A young man was shot dead by Israeli forces, at dawn on Monday, in the town of Al-Yamoun, west of Jenin.

Medical sources reported that the young man, Thaer Naeem Hamo (21 years old), died as a result of being shot in the abdomen by bullets from Israeli forces, after persistent attempts to treat him at Al-Hadaf Medical Center.

Local sources said that Israeli forces raided several homes, searched them, and assaulted their residents, amid the outbreak of confrontations.

In the village of Deir Abu Daif, tIsraeli forces arrested the two young men, Ahmed Fawzi Aliyat and Ahmed Mamoun Yassin, after raiding their homes.

The Gaza Strip is currently facing the threat of total famine, as the end of the fourth month of the war approaches. Several indicators have emerged of a major disaster, and international warnings and reports have been issued diagnosing the situation and calling for redress.

Since the start of the war, the Gaza Strip has been suffering from a shortage of raw materials, due to Israel preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, which it was receiving at a rate of 600 trucks per day, and a very small portion, at a rate of 3 percent, was not allowed to pass until about two weeks later, according to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

In its report on the situation of the population of Gaza before last October 7, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) stated that “80 percent of the population of Gaza depends on international aid.”

It noted that living in Gaza in 2022 would mean confinement in one of the most densely populated places in the world. The issue of the continued flow of international aid remained the subject of international bargaining with the Israeli government, which refused to provide tangible facilities and did not even respond to US pressure, and large quantities of food and medicine remained piled up at the Egyptian Al-Arish airport.

Israeli censorship prevents the delivery of medicines

Israel imposed strict control on the quantity and quality of materials entering the Gaza Strip daily, and insisted on inspecting them in the Al-Awja corridor and then returning what it allows to enter the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, as Israel does not have any sovereign rights, borders, or agreements with Egypt that would allow it to do so.

The Israeli measures led to the banning of the majority of medicines and the rationing of food, which caused a major shortage, and reflected an explicit Israeli position that the policy of preventing food, medicine and water is part of a comprehensive war within the framework of collective revenge against the Gaza Strip.

International pressure partially succeeded in increasing aid to 4 percent after a month of war on Gaza, and in numbers, the per capita share in the Strip, which is inhabited by 2.3 million people, became the equivalent of 70 grams of food and 17 milliliters of water per day.

This is at a time when the United Nations estimates that more than 1.7 million people in Gaza have become displaced, and about a million of them reside in more than 150 UNRWA shelter centers throughout the Strip. Israel began implementing punitive measures from the beginning of the war on Gaza. In parallel with the military operations, it cut off electricity, water, communications, and the Internet from the Strip. It linked all steps to developments in the war, and began bargaining over them as negotiating cards.

These measures included the systematic destruction of hospitals, schools, infrastructure, residential facilities, and homes, with the aim of making the Gaza Strip an unlivable area. This led to more than two-thirds of the residential buildings being taken out of service, and they became either completely destroyed, or uninhabitable.

The sector held out for a while thanks to some stocks that were not destroyed, and signs of running out began to appear last week, with some residents consuming animal feed, as stated in reports carried by media outlets and international organizations.

The manifestations of famine began when the canned goods, which the people of the Gaza Strip had relied on for their food since the beginning of the war, began to disappear from the markets, followed by wheat flour, which was empty in the markets, so the Palestinians turned to grinding corn and barley grains intended for making animal feed.

The owner of a grain mill in Jabalia camp spoke of the market running out of white flour completely, and pointed out that what is in the market now is only corn flour. He said that they used to grind rice, but because of its high prices, they stopped that and started making flour from corn and barley grains intended for animal feed.

According to Palestinian sources, this option has begun to gain popularity despite medical warnings about its effects, including that the nutritional value of animal feed lacks essential elements to nourish the human body. The taste of bread is difficult, and humans do not eat it easily.

When the Israeli army withdrew from northern Gaza, this contributed to achieving a breakthrough. Citizens reached animal food warehouses and were able to solve the hunger crisis within a few days, as they worked to grind bad wheat, barley, corn, lentils, and even bird and cat food, to obtain something similar to Flour, but this breakthrough quickly dissipated due to the hunger that struck the Gaza Strip.

The threat of mass famine in Gaza

The World Food Program has warned of the threat of mass famine since the beginning of last month. He said that hunger is widespread throughout the Gaza Strip, and that people feel increasingly desperate in trying to find food to feed their families. He reported that cases of drought and malnutrition are rapidly increasing in the Strip.

Monitoring conducted by the program by phone on December 5 showed that between 83 and 97 percent of families do not consume enough food, and in some areas, up to 90 percent of families do not eat any food for an entire day and night. . As evidence of the rapid spread of famine, 18 percent of these households experienced these conditions on more than 10 days during the month preceding the survey.

On January 22, the warning was raised to its highest level by the World Food Programme, which reported that very small amounts of food aid had reached the south of the Gaza Strip to its north since the beginning of the war, stressing the danger of pockets of famine forming in areas of the Strip.

A day later, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced that 750,000 people in the Gaza Strip were facing catastrophic hunger. The reasons behind the announcement were identified as the lack of aid on the one hand, and on the other hand, the violent fighting, the refusal to receive aid, and the interruption of communications, which hinders its ability to provide aid safely and effectively.

The matter is not limited to Israeli measures only, as UNRWA poses another problem, which is the inability of the United Nations to receive aid shipments recently, due to several factors, including the small number of trucks inside Gaza, with the inability of some of them to move from the central areas that were isolated from the South.

Other factors include the disruption of communications, and the increase in the number of employees unable to go to the Rafah crossing due to hostilities. The Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Karl Skau, said in a statement, after a visit to the sector, that "with the collapse of law and order, any meaningful humanitarian operation has become impossible." He added: "We have food on the trucks, but we need more than one crossing. Once the trucks are in, we need a free and safe passage to reach the Palestinians wherever they are."

United Nations employees are trying to summarize the issue in terms of technical difficulties, but it has been clear since the beginning of the war that Israel knows what it wants by turning food into a weapon of war with the aim of displacement, putting pressure on the social incubator, and directing resentment against the Palestinian factions.

International organizations such as Doctors Without Borders began to warn of the disastrous and horrific consequences of Israel's policies, which are affecting children due to a lack of milk, and leading to diseases that may be difficult to recover from at a later stage. Displacement is a red line, and at the same level of danger must be placed famine. So far, it has appeared that appeals and statements issued by international organizations alone are insufficient, and in order for them to be heard, they need a directed international media campaign, especially in light of the crisis that UNRWA is going through today.

Medical sources reported that 10 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli bombing that targeted, at dawn on Monday, a school belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) housing displaced persons in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza.

The Israeli army continues to besiege Al-Amal Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis for the sixth day in a row.

Local sources confirmed that two Palestinians were killed and others were injured in an Israeli bombing that targeted a house in the Al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City.

Dozens of citizens were killed and injured, at dawn on Monday, the majority of them children and women, as a result of the continued bombing by Israeli aircraft and artillery on citizens’ homes in various areas of the Gaza Strip, on the 115th day of the aggression.

Medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that journalist Issam Al-Lulu, his wife and two sons were killed in an Israeli bombing on the town of Al-Zawaida in the middle of the Gaza Strip, which raised the number of journalist killed since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip to 121.

The Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City, and the Tal Al-Hawa area, west of the city, witnessed Israeli artillery shelling and violent clashes, which led to the death and injury of many citizens.

Earlier last night, 23 citizens were killed after an Israeli bombing targeted a house belonging to the Al-Mutwi family, west of Al-Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.

About 14 citizens were alsokilled as a result of the targeting of a house west of Al-Zawaida in the central region.

Medical sources said that Israel committed 38 massacres in the Gaza Strip during the past 48 hours, claiming the lives of 350 persons, including at least 24 in the bombing of Khan Yunis.

In an infinite toll, the number of killed and wounded since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October has risen to 26,422 killed and 65,087 wounded, in addition to thousands missing under the rubble.

By IBRAHIM BA MATRAF and ASSEM ALKHADHAMI

Despite Iran’s persistent denial of any involvement in the Hamas attacks on October 7, many international observers remain skeptical.

Aclose examination of the map of the Middle East shows how Iran has projected its power across the region through militia groups and armed factions, united in their animosity toward Israel and the United States. These groups converge not only ideologically but also financially, with Iran as their primary backer. Official statements from Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Gaza affirm the existence of a so-called Axis of Resistance, and Hamas' military wing commander, Muhammad al-Deif, has explicitly urged his fellow Iran-backed groups to join the conflict in Gaza.

Whether or not Iran had prior knowledge of the October 7 attacks, it is evident that Hamas anticipated support from its allies in the region. As affirmed by Abu Marzouq, a Hamas leader,  the group was "expecting a lot from Hezbollah and from our brothers in the West Bank…[and was] surprised by the shameful attitude of our brothers in power." Others in Hamas believed that Iran and of the Axis of Resistance would intervene in the event of Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. In October, Ali Baraka, head of Hamas' National Relations Abroad, was confident that “the allies of the resistance will not leave Gaza up for grabs by the Zionist entity and the American administration."

