Peter Myers Digest: Israel and Gaza
The United Nations Security Council on Monday passed its first resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza after the U.S. abstained from the vote on Israel’s war against Hamas.
The final vote was 14 in favor, no votes against and one abstention. After the vote, the council broke into applause.
The resolution calls for an immediate cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and for the immediate release of all hostages.
The vote comes just two days after Russia and China vetoed a resolution from the U.S. that tied a cease-fire to the release of hostages.
The latest resolution has the backing of officials from the United Nations, who have expressed growing concern about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said after the vote that “this resolution must be implemented.”
“Failure would be unforgivable,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
U.N. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, unlike those from the General Assembly. Still, they can technically be ignored.
The U.N.’s high court, which is hearing a genocide case related to the war, has ordered Israel to take measures to protect civilians in Gaza, but it’s not clear how much those calls are being addressed.
The decision for the U.S. to abstain may anger Israel, which has relied on its partner at the council to protect it during the war. Washington has vetoed three other resolutions calling for a cease-fire.
Israel has threatened to move into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering. Israel has previously threatened to fight against Hamas in Rafah by Ramadan, but has yet to do so.
Still, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he approved plans from his military for a Rafah operation, even as the U.S. has begun urging him to consider alternatives. …
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington could not agree with the resolution because it did not condemn Hamas for Oct. 7. But she said they “fully support” other critical objectives in the measure, allowing for an abstention.
“This should be a season of peace,” she said of Ramadan. “This resolution rightly acknowledges that during the month of Ramadan we must recommit to peace.”
Thomas-Greenfield also said the “only path” to a true and lasting peace is the release of all hostages, which she says the resolution supports.
Netanyahu canceled sending a delegation to Washington after the U.N. vote., according to The Associated Press.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing that Netanyahu’s decision was “disappointing,” but he stressed the U.S. has not changed its policy on Gaza.
“We’ve been consistent in our support for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal. That’s how the hostage deal was structured,” Kirby said. “And the resolution acknowledges the ongoing talks.”
Israel’s U.N. representative Gilad Erdan slammed the resolution for failing to condemn Hamas.
“This council refused to condemn the Oct. 7 massacre,” he said. “This is a disgrace.”
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the U.N., said the resolution filled a moral obligation to take steps toward stopping the war.
“This must be a turning point, this must lead to saving lives on the ground,” he said. “A nation is being murdered.”
Updated at 12:14 p.m.
(2) US abstains from UNSC ceasefire vote; Netanyahu cancels visit of delegation to US
https://forward.com/fast-forward/595978/biden-un-abstains-ceasefire-gaza/
In a first, US withholds its veto and abstains from UN ceasefire resolution
After the vote, Netanyahu cancelled the planned visit of a high-ranking Israel delegation for talks with the White House over an impending military operation in Rafah
By Jacob Kornbluh
March 25, 2024
Tensions between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intensified Monday after the U.S., which has consistently vetoed U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, abstained instead.
The resolution introduced Monday, by non-permanent members of the U.N. body, including Algeria and Mozambique, called for an immediate ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that would lead to a permanent sustainable ceasefire. It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
After the vote, Netanyahu cancelled the planned visit of a high-ranking Israel delegation for talks with the White House over an impending military operation in Rafah, a Gaza city where about a million Palestinians are sheltering. The delegation, led by Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, was asked to meet in Washington, D.C., at Biden’s request, to discuss U.S. concerns about the operation and alternatives.
Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s senior war cabinet partner, echoed the prime minister’s criticism of the U.S. decision to abstain, but said it was critical to continue to engage with the administration. …
A shift in US policy?
The White House is reportedly debating whether to place restrictions on arms sales to Israel. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections after the war in Gaza winds down. …
Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday said there could be “consequences” for Israel if it moves ahead with the Rafah operation. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris said in an interview with ABC News.
(3) US allows Gaza ceasefire resolution at the UN to pass, prompting anger from Netanyahu
US allows Gaza ceasefire resolution at the UN to pass, prompting anger from Netanyahu
BY RON KAMPEAS
MARCH 25, 2024 1:26 PM
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The United States abstained on a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, allowing it to pass — marking the first time that the council has succeeded in issuing a formal call for a pause in the war.
