America and Israel, no different, no better than China. The preachers caught in their own hypocrisy. New details of torture, cover-ups in China's internment camps revealed in Amnesty International report Chinese officials spent days burning documents after government information leaked to global media exposed conditions in the camps. Residents at the Kashgar city vocational educational training center attend a Chinese lesson during a government organised visit in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, on Jan. 4, 2019.Ben Blanchard / Reuters file June 10, 2021 By Anna Schecter https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/...ps-china-s-internment-camps-revealed-n1270014 The prevalence of torture and the lengths to which the Chinese government has gone to cover up its treatment of Muslim minorities are described in comprehensive detail in an Amnesty International report on detention camps in Western China........
Politics (government) and Religion never mix well...people usually are abused or killed when politics and religion hold hands. Worst...sometime WARS are started when the two hold hands. wrbtrader
Plenty of food has been delivered to Gaza. Information demonstrates the alleged famine that was going to happen was complete nonsense. The claim that Israel used "starvation as a method of war" is clearly bunk. The problem is that the food is not getting distributed for free inside of Gaza. Either Hamas steals it, mobs of people steal it, or UNRWA employees store & sell the food for a profit. The food distribution issues in Gaza simply demonstrate widespread corruption. Data used for Gaza famine claims changing as expert cautions 'no one seems to be trying to explain why' ICC accused Israel of using 'starvation as a method of war,' something researcher says 'didn't materialize' in northern Gaza https://www.foxnews.com/world/data-...pert-cautions-no-one-seems-trying-explain-why Dire warnings from the United Nations, the U.S. EU and aid organizations of mass starvation and famine among civilians in northern Gaza seem to be overstated, according to some experts. "Leaders said that thousands of children were going to die, and it didn’t materialize, and no one seems to be trying to explain why," David Adesnik, senior fellow and director of research for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital. Adesnik has been tracking recent increases in food availability in northern Gaza that have gone without comment from researchers and the media. The first warning of famine came on March 18 in a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee (FRC), which stated famine was "projected and imminent" in northern Gaza and the Gazan governorates. Without "an immediate political decision for a ceasefire together with a significant and immediate increase in humanitarian and commercial access to the entire population of Gaza," the FRC stated that there would be a markedly increased "impact on mortality and the lives of Palestinians." A day following the report, Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the report, noting during a press conference in the Philippines that "according to the most respected measure of these things, 100% of the population in Gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity. That’s the first time an entire population has been so classified." By May 31, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), reported that it was "possible, if not likely, that all three IPC thresholds for Famine…were met or surpassed in northern Gaza in April." On June 4, the FRC released a different prognosis, contradicting the FEWS NET’s results and stating they were not "plausible." Among the reasons cited for disagreement was their finding that "while FEWS NET estimated the caloric availability in the area as covering only 59%- 63% of the needs…in April, the review done by the FRC estimates that this range would be 75% to 109% if commercial and/or privately contracted food deliveries were included," and "157% if a higher estimate was used." Fox News Digital reached out to both the IPC and FEWS NET about the differences between their most recent reports. The IPC said that FRC analysts were unable to respond as they were at work on a forthcoming report, due for release on June 25, about conditions throughout Gaza. FEWS NET pointed out that where FRC suggested there was not enough evidence to determine barriers to accessing aid, FEWS NET "observed significant challenges in both physical and financial access." "Analysis of acute food insecurity does not (and should not) only consider available supply, but access to and utilization of available food," FEWS NET explained. FEWS NET also stated that "when combining FEWS NET’s estimate of kilocalories available from food assistance with FEWS NET’s estimate of kilocalories available from subsidized bread from [World Food Programme (WFP)]-supported bakeries and [Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories]-facilitated commercial/private sector food commodities, the differences between FEWS NET and the FRC’s estimates are not significant. FEWS NET estimates that these three sources combined offer a total supply of nearly 150% of caloric needs in the month of April." Adesnik, however, pointed out that FEWS NET’s original assessment did not include calories obtained through World Food Program (WFP) bread or commercial and private sector foods, noting that the FRC found that "FEWS NET simply ignored 940 tons of sugar, flour, salt and yeast that the World Food Program delivered to north Gaza bakeries. The tone of the FRC review is always respectful, yet it exposes the extent to which FEWS NET made indefensible assumptions that all serve to underestimate Israel’s efforts to help more food reach the people of northern Gaza." While Adesnik said that without question "hunger persists in northern Gaza and there is a deep need for humanitarian assistance," he also said that the "stark differences" between FEWS NET and FRC’s assessments "underscore the subjectivity inherent in famine assessments, along with the potential for politicization." As an example, Adesnik noted that a lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gazans was "an integral part of the charges" that the International Criminal Court leveled against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on May 20 when they issued arrest warrants for the men. The ICC believes Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility" for war crimes and crimes against humanity." Among the allegations the men face is that they "plan[ned] to use starvation as a method of war." Adesnik said that "regardless of whether the situation in Gaza improved because the famine declaration was premature or because Israel facilitated dramatically more shipments of food in March and April, this just shows how laughable the ICC’s charges are." Fox News Digital reached out to the ICC to ask whether they would change their assessment that Israeli officials intentionally starved Gazans based on FRC findings about food availability in April, prior to charges being filed. The ICC responded by directing Fox News Digital to its statement announcing war crimes charges against Israeli and Hamas leaders. Other institutions likewise seem reticent to acknowledge that the dire threats said to be "imminent" in March have not come to pass. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the WFP’s Hunger Hotspots outlook on food insecurity from June to October notes that "in Palestine, over 1 million people – half of the population of the Gaza Strip – is expected to face death and starvation (IPC Phase 5) by mid-July." In response to Fox News Digital’s questions about whether the FAO planned to amend its report based on the FRC’s latest information on food availability in Gaza, the FAO news team stated that the organization would wait until the FRC released its updated report to revise its assessment. A State Department spokesperson responded to Fox News’ requests for comment about the disparities between FEWS NET and FRC reporting by expressing concern about the "more than 2 million people and the most rapid onset of the levels of food insecurity that we’ve ever seen." Noting that neither FRC nor FEWS NET confirmed that a famine was ongoing, the spokesperson said that "Gaza remains in a dire food security crisis with unacceptable rates of child malnutrition and elevated levels of associated sickness and deaths. And the whole point of measurements and early warning is to spur action now and not wait until it’s too late, and we’ve definitively reached a specific threshold." The increased aid entering Gaza has been affected in recent weeks by cigarette smuggling that "now threatens United Nations aid convoys." Attacks on convoys thought to hold coveted cigarettes have led the U.N. to stop picking up aid, according to Israel's TPS news agency. Citing the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the TPS reported that 285 aid trucks were transferred to the Gaza Strip from the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings. Of these, "only 88 aid trucks were collected by U.N. aid agencies and the private sector." According to COGAT, "over 1,000 trucks" and "hundreds of aid pallets" await collection and distribution. "The U.N. needs to scale up," COGAT posted online on June 20, sharing an aerial video of unclaimed aid in the JLOTS collection and distribution compound. The WFP’s country director for the Palestinians, Matthew Hollingworth, recently stated in an interview with CNN that "in terms of our operations, we have been able to bring more food into the north over the past few weeks, which has improved access to basic food commodities for people there, but we need to diversify the assistance given. It’s not enough to have basic food commodities. There needs to be basic health care, there needs to be water and sanitation, otherwise, we won’t turn the curve on famine." The WFP spokesperson did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about whether Hollingworth believed famine to be impending in Gaza. As various entities continue to indicate that Israel’s efforts to aid the civilian population have fallen short, FRC’s assessment is in line with a study by academics and public health officials in Israel who found that aid entering the Gaza Strip could provide for the population of 2.4 million and meet its nutritional needs. (Article has video and pictures)
