Informed Comment daily updates (10/19/2024)

 

The Great Babylon: American’s complicity in Gaza Atrocities Orono, Maine (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Yesterday, I interviewed a refugee Ukrainian family in transition from their homeland looking for a permanent place to settle. They were being visited by evangelical church friends. Since I was teaching a course on current world conflicts, the conversation turned to Palestine/Israel where a number of references […]

Israel is using surveillance Technology to subjugate and target Palestinians Written by Safa Hebron’s Al-Shuhada Street checkpoint with at least 8 CCTV cameras and the Smart Shooter in view. Photo by AV, used with permission. 2024. ( Globalvoices.org) – Data collection and technology can have harmful applications, especially when used to monitor and subjugate marginalized people. This can be seen most clearly in how Israel […]

Cross-Border Refuges: Cyclical Displacement between Lebanon and Syria By Jasmin Lilian Diab, Lebanese American University | – (The Conversation) – The escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah since September 2024, and Israel’s bombing of civilian areas across Lebanon, have unleashed a profound humanitarian disaster. The mass displacement of over 1 million people, including Lebanese citizens, migrant workers and Syrian and Palestinian refugees, […]

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China’s Green Energy Wave enters the Middle East Israel’s War on the World Climate Change and the Missing War on Poverty The Gazafication of Lebanon: Israel Blows up Nabatieh City Hall, kills Mayor and Aid Workers Israel Should End Campaign to Destroy Lifesaving UN Palestinian Aid Agency My Sister was the 166th Doctor to be Murdered in Gaza Blinken and Austin Scold Netanyahu over Gaza Atrocities, playing Cynical Presidential Politics

Add your name: Stop Israel's most aggressive armed offensive in the West Bank. Stop the murder of Palestinians.

 IT'S TIME FOR PEACE!

Israel just agreed to “staggered” fighting to allow for “humanitarian pauses” so that health officials can administer polio vaccines to the children of Gaza. The children who are facing extreme malnutrition and potential starvation because of the Israeli military’s onslaught on the Palestinian people. Israel made one thing clear: this is not intended as the first step to a Ceasefire. How can President Biden and Congress continue their weapons shipments to Israel when Netanyahu shows no willingness to work toward peace? Add your name right now: Stop sending bombs to fuel Netanyahu’s onslaught on the Palestinian people. ADD YOUR NAME The Israeli military, backed by billions in funding and billions of dollars worth of weapons from the United States, is ramping up fighting in Gaza and the West Bank. As Bernie recently said, “The carnage has been horrific and we are looking at the worst humanitarian disaster, one of the worst, in modern history.” All backed by U.S. funding and bombs. It’s time to demand an end to this horrific war — stop sending U.S. bombs to the Israeli military and end the violence against the Palestinian people. Stand with Bernie: Not another nickel for Netanyahu’s war on Gaza. ADD YOUR NAME Netanyahu has shown no signs of slowing his attacks in Gaza and the Israeli military launched its deadliest offensive in the West Bank since the start of this war just days ago. President Biden has shown no signs of altering U.S. policy toward Israel. But how can this go on? How can the Biden administration speak of the suffering of Palestinians and continue arming the Israeli military who bombs Gaza and attacks the West Bank? The United States, the Biden administration, our lawmakers in Congress, our leaders, must change course. Add your name: End U.S. support for Netanyahu’s horrific war on the Palestinian people. When we organize, we win. Our Revolution

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As Veterans, We Are Demanding A Ceasefire. Help Us Advocate For Peace

As Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visited D.C. this week, our collective voices grew louder and more urgent: U.S. military veterans from Common Defense joined forces with Israeli veterans from Breaking the Silence to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the occupation. This historic partnership underscores the pressing need for immediate action to end the ongoing crisis in Gaza, where countless lives are at stake. Your support will make a difference in advocating for a peaceful resolution in Gaza. By standing with us, you join a growing movement of veterans, military families, and civilians committed to ending this cycle of violence. __HELP US ENGAGE VETERANS AND SHOW OUR COMMUNITIES THAT A BETTER PATH IS POSSIBLE__ At a press event in Washington, D.C., veterans representing both organizations – united by their firsthand experiences as soldiers and a shared commitment to peace – demanded that President Biden and Congress take decisive steps towards a lasting ceasefire. We spent the week meeting with members of Congress to deliver our ceasefire petition and urge policy change on Israel-Palestine. This was only possible because of your voices and support these past few months. Breaking the Silence Leader Discusses Gaza Conflict. The crisis in Gaza is a humanitarian disaster. Gaza lies in ruins, and its people face unimaginable despair. This violence is not just a geopolitical issue — it is deeply rooted in systemic racism and the dehumanization of Palestinians. As Jose Vasquez, US Army Veteran and Executive Director of Common Defense, poignantly stated, "Nowhere is the evil of war more clear than in Gaza today. Since October 7, 2023, we have watched in horror as over 38,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom were civilians, have lost their lives." Nadav Weiman, incoming Executive Director of Breaking the Silence, shared, "We're the soldiers that stood at checkpoints, raided homes, arrested kids, destroyed Palestinian villages, and fought in Gaza. We know more than anyone else why we need to end the Israeli occupation for the sake of Israeli society and the Palestinian society as well." __SUPPORT OUR GRASSROOTS VETERAN-LED MOVEMENT__ Common Defense and Breaking the Silence at a press event in Washington, D.C. Together, we are making a powerful impact. Please stand with us as we fight for a future where peace and justice prevail over war and oppression. In solidarity, Common Defense 251 West 30th New York, NY 10001 United States

