Gaza under attack yet again.

[Knotted]

Sara Roy on the reconstruction plan.

But the current attempt at reconstruction is a new low.
Never mind that Gaza’s recent devastation, met largely with laissez-faire silence from Western states, is completely unprecedented; the agreed-upon plan for addressing the situation clearly prioritises limited short-term gain at the cost of a long-term entrenchment of Israel’s destructive blockade.

 

[Knotted]

The first of the human rights reports in. Euromid on targeting civilians:
http://euromid.org/uploads/reports/Killing_EN.pdf
On human shielding:
http://euromid.org/uploads/reports/eng-Human shields.pdf
Very clear and decisive language. Let's see if the UN inspectors corroborate it.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

Tanks, helicopters and soldiers force Gazans to flee their homes before destroying them - buffer zone evacuation meets no criticism.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/186880#.VFh8qPmsWSo

And in other news -

Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved an amendment to the Israeli penal code to enable more severe punishment against Palestinians convicted of involvement in stone-throwing attacks against Israeli targets.

The new sections, which will be added to the Israeli penal code, would allow the imposition of a prison sentence up to 20 years for those convicted of throwing stones or other objects at Israeli vehicles.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/n...stone-throwers-face-20-years-in-israel-prison

Christ on a fucking bike!!

 

[coley]

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/15053-obama-threatens-netanyahu-with-us-veto
Hope there's some truth in this.

 

[belboid]

This will go well, no doubt

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/n...uild-temple-in-place-of-al-aqsa-minister-says

 

[Crispy]

This will go well, no doubt

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/n...uild-temple-in-place-of-al-aqsa-minister-says

The comments on that article

 

[belboid]

The comments on that article

makes this place look the height of rationality and sensitivity

 

[agricola]

Bumped to allow urbanites to laugh along with Paul Hirschson:

A Norwegian trauma surgeon and activist who helped provide life-saving medical care during this summer’s 100-day war in Gaza has said he will defy an Israeli ban on his return.

Chief surgeon Mads Gilbert, 67, has spent 15 years treating patients in Gaza and spent 51 days in Shifa hospital earlier this year treating many of the 11,000 Palestinians who were wounded in the war between Hamas and Israel.

When he returned last month to try and enter Gaza via the Erez crossing in Israel he was denied entry indefinitely.

The Israeli government now says Gilbert is banned from entering Gaza for security reasons. The Norwegian embassy in Tel Aviv has taken up Gilbert’s case on his behalf after he was refused entry in October

....

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Paul Hirschson, replied Dr Gilbert was “not on the side of decency and peace and he’s got a horrible track record. I wouldn’t be surprised if his acquaintances are among the worst people in the world.”

 

[frogwoman]

Israel

 

[oryx]

The words 'heavy response' are worrying.

 

[teqniq]

oryx here I surmise you are referring to the murders at the synagogue in Jerusalem and Netenhayu's response.

 

[treelover]

Marbouti seems to be defending the murders, how can they be justified, the horrors of the occupation shouldn't be replicated against innocents.

 

[likesfish]

Well when your burying your dead kids and watching you city burn you may not be entirely rational

 

[oryx]

oryx here I surmise you are referring to the murders at the synagogue in Jerusalem and Netenhayu's response.

I am, yes.

 

[agricola]

The words 'heavy response' are worrying.

Especially as even Bibi's own intelligence chief is openly contradicting what he is saying.

 

[rekil]

Especially as even Bibi's own intelligence chief is openly contradicting what he is saying.

That's a link to a piece by U75 fave Mark Wallace. Any excuse for this.

 

[agricola]

That's a link to a piece by U75 fave Mark Wallace. Any excuse for this.

Ah, link fixed now.

 

[laptop]

Can't see that today's desperate attack in Jerusalem has its own thread, but anyway: I think today marks the start of the Third Intifada, and it's going to be very, very messy.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middl...i-settler-reprisals-20141118185543648426.html

More:

Israeli shoots, seriously injures Palestinian teen near Ramallah
An Israeli settler has shot and seriously injured a Palestinian teenager after a settler demonstration on the outskirts of Beitin village east of Ramallah.

