Looks like the residents of Gaza are getting totally dissatisfied with Hamas. Islamic scholar’s ‘fatwa’ criticising October 7 attack echoes growing unhappiness in Gaza towards Hamas https://theconversation.com/islamic...wing-unhappiness-in-gaza-towards-hamas-243492 An Islamic scholar in Gaza has issued a legal ruling – or fatwa – denouncing the October 7 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas. Salman al-Dayah’s fatwa condemned Hamas’s actions for violating Islamic principles governing jihad, because they resulted in harm to Israeli and Gazan civilians. The term “jihad” is applied to the religious struggle for self-improvement, as well as armed combat. In times of war, jihad principles strictly prohibit harm to civilians, including women and children. BBC reports describe Dayah as one of the region’s most respected religious authorities, with ties to the Salafi movement in Gaza. Salafism is a type of Islam that seeks to emulate the practices of the Prophet Mohammed and his followers. Dayah appears to be a pacifist from the Salafism’s “quietist” tradition, which shuns political activism. Nevertheless, Dayah has a history of intervening in politics. In 2007, he issued a fatwa against the kidnapping of British BBC journalist Alan Johnston by Hamas breakaway group the Army of Islam. He later chaired the religious mediation committee that secured Johnston’s release. More recently, in May 2024, Dayah signed an open letter calling for resistance against the Israeli destruction of Palestinian universities. Reports suggest he still resides in northern Gaza, despite the destruction and forced evacuation of many civilians by Israeli forces. This fatwa is significant for at least three reasons. First, the ruling suggests divided opinion about Hamas’s actions among Gaza’s population of 2.2 million. Second, the fatwa represents the latest attempt by prominent Islamic scholars to develop a form of counter-terrorism rooted in religious teaching. And third, the condemnation of the October 7 attacks opens up debates on whether criticism of Hamas – proscribed by the US and UK governments as a terrorist organisation – risks undermining efforts to secure justice and prosperity for all Palestinians. Within the 5.2 million population of Gaza and the West Bank, over 99% of Muslims identify as Sunni. Sunnis are Islam’s largest denomination, making up between 84% and 87% of the global Muslim population. Less than 1% of Muslims in Gaza and the West Bank identify as Shia, the second-largest denomination, making up around 10% to 13% of all Muslims globally. These demographics are important: despite the overwhelming majority of Palestinians being Sunni, Hamas receives financial and military support from Iran, a Shia-majority country. Iran is home to around one-third of the world’s Shia Muslims. As a Salafi, Dayah is part of the larger Sunni tradition. One explanation for his fatwa might be that he is attempting to reaffirm Sunnism or Salafism within Gaza, by dividing its citizens on their support for Hamas and its ties to Shia-ruled Iran. Data published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (CPSR) thinktank provides clues to the existence of such divides. It’s a complex and surprising picture, but one statistic leaps out: when asked in September 2024 whether Hamas had committed the October 7 atrocities against Israelis shown by international media, including the murder of women and children, 89% of those living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank responded that it had not. Only 8% said it did. Despite this belief – and while some aspects of support for Hamas remain strong among the people of Gaza – positive attitudes are declining. The same survey showed that while in March 2024, 71% thought Hamas’s decision to launch its October 7 offensive had been “correct”, by September this had fallen to 39%. That month, 80% reported at least one family member having been killed or injured during the war, while 85% reported moving “from one shelter to another” between two and six times. Asked who will emerge victorious, 28% of Gazans said Hamas, 25% thought Israel, and 45% replied “none of them”. The number of people who want Hamas to continue to govern Gaza fell from 46% in June 2024 to 36% in September, while 37% of Gazans believe the group actually will control Gaza after the war. There have been anecdotal reports of civilians in Gaza who “despise” Hamas but are too afraid to speak out. In July 2024, the BBC reported widespread public dissatisfaction with Hamas. The challenges of criticising Hamas Dayah’s fatwa builds on previous attempts by leading Islamic scholars to develop approaches to countering terrorism that are rooted in Islamic teaching. In 2010, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri – a prominent Pakistani scholar and religious leader – published a 600-page Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings. Qadri’s book is an unequivocal attack on violence and terrorism. Like Dayah, Qadri points to the strict prohibition against the wartime killing of women and children, and the destruction of places of worship and other buildings. Condemnation of Hamas was also issued by the Global Imams Council, which holds Hamas “directly responsible for the deaths and suffering of all innocent lives lost since October 7”. There are obvious sensitivities here. On the one hand, UK politicians from all parties had no hesitation in describing Hamas as “terrorists” in the aftermath of October 7. On the other, the BBC has maintained its strict policy of avoiding the term. Some view Hamas’s control of Gaza as a byproduct of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. UN secretary general António Guterres attracted criticism after stating that the attacks by Hamas “did not happen in a vaccuum”, and that “the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation”. Some criticise those who condemn the atrocities of Hamas while saying nothing about the lack of proportionality of Israel’s response. But regardless of where western sympathies lie, the fatwa and the attitudes of Gazans as revealed by the research data are a reminder that Muslim attitudes and opinions do not form one monolithic block. There are clearly differences of opinion among Gazans and other Palestinians across the region. The Islamic concept of a worldwide community – or “ummah”’ – is important for millions of people. But notions that Muslims everywhere think and act as one are not supported by the evidence. Such stereotypes are likely to reinforce damaging tropes capable of fuelling prejudices across the Middle East and elsewhere.
