Archiv: Rechenschaftspflicht / Verantwortung / accountability / responsibility


04:23 [ Antiwar.com ]

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

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

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

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

03:37 [ YeniSafak.com ]

Gaza death toll tops 45,220 as Israel kills 21 more Palestinians

At least 21 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 45,227, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Saturday.

A ministry statement added that some 107,573 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

20.12.2024 - 20:36 [ LBCI Lebanon ]

Health ministry in Gaza says war death toll at 45,206

The health ministry in Gaza said on Friday that at least 45,206 people have been killed during more than 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

The toll includes 77 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 107,512 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began.

20.12.2024 - 19:47 [ New York Times ]

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

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

20.12.2024 - 00:25 [ Médecins Sans Frontières ]

Gaza death trap: MSF report exposes Israel’s campaign of total destruction

MSF calls on states, particularly Israel’s closest allies, to end their unconditional support for Israel and fulfill their obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza. Nearly a year ago, on January 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Israel has taken no meaningful action to comply with the court order. Instead, Israeli authorities continue to actively block MSF and other humanitarian organizations from providing lifesaving assistance to people trapped under siege and bombardment.

19.12.2024 - 23:50 [ Palestune Chronicle ]

‘Anyone who Enters is Shot’ – Israeli Army Officers Reveal ‘Kill Zone’ in Gaza

Israeli army officers have revealed that an area along the Netzarim corridor in the Gaza Strip was a designated “kill zone” where “anyone who enters is shot,” the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

A commander in Division 252 said that “forces in the field call it ‘the line of dead bodies,” because “after shootings, bodies are not collected, attracting packs of dogs who come to eat them.”

“In Gaza, people know that wherever you see these dogs, that’s where you must not go,” the commander is quoted as saying.

19.12.2024 - 21:36 [ Greg Casar, Member of US House of Representatives ]

Dear Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin,

We believe continuing to transfer offensive weapons to the Israeli government prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and risks our own national security by sending a message to the world that the U.S. will apply its laws, policies, and international law selectively. Furthermore, a failure to act will put Israeli lives in danger by prolonging Netanyahu’s war, isolating Israel on the international stage, and creating further instability in the region.

19.12.2024 - 21:30 [ LibertarianInstitute.org ]

Dems Call for Blinken to Live Up to Admin’s Demands of Israel, Cut Weapon Transfers to Tel Aviv

A group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding the administration follow through with threats to cut weapons transfers to Israel if Tel Aviv did not allow more aid into the Gaza Strip. Since early October, Northern Gaza has been under a total siege and deprived of nearly all aid deliveries.

19.12.2024 - 21:24 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water

To All States

– Take all measures within their power to prevent genocide by Israeli authorities in Gaza by pressuring Israel to lift the blockade and comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice, including by discontinuing any military assistance and arms sales or transfers, imposing targeted sanctions, and reviewing bilateral deals and diplomatic relations.

– Publicly condemn war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and the genocide convention committed by the Israeli authorities, and urge them to immediately halt those violations and crimes and cooperate with international judicial bodies, investigative mechanisms, and UN special procedures.

– Increase public and private pressure on the Israeli government to comply with international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities, and ensure the entry and safe distribution at scale throughout Gaza of adequate aid and provision of basic services.

– Demand that Israel implement UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Israel and Palestine, including all provisions relating to humanitarian aid delivery to the residents of Gaza and compliance with international humanitarian law.

Review and possibly suspend bilateral agreements with Israel, such as the EU-Israel Association Agreement, whose review has been proposed by the Spanish and Irish governments.

– End all forms of support for and complicity in the atrocities being carried out by Israel, including suspending military assistance and arms transfers to the Israeli government so long as its forces commit serious rights abuses and war crimes against Palestinian civilians with impunity.

– Publicly support the ICJ’s work and its decisions as an independent judicial institution and press Israel to comply with the ICJ’s binding orders.

– Publicly support the work of the International Criminal Court across all situations under its jurisdiction, including the ongoing Palestine investigation, and render any assistance necessary to give effect to orders of the Court. Uphold the court’s independence and publicly condemn efforts to intimidate or interfere with its work, officials, and those cooperating with the institution.

– Support foreign domestic investigations and prosecutions under the principle of universal jurisdiction, as relevant and appropriate, of those credibly implicated in serious crimes in Gaza.