The American narrative continues to strongly associate Iran with Hamas, insisting that without Iranian support, Hamas would not have been able to carry out these attacks. But today, more than three months into the war and despite the large number of causalities, Iran does not seem willing to intervene directly in the war. In November, Reuters reported that Khamenei told Hamas that Iran would not enter the war on their behalf. Although Hamas denied the veracity of this report, it still seems very plausible for several reasons: 

1. The strong reaction from the United States: The deployment of aircraft carriers and the explicit threats to any parties contemplating involvement in the conflict have served as forceful deterrents.
2.  Iran’s lack of prior knowledge about the attack: despite conflicting reports and varied accounts maintaining that Iran was privy to the attacks, we believe that Tehran did not possess information about the timing of the operation—either because Hamas wanted to maintain secrecy to capitalize on the element of surprise, or because Iran had no involvement in planning the attacks.
3. Domestic problems and divisions: in addition to Iran’s economic woes, there is an apparent schism between moderates, who advocate non-intervention, and hardliners, who push for active engagement. Former Iranian minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, for instance, has suggested that adopting a more extreme stance on Gaza might spark a deadly conflict with the United States—a scenario which Israel would welcome. 
4. Risks of regional escalation: Tehran is aware that any intervention on behalf of Hamas may greatly harm its interests, especially in the absence of favorable international conditions, and could trigger a major regional conflict that would be difficult to control. In the context of current global geopolitics, with China busy trying to reclaim Taiwan and Russia still mired in Ukraine, Iran understands that it might find itself confronting the United States without the support of key allies.

These realities suggest that the Islamic Republic is more deliberate and moderate than what appears in the media—and what it projects through its own messaging. It is no exaggeration to say that Iranian propaganda is simply a means to convince Muslim nations of their ability to attack Israel and “liberate Jerusalem.” But unless directly attacked by Israel, all indications show that Iran’s entrance into a regional war is highly unlikely. Although this might result in a significant decline in its popularity, particularly among citizens of Axis of Resistance countries, it is still a safer alternative to entering a war that could jeopardize the stability of the ruling Iranian regime.

By ZAHA HASSAN

Summary:  Too much is at stake: too many Palestinian and Israeli lives, too much U.S. credibility, and too high the risk of regional conflagration.

Related Media and Tools

Last week, South Africa presented a well-argued case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s judicial arm, alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies the charges and claims its actions in Gaza are self-defense. A state-to-state complaint about “the crime of crimes” should be a big deal to the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, particularly when it involves a close ally receiving around $4 billion per year in U.S. security assistance (and fast-tracked for more). Yet the response of U.S. officials has been milquetoast, dismissing the case as meritless and without any factual basis. At the same time, the White House has also asserted that it has made no legal assessment about Israel’s conduct in Gaza or how U.S. weapons may have been misused.

How can both things be true? Either the United States has information about whether Israel is acting within the constraints of international law, including the 1948 Genocide Convention, or it is completely in the dark. The United States cannot have it both ways. Too much is at stake: too many Palestinian and Israeli lives, too much U.S. credibility, and too high the risk of regional conflagration.

Of course, the Biden administration knows what is taking place inside Gaza. It knows because it has had surveillance drones flying above Gaza since October 7. It knows because U.S. intelligence analysts are likely following journalists who are risking their lives to report and the Palestinians in Gaza who are live-streaming via TikTok, Instagram, and Telegram. It knows which types of munitions Israel has been dropping, firing, and shooting into Gaza’s densely populated cities and refugee camps because it is Israel’s principal supplier, and it knows what kind of damage these munitions do when used in such areas.

Numerous reports and accounts from UN special rapporteurs, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and others explain the impacts of Israel’s war inside Gaza. Their reports are all public, as are the statements of their representatives. These organizations also report that civilians and civilian infrastructure are being targeted, that the vast majority of those killed are women and children, that the bombing is indiscriminate and not in proportion to the threat posed, and that hundreds of thousands of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are being forcibly displaced, starved, and deprived of water and medical treatment. They say that Palestinians are being killed in their homes and shelters, they are being killed when they try to flee, and they are being killed in the so-called safe zones that Israel has designated. They say 100,000 more Palestinians could die in the days and weeks to come if the bombing does not stop and a massive amount of humanitarian aid is not allowed in.

But knowing the facts on the ground is not the same as assessing them. And an assessment is needed in order to get to a legal conclusion that would require the United States to act to put in place a ceasefire. As a party to the Genocide Convention, the United States is required to “undertake to prevent and punish” the crime of genocide. That commitment becomes meaningless if the United States can simply look away when the party accused of international crimes is an ally or if the outcome of an assessment is inconvenient. As Biden has stated, preventing genocide is both a “moral duty and a matter of national and global importance.” That is why the White House has an atrocity prevention and response strategy and why the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act requires the State Department to monitor for such events around the world and prepare annual reports on what it is doing to prevent them. The act also requires foreign service officers to be trained to spot the early warning signs for such grave human rights violations and an all-of-government approach to prevent genocide from happening. 

The United States may want to maintain its certainty that Israel is not committing any grave human rights violations in Gaza by avoiding an assessment, but the ICJ case—which is supported by at least fifty countries, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation—may force its hand, even if a decision on the case’s merits takes years. South Africa’s request for provisional relief, which includes a call for an immediate ceasefire and entry of humanitarian aid, may be only days away. The burden of proof required for provisional relief —“plausibility” that a violation of the Genocide Convention has occurred—is less than what is required for a final ruling.

The ICJ will likely rule that the provisional relief burden has been met, because the Israeli acts in Gaza are so well-documented, as is the apparent genocidal intent of Israeli officials leading the war. The most egregious of these statements includes directives to military personnel about starving Gaza, expressions of support for “voluntary immigration” of Palestinians, and the use of biblical analogies in speeches to soldiers about the permissibility of killing all innocents in war.

For Palestinians, the “Day After” Starts With a Plan for Ending Israel’s Occupation

Time is running out for Palestinians in Gaza. But it is also running out for the Biden administration. South Africa is reportedly preparing to file a complaint against the United States for complicity in the commission of genocide. Attempts to quietly coax and cajole Israel into opening up one more crossing for humanitarian aid or to allow one more truckload of supplies in from Egypt will not make for a convincing argument at the ICJ.

The United States must make an assessment about Israel’s actions in Gaza and act accordingly. The Biden administration must lead a renewed effort at the UN Security Council for a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, and it must be willing to back up the resolution with the full measure of its resolve, including suspending military assistance to Israel. U.S. inaction would continue to jeopardize Palestinians’ lives, risk an outbreak of regional war, and carry the permanent stain associated with a possible ICJ finding that the United States was complicit in or failed to prevent genocide. The U.S. response to the ICJ cannot be that it never made an assessment.

The critics who found fault in some liberals rushing to mourn nationalism and pronouncing it dead were not mistaken. If we were to borrow from Plato’s allegory, with some alterations, life in the nineties looked more like shadows and blurred lines of real things, not real things themselves.

Nonetheless, there is a big difference between nationalism as the Arabs and the rest of the “Third World” knew it during the Cold War, and the nationalism of today. The former concealed and suppressed smaller identities, calling for a new national identity that united a transnational “Arab people.” As for the latter, it affirms existing identities, which tempts us to conclude that these identities are its ultimate end and final destination. Thus, it is ethno-nationalism in the narrowest sense of the word, so much so that terms like “nationalism” or “nation” are used only rarely and metaphorically, and, instead of promising a unified state larger than those that already exist, its demand, or dream, is a smaller autonomous state. The two nationalisms also have a different “enemy” - and nationalism cannot survive without enemies. “Colonialism,” the first formulation’s enemy, was tied to the “West” and by extension to “imperialism,” and their shadows converged over Israel. As for the second formulation, it appointed its closest neighbor as its enemy; it could ally with “colonialism” to defeat this enemy, while it is only hostile to “colonialism” if it is allied with that enemy.

While it is true that the first nationalism sparked civil wars in several Arab countries, culminating in the Yemeni Civil War of the 1960s, these wars were presented as side effects that had to be endured on the nationalist journey. Moreover, these conflicts were given labels that, to varying degrees, obscured and concealed reality, presenting them as, for example, contradictions between "progress and reactionary,unionism and isolationism," or "socialism and a capitalism tainted with feudalism." Today, however, communal groups wage their wars purely as communal groups that alone carry the familiar saturated dose of victimhood.

Culturally, the first nationalism boasted a broad and written culture rooted in Arab and Islamic history, leaving the second to take pride in a culture in which the spoken word and local folklore occupy broad swaths of the landscape.

Thus, the nationalism we have today is, to a large extent, antithetical to the forms of nationalism we are familiar with, inheriting nothing but absolute loyalty to a group of people, a large one in the predecessor and a smaller one in the successor. It could be correct to say that the defeat of the first form of nationalism, with Syria’s separation from Egypt in 1961 and then the defeat of June 1967, was among the causes for the rise of the second form, especially since the other doors, not just that of traditional nationalism, have been closed to our peoples. Indeed, the revolutions demanding freedom and democracy were also defeated, leaving military dictatorships and civil wars behind them. Before that, socialism, in its extremely bureaucratic and statist manifestation, had impoverished peoples and dried out societies.

Overall, it can now be said that the rise of the current form of nationalism rings the death bell of the old one, as well as almost every other promise. This undeniable rise is evident in the explicit civil wars that are underway, simultaneously, in Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan, as well as the latent, or delayed, civil wars in Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, and possibly other countries. Obviously, all of that is inconsistent with the notion that “the Ummah” {nation} is waging a fateful battle in Palestine.

