How is it that in just a generation, the muscular Jewish leadership that existed in the Diaspora has been replaced by an Israeli caricature of itself: weak galus yidn, unwilling to stand up for our own beliefs, whose only role is to support our strong brethren in the Holy Land?

28.06.2020 - 15:44 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Disappoints Time and Again

This isn’t how a political leader talks, and certainly not one who is interested in being an alternative to the inciter in the Prime Minister’s Office. Gantz’s contempt for the Palestinians demonstrates arrogance, pettiness and lack of understanding of the national conflict between the two peoples. If there’s any “deep shit” in which the Palestinians are drowning, it’s the 53-year-old occupation, a messianic project of oppression that has been perpetuated by successive Israeli governments and maintained by the army, formerly headed by Gantz himself.

26.06.2020 - 10:47 [ Max Blumenthal / Twitter ]

Labour leader Keir Starmer confirms his role as establishment Thought Crime Enforcer, purging Rebecca Long-Bailey after she innocently shared an interview with a celebrity who happens to support BDS. Only pro-apartheid thoughts allowed in Labour!

25.06.2020 - 22:11 [ Max Blumenthal / MondoWeiss.net ]

From Occupation to ‘Occupy’: The Israelification of American domestic security

(December 2, 2011)

Back in New York, the NYPD set up a secret “Demographics Unit” designed to spy on and monitor Muslim communities around the city. The unit was developed with input and intensive involvement by the CIA, which still refuses to name the former Middle East station chief it has posted in the senior ranks of the NYPD’s intelligence division. Since 2002, the NYPD has dispatched undercover agents known as “rakers” and “mosque crawlers” into Pakistani-American bookstores and restaurants to gauge community anger over US drone strikes inside Pakistan, and into Palestinian hookah bars and mosques to search out signs of terror recruitment and clandestine funding. “If a raker noticed a customer looking at radical literature, he might chat up the store owner and see what he could learn,” the Associated Press reported. “The bookstore, or even the customer, might get further scrutiny.”

The Israeli imprimatur on the NYPD’s Demographics Unit is unmistakable. As a former police official told the Associated Press, the Demographics Unit has attempted to “map the city’s human terrain” through a program “modeled in part on how Israeli authorities operate in the West Bank.”

25.06.2020 - 22:01 [ theIntercept.com ]

Israel Security Forces Are Training American Cops Despite History of Rights Abuses

(September 15 2017)

In the aftermath of 9/11, Israel seized on its decades-long experience as an occupying force to brand itself as a world leader in counterterrorism. U.S. law enforcement agencies took the Jewish state up on its expertise by participating in exchange programs sponsored by an array of pro-Israel groups, like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, and the Anti-Defamation League. Over the past decade and a half, scores of top federal, state, and local police officers from dozens of departments from across the U.S. have gone to Israel to learn about its terrorism-focused policing.

Yet Israel’s policing prowess is marred by its primary purpose: occupation.

25.06.2020 - 21:41 [ Amnesty International USA ]

With Whom are Many U.S. Police Departments Training? With a Chronic Human Rights Violator – Israel

(August 25, 2016)

Baltimore law enforcement officials, along with hundreds of others from Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington state as well as the DC Capitol police have all traveled to Israel for training. Thousands of others have received training from Israeli officials here in the U.S.

Many of these trips are taxpayer funded while others are privately funded. Since 2002, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee’s Project Interchange and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs have paid for police chiefs, assistant chiefs and captains to train in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

25.06.2020 - 21:32 [ Haaretz ]

Tzipi Hotovely Is the Ugly, Extremist Face of Israel. British Jews Should Welcome Her

(19.06.2020)

Hotovely is the right Israeli ambassador for our time. She will remind British Jews how powerless they are (as is the British government, to be fair) to influence matters in Israel and how distant the current Israeli leadership is from the mainstream of British Jewry.

And if left-wing British Jews are serious about trying to get their community to finally wake up to the damage the occupation is doing to Israel’s soul, then having Hotovely as ambassador is the best thing that could happen to them.

25.06.2020 - 21:28 [ Peoplesworld.org ]

Israeli forces trained cops in ‘restraint techniques’ at Minneapolis conference

(03.06.2020)

Neta Golan, co-founder of International Solidarity Movement (ISM), said: “When I saw the picture of killer cop Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd by leaning in on his neck with his knee as he cried for help and other cops watched, I remembered noticing when many Israeli soldiers began using this technique of leaning in on our chest and necks when we were protesting in the West Bank sometime in 2006.

“They started twisting and breaking fingers in a particular way around the same time. It was clear they had undergone training for this. They continue to use these tactics—two of my friends have had their necks broken but luckily survived—and it is clear that they [Israel] share these methods when they train police forces abroad in ‘crowd control’ in the U.S. and other countries including Sudan and Brazil.”

25.06.2020 - 13:42 [ New York Magazine ]

Engel Teaches Dems That Backing War and Apartheid Has a Downside

Engel was one of blue America’s most enthusiastic supporters of the war in Iraq. He was an opponent of Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran. After the Obama administration allowed the passage of a United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, Engel introduced a House resolution condemning the U.N. In 2016, as Saudi Arabia was starving and bombing Yemeni civilians, Engel joined Republicans in defeating a measure that would have restricted Riyadh’s access to cluster munitions, weapons that leave behind mine-like explosives that can kill civilians for decades after a conflict has ended.

23.06.2020 - 17:24 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz on Annexation: Palestinians ‚In Deep Shit,‘ Israel ‚Won’t Keep Waiting for Them‘

Gantz, who in the past publicly backed dialogue with the Palestinians toward an agreement leading to a two-state solution, said the Israeli government should “not only to manage the conflict but shape it as well.” And if the Palestinians choose not to hold talks with Israel about the annexation, “then we will have to move forward without them,” he said.

23.06.2020 - 17:19 [ i24news.tv ]

Egypt, Jordan likely to opt for symbolic response if Israel annexes West Bank parts: report

Mossad (Israel’s foreign intelligence) chief Yossi Cohen and his Egyptian counterpart Abbas Kamal reportedly spearheaded the talks, which yielded an agreement on the scale of the response.

22.06.2020 - 10:09 [ Jazbaat Samjho / Twitter ]

While the world is busy in dealing virus & regional tensed situation, Greater Israel Plan is happening on 1st July,2020.

(…)

21.06.2020 - 10:34 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu caters to Right, divorces Palestinian statehood from annexation

(31.05.2020)

IT WILL likely go like this. Netanyahu will rely on the formal public pledge he made in his 2009 Bar-Ilan speech to support a demilitarized Palestinian state. That pledge was made when former US president Barack Obama was in power and was designed to satisfy an administration that wanted a two-state solution based on pre-1967 lines.
Netanyahu did not speak of the 1967 lines in the speech, but Obama accepted Netanyahu’s statehood pledge nonetheless.

19.06.2020 - 13:01 [ Times of Israel ]

Caught between annexation and his public’s apathy, Abbas hopes for symbolic wins

But that won’t stop the initiatives, a Palestinian official says.

“The current plan is to keep appealing to UN institutions in order to be recognized, even if the proposals are vetoed over and over. Many countries support this move, so the leadership supports it as well.”

He adds: “There are already 12 or 13 European states that are willing to recognize a Palestinian state under occupation in the event of an Israeli annexation, and that’s the price Israel will have to pay.”

19.06.2020 - 12:02 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Did Putin save Israel from Obama at UN, and why are we hearing this now?

Danon appealed to his Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin, and the matter went up to the Netanyahu-Putin level. The Russians did not agree to veto Resolution 2334 condemning settlements, but they were opposed to the second one, and generally did not approve of the Obama administration making these last-minute moves right before Trump took office.
The Israeli source posited that the Obama administration did not want to be seen as less pro-Israel than Russia, so they backed down from the second initiative.

