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Hamas/Israel conflict: news and discussion



The UN rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese has made new report called Colonial Erasure

The short interview she goes into her report.

She argues that genocide can be inferred from the actions of the state. This is legitimate to do

That in this case this is a democratic state doing this. One with elections , the rule of law and separation of powers. None of this stopped this from happening.Other recent genocides as in Ex Yugoslavia are different in that sense. Israel is an established democracy. I thought this was interesting point. Why does this level of genocidal violence happen in what is a democracy?

She also argues that ideology has a place. She mentions Ilan Pappe on this. She says Israel is a settler colonial state. Not the first one by any means. But one doing this now in situation of the post WW2 building of international human rights law.

So shes not saying its just Netanyahu or a few rotten apples in the barrel.

But the genocide is systemic.

Not had a chance to look at her full report. Which I managed to find with difficulty. As some UN webpages do not appear to be working right. Its the pdf linked to this post.

She is a tough cookie. She has and is still getting a lot of stick. The usual ones alleging anti semitism.

With US wading in saying she should get the sack and she is an anti Semite.

Predictable accusation of anti semitism directed at someone sticking up for Palestinians. That is her job. And she is doing it properly


Tbf the US army went ahead and wiped out 600,000 Iraqis, between 1-3 million in Vietnam etc, while Britain oversaw both the Irish and Bengal famines. Democracy has no particular historic restraint re: the deliberate causing of mass death.
 
Tbf the US army went ahead and wiped out 600,000 Iraqis, between 1-3 million in Vietnam etc, while Britain oversaw both the Irish and Bengal famines. Democracy has no particular historic restraint re: the deliberate causing of mass death.

I haven't read all of her report yet. Working my way through it.

She's assembling an argument to say that what Israel state is doing can be classified as genocide. Under the modern international legal definition. Plus the case law developed over ex Yugoslavia wars for example. And Rwanda.

So its the intent that is the main issue here. She also says its not about only about numbers of deaths. Its doing things like destroying educational institutions for example.

Not that this is new either.

Its that its happening now in 2024 in Israel / Palestine.
 
Explanation of the possible arrests:


I know its a sadly oft-used trope in these times, but the lack of interest in this story from the British press really is something else.
 

Interview in Ynet with the CEO of contractor that might be taking over distribution of aid.

The article says this contractor has been now chosen.

The article says the contractor CDC has been in talks with Israel and US for seven months.

I'm essentially a contractor. The company is made up of former soldiers from elite units in the U.S., UK and France.
The company is made up of 'war junkies,' people who love fighting bad guys. They really believe this is the right thing to do," he e
we'll send a message to Gazan residents: you don’t want to mess with us.

Sounds charming company. All about winning hearts and minds.

From interview sounds more than just acting like a NGO.

It also sounds like first part in replacing UNWRA.

I've posted about this before. Now CEO is saying to Israeli press he's in serious talks with US as well.

Idea is his company moves in to stabilise post war Gaza.

What he calls secured neighbourhoods will be set up for Palestinians. These will be supplied with food etc. He says people will be able to come and go.

It sounds more like an open prison to me.

With this company as security guards.

Seems to me this is the kind of post war plan that could be pushed as temporary stabilization. But will end up as defacto permanent.

It will enable Israel to say it's removing most of IDF. So it's not a military occupation.

And also will enable Israel to say it's got a replacement for UNWRA to ensure aid is delivered.

One of the people managing the project is an extraordinary figure: Justin Sapp, a Green Beret colonel and CIA officer. He's now constructing the entire operation strategy for operating in Gaza.
 

Interview in Ynet with the CEO of contractor that might be taking over distribution of aid.

The article says this contractor has been now chosen.

The article says the contractor CDC has been in talks with Israel and US for seven months.





Sounds charming company. All about winning hearts and minds.

From interview sounds more than just acting like a NGO.

It also sounds like first part in replacing UNWRA.

I've posted about this before. Now CEO is saying to Israeli press he's in serious talks with US as well.

Idea is his company moves in to stabilise post war Gaza.

What he calls secured neighbourhoods will be set up for Palestinians. These will be supplied with food etc. He says people will be able to come and go.

