By Dr. Samah Jabr

Israel’s appearance before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague is an important step on the road to justice and a necessary contribution to the healing of the historical trauma of the Palestinian people. This trauma began with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and has continued through the Nakba of 1948, and through many subsequent wars and aggressions. The trauma is present in the genocide we are living now, which is deepening and expanding our historical wounds to a point that cannot heal without a profound intervention.

The state of Israel has always transgressed international law. The powers of Europe and the United States have colluded with it. The United Nations has failed to deter it or hold it accountable for its violations. The Palestinians have always been acutely aware of this injustice and abandonment, of betrayal after betrayal. Israel’s impunity throughout history has enforced a sense of isolation for the Palestinians and has weakened our faith in human interconnection and fairness.

South Africa’s actions at the ICJ – regardless of their results – came to correct, at least partially, that flaw in the Palestinian perspective of the world, through its solidarity, recognition and support.

The appearance of Israel at the ICJ conveys significant symbolism for our humanitarian cause. South Africa, the main engine driving the trial, is an icon of confrontation and triumph over racial and ethnic oppression. Its arguments holding Israel accountable for the charge of genocide supports the rights of Palestinians and confronts Western powers and their system of international subjugation with their complicity in an ethnic tyranny that has stained their hands with blood.

We welcome the people of Africa, the victims of past violations of human rights, in solidarity with the Palestinians — the victims of the present. This solidarity liberates us from the humiliation born from our exclusion from the conscience of the human community. It promises us that there is still goodness in the world. It gives us confidence in our shared humanity. It lights a glimmer of hope that there is fairness and justice in a world that has darkened our lives with oppression for over a century.

Most of us in Palestine believe in a heavenly court and in divine justice. All the same, we recognise that religious faith should not be an obstacle to the relentless pursuit of justice here on earth. The great importance of international trials lies in giving voice to those who have been victimised by injustice. This action repairs psychological injury and renders us effective survivors; it fortifies us in bringing those responsible for crimes to make proper reparation, so that their crimes do not pass without just condemnation. Calling those responsible to account is crucial as a deterrent for them and for all others.

This week, Egyptians took to the streets chanting, “They did it, Mandela’s grandchildren, while we are in fear, shame and humiliation.” Perhaps that was their reaction to the Israeli defence team’s claims that Egypt is responsible for closing the border to Gaza and preventing the delivery of aid.  Namibia added its voice to that of South Africa, maybe in reaction to Germany, who had joined in the court process to support Israel, as if encouraging the current extermination of Palestinians could atone for the German history of exterminating the Jewish people along with many others. Namibia reminded the court of the German crimes against the people of Namibia, helping reveal the full history of the current actors at the Hague.

South Africa’s solidarity with Palestine gives us hope for the global movement resisting racial discrimination. Palestinians and their supporters must take full advantage of this historic moment. We must continue to work within a variety of frameworks and by all avenues, whether through professional organisations, trade unions, diplomatic channels, or the pressure of street demonstrations. We must affirm the rights of Palestinians, make a record of their sufferings and confront their oppressors.

This mission will require concerted efforts, steadfastness in facing our challenges and extraordinary patience. Even if the road is long, the trial at the Hague and these advocacy measures can be a catalyst for genuine peace based on justice and on re-establishing Palestine’s long-violated rights. This is an inspiring moment to activate a strong international movement which calls for the end of the historic occupation of Palestine, to set right this injustice and to highlight the untold harms Palestinians have endured for so many decades. Our duty now is to hold fast and to spare no effort- at both the popular and the political levels – to bring into being a global renewal spearheaded by the courage of this historic moment at the International Court of Justice.

Hanan Ashwari is one of the most recognizable faces associated with the Palestinian cause. The official spokesperson of the Palestinian delegation at the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991, she served as a minister in the Palestinian Authority as a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Executive Committee.

 Here, we discuss genocide, the West's complicity, the historical context which must be remembered - and what happens next.

South Africa v. Israel 

On Jan. 11, South Africa presented its case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the regime of perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. State parties to the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (“the Genocide Convention” or “the Convention”) are not only required to refrain from committing genocide but also prevent it wherever it occurs. Both Israel and South Africa are state parties to the Convention. 

In an effort to fulfill its erga omnes, Latin for “towards all,” obligations to prevent genocide, South Africa filed its application with the ICJ, alleging that Israel is breaching its obligations under the Genocide Convention by engaging in genocidal acts against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. 

What is the International Court of Justice (ICJ)? 

The ICJ, also known as “the World Court,” is the judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). Established by the Charter of the UN in 1945, the Court is located in The Hague. It serves to settle legal disputes and address questions of international law among states that are UN members. 

Disputes brought before the ICJ are decided by a panel of 15 judges, elected to serve for nine-year office terms by the UN Security Council (UNSC) and UN General Assembly (UNGA). The panel of judges must not include more than one national of the same state. A judge, upon election to the ICJ, is not a delegate of their government or state; instead, they are intended to be an independent actor exercising their powers impartially. 

If a state party involved in an ICJ dispute does not have a judge of its nationality on the bench, that party has a right to appoint an ad hoc judge of its nationality to the panel. None of the 15 current judges are nationals of South Africa or Israel. Consequently, both South Africa and Israel opted to exercise their right to appoint an ad hoc judge from their respective states to the panel. Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke and former President of the Supreme Court Aharon Barak were appointed by South Africa and Israel, respectively. 

What is South Africa asking the Court to do? 

South Africa is requesting the ICJ to issue ‘provisional measures' to preserve the rights of the parties “from imminent and irreparable loss.” Specifically, this pertains to protecting the rights of Palestinians in Gaza from acts of genocide, the conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempted genocide, and complicity in genocide. The term ‘provisional measures' serves as protective measures, akin to a ‘preliminary injunction' in domestic legal systems. It effectively orders a party to halt its allegedly harmful activity until the court reaches a comprehensive decision on the merits of the issue. 

Thus, South Africa is urging the Court to assess whether, at a minimum, some of the acts South Africa is accusing Israel of, and the rights of Palestinians that South Africa seeks to protect, are “at least plausible” and capable of falling within the provisions of the Genocide Convention. If such plausibility is determined, South Africa is requesting the Court to order Israel to suspend its military operations against Gaza immediately, undertake all reasonable measures within its capacity to prevent genocide, refrain from the acts South Africa accuses Israel of committing against Palestinians in Gaza in violation of the Genocide Convention, and preserve evidence related to the allegations. South Africa is requesting the ICJ to implement these measures until the Court is able to fully determine whether Israel is, in fact, violating provisions of the Genocide Convention by committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

South Africa's case: Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza 

 A. Acts of Genocide

In its 84-page application and oral arguments presented to the Court, South Africa alleges that Israel's actions against Palestinians in Gaza “show a systematic pattern of conduct” that “fall within the definition of genocide” under Article 2 of the Genocide Convention. These acts are briefly summarized as follows: 

  1. Killing Palestinians in Gaza

At the time of the application on Dec. 29, 2023, more than 21,110 Palestinians were killed since Israel initiated its military assault on Gaza, with 70 percent of those killed believed to be women and children (at the time of writing this publication, the death toll stands at more than 24,000 Palestinians killed). This equates to killing approximately one in every 100 people in Gaza. An additional 7,000 Palestinians are still missing, presumed dead under the rubble. South Africa highlighted reports of Israeli soldiers carrying out summary executions, including the execution of multiple members of the same family. Hundreds of multigenerational families have been entirely wiped out, with no survivors, resulting in hundreds of families being removed from the civil records. The mortality rate in Palestinian families is so severe that doctors were forced to coin a new acronym: ‘WCNSF,' meaning ‘wounded child, no surviving family.' 

Palestinian children are especially affected, with over 7,729 Palestinian children killed in Gaza at the time of the submission (currently, the death toll exceeds 10,000 children). Doctors and other health workers, journalists, teachers, academics, UN employees, and other professionals have been killed at “wholly unprecedented rates.” More than one journalist is killed per day, amounting to Israel killing 73 percent of the total number of journalists killed globally in 2023. 

  2. Causing Serious Bodily and Mental Harm to Palestinians in Gaza 

Over 55,243 Palestinians have been wounded in Israel's attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, and an estimated 1,000 children have lost one or both legs. In the north of Gaza, there are no functioning hospitals capable of offering surgery or medical treatment, meaning injured individuals are left “waiting to die” from their wounds and resultant infections.

The severe level of bombardment across all areas of the Gaza Strip, leaving no place safe, is inflicting severe mental trauma on the Palestinian population. The ongoing 15-week onslaught will lead to a further increase in trauma, particularly among children who have lost at least one parent and those who are the sole surviving members of their families.

South Africa also highlighted Israel's dehumanizing, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. This includes the rounding up of large numbers of civilians, including children, arresting and blindfolding them, forcing them to undress and remain outside in the cold weather before being forced onto trucks and taken to unknown locations. Numerous released Palestinian detainees reported instances of torture and ill-treatment, including deprivation of food, water, shelter, and access to toilets.

   3. Mass Expulsion From Homes and Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza 

Over 1.9 million Palestinians, constituting approximately 85 percent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people, have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Israel has destroyed an estimated 355,000 Palestinian homes, amounting to 60 percent of the homes in Gaza. Additionally, Israel is regularly issuing ‘evacuation orders,' dropping leaflets over civilians demanding that they leave their homes in Gaza for other areas. 

The initial evacuation order demanded that 1.1 million Palestinians in the north of Gaza move to the south within a 24-hour time frame. Such an order is inconsistent with international humanitarian law and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “could be tantamount to a death sentence” for hospital patients. There were several reports of Israel shelling designated evacuation routes, killing, injuring, unlawfully detaining, and arresting civilians following evacuation orders. Furthermore, Israel continues to bombard the “safe areas” in the south, where it directed civilians to flee. 