DONATE Don't want to donate online? Mail us a check! Common Defense Action Fund | 251 W 30th St #317, New York, NY 10001 PAID FOR BY COMMON DEFENSE ACTION FUND

    SILENCE IS COMPLICITY IN GENOCIDE! 

    THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS RECOGNIZED PALESTINE & CONDEMNED 

    NETANYAHU....EXCEPT THE US! 

    AS A NATION, WE SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED BY THOSE WHO EMBRACE 

    GENOCIDE! 

    ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLERS ARE KILLING UNARMED PALESTINIANS! 

    WHAT HAPPENED TO HUMANITY?

    

As Boycott Grows, Ocasio-Cortez Says Netanyahu Invitation 'Should Be Revoked'

"This man should not be addressing Congress," said the New York Democrat. "He is a war criminal."

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said late Tuesday that Democratic and Republican leaders should withdraw their invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak at a joint meeting of Congress next month after he released a video attacking the Biden administration for "withholding" weapons from Israel's military.

"This man should not be addressing Congress. He is a war criminal," Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote on social media. "And he certainly has no regard for U.S. law, which is explicitly designed to prevent U.S. weapons from facilitating human rights abuses."

"His invitation should be revoked," she added. "It should've never been sent in the first place."

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) formally invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting last month, roughly two weeks after the Biden administration all but acknowledged what leading human rights organizations had been saying for months: that Israeli forces have used American weaponry to commit war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

The invitation also came roughly two months after Schumer criticized Netanyahu in a speech on the Senate floor, accusing the prime minister of being "too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza" and calling for new leadership in Israel.

"The United States needs to be using its leverage, including restrictions on arms sales, as a way to advance a push toward peace in the Middle East."

Netanyahu, who is scheduled to address Congress on July 24 as he faces a possible arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, said in his video remarks Tuesday that the Biden administration "has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel" over "the past few months." The Israeli prime minister was apparently referring to the administration's decision last month to pause a shipment that includes 2,000-pound bombs.

But the administration is still moving ahead with other weapons deals with Israel, including an $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets and Joint Direct Attack Munition kits that the Israeli military has used against civilians in Gaza.

Ocasio-Cortez's call for the cancellation of Netanyahu's scheduled address came as the number of Democrats planning to boycott the Israeli prime minister's speech continued to grow, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) recently announcing their decisions to skip the joint meeting.

"Benjamin Netanyahu has created a humanitarian disaster," Warren told The Hill on Tuesday. "The United States needs to be using its leverage, including restrictions on arms sales, as a way to advance a push toward peace in the Middle East."

"We need a cease-fire, massive humanitarian relief, the return of the hostages, and we've gotta have a breakthrough on getting the parties to the negotiating table," the senator added. "Giving more arms to Israel is not pushing in the right direction."

In addition to vowing to boycott Netanyahu's scheduled speech, some congressional Democrats are reportedly discussing "counter-programming" plans "focused on peace, bringing the hostages home, and ending this horrible conflict," Axios reported last week, citing an unnamed House Democrat.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is among the lawmakers pledging to boycott the Israeli prime minister's speech, said Tuesday that "it is absurd that Netanyahu has been invited to address Congress."

"We should not be honoring people who use the starvation of children as a weapon of war," said Sanders.

In an email sent out on Wednesday, the progressive group Justice Democrats urged its supporters to demand that their elected representatives either boycott or disrupt Netanyahu's July 24 address, noting that the Israeli prime minister and his government "are still actively carrying out what historian Robert Pape has called 'one of the most intense civilian punishment campaigns in history.'"

"We need our leaders in Washington to stop using our taxpayer dollars to send billions in weapons and bombs to Israel, and demand a permanent cease-fire and the release of all hostages—not roll out the red carpet for Netanyahu," the group added.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) listens during a press conference on April 14, 2020 in New York City.

 (Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

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