Gaza

Top UN official in New York steps down citing ‘genocide’ of Palestinian civilians  https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/31/un-official-resigns-israel-hamas-war-palestine-new-york Mokhiber, who was stepping down having reached retirement age, wrote: “Once again we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes and the organization we serve appears powerless to stop it.”

He said that the UN had failed to prevent previous genocides against the Tutsis in Rwanda, Muslims in Bosnia, the Yazidi in Iraqi Kurdistan and the Rohingya in Myanmar and wrote: “High Commissioner we are failing again.

“The current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist colonial settler ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs … leaves no room for doubt.”

Mokhiber added: “This is text book case of genocide” and said the US, UK and much of Europe were not only “refusing to meet their treaty obligations” under the Geneva Conventions but were also arming Israel’s assault and providing political and diplomatic cover for it.

Israel-Hamas, Ukraine-Russia and China: John Mearsheimer on why the US is in serious trouble!  https://youtu.be/62FCVJycwSA?t=96 

Israel-Hamas, Ukraine-Russia and China: John Mearsheimer on why the US is in serious trouble!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62FCVJycwSA  https://youtu.be/29s8a6oskk8

The Middle East crisis will have have severe repercussions for Israel, its neighbors, and U.S. foreign policy. Israel's response to Hamas's attacks is expected to continue to provoke anger across the Middle East, potentially fueling jihadist movements and escalating conflicts with other groups, contributing to regional instability. The U.S. has a vital interest in maintaining stability in the Persian Gulf, but the Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to undermine this.

It's crucial to acknowledge that Russia, rather than constituting a substantial threat to the U.S., has the potential to be an ally in containing China. However, the U.S.-supported campaign in Ukraine has inadvertently drawn Russia closer to China, contravening the principles of balance-of-power politics, and this commitment to Ukraine is likely to remain.

All this conflict risks diverting American focus from East Asia, where efforts to forge a coalition to address a significant strategic challenge are underway, it's in Australia's interest to collaborate with the U.S. in deterring China. Beijing's optimal outcome involves the U.S. remaining deeply involved in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, preventing a full pivot to East Asia.

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The crisis in the Middle East is likely to have terrible consequences for Israel, its neighbours and U.S. foreign policy. Israel’s military response to Hamas’s attacks will surely trigger outrage across the Middle East, fueling jihadism, and might even lead to wars with Hezbollah and Iran. The U.S. has a vested interest in preserving stability in the Persian Gulf, but the Israel-Hamas war will lead to a more unstable region.

At the same time, Russia, far from being a serious threat to the U.S., should be its ally to contain China. However, the American-backed Ukraine campaign has foolishly pushed Russia closer to China, which is a violation of balance-of-power politics 101. The U.S. is now so deeply involved in Ukraine and has so committed its credibility to defeating Russia and preserving Ukrainian sovereignty that Washington will surely continue backing Kyiv for the foreseeable future.

Making matters worse, the new Middle East conflict will also distract America from East Asia where the U.S. has been working to put together a balancing coalition to contain a truly serious strategic threat. In that intensifying security competition, Australians have a deep-seated interest in working with the U.S. to deter China.

For Beijing, the best outcome would be if Washington remains deeply committed and frustrated in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, so the U.S. can’t fully pivot to East Asia.

https://mondoweiss.net/2025/03/new-bombshell-un-report-accuses-israel-of-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-against-palestinians/ 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the report as “antisemitic” and called its findings “lies,” noting that “it is not a coincidence” that Israel withdrew a month ago from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which he also called “antisemitic.”

The findings, presented alongside public hearings in Geneva, also highlight the systematic destruction of reproductive healthcare facilities in Gaza and describe a “broader strategy to undermine Palestinian self-determination.” The report finds that Israel’s conduct has amounted to carrying out “genocidal acts” under international law, in addition to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

 Ahmad Kazmi, Editor, Media Star World. https://youtu.be/jm5JNaGApag 
 The current ceasefire could have been agreed upon in May 2024 itself, as the terms are similar. Netanyahu failed to reach his war aims, despite being provided by the Biden/Harris/Blinken regime with "the tools to get the job done...."
  Today, Israel stands far more reviled & delegitimsed in the eyes of the world, a pariah state, with its top political & military leaders being tried for war crimes."

Gaza ceasefire reveals Israel’s fragility, and the transformative power of resistance https://mondoweiss.net/2025/01/gaza-ceasefire-reveals-israels-fragility-and-the-transformative-power-of-resistance/  By Abdaljawad Omar  January 17, 2025  In the wake of a ceasefire, many will try to force the discourse into a binary of victory and defeat. But as the dust settles, a true picture emerges: one of the fragility of the Israeli colony, and the transformative power of resistance.

 Delays in finalizing a ceasefire, prioritization of settlement expansion over recovering prisoners for many rightwing forces, and the Haredim’s refusal to enlist have deepened internal fractures )In Israel) .. For a state that ties its survival to military dominance, these cracks reveal the limits of unity after the war. As Israeli society will now have to reckon both with its crimes, its successes, and its new image in the world. 

the very fact that a ceasefire agreement was reached—a ceasefire that mitigates some of the worst anxieties among Palestinians—disrupts the logic of those who argue for the futility of resistance, though not entirely. It reveals that Israel, despite its plans for ethnic cleansing in Gaza, was compelled to concede. ..

At its core, resistance cannot be reduced to its tactical or strategic dimensions. It is not merely a confrontation on the battlefield but a disruption of the ontological certainties of the colonizer. Its essence lies in forcing the colonizer to confront questions they have sought to evade: Can their power truly secure resolution? Do massacres deliver finality, or do they deepen the abyss? 

Resistance forces the colonizer to encounter their own contingency, to recognize the fragility of the structures they believed unassailable. In this sense, the battlefield is not just a space of violence but a space of interrogation—a site where the colonizer’s sovereignty is subjected to doubt. In other words the goal of resistance is to force the enemy to question itself.