Netanyahu‘s right-wing coalition with a clutch of nationalist-religious and ultra-Orthodox parties would lose any election held now, with 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament, against 58 for the main opposition bloc, according to the poll.
Archiv: domestic military operations / martial law / state of war
Secretary Antony J. Blinken And United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy Joint Press Availability
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Foreign Secretary. Secretary Blinken, could I ask you about a couple of aspects on the Middle East? The Israel Defense Forces just a moment ago released an investigation, or released a preliminary – some preliminary findings to the death of an American citizen, Ms. Aysenur Eygi. Could you say – they said that she was killed most likely by Israeli fire, but unintentionally. Are you confident of that assessment? Does the United States want to see anything further? Are you confident with the assessment that this was unintentional, and what more do you want Israel to do? Could there be repercussions?
For both of you, could I ask you about the International Criminal Court? The – it seems that in the coming days there could be a formal decision on whether to seek an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu, among others. Mr. Foreign Secretary, the Labor government, of course, has taken a slightly different stance from your predecessors, from the Conservatives, on this. Could you say what your position is, whether you support going ahead? And is there unity between the two allies on this? Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Shaun, thank you very much. With regard to the tragic killing of Aysenur, I think what we saw of this investigation is it seems to show what eyewitnesses have said and made clear: that her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified. No one – no one – should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their views.
In our judgment, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement. We’ve long seen reports of the security forces looking the other way when extremist settlers use violence against Palestinians. We’ve seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians. And now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. It’s not acceptable. It has to change. And we’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli Government.
Now, we’re looking carefully at the results of this investigation, but even on an initial read and even accepting it at face value, it’s clear that there are serious issues that need to be dealt with. And we will insist that they be dealt with.
FOREIGN SECRETARY LAMMY: I think the important thing to stress in great democracies such as ours is our belief in the separation of powers. There is an important forum for lawyers and the judiciary and our courts, and then there is also an important forum for politicians and those who represent the people.
We’ve always been clear in the UK in our belief in the international rule of law, the rules-based order, and in IHL issues which are fundamentally important. And we took a decision last week in relation to arms exports that were quasi-legal on the basis of our law as they stand. We believe in international law, we believe in the Statute of Rome, but these must be decisions for the international courts to determine. I don’t want to comment on the assessment that they will reach. I’m qualified as a lawyer in part because of the great Harvard Law School. But I’m going to leave it to the lawyers to determine these very complex matters.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.
FOREIGN SECRETARY LAMMY: Thanks a lot.
Blinken slams Israel after IDF says its forces likely shot slain American activist
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has called for “fundamental changes” to the way Israeli forces operate in the occupied West Bank after the killing of American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi at a protest last week.
Blinken’s sharply worded rebuke came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that it was “highly likely” that Eygi was “hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire.”
My cousin‘s poems were the heartbeat of Palestine. Israel killed him but his words live on
Rashad was killed for his talent and inspiration – for daring to be a voice of hope in a world that so desperately needs it. Israel is not just targeting individuals; it is trying to break us as a people, to erase Palestinian culture, identity and existence.
These efforts at erasure have been ongoing for 76 years, since the Nakba. They have targeted our leaders, intellectuals and artists. Indeed, Rashad’s story is not unique: Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians like him, people who dared to dream of a better world, and to use their talents to inspire others.
I don’t know what to say or do in the face of such grief. Rashad shone so brightly. I will not let his memory fade.
B‘Tselem at the UNSC: For the Israeli government, the occupation and the settlements matter more than human life
On Sunday, we woke up to the news that six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas, just before soldiers reached them in a tunnel in Gaza. Another six, added to tens of thousands of people in this land who should not have died over the past year. During this week, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets. They feel angry, desperate and betrayed by their government. They have understood, perhaps for the first time, that the Israeli government does not want to return the hostages in a deal, but to continue the war indefinitely. They see that the occupation and the settlements matter more than human life – and not only of Palestinians, said B‘Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak, who addressed the UN Security Council last night (Wednesday) . B’Tselem – the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was invited by the Slovenian President of the Security Council to provide an expert review of the state of human rights in Israel/Palestine following the war.
Deranged Member of Knesset and guardian angel of rapists Tally Gotliv, of the Likud, calls for the execution or life imprisonment of Yuli Novak from @btselem , following Novak‘s speech at the UNSC.