   4. Deprivation of Access to Adequate Food and Water to Palestinians in Gaza

On Oct. 9, 2023, Israel declared a “complete siege” on Gaza, announcing that no electricity, food, water, or fuel would be allowed to enter the already besieged enclave. Israel has imposed conditions of starvation on most of the Palestinian population, with 93 percent of the population in Gaza facing crisis levels of hunger and high levels of malnutrition. Israel's actions are pushing the Palestinian population to the brink of famine. UNRWA's Commissioner-General, cited by South Africa, describes “desperate, hungry and terrified” people, who are now “stopping aid trucks, taking the food, and eating it right away.” Four out of five of the hungriest people anywhere in the world are in Gaza. 

Experts are now predicting that more Palestinians in Gaza may die from starvation and disease than from airstrikes.

5. Deprivation of Access to Adequate Shelter, Clothes, Hygiene and Sanitation to Palestinians in Gaza

The majority of displaced Palestinians are seeking shelter in UNRWA facilities. Despite Israel having the coordinates of all UN facilities, Israel has killed hundreds of men, women, and children seeking shelter in these locations. UNRWA's shelters now have an average of 486 people using a single toilet, and only one shower for every 4,500 people. Maintaining hygiene is challenging, especially for menstruating girls and women, and an average of 25 women a day are forced to give birth in unsanitary, overcrowded spaces. 

Acute shortages of warm clothes, bedding, and wood for cooking — forcing many to burn plastic — is increasing the risk of respiratory disease. These conditions have created the expectation that a quarter of Gaza's population could die from disease within a year.

 6. Deprivation of Adequate Medical Assistance to Palestinians in Gaza

Israel's military assault is an attack on Gaza's health care system, which is deemed “indispensable to the life and survival of the Palestinians in Gaza.” The health system in Gaza has collapsed, leading to instances where both children and adults undergo limb amputations and suffer severe burns without the availability of anesthesia or sterilized surgical tools.

The Israeli army has attacked and besieged hospitals and health care centers, depriving them of electricity, fuel, medical supplies, food, and water. Furthermore, they have compelled their evacuations and closure to destroy them. 

Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC, a member of South Africa's legal team, presented a heart-wrenching piece of evidence during oral arguments: two pictures side-by-side of a whiteboard. On the left, it read, “We did what we could. Remember us.” The words were written by Dr. Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, a doctor working at Al-Awda Hospital. On the right, the same whiteboard, with the writing still visible, is smashed on the ground, destroyed in the same Israeli airstrike on Al-Awda Hospital that killed Dr. Mahmoud Abu Nujaila.

  7. Destruction of Palestinian Life in Gaza

The extent of destruction inflicted on homes, religious sites, and critical infrastructure “threatens to make the continuation of Palestinian life in Gaza impossible.” Israel has flattened entire neighborhoods, such as Shuja'iyya, once home to approximately 110,000 Palestinians. Additionally, Israel has also destroyed the ancient port of Gaza, the Palace of Justice, the Legislative Council complex, the Central Archive building, the main public library, every single one of Gaza's four universities, and killed a number of Gaza's leading academics, destroying the sources of Palestinian education, culture, and history. 

 8. Imposing measures intended to prevent Palestinian births

Two mothers are estimated to be killed every hour in Gaza. Pregnant women are forced to go through cesarean sections without anesthesia. Due to the lack of access to critical medical supplies, including blood, doctors are forced to perform ordinarily unnecessary hysterectomies on young women to save their lives post-childbirth, leaving them unable to have more children. Premature births have increased between 25-30 percent due to the stress and trauma experienced by mothers forced to walk long distances in search of safety, escaping bombs, and cramped into unsafe and unsanitary conditions in shelters. A lack of essential equipment and medical support means that premature and underweight babies have little to no chance of survival.

  B. Expressions of Genocidal Intent 

Genocide is more challenging to establish than other war crimes and crimes against humanity, as it requires proving a special intent or dolus specialis on the part of the perpetrator to bring about the physical destruction of the group. Intent is the most difficult element to determine in a genocide case. 

However, in Israel's case, there is an abundance of evidence of genocidal intent. South Africa presented numerous examples of genocidal statements made by Israeli political and military leadership, repeated by soldiers, to the Court. These examples highlight dehumanization, collective punishment, and violating obligations to distinguish between militants and civilians. Here are just a few: 

•   “[This is] a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle.” — Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, Oct. 16, 2023.
•   “It's an entire nation out there that is responsible. It's not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware [or] not involved ……and we will fight until we break their backbone.” — President of Israel Isaac Herzog, Oct. 12, 2023. 
•   “Human animals are dealt with accordingly. Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza, no electricity, no water, just damage. You wanted hell, you will get hell.” — Head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Major General Ghassan Alian, Oct. 9, 2023.
•   “May their village burn, may Gaza be erased,” and “we know our motto: there are no uninvolved civilians” and “to wipe off the seed of Amalek.” — Israeli army soldiers filmed chanting, singing, and dancing on Dec. 5, 2023, and Dec. 7, 2023. 
• 
  

Israel's Response

 A. Right to self-defense 

Israel argued that they are exercising their right to self-defense, asserting that Hamas' attack on Israel prompted the war on Gaza on Oct. 7. In fact, Tal Becker's opening statement for the Israeli legal team stated, “...if there have been acts that may be characterized as genocidal, then they have been perpetrated against Israel,” claiming that Hamas is carrying out a genocide against Israel. However, Hamas is not a party to the proceedings.

Furthermore, as an occupying power, Israel does not hold the right to self-defense against those under its occupation. Nonetheless, even if Israel could successfully argue that it holds the right to self-defense, the argument itself is irrelevant in a genocide case, as there is no legal defense to justify genocide.

 B. Genocidal Actions

In response to South Africa's thorough documentation of indiscriminate killing of civilians amounting to over 24,000 civilians killed to date, targeting of hospitals and other recognized safe zones under international humanitarian law, and forcibly displacing over 1.9 million civilians, Israel argued that Hamas is using civilians as human shields and Israeli troops are trying to “minimize” civilian harm. 

 C. Genocidal Intent

Israel claims that the key component of intent to commit genocide is “totally lacking.” It claims that South Africa “misunderstands the nature and provenance” of examples they provided of genocidal statements by Israeli officials. Israel's legal team presented Prime Minister Netanyahu's statement, made after South Africa filed their case with the Court, that “Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the civilian population.” 

 D. Lack of Jurisdiction 

Israel disputes the ICJ's jurisdiction over the case and asks the Court to remove the case from its docket, claiming that there was no real dispute between South Africa and Israel because, according to Israel, South Africa did not attempt to resolve their “dispute” prior to bringing it to the Court. 

What do other states think? 

The following states have expressed that they welcome South Africa's application to the ICJ regarding Israel's violations of the Genocide Convention:

• South Africa
• Palestine
• Namibia 
• Organization of Islamic Countries (57-member bloc, including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Pakistan, and Iran) 
• Malaysia 
• Turkey 
• Slovenia 
• Bangladesh 
• Pakistan
• Colombia
• Brazil
• Jordan 
• Maldives
• Bolivia 
• Indonesia

The following States have expressed opposition to South Africa's application: 

• Israel
• USA 
• Germany

Expected next steps

The Court is expected to issue its decision in the coming days, likely before the end of the month. Given the Court's precedent and the imminent risk to Palestinians of suffering irreparable prejudice, it is likely that the Court will agree to issue provisional measures. However, it remains to be seen which, if any or all, of the South African provisional measures requested will be granted. Only after a decision on provisional measures will the Court then consider the case on the merits — whether Israel is, in fact, committing genocide — a decision which could take years.

After such a compelling case presented by South Africa, the fate of international law hangs in the balance. The ICJ has the opportunity to act to halt Israel's military activity against Gaza and prevent an already catastrophic situation from worsening. Whether or not Israel heeds such a decision — as Netanyahu stated, The Hague “will not stop us” — is not necessarily relevant. Rather, if provisional measures are issued, other states will be more likely to act within their powers and obligations to prevent genocide by sanctioning Israel, preventing arms sales to Israel, and prosecuting individuals who are dual nationals and potentially guilty of war crimes by serving in a military carrying out an active genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.  

International law and its institutions are seen as lasting relics of colonialism by many states in the global south. After 106 days of genocide, the ICJ's decision will affect not only the legitimacy of the Court, but international law as a whole. 

Source: Institute of Palestine Studies

By CARA MARIANNA

On Tuesday of last week, my Senator of many decades, Democrat Patty Murray of Washington State, joined 72 of her colleagues to kill a resolution that would have required the State Department to produce a report addressing human rights violations in Gaza. 

It’s hard to find words to describe the utter depravity and cowardice displayed by Congress as it continues to support Israel’s wholesale slaughter of Palestinians. The U.S. sends Israel—currently facing credible accusations of genocide in the International Court of Justice—billions of dollars in military weaponry, and Congress doesn’t think there should be any oversight or investigation of Israel’s actions. 

All of this at the expense of taxpayers who have no say in the matter and are thus forced to support Israel’s genocidal behavior, even as a majority of Americans oppose continued military assistance. This suggests the question of what voters, particularly Democrats, will choose to do come 5 November.

Will Democrats console their wounded consciences with the cynical and long-discredited argument that their candidates are the lesser of two evils, known these days as LOTE, thus giving up altogether on their legitimate aspirations for a president and government that serves and is answerable to the people?

Words failing me, I’ll quote the distinguished international lawyer, John Whitbeck, from a private email he sent out to his substantial following on 17 January. I find his descriptive language especially fitting:  

The overwhelming majority of the political prostitutes infesting the Great Whorehouse on Capitol Hill (a/k/a the U.S. Congress) simply do not wish to risk their careers by appearing less than unconditionally supportive of anything and everything that Israel chooses to do and are unconcerned that their abject subservience to Israeli domination and control, even during the current horrors, is costing the United States any residual respect (other than respect based on fear) which it may still enjoy in the hearts and minds of most of mankind.

Indeed, these politicians are not only unconcerned with the views and wishes of most of mankind. Polls show that they are also unconcerned, on this as on many other issues, with the views and wishes of most of the American people.