New report exposes UNRWA educators’ deep links to terror groups https://nypost.com/2024/11/15/world...-unrwa-educators-deep-links-to-terror-groups/ More than 10% of principals and senior education staff employed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to a report published on Thursday. The study, by Israeli non-profit organization IMPACT-se, noted that many continued to draw a regular salary after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. Its publication comes less than two weeks after Israel’s Knesset barred UNRWA from operating in Israel over its terror ties. For the study, IMPACT-se explored educational practices in five schools whose principals are senior UNRWA education officials, and under two of which (Al-Maghazi Boys Preparatory School B and Al-Zaytun Boys Preparatory School A) Hamas tunnels were found: Al Zaytun Boys Preparatory and Elementary School, whose principal, Mohammad Juma Shuwaideh, is a squad commander in Hamas’s Gaza Brigade. Al-Maghazi Boys Preparatory School B, where both the principal, Khaled Said Mustafa al-Massri, and deputy principal Ahmad Samir Mahmoud El Khatib are squad commanders in Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade. Al-Mughraqa Boys Elementary School, whose principal, Raed Khaled Abu Mukhadda, is a member of the Central Camps Brigade of Hamas’s Deir al-Balah Battalion. Nuseirat Boys Preparatory C School, which is headed by Mahmoud Faez Sarraj, a member of the Central Camps Brigade, Nuseirat Battalion. Ahmad Abdel Aziz Boys Preparatory School, led by Mahmoud Ahmad Hamdan, a Hamas member known to Israeli authorities, who openly promoted the violent “Great March of Return” riots. IMPACT-se found that the “schools use lessons to deny Israel’s existence, promote hostility, and encourage violent narratives,” and noted that despite past warnings, “UNRWA has taken no meaningful steps to address the glorification of violence or antisemitic rhetoric in these schools.” The report details hateful material taught in each UNRWA school, under two of which terror tunnels were discovered by Israeli forces, underscoring the profound influence wielded in Gaza by Hamas. Fifth graders at Al-Zaytun School, for example, were taught to glorify Dalal Mughrabi, the perpetrator of the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre, killing 38 Israelis. Photos of a classroom blackboard show how she is presented as “the fighting leader” and a “hero” to be honored. Similarly, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, for whom Hamas’s “military wing” is named, is described as a “martyr” and “hero.” At Al-Maghazi School, materials glorify violent acts, including a reference to the firebombing of an Israeli bus as a “barbecue party.” An Arabic language summary states that martyrdom and jihad are “the most important meanings of life.” “We are deeply concerned, although unsurprised, by the ongoing revelations of terror links within UNRWA’s educational system,” said IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff. “UNRWA has repeatedly failed to act, despite mounting evidence and repeated warnings of the deep influence of terror groups on UNRWA’s schools. This is not just about accountability, but about protecting young minds from an education that fuels hatred and extremism,” he added. The report notes that Israeli intelligence recently exposed 12 UNRWA principals and deputy principals as active members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. An Israeli intelligence report released in January showed that at least a dozen UNRWA employees actively participated in the Hamas atrocities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and that the agency has 450 “military operatives” belonging to Hamas and other terrorist groups on its payroll. The revelations prompted 18 countries—led by the United States and Germany, UNRWA’s biggest donors—to suspend funding. With the exception of the United States, all have since resumed or partially resumed funding. The United States—UNRWA’s largest donor, accounting for some 30% of the agency’s budget—has frozen its donations until at least next year. During his first term, President-elect Donald Trump cut off all U.S. aid to UNRWA, a move later reversed by the Biden administration. According to Hillel Neuer, the director of the U.N. Watch NGO, Trump is not likely to restore funding during his second term. “Especially with the appointment of Elise Stefanik to the United Nations, it is absolutely clear that the Trump administration will not reinstate a single penny of U.S. taxpayer funds for UNRWA,” he told JNS on Thursday. “But they should go further: The United States should work to end the agency and its pathological agenda of perpetuating Palestinians in a state of dependency and grievance, and aiming for the dismantlement of Israel.” (Article has pictures and additional information)
It is time for Israel to be removed from the United Nations Its genocidal wars, apartheid practices, attacks on UN staff and ban on UNRWA activities make clear that Israel does not deserve a place at the UN. Samer Jaber 14 Nov 2024 UNRWA distributes aid parcels to Palestinians at a school building in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on November 07, 2024 [Anadolu] There is a growing civil society movement in Palestine and around the world demanding Israel’s expulsion from the United Nations or suspension from its current session over its apartheid regime in the occupied Palestinian territory, ongoing war crimes in Gaza and other persistent violations of the UN Charter. This demand is in line with the goals and ambitions of the global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. For months, however, there have been discussions within the movement over the pros and cons of calling for the revocation of Israel’s membership with hesitation primarily stemming from concerns over potential Israeli retaliation. Some feared Israel might respond by blocking UN agencies from providing essential services to Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, where such