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Thursday, December 19, 2024
Top News | Doctors Without Border Says 'Clear Signs of Ethnic Cleansing' in Gaza
On January 20th, it begins
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One advocate called out "the politicians who paved the way for this tragedy."
By Julia Conley
"I've got to go to the hospital," a pregnant woman filmed by the Louisville Metro Police Department's body cameras in late September told officers, standing near a mattress beneath a busy overpass. "What am I doing wrong?"
The woman was in labor and had told the police as they approached her that she thought her water had broken, but that didn't stop the officers from giving her a ticket for violating a new Kentucky law that bans all street camping—one of dozens of laws criminalizing homelessness that were passed this year.
Lt. Caleb Stewart, who cited the woman in Louisville, told her that he would call an ambulance for her, but when she began moving toward the street to wait for the emergency workers, he yelled at her to stop.
"Am I being detained?" she asked.
"Yes, you're being detained," he replied. "You're being detained because you're unlawfully camping."
Stewart was later heard on the body camera's audio saying he didn't believe the woman was in labor; a public defender representing her told Kentucky Public Radio that she had in fact given birth later that day and the family was living in a shelter while waiting for a January trial date regarding her citation.
The upcoming trial and the video underscore "both the absurdity and cruelty of anti-camping laws in KY and those cropping up nationwide," said Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center. "This is an extreme incident, but unfortunately, it is not an isolated one. Instead of addressing the cause of homelessness—the fact that more and more people struggle to afford rent—politicians are passing laws that kick people when they are down and make homelessness worse. The solution to homelessness is housing and help, not tickets or fines."
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July that officials can ban sleeping and camping in public places. Since then, said Rabinowitz, nearly 150 cities across the U.S. have passed anti-camping bills.
The video was also publicized days after Republican elected officials celebrated "the person who murdered Jordan Neely, a homeless New Yorker," said Rabinowitz. "And [President-elect] Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies want to round up homeless people and put them in detention camps. All of these things make homelessness worse."
Shameka Parrish-Wright, director of advocacy group VOCAL-KY, said that "the disregard and disrespect of these two lives is the direct result of the so-called 'Safer Kentucky Act' that was enacted this year."
"People experiencing homelessness are fighting for their lives across the country and right here in Louisville. Investing in immediate, affordable housing and healthcare is the only way to stop this from happening again—not by handing out more tickets that won't house a single person," said Parrish-Wright. "Shame on the politicians who paved the way for this tragedy.”
"If politicians actually cared about homeless Kentuckians," she added, "they would focus on getting them the housing and support they need."
"Democratic voters should decide who wins our primaries, not outside groups," said the longtime Democratic National Committee member and outspoken progressive.
By Jake Johnson
Longtime Democratic National Committee member James Zogby formally launched his candidacy for DNC vice chair on Thursday, citing the urgent need for internal party reform in the wake of the disastrous 2024 election.
Zogby, the founder of the Arab American Institute and a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights and other progressive causes, has served on the DNC for more than three decades, and he's used his positions on the body's Executive Committee, Resolutions Committee, Unity Reform Commission, and other panels to push for changes such as a ban on dark money in the Democratic primary process—a proposal that the DNC has twice refused to even consider.
Eliminating dark money from Democratic primaries is one of five points on Zogby's platform, which also includes changes to ensure "accountability and transparency" with the DNC's finances, building the "organizing capacity" at the state and local levels, and "increasing Democratic Party membership."
"The DNC is supposed to serve as the governing body of the party, but we've been reduced to props who fill chairs at meetings and listen to speeches," Zogby told Common Dreams on Thursday. "Our input isn't sought, nor do we fulfill our responsibility to review and evaluate the budget. Control has been surrendered to consultant groups and the White House."
On his website, Zogby writes that the massive influx of dark money into Democratic primaries is "something that we and our state parties can regulate or call out."
"Democratic voters should decide who wins our primaries, not outside groups," he added.
Zogby announced his intention to run for DNC vice chair in a column for The Nation earlier this month, but his candidacy wasn't official until he secured the required number of endorsements on his nominating petitions—a goal he achieved last week.
In a statement on Thursday, Zogby said his candidacy for a vice chair position has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Rev. Jesse Jackson, among others.