‘Assistance to Enemy in War’ – Israeli MK Requests Death Penalty for B’Tselem’s Director
The Israeli Likud Party Knesset Member Revital Gotliv requested the death sentence or life imprisonment for Yuli Novak, the executive director of the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, for what she labeled as “the suspected serious crime of assistance to the enemy in war,” the Anadolu news agency reported.
Gotliv reportedly made her request in a letter addressed to the Israeli Chief Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, in which she demanded the detention and interrogation of Novak.
The move followed a speech delivered by Novak on September 4 at the United Nations Security Council.
Senator Murray Statement on the Death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi
“I am heartbroken and angry about the killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, an American citizen, in the West Bank today, who was reportedly peacefully protesting against illegal settlement activity. The government of Israel must deliver answers immediately and hold the perpetrators of this killing accountable. I will be in close touch with the Biden administration to press the Israeli government for full transparency and accountability. My heart is with Aysenur’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.
“Moreover, Israel must take swift action to put an end to the illegal settler-driven violence that has escalated to a dangerous level in the West Bank. Extremist settler violence in the West Bank, and the associated, ongoing expansion of illegal settlements and outposts, must come to an end—it is important for Israel’s own security and the stability of the entire region.”
Israel Just Killed Another American in the West Bank. Will the U.S. Ever Respond?
Earlier this year, two 17-year-old Palestinian Americans were killed in the West Bank: Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, a Louisiana native who was shot in January by an off-duty Israeli officer and a settler, and Mohammad Khdour, a high school senior from Florida who was shot in the head by an Israeli gunman several weeks later. In both cases, the U.S. government decried the killings but have yet to launch investigations.
Saif Sharabati, friend of activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi killed by Israel, recalls their last phone call
(…)
Footage shows moments after American woman fatally shot in the West Bank
Eygi was a volunteer with the anti-occupation International Solidarity Movement. Witnesses and Palestinian officials said she was shot by Israeli troops.
Recent University of Washington graduate killed during protest in West Bank
UW Professor Aria Fani told KOMO News Eygi graduated from the university in June and said she had studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures. He described Eygi as kind-hearted and deeply curious.
“She had smiling eyes that just recognized the humanity of whoever she spoke with,” Fani said. “She had earned the admiration and respect of all of her peers and professors.”
The widespread devastation and massacres of the Israeli army in #Jenin and other parts of occupied northern West Bank, where Hamas is not ruling, are a powerful reminder that Hamas is just the last excuse for the State of #Israel to wreak the Palestinian territory havoc.
Everywhere for 57 years Israel has made life impossible for Palestinians under a brutal military occupation, seeking to realize a “#GreaterIsrael”.
In agreement with the Palestinians in the oPt, an int‘l #ProtectionPresence must be immediately deployed to stop the massacres, wanton destruction and forced displacement.
Hamas says captives killed by Israeli fire
The group also blamed Netanyahu for the deaths of Israeli captives, saying they „were killed by his army‘s bullets„.
(…)
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas‘ political bureau, said the six captives found dead by the Israeli army „were only killed by Zionist bombing„.
Bodies of 6 hostages, murdered by Hamas just days ago, found in Rafah – IDF
Their bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head and other parts of their bodies, the Ynet news site reported. An autopsy found they were murdered in the 48 hours prior to the discovery of their bodies, the report said.
Washington’s Israel Policy Is Just Feigning Ignorance Of Israeli Depravity
A war zone is a collapse in law and order where might makes right and whoever has the guns makes the rules. People who normally wouldn’t risk imprisonment for acting out their fantasies of torture and murder have the opportunity during wartime to become one of the people with the guns who make the rules. They have a helpless population at their fingertips to whom they can do anything they like.
War is the worst thing in the world. It’s the most insane thing humans do. So, so much of the trauma and dysfunction of our species are the lingering reverberations from wars which ended decades ago, passed down from generation to generation by soldiers returning home and by civilians who’ve been subjected to unfathomable abuse by those who found themselves free to do anything they want to them.
‘If you try to defend yourself, you’re dead’: A West Bank village’s night of terror
Now, Palestinians in the area are increasingly fearful about what’s to come. “The settlers have always used the road belonging to the village [to get to their outpost], but now they are being more aggressive, provoking the residents,” Zawahra said. “In a few days when the academic year begins, the children will have to use this road to get to school. How can we make sure they are not attacked?”
