Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza; reactions to Biden’s departure, a look at Kamala Harris – Day 288

contact@ifamericansknew.org July 22, 2024 israeli settler violence, itamar ben gvir, kamala harris, nuseirat, sanctions

Palestinians examine the destroyed makeshift tents and shelters after Israeli attack hits a UNRWA school, killing and injuring many in Nuseirat Refugee Camp of Deir al-Balah, Gaza on July 14, 2024 (Ashraf Amra – Anadolu Agency)

Densely populated Nuseirat refugee camp targeted nine times a day; another Palestinian journalist killed; Kamala Harris’ Gaza ceasefire speech was “watered down” by NSC; TOI says Harris has “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security; friends and foes of Joe Biden weigh in on his withdrawal; brutal Israeli settler attack on international volunteers; threats by Itamar Ben Gvir in face of possible personal sanctions; French lawmaker does not welcome Israeli athletes at Olympics; more.

By IAK staff, from reports.

Israel bombed Nuseirat camp 63 times in 7 days

Middle East Monitor reports: Gaza’s Government Media Office revealed that the Israeli occupation army has bombed the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip 63 times in seven days, killing 91 Palestinians and wounding 251 others.

In a statement, the media office said that the occupation army has intensified its barbaric bombing of the Nuseirat refugee camp in an unprecedented manner. More than 75 per cent of the victims arrived at hospitals with their corpses and bodies burned as a result of the occupation’s use of thermal and chemical weapons.

It also noted that the Nuseirat refugee camp is inhabited and there are currently 250,000 citizens and displaced persons in it. It is being subjected to barbaric bombing by the Israeli occupation which is not taking into account the fact that the camp is overcrowded with people.

The media office pointed out that the occupation deliberately bombs neighbourhoods, inhabited homes, buildings and residential towers, aiming to harm the largest possible number of people, either killing or wounding them. The most horrific massacre committed by the occupation during the past seven days was that committed at Al-Razi School in the camp, which claimed the lives of 23 people and wounded 73 others.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation committing these horrific massacres against civilians in the Nuseirat camp, in particular, and we also condemn the American administration siding with the occupation as it commits the crime of genocide,” the statement said.

“We hold the Israeli occupation and the American administration fully responsible for the continuation of these massacres against the displaced and civilians, and we hold them fully responsible for the occupation’s use of thermal and chemical weapons that are burning the bodies of the martyrs and the wounded.”

Number of journalists killed by Israel rises to 162

Gaza’s Government Media Office has confirmed that Israeli forces killed Palestinian journalist Mutasim Mahmoud Gharab.

It said in a statement the number of journalists killed since October 7 has risen to 162.

The office added that Gharab had been working for years as a journalist for various media outlets.

Administration officials watered down Kamala Harris’ Gaza speech before delivery

NBC News reported in March: Before Vice President Kamala Harris delivered pointed remarks Sunday about the need for an immediate six-week cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as part of a deal to release hostages, officials at the National Security Council toned down parts of her speech, three current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official familiar with the speech told NBC News.

The original draft of Harris’ speech, when it was sent to the National Security Council for review, was harsher on Israel about the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the need for more aid than were the remarks she ultimately delivered, according to one of the current officials and the former official.

Two of the U.S. officials said the initial draft specifically called out Israel more directly about the need to immediately allow additional aid trucks in. One of them described Harris’ original language as strong but not controversial. (Read the full article here.)

Harris’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security

The Times of Israel says Biden officials “argue those claiming vice president will take a harder line with Jerusalem are engaged in wishful thinking, say she shares ironclad US commitment to Israel’s security’”

See Harris’ 2023 speech below:

Reactions to Biden’s departure from the presidential race:

U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights: “It was not Biden’s failed debate that showed he is unfit to lead. It was the tens of thousands of bombs he sent to kill Palestinian families,” the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights said in a statement.

“Biden’s refusal to adhere to international law or enforce U.S. law has deepened Israel’s illegal military occupation. The International Court of Justice’s latest advisory opinion on Friday asserted that every state has a legal obligation ‘not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation’ created by Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights.”

Waleed Shahid, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement — which has garnered over 700,000 people nationwide casting protest votes against Biden’s hard-line support for Israel: “While by no means a champion of the cause, I’ve heard numerous people note that Vice President Harris exhibited a deeply different emotional reaction to the stories of Palestinian suffering than President Biden.

While the Vice Presidency is limited, many feel that she would be an improvement from Biden’s severe lack of empathy for Palestinians and his ties to the AIPAC old guard in the party. However, challenging AIPAC’s power within the Democratic Party establishment remains a formidable task regardless of who the nominee is.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog: I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Joe Biden for his friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades long career. As the first US President to visit Israel in wartime, as a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, and as a true ally of the Jewish people, he is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples.”

NOTE: Conflating Israel with “the Jewish people” leads more or less directly to conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

Some 1,200 Jewish university professors signed a statement in May that warned against “the dangerous notion that Jewish identity is inextricably linked to every decision of Israel’s government… Far from combating antisemitism, this dynamic promises to amplify the real threats Jewish Americans already face.”

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett: “President Biden is a true friend of Israel who stood by us in our most difficult moments,” he wrote on X. “During my tenure as prime minister, I witnessed his unwavering support of the State of Israel. Thank you for everything.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant: “Thank you for your unwavering support of Israel over the years. Your steadfast backing, especially during the war, has been invaluable. We are grateful for your leadership and friendship.”