The U.S. abstention drew a scathing response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused the Biden administration of “harming” Israel’s war efforts and its efforts to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He has canceled a delegation of top Israeli officials who were set to visit Washington, D.C. to discuss their war strategy.
The Biden administration had vetoed all Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the war until last week, when Russia and China vetoed a measure sponsored by the United States that attached the ceasefire call to a hostage deal.
The decision to abstain and clear the way for Monday’s resolution to pass — in addition to Netanyahu’s response — reflected a dramatic acceleration of worsening ties between the Biden and Netanyahu governments after months of U.S. support for Israel in the war.
The war began nearly six months ago on Oct. 7 with Hamas’ invasion of Israel, in which the terror group killed some 1,200 people and took approximately 250 hostage. Since then, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war. More than 250 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Globaql health officials also say the enclave is on the verge of famine.
The resolution, whose lead sponsor was Algeria, demands an “immediate ceasefire” during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began two weeks ago. It also demands “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” and stresses the “urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip.”
The United States, which has been backing indirect negotiations for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release, denied that its abstention was a change in policy. The U.S. decision to abstain was made at the last minute, according to the United Nations news service, after the United States sought, and achieved, the replacement of the phrase “permanent ceasefire” with the phrase “immediate ceasefire.”
John Kirby, the spokesman for the Nationals Security Council, said in a call with reporters immediately following the vote that the United States abstained, rather than vetoing, because the resolution included a call for a release of Israeli hostages.
“Our vote does not represent a shift in our policy,” Kirby said. “We have been clear and consistent in our support for a hostage release as part of a ceasefire.”
Netanyahu portrayed the vote differently in a statement from his office. Noting that the resolution does not condition a ceasefire on a release of hostages, the statement said the United States “has abandoned its policy in the UN today.” The resolution sponsored last week by the U.S. mission had linked a ceasefire with a hostage release.
“This constitutes a clear departure from the consistent US position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war,” the statement said. “Today’s resolution gives Hamas hope that international pressure will force Israel to accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages, thus harming both the war effort and the effort to release the hostages.”
The Hebrew-language version of the statement was even more critical of the United States: It said the U.S. abstention — rather than the resolution — “gives Hamas hope.”
The cancellation of the Israeli delegation comes as Biden and Netanyahu have been at odds publicly over whether Israel should invade Rafah, a city on Gaza’s border with Egypt that has been crowded with more than 1 million displaced Palestinians. Netanyahu’s government says an invasion is necessary in order to defeat Hamas, which has battalions there. Biden opposes the invasion because of the threat to civilian life.
In a statement on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is currently in Washington to seek U.S. military aid, suggested that he also supported entering Rafah, in part because of the potential impact on hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
(4) UN says ‘settler-colonialist’ Israel committing genocide in Gaza
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-793697
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
MARCH 25, 2024 21:50
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese published an advance version of a report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, referring to the State of Israel as a “settler-colonialist project.”
The UN special rapporteur wrote that genocide has always been “an inevitable part of the forming of Israel,” claiming that “practices leading to the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestine’s non-Jewish population occurred in 1947–1949.”
Albanese did not mention what happened in 1947-1949, the years during which Arab countries in the region launched what then secretary-general of the Arab League Azzam Pasha termed a “war of annihilation” against Jews in Israel.
Albanese additionally accused Israel of “humanitarian camouflage,” meaning using international humanitarian law to “legitimize its genocidal violence in Gaza.”
As part of her report, Albanese stated that over 60% of the 439,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed or severely damaged. According to UNOSAT, the UN’s satellite image analysis center, a total of 121,400 homes were severely damaged or destroyed, or about 27% of the homes in Gaza. The UNOSAT report added that, in total, out of all categories of structures in Gaza, 35% were destroyed or severely or moderately damaged.
Albanese listed an OCHA report as her source for her claim that 60% of homes were “destroyed or severely damaged,” although the report states that 52,000 (12%) homes were destroyed and 253,000 were “partially damaged.” The OCHA report does not clarify what level of damage “partially damaged” refers to.