Zawahra also explained how the latest attack has forced village residents to reevaluate what they held to be true: that there is safety in numbers. “We thought that the more people there are [when settlers enter a village], the lower the chance that they will attack. But they shot randomly. If you try to defend yourself, you’re dead.”
Final Version of Mobilization Bill Approved, Ukraine’s Soldiers ‘Not Happy’ About It
However, at the same time, the rule on demobilization after 36 months of service disappeared from the final version. (…)
The military members, who have been serving since 2022, were waiting for this provision, wrote DPSU officer Maksym Nesmyanov.
“This is a disaster… How could it be possible to promise demobilization to soldiers from December 2023, only to abandon them at the end!!! You can‘t take away hope from soldiers that they will return home,” Nesmyanov wrote on Facebook.
Netanyahu plans for Israel to stay in Gaza for 10 years
(06.03.2024)
Israel needs to start getting used to the number 10. That’s the number of years Israel will probably stay in the Gaza Strip, according to the current thinking emanating from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The estimates are that it will take one or two years for the first stage of the war — eradicating Hamas — to be complete, and another eight years for an alternate government to stabilize, if it does at all.
Gantz: War against Hamas could last an entire generation, hostages must remain top priority
(28.01.2024)
War cabinet minister Benny Gantz tells residents of the evacuated southern communities that the war against Hamas could last “a year, a decade, or even an entire generation,” and acknowledges the urgent need to ensure the release of the hostages still held in Gaza, Channel 12 reports.
Gantz‘s prospects remain stable while trust in Netanyahu‘s leadership declines – poll
Along with polling for the distribution of mandates in the Knesset, respondents were asked about leadership and who they deemed fit to lead Israel as prime minister. These results remained similar to last week‘s, with 45% of respondents supporting a Gantz premiership, while support for Netanyahu as prime minister decreased by four points, currently at 34%.
Israeli police repressing anti-war protests with ‘iron fist,’ say activists
Since October 7, Israel‘s police have systematically banned, restricted, and attacked protests against the army‘s assault on Gaza, instilling a sense of fear among Jewish and Palestinian citizens alike.
No-confidence motion against Netanyahu fails in Knesset, with only 18 votes in favor
With the government’s popularity plummeting, a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nevertheless garnered only 18 votes in the Knesset on Monday evening, falling far short of the necessary majority to pass in the 120-strong Knesset plenum.
The vote was boycotted by the coalition, whose heads stated earlier in the day that they would “not take part in political theater during wartime.”
Likud Minister Formulates Emergency Regulations to Imprison Citizens Who ‚Harm National Morale‘
Communications Minister Karhi is promoting regulations that would allow him to direct police to arrest civilians, remove them from their homes, or seize their property if he believes they have spread information that could harm national morale or served as the basis for enemy propaganda
Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated at campaign event
Opinion polls had put him in the middle of the pack of the eight candidates, far behind the frontrunner Luisa González.
(…)
As he gets into the back seat of the vehicle, at least 12 gunshots can be heard. A policeman quickly closes the door behind Villavicencio and many people are seen taking cover from the gunfire, including his security detail.
CNN has asked authorities for more details.
Kenya Kwanza defends police on alleged brutality in demos
„We want to ask ICC to be alert because what is happening are acts of criminality,“ he said.
Kiambu Senator Karungo Wathangwa asked the President to lock the country and deal with the opposition if that is what it will take to restore peace and order in the country.
„If it takes three, four or five days to lock down this country and deal with these people, let it be,“ he said.
France riots: 45,000 police, armoured vehicles deployed to quell unrest
The government deployed 45,000 police and several armoured vehicles overnight to tackle the worst crisis of President Emmanuel Macron‘s leadership since the Yellow Vest protests.
France‘s interior ministry said that 994 people had been arrested, compared with 875 the previous night, in violence which it said on Twitter was „lower in intensity“.
Fourth night of violence in France after deadly police shooting of teen
04:45am: 471 arrested nationwide during Friday night‘s unrest
The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin has announced that 471 Individuals have been arrested so far during the riots on Friday night but that the violence was “much less intense” than previous nights in most areas. Both Marseilles and Lyon were reportedly hotspots for unrest on Friday night.
03:40am: Nahel‘s family asks for their privacy to be respected at the funeral on Saturday
The family of Nahel M. have requested that journalists and the public stay away from the funeral scheduled to take place in Nanterre on Saturday.
