BY EKATERINA BLINOVA

Western powers have adopted a double-standard approach to the Gaza war and other conflicts, said Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia during the UN General Assembly's special session on the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.

Vassily Nebenzia called the US and its allies out for utter hypocrisy on Wednesday. According to the Russian ambassador, in crisis situations, Western countries are quick to lecture others to comply with humanitarian law and establish investigative commissions; they also rush to "impose sanctions against those who use force only as an extreme measure to stop the years-long violence."

However, in the case of Gaza, the US stayed mum about "the horrifying destruction in Gaza, which exceeds everything that they criticize in other regional contexts multifold - strikes on civilian facilities, the death of thousands of children and the horrifying suffering of civilians amid a total blockade." The only focus of the US and its satellites is Israel's right to self-defense, Nebenzia pointed out.

I’m shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders & governments, with the exception in particular of Ireland’s government, who for once are doing the right thing. War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are.

Still, there is the legal rub, according to him: under the international law Israel "does not have the right to self-defense" as an "occupying power" as per the International Court consultative ruling of 2004. Nebenzia then clarified that Russia recognizes "Israel's right to ensure its security", emphasizing the necessity of "a fair resolution of the Palestinian problem based on recognized UN Security Council resolutions."

"Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia is correct in stating that Israel is an occupying state, whose occupation of Palestine has been declared illegal in countless United Nations resolutions," Professor Alfred de Zayas, a former UN Independent Expert on International Order, told Sputnik. "Israel's obligation under Security Council Resolution 242 of 22 November 1967 is to withdraw from the occupied territories and to allow the practical implementation of the right of self-determination of the Palestine People, an inalienable right anchored in articles 1,55, Chapters XI and XII of the UN Charter as well as in Article 1 common to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)."

"It is important to recall the ruling of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 9 July 2004 reaffirming the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people and documenting the serial violations of the UN Charter and international law perpetrated by Israel. Notwithstanding the clear language of the ICJ, Israel has not implemented any of the specific ICJ rulings, and has been able to flout the UN again and again because the United States has abused its veto right in the Security Council (approximately 80 times!) to shield Israel from condemnation and UN sanctions," the retired UN independent expert continued.

What are an "Occupying Power's" Obligations?

De Zayas observed that within the framework of the court's rulings, Israel doesn't have the right to self-defense, but should be guided by international regulations for an "occupying power." The issue has repeatedly been raised at the UN by Palestinian diplomats.

On May 21, 2021, UN Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine Riyad Mansour insisted in his letter to the international body that "the principle of self-defense cannot be applied by Israel to itself in the occupied territory of the State of Palestine."

"As reaffirmed by the Security Council in its resolution 1860 (2009), the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967," the letter read.

Mansour argued that as an "occupying power" Israel is "bound by the relevant provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention and all other relevant provisions of international law, including United Nations resolutions." International law stipulates that "occupying states" have increased responsibilities to protect local populations and are obliged to provide them with the basic health and safety supplies.

However, from Israel's viewpoint, it's not an "occupying power," given that the State of Palestine is a partially-recognized state and is classified as a "non-member observer state" by the United Nations.

Tel Aviv does not agree with the concept that it has "occupied" the Gaza Strip since 1967, arguing that it had completely withdrawn from the region in 2005 and that the region has been ruled by Palestinian factions since then.

Israel also defies ICJ and ICC rulings. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a civil tribunal established by the UN that hears disputes between countries, but its advisory opinions are largely not binding. In contrast, the International Criminal Court (ICC) founded under the Rome Statute is capable of prosecuting individuals. In particular, the ICC previously sought to investigate possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories, but to no avail, since Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute and thus does not recognize the ICC tribunal's authority.

'West's Culture of Impunity'

The West is vocal about adhering to the ICC rulings, but it has never condemned Israel over the unwillingness to ratify the Rome Statute and participate in the international court investigations. Similarly, the US was quick to impose sanctions on September 2, 2020, on the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, over the ICC’s efforts to investigate US military personnel.