(5) AOC says $20 Million Offer to Unseat Tlaib amounts to Corruption
https://www.commondreams.org/news/20-million-unseat-tlaib
AOC Says $20 Million Offer to Unseat Tlaib Exemplifies ‘Corruption of Our Politics’
Hill Harper rejected the offer from the Michigan businessman, saying he wants to “break the stranglehold wealthy special interests have on our politics.”
JULIA CONLEY
Nov 23, 2023
Recent news out of Michigan, where actor and union organizer Hill Harper is running for U.S. Senate and U.S. Rep. <https://www.commondreams.org/tag/rashida-tlaib>Rashida Tlaib has recently angered pro-Israel lawmakers and donors for her staunch support for Palestinian rights, offered an illustration of the “corruption” of the American political system, said one progressive House member late Wednesday.
As Politico reported, Harper recently<https://twitter.com/hillharper/status/1727391882706378781> rejected $20 million from an anti-Palestinian rights enterpreneur, Linden Nelson, who offered the money in exchange for Harper dropping out of his Senate race and running instead against Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her House seat.
The offer came on October 16, the day Tlaib joined Rep. <https://www.commondreams.org/tag/cori-bush>Cori Bush (D-Mo.) in<https://bush.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-bush-tlaib-carson-lee-ramirez-lead-colleagues-in-call-for-immediate-ceasefire> introducing a resolution to back an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in <https://www.commondreams.org/tag/gaza>Gaza. The blockaded enclave was then nine days into a relentless bombardment by Israel, which was launched October 7 in retaliation for Hamas’ attack on southern Israel but had already killed nearly 3,000 Palestinian civilians, including 1,000 children, at the time. …
“The fact that in the U.S. just one wealthy person can make a call and offer millions to unseat an official they dislike tells you everything about the corruption of our politics,” said Rep. <https://www.commondreams.org/tag/alexandria-ocasio-cortez>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Nelson has been involved with the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in the past, and has donated to both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. …
Saurav Ghosh, director for federal reform at the Campaign Legal Center, told Politico that Harper and Nelson would have broken the law if they had moved forward with the deal.
Nelson’s offer, <https://twitter.com/IfNotNowOrg/status/1727475788016971798>said Jewish-led anti-Zionist group IfNotNow, is “a clear example of how groups like AIPAC and [its super PAC, Democratic Majority for Israel] try to undermine the will of voters and attack representatives who truly represent our values.”
(6) Candace Owens quits the Daily Wire after it Canceled her over Gaza genocide
https://expose-news.com/2024/03/24/candace-owens-declares-she-refuses-to-be-silenced-by-the-powerful-group-that-people-are-not-allowed-to-talk-about/
Candace Owens Declares She Refuses to be Silenced by the Powerful Group that People Are Not Allowed to Talk About.
BY PATRICIA HARRITY
MARCH 24, 2024
After aggressive pressure from Zionist <https://twitter.com/RabbiShmuley/status/1769907196756672729> rabbis and other staunch supporters of Israel, it was announced last Friday morning that popular commentator Candace Owens and her host company – the Daily Wire had “ended their relationship.” The announcement came from Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boreing with a simple <https://twitter.com/JeremyDBoreing/status/1771165501160411423> tweet on X stating, “Daily Wire and Candace Owens have ended their relationship” that was retweeted by Owens herself: “Finally free”
Candace has said “I’m going to be honest with you, because everybody’s noticing it, every single commentator in America, every single one of them knows this, that if you do not step out and say things that are radically pro Israel, or if you are too quiet on certain narratives and they want you to be radically pro Israel, you can lose everything, that’s the truth….”
Too Vocal
Candace Owens who is known for her fearless reporting has lasted at the Daily Wire far longer than many may have thought she would considering who they are connected to. Lowkey posted on the X platform:
“So, it seems Candace Owens has been <https://x.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1771481846213230881?s=20> cancelled by Ben Shapiro and the Daily Wire for opposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The Daily Wire is funded by Kape Technologies, whose CEO is Israeli Intelligence Duvdevan Unit veteran Ido Erlichman. Before founding The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro was <https://x.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1771481923581358499?s=20> funded by Robert Shillman, a tech billionaire on the board of The Friends of the IDF. Shillman also funded Tommy Robinson at that time.”