It is clear that they do not even seek to represent the great unwashed masses of the American people. They represent the ultra-rich who can and do pay for their services and who credibly threaten to finance primary and general election challenges against them if they dare to step out of line.

Like most elected officials, Patty Murray serves Israel’s interests above those of her own constituents. If she were to do otherwise, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee would target her, spending millions of dollars to make certain she was replaced—as they have done numerous times to other elected officials, intentionally destroying any politician who opposes their Zionist agenda. 

Rather than do the right thing, assuming Murray knows any longer what the right thing is, she continues to bow to the demands of Israel and the  Israel lobby even when doing so undermines Americas national security. It has long been understood by foreign policy analysts that America’s uncritical support for Israel jeopardizes our security at home—it was a main reason for the attacks on 9/11—and is a leading cause of instability in West Asia, where war is now threatening to erupt.

There is a fascinating and enraging horror in the cold-blooded way most of our politicians serve only their own interests—the accumulation of personal wealth and hoarding of political power. It seems that nothing can rouse them to any display of genuine humanity. Or, indeed, any sense of responsibility to the people they purport to represent and the constitution they swore an oath to uphold. 

The Biden Administration has twice recently violated the Constitution when it sidestepped Congress to send more military weaponry to Israel without the mandated authorization. Hardly a squeak of protest was heard from either Congress or our compromised media.

With events as they now unfold in Gaza, our country has crossed a new line—a line beyond which there is no way to return unscathed. The Biden administration and most of Congress, my senator Patty Murray included, are actively supporting—in Biden’s case actually arming—a genocide. 

It hardly needs saying that any nation or person who supports genocide, whether directly or indirectly, is necessarily complicit in it, is necessarily compromised, and has necessarily lost something of their humanity, while forfeiting all legitimacy and moral authority. 

Americans, as a consequence, are in a quandary of unusual magnitude and significance. With elections looming on the near horizon, voters must now decide whether or not to follow their representatives across that line. Each of us must decide what we are going to do in November, how we will cast our votes, or indeed whether we will vote at all. 

“Lesser evil” arguments and rationalizations typically used by Democrats can no longer be taken seriously. There is no greater crime than the crime of genocide. There is no greater evil than the evil of genocide. There is no greater crime or evil than what Joe Biden and Congress are currently doing. And, it must be said, not doing: With one phone call Joe Biden could end the slaughter in Gaza. He chooses not to. 

On 13 January, the 100th day of Israel’s war on Gaza, Euro–Med Human Rights Monitor released an updated count of the number of Palestinians killed: 31,497 in total, of which12,345 (nearly 40%) were children, and 6,471 were women. In the few days since then the casualty count has surged higher surpassing 35,000. 

It is no longer legitimate to argue that Joe Biden is a lesser evil than Donald Trump. Nothing that Trump did during his reckless four years in the White House comes even close to the evil that Biden has unleashed upon the world with his unconditional support for Israel. He has made the United States—and all of its citizens—complicit in genocide as he edges our country closer to war with Iran—long a policy goal of Zionist hardliners in Israel and the United States. 

Every Democratic voter faces a moment of truth this election cycle. Because the party has forced Joe Biden on Democrats, allowing no other candidate to replace him, there are only two moral choices left: to vote third party or not to vote at all. Anyone who votes for Joe Biden will have explicitly endorsed his policy of supporting Israel’s genocide and made themselves complicit in it. 

There is no greater evil than that.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed yesterday that the situation in the Middle East has become like a “powder keg” about to explode, and it is necessary to work to prevent the escalation of conflict throughout the region. Guterres stressed, in a statement, that the military operations carried out by Israel lead to widespread destruction and the killing of people on an unprecedented scale.

Guterres stressed the need to immediately reach a humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the suffering in Gaza, allow aid to reach those in need, and facilitate the release of hostages. He also criticized the repeated rejection of the two-state solution as “unacceptable,” noting that depriving the Palestinian people of their rights will prolong the conflict, which has become a serious threat to international peace and security.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had confirmed his position rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the Israeli Minister of National Security, supported his position in a post on the “X” website.

For his part, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister, said that relations with Israel cannot be normalized without resolving the Palestinian issue, adding that “the establishment of a Palestinian state constitutes a consensus within the international community.” The Europeans, the Americans, and everyone agree that the (only) way out of the cycle of violence is to move towards a path that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

Bin Farhan stressed, during an interview on CNN yesterday, that “achieving true peace and stability that provides economic and social benefits to everyone, including Israel, will only be achieved through a credible, irreversible peace process to establish peace.” A Palestinian state.”

The Saudi Foreign Minister also attacked the unjustified targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip, where the death toll rose yesterday to more than 25,000 since the start of the war on October 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected conditions presented by Hamas to end the war and release hostages that would include Israel's complete withdrawal and leaving Hamas in power in Gaza.

As Israeli planes resumed bombing Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the Israeli leader's refusal to end the military offensive in Gaza "means there is no chance for the return of the (Israeli) captives."

"In exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all the murderers and rapists," Netanyahu said in a statement. "And leaving Hamas intact."

"I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas," Netanyahu said.

Under a deal brokered in late November by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, more than 100 of the estimated 240 hostages taken captive to Gaza during an attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 were freed in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Since then, Netanyahu has faced mounting pressure to secure the release of the 136 hostages who remain in captivity.

The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum demanded in a statement that Netanyahu "clearly state that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers, and others kidnapped in the October debacle."

"We must advance the deal now," it said. "If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public."

Relatives of the hostages at a protest outside Netanyahu's residence demanded action.

"We need the government to now fix the problem that they have created and get these hostages home immediately," said Jon Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Netanyahu also took a stronger line on the issue of Palestinian statehood than before.

"I will not compromise on full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River," he said.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday he spoke with Netanyahu about possible solutions for creation of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting one path could involve a non-militarized government.

Netanyahu appeared on Saturday to push back against Biden's remarks about Palestinian statehood after the war against Hamas in Gaza ends as the two men do not see eye-to-eye on Palestinians having a state, a solution Biden has advocated to achieve long-term peace.

In the statement on Sunday, Netanyahu repeated that he would insist upon "full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan."

Netanyahu said he had firmly stood up to "international and internal pressures" to change this position and would continue to do so.

"My insistence is what prevented for years the establishment of a Palestinian state that would have posed an existential danger to Israel," he said.

The mainstream American media almost completely ignores the inflammatory statements made by Israeli officials, who openly say they want to remove the Palestinians from Gaza forever, according to an analysis by Mondoweiss.

The Israeli aggression against Gaza forced the residents of the Strip to flee from north to south, in light of declared Israeli intentions to deport Palestinians from Gaza to Europe and other places, such as Sinai and Jordan, amid a decisive Egyptian-Jordanian refusal that prevents the translation of these plans.

The occupation government is trying to impose deportation

Israeli army had demanded from the United Nations, since the beginning of the aggression on October 13, 2023, that 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should move to the south of the Strip within 24 hours. Israel did not hesitate at the time to announce that these residents “will not be able to return to Gaza City unless another announcement is issued allowing this.”

This is in addition to circulating media leaks about the Netanyahu government’s intention to put forward a plan to deport the Palestinians of Gaza to Europe and America, if it becomes impossible to transfer them to Sinai due to Egypt’s firm refusal to do so.

The website says that the mainstream media is protecting Israel by covering up far-right Jewish racists, who have gained more power there in recent years.

The media covers up calls for deportation

The site cited, for example, the New York Times, with a headline it published on January 5, saying: “As pressure mounts, an Israeli minister proposes a plan for post-war Gaza,” without mentioning calls for ethnic cleansing from National Security Minister Itamar Ben. Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The “Israeli Minister” in the New York Times headline is actually Yoav Gallant, who holds the defense portfolio, and his “plan” does not mention ethnic cleansing, but rather calls for the formation of a “multinational task force” to eventually oversee Gaza. The reader will have to continue until the sixth paragraph to find the opinions of the extremists.

In a development that the website described as “cunning,” the newspaper says that Ben Gvir’s opinions came in a “Facebook post,” hinting that his opinions were improvised and in reality had little weight. The New York Times article succeeded in weakening Ben Gvir and Smotrich by sticking them in the lower paragraphs, even though the Defense Minister does not have any political followers, unlike Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who constitute two essential elements in the ruling coalition, and without them, Netanyahu’s government would fall and he would lose new elections. He will likely be put on trial.

"Hashtag Palestine": All this violence on the Internet

So far, The Washington Post has not mentioned Ben Gvir and Smotrich at all. American Public Radio mentioned their names in passing, but never quoted their calls for the permanent expulsion of Gazans from the Strip. The two never appeared on CNN either.

One New York Times opinion columnist, Michelle Goldberg, was the exception with a powerful column on January 5. Her first sentence got straight to the point: “Two far-right members of the Israeli government, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, caused an international uproar this week with their call to depopulate Gaza.”

Mondoweiss's analysis says that Goldberg, who resides in New York, found her way to the truth better than New York Times reporters who roam the ground in the occupying state and Palestine. She heard the "international commotion" that her colleagues somehow went unnoticed.

The site points out that this cover-up is more difficult to maintain now, because Benjamin Netanyahu depends on the extremists, who are now in his government, to stay in power, and “they are certainly not keeping silent about their true views.”

Mondoweiss

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements rejecting any "Palestinian sovereignty" in the post-Gaza war period were "disappointing."

Shapps told Sky News, “It is disappointing to hear such statements from the Israeli Prime Minister,” stressing that for Britain, “there is no choice but a two-state solution to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Yesterday, Saturday, Netanyahu expressed his rejection of US President Joe Biden’s statements about establishing a Palestinian state after the end of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Biden said last Friday that he spoke to Netanyahu about possible solutions to establish an independent Palestinian state, indicating that one of the paths may include forming a civilian government.