"We in the 'West' have a culture of impunity," de Zayas said. "US crimes in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, etc. have gone unpunished. It is no surprise that we do not condemn Israel's military attacks, also because we are complicit in them, since we give enormous military and financial assistance to Israel, enabling it to continue its colonization of Palestine and suppress the self-defense of the Palestinians. The "collective West" also has a "culture of cheating", and while we have been rhetorically telling the Palestinians that we recognize their right of self-determination, at the same time we co-finance the Israeli land grab and the new Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands.”

The West's silence about the hideous sufferings is nothing but shameful, according to Christopher C. Black, an international criminal lawyer with 20 years of experience in war crimes and international relations, and a commentator on international affairs.

"The countries, who refuse to condemn Israel's attack on Gaza, which can only be described as an Israel[i] concentration camp for Palestinian[s], do not do so because Israel is an important part of the structure of world hegemony the USA and its allies are trying to establish but are failing at. Israel is their cat's paw in the Middle East," Black told Sputnik.

"The Jewish people once again became pawns of power politics, in fact one can argue that both the Jews and Palestinians have been set at each other's throats for the benefit of the USA, Britain and France and the rest. Instead of living in peace with one another in one state, they have been forced into a continual state of war. The consequences for both peoples are more than tragic," the international criminal lawyer concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231102/what-did-russias-un-envoy-mean-by-saying-israel-doesnt-have-right-to-self-defense-1114671823.html

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Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has criticized what he called the “unbalanced focus” of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), amid the IDF’s offensive in Gaza. He also blasted the Geneva-based aid group for failing to rescue Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.

“The Red Cross has no right to exist if it does not succeed in visiting the hostages being held captive by the Hamas,” Cohen said in a telephone conversation on Wednesday with ICRC director Miriana Spolijaric, according to a summary released by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Israel has said that about 240 of its citizens were seized by Hamas in its October 7 cross-border raid, most of whom remain unaccounted for in the besieged Palestinian enclave, which has been targeted with massive retaliatory strikes by the IDF for several weeks.

“The Red Cross must act decisively and with a clear voice and utilize all leverage it has to push for a visit to the hostages as soon as possible,” Cohen said, according to the transcript, noting that“children, women and Holocaust survivors” are among the captives.

Cohen accused the aid organization of showing an “unbalanced focus” on Israel throughout the conflict. “The Red Cross’ reputation is at stake if it cannot secure a visit to those being held captive by Hamas,” he said.

The Red Cross defended its work on Thursday, with spokesperson Alyona Synenko telling NPR that “when the bombs continue to fall, it is also impossible for our teams to do their jobs.”

“For us it is a priority to get access and to visit all the hostages. The amount of suffering they endure is also unimaginable. We have been constantly calling on the Hamas authorities to give us access so that we can provide medicine, that we can give news to the families of the hostages.”

“We cannot do that unless we are given the needed humanitarian space and the access to be able to do our job,” Synenko said. “We cannot force our way through bombs. We just need all the parties to show goodwill and also to respect their obligation under the international humanitarian law.”

The Red Cross, which has been involved in supplying humanitarian aid to Gaza, has also cautioned Israel over civilian casualties – however, Cohen claimed that Israel “is bound by international law and acts in accordance with it.”

Palestinian officials say that more than 9,000 people have so far been killed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza, and that about 70% of those killed are children, women and the elderly.

https://www.rt.com/news/586447-israel-red-cross-hamas-hostages/

ISRAEL JUMPS FROM THE CLIFF OF GOOD INTENTION INTO THE BLACK WATER OF BLAMING SOMEONE ELSE FOR ITS CACADOA, TO ATTRACT ATTENTION TO ITS FOREVER VICTIM STATUS OF ITS OWN CONQUERING CHOSING....

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It shocks me that in my threads I keep coming across variations of the following tweet:

“The Palestinians have it within them to rise up against Hamas to free themselves. Or Hamas can willingly surrender. Two real choices there.”