aid is critically needed. However, recent laws passed by the Israeli Knesset that ban UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, from operating in territory under Israeli control have removed this pragmatic restraint. By crossing this red line, Israel has undermined the main reason for those committed to Palestinian liberation not to call for its expulsion from the UN, paving the way for the powerful slogan “expulsion for expulsion”. So why did Israel ban UNRWA from operating in territory it occupies? As Naser Sharaya’a, the spokesperson for the Popular Services Committees in the occupied West Bank’s refugee camps, spelled out in a recent statement: “Israel’s ban on UNRWA is part of a broader strategy aimed at undermining the right of return for Palestinians who were uprooted from their homeland in the 1948 Nakba, when the state of Israel was established.” More than 700,000 Palestinians were forcefully displaced leading up to Israel’s creation in 1948, which Palestinians remember as the Nakba, or “the catastrophe”. Soon after the Nakba, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 194, which affirmed the rights of these Palestinian refugees – and their descendants – to the homes they were forced to leave. A year later, UNRWA was created on the back of this resolution and was tasked with providing essential services to Palestinian refugees, such as education and primary healthcare, as they awaited their return. As part of its operations, UNRWA is required to maintain a registration log of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. The registry includes refugees from 1948 as well as those expelled or forced to flee during later conflicts. This official registry is recognised internationally and serves as legal proof of refugee status. In many ways, the UN agency serves as the protector of the Palestinian right of return, keeping the refugees and their UN-recognised right to return to their homes and lands in the global spotlight. By banning UNRWA, Israel aims to erase the Palestinian right of return, entrench its settler-colonial practices and make its colonisation permanent. This intent is particularly evident in Gaza, where Israel’s strategic military efforts seek to replace UNRWA with a humanitarian aid apparatus that aligns with its long-term colonial goals. Israel has been working towards this goal since the beginning of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, trying to undermine UNRWA by attacking its facilities, killing numerous staff members and accusing many others of involvement in resistance activities – a claim that it ultimately failed to substantiate. One scenario Israel appears to be contemplating in Gaza is private security contractors working with NGOs to deliver aid to the occupied population. This model, developed by Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been widely criticised for militarising aid and enabling unchecked abuse of refugees at the hands of private security operators. If implemented in Gaza, this scenario would in effect transform the enclave into a web of isolated, heavily militarised ghettos policed by private contractors. It would deepen Israel’s apartheid, introducing a level of segregation that surpasses even the one practised in apartheid South Africa. So what should be done to counter Israel’s apparent strategy of banning UNRWA, erasing the Palestinian right of return and making its occupation and apartheid permanent? The best way to counter this strategy is to unseat Israel from the UN. Expulsion from the UN would isolate Israel from the global community and make it increasingly difficult for it to continue its war on Gaza, invasion of Lebanon and unlawful attacks against other UN member states and agencies. It would also serve as a strong response to the state’s persistent and unapologetic attacks on the UN, its employees and agencies. But the process to achieve this is complicated by procedural steps and the balance of power among UN member states. According to Article 6 of the UN Charter, the UN Security Council (UNSC) is responsible for recommending to the General Assembly the expulsion of any state that persistently violates UN principles. Obtaining such a recommendation from the UNSC requires that none of its permanent members with veto power opposes it. If no country with veto power exercises this right – which is a big if given the United States’s position on the issue – the matter would then move to the UN General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority of its members would need to support the recommendation for it to pass. However, from a practical standpoint, achieving this majority would also be difficult due to the prevailing global balance of power. Not only would the US and its European allies likely oppose such a recommendation, but they would also exert their influence over other nations to prevent the move from gaining traction. An alternative route to unseating Israel from the UN involves the UN General Assembly designating Israel as an apartheid state. This designation would create more opportunities for civil society initiatives worldwide to rally support for a decision to suspend Israel’s participation in the UN. The legal basis for such action can be found in UN General Assembly Resolution 3068 (XXVIII), which defines apartheid as a crime against humanity and calls for its “suppression and punishment”. Practical evidence supporting the classification of Israel as an apartheid state can be drawn from numerous UN resolutions that highlight Israel’s settler-colonial practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly through the construction and expansion of settlements. This characterisation is further reinforced by Israel’s “Nation-State Law”, which grants full citizenship rights exclusively to Jews while restricting the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel who remained in their homeland after the Nakba in 1948. Several special UN rapporteurs and many leading international NGOs, including Amnesty and B’tselem, have also