11 aug 2019
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders
US Senator Bernie Sanders has accused President Donald Trump of creating a climate for hate crimes and racially motivated attacks such as the recent mass shooting that killed 22 people El Paso, Texas. Sanders, who is looking forward to win the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination to challenge Trump, said Sunday that didn’t want “to see somebody get shot” but his rhetoric promoted violence. “I think that what [Trump] has created in this country with his incredible rhetoric, his racist rhetoric where he calls Mexicans rapists and criminals, |
where he almost condones in a rally when someone was attacking somebody … he creates a climate where we are seeing a significant increase in hate crimes in this country,” the Virginia senator told CBS News on Sunday.
“He is creating the kind of divisiveness in this nation that is the last thing that we should be doing,” Sanders added. “He creates the climate, but do I think that he wants to see somebody get shot? Absolutely not.”
The remarks came after the main suspect of the El Paso shooting earlier this week was tied to a manifesto that pledged to fight a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
Sanders and several other presidential candidates have compared manifesto’s language to Trump’s rhetoric, which has included attacks on religious and racial minorities and refusal to condemn white supremacist groups.
Trump condemned white supremacy in the wake of the El Paso shooting and another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. Last week he accused his critics of making false charges of racism.
Sanders made the remarks a day after calling Trump "an idiot" for claiming climate change is a hoax.
Meanwhile, House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, who was severely wounded in 2017 when a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice, told the same program before Sanders’ appearance that it was a “slippery slope” to blame Trump for the El Paso shooting.
"The president's no more responsible for that shooting as your next guest, Bernie Sanders, is for my shooting,” he charged, implying that Sanders and a number of other Democrats were responsible for the shooting by provoking their supporters to shoot Republican lawmakers.
Sanders rejected Scalise’s claim, saying he condemned the shooting on Senate floor shortly after it happened.
“He is creating the kind of divisiveness in this nation that is the last thing that we should be doing,” Sanders added. “He creates the climate, but do I think that he wants to see somebody get shot? Absolutely not.”
The remarks came after the main suspect of the El Paso shooting earlier this week was tied to a manifesto that pledged to fight a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
Sanders and several other presidential candidates have compared manifesto’s language to Trump’s rhetoric, which has included attacks on religious and racial minorities and refusal to condemn white supremacist groups.
Trump condemned white supremacy in the wake of the El Paso shooting and another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. Last week he accused his critics of making false charges of racism.
Sanders made the remarks a day after calling Trump "an idiot" for claiming climate change is a hoax.
Meanwhile, House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, who was severely wounded in 2017 when a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice, told the same program before Sanders’ appearance that it was a “slippery slope” to blame Trump for the El Paso shooting.
"The president's no more responsible for that shooting as your next guest, Bernie Sanders, is for my shooting,” he charged, implying that Sanders and a number of other Democrats were responsible for the shooting by provoking their supporters to shoot Republican lawmakers.
Sanders rejected Scalise’s claim, saying he condemned the shooting on Senate floor shortly after it happened.
US Muslim congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (L) and Ilhan Omar
US President Donald Trump has reportedly told his advisers that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should use the regime’s anti-boycott law to prevent Muslim congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the occupied Palestinian territory.
US-based Axios news outlet cited three sources familiar with Trump’s private remarks as saying on Saturday that the American president had told advisers, including senior administration officials, that the Israeli regime should bar Omar and Tlaib’s entry because the two lawmakers support the boycott Israel movement.
According to the report, the White House, however, has denied offering such advice to the Israeli regime with Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham saying, ”The Israeli government can do what they want. It's fake news."
The Israeli parliament passed a law in 2017, requiring the interior minister to block foreign nationals from entering the occupied territory if they have supported boycotting the Zionist regime.
Trump’s move came days after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution last week to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS movement, which Omar and Tlaib support.
The resolution claims that the global movement to boycott Israel over its policies toward Palestinians "promotes principles of collective guilt, mass punishment and group isolation, which are destructive of prospects for progress towards peace."
Both Omar and Tlaib voted against the resolution.
Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer reportedly said last month that the regime would not bar the congresswomen from entering Israel.
"Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel," he said as quoted in a report by Israeli daily Haaretz.
The two Muslim lawmakers are due to arrive in Israeli on August 18, according to the report, which noted that the timing could change.