Looking at the current war, we notice that this transformation is reflected in a way that silences what used to be a prevalent discourse about the "Arabism of the battle." And so, wars tied to Palestine were portrayed, truthfully or falsely, as wars that concerned all Arabs. For instance, the Arab Summit was established in 1964 as an institution with the aim of preventing Israel from diverting the course of the Jordan River, and the 1967 defeat led to intra-Yemeni and Egyptian–Saudi reconciliation, while every Arab state was categorized as either a "frontline state" or a "supporting state." Today, on the other hand, the axis directly involved in the war is notably led by a non-Arab state, Iran. That suggests that the forces who have accepted Iran's leadership are less than states and smaller in size, and it would be difficult to argue that those forces are the traditional torch-bearer of Arab nationalism. Something similar can be seen in international alliances: During the Cold War, the Soviet Union, the side facing the West and the United States, was presented as an ally of the Arabs. In contrast, it would be difficult to make the same claim today about China, which is considered the peer of the West and the United States. It is no longer a secret that the Chinese have voiced frustrations over their commercial interests being undermined by the actions of Houthis in the Red Sea. Similarly, the countries of the “South” replacing those of the “East” as the supporters of Gaza in the war being waged against it seems more a reflection of the Guevara-Fanon tradition than that of the Soviets or even the Chinese. The same applies to the make-up of the mass demonstrations in support of Palestine across the globe, especially in the West. In both cases, we are seeing a merger between "pre" statehood and nationalism and "post" statehood and nationalism. And as we have come to understand, that is among the hallmarks of globalization and our times.

Source: Alsharq Alawsat

With a single bullet in the heart, Israeli occupation soldiers killed the child, Ruqaya Abu Dohuk (4 years old), at the Beit Iksa checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem. They then detained her body, and later performed an autopsy to determine the causes of death that were not yet known, and the occupation did not reveal them, despite his extradition. For the body 10 days after it was detained.

Warqia is one of 25 children that Israel has been holding in its refrigerators and cemeteries for many years, a third of them only since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, and refuses to hand them over to their families, as part of a policy of abuse against the Palestinians that Israel has pursued since its occupation of the West Bank in 1967.

Ahmed Abu Dahuk, the father of the child Ruqaya, says that on January 7, his daughter was with her mother and three of her sisters on their way to their home in the town of Beit Iksa, north of Jerusalem, in a taxi, and as soon as they reached the Israeli checkpoint at the entrance to the town, they were searched according to applicable military procedure.

They had barely walked a few metres, and the occupation bullets penetrated their vehicle and killed Ruqayya. The soldiers fired about 32 bullets towards another vehicle that was driving behind them. The soldiers claimed that it wanted to carry out a ramming attack against them.

Autopsy

Abu Dahuk adds to Al Jazeera Net, "After Ruqaya was injured, the soldiers detained her body and dissected it without our consent, even though they requested the presence of a family doctor. However, they did not acknowledge or explain the cause of death."

After 10 days of waiting mixed with great sadness, the Abu Dohuk family received their baby Ruqaya, and she rested in peace, saying that nothing would deter her killers, “They are occupiers, enemies, and killers without accountability or control.”

Abu Dohuk added, "My child was killed, she was dissected, her body was seized, and she was released. I do not know the reason for all of this, and I could not believe that I received her and buried her. Under these circumstances, I thought that the detention would be prolonged due to the events and martyrs that the occupation detains on a daily basis."

Israel is holding 463 bodies (not including the bodies of martyrs around Gaza after the war), including 18 prisoners and 6 women.

Preventing medical staff

If the Abu Dohuk family was lucky and received the body of their daughter, the situation is not the same for the family of the child Khaled Hamidat (16 years old), who was killed by occupation bullets near the Beit El settlement north of Ramallah in the West Bank in mid-January, and his body was detained.

Khaled's family was left in a difficult situation, as they received news from eyewitnesses that the soldiers arrested Khaled while he was "alive and moving his body," although the Palestinian Civil Association confirmed to them the news of his martyrdom, according to what was reported by the occupation army.

Amer Hamidat, the father of the martyr child Khaled, who is from the Jalazoun camp near Ramallah, says that the occupation army killed his son even though it could have injured and arrested him, and prevented citizens and medical teams from approaching him and treating him, and fired bullets at them.

The grieving father added, "The occupation increased the punishment after the killing, so it seized the body to burn our hearts and deter others with it, and this will not happen."

The two children, Abu Dahuk and Hamidat, are two of 8 children whose bodies have been withheld by Israel since the start of the war on Gaza only. They are among 24 children whose bodies have been withheld since 2015. All of them are detained in refrigerators, and one of them is in the numbers cemetery, while Israel is withholding the body of the child Riyad Amin Jaber from the city of Hebron. Since 1968, according to Hussein Shujaia, coordinator of the national campaign to recover the detained bodies of martyrs.

Shujaiya told Al Jazeera Net - explaining the increase in the number of detained bodies - that the occupation has deliberately detained most of them since the war on Gaza, regardless of their relationship to the event or not, in order to investigate the circumstances of the martyrdom, and later releases some of them, and keeps others detained.

Shujaiya adds that the occupation pursues the detention of bodies as a “complex policy,” regardless of the age and gender of the martyr, whether he was an old man, a woman, or a young child, and that in doing so it controls the lives of Palestinians alive and after death, and wants the families of the martyrs to remain in a state of permanent sadness because they did not bury their children.

Reasons for detaining bodies

Through the policy of detention, in addition to abusing the martyrs and their families, according to Shujaia, the occupation aims to punish Palestinians in general and attempt to create a state of deterrence, in addition to its attempts to hide evidence in some cases with the bodies of martyrs in which there are doubts about the circumstances of their execution.

Shejaia continues to detain bodies, which also hinders the Palestinians from moving legally and demanding the opening of investigations into the circumstances of the martyrdom. Thus, the occupation hides the evidence from the human rights and legal institutions, and prevents them from taking any action against it, especially since “the Palestinian families always have suspicions about the theft of the organs of their martyrs.” .

The occupation sets conditions when handing over bodies, such as limiting the number of mourners to 25 people, preventing the entry of cameras into the cemetery, and paying financial guarantees to implement these conditions, according to the spokesman.

The year of child extermination

With great efforts, the national campaign has recovered about 375 bodies from the graves of figures and refrigerators since its launch in 2008, and is still continuing its procedures in the corridors of the Israeli Supreme Court.

For its part, Defense for Children International - Palestine Branch said that 2023 is the year of “genocide” against Palestinian children at the hands of the Israeli occupation. The movement stated in its annual statement issued on January 9 that Israel has killed 8,000 children in Gaza and 81 in the West Bank and Jerusalem since October 7, compared to 121 children it killed in 2023.

The global movement estimated in its statement that approximately 165 Palestinian children were arrested by the occupation during 2023, and that between 500 and 700 Palestinian children were detained by Israel in its prisons and tried in military courts.

Source: Al Jazeera

The American newspaper The Washington Post published a report saying that Russia is increasingly confident that deepening economic and diplomatic relations with China and the Global South will allow it to challenge the international financial system dominated by America, and undermine the West.

The report - written by Katherine Belton, the newspaper’s international reports correspondent - explained that, according to Kremlin documents and interviews with Russian officials and businessmen, Russia’s success in repelling a Western-backed Ukrainian counterattack was followed by a political stalemate in Washington and Brussels regarding continued financing of Kiev. Moscow’s confidence in Kiev was strengthened. Its policies are more.

From Moscow's perspective, American support for the Israeli aggression on Gaza has damaged Washington's standing in many parts of the world, and the combination of these events has led to a wave of optimism about Russia's global position.

Factors of Russian optimism

The writer said that officials in Moscow point to the growth of trade with China, military cooperation with Iran, diplomatic communication with the Arab world, and the expansion of the BRICS group of major emerging economies and its expansion to include Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 1, after his country assumed the presidency of the group, that the expansion of BRICS demonstrated the growing authority of the group and its role in global affairs, and its work would focus on “sovereign equality,” as the Kremlin began to indicate. Himself as part of the "global majority".

Belton pointed out that internal Russian Security Council documents obtained by a European intelligence service and reviewed by the Washington Post revealed that the Kremlin held meetings in 2022 and 2023 about ways to undermine the role of the dollar as a reserve currency in the world. The ultimate goal, one document stated, was to dismantle the post-World War II global financial system and the power it gave Washington.

Create a new world order

One document dated April 3, 2023 states: “One of the most important tasks is to create a new world order.”

Another document called for greater cooperation between China and Russia on artificial intelligence, cyber systems and the “Internet of Things.” As part of this, the document envisioned stronger cooperation between Beijing and Moscow to create a new financial system and a Eurasian digital currency based on alternative payment systems such as blockchain. ), to overcome Western dominance of global financial transactions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia was working to undermine US dominance of the global financial system, but acknowledged that they were aiming to find alternatives, saying that actions taken by the "collective West" were undermining confidence. He said in statements to the Washington Post that the Kremlin is carefully monitoring the situation and building a new system of economic nerve cells, because the previous system turned out to be “unreliable, false and dangerous.”

Strengthening Putin's internal position

The writer said that the belief that Russia has proven to be more flexible militarily and economically than the West expected has strengthened Putin's domestic standing ahead of the presidential elections next March, especially with some members of the Russian elite who have expressed long-term doubts about the war in Ukraine and initial concern about the impact of sanctions. Western.

