Latest news with #Palestinian-led
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Andrew Cuomo Ad Leans Into Racism With Edited Photo of Zohran Mamdani
A pro-Andrew Cuomo super PAC released a mailer this week that modified the image of Zohran Mamdani, the progressive frontrunner in New York City's mayoral race, to appear as if he has a darker, longer beard. The altered image of Mamdani, a New York state representative, appeared next to text on a mailer claiming that Mamdani 'rejects' the police and capitalism. It also claimed that Mamdani 'rejects Israel,' on the basis that the Ugandan-born Democratic Socialist supports a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement known as BDS that advocates for economic sanctions against Israel. The advert also advertised Mamdani as a candidate who 'rejects Jewish rights,' claiming that he 'refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.' It was developed by Fix The City Inc., a group predominantly paid for by DoorDash, according to the group's website. 'Andrew Cuomo is afraid he'll lose, so his donors want you to fear me,' the assemblyman posted on X Thursday. 'His SuperPAC just sent out a mailer that artificially lengthened and darkened my beard.' 'This is blatant Islamophobia—the kind of racism that explains why MAGA billionaires support his campaign,' he added. Mamdani's connection to New York City's Jewish community was challenged by a curveball during last week's mayoral debate when he was asked, as a hypothetical mayor of New York City, if he would visit Israel. 'I believe you need not travel to Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers,' Mamdani said. 'That is what I'll be doing as the mayor.' Why Mamdani would be involved with sensitive foreign affairs as the local leader of New York is unclear, but the debate moderators did not appear privy to their own lack of rationale. Instead, they followed up by questioning Mamdani if he believed Israel had a right to exist. 'I believe Israel has a right to exist,' he said. 'As a Jewish state?' the moderator pressed. 'As a state with equal rights,' Mamdani replied. Speaking with Fox 5's Good Day New York in the wake of the debate, Mamdani clarified that he is 'not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else.' The gross visual attempt to sway the voters of New York appears especially desperate on the heels of Mamdani's surging numbers: A survey published late Wednesday found that—for the first time—Mamdani had actually topped Cuomo's campaign, beating the ex-governor by 35 percent to 31 percent. The survey was conducted by Public Policy Polling for Democrat Justin Brannan's city comptroller campaign. Cuomo's continued presence in the race nearly defies logic. The former New York governor was forced to resign from his leadership position in 2021 after he was deemed too corrupt for Albany. Four years on, several major political backers, including a lobby of New York City landlords, have forced Cuomo back into the limelight, surging him toward a political comeback to Gracie Mansion despite his lagging popularity.
The Journal
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
70-year-old Irish woman deported from Israel after being denied legal representation in court
AN IRISH WOMAN has been deported from Israel this afternoon, ten days after she was arrested by Israeli forces for 'entering an active military zone' in the West Bank. 70-year-old great-grandmother Máire Ní Mhurchú, originally from Douglas, Co Cork, was detained by Israeli forces in the village of Khallet al-Dabaa in the Masafer Yatta region of southern West Bank on 1 June. Murphy was arrested shortly after Israeli forces declared the village a 'closed military zone.' According to Palestinian sources, residents and international solidarity activists were forcibly removed from the area. The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led organisation that supports nonviolent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza, said Murphy had been complying with Israeli orders to leave when she was harassed by Israeli settlers. Murphy was initially held at Ben Gurion Airport, before being transferred to Givon Prison in Ramla on Tuesday. She appeared before court in Israel this week to appeal the deportation order given to her by Israeli authorities – though the ISM claim she was denied legal representation and was unable to contact her lawyer , despite her requests for them and multiple attempts by her lawyer to get in touch through the prison service. Murphy was deported to the UK this afternoon. Advertisement Her son, Dale Ryan, said that her family 'are all very relieved' to have her home. 'The past 10 days have been intense and we have had to trust that the Israeli authorities would treat my mother fairly and ensure her basic needs were met,' Ryan said. 'From their treatment of the Palestinians over the past several decades, this was not something we had the most confidence in. He added that his mother wanted to remain in the West Bank 'helping them in any way she could', but conceded that Murphy 'would have been pleased that her situation helped to draw some more eyes to the appalling treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank'. 'I know after a day's rest my mother will be back gathering support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the fair treatment of all Palestinians, after me and all her family give her a massive hug.' According to the ISM, Israeli forces are now demolishing the houses and water systems left in Khalet Al-Dabaa, together with makeshift tents. 'These communities face an ongoing and escalating campaign of ethnic cleansing and forcible displacement being carried out by Israeli settlers with the full support of the Israeli state,' an ISM spokesperson said. They added that they were disappointed in the 'shy response' from both the Irish and British governments. 'Murphy's case has served to remind us that the international community not only has an obligation to stop trade and relationships with Israel, but also to take decisive steps to bring the genocide and occupation of Palestine to an end,' the spokesperson added. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Morocco World