19.06.2020 - 12:00 [ i24news.tv ]

Report: Putin nixed Obama initiative to create Palestinian state within 1948 borders

In late 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin prevented former US President Barack Obama’s attempt to pass a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution demanding Israel relinquish the West Bank territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and accept a two-state resolution based on 1948 borders, freshly declassified documents appear to show.

18.06.2020 - 11:45 [ Haaretz ]

Will Germany Be Bombing Afghanistan With Israeli Drones?

Israel’s drone deals with Germany began in 2009, when it first leased drones to the German army for use in Afghanistan. Seven years later there was a similar transaction, this time to operate the drones in Mali.

18.06.2020 - 11:29 [ law360.com ]

Willkie Sues Defense Agencies For Info On Taliban Payments

(yesterday)

International law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has sued U.S. defense agencies for records of protection payments that government contractors in Afghanistan allegedly made to the Taliban, saying the agencies have failed to hand over the requested documents.

In five separate lawsuits filed in a D.C. federal court Tuesday, Willkie accuses the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Drug Enforcement Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency of failing to fulfill the firm’s Freedom Of Information Act requests for documents that allegedly show eight Afghanistan reconstruction companies paid the …

17.06.2020 - 14:19 [ i24news.tv ]

Netanyahu mulls applying sovereignty to West Bank areas in two phases: report

Under the Middle East peace plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump, Israel has been given a green light to annex some 30 percent of the West Bank.

However, one of the options Netanyahu is considering is to start off with 10 percent, beginning with settlements located deep into the area.

After that, the Palestinian side would be invited to hold negotiations; if no talks materialize, Israel would go ahead and apply sovereignty to the remaining 20 percent, the newspaper reports.

17.06.2020 - 06:44 [ theHill.com ]

Trump’s move to pull troops from Germany draws bipartisan warnings

“The United States’ military presence in Germany is mutually beneficial to both nations, and bolsters the transatlantic alliance. It’s also an invaluable hub for U.S. military operations,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said in a statement Tuesday.

16.06.2020 - 13:41 [ JTA.org ]

Full text of the letter from House Democrats warning Israel about annexation of the West Bank

We remain steadfast in our belief that pursuing two states for two peoples is essential to ensuring a secure, Jewish, democratic Israel able to live side-by-side, in peace and mutual recognition, with an independent, viable, de-militarized Palestinian state.

Unilateral annexation would likely jeopardize Israel’s significant progress on normalization with Arab states at a time when closer cooperation can contribute to countering shared threats. Unilateral annexation risks insecurity in Jordan, with serious ancillary risks to Israel. Finally, unilateral annexation could create serious problems for Israel with its European friends and other partners around the world. We do not see how any of these acute risks serve the long-term interest of a strong, secure Israel.

As committed partners in supporting and protecting the special U.S.-Israel relationship, we express our deep concern with the stated intention to move ahead with any unilateral annexation of West Bank territory, and we urge your government to reconsider plans to do so.

Sincerely,

16.06.2020 - 13:35 [ ForeignPolicy.com ]

Stop Calling Israel a Jewish Democracy

(08.06.2020)

The looming annexation of the West Bank will create a one-state reality, forcing American elites to choose between a commitment to the country’s Jewishness and democratic values.

16.06.2020 - 13:32 [ NationalPost.com ]

U.N. rights experts condemn Israel’s annexation plan and U.S. support

The joint statement, signed by nearly 50 independent experts, voiced dismay at U.S. support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “unlawful” plan to extend sovereignty, de facto annexation of land that the Palestinians seek for a state.

16.06.2020 - 11:17 [ theHill.com ]

Trump confirms plan to cut US troops in Germany to 25,000

“We’re putting the number down to 25,000 soldiers,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

“Germany’s delinquent,” Trump added. “They’ve been delinquent for years, and they owe NATO billions of dollars, and they have to pay it. So we’re protecting Germany, and they’re delinquent. That doesn’t make sense.”

15.06.2020 - 06:09 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Only a third of Israelis support annexing parts of the West Bank in July

(10.06.2020)

Support for a two state solution, while not a majority opinion, continues to be the favored result overall – 42% backed a two-state solution as their preferred course of action in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A quarter of respondents wanted annexation to be the next step, while 22.8% thought that the government ought to continue with the status quo.

15.06.2020 - 03:32 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Polls: Only 1/3 of Israelis Support Netanyanu-Trump Annexation Plan

According to the Midgam Institute poll, support for a two state solution continues to be the favored result overall: 42% indicated that this is the course of action the prefer; a quarter of the respondents wanted annexation to be the next step; while 22.8% thought that the government ought to continue with the status quo.

However, a clear majority (54.3%) of the respondents to this poll maintained that Palestinians to have the right to establish an independent state next to Israel, within the framework of a peace agreement.

14.06.2020 - 02:07 [ UN News ]

International Criminal Court oversight chief ‘deeply regrets’ US decision to target officials investigating Afghanistan war crimes

The decision, announced on Thursday by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, defence secretary, Mark Esper and attorney general, William Barr, targets ICC officials investigating war crimes allegedly committed in Afghanistan by all sides, including the US, and will also see visa restrictions imposed on their families.

13.06.2020 - 14:27 [ i24news.tv ]

Report: Palestinian leadership fails to rally crowds for protest against annexation

While the annexation plan met with harsh criticism from the Israeli left, as well as parts of the international community, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party could secure a meager turnout of some 200 protesters at a rally in Ramallah, according to Haaretz.

13.06.2020 - 13:51 [ Haaretz ]

Assassinations, Terror Attacks and Even Castration – the Hidden Actions of Israel’s Pre-state Militia

Such operations continued right up to the establishment of the state. At the end of March 1947, Mordechai Berger, who worked in the Mandatory police’s traffic division, was murdered in the street after being suspected of divulging information about the Haganah to the British. “The assailants gagged him and hit him over the head with clubs. Berger fell bleeding,” wrote Prof. Yehuda Lapidot, an Irgun member who later researched the history of Mandatory Palestine.

“None of the organizations emerges with clean hands from this dark matter,” Haskin wrote. He added that the fingers of right-wing organization members were lighter on the trigger, but emphasized the role of Haganah members in assassinating Jews.

13.06.2020 - 13:34 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: 400 Jewish studies professors condemn annexation as ‚crime against humanity‘

The annexation, the letter argues, will result in a system where small Palestinian enclaves in the annexed territories are effectively controlled by Israel in, what it alleges, will amount to „conditions of apartheid.“

Apartheid is seen as a crime against humanity under the international law, the letter warns, adding that Israel could grant citizenship to residents of the target areas, but the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided against that.

13.06.2020 - 06:01 [ Haaretz ]

Annexation? Israeli Apartheid? Hounding Journalists? Gantz Didn’t Come to Fight

The Kahol Lavan leader seems to have forgotten that his party was supposed to represent an alternative to Netanyahu’s aggressive ways

12.06.2020 - 08:44 [ Internationaler Strafgerichtshof / International Criminal Court (ICC) ]

ASP President O-Gon Kwon rejects measures taken against ICC

I will convene an extraordinary meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly next week to consider how to renew our unwavering commitment to the Court.

I call upon the States Parties and all the stakeholders in the Rome Statute system to reiterate once more our relentless commitment to uphold and defend the principles and values enshrined in the Statute and to preserve its integrity undeterred by any measures and threats against the Court and its officials, staff and their families.

12.06.2020 - 08:40 [ Haaretz ]

U.S. Decision to Sanction International Crime Court Was Coordinated With Israel, Source Says

The move was discussed in a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem last month, the source said on Thursday.