– The United States should immediately reverse its decisions to suspend funding to UNRWA and state clearly the intention to continue to fund the agency, and all states should urge Israeli authorities to reverse Israel‘s decisions to bar UNRWA from operating within Israel.

– Fund repairs of damaged and destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure, and press Israel to urgently allow the infrastructure to be repaired.

– Support the creation of an international mechanism to address reparation for Palestinians and an international register of damages.

– Call on Israeli authorities to allow water filtration systems, water tanks, and other materials needed to repair water infrastructure and to improve the water supply into Gaza.

– Support the United Nations to establish a plan that would ensure Palestinians have access to water at least equal to what Israel grants Israeli citizens, and pressure Israel to facilitate and contribute to the plan.

– Address long-standing impunity by Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups for serious crimes under international law.

To the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation

– Request access to Gaza in order to monitor and report publicly on the human rights situation regarding access to water and sanitation, including damage and destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure; obstruction of repairs and targeting of repair workers; restrictions on the entry of fuel; and the human rights impacts stemming from these actions.

To the International Criminal Court Prosecutor

– Investigate Israeli authorities’ actions and policies that have deprived the civilian population of Gaza of water, including as war crimes, as the crime against humanity of extermination, and as genocide.

19.12.2024 - 21:22 [ Human Rights Watch ]

‫ה‬‫כחדה‬‫ומעשים‬ ‫הנכללים‬ ‫תחת‬ ‫הגדרת‬ ‫הפשע‬‫של‬ ‫רצח‬ ‫עם‬ ‫ישראל‬‫שוללת‬ ‫מים‬ ‫בכוונה‬ ‫תחילה‬ ‫מפלסטינים‬ ‫ברצועת‬ ‫עזה‬

‫תקציר‬
‫מאז‬‫אוקטובר‬ ‫‪2023‬‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫הרשויות‬ ‫הישראליות‬ ‫מונעות‬ ‫בכוונה‬ ‫תחילה‬ ‫מפלסטינים‬ ‫גישה‬ ‫לכמות‬ ‫ה‬ ‫מים‬
‫ה‬‫הולמת‬‫הנדרשת‬ ‫להישרדות‬ ‫ברצועת‬ ‫עזה‪.‬‬
‫על‬‫פי‬ ‫ארגון‬ ‫הבריאות‬ ‫העולמי‬ ‫)‬ ‫‪WHO‬‬‫(‪,‬‬‫אדם‬ ‫זקוק‬ ‫ל‬ ‫‪-‬‬‫‪50‬‬‫–‬‫‪100‬‬‫ליטר‬ ‫ים‬‫מים‬ ‫ביום‬ ‫כדי‬ ‫להבטיח‬ ‫ש“צרכיו‬
‫הבסיסיים‬‫ביותר‬ ‫יסופקו“‪.‬‬ ‫‪1‬‬‫במצבי‬ ‫חירום‬ ‫מתמשכים‪,‬‬ ‫כמות‬ ‫המים‬ ‫המינימלית‬ ‫הנדרשת‬ ‫היא‬ ‫‪15‬‬
‫ליטר‬‫ים‬‫לאדם‬ ‫ליום‬ ‫לשתייה‬ ‫ולרחצה‪.‬‬ ‫‪2‬‬‫ולמרות‬ ‫זאת‪,‬‬ ‫בין‬ ‫אוקטובר‬ ‫‪2023‬‬ ‫לספטמבר‬ ‫‪2024‬‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫פעולות‬
‫שביצעו‬‫הרשויות‬ ‫הישראליות‬ ‫מנעו‬ ‫מרובם‬ ‫של‬ ‫יותר‬ ‫מ‬ ‫שני‬‫מיליון‬ ‫הפלסטינים‬ ‫החיים‬ ‫ברצוע‬ ‫ת‬‫עז‬ ‫ה‬‫גישה‬
‫אפילו‬‫לכמות‬ ‫מינימלית‬ ‫זו‬ ‫של‬ ‫מים‪,‬‬ ‫והדבר‬ ‫תרם‬ ‫להתפשטות‬ ‫מחלות‬ ‫והביא‬ ‫למותם‬ ‫של‬ ‫בני‬ ‫אדם‬ ‫‪.‬‬
‫‪3‬‬
‫לרבים‬‫ברצועה‬ ‫הייתה‬ ‫גישה‬ ‫רק‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫או‬ ‫בעיקר‬ ‫‪,‬‬‫למים‬ ‫שאינם‬ ‫ראויים‬ ‫לשתייה‪.‬‬
‫“‬‫אם‬‫אנחנו‬ ‫לא‬ ‫מצליחים‬ ‫למצוא‬ ‫מים‬ ‫ראויים‬ ‫לשתייה‪,‬‬ ‫אנחנו‬ ‫שותים‬ ‫את‬ ‫מי‬ ‫ה‬ ‫ים“‪,‬‬‫אמר‬ ‫אב‬ ‫שנעקר‬
‫לבית‬‫ספר‬ ‫ברפיח‬ ‫לארגון‬ ‫‪Watch‬‬ ‫‪Rights‬‬ ‫‪Human‬‬ ‫בדצמבר‬ ‫‪2023.‬‬ ‫‪4‬‬‫“קרה‬ ‫לי‬ ‫הרבה‬ ‫פעמים‬ ‫שנאלצתי‬
‫לשתות‬‫מי‬ ‫ים‪.‬‬ ‫א‬ ‫י‬‫אפשר‬ ‫להבין‬ ‫כמה‬ ‫אנחנו‬ ‫סובלים“‪.‬‬