Continuing – “Shapiro and the co-founder of The Daily Wire, Jeremy Boreing, both helped Israel lobbyist Dennis Prager set up the YouTube channel Prager University, where they worked under Israeli Unit 8200 Military Intelligence veteran Marissa
Streit. <https://x.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1771483446138859959?s=20> In the early days of The Daily Wire, Shapiro got millions of dollars of funding from fracking billionaires, the Wilks Brothers.
The Wilks Brothers also fund The Liberty Counsel, which has a Stand With Israel campaign where they host Netanyahu as a speaker. <https://x.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1771483510328430829?s=20> Today, the Chief Operating Officer of The Daily Wire is Jon Lewis. He is a former intelligence analyst in the US Marine Corps. The Daily Wire also employed former US military intelligence officer Wesley Schmidt in customer service analytics.“
Why Now?
Tensions began for Owens last November as Israel’s relentless bombing response to the October 7 attack. according to <https://lifesitenews.com/> LifeSiteNews who say that “With charges of genocide coming from many quarters of the world, <https://twitter.com/NetureiKartaUS/status/1721007495873810596> including <https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/a-jewish-plea-stand-up-to-israels-act-of-genocide/> Jewish groups in the U.S., the Christian political commentator <https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1720511533136953699> tweeted, “No government anywhere has a right to commit a genocide, ever. There is no justification for a genocide. I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.”
Soon after, when Owens tweeted a scripture verse from St. Matthew’s gospel “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Daily Wire committed Zionist co-founder Ben Shapiro <https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1724918002783576530> suggested she should quit, and at a private gathering of supporters <“https://twitter.com/LoomerLs/status/1724389388421845083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1724389388421845083%7Ctwgr%5E3395acb83cf62c5cc1bf41ff37b230e289321b73%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2024%2F03%2F22%2Fbusiness%> called her treatment of this issue “absolutely disgraceful.”
Candace Owens is out at Daily Wire after opposing funding of Israel’s war
Soon after, in the interest of promoting free speech, Owens welcomed Jewish scholar, author and Middle East expert Norman Finkelstein to her program where he <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te1y7ahp2LQ&t=617s> argued that what is happening in Gaza “is not a particularly complicated situation right now. The Israeli government has openly, unabashedly, flagrantly, blatantly declared a war of genocide on the people of Gaza.”
Having published elsewhere a long compilation of <https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/fighting-amalek-in-gaza-what-israelis-say-and-western-media-ignore/> quotes from Israeli officials demonstrating his point, he added, “Can there be any doubt in the minds of any objective observer, when Israel declares a policy of prohibiting any food, water, fuel, or electricity from entering Gaza” that <https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARES3260-Prevention-and-Punishment-of-the-Crime-of-Genocide-UN-Documents-Gathering-a-body-of-global-agreements.pdf> genocide is their policy?
Publisher of rabbi’s hit piece on Owens retracts article, apologizes to readers
Yet in the same spirit of promoting free speech and widespread views on her platform, Owens <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ9GQ-gexhQ> welcomed staunch Zionist Rabbi Michael Barclay to her show on Tuesday in order to respond to a scathing <https://web.archive.org/web/20240309153041/https:/pjmedia.com/rabbi-michael-barclay/2024/03/09/lets-be-honest-candace-owens-is-a-jew-hating-bigot-n4927156> article he wrote titled Let’s Be Honest: Candace Owens Is A Jew Hating Bigot. As of Saturday, March 23, there are an astonishing 54,800 comments under the video, overwhelmingly praising Owens and critical of the condescending rabbi.
In her introduction of the topic and the article, Owens said that “honestly there are only two options here, either this rabbi is genuinely ignorant of everything that I have ever said … (or) he’s completely aware … and he is just a monster. I’m excited to find out.”