Live: French PM says gendarmes to use armoured vehicles against riots
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said Friday that the government was considering „all options“ to restore order, including declaring a state of emergency, after a third night of unrest across the country.
Top U.S. General Warned Netanyahu: ‚You‘re Gonna Have a Fucking War‘ With Iran
(08.08.2022)
„Among those pushing the president to hit Iran before Biden’s inauguration, Milley believed, was the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. On December 18, the same day that Trump met with [Michael] Flynn to discuss instituting martial law, Milley met with Netanyahu at his home in Jerusalem to personally urge him to back off with Trump,“ wrote Baker and Glasser in an excerpt published in the New Yorker.
“If you do this, you’re gonna have a fucking war,” Milley told him, according to the excerpt. The Israeli prime minister‘s official Twitter account noted „the two discussed regional threats, especially the Iranian aggression“ in its readout of the meeting.
In Poland, COVID-19 exposes progressing societal militarization
(May 31, 2020)
As the lockdown unraveled, the disoriented Polish public swiftly learned from the media that the country is “at war with an invisible aggressor”, one that requires the Minister of Health to act like a “Commander in Chief” and puts the medical staff on the “front lines”. This military rhetoric was soon multiplied by media reports on the spike in Russian and Chinese “information warfare” against the European Union over COVID-19. Far from being purely discursive, this warlike response to the pandemic has also involved a wide deployment of close to ten thousand military personnel across the country. Already in March, the newly-founded Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) were mobilized for the first Polish comprehensive anti-crisis military operation after 1989.
Does the AUMF cover domestic operations against organizations labeled „terrorists“ just asking for no particular reason, obviously no one would ever order military operations against US citizens on domestic soil………………………………………
(2 Jun 2020)
All Roads Lead to Dark Winter
(April 1, 2020)
The leaders of two controversial pandemic simulations that took place just months before the Coronavirus crisis – Event 201 and Crimson Contagion – share a common history, the 2001 biowarfare simulation Dark Winter. Dark Winter not only predicted the 2001 anthrax attacks, but some of its participants had clear foreknowledge of those attacks.
Dianne Feinstein statement on CIA torture report ‚cover-up‘ – full text
(March 11, 2014)
Let me say up front that I come to the Senate Floor reluctantly. Since January 15, 2014, when I was informed of the CIA’s search of this committee’s network, I have been trying to resolve this dispute in a discreet and respectful way. I have not commented in response to media requests for additional information on this matter. However, the increasing amount of inaccurate information circulating now cannot be allowed to stand unanswered.
The origin of this study: The CIA’s detention and interrogation program began operations in 2002, though it was not until September 2006, that Members of the Intelligence Committee, other than the Chairman and Vice Chairman, were briefed. In fact, we were briefed by then-CIA Director Hayden only hours before President Bush disclosed the program to the public.
A little more than a year later, on December 6, 2007, a New York Times article revealed the troubling fact that the CIA had destroyed videotapes of some of the CIA’s first interrogations using so-called “enhanced techniques.” …
Boluarte’s Repression Leaves 18 Peruvians Murdered So Far
Meanwhile, the Army was deployed in the Huamanga, Huanta and La Mar provinces to support the police force in controlling the citizens who are demanding the resignation of Boluarte and the release of Pedro Castillo, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The Ombudsman‘s Office demanded that the Joint Command of the Armed Forces order its troops to stop using firearms and launching tear gas canisters from helicopters.
Army should not be used as ‘ultimate backstop’ in strikes, defence chief says
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of Britain’s armed forces, said it would be “slightly perilous” to expect them to be used routinely in the event of strikes by public sector workers.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Radakin said the use of armed forces to provide cover for striking workers would not impede operations, but suggested personnel should be allowed to get on with their day-to-day jobs.
December strikes: 1,200 troops to cover for ambulances and Border Force
The co-ordinated walkout was called by the three main ambulance unions – Unison, GMB and Unite.
All three are taking action on 21 December. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.
Meanwhile, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members are due to walk out for a second time on 20 December in parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, following action on 15 December.
Covert Military Information Operations and the New NDAA: The Law of the Gray Zone Evolves
(December 10, 2019)
Section 1631(b) expressly affirms that the Defense Department can conduct “military operations” in the information environment, “including clandestine operations,” for certain purposes. I’ll have more to say about that reference to “clandestine” below. First, let’s note the broad list of purposes.
