Rauf Snoubar, 14, shot in head with live bullet in Jalazon refugee camp 10 Dec by #Israel's occupation forces. Tweeted by @rk70534
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Israel to receive 50 American jets free of cost
On December 5, 2014, the Jewish Daily Forwardreported that during a business meeting between Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya’alon and his American counter-part Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon in October 2014, US defense department agreed to sell additional 14-F35As to Israel for $2 billion.
Hagel at the Pentagon in October 2014, US defense department agreed to sell additional 14-F35As to Israel for $2 billion.
“It’s just part of a long term deal that includes a 2010 purchase of 19 warplanes (which won’t arrive until 2016) for $2.75 billion and maintains option of purchasing 17 more in the future,” said Yael Even Ro.
What the cunning Zionist Jew writer ignored to mention that the Zionist regime is paying $4.75 billion for the purchase of 50 America’s most advanced jets, comes from US-taxpayers pockets. The US provides $3 billion + annual military aid to Israel on the condition that 75% of it would be used to buy American military hardware.
As that was not a joke enough. Yael also reported that in return for this new deal, America’s top arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin has agreed to buy $6 billion worth of security equipment from Israel. I’m sure some readers must have heard the idiom: Have Your Cake, and Eat it Too!
On August 8, 2014, Professor Marjorie Cohn (Thomas Jefferson School of Law) in an article said: “By sending vast amounts of military aid to Israel, members of the Congress, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have aided and abetted the commission of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity by Israeli officials and commanders in Gaza. An individual can be convicted of a war crime, genocide or crime against humanity in the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he or she “aids, abets or otherwise assists” in the commission or attempted commission of the crime “including providing the means for its commission.”
According to the Congressional Research Service, in 2007, the Bush Administration agreed to provide Israel with $30 billion in military assistance from 2009 to 2018, provided in annual increments of $3.1 billion. During his March 2013 visit to Israel, Obama pledged that the US would continue to provide Israel with multi-year commitments of military aid subject to the approval of Congress.
Since 2012, the US has donated $276 million worth of weapons and munitions to Israel, not including exports of military transport equipment and high technologies. From January to May 2014, the US transferred to Israel almost $27 million for rocket launchers, $9.3 million worth of parts of guided missiles and nearly $762,000 for bombs, grenades and munitions of war.
On July 20, 2014, Israel requested additional ammunition, including 140mm tank rounds and 40mm illumination grenades, and the Defense Department approved the sale three days later. It came from a $1 billion stockpile of ammunition the US military stores in Israel for that country’s use; it is called War Reserve Stockpile Ammunition-Israel. In early August 2014, both houses of Congress overwhelmingly passed, and Obama signed, an appropriation of $225 million for Israel’s Iron Dome aka Dumb Dome missile defense system, which has also been used in Gaza. The Senate vote was unanimous. With no debate, the House of Representatives voted 395 to 8 to approve the deal.
James M. Wall, journalist and editor of the Christian Century magazine has more on this story here.
Geneva Convention summit on Palestine to go ahead despite US, Israeli pressure
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| Although Israel is a signatory to the convention, which makes settlements on occupied land illegal, the Israeli government denies its applicability to the West Bank and East Jerusalem |
The contracting parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention will hold a special meeting on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip later this month, despite pressure by the US and Israel.
The Swiss government will convene the relevant state parties on 17 December, for an ambassadorial-level conference which Israel is expected to boycott. The US, Canada and Australia may also stay away.
Last month it was reported that Israel and the US were trying to dissuade the nearly 200 states that are party to the Fourth Geneva Convention from convening for the summit. Israeli officials even travelled several times to Bern and Geneva, but their efforts have proved unsuccessful.
According to Haaretz, Israel is still hoping to "lobby EU states to get as many as possible to boycott the conference." The gathering is likely to "intensify international criticism of Israeli policy in the territories, particularly with regard to the settlements."
The meeting takes place following President Abbas' decision in April to sign, on behalf of Palestine, the Fourth Geneva Convention. Shortly after, an official request was made to urgently convene the convention signatories to discuss Israel's occupation.
In 2001, the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention met in Geneva and condemned Israel's "indiscriminate or disproportionate use of force and due to lack of respect for international humanitarian law."
Israel is also a signatory to the convention, but, contrary to the overwhelming international legal consensus, denies its applicability to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Autopsy reveals Palestinian minister was murdered
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| Image of activists helping the collapsed minister |
The death Palestinian Minister Ziad Abu Ein was the result of beating, teargas-induced asphyxiation and obstruction by the Israeli army to transfer him to a hospital on time, a Palestinian official said, citing official forensic results.
Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Hassan Al-Sheikh, detailing the forensic results to the official Palestinian radio station today, asserted that the findings show that Abu Ein, who was fatally injured yesterday during an Israeli clampdown on a Palestinian protest against settlements and the Separation Wall near Ramallah, had been "murdered".
"The forensic report is an essential piece of evidence of Israel's responsibility [for Abu Ein's death]," Al-Sheikh said following yesterday evening's autopsy.
He added that the Palestinian authorities carried out the autopsy in an East Jerusalem university hospital after refusing to allow an Israeli medical centre to handle the procedure.
However, an Israeli doctor was present during the autopsy and he confirmed that the process was carried out "professionally", Al-Sheikh explained.
Abu Ein, who was in charge of the Israeli settlements file at the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), died yesterday after Israeli troops dispersed an anti-occupation demonstration in the northern West Bank town of Turmusiya.
A military funeral will be held for him this afternoon.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has described the Israeli attack on Abu Ein as "barbaric" and declared a three-day mourning period.
The Israeli army said it is reviewing the circumstances of Abu Ein's participation in the protest and his subsequent death.
Source : https://middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/15760-autopsy-reveals-palestinian-minister-was-murdered
Source : https://middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/15760-autopsy-reveals-palestinian-minister-was-murdered
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Hague-based ICC accepts Palestine's status
Decision clears way for the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in the occupied territories.
The International Criminal Court has accepted the status of Palestine, clearing the way for war crimes in the occupied territories to be investigated, Al Jazeera has learned.
Monday's decision amounts to a symbolic victory for the Palestinians who will get a seat at the ICC: In theory, it is now legally possible for war crimes to be investigated in the occupied territories if requested.
The ICC, which is governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.
| The court, whose headquarters is at The Hague in the Netherlands, is an independent international organisation and is not part of the UN system. While its expenses are funded primarily by "states parties", the ICC also receives voluntary contributions from governments, international organisations, individuals, corporations and other entities. Al Jazeera's Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said the acceptance happened at an open meeting on Monday of the assembly of states parties of the ICC. "What this means is that Palestine is now listed as a 'non-state party observer' - exactly the same status as the US or Russia or every other country that is not a signatory of the Rome Statute," he said. "In other words, all the ICC signatories now consider Palestine to be a state. The acceptance is symbolic but adds to the international momentum for Palestinian statehood and has legal repercussions. "If Palestine now applies to join the Rome Statute, it will be much harder to reject them. The acceptance clearly brings war-crimes trials against Israelis one step closer." |
Source:
Al Jazeera
|
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Q&A: 'I saw beheaded children in Gaza'
"As a doctor, I say don’t send more bandages, don’t send more drugs, and don’t send equipment. Stop the bombing, lift the siege, treat the Palestinians as humans, include them in the human family, protect them by international law and find a peaceful political solution to the occupation of Palestine. That’s the preventative medicine of this mayhem that is going on." - Dr. Mads GIlbert
UN Report: Israel in Regular Contact with Syrian Rebels including ISIS
A report submitted to
the United Nations Security Council by UN observers in the Golan Heights over
the past 18 months shows that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have been in regular
contact with Syrian rebels, including Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
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| Israeli soldiers stand near the border with Syria in the occupied Golan Heights as they prepare to evacuate a wounded Syrian Reuters |
Citing the UN report, Haaretz noted that there have been several instances
detailed in the report that shows close ties between Syrian armed rebels and
Israeli army.
According to the UN
report, a person wounded on 15 September "was taken by armed members of
the opposition across the ceasefire line, where he was transferred to a
civilian ambulance escorted by an IDF vehicle."
Moreover, from 9-19
November, the "UNDOF observed at least 10 wounded persons being
transferred by armed members of the opposition from the Bravo side across the ceasefire
line to IDF."
As per the details
released by the Israel's health ministry, so far some 1,000 Syrians have been
treated in four Israeli hospitals. Besides the civilians, some are members of
the secular Free Syrian Army rebel group.
Israel initially had
maintained that it was treating only civilians. However, reports claimed that
earlier last month members of Israel's Druze minority protested the
hospitalisation of wounded Syrian fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra
Front in Israel.
A statement issued by
a group of Druze activists accused the Israeli government of supporting radical
Sunni factions such as the Islamic State (ISIS).
Replying to a question by i24News on whether Israel has given medical assistance to
members of al-Nusra and Daesh (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (ISIS),
a Israeli military spokesman's office said: "In the past two years the
Israel Defence Forces have been engaged in humanitarian, life-saving aid to
wounded Syrians, irrespective of their identity."
The UN report also
laid out instances where in Israeli army was seen interacting with armed
rebels. In one incident, the report claimed that the IDF gave some boxes to the
Syrian armed rebels.
By Johnlee Varghese December 7, 2014 17:06 IST
By Johnlee Varghese December 7, 2014 17:06 IST
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