04-06-2025
- Health
- Morocco World
UNICEF: 50,000 Children Killed or Injured in Gaza
Rabat_ As the world marks the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, few places reflect the meaning of this day with more devastating clarity than the Gaza Strip, where Israel's ongoing genocide has turned Palestinian childhood into a global site of horror, grief, and impunity. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement issued a statement on the occasion, urging immediate and decisive global action to stop the genocide in Gaza. The Palestinian-led movement called for 'targeted lawful diplomatic, sports and other sanctions on Israel' to halt the mass killing of civilians, especially children. It also reiterated the demand for a comprehensive military and energy embargo on Israel, insisting that those responsible for the massacres in Palestine be prosecuted through international legal mechanisms. The world must not only 'stand in mourning, but in urgent demand for justice,' the statement stressed. 'Nowhere is this day more tragically embodied than against Palestinian children in Gaza, where Israel's ongoing and livestreamed genocide has resulted in the mass killing of Palestinian children,' the BDS movement declared. It recalled that UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in November 2023 that Gaza was 'becoming a graveyard for children.' Nearly 20 months into Israel's genocidal assault, the phrase is no longer metaphorical. Even the graveyards themselves have been bombed. The scale of violence unleashed on Gaza's children defies moral comprehension and numerical abstraction. Israel's unimaginable violence in Gaza In a statement on May 27, UNICEF revealed that over 50,000 children have been killed or injured in Gaza since Israel began its assault in October 2023. The UN agency has described this grim figure as 'unimaginable.' Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, condemned the violence as part of a pattern of systemic, targeted harm. His statement marked the last weekend of May as another chapter of carnage: On May 24, an Israeli airstrike obliterated the al-Najjar family home in Khan Younis, killing nearly all ten siblings under the age of 12. Only one child survived, critically injured. On May 27, a school in Gaza City sheltering displaced families was attacked, reportedly killing at least 31 people, including 18 children. 'These children — lives that should never be reduced to numbers — are now part of a long, harrowing list of unimaginable horrors,' Beigbeder said. 'Grave violations against children, the blockade of aid, starvation, forced displacement, and the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure — in essence, the destruction of life itself in the Gaza Strip.' Long before the genocide in Gaza escalated, Palestinian children held a haunting place in Arab consciousness. And now more than ever, they stand as symbols of resilience, born into brutal military occupation, exile, siege, and ethnic cleansing. Israel has robbed generations of Palestinians of the sweet oblivion of childhood. Today, the image of a Palestinian child is one of unimaginable grief: thousand-yard stares, lone survivors sitting beside the corpses of their families, tiny hands carrying bloodied remains and amputated limbs. These children identify their mothers only by strands of hair, die with a fist of rice clutched in their hands, or lie weightless under the rubble of their homes, their souls hovering silently above.
CairoScene
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Why Are Artists Boycotting Sónar Festival 2025?
Why Are Artists Boycotting Sónar Festival 2025? Over 70 artists have dropped out of Sónar 2025 over ties to KKR, an investment giant linked to arms and Israeli military tech. More than 70 artists have pulled out of Sónar Festival 2025 in protest of its ownership ties to KKR, a global investment firm linked to weapons manufacturing, surveillance technology, and Israeli military contracts. What began as a quiet call to accountability has grown into a full-blown boycott campaign, raising urgent questions about the politics behind music festival funding. KKR—short for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts—acquired Superstruct Entertainment in 2020. Superstruct owns or controls more than 80 festivals worldwide, including Sónar, Outlook, DGTL, and Parookaville. With the ongoing genocide in Gaza and heightened scrutiny over financial complicity, artists and activists are demanding transparency about who funds the events they participate in, and what those companies profit from. The boycott was spearheaded by the Palestinian-led BDS movement, which called Sónar's relationship with KKR 'involuntary complicity in genocide.' That statement struck a chord. In a matter of days, artists like Ikonika, Florentino, Manuka Honey, and ABADIR publicly canceled their scheduled appearances. Egyptian artist ABADIR wrote: 'I can't participate in good conscience… This is about anti-racism and solidarity.' Sónar initially responded by stating that it 'promotes respect for human rights.' But as pressure mounted, the festival issued a second statement on May 19th, saying: 'We have no control over KKR's investments, and we express solidarity with Gaza's civilians.' It added, 'No ownership structure will define who we are.' But many aren't buying it. Amsterdam's DGTL Festival, also owned by Superstruct, released a much firmer statement acknowledging that 'KKR's investments are unethical' and promising to reassess its affiliations. Even Boiler Room came under fire after launching a pro-Palestine fundraising campaign while remaining silent about its own past ties to KKR, a contradiction that artists and audiences were quick to point out. For many, the issue is not just about Gaza. It's about the role of music in systems of oppression. As stages grow larger and more corporate, the decisions about who profits from culture, and who is erased by it, are no longer invisible.