Earlier, NBC reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's proposal for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia in exchange for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that the United States warned the Israeli Prime Minister that Israel's long-term security will only be guaranteed through the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The newspaper said, quoting Reuters, that US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that “there is no way” to solve Israel’s security problems in the long term, as well as to organize the Gaza reconstruction process at the end of the war, without establishing a Palestinian state.

Source: AFP

The Wall Street Journal revealed on Sunday that US intelligence estimates indicate that Hamas still possesses enough ammunition to strike Israel for months to come, and that the goal of destroying the movement has not been achieved, despite the intense Israeli air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper said that a secret US intelligence report indicates that the Israeli occupation army was able to eliminate 20% to 30% of Hamas fighters, an outcome that the newspaper described as “not yet living up to Israel’s goal of destroying the movement.” It also “demonstrates Hamas’ ability to withstand months of war that destroyed large areas of the Strip.”

The newspaper confirmed that the American estimate of the movement’s losses found that Hamas still possesses enough ammunition to continue striking Israeli gatherings and occupation army soldiers in Gaza for several months to come, and that the group is trying to reconstitute its own police force in parts of Gaza City.

Military analysts told the newspaper that Hamas's tactics consist of "operating in small groups and ambushing Israeli army concentrations."

Although Hamas “suffered many losses,” according to the newspaper, American and Israeli assessments indicate that the movement “simply aims to survive.” Meanwhile, a senior Israeli military official confirmed that Hamas “does not aim to win, but rather does not want to lose.”

According to the newspaper, America’s military doctrine recognizes that a conventional force that loses between 25% and 30% of its fighters is considered “combat ineffective,” but this does not apply to the Hamas movement, because it is classified as an irregular group and is waging a defensive war in an urban environment. Dense, and has access to hundreds of miles of tunnels under the Gaza Strip.

Retired US Army General Joseph Votel, who led US military operations in the Middle East, said: “Hamas has shown that it is still capable of fighting, but losses continue to put more pressure on the movement, and each fighter may need to perform two or more tasks.” Three jobs.

A spokeswoman for the CIA Director's Office declined to comment on this information, and the Hamas movement did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, launched a large missile salvo targeting the Netivot settlement from the central Gaza Strip, one day after the Israeli army withdrew from the site.

Testimonies of soldiers from the occupation army participating in the fighting inside the Gaza Strip, in their conversation with the Hebrew “Walah” website, revealed that the Palestinian resistance uses what is known as the “sting” tactic, according to which the resistance fighter emerges from between the columns of destroyed buildings and fires shells and anti-tank missiles, and from Then it disappears from the place, making it difficult for aircraft to detect it.

The unit's soldiers explained, in their conversation with the Israeli website, that Palestinian resistance members are shooting from a short distance, and that they are using combat tactics that prevent occupation aircraft and soldiers from monitoring them.

The soldiers added that the gunmen emerge from underground, and also use the demolished houses to move around and hide themselves there.

Speaking about this strategy, many Israeli analysts pointed out that this type of fighting does not require large numbers of Hamas fighters to participate in it, as these operations are carried out in small numbers, intensively, and quickly.

Eitan Gilboa

The two conflicting statements issued by President Biden's office and by Netanyahu regarding their phone conversation indicate the growing disagreement between the United States and Israel regarding the "day after the war." Biden has said that Netanyahu has not rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, and there is still a chance to reach an agreement on this matter. Netanyahu responded: “In any agreement in the foreseeable future, Israel must control all the lands west of Jordan. This contradicts the idea of [Palestinian] sovereignty, and I say this to the Americans.”

When Netanyahu rejected Biden's vision of a Palestinian state, he struck a nerve, especially for the Democratic Party, and after that, angry voices from Congress were not long in coming. 

Recently, the two sides have exchanged criticism and spoken privately to their bases. Netanyahu challenged Biden when he said that he is the only one who can say “no” to the President of the United States and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. It seems that this will be the main slogan that he will use in his next electoral battle. While the White House leaked that it was working on preparing a new Marshall Plan in Gaza “the next day.” 

The Biden administration assumes that elections will be held in Israel soon, and Netanyahu will not win them. But when Biden compares Hamas's rejection with the Israeli government's rejection, he specifically strengthens Netanyahu.

The United States believes that the war in Gaza could create the “Egyptian model” for a radical solution to the entire Israeli-Arab conflict, with the participation of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. In the Yom Kippur War, Egypt and Syria surprised Israel, inflicted severe losses on it, and were a reason for relying on American military assistance, and for a revolutionary change in the Israeli government and new strategic thinking. 

The American assumption is that the “massacre in the Gaza envelope,” the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and absolute military dependence on the United States, will all lead to a similar process.

This superficial thinking ignores the significant differences between the two situations, especially the fact that Sinai, geographically, constitutes a wide barrier between the two states, and that a Palestinian state in the West Bank would be close to the city centers in Israel. President Sadat initiated the war in order to move the political process forward, and fought the Israeli army in the desert, while Hamas, which rejects any settlement with Israel and aspires to eliminate it, committed a “massacre” against Israeli citizens, and its spokesmen confirmed that they would repeat this in the future.

Since the beginning of the war, the Biden administration has been pressuring Netanyahu to determine who will have civilian control in Gaza, after expelling Hamas from there. This is also the position of the Israeli army, because the answer is very necessary for the continuation of military operations. Netanyahu not only did not respond, but he refuses to even discuss this issue in the government. Biden believes that the main reason for this is Netanyahu’s desire to maintain his government coalition with Ben Gvir and Smotrich. Therefore, he submitted to their extremist positions that call for the occupation of the entire Gaza Strip, the voluntary migration of residents, and the return of Jewish settlement there.

Biden is also forced to think about the presidential elections. Trump appears to be the Republican Party's sure candidate for the presidency, and he is leading in all opinion polls, even in the "swing states" that decide the outcome. 

The American public is also not satisfied with his performance. Netanyahu's statements against the vision of a Palestinian state have led to dangerous responses from Congress, which could affect not only the "day after", but also the continuation of the war.

The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is pressuring Biden to condition American military assistance to Israel on the Israeli government’s willingness to accept the two-state solution in principle. Progressives exploit the law that requires the use of American weapons to comply with American law and the humanitarian and international laws of war. Because of Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, the number of senators who want to condition American military aid to Israel increased from 12 to 18 members, and even the 15 Jewish members of the US House of Representatives strongly criticized Netanyahu, and declared, “We strongly oppose the prime minister, and the two-state solution is the way forward.” 

Without congressional approval, the US President cannot send weapons to Israel.

Netanyahu's concern for his government coalition more than his concern for Israel's security and relations with the Americans endangers the war's achievements and the common goal of eliminating Hamas' authority in the Gaza Strip.

An opinion poll conducted by Tel Aviv and Hebrew Universities revealed that 44% of Israelis believe that the policy of the government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu does not make them feel safe.

The poll stated that 33% of Israelis believe that the government is managing the battle in the Gaza Strip with great force, while 38% rated it reasonably.

65% of Israelis support launching a military operation against the Lebanese Hezbollah and removing its threat, while 82% support forming international pressure to remove the Hezbollah threat, while 41% believe that the government is bad in confronting Hezbollah.

Also, 47% of Israelis say that the government’s management of the battle against Iran is bad.

The families of Israeli detainees in Gaza continue to demonstrate in front of Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, south of Haifa, in an attempt to pressure him to conclude a deal with the Palestinian resistance to release their detained children in the Gaza Strip.

Yesterday, hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in downtown Tel Aviv in protest against the policy of the Netanyahu government in managing the war in Gaza. The protesters raised banners demanding the dismissal of the Israeli government, holding immediate elections, and forming a new government that seeks to unify the Israeli ranks.

Last week, about two thousand Israelis demonstrated in front of the Knesset headquarters and the headquarters of the Israeli government in occupied Jerusalem, to demand the overthrow of the current government, due to its failure to repel the attack on October 7 and return the prisoners detained in Gaza.

Tens of thousands had participated in a day-long protest gathering in Tel Aviv to demand the return of Israeli prisoners from Gaza, as the city witnessed the largest demonstration since the start of the war, in an effort to pressure the government to make the detainees file a priority.

It is noteworthy that Netanyahu's government is being widely criticized in Israeli circles, as a result of its failure to anticipate in advance the attack launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October, and to release detainees in the Strip.

Source: Al Jazeera

The Hamas movement called on Sunday to “immediately stop the Israeli aggression” on the Gaza Strip, stop “crimes and genocide,” and work to open the crossings, lift the siege on the Gaza Strip, and bring in aid.

Hamas stressed that "the Palestinian people have the ability and competence to decide their future for themselves," and "no one may impose guardianship over them."

The October 7 attack was a “necessary step”

Hamas also said in the document about the October 7 attack on Israel that Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” was “a necessary step and a natural response” to confront Israel’s “plans” to “liquidate the Palestinian cause.”

Hamas described what Israel said about Hamas fighters targeting Israeli civilians as “pure slander and a lie,” adding, “Some disruption may have occurred... due to the complete and rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system, and the occurrence of some chaos as a result of the widespread breaches in the separating fence.”

Ahmed Hafez

There have been numerous reports of disagreements between the US administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the war on the Gaza Strip, and what was whispered behind closed doors is now being reported by various media outlets as preparation for the next Israeli government.

American newspapers said that the Biden administration is “looking beyond Netanyahu to achieve its goals in the region,” and that the American administration is trying to lay the foundation with other Israeli leaders in preparation for the formation of a post-Netanyahu government.

The Israeli Walla website also revealed that Defense Minister Yoav Galant tried to storm the Prime Minister's office, and the situation almost deteriorated into a fist fight.

Al Jazeera Net reviewed this issue with a number of experts and political analysts, in order to determine the truth of the American position on the Israeli Prime Minister, especially since Washington is still entrenched behind Israel with all forms of supplies in its aggression against the Gaza Strip.

The American position

Hassan Mneimneh, a professor at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said, “The American position is still fully aligned with the Israeli desire to eliminate the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and this is a consistent position,” and the matter appears to be a matter of differences over method, not over goal.