A Russian academic with close ties to the country's senior diplomats said, "There are now strong expectations among the Russian elite that the situation will change further in favor of Russia."

Russian billionaires such as Oleg Deripaska, who initially spoke out in opposition to the war in Ukraine, saying it would lead to an economic crisis in Russia, now describe Russia's separation from the West as a catalyst for reshaping global economic patterns.

Alternative payment systems and debt markets will be established in China based on the yuan, and in India and the Middle East based on cryptocurrencies, and within a few years sanctions will no longer be an obstacle to global trade and investment, Deripaska wrote this month.

Does Beijing have an interest in reconciling with Moscow?

European security officials said that Moscow is Beijing's junior partner, and that it is not clear that China has any real interest in aligning with the Kremlin's grand visions, but they also said that Russia's focus on using its global position to disrupt the West is escalating, including in the Middle East.

One of these officials, on condition of anonymity, said that Russia is not omnipotent, but it is trying to use all possibilities, in a very consistent and systematic manner.

He added that while most of the West still hopes for a return to the previous regime, Russian billionaires have realized that the old life is over and now it is time to create a new future.

Decline in Moscow's relationship with Israel

The report continued by saying that since the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attacked Israel last October, the Kremlin appears to be carefully abandoning its relationship with Israel in favor of deepening relations with the Arab world.

In the same October, Russia hosted a joint delegation that included high-ranking members of Hamas and Ali Bagheri Kani, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister. Putin made a rare visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia last December, his first visit outside China, Iran and the former Soviet Union countries since the invasion of Ukraine.

A Russian official said that, through Iran, Moscow could make this situation in the Middle East so acute that attention could be further diverted from Ukraine.

He added that Russia "still has great negative potential. There are a lot of hotspots in which Russia can intervene."

With a host of elections being held in Europe this year, the US State Department has warned that Russia will conduct information operations aimed at further undermining Western support for Ukraine.

Moscow hopes for change in Europe

James B. explained: Rubin, the US special envoy and coordinator of the department's Center for Global Engagement, said Russia hopes elections in Europe this year will change what has been a remarkable alliance and disciplined opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Deep divisions in Washington, including continued funding for Ukraine, have reinforced the belief in Moscow and elsewhere that the United States is paralyzed, said Matthew Redhead, a former head of global strategic intelligence at HSBC and now a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. British research centre.

Redhead added that this means "that anti-Western countries like Russia, Iran, and perhaps China will start pushing the front lines even further to see what reaction they get. It's an invitation to escalate."

America loses World War III

As for Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled business executive who spent 10 years in a Russian prison after his troubles with Putin, the West appears to be at an inflection point, and how it responds to growing global unrest and Russian aggression could determine how many conflicts it faces in the coming decades.

"Putin is of course trying to undermine the world order, because for him this is the only strategy for survival," said Khodorkovsky, who now resides in London. After allowing Russia to cross the red lines in Syria, then withdrawing from Afghanistan, and then partially supporting Ukraine, Khodorkovsky said, “It appears from the outside that the United States is losing World War III.”

General Richard Barrons, former commander of the British army's Combined Forces Command, said the risks of strategic failure for the West were growing due to a lack of political will to supply Ukraine with sufficient quantities of weapons.

He added that in terms of potential military strength and economic power, “it is absolutely ridiculous for the West to be hostage to something as relatively insignificant as Russia. Putin believes that if he is stubborn enough for long enough, we, the weak West, will turn away from Ukraine, and that will not only be shameful, "It would be an act of strategic self-harm."

Source: Washington Post +Aljazeera

A video of ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich dancing at the conference could be used as evidence in future ICJ hearings, rights lawyer says

Thousands, including ministers from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party, gathered in Jerusalem on Sunday for a conference calling to resettle the Gaza Strip. 

At least 12 Israeli ministers participated in the conference about rebuilding Israeli settlements in Gaza and encouraging displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid reported. Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and several others from Netanyahu's Likud party gave "supportive speeches", he said.

Itay Epshtain, a special advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council, shared a video in which national security minister Ben-Gvir and  minister of finance Smotrich stood arm-over-shoulder, dancing at the conference. The human rights lawyer said that the image "would form part of the compelling evidence of noncompliance" with the International Court of Justice's recent order to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide and to punish acts of incitement.

Epshtain said that within the first hour of the conference a plan was presented for the re-establishment of 15 Israeli settlements and the addition to six new ones. The proposals are located on destroyed Palestinian communities.

Israel withdrew its military and settlers from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it does not intend to maintain a permanent presence again, but that Israel would maintain security control for an indefinite period.

There has been little clarity, however, about Israel's longer-term intentions, and countries including the United States have said that Gaza should be governed by Palestinians.

Earlier this month, the US State Department warned against statements from Smotrich and  Ben-Gvir, which advocated for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza, calling the rhetoric "inflammatory and irresponsible".

We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government," the State Department said in a statement at the time, adding that such statements should "stop immediately". The conference was organized by the right-wing Nahala organization, which advocates for Jewish-only settlement expansion in territories including the West Bank, where they are classified as illegal by international and humanitarian groups. 

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory said that it documented, two days after the International Court of Justice approved temporary measures to stop genocide in the Gaza Strip, that the Israeli occupation army continued to kill, forcibly displace, and starve civilians, at the same previous pace.

Euro-Med indicated in a statement that it had documented the Israeli army’s killing of more than 373 Palestinians, including 345 civilians, in addition to more than 643 injuries, since the court’s decision was issued.

He added that Israel continues to ignore the decision of the highest court in the world, and to violate its international obligations, including the rules and principles of international law, by insisting on continuing to commit grave violations that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide against the Palestinians.

It explained that in addition to the non-stop Israeli bombing operations, including the destruction of residential homes on the heads of their residents and the forcible killing of displaced people after they were terrorized and responded to illegal Israeli evacuation orders, Israel continues its attack on what remains of the health system in Gaza, and besieges the hospitals that remain partially functioning in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, directly targeting it.

Euro-Med confirmed that the Israeli army forces did not commit to implementing any of the measures of the Court of Justice, as they continued to deliberately kill and target civilians on a large scale and without military necessity or proportionality in dozens of cases. They also continued the process of systematic and widespread destruction of civilian objects, including homes and gatherings. Residential areas, neighborhoods, and certain areas witnessed horrific crimes, which comes within the framework of destroying evidence of the commission of the crime of genocide.

The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory indicated that during the past two days, more dead and dead were buried in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis because it was not possible to transfer them to the cemetery where the Israeli forces are stationed, confirming that it documented at least four other mass and random burial sites in the squares, schools and streets of Khan Yunis.

The Euro-Med Monitor said that Israel is still deliberately obstructing the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in general, and placing more stringent restrictions on its entry into the northern Gaza Valley in particular, where the famine situation is worsening 114 days after the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

It stated that over the past few days, settlers have obstructed the entry of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, east of Rafah, stressing that the number of aid trucks decreased to only 87 trucks during the past two days compared to the previous days, which witnessed an average of 100 trucks per day.

News

The Israeli occupation expands the military zone around Kerem Shalom

It confirmed that the Israeli army continues to target hundreds of Palestinians as they gather on Salah al-Din Street in southern Gaza to wait for trucks carrying aid. Dozens of displaced people were also injured in shelters set up in a school in the Al-Amal neighborhood after tents caught fire as a result of the Israeli bombing.

This comes at a time when Euro-Med documented the severe suffering of thousands of residents during their forced displacement from the Khan Yunis refugee camp and several other areas in the governorate to the western coastal areas, amid rainy and cold weather and Israeli intimidation and torture measures, and without the availability of any alternative or safe shelter that meets the minimum humanitarian needs. .

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders in a new number of areas of Khan Yunis, with a total area of more than four square kilometers, and published these orders via social media, despite the ongoing outage of electricity, communications, and Internet services in the Strip.

Following the intense Israeli bombing of Khan Yunis and the central region of the Gaza Strip in recent days, in addition to new Israeli military evacuation orders, thousands of new displaced people forcibly moved to the city of Rafah in the far south of the Strip.

According to the Observatory, the Israeli army continued to destroy entire residential squares, although it was not possible to accurately estimate this destruction, in addition to destroying all buildings at a depth ranging between 1,000-1,500 meters from the border fence in the eastern Gaza Strip, with the aim of establishing a buffer zone that would cut off more than 15% of the area of the Gaza Strip.

The Euro-Med team monitored the establishment of a security checkpoint by Israeli army forces on Al-Bahr Street, west of Khan Yunis camp, south of the Gaza Strip, after closing all the side streets that residents had been using during the past days to flee the camp.

It pointed to the continuation of official Israeli statements that reflect intentions to continue committing the crime of genocide.

The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory stressed that these developments require the international community to quickly take a binding executive decision on the decision of the International Court of Justice, work on an immediate ceasefire, ensure the protection of civilians and their return to their homes, and intensify work by international and international institutions to monitor, monitor and document Israel’s violations of the court’s decision. Report these violations and disseminate them widely.

The office of the Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement on Sunday night, commenting on the Paris meeting held today regarding a new deal between Israel and the Palestinian “Islamic Resistance Movement” (Hamas), through mediators, that the meeting “was constructive, but the gaps are big".