"In the aftermath of our 2024 electoral defeat, many in our party have been engaged in hand-wringing and soul-searching in an effort to understand what went wrong—and what we must do differently moving forward," Zogby wrote in his Nation column. "Like any good Democrat, I have my views on all of these matters, but that's not why I'm running for one of the vice-chair positions of the Democratic National Committee."
"The issues I intend to raise," he continued, "are those related to governance and party building: the need for budget transparency and accountability; the need to address the financial drain and loss of decision-making control created by our dependence on outside consultants; the need to build state parties; the need to take 'dark money' out of our primaries; and the need to create a sense of belonging and engagement that brings young people and others who feel rejected and disenfranchised into our party, finding a place for them in our work."
Politico reported last month that the DNC is "expected to elect a new slate of officers, including chair and a handful of vice chairs, early next year as it charts a path forward after losing" to President-elect Donald Trump in last month's election.
David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland high school shooting, announced earlier this week that he's running for a vice chair post.
As for DNC chair, several candidates have officially announced they're vying for the position, including Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.
Rahm Emanuel, the disgraced former mayor of Chicago, is also reportedly considering a run, drawing ire from progressives.
"Rahm is a symbol of everything that's wrong with the Party: coziness with corporate America, a brand of politics completely disconnected from working people, and an old way of thinking about elections that has failed Democrats time and again," the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution wrote in an email on Thursday.
"We're in a fight for the very future of this country," the group added. "Trump is heading into a second term after beating the Democratic Party elites AGAIN. Yet, corporate Democrats are still fighting progressives harder than they fight MAGA extremism. But there’s hope if we elect a DNC Chair that takes the Party in a new direction. Rahm is NOT the leadership we need right now!"
"Welcome to the Elon Musk presidency," wrote Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia.
By Eloise Goldsmith
Congress is careening toward a government shutdown after U.S. President-elect Trump, egged on by billionaire Elon Musk—who helped bankroll Trump's reelection campaign and is slated to help oversee cuts to government spending and regulation in the new administration—torpedoed a federal spending bill that would have kept the government open for the next few months.
The episode has drawn sharp rebuke from Democrats, and caused a number to muse whether it's Musk who's really in charge.
"The U.S. Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government. Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected. Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk? This is oligarchy at work," wrote Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a social media post late Wednesday.
During a Wednesday night appearance on MSNBC, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) called Musk "basically a shadow president."
These sorts of remarks continued Thursday, with Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) writing: "Welcome to the Elon Musk presidency, where Donald Trump is now clearly the vice president. They want a government shutdown that would hurt millions of Americans. It’s totally insane," wrote Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.)
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich echoed this sentiment in an opinion piece for Common Dreams published Thursday, writing: "If this isn't oligarchy, I don't know what is. You may not get access to services you depend on just before the holidays because an unelected billionaire shadow president wanted it that way."
Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance threw cold water on the spending bill Wednesday afternoon with a joint statement, arguing that the bill included "DEMOCRATIC GIVEAWAYS." The directive from Trump came after Musk spent much of Wednesday airing his opposition to the spending package on the platform X, which he owns. In total, Musk shot off over 150 posts demanding the members of the GOP back away from the spending bill, according to The New York Times.
The bipartisan spending package unveiled by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday would have funded the government at current levels through March 14, and also provided some $100 billion for disaster relief as well as $10 billion in economic relief for farmers.
In their statement denouncing the bill, Vance and Trump also called for an increase to the debt ceiling—adding the fraught issue of national debt, which currently stands at more than $36 trillion, into the debate. Trump also called for getting rid of the debt ceiling entirely, according to Thursday reporting from NBC News.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)said this of the debt ceiling demand: "Ha! Trump wants to lift the debt ceiling for one reason and one reason only—so he can borrow shitloads of money to afford his new giant tax break for billionaires and corporations. In other words, saddle regular Americans with mountains more debt so the rich can get richer."
"People in Gaza are struggling to survive apocalyptic conditions, but nowhere is safe, no one is spared, and there is no exit from this shattered enclave," said the humanitarian group's secretary-general.
By Jake Johnson
The international humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières published a report Thursday detailing how the Israeli military has systematically destroyed conditions of life in the Gaza Strip over the past 14 months by dismantling the enclave's healthcare system, forcibly displacing most of the population, choking off humanitarian aid, and reducing much of the territory to rubble.
MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, noted in its 34-page report that its staffers have witnessed and in some cases been the victims of large-scale "violence unleashed by Israeli forces," which has "caused physical and mental damage on a scale that would overwhelm any functioning health system, let alone one already decimated by a crushing offensive and a 17-year-long blockade."
While MSF secretary-general Christopher Lockyear stressed that the group doesn't "have legal authority to establish intentionality" on the part of the Israeli military, "the signs of ethnic cleansing and the ongoing devastation—including mass killings, severe physical and mental health injuries, forced displacement, and impossible conditions of life for Palestinians under siege and bombardment—are undeniable."
"People in Gaza are struggling to survive apocalyptic conditions, but nowhere is safe, no one is spared, and there is no exit from this shattered enclave," said Lockyear, who visited Gaza earlier this year. "The recent military offensive in the north is a stark illustration of the brutal war the Israeli forces are waging on Gaza, and we are seeing clear signs of ethnic cleansing as Palestinians are forcibly displaced, trapped, and bombed."
"What our medical teams have witnessed on the ground throughout this conflict," he added, "is consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organizations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza."
Even if Israel's assault ended today, MSF said, "its long-term impacts would be unprecedented, given the scale of the destruction and the extraordinary challenges of providing healthcare across the strip."
"The cumulative physical toll and mental trauma caused by the extreme violence, loss of family members and homes, repeated forced displacement, and inhumane living conditions will scar generations," the group added.
Medics care for patients at a clinic set up by Doctors Without Borders in Rafah, Gaza on April 24, 2024. (Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)
MSF's report, titled Gaza: Life in a Death Trap, finds that Israel's response to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack "provoked the collapse of Gaza's already-vulnerable healthcare system" and compromised its ability to provide humanitarian assistance with attacks on aid workers.
Since October 2023, at least eight MSF workers and "many of their family members" have been killed in Gaza, the group said Thursday.
"The pattern of attacks outlined above coupled with its foreseeable consequences and the denial of access to medical care and humanitarian assistance... effectively demonstrate Israeli forces waging a 'war on the health of Gazans' that has left the healthcare system in shreds," the new report states.
The report quotes MSF staffers relaying their horrifying experiences working in Gaza's barely functional hospitals and clinics without adequate supplies to treat the massive influx of Israeli airstrike victims.
"There are wounded lying everywhere," Karin Huster, medical referent for MSF in Gaza, said in June. "Bodies are being carried out in plastic bags, the smell of blood is unbearable. Hundreds of people are in the hospital waiting for news of their loved ones injured in the bombardments."
"Nothing justifies what I saw today," Huster added. "These children, the three-month-old baby, the 7-year-old, the 12-year-old who died, the 25-year-old man, the 78-year-old woman, all with horrific injuries: Why did they deserve this?"
Human Rights Watch said Thursday that "Israeli authorities have deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the population in Gaza by intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians there of adequate access to water, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths."
"In doing so," HRW added, "Israeli authorities are responsible for the crime against humanity of extermination and for acts of genocide."
Doctors Without Borders said Thursday that "an immediate and sustained cease-fire must be implemented" and the "complete destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza and all things that make up the very fabric of society must stop."
Additionally, the group urged Israel's allies to end their unconditional support for the assault on Gaza and demanded an independent investigation into attacks on humanitarian workers.
"Israeli authorities continue to actively block MSF and other humanitarian organizations from providing lifesaving assistance to people trapped under siege and bombardment," the group said. "States must leverage their influence to alleviate the suffering of people and enable a massive scale-up of humanitarian assistance across the Gaza Strip."
With Donald Trump beginning his term next month, "it'll be up to states and other national leaders to defy Trump and move us quickly away from planet-heating fossil fuels."
"We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win," said one Amazon warehouse worker.
By Jake Johnson,Eloise Goldsmith
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As the horrific rape case in southern France that has captured international attention came to an end Thursday, with the former husband of survivor Gisèle Pelicot and 50 other men found guilty, the response of Pelicot's supporters outside the courthouse and of politicians across the globe made clear that the case has been a "rallying cry against the epidemic of rape and a system that silences survivors."
Pelicot's ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was sentenced to 20 years in prison—the maximum sentence for rape in France—for drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of other men to join him in sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious over a period of 10 years.