Mneimneh wondered: Why did the American administration allow Israel to kill more than 25,000 Palestinians? He answers that it arms and finances the Israeli killing machine in Gaza. We must balance the press leaks with the clear record over the past months of the American government in its declared positions, and most importantly its behavior to support the Israeli goal of seeking to eliminate Hamas, or as Netanyahu says, “kill Hamas.”

As for the researcher at the German Robert Bosch Academy, Muhammad Darawsha, he said that the dispute between the two administrations began since US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel in the second week of the war, and this dispute was about two axes: the first was the day after the war, and the other was related to the Palestinian issue in general, and the issue of the two-state solution.

However, the Biden administration continued to arm the Israeli army and opened the way for all forms of aggression against Gaza, while trying to improve the atmosphere within the Israeli government and bring some improvements to the ruling coalition. However, it was clear that a confrontation between the two administrations was inevitably coming.

Darawsheh added that Biden is now paying a heavy price for his embrace of the Israeli position, as a result of his declining popularity ahead of the imminent elections, and the image of Israel itself has begun to decline significantly on the American street.

Not far from that, Israeli journalist and political analyst Joab Stern acknowledged the existence of differences between Netanyahu and the American administration, and said that there are expectations that an alternative to the Israeli prime minister will be found soon.

He added that the United States is now preparing for the next day after Netanyahu, and perhaps creating a reality completely different from what Netanyahu is doing under the influence of his allies in the ruling coalition of right-wing settlers, to whom Netanyahu has no alternative.

Netanyahu's future

Stern held Netanyahu fully responsible, saying that his leadership of the government does not enjoy confidence from the entire Israeli public, and each one has a different reason. There are those who say that he failed to eliminate Hamas, and there are those who say that he failed to release the “kidnapped,” and there are those who say that from the beginning there was no confidence in his character. For these reasons combined, “Netanyahu has reached the end of the political road, and his days are almost numbered.”

In more detail, Muhammad Darawsheh says that Netanyahu has no political future the day after the war on Gaza. Therefore, he is trying to prolong the war more and more, and he is ready to open an additional front with Lebanon, or with any other country if he is given the opportunity.

Darawsha pointed out that Netanyahu believes that there may be early elections in Israel next October, and he wants to position himself as an obstacle to the establishment of a Palestinian state, in the face of figures from the left who are working with the American administration to establish a Palestinian state, and therefore he will try to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. that; His goal is to attract the core base of the Israeli right.

But Hassan Mneimneh disagrees with the previous two proposals, and believes that the media talk about a dispute between the American administration and the Israeli government represents the best service that can be provided to Netanyahu at this time. Because he will say we reject American dictates, and we reject the United States choosing the Israeli prime minister.

Mneimneh stressed that the American position is consistent towards Israel, and deals with the government elected by the Israeli voter. “It is true that Biden would have preferred that Netanyahu not be at the head of the government currently, but he never said that we call for his overthrow.” Because this is considered interference in the affairs of an “allied and friendly” country. Therefore, “this is an exaggeration that the United States cannot undertake, or leak through the media.”

The war on Gaza

The researcher at the German Robert Bosch Academy enumerates the effects of the war on Gaza at several points. The most important of which are:

First - Netanyahu's government is the one that will be held accountable for its failure to accomplish what it promised to the Israeli street, namely eliminating Hamas and returning the prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

But researcher Darawsha himself stressed that “unfortunately” this government will not be held accountable for the crimes it committed against our people in the Gaza Strip.

Secondly - Netanyahu’s government believed that it could ignore the Palestinian issue and circumvent it, and go to regional peace agreements with Bahrain, Morocco, and the Emirates, and that the Palestinian issue would dissolve within the steps of normalization that were halted by the Al-Aqsa Flood process.

Third: The Netanyahu government believed that the so-called economic peace, improving the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank, and transferring funds to Hamas might make the Palestinians forget their national cause and their just demand for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The professor at the Middle East Institute in Washington pointed out that Netanyahu said a few days ago that he was able to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and we do not expect him today to acknowledge the Palestinian state. The American position regarding demanding that Israel acknowledge the establishment of a Palestinian state in the long term is a formal demand and not a sincere demand.

As for the Israeli political analyst, he believes that after more than 100 days of military battle, Israel was unable to completely eliminate the Hamas movement, and this was its first goal. It was also unable to release those detained by Hamas, and this was the second goal of the war.

But it is due to the fact that Netanyahu was able to record some achievements in his war on Gaza. Such as: “directing a severe blow to Hamas fighters and its infrastructure, headquarters and tunnels,” as well as stopping the political measures of the movement that controls the Gaza Strip, and making it not provide any services to the Palestinian people during the last 100 days.

In contrast to this proposal, Hassan Mneimneh says that Netanyahu will ultimately be held accountable and punished, but from within Israel, and not through pressure that the United States may exert. Because it cannot defend its abandonment of its firm position towards Israel.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Moscow was not surprised by Germany's defense of Israel before the International Court of Justice in the Palestinian genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa.

Zakharova said: “The German government’s decision to confront the Republic of South Africa in its lawsuit before the International Court of Justice against Israel on charges of genocide of the residents of the Gaza Strip did not surprise us.”

She added: "Germany continues to refuse to acknowledge the Nazi crimes against the people of our country as genocide. Russian investigative agencies have collected a large amount of evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed by Nazi German forces in various regions of our country."

She continued: "What worries us most is the continued revival of German militarism in parallel with the support of neo-Nazism professionals for this phenomenon. This policy will have very serious consequences for Germany itself, Europe and the world."

Earlier, the German government strongly rejected the accusations against Israel of genocide in Gaza, and warned against "political exploitation of these accusations."

German government spokesman Stephen Hebstreit said that Israel is "defending itself after the inhumane attacks launched by Hamas on October 7."

Last week, the International Court of Justice began hearings in the case brought by South Africa against Israel on charges of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

The South African legal team pointed out that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, and that “the Palestinians are subjected to non-stop bombardment wherever they go, and are killed everywhere they turn,” and that “Israel’s actions indicate an intention to exterminate, and this intention is rooted in its conviction that the enemy Not Hamas, but the fabric of Palestinian life in Gaza.”

At least 7 citizens were killed this Sunday evening in an Israeli bombing that targeted the Al-Sawarha area in the central Gaza Strip and the Gaza neighborhoods.

Local sources said that 4 dead bodies arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, as a result of the targeting of a house in the Al-Sawarha area in the central Gaza Strip.

It added that ambulance and civil defense crews were able to transport three martyrs in an Israeli artillery shelling of an apartment for the Hamada family on Al-Shuhadaa Street in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza City.

The Israeli warplanes bombed the home of the Abu Qasim family in Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip, coinciding with a raid by the occupation warplanes east of the Nuseirat camp and the Zawaida area.

The Red Crescent Society said that Israeli aircraft deployed fire belts around Al-Amal Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Israeli warplanes launched a fire belt in the north of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the Israeli gunboats firing their machine guns on the western coast of the Gaza Strip, specifically the beach of Rafah and Khan Yunis.

The Israeli artillery bombed a factory for the Abu Daqqa family, east of the city of Khan Yunis, and also targeted the Batn al-Sameen area.

In an infinite toll, the number of dead since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October has risen to about 25,105 people, and 62,681 injured, the majority of whom are women and children, and thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads and cannot be reached. .

A body representing the families of Israeli prisoners held by the resistance factions in the Gaza Strip announced this evening, Sunday, the start of an open sit-in in front of the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, to demand work on reaching an agreement that would lead to the release of their relatives detained in the Strip, which is being subjected to a devastating Israeli war took place 107 days ago.

This Sunday evening, Israeli settlers attacked citizens’ homes in the Arab Al-Malihat community, northwest of Jericho.

The supervisor of the "Al-Baidar" organization for defending the rights of the Bedouins, Hassan Mlihat, reported that settlers from the settlement outposts established in the Al-Ma'rajat lands stormed and attacked the Mlihat Arab community, while others gathered on the outskirts of the community until the preparation of this news.

He added that the settlers stormed the Bedouin homes in the community, searched them, and terrorized their residents.

Dozens of citizens were killed and injured today, Sunday, in continuous Israeli bombardment on various areas of the Gaza Strip, concentrated in the cities of Gaza and Khan Yunis.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing the sound of a huge explosion that shook the southern region of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, coinciding with Israeli artillery targeting several areas in Jabalia al-Balad.

Three citizens were killed in the targeting of a civilian car in the Yarmouk Market in Gaza City. A number of citizens were also killed and others were injured in the bombing of a residential apartment in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City.

Medical sources said that Israeli forces prevent ambulances from reaching the areas being bombed in Gaza City and its north, and target anyone who approaches, especially in the Sheikh Radwan and Al-Nasr neighborhoods and others.

Two citizens were killed in an Israeli bombing targeting the Al-Hakar area in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces continue to launch raids and destroy homes in the city of Khan Yunis, and the northern and eastern areas, specifically in Al-Qarara and Abasan, with clouds of smoke rising in the town.

Local sources reported that Israeli occupation warplanes launched continuous raids on the city of Khan Yunis, which led to the death and injury of a number of citizens, in conjunction with the occupation forces firing smoke bombs and artillery shells in the Al-Manara neighborhood area, southeast of Khan Yunis.

The occupation aircraft bombed a house behind the Al-Albani Mosque in the vicinity of the Austrian neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis.

Journalist Karam Ahmed Abu Ajiram (25 years old), a freelance journalist, was killed as a result of an Israeli bombing of his house in the Abasan Al-Kabira area, east of Khan Yunis.

In an infinite toll, the number of killed since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October has risen to about 25,105 people, and 62,681 injured, the majority of whom are women and children, and thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads and cannot be reached. .

Media sources said that an Israeli raid targeted a car in the town of Kafra, south of Lebanon.