09.06.2020 - 22:14 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s High Court Strikes Down West Bank Land-grab Law as ‚Unconstitutional‘

Israel’s High Court of Justice ordered on Tuesday to nullify a law that would legalize the status of settlements partially built on privately owned Palestinian land under the claim that it is „unconstitutional.“

09.06.2020 - 08:47 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Leftists, Apologizing for Your Beliefs Won’t Spare You. Get Off the Defensive

Even if you say “Jewish left” instead of “Israeli left” because it sounds more patriotic, they’ll always have another loyalty test on the way. Because groveling, stammering and apologizing for what you believe in won’t spare you.

The right is ready to go on television, on radio, online, wherever necessary, to defend an apartheid plan, to defend billions being spent at a time of deep recession and to defend a corrupt prime minister. They’re ready to defend the most galling things, and you’re not ready to defend the truth? Try it sometime. Believe me, it’s easier.

08.06.2020 - 00:09 [ Haaretz ]

How Bernie Sanders Came to Address an Anti-annexation Rally in Tel Aviv

Odeh and Sanders first met in February 2017, when the Odeh visited Washington to attend that year’s J Street conference.

08.06.2020 - 00:06 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Left’s Show of Strength Highlights Weakness of Anti-annexation Protest

One can argue about whether the disparate 100-year history of confrontation and occupation between Israelis and Palestinians totally negates parallels to white America’s 400 years of African American subjugation and discrimination. But one glaring gap is undeniable: The majority of U.S. public opinion now acknowledges the legitimacy of black grievances, while the majority of Israelis ‒ including most of the Jewish center-left ‒ continues to view Palestinians, at least those beyond the former Green Line, as a mortal enemy bent on their country’s destruction

06.06.2020 - 06:25 [ Wall Street Journal ]

Trump to Pull Thousands of U.S. Troops From Germany

Move would cut 9,500 American service members from Germany, where 34,500 are permanently assigned, amid strains between two key NATO allies

03.06.2020 - 15:55 [ Haaretz ]

Blue and White Is My Race

The nation-state law is the constitutional cornerstone of apartheid. And naturally, Hauser’s arguments also tie into the intent to annex parts of the West Bank in the framework of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan: Israel intends to expand its violations of its residents’ equal rights on an ethnic/racial basis.

It’s turning out much sooner than expected that when parts of Kahol Lavan joined the right-wing government, their merger was an expression of a deep ideological partnership.

28.05.2020 - 16:03 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Says Palestinians in Jordan Valley Won’t Get Citizenship After Annexation

The Palestinians “have to recognize that we are the ones dictating security rules over the entire territory. If they agree to all of this, then they will have their own entity that President Trump defines as a state.” Netanyahu added that an American diplomat told him “’it won’t be a state,’” to which he replied “’call it whatever you want.’”

21.05.2020 - 07:55 [ CBS News ]

Transcript: Joe Biden foreign policy adviser Antony Blinken on COVID shortfalls, failures in Syria

Iran has now restarted some of the dangerous aspects of its nuclear program that the nuclear deal stopped dead in their tracks. And unfortunately, it’s taken a series of provocative actions endangering our own forces in the Middle East, in Iraq and Syria, as well as our citizens. And all of that has happened at the same time that we managed to alienate ourselves from our closest allies. We disagree fundamentally with the approach the administration took on Iran. So this is just not working on its own terms. If Iran comes back into compliance with the deal, then yes, Joe Biden said we would do the same thing, but we would use that as a platform to try to build a stronger and longer deal working with our partners.

And I think we’d have a decent chance of doing that because our partners would be with us, not alienated from us. And at the same time, much more likely to join us in trying to curb other actions by Iran that we find objectionable.

21.05.2020 - 07:52 [ Ben Spielberg / Twitter ]

Terrible stuff from @JoeBiden . As the grandson of a Jew who escaped Nazi Germany in 1939, I hope he and his campaign will stop undermining our ability to address anti-Semitism by using it as a euphemism for peaceful opposition to human rights abuses by the Israeli government.

21.05.2020 - 07:51 [ Independent.co.uk ]

‘Almost hard to believe’: Joe Biden attacks antisemitism on the left in US and UK

It comes as Mr Biden’s presidential campaign considers how he can appeal to progressives on the left of the Democratic party, and younger voters in particular, who criticise Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

Mr Biden, who was asked about antisemitism among sections of the left in the US and UK, said that whilst antisemitism was “the mother of all conspiracy theories”, Americans had not heard enough about the dangers of the Holocaust happening again.

16.05.2020 - 03:03 [ The Times of Israel ]

Jordan’s king warns of ‘massive conflict’ if Israel annexes land in West Bank

Jordan has been lobbying the EU to take “practical steps” to make sure annexation doesn’t happen. In a statement, Safadi “stressed the need for the international community and the European Union in particular to take practical steps that reflect the rejection of any Israeli decision to annex.”

13.05.2020 - 19:43 [ New York Times ]

Pompeo in Israel for Meetings on Annexation, Virus, Iran and China

“The most important thing is actually generating the information and then sharing the information,” Mr. Netanyahu interrupted Mr. Pompeo to say, an unmistakable reference to the Israeli intelligence services’ track record of developing information of value to the United States.

Notably, Mr. Pompeo’s short schedule of meetings included a session with the Mossad director, Yossi Cohen.

11.05.2020 - 01:06 [ Gulf News ]

Netanyahu can’t get away with his criminal plans by promoting lies

Netanyahu, who is now forming the new right-wing government, is trying to propagate such lies to make his criminal plan a de facto reality by showing the Palestinians that they no longer have support from the Arab world, especially among the key Arab states whose support has kept the Palestinian struggle for independence alive.

09.05.2020 - 07:31 [ i24News.tv ]

Resuming international travel, Pompeo to visit Israel to meet with Gantz, Netanyahu

A staunch supporter of Israel, Pompeo will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his centrist rival turned partner Benny Gantz in Jerusalem on May 13, the day the government is expected to be sworn in.

09.05.2020 - 06:58 [ i24News.tv ]

Poll shows majority of Israeli Jews against West Bank annexation

The poll, commissioned by the group Commanders for Israel’s Security, an organization made up of ex-senior officials from the country’s defense establishment, shows that 26 percent of respondents support Israel extending its sovereignty into the West Bank.

Some 40% of those surveyed, however, said they prefer a two-state solution to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while 22% favor a unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians.

09.05.2020 - 06:38 [ i24News.tv ]

Amb. Friedman: Asking Israel to give up its ‚biblical heartland‘ is ‚unreasonable‘

Israel’s withdrawing from the West Bank city of Hebron is an absurd proposition tantamount to the idea of the United States abandoning the Statue of Liberty, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told Israeli media Friday.

Speaking to Israel Hayom, Friedman stressed the importance to Israel of Jewish communities outside the large settlement blocs in Area C of the West Bank, which is widely expected to remain under Israeli control.

09.05.2020 - 06:34 [ Mark Dubowitz, CEO @FDD , sanctions, nukes, Iran / Twitter ]

Whatever you think of Israel’s decision on the West Bank, let’s be clear: The Trump peace plan leaves open the possibility of a two-state solution. Israelis will never accept withdrawal to ‘67 border, uprooting of hundreds of thousands of people.

(08.05.2020)

01.05.2020 - 23:20 [ Khaleej Times ]

UAE warns of dangerous repercussions following Israel’s annexation of Palestinian territory

In a statement issued after the virtual meeting – held on the invitation of the State of Palestine – Arab countries condemned Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank in contravention of international consensus.

01.05.2020 - 23:15 [ Middle East Monitor ]

UN: Israeli annexation plans ‚entirely unacceptable‘

“Israel’s decision to unilaterally march ahead with the planned annexation on July 1 undermines human rights in the region, and would be a severe body blow to the rules-based international order,” said Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967.