The case was remarkable both for the shocking allegations against the defendants—who came to be known as "Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde," or "Mr. EveryMan" across France—and for Gisèle Pelicot's adamant decision to open the trial to the public, a choice she said on Thursday she has "never regretted."
"When I opened the doors of this trial on September 2, I wanted society to be able to seize the debates that took place there," said Pelicot. "I now have confidence in our ability to collectively grasp a future in which everyone, women and men alike, can live in harmony, mutual respect, and understanding."
Pelicot's case inspired anti-sexual violence protests across France and Europe in September, with marchers displaying banners that echoed the words that Pelicot's attorney shared on her behalf when the decision to make the trial public was announced: "Shame must change sides."
That phrase became a rallying cry during the trial, with women's rights advocates demanding that France's criminal code be changed to affirm that sex without consent is rape—and Pelicot expressing hope that her case would inspire other sexual assault victims to come forward and seek justice.
In France, 86% of police reports of sexual violence have been dropped, with just 14% making it to trial. Only 13% of suspects have been convicted of faced consequences, and 40% of women who have reported attacks to the police have said they were treated poorly by the authorities.
"I am thinking of the unrecognized victims, whose stories often remain in the shadows," said Pelicot after the verdict was read on Thursday. "I want you to know that we share the same fight. I would like to express my profound gratitude towards everyone who has supported me throughout this ordeal. Your messages have deeply moved me and have given me the strength to come back every day to face these long, daily hearings."
By allowing the media access to the trial, University of Liverpool criminology professor Fiona Measham said Pelicot "flipped the script" regarding how rape is often viewed and discussed.
"Quite often, survivors are blamed for doing something wrong—like going to bars or meeting men online—but Gisèle showed that she was victimized by her husband and dozens of men while in her home," psychotherapist and author Amy Morin toldUSA Today.
Reneé Carr, a psychologist, told the outlet that Pelicot's "courage to shine a light on what happened to her... can, hopefully, give strength to other victims to also speak out and to see themselves as blameless."
The progressive French journal L'Humanité featured Pelicot on its cover this week, with the headline expressing thanks: "Merci Madame."
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also acknowledged the case on Thursday, saying Pelicot "will forever be the face of dignity and resilience."
"Her bravery is truly remarkable—and she has empowered millions of women around the world," he said. "Today, we stand with all survivors of sexual violence and against the systems that intimidate them into silence."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez used the phrase Pelicot's case has made famous: "What dignity. Thank you, Gisèle Pelicot. Shame must change sides."
A Human Rights Watch report published Thursday accuses Israel of "extermination and acts of genocide" in Gaza "by intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians there of adequate access to water, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths."
Mirroring language used in Article II of the Genocide Convention to define the crime of genocide, HRW said that Israeli officials "have deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the population in Gaza" by deliberately denying Palestinians "access to safe water for drinking and sanitation needed for basic human survival."
"Israeli authorities and forces cut off and later restricted piped water to Gaza; rendered most of Gaza's water and sanitation infrastructure useless by cutting electricity and restricting fuel; deliberately destroyed and damaged water and sanitation infrastructure and water repair materials; and blocked the entry of critical water supplies," the report states.
"In doing so, Israeli authorities are responsible for the crime against humanity of extermination and for acts of genocide," HRW continued. "The pattern of conduct, coupled with statements suggesting that some Israeli officials wished to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, may amount to the crime of genocide."
HRW "also found that some statements from senior Israeli officials calling for cutting water, fuel, and aid, in tandem with their actions, have amounted to direct and public incitement to genocide."
According to the report:
Immediately after the attacks in southern Israel by Hamas-led Palestinian armed groups in Gaza on October 7, 2023, which Human Rights Watch has found amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Israeli authorities cut all electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip. On October 9, then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a "complete siege" of Gaza, stating, "There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything is closed."
That same day, and for weeks thereafter, Israeli authorities cut off all water and blocked fuel, food, and humanitarian aid from entering the strip. Israeli authorities continue to restrict the entry of water, fuel, food, and aid into Gaza and to cut Gaza's electricity, which is required to operate life-sustaining infrastructure. This continued even after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional measures in January, March, and May 2024 ordering Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians in Gaza from genocide and, in so doing, provide humanitarian aid, specifying in March that this includes water, food, electricity, and fuel.