Reuters reported that two people were killed and a number of injured in an Israeli drone attack on a car in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah had announced that it had targeted the Pranit military barracks in the Western Galilee, achieving a direct hit, in response to Israel launching two raids on the town of Markaba in southern Lebanon.

Doctor Hani Bseiso was forced to make a painful decision when his young niece, Ahed Bseiso, was injured in the Israeli bombing that targeted her home in Gaza City. He either amputated her leg or left her at risk of bleeding to death.

Using small scissors and some gauze that was in his medical bag, the doctor, who could not reach the hospital, removed the lower part of the girl’s right leg in an operation performed on a dining table without anesthesia.

Video clips spread on Instagram showed the doctor wiping blood from the remaining part of her right leg while she was lying on a table with one of her brothers holding her steady, while the other was holding two mobile phones to provide better lighting.

The house is only about 1.8 kilometers away from Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, which takes six minutes by car or 25 minutes on foot, but Bseiso said that the intense Israeli bombing in the area made trying to get there very dangerous.

Bseiso noted in an interview with Reuters this week in the room where the girl's leg was amputated in December, "Unfortunately, I had no other choice. It was one of two choices: either let the girl be a martyr, or try to the best of my abilities. Of course, the capabilities are zero."

Bseiso added, "Am I able to take her to the hospital? Of course not, because we were besieged for fifteen days and the tanks were at the door of the house. We made the decision. The decision is that I must try to do anything for the girl to save her. The first decision is that I amputate the leg because he is bleeding."

Ahed Bseiso (18 years old) is one of the generation of young people who have been subjected to amputations in the war that has been going on in Gaza since October 7.

1. Doctor Hani Bseiso
   
2. 
   

Doctors stated that many of those who were killed in the Gaza Strip since then could have been saved if they had been able to reach hospitals.

Ahed Bseiso, while lying in bed several weeks after the amputation, explained that she found an Israeli tank near her house when she went out at 10:30 in the morning to pick up a transmission to call her father, who lives abroad.

She explained that she and her sister went inside and closed the curtains of the house in case it would be bombed. Pointing out that the building was bombed shortly afterwards and she was injured.

She realized that she lost feeling in her leg when her family members tried to help her and remove the shrapnel from her body.

She said, "They made me sit at the dining table. There was no medical equipment. My uncle saw the loofah that we used to wrap the dishes and the wire in... and the chlorine caught them and started to rub my feet. He left my feet without anesthesia and without anything in the house."

In response to a question about how she tolerated the pain, she said, “I was just talking, thank God, and reading the Qur’an, and thank God I didn’t feel much. Thanks to God’s grace, patience was bestowed upon me, but of course there was pain, the sight, and the shock.”

Ahed has since undergone further operations in the hospital to treat her injuries.

Many others, including children, had their limbs amputated due to the severity of their injuries during the Israeli attack.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), more than a thousand children had their legs amputated in Gaza by the end of last November.

Poor hygiene and shortages of medicines are further putting lives at risk, and doctors complain that the delivery of supplies to hospitals is being hampered.

The Prisoners' Club and the Prisoners' Affairs Authority said that the occupation has arrested more than 6,170 citizens since October 7.

The Prisoners' Club and the Prisoners' Affairs Authority reported in a joint statement that the occupation forces arrested, from yesterday evening, until Sunday morning, at least 15 citizens from the West Bank, including former prisoners.

The arrest operations were distributed among the governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, and Jerusalem, accompanied by widespread raids and abuse during the arrest campaigns, severe beatings, and threats against detainees and their families, in addition to widespread sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes.

American intelligence estimates indicated that Hamas still possesses enough ammunition to strike Israel for several months to come, in a recent report published by the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying that despite the air and ground campaign in Gaza, the goal of destroying Hamas has not been achieved.

The newspaper's report said that Israeli forces killed between 20 percent and 30 percent of Hamas fighters, according to estimates by US intelligence agencies, a toll that is less than Israel's goal of destroying the movement.

A senior Israeli military official said of Hamas' goal: "You don't have to win, all you have to do is not lose."

British doctors who worked at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the Gaza Strip said that they had seen the worst injuries there in their professional lives, and that they were often forced to treat the wounded without medical equipment.

The British doctors, Professor Dr. Nick Maynard, Dr. Deborah Harrington, and Dr. James Smith, were able to work in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza for two weeks, from the end of December 2023 until January 9, 2024, at the initiative of the International Rescue Committee and the Medical Aid Platform. For the Palestinians.

British doctors spoke about their experiences in the region, in light of the continued Israeli bombing.

Maynard, who works as a surgeon in Oxford, England, said that they arrived in Gaza after a one-day trip from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and that work began coinciding with Christmas (December 25).

Maynard expressed his first impression when he entered Gaza, saying, “The first thing that caught our attention after passing through the Rafah border gate was the overcrowding of the displaced. We saw hundreds of carts drawn by donkeys filled with people and goods.”

Maynard indicated that he had been meeting with those in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli attacks and was preparing himself for what he would see, and said, “But what I saw was much worse than I expected.” “At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, I saw the most horrific injuries that I did not expect to see in my professional life.”

Maynard stated that they saw many children with fatal burns, loss of limbs, and fatal injuries to the chest and abdomen. “Gaza was like hell on earth,” he said.

We conducted medical interventions on the ground

Maynard noted that Israel is systematically targeting Gaza residents and health care system facilities in the Strip.

“If the whole world works together and forces Israel to cease fire, it is possible for Gaza to recover,” he said.

He added that the international community must support Gaza for its reconstruction.

Regarding his observations in Gaza, Maynard said, “The capabilities in the operating rooms were limited in most cases.

Sometimes there was no water. We used to clean our hands using alcohol only. We often lacked equipment and clothing.

Some days, we did not have painkillers to use to treat children with serious burns or loss of limbs. “

“I saw a 6-year-old boy lying on the floor in the emergency room. There were not enough doctors to care for the child. The child's family was also not around. He had extremely painful burns and open chest wounds. We immediately took him to the recovery area. Since there were not enough beds or stretchers, we performed the necessary medical interventions on the ground.”

The hospital's capacity is 300 percent

For her part, obstetrician Deborah Harrington commented on the situation in the hospital by saying: “I cannot explain how scary it was.

“There are people who need care not only in the hospital building but around it as well.”

Harrington stated that tents were set up around the hospital, which was crowded with wounded children, which left a deep impression on her.

“A very large number of children were arriving with serious burns, amputations, and horrific injuries, and hospital equipment was insufficient for such a large number,” she said.

Harrington stressed that the only solution for Gaza to get out of its current situation is an immediate ceasefire.

She continued, “Most of the cases that arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital were extremely terrible.” The hospital's capabilities were not able to handle this level of serious cases. The hospital's capacity was 300 percent. There were people waiting for treatment everywhere, most of them seriously injured. In addition, there were relatives of sick and displaced people. “There was not an inch of the hospital empty of people.”

I saw the most dangerous burns in Gaza

In turn, emergency physician James Smith, who worked in several areas witnessing conflicts and crises, said that he was one of a team of doctors consisting of 9 people working in Gaza.

Smith noted that the emergency department, which is the most equipped department, was having difficulty responding to the number of patients it received.

Smith pointed out that many of the hospital's workers are Palestinian health care employees, in addition to those displaced from other hospitals.

Smith noted that most basic medical supplies were unavailable. He said, “One day we ran out of gauze that we used to bandage wounds, and the next day we ran out of morphine, which we used for people suffering from serious pain.” I have worked for many humanitarian organizations and seen patients in many conflict zones for years, but I have never seen traumatic injuries of this scale and severity. The Gaza experience was truly the greatest event I have ever experienced.”

Smith concluded by noting that he witnessed many fatal cases, from burns that destroyed the skin and muscles to the bones, and he also witnessed many horrific amputations.

Since last October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that, as of Saturday, left 24,927 dead, 62,388 injured, and a humanitarian and health disaster, and caused the displacement of about 1.9 million people, that is, more than 85 percent of the Strip’s population, according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations. United.

(Anatolia)

Israeli aircraft continued their bombing on the 107th day of the war on the Gaza Strip, leaving dozens dead and hundreds wounded.
There were 165 killed and 280 injuries during the past 24 hours, bringing the toll of the Israeli aggression to 24,927 dead and 62,388 injuries since the seventh of last October.

Five Palestinians died as a result of the Israeli bombing of a house for the Sultan family in the Old Court area in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli artillery bombed the east of Jabalia Camp, north of the Gaza Strip, in addition to the Al-Sikka area in Jabalia Camp, north of the Gaza Strip.
In Gaza, violent clashes took place between the resistance and Israeli army in the Karama and Intelligence Towers areas west of the city.
The Israeli army also bombed several targets near Abu Mazen and Ansar roundabouts and the port.
The Israeli army destroyed, with an air strike, a house in the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.

A number of killed and injuries arrived at Nasser Hospital as a result of the bombing of a house for a student family on Al-Ternis Street in the Al-Amal neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis.
One dead and one injured were also killed in an Israeli bombing on the Al-Amal neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Artillery shelling renewed in the vicinity of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
The warplanes launched a violent belt of fire around the Gaza European Hospital.
The Israeli army continued to destroy residential squares in the center and east of Khan Yunis.
The number of martyrs rose to four after the occupation bombed a civilian car in Rafah.

A Palestinian was killed in an Israeli bombing while trying to retrieve the body of a killed man in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip.
In the last 24 hours, paramedics were able to recover the bodies of twenty Palestinians from the Bureij and Maghazi camps and the village of Al-Masdar, who werekilled earlier.

Recognition of Israel by the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, against the promise of a Palestinian state, these are the principles of the outline of an Arab peace plan which is circulating. The United States plays a determining role in this “after” to be invented.

More than three months after the massacre of October 7, followed by the war in the Gaza Strip, the weapons are still speaking, and they alone. For the first time, however, a draft peace plan is circulating in diplomatic circles. We are still in the principles, informal, far from the beginning of commitment of the belligerents.

