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Category: Human rights/civil liberties

Black pastors pressure Biden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, warning him of grave risk to his re-election

Black pastors pressure Biden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, warning him of grave risk to his re-election

The New York Times reports: As the Israel-Hamas war enters its fourth month, a coalition of Black faith leaders is pressuring the Biden administration to push for a cease-fire — a campaign spurred in part by their parishioners, who are increasingly distressed by the suffering of Palestinians and critical of the president’s response to it. More than 1,000 Black pastors representing hundreds of thousands of congregants nationwide have issued the demand. In sit-down meetings with White House officials, and through…

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Embattled UN agency warns its aid operation in Gaza is ‘collapsing’ over a wave of funding cuts

Embattled UN agency warns its aid operation in Gaza is ‘collapsing’ over a wave of funding cuts

The Associated Press reports: The head of the main U.N. aid agency in the war-battered Gaza Strip warned late Saturday that its work is collapsing after nine countries decided to cut funding over allegations that several agency employees had participated in the deadly Hamas attack against Israel four months ago. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said he was shocked such decisions were taken as “famine looms” in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “Palestinians in Gaza did…

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Famine in Gaza is being made ‘inevitable’ says UN rapporteur

Famine in Gaza is being made ‘inevitable’ says UN rapporteur

The Guardian reports: The Gaza Strip is facing “inevitable famine” because of the decision by western countries to pause funding for the UN’s agency for Palestinian affairs after Israeli accusations that 12 of the group’s employees took part in the Hamas attack on 7 October last year. Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said on Sunday “famine was imminent” and now “inevitable”, in a comment following the news that the US and nine other countries…

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UNRWA funding halt: ‘One of the most irresponsible and inhumane strategic moves’ that any state could make

UNRWA funding halt: ‘One of the most irresponsible and inhumane strategic moves’ that any state could make

My live interview with @skynews on Western funding cuts to @unrwa at a time of deepest need, bombings in Yemen, drone strikes in Jordan, growing regional instability in the Middle East and ICJ ruling. Some quotes from my responses: "I don't think it could get any worse for the… pic.twitter.com/B5ERcLFlhh — Dr. Jennifer Cassidy (@OxfordDiplomat) January 28, 2024 Dr. Jennifer Cassidy: “I don’t think it could get any worse for the people of Gaza right now. The aid trucks, despite…

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UN chief calls on countries to resume funding Gaza aid agency after allegations of Hamas ties

UN chief calls on countries to resume funding Gaza aid agency after allegations of Hamas ties

Politico reports: The secretary-general of the United Nations on Sunday called on countries to continue funding the main agency providing aid in Gaza after several of its employees were accused of taking part in the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war four months ago. The dispute engulfing the biggest provider of vital aid to Palestinians came as U.S. officials said negotiators were closing in on a cease-fire agreement. The emerging deal would bring a two-month halt to the…

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After ICJ orders Israel to prevent genocide, U.S. and allies cut off funding for humanitarian aid to Gaza

After ICJ orders Israel to prevent genocide, U.S. and allies cut off funding for humanitarian aid to Gaza

UNRWA sure as hell chose a convenient moment to drop this news and hide it under all the ICJ coverage. Any other day, this would have been a major headline: Israel submits evidence of UN employees’ complicity with Hamas. https://t.co/eTePR0lFyG — Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) January 26, 2024 Israel sure as hell chose a convenient moment to drop this allegation against UNRWA. Axios reports: A senior Israeli official said the Shin Bet and Israeli military intelligence provided information that pointed to…

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American mercenaries hired by UAE to kill in Yemen

American mercenaries hired by UAE to kill in Yemen

  American mercenaries, hired by the UAE to kill in Yemen, have spoken candidly on camera for the first time in an investigation by BBC Arabic. At a time when Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have highlighted the international dimensions of the Yemeni conflict, the investigation also reveals how US mercenaries trained Emirati officers to kill the UAE’s political enemies in Yemen. These extra-judicial killings, conducted in the name of counter-terrorism, started in 2015 and continue to this day.