It sounds more like an open prison to me.

With this company as security guards.

Seems to me this is the kind of post war plan that could be pushed as temporary stabilization. But will end up as defacto permanent.

It will enable Israel to say it's removing most of IDF. So it's not a military occupation.

And also will enable Israel to say it's got a replacement for UNWRA to ensure aid is delivered.

That article may be the worst-written piece of fiction I have read this year.
 
Without wishing to be flippant, I see no reason why it couldnt be both.

Fair enough.

As the CEO has had plenty of airtime on Israeli media without the Government saying its baseless my view is that this is something the Israeli leadership are floating as an option and seeing what US think of it.

I notice in article he's claiming he told Americans their pier to bring in aid was a failure and what he's offering is cost effective.

Given the lies and obfuscation of Israel ( normally Zionist practise) Id say this is what there preferred option is. Not direct IDF military rule or direct Israel control but use a third party to give veneer this isn't about Greater Israel annexation.

And then let the hard line settlers go in with their trailers as though that's nothing to do with the state.
 
Finished reading Francesca Albanese report.

Trying to look up more when she talked about it and here is ten minutes of her in full flow.

She gives full frontal attack on Israel. No wonder she got stick.

Her arguments are sound.

She starts by saying she is speaking on ground taken from American Indians

Her report avoids mentioning the word Zionism. But it does say Israel is settler colonial.

That from its early days it was about the colonial erasure of Palestinians.

That the Hamas attack was used to further this. Now following the international law built up post WW2 this counts under international law as danger of being genocidal.

That the international agreements on prevention of genocide are that. Each state should be looking and saying what it will do to prevent genocide in Palestine/ Israel. As genocide law is not just about investigating it. Its also about preventing it if there is plausible case its happening,



 
If I read her right she is saying Israel is a democracy with the rule of law.. That's how it presents itself.

In that case the judiciary should be holding the executive to account and also individuals.

The ICJ has given ruling that there are concerns which should be addressed.

Israel as a state should be addressing this and it hasn't.

Individuals and state actors are acting with impunity. Despite genocidal statements being made. And plausible case that genocidal actions are being done by other parts of Israel state. So the arm of the state the judiciary haven't been doing their job.

This can be used as evidence of intent.

Therefore the Israel state can be accused as a whole of being genocidal. Not just a few far right individuals.
 
On the Francesca Albanese report and address to UN

Genocide is to destroy in whole or in part. Later case law is not just about numbers of deaths ( Eichmann trial, Yugoslavia and Rwanda) but also a about the the destruction of spirit and slow death. Genocide is process not a single act. The key is the intent.

Intent is to destroy Palestinians as a people

Palestinians are marked as in her words an unwanted encumbrance in eyes of Israel
 
If I read her right she is saying Israel is a democracy with the rule of law.. That's how it presents itself.

In that case the judiciary should be holding the executive to account and also individuals.

The ICJ has given ruling that there are concerns which should be addressed.

Israel as a state should be addressing this and it hasn't.

Individuals and state actors are acting with impunity. Despite genocidal statements being made. And plausible case that genocidal actions are being done by other parts of Israel state. So the arm of the state the judiciary haven't been doing their job.

This can be used as evidence of intent.

Therefore the Israel state can be accused as a whole of being genocidal. Not just a few far right individuals.

It’s this failure to convict the vast majority of offenders, even when their guilt is so obvious that even their own colleagues appear as witnesses against them (of which there is no worse example than the scumbag who executed Imam Al-Hams in 2004) that will further doom their case at the ICJ.

As Albanese says it is a function of a state’s courts to enforce the law as it exists, and if they aren’t doing even that then it’s incumbent on international courts / the international system to do it in order to prevent such crimes being carried out.

Yes, the usual suspects will inevitably point to the case against Netanyahu for corruption, or the previous PMs getting their collars felt but the reality is that virtually no one gets in serious trouble for the task in hand (the occupation) and even when they do they are not treated in such a way that inspires any confidence in the process (the defence lawyer for the settler who firebombed a home in Duma in 2015 that burnt a family alive is now the justice minister).

The parallels with accepted genocidal regimes are incredibly clear.
 
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