Category: israel

  • Over 60,000 weapon parts have been transported to Israel via Zaragoza airport in northern Spain since the start of the US–Israeli genocide of Palestinians in October 2023, according to an investigation by Progressive International (PI), the Palestinian Youth Movement, and the American Friends Service Committee.

    “The evidence indicates that these flights continue to this day,” investigators told elDiario.es, adding that the shipments include “parts and accessories for artillery, rifles, rocket/grenade launchers and machine guns” and “parts and accessories for revolvers and pistols.”

    The post Spain ‘Major Transit Port’ For Weapons Shipments To Israel appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered yet another escalation of Israel’s military assault of the occupied West Bank after a series of bus explosions in Israel. It is currently unclear who was responsible for the explosions. Just hours after the explosions on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office wrote on social media that the prime minister has ordered an “intensive operation” to be…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Israel’s genocide in Gaza has destroyed over 1,000 miles of water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza and reduced the region’s water capacity to a small fraction of what it was prior to the genocide, officials have assessed, underscoring the dire need for further aid and an end to Israel’s blockade. According to a report by Oxfam, Israel has wrecked at least 1,040 miles of Gaza’s water and…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volkur Turk has said that the manner in which Hamas delivered bodies of Israeli hostages back to Israel was “abhorrent.” Shiri Bibas, her two children Kifir Bibas and Ariel Bibas, and Oded Lifschitz were in the coffins. The coffins were entirely black, and were presented on a stage. Behind the coffins were a number of posters, including one of Netanyahu with fangs and blood on his face. Another poster read “The Return of the War = The Return of your Prisoners in Coffins”.

    In a statement, Turk said:

    Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.

    Western outlets have followed suit in their coverage, with Sky News covering the story with a headline about “inhumane” treatment. The BBC ran a piece about Israeli hearts being in “tatters.”

    Collective grief for Israeli hostages

    The Red Cross, who were present to assist with the handover of the bodies, attempted to cover up the coffins with a screen. The International Committee of the Red cross said:

    These operations should be done privately out of the utmost respect for the deceased and for those left grieving.

    They concluded:

    We have been unequivocal: every release — whether of the living or the deceased — must be conducted with dignity and privacy.

    Responsibility

    In a statement to the families of the dead hostages, Hamas said:

    We would have preferred your sons to return to you alive, but your army and government leaders chose to kill them instead of bringing them back.

    The Hamas spokesperson also said that all four people in the coffins were alive before:

    Zionist occupation aircraft deliberately bombed the locations where they were being held.

    Several reports have emerged of the Israeli military deliberately killing their own people.

    Additionally, Gaza’s media office have taken the Red Cross’s statement to task for their “double standards” with Ismail Thawabta, head of media, writing on social media:

    While the Red Cross holds solemn official ceremonies when receiving the bodies of Israeli hostages, it delivers the bodies of Palestinian martyrs in blue bags tossed into trucks that lack the most basic elements of human dignity.

    This blatant discrimination reflects double standards and exposes the international community’s failure to achieve justice and fairness!

    The context around Israeli hostages

    Viewed in isolation, there isn’t much to disagree with here. No human body should be treated with indignity after death. Privacy and respect for the deceased and their loved ones form the basic standard of how bodies should be treated. However, this isn’t happening in isolation. Israel has spent the last year of its siege on Gaza, and indeed its entire history as a settler colonial entity, disrespecting Palestinian bodies with cruel and inhumane rituals.

    It simply isn’t a given that every single person is treated with dignity when they die. Death doesn’t mean systems of oppression cease to exist. Poor people, Black people, Brown people, disabled people, trans people – there are untold examples of indignity in death. The context of the last year or so in particular and Israel’s treatment of dead Palestinians they’ve killed has been horrific.

    Double standards

    Since the return of the bodies, Israel has claimed that their analysis shows that the body in one of the coffins is not Shiri Bibas. Hamas responded to say that this is because Bibas’ remains were mixed with the remains of others amidst the rubble that her body was found in. This is undoubtedly awful for Bibas’ family and the memory of who she was. It is, however, something Palestinians have endured hundreds, if not thousands of times over.

    Repeatedly, Israeli bombs have struck with such force that the remains of Palestinians have been so mixed with one another as to be indistinguishable. In August of 2024, Mondoweiss reported that:

    The bodies of Palestinians killed in the latest Israeli massacre in Gaza were destroyed so far beyond recognition that doctors have only been able to give grieving families an anonymous bag of human remains to bury.

    Rescuers had no choice but to designate each bag of 70kg worth of remains as one dead person.

    In July 2024 Relief Web released a statement describing how:

    More than 10,000 Palestinian men and women are missing under the rubble in the Gaza Strip, with no way to recover them or properly bury their remains, in a blatant violation of international law amid total international inaction to assist in their retrieval.

    As of February 2025, Israel is refusing to allow into Gaza any heavy machinery. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimated in July 2024 that it would take 15 years just to remove the rubble produced by Israel’s incredibly heavy bombing. It’s likely that many bodies have been buried under the rubble for longer, but for some people that means their loved ones bodies have been buried under rubble for at least seven months and counting.

    A 2023 Jacobin investigation found that Israel have a “practice” of:

    using the bodies of slain Palestinians as bargaining chips, refusing to return them to their families. Denying the right to bury loved ones, this policy inflicts the anguish of mourning without closure.

    In April 2024, UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani explained that a mass grave at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis had been uncovered. She continued:

    Among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded, while others were found tied with their hands… tied and stripped of their clothes.

    Mass graves have also been uncovered at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza and in the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya

    Dignity

    It’s difficult to swallow Israel saying that the return of hostages has been “violation of utmost severity” given their genocide in Palestine. Within mere hours of news breaking about the manner of the return of hostages, news outlets, officials from the UN, charities, and more have released floods of content detailing the indignity and grief of such actions.

    It’s been months, years, decades, since Palestinians have been mercilessly killed, abducted, detained without charge, their bodies held without cause, buried in mass graves. There isn’t any collective grief in the West over a single one of these deaths.