But the very existence of these first leads shows that reflection is at work, behind the scenes, for the “after”, when the weapons, in one way or another, will have fallen silent. It may take a few more weeks, but that time will come. And we will have to put the pieces back together, even if it seems impossible.

These proposals revolve – and this is the most interesting – around the role of Saudi Arabia. This powerful kingdom was on the verge of recognizing Israel on the eve of October 7, a process frozen since the Hamas attack and the Israeli war. Since then, Saudi Arabia has remained very discreet, even refusing any escalation with Iran, until recently its mortal enemy. It would be called upon to play a determining role in ending the crisis.

The principles are simple: the recognition of Israel by the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, guardian - let us remember - of the holy places of Islam; in exchange for an “irreversible” commitment from Israel to allow the birth of a Palestinian state. The wealthy Gulf monarchies would also play an important role in rebuilding Gaza and supporting a revived Palestinian Authority. The first step would be a ceasefire and the release of hostages still in Hamas hands.

These ideas have the support of the United States, which is very much involved in the preparation of the "after", if only to make part of American and world opinion forget the extent of their support for Israel in this war.

In Paris, we confirm these options, and we even encourage Saudi Arabia to “hold firm” in its new demand for a Palestinian state in exchange for recognition of Israel. This is the only way to emerge from a major crisis on top.

Obstacles are obviously not lacking

Starting with the fierce hostility of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to any Palestinian state project – and he undoubtedly has a large majority of Israelis behind him on this point. A second problem would be the attitude of Hamas, which has until now been hostile to the recognition of Israel, and which now has significant support among the Palestinian population. As long as these two players remain dominant, the path is blocked.

But nothing is set in stone, and it would be enough for this plan to be formalized and to bring together enough international support to make it credible, to begin to change the situation.

By Insaf Rezagui

The year 2023 is the deadliest year for Palestinians anywhere in Palestinian territory. According to the United Nations, since October 7, in the West Bank, 304 Palestinians, including 79 children, have been killed by Israeli armed forces and settlers. In the Gaza Strip, as of December 27, 21,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombings, 70% of whom are women and children. In recent days, the intensification of Israeli bombings has given the Palestinian population no respite. Nearly 200 Palestinians are killed daily in Gaza. 1.9 million Palestinians out of 2.3 million were forced to flee their homes, or 85% of the population. 142 United Nations personnel were killed.

Behind these dizzying figures, entire lives have been decimated. These massive attacks on the Gaza Strip, coupled with violence by the army and settlers in the West Bank, reflect a desperate situation and the failure of the international system. At the forefront of this system is the United Nations Security Council, which was content to adopt on December 22, 2023 a minimum resolution to promote the delivery of humanitarian aid, without calling for a cease. -immediate fire. In this context, international law could have served as a compass for international society. The legal framework inherent to this conflict is established and the applicable rules are clear. Legal mechanisms to put an end to impunity exist and have been mobilized for more than twenty years. Yet impunity persists, to the detriment of lives, and Palestine has become the tomb of international law.

In this context, Insaf Rezagui will offer you a series of five articles in order to understand the place of international law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the legal qualification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the legal status of the Palestinian territory (article 1); the right to wage war (jus ad bellum) and the law of war (jus in bello) (article 2); allegations of violations of the rules of war (article 3); the legal mechanisms mobilized to put an end to impunity, with the International Criminal Court (article 4) and the International Court of Justice (article 5).

Additional Protocol I to the 1977 Geneva Conventions states that “armed conflicts in which peoples struggle against colonial domination and foreign occupation” are international armed conflicts. This is the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Israel has militarily occupied Palestinian territory since 1967 and the Six-Day War. Resolution 242 adopted in November 1967 by the Security Council underlines "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war" and calls for the "withdrawal of the Israeli armed forces from the occupied territories", while specifying that the Palestinians have "the right to live in peace within secure and recognized borders, free from threats or acts of force.”

The Security Council will repeatedly reiterate its demand for an end to the Israeli occupation, notably in 1980 in its resolution 476 by reaffirming "the imperative need to put an end to the prolonged occupation of the Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including including Jerusalem” and strongly deploring “the continued refusal of Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly”. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, States must respect them.

Israel, occupying and colonial power facing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people

The status of occupying power for Israel and the status of occupied territory for Palestine, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, was recalled in 2016 by a new Security Council resolution. It was also reaffirmed by the General Assembly which votes each year on a resolution on the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people; by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion of July 9, 2004 and by the judges of Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court in their decision of February 5, 2021. In short, when the Israeli authorities assert that it is of disputed or administered territories, this goes against international law and the unanimous position of international society. Religious and political claims have no legal value to justify any military presence and the establishment of settlements.

The occupied Palestinian territory also includes the Gaza Strip, despite the withdrawal of the Israeli army and Israeli settlers in 2005 and the Hamas takeover a year later. Indeed, since its withdrawal, Israel has put in place overall indirect effective control of the Gaza Strip. To control a territory, the foreign power must have effective control of said territory (article 42 of the Hague Regulations of 1907). Article 42 does not mention indirect effective control, but the Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice interpret the direct criterion of Article 42 extensively. Indirect effective control then takes the form of global control by the foreign power over the local authorities of the occupied territory. With this indirect control, it is no longer necessary for foreign military forces - in this case Israeli forces - to be directly present in the occupied territory. Today, Israel operates indirect effective control of the Gaza Strip, through a total maritime, air and land blockade, control of the entry and exit of people and goods into the Gaza Strip and by regularly carrying out military operations, as has been the case since October 7, 2023.

This legal qualification is important because it echoes the fundamental principle of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. The realization of this right is one of the purposes of the United Nations (article 4, paragraph 2 and article 55 of the UN Charter). Many other legal tools refer to the right to self-determination, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of December 16, 1966, ratified by Israel, and by numerous resolutions of the General Assembly which affirms that by virtue of the right of peoples to self-determination, it is up to them to determine “freely their political status”.

The International Court of Justice recalls that this right is “one of the essential principles of contemporary international law” and that it is enforceable erga omnes, that is to say that the whole of international society must ensure it is respected. The right to self-determination is fully realized if one of the following 3 objectives is implemented: the non-self-governing territory has become an independent and sovereign state; the territory is freely associated with an independent state; the territory became part of an independent state. The Palestinians chose the first option, that of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, even if today given the scale of Israeli occupation and colonization, the idea of a two-state solution seems unachievable.

In short, the right to self-determination is a cardinal principle of decolonization processes and has consequences in the event of continued military occupation, notably the fact that this territory cannot be annexed.

Despite recognizing the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, Israel continues its policy of colonization of Palestinian territory, in violation of international law. As of January 2022, 491,923 Israeli settlers are established in the West Bank, and 220,000 in East Jerusalem, compared to 3,200,000 Palestinians. Israeli settlers represent 13.8% of the total population, an increase of 222% since 2000. The continuation of this colonization contravenes the rules of the Fourth Geneva Convention and its article 49: “The Occupying Power may not carry out deportation or transfer of part of its own civilian population into the territory occupied by it.”

The Security Council, in its resolution 465 of 1980, recalled that "all measures taken by Israel to modify the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian territories and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including including Jerusalem (…) have no validity in law and that Israel's policy and practices of settling elements of its population and new immigrants in these territories constitute a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention. Article 8 of the Rome Statute specifies that “the transfer, direct or indirect, by an occupying power of part of its civilian population, into the territory it occupies (…)” constitutes a war crime.

In its 2004 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice recalls that the continuation of the Israeli occupation and its colonial policy hinders the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Consequently, Israel may incur international responsibility due to the commission of an internationally wrongful act. It is up to international society not to recognize this illicit situation and to force Israel to comply with the principles of international law.

This legal qualification allows the triggering of the application of numerous rules of international humanitarian law, also called the law of war, with a view to providing broad and significant protection to civilian populations.

Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, the legal classification of the conflict has not changed - it is still an international armed conflict - and the rules attached to it remain applicable. However, Israel attempts to justify its military operations in the Gaza Strip by using the same argument that it invokes in each operation: its natural right to defend itself against any armed aggression directed against its territory and/or against its citizens.

Source: French YAANI

The American website The Intercept confirmed in a report that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) donated about $95,000 to Republican Representative Mike Johnson last November, according to the site’s analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

The Intercept added in a report by journalist Catherine Caruso that the pro-Israel lobby is considered the largest donor to Johnson in 2023 after he led the passage of a large aid package for Israel.

The Intercept said that most of the payments received by the US representative came after the beginning of the war on Gaza.

According to the website, Johnson - who refused to speak to The Intercept - received small donations in late October, which quickly increased significantly during the month of November.

The Intercept confirmed that this increase came after Johnson led the passage of major support for Israel estimated at $14 billion, when he presided over the House of Representatives, where he struggled to accelerate the passage of that support by separating it from the bill to provide aid allocated to Ukraine, and resorting to using IRS funds to finance it.

Public support for Israel

Once the bill passed the House, Johnson urged the Senate to approve it as quickly as possible.

The website confirmed that Johnson has always expressed his direct public support for Israel, and he previously confirmed on a trip to Israel in 2020 that it is not true that the Palestinians suffer from injustice in the region, and he continued, "We never see any of that."

The website confirmed that AIPAC is considered an influential intermediary in the Capitol, as it provides money to legislators from the Republican and Democratic parties in order to continue maintaining pro-Israel policies, and in the recent period the organization has focused on members of the Democratic Party who are critical of Tel Aviv's policies.

Reward

The Intercept quoted the head of the Arab American Institute, James Zogby, as saying that AIPAC's contributions to election campaigns have two purposes, the first of which is to reward candidates who support Israel's interests, and the second is to use them as a stick to keep politicians aligned in one row.

“On foreign policy, this is probably the single issue where money has the biggest negative impact,” said Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard Kennedy School.

Even as a growing number of Democrats are willing to buck the pro-Israel consensus in Washington and reject AIPAC's influence, they still suffer from a significant lack of resources, according to the American website.