US President Donald Trump has reportedly told his advisers that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should use the regime’s anti-boycott law to prevent Muslim congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the occupied Palestinian territory.
US-based Axios news outlet cited three sources familiar with Trump’s private remarks as saying on Saturday that the American president had told advisers, including senior administration officials, that the Israeli regime should bar Omar and Tlaib’s entry because the two lawmakers support the boycott Israel movement.
According to the report, the White House, however, has denied offering such advice to the Israeli regime with Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham saying, ”The Israeli government can do what they want. It's fake news."
The Israeli parliament passed a law in 2017, requiring the interior minister to block foreign nationals from entering the occupied territory if they have supported boycotting the Zionist regime.
Trump’s move came days after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution last week to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS movement, which Omar and Tlaib support.
The resolution claims that the global movement to boycott Israel over its policies toward Palestinians "promotes principles of collective guilt, mass punishment and group isolation, which are destructive of prospects for progress towards peace."
Both Omar and Tlaib voted against the resolution.
Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer reportedly said last month that the regime would not bar the congresswomen from entering Israel.
"Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel," he said as quoted in a report by Israeli daily Haaretz.
The two Muslim lawmakers are due to arrive in Israeli on August 18, according to the report, which noted that the timing could change.
In his annual Hajj message, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on Muslim nations to unite against the so-called “deal of the century”
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the "deal of the century" which is to be unveiled by the US is a crime against humanity, urging "everyone" to help defeat it.
"The ploy of the 'deal of the century' which is being plotted by the oppressive America and its treasonous cohorts is a crime against human society, and not just the Palestinian nation," the Leader said Saturday in his annual Hajj message.
"We are inviting everyone to actively participate in defeating the enemy's ploy and deception and believe that with the power and strength from God, this and all other ploys of the imperialist front is doomed to failure vis-a-vis the efforts and faith of the resistance front," he added.
The "deal of the century", a backchannel plan to allegedly reach a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, is reported to recognize Israeli occupation of Palestine in exchange for economic incentives. The plan has widely been rejected by the Palestinians.
Ayatollah Khamenei described Palestine as one of the most important issues of the Muslim world regardless of their sect, race, and language.
“The greatest injustice of the recent centuries has happened in Palestine. In this painful drama, all that a nation had—their land, homes, farms, belongings, dignity, and identity— has been confiscated," the Leader said.
“This nation, with God’s assistance, has not surrendered to defeat and has not given up and today, they are fighting evermore passionately and braver than yesterday, but the ultimate outcome requires assistance from all Muslims.”
Ayatollah Khamenei's message came as millions of Muslims poured onto the plain southeast of the holy city of Mecca to mark the Day of Arafat on the second day of the annual Hajj congregation.
The Leader said the pilgrimage presents an opportunity for oppressed Muslim nations to “spread awareness” and denounce oppression and the rule of “arrogant world powers”.
Every year, the Leader issues a message on the occasion, giving guidelines on the need to uphold the rite of Bara'ah or the "disavowal of the infidels" and unite Muslims around the key messages of Islam.
"The ritual of Bara’ah which means shunning all forms of cruelty, oppression, vulgarity and corruption of the tyrants of the time, and rising against bullying and extortion of the haughty of the eras, is one of the great advantages of Hajj, and an opportunity for the oppressed Muslim nations," the Leader said.
"Today, renouncing the front of shirk [polytheism] and kufr [disbelief] of the arrogant powers headed by America means rejecting the killing of the oppressed, and waging wars.
"It means condemning the centers of terrorism such as Daesh and the American Blackwater. It means the Islamic Ummah’s shouts at the infanticidal Zionist regime and its backers and sponsors," the Leader said.
The ritual of Bara'ah, Ayatollah Khamenei further said, is an opportunity to "condemn the warmongering of America and its associates in the sensitive West Asian and North African region where they have brought the pain and suffering of the nations to the breaking point and yet they bring grave tragedies on them each and every day".
"It means shunning racism, and discrimination based on geography, race, and color of skin. It means repudiating the arrogant and vicious behavior of aggressive and seditious powers vis-a-vis the dignified, noble and just behavior which Islam invites everyone to embrace."
Ayatollah Khamenei described the Hajj as a “model” demonstrating Islamic principles and uniting all Muslims together in worship of God.
Each and every able-bodied Muslim, male or female, is required to complete the religious trip to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they also have the sufficient financial capacity to do so.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the "deal of the century" which is to be unveiled by the US is a crime against humanity, urging "everyone" to help defeat it.