NOTE: Biden’s “unwavering support” for Israel has led him to support genocide, dismiss international law, and disregard the global justice system. It also flies in the face of American public opinion – which he chose to ignore throughout his campaign.

Israeli Settlers Brutally Attack Palestinians and Int’l Volunteers One Day After ICJ Rules Israeli Occupation, Settlers Illegal

International Solidarity Movement reports: On the heels of the ICJ decision pronouncing Israeli occupation illegal as a whole and pointing out to systematic lack of accountability for settler violence, three international volunteers were evacuated to a hospital in Nablus after being attacked by settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus.

Settlers who descended from the extremist Esh Kodesh south of Nablus, attacked Palestinian farmers tending to their lands, as well as international volunteers accompanying them for protection against such attacks. The Israeli settlers carried out the attack using metal pipes, batons and threw stones at the people from close range.

Three of the international volunteers sustained wounds requiring hospitalization with suspected fractures. A German national was hit in the face and arm with a metal pipe, and two American volunteers were clobbered using wooden batons. A fourth American volunteer suffered more minor injuries after being hit by stones thrown at her by the settlers, who also stole her phone.

Soldiers who arrived at the scene failed to carry out any arrests. Additionally, the Israeli Police emergency hotline refused to dispatch forces, telling the volunteer who called them for help that “the army notified them there is no need to send forces.”

(Read the full incident description here, see video below – TW.)

One of the American ISM volunteers, in hospital (photo)

Such attacks have gone on for years. For example, see: “Heroism in the Holy Land,
Chris Brown Beaten for Walking Children to School” and the video below:

View another recent settler attack below.

NOTE: The first moments of the video below show the actual attack; after that is a slightly longer clip showing the context – which included a conversation with an Israeli soldier.

Israel’s Ben-Gvir threatens to dismantle Palestinian Authority if US imposes sanctions on him

Al Jazeera reports: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has warned that if the US imposes sanctions on ultranationalist ministers including himself, they would respond by “completely dismantling the Palestinian Authority, including all its institutions and economy”, Israeli media has reported.

Reports suggest the Biden administration has been considering imposing sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in response to their policy of expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank.

“The very act of imposing sanctions on Israeli citizens by the American administration, which has already begun, constitutes a severe violation of Israeli sovereignty,” Ben-Gvir said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

NOTE: ABC News describes Itamar Ben-Gvir: Ben-Gvir has been convicted eight times for offenses that include racism and supporting a terrorist organization. As a teen, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service.

Ben Gvir gained notoriety in his youth as a follower of the late racist rabbi Meir Kahane. He first became a national figure when Ben-Gvir famously broke a hood ornament off then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car in 1995.

“We got to his car, and we’ll get to him too,” he said, just weeks before Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed to his peace efforts with the Palestinians.

He was first elected to parliament in 2021.

Ben-Gvir has called for deporting his political opponents, and in the past has encouraged police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers. As national security minister, he has encouraged police to take a tough line against anti-government protesters.

Ben-Gvir has been a magnet of controversy throughout his tenure — encouraging the mass distribution of handguns to Jewish citizens, backing Netanyahu’s contentious attempt to overhaul the country’s legal system and frequently lashing out at U.S. leaders for perceived slights against Israel.

Among Itamar Ben Gvir's radical actions are creating an even harsher environment inside prisons holding Palestinian detainees by reducing their food rations, to the point of starvation. — Among Itamar Ben Gvir’s radical actions are creating an even harsher environment inside prisons holding Palestinian detainees by reducing their food rations, to the point of starvation. (photo)

French lawmaker says Israelis ‘not welcome’ at Olympics

Al Jazeera reports: A French member of parliament has sparked a political row by saying Israeli athletes were not welcome at the Paris Olympics because of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Portes said at a rally in support of Palestinians that “the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli sportspeople are not welcome at the Paris Olympic Games” and called for “mobilization” around the event.

He later told the Parisien newspaper that “France’s diplomats should pressure the International Olympic Committee to bar the Israeli flag and anthem, as is done for Russia”.

“It’s time to end the double standard,” Portes added.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a limited number of Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in Paris as individuals and not under their country’s colors, and only after being vetted to ensure they have not expressed support for the war.

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

The Cradle: Yemen gears up for ‘long war’ against Israel

Mondoweiss: Polio and the destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure

The New Arab: Pro-Palestine Bella Hadid ‘to sue Adidas’ after axe for 1972 Olympic shoe ad

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – JULY 21:

Palestinian death toll from October 7 – July 21: at least 39,584* (39,006 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,034 children as of June 17. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.]

This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 578 in the West Bank (~140 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths.

Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.

Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza.

At least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank).
At least 40 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**.
About 1.7 million, or 75% of Gaza’s population are currently displaced.
2.15 million (out of total population of 2.3 million) are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – July 21: at least 95,228 (including at least 89,818 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children).

[It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.]Reported Israeli death toll from October 7 – July 21: ~1,481 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 326 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 16 in the West Bank) and~8,730 injured.

Times of Israel reports: The IDF listed 41 soldiers killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents – nearly 16%.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

*Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.**

Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals.

† For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics.

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

Monday, 22 July 2024