 

[laptop]

A-and Benny stokes the flames... http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...etanyahus-use-of-blood-libel-is-so-explosive/

 

[Mr.Bishie]

Shots were fired on farmers last week too.

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian farmer near the border in northern Gaza on Sunday, medics said, as Palestinians in the war-battered enclave use local resources to build temporary homes.

Gaza's health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra identified the dead man as 32-year-old Fadel Mohammed Halawa, saying the bullet had hit him in the back.

Qudra said the bullet appeared to have been fired from a nearby Israeli army watchtower at a man who was farming land near the border fence.

Sunday’s incident was the first time a Palestinian from Gaza had been killed by Israeli fire since an Israeli summer offensive ended on August 26 with the an Egypt-brokered ceasefire agreement.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/israel-army-shoots-dead-palestinian-gaza

 

[TomUS]

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/15053-obama-threatens-netanyahu-with-us-veto
Hope there's some truth in this.

Me too but I find it impossible to imagine Obama showing such guts. It would be a huge political blow to the Democratic party.

 

[teqniq]

I've put this here as I reckon there must be a lot of people subscribed the this thread.

Fundraiser for the people of Gaza

Help Gaza this winter

Winter is coming for Gaza and this year its different than the years before. Winter this year will be hard since thousands of houses in Gaza are totally or partially destroyed and over 100,000 Palestinians are left homeless after the last Israeli genocide. This is an initiative to help these people out during the winter, to warm them, to protect them from the rain & expected floods and to reinforce their steadfastness in these hard times.. The more contributions we get, the more people we'll reach and help.

I haven't actually been able to donate myself yet as the site keeps falling over - did get a message about very high traffic atm, so i think I will try again tomorrow

E2a just made a payment so if you decide to do so, be patient.

 

[krink]

hamas no longer viewed as a terrorist group?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-30511569

 

[laptop]

hamas no longer viewed as a terrorist group?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-30511569

Not quite. The Court of Justice of the EU found flaws in the procedure followed in taking the view that it was.

The Council can and will maintain its sanctions:

The court said it was therefore annulling Hamas' designation but would temporarily keep existing measures against the group "in order to ensure the effectiveness of any possible future freezing of funds".

This would be maintained for three months, or, if an appeal is brought before the European Court of Justice, until it was closed, it added.

...potentially for years.

 

[krink]

so it kind of is and it isn't?

 

[coley]

The comments on that article

Ron Friend would fit right in

 

[laptop]

so it kind of is and it isn't?

From the Court's press release:

In today’s judgment, the General Court finds that the contested measures are based not on acts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities but on factual imputations derived from the press and the internet.

In other words, the Court has substituted a "not proven" verdict on the question of terrorism, with a strongly implied "you silly fuckers".

The full judgement is currently available in French.

 

[coley]

From the Court's press release:



In other words, the Court has substituted a "not proven" verdict on the question of terrorism, with a strongly implied "you silly fuckers".

The full judgement is currently available in French.

They branded them as a terrorist organisation on Internet gossip and newspaper articles??

 

[laptop]

They branded them as a terrorist organisation on Internet gossip and newspaper articles??

Wellllll... they failed to conduct an investigation of primary sources that would stand up to judicial review.

Yes.

 

[Andrew Hertford]

Does anyone know what Hamas' position is now with regard to the much criticised 'Hamas Charter' which appears to call for the destruction of Israel?

On one hand there is Ahmed Yusuf saying that "Discussion of direct negotiations with Israel must be continued" and "Consideration must be given to changing the Hamas Charter of 1987, which is exploited by Israel, especially the articles that are viewed as “anti-Semitic” and are exploited by Israel to attack the valid Palestinian problem," whilst on the other hand there's Fawzi Barhoum calling on anyone with a car or a knife to "kill a Jew" in the West Bank.

Then there's Hamas leader Khaled Mashal who (correct me if I'm wrong) spoke on CNN about acceptance of the Jewish State and mutual recognition of the pre '67 borders leading to a permanent truce.

So what exactly is Hamas' present long term declared aim? Or is it just a matter of a divided party with the leadership trying to keep everyone 'happy'?