The problem, Walt told The Intercept, is that “there are no similar groups on the other side,” as no pro-Palestinian or pro-Arab-American PAC has the same resources.

Source: The Intercept

An article published by the British Financial Times newspaper explained that US President Joe Biden's strong support for Israel risks harming his re-election prospects for a new presidential term, explaining that his apparent indifference to the Palestinians may be costly.

Writer Edward Luce mentioned in his article that thousands of children were killed in the war on Gaza, according to Save the Children. However, Biden’s recent statement calling on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to “release the hostages” did not refer to what the Palestinians are suffering.

He added that acknowledging the plight of the Palestinians seems to cast doubt on Biden's "sincere sympathy for the Israeli victims in the attack launched by Hamas on October 7," so Washington avoids it, knowing that this upsets many young Americans who will need Biden badly. To their enthusiasm next November, it will also disturb the Arab Americans, who constitute a major voting bloc in many swing states.

The writer explained that progressive Democrats are not the only ones who feel dissatisfied with Biden's silence regarding what Israel is doing, as many of his most trusted allies in the US Senate are also upset.

Many naysayers

In a meeting in Davos this week, the US Senator from Delaware, Senator Chris Coons, and Biden's closest friend in politics, said that the United States should consider setting conditions on military aid to Israel.

In a letter to Biden before Christmas, a group of Democrats - some of them former CIA employees - urged the use of influence for “an immediate and significant shift in military strategy and tactics in Gaza.”

The writer stated that White House officials insist that Biden is secretly doing what he can to rein in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but there is little evidence to prove this. Israel has received more than 100 bunker-busting bombs from the United States since October 7, noting that these bombs are intended for destruction and not for “precise targeting of terrorists in urban areas.”

The writer believes that the answer is summed up in Biden's deep feelings towards Israel. Since his first days in politics, he was one of its strongest allies in the Capitol, and he has always admired the approach of both Israeli Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin, but now he faces a contradictory model represented by Benjamin Netanyahu, and despite this, he continues. In support.

Edward Luce said that Biden was one of the most vocal critics of the efforts of US President George Bush Sr. for the 1992 peace process between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. He also attacked Bush Sr.'s threat to withdraw American loan guarantees if Israel went ahead with building settlements in the occupied territories.

Full support

The pressure exerted by Bush helped overthrow the Likud government in Israel at the time and bring Rabin to power, and this led to the Oslo Peace Accords, explains Edward Luce.

According to the article, Biden - while serving as vice president - had undermined President Barack Obama's attempt in 2010 to apply similar pressure on Netanyahu's government, and partly because of Biden's own reassurances, the Israeli prime minister mocked Obama.

The writer emphasized that Biden could oust Netanyahu by imposing strict conditions on American aid if he wanted to, and in doing so he would gain the respect of the Israelis, the Arab world, and the majority of Jewish Americans. This would also make him regain some of the ground that Washington lost in the global South because of its double standards. A large part of the world believes that America cares more about European victims such as the Ukrainians than it does about civilians in the Middle East or anywhere else.

The writer emphasized that the longer Netanyahu clings to power, the worse it will be for Biden. However, it appears that Biden's actions were designed to ensure this.

Source: Financial Times + Aljazeera

Israeli media reported today, Saturday, that October 7 was the most horrific and cruelest day in “Israel,” calling on “Israel” to reconsider its policy on all fronts and in all areas of “national security.”

The former head of the “Aman” Division, Amos Yadlin, told the Israeli Channel 12 website that he will present in his press report the most important recommendations for the context of “the future of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian arena,” which is based on the “Mind Israel” plan and which is supervised by the famous Israeli reserve, Giora Eiland. This is in the context of the assumption that “the war objectives will be achieved,” indicating that this document will be presented to the Israeli security establishment.

Earlier, Israeli media reported that the Israeli occupation army had not yet achieved any of the goals of the war it decided to launch against the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli media said that the “Army” set the objectives of the operation as the following, which are “the destruction of Hamas’ capabilities and the withdrawal of its weapons, security control over the Gaza Strip, and the day after the war the establishment of a civil institution similar to the Palestinian Authority model in Areas B, and the contribution of moderate Arab countries in Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip,” and these goals were not achieved.

Security solidity... political flexibility

Yadlin explained that the “Mind Israel” plan sets two basic assumptions: that “Hamas” has been dismantled and that plans to annex the Gaza Strip are not possible due to the opposition of the United States of America, which supports “Tel Aviv.” Here, “Israel” is required to plan well its policy in the Gaza Strip. And identifying opportunities to produce a new dynamism on the Palestinian scene and improve its regional position.

The second hypothesis is the integration of necessary Arab partners, and this matter will require “Israel” to agree to the conditions for producing a political horizon and integrating the Palestinian Authority with it. At this particular moment, while the arena in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is on the brink of explosion, this is also an opportunity for “Israel” to push towards introducing important reforms in the Palestinian Authority.

A long transitional phase in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Yadlin pointed out that the transitional phase that follows the intense combat war will continue for a full year, but with a less combat focus, and this phase requires prior political dialogue and steps that are appropriate to take from today.

In Gaza, Israel will maintain military and security freedom of action whenever necessary, as long as there is no alternative in power to Hamas and as long as armed activity against Israel continues. This is with the aim of preventing the growth of the power of Hamas or any other faction in order to preserve the security of the settlers.

In (the West Bank), the Palestinian Authority will have to undergo a “Revised PA” test, sponsored by the international community, in order to be able to later integrate into the administration of the Strip.

Here, “Israel” must insist on three conditions: preventing armed activity in the Authority’s territories against “Israel,” stopping incitement in official and unofficial Palestinian educational institutions, and stopping paying salaries to saboteurs (resistors).

Conditions for security "on the following day"

After the shocks of October 7, “Israel” must help form a regional coalition led by the United States of America, which will work to advance the vision of regional peace in coordination with “Israel” so that it does not threaten the Israeli security interest.

For this, “Israel” will have to show political flexibility in response to the demands of the relevant partners, and in particular its readiness to chart a political horizon and path for the Palestinian Authority’s return to rule in the Gaza Strip, within an insistence on amending it and maintaining a strict security policy.

Finally, it is important to mention that the precondition for discussing “the day after” is the dismantling of Hamas. Without dismantling Hamas and returning the prisoners, Israel will have to continue military action in Gaza.

This plan, if adopted, indicates that in the long term it could lead to improving Israel's international standing and enhancing its national security through a path of normalization with Saudi Arabia.

Yesterday, the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies confirmed that the challenges facing Israel in achieving its stated goals are becoming increasingly clear, noting that the gap between the “perceived success” of the occupation army and the growing feeling of stagnation in public awareness, both within “Israeli society” and in the Israeli and international media, it is also increasing.

New York Times commentator Thomas Friedman, who is close to US President Joe Biden, revealed more details about the plan that Washington presented to “Israel” for what is known as “the next day” in Gaza, and about the Saudi reference to its chances of success.

In a report entitled “Netanyahu turns against Biden,” Friedman stated that “Biden left Netanyahu with two options - either he would be the person who refused all cooperation and bear full responsibility for the events of October 7, or the person who paved the way for peace,” noting that he said “the two-state solution is possible even when (Netanyahu) is in power.”

Friedman emphasized in his article that “the United States is still opposed to a ceasefire, but it is working on the “next day” in a two-stage process, where an agreement will be reached to release Hamas prisoners, and Israel will allow the Palestinians to administer the Gaza Strip, and ultimately, when “Israeli forces are leaving, a multinational force will be inserted.”

He explained that Biden told Netanyahu that he had two choices: “Either you will be remembered in history as a person who refused any cooperation with the Palestinians in order to end the conflict, and as an Israeli leader who led to the (disaster) of October 7 - or you will be the Israeli leader who granted a state to the Palestinians, and guaranteed It secured Israel and led to peace with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Islamic world.”

According to Friedman, the view in Washington, and in the Israeli occupation army, is that “Israel is far from defeating Hamas, and is unlikely to do so any time soon,” and that “at the expense of civilian lives in Gaza that the United States and the world could carry around".

In the second phase of the same plan, according to Friedman, the Palestinian Authority - which will undergo a “reform process” before elections are held - will build “appropriate institutions with the help of Arab and Western countries,” including the West Bank.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia will begin the process of normalizing its relations with Israel, which will culminate when a two-state solution is reached.

Friedman added, “In order for the Israelis to understand the seriousness of this idea, an important signal came from Riyadh: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced in Davos that Saudi Arabia would be ready to normalize its relations with Israel if it reached an agreement that would end with a Palestinian state.”

Friedman believes that this plan is part of Biden's strategy to avoid removing Netanyahu from power, in exchange for offering him an option to accept what he sees as American policy towards the region.

The American journalist mentioned that he spoke with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken last Wednesday at the Davos Economic Conference, asking him why he felt “that Israel is losing on three main fronts,” and the way to change this reality.

Blinken told him, “There is now something that did not exist in the past... countries that are showing their willingness to establish relations with Israel at a level that they were not prepared for in the past, and this may provide a necessary guarantee for commitments and promises that Israel will enjoy security.”

According to Blinken, “the only way to achieve this normalization is by creating a path to a Palestinian state and a strong, civilized Palestinian Authority.”

Friedman’s report comes at a time when “those close to Biden advised him to express his personal lack of confidence in Netanyahu,” because “he is being dragged toward war for personal reasons and is avoiding discussing the issue of the next day.”

Friedman's same sources also stated that Netanyahu “did not make the release of the kidnapped people his top priority and wanted to wait a few more months — despite the fear that by then the kidnapped ones would no longer be alive.”

In parallel, Democratic representatives in Congress signed a letter calling on the Biden administration to oppose the “forced and permanent displacement” of Palestinians from Gaza.

According to what American media reported, 60 Democratic members of the House of Representatives signed the letter, addressed to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, reflecting concern about “the heavy price imposed on the lives of Palestinian civilians in Israel’s war in Gaza.”