‘This area has a geographical curse’: Residents along Lebanon’s border with Israel fear another war By Ben Wedeman, CNN Mon June 24, 2024 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/24/...n-israel-border-war-fears-intl-hnk/index.html The town of Metula, Israel as seen from southern Lebanon. Smoke rises on the Lebanese side of the partition after an Israeli strike. Muhammad Darwish/CNN Marjayoun, Lebanon CNN — In the town of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, around five miles north of the Israeli border, the main square seems almost abandoned. A few men play billiards in a storefront nestled in a building crowned with life-sized statues of the Virgin Mary and Saint Charbel, a revered Lebanese saint. They don’t want to talk about the wars and rumors of war that for decades have plagued this predominantly Christian town near the border. Journalists are a bother, one grumbles, and goes back to the game. On the other side of the square, a woman in her thirties comes out of a grocery store with a small bag. “Marjayoun is very nice, it’s fantastic,” the woman, Claude, tells me. “But the shelling scares us.” That’s all she wants to say. Throughout the day, occasional thuds of incoming and outgoing fire echo through the streets. Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have risen sharply since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing military campaign by Israel in Gaza. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has been firing missiles, mortars and drones into Israel, and Israel has returned that fire. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the mountainous border have fled as concerns intensify about the possible outbreak of another full-fledged war. On the Lebanese side, residents of Shia-majority towns like Kafr Kila, Adaisa, Aita Al-Shaab and Aitaroun have almost all left. Frequent Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages have reduced many of these communities to rubble. Damaged property in the town of Marjayoun, southern Lebanon. Muhammad Darwish/CNN Marjayoun, in comparison, has been mostly spared. The town was the headquarters of the Israeli-armed and funded South Lebanese Army (SLA), a Christian-led proxy militia, during Israel’s decades-long occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended 24 years ago after a protracted guerilla war with Hezbollah. When Israel pulled out in 2000, many of Marjayoun’s inhabitants fled south across the border to Israel, fearful of being accused by fellow Lebanese citizens of being collaborators with Israel. Their departure, along with Lebanon’s collapsed economy, fear of yet another prolonged conflict, the absence of a functioning state and emigration have sapped Marjayoun of people and prosperity. Yet, more than two decades later, some residents still cling to their ancient town and vow not to leave. “I feel this area has a geographical curse. There has always been tension,” Edouard Achy told me. “The threats are coming from both sides of the border. Tensions are increasing day by day. Everything points to something about to happen.” Is he going to leave, I ask. He shrugs. “After more than eight months of this situation, people just want calm and quiet,” he says. Sunday mass at the Maronite Church in the town of Marjayoun, southern Lebanon. Around 90,000 residents are said to have left the south of the country since October 7th amid ongoing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. Muhammad Darwish/CNN His sister, Amal, and her family have come to church to say a special prayer to mark 40 days since her mother died. Dressed in black with a crucifix around her neck, she brought large loaves of bread and bags of buns to share with the congregation. Amal exudes a strong connection with her hometown, but wonders how much longer it will be safe as the clouds of war gather overhead. “We’re staying put, and God willing, we’ll continue to stay,” she insisted. “The south is the Holy Land. The Messiah tread here two thousand years ago.” She paused and sighed. “But if things escalate to war and it reaches here like it did before, with some shelling, of course, like others, we’ll have to leave,” she said. ‘In war, everyone loses’ Half an hour away, in the mostly Druze town of Hasbaya, 85-year-old Abu Nabil sweeps the street outside his shop. The Druze faith is an offshoot of Islam, with adherents found in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan. A pious man with a gentle smile and a bushy white moustache, he looks on the bright side of life. “The Lord is merciful to us,” he says. “We can sleep in our homes. We eat. We drink. No one goes hungry.” 