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Scoop
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
The Morality Of Small Means: Sanctioning Israel's Ministers
They really ought to be doing more. But in the scheme of things, the sanctioning of Israeli's frothily fanatical ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich by New Zealand, Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom and Australia is a reminder to the Israeli government that ethnic cleansing, mass killing and the destruction of a people will receive some comment. But a closer look at the trumpeted move does little to suggest anything in the way of change or deterrence, certainly not in Gaza, where the cataclysm continues without restraint. According to the joint statement, both politicians 'have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.' The violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank had 'led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities.' The reasoning for the imposition of such sanctions tends to minimise Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's zealous defence of programmatic and systematic displacement and removal of Palestinian existence in the Strip, despite the statement claiming that 'this cannot be seen in isolation'. The statement fails to note the warnings from the International Court of Justice that Palestinians in Gaza face the risk of genocide, with a final decision pending on the matter. Singling out individual members of the Netanyahu cabinet as the convenient lunatics and the devilishly possessed is a point of convenience rather than effect. It is true that, even by certain Israeli standards, a figure like Ben-Gvir is a bit too pungent, a convict of racist incitement, the procurer of assault rifles to West Bank settlers and an advocate for the full annexation of the territory. But identifying the villainous monsters conceals the broader villainous effort, and the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong did as much in simply calling the two ministers 'the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise.' The report of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, prefers to note the broader role played by such agents of power as the Israeli security forces, which it accuses of committing war crimes in directing attacks against the civilian population in Gaza, wilful killing and intentionally launching attacks that 'would cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians'. Killing civilians seeking shelter in schools also implicated the forces 'in the crime against humanity of extermination.' The canvas of responsibility, in other words, is panoramic and large. Pity, then, that the latest expression of small means by these five powers does not extend to a complete halt to military cooperation, the selling of arms, or engagement across various fields of industry. That would have diminished the hypocrisy somewhat, something that the countries in question are unlikely to do. More's the pity that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been spared this fit of moral clarity. When considered in substance, the two ministers face the sorts of restrictions that will be mildly bruising at best: travel bans and the freezing of assets. The move by the Australian Labor government and its counterparts was, in the broader scheme of things, a modest one. It was also worth remembering that Canberra's decision was made in sheepish fashion, with Wong previously stating that Australia would never unilaterally make such a move, as 'going it alone gets us nowhere'. It was seen by Greens Senator Nick McKim as 'far too little and far too late'. Sanctions were needed against the 'Israeli industrial war machine.' On the other hand, Alex Ryvchin, co-chief of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry suggests that these measures can become a martyr's tonic. 'They have little support in Israel, but this is the sort of measure that will boost their notoriety and make them perhaps more popular'. Looking ever the marionette in the show, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio flapped about in condemning the sanctions, which 'do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war.' Bereft of skills in argumentation, he could only warn US allies 'not to forget who the real enemy is.' The sanctions seemed to cause the condemned two less grief than Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who derided the decision as 'outrageous', 'scandalous' and 'unacceptable.' It was all part of 'a planned and coordinated pressure campaign.' Ben-Gvir was almost smug with the attention and bursting with semitic pride. 'We survived Pharoah, we will also survive [British Prime Minister] Keir Starmer,' he tooted in a statement. Smotrich even seemed thrilled by the timing of it all, having been at the inauguration of a new Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron when he heard the news. 'I heard Britain had decided to impose sanctions on me because I am thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state,' he boasted. 'There couldn't be a better moment for this.' One point is certainly true: the selective moves against the dastardly two leaves the murderous apparatus intact, and the IDF war machine undiminished. Most of all, it will do nothing to halt the construction of a single settlement or save a single Palestinian from dispossession.
Middle East Eye
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel guilty of 'extermination' in attacks on Gaza schools and cultural sites, says UN
Israeli attacks on Gaza's education and cultural infrastructure amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, a UN investigation body has said. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, published its findings in a new report on Tuesday. It found that Israeli air strikes, shelling, burning and controlled demolitions had damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of schools and university buildings across the Gaza Strip. That destruction has made it impossible for 658,000 children in Gaza to have an education over the past two years. 'We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza,' said Navi Pillay, chair of the commission. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination.' The report said Israeli forces had committed war crimes, 'including directing attacks against civilians and wilful killing, in their attacks on educational facilities that caused civilian casualties'. It also documented cases in which Israeli forces used educational buildings as military bases. One example cited was the conversion of al-Azhar University's al-Mughraqa campus into a synagogue for Israeli troops. It reported one instance of Hamas fighters using a school for military purposes. 'Deeply impacted intangible culture' The report found that over half of Gaza's religious and cultural sites had been damaged or destroyed, including places where civilians had sought refuge. Israeli forces either knew or should have known the cultural significance of such sites, but failed to prevent harm, the commission found. The report included Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where authorities appropriated, developed and profited from cultural heritage sites representing Palestinian, Jewish and other cultures, while displacing Palestinian residents. 'Attacks on cultural and religious sites have deeply impacted intangible culture, such as religious and cultural practices, memories and history,' said Pillay. The Gaza genocide is not a 'bug' - it is the logic of Israel's system Read More » 'The targeting and destruction of heritage sites, the limiting of access to those sites in the West Bank and the erasure of their heterogenic history erode Palestinians' historical ties to the land and weaken their collective identity.' The commission called on Israel to immediately cease attacks on educational and cultural institutions, end occupation and settlement activities, and comply with international law. The report will be officially presented to the UN Human Rights Council on 17 June. Israel withdrew from the council earlier this year, accusing it of being biased against Israel. In March, the commission accused Israel of committing 'genocidal acts' by destroying reproductive healthcare facilities in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded at the time by labelling the council 'an anti-Semitic, corrupt, terror-supporting, and irrelevant body'. According to Palestinian health and government officials, since October 2023, at least 54,927 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces, of whom 28,000 are women and girls. Amongst those killed are at least 1,400 health sector workers, over 300 UN aid workers, and more than 220 journalists.