This view isn’t just being promoted in bad faith by Israeli apologists. It seems to resonate with ordinary people who presumably know very little about the histories either of Palestine or of settler colonial movements such as the Zionist movement that founded Israel.

So let’s delve briefly into both.

First, settler colonial movements are distinguished from standard colonialism — like British rule in India — by the fact that the settler population wishes not just to steal the native population’s resources but to replace the native population itself.

There are lots of examples of this: European settlers dispossessed native peoples in what we today call the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, for example.

The definition of genocide in international law exactly describes what those Europeans did to the local population: mass killings; inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of all or part of the native community; preventing births within the local population; and forcibly transferring native children to the settler population.

European settlers who today call themselves Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders never had to account for their crimes against those native peoples. Which possibly explains why the tweet above is so commonplace — and why European countries and their settler colonial outgrowths are today lining up against the rest of the world to support Israel as it intensifies industrial genocide in Gaza.

[Related: LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Settler Colonialism and Chris Hedges: The Exterminators]

The truth is the “Western” world order was built on genocide. Israel is just following in a long tradition.

READ MORE:

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/11/02/without-hamas-gaza-would-still-not-be-free/

VATICAN CITY, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday a two-state solution was needed for Israel and Palestine in order to put an end to wars such as the current one and called for a special status for Jerusalem.

In an interview with Italian state television RAI's TG1 news channel, Francis also said he hoped a regional escalation could be avoided in the conflict that began when Hamas militants entered Israel, killing some 1,400 Israelis, mainly civilians, and taking about 230 hostages.

READ MORE:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/pope-says-two-state-solution-needed-israel-palestine-2023-11-01/

BIDEN DOES NOT WANT TO....

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Cartoonist Jean Marc Reiser. He was one of the foremost French illustrators of the 20th century, who was noted for his controversial magazine cartoons and comics. In 1959 he published his first cartoons in "La Gazette de Nectar," the company magazine of the Nicolas Winery. From there, he went on providing work for the magazines like "Arts," "Noir et Blanc," "La Vie du Rail," "Week-End," "Paris-Match," "Le Journal du Dimanche" and "Elle,", through the 1960s. By the 1970s, his work appeared in the magazines "Le Monde," "Libertaire," "Actuel," and "Le Monde," plus a series he created called "Les Sales Blagues" for "Coluche." A prolific artist, he continued publishing until his death from bone cancer at age 42 in Paris, France. In 1978 he received the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême. Since 1966, Reiser's work has been collected in several albums by publishers like Editions du Square and Albin Michel. One of his humorous quotes, "Women who want to be equal to men seriously lack ambition."

Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith

REISER WAS A FORMIDABLE CARTOONIST WHO WAS HATED BY ALL THE SACRED COWS/HYPOCRITES/SOCIOPATHS IN POWER.... HE WAS AN INSPIRATION FOR HARA-KIRI AND CHARLIE HEBDO.... WE MENTION HIM BECAUSE IN THE PICTURE AT TOP, THE EDITORIALS FOCUSE ON "40 YEARS SINCE REISER WALKED TO HIS TOMB ON FOOT".... 

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BLOWING MY OWN TRUMPET: GUS LEONISKY HAS BEEN A CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.....

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Waverley Council in Sydney recently voted to remove Greens councillors from their positions as Deputy Mayor and Committee members due to their position on the Israel/Palestine conflict. I was terrified of the deep irrationality and over-powering hatred and anger on display at the meeting. How can we usefully engage with such trauma and stop the horrors now being perpetrated against the people of Gaza?

On Thursday 26 October, I, together with fellow Jewish peace activists, Michelle Berkon and Dr Peter Slezak, attended an Extraordinary Council Meeting of the Waverley Council, in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, an LGA with a significant Jewish population.

The meeting was called in response to the refusal of the two Greens councillors to support a very biased motion at the Council’s monthly meeting the previous week in support of Israel and the local Jewish community. The Greens councillors had proposed an amendment to include, alongside condemnation of the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians on 7 October, condemnation of ‘the war crimes perpetrated by a right-wing Israeli government, including the bombing of Palestinian civilians’. When the Waverley Council meeting rejected this amendment, Councillors Ludovico Fabiano and Dominic Wy Kanak voted against the substantive motion.

A few days before the Extraordinary Meeting, a petition to the Mayor to remove Cr Fabiano from his position as Deputy Mayor was launched and attracted 2647 signatures.

The resolutions considered by the Extraordinary Council Meeting proposed removing Cr Fabiano from his position as Deputy Mayor and removing both councillors from most of their positions on advisory committees. These resolutions were passed with a strong majority, with the two demoted councillors and 2 Labor councillors voting against it.

The atmosphere at the meeting was savage and toxic. The packed chamber and anteroom seethed with anger, and erupted with constant interjections against the few speakers like myself who spoke in support of the people of Gaza, the two councillors and the democratic process. There were even howls of protest when I began my speech with an Acknowledgement of Country. My comment that, like many of them, many of my family were consumed in the Holocaust ovens, was greeted with ‘Pity you weren’t!’ and ‘You’re a traitor!’ The fake news of beheaded babies was widely cited. The suggestion that Palestinian lives and Palestinian babies were equally deserving of compassion and respect brought only contempt and dismissal. Several cries of ‘Dirty kaffir! Dirty kaffir!’ attested to a substantial and racist South African Jewish contingent in the room. There was considerable pushing. Posters with pictures of those taken captive by Hamas were shoved aggressively in our faces. This implied, totally erroneously, that we lacked compassion for those captured and murdered. They were so crazed by their own fears and rage that they were unable to hear us, even when we were agreeing with them.

Although recording, filming and photographs other than Council’s official record were expressly forbidden by Council rules, people were recording, live-streaming and photographing the meeting freely. Several made a point of including us in their filming but no steps were taken to stop it. However, security immediately challenged Michelle when she was taking notes on her mobile.

The Chair, Mayor Paula Masselos tried to keep the crowd in order but she did not take up the options of either removing the most prominent instigators or closing down the meeting when her efforts were in vain. Given the volatility of the crowd, she may well have decided that discretion was the better part of valour and allowed the meeting to continue. However, while speakers for the motion routinely spoke past the allocated 3 minutes, no time extensions were allowed for those opposing the motion, despite being constantly interrupted and shouted down by the crowd.

Consideration of civil liberties and the democratic right to dissent were thrown out the window in this tsunami of hysteria.

The Council chamber overflowed three times over with, from my observation, mostly Jewish constituents. This mass attendance had obviously been highly organised. One elderly woman said as she came in ‘I was told to come to this meeting at 6.30’. She didn’t seem clear about the topic. Many people flashed full-colour A4 posters headed ‘Kidnapped’. Each of them had a photo and name of one of those kidnapped, a different person on each poster. In full colour, with the posters individually printed, not a cheap exercise.

A number of people have contacted me, asking how I am after the abuse that greeted my speech. I am really ok. My strong feeling of connection with people, both Jewish and Palestinian, gives me a kind of shield and ground of security. I am filled with pity for my fellow Jews who are so driven by post-Holocaust trauma that they have lost all connection with their humanity and reason in relation to Israel and to the Palestinians as human beings. This trauma has been shamefully fed and manipulated by the Zionist movement to fuel their colonialist project. People witnessing last night’s scenes without appreciating or understanding this historical trauma could well respond with antisemitic impulses.

Nevertheless, I am terrified of the deep irrationality and over-powering hatred and anger on display at the meeting. How can we usefully engage with such trauma and stop the horrors now being perpetrated against the people of Gaza? It seems overwhelming. This needs the compassion and skills of Auschwitz survivor and psychotherapist Gabor Mate

When I see so many of my fellow Jews swept up by this all-consuming terror, I am appalled at this twisting of the human spirit and can only reflect that this is a dreadful posthumous victory for Hitler.

https://johnmenadue.com/in-the-lions-den/

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv1P6FeJw3U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcyCg5bIZBM

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