85-year-old Abu Nabil, a resident of the town Hasbaya, tells CNN there is no winner in a war. Muhammad Darwish/CNN Since his birth, Abu Nabil saw Lebanon gain its independence from France in 1943, prosper during the 1960s, become engulfed by civil war, invaded and partially occupied by Israel for decades, and partially occupied by Syria, also for decades. He has seen the country emerge from civil war, embroiled in war again with Israel in 2006, wracked by a string of high-profile assassinations, convulsed by a short-lived revolution in 2019, followed by economic collapse, and now once again, on the brink of full-scale war with Israel. “War is ruinous,” he says, grasping my hand. “In war, everyone loses, even the winner.” Across the street, young men drink coffee from small paper cups while smoking cigarettes. They don’t want trouble, they say, declining to be interviewed. The worry here, and in many parts of Lebanon, is that if you speak out against Hezbollah, there could be a price to pay. Some people do, some politicians do, but when Hezbollah lives nearby, it’s best not to take the risk. “Gaza is not my war, and I don’t want to pray in Jerusalem,” one of the men insisted. Another said one of reasons not one Israeli missile, bomb or artillery round has landed in Hasbaya is because young men act as a sort of armed community watch, making sure no one, neither Hezbollah nor Hamas, fires anything at Israel. It’s not their turf and they’re not welcome here, they say. Down the hill, there’s a traffic jam on the road leading out of Hasbaya west towards Marjayoun. Cars crawl at a snail’s pace, drivers sticking their heads out to see what it’s all about. A large group of men, women and children stand around a new white stone building, all dressed in their best. Parked in front is a shining white convertible, the bonnet covered with bouquets of flowers and a license plate reads, in English, “Newly Married.” A group of men arrives in traditional Druze clothing—with small turbans, vests and low-crotched trousers—carrying drums and horns. As people leave the building, musicians strike up a raucous tune with a heavy beat and high notes, while others twirl prayer beads over their heads. The bride, Fatin, in a long lacy dress, and the groom, Taymour, emerge into the sunlight, and everyone cheers. I decide not to interfere with annoying questions about Israel, Hezbollah, impending war, death, destruction and displacement. Everyone is happy, enjoying the bright June afternoon, the noise, the presence of friends and relatives. “Why spoil such a beautiful day?” I think. Looking at the festivities, you’d never guess that Israeli forces are only about five miles away and that, not far from here, deadly projectiles are being hurtled back and forth across the border. The irony, however, was not lost on one man, who leaned over with a chuckle, “We’re celebrating here while war is around the corner.”
Who is responsible for feeding Gaza? Arguments fly over Israel’s duty to maintain aid https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/05/29/who-is-responsible-for-feeding-gaza FILE - Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. photograph: AP May 29th 2024 An estimated 1m Palestinians have fled Rafah since the start of Israel’s offensive there on May 6th. For those who remain, the fighting has had grisly consequences. At least 45 people, including a number of children, died on May 26th after an Israeli air strike set fire to a tent camp; survivors had to pull charred bodies from the wreckage. Even those who evacuated are not entirely safe: dozens more were killed two days later in a strike near al-Mawasi, a so-called “humanitarian zone” for displaced civilians. Less macabre, but just as consequential, is what the offensive has done to the flows of aid that have kept 2.2m Palestinians alive throughout eight months of war. Consider the statistics from one recent day. The Israeli army said that 370 lorries of aid reached Gaza on May 27th, 154 of them via Kerem Shalom, a border crossing in the south. Yet the un’s official tally from that day recorded zero lorries at Kerem Shalom. Neither side is lying—nor, though, are they telling the whole truth. The confusing figures show how Israel’s campaign in Rafah has complicated deliveries of aid. Until it began, most of the aid reaching Gaza did so by lorry in the south, where it was collected by the un. Of the 27,608 lorries that entered between the start of the war and May 6th, around 25,000 went via the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings (see map). Over 90% of those lorries delivered goods to the un and other charities; only a