The military’s role comes into play in three scenarios. First, defense of the United States itself. Second, defense of allies. Third, defense of the “interests” of the United States. The statute notably does not clarify what nature or degree of threats to these objects count, and so the invitation can only be described as quite broad.
Pentagon opens sweeping review of clandestine psychological operations
(September 19, 2022)
The measure, known as Section 1631, allows the military to carry out clandestine psychological operations without crossing what the CIA has claimed as its covert authority, alleviating some of the friction that had hindered such operations previously.
“Combatant commanders got really excited,” recalled the first defense official. “They were very eager to utilize these new authorities. The defense contractors were equally eager to land lucrative classified contracts to enable clandestine influence operations.”
After Congress passed Section 1631 allowing the military to conduct covert online propaganda, the Pentagon created droves of accounts spreading fake news against designated enemies, including one claiming Iran was harvesting organs in Afghanistan
(20.09.2022)
Joe Biden is the cure for Trump the same way sugar cures Diabetes. Democrat voters are straight up delusional Chumps of the highest order. They’re SURE the Washington Generals are gonna win next time for sure. Absolute Chumps on purpose who love their oppressors.
Chilean and US authorities silent on Gonzalo Lira
Chilean-American citizen Gonzalo Lira López is still missing in Ukraine after publicly opposing the Zelensky government. The journalist, writer, filmmaker and vlogger resides in Kharkov and has not been heard of since Friday, April 15th.
Kawsachun News has been following developments and Chilean sources closely, however, there have been no official declarations from the Chilean Foreign Ministry nor the U.S. State Department or White House on matter.
Gonzalo Lira Reported Missing in Ukraine
(Apr 18, 2022)
Lira ran a YouTube channel with 143,000 subscribers, which he used to share his viewpoints on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His social media accounts had become controversial in recent weeks. Lira’s last tweets were critical of Ukraine and multiple media outlets. In a pinned tweet, he listed journalists that he claimed were victims of the “Zelensky regime” and wrote, “If you haven’t heard from me in 12 hours or more, put my name on this list.”
Under Zelensky‘s watch, Ukraine‘s SBU has partnered with neo-Nazis from Azov and C14 to hunt down left-wing activists This is from video posted by Azov members during the SBU‘s torture & kidnapping of leftist Alexander Matjuschenko in Dnipro – targeted for his political view
Zelensky’s Hardline Internal Purge
In a March 19 executive order, Zelensky invoked martial law to ban 11 opposition parties. The outlawed parties consisted of the entire left-wing, socialist or anti-NATO spectrum in Ukraine.
They included the For Life Party, the Left Opposition, the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, the Socialist Party of Ukraine, Union of Left Forces, Socialists, the Party of Shariy, Ours, State, Opposition Bloc and the Volodymyr Saldo Bloc.
Openly fascist and pro-Nazi parties like the Azov National Corps were left untouched by the presidential decree, however.
“The activities of those politicians aimed at d
With rising risk of bank runs, facing no vote in the senate, and conservatives able to force a new debate & vote on it every week, Trudeau revokes Emergency Act. Expect more gaslighting that it was properly used and Trudeau isn‘t a tyrant.
Trudeau ends use of Emergencies Act, says ‚situation is no longer an emergency‘
(Feb 23, 2022)
„We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe.“
The Governor General signed off on the revocation on Wednesday afternoon, which formally ended the state of emergency.
MPs in the House of Commons voted to affirm use of the act on Monday. The Senate was in the midst of debating the act on Wednesday but withdrew the motion shortly after Trudeau made his announcement.
Canada‘s Senators now debating The Emergency Measures Act, for the 2nd of 3 full days of discussion. imo, Senate one of the reasons Canada is rated so high on the true Democracy scale. Must approve for the Act to stay in force.
(Feb 23, 2022)
Russia’s actions are an affront to the democratic principles that generations of Canadians have fought to protect. We must make sure the Ukrainian people – like all people – are free to determine their own future, and we must stand firmly against authoritarianism.
Canadian Covid-19 protesters and police face off in Ottawa amid freezing conditions
„We were slow and methodical, yet you were assaultive and aggressive with officers and the horses. Based on your behaviour, we are responding by including helmets and batons for our safety,“ police said.