19.12.2024 - 21:20 [ Middle East Eye ]

Human Rights Watch: Israel is guilty of extermination and acts of genocide in Gaza

Israel is guilty of the crime of extermination and acts of genocide in Gaza, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has concluded in a new report published on Thursday.

The US-based human rights organisation found that Israel has inflicted conditions of life in Gaza calculated to destroy the enclave‘s Palestinian population. This amounts to extermination, which is a crime against humanity, and acts of genocide.

Coming two weeks after fellow rights group Amnesty International similarly concluded that Israel is guilty of genocide, the Human Rights Watch report is the latest sign of a growing consensus around Israel‘s actions in Gaza.

17.12.2024 - 22:16 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany joins US, UK in making diplomatic contact with Syria‘s HTS

Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the group after it led the overthrow of Syria‘s Bashar al-Assad.

17.12.2024 - 09:10 [ Middle East Eye ]

UN food agency warns 2 million in Gaza face severe hunger

The head of the World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain, has warned that two million people in Gaza are suffering from “acute hunger” as humanitarian aid struggles to reach those in need.

In a post on X, McCain highlighted the dire situation, noting that last month only one-third of trucks carrying WFP aid managed to enter the besieged enclave.

17.12.2024 - 07:42 [ United Nations ]

Gaza death toll passes 45,000 as UN school suffers new deadly strike

The development followed an update from the head of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, that more than 14,500 youngsters have been reportedly killed in Gaza. Many thousands more are believed buried under the rubble.

Meanwhile, famine “continues to loom in the north” and humanitarian access remains “severely restricted”, said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, in a post on social media.

“Virtually all 1.1 million children in Gaza are in urgent need of protection and mental health support,” she added, amid media reports that Israeli military activity in the last 24 hours has left at least 69 Palestinians dead, from Beit Lahia in the north to Rafah in the south.

17.12.2024 - 07:38 [ Committee to Protect Journalists ]

Israeli forces kill at least 4 Gaza journalists in the past week

“At least 95 journalists and media workers have been killed worldwide in 2024,” CPJ’s CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in New York. “Israel is responsible for two thirds of those deaths and yet continues to act with total impunity when it comes to the killing of journalists and its attacks on the media. The international community has failed in its obligations to hold Israel accountable for its actions.”

16.12.2024 - 13:05 [ Middle East Eye ]

Gaza death toll approaches 45,000, with 46 killed in past day

(December 15, 2024)

At least 10,000 people are still missing, likely dead and buried under rubble.

16.12.2024 - 12:46 [ CBS News ]

After Assad‘s ouster in Syria, U.N. envoy calls for end to sanctions

The U.N. envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, told reporters in Damascus that setting Syria back on track after the past few tumultuous weeks will be helped by a speedy relief of sanctions.

„We can hopefully see a quick end to the sanctions so that we can see really a rallying around building of Syria,“ he said.