    Supporters of Palestine have expressed their grief, but this is wholly different from the institutional acceptance of grief for Israelis. Journalist Sana Saeed summed up the situation:

    This past week has felt like the first three months of the genocide – the same intensity and ferocity of genocide propaganda & manufacturing, of anti-Palestinian hatred.

    Journalist Assal Rad pointed out the impact of the double standards described above:

    Whether it’s Hind Rajab or Kfir and Ariel Bibas, harming any child is abhorrent. I thought we had all already agreed on that fact, then I watched people justify the slaughter of thousands upon thousands of children in Gaza. I guess a child is a child, unless they’re Palestinian.

    And, Professor Asad Abukhalil said:

    I am yet to see one Palestinian hostage or one Palestinian victim personalized/humanized in the Western press.

    Grief for Israeli hostages is a choice

    There is room in the Western psyche for considering the loss to humanity of one single Israeli life. There is room to feel an outpouring of grief for Israeli strangers, and to work to see how the rituals of death can fall heartbreakingly short.

    There is no such thing for thousands upon thousands of Palestinians shot dead in humanitarian zones, buried under rubble with not even a crack of light many months later, human flesh scraped into bags weighed out to denote a person.

    Grief is a choice. And, clearly, it is a political choice.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Maryam Jameela

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • The BBC has been forced to take down the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, after a coordinated effort by Zionists and pro-Israel lobby groups. It is because the child narrator of the documentary is the son of someone who works in Gaza’s government. However, one group has hit back at the situation – and called it out for what it is: attempts by the Israel lobby to silence Palestinian voices.

    Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone

    Following the release of the BBC’s recent documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) is alarmed by the growing efforts to suppress Palestinian voices.

    The documentary, produced by Britain’s public broadcaster, follows the lives of four young people enduring 15 months of war crimes, during which Israel has been accused of genocide. Its release has been met with a wave of criticism, reportedly due to the film’s narrator, 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, being the son of a civil servant in Gaza’s Agriculture Ministry.

    However, there has been a virulent campaign by Zionists, the right wing in the UK, and pro-Israel lobby groups to get the BBC documentary removed. This includes the Zionist sympathisers in the Labour Party government like Lisa Nandy. Now, the campaign has succeeded.

    As Deadline reported:

    The BBC has removed from iPlayer a documentary about the Gaza crisis that was narrated by the child of a Hamas minister.

    The British broadcaster has taken the unusual step of deleting Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone from its streaming service amid growing concerns that other contributors had links to Hamas, which is proscribed as a terror group by the UK government.

    In a statement on Friday 21 January the BBC said:

    There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company. The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.

    Right-wing lobby group Labour Against Antisemitism has been vocal in its attempts to shut the documentary down. As the Telegraph reported:

    Labour Against Antisemitism has lodged a formal complaint to the BBC about the broadcast, claiming that the team failed to properly vet the documentary’s subjects.

    Alex Hearn, from Labour Against Antisemitism, said: “This documentary appears to have been a failure of due diligence by the BBC, with Hamas propaganda promoted as reliable fact at the taxpayers’ expense.

    “There needs to be an urgent investigation into how this happened once again”.

    By Hamas propaganda the Zionist shills at Labour Against Antisemitism mean the lived testimony of a child during Israel’s genocide in Gaza which has so far killed at least 48,000 people – mostly women and children:

    The ICJP has said that the BBC must stand firm against these attempts to prevent first-hand accounts of life in Gaza from reaching audiences.

    Zionists trying to silence Palestinian children? At least they’re not killing them.

    For some, almost any Palestinian perspective appears to be deemed unacceptable. In this case, objections have been raised because Abdullah’s father holds a government role in Gaza’s Hamas-run administration. However, this does not negate the child’s lived experience or invalidate his testimony.

    The ICJP said:

    It is important to distinguish between individuals carrying out administrative functions and those involved in the political or military leadership of a governing authority. In Gaza, public services such as healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure rely on civil servants and technocrats who perform essential duties.

    The employment of an individual in such a role does not in itself indicate political affiliation or support for any organisation’s activities. The BBC documentary does not endorse or support Hamas, other proscribed organisation, or the attacks on 7 October; it is a journalistic account of civilian experiences in conflict.

    ICJP has noted “with concern” that medical and humanitarian professionals who have provided life-saving assistance in Gaza have faced scrutiny and investigation simply for working in the territory administered by Hamas – during a time when the medical infrastructure has been purposefully targeted and destroyed.

    Efforts to silence Palestinian voices, especially those documenting civilian suffering, must be resisted.

    However, it seems that the BBC, as always, has sided with the pro-Israel lobby. Clearly, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was a mistake on the broadcasters part. That it, it went against its usual MO of spouting propaganda for the genocidal Israeli state.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Israel has been accused of violating ceasefire agreements in both Lebanon and Palestine. In a classic move from the Zionists, they’re actually accusing Hamas of being the ones to violate the terms of the deal.

    By the end of January 2025, Israel had killed at least 83 people in Lebanon. Meanwhile, in Palestine Israel has killed at least 118 people since the start of the ceasefire.

    Since both ceasefires have been enacted, the BBC have been breathlessly running a live feed of the release of Israeli hostages as its lead story on the homepage. Whilst tens of Israeli’s have been released by Hamas, hundreds of Palestinians held without charge or trial, including children, have gone ignored.

    What are people abducted from their homes and held without charge or trial, if not hostages? Once again, it is outlets from the Middle East who have been covering violations of ceasefire agreements.

    Israel: incursions into territory

    Al Jazeera reported that:

    This week, Lebanese media reported repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Israeli military, including attacks on the town of Taybeh and village of Kfar Kila, both on the border with Israel.

    The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL) released a statement as a February 18 deadline for Israel to leave certain areas in Lebanon passed with Zionist troops unmoved. They wrote:

    Today marks the end of the period set for the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces south of the Blue Line and the parallel Lebanese Armed Forces deployment to positions in southern Lebanon, as envisaged by the Cessation of Hostilities Understanding of 26 November 2024.

    Another delay in this process is not what we hoped would happen, not least because it continues a violation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701.

    They note that the IDF have withdrawn from areas of south Lebanon, which has enabled some Lebanese people to return home. UNIFL’s conclusion was that when the terms of the ceasefire deal are not respected:

    sustained political commitment is the only way forward.

    That appears to be the polite UN version of saying that unless political leaders stop enabling Israel’s absolute impunity, more Lebanese people will die.

    The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah has attacked once since the start of the ceasefire agreement:

    Hezbollah has largely refrained from violence – there have been no direct attacks on Israeli soil since the ceasefire took effect, aside from a single attack on December 2 against the Israeli Rwayset Al Alam site in the occupied territories that we code as Syria.

    Even by Israel’s absurd standards, Hezbollah have largely stuck to the ceasefire deal. Indeed, Hezbollah’s actions certainly stand in stark relief to the terror Israel continues to spread in Lebanon with attacks that are wounding and killing people who thought they were safe.

    What ceasefire?

    Since the so-called ceasefire in Palestine and Israel went into effect, Gaza’s health ministry has reported:

    that 92 people have been killed and 822 were injured by the Israeli army since the start of the truce.

    Hamas says that on top of these attacks, Israel has also delayed the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, which is one of the ceasefire agreement’s key commitments.

    Hamas have also explained via a report that Israel have violated the ceasefire a shocking 269 times. Newsweek has seen a copy of the report which they said claimed that:

     Israeli operations since the deal that was entered implementation last month have resulted in 26 deaths, 59 injuries, 105 aircraft violations, 36 gunfire violations, 29 ground incursions, nine instances of “bombardment” and the detention of five Palestinians drivers and fishermen.

    Another violation was the delay of the release of hundreds of prisoners:

     Israel also restricted family members, including those from the West Bank, from visiting the freed detainees and delayed providing a list of 400 Palestinian prisoners, according to the report.

    A direct quote from the report laid out how statements from both Israel and the US threaten the viability of the remaining parts of the ceasefire:

    continued political statements by [the] Israeli Prime Minister and ministers openly calling for the expulsion of Gaza’s population, sending a clear message that the occupation does not wish to honor the agreement and aims to implement Trump’s plan to displace Gaza’s residents.

    In addition to wounding and killing Palestinians, Israeli forces have continued to spread terror in spite of the ceasefire. Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was to allow in 600 aid trucks per day. Of course, this would take time to address the Israeli ravaging of Palestinian infrastructure. However, Gaza’s municipality spokesperson claimed that only around 100-150 trucks have been allowed in per day.

    Israeli impunity

    Israel has made a mockery of the supposed ceasefire agreements in both Lebanon and Palestine. They’re able to keep killing people, and to keep restricting the necessary conditions for life because international governments continue to allow them to. Trump has been belligerently fanning the flames of war, and Starmer has hardly been much better.

    It was joyful to see Palestinians celebrate the ceasefire. Finally, after horrors upon horrors, they were able to have a moment of togetherness with their loved ones. A moment without terror raining down upon their heads. But, we all knew it was only ever going to be a moment.

    No media outlet worth anything should continue to call Israel’s actions anything to do with a ceasefire. They’re nothing of the sort. 

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Maryam Jameela

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • For over a year now, Israel has been intensifying its military assaults on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, from mass killings to attacks on healthcare workers, mass arrests, forced displacement, home demolitions, and military airstrikes.

    In our latest visual, we bring attention to the ongoing violence the Israeli military and settlers have inflicted on Palestinians in the West Bank over the past 16 months.

    On January 19, the Israeli army invaded and laid siege to Jenin refugee camp. The siege is part of a wider military offensive that Israel is carrying out across the northern West Bank. This offensive has led to the displacement of more than 40,000 Palestinians residing in the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and El Far’a, and represents the highest number of Palestinians displaced in the West Bank since 1967.

    Each year surpasses the last in becoming the deadliest year for Palestinians as Israeli violence intensifies with impunity in the West Bank. With Israel’s accelerating annexation and settlement expansion, Palestinians face unrelenting and ongoing assaults on their land, homes, and lives. The Israeli government’s policies, backed by military force, settler violence, and unwavering U.S. support, have created a reality in which Palestinians are constantly struggling against erasure.

    We know the reality is dim, but now is not the time for silence. Now is the time to speak up, to educate, and to challenge injustice. In the words of Toni Morrison, “There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

    The post 16 Months of Israeli Violence in the West Bank first appeared on Dissident Voice.


    This content originally appeared on Dissident Voice and was authored by Visualizing Palestine.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Palestine Action has welcomed action by an anonymous group of people against Labour Party-run Hackney Council. It is over the council’s complicity with Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

    Hackney Council: BDS now – or else

    After years of local campaigning to get Hackney Council to drop their investments in genocide, anonymous activists have escalated the situation and covered Hackney Town Hall in blood-red paint:

    The local authority invests tens of millions in companies arming Israel, including Israel’s biggest weapons firm Elbit Systems. Elbit are up to their necks in Palestinian blood, producing weapons, in this country, which have been central to the genocide in Gaza, including the engines used in Israel’s killer drone fleet.

    A statement issued by the activists reads:

    For years, local campaigners have been opposing Hackney Council’s investments in Israel’s occupation of Palestine. In the wake of the genocide, three neighbouring boroughs have moved to divest from complicit companies. Yet Hackney remains committed to its exposure, totaling tens of millions invested in arms manufacturers directly supplying the Israeli military in its genocidal crimes, companies illegally operating in the West Bank, and companies supplying services that perpetuate the crime of apartheid.

    Divestment is possible!

    Despite their refusal, so far, to budge on divestment from genocide, and a consistent pro-Israel bias, Hackney Council have shown a propensity for decorating, previously labelling ‘Free Palestine’ graffiti “anti-Semitic”, and hastily having it painted over. Now they have a whole Town Hall to re-decorate.

    On Thursday 20 February there is also set to be a protest over the council’s investment policies:

    Palestine Action says…

    A Palestine Action spokesperson said:

    Despite the dishonest reporting of the BBC, and much of the mainstream media, most people in this country are opposed to the murder of Palestinians by the Israeli regime, and to British participation in it. Hackney Council are profiting from the slaughter, by investing in Israeli arms companies like Elbit.

    The campaign against all those who facilitate and profit from the production of Israeli weapons is growing, and Hackney Council will be better off if they listen to the local community and divest.

    Featured image and video supplied

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • In recent years we have seen an increasing amount of congressional legislation targeting criticism of Israel and boycotts of the country.

    This push only increased when the genocidal assault on Gaza began last year. We can anticipate further efforts as the GOP now controls the presidency, the Senate, and the House. However, many of these bills were pushed during the Biden administration and have found support on both sides of the aisles.

    Mondoweiss U.S. correspondent Michael Arria spoke with Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) President Lara Friedman.

    The post Anti-Palestinian Legislation To Look Out For In The New Congress appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Over 230 global civil society organisations have called on governments producing F-35 fighter jets to immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel, including the these jets. The F-35 jet programme partners include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, and the US. On top of the letter, civil society organisations around the world have taken legal action to hold their governments accountable for the F-35 programme, and complicity in Israel’s crimes in Gaza. And in the UK, groups are calling on the Labour Party government to end its complicity now.

    The post Over 230 Groups Call On The UK, Others To Stop Supplying F-35 Jets To Israel appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Several recent journalistic investigations — including one published Tuesday by The Associated Press — have deepened the understanding of how Israeli forces are using artificial intelligence and cloud computing systems sold by U.S. tech titans for the mass surveillance and killing of Palestinians in Gaza. The AP’s Michael Biesecker, Sam Mednick, and Garance Burke found that Israel’s use of…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Seven people have been arrested after Palestine Action shut down the Israeli-owned Rafael weapons factory in Newcastle on Tuesday 18 February. The group’s action was over the company’s direct supply of weapons to the genocidal state of Israel.

    Palestine Action: seven nicked after Rafael action

    Three people used a specially-adapted vehicle to block both entrance to the weapons plant, with an activist locked on inside the secured vehicle. Others climbed on top of the security box and covered the premise in blood-red paint to signify the blood of the Palestinians murdered by the weapons built by Rafael:

    Palestine Action

    The activists were later removed and arrested by Northumbria police force and a further three members of the public were arrested for being seen to be supporting the blockade:

    Palestine Action

    Another supporter was arrested outside the police station whilst awaiting the release of the others who were detained.

    Speaking from the roof of the site, one of the activists said:

    This factory is owned by  the Israeli state and is aiding and abetting genocide in Gaza – and we want it gone.

    Rafael is Israel’s third biggest weapons firm, and owned directly by the Israeli state. At the time they acquired Pearson Engineering and Armstrong Works, in September 2022, it was described as a vital part of the “strategic expansion” of Israel’s weapons manufacturing capabilities, as well as a way of trying to get round any future arms embargoes.

    This morning’s action marks the start of an escalation of the direct action campaign against the Israeli weapons maker. Palestine Action said Rafael can expect to be increasingly targeted to disrupt the manufacture of Israeli weapons.

    It takes place at a time when, despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to murder Palestinians, both in Gaza and the West Bank, to take hostages and imprison them without trial, and to destroy homes on the West Bank, and whole towns and villages in Lebanon.

    Cops targeting the wrong people

    A spokesperson for Palestine Action said:

    The police are arresting supporters and activists who oppose the Newcastle weapons factory which is owned by the Israeli government. All whilst they’ve done nothing about the fact that Pearson Engineering is owned by wanted war criminals. The actions by the police are a demonstration of how the state favors war criminals over its own citizens.

    No matter what it takes, members of the public will continue to take action to disrupt Israeli weapons factories and won’t stop until factories like this one are shut down for good.

    Featured image and additional images via Martin Pope

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • The Israeli army has maintained its occupation of at least five key locations in southern Lebanon after completing the withdrawal of most of its troops from the south early on 18 February.

    Israeli forces continue to occupy Labbouneh, Mount Blat, Owayda Hill, Aaziyyeh, and Hammamis Hill.

    According to AlJadeed’s correspondent, the “number of points from which Israeli occupation forces have not withdrawn has risen to seven, with its forces remaining on the international border road extending from Odaisseh to the entrance to Kfar Kila, along the border wall, and its positioning in the Batishiyeh area on the outskirts of Dhuhayrah, near the Al-Jardah site.”

    The post Israel Maintains Occupation In Key Areas After Withdrawal From Lebanon appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • The Israeli-Palestinian film No Other Land is nominated for an Oscar for best documentary at this year’s awards, to be held March 2. It follows the struggles of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank community of Masafer Yatta to stay on their land amid violent attacks by Jewish settlers aimed at expelling them. Since the film’s nomination was announced in January, that violence has continued…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Over 230 global civil society organisations have called on governments producing F-35 fighter jets to immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel, including the these jets. The F-35 jet programme partners include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, and the US. On top of the letter, civil society organisations around the world have taken legal action to hold their governments accountable for the F-35 programme, and complicity in Israel’s crimes in Gaza. And in the UK, groups are calling on the Labour Party government to end its complicity now.

    Israel: using F-35 jets with Western complicity

    Israel has used these jets in its bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. An F-35 was used in July 2024 to drop three 2,000 lb bombs in an attack on a so-called “safe zone” on Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, killing 90 Palestinians.

    Despite all partners to the jets programme having legal obligations to halt arms exports to Israel, governments continue to allow the transfer of parts to Israel. Incoherent positions have been put forward by governments including stating that arms licences to Israel have been suspended while allowing transfers under existing licences or supplying “indirectly” via the US or other F-35 partners.

    A global movement of legal cases taken by civil society has grown across countries in the F-35 programme, seeking to hold their government accountable for the transfer of jets and components to Israel. These include Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK.

    The organisations, while welcoming the limited temporary ceasefire, say that the past 15 months have illustrated with devastating clarity that Israel is not committed to complying with international law. It is therefore inexcusable for our governments to continue to provide arms transfers to Israel, potentially implicating themselves in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    In December 2024, Amnesty International’s investigation concluded that Israel has committed and is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and Human Rights Watch reported that ‘Israeli authorities are responsible for the crime against humanity of extermination and for acts of genocide’.

    You can read the full letter on the supply of F-35 jets here.

    International law must be complied with

    Shawan Jabarin, General-Director of Al-Haq, said:

    Israeli airstrikes, including the use of 2,000-pound bombs dropped from F-35 fighter jets, have devastated Gaza, repeatedly targeting densely populated areas, alleged “safe zones”, and even shelters for displaced Palestinians, during Israel’s ongoing genocidal onslaught. The overwhelming evidence of Israel’s grave violations of international law makes the F-35 partner nations—all of which are signatories to the Geneva Conventions, with the majority also having ratified the Arms Trade Treaty—complicit in these actions.

    F-35 partner nations, including the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, have assessed Israel’s use of these jets and concluded that the risk of violations of International Humanitarian Law is significant enough to halt direct sales of key components. However, components continue to reach Israel indirectly, highlighting the urgent need for the entire F-35 programme to be brought into compliance with international law.

    As Israel carries out its genocidal practices across the occupied Palestinian territory, with Palestinians in the West Bank subject to an ongoing, violent military onslaught and Gaza’s population still being attacked and denied essential aid despite a ceasefire, it is imperative that states uphold their binding duties under international law. They must collectively ensure that F-35 jets and components no longer reach Israel, halting further complicity in these international crimes.

    Gearóid Ó Cuinn, Director of GLAN (Global Legal Action Network) which is supporting Al-Haq’s arms exports challenge in the UK, said:

    This May the UK High Court will consider this controversial exemption for war plane parts. The UK Government’s position is that Israel can commit whatever depraved atrocity it pleases in Palestine, and nothing will stop the supply of British war plane components. In taking this indefensible position the UK Government has shamelessly put US interests and arms contracts above its own international legal obligations.

    F-35 jets: enough is enough

    Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director of Human Rights Watch, said:

    It is unconscionable that the UK government continues to supply weapons that end up going to the Israeli government, especially for the F35 which has played a pivotal role in Israel’s brutal bombing campaign.

    The government must close the loopholes and end its legal gymnastics- failure to do so displays either a misunderstanding of the government’s legal obligations or a wilful disregard for them.

    Katie Fallon, Advocacy Manager at Campaign Against Arms Trade said:

    The F-35 jet programme is emblematic of the West’s complicity in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. These jets were instrumental in Israel’s 466 day bombardment of Gaza, in crimes that include war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Since the limited ceasefire the US government, and lead partner to the F-35 programme, has threatened Gaza with mass ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. This programme gives material and political consent from all Western partners, including the UK, for these crimes to continue.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.


  • This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Seg2 basel no other land split

    The Israeli-Palestinian film No Other Land is nominated for an Oscar for best documentary at this year’s awards, to be held March 2. It follows the struggles of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank community of Masafer Yatta to stay on their land amid violent attacks by Jewish settlers aimed at expelling them. Since the film’s nomination was announced in January, that violence has continued, with co-director Basel Adra sharing video on social media of settlers rampaging through the village under the protection of Israeli soldiers. Adra, who joins us from London, says the goal of the documentary was not just winning awards but “to get to the people’s hearts” through film. “We want people to see the reality, to see what’s going on in my community Masafer Yatta but [also] in all the West Bank.”

    No Other Land still does not have a U.S. distributor, although it is showing in select cities.


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • On Tuesday 18 February, activists from Palestine Action began shutting down the Rafael weapons factory at Armstrong Works, Scotswood Road, Newcastle. It is, of course, yet another company complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza

    Palestine Action: shutting down Rafael

    A specially-adapted vehicle was used to block both entrance to the weapons plant, with an activist locked on inside the secured vehicle:

    Rafael Palestine ActionRafael Palestine Action

    Others climbed on top of the security box and covered the premise in blood-red paint to signify the blood of the Palestinians murdered by the weapons built by Rafael:

    Activists were still there eight hours later – stopping all production at the factory:

    Rafael is Israel’s third biggest weapons firm, and owned directly by the Israeli state:

    At the time they acquired Pearson Engineering and Armstrong Works, in September 2022, it was described as a vital part of the “strategic expansion” of Israel’s weapons manufacturing capabilities, as well as a way of trying to get round any future arms embargoes.

    The site specialises in producing  armoured military vehicles and tanks, including armoured bulldozers and ‘Robotic Combat Vehicles’. Rafael, the parent company, manufacture a range of weapons, advertised as “extensively battle proven by the Israeli Air Force”, including guided Spike missiles, which have slaughtered thousands of Palestinians. Labour ‘Lord’ John Hutton is amongst the directors of the Israeli state owned weapons factory.

    In September 2023, Rafael announced that Armstrong Works would be playing a significant role in delivering the Samson 30mm Remote Weapons Station. These remotely-controlled “High Lethality” death-factories include an arsenal of long-range weaponry, such as high-calibre machine-guns, 30mm cannon, 40mm grenade launchers, and Spike missiles.

    As well as being used on vehicles, they are used around the perimeters of besieged Gaza, and recently in Southern Lebanon, allowing the Israeli military to kill from afar.

    The group will be back

    In May 2023, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, Palestine Action occupied the roof of the Rafael factory, shutting it down for two days, and causing £69,000 in damage to the weapons site, plus £600,000 in losses, while no weapons were being produced.

    Since then, there have been regular protests outside the factory gates by local pro-Palestine activists, some of which the police have attacked violently, with arrests being made.

    This morning’s action marks the start of an escalation of the direct action campaign against the Israeli weapons maker, and they can expect to be increasingly targeted to disrupt the manufacture of Israeli weapons.  It takes place at a time when, despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to murder Palestinians, both in Gaza and the West Bank, to take hostages and imprison them without trial, and to destroy homes on the West Bank, and whole towns and villages in Lebanon.

    A spokesperson for Palestine Action said:

    The Israeli government owning a weapons factory in Newcastle is a stain on the whole community. The Israeli death machine has to be stopped, and with the British government entirely complicit in the genocide, it is up to ordinary people to do their part to halt the manufacture of Israeli weapons here. We put Rafael on notice, that we will shut them down at every opportunity. Each hour of production lost means less lives taken.

    Featured image via Martin Pope and additional images via Palestine Action and Martin Pope

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Developments over the past week have threatened to unravel the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel has consistently delayed or obstructed the implementation of the major humanitarian stipulations of the agreement guaranteeing the entry of fuel, food, tents, mobile homes, and heavy machinery for the removal of rubble. The first phase of the deal, which is currently ongoing, is supposed to see the entry of 200,000 tents and 60,000 mobile homes, but as of the time of writing, only a fraction has entered, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.

    The post Hamas Leader Says Israeli Ceasefire Violations Aim To Continue Genocide appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • The mass displacement carried out by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank is the largest since 1967, according to experts cited by the New York Times (NYT) on 17 February.

    “What makes this moment unprecedented is not only the scale of the displacement but also the accompanying discourse, which increasingly normalizes the idea of permanent forced displacement,” said Maha Nassar, a Palestinian historian at the University of Arizona.

    “This represents a significant escalation in the longstanding conflict, one that threatens to fundamentally alter the political and demographic landscape of the region,” she went on to say.

    The post Forced Displacement Of Palestinians From West Bank ‘Largest Since 1967’ appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • On Monday 17 February, the BBC got what it deserved over its coverage of Israel’s genocide in Gaza – as Palestine Action doused its HQ in blood-red paint for a second time.

    BBC hit by Palestine Action again

    In a bold act of direct action, Palestine Action activists targeted BBC’s headquarters in Portland Place, London:

    BBC Palestine Action
    Activists from pro-Palestinian Palestine Action target the BBC in Portland Place, London. They argue that the news organisation is biased in their reporting of the war in Gaza, the language they use to report news stories in weighted in Israel’s favour, they refuse to accept the situation in Gaza is a Genocide and they barely report about the Palestinian’s plight in the region at all.

    They covered the building in blood-red paint and broke windows in protest against the BBC’s ongoing complicity in the genocide of Palestinians through its entrenched pro-Israel bias:

    BBC Palestine Action

    The offices of the BBC have been covered in blood-red paint to symbolise the corporation’s responsibility for the blood spilled in Gaza and the BBC’s role in whitewashing Israeli atrocities through its partial and biased coverage.

    For years, the BBC has consistently minimised Israel’s violence against Palestinians while amplifying the narratives of the oppressors, perpetuating a deadly cycle of misinformation and false equivalency.

    The BBC stands accused of ‘manufacturing consent’ for Israel’s genocide, including by BBC staff themselves:

    BBC Palestine Action

    Today’s actions mark the second time Palestine Action has targeted the BBC since the onset of Israel’s genocidal response to the Al Aqsa Flood operation, a return necessary due to the BBC’s deeply-entrenched complicity in enabling Israeli apartheid and genocide is a deeply entrenched issue:

    The BBC’s repeated failure to provide a platform for Palestinian voices, or to accurately represent the scale of Israel’s violence has played a critical part in shaping public perception, allowing the continued suffering and displacement of Palestinians to go largely unchallenged in the media.

    “The BBC’s biased reporting isn’t a simple case of poor journalism – it’s a matter of life and death. By downplaying Israeli war crimes, the BBC is complicit in the genocide unfolding in Gaza,” said a spokesperson for Palestine Action:

    This isn’t just about the news – it’s about the role of the media in shaping global complicity. The BBC has blood on its hands, and today’s action is part of a wider campaign to hold them accountable. We will not stand by as the BBC sanitizes genocide.

    Years of complicity

    This protest is driven by years of outrage over the BBC’s refusal to cover the Palestinian struggle with the same urgency and accuracy it affords Israeli military actions.

    The corporation’s editorial choices, whether intentional or the result of institutional bias, have aligned it with the Israeli state’s narrative of justification for its violent policies. Today, the BBC’s premises have been marked with a visual reminder of that which is well-known in Palestine: that their blood marks the BBC’s reporting.

    Palestine Action will continue to hold British institutions responsible for the roles they play in genocide, and demands the BBC start reporting the truth about Palestine.

    Featured image and additional images via Martin Pope

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • A group of half a dozen young activists staged a third peaceful sit-in at the Bristol Broadmead branch of Barclays Bank. It follows similar protests against the bank in October and December last year.

    Barclays: wrecking the planet

    Activists from Extinction Rebellion Youth Bristol (XRYB) entered the bank branch at around 10am on Saturday 15 February with the aim of engaging customers about what they see as the problems with Barclays, and to encourage them to stop banking there:

    Barclays

    Barclays

    The protests staged by XRYB previously drew significant public attention and customer interest.

    The action by XRYB coincided with a vigil by Cristian Climate Action Bristol (CCA) in protest against the bank, resulting in a significant activist presence both inside and outside the Bristol branch.

    Rather than making demands of Barclays who are a global financial superpower, ranking in the top five largest European banks, the XRYB activists are seeking to increase customer awareness of how the bank invests its money, and of alternative banks that XRYB consider preferable.

    Barclays are a significant global investor in fossil fuels, at a time when a rapid transition to renewable energy is essential in the face of the climate crisis. Barclays is ranked the number one investor in fossil fuels in Europe, and seventh biggest in the world, having financed around $167 billion in fossil fuels between 2015 and 2021. It is also the 4th biggest financer of Arctic fossil fuel extraction.

    As well as its destructive fossil fuel funding, Barclays is a major financer of the global arms trade. This includes funding the sale of weapons to be used in Yemen and major investment in arms companies whose technologies are being used for genocide in Palestine.

    According to Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Barclays bank now holds over £2 billion in shares, and provides £6.1 billion in loans and underwriting to companies used by Israel against Palestine.

    Close your accounts

    A young person from XRYB expressed their concern over Barclays’ investment policies:

    Barclays is a major investment bank and currently has over a billion pounds of investments in companies whose weapons, components, and military tech have been used in unlawful violence against Palestinians. They are also a significant investor in fossil fuels, so are not only funding the deaths of Palestinian people but are also sacrificing our planet’s future for profit.

    Bella, another XRYB member, appealed to those who bank there:

    You have the power to make a difference. Historically boycott, divest, and sanction tactics work to make change, such as in the cases of racist practices in Bristol bus networks and against South African apartheid. Barclays are using your money to fund genocide and using the profits to make themselves richer. They are not your friends. There are numerous alternative banks such as Triodos, Nationwide, and Monzo who will use your money more responsibly and even offer better value!.

    Featured image and additional images supplied

    By The Canary

  • During the genocidal war on Gaza, UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, was a critical resource that distributed meals, blankets, and supplies to millions of people. For many, it was the only thing standing between them and starvation. Without UNRWA, our livelihood would have been unimaginable. Now, with Israel’s new law banning its activities in Gaza…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Palestine Action was once again out in force, targeting Brighton company L&B Plating which is complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. And this time, the group showed just how an intricate web of companies all have a hand in the killing of Palestinians.

    L&B Plating: complicit with Israel’s genocide

    On Thursday 13 February, activists targeted L&B Plating Company in Brighton over its complicity in genocide and links to suppliers of Israeli weapons:

    L&B Plating Brighton

    Actionists damaged vehicles and spray painted at the site, demanding they terminate their contract supplying the local L3 Harris weapons factory.

    After the action, messages reading “Free Palestine” and “Drop L3” were visible on buildings of the metal and coatings specialist:

    Palestine Action

    The company provides a specialist service to L3 Harris, whose Brighton factory produces bomb release mechanisms for F35 fighter jet planes. These planes are known to be responsible for the delivery of thousands of bombs on targets including tented refugee encampments in Gaza and healthcare workers in Lebanon.

    This action is part of continued disruption to the Israeli weapons supply by Palestine Action and coincides with an ongoing campaign from local residents and workers groups calling for the Harris facility to be permanently shut. The local campaign group have also contacted L&B Plating Company directly, calling for them to cut ties with the weapons supplier.

    Earlier this week, former UK Foreign Office second secretary Mark Smith reported that the UK government had systemically edited documents and suppressed evidence of war crimes in order to facilitate the ongoing sale of UK weapons to Israel.

    You have been warned

    A spokesperson for Palestine Action said:

    At this point any company that can be linked to UK weapons exports to Israel cannot be surprised by a visit from Palestine Action. With the UK government continuing to double down and furnish the Israeli military with weapons, we are doubling down our commitment to smash the supply chain. L&B Plating should immediately cut ties with the F3 facility. If they don’t, they can be assured that we’ll be back.

    Featured image and additional images supplied

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • This utterly dishonest and thoroughly inept Labour Party government, just seven months after its victory by way of default against a deeply loathed, corrupt Tory government, has already crashed and burned – in no small part thanks to Keir Starmer.

    If the consequences of Labour’s abject failure to govern with a degree of competence and integrity where not so dire I would enjoy laughing at them, not entirely dissimilar to the way they laughed at us while the pro-Israel Labour right smeared and plotted against the democratically elected former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

    Distracted at home and abroad

    I must admit, it has been hard not to become distracted by events across the pond. It’s not every day a modern-day tangerine tyrant openly declares his intention to ethnically cleanse an entire population, is it?

    I’ve even heard BBC reporters using the word “relocate” or ‘resettle’ to describe Trump’s plot to shit all over the Middle East and tear up every page in the book of international law.

    A word such as “relocate” would suggest the Gazan population might have some sort of say in their destiny. Being forcibly displaced isn’t optional. Ethnic cleansing is a crime against humanity. This isn’t up for debate on the say so of a neofascist real estate salesman.

    The United States of America is no longer a dependable ally. It hasn’t been for some time. Starmer knows this, all he needs to do now is openly admit it.

    But Starmer is afraid. Being isolated from the EU is one thing, but cutting off ties with the neofascist American government is a whole new shit show altogether for the jellyfish, Starmer.

    Back in the mother of all parliaments, Kemi Badenoch (apparently she’s the Tory leader) and Keir Starmer traded blows over Gazan refugees at PMQs.

    Both of the horrible little racists are more than happy to licence the sale of weapons to the colonial outpost of Israel for the purpose of genocide, but they’re not so happy when a handful of Gazans seek refuge in Britain.

    Spot the diff… Oh.

    What is the difference between a Ukrainian woman and child fleeing a dangerous war zone and a Palestinian woman and child fleeing the same desperately perilous situation?

    In the eyes of a sensible, compassionate human being, absolutely nothing whatsoever. But from the viewpoint of an institutionally racist British elite, defending persecuted genocide victims that just so happen to be Muslim isn’t going to win you many votes in the red wall heartlands of Gammon-upon-Tees.

    Sad, no doubt. But absolutely true.

    I really don’t want to hear about Ukrainian people being more in line with “British values”, because we haven’t had a British government with genuine values for the vast majority of our lifetimes.

    If British values are in-line with a former Soviet state that suffers from a bit of a Nazi problem, and a brutal pariah racist endeavour that suffers from a hell of a Zionist white supremacy problem, we’re probably best not to be shouting about British values from the nearest rooftop.

    Once again, the Assisted Dying Bill has also been in the headlines.

    The ideology is the issue

    There is something particularly ghoulish about seeing parliamentarians putting so much effort into ending people’s lives when they have done so very little to assist people with living.

    I cannot support something that leaves disabled people feeling like they are some sort of burden on society. I cannot support something that will be used to exploit disabled people by unscrupulous individuals whose motivation is purely financial gain.

    A responsible government should be looking at ways to improve the lives of disabled people, not ways to cut their benefits, snoop through their bank accounts and force them into unsuitable, low paid work, before issuing them with a fucking death warrant.

    I’ve said this so many times, and I will most likely keep saying it until I’m blue in the face, via ‘Dignitas UK’.

    The name of the political party is absolutely irrelevant. The ideology is the issue. Look past the name, the colour of the rosette, and look past the leadership.