The statement said: “The intelligence summit in Europe ended a short while ago, with the participation of Mossad head Dedi Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and reserve general Nitzan Alon, with the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, and the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.” The Qatari, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel.” While the statement described the meeting by saying: “It was a constructive meeting... There are still large gaps that the parties will continue to discuss this week in additional meetings.”

Representatives of the four countries are holding talks with the French authorities, with the aim of moving towards an agreement that includes a truce in the fighting and the release of hostages held by the Hamas movement.

For its part, the newspaper "Haaretz" quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying that the meeting witnessed "the beginning of progress," as "it was a positive meeting, but it is still too early to know whether it will form the basis for a deal."

The Hebrew Channel 12 quoted an unnamed political official as saying: “There is progress in communications to move the negotiations forward,” adding that the goal was “to reach a unified formula among the participating parties, upon which the participants can build their discussions for a new deal.”

It added that the Israeli War Council (War Cabinet) will meet tomorrow, Monday, to discuss the continuation of negotiations on the deal.

Source: Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed

US President Joe Biden pledged to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of three US military forces in a nighttime drone attack on a small US site in Jordan, and placed the blame on Iranian-backed armed groups.

At least twenty others were injured in the attack.

Biden said in a statement: America’s heart is heavy. Last night, three American service members (soldiers) were killed - and many were injured - during a drone air attack on our forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border.”

Biden continued: “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know that it was carried out by Iranian-backed extremist armed groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”

Biden pledged that the United States “will hold all those responsible accountable at a time and in the manner we choose.”

He described the three fallen soldiers as “patriots,” praised their courage and expressed his sadness, calling it “a despicable and completely unjust attack.”

"Together, we will uphold the sacred commitment we have to their families. We will strive to be worthy of their honor and courage. We will continue their commitment to fighting terrorism," the president said.

Biden was briefed on the attack on Sunday morning in South Carolina, where he is campaigning for re-election, according to the White House. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Deputy National Security Advisor John Feiner provided the briefing.

The number of service members injured in the attack on a US base in Jordan now stands at more than 30, and is likely to rise further as they seek treatment for symptoms consistent with traumatic brain injury, two US officials said.

Officials said the attack drone that struck during the night landed near residential neighborhoods on the base.

The base that was attacked is a small American site called Tower 22, near the border with Syria. It is unclear why the air defenses failed to intercept the drone, which appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since the attacks on American and coalition forces in the region began last October 17.

US forces are at the site as part of an "advise and assist" mission with Jordan.

The Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, considered that the negotiations conducted by the Israeli government “for the release of the hostages,” in reference to the Israeli prisoners held by the resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, come “thanks” to the military operations of the occupation army in the besieged Gaza Strip, stressing that The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip will only end with a "final blow."

These statements came during a visit during which Galant met with members of the 11th Brigade (reserve infantry brigade) who left the besieged Gaza Strip a few days ago, on a field tour he conducted with the participation of the commander of the 99th Division, Barak Hiram, and the brigade commander, Nadav Maysles, according to what was stated in a statement issued by the Ministry of Security. Israeli, this evening, Sunday.

According to the statement, the soldiers and commanders reviewed before Gallant “the brigade’s activities within the framework of the ground operation in Shujaiya, west of Gaza City, and in the camps in the central regions of the Gaza Strip,” and he claimed that “the terrorists in Gaza are surrendering above and below the ground, and are providing us with sensitive information about Hamas,” according to his words.

Galant said, "I followed the brigade's activities in all stages of the war on the western side in Shuja'iyya and in the camps of the central regions and in other areas. Thanks to what you did and are doing, these days we are conducting a negotiation process for the release of the hostages. The terrorists who enjoy luxury cars, planes and hotels are trying to tighten their positions." .

He added, "As for those in the field, you know very well what is happening to them: hundreds of terrorists surrender, thousands are killed, weapons depots are destroyed, terrorists surrender today and yesterday, above ground and underground. These matters are not implicitly understood." He continued, "This war cannot end." By points, but by knockout only.”

He added, "We must eliminate Hamas if we want to live in this place. Every terrorist within a radius of hundreds of kilometers of the State of Israel must know that there is only one result for committing an act of this kind (referring to the October 7 attack), which is elimination." on the military and authoritarian capabilities of the Hamas movement.”

He continued, "As long as we have kidnappers in the Gaza Strip, we have no moral right to stop searching for the women, children and soldiers who are there - we have to continue until the end. Searching and working does not necessarily lead to only an operational result; this also means that those on the other side Ready to talk to us."

He added, "This is the difference between the situation we were in years ago and the current situation. We returned 110 hostages to the territory of Israel through negotiations, as a result of the other party needing to calm down and stop eliminating it. The result is that the enemy is ready to talk to us. Therefore, we We will continue and intensify this (military) pressure.”

Earlier today, Israeli reports stated that the Israeli army withdrew the 4th and 55th Reserve Brigades from the Gaza Strip after completing their mission. On Saturday, the Israeli army announced the withdrawal of the 7107th Combat Engineering Battalion from Gaza, and in mid-January, it withdrew the 36th Division, which is one of the 4 military divisions it deployed in the war on Gaza.

Israeli aircraft renewed their raids on various areas in the central Gaza Strip, while Israeli artillery continued to bomb shelter centers in Khan Yunis Governorate, as the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip entered its 114th day, at a time when ground battles were raging between Palestinian resistance factions and Israeli army forces in Khan Yunis. While violent clashes renewed in some areas of the northern Gaza Strip.

The government media office in Gaza stated this evening that “the Israeli occupation army committed 38 massacres in which 350 people were killed in Khan Yunis during the past 48 hours,” noting that “the bodies of dozens of dead in Khan Yunis are still dumped in the streets, and the occupation army prevents anyone from entering to get it". On the other hand, the Ministry of Health in Gaza stressed the need “to urgently leave 7,000 wounded and sick people for treatment abroad, to save their lives.”

The Israeli Minister of Security, Yoav Galant, considered that the negotiations conducted by the Israeli government “for the release of the hostages,” in reference to the Israeli prisoners held by the resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, come “thanks” to the military operations of the Israeli army, stressing that the Israeli war on the Strip Gaza will only end with a "final blow."

The death toll since the start of the aggression on October 7, 2023, has risen to more than 26,000 killed, about 64,000 injured, and thousands of missing people, most of whom are children and women, according to what the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported.

Israeli army forces continued to besiege hospitals in Khan Yunis, while targeting displaced civilians with raids and tank shells, resulting in the death of dozens and the injury of hundreds of displaced people who fled the war in the northern Gaza Strip, and are being targeted to encourage them to flee towards Rafah.

A press report stated that the administration of US President Joe Biden is discussing the possibility of stopping arms shipments that Washington delivers to Tel Aviv, in order to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reduce the intensity of the devastating war it is waging in the Gaza Strip.

NBC reported, citing unnamed officials, that “the Biden administration is discussing stopping or slowing arms shipments to Israel, to pressure it with the aim of reducing the military operation” in the Strip.

On the other hand, the White House said, “There is no change in our policy towards Tel Aviv after media reports of a decline in arms transfers to Israel.”

A few days ago, the network published a report in which it stated that “members of Congress who support Israel are sounding the alarm about the loss of confidence in Netanyahu and the way he is handling the war.”

She said, "A number of pro-Israel lawmakers pointed out the possibility of Netanyahu trying to deliberately prolong the war, to remain in power."

The network added, "Netanyahu's refusal to establish a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza may complicate the Senate's approval of aid to Israel."

This comes as Israeli reports indicated on the twenty-fifth of last month that Tel Aviv had reached an agreement with Washington on a huge military deal that includes supplying Israel with three squadrons of military aircraft (F35, F15, and Apache) and large quantities of various types of ammunition.

Reports indicated that the deal, which includes a large number of aircraft and a huge amount of ammunition, was signed during the past 24 hours in Washington, by a delegation from the Israeli Ministry of Security that includes the head of the Planning Division in the Israeli army, Eyal Harel, and other officials.

The deal includes supplying Israel with a squadron of modern F-35 fighter aircraft - consisting of 25 aircraft, and a squadron of F-15 AI fighter aircraft - 25 aircraft; The deal also includes a squadron of Apache military helicopters, including at least 18 fighters, in addition to supplying the Israeli army with tens of thousands of various types of ammunition.

An Israeli writer said that Tel Aviv is forced at this time to agree to a deal to end its war in the Gaza Strip, indicating that negotiations in this regard will resume during this week.

Writer Shimon Schaefer stated, in an article published today, Sunday, in the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, that “there are other negotiations taking place behind the scenes, about the day after the war, and how to get out of this battle that has practically been exhausted.”

He continued, saying: "At this moment, it seems that we will have to agree to a deal in which we stop the fighting, allow the Gazans to return to their homes, the Israeli army can remain in agreed-upon areas, and the Saudis participate strongly in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and implement their relations with Tel Aviv."

He pointed out that the deal would include the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for the liberation of Israeli prisoners held by the resistance in Gaza.

Schaefer stressed that in the face of this scenario, we must demand that the election date be brought forward, to ensure that Netanyahu presents his faction to the “voter’s court.”

He added that the Israelis had fulfilled their mission assigned to them by Netanyahu, which was to support the fighting in Gaza, and it was now their turn to have their say in the elections.