01.05.2020 - 23:11 [ Middle East Monitor ]

11 European envoys warn Israel against annexation

The ambassadors of the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, along with the deputy ambassador to the EU, issued a warning to Anna Azari, Israeli Foreign Ministry’s European deputy, in a meeting via a Zoom conference call.

06.04.2020 - 10:59 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Dozens of ultra-Orthodox communities expected to go into full lockdown soon

The Israeli government is expected to declare full lockdowns of numerous ultra-Orthodox communities across the country and West Bank to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus.

A Knesset (Israeli Parliament) ministerial committee was formed late on Sunday to oversee the decision that is expected to affect at least eight cities that and more than a dozen neighborhoods.

04.04.2020 - 19:41 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Wants a Six-month Coronavirus Government, Netanyahu Wants Annexation

With Joe Biden possibly the U.S. president come January 20, many Likudniks think it’s now or never for a West Bank land grab

23.03.2020 - 16:35 [ ABC News ]

Former member of Israel-backed militia killed in Lebanon

The Lebanese-American man, Amer Fakhoury, had been jailed in Lebanon since September and charged with murder and torture of prisoners at the same SLA-run prison — charges he denied. A Lebanese judge ordered him released last week, saying more than 10 years had passed since the alleged crimes.

U.S. officials confirmed Fakhoury was aboard a U.S. Marine V-22 Osprey seen taking off from the U.S. Embassy compound northeast of Beirut on Thursday.

11.03.2020 - 07:46 [ wiktionary.org ]

every man is the architect of his own fortune

Each person is the chief cause of their success or failure in life.

20.02.2020 - 17:10 [ Internationales Rotes Kreuz - ICRC.org ]

Convention (IV) respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its annex: Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land. The Hague, 18 October 1907.

SECTION III

MILITARY AUTHORITY OVER THE TERRITORY OF THE HOSTILE STATE

Art. 42. Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the
hostile army.

20.02.2020 - 17:05 [ JustSecurity.org ]

Germany Goes 19th Century with New Statement on Law of Occupation – On Status of US Forces in Syria

In Germany’s current view, the United States cannot be considered an occupying power in these areas, because although it exercises physical control over them, it does not “exercise jurisdiction” there. On this approach, for an occupation to materialize, two cumulative elements must be fulfilled: effective physical control and the actual establishment of an administration in the area.

Granted, this interpretation can be read into the text of Article 42 of the 1907 Hague Regulations,

16.02.2020 - 17:03 [ Haaretz ]

A Different Germany? Not With Its Israel Policy

Late in her impressive career, under the threat of anti-Semitism in her country, Angela Merkel is willing to forgive Israel everything in an utter knee-jerk reaction. Thus she’s abusing her office as chancellor of the different Germany and one of the last defenders of human rights in the world. We’re left with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

A Germany that doesn’t allow an investigation into war crimes, no matter by what country, isn’t a different Germany but a Germany that provokes war crimes.

14.02.2020 - 16:52 [ Haaretz ]

Siding With Israel, Germany Says ICC Has No Jurisdiction in Palestinian Territories

Germany filed a petition Friday with the International Criminal Court in which it requested to be „a friend of the court“ (amicus curiae) in deliberations that will examine if the court has jurisdiction to rule whether Israel committed war crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

In its petition, Germany backed Israel’s argument that the court’s jurisdiction does not extend to occupied Palestinian territories, as Palestine is not a state that fulfills all the criteria under general international law, although it has joined the ICC’s Rome Statute.

11.02.2020 - 16:20 [ theGuardian.com ]

Palestinians shelve plan for UN vote on Trump’s Middle East plan

Palestinian-backed plans for a UN security council vote on Tuesday designed to show international opposition to Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan are expected to be shelved after the US and the UK raised separate objections to the draft text.

In what was being seen as a key test of the diplomatic support for Trump’s “ultimate deal”, Tunisia, with Arab League and Palestinian support, …

11.02.2020 - 16:15 [ ForeignPolicy.com ]

Tunisia Sacks U.N. Ambassador for Opposing Trump’s Peace Plan

(07.02.2020)

Two of those diplomats said they understood Tunisia’s newly elected President Kais Saied had fired Baati—who has served for only five months—following complaints from the United States.

11.02.2020 - 15:47 [ Abraham Cooper / theHill.com ]

All eyes on Germany as UN Security Council debates anti-Israel resolution

The draft resolution demands that any two-state solution forces Israel to return to its pre-1967 war lines.

07.02.2020 - 16:13 [ Le Monde ]

Washington and Tehran’s dance over Iraq: Iraqis want both countries out

Choreographed sword fights, such as those traditionally performed in Gulf Arab countries, may look like clashes between deadly enemies but in fact require close coordination between the participants.Many Arabs believe the conflict between the US and Iran in Iraq is similar.

28.01.2020 - 19:12 [ Ben White / Twitter ]

Israeli human rights group @btselem describes the Trump administration plan as „apartheid“, rather than „peace“. „The Trump plan drains the principles of international law of any meaning and completely neuters the concept of accountability for breaching them.“

28.01.2020 - 19:06 [ Max Blumenthal / Twitter ]

I’ve never heard Netanyahu this ecstatic. He’s talking about humiliations imposed by Trump on the Palestinians like mouth watering items at an apartheid all you can eat buffet.

28.01.2020 - 18:51 [ Haaretz ]

Donaldus Trumpus Caesar Set to Reward Provincial Governor Netanyahu With ‚Deal of the Century‘

If one believes the leaks emanating from Netanyahu’s office and other top right-wing politicians in recent days, Trump’s “deal of the century” shouldn’t be classified as a proposal at all. Its main purpose is to serve as a crude cover for Israel to annex the Jordan River Valley and most Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Once the Palestinians reject the plan as expected, Israelis have been led to believe, the U.S. administration will give Israel a green light to unilaterally seize areas earmarked for annexation, which it has long desired.

Needless to say, this is not the way peace proposals are supposed to work.

28.01.2020 - 17:21 [ The Hill ]

Watch live: Trump delivers remarks with Netanyahu on Mideast peace plan

The press conference is slated for noon. Watch the live video above.

27.01.2020 - 09:15 [ New York Times ]

Trump’s Mideast Plan Is Seen Mainly as an Election Lift for Netanyahu

“I think we’re going to make a deal,” he said in 2017. “It might be a bigger and better deal than people in this room even understand.”

“As with any successful negotiation,” Mr. Trump continued, “both sides will have to make compromises. You know that, right?” he added, turning to his guest.

Mr. Netanyahu grinned. “Both sides,” he replied.

26.01.2020 - 15:09 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

CPI Rejects Any Imperialistic Steps by US Violating International Law

The CPI observed that “The true ‘Deal of the Century’ is a prime minister accused of corruption and a president under an impeachment trial attempting to save each other through a dangerous political maneuver that will set military rule over the Palestinian people in the occupied territories for generations.” The CPI reiterated its consistent and well-known position that “Only recognition of a Palestinian state, its people and its borders, and the end of the occupation is a long-overdue international obligation and a positive step towards peace. All states must now formally recognize a sustainable Palestinian state being established contiguous with the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, demanding the end of the settlements policy and a just resolution of the Palestinian refugee question.”

26.01.2020 - 14:43 [ Ilana Hammerman / Haaretz ]

The Zionist Left Has Paved the Way to the Rise of the Extreme Right

“The disappearance of Labor and Meretz would mean the elimination of the only alternative on the left side of the political map,” writes my contemporary Uzi Baram (“Don’t be so quick to toss out the Zionist left,” Haaretz, January 20). And I ask him: Where were you and your friends during all those years when your camp held power in the country and paved the way for the extreme right that holds power today? They are only continuing the path you began, and doing so openly and also openly saying: “Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of us.” But you did and you lied, you did and you deceived.