published reports detailing Israel’s apartheid practices. Most importantly, the UN’s primary judicial body, the International Court of Justice, in a landmark advisory opinion issued in July found Israel responsible for apartheid and racial discrimination in the occupied Palestinian territory. Israel banned a UN agency’s operations in the territory it controls largely to be able to continue violating the UN Charter and resolutions with impunity. This came on the back of its military intentionally destroying UN facilities, killing dozens of UN employees and baselessly accusing them of criminality for more than a year. There is no longer any reason for anyone believing in the UN’s mission and supporting Palestinian liberation to refrain from demanding Israel’s removal from the organisation. While the global power dynamics makes it highly difficult to secure a suspension, the efforts to achieve this goal would only help the Palestinian struggle. Excluding Israel from the UN would make clear the global community’s commitment to ending apartheid, eliminating racial discrimination and upholding the principles of the UN Charter. It would also send a clear message to the Palestinians that the world stands with them and recognises the abuse they suffer under Israel’s lawless rule and occupation. It is time for “expulsion for expulsion”. It is time for the world to take action in defence of the international order and kick Israel out of the UN. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Samer Jaber Samer Jaber is a political activist and researcher. Samer B Jaber is a PhD researcher specialising in political economy at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is also a fellow with the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA). He focuses on the Arab world and the Middle East region. © 2024 Al Jazeera Media Network
Trump's pro-Israel cabinet picks upset Muslims who voted for him By Andrea Shalal November 16, 2024 WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Muslim leaders who supported Republican Donald Trump to protest against the Biden administration's support for Israel's war on Gaza and attacks on Lebanon have been deeply disappointed by his cabinet picks, they tell Reuters. "Trump won because of us and we're not happy with his secretary of state pick and others," said Rabiul Chowdhury, a Philadelphia investor who chaired the Abandon Harris campaign in Pennsylvania and co-founded Muslims for Trump. Muslim support for Trump helped him win Michigan and may have factored into other swing state wins, strategists believe. Trump picked Republican senator Marco Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel for Secretary of State. Earlier this year, Rubio said he would not call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he believed Israel should destroy "every element" of Hamas. "These people are vicious animals," he added. Trump also nominated Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and staunch pro-Israel conservative who backs Israeli occupation of the West Bank and has called a two state solution in Palestine "unworkable", as the next ambassador to Israel. He has picked Republican Representative Elise Stefanik, who called the UN a "cesspool of antisemitism" for its condemnation of deaths in Gaza, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Rexhinaldo Nazarko, executive director of the American Muslim Engagement and Empowerment Network (AMEEN), said Muslim voters had hoped Trump would choose cabinet officials who work toward peace, and there was no sign of that. "We are very disappointed," he said. "It seems like this administration has been packed entirely with neoconservatives and extremely pro-Israel, pro-war people, which is a failure on the on the side of President Trump, to the pro-peace and anti-war movement." Nazarko said the community would continue pressing to make its voices heard about ending the war in Gaza. "At least we're on the map." Hassan Abdel Salam, a former professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and co-founder of the Abandon Harris campaign, which endorsed Green Party candidate Jill Stein, said Trump's staffing plans were not surprising, but had proven even more extreme that he had feared. "It's like he's going on Zionist overdrive," he said. "We were always extremely skeptical ... Obviously we're still waiting to see where the administration will go, but it does look like our community has been played." The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Several Muslim and Arab supporters of Trump said they hoped Richard Grenell, Trump's former acting director of national intelligence, would play a key role after he led months of outreach to Muslim and Arab American communities, and was even introduced as a potential next secretary of state at events. Another key Trump ally, Massad Boulos, the Lebanese father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, met repeatedly with Arab American and Muslim leaders. Both promised Arab American and Muslim voters that Trump was a candidate for peace who would act swiftly to end the wars in the Middle East and beyond. Neither was immediately reachable. Trump made several visits to cities with large Arab American and Muslim populations, include a stop in Dearborn, a majority Arab city, where he said he loved Muslims, and Pittsburgh, where he called Muslims for Trump "a beautiful movement. They want peace. They want stability." Bill Bazzi, mayor of neighboring Dearborn Heights, who endorsed Trump, said he met the president-elect three times and still believed he would work to end the war, despite the cabinet appointments. Rola Makki, the Lebanese American, Muslim vice chair for outreach of the Michigan Republican Party, agreed. "I don't think everyone's going to be happy with every appointment Trump makes, but the outcome is what matters," she said. "I do know that Trump wants peace, and what people need to realize is that there's 50,000 dead Palestinians and 3,000 dead Lebanese, and that's happened during the current administration."
