Week in Review: War Crimes and Hush-Money Punishment

 

Saturday, June 1, 2024 ■ The Week in Review Invited by Congress, Outraged Critics Say Netanyahu 'Should Be Arrested on the Spot' "Perhaps," said one progressive critic, the Israeli prime minister "can be arrested for his war crimes on the Senate floor." By Jon Queally • Jun 1, 2024 Critics Warn Biden's Embrace of Israeli Cease-Fire Plan 'Will Likely Fall Flat' "You cannot call for peace while sending bombs that burn children sleeping in tents," said one group. "Enough. Stop the weapons." By Brett Wilkins • May 31, 2024 'I'll Take Up Arms If He Asks': Violent Supporters Rush to Trump After Guilty Verdict "Trump retains an ironclad ability to mobilize more extreme supporters to action, both at the ballot box and through violence," warned one expert. By Julia Conley • May 31, 2024 'Historic Win for Accountability': New York Jury Finds Trump Guilty on 34 Felony Counts "Now it's up to the American people to protect our democracy by holding Trump accountable at the ballot box and ensuring that a convicted fraudster never steps foot in the Oval Office again," said one democracy defender. By Brett Wilkins • May 30, 2024 US Official Who Resigned Over Gaza Says Report Absolving Israel 'Patently False' Stacy Gilbert, a 20-year State Dept. veteran, described reading the final NSM-20 report in shock, given the way it contradicted expert consensus. She immediately decided to resign. By Edward Carver • May 30, 2024 Stacy Gilbert, a U.S. State Department official who resigned this week over Gaza, said Thursday that part of a key report on humanitarian assistance issued earlier this month was "patently false" and that it contradicted the consensus of the department's own experts, according to The Guardian. Humanitarian groups had widely condemned the department's NSM-20 report, released May 10, which, among other contentious findings, determined that Israel wasn't restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance—an assessment that allowed the Biden administration to continue providing arms to Israel. Countries that have blocked U.S. aid are ineligible for arms and security assistance under U.S. law. Gilbert's comments on Thursday revealed that department officials, and not just outside humanitarian groups, disagreed with the official assessment, which she said was taken out of expert hands within the department during the final weeks and "edited at a higher level." She told The Guardian that it was clear that Israel was limiting the amount of food and medical supplies coming into Gaza. "There is consensus among the humanitarian community on that," Gilbert said. "It is absolutely the opinion of the humanitarian subject matter experts in the state department, and not just in my bureau—people who look at this from the intelligence community and from other bureaus." "I would be very hard pressed to think of anyone who has said [Israeli obstruction of aid] is not an issue," she added. "That’s why I object to that report saying that Israel is not blocking humanitarian assistance. That is patently false." The Washington Post, which broke the story of Gilbert's resignation on Tuesday, reported that her view that "Israel was impeding the aid from reaching civilians in Gaza" was "echoed by the vast majority of aid and humanitarian organizations." It was not clear from the reporting in The Guardian or the Post whether Gilbert also disagreed with the other major assessment in the NSM-20 report—that U.S.-supplied weapons couldn't be definitively linked to violations of international law in Gaza. Oxfam called the report a "slap in the face," citing a memorandum it had jointly written with Human Rights Watch on international law violations and Israeli restrictions on aid. Other humanitarian and watchdog groups had similar responses to the report. Gilbert, a 20-year department veteran who worked in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, described reading the final NSM-20 report in shock when it was released. She sent an email explaining her intention to resign just two hours later. This week, she sent another email to department staff explaining her views about the errors in the report, according to the Post. Gilbert is one of two Biden administration officials to resign this week, bringing the overall total to at least nine. Alexander Smith, a contractor and senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), resigned Monday after a presentation that he prepared on maternal and child health in Gaza was canceled. He sent a letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power critiquing inconsistencies in the agency's approach to different humanitarian crises, The Guardian reported. Smith had been with USAID for four years. "I cannot do my job in an environment in which specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race," Smith wrote. 'We Did the Same Thing,' US Official Says After Israel's Rafah Massacre One Afghanistan-born journalist said John Kirby's admission "does not excuse what Joe Biden's allies in Israel did in Rafah." By Brett Wilkins • May 29, 2024 'Just Disgusting': Nikki Haley Writes 'Finish Them' on Israeli Bomb "Biden provided the shells, Republicans autograph them," said one progressive leader. "The U.S. political class is united in its complicity with this genocide." By Edward Carver • May 28, 2024 'Jaw-Dropping': Mossad Chief Threatened ICC Prosecutor Over Israeli War Crimes Probe "Bullying won't hide genocide and war crimes," said one anti-war group. By Julia Conley • May 28, 2024 'US-Backed Massacre' at Rafah Camp Intensifies Fury Over IDF's Gaza Assault "We will never forget the images emerging from Rafah tonight. Human beings, including babies, were burned alive and torn apart. This genocide must end, it must end now," said one group. By Julia Conley • May 27, 2024 VIEW ALL NEWS JOIN THE MOVEMENT As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. JOIN WITH US TODAY ■ Opinion 'No One Is Above the Law'—Oh Really, Mr. Biden? Year after year and decade after decade, the courts have shielded presidents from accountability for perpetuated crimes committed either by the White House or by the president’s administration. By Ralph Nader • Jun 1, 2024 The ICC Takes on Israel and the US Congressional Mafia Pro-Israel forces in the U.S. are trying their best to throw sand in the wheels of justice with threats of new sanctions against the International Criminal Court after it requested Israeli and Hamas arrest warrants. By Medea Benjamin • May 29, 2024 Why Are Any of Us Paying for the Scam That is Medicare Advantage? These plans are private health insurance provided by private corporations, who are then fully reimbursed by the Medicare trust fund regardless of how much their customers use their insurance. By Thom Hartmann • May 29, 2024 Israel’s Tents Massacre in Rafah Is a Heinous War Crime In a flagrant violation of international norms and humanitarian laws, Israel continues to act with total impunity in Gaza, enjoying Western complicity, and emboldened by U.S. unconditional military and diplomatic support. By Seraj Assi • May 27, 2024 VIEW ALL OPINION Call 207.775.0488 to donate by phone or mail a check to: Common Dreams · PO Box 443 · Portland, ME 04112-0443 · USA Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your contribution is tax-deductible. EIN: 20-3368194