26.01.2020 - 14:31 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Niftily Averts White House Hazing but Trump Plan Still on Course to Rescue Netanyahu

Deal of the century offers Israelis annexation right now and Palestinians a Bantustan in the far future

26.01.2020 - 14:20 [ Haaretz ]

Annexation for Dummies: Making Sense of Netanyahu and Gantz’s Declarations

“The moment Israel carries out annexation it destroys this alibi and admits it does not think the final status needs to be determined by negotiations, and that Israeli control of the Palestinian population is not temporary,” says Sfard. “It destroys its only defense against the claim it is establishing an apartheid regime.”

It is no coincidence that the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Fatou Bensouda, mentioned Netanyahu’s intentions for the Jordan Valley when she determined that, as far as the objectives of international criminal law are concerned, the authority of the ICC should be recognized. These statements, she said, “reflect concerns of a potential de jure annexation.”

25.01.2020 - 16:42 [ Haaretz ]

Lieberman: Netanyahu Heads to Washington to ‚Flee‘ Immunity Discussions

The Yisrael Beiteinu chairman, who according to recent polls could once again be kingmaker and decide the leader of which political bloc would secure the backing of enough lawmakers to become prime minister after Israel’s March 2 election, added that „Instead of driving two-and-a-half kilometers to the Knesset, he [Netanyahu] prefers to fly 9,500 kilometers to Washington.“

Bashing the premier, Lieberman said: „It’s clear that Netanyahu worked very hard to escape [the immunity discussions], and it would be best if he kisses his immunity goodbye before he brings peace to the Middle East.“

25.01.2020 - 07:48 [ Haaretz ]

Pence: Netanyahu, Gantz Accepted Invitation to White House to Discuss Mideast Peace Plan

Israeli officials say that the plan would promise the application of Israeli sovereignty to all existing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, in addition to annexing the Jordan Valley

25.01.2020 - 07:44 [ i24news.tv ]

Reports: Trump’s plan stipulates all West Bank territories to remain under Israel’s security control

Plan offers demilitarized Palestinian state; borders controlled by Israel under overall Israeli sovereignty

24.01.2020 - 21:52 [ Haaretz ]

With Trump’s Peace Plan, the Plot to Save Netanyahu Enters Next Phase

Let’s imagine the next scenario: A unity government has been set up in Israel along the lines of President Rivlin’s proposal – which specifies a rotation of the premiership between Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz. Donald Trump lays the “deal of the century” on the table. Netanyahu would say this is no time to change a prime minister. This is a historic, one-time opportunity Israel is getting a de facto green light for annexation from the United States.

21.01.2020 - 17:05 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Vows to Annex Jordan Valley, ‚Hopes Trump Releases Peace Plan Soon‘

Up until recently, Kahol Lavan leader opposed publication of peace plan during campaign, calling it ‚outright intervention‘ in Israeli election

20.01.2020 - 08:33 [ theHill.com ]

Lawmakers push back at Pentagon’s possible Africa drawdown

“A decrease in our investment now may result in the need for the United States to reinvest at many more times the cost down the road,” Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and ranking member Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) wrote in letter to Esper last week.

27.12.2019 - 16:00 [ NewsFromUkraine / Youtube ]

Joint Soviet-Nazi military parade in Poland. The history of Russian aggression.

The Battle of Brest-Litovsk took place between 14 and 17 September 1939. After three days of heavy fights for the stronghold in the town of Brześć, the Germans captured the fortress and the Poles withdrew. According to the terms of the 1939 German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact the territory around Brest as well as 52% of the then Poland was assigned to the Soviet Union. The Soviet 29th tank brigade under Brigadier Semyon Krivoshein reached the area of Brześć on September 21st and took over the fortress from the Wehrmacht. During that event a joint German-Soviet parade was held in the town, after which the German forces left the area. The XIX motorized Corps of Wehrmacht and the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army participated in the parade.

27.12.2019 - 15:59 [ learning-history.com ]

German-Soviet Military Parade in Brest-Litovsk

The German-Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk was an official ceremony held by the troops of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on September 22, 1939, during the invasion of Poland in the city of Brest-Litovsk.

It marked the withdrawal of German troops to the demarcation line secretly agreed to in the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, and the handover of the city and its fortress to the Soviet Red Army.

27.12.2019 - 13:31 [ Jerusalem Post ]

The ICC decision on Israel would make Himmler proud

SS Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler, architect and director of the Holocaust, would be proud of the latest move by Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Intent on the total elimination of the Jewish race, Himmler supported Amin al-Huseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, in his plans to eradicate the Jews in Palestine.
Now Bensouda and the ICC have joined the international campaign aimed at eliminating the Jewish state, led by al-Huseini’s successors.

27.12.2019 - 13:28 [ Times of Israel ]

From The Gambia to The Hague: Meet Israel’s new public enemy number one

Israel has many detractors, real and imagined, but since Friday the country has a brand new public enemy number one: Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Since announcing her intention to open an investigation into the “situation in Palestine” because she believes war crimes “have been or are being committed” there, the 58-year-old Gambia native has endured a massive wave of criticism.

27.12.2019 - 13:23 [ i24news.tv ]

Netanyahu vows to secure US recognition of West Bank settlements in victory speech

The veteran leader said that in the upcoming year he would „bring Israel more historic achievements that we can only dream of.

„We will set our final borders, bring about American recognition for Israeli control over the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and our sovereignty over every settlement in Judea and Samaria,“ he said.

24.12.2019 - 18:16 [ i24news.tv ]

Jordan Valley annexation plans halted after ICC statement

Plans of Israel’s incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the West Bank’s Jordan Valley have reportedly entered a “deep freeze”over concerns that it could potentially intensify confrontation with the International Crime Court.

24.12.2019 - 18:12 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel bans officials from public discussions on ICC probe strategy

The move was initiated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ministers speaking on condition of anonymity were cited as saying that public discussion and media media coverage of Israel’s efforts to forestall the ICC from launching its probe could potentially compromise Israel’s national interests.

22.12.2019 - 19:41 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Patriots and Justice Seekers Should Look to the Hague With Hope

Israel has done everything to reach The Hague. That’s what happens when the prosecution is a cemetery for war crimes, the High Court whitewashes them and the media hides them and covers for them. That’s the way it is when international law is disparaged for decades. There’s probably no other country that thumbs its nose at international law this way and pays no price for it. Perhaps now the moment of truth is approaching, the moment of penalty. It will be very good for Israel. It might clean out its stables, stained with blood and stolen land. Every Israeli patriot and seeker of justice should now look to The Hague with hope.

21.12.2019 - 23:19 [ RT / Youtube ]

Uncut Chronicles: Blood & Tears. Gaza August 2014

(02.09.2014)

Israel and Gaza’s ruling Hamas agreed to an open-ended ceasefire on August 26 after seven weeks of fighting – an uneasy deal that halted the Protective Edge operation, with more than 2,200 killed.

21.12.2019 - 23:16 [ RT / Youtube ]

Uncut Chronicles: Gaza-Israel War. Deadly July 2014

(03.08.2014)

The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) began their current operation against Hamas after three teens were kidnapped and killed. The military op has already claimed over 1,500 civilian lives in Gaza.

21.12.2019 - 23:14 [ i24news.tv ]

Report: Israeli officials fear possible ICC prosecution

A full ICC investigation could possibly lead to charges against individuals. States cannot be charged by the ICC.

The ICC’s preliminary investigation has looked at the 2014 war which left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, the majority civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers.

21.12.2019 - 11:38 [ Internationaler Strafgerichtshof / International Criminal Court (ICC) ]

Statement of ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, on the conclusion of the preliminary examination of the Situation in Palestine, and seeking a ruling on the scope of the Court’s territorial jurisdiction

As there has been a referral from the State of Palestine, there is no requirement to seek Pre-Trial Chamber’s authorisation before proceeding to open an investigation, and I do not seek to do so.