small fraction carried cargo ordered by private firms. Map: The Economist Deliveries reached an all-time high in April, when 5,671 lorries entered Gaza via the two southern crossings. There were also new routes for shipments to other parts of the enclave. In May Israel opened a new crossing, called West Erez, which could handle deliveries in the north. America inaugurated a temporary pier to receive supplies by sea. After months of shortages, aid workers were hopeful that the humanitarian situation was improving. Then Israeli troops began their push into Rafah. It has caused two big problems. First is the supply of aid. Egypt stopped sending lorries to the Rafah crossing after Israeli troops seized it. Kerem Shalom has, at times, been too dangerous to use (partly because Hamas keeps firing rockets at it). The week before the Rafah offensive began, the UN received 1,601 lorries through those crossings; the week after, it recorded 63 (see chart). Most lorries entering in the south are now bound for private firms, not charities. They show up in Israel’s statistics, but not in the UN’s. Chart: The Economist On most days the West Erez crossing now handles a majority of the aid entering Gaza. In the two weeks before the Rafah offensive, just 94 aid lorries used that route; in the two weeks after it began, 465 of them did. That is a five-fold increase, but it does not make up for the much larger drop in aid flows in the south. Nor does the maritime route. In its first week the American-built pier received around 1,100 tonnes of aid—the equivalent of eight lorries a day. On May 28th the Pentagon said the pier had been damaged and needed to be towed to Israel for repairs. Moreover, both the pier and the West Erez crossing are in northern Gaza, which has been largely depopulated. That points to a second issue. The daily figures from the Israeli army count all the lorries that clear security screening and unload their goods on the Gazan side of the border. But those deliveries are little help to Gazans unless someone can pick up the supplies and deliver them where they are needed. Until May 6th, the UN was largely responsible for that: it sent hundreds of lorries each day to collect aid from the southern crossings. With most of Gaza’s 2.2m people huddled in Rafah, most aid stayed there as well; many UN lorries had to drive only a few kilometres to drop their cargo at warehouses and government offices. Now, though, the UN says it is often too dangerous to send drivers to Kerem Shalom. Since May 6th it has dispatched just 169 lorries (an average of seven a day). On May 21st the UN halted food distribution in Rafah, citing logistical glitches. Deliveries in the north can be fraught as well: much of the aid that came via the American-built pier was seized by hungry crowds before it reached UN warehouses. Private firms have fewer qualms about security: they send dozens of lorries to Kerem Shalom each day to collect goods and deliver them to makeshift markets. With less aid entering Gaza, these markets are now a vital lifeline. But shoppers say the prices are often high and erratic. This makes for a bleak picture. Food, medicine and other essentials are still getting into Gaza, but some shipments are stuck in staging areas on the border. Others are sold at prices that few Gazans can afford. Israel, though, insists that it is meeting its duties under international law. Warring states have no duty to feed the enemy, only a “duty to facilitate”: they must allow neutral parties to deliver humanitarian aid, which Israel has done with the UN. But those duties change if they become occupying powers. Then they must “ensure the provision” of basic supplies. It is not enough passively to allow food into the territory; occupiers must themselves actively provide supplies if they are needed and cannot get through by other means. Under international law, an army becomes an occupying power once it can exercise “effective control” over a territory. The meaning of that phrase is debated. Many Israeli lawyers argue their country cannot be deemed to occupy Gaza: it has not set up a formal administration there, and its troops have withdrawn from many areas they once controlled. Perhaps Israel has been the occupying power for limited periods in particular areas, they concede, but not in Gaza as a whole. Yet Israel now controls all of Gaza’s land borders, its coastline and its air space. It has thousands of troops in Rafah, a smaller number deployed along a corridor that bisects the enclave, and the freedom to send forces anywhere it wishes. It has not set up a military government for Gaza—but it has the power to do so. To many, that looks like effective control. David Cameron, Britain’s foreign secretary, called Israel an occupying power in March. On May 20th a panel of experts convened by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court found that Israel was “certainly” an occupying power “in all of or at least in substantial parts of Gaza”. The prosecutor accused Israel’s prime minister and its defence minister of inflicting “starvation as a method of war” in his request for arrest warrants in May. For almost eight months, Israel has resisted calls to deliver aid to Gazans directly and urged the UN to do more. But the fighting in Rafah has left the UN paralysed. Whatever the legal arguments, if the offensive leads to greater hunger and disease in Gaza, many will hold Israel responsible. ■