After Barclay failed to substantiate many of his claims in the interview, the publisher of his piece, PJ Media, appeared to tacitly provide their answer to Owens’ question by <https://pjmedia.com/rabbi-michael-barclay/2024/03/09/lets-be-honest-candace-owens-is-a-jew-hating-bigot-n4927156> retracting the article. “Upon further review, we have determined that the following article does not meet PJ Media’s editorial standards. We apologize to our readers for the oversight,” the publisher’s <https://pjmedia.com/rabbi-michael-barclay/2024/03/09/lets-be-honest-candace-owens-is-a-jew-hating-bigot-n4927156> statement read.
Jalsevac: Owen’s interview with rabbi ‘exposed the serious flaws and dangers of Zionism’
Having watched the entire interview, LifeSiteNews co-founder and president Steve Jalsevac said Owens was “incredibly charitable” to Barclay allowing him to “speak uninterrupted at great length.” “The trouble was that she was also much too effective in countering the rabbi’s irrational statements, hugely condescending attitude and not so subtle hatred for her views,” he continued. And with reference to her departure, Owens “exposed the serious flaws and dangers of Zionism like I have never seen done before,” he said. “For them, that is unforgivable.”
Greenwald: Just like any other foreign country, Owens is ‘allowed to be a fierce critic of Israel’
In a Wednesday <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i-XC3tf43A> analysis of the interview left-leaning Jewish commentator Glenn Greenwald came to Owens’ defense, saying that, like Tucker Carlson, she applies “conservative principles consistently,” asking “why are we censoring critics of Israel in the United States? Why don’t American citizens have the right to criticize Israel to defend the Palestinian cause that they want? Why are people getting fired for criticizing Israel or criticizing Joe Biden for financing Israel? And why should Israel not be held to the same humanitarian standards in the way that they’re conducting this war as we hold other countries too?”
“Now, I believe that as an American citizen, which Candace Owens is, she’s allowed to be a fierce critic of Israel. Israel is a foreign country,” the journalist observed. “You can be a fierce critic of Russia … you can be a fierce critic of Paraguay or South Korea, and you can be a fierce critic of Israel.” “In fact, you ought to have more space, not less, to criticize Israel, given that every American taxpayer, by definition, helps to pay for Israel’s military and its wars and its government, and therefore it gives you a right to criticize that country if you wish,” he said.
False accusations of ‘anti-Semitism’ used as a weapon to silence critics
Greenwald also unpacked the common tactic of utilizing vicious <https://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2477.htm> calumny as “an attempt to destroy the reputation of people who disagree … and to shut down debate,” and said this is used against “anyone who questions why the American government is supporting Israel.” Such individuals “will be called a racist and an antisemite.”
For his part, Barclay was on Owens’ show to say she “is an anti-Semite, every critic of Israel is an anti-Semite. Anyone who questions why the United States government is paying for Israel’s war is absolutely an anti-Semite,” he mocked.
Providing a clip of the interview where Barclay was shown to have falsely accused Owens of “not having condemned Hamas,” Greenwald explained how his insistent demands that the host agree that October 7 is a “singular evil … unlike anything that has ever happened in history before” was “obviously insane and preposterous.” In the mind of Barclay, Owens’ refusal to do this demonstrated she was an “anti-Semite.”
If one crosses the artificial lines of speech control on this issue “you won’t be debated, you won’t be engaged with, you’ll be branded a racist, and you will have your job in risk of being fired, of being censored, as so many people have,” he presciently observed.
In response to an attack from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) charging her with “vitriolic antisemitism” and adding “fuel to the fire of hate” absent any reasonable evidence, Owens <https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1770909198743683195> tweeted, “everyone can see what you guys are doing to me. Your pattern is well established and the world is waking up to it.”
“My crime is that I do not believe that American taxpayers should have to pay for Israel’s wars or the wars of any other country. I will not change my mind. So the question is what will you do to me next? The world is watching.”