However, given the unique and highly contested legal and factual issues attaching to this situation, namely, the territory within which the investigation may be conducted, I deemed it necessary to rely on article 19(3) of the Statute to resolve this specific issue.

Earlier today, I therefore requested from Pre-Trial Chamber I a jurisdictional ruling on the scope of the territorial jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court („ICC“ or the „Court“) under article 12(2)(a) of the Rome Statute in Palestine.

21.12.2019 - 11:25 [ Haaretz ]

In Israel’s Attempt to Deflect ICC Prosecutor’s Call to Probe War Crimes, It Admitted to the Occupation

Gripped by panic at Fatou Bensouda’s statement that there’s reasonable basis to investigate it for war crimes, Israel claimed ‘there is either the occupation and no Palestinian state, or there’s a Palestinian state and no occupation’. By using this problematic argument, Israel gave the answer

21.12.2019 - 10:56 [ Commondreams.org ]

‚It Was an Outrage‘: Mike Pompeo Celebrates Defeated ICC Probe Into US War Crimes

(28.08.2019)

Pompeo made the remarks in a „Celebrating Americanism in Our Foreign Policy“ speech at the American Legion National Convention in Indianapolis.

„Americanism means taking care of our own,“ said Pompeo.

„We stopped international courts from prosecuting our service members,“ Pompeo continued, adding that the potential probe „was an outrage.“

In April, the ICC announced that it rejected a probe into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan. Outgoing ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda requested the investigation in 2017, saying at the time that there was a „reasonable basis to believe“ that war crimes were committed by the Taliban, Afghan National Security Forces, U.S. armed forces, and the CIA. That move won the praise of human rights organizations and triggered over one million statements from alleged Afghan victims.

21.12.2019 - 10:51 [ Times of Israel ]

Pompeo: US ‘firmly opposes’ ICC announcement on alleged Israeli war crimes

“We firmly oppose this and any other action that seeks to target Israel unfairly,” Pompeo said.

“We do not believe the Palestinians qualify as a sovereign state, and they therefore are not qualified to obtain full membership, or participate as a state in international organizations, entities, or conferences, including the ICC.”

21.12.2019 - 10:40 [ Jerusalem Post ]

ICC prosecutor says Israel committing war crimes, opens investigation

Bensouda “completely ignored the serious legal arguments we presented to her,“ the prime minister said. „She also ignored truth and history when she said it is a war crime that Jews live in their homeland, the land of the Bible, our ancestral land. We will not be silent. We will not bow to this injustice.“

20.12.2019 - 17:59 [ Haaretz ]

Sanders Says Netanyahu Is ‚Racist‘, Biden Calls for Two-state Solution in Democratic Debate

Sanders added, however, that „U.S. foreign policy is not just being pro-Israeli; we must be pro-Palestinian as well.“ Sanders criticized Netanyahu, saying that „we must understand that right now in Israel we have the leadership of Netanyahu who has recently been indicted for corruption, and who in my view is a racist.“

The Vermont Senator said U.S. foreign policy should work toward solving the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and should focus on „bringing people together and negotiating agreements, not running endless wars.“

20.12.2019 - 17:01 [ i24news.tv ]

International Criminal Court announces probe into ‚war crimes‘ in Palestinian territories

Bensouda launched a preliminary probe in January 2015 into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and the Palestinian territories, in the wake of the 2014 Gaza war.

17.12.2019 - 22:04 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s Left Has Forgotten What It Means to Be Leftist

Belonging to the left means holding a wide-ranging worldview, based on the belief that all humans are born equal, worthy of equal and fair treatment. This is why the left fights for weaker segments of society, for laborers and for migrants. This is why a true left must fight for people who are living under an occupation that deprives them of the most fundamental rights while preventing them from fulfilling their national aspirations of living in a state of their own, alongside Israel.

14.12.2019 - 12:22 [ Lauren Kay Johnson / Washington Post ]

I helped write the official lies to sell the Afghanistan war

From July 2009 to March 2010, I served as one of the U.S. Air Force’s designees for a nation-building mission, and I witnessed the disconnect between what happened on the ground and the messages the public heard about it. As my team’s information operations officer, I played a direct role in crafting those messages. I employed “strategic communication” during events like the 2009 Afghan presidential election and directed embedded reporters to only the sunniest stories, keeping them away from disgruntled troops who might not stick to tidy talking points. But my job wasn’t only to mislead the American public: Our information campaign extended to the Afghan people and to higher-ups within the American military itself.

14.12.2019 - 12:15 [ New York Times ]

At Least 23 Soldiers Killed in Insider Attack in Afghanistan

A Taliban infiltrator opened fire on soldiers as they were sleeping in a military base in Ghazni Province, officials said.

14.12.2019 - 11:54 [ Washington Post ]

The Afghanistan Papers: A secret history of the war – Unguarded nation

“The Afghan forces are better than we thought they were,” Marine Gen. John Allen told Congress in 2012. “The Afghan national security forces are winning,” Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson told reporters in 2014.

But in a trove of confidential government interviews obtained by The Washington Post, U.S., NATO and Afghan officials described their efforts to create an Afghan proxy force as a long-running calamity. With most speaking on the assumption that their remarks would remain private, they depicted the Afghan security forces as incompetent, unmotivated, poorly trained, corrupt and riddled with deserters and infiltrators.

10.12.2019 - 14:01 [ al-monitor.com ]

Arab party reconsiders support of Gantz over Jordan Valley annexation

Jabareen added that if that is the case, Gantz and his faction will not be able to count on the support of the Joint List — an option seriously discussed following the September elections. “There was talk all along the way of our external support to enable the formation of a different kind of government, but this will not happen given the annexation intention and masquerading as Likud II,” Jabareen said.

He reminded us that the Joint List — the Knesset’s third-largest faction — wields significant power both in the domestic political arena and in the international one.

10.12.2019 - 13:50 [ Times of Israel ]

Legal advisers said to warn PM annexation would lead to ICC investigation

Officials in attorney general’s office reportedly say that if Netanyahu extends sovereignty over Jordan Valley, settler leaders and IDF officers could be probed

10.12.2019 - 13:41 [ i24news.tv ]

Blue & White chief: Netanyahu is all talk about annexation, but we’ll do it

In his remarks made at a conference in Jerusalem, Gantz said that Netanyahu turned the annexation of the West Bank — a highly contentious issue — into a talking point, but did little for the people living there.

Blue and White, he said, would be just the opposite – the plans for annexing the Jordan Valley, set to be Israel’s ‚eastern wall‘, are ready, and standing at the helm the party will implement them.

09.12.2019 - 06:21 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Biden calls Sanders’ pitch to leverage Israel aid ‘bizarre’

Joe Biden said Saturday that it is “bizarre” for Bernie Sanders to propose withholding U.S. military aid from Israel if the government there doesn’t moderate its treatment of Palestinians.

The remarks highlight a nuanced but significant distinction between the Democratic presidential contenders.

09.12.2019 - 06:14 [ Haaretz ]

From Now On, Every Palestinian Is an anti-Semite

The plague is spreading. Under cover of the (just) war against anti-Semitism, Europe and the United States silence every voice daring to criticize Israel. Under cover of this war, they are undermining their freedom of speech. Incredibly, this new phenomenon is not triggering any protest, as one would expect. Laws labeling anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism and the anti-occupation movement as anti-Semitic, are passed with overwhelming majorities.

08.12.2019 - 12:47 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu: I Didn’t Discuss Formal Annexation Plan With Pompeo, but Issue Came Up

Sources close to the prime minister relayed that while no annexation plan had been formally discussed, it did not mean the issue had not come up in the conversation.