Voting for Biden / Harris was voting to boil in the pot. Voting for Trump was voting to jump into the fire. Sorry Middle East, but you're snookered with America, America is Israel's ally, not yours. America and Israel are joined at the hip. In the meantime, Israel will continue to slaughter with impunity.
Well, what a shame these idiots voted for Trump instead of Harris. Especially in view that Trump's picks for Cabinet positions in the past few days have been pushing their "solution" for the Middle East problems -- which involves forcing all the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to move elsewhere. Those who refuse to move will be "eliminated". All the while Jared has been selling a vision for turning Gaza into a beach front resort area after the Palestinians are sent packing. These Muslim voters apparently missed that Trump's solution also involves ejecting them all from the U.S. as well. Let's listen to the words of Trump's Defense Secretary pick who called for a ‘Crusade’ Against Muslims in US: ‘Our Fight Is Not With Guns. Yet’. None of this should have surprised Muslims in the U.S. who voted for Trump. His advisors have been stating for months this would be his policy.
It may be more productive for people adversely affected by Israel's actions to focus on themselves and to ask some critical questions on their perception of reality, fundamental questions, and ways to move forward. As a truck driver in the United States, I cannot even to pretend to understand most the issues facing those in the Middle East. However, I can speak in terms of general principles that likely apply here. Perceptions of Reality 1. Israel is extremely focused on her security. 2. Israel has cutting edge military hardware, software and can expect its relative advantages to accelerate due to AI. 3. Israel has the most effective intelligence organization in the world. 4. Israel has ironclad support of the United States, currently the world's leading military and economic power. 5. Many within the Jewish community, both within Israel and outside, feel Israel's actions have been more extreme than necessary. If the above perceptions of reality closely approach actual reality, it seems fair to conclude that Israel's influence in the Middle East will continue into the foreseeable future. Especially when it comes to her security. So if we realize there is an near omnipotent, relatively speaking, entity that is now fundamentally part of the scene, is it not more productive to focus on ourselves? Especially when certain actions could jeopardize the many Jewish members feeling compassion towards the non terrorist victims of Israel's actions? Fundamental Questions 1. How did Israel get to where they are now? Are there any insights to be gained from studying her culture, the Jewish faith, and related history? What are the attributes of the Jewish people? How have these attributes been leveraged into productive efforts on both a micro and macro scale? 2. What are the attributes of those adversely affected by Israel's actions? What is a potential list of resources available to them for future reconstruction and development? 3. What reforms are necessary to ensure governing body's are not corrupted by outside influences and remain responsive to the people's needs? 4. What are the historical commonalties of success stories for countries devastated by war? 5. How have those who left those countries adversely affected by Israel's actions achieved success within their host countries? What needs to be done to recreate the apparent allure of foreign countries for some with your home country? I believe honest answers to the above questions can help create an effective plan that can transform those countries devastated by war into thriving communities. Ways to Move Forward 1. Renounce terrorism and work with Israel to create an environment unfavorable to terrorist development within your home country. 2. Decide which geopolitical group, if any, to align with. Consider the stability and quality of life of member states associated with each geopolitical group. 3. Consider using security guarantees of allies to minimize military expenditures. Invest money saved into educational infrastructure, especially education that builds upon positive cultural and racial attributes on ideas of creating competitive, exportable goods and services. 4. Establish ways to hold governing bodies accountable to the people. 5. Ask for more help from established organizations, such as the United Nations. Create a charity group to raise money. Become more effective in lobbying efforts. Just like Israel does. Convincing the free world that you will never allow terrorists to establish a base within should substantially improve willingness to help. Looking within and addressing one's own weaknesses can be more productive than attempting to tear down the powerful. لى نجاحك