Netanyahu Plots More Illegal West Bank Colonies June 17, 2024 https://consortiumnews.com/2024/06/17/netanyahu-plots-more-illegal-west-bank-colonies/ The Israeli prime minister’s statement on Sunday was presented as a retaliation against countries that recently joined the majority of the international community in recognizing Palestinian statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April 2021. (DoD, Jack Sanders) By Jake Johnson Top Israeli officials on Sunday discussed plans to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank as an act of retaliation against countries that recently joined the majority of the international community in recognizing Palestinian statehood. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement Sunday announcing that government officials “discussed steps to strengthen settlement in Judea and Samaria, including in response to the countries that unilaterally recognized a Palestinian state after October 7, as well as a series of responses against the [Palestinian Authority] following its actions against Israel in [international] bodies.” “The defense minister and the attorney general requested additional time to comment on several of the proposed clauses,” the statement added. The government’s announcement, released hours before Netanyahu dissolved Israel’s war cabinet, comes amid an unprecedented wave of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank — violence that Israeli soldiers have abetted and frequently joined. Settlers and Israeli forces have demolished homes, razed refugee camps, set fire to cars and businesses, and carried out summary executions of West Bank residents — including children — in the eight months since Israel launched its assault on Gaza. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has vocally supported the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian territories, recently threatened that Israel’s military would turn the West Bank into “ruined cities like in the Gaza Strip.” CNN noted Sunday that Smotrich suggested last month that “Israel should approve 10,000 settlements in the West Bank, establish a new settlement for every country that recognizes a state of Palestine, and cancel travel permits for Palestinian Authority officials.” “This is what total unchecked impunity sounds like,” researcher Abe Silberstein wrote on social media following the latest news of Israel’s settlement-expansion plans. “Netanyahu knows Biden will do nothing, and that he will in fact stop others from doing anything.” The Biden administration, which acknowledged earlier this year that Israeli settlements are “inconsistent with international law,” has sanctioned a handful of settlers as well as an entity accused of fundraising for them, but critics say the actions were largely a public relations stunt. Israeli soldiers searching a Palestinian in Tel Rumaida, Gilbert checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, January 2012. (Friends123, CC0, Wikimedia Commons) In May — amid growing global outrage over Israel’s brutalization of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank — Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced their decision to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, drawing a furious response from Israel’s right-wing government, which warned of “severe consequences” for the move. Earlier this month, Slovenia’s Parliament overwhelmingly voted to recognize Palestine, becoming the latest European country to do so. Meanwhile, Israeli leaders — including Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — are facing the possibility of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor, who applied for the warrants against Israeli officials and Hamas leaders last month. A United Nations report published last week found that Israeli forces in the West Bank have “committed acts of sexual violence, torture, and inhuman or cruel treatment and outrages upon personal dignity, all of which are war crimes.” “Furthermore,” according to the report, “the government of Israel and Israeli forces permitted, fostered, and instigated a campaign of settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said in a statement Friday that “while the world is understandably focused on the destruction unfolding in Gaza, we should not lose sight of what is happening in the West Bank — actions which are in violation of both American and international law.” “Let’s be clear: The right-wing, extremist Netanyahu government is not only breaking international law in Gaza, they are doing the same in the West Bank, where they are pursuing illegal annexation by force,” said Sanders. “Netanyahu should be facing serious consequences for these violations, not receiving an invitation to address a joint session of Congress.”
Netanyahu accepts invitation to address joint session of Congress ‘I’m excited for the privilege’ of making Israel’s case to the American people and the world, says the prime minister after bipartisan leadership sends formal letter By Lazar Berman 2 Jun 2024 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks about Iran during a joint meeting of the United States Congress in the House chamber at the US Capitol on March 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday accepted an invitation to address a joint session of Congress. He said that he was “excited for the privilege to present in front of the representatives of the American people and the entire world the truth about our just war against those who wish to kill us.” The statement from the Prime Minister’s Office boasted that he would be the first world leader to address a joint session of Congress for a fourth time. He is currently tied at three with Britain’s wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill. No date has been set, but the speech is expected to take place “as soon as the next eight weeks or soon after August recess,” a source familiar with the matter told The Hill. On Friday, US Congressional leaders from both parties sent Netanyahu the invitation, a show of wartime support for longtime ally Israel despite mounting political divisions over the war against Hamas in Gaza. In the letter, the congressional leaders said the invitation was extended to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.” US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (right) and House Speaker Mike Johnson listen to remarks during a Hanukkah gathering at the Capitol in Washington, December 12, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The letter was signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican. “We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” they wrote. An Israeli official confirmed Netanyahu’s receipt of the invitation to reporters. The Hill said the invitation — first suggested by Johnson — was issued after weeks of delay caused by Schumer, who gave a speech on the Senate floor in March calling for early elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu. Schumer ultimately acquiesced, saying he was prepared to cooperate in a Netanyahu address as long as it was done in a bipartisan way. “The horrific attacks of October 7th shocked the world and forced your nation