Yemen Press Agency
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
UN experts: 'Israel' is committing genocide, planning to wipe out life in Gaza
NEW YORK, June 11 (YPA) – UN experts said that Israeli occupation committed a crime against humanity amounting to 'genocide' by killing civilians who had sought refuge in schools and religious sites in the Gaza Strip as part of a 'systematic campaign to erase Palestinian life'. In its report released on Tuesday, the committee noted that the occupying authorities have destroyed more than 90% of school and university buildings and more than half of the religious and cultural sites in Gaza. It concluded that the occupation committed war crimes, 'including directing attacks against civilians and educational facilities. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and 'Israel' was scheduled to present its report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 17. 'We are witnessing mounting evidence that Israel is waging a systematic campaign to erase Palestinian life in Gaza.' Navi Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who chairs the commission, said in a statement, 'Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural, and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm current and future generations and undermine their right to self-determination.' The occupying authorities withdrew from the Human Rights Council in February, claiming it was biased. When the commission's latest report in March concluded that 'Israel' had committed 'acts of genocide' against Palestinians through the systematic destruction of women's healthcare facilities during the conflict in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the findings as biased and anti-Semitic. In response to the 'Al-Aqsa Intifada' Hamas launched on October 7, 2023, the occupying authorities launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip that, according to health authorities in the Strip, resulted in the deaths of more than 54,000 Palestinians. The report concluded that the damage to the Palestinian education system was not limited to Gaza, pointing to increased Israeli military operations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, along with harassment of students and attacks by settlers there. 'The Israeli authorities also targeted Israeli and Palestinian education workers and students inside Israel who expressed concern for or solidarity with civilians in Gaza, resulting in harassment, dismissal, or suspension, and in some cases, arrest and detention in a humiliating manner,' the report stated, adding that the Israeli authorities particularly target female teachers and students with the aim of deterring women and girls from activism in public spaces.'
Express Tribune
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Israel seeks to 'exterminate Palestinians'
Activists, heading towards Gaza by land, wave the Palestinian and Tunisian flags as they arrive in Zawiyah, Libya. Photo: AFP An independent United Nations commission said on Tuesday that Israeli attacks on schools, religious and cultural sites in Gaza amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of seeking to exterminate Palestinians. "In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination," the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a report. 17 killed at Gaza aid site Israeli gunfire killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded dozens as thousands of displaced people approached an aid distribution site run by a US-backed humanitarian group in central Gaza on Tuesday, local health authorities said. Medics said the casualties were rushed to two hospitals, the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, and the Al-Quds in Gaza City, in the north. Two killed in Nablus Nablus. At least two Palestinians were killed Tuesday as Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry and the Israeli army said. The military said troops opened fire and "eliminated" two Palestinians who had attempted to steal a soldier's weapon as the "counterterrorism operation" was underway in the old city of Nablus. Meanwhile, Israel deported campaigner Greta Thunberg on a flight to Sweden via France on Tuesday, after detaining her along with other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat. Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement.
Days of Palestine
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
A concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life': UN accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza
DaysofPal – Israel has systematically destroyed Gaza's education system and more than half of its religious and cultural sites as part of what UN investigators describe as a 'relentless assault' on Palestinian life, according to a damning new report released today by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel. The commission's chair, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, warned that the evidence points to a 'concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza.' 'Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural, and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination,' said Pillay. The report details the extensive destruction of Gaza's civilian infrastructure since October 2023, concluding that Israeli forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crime of extermination. Among the most severe findings is the deliberate targeting and destruction of the vast majority of Gaza's educational institutions. Over 90 percent of school and university buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and more than 658,000 children have been deprived of education for nearly 20 months. The commission found that Israeli forces used airstrikes, shelling, burning, and controlled demolitions against these facilities. In several documented cases, Israeli soldiers filmed themselves mocking Palestinian education before destroying schools and universities. 'Such acts,' the report states, 'indicate an intent to destroy these facilities to curtail Palestinians' access to education in the long term.' The targeting of civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites was deemed to constitute extermination, a crime against humanity under international law. The report also revealed that Israeli forces repurposed educational facilities for military use, including transforming part of the Al-Azhar University's Al-Mughraqa campus into a synagogue for troops. While the commission documented one instance of Hamas using a school for military purposes, it emphasized that Israeli violations were systematic and on a far larger scale. On the destruction of Gaza's heritage, the commission found that more than half of all religious and cultural sites were damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. These included prominent mosques, churches, and historic landmarks. 'All ten religious and cultural sites investigated by the Commission constituted civilian objects at the time of attack,' the report stated, noting that no legitimate military need justified their targeting. 'Attacks on cultural and religious sites have deeply impacted intangible culture, such as religious and cultural practices, memories, and history,' said Pillay. 'The targeting and destruction of heritage sites… erode Palestinians' historical ties to the land and weaken their collective identity.' The report also condemned Israeli conduct in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where increased military operations, settler violence, and restrictions on worship have severely undermined Palestinian educational and religious life. Israeli authorities have also harassed or dismissed Palestinian and Israeli educators who expressed solidarity with Gaza. In its recommendations, the commission urged Israel to end all attacks on educational, religious, and cultural institutions, immediately halt settlement activities, and comply fully with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice. The commission also called on Palestinian authorities, including those in Gaza, to protect heritage sites and cease any military use of civilian infrastructure. Shortlink for this post:
