Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif was threatened by the Israeli military after a report in which he became emotional over Israel’s mass starvation campaign circulated online on Sunday, with the military’s spokesperson accusing him of shedding “crocodile tears.” In a broadcast report on growing starvation in Gaza, al-Sharif teared up, having to gather his emotions as he witnessed a woman…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The starvation crisis in Gaza is deepening under Israel’s brutal blockade and amid regular massacres of civilians attempting to secure aid at the only officially sanctioned aid sites, run by Israeli troops and American mercenaries. The so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the onset of famine are the subjects of a new report by analysts Davide Piscitelli and Alex de Waal for the research…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The independent news outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call are reporting that Israel is increasingly using grenade-firing drones to enforce evacuation orders. Israeli soldiers have admitted that they deliberately target civilians and likened their use of the weapons to a “video game.” Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport explains how soldiers are instructed to initiate strikes on all residents, not just belligerent targets. “Once a commander defines an imaginary red line that no one is allowed to cross, anyone who does is marked for death,” says Rapoport.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
The hashtag #Gaza_is_dying_of_starvation has topped social media platforms in recent days, after it was launched by Palestinian activists from inside the besieged Gaza Strip, in a last attempt to communicate the voice of hunger that is killing the living after Israel’s bombing of buildings and bodies.
The platforms turned into an open space of pain, filled with terrifying images and clips showing children who have lost their childhood features, women lost in the search for a meal, and older people who cannot stand up due to their emaciation.
In the background of these images, Gaza looks like it has emerged from a world war, with no electricity, no flour, no medicine, and nothing but the cries of the hungry unheard by the world.
Israel has closed all Gaza’s crossings, preventing the entry of food and medicine, beginning a new chapter of annihilation, this time by starvation.
Gazans are no longer able to secure the minimum essentials of life.
Flour – the first material of life – has almost disappeared, and if it is found it is at a price that exceeds the ability of any besieged person without income. Even bread is no longer food, but a wish that is repeated in the dreams of hungry children.
In a viral video, a child cries in front of the rubble of her house, saying: “enough about patience”.
In another scene, a cameraman asks a wounded child how he is doing and he replies, barely breathing: “hungry.”
Other images show small bodies with bones sticking out, mothers waiting in front of poorly-stocked charity shops, and voices saying:
We are looking for a loaf of bread, we don’t want more… We just want to stay alive.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza issued a warning statement, declaring that the Gaza Strip is in a state of “actual famine,” characterized by a severe shortage of basic necessities, rampant malnutrition, and a complete collapse of the health system.
It noted that unprecedented numbers of starving people of all ages are arriving at emergency departments in a state of severe exhaustion, and that hundreds of cases are threatened with death at any moment.
The ministry explained that bread has become a “scarce currency” and that absent baby milk “is no longer food but a promise of life… born at the gates of the siege. It was born at the gates of the siege.”
According to the Gaza government media office, the number of deaths resulting from hunger and malnutrition has risen to 620 people, including 69 children, since October 7, 2023.
In addition, 650,000 children face the direct risk of death due to malnutrition, while about 60,000 pregnant women suffer from the lack of food and health care, which threatens their lives and the lives of their fetuses.
Participation was not limited to the Gazan interior, but the interaction with the hashtag #Gaza_is_dying_of_starvation extended to the Arab and Western world, where activists called on the international community to pressure Israel to immediately open the crossings and allow the entry of food and medicine to save the remaining lives in Gaza.
Israel continues to carry out a comprehensive war that includes killing, starvation, destruction and displacement, with US support and international silence, leaving tens of thousands of victims between martyrs and wounded, hundreds of thousands of displaced people, thousands of missing people, and a famine that is considered one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history.
This is not an emergency food crisis, but a systematic starvation policy used as a weapon of war, imposed by Israel for many months as part of a strategy to tighten the siege and deepen the humanitarian catastrophe.
In light of the complete collapse of the health system and the worsening food shortage, Gaza is heading towards a total famine that threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands, amid increasing international warnings and humanitarian appeals that have not yet received an effective response from the international community.
While lenses continue to transmit images of Palestinian children who embrace air instead of milk, and document loaves of bread that have become more expensive than gold, the most pressing question remains, how long will the world remain silent about the famine of the century in Gaza?
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
This post was originally published on Canary.
Over the past few weeks, Israel has demolished thousands of buildings across Gaza. A huge number of the demolitions have been planned. After over a year of genocide and relentless bombing of Gaza, Israel is now further flattening the rubble and what little infrastructure remains.
Reports have also emerged of Israel bombing a vital disability centre. Horrifyingly, some of the demolitions appear to be aimed towards the creation of a concentration camp in Rafah.
The BBC reported that:
Verified footage shows large explosions unleashing plumes of dust and debris, as Israeli forces carry out controlled demolitions on tower blocks, schools and other infrastructure.
Multiple legal experts told BBC Verify that Israel may have committed war crimes under the Geneva Convention, which largely prohibits the destruction of infrastructure by an occupying power.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and their spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said that the demolitions were:
contributing to the ongoing consolidation of annexation of West Bank territory by Israel, in violation of international law.
Since the launch of Israel’s operation “Iron Wall” in the north of the occupied West Bank earlier this year, about 30,000 Palestinians remain forcibly displaced.
The OHCHR confirmed that the demolitions are a violation of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power, adding:
Permanently displacing the civilian population within occupied territory amounts to unlawful transfer, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and, depending on the circumstances, may also amount to a crime against humanity.
In Jenin refugee camp, a rehabilitation centre for disabled people is under attack. Al Jazeera reported that the Al-Jaleel Society for Care and Community-based Rehabilitation has been subject to repeated attacks and is entirely destroyed. A senior advocacy officer for Palestine operations at Humanity and Inclusion, Al-Jaleel’s partner organisation, Zaid Am-Ali, said:
This is not the first time the centre has been targeted, the Israeli military has destroyed parts of it during previous acts of demolition in the refugee camp and has breached and ransacked the centre and tampered with assistive devices meant for persons with disabilities.
The centre has been operating in Jenin for over 30 years. The UN found that before Israel’s current genocide of Palestine:
one in five families surveyed had at least one person with disabilities. Nearly half of them included a child with disabilities.
Now, after months of brutal bombing, the needs of an increasingly growing disabled population cannot be met amongst Israel’s brutality. Al Jazeera reported that:
As well as prosthetics, orthotics and physical and occupational therapies, Al-Jaleel also offers psychological support for those affected by disability and continuing violent assaults perpetrated by the Israeli military, which has been attacking Jenin on a regular basis for years, but has intensified operations since the start of 2025.
Now, with the destruction of the centre, the already scant resources for disabled Palestinians are next to nothing. And, as is becoming characteristic of Israel, the military has told workers at the disability centre in Jenin that they have secured the area for:
military and security purposes.
In addition to decimating infrastructure they’d already bombed into destruction, Israeli forces have also demolished Palestinian homes in the West Bank. Such a practice is written into the soul of Israel. The Zionist entity have been demolishing Palestinian homes continuously since 1948.
Anadolu Agency reported:
Military bulldozers stormed the town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank and razed the buildings owned by three Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire last year, the sources said.
Again, this is a customary tactic for the genocidaires:
Israel routinely demolishes the family homes of Palestinians it accuses of carrying out attacks, a policy widely condemned by human rights groups as collective punishment.
Israel have also increased demolitions in Rafah in preparation of the creation of their concentration camp. Al Jazeera reported that the number of demolished buildings in Rafah has risen from 15,000 to 28,600:
This means that approximately 12,800 buildings were destroyed between early April and early July alone – a marked acceleration in demolitions that has coincided with Israel’s new push into Rafah launched in late March 2025.
As the Canary previously reported, Reuters have seen documents for these concentration camps.
Featured image via the Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
More than 80 MPs and Lords from nine political parties have called on the British Government to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel over its repeated violations of international law.
The 84 parliamentarians have made the call in a letter to the Foreign Secretary David Lammy, organised by MPs Richard Burgon and Imran Hussain. The letter marks the first anniversary of a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s top court, that Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) is “unlawful” and must end “as rapidly as possible”.
The letter calls on the UK Government to:
The demands are in line with the 19 July 2024 ruling of the International Court of Justice that said all States must “abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory which may entrench its unlawful presence in the territory”. The Court also said all States have an obligation to “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the OPT.”
The letter highlights the British Government’s failure to respond meaningfully to the ICJ’s findings over the past year, despite the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the escalating violence in the West Bank.
The letter concludes that:
This is a moment to show that the UK’s stated commitment to international law and human rights is more than words. We urge you to act decisively and without delay.” It also contrasts the Government’s inaction on Israel with the robust sanctions regime against Russia.
Richard Burgon MP who co-organised the letter said:
Israel is committing war crime after war crime. We don’t need more empty words from the Government calling on Israel to do the right thing. We need tough action to force Israel to end its atrocities against the Palestinian people. That means ending all arms sales and imposing widespread sanctions on Israel — just as were rightly imposed on Russia over Ukraine.
Imran Hussain MP who co-organised the letter said:
For a year, the Government has dragged its feet following the ruling from the world’s top court. It’s clear Israel will only end its genocide when governments take bold and decisive action in defence of international law. The International Court of Justice ruling makes it clear that the UK has a legal as well as a moral obligation to act. What is the Government waiting for? How many more Palestinians need to be killed or forced into starvation before our Government takes the action so desperately needed?
Ben Jamal, Palestine Solidarity Campaign Director, said:
21 months into Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza and 1 year since the ICJ issued its historic ruling as to the illegality of Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, we are still wating for meaningful action from the UK Government. The sanctions demanded in this letter are the minimum required to ensure that the UK fulfils its obligations not to aid and abet these egregious violations of International law.
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
On the world stage, the promise of the United Nations (UN) – to unite all nations, large and small, strong and weak, in the service of peace and justice – has never stood in more peril.
The devastation of Gaza, the wholesale obliteration of civilian life and infrastructure, and the persistent inaction of the very international institutions designed to prevent such catastrophe have driven not only millions of Palestinians from their homes, but have also dislocated the postwar legal order itself.
Amid a torrent of evidence and eyewitness testimony, as the rubble of bombed hospitals and starved neighbourhoods pile high, the crisis reaches far beyond a humanitarian disaster. It has become the ultimate test for international law and the integrity of global institutions.
For former senior UN human rights chief Craig Mokhiber, who resigned in protest as director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2023, after serving the UN for more than three decades, it is a collapse of the system meant to restrain the powerful and uphold basic decency among nations.
He said of the UN:
What we have seen, not for the first time, but very clearly over the past two years in Palestine, is that it has been wholly incapable of launching an effective response to a genocide.
According to Mokhiber, Gaza has not only become the scene of a genocide, but has revealed the extent to which the rules that were designed to protect populations from such horrors are no longer enforced. States with the most responsibility to uphold these rules are instead complicit in breaking them. He argues that paralysis is not accidental but is exactly how the system is structured.
He explained that:
When you have a permanent member of the Security Council with the veto, the system cannot act. In this case, it is the United States, which not only supports the genocide but is also a co-perpetrator in it, and has been actively participating in it, by providing weapons and intelligence and diplomatic cover and the use of the veto and so on. And that is not a mistake but a failure by design. The five permanent members of the Security Council agreed to the UN Charter on the condition that they be provided, effectively, with an impunity for them and for anyone that they want to grant that impunity to. So, this part of the system has failed by design, but the rest of the system has failed by abdication.
The UN now has 193 member states. However, only the five permanent members – known as the P5 countries – have been given veto power to disagree with any decision taken by the member nations of the Security Council. These countries are the UK, the US, France, Russia, and China – the five nuclear weapon states recognised under the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Mokhiber claims there is a deep divide within the system. The bloodshed in Gaza has continued month after month, because every attempt at the Security Council to pass binding resolutions for humanitarian access, ceasefire, or accountability has been met with determined obstruction.
Time and again, resolutions calling for cessation of violence, protection of medical facilities, or preservation of critical infrastructure have fallen, not due to lack of votes, but because the United States or other P5 states have exercised their veto.
But, while the Security Council remains trapped in stalemate and top offices are paralysed by fear, he praises the independent Human Rights mechanisms of the UN, saying that parts of the system, such as the UN Special Rapporteurs and humanitarian organisations like UNRWA, have:
behaved perfectly, in a principled way and sometimes heroically throughout the genocide.
This is all while many of their employees have been murdered as they try to bring relief to the besieged. These values Mokhiber insist on are what the organisation was meant to represent.
The dysfunction of the Security Council is worsened, he argues, by a failure of leadership at the highest levels of the UN. These senior political offices which have the authority to speak with moral authority, galvanise member states, and activate alternative mechanisms like the General Assembly, are largely inactive.
According to Mokhiber, this inaction stems from fear or undue influence, particularly from powerful states and wealthy donors – leading them to shy away from their responsibilities.
He said:
The Secretary General and the political offices of the organization have failed, not by design, but by abdication. They have lacked the courage and the principle to defend the norms and standards of the organization because they are either afraid or compromised by countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the European Union, and others… They have failed to act not because they don’t have the power to do more, but because they don’t have the will to do more when the perpetrators or the supporters of the perpetrators are Western powers.
The result, Mokhiber claims, is that international norms themselves are undermined, and made meaningless, by the reluctance to enforce them in the face of Western opposition.
As the Security Council remains locked by vetoes – and therefore by the interests of the powerful – the General Assembly stands as the wider world’s democratic institution.
Mokhiber said that:
The General Assembly since 1950 has been specifically empowered, under the Uniting for Peace resolution (377A(V)), to get around the Security Council veto in matters of peace and security where the council is unable or unwilling to act because of the veto of one of its permanent members. There are some very impressive precedents where Uniting for Peace was used in the General Assembly to take concrete measures, and they have not yet done that. And that is, I think, a real failing.
The first use of the Uniting for Peace resolution was against two NATO members, France and the United Kingdom, during the Suez Crisis in 1956. The resolution was invoked because the Security Council was unable to agree on a way forward due to vetoes by France and the UK. As a result, the first UN peacekeeping force was established, known as the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), and was dispatched to the Sinai.
It successfully secured and supervised the cessation of hostilities. Mokhiber pointed to these dormant powers – which allow the Assembly to recommend emergency action including protection forces, sanctions, and accountability measures – as the best hope left:
So we are trying to put pressure on the General Assembly to do what it can do, based upon the precedence of the 1956 use of Uniting for Peace to establish the UN Emergency Force that was deployed to the Sinai, over the objection of the Israelis, over the objection of the French, over the objections of the British. They were able to do that because the General Assembly acted under the Uniting for Peace resolution to mandate an armed emergency force. They could do the same thing now, and it’s even easier now.
When the General Assembly mandates a force, because it does not have the enforcement power of the Security Council, they need the consent of whoever’s territory they are going to deploy to.
Today, legal arguments are even firmer, because the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has determined that Israel does not hold sovereignty in Gaza or any other part of the occupied territories. It has no right to be there and has no authority or decision-making power over what happens there. That is now clearly established as a matter of international law.
The ICJ has also said that the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination. This means the only consent needed for a General Assembly-mandated protection force, would be the consent of the Palestinians. And for the UN, that means the state of Palestine, the Palestinian representatives. Israel has no right to say yes or no.
Addressing the ongoing genocide in Palestine, which is moving at full speed and, according to Mokhiber, will not be stopped by any ceasefire, means moving beyond simplistic images of conflict. Israel’s strategy, he says, is not confined to military attacks, but extends to the destruction of the civilian infrastructure necessary for life.
Mokhiber explained:
The bombs and bullets are only one of the means that are being used by Israel to perpetrate the genocide. Starvation, denial of food, water and shelter, imposed hunger, imposed disease, the destruction of hospitals, the lack of medical care, all of those things will claim more victims than even the intentional bombing and shooting of Palestinian civilians that’s been going on for the past 20 plus months.
So the only way to stop the genocide is to get a force in there, that is mandated to, firstly, protect civilians from any kind of threats, to secure and support the distribution of humanitarian aid to all parts of the strip, including food and water and medicine and shelter and all of the things that are needed for the survival and recovery of the victims of genocide in Palestine, and thirdly- to preserve the evidence of Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, for accountability, as the General Assembly has said that there must be a process of accountability for Israel’s crimes.
That evidence is being destroyed as we speak – a multinational force could help to protect it. All of these things could be done under the authority of the General Assembly, where we know there is more than two thirds of the member states who are opposing Israel’s actions, and who are supporting Palestinians.
According to Mokhiber, legally and politically, logically and practically, it “absolutely could go ahead”, but the question is, would Israel fire on a UN-mandated international force as it entered Gaza to provide humanitarian relief? Mokhiber does not think so, especially if it were a multinational one which included forces from states that Israel does not want to fire upon.
If one of the P5 countries uses its veto power, and the Security council becomes deadlocked, an emergency special session of the General Assembly can be convened within 24 hours, under the Uniting for Peace resolution. In the case of Palestine, this session, called the 10th Emergency Special Session, focuses on illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
This was first convened in 1997, and has been resumed many times, including during this genocide, to address the ongoing Israeli occupation and its impact on the region. But, according to Mokhiber, the resolutions that were adopted:
did not have the kind of teeth that were needed.
Although temporarily adjourned, any member state can call for it to be reopened, allowing for the Assembly to immediately confront genocide and impunity with more than words.
Mokhiber and others are demanding action that goes beyond the symbolic.
They are calling for a resolution that mandates the use of a protective force with the capacity to provide real protection, deployed at first all over Gaza and then, subsequently, over the West Bank, ideally including occupied Jerusalem. This would be a resolution that strips Israel of its credentials in the UN – as was done with South Africa during apartheid – one that establishes an accountability mechanism, such as an international tribunal, to hold the Israelis and complicit others accountable. It would deal with the “thousands upon thousands of war crimes”.
Sanctions and military embargos are also necessary, as are the reestablishment of the anti-racism and anti-apartheid mechanisms, which existed during South African Apartheid, such as diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions, travel bans, and robust civil society movements, all backed by the legal and moral authority the UN can bring.
Mokhiber said:
In other words, we need real, concrete measures that have the capacity to change the reality on the ground, to change the incentive structure that currently exists, because the number one challenge to human rights and peace and security in the Middle East is Israeli impunity, and the US and the UK and the Germans and some others are thoroughly dedicated to maintaining absolute impunity by the Israeli regime and, under that impunity, as we have seen in recent months, we have witnessed genocide. We have witnessed serial aggression against other countries in the region perpetrated by Israel. We have witnessed a transnational attack in Lebanon using booby traps pagers, we have witnessed summary executions of people across the region perpetrated by Israel. This is what impunity looks like.
Plenty of governments and institutions prefer to avoid naming reality at hand. Instead, standard phrases and calls for ‘restraint’ have replaced what international law demands, justice and accountability. Mokhiber suggests there is a lack of political courage, and this can be seen in the statements that are made:
It’s the same talking points over and over again, that have zero impact on the lives and livelihoods of the Palestinian people. ‘Israel, please let in more humanitarian aid. Let’s talk about a two-state solution. Let’s release the hostages’. What they never deal with is the accountability of the perpetrator, which is required under international law. They never deal with the root causes of ethno-nationalism, ethno-supremacy, apartheid, occupation, the denial of the right of Palestinians to return home – none of the actual root causes of what is defined as a conflict. This is oppressor and oppressed, occupier and occupied, genocidaire and genocide.
This is not two sides of a war, which is language that they’re very comfortable using, because then they don’t have to upset the Americans or the Brits or the Germans or the Israel lobby or others, by daring to speak truth to power and saying ‘this is the genocide and it is perpetrator and victim, and our job is to stand with the victim and to make sure that the perpetrator is forced to stop’.
You don’t have to negotiate for your rights with a regime that’s perpetrating apartheid and genocide. Those rights are guaranteed by international law! The job of all of the states and of international institutions is to enforce that law, not to beg for mercy from the perpetrator regime. But they don’t have that. Unfortunately, that’s been the failure of the international system.
Mokhiber continued:
It’s not just Israel that’s on trial, but the entire international system, the idea of international law, international civil rights, all of that is on trial because if Israel can get away with the first livestream genocide in history, and with the defense of most of the West and the inaction of international institutions, that’s the end of that system – and the UN is the centerpiece of that system, and it will not likely survive.
But, instead of standing up to fight back on principle, what it’s doing is bowing down lower and lower to the US, which is using all sorts of tactics, including cutting its funding and so on, to make them feel an existential threat, to increase their fear so that they will soft pedal on Israel. That’s the wrong strategy on the part of the UN. If they don’t stand up, they will be gone in the medium term.
Britain is not at the margins of the genocide of the Palestinian people, but at its heart, and we need to do everything within our power to say that this is not in our name that our governments – our criminal governments – are participating in this. We must hold them accountable. But, as Mokhiber explained, companies and the press are also complicit in the genocide, and they must also be investigated and tried if evidence shows they contributed to unfolding war crimes or the obstruction of justice.
He said:
The UK is one of the three most complicit states in the genocide, along with the US and Germany. There’s no question that the UK Government and some UK companies are guilty of the crime of complicity and genocide. Many of them are guilty because of their actions in facilitating it through armaments and other support, and allowing its continuation through diplomatic cover and other such things. UK media like the BBC have disseminated, non-critically, Israeli propaganda for genocide, hiding the stories of the actual genocide, and sometimes crossing the line into incitement of genocide.
As mass protests and solidarity campaigns spread across the West, so too does the backlash, with universities, workplaces, and civic spaces becoming sites of intimidation and punishment. Mokhiber sees this escalation as unprecedented, even compared to anti-apartheid campaigns decades ago, when there were arrests and name-calling but nowhere near the level of repression being faced now. But, he says, people are now being targeted, not because they are wrong, but precisely because those in power know they are losing the moral argument.
Mokhiber said:
Western governments have become aligned with the project of repression in Palestine to the extent that they will punish and oppress their own citizens on behalf of one oppressive foreign regime, Israel. If you’re a student who speaks out, if you’re somebody who speaks out in your workplace, if you’re involved in boycotts and divestments, if you’re involved in direct action, you will be criminalized. You may be expelled from school, fired from your job, beaten by police, arrested, deported. That’s what’s different now, and the reason they’re doing that is because they understand that all they have left is fear. They cannot win the legal argument. They cannot win the moral argument. They cannot win the political argument.
All they have is fear and repression. So, they’re betting the entire shop – including their own constitution and laws, protections for their own citizens, and their own budgets – on the idea that they can frighten us enough that we will shut up and allow it to continue. But, so far, it’s not working. Our numbers are growing.
There is now a new ecosystem of political action and information. Digital networks, independent reporting, and direct testimony make concealment far more difficult, and Mokhiber insists that real change has always come from persistent movements, not elite consensus. Shifting the balance of pressure, from the powerful lobbies and donor states back toward the rule of law, requires sustained mass action and global pressure and legal mobilisation, and is now the main hope for halting impunity:
This isn’t 1950 when you had to rely on network television and mainstream newspapers to tell you what was happening. This is the age of independent media, the age of social media, the age of direct content production, where there’s victims and witnesses on the ground, and they’re not getting away with it. But this is their last-ditch effort to silence and punish us. If we give in then we lose, but if we fight back, we will grow and get stronger. The challenge is the challenge of politics, and that’s why the movement has to keep growing, has to keep being visible and strong in demanding justice.
Mokhiber laid out a stark choice before the international community: either institutions act, or genocide – and the collapse of international legal order – will proceed unhindered, with devastating consequences:
If the system can steel itself and stand up to this situation, and do what needs to be done, which are the specifics we’re calling for, then international law, international institutions could, over time, be victorious in the same way that they were when they organized that way against the apartheid regime in South Africa. That’s scenario number one.
Scenario number two is they continue where they’re going now, allowing for such absolute Israeli impunity. That will be the end of international law and of the international system, including the UN, they will not come back from that.
And why should any member state of the United Nations respect the rule of law, international human rights, the Geneva Conventions, the prohibition of genocide, if the world is now defined as it was before the UN existed, by the use of force alone? That’s going to mean every state will invest all of its resources in becoming as militarily strong as possible. They will understand that it’s ‘might make right’, that you need to have a nuclear weapon, ideally, if you have to compete in this way. And we are back to the law of the jungle.
And unfortunately, the direction we’re heading in now is the latter, and one very significant step to stop that and redirect would be this Uniting for Peace resolution by the General Assembly, with actual teeth, not another tepid statement of principle, but sanctions, embargo protection, force, removal of Israel’s credentials in the UN accountability mechanism, and the General Assembly have the power to do all of that. They only need now to find the will.
Featured image via the Canary
By Charlie Jaay
This post was originally published on Canary.
On the morning of July 19, despite the rain thousands gathered in Kelvingrove Park to take part in Glasgow’s annual Pride march. However hundreds of activists, instead of joining the main body of the procession, formed a ‘Radical Bloc’ in protest of Glasgow Pride’s connections to Israeli violence in Gaza.
The bloc was organised by No Pride in Genocide Glasgow (NPIG), a broad coalition of LGBTQ+ Glaswegians demanding that Glasgow’s Pride reject companies directly profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation and ongoing genocide in Palestine. Before the march began, speakers from the Scottish Green Party, Strathclyde Palestine Solidarity Society and Trans Kids Deserve Better Scotland spoke to the crowd:
Glasgow Green's committee member @elliebgomersall explaining why we were marching today in the no pride in genocide radical bloc at Glasgow pride.
No one is free until we're all free#glasgowpride #FreePalestine
pic.twitter.com/dSLrOsCmkP
— Glasgow Green Party (@glasgowgreens) July 20, 2024
The activist coalition are calling on Glasgow Pride to refuse all partnerships, sponsorships, and participation in Pride from companies and organisations that profit directly or indirectly from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. They also ask that the organisations sponsorship process be made democratic and community led, and that Glasgow Pride publicly opposes Israel’s war crimes.
Last year, the group mobilised hundreds of activists in a similar bloc within the 2024 Pride march, their numbers making up nearly half the total procession. Despite continued pressure throughout the year from NPIG, Glasgow Pride has not engaged directly with the campaign group, instead alluding to their solidarity campaign as an attempt at ‘segregation’. The NPIG group accuse Glasgow Pride of enabling ‘pinkwashing’ – allowing companies to promote their gay-friendliness as a way of downplaying their social harm.
No Pride in Genocide Glasgow’s 2025 campaign was re-launched in May, to continue to pressure Glasgow Pride to commit to ethical partnerships and sponsorships in adherence to the BDS movement against Israeli apartheid and the Fossil Free Pride Pledge, to oppose the ‘pinkwashing’ of Israel and associated companies, and to stand in solidarity with the most most marginalised within the queer community. Additionally, the group call for more transparency:
At bare minimum, we want Glasgow’s Pride to actively engage with the local community when planning events which claim to represent them — in terms of accessibility, inclusivity and representation, but also in platforming local businesses and performers and championing the values of Glasgow’s queer community. Their repeated refusal to engage with the campaign and the hostile way that they have responded to criticism from the community is incredibly disappointing.
These demands were developed and published in February of this year in collaboration with a number of city-wide queer groups, and compiled into an open letter signed by organisations such as Rainbow Greens of the Scottish Green Party, Glasgow Trades Union Council, Scotland for Palestine, and several pillars of LGBTQ+ nightlife such as Queer Theory and House Ball Scotland — an open letter to which Glasgow Pride has failed to respond.
In particular, the activists oppose sponsorship from and allowing the participation of American financial giant JP Morgan due to the bank’s $22million investment into Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, and its underwriting of $600 million in Israeli Sovereign war bonds.
A spokesperson for the group said:
JP Morgan directly finances Israel’s ongoing assault on the Gaza — they are complicit in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, women and children… They have no right to be present at a celebration of the queer community, and Glasgow Pride has no right to accept their money on behalf of our community.
On top of direct financial ties to global conflict and climate change through sponsorship deals, activists maintain that Glasgow Pride Ltd have persistently lacked transparency with their finances, failing to publish accounts or share how contributions to the march are spent. Now in it’s second year, the campaign are yet to receive a direct acknowledgement or response from the organisers.
In early July, the No Pride In Genocide campaign announced a picket of a ‘Pride In Business’ event planned by Glasgow Pride, where corporate sponsors were invited to network with the parade organisers. The event was cancelled after the picket was announced, although the campaign was not named as a reason for its cancellation.
This year, the No Pride In Genocide also held a ‘Pride Hub’ in Kinning Park Complex as an alternative to Glasgow Pride’s programming. The event brought together stalls from local charities, small businesses and community organisations alongside a program of speakers, panels and workshops on topics relating to queer solidarity.
A spokesperson for the group said:
Glasgow Pride seem to have absolutely no interest in listening to the demands of our community, who have shown today and over the past year that we will not accept complicity from our Pride. Glasgow’s queer community deserve an event that reflects our values and that we can truly be proud of.
Featured image supplied
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
On Saturday 19 July, police arrested nearly 100 more people under the Terrorism Act 2000 for holding signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”, bringing the number to around 200 since Palestine Action became a proscribed organisation on 5 July.
Again the police were divided in their response, with common sense prevailing in Edinburgh, Derry, and outside the British Embassy in The Hague, where peaceful protestors were left undisturbed:
By contrast, the Met Police arrested 55 in Parliament Square. 17 were arrested in Bristol, 16 in Manchester and 8 in Truro:
Paul O’Brien, medical doctor and one of those sign holders, said:
In my long life I have not seen anything like the horrors coming out of Gaza each day. Nobody and nothing is spared. Despite this, our government continues to provide political, military and moral support for Israel conducting this genocide. International law means nothing. It is up to everyone to oppose this brutality and Palestine Action is doing it the way they can.
Ahead of what is expected to be a major groundswell in numbers on 9 August, members of the public offered sustained applause to those arrested in Truro, whose number included 81 year-old Deborah Hinton, a former magistrate:
BREAKING: Eight arrested outside Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, for holding signs which say they oppose genocide and support Palestine Action.
All whilst the perpetrators of genocide, sitting in government, face no consequences. pic.twitter.com/geRqMZwJKx
— Defend our Juries (@DefendourJuries) July 19, 2025
Holding up cardboard signs has become the crime of the day since the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, ordered that Palestine Action be banned as a ‘terrorist organisation’ on 5 July, after supporters of the group entered an RAF base at Brize Norton and spray-painted two military planes red.
The Home Secretary’s decision followed years of right-wing think tanks and arms corporations lobbying the Government to clamp down on the activists denouncing their policies and corporate abuses of power.
On 19 July, sign-holders were spread across London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Derry, and Truro and included teachers, doctors, and scientists. They joined a group of people from all walks of life who have been taking this action for the past two weeks, such as a vicar in her 80s, the daughter of a Polish resistance fighter, and veterans of the 1960s civil rights movement including Eamon McCann, political activist, former politician and journalist, and Kate Nash, whose brother was killed on Bloody Sunday.
Another sign holder, Heather Cooper, retired, said:
I was part of the peace movement when I was in my 20s. A close friend was one of the two people who did a Swords into Ploughshares action in the UK. He served 6 months in prison for beating in the nose cone of an F1-11 which at that time the UK was selling to Indonesia to bomb the hell out of the East Timorese. No one called either of the two who took action terrorists. I am highly worried by the action of the government in proscribing Palestine Action who, it seems to me, are acting bravely within the tradition of nonviolent direct action against the arms trade and the horrific genocide in Gaza.
Meanwhile, crowds gathered outside the British embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, to decry the UK’s human rights record rapidly falling behind its international partners:
The protest comes ahead of a High Court hearing on Monday 21 July.
In this legal challenge to the ban, the Claimant Huda Ammori will seek permission for a full judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action. If successful, the judicial review would quash the protest group’s proscription.
Actions like these are only set to grow bigger. On Saturday 9 August, over 500 people are expected to come together to all hold up signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. The action will put to the test how many hundreds or even thousands of peaceful citizens the police force are willing to arrest before they will decide the inevitable, namely that the proscription of Palestine Action is absurd and unworkable.
Clare Walters is a psychotherapist and another sign holder. She said:
I am a 68 year old grandmother. I cannot remain quiet while this country is actively supporting genocide in Gaza. It is not happening in my name. To criminalise people who are protesting against arms sales to Israel is a terrifyingly oppressive step that is being taken by this government. I feel moved to act in this way by sitting in silent vigil for an hour, even if I risk a prison sentence.
People around the country are already demonstrating that these acts of attempted deterrence aren’t working. Only recently, a man was reportedly arrested and charged in Glasgow for holding a placard at a protest which read: “Genocide in Palestine. Time to take action.”
That brings the total of arrests to have taken place in the aftermath of the proscription of Palestine Action to nearly 200 within a fortnight in the UK and about 280 altogether, including the 80 arrested as part of a solidarity action in the Hague on 5 July.
Last year, the total number of terrorism related arrests in the UK was 248. There have also been 14 raids of sign-holders’ private homes in Cardiff, Leeds, and Bradford.
On 18 July, Defend Our Juries wrote to Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, giving him advance notice of the protests, but urging him to use police resources to investigate crimes of genocide rather than carboard signs and red-paint:
Our intention is simply to make visible the chilling implications of this totalitarian law, which is already being used to silence opposition to the horrors unfolding in Gaza, in which the British government is an active partner. The independence of the police from political interference, and the principle that no-one is above the law, are the cornerstones of democracy and the rule of law. As regards the proper use of police resources, we urge you to investigate the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, for offences under the Genocide Act 1969.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said:
Just a few weeks ago, being arrested under the Terrorism Act was the stuff of nightmares. Now it’s a badge of honour that people are wearing with pride – the mark of resistance to genocide and standing firm for our democratic freedoms. This is a major cultural shift. For years, the Terrorism laws and the Prevent programme have been used to divide and rule communities, and to marginalise Muslim communities in particular. Thanks to Yvette Cooper’s hubris, they are now helping to bring us together.
Featured image and additional images supplied
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
Collective measures to confront Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people have been agreed by 12 nations after an emergency summit of the Hague Group in Bogota, Colombia.
A joint statement adopted on Wednesday announced the six measures, which it said were geared to holding Israel to account for its crimes in Palestine and would operate within the states’ domestic legal and legislative frameworks.
The 12 countries agreeing are Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa.
The post Hague Group Confronts Israel Over Gaza appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.
This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.
As early as next Tuesday, Congress will vote on two bills that will make it easier for the U.S. government and U.S. arms makers to push weapons out the door to foreign clients more quickly, with less time for congressional scrutiny, and, in some cases, with Congress not even being informed that the sales are happening. At a time when arms sales are a centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The smoke over Iran may have cleared, but the aftershocks of the U.S. and Israel’s unprovoked attack are still reverberating. In one fell swoop, Washington conclusively demonstrated its total unreliability as a diplomatic partner. The lessons of this moment are being metabolized by heads of state across the world, including on the Korean Peninsula, where Donald Trump’s overtures for renewed…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
As a new round of negotiations between Hamas and Israel begins in Doha, Israeli forces have intensified their military operations across the Gaza Strip. Nearly 900 Gazans have been killed by U.S.-Israeli forces while attempting to access aid by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was set up by Israel and the U.S. in May. Each day, Palestinians live under relentless bombardment and witness…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Recently, as the Canary previously reported over 70 student officers and almost 120 student groups from across more than 50 campuses in the UK, issued the National Union of Students (NUS) with a letter condemning its silence on Gaza, accusing it of complicity in Israel’s genocide, and demanding it take a decisive stand. Now, the NUS has threatened signatories of the letter with action if they don’t “unsign” it.
At its core, the letter – which was backed by 10 legal, academic and human rights bodies, including ELSC, CAGE UK, BRISMES and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention – opposed the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which equates anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
Adopted by the NUS in 2017, the use of this definition of antisemitism is merely a tactic used to silence those speaking out about Israel’s crimes in the occupied territories, and impede action against its unjust treatment of Palestinians. Even its main drafter, Ken Stern, has described it as ‘a blunt instrument’ that is ‘used to label anyone an antisemite’.
Students have told the Canary that they expected the union to be an agent for justice and solidarity but feel a deep sense of betrayal because it is, instead, an agent of repression.
This could be seen on Friday 18 July, when the NUS leadership wrote to the CEOs of the student unions which signed the letter, demanding that the pro-Palestine sabbatical officers, from universities across the country, remove their signatures from the letter, with Student Unions such as Sussex even being sent a pack called ‘How to convince your officers to unsign’.
These Sabbatical officers – who are elected and employed student representatives and receive a salary – were issued an ultimatum by the NUS: remove their signatures from the letter, or get banned from attending NUS events, including the upcoming Lead and Change national conference, and face the possibility of investigation.
Antonia Listrat, Guild President at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students, told the Canary:
The NUS has reached out to Student Unions and elected officers with threats to intimidate them into removing their signatures. Student trustees have been threatened with investigation from the Charity Commission, and even with losing their jobs.
This is an unprecedented attack on our student movement, and one of the worst cases of conflation between Zionism and Judaism. Not even the government has targeted us in such a direct way, simply for our beliefs and political expression.
Instead of protecting marginalised students, and defending our rights, the NUS is instead paving the way for more repression. I am terrified of losing my job during this cost of living crisis. I’ve just received my first pay cheque, and I was going to use it to pay for the medical treatment I could not afford when I was a student.
Now I am not sure if I will be able to pay my rent in the coming months. But I will not remove my signature. In times like this, we all need to show moral courage, especially in the face of unjust repression.
The NUS leadership made the following claims, among others, in their correspondence with the sabbatical officers:
The reality is that the UJS is a pro-Israel lobby group, which gets funding directly from the Israeli embassy, and has been criticised in recent years for its role in attempting to subvert student democracy.
However, a recent survey by Professor Tamir Sorek of Pennsylvania State University, and published in Haaretz, found that the vast majority of Israeli Jews-82 percent-do actually back expelling Gazans out of the Strip, and almost 55 percent were ‘very’ supportive of this move.
This statement is ridiculous- there is no way of achieving any justice for Palestine if we pretend Israel has done nothing wrong, and prohibit any criticism of the occupation.
The NUS alleges that by not recognizing the IHRA definition, signatories have violated its Code of Conduct, framing them as antisemitic and justifying bans and sanctions, even if they happen to be Jewish.
One signatory, who is refusing to remove their name from the letter, told the Canary:
As a Jewish sabbatical officer, whose family survived cultural genocide and antisemitic persecution, I take the fight against antisemitism seriously.
It’s precisely because of this history that I feel compelled to speak out against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. The right to criticise state violence – including the political application of the IHRA definition of antisemitism- is protected under the Human Rights Act. Silencing students, including Jewish students, for raising these concerns undermines both anti-racist principles and freedom of expression.
I remain committed to protecting student safety, upholding human rights, and ensuring our movement remains democratic, inclusive and accountable.
The Canary has approached the NUS for comment.
Zionism has long been a contentious issue within the NUS, and many concerns have been raised about representation and free political expression. But it is not only the strict enforcement of the IHRA definition of antisemitism which silences critics of Israeli state policies and suppresses Palestine solidarity at universities.
Institutional bias and conflict of interest lie at the heart of the NUS.
People such as Noah Katz, who is not only a member of the NUS UK Board, but also a senior official in the Board of Deputies of British Jews – a prominent pro-Zionist organization. Katz’s overlapping influence raises serious concerns about NUS impartiality, and skew NUS decision-making toward pro-Zionist positions.
The trust of pro-Palestinian students in their union’s impartiality have been seriously undermined, and so to has their confidence in the NUS’s ability to represent their views. They are feeling disillusioned and let down, and are calling for change. This is why they sent the letter to the NUS last week, to try and rectify the situation.
Instead, sabbatical officers now find themselves in conversation with human rights groups and lawyers, and are preparing to bring a joint claim against the NUS for discrimination and exclusion based on anti-Zionist philosophical beliefs.
Featured image via the Canary
By Charlie Jaay
This post was originally published on Canary.
Southern Syria is once again in turmoil. Recent clashes in the city of Suwayda between Druze militias and Bedouin gangs triggered a swift military response from the Syrian government, and airstrikes by Israel on positions in Damascus.
In this episode of State of Play, I’m joined by Ahmad from Propaganda & Co. and MintPress journalist Robert Inlakesh to examine the wider forces behind the violence. Beneath the headlines lies a pattern: outside powers managing chaos to remake Syria in their image.
Israel claimed its strikes were defensive, aimed at protecting the Druze population. But according to U.S. intelligence, Syria had informed Israel of its tank movements ahead of time.
The post How Israel And The US Are Orchestrating Syria’s Collapse appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.
This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.
Slovenia has declared two top Israeli ministers personae non grata over “genocidal statements” and other violations of Palestinian human rights, barring them from entering the country in what Slovenian officials say is a first for a country in the European Union. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon announced the sanctions on the pair on Thursday, saying that the government seeks to pressure the…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
This story originally appeared in Mondoweiss on July 17, 2025. It is shared here with permission.
Speaking about Palestine is speaking about resistance in the heart of horror. That is how Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, summed it up at an emergency conference in Bogotá, Colombia. The same Albanese who is currently facing sanctions imposed by the U.S. government for, according to them, making antisemitic remarks, after repeatedly denouncing the brutalities committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.
Despite these accusations, Albanese remains firm in her denunciations. She reiterated on several occasions that we must not allow these actions to distract us from what truly matters: the genocide that, for the past twenty months, has escalated against the people of Gaza, and the massive human rights violations taking place across Palestine, which have left more than 60,000 people dead, most of them women and children.
“The global majority [also known as the Global South] has been the driving force behind actions against Israel’s genocide, with South Africa and Colombia playing key roles in this process,” she told Mondoweiss during a press conference on the first day of the Emergency Conference for Gaza, convened by the governments of Colombia and South Africa. “These actions have led to the creation of spaces for sanctions and resistance. What we’ve been insisting on all along is that more and more countries must join these efforts.”
The Hague Group coordinated this Emergency Conference, which brought together representatives from over 30 states, including China, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, and Qatar. Initially formed by Colombia and South Africa, the group seeks to establish specific sanctions against Israel that, according to Colombia’s Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, aim to move beyond discourse and into action.
Heads of state and their representatives emphasized that these sanctions are not retaliatory but are in full compliance with international humanitarian law. They are part of the international community’s commitment to ending the genocide. One of the central calls made was for more nations to join this effort and uphold their duty to defend human rights.
All 30 participating states unanimously agreed that “the era of impunity must end— and that international law must be enforced.” To begin this effort, 12 states from across the world — Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa — committed to implementing six key points:
1. Prevent the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel, as appropriate, to ensure that our industry does not contribute the tools to enable or facilitate genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of international law.
2. Prevent the transit, docking, and servicing of vessels at any port, if applicable, within our territorial jurisdiction, while being fully compliant with applicable international law, including UNCLOS, in all cases where there is a clear risk of the vessel being used to carry arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel, to ensure that our territorial waters and ports do not serve as conduits for activities that enable or facilitate genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of international law.
3. Prevent the carriage of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel on vessels bearing our flag, while being fully compliant with applicable international law, including UNCLOS, ensuring full accountability, including de-flagging, for non-compliance with this prohibition, not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
4. Commence an urgent review of all public contracts, in order to prevent public institutions and public funds, where applicable, from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territory which may entrench its unlawful presence in the territory, to ensure that our nationals, and companies and entities under our jurisdiction, as well as our authorities, do not act in any way that would entail recognition or provide aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
5. Comply with our obligations to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law through robust, impartial and independent investigations and prosecutions at national or international levels, in compliance with our obligation to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.
6. Support universal jurisdiction mandates, as and where applicable in our legal constitutional frameworks and judiciaries, to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Both Jaramillo and Zane Dangor, Director-General of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, emphasized that these actions must not be seen as reprisals, but rather as part of an international effort to break the global silence that has enabled atrocities in Palestine.
This decision is aligned with Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s renewed order to halt all coal exports from Colombia to Israel: “My government was betrayed, and that betrayal, among other things, cast doubt on my order to stop exporting coal to Israel. We are the world’s fifth-largest coal exporter, which means the country of life is helping to kill humanity. Colombian coal is still being shipped to Israel. We prohibited it, and yet we are being tricked into violating that decision. We cannot allow Colombian coal to be turned into bombs that help Israel kill children.”
In his closing speech, Petro reaffirmed that Colombia would break all arms trade relations with Israel and would continue to support the Palestinian people’s right to resist.
The legitimacy of the Hague Group and these decisions has also been backed by several multilateral organizations that have denounced the genocide. As Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Executive Secretary of the Hague Group, stated: “The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already clearly denounced the genocide. The United Nations has stated that Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth. What we lack now is not clarity, it’s courage. We need the bravery to take the necessary actions”.
These words were echoed by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Mansour, who emphasized that, together with the Madrid Group (a coalition of over 20 European and Arab countries also taking action against Israel and led by Spain), they could be the key to breaking Israel’s siege of horror: “This will not be an exercise in theatrical politics. The time has come for concrete, effective action to stop the crimes and end the profiteering from genocide. We will defeat these crimes against humanity and give the children who are still alive in Palestine a future full of promise, independence, and dignity. Recognizing Palestine is not a symbolic gesture, it is a concrete act of resistance against colonial expansion”.
His statement was followed by that of Palestinian-American doctor Thaer Ahmad, who worked in Nasser Hospital in Gaza and left the territory two months ago. In his testimony, he said he is certain that official death tolls do not even come close to reality, that Gaza is currently hell on Earth, and that every day the genocide continues brings devastating consequences for Palestinian children: “How can we look ourselves in the mirror? When this ends, if it ends, what will we say? ‘Sorry, we did everything we could’? They can’t afford to keep waiting for vague responses. They are surviving genocide every day. So now, how do we ensure that the effort to erase Palestinians from history does not succeed?”
Although the agreed-upon actions are significant, even the attending delegations acknowledge that their efforts will not be enough. Broader and more forceful measures are required. Yet, one day earlier, standing at the podium of Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Francesca Albanese reaffirmed the historic importance of this event. She stated it could be: “A historical turning point that ends, with concrete measures, the genocide-based economy that has sustained Israel. I came to this meeting believing that the narrative is shifting. Hope must be a discipline that we all preserve.”
Correction: The original version of this article said that all 30 countries participating in the gathering had endorsed the six action points. The article has been updated to make clear that only 12 of the participating countries have committed to implementing the measures at this time.
This post was originally published on The Real News Network.
Hungry, thirsty, and desperate for some relief, Sha’da Abu Jabal, 36, and her six-year-old son Ahmad headed to a water distribution point in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, July 13. Each carried a jerrycan, hoping to return to their displacement center with clean drinking water. The mother and young son joined a long line of people waiting their turn…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Cardiff Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) welcomes the motion passed at Cardiff Council meeting on Thursday 17 July (by 57 for, 4 against) on the topic of Gaza and divesting the council’s pension fund from complicity with Israel’s potential genocide and breaches in international law.
This follows today’s submission to the same council meeting of a petition from 1,200 Cardiff residents calling to disinvest from Israel’s genocide and apartheid against Palestinians. The petition was sponsored by PSC and the Muslim Council of Wales.
As noted by the proposer, Cllr Andrea Gibson (Plaid Cymru, Pentyrch and St Fagans ward) in her summation before the vote, the Council’s decision is in line with public opinion in Cardiff. She said:
Plaid Cymru’s motion to Cardiff City Council today, offers it the opportunity to be the first local authority in Wales to move its pension fund away from investing in companies complicit in war crimes and breaches in international law. This will hopefully speak to all involved in the pension scheme and express a clear view against contributing to harmful practices against Palestinians in Gaza, and is a practical step to advancing ethical public policy in the capital.
Also, across the country, a clear majority now exists which supports a full arms embargo on Israel and a call for selective sanctions on Israeli goods and government representatives.
The motion states, in particular, that Cardiff Council:
Notes the ongoing, deeply concerning and harrowing conflict in Gaza has resulted in significant loss of innocent life…
Believes public sector pension fund investments in Cardiff and across Wales should not fund war crimes, human rights violations, or the potential breaking of international law regardless of how profitable they are…
Agreed to express in strong terms its view that it does not wish to be associated with companies potentially complicit in war crimes in conflicts.
PSC has identified that Cardiff pension fund invests £117m in 52 companies which are in breach of international law by facilitating genocide and illegal land settlement.
Examples of Cardiff Pension Fund’s current complicit investments include:
The £117m represents a mere 3.7% of the total pension fund investment pot.
Following the passing of this motion, PSC said:
It would expect it to be perfectly feasible to achieve the total divestment of these companies without impacting fiduciary responsibilities to achieve the best returns for pensioners.
It is noted that our research result has come to a larger amount of complicit investment than that reported by the Council’s pension fund committee. Our research is at the disposal of Cardiff Council’s Pension Fund Committee, if it can help with identifying complicit entities.
More and more institutions are taking steps to divest from companies enabling Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians, as a result of grassroots campaigning. This timeline lists a selection of divestment milestones in Britain.
Farooq Toor from the Muslim Council of Wales, submitting the petition to Cardiff Council, said:
The human cost of Israel’s war against Palestinians is immense. It is the greatest human catastrophe of our generation. The international community has failed in its duty to protect Palestinians or to curb Israel’s unchecked aggression.
Clive Haswell, Co-Chair of Cardiff PSC, said:
The Council is to be congratulated today in taking a bold step towards divesting its pension fund from companies collaborating in genocide, ethnic cleansing and land theft – all war crimes or breaches of international law. As we witness, every day, examples of these crimes are being committed against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories. There is no time to waste in applying this new policy to its full extent to bring pressure to bear on complicit companies, and on Israel itself.
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
On Saturday 19 July, dozens of people across the country are expected to be arrested under counter-terrorism legislation for holding cardboard signs. It is, of course, over the government’s proscription of Palestine Action. Locations include:
Since home secretary Yvette Cooper ordered that Palestine Action be banned as a ‘terrorist organisation’ on 5 July, after the group entered an RAF base at Brize Norton and spray-painted two military planes red, more than 100 people have been arrested around the country for holding cardboard signs saying:
Last Saturday, in Orwellian scenes, peaceful protestors in Cardiff were arrested under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act, kept in police custody for an extended period, while their homes were raided and their personal belongings seized.
In further evidence of the chilling effect of the ban, on Monday Kent Police threatened to arrest a woman, Laura Murton, on terrorism charges simply for holding a sign referring to Israel’s genocide with a Palestinian flag, on the basis that that was sufficient to provide grounds for ‘suspicion’ that she was a supporter of a proscribed group:
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Despite such extreme repression that is shocking to the conscience of democracy, the protests are expected to resume on Saturday, including in Parliament Square, Bristol, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Truro.
Saturday’s protests come ahead of a High Court hearing on Monday 21 July in the legal challenge to the ban, in which the Claimant, Huda Ammori, will seek permission for a full judicial review of the proscription.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries, which is supporting the campaign to de-proscribe Palestine Action, said:
These protests will see many more ordinary people across the country take a stand, who don’t want to be handcuffed and detained in a police cell but refuse to stand by while our country collapses into an Orwellian nightmare where opponents of genocide are criminalised and silenced, and arrested just for holding a sign.
Protest groups targeting property, not people, in order to disrupt the flow of arms to Israel’s war machine while it commits horrific atrocities – is obviously not terrorism. It aims to stop violence and terrorism being committed against the Palestinian people. How long until this unprecedented, authoritarian proscription is used against racial justice, climate, disability rights groups and trade unions, unless we resist the ban now, before it’s too late?
Featured image supplied
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
The Hague Group announced on 16 July that 12 nations have agreed to “unprecedented measures” aimed at stopping the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, following an emergency summit in Bogota, Colombia.
According to the summit’s final statement, the measures include implementing an arms embargo on weapons to Israel, preventing ships carrying weapons to Israel from docking at ports, reviewing public contracts that support the Israeli occupation of Palestine, fulfilling obligations to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law, and backing prosecutions of Israeli war criminals at national and international levels.
The post Nations Commit To ‘Unprecedented Measures’ Holding Israel Accountable appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.
This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.
The Israeli government has just put forward one of the most brazenly genocidal schemes in modern memory — and unless we act immediately, the world will once again let it happen.
As reported in Haaretz, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is proposing to force some 600,000 Palestinians — and eventually the entire population of Gaza — into a fenced-in “humanitarian city” to be built on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza.
The plan is to “screen” the population, separate out alleged Hamas members, and then pressure the remaining civilians — men, women, and children — to “voluntarily” leave Gaza for another country. Which country? That hasn’t even been determined.
The post Israel’s ‘Humanitarian City’ Plan appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.
This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
Israel struck the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing three in the religious site that Pope Francis called every night of the genocide up until the final days of his life. The parish priest for the Holy Family Catholic Church, Reverend Gabriel Romanelli, was injured in the strike. Romanelli used to speak with Pope Francis during his nightly calls…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
We speak with leading Israeli American historian Omer Bartov about his latest essay for The New York Times, headlined “I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It.” Bartov cites the United Nations definition of “genocide,” which includes an intent to destroy a group of people that makes it impossible for the group to reconstitute itself. “This is precisely what Israel is trying to do,” he says.
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Hastings Borough Council passed a historic motion on Wednesday 16 July to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to all arms sales to Israel, and to support the town’s deep friendship links with the people of Al Mawasi.
The successful motion comes after three previous attempts over the past 21 months to bring a ceasefire motion were thwarted, with one full council meeting last year completely abandoned by the then Labour mayor.
Hastings is the 22nd council in the country to debate a motion calling for a ceasefire.
During an emotional debate lasting over an hour, many councillors spoke to the importance of the motion, which was carried by a majority of 14 Green and Hastings Independent Group MPs, with three voting against and 11 abstentions, mostly from the Labour Party.
Proposing the motion, Cllr Yunis Smith of the Greens spoke of how compassionate Hastings residents had built deep friendships with the grassroots resilience committee in the coastal community of Al Mawasi in Gaza over many years through regular Zoom calls and WhatsApp chats, pointing out that locals had raised funds for solar panels, the building of a well, a bakery, food parcels and educational resources.
‘From one coastal town to another we’ve shown that solidarity, dignity and human connection shine brighter than cruelty,’ he said:
Al Mawasi, like Hastings, is defined not just by its land but by the resilience of its people. They survive, endure and beckon us to witness their struggle and their strength.
He asked councillors to join him in opposing the ‘horrors of genocide’.
Hastings Borough Council is a borough of sanctuary,’ he went on. ‘That means something, it means we strive for a better community, it means we stand with the oppressed, whoever they are, wherever they are.
And in this case let us be absolutely clear, the occupation is the oppressor, the occupied are the oppressed. Be bold, be brave, stand with Palestine, stand for justice, stand on the right side of history. Free Palestine.
The speech drew loud applause from the packed public gallery where over 40 locals came to listen to the debate, including members of Hastings Jews for Justice wearing t-shirts that read, ‘Not in Our Name’, Hastings Friends of Al Mawasi, and members of Hastings & District PSC.
Several Labour members spoke in the debate and while many decried the ‘atrocities’ taking place in Gaza, they said they could not support the motion because it endorsed the friendship link with Al Mawasi, and they did not know enough about the group.
Green leader of the council Cllr Glen Haffenden said he had received more emails on this subject from his residents than on any other subject since becoming a councillor.
He pointed out that Hastings Friends of Al Mawasi had been at St Leonards Festival the previous weekend and any councillor had the opportunity to discuss any queries with them during the six hours they were present at the event.
He added that the group had also sent round a ‘really helpful factual sheet’ ahead of the meeting giving comprehensive background to the friendship link.
The motion was seconded by Cllr Simon Willis of the Hastings Independent Group, speaking powerfully about his Jewish mother’s family who fled their home in Hamburg during the Second World War. Many of his family who remained perished in Auschwitz:
My beloved Ooma and Oopa and my mother Sabina tried to teach me the lessons they learned about tyranny, about injustice, about inequality, about war.
It made me learn to be very afraid of people who value one group above another and one group of people’s lives above that of another. Following directly from that they taught me to recognise genocide when I saw it, and to value those people who stood against it regardless of personal consequence.
Those of our fellow citizens who in timidity, fear or anger conspire with the continuation of genocide either through silence or indifference or legalistic quibbles will be judged by history just as surely as the old men who are perpetrating this violence in Israel and bringing shame to their ancestors and danger to all Jewish people across the globe, including my beloved wife and children.
I second this motion to stand with my ancestors and I ask you to find within you your humanity and join Yunis and me in supporting this very important motion.
After the motion was passed, the council chambers erupted into cheers and applause as members of the public and councillors alike hugged and cried tears of relief and sorrow.
Hastings resident Catherine Eva, who was present in the chamber, said afterwards:
I was deeply moved and proud to have been at tonight’s meeting. Witnessing the motion pass was more than just a political moment, it was a moral one. It was a statement of solidarity, of humanity, and of hope.
What struck me most were the powerful and deeply personal speeches made by councillors who have been directly affected by past genocides, or whose conscience gave them the courage to vote for the motion.
Their determination not to remain silent in the face of injustice reminded us all that history is watching. Their words carried the weight of experience, and their commitment to ensuring we did not stand on the wrong side of history was profoundly moving.
This victory did not come out of nowhere. It is the result of tireless local campaigning. It proves, yet again, that local activism matters. That change starts in town halls, in conversations between neighbours, and in the brave decisions of those who hold public office with conscience. I am incredibly proud to be part of this community — a community with councillors who are willing to listen, to lead, and to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. In twinning with Al-Mawasi, Hastings has taken a stand for justice, for peace, and for shared humanity.
Laurie Holden of the Hastings Friends of Al Mawasi said:
This will mean so much to the people of Al Mawasi, who are right now being bombed and starved. To know they are not forgotten. That people thousands of miles away are rooting for them, care about them and doing everything in their power to stop this horrific genocide.
Featured image via Katy Weitz
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project has announced the launch of The Gaza Tribunal – after the British government rejected his Bill for a full inquiry into UK complicity with Israel’s war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
The Gaza Tribunal has emerged as a beacon of hope. This people’s inquiry—slated to convene in the UK on 4-5 September—aims to examine Britain’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. Far from being an exercise in blame, it stands as a testament to public demand for legal clarity, transparency and justice. It is precisely the kind of bold initiative needed to illuminate wrongdoing, support victims, and create pressure for tangible change.
The Gaza Tribunal will run over two days, featuring:
expert witnesses including Palestinians on the ground in Gaza, journalists who have covered the conflict, health and aid workers who have worked in Palestine as well as legal experts and UN officials who have intimate knowledge of the situation.
They will be examining Britain’s legal obligations and considering whether the government has met them.
The itinerary is as follows:
Part 1: What has happened in Gaza? 10:00 | Thursday 4 September
Part 2: What are Britain’s legal responsibilities? 12:00 | Thursday 4 September
Part 3: What has Britain’s role been in Gaza? 14:00 | Thursday 4 September
Part 3: What has Britain’s role been in Gaza? (cont.) 10:00 | Friday 5 September
Part 4: Has Britain fulfilled its legal obligations? 14:00 | Friday 5 September
With sections dedicated to analysing the scale of violence in Gaza, the UK’s potential accountability under international law, and state involvement in factors such as arms sales and intelligence sharing, it provides a rare chance for civilian-led oversight. That members of the public, activists, and legal luminaries unite over an independent inquiry sends a powerful signal to policymakers: silence or delay is no longer acceptable.
Jeremy Corbyn said of The Gaza Tribunal:
Just like Iraq, the government is doing everything it can to protect itself from scrutiny. Just like Iraq, it will not succeed in its attempts to suffocate the truth. We will uncover the full scale of British complicity in genocide – and we will bring about justice for the people of Palestine.”
Accountability over war crimes and genocide is not optional.
Without it, there is a risk of normalising civilian harm and undermining international norms. The Gaza Tribunal not only challenges UK authorities to respond, but also galvanises broader public debate. Public hearings and expert findings can influence parliamentary scrutiny, diplomatic engagement, and even judicial processes. This bottom-up model of participatory justice shows that citizen-led initiatives can reinforce the highest standards of human rights and shape foreign policy.
Any meaningful inquiry must also confront the grim statistics. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry and corroborated by independent trackers, the death toll in Gaza by Israel stands at 58,026 Palestinians as of mid-July 2025, including a tragic toll of children and women.
In recent days alone, at least 93 Palestinians were killed in a single 24‑hour period, while separate reports confirm 20 killed in crush incidents at food aid hubs, with Israel-led strikes claiming at least 54 more lives—including 14 children—with UNICEF estimating more than 18,000 child fatalities overall. Such staggering losses emphasise why civilian testimony and independent investigation are indispensable.
Moreover, anguishing shortages of essentials—food, fuel, medical supplies—have transformed aid centres into zones of lethal danger. Since late May, hundreds have died at these distribution points, including documented massacres of aid‑seekers. These are not abstract statistics but the painful backdrop against which accountability initiatives such as The Gaza Tribunal must operate.
What sets The Gaza Tribunal apart is its insistence on listening to voices from Gaza—survivors, healthcare workers, legal experts. It’s not sensationalism. It’s rigorous, rights‑based inquiry. It is in direct continuity with international justice efforts aimed at ensuring war crimes are investigated, victims supported, and state actors held answerable. For British society—supposedly steeped in legal tradition—this independent inquiry is not an affront; it’s an opportunity to reaffirm democratic accountability.
As The Gaza Tribunal gears up for its September hearings, preparations are already shaping up.
Lawyers are drafting submissions, survivors are preparing testimony, and civil society groups continue mobilising public support. The stage is set for a serious, informed reckoning—not just about distant events in Gaza, but about Britain’s role in them.
Even if The Gaza Tribunal lacks formal sanction, its real power lies in public visibility. This includes media coverage, legal discourse, parliamentary debates. That is how change is ignited. As light shines on systemic shortcomings, governments find it harder to ignore or dismiss, and citizens are equipped to demand accountability.
The Gaza Tribunal represents a courageous, necessary endeavour—both morally and strategically. It brings absent voices into conversation, confronts national responsibility, and underscores that human lives, especially those lost at an unimaginable scale, deserve justice.
With over 58,000 people killed by Israel in Gaza, the Tribunal could not be more timely.
It is not only a questioning of events, but a hopeful step towards a world where no government can evade scrutiny.
Featured image supplied
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.
The Hague Group, a bloc of countries from around the world, are meeting for an emergency summit about Israel’s violations of international law. The meeting is co-hosted by Colombia and South Africa, and according to the group, seeks to:
halt the genocide in Gaza.
Meanwhile, in spite of this principled action from majority Global South states, the EU disgraced itself entirely. Twenty seven foreign ministers from the EU refused to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement in a move that Amnesty International have called a:
cruel and unlawful betrayal.
There are eight member states of the Hague Group: Colombia and South Africa as co-chairs, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, and Senegal. Each of the member nations are located in the global south. Given how fond Western states are of bleating about how they’re the civilised heartbeat of the globe, how they possess freedom, democracy, and principles unseen except in majority white states, their lack of dominance at the summit is notable.
Middle East Eye reported that:
In addition to Colombia and South Africa, states attending the summit include Algeria, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Qatar, Turkey, Slovenia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The member states will, alongside the other attendees:
announce concrete actions to enforce international law through coordinated state action — to end the genocide and ensure justice and accountability.
Speaking at the summit of the conference Francesca Albanese said:
For too long, international law has been treated as optional – applied selectively to those perceived as weak, ignored by those acting as the powerful.
Indeed, the inaction of Western powers in sanctioning Israel has created a two tier international rule of law. Israel has been allowed to operate with impunity in committing genocide across Palestine. Albanese continued:
This double standard has eroded the very foundations of the legal order. That era must end. The law must either be universal, or it will cease to mean anything at all. No one can afford this selective approach.
Special Rapporteur Albanese was forceful in her condemnation of complicit states:
Here in Bogota, a growing number of states have the opportunity to break the silence and revert to a path of legality by finally saying: enough. Enough impunity. Enough empty rhetoric. Enough exceptionalism. Enough complicity.
The time has come to act in pursuit of justice and peace – grounded in rights and freedoms for all, and not mere privileges for some, at the expense of the annihilation of others.
The EU’s refusal to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement is the epitome of rights and freedom for some, and annihilation for others. The trade agreement makes Israel the EU’s third-biggest trading partner in the Mediterranean. In 2024, the trade in goods between the EU and Israel totalled $42.6 billion. The EU is undoubtedly in a position to use economic sanctions to deter Israel’s genocide against Palestine.
Instead, these craven and complicit states:
agreed to “keep a close watch” on Israel’s compliance with a recent agreement to improve humanitarian aid access into Gaza.
At this stage of the conflict, when so many Palestinians themselves and organisations working in the area have documented the cruelty and depraved conduct of Israel, ‘keeping a close watch’ is all these morally bankrupt states have done. They sit back and watch, as Israel chases Palestinians across the country with bombs, demolishing homes, hospitals, schools. The EU has done nothing but watch as children have been blown to pieces.
Now, they’ve bravely resolved to watch and do nothing as Israel’s siege starves Palestinians. People are being killed queuing for food and water – most notably children.
Nevertheless, diplomat Kaja Kallas said after the decision:
The aim is not to punish Israel, the aim is to improve the situation in Gaza.
How exactly they aim to improve the situation in Gaza without stopping Israel slaughtering and starving Palestinians is unclear.
Of course, were it Russia aggressing Ukraine, then the useless EU would trip over themselves in their rush to roll out economic and diplomatic sanctions, while their citizens collectively carried out a cultural boycott. When it’s not Arabs being killed, there’s no difference between punishment and aid. After all, so precious is (white) human life that we must all band together to show we cannot abide the killing of civilians.
The EU’s decision has, of course, gone largely unreported across Western media. Unfortunately for them, some of us are paying attention. Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:
The EU’s refusal to suspend its agreement with Israel is a cruel and unlawful betrayal – of the European project and vision, predicated on upholding international law and fighting authoritarian practices, of the European Union’s own rules and of the human rights of Palestinians.
Whilst EU member states clearly don’t care about the atrocities Israel is committing against Palestinians, they have claimed to care about the European project. We’ve repeatedly been told that project EU is a question of strict adherence of international law, in order to promote peace and security. However, as Callamard said:
The EU’s own review has clearly found that Israel is violating its human rights obligations under the terms of the Association Agreement. Yet, instead of taking measures to stop it and prevent their own complicity, member states chose to maintain a preferential trade deal over respecting their international obligations and saving Palestinian lives.
This is more than political cowardice. Every time the EU fails to act, the risk of complicity in Israel’s actions grows. This sends an extremely dangerous message to perpetrators of atrocity crimes that they will not only go unpunished but be rewarded.
The EU and other Western states may not realise it yet, but their inaction over Israel’s genocide in Palestine has irrevocably weakened their global standing and pretence at moral superiority. The Hague Group have shown them up for the useful idiots that they are. How are any states from the global south to take this group of charlatans remotely seriously when they bleat about justice and safety?
Israel is unleashing hell on Palestine, and it is doing so with the explicit and tacit support of Western powers. Were it not for the Hague Group, Palestinians would be truly alone.
Featured image via the Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.