16.12.2024 - 12:20 [ Devdiscourse.com ]

EU‘s Diplomatic Shift: Direct Talks with Syria

In a significant development, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that the bloc‘s top diplomat for Syria will head to Damascus on Monday to initiate contact with the new Syrian government.

16.12.2024 - 12:17 [ Middle East Eye ]

Lammy: UK had ‚diplomatic contact‘ with HTS

„Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.“

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has had direct contact with HTS.

15.12.2024 - 07:31 [ New York Times ]

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

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

14.12.2024 - 18:19 [ Middle East Eye ]

Gaza death toll reaches 44,930

The death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza has risen to 44,930 with another 106,624 injured, the enclave‘s health ministry said today.

It added in a statement that Israeli forces killed 55 people and injured 170 hours in „four massacres“ in the last 24 hours.

13.12.2024 - 18:35 [ Al Jazeera ]

Gaza live news: Gaza City faces ‘horrific’ Israeli bombardment

Israel bombs the Nassr and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City, killing several Palestinians in “horrific” attacks, our correspondent reports.

13.12.2024 - 18:15 [ AlArabiya.net ]

Health ministry in Gaza says war death toll at 44,875

The health ministry in Gaza said Friday that at least 44,875 people have been killed in more than 14 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

12.12.2024 - 09:23 [ Middle East Eye ]

At least 35 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes Gaza on Thursday morning

12 December 2024 06:53 GMT

At least 35 Palestinians were killed early on Thursday in Israeli bombings of various areas in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

12.12.2024 - 09:20 [ LBCgroup.tv ]

Health ministry in Gaza says war death toll at 44,805

The health ministry in Gaza said Wednesday that at least 44,805 people have been killed in more than 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

12.12.2024 - 09:16 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israeli raids on Gaza claim 40 Palestinian lives since dawn

11 December 2024 11:38 GMT

Medical sources reported to Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli air strikes on Gaza since Wednesday morning have resulted in the deaths of 40 Palestinians

11.12.2024 - 08:15 [ Middle East Eye ]

Islamic State group fighters killed 54 people in Homs region: Syrian rights group


Islamic State (IS)
group fighters on Tuesday killed at least 54 people in Syria‘s Homs region, all of whom are said to have been former members of the Bashar al-Assad government and tried to flee upon its collapse on Saturday.

The news comes from the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, and follows a declaration by Hay‘at Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) rebels who took over Damascus and said that all those who were conscripted into the Syrian military would receive amnesty.

11.12.2024 - 07:34 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany, France ready to cooperate with new Syrian leadership

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

11.12.2024 - 07:21 [ Washington Post ]

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

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

10.12.2024 - 20:15 [ LBCgroup.tv ]

Health ministry in Gaza says war death toll at 44,786

The health ministry in Gaza said Tuesday that at least 44,786 people have been killed in more than 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

10.12.2024 - 20:09 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israeli air strike wipes out 25 family members in northern Gaza

„The Israeli occupation forces targeted a multi-storey house in Beit Hanoun, this house belongs to the Kahlout family,“ said Basal.

„So far 16 people have been identified and they were taken from under the rubble. The rest remain under the rubble,“ said Basal adding that „until now civilians are trying to take them out. We’re talking about at least five children and five women“.

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

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

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

08.12.2024 - 21:50 [ Washington Post ]

Assad must go, Obama says

(18.8.2011)

As Obama issued his statement, the leaders of France, Germany and Britain joined him in calling on Assad “to face the reality of the complete rejection of his regime by the Syrian people and to step aside.”

Obama had spoken to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron over the past two weeks to discuss calling for Assad’s resignation and to coordinate steps on sanctions.

08.12.2024 - 05:42 [ AlArabiya.net ]

Health ministry in Gaza says war death toll at 44,664

The health ministry in Gaza said Saturday that at least 44,664 people have been killed in nearly 14 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

08.12.2024 - 05:02 [ Voice of America ]

Israeli strikes kill 6 in Lebanon‘s south, 34 in Gaza

(December 7, 2024)

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 34 Palestinians on Saturday, health officials in the enclave said, as Qatar voiced hope of fresh momentum in efforts to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The health officials said that an Israeli strike hit a house in Gaza City late Saturday, killing four women. The Israeli military did not provide an immediate comment on Saturday‘s strikes across Gaza