Biden administration coddles human rights abusers as Gazans die, Americans protest – Day 342

contact@ifamericansknew.org September 14, 2024american weapons in gaza, Ayşenur Eygi, campus protest, hostage video, israeli whitewashing, Josep Borrell, leahy law, matt nelson, military aid to israel, pope francis, self immolation, US aid to egypt

Palestinians, including children, are being rescued by being taken from the rubble of the heavily damaged building that was targeted by Israeli forces in Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza City, Gaza on September 12, 2024 [Anas Zeyad Fteha/Anadolu Agency] (photo)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

At least 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip Friday, including in strikes on “safe zones” repeatedly targeted by Israel. – Al Jazeera

Man reportedly lit himself on fire outside Boston’s Israeli consulate to protest Gaza genocide

Mondoweiss reports:

On Wednesday night a man reportedly lit himself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Boston. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with severe burns, and his current condition is unknown. Boston police told reporters that they are investigating the situation.

A witness said the man poured gasoline over himself before lighting himself on fire and surveillance footage shows him walking back and forth covered in flames.

He is the third person to self-immolate outside an Israeli consulate since Israel began its brutal assault on Gaza nearly one year ago.

The group BDS Boston shared a YouTube video uploaded by a man named Matt Nelson who tells viewers that he is about engage in an “extreme act of protest.” The video does not show the actual act.

“We are all culpable in the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” he tells viewers. “We are slaves to capitalism and the military industrial complex. Most of us are too apathetic to care. The protest I’m about to engage in is a call to our government to stop supplying Israel with the money and weapons it uses to imprison and murder innocent Palestinians, to pressure Israel to end the genocide in Gaza, and to support the ICC indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the Israeli government.”

“A democracy is supposed to serve the will of the people, not the interests of the wealthy,” he continues. “Take the power back. Free Palestine.”

Mondoweiss could not independently verify the identity of the person who reportedly self immolated.

Witness to Aysenur Eygi’s murder says, ‘The message is no resistance to Israeli colonialism will be tolerated’

Al Jazeera reports:

Witness Jonathan Pollak says the Israeli sniper who shot dead pro-Palestinian activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, stood about 200 meters (220 yards) away from her on an elevated position when he fired the fatal shot.

“There was no one around other than her who could have possibly been the target. She was deliberately hit by a soldier standing on a rooftop aiming at her head. That soldier took a kill shot, and anything else the Israelis say is a cover-up,” Pollak told Al Jazeera.

Pollak said a demonstration was held again on Friday in the West Bank village of Beita, a week after Eygi’s killing. “The Israeli army came there and even prevented people from praying in her honor. The message is ‘no resistance to Israeli colonialism will be tolerated.’”

Activists are frequently assaulted by soldiers and settlers operating under their protection. Photo courtesy of Combatants for Peace and the Qaysiya family. (photo)

U.S. Army Is Paying to Upgrade an Israeli Base for New Boeing Jets that U.S. Paid For

The Intercept reports:

The U.S. military has announced the sale of billions of dollars of missiles, bombs, and other weapons to Israel in the past year, as the campaign in Gaza grinds on. Now, the Department of Defense is also building aircraft facilities in Israel to accommodate American-made refueling tanker planes, according to newly issued public contracting documents reviewed by The Intercept.

The project includes new construction and upgrades of existing buildings, and will support four new Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2026. The purchase of the KC-46As (with a price tag of $927 million for the set) was seen as a signal of Israel’s determination to increase its capacity to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Last month, the Biden administration approvedfive major arms sales to Israel totaling more than $20 billion. While technically “sales,” the cost of these weapons is mostly paid by the United States since Israel uses much of the military aid Congress approves to buy U.S.-made weapons.

The facilities will also be paid for by the US Department of Defense.

Biden administration decides to violate US law by giving Egypt $320M in aid

Middle East Eye reports:

The Biden administration has decided to release $320m in military aid to Egypt – a package previously contingent on improving human rights issues in the country.

Unless Congress steps in, this brings the total amount from Washington to Cairo this year to $1.3bn. Egypt has long been the second-highest recipient of US military aid after Israel.

The administration notified Congress of the move on Wednesday, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken invoked his waiver power to approve the funds. The amount included a $95m portion requiring special certification because it was conditioned on “clear and consistent progress” regarding the release of political prisoners in Egypt.

In a statement, the Middle East Democracy Center, a Washington-based advocacy group, called the decision a “betrayal” by an administration that pledged to make human rights central to the US-Egypt bilateral relationship.

“We therefore call on Congress, as it has done the last two years, to fulfill its oversight duty, and block all $320 million conditioned on human rights benchmarks,” MEDC said.

(Read the full article here.)

NOTE: The Leahy Laws require the US to withhold aid to countries that commit Gross Human Rights Violations. Biden and Blinken initially planned to make some aid to Egypt contingent on Sisi improving human rights, but then made an exception.

In spite of overwhelming proof of human rights abuse by Israel, our politicians have thus far declined to cut off military support there. The US provides Israel an estimated $38 million a day in military aid, which is mostly used to purchase weaponry from the US.

The US has made special efforts to create loopholes for Israel, and has bypassed Congressional oversight on at least two major weapons transfers since October 7th, and “quietly approved and delivered more than 100 separate foreign military sales to Israel since the Gaza war began.”

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Al Alamein, Egypt on Monday, August 20, 2024 (photo)

Dozens killed during Hezbollah’s August attack on Israel’s Unit 8200 HQ: Report

Al Mayadeen reports:

European security sources have reported to Al Mayadeen that the August 25 strikes by Hezbollah targeting the HQs of Unit 8200 in the Glilot base and the airbase of Ein Shemer were substantially successful.

According to the sources, the attack, dubbed Operation Arbaeen, resulted in 22 Israeli fatalities and 74 injured.

Sayyed Nasrallah confirmed that “a significant number of drones hit their intended targets, but the enemy is keeping all relevant details concealed, but the days and nights will reveal the truth of what happened there.”

Israel imposed strict censorship on the incident, which has yet to be lifted.

Brigadier General Yossi Sariel, the commander of Israeli Intelligence Unit 8200, informed the IDF Chief of Staff last week (Thursday) of his decision to step down from his role.

American survivor shot in West Bank by Israeli soldier tells his story

Al Jazeera reports:

Daniel Santiago is an American activist who was wounded by Israeli gunfire just weeks before Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was killed while demonstrating against illegal Israeli settlements in Beita village.

He told Al Jazeera as protesters gathered on August 9, Israeli troops opened fire with live ammunition and tear gas.

“We saw the dust coming off the walls as they shot at us. we had to run. After I got shot in the leg, I kept running because I thought it was a tear gas canister.

“The Palestinians lifted me and carried me to a pick-up truck,” said Santiago, adding that Israeli forces initially blocked his trip to the hospital.

“They [Israeli forces] said for me it was a mistake, they were shooting warning shots, which is false.”

He denounced President Biden’s initial explanation for Eygi’s killing as “ridiculous”, after he described it as “an accident” from a ricochet that bounced up to her head.

Santiago said he hasn’t heard back yet after filing a report with US authorities. “In my view, if they investigated when I was shot, I think Aysenur may still be with us today.”

State Dept spokesman dismisses Washington Post investigation on Aysenur Eygi’s murder

From State Dept press briefing:

A member of the press asked spokesman Matt Miller whether, given the Washington Post investigation has discredited the official Israeli narrative of Aysenur Eygi’s death, is the State Department still “waiting for the results of the Israeli investigation instead of launching a U.S.-led, independent investigation, as demanded by Aysenur’s family