It's long overdue that someone sued UNRWA for supporting terrorists. Israeli Terror Victims Sue UNRWA for Leading 'Billion-Dollar Money Laundering Operation That Funded Hamas' https://freebeacon.com/israel/israe...money-laundering-operation-that-funded-hamas/
Home Washington Free Beacon – Bias and Credibility Washington Free Beacon – Bias and Credibility What's New? Recently Added Sources and Pages RIGHT BIAS These media sources are moderately to strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports, and omit information that may damage conservative causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Right Bias sources. Overall, we rate the Washington Free Beacon Right Biased based on story selection that favors the right and Mixed for factual reporting due to misleading and false claims. Detailed Report Bias Rating: RIGHT Factual Reporting: MIXED Country: USA Press Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE Media Type: Website Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY History The Washington Free Beacon is an American politically conservative political journalism website that publishes news and opinion commentary. Founded in 2012, the editor-in-chief is Matthew Continetti. The site is noted for its conservative reporting, modeled after liberal counterparts in the media such as ThinkProgress and Talking Points Memo, intended to publicize stories and influence mainstream media coverage. From October 2015 to May 2016, the Washington Free Beacon hired Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research on “multiple candidates” during the 2016 presidential election, including Donald Trump. The Free Beacon stopped funding this research when Donald Trump had clinched the Republican nomination. Funded by / Ownership The Washington Free Beacon is a privately owned, for-profit online newspaper primarily funded through online advertising. Analysis / Bias In review, the Washington Free Beacon often uses loaded words in their headlines that favor the right such as Michael Moore’s Ex-Wife Claims He Stiffed Her out of Movie Profits. The Free Beacon usually sources its information properly but occasionally uses Mixed factual sources. Regarding factual reporting, the Washington Free Beacon has a mixed track record. See below. Failed Fact Checks Gender Pay Gap in Clinton’s Senate Office? – False 7 Hillary Clinton quotes on the Internet that are complete fakes – False Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar held “secret fundraisers” with “Islamic groups tied to terror.” – False In the summer of 2019, based on advice from an advocate general, the European Court of Justice required “Jewish-made” products to be labeled as such. – False Biden Administration To Fund Crack Pipes, Heroin – False “The Biden administration is floating a new” climate strategy: Don’t leave your house.” – Mostly False Overall, we rate the Washington Free Beacon Right Biased based on story selection that favors the right and Mixed for factual reporting due to misleading and false claims. (7/19/2016) Updated (D. Van Zandt 03/09/2023) Source: https://freebeacon.com/
For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it’s blown up in our faces The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from By Tal Schneider 8 Oct 2023 https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/ Gazans celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the broken Israel-Gaza border fence, east of Khan Younis, October 7, 2023. (AP/Yousef Masoud) For years, the various governments led by Benjamin Netanyahu took an approach that divided power between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — bringing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to his knees while making moves that propped up the Hamas terror group. The idea was to prevent Abbas — or anyone else in the Palestinian Authority’s West Bank government — from advancing toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. Thus, amid this bid to impair Abbas, Hamas was upgraded from a mere terror group to an organization with which Israel held indirect negotiations via Egypt, and one that was allowed to receive infusions of cash from abroad. Hamas was also included in discussions about increasing the number of work permits Israel granted to Gazan laborers, which kept money flowing into Gaza, meaning food for families and the ability to purchase basic products. Israeli officials said these permits, which allow Gazan laborers to earn higher salaries than they would in the enclave, were a powerful tool to help preserve calm. Toward the end of Netanyahu’s fifth government in 2021, approximately 2,000-3,000 work permits were issued to Gazans. This number climbed to 5,000 and, during the Bennett-Lapid government, rose sharply to 10,000. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a government conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on September 27, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) Since Netanyahu returned to power in January 2023, the number of work permits has soared to nearly 20,000. Additionally, since 2014, Netanyahu-led governments have practically turned a blind eye to the incendiary balloons and rocket fire from Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel has allowed suitcases holding millions in Qatari cash to enter Gaza through its crossings since 2018, in order to maintain its fragile ceasefire with the Hamas rulers of the Strip. A Palestinian man receives financial aid at a supermarket in Gaza City, on September 15, 2021, as part of the UN’s Humanitarian Cash Assistance program, supported by the state of Qatar. (Mahmud Hams/AFP) Most of the time, Israeli policy was to treat the Palestinian Authority as a burden and Hamas as an asset. Far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich, now the finance minister in the hardline government and leader of the Religious Zionism party, said so himself in 2015. According to various reports, Netanyahu made a similar point at a Likud faction meeting in early 2019, when he was quoted as saying that those who oppose a Palestinian state should support the transfer of funds to Gaza, because maintaining the separation between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. While Netanyahu does not make these kind of statements publicly or officially, his words are in line with the policy that he implemented. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas looking on as he receives Palestinian athletes in Ramallah in the West Bank on August 4, 2023. (Wissam KHALIFA/PPO/AFP) The same messaging was repeated by right-wing commentators, who may have received briefings on the matter or talked to Likud higher-ups and understood the message. Bolstered by this policy, Hamas grew stronger and stronger until Saturday, Israel’s “Pearl Harbor,” the bloodiest day in its history — when terrorists crossed the border, slaughtered hundreds of Israelis and kidnapped an unknown number under the cover of thousands of rockets fired at towns throughout the country’s south and center. The country has known attacks and wars, but never on such a scale in a single morning. One thing is clear: The concept of indirectly strengthening Hamas — while tolerating sporadic attacks and minor military operations every few years — went up in smoke Saturday. Just a few days ago, Assaf Pozilov, a reporter for the Kan public broadcaster, tweeted the following: “The Islamic Jihad organization has started a noisy exercise very close to the border, in which they practiced launching missiles, breaking into Israel and kidnapping soldiers.” The body of a person killed by Hamas terrorists lies covered inside a bullet-riddled car in the southern city of Sderot on October 7, 2023 (Oren ZIV / AFP) The difference between Islamic Jihad and Hamas doesn’t matter much at this point. As far as the State of Israel is concerned, the territory is under the control of Hamas, and it is responsible for all the training and activities there. Hamas became stronger and used the auspices of peace that Israelis so longed for as cover for its training, and hundreds of Israelis have paid with their lives for this massive omission. The terror inflicted on the civilian population in Israel is so enormous that the wounds from it will not heal for years, a challenge compounded by the dozens abducted into Gaza. Judging by the way Netanyahu has managed Gaza in the last 13 years, it is not certain that there will be a clear policy going forward.
EU’s top diplomat accuses Israel of funding Hamas Josep Borrell makes explosive claim right before Israeli foreign minister arrives in Brussels on Monday. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell | John Thys/AFP via Getty Images January 20, 2024 By Šejla Ahmatović https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-funded-hamas-claims-eu-top-diplomat-josep-borrell/ The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell on Friday openly accused Israel of having financed the Palestinian militant group Hamas. “Hamas was financed by the Israeli government in an attempt to weaken the Palestinian Authority,” Borrell was quoted as saying by Spanish newspaper El País. Borrell was speaking at Spain’s University of Valladolid, where the Spanish politician was awarded an honorary doctorate. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied such allegations in the past.