08.12.2019 - 12:43 [ Haaretz ]

U.S. State Department Denies Netanyahu’s Claim He Discussed Jordan Valley Annexation With Pompeo

Schenker’s remark contradicts what Netanyahu told reporters while he briefed them in Lisbon. The prime minister said that he „discussed with Pompeo the annexation of the Jordan Valley. Clearly it will be easier [if the Jordan Valley is annexed under] a government and not a transitional government which is much more complicated, we are looking for solutions.“

08.12.2019 - 12:07 [ Ilhan Omar, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

After I and many progressives cosponsored, the resolution was altered to remove the word “occupation.” It also removed a reference to the “broadly held consensus” on the two state solution. Here is what they took out.

08.12.2019 - 12:06 [ Haaretz ]

U.S. House Opposes Israeli Annexation of West Bank in Landmark Resolution

The U.S. House of Representatives passed on Friday a resolution opposing Israeli annexation of the West Bank. This is the first time such a resolution has passed in U.S. Congress, and while it is not legally binding, it displays growing opposition among the Democratic Party to the policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition.

04.12.2019 - 17:59 [ undocs.org ]

Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat

2. Considers that, by providing substantive support to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in the implementation of its mandate, the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat continues to make a constructive and positive contribution to raising international awareness of the question of Palestine and of the urgency of a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine in all its aspects on the basis of international law and United Nations resolutions and the efforts being exerted in this regard and to generating international support for the rights of the Palestinian people;

04.12.2019 - 17:54 [ Times of Israel ]

In surprise change, 13 countries vote against pro-Palestine UN resolution

States led by Germany change their voting pattern in favor of Israel, opposing Division of Palestinian Rights, although motion still passes by wide margin

02.12.2019 - 20:21 [ MarthaLeah Nangalama ‏/ Twitter ]

via @PerilofAfrica German defense minister calls for extension of NATO mission in Afghanistan: German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on Monday that she supported an extension of German participation in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.…

02.12.2019 - 18:35 [ teleSUR ]

Native Americans To Tell Dark Truths on Mayflower Anniversary

“The story of how the colonizers quickly forgot their manners is the one that has been marginalized,” Peters lamented, who described as a “terrible irony” that the pilgrims, themselves the target of religious persecution, were not tolerant of the Natives’ spiritual beliefs.

28.11.2019 - 17:45 [ Democracy Now! / Youtube ]

Operation Condor Trial Tackles Coordinated Campaign By Latin American Dictatorships To Kill Leftists

(07.03.2013)

A historic trial underway in Argentina is set to reveal new details about how Latin American countries coordinated with each other in the 1970s and ’80s to eliminate political dissidents. The campaign known as „Operation Condor“ involved military dictatorships in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. They worked together to track down, kidnap and kill people they labeled as terrorists: leftist activists, labor organizers, students, priests, journalists, guerilla fighters and their families. The campaign was launched by the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and evidence shows the CIA and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were complicit from its outset.

28.11.2019 - 17:23 [ Imran Khan, Premierminister von Pakistan / Twitter ]

Shows the fascist mindset of the Indian govt’s RSS ideology that has continued the siege of IOJK for over 100 days, subjecting Kashmiris to the worst violation of their human rights while the powerful countries remain silent bec of their trading interests.

28.11.2019 - 17:14 [ Middle East Eye ]

India consul general in United States calls for „Israeli model“ in Kashmir

“I think the return of Kashmiri Pandits is being instrumentalized to justify a settler-colonial project in Kashmir,” Mona Bhan, an associate professor of South Asian Studies at Syracuse University in New York, said.

Bhan told Middle East Eye that there remains a deep anxiety among Kashmiri Pandits that their pain is being weaponised to further the goals of the BJP-led government. She says the event on Saturday seemed to be an attempt to allay those fears.

23.11.2019 - 23:32 [ Antiwar.com ]

UK Refuses to Return Its Last African Colony

The UK failed to meet a UN deadline Friday to hand over their last African colony back to its people. The Chagos Islands are far removed from mainland Africa and lay in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

20.11.2019 - 06:20 [ i24news.tv ]

Netanyahu green-lights advance of Jordan Valley annexation bill

The bill was put forth two weeks ago by Likud lawmaker Sharren Haskel, who said “the bill has the prime minister’s full backing,” The Jerusalem Post reported.

In light of the US announcement on Monday to shift its position on West Bank settlements, the Knesset (Israeli parliament) member requested to fast-track her bill, aiming to pass it next week.

19.11.2019 - 06:11 [ New York Times ]

Are West Bank Settlements Illegal? Who Decides?

The United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council and the International Court of Justice have all said that Israeli settlements on the West Bank violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and has occupied the territory ever since. The Fourth Geneva Convention, ratified by 192 nations in the aftermath of World War II, says that an occupying power “shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.”

19.11.2019 - 05:59 [ Daily Mail ]

Mike Pompeo announces reversal of 41-year-old policy and says Israel’s West Bank settlements are NOT illegal—as U.S. embassy in Jerusalem issues travel safety warning for all Americans

– Carter administration declared in 1978 that Israel’s settlement-building in the disputed West Bank territory was ‚inconsistent with international law‘
– Ronald Reagan disagreed with that a frew years later; the Trump administration is siding with Reagan
– Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the policy shift, undoing 41 years of regarding the settlements as illegal provocations in the Arab-Israeli conflict
– America’s smbassy in Jerusalem issued a travel warning to U.S. citizens visiting Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza

02.11.2019 - 13:39 [ Washington Post ]

The Trailer: The Democrats‘ fast shift to the left on Israel

In this Democratic primary, it was shifting faster than ever. Candidates were taking positions that the party would have warned against just a year or so earlier.

30.10.2019 - 02:29 [ teleSUR ]

Venezuela Boosts Ties of Brotherhood With US Indigenous People

From this Tuesday until next Thursday, the First International Meeting of Indigenous Peoples will take place in the city of Guayana, Venezuelan state of Bolivar, with the participation of indigenous leaders from some 20 countries, including Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Canada and the United States…

The initiative is part of the strategic lines of the 25th Meeting of the Sao Paulo Forum, developed in this capital between 25 and 28 July, to establish a Bolivarian alliance of indigenous peoples for sovereignty, solidarity and decolonization.

29.10.2019 - 06:53 [ CNN ]

Rabbi peace activist beaten up by extremist Israeli settlers

Rabbi Moshe Yehudai, a peace activist, was beaten with an iron rod by five extremist settlers, their faces hidden by masks, while trying to protect Palestinian olive farmers. The assault comes during a severe spike in settler violence that has even included attacks on Israeli soldiers. Settler leaders have voiced condemnations, but Israeli human rights groups say that the impunity of these young extremist settlers shows the obstacles that stand in the way of any peaceful resolution to the conflict. CNN’s David McKenzie reports.

26.10.2019 - 12:52 [ Slate ]

We Can’t Keep the Oil – Trump’s new rationale for keeping troops in Syria makes no sense.

First, Syria doesn’t even rank among the world’s top 60 oil producers, pumping out only about 0.05 percent as much petroleum as Iraq—just half as much as Cuba, which isn’t known as an oil power.

Second, its oil fields aren’t America’s to protect. They are owned by the Syrian government, with some venture capital provided by China, Russia, and India. No American oil companies are keen to step into the fray.

26.10.2019 - 12:49 [ ZDF heute ‏/ Twitter ]

Die #USA wollen jetzt neue Truppen nach #Syrien schicken, die Rede ist offenbar auch von Kampfpanzern. Und zwar um die Ölfelder dort unter Kontrolle zu halten.

