Notices by Benjamin Balder Bach (benjaoming@social.data.coop), page 2

»EU staffers criticise von der Leyen’s ‘uncontrolled’ support of Israel: More than 800 EU staff and global diplomats sign a letter to the EU chief, saying the bloc’s position is enabling more violence.«

Exactly this. If EU and US leaders had been critical of Israel's actions from the beginning, thousands of civilian lives would have been saved.

The kind of friend that Israel needs is someone who can say "no" and "stop".

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/20/eu-staffers-criticise-von-der-leyens-uncontrolled-support-of-israel

Tomorrow, Dec 9th, marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

Yet today, Dec 8th, the US stood alone to veto another call for ceasefire in the UN Security Council.

With their unwavering support for Israel's atrocities, the US is complicit in a genocide. Materially through their military aid and weapons exports and politically through their obstruction of international action.

I didn't see this in my local media so I'm posting it here:

Israeli hostages ask if Netanyahu wants to kill everyone and calls for a prisoner swap.

It's quite obvious that the main priority of the Israeli government isn't to get the hostages back. It's also pretty weird why that's not criticized more by their allies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXqeNoH0Gm4

Daniel Levy was on BBC on October 11th with this interview. So much time has passed since and yet the world (especially the Western part) has stood by watching.

He appeared last week in a longer interview with Ash Sarkar about Israeli politics, "Former Israeli Advisor on Netanyahu, Qatar and Irreversible Damage In Gaza" - worth listening to! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a6O-ZeW5zQ

Spain’s Social Rights Minister Ione Belarra: “I believe that Europe will pay very dearly for this hypocrisy.”

The whole interview is very clear 🎯

(worth transcribing)

"UN Watch" on ex-Birdsite is a #fakenews account meant to promote a special bias. They allege that the recently adopted resolution (boycotted by many Western states) doesn't call for the release of hostages.

But the resolution clearly calls for “immediate and unconditional release” of all civilians being illegally held captive.

I hope you aren't being fooled by any such claims about the resolution, which you can read about here: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142932

»I’m an American doctor who went to Gaza. What I saw wasn’t war — it was annihilation«

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-02-16/rafah-gaza-hospitals-surgery-israel-bombing-ground-offensive-children

Snipers shooting children, another awful atrocity of the Israeli regime. So are photos and videos of Israeli soldiers celebrating humiliation of their enemies and demolition of homes.

Israel's genocide and war crimes are carried out in an arrogant way. They mock the UN General Secretary and the ICJ because at the end of the day, US and its allies stay silent.

The latest episode of The Stream is very very powerful. »Made in Israel, tested in Palestine. The war on Gaza seems to be a testing ground for Israel’s new weaponry, with devastating effect.«

This is the dystopia that the Western military industry is building:

Official UN/ICJ live stream is here: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k11/k11gf661b3

Judging from other archived material, the recording of South Africa's speeches should also be published here.

Letters from Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Phillippe Lazzarini: https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/letter-commissioner-general-president-general-assembly

The world must refuse Israel's attacks on the UNWRA and expose Israel's hateful and vile strategy.

Arms exports to Israel must stop immediately: UN experts

»Any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately
(...)
States must accordingly refrain from transferring any weapon or ammunition – or parts for them – if it is expected, given the facts or past patterns of behaviour, that they would be used to violate international law.«

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/arms-exports-israel-must-stop-immediately-un-experts

Final words of Aaron Bushnell:

> "I am an active duty member, of the United States Airforce. And I will no longer be complicit to genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at their hands of their colonizers—it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal"

Noting also that he worked as a DevOps Engineer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation_of_Aaron_Bushnell

»Today We Remake the Jewish Labor Bund: (...) We seek to re-establish the Bund today for the same reasons and with the same guiding principle: doikayt, and the same rejection of ethnonationalism in favor of working toward a fairer world on a local level.«

https://www.derbund.org/

The UN's livestream can already rewind back to the beginning if you want to see it again. I'll want to review the presentation by Tembeka Ngcukaitobi again, it was very very powerful. Starts around 50 minutes into the stream.

https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k11/k11gf661b3

And yes, tomorrow 10-13h, Israel has the right to defend itself..... in the ICJ.

United Nations Security Council passes resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire.

The US abstained but didn't veto it. The other 14 countries voted in favor.

Will be interesting to see what has been changed in the text since the first Security Council resolution for a ceasefire was rejected on October 16th.

Today's announcement from ICJ is really important to define the state of justice and human rights.

If the ICJ doesn't take any precautions on Israel's ongoing atrocities, what hope do we have in the UN-based system to ultimately protect human lives?

I would like to see an analysis established on basis on how the Russia vs. Ukraine case is handled by ICJ, in which the court has already told Russia to stop the invasion: https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/122119-ukraine-historic-support-un-top-court.html

The BDS Movement is suggesting there has been a significant divestment in Israeli tech companies. Today, they shared this specific news story of Samsung leaving Tel Aviv: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/by1p82me0

Although the companies don't leave political statements, the indication seems to be that they're unhappy with something...

Meanwhile, in a a shocking lack of political leadership, Western countries keep buying weapons from Elbit etc.

https://bdsmovement.net/US-Tech-Companies-Begin-to-Shut-Down-Israel-Operations

Israel blocks sufficient aid from coming in via land. So the US is building a seaport, 1,000 US troops are building it. Plus the airdrops. The schools and hospitals that Israel destroy are largely funded by the EU and US. Who will likely pay the >$50bn to reconstruct Gaza?

Biden spoke directly to Israel to say that invading Rafah would be a mistake.

And yet the West sells bombs and buys Israeli tech tested in a genocide.

It needs to stop. Turkey showed the way.

Belgium calls for EU sanctions on imports from Israeli-occupied territories:

> Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo: “In 10 years’ time, we’ll be told: ‘You watched and did nothing.’” (...) The EU is Israel’s biggest trading partner, accounting for 28.8 percent of its trade in goods in 2022. De Croo specifically mentioned dates, wine and olive oil as products whose import could be banned.

https://www.politico.eu/article/belgium-prime-minister-alexander-de-croo-calls-for-eu-sanctions-imports-from-israeli-occupied-territories/

> An Israeli cabinet member is unexpectedly disappointed by the closing of Al Jazeera's operations in Israel: Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

> (...) at a recent meeting with hostages' families, Levin said, "I know little about the management of the war and the negotiations. We're told nothing and they don't share with us. Most of what I know is from watching Al Jazeera, because I speak Arabic."

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-08/ty-article/.premium/israeli-justice-minister-most-of-what-i-know-about-the-war-is-from-al-jazeera/0000018f-5797-d6a5-a5ff-d7b709760000