Middle East Eye
01-06-2025
- General
- Middle East Eye
Amid Gaza food distribution chaos, Palestinian-led group steps up
Hala Sabbah's team has spent weeks trying to source a bag of flour in Gaza. 'We're not finding flour - or at least clean flour. It's all infested or mixed with sand,' she told Middle East Eye, speaking from London. Sabbah works with a Palestinian-led mutual aid group, coordinating with local volunteers who purchase and distribute supplies in Gaza, using funds raised through the project. Over a year ago, Sabbah and two other members of the Palestinian diaspora launched the Sameer Project - a grassroots initiative named in honour of Sabbah's uncle, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Amid Israel's ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2 May, which has cut off all aid and forced many NGOs to suspend their services, their work has become even more challenging. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters With flour scarce, the group has turned to rice distribution, but Sabbah is still doing all she can to find a bag of flour. 'People in Gaza really prefer bread. If you give them a plate of rice or a piece of bread, they will always take the bread,' Sabbah explained to MEE. On Tuesday, a fledgling US-backed initiative to distribute aid via private contractors descended into chaos, as Israeli forces opened fire on starving Palestinians near the aid hub, killing three and wounding at least 46 others. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it distributed just 14,000 boxes - each containing only 1,750 calories - well below the 2,100-calorie per day minimum set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency meals. For Sabbah, the contents of the GHF parcels were not just inadequate, but 'offensive". 'There were no vegetables, no meat, no fruit - nothing fresh,' Sabbah said. The entire enterprise runs starkly counter to the work she and her colleagues have been doing over the last year - working closely with Palestinians in Gaza and adapting quickly to respond to the needs of those on the ground. Agile and flexible Sabbah coordinates the Sameer Project with two other Palestinians living in the diaspora - California-based Lena Dajani, who organises medical aid, and an anonymous activist who runs the Instagram page, 'Translating Falasteen'. The trio have raised thousands of dollars and coordinated with people on the ground in Gaza to respond to requests for food, medicine and emergency aid via Whatsapp groups. With a skeleton team and a strong web of contacts, the group is agile and flexible in their approach, able to adapt quickly to the daily flurry of requests. While Israel's ongoing blockade has forced many international NGOs to halt or curtail their services in Gaza, the small network has doggedly pursued its work. 'Our biggest struggle is food. So, right now a plate of rice is around 8.5 dollars, with commission it adds up to over $10. This is a plate of rice that's barely enough for two people,' Sabbah said. A Palestinian child receives a Sameer Project food parcel (Supplied) The project also has to contend with war profiteering by armed gangs who loot and hoard the scraps of aid that have made it past the border, reportedly under Israeli military protection. But the Sameer Project's agility means they can buy products from a variety of sources, from street vendors and traders, unlike big NGOs which bring in their own aid and equipment through the border. 'These international organisations run under western frameworks are super process heavy and bureaucratic. They're not flexible, they're not agile. They don't make exceptions. They spend a lot on overhead,' Sabbah said. 'We create our own invoices, we just find a way to make it work. We don't stall the process'. 'Our end goal is the liberation of Palestine' Water distribution is another urgent task. The group rents two water trucks, which transport around 100,000 litres a day from desalination plants in the north of the Strip, where Israeli attacks have destroyed much of the infrastructure. The water costs around $46 per 1,000 litres, according to the group. 'After the [January] ceasefire, suddenly you had almost a million people move up north in the space of a week. In places like Jabalia and Beit Lahia, there's no infrastructure whatsoever,' Sabbah told MEE. 'We made sure that we delivered to those places that are not reachable to aid organisations, that don't have wells or where the infrastructure has been completely ruined'. Scarcity of clean water means children have to haul heavy jerry cans of water over long distances. The project recently documented a case of a child who tore his groin due to the weight of the jerry can he was carrying. 'The men of the family have to go and look for food or try to make money… so, that leaves the kids to go and get the water,' Sabbah said. A Palestinian child sits near Sameer Project water deliveries in Gaza City's Al Shati camp (Supplied) Sabbah emphasised that the project is not just driven by the urgent humanitarian demand on the ground. The water deliveries in Gaza's north for example, are needed to keep the areas habitable. 'Our end goal is the liberation of Palestine and making sure that everyone stays on their land,' she said. 