26.10.2019 - 12:34 [ Washington Post ]

Trump decided to leave troops in Syria after conversations about oil, officials say

The eastern oil fields in Deir al-Zour province, where most of Syria’s relatively small and low-quality reserves are located, were once the primary source of income for the militants, who sold the oil to the Syrian government, Turkey and, reportedly, even to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

26.10.2019 - 12:28 [ Express.co.uk ]

Trump forced into humiliating climbdown over Syria as US military poised to send in tanks

In a speech at the White House on Wednesday he added: “We’ve secured the oil, and, therefore, a small number of US troops will remain in the area where they have the oil.

“And we’re going to be protecting it, and we’ll be deciding what we’re going to do with it in the future.”

23.10.2019 - 07:05 [ Haaretz ]

Palestinian Authority Blocks 59 Palestinian Websites, Social Media Channels Critical of Abbas

The decision was made at the request of the Palestinian prosecution, but it is widely assumed that senior PA officials were behind the move. The prosecution, in its petition to the court, argued that the sites disseminate harmful content about the PA and its officials and are likely to be used to incite lawlessness.

10.10.2019 - 18:35 [ PM of Israel / Twitter ]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: „Israel strongly condemns the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas in Syria and warns against the ethnic cleansing of the Kurds by Turkey and its proxies. Israel is prepared to extend humanitarian assistance to the gallant Kurdish people.“

(today)

10.10.2019 - 18:16 [ Ban Ki Moon / Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen ]

Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force for the period from 4 September to 19 November 2014

(1.12.2014)

5. In view of the heavy fighting, which was approaching close to the UNDOF headquarters at Camp Faouar and the mission’s positions in the central part of the area of separation, the Force Commander briefed both parties early in September on the Force’s plans to relocate its personnel and assets should the Nusra Front or other extremist fighters who posed a clear threat to the mission endanger the safety and security of the United Nations personnel. It should be noted here that from information posted on social media as well as in the course of its efforts to secure the release of the peacekeepers, the United Nations learned that its personnel had been taken and held by members of the Nusra Front. There were indications that the Nusra Front intended to detain additional UNDOF personnel and take from UNDOF more weapons and vehicles as opportunities arose. (…)

12. Crossing of the ceasefire line by civilians, primarily shepherds, was observed on an almost daily basis. On 24 October, United Nations observation post 73 observed 12 IDF soldiers who detained one civilian between the Alpha line and the Israeli technical fence south-east of the observation post and subsequently took him away. IDF informed UNDOF that they released the person within one hour at the same location. On 27 October, position 80 observed two IDF soldiers east of the technical fence returning from the direction of the Alpha line towards the technical fence. UNDOF observed IDF opening the technical fence gate and letting two individuals pass from the Bravo to the Alpha side. Following the evacuation of UNDOF personnel from position 85 on 28 August, UNDOF sporadically observed armed members of the opposition interacting with IDF across the ceasefire line in the vicinity of United Nations position 85.

10.10.2019 - 18:15 [ UN Tribune ]

UN Peacekeepers Observe IDF Interacting With Al Nusra in Golan

(4.12.2014)

UN troops monitoring the 1974 ceasefire between Israel and Syria have witnessed interactions between members of the Israeli Defence Forces and the Al Nusra Front who have taken over a large part of the Golan Heights.

10.10.2019 - 18:05 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu to Obama: Syria Disintegration Allows for ‚Different Thinking‘ on Future of Golan Heights

(10.11.2015)

Netanyahu’s general, implied statement on the Golan Heights draws from political ideas developed by various right-wing figures over the past year, who argue that the situation in Syria and the takeover of ISIS and other Al-Qaida-affiliated groups of large portions of the country may allow Israel to receive international recognition of 1981 the annexation of the Golan Heights.

10.10.2019 - 17:56 [ Zvi Hauser / Haaretz ]

A Historic Opportunity for Israel in the Golan Heights

(03.07.2015)

Syria used to exist, but soon will no longer exist. The validity of the arrangements that defined the borders and the countries in the Middle East after World War I has expired, and the region can now expect many years of instability. In such a situation, Israel must reformulate its geostrategic interests – not only on the Syrian front – by looking far into the future, rather than deep into the past.

10.10.2019 - 17:27 [ Cleveland Jewish News ]

Israel will ‘defend itself, by itself’ Netanyahu asserts during Yom Kippur War memorial ceremony

(10.10.2019)

Netanyahu focused on Iran during his remarks at the Thursday ceremony on Mount. Herzl in Jerusalem.

“Iran threatens to wipe us off the map. It says explicitly: ‘Israel will disappear.’ It has tried to attack us repeatedly; therefore, we must stand ready to defend ourselves against danger,” Netanyahu said.

10.10.2019 - 17:07 [ Haaretz ]

Erdogan Threatens EU: We’ll Flood Europe With Syrian Refugees

Erdogan said on Thursday Ankara will send the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey to Europe if European countries label the country’s military incursion in Syria as an occupation.

„We will open the gates and send 3.6 million refugees your way,“ Erdogan said in speech to lawmakers from his AK Party.

28.09.2019 - 11:28 [ Stripes.com ]

In talks with new German defense chief, Esper repeats US demand that Berlin boost military spending

(24.09.2019)

STUTTGART, Germany — When the new U.S. and German defense chiefs held high-level talks in Washington this week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper wasted no time getting to his main point — the dollars and cents of defense spending.

17.09.2019 - 20:03 [ Haaretz / Twitter ]

Netanyahu accuses the Palestinians of trying to defeat him

17.09.2019 - 19:57 [ New York Times ]

Israel Wants Palestine’s Land, but Not Its People

His announcement prompted widespread international condemnation. But for most Palestinians such declarations mean nothing. We’ve heard many statements of support over the years, and nothing ever changes. Cynicism is widespread; by now, many of us would prefer straight talk. As Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz, wrote recently, referring to Mr. Netanyahu’s plan: “Let him turn the reality in this territory into a political reality, without hiding it any longer. The time has come for truth.”

17.09.2019 - 10:49 [ CNN ]

In the face of Netanyahu’s annexation plans, his centrist rivals remain silent

Netanyahu’s recent announcements, like a pledge to annex parts of the West Bank he made three days before the April 9th elections, have barely registered in the campaign of Blue and White, the centrist party co-led by Generals Benny Gantz, Moshe „Bogie“ Ya’alon, and Gabi Ashkenazi (all former chiefs of the Israeli Defense Forces) along with former finance minister Yair Lapid

16.09.2019 - 12:08 [ Washington Post ]

If Netanyahu wins Israel’s election, the Mideast doomsayers may finally be proved right

If Benjamin Netanyahu succeeds in prolonging his tenure as Israel’s prime minister following Tuesday’s election, the proposition that Israelis and Palestinians will be condemned to live in one state forever is likely to become inescapable. That would mean a choice between a country that is secular and democratic but binational, or a Jewish apartheid regime.

In other words, if “Bibi” wins, the doomsayers about Israel are finally going to be proved right.

14.09.2019 - 19:52 [ Haaretz ]

The Israeli Left Is Talking About Palestinians Only in English

Many of the burning issues that are facing Israel barely got a look-in during the election campaign that’s mercifully drawing to a close: the ballooning deficit, the rising housing prices, the climbing cost of living, the burning need to integrate the ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities into the job market, to name just a few. And then of course, the lack of any prospect for a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an end to the occupation got nary a mention, but you knew that already because you’ve been paying attention and that has become a cliché.

13.09.2019 - 13:49 [ New York Times ]

Netanyahu, Facing Tough Israel Election, Pledges to Annex a Third of West Bank

(10.09.2019)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Tuesday that he would move swiftly to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank if voters returned him to power in the election next week, seizing what he called a historic opportunity from a sympathetic White House to give Israel “secure, permanent borders.”

07.09.2019 - 18:36 [ Eddie Dempsey ‏/ Twitter ]

Love the Empire. When the EU stormtroopers are securing by military force markets and access to resources in Africa and Eurasia the Guardian will remind you oposition to this monster is because you are a racist.