"The ploy of the 'deal of the century' which is being plotted by the oppressive America and its treasonous cohorts is a crime against human society, and not just the Palestinian nation," the Leader said Saturday in his annual Hajj message.
"We are inviting everyone to actively participate in defeating the enemy's ploy and deception and believe that with the power and strength from God, this and all other ploys of the imperialist front is doomed to failure vis-a-vis the efforts and faith of the resistance front," he added.
The "deal of the century", a backchannel plan to allegedly reach a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, is reported to recognize Israeli occupation of Palestine in exchange for economic incentives. The plan has widely been rejected by the Palestinians.
Ayatollah Khamenei described Palestine as one of the most important issues of the Muslim world regardless of their sect, race, and language.
“The greatest injustice of the recent centuries has happened in Palestine. In this painful drama, all that a nation had—their land, homes, farms, belongings, dignity, and identity— has been confiscated," the Leader said.
“This nation, with God’s assistance, has not surrendered to defeat and has not given up and today, they are fighting evermore passionately and braver than yesterday, but the ultimate outcome requires assistance from all Muslims.”
Ayatollah Khamenei's message came as millions of Muslims poured onto the plain southeast of the holy city of Mecca to mark the Day of Arafat on the second day of the annual Hajj congregation.
The Leader said the pilgrimage presents an opportunity for oppressed Muslim nations to “spread awareness” and denounce oppression and the rule of “arrogant world powers”.
Every year, the Leader issues a message on the occasion, giving guidelines on the need to uphold the rite of Bara'ah or the "disavowal of the infidels" and unite Muslims around the key messages of Islam.
"The ritual of Bara’ah which means shunning all forms of cruelty, oppression, vulgarity and corruption of the tyrants of the time, and rising against bullying and extortion of the haughty of the eras, is one of the great advantages of Hajj, and an opportunity for the oppressed Muslim nations," the Leader said.
"Today, renouncing the front of shirk [polytheism] and kufr [disbelief] of the arrogant powers headed by America means rejecting the killing of the oppressed, and waging wars.
"It means condemning the centers of terrorism such as Daesh and the American Blackwater. It means the Islamic Ummah’s shouts at the infanticidal Zionist regime and its backers and sponsors," the Leader said.
The ritual of Bara'ah, Ayatollah Khamenei further said, is an opportunity to "condemn the warmongering of America and its associates in the sensitive West Asian and North African region where they have brought the pain and suffering of the nations to the breaking point and yet they bring grave tragedies on them each and every day".
"It means shunning racism, and discrimination based on geography, race, and color of skin. It means repudiating the arrogant and vicious behavior of aggressive and seditious powers vis-a-vis the dignified, noble and just behavior which Islam invites everyone to embrace."
Ayatollah Khamenei described the Hajj as a “model” demonstrating Islamic principles and uniting all Muslims together in worship of God.
Each and every able-bodied Muslim, male or female, is required to complete the religious trip to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they also have the sufficient financial capacity to do so.
10 aug 2019
The failure of the Saudi war on Yemen will have grave consequences for Israel as Tel Aviv fears that Washington’s bid to isolate Tehran is unwinding, according to a report published by Israel’s leading daily Haaretz.
“Oil sites in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have been attacked by drones and Saudi airports have been targeted by Scud missiles… The apparent outcome is that the Emirates has abandoned the war in Yemen, the Saudi effort has failed,” wrote Haaretz on Friday.
“Without military support from the Emirates, it seems that the Saudi ambition to defeat Houthi rebels will fail conclusively,” it said, adding that amid a Washington and Tel Aviv-led bid to isolate Tehran and its allies in the region, “this is not good news”.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies, namely the United Arab Emirates, launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of Saudi-allied former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
Resistance by Yemen’s armed forces, led by Ansarullah, has, however, pushed the Saudi war to a stalemate, with Yemeni forces deploying increasingly sophisticated retaliatory attacks against the Saudis.
The stepped-up Yemeni retaliatory strikes come as the UAE has announced the gradual withdrawal of its troops from the conflict, largely because Abu Dhabi believes the war appears to have become "unwinnable", according to US reports.
Saudi Arabia relied greatly on the Emirati forces in advancing its war in Yemen, with observers believing that a Saudi-led tribal alliance may eventually disintegrate with factional infighting due to a lack of Emirati oversight.
Clashes between Emirati-backed separatists and Saudi-backed militia were reported earlier this week.
‘Bad news for Israel’
According to Haaretz’s Friday article, the defeat of the Saudi war effort will enable Houthis, which have adamantly voiced their opposition against the Israeli occupation, to facilitate arms exports to Palestinian resistance groups and restrict Israeli presence in the strategic Bab al Mandeb Strait.
The article, however, pointed that the gravest outcome of a Yemeni victory would be the gradual unraveling of what was meant to be a firm regional anti-Iran alliance.
UAE's withdrawal from the Saudi war effort and recent negotiations with Iranian officials indicated that Persian Gulf states are open “to reconsider their policy with respect to Iran” as Tehran and its allies stand firm against Washington, it said.
“This is bad news for the anti-Iranian alliance and possibly indicates a trend that should concern the American president and his close friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," wrote Haaretz.
The paper added that doubt regarding the success of the US administration’s regional policy was growing, with pessimism "trickling into” Tel Aviv despite nothing being “said of it in public”.
The war on Yemen and an ensuing blockade has taken a heavy toll on the infrastructure on the impoverished Arab country, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories and killing more than an estimated 60,000 Yemenis.
On Friday, thousands of Yemenis converged outside Sana’a International Airport in the capital to protest the US-backed blockade.
“Oil sites in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have been attacked by drones and Saudi airports have been targeted by Scud missiles… The apparent outcome is that the Emirates has abandoned the war in Yemen, the Saudi effort has failed,” wrote Haaretz on Friday.
“Without military support from the Emirates, it seems that the Saudi ambition to defeat Houthi rebels will fail conclusively,” it said, adding that amid a Washington and Tel Aviv-led bid to isolate Tehran and its allies in the region, “this is not good news”.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies, namely the United Arab Emirates, launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of Saudi-allied former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
Resistance by Yemen’s armed forces, led by Ansarullah, has, however, pushed the Saudi war to a stalemate, with Yemeni forces deploying increasingly sophisticated retaliatory attacks against the Saudis.
The stepped-up Yemeni retaliatory strikes come as the UAE has announced the gradual withdrawal of its troops from the conflict, largely because Abu Dhabi believes the war appears to have become "unwinnable", according to US reports.
Saudi Arabia relied greatly on the Emirati forces in advancing its war in Yemen, with observers believing that a Saudi-led tribal alliance may eventually disintegrate with factional infighting due to a lack of Emirati oversight.
Clashes between Emirati-backed separatists and Saudi-backed militia were reported earlier this week.
‘Bad news for Israel’
According to Haaretz’s Friday article, the defeat of the Saudi war effort will enable Houthis, which have adamantly voiced their opposition against the Israeli occupation, to facilitate arms exports to Palestinian resistance groups and restrict Israeli presence in the strategic Bab al Mandeb Strait.
The article, however, pointed that the gravest outcome of a Yemeni victory would be the gradual unraveling of what was meant to be a firm regional anti-Iran alliance.
UAE's withdrawal from the Saudi war effort and recent negotiations with Iranian officials indicated that Persian Gulf states are open “to reconsider their policy with respect to Iran” as Tehran and its allies stand firm against Washington, it said.
“This is bad news for the anti-Iranian alliance and possibly indicates a trend that should concern the American president and his close friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," wrote Haaretz.
The paper added that doubt regarding the success of the US administration’s regional policy was growing, with pessimism "trickling into” Tel Aviv despite nothing being “said of it in public”.
The war on Yemen and an ensuing blockade has taken a heavy toll on the infrastructure on the impoverished Arab country, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories and killing more than an estimated 60,000 Yemenis.
On Friday, thousands of Yemenis converged outside Sana’a International Airport in the capital to protest the US-backed blockade.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and HUMENA for Human Rights and Civil Participation said in a statement today that the systematic destruction of Palestinian homes and property in occupied East Jerusalem amount to ethnic cleansing and is approved by the US administration, which legalized these crimes by declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel amid international silence that amounts to complicity.
In a report that monitored human rights violations in Jerusalem during July 2019, Euro-Med and HUMENA said that Israeli authorities have stepped up their arbitrary violations against Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem.
Last month witnessed the largest mass destruction in a single day since 1967 as Israeli authorities demolished 11 residential buildings (72 apartments) in a crime amounting to ethnic cleansing.
The report, entitled "Wadi al-Hummus in Jerusalem; facing Israeli ethnic cleansing," said that the destruction of Palestinian buildings resulted in the displacement of 22 people, including 14 children, and deprived more than 70 families from their apartments, most of which were still under construction.
The report added that since the beginning of 2019, Israeli authorities destroyed more than 59 houses in East Jerusalem until mid-2019, while 2018 witnessed 215 demolitions.
In addition to Wadi al- Hummus neighborhood, Israeli occupation forces destroyed a car park, a garage, a warehouse, a car wash and five shops in the last month.
Euro-Med and HUMENA monitored five complex violations as part of crimes of settlement expansion and Judaization of the occupied city, most notably the seizure of a Palestinian house and a building evacuation by force in order to hand both over to Israeli settlers. Moreover, at the same time of the demolition of Palestinian homes, Israeli occupation authorities approved the establishment of 216 new housing units in the Gilo settlement.
Several parties, including the Israeli government, municipal authorities of Jerusalem or judicial authorities, collude to carry out systematic demolitions aimed to forcefully displace Palestinians, which falls within the occupation's efforts to change the demographic reality in the occupied city.
This systematic policy pursued by Israel takes place without any regards to the principles of international law, which reflects Israel’s pursuit of demographic change in East Jerusalem by employing all its government, political and security arms, said the two rights organization.
On the other hand, the two organizations documented two incidents that signify the Israeli occupation's disregard for Palestinian childhood; such as the summoning of 4-year-old Mohammed Rabi Illian, and the 6-year-old Qais Firas Obeid, under the pretext of throwing stones at their forces.
The report also documented 43 Israeli raids on different towns and neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem; which entailed the arrest of 102 civilians, including 19 children, a woman, a girl and a female journalist.
For instance, in five raids that included shooting and direct assault in the neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces injured seven civilians, including a child, a journalist and an elderly.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and HUMENA called on the international community to break their silence and undertake serious actions to re-tribute the crimes of the occupation and its serious violations of the international law and the international humanitarian law.
The report warned that the silence of the international community after said home demolitions in Wadi al-Hummus – which amounts to a war crime of ethnic cleansing – would essentially encourage the Israeli occupation to continue and escalate the policy of house demolitions and forceful displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
The Israeli policy of handing notifications of imminent demolition to Palestinians in the city continues, especially amidst rumors of Israeli plans to destroy more than 25 Palestinian houses under the pretext of lacking permits, which Israel rarely grants to any Palestinian properties in the city.
The report also called on the international community to assume its responsibilities towards protecting East Jerusalem and its Palestinian population as inhabitants of an occupied territory, in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, particularly resolution 181.
The two organizations stressed the need for ending the policy of racial discrimination between Palestinians and Israelis through advancing necessary investigations, prosecution and trial procedures to put an end to such violations. They finally called on international organizations concerned with childhood to urgently intervene to protect Palestinian children in East Jerusalem from Israeli arbitrary arrests, summons and house arrests.
Full Report [pdf]
In a report that monitored human rights violations in Jerusalem during July 2019, Euro-Med and HUMENA said that Israeli authorities have stepped up their arbitrary violations against Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem.
Last month witnessed the largest mass destruction in a single day since 1967 as Israeli authorities demolished 11 residential buildings (72 apartments) in a crime amounting to ethnic cleansing.
The report, entitled "Wadi al-Hummus in Jerusalem; facing Israeli ethnic cleansing," said that the destruction of Palestinian buildings resulted in the displacement of 22 people, including 14 children, and deprived more than 70 families from their apartments, most of which were still under construction.
The report added that since the beginning of 2019, Israeli authorities destroyed more than 59 houses in East Jerusalem until mid-2019, while 2018 witnessed 215 demolitions.
In addition to Wadi al- Hummus neighborhood, Israeli occupation forces destroyed a car park, a garage, a warehouse, a car wash and five shops in the last month.
Euro-Med and HUMENA monitored five complex violations as part of crimes of settlement expansion and Judaization of the occupied city, most notably the seizure of a Palestinian house and a building evacuation by force in order to hand both over to Israeli settlers. Moreover, at the same time of the demolition of Palestinian homes, Israeli occupation authorities approved the establishment of 216 new housing units in the Gilo settlement.
Several parties, including the Israeli government, municipal authorities of Jerusalem or judicial authorities, collude to carry out systematic demolitions aimed to forcefully displace Palestinians, which falls within the occupation's efforts to change the demographic reality in the occupied city.
This systematic policy pursued by Israel takes place without any regards to the principles of international law, which reflects Israel’s pursuit of demographic change in East Jerusalem by employing all its government, political and security arms, said the two rights organization.
On the other hand, the two organizations documented two incidents that signify the Israeli occupation's disregard for Palestinian childhood; such as the summoning of 4-year-old Mohammed Rabi Illian, and the 6-year-old Qais Firas Obeid, under the pretext of throwing stones at their forces.
The report also documented 43 Israeli raids on different towns and neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem; which entailed the arrest of 102 civilians, including 19 children, a woman, a girl and a female journalist.
For instance, in five raids that included shooting and direct assault in the neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces injured seven civilians, including a child, a journalist and an elderly.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and HUMENA called on the international community to break their silence and undertake serious actions to re-tribute the crimes of the occupation and its serious violations of the international law and the international humanitarian law.
The report warned that the silence of the international community after said home demolitions in Wadi al-Hummus – which amounts to a war crime of ethnic cleansing – would essentially encourage the Israeli occupation to continue and escalate the policy of house demolitions and forceful displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
The Israeli policy of handing notifications of imminent demolition to Palestinians in the city continues, especially amidst rumors of Israeli plans to destroy more than 25 Palestinian houses under the pretext of lacking permits, which Israel rarely grants to any Palestinian properties in the city.
The report also called on the international community to assume its responsibilities towards protecting East Jerusalem and its Palestinian population as inhabitants of an occupied territory, in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, particularly resolution 181.
The two organizations stressed the need for ending the policy of racial discrimination between Palestinians and Israelis through advancing necessary investigations, prosecution and trial procedures to put an end to such violations. They finally called on international organizations concerned with childhood to urgently intervene to protect Palestinian children in East Jerusalem from Israeli arbitrary arrests, summons and house arrests.
Full Report [pdf]
9 aug 2019
Ashrawi: International Sanctions are required to confront escalating Israeli settlement construction
The Palestinian leadership strongly condemns the approval of nearly three thousand illegal settlement units in the past 48 hours by the Israeli government.
Israel’s Prime Minister is expanding illegal settlements in the heart of the occupied West Bank, like “Beit El”, for cynical election calculations that leverage traditional financial and political support from senior US administration officials, including Jared Kushner and David Friedman.
Constructing settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, is a grave violation of international humanitarian law that the Rome Statute specifically considers a war crime.
This is a criminal act of hostility and aggression that requires immediate and unequivocal international steps to ensure accountability, including imposing sanctions.
The actions of the Israeli government reflect the willful commitment of the Israeli political establishment to the agenda of colonial control, land grab, and permanent denial of the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights to self-determination and freedom.
They are also part of an escalating and relentless campaign of oppression and systematic violence aimed at breaking the will of the Palestinian people and dictating facts that are irreconcilable with a future of peace and stability in the region.
These are the actions of a group committed to permanent conflict, whose abject disregard to legality and morality are practically and brutally evident.
In this regard, the Palestinian leadership welcomes the principled statements of condemnation by responsible international actors, including the European Union, France, and others, which reflect their commitment to international law and the requirements of peace.
Further, we call on all states that have reaffirmed their positions to take a more proactive and effective role in protecting the rules-based international order by holding Israel accountable for its wanton violations of international law and Palestinian rights.
Without exacting a political and financial price to these egregious actions, and in light of the ideological partnership between Israeli right-wing elements and the Trump administration, Israel will continue to accelerate its destructive policies and escalate its unabashed aggression.
Israel’s Prime Minister is expanding illegal settlements in the heart of the occupied West Bank, like “Beit El”, for cynical election calculations that leverage traditional financial and political support from senior US administration officials, including Jared Kushner and David Friedman.
Constructing settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, is a grave violation of international humanitarian law that the Rome Statute specifically considers a war crime.
This is a criminal act of hostility and aggression that requires immediate and unequivocal international steps to ensure accountability, including imposing sanctions.
The actions of the Israeli government reflect the willful commitment of the Israeli political establishment to the agenda of colonial control, land grab, and permanent denial of the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights to self-determination and freedom.
They are also part of an escalating and relentless campaign of oppression and systematic violence aimed at breaking the will of the Palestinian people and dictating facts that are irreconcilable with a future of peace and stability in the region.
These are the actions of a group committed to permanent conflict, whose abject disregard to legality and morality are practically and brutally evident.
In this regard, the Palestinian leadership welcomes the principled statements of condemnation by responsible international actors, including the European Union, France, and others, which reflect their commitment to international law and the requirements of peace.
Further, we call on all states that have reaffirmed their positions to take a more proactive and effective role in protecting the rules-based international order by holding Israel accountable for its wanton violations of international law and Palestinian rights.
Without exacting a political and financial price to these egregious actions, and in light of the ideological partnership between Israeli right-wing elements and the Trump administration, Israel will continue to accelerate its destructive policies and escalate its unabashed aggression.
House Judiciary Committee US Representative Jerry Nadler
US House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler has announced that his panel is officially conducting an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Nadler said on Thursday that the committee had launched "formal impeachment proceedings" into Trump’s alleged misconduct and the panel would decide by the end of the year whether to refer articles of impeachment to the House floor.
“This is formal impeachment proceedings,” Nadler said in an interview with CNN. “We are investigating all the evidence, we’re gathering the evidence and we will at the conclusion of this, hopefully by the end of the year, vote to, vote articles of impeachment to the House floor or we won’t. That’s a decision that we’ll have to make. But that -- that’s exactly the process we’re in right now.”
The House Judiciary Committee chairman made the announcement as more than half of Democrats in the lower chamber say they back the impeachment inquiry.
Last month, House Judiciary Democrats called on a federal court to provide the House with confidential grand jury material from former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation regarding allegations that Trump obstructed justice in Mueller's investigation.
“The fact is, we are doing an investigation. We are investigating the facts, investigating the evidence,” Nadler told CNN. “We are going into court to get witnesses all with a view toward deciding and recommending to the House whether to impeach the president.”
Calls for impeachment of Trump have grown among US Democratic lawmakers in the wake of the special counsel’s final statement at the conclusion of the so-called Russia probe.
In his last statement, the special counsel neither cleared the president nor charged him, throwing the ball into the Congress’ court.
Mueller argued that the decision not to charge Trump was made based on the Justice Department’s longstanding policy of not bringing charges against a sitting president.
In his public testimony before two congressional House committees on July 24, the special counsel once again stuck to the contents of his 400-plus page report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, reiterating that he didn’t find sufficient evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
He also didn't conclusively determine whether the president committed obstruction of justice, even though he outlined nearly a dozen instances involving Trump.
US House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler has announced that his panel is officially conducting an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Nadler said on Thursday that the committee had launched "formal impeachment proceedings" into Trump’s alleged misconduct and the panel would decide by the end of the year whether to refer articles of impeachment to the House floor.
“This is formal impeachment proceedings,” Nadler said in an interview with CNN. “We are investigating all the evidence, we’re gathering the evidence and we will at the conclusion of this, hopefully by the end of the year, vote to, vote articles of impeachment to the House floor or we won’t. That’s a decision that we’ll have to make. But that -- that’s exactly the process we’re in right now.”
The House Judiciary Committee chairman made the announcement as more than half of Democrats in the lower chamber say they back the impeachment inquiry.
Last month, House Judiciary Democrats called on a federal court to provide the House with confidential grand jury material from former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation regarding allegations that Trump obstructed justice in Mueller's investigation.
“The fact is, we are doing an investigation. We are investigating the facts, investigating the evidence,” Nadler told CNN. “We are going into court to get witnesses all with a view toward deciding and recommending to the House whether to impeach the president.”
Calls for impeachment of Trump have grown among US Democratic lawmakers in the wake of the special counsel’s final statement at the conclusion of the so-called Russia probe.
In his last statement, the special counsel neither cleared the president nor charged him, throwing the ball into the Congress’ court.
Mueller argued that the decision not to charge Trump was made based on the Justice Department’s longstanding policy of not bringing charges against a sitting president.
In his public testimony before two congressional House committees on July 24, the special counsel once again stuck to the contents of his 400-plus page report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, reiterating that he didn’t find sufficient evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
He also didn't conclusively determine whether the president committed obstruction of justice, even though he outlined nearly a dozen instances involving Trump.
An IRGC officer speaks on a walkie talkie in the Persian Gulf in this undated photo
Iran says it considers possible Israeli presence in a US-led coalition in the Persian Gulf as a clear threat to its national security, and reserves the right to counter it.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi on Friday referred to the “illegitimate existence” of the Israeli regime in the Middle East as a source of insecurity and instability.
Iran, he said, considers Israel’s possible presence in a US-led mission in the Persian Gulf as a “clear threat” to its security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
The presence is a crisis-provoking and destabilizing element in the Persian Gulf, Mousavi said.
"Within the framework of the country's deterrence and defensive policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to counter this threat and defend its territory," he noted.
"The US regime and the illegitimate Zionist regime are responsible for all the consequences of this dangerous move," the spokesman added.
The remarks came after Israel said it will join what the US calls an effort to boost security of navigation in the Persian Gulf.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on August 7 that the Israeli regime is part of the US-led coalition to “protect the security of the Persian Gulf”.
Katz claimed Israel was determined to stop “Iranian entrenchment” in the Middle East region and strengthen Tel Aviv’s relationship with Persian Gulf countries, Ynet reported.
In his Friday remarks, Mousavi said the Islamic Republic believes the US-led coalition is tension-provoking in nature.
"Iran believes the presence of ultra-regional forces in the Persian Gulf under any name and title will not only fail to help reinforce the region's security, but will further prepare the grounds for tension and crisis in the sensitive Persian Gulf region," he added.
He said Iran is opposed to the formation of such coalitions and considers it as a tension-creating and deceitful move.
The spokesman also referred to the organizers, founders, and members of such a coalition as the culprits behind possible tensions and crises that would emanate from such a move.
The US has announced plans to form a Washington-led force amid its attempts to trouble Iran’s foreign oil sales as part of its sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.
On June 30, the US officially asked Germany to participate — alongside Britain and France — in the coalition, a request that was declined by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas a day later. The UK, however, later accepted to join the coalition.
Iran's defense chief said on Thursday that the US-proposed coalition, which Washington purports would seek to beef up maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, will foment insecurity in the region.
Such a coalition "will only increase regional insecurity," Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami told his Kuwaiti, Qatari, and Omani counterparts during separate telephone conversations on Thursday, IRNA reported.
Iran says it considers possible Israeli presence in a US-led coalition in the Persian Gulf as a clear threat to its national security, and reserves the right to counter it.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi on Friday referred to the “illegitimate existence” of the Israeli regime in the Middle East as a source of insecurity and instability.
Iran, he said, considers Israel’s possible presence in a US-led mission in the Persian Gulf as a “clear threat” to its security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
The presence is a crisis-provoking and destabilizing element in the Persian Gulf, Mousavi said.
"Within the framework of the country's deterrence and defensive policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to counter this threat and defend its territory," he noted.
"The US regime and the illegitimate Zionist regime are responsible for all the consequences of this dangerous move," the spokesman added.
The remarks came after Israel said it will join what the US calls an effort to boost security of navigation in the Persian Gulf.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on August 7 that the Israeli regime is part of the US-led coalition to “protect the security of the Persian Gulf”.
Katz claimed Israel was determined to stop “Iranian entrenchment” in the Middle East region and strengthen Tel Aviv’s relationship with Persian Gulf countries, Ynet reported.
In his Friday remarks, Mousavi said the Islamic Republic believes the US-led coalition is tension-provoking in nature.
"Iran believes the presence of ultra-regional forces in the Persian Gulf under any name and title will not only fail to help reinforce the region's security, but will further prepare the grounds for tension and crisis in the sensitive Persian Gulf region," he added.
He said Iran is opposed to the formation of such coalitions and considers it as a tension-creating and deceitful move.
The spokesman also referred to the organizers, founders, and members of such a coalition as the culprits behind possible tensions and crises that would emanate from such a move.
The US has announced plans to form a Washington-led force amid its attempts to trouble Iran’s foreign oil sales as part of its sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.
On June 30, the US officially asked Germany to participate — alongside Britain and France — in the coalition, a request that was declined by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas a day later. The UK, however, later accepted to join the coalition.
Iran's defense chief said on Thursday that the US-proposed coalition, which Washington purports would seek to beef up maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, will foment insecurity in the region.
Such a coalition "will only increase regional insecurity," Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami told his Kuwaiti, Qatari, and Omani counterparts during separate telephone conversations on Thursday, IRNA reported.
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