Today, Sunday, Chairman of the National Security Committee, Member of the Knesset, Brigadier General Zvika Vogel, did not rule out the presence of traitors from within behind the Hamas attack last October 7 on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip.

Fogel, who is from the Otzma Yehudit party (Jewish Force), said in statements to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, “Does it occur to you that for the past twenty years we did not know what was happening in the Gaza Strip? "Someone here knew what was going to happen."

He added, "I am saying that there is something that, if we do not discover it in the future, we may deepen the gap we are in between the possibility of a conspiracy and the possibility that we are all stupid. I prefer to think that we are not stupid."

He continued, “We cannot know anything, nothing.” We got into the car of the nuclear scientist in Iran and killed him. We do not know what is happening in the sector. It is something much worse, and someone must investigate it.”

Vogel said, “When the head of the Shin Bet (Ronen Bar) says that an investigation committee must be formed, I understand that there are many parties that have begun to worry about themselves instead of the future of the country.”

He added, "There is something stinking here. I want someone to discover it. It cannot be just a perception."

He continued, "If this is not true, we will have to change entire units in the army and generations of leaders who were not wrong in their perception. They are simply irresponsible and unprofessional, and they have sinned against the State of Israel."

He added, “I prefer not to think that, and I prefer to think that someone betrayed us from within.”

He continued, "Perhaps we will have to discover this truth in the future. I do not know which is better, to discover that there were traitors here or that there is a group of unprofessional people."

Vogel concluded his statements by saying, “I cannot rule out that there is a conspiracy here. We cannot be so irresponsible. I hope I am wrong.”

On the seventh of last October, Hamas launched an attack on Israeli military points and settlements around the Gaza Strip, during which it killed about 1,200 Israelis, wounded more than 5,430, and captured at least 239. It exchanged dozens of them with Israel during a temporary humanitarian truce that lasted 7 days and ended early. December 2023.

For 114 days, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving 26,422 dead and 65,087 injured, 70% of whom are children and women, and causing massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Source: Anatolia

CIA Director William J. Burns is meeting this weekend in Paris with the Qatari Prime Minister and negotiators from the Egyptian and Israeli intelligence agencies. The objective is to reach an agreement allowing the release of the hostages and the cessation, at least temporarily, of the fighting.

A six-week pause in the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip, the immediate release of children, women and elderly people still detained by Hamas, that of a significant number of Palestinians present in Israeli prisons, a increased humanitarian aid to the Gazan population: these are the terms of the agreement currently being discussed.

“The following phases would see Hamas release the Israeli soldiers, starting with the women, and finally the return of the remains of deceased hostages,” specifies The Wall Street Journal, according to information collected from American mediators. “In exchange, Hamas would obtain guarantees, notably from the United States, regarding a comprehensive agreement leading to an end to the war that has engulfed Gaza since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel. October 7.”

Friday January 26, Jo Biden spoke by telephone with the Egyptian and Qatari leaders, who act as intermediaries with Hamas, reports The New York Times. This Sunday, CIA Director William J. Burns will stop in Paris to meet with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials. “If Mr. Burns makes enough progress, Jo Biden could send his Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, to the region to finalize the deal” in the next two weeks.

Towards an extended break?

Last week, remarks by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, implicating Qatar's leaders added fuel to the fire, but the dispute “did not appear to deter American efforts to end to the war in Gaza,” notes the Wall Street Journal. The daily believes that the contribution of the CIA director should give new impetus to the negotiations and recalls that William J. Burns has already shown himself to be a key negotiator during the truce negotiated between Israel and Hamas last November.

The permanent ceasefire demanded by Hamas for the release of all the hostages is, however, not on the agenda, underlines the Israeli daily Ha'Aretz. “Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip want a complete ceasefire (which would protect it against future Israeli score-settling), while Israel wants a simple pause after which fighting could resume.”

A point on which there are nevertheless certain differences between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF General Staff, notes the newspaper. “The generals realize that there remains only a relatively narrow window of opportunity to bring most of the hostages home alive. If an agreement is reached, the army does not rule out a long pause which would allow its forces to reorganize.”

In Khan Younes, Israeli troops underground

In the meantime, on the ground, the Israeli army has increased pressure in recent days on the south of the Gaza Strip. The city of Khan Younes is now completely surrounded and while tens of thousands of residents have had to flee using passages set up by the Israeli army, the fighting has intensified in the western part of the city.

There is a clear change in the nature of the war, explains Ha'Aretz. While there was no question, until now, of sending Israeli soldiers to fight inside the tunnels set up by Hamas, special units and engineering soldiers now patrol certain tunnels.

“In Khan Yunis, not only does the IDF face the challenge of an urban war more intense than anything Western armies have faced, but it is a war that is now also taking place underground.”

The Israeli authorities seized about 154 dunums of land in Derastiya and Haris, in Salfit Governorate.

Anti-settlement activist Nazmi Al-Salman reported on Sunday that Israeli authorities announced the seizure of 154 dunums and 127 square meters of land from the town of Derastiya in the area called “Al-Shaftan,” and from the lands of the village of Haris in the area called “Al-Bureij,” to the west of the “Refafa” settlement “Established on citizens’ lands.

A number of citizens were killed and dozens injured, Sunday evening, as a result of Israeli artillery shelling of a school housing displaced people west of Khan Yunis.

Medical sources reported that a number of displaced citizens were killed and dozens injured, after Israel army bombed a school housing displaced people in the Al-Amal neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

A number of citizens were also injured while waiting for aid to enter after the Israeli army targeted the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City, and a number of others were injured when the Israeli occupation aircraft bombed a house in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

A large fire broke out due to Israeli artillery shelling around the castle towers in the Qaizan Rashwan area, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli forces also burned residential homes in the southern neighborhood of Khan Yunis camp.

The Israeli army committed 19 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, claiming 165 killed and 290 injuries during the past 24 hours. A number of victims are still under rubble and on the roads, and the occupation is preventing ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.

In an infinite toll, the number of dead and wounded since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October has risen to 26,422 killed and 65,087 wounded.

International newspapers and websites continue to follow the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and its local and international repercussions, highlighting criticism directed at the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the repercussions of the International Court of Justice ruling.

A report on the Al-Monitor website predicted that Netanyahu would soon be forced to choose between returning the Israeli prisoners detained in Gaza and his extremist ministers who are holding him hostage - according to the report - in light of talk of an imminent deal, the details of which are being discussed.

The report said that the US administration will not forgive Netanyahu for any attempt to disrupt the talks or undermine its strategy in the region. Netanyahu will then not only find himself in a confrontation with the head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Yahya Sinwar, but also with US President Joe Biden and Israel’s allies.

An article in the New York Times strongly criticized Netanyahu, and considered him an obstacle to the solutions proposed by the United States and some Arab countries, adding that his insistence on comprehensive victory in the war regardless of the consequences has become part of the problem.

As for the French "Le Monde", it said in its editorial that the International Court of Justice's recognition of the risk of Israel committing genocide in Gaza is a reminder that Israel's war on the Gaza Strip does not comply with the basic rules related to the protection of civilians.

yellow card

In turn, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz described the International Court of Justice ruling as a yellow card for Israel, and said that although the ruling did not include an order to stop the war, it was decisive, and everyone in Israel must take this strong warning seriously and adhere to its content.

In a related context, the French newspaper "Liberation" published a letter signed by dozens of experts in international law in which they criticized France's attack on South Africa's lawsuit against Israel.

The letter considered that Paris's description of the case as heinous puts it in a break with international law, and sends a message to the world that it despises international law.

In turn, Axios reported that the US President has recently faced sharp and rare criticism within Congress, due to the targeting of the Houthis in Yemen and other groups in the Middle East.

The website pointed to protests by lawmakers from both parties against the military force used by Biden in the Middle East, which ranged from raising legal concerns to calls for the necessity of involving lawmakers in decisions of this kind.

Today, Sunday, a settler shot a sheep shepherd in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem.

According to local sources, the security official from the “Ibi Hanahel” settlement, which is located on citizens’ lands, shot the citizen Yasser Musa Ghazal and his flock of sheep while he was in the Bir Kisan area, west of the village, without sustaining any injury.

The sources indicated that attacks on sheep herders have increased in the recent period, the most recent of which was the death of a number of sheep heads after rocks fell on them by settlers.

The New York Times quoted Israeli military and intelligence officials as saying that a large number of the weapons used by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the attacks of last October 7 came from an unexpected source, which is the Israeli army itself.

For years, analysts have pointed to underground smuggling routes to explain how Hamas remained so heavily armed despite Israel's military blockade of the Gaza Strip.

But recent intelligence information has shown the extent to which Hamas is able to build many of its missiles and anti-tank weapons from thousands of munitions that did not explode when Israel fired them into Gaza, according to Israeli and Western weapons and intelligence experts. The movement also arms its fighters with weapons taken from Israeli military bases.

Intelligence surveyed by The New York Times during months of fighting revealed that just as the Israeli authorities misjudged Hamas' intentions before October 7, they also underestimated its ability to obtain weapons.

The newspaper points out that what is clear now is that the same weapons that Israeli forces used to impose the siege on Gaza over the past 17 years are now being used against them.

It quoted Michael Kardash, former deputy head of the bomb disposal department in the Israeli National Police and an advisor to the Israeli police, saying, “Unexploded ordnance is the main source of explosives for Hamas.”