    I had my epiphany many years ago, and that was one of the key reasons as to why around twelve million of us voted for Jeremy Corbyn’s brand of Labour, back in 2017, several years after the current chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, pretended to be a high-flying economist.

    Reeves — predicted by many to replace Keir Starmer when he throws away that huge majority in a few years time — is beginning to make the economy-crushing Kwasi Kwarteng look like John Maynard Keynes.

    Starmer: will he even last that long?

    The Chancellor has always come across as an unlikable careerist with the charisma of a butt plug, and despite her position being utterly untenable in most walks of life, Reeves is most likely to survive whatever is thrown at her, because the establishment will always look after their own.

    The bar of acceptable behaviour in office has been considerably lowered over the last couple of decades. Successive Labour and Tory governments have demeaned the privilege of public service at the very highest level.

    Corruption, incompetence, criminal dishonesty, cronyism, a burning hatred of poor, disabled, and working class people, warmongering, scandalous expenses – I could be talking about any government from any period over the past forty years.

    Political chaos has been normalised by the likes of Blair, Cameron, and Johnson. Truth never shines from hearts filled with corruption and lies.

    If you expected something just slightly better from Keir Starmer and his lightweight government, or maybe you still hold out some hope that things will only get better, I’ll try not to be the one that disappoints you, because you’ve got another four long years of Keir Starmer’s clusterfuckery to do that for you.

    If he actually lasts that long.

    Featured image via Rachael Swindon

    By Rachael Swindon

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • On January 29 President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at canceling the visas of foreign students who participated in protests opposing the Gaza genocide across college campuses last year.

    “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” said Trump in a fact sheet released alongside the order. “I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”

    The post Breaking Down Trump’s Executive Order Targeting Palestine Activists appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • LondonMetric, the landlords of Elbit’s ‘UAV Tactical Systems’ drone factory, has sold the site on after a targeted direct action campaign calling on them to cut ties with Israel’s largest weapons company. After struggling to find a buyer, LondonMetric have now relinquished their interest in Elbit Systems, despite what it claims is a strong commercial potential of the site. Business at ‘UAV Tactical Systems’ has been regularly disrupted and prevented due to its production of Israeli military drones [1].

    The result comes after concerted efforts by Palestine Action, joined by the Youth Front for Palestine (YFFP), against the offices and premises of LondonMetrics.

    The post Elbit Drone Factory Landlords Cut Ties appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Seven US and European investment banks have been propping up Israel’s brutal genocide in Gaza to the tune of nearly $20bn. And a certain notorious company in particular is dripping in bankrolling complicity: Goldman Sachs.

    A new investigation has revealed the scale of seven financial institutions role financing Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

    Netherlands-based financial research group Profundo conducted the vital new research, with Dutch NGOs BankTrack and PAX have publishing its critical findings.

    Significantly, the groups have uncovered that a small number of investment banks have played a crucial role in helping Israel meet the “significant funding needs” for its genocidal assault on Gaza.

    The post These Seven Banks Have Supplied Israel’s Genocide In Gaza appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • The life expectancy of Palestinians in Gaza was slashed nearly in half amid the first year of Israel’s genocide, a new study finds, taking decades off of the average life of a person in the besieged enclave. An article published online in The Lancet finds that life expectancy across the population dropped by 34.9 years between October 2023 and September 2024, going from 75.5…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Stormzy appears to have deleted posts supporting Palestine just as McDonald’s launches a campaign to “Order Like Stormzy.” Middle East Eye reported that the Instagram post in question was a post calling for Free Palestine where Stormzy wrote in the caption:

    In the future, if there is ever a clear injustice in the world, no matter how big or small, 100 times out of 100 I will be on the side of the oppressed. Unequivocally. As I always have been. Social media is a brilliant way to stand up for what is right, but there are also a whole load of other ways to do this.

    It particularly rankles when Stormzy, who has stood on the side of the oppressed time and time again, folds for perhaps the ultimate symbol of corporate capitalism.

    Stormzy: Ronald made me do it

    The advert features people having Stormzy’s voice coming out of their mouths as they order the same items. By the by, Stormzy’s order – nine nuggets, fries, barbecue sauce, a sprite, and an Oreo McFlurry – isn’t even specific enough to warrant an advertising campaign of this size. That’s to say nothing of Stormzy conveniently hiding his previous support for Palestine as soon as that McDonalds cash came calling.

    McDonalds has been on the boycott list since October 2023, with the group Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) releasing a statement saying:

    McDonald’s Israeli franchisee has supported the Israeli occupation forces with free McDonald’s meals during the ongoing genocide of 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, prompting the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the largest Palestinian coalition that leads the global BDS movement, to endorse the organic, grassroots-led worldwide boycott campaigns targeting McDonald’s to end complicity in apartheid Israel’s crimes.

    There was huge backlash after McDonald’s gave free meals to thousands of Israeli soldiers in 2023. After that particular move sparked boycotts, McDonalds ended up buying back the Israeli franchise that operates McDonald’s 225 outlets in occupied territory. Since then, McDonald’s CEO has admitted that the worldwide boycott by supporters of Palestine has hurt the company’s profits.

    It’s a hell of a turnaround to go from saying Free Palestine, promising to always stand on the side of the oppressed, to getting a presumably million pound contract with a company on the boycott list, and then deleting the post about standing against oppression.

    It is that deep

    It’s no wonder people on social media feel betrayed by Stormzy:

    Given McDonald’s gigantic business and marketing operations, it seems unlikely that the post wasn’t taken down without their direction:

    Stormzy’s actions are a far cry from the Stormzy fans thought they knew:

    It’s precisely his previous actions that make this hard to swallow:

    No matter how you slice it, Stormzy’s fucked up:

    Still disappointed in Stormzy

    There have been a hell of a lot of celebrities and other public figures who’ve remained silent on Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Of course, celebrities speaking out should not be the only metric of social progress on an issue, but their actions matter. And, their actions matter even more when, like Stormzy, they have a history of speaking out about injustice and oppression. What is Stormzy’s public persona if he’s not standing up for oppressed people? Evidently, it’s not one that fans want.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Maryam Jameela

    This post was originally published on Canary.