HRW detailed how Israel "also barred nearly all water-related aid from entering Gaza, including water filtration systems, water tanks, and materials needed to repair water infrastructure," and how Israeli forces "have deliberately attacked and damaged or destroyed several major water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities."
"Based on interviews with healthcare professionals and epidemiologists, it is likely that thousands of people have died as a result of the Israeli authorities' actions," the report states, adding that deaths are in addition to the more than 45,000 Palestinians directly killed by Israeli bombs and bullets.
HRW added that hundreds of thousands of Gazans have contracted diseases and ailments attributable to a lack of access to safe and sufficient water, including diarrhea, hepatitis A, skin diseases, and upper respiratory infections.
"Water is essential for human life, yet for over a year the Israeli government has deliberately denied Palestinians in Gaza the bare minimum they need to survive," HRW executive director Tirana Hassan said in a statement. "This isn't just negligence; it is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands from dehydration and disease that is nothing short of the crime against humanity of extermination, and an act of genocide."
Without naming any specific nations, the report notes that "several governments have undermined accountability efforts and continue to provide the Israeli government with arms despite the clear risk of complicity in serious violations of international humanitarian law."
The United States is Israel's main arms supplier and diplomatic ally, approving tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons transfers, vetoing several United Nations Security Council cease-fire resolutions, and threatening international officials seeking to hold Israel accountable for its crimes.
"Governments should not contribute to the grave crimes that Israeli officials are committing in Gaza, including crimes against humanity and genocidal acts, and should take all steps possible to prevent further harm," Hassan said. "Governments arming Israel should end their risk of complicity in atrocity crimes in Gaza and take immediate action to protect civilians with an arms embargo, targeted sanctions, and support for justice."
You may not get access to services you depend on just before the holidays because an unelected billionaire shadow president wanted it that way.
By Robert Reich
If the government shuts down Saturday, Elon Musk will be largely to blame.
Musk went on a daylong rampage yesterday against the continuing resolution drafted by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team to keep the government going.
Musk posted nearly nonstop on his social media platform X about how lawmakers must kill it. “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote in one post.
We’re getting a preview of what the next four years will look like—dysfunction in D.C. that will make your life worse, driven by a petulant billionaire with an unquenchable thirst for wealth and power.
Musk—the richest person in the world—was joined in his posting spree by another billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy, whom President-elect Donald Trump asked to partner with Musk in an effort to slash government spending and reduce the federal budget deficit.
Republicans gauging support for the legislation said they were bleeding votes as a result of Musk’s barrage.
Then, after Musk spent the day telling Republicans not to support the bill, Trump weighed in against it, too. That put the bill on life support.
If this isn’t oligarchy, I don’t know what is.
You may not get access to services you depend on just before the holidays because an unelected billionaire shadow president wanted it that way.
Funding for essentials will be jeopardized—disaster relief, clean water protections, food safety inspections, cancer research, and nutrition programs for children.
Federal workers like air traffic controllers will be required to work without pay just as air travel is about to pick up.
The same goes for members of our military.
Musk effectively blocked a government spending bill by mobilizing his 205 million followers on X and then using his influence on Trump—influence he bought by spending more than $270 million getting Trump elected.
Yet Musk’s concern about the federal deficit seems to disappear whenever Trump and MAGA Republicans talk about passing tax cuts that will disproportionately benefit billionaires like Musk. Tax cuts, I might add, that will balloon the deficit by nearly $5 trillion.
We’re getting a preview of what the next four years will look like—dysfunction in D.C. that will make your life worse, driven by a petulant billionaire with an unquenchable thirst for wealth and power.
A billionaire wielding his influence over the rest of us proves we are in a Second Gilded Age.
But there may be a silver lining to this Gilded Age cloud. The lesson of the First Gilded Age is that when concentrated wealth, corruption, and ensuing hardship for average working Americans become so blatant that they offend the values of the majority of us, we rise up and demand real, systemic change.
It’s only a matter of time. A government shutdown that hurts average working people, engineered by the richest person in the world, might just hasten it.
Trump didn’t win because he ran a better or longer campaign; Trump won because a plurality of the people who voted in this election bought what he was selling.
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