Weapons experts say that approximately 10% of munitions usually do not explode, but in the case of Israel the number may be higher. An Israeli intelligence officer - who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity - said that the failure rate of some of these missiles could reach 15 percent. %.

Israel's arsenal includes Vietnam-era missiles, which the United States and other military powers have long since discontinued.

Either way, years of intermittent bombardment and the recent shelling of Gaza have left thousands of tons of unexploded ordnance scattered in the area awaiting reuse, and a single 750-pound bomb that fails to explode can turn into hundreds of rockets.

Israeli officials knew before last October's attacks that Hamas was capable of making use of some Israeli-made weapons, but the scope astonished weapons experts and diplomats alike.

The Israeli authorities also knew that their weapons depots were vulnerable to theft.

A military report issued early last year indicated that thousands of bullets and hundreds of weapons and grenades had been seized by Hamas from poorly guarded bases.

The newspaper reported that after Hamas breached the border in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 4 Israeli soldiers discovered the body of a Hamas gunman who was killed outside the Ra’im military base. One of the soldiers said that Hebrew writing was visible on a hand grenade on his belt, and he identified it as a bomb. A modern Israeli bulletproof device.

Other Hamas fighters also seized some weapons from the base and carried them to Gaza, Israeli military officials say.

The newspaper's report indicated that members of an Israeli forensic team collected one of the 5,000 rockets fired by Hamas that day, and by examining the rocket, they discovered that its military explosives most likely came from an unexploded Israeli rocket fired at Gaza during a previous war, according to an Israeli intelligence officer.

If the attacks of last October 7 showed the combined arsenal that Hamas had gathered together, as the newspaper says - which included Iranian-made attack drones and North Korean-made missile launchers, the types of weapons that Hamas is known to smuggle into Gaza through tunnels - Other weapons, such as anti-tank explosives, RPG warheads, thermobaric bombs, and explosive devices, have been repurposed as Israeli weapons, according to videos published by Hamas and remnants uncovered by Israel.

Rockets and missiles require huge amounts of explosive material, which officials say is the most difficult material to smuggle into Gaza.

The Palestinian presidency expressed its rejection of the unjust campaign led by the Israeli occupation government against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which aims to liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue, which contradicts UN Resolution (302), under which and for which UNRWA was established on December 18, 1949. And other UN resolutions related to the refugee issue.

The Presidency called on the countries that took a position on UNRWA before the end of the investigation into the accusations against it, to withdraw from these positions that would unfairly and inhumanely punish millions of our people, especially since they were displaced from their land in 1948, and Israel is still committing Crimes against them, the latest of which is the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

The Presidency praised the position of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the positions of the countries that refused to comply with this Israeli-American project, which was expressed by officials in the Israeli government, that there will be no role for UNRWA, and this exposes the real goal of this campaign.

The presidency affirmed that the refugee issue is the core of the Palestinian issue, regarding which dozens of UN resolutions have been taken, stressing that there is no solution to the Palestinian issue except with the return of the refugees in accordance with Resolution 194.

BY RAZ SEGAL

On Friday, the International Court of Justice issued an interim ruling against Israel and its war in Gaza. In the case, brought by South Africa last month, the court ruled that it is plausible that Israel is perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This ruling marks an end to the era of Israeli impunity in the international legal system.

The judgment pointed to dozens of explicit statements of “intent to destroy” by Israeli state leaders, wartime Cabinet ministers and senior army officers as well as the unprecedented levels of killing and destruction. The court also issued provisional measures, recognizing the dire situation: more than 26,000 Palestinians killed and more than 64,000 wounded in Israel’s bombardment, as well as almost 2 million people forcibly displaced now facing famine and the spread of infectious diseases.

The provisional measures did not include an order for a cease-fire, which South Africa had requested, but they did instruct Israel — by an overwhelming majority vote of the ICJ judges of 15 to 2 — to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza and ensure that its military does not perpetrate such acts.

As part of the court’s provisional measures, Israel must also prevent and punish incitement to genocide; ensure the provision of urgent aid to Gaza; prevent the destruction of evidence and ensure its preservation; and provide the court with a report on these measures within a month. In effect, these orders do require a cease-fire, for there is no other way to carry them out.

The International Court of Justice ruling stems from the United Nations’ genocide convention, which was created in December 1948 and based on the view that Nazism and what we now call the Holocaust were exceptional.

This served a purpose: It separated the Holocaust from the piles of bodies and destroyed cultures that European imperialism and colonialism — still very much ongoing at the time — had left around the world in the preceding few centuries.

The exceptional status of the Holocaust rendered the new Jewish state that was established in May 1948 also exceptional, especially in view of the many Holocaust survivors who chose to try to rebuild their lives there.

Israel’s exceptional status led to a willful blurring of its foundational crime, the Nakba: the mass expulsion of more than 750,000 Palestinians and the destruction of hundreds of villages and towns in the 1948 war. That Israel could commit any crime under international law immediately became, in this exceptional framework, almost unimaginable. Impunity for Israel was thus baked into the international legal system after World War II. The urgent need to obscure the Nakba also emerged from the broader impetus to deny the nature of the Israeli state as a settler-colonial project. Paradoxically, Israel’s creation reproduced the racism and white supremacy that had targeted Jews for exclusion and, ultimately, destruction in Europe.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed this white supremacy and colonial mind-set quite explicitly in an interview on MSNBC on Dec. 5: “This war is a war that is not only between Israel and Hamas,” he said in response to a question about the mass killing of Palestinians in Israel’s attacks on Gaza. “It’s a war,” he continued, “that is intended, really, truly, to save Western civilization.… We are attacked by a jihadist network, an empire of evil.” This empire, he said, “wants to conquer the entire Middle East, and if it weren’t for us, Europe would be next, and the United States follows.”

The concept of genocide functioned to protect the exceptional status of the Holocaust and Israel in the international legal system and to enable rather than challenge this long-held view. Until now.

With the ICJ ruling that Israel’s attack on Gaza is plausibly genocidal, every university, company and state around the world will now need to consider very carefully its engagement with Israel and its institutions. Such ties may now constitute complicity with genocide.

A few hours after the International Court of Justice ruling, another court heard a related case: In San Francisco, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Palestinian organizations and individuals, against President Biden and other U.S. officials for failure to abide by U.N. legal obligations to prevent genocide in Gaza and for complicity with genocide, because of the continued U.S. military and diplomatic support to Israel.

One after the other, Palestinian plaintiffs testified Friday about their family histories during the Nakba; their own experiences of Israeli mass violence; relatives they have lost since Oct. 8; neighborhoods in which they grew up that are no more; schools that Israeli bombings and invasion have turned to rubble; and cafes where they will never be able to drink tea again.

As it happens, these accounts came just before the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which marks Jan. 27, 1945, when Soviet forces liberated the Nazi annihilation camp at Auschwitz.

We are entering a new era of international law. For the first time, we have seen courts consider the crime of genocide as a legal framework to describe what Palestinians are enduring. Through these cases, the voices of Palestinians point to a new era of Holocaust memory, beyond the denial of the Nakba, to a world that will finally put the voices, knowledge, histories and perspectives of all people who face state violence front and center.

It has become clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not the man of this critical moment, according to an opinion piece in the New York Times.

Serge Schmemann, a member of the American newspaper's editorial board, said that the destruction inflicted on the Gaza Strip has reached unbearable levels, and is even getting worse, and the Israeli government is under intense pressure from the families of the prisoners, who are demanding that it make every effort to release them before they die.

He added in his article in the newspaper that the United States and the Arab countries, “keen” to avoid a regional war, are trying to mediate an end to the conflict, but Netanyahu is obstructing these efforts.

He added that Netanyahu's insistence on achieving a "complete victory" over the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) without any consideration for the consequences or losses made him part of the problem. The writer warned that the Israeli Prime Minister is playing a "malicious" game by exploiting the war to serve his political goals, and the Israelis, most of whom support attempts to eradicate Hamas, are fed up with this game.

Rather, he was able to alienate Israel's most important ally, the United States, says Schmemann, adding that Netanyahu deliberately and openly defied American advice because it conflicted with "Israel's vital interests," despite the fact that US President Joe Biden showed his full support for Israel and Netanyahu after the Hamas attack. Hamas on October 7, 2023.

However, a member of the newspaper's editorial board believes in his article that the problem does not necessarily lie in Netanyahu's hardline position, which is shared by many Israelis who were angry about the Hamas attack on southern Israel that day.

He said that Netanyahu's confusion between leadership and political survival, with the widespread perception that he opposes any negotiated settlement, and any American advice or mediation, is not because he truly believes that this conflicts with the interests of the Israelis, as he claims, but because he defies American pressure. Also, his portrayal of the Gaza war as much broader than a mere dispute over the establishment of an Israeli state and a conflict with Iran serves his political goals.

That, at least, appears to be what the majority of Israelis believe, even those who might line up behind the prime minister's insistence on trying to eliminate Hamas.

According to Schmemann, how the war will end, and what will happen after Gaza, depends strongly on who will assume responsibility in light of the raging dispute within the mini-war government between former chiefs of staff Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot on the one hand and Netanyahu on the other hand, especially regarding what relates to the issue of prisoner with Hamas.