Similar to Owens’ sudden departure from the Zionist Daily Wire, last year’s firing of <https://www.lifesitenews.com/tags/tag/tucker-carlson/> Carlson by Fox News came in the wake of his being <https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2021-03-24/ty-article-opinion/.highlight/tucker-carlson-is-now-a-big-problem-for-pro-israel-conservatives/0000017f-db97-d856-a37f-ffd7d89a0000> considered “a Big Problem for pro-Israel Conservatives” and “a threat to the pro-Israel community” due to “his lack of enthusiasm for the Jewish state.” …
(7) The Rabbi’s Tear
Feb 29, 2024
The Rabbi’s Tear
Michael Lesher
Until very recently, I thought I could no longer be shocked by any news about Israel’s savagery against the trapped people of Gaza – or about my Orthodox Jewish community’s unrelenting support for each and every atrocity.
I had seen the <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/10/body-of-6-year-old-killed-in-deliberate-israeli-fire-found-after-12-days> shredded bodies of Palestinian children.
I had seen the bombed-out remains of Gaza’s <https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/09/israel-gaza-health-care-hospitals-genocide-icj/> last functioning hospitals and of the patients who had been killed inside them.
I had seen helpless Gazans <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/9/israeli-snipers-kill-21-civilians-outside-gazas-besieged-nasser-hospital> murdered in cold blood by Israeli snipers when they tried to collect a bit of drinking water.
I had read about doctors forced to <https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/20/gaza-healthcare-crisis-amputation-anesthesia/> amputate limbs without anesthetic, about mothers unable to save their little ones from bombs or from disease, and about “religious” Israeli Jews deliberately <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvnYoyO1AYo> blocking the trucks attempting to deliver a trickle of life-saving supplies into Gaza and literally dancing in the street when they succeeded.
But then I saw something that shook me even more deeply than all of this.
I saw a rabbi wipe a tear from his eye.
The rabbi belonged to the staunchly anti-Zionist religious group called Neturei Karta, and he was speaking to an interviewer about Israeli crimes and about how any genuinely religious Jew must repudiate them. Nothing surprising there. But as he was speaking, the interviewer shared with him a video of some of the recent carnage in which wounded Palestinian children were calling vainly for their murdered parents. And – yes – while taking in that horrible scene, the rabbi dabbed at a tear with the knuckles of one hand.
It was a perfectly natural gesture. And yet it jarred me – and at first I could not understand why.
But then I realized what had troubled me so much about that tear: throughout all the horrors of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, now nearly five months old, this was the first time that I had ever seen any Orthodox rabbi – or, for that matter, any of my Orthodox Jewish coreligionists – show the slightest sign of emotion over the suffering inflicted on Palestinians by the so-called Jewish State.
(8) UNRWA Situation Report no. 93 on Gaza, West Bank & East Jerusalem
From: “Ken Freeland” <diogenesquest@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2024 00:35:19 -0500
Subject: [shamireaders] UNRWA Situation Report no. 93 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem
———- Forwarded message ———
From: UNRWA Communications <<mailto:communications@unrwa.org>communications@unrwa.org>
Date: Fri, Mar 22, 2024, 6:37 AM
UNRWA Situation Report
UNRWA Situation Report no. 93 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem
All information from 19–20 March 2024, is valid as of 20 March 2024 at 22:30
Days 165-166 of Hostilities
<https://unrwa.us21.list-manage.com/track/click?u=802ba135645c6b5fe7af847ab&id=402098b897&e=d6d98da032> Download UNRWA multimedia resources here
Published 22 March 2024
Key points
The Gaza Strip
There is very little respite for Palestinians in Gaza, even during the holy month of Ramadan as the conflict across the Gaza Strip continues. Israeli Security Forces (ISF) continue military operations across the Gaza Strip. ISF airstrikes continue in heavily populated Rafah in southern Gaza, where UNRWA estimates a total of 1.2 million people are now living, the vast majority in formal and informal shelters.
Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations are ongoing. Meanwhile, heavy fighting between ISF and Palestinian armed groups continue in southeastern Gaza City and areas surrounding Al Shifa Hospital in the city. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and the destruction of homes and other civilian infrastructure.
The Israeli military operation inside and around Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City continued for the third successive day. The World Health Organization’s Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on 18 March that: “Hospitals should never be battlegrounds. WHO are terribly worried about the situation at Al Shifa Hospital, which is endangering health workers, patients and civilians.”[1]
UNOSAT satellite imagery analysis[2] showed that approximately one third (or 35 per cent) of the total structures in the Gaza Strip have been either damaged or destroyed. The governorates of Gaza and Khan Younis experienced the highest amount of destruction. Famine[3] is imminent in Gaza, especially amongst isolated populations in northern Gaza, who have been deprived of humanitarian assistance.
On 18 March, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership released its latest food security outlook. It concluded that up to 1.1 million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. The report highlights the fast-deteriorating food security conditions, including a nearly 80 per cent increase in the number of people facing the highest classification of food insecurity since December, when the initial assessment was conducted. The increase has been triggered by the intensity of hostilities, extremely limited humanitarian access and severe limitations on the supply of goods and basic services. According to UNICEF and UNRWA nutrition screenings in February, the rates of acute malnutrition among children in northern Gaza and Rafah have nearly doubled in just one month. The IPC report also predicts a worsening of malnutrition rates unless aid increases and reaches the most vulnerable and hard to reach populations.
Following the announcement that famine is imminent there has been no significant change in the volume of supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north. The first 20 days of March saw an average of 159 aid trucks per day crossing into the Gaza Strip. This remains well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the target of 500 per day, with challenges at both Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and Rafah. Security to manage the crossings has been severely impacted due to the killing of several Palestinian policemen in Israeli airstrikes near the crossings in early February.
(9) Nearly all of Israel’s weapons imports are from companies in USA & Germany
From: “Josef K. Schwanzer” <donauschwob@optusnet.com.au>
Subject: Amid arms embargo calls, data shows 99% of Israeli weapon imports are from US, Germany
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:16:45 +1100
https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-arms-embargo-calls-data-shows-99-of-israeli-weapon-imports-are-from-us-germany/
Amid arms embargo calls, data shows 99% of Israeli weapon imports are from US, Germany
By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff
As calls grow among critics of Israel around the world to limit arms sales to the Jewish state over the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, <https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/fs_2403_at_2023.pdf> data released in recent days shows nearly all of Israel’s weapons imports are from companies in the United States and Germany.
According to a 2023 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which studies conflicts and arms, 69 percent of Israel’s arms purchases come from US firms, 30% from Germany and 0.9% from Italy.
“At the end of 2023, the USA rapidly delivered thousands of guided bombs and missiles to Israel, but the total volume of Israeli arms imports from the USA in 2023 was almost the same as in 2022. By the end of 2023, pending deliveries of major arms to Israel included 61 combat aircraft from the USA and 4 submarines from Germany,” the SIPRI report read. By guided bombs, it was apparently referring to kits that convert simple bombs into precision weaponry, via systems like the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), made by American companies. Israel does not manufacture such systems itself.
The SIPRI report stated that US sales of fighter jets to Israel over recent decades have played “a major role in Israel’s military actions against Hamas and Hezbollah.”
All of the Israeli Air Force’s current manned aircraft are American-made, aside from one helicopter built by France’s Airbus Helicopters.
As a result, Israel relies heavily on other nations for many of the components in its warplanes, helicopters, warships and submarines, since foreign manufacturers generally do not allow for a separation between the core product and its installed systems, except for local adjustments for navigation and matching software. …
The study found that Israel and Germany’s dependence is fairly mutual, with Berlin importing 16% of its arms from the Jewish state — its second biggest supplier. SIPRI highlighted Germany’s <https://www.timesofisrael.com/germany-signs-nearly-e4-billion-deal-for-israels-arrow-3-missile-defense-system/> purchase of the Arrow 3 long-range air defense system last year as an expression of this relationship. Meanwhile, Israel is Germany’s third-largest destination for its military exports, receiving 12% of exports — behind Ukraine (12%) and Egypt (20%).
Israel is the destination for only 3.6% of US exports, coming in behind Kuwait (4.5%), Qatar (8.2%), Japan (9.5%) and Saudi Arabia (15%), SIPRI said.
Israel’s top customer for military supplies is India, which takes a share of 37% of Israeli exports, followed by the Philippines (12%) and the US (8.7%), according to the research.
SIPRI, a think tank founded in 1966, provides data, analysis and recommendations on matters relating to global security.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.