'So, part of our way to support people in returning to their homes, even though they're completely destroyed, is to make sure that at least they have access to water and food'. Putting out a fire with a drop of water Shortages of medical supplies and personnel mean the group also has to scramble to plug the gaping holes in Gaza's severely-damaged health system. The group's medical coordinator, Lena Dajani, receives some 25 critical patient referrals via Instagram and Whatsapp daily, which she passes onto a medical point at the Refaat Al Areer camp, which the project set up in central Gaza to ease the burden on the Strip's hospitals. The medical point then contacts the patients, and Dajani purchases the medication, which has become nearly impossible to source due to the Israeli blockade. However, by being plugged into a network of pharmacies and clinics, Dajani is still able to meet most of the requests she receives. 'For one patient, we have to call maybe 10 pharmacies to just find a simple medication, and then we only give them a month's worth, because we obviously have to spread that amount between all the patients that need immediate care,' Dajani told MEE. The scarcity and soaring cost of medication is producing rising cases of treatable conditions. 'Epilepsy is really rampant, and they just cannot afford their seizure medication,' Dajani said. With hunger stalking Gaza, the project has been inundated with malnutrition cases amongst children. At least 60 are reported to have died since October 2023. 'Epilepsy is really rampant, and they just cannot afford their seizure medication,' -Lena Dajani, Sameer Project co-founder Despite baby formula being hard to come by, the group managed to buy around $51,000 in nutritional supplements. With the blockade and escalating Israeli attacks halting Unrwa and WHO-led efforts to control viral outbreaks across the enclave, the group now treats 300-500 patients a day for skin rashes, scabies, eye infections, and viral and bacterial diseases. 'Scabies cream is also incredibly difficult to source. You're supposed to take it over a long period of time. We're trying to put out a fire with a drop of water,' Dajani told MEE. The project is also grappling with cases of children with respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, due to drinking contaminated water. In one case, a three-year-old drank a bottle of detergent thinking it was water. The project rushed the child to hospital to have their stomach pumped. Painkillers and insulin are also near impossible to source. The nerve blocker Gabapentin was being widely used as an alternative painkiller - although even this is also now unavailable. 'We had a patient who had shrapnel lodged in his brain, and it's causing him so much pain that when he's off his medication, he smashes things around him because he is in so much pain,' Dajani told MEE. There are no wheelchairs in Gaza. Along with crutches and cochlear implants, the Israeli authorities consider them to be "dual use" items, meaning they could be used for "military purposes". Dajani has to wait for someone to pass away in order to buy one from a medical supplier. The chairs cost $550 each, with payment in cash - which is also difficult to come by in Gaza, with commission rates soaring to 35 percent. 'The entire healthcare system is now almost entirely being propped up by smaller groups like ours, who can source on the ground, who can take out cash at 35 percent,' Dajani said. 'Whereas the organisations with all these processes aren't standing up to Israel to allow them to operate here. We're not waiting. We're taking action'. No case like Gaza For Sabbah, the unravelling of the GHF came as no surprise. She said the fiasco is reflective of problems with international aid in Gaza. 'A lot of them come in with their own agendas. They have a lot of red tape. There's a lot of things that they can't do,' Sabbah said. Most importantly, she noted that international organisations lack cultural sensitivity and an understanding of Gaza. The Sameer Project had attempted to work with a US-led mutual aid group who wanted them to construct long drop toilets. 'They told us 'We need to do long drop toilets, because this is what we do in the US, and it's the best way to do toilets',' Sabbah said. When Sabbah explained this method was not practiced in Gaza, the group refused to work with them. 'Dehumanisation by design': US-Israeli Gaza aid operation descends into chaos Read More » 'There are always these impositions by western organisations, enforcing what they call international standards, which in reality were written by people from the West who have never experienced a genocide or a siege for 19 months,' Sabbah said. 'Our mutual aid group and a couple of others that we really trust, centre the people in Gaza,' she added. 'We're not here to manage the initiative. We are here to facilitate, we're here to make sure the money gets to the right hands'. For Sabbah and her colleagues, this is the only way to help people in Gaza, to let them dictate the aid they require, rather than having it imposed on them by NGOs headquartered in the global north. 'There's no case that is similar to Gaza,' Sabbah said. 'There have been genocides that happened for long periods of time, but a siege on top of that, and also an intentional famine all happening at the same time with no one being able to leave. 'I think that, after 12 plus years of working in NGOs and international organisations, I assure you, the UN would have had massive challenges in making this work, let alone an organisation like GHF that's run by a bunch of snipers and mercenaries."