Under fire from Democratic lawmakers, Pentagon scales back military support for human rights violators

Under fire from Democratic lawmakers, Pentagon scales back military support for human rights violators

The Washington Post reports: The Pentagon has abruptly abandoned plans to train alongside the militaries of several countries either involved in the overthrow of democratic governments or accused of human rights violations, reversing course amid recent scrutiny. The plans, disclosed to Congress in October and reviewed by The Washington Post, detailed the Pentagon’s intent to hold joint exercises this year with Sudan, Niger, Mali and other troubled African nations. Each is broadly prohibited under U.S. law from receiving American security…

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This momentous ICJ ruling may be brushed aside by Israel but its allies can’t afford to ignore it

This momentous ICJ ruling may be brushed aside by Israel but its allies can’t afford to ignore it

Steve Crawshaw writes: Israel will no doubt continue to pour scorn on the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague in the days and weeks to come. “Hague Shmague” was the first response from the security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. But the provisional measures ordered by the world court today are historic, by any measure. The requirement that Israel must take steps to prevent genocidal acts, prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and report back on its actions within a…

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South Africa’s genocide case is a diplomatic win, after ‘damning’ verdict against Israel

South Africa’s genocide case is a diplomatic win, after ‘damning’ verdict against Israel

Reuters reports: South Africa’s genocide case against Israel may have ruffled feathers in the capitals of vital Western trading partners, but it has boosted the country’s standing as a champion of the downtrodden Global South. That gamble is likely to pay off, thanks to renewed rivalry for Africa’s minerals and U.N. votes between the West, China and Russia, turbocharged by Russia’s war on Ukraine. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Israel’s petition to throw out the case on Friday,…

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World Bank report finds 45% of residential buildings in Gaza ruined beyond repair

World Bank report finds 45% of residential buildings in Gaza ruined beyond repair

The Times of Israel reports: Some 45 percent of residential buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed since war erupted between Israel and Hamas on October 7, leaving over 1 million people homeless, according to a World Bank study based on satellite images and media accounts. According to data collected by the international body, over 60% of residential buildings in the Gaza Strip, or 132,590 structures, have been damaged amid the war, which has seen Israel bombard the enclave…

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U.S. states had an estimated 65,000 rape-related pregnancies after banning abortion

U.S. states had an estimated 65,000 rape-related pregnancies after banning abortion

NPR reports: As an abortion provider in Montana, Dr. Samuel Dickman has seen patients routinely who tell him they became pregnant after a rape. His sense was the patients who were telling him were only a fraction of the true number. “There are certainly far more survivors of rape who become pregnant as a result, who — for totally understandable reasons — don’t want to disclose that fact to a medical provider that they just met.” Dickman used to live…

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Why the United States can’t ignore the ICJ case against Israel

Why the United States can’t ignore the ICJ case against Israel

Zaha Hassan writes: Last week, South Africa presented a well-argued case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s judicial arm, alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies the charges and claims its actions in Gaza are self-defense. A state-to-state complaint about “the crime of crimes” should be a big deal to the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, particularly when it involves a close ally receiving around $4 billion per year in U.S. security assistance (and fast-tracked for more)….

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Gaza’s indirect casualties mount as health service decimated

Gaza’s indirect casualties mount as health service decimated

The Guardian reports: Health services in Gaza are “decimated”, with medical staff exhausted after three months of war forced to extract shrapnel without adequate pain relief, conduct amputations without anaesthetics and watch children die of cancers because of a lack of facilities and medicine. Dozens of interviews with doctors and medical administrators in Gaza reveal a catastrophic and deteriorating situation as health services struggle to cope with tens of thousands of casualties of the continuing Israeli offensive in the territory…

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It’s not only Israel on trial. South Africa is testing the West’s claim to moral superiority

It’s not only Israel on trial. South Africa is testing the West’s claim to moral superiority

Nesrine Malik writes: It was only a little over six hours of legal argument, but the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel at the international court of justice had decades of history bearing down on it. The specifics dealt with Israel’s assault on Gaza, but at its heart, the case was about something wider: closing the gap between Palestinian reality and how the dominant political forces describe it. For weeks now, anger at events in Gaza has spilled…

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For many Palestinians in Gaza, the fear of Israeli airstrikes has become secondary to the slow, agonizing threat of starvation

For many Palestinians in Gaza, the fear of Israeli airstrikes has become secondary to the slow, agonizing threat of starvation

Mahmoud Mushtaha reports: The struggle for survival has morphed into a haunting and totalizing reality for Palestinian residents here in Gaza City, as it has for Palestinians across the entire Strip. Against the backdrop of intensified Israeli military attacks, the deprivation of food and water under a tightened siege, and the pervasive threat of epidemics with no medical aid, the city’s remaining inhabitants — even as they fight to stay alive — feel as if they have been left with…

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