The writer concluded that Netanyahu had lost the trust of his people and allies, and that his latest maneuver was to include extreme right-wing nationalists in his government and begin to challenge judicial oversight of the government, which led to weeks of mass protests.

Today (Sunday), the American newspaper (New York Times) quoted American officials as saying that US negotiators have developed a draft of a possible agreement that combines the proposals of Israel and Hamas regarding a deal to release detainees in the Gaza Strip during the past days.

The newspaper stated that the written draft agreement will form a framework for discussion at the Paris meeting, and that it may lead to the conclusion of an actual agreement within the next two weeks, which will bring about a shift in the conflict, as it described it.

It said that the negotiators were cautiously optimistic that a final agreement was within reach, noting that there were still “important” differences remaining, according to the officials who did not contribute.

Earlier today, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted Israeli officials as saying that the Hamas movement is taking a tough stance in negotiations to exchange prisoners and detainees with Israel.

According to the Israeli officials, who were not named by the commission, until this moment there are no conditions that allow the resumption of exchange negotiations, but they said that hope is pinned on the expected meeting in the French capital, in which the heads of the intelligence services of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Israel will participate.

The commission said that the heads of the Israeli Mossad, Dadi Barnea, and Shin Bet, Ronan Bar, will participate in the meeting, the focus of which will be “breaking the deadlock in the negotiations and creating a framework for an exchange deal” of prisoners and detainees between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza.

The same officials said: “Hamas insists on a cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, but for Israel, stopping the war is a red line.”

They added: “Qatar and Egypt must be more creative... We hope that we can reach a breakthrough that leads to real negotiations that lead to agreements.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres vowed on Sunday to hold to account "any UN employee involved in acts of terror" after allegations that some refugee agency staffers were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

But Guterres implored governments to continue supporting the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) after multiple countries paused funding."Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution," the UN chief said in a statement. 

"The Secretariat is ready to cooperate with a competent authority able to prosecute the individuals in line with the Secretariat’s normal procedures for such cooperation."

At the same time, he said, "The tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met."

In his first direct comments on the issue, the UN chief gave details about the UNRWA staffers implicated in the "abhorrent alleged acts." Of the 12 implicated, he said, nine had been terminated, one was confirmed dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified.

Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency, a critical source of support for people in Gaza, after the allegations by Israel."

While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations - I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations," Guterres said.

Israel has alleged several UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas's attack, leading some key donor countries to suspend their funding.

UNRWA fired several staff over Israel's accusations, promising a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified, while Israel vowed to stop the agency's work in Gaza after the war.

The row between Israel and UNRWA follows the UN's International Court of Justice ruling on Friday that Israel must prevent possible acts of genocide in the conflict and allow more aid into Gaza."The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences," Guterres said."

But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized," he added."

The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met."Hamas slammed Israeli "threats" against UNRWA on Saturday, urging the UN and other international organizations not to "cave in to the threats and blackmail."

The Israeli media - in its ongoing discussions of the war on Gaza - focused on the performance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his attempts to thwart the exchange of prisoners and detainees with the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip and postpone judicial investigations on the grounds that they harm military performance.

Reserve Major General Nimrod Shabir - a former Chief of Staff of the Air Force - said that Netanyahu wants as much as possible to delay the deal to release detainees held by the Palestinian resistance, and that indications show that he does not want the war to end.

He added - in a discussion on Channel 13 - that Netanyahu, because of his political situation, is “very afraid that this war will end,” and said that he (Netanyahu) is thwarting deals regarding the release of detainees.

For his part, Michael Shemesh, political affairs correspondent for Kan 11, accused Netanyahu of trying to postpone the investigation of State Comptroller Netanyahu Engelman into the issue of the war on Gaza, under the pretext of harming the war effort.

The reporter said that Netanyahu sent Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs to meet with the State Comptroller, asking him to postpone the investigation into the war case, and to postpone the investigation, whether related to the Prime Minister’s Office or other security agencies.

Nir Devori, military affairs correspondent for Channel 13, revealed that the State Comptroller sent a response letter to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy, which stated, “All senior officials and relevant government bodies are subject to oversight, and there is no intention to obstruct the army’s war effort.”

He also said that the State Comptroller recently sent an exceptional letter to the Prime Minister's Office warning that they, along with the National Security Council, would be subject to investigation, and that they must keep all relevant recordings.

The State Comptroller General requested that records be submitted of all meetings held during the war period and the decisions taken during it, so that they could be examined.

The Chief of Staff criticized the State Comptroller's intention to investigate the army's performance during and before the war on Gaza.

Source: Al Jazeera

(“Avi Shlaim” sees a malicious precedent behind Israel’s actions in Gaza)

An interview with the Jewish thinker and writer Avi Shlaim, one of the most prominent group of “New Jewish Historians”

The interview was conducted by Stuart Miller 

Avi Shlaim was born in Baghdad - author of “Collusion Across the Jordan”; "War and Peace in the Middle East"; and the Iron Wall,” but he fled to Israel with his family as a result of the persecution that escalated after 1948. He later moved to England, where he has lived and taught for more than half a century. Shlaim, 78 years old, interviewed us via video technology from his home in England, on the current war as well as his views on it occurring as a result of the past. We have edited this interview for length and clarity.

  -------------

Q-The history of this land is torn between two contradictory narratives, Israeli and Palestinian. What can we say, definitively, about what happened in 1948?

C- Following the 1948 war, the two victorious teams were Israel, which expanded its territory beyond the borders stipulated in the United Nations partition plan for Palestine, and King Abdullah of Jordan, whose army seized the West Bank (which Israel would occupy in 1967), which had been It is supposed to form the heart of the Palestinian state based on the aforementioned United Nations plan. As for the losing team, they were 750,000 Palestinians - more than half the population - who became refugees during the Nakba. These are the true roots of the current conflict.

Q-Noam Chomsky once said that settler colonialism is the most extreme and evil form of imperialism. The Palestinians have had the misfortune of being the recipients of both Zionist settler colonialism and Western imperialism. British first, then American. Since its founding, the goal of the Zionist movement was to establish a Jewish state on the largest possible area of land, with the smallest possible number of Arabs within its borders.

Do Israelis and Palestinians view the current war based on this context?

A- Netanyahu said that we are fighting a “second war of independence.” No one threatens Israel's independence or existence today, so why is it called the Second War of Independence? I think there is a sinister reason behind this - the first war of independence was associated with the Nakba, and today there are indications in the leaked documents that the Israeli government is planning a second mass expulsion (from Gaza). What we learn from history is that when Israel launches a campaign of ethnic cleansing as it did in 1948, it will not allow Arabs to return to their homes. I believe that America bears largely responsibility for what we have reached today because of its blind support for Israel, which continues despite the atrocities the latter is committing in Gaza.

Q-But Hamas spoke of its intention to maintain a permanent state of war. Doesn't this constitute a challenge to Israel's independence or existence?

C- People forget that Hamas won fair and free elections in 2006, not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. It formed a government, but Israel refused to recognize it, as did the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. Israel launched an economic war with the aim of undermining the Hamas government, and its European and American allies joined in, further drowning in their eternal shame. This is one of many examples of the utter hypocrisy of Western powers. They say they believe in democracy, and here you have a shining example of Arab democracy on the ground, but the Western allies refused to acknowledge its outcome because the Palestinian people chose the wrong group of people.

Q-The “New Historians” movement sought to break free from old ideas regarding the events of 1948. What misconceptions still persist today?

C- The main misconception is that Hamas is the obstacle to peace. The movement has a horrific charter and an extremist program but, after coming to power, it toned down its program and offered Israel a long-term ceasefire (as part of broader negotiations on the ground and other issues in 2006 and again in 2015). However, Israel refused. So this is a misconception; Israel desires peace while Hamas prevents it from being achieved. Israel is the obstacle to peace.

Another misconception is that Israel wanted a two-state solution. This is complete nonsense! It is now fashionable to say that the two-state solution is dead because of things like Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but I say that the two-state solution was never born; Since 1967, no Israeli government has proposed a two-state solution in a form acceptable to even the most moderate Palestinian leaders, and no American government has ever truly pressured Israel for a two-state solution.

Q-It is clear that you have your firm conviction. In light of this violent and intertwined history, and the current war, can any journalist or historian be close to objectivity?

C- It is very difficult for a person to be objective because it is a highly emotional issue, and emotions are running high now on both sides. But researchers can look at this conflict somewhat objectively. Rashid Khalidi is a professor at Columbia University, as well as the most prominent Palestinian historian of the conflict, and I do not see that we are much different in principle. We both consider that the essence of the conflict is the Zionist settler-colonial movement.

Q- In your book, “The Iron Wall,” you focused on Israel’s insistence on preventing it. How do Hamas attacks affect this perception within Israel?

C- Israel thought itself invincible, and Netanyahu believed “that we can do whatever we want in the West Bank, manage the situation in Gaza, and achieve peace with the Arab countries without having to make any concessions to the Palestinians.” But on October 7, this policy collapsed overnight. Israeli society as a whole is still amazed by this experience. It was a truly shocking experience. Today, the Israelis are no longer able to think balanced. They want the government to remove Hamas permanently. But eliminating Hamas is not possible. Hamas is not a military organization. It is a social movement, and part of the fabric of Palestinian society.

Q-Do you see any possibility of a suitable solution?

A-I wish I were able to see a light at the end of this tunnel, but I am extremely pessimistic.