seriousbusinessforhumans

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The only democracy in the Middle East

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The world continues to look on

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This is Hamas' response to the proposal the Israeli occupation government sent them

In other words, Hamas made a counter offer the other Resistance factions are happy with. The terms that must be met before a prisoner exchange are:

Permanent ceasefire

the complete withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza

Lifting the blockade and allowing aid to enter the strip

Reconstruction of Gaza

The Palestinian resistance has the upper hand. Remember the last time Hamas sent a proposal in November that included a pause in the fighting, Israel immediately dismissed it before crawling back and accepting. This time they are willing to consider it from the start. In fact Netanyahu has gone from saying the war will last a year to just months

I trust that all the conditions for the prisoner exchange will be met.

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South Africa files ICJ case accusing Israel of 'genocidal acts' - (29th December 2023, 04:19 EST | Source: BBC)

Following its application to the ICJ, South Africa's presidency said in a statement that the country was obliged "to prevent genocide from occurring". "South Africa is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants," it said. >> Access the full case here.

TODAY (Jan 3, 2024) — U.S. White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby Calls South Africa's Suit "Meritless, Counterproductive, and Completely Without Basis in Fact" (Source: C-SPAN, PBS)

The White House's response is blatant gaslighting and displays a callous disregard for human life.

DON'T LOOK AWAY. Read the full case/evidence for yourself. PUSH FOR PEACE.

#Palestine #Israel #South Africa #2024

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#2023 #women's issues #women's health #abortion #pro choice #Kate Cox

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The new DRAFT U.N. Resolution, set to be voted on today, calls for:

• ... “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses” in the fighting throughout Gaza and the opening of corridors inside the enclave “for a sufficient number of days to enable full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.” • U.N. Secretary General António Guterres to appoint a senior coordinator “with responsibility for facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature” of all assistance, and demands that “the parties to the conflict cooperate with the coordinator to fulfill their mandate without delay or obstruction.” • ... “immediate and unconditional” release of the hostages. It also demands that “all parties to the conflict comply with their obligations under international law ... including with regard to the conduct of hostilities and the protection of civilians and civilian objects.” • It reiterates the council’s “unwavering commitment” to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and “stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.” (12/22/23 | Source: WaPo)

Although the resolution's language was toned down, this is a sign of progress. While such measures are long overdue and should have been honored from the start, we must do everything possible to meet the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza and relieve unfathomable suffering.

DON'T STOP POSTING. KEEP UP THE PUBLIC PRESSURE. DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS.

Stay tuned for today's vote.

#2023 #palestine #israel #UN #us foreign policy #aid to gaza

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*IMPORTANT REPORTING* A Times Investigation Tracked Israel’s Use of One of Its Most Destructive Bombs in South Gaza

(Source: New York Times | Last Updated Dec. 22, 2023) During the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians, according to an analysis of visual evidence by The New York Times

Here's a clip for easy access, but please WATCH the FULL VIDEO ON YOUTUBE with no paywall * Warning: Graphic Content* Ultimately, the investigation identified 208 craters in satellite imagery and drone footage. ... the findings reveal that 2,000-pound bombs posed a pervasive threat to civilians seeking safety across south Gaza. Reporting By Robin Stein, Haley Willis, Ishaan Jhaveri, Danielle Miller, Aaron Byrd and Natalie Reneau

This is not defense, this is not justice, this is an affront to international humanitarian law. Stop the carnage.

The international community must do more than merely profess the defense of human rights; it must also ensure compliance in practice. DON'T LOOK AWAY. KEEP UP PUBLIC PRESSURE. PUSH FOR PEACE.

#2023 #israel #palestine #human rights #war

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60,000 Americans live in illegal settlements in the West Bank, built on land stolen from Palestinians. Another 100,000 live in occupied East Jerusalem, in homes stolen from Palestinians. [@/ shailjapatel on X. 12/16/23.]

How American citizens are leading rise of 'settler violence' on Palestinian land

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In WWII, in 6 years, 67 journalists were killed

In the Vietnam war, in 20 years, 63 journalists were killed

In Gaza, in 70 days, 89 journalists were killed

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LET THAT SINK IN. Given this reckless conduct by Israel, of course the civilian death toll in Gaza is so horrifically high, including 7,700+ CHILDREN killed in just about 2 months of war. Don't look away.

The assessment, compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and described to CNN by three sources who have seen it, says that about 40-45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions Israel has used have been unguided. The rest have been precision-guided munitions, the assessment says. Unguided munitions are typically less precise and can pose a greater threat to civilians, especially in such a densely populated area like Gaza. The rate at which Israel is using the dumb bombs may be contributing to the soaring civilian death toll. (Dec 14, 2023 | Source: CNN)

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NEW: CNN's Clarissa Ward witnessed the horror and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza during a visit to a field hospital in Rafah operated by the United Arab Emirates. — [Dec. 14, 2023]

Absolutely heartbreaking. Watch the entire video. Don't look away. Spread the word.

#Gaza #isreal #palestine #human rights #attempted genocide #2023 #CNN

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#christmas #history #european history #medieval #medieval history #forest management #christmas trees #Yule #video #holidays #Youtube

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The United Nations estimated 1.9 million out of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced.

Over 7 thousand children murdered

Israel's indiscriminate and brutal bombing of Gaza continues to kill and maim an unprecedented amount of innocent civilians — mostly women and children — in mass.

This is an utter moral catastrophe and an ongoing humanitarian crisis that requires the worlds immediate attention. Don't look away.

Israel bombards Rafah as pressure mounts over civilian death toll in Gaza

Dec 14, 2023 | Source: Al Jazeera

Fighting rages across Gaza

Two weeks after the truce collapsed, the war has entered an intense phase with fighting now raging across the entire Palestinian enclave and international organisations warning of a worsening of the humanitarian catastrophe there.

Israel has brushed off calls for a ceasefire, including a resolution at the UN Security Council blocked by a US veto last week and another that passed overwhelmingly in the General Assembly this week. ...

The United Nations estimated 1.9 million out of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced.

The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said on Wednesday that Palestinians in Gaza were “facing the darkest chapter of their history”.

#Palestine #gaza #israel #2023 #attempted genocide

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I don't understand. I'll never understand why so many people, especially in the US are so ready to ignore a human rights catastrophe if Israel is the one causing it (with our weapons non the less).

Even people who are usually compassionate and thoughtful about world issues...it's like they have a mental block when it comes to the lives of Palestinian people.

We Are No Strangers to Human Suffering, but We’ve Seen Nothing Like the Siege of Gaza

Dec. 11, 2023 | Source: New York Times Op-ed

By Michelle Nunn (CARE USA), Tjada D’Oyen McKenna (Mercy Corps), Jan Egeland (Norwegian Refugee Council), Abby Maxman (Oxfam America), Jeremy Konyndyk (Refugees International), and Janti Soeripto (Save the Children U.S.)

We are no strangers to human suffering — to conflict, to natural disasters, to some of the world’s largest and gravest catastrophes. We were there when fighting erupted in Khartoum, Sudan. As bombs rained down on Ukraine. When earthquakes leveled southern Turkey and northern Syria. As the Horn of Africa faced its worst drought in years. The list goes on.

But as the leaders of some of the world’s largest global humanitarian organizations, we have seen nothing like the siege of Gaza. In the more than two months since the horrifying attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and resulted in some 240 abductions, about 18,000 Gazans — including more than 7,500 children — have been killed, according to the Gazan health ministry. More children have been reported killed in this conflict than in all major global conflicts combined last year.

The atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 were unconscionable and depraved, and the taking and holding of hostages is abhorrent. The calls for their release are urgent and justified. But the right to self-defense does not and cannot require unleashing this humanitarian nightmare on millions of civilians. It is not a path to accountability, healing or peace. In no other war we can think of in this century have civilians been so trapped, without any avenue or option to escape to save themselves and their children.

Most of our organizations have been operating in Gaza for decades. But we can do nothing remotely adequate to address the level of suffering there without an immediate and complete cease-fire and an end to the siege. The aerial bombardments have rendered our jobs impossible. The withholding of water, fuel, food and other basic goods has created an enormous scale of need that aid alone cannot offset.

Global leaders — and especially the United States government — must understand that we cannot save lives under these conditions. A significant change in approach from the U.S. government is needed today to pull Gaza back from this abyss.

For a start, the Biden administration must stop its diplomatic interference at the United Nations, blocking calls for a cease-fire.

Since the pause in fighting ended, we are again witnessing an exceptionally high level of bombardment, and at increasing ferocity. The few areas left in Gaza that are untouched by bombardment are shrinking by the hour, forcing more and more civilians to seek safety that does not exist. Over 80 percent of 2.3 million Gazans are now displaced. The newest Israeli offensive is now forcing them to cluster on a tiny sliver of land.

The bombardment is not the only thing brutally cutting lives short. The siege of — and blockades surrounding — Gaza have led to a critical food scarcity, cutoffs of medical supplies and electricity, and a lack of clean water. There is barely any medical care to be found in the enclave and few medications. Surgeons are working by the light of their mobile phones, without anesthetics. They are using dishcloths as bandages. The risk of waves of waterborne and infectious disease will only grow in the increasingly overcrowded living conditions of the displaced.

One of our colleagues in Gaza recently described their struggle to feed an orphaned infant who had been rescued from the rubble of an airstrike. The baby had not eaten for days after her mother’s death. Colleagues could only scrounge up powdered milk — not formula, not breast milk, and not a nutritionally suitable infant food — to help stave off her starvation.

Before the war, hundreds of truckloads of aid were needed each day to support Gazans’ daily existence. Only a trickle of that required aid has made it into Gaza in the two months since the war began. But even if more were allowed in, our work in Gaza is dependent on ensuring our teams can move safely to set up warehouses, shelters, health clinics, schools, and water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.

Today our staff members are not safe. They tell us they’re making the daily choice of staying with their families in one place so that they can die together or go out to seek water and food.

Among leaders in Washington, there is constant talk about preparing for the “day after.” But if this relentless bombardment and siege continue, there will be no “day after” for Gaza. It will be too late. Hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the balance today.

So far, American diplomacy in this war has not delivered on the goals President Biden has conveyed: protection of innocent civilians, adherence to humanitarian law, more aid delivery. To stop Gaza’s apocalyptic free fall, the Biden administration must take tangible measures, as it does in other conflicts, to up the ante with all parties to the conflict and bordering countries.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken once said of the war in Ukraine that the targeting of heat, water and electricity was a “brutalization of Ukraine’s people” and “barbaric.” The Biden administration should acknowledge that the same holds true in Gaza. While it has announced measures to deter violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, Mr. Blinken and his colleagues should apply similar pressure to stop violence against civilians in Gaza, too.

The harrowing events unfolding before us are shaping a global narrative that, if unchanged, will reveal a legacy of indifference in the face of unspeakable suffering, bias in the application of the laws of conflict and impunity for actors that violate international humanitarian law.

The U.S. government must act now — and fight for humanity.

Ms. Nunn is the president and chief executive of CARE USA. Ms. McKenna is the chief executive of Mercy Corps. Mr. Egeland is the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. Ms. Maxman is the president and chief executive of Oxfam America. Mr. Konyndyk is the president of Refugees International. Ms. Soeripto is the president and chief executive of Save the Children U.S.

#Palesinte #Gaza #Israel #double standards #2023