into a fight for its very existence. We join the State of Israel in your struggle against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders jeopardize regional stability,” the letter reads. “For this reason, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, we would like to invite you to address a Joint Meeting of Congress.” An official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu had been speaking in recent weeks to Republican Congressional leaders about a potential joint session address, viewing it as an opportunity to make Israel’s case on the global stage and is less concerned about some of the political fallout within the US. Republicans, including presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, have been eager to display their support for Netanyahu and expose the Democratic divisions over Israel. US President Joe Biden (2nd right) speaks during a meeting with Congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, February 27, 2024. From left, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, US Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden, and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York. (Evan Vucci/AP) Nearly 60 Democrats boycotted Netanyahu’s last joint session address in 2015, which was organized by Republican Congressional leaders behind the back of then-US president Barack Obama in order for the Israeli premier to lobby against the nuclear deal that Washington wound up signing with Iran later that year. A much larger number of Democrats would likely boycott a Netanyahu speech, as the war in Gaza has become increasingly unpopular among progressives. The war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 atrocities has also led to a rupture in Netanyahu’s relationship with US President Joe Biden, who in May threatened for the first time to withhold weapons from Israel if it launched a massive offensive in the civilian areas of Rafah. While Netanyahu has shored up the invite from Congress, he has not yet received one from the White House and making the trip to Washington without one would only further highlight the divides. Even before October 7, Netanyahu had not received an invite to the White House since his return to office in late 2022, as he quickly drew Biden’s ire over his efforts to radically overhaul Israel’s judiciary and actions seen as harming the US administration’s attempt to preserve prospects for a two-state solution. Biden visited Israel shortly after the Hamas-led attack, in the first-ever trip a US president has made to the Jewish state amid a war. Friday’s invitation notably came minutes after Biden gave a speech presenting what he said was the latest Israeli proposal for a hostage deal and ceasefire to end the war, and calling on Hamas to accept the offer. A congressional aide told The Times of Israel that Schumer’s office coordinated with the White House on the matter. Jacob Magid and AP contributed to this report.
Top Israeli generals approve Lebanon offensive battle plans, army says IDF says commanders also made decisions on ‘accelerating the readiness of the forces on the ground,’ as fighter jets strike Hezbollah targets By Emanuel Fabian 19 Jun 2024 https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-israeli-generals-approve-lebanon-offensive-battle-plans-army-says/ The head of IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin (left) and head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk (right) hold an assessment, July 18, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces) The head of the IDF’s Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin and head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk approved Lebanon battle plans on Tuesday, the military said, following a recent intensification of cross-border fighting with Hezbollah. In a statement, the IDF said the generals held an assessment, during which “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved.” The top commanders also made decisions regarding “accelerating the readiness of the forces on the ground,” the military added......
Looks like zionist shitstirrers Biden, Blinken, Netanyahu, GOP obviously believe peace with its neighbours comes out from the barrel of a gun.
BREAKING Death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks rises to 37,396. Health Ministry says another 85,523 wounded since October 7 Live updatesLive updates, Israel war on Gaza live: 7 killed in attack on ‘safe zone’ This video may contain light patterns or images that could trigger seizures or cause discomfort for people with visual sensitivities. By Stephen Quillen and Mersiha Gadzo 19 Jun 2024At least seven people killed and fires broke out as Israeli forces bombed tents in Gaza’s al-Mawasi ‘humanitarian zone’. Gaza officials demand Israel release 310 health workers “subjected to torture” and call for an international investigation “to reveal the fate” of dozens of “kidnapped” Palestinian health personnel. Sexual, gender-based violence part of Israeli forces’ operating procedures: UN Pillay says the commission concluded that specific forms of sexual and gender based violence constitute part of Israeli security forces operating procedures. “Although Israeli officials have repeatedly stated their operations in Gaza are intended to destroy Hamas and release hostages, yet neither of these aims has been largely achieved at the expense of thousands of lives,” she said. “We found that Israeli forces committed sexual and gender based violence with the intent to humiliate and further subordinate the Palestinian community. Palestinian women were targeted and subjected to sexual violence and harassment online and in person. “Men and boys experienced specific persecutory acts including sexual and gender-based violence amounting to torture and inhuman and cruel treatment.” Israel’s actions are ‘intentional and direct attack on the civilian population’: UN The Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territories has released a report on war crimes in Gaza. Speaking in Geneva, Navi Pillay, chair of the UN-backed Commission, says Israel “forcibly transferred almost the entire population into small enclosure that is unsafe and uninhabitable. “The deliberate use of heavy weapons with large destructive capacity in densely populated areas constitutes an intentional and direct attack on the civilian population.”17m ago Israeli authorities responsible for war crimes, UN inquiry finds A UN Human Rights Council session is under way to discuss a report into the actions in Gaza since October 7. An inquiry has concluded that Israeli authorities are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. We will bring you more from the session shortly. https://www.aljazeera.com/
We already know how laughable the Gaza Health Ministry casualty reports are — as outlined recently by the U.N. Tell us — what percentage of the casualties are militants. I assure you it’s over 50%.
Israelis are violent land thieves but according to the perspective coming from Americans / christians / jews, Hamas / Palestinians who resist are the trouble makers and 'terrorists' who must be further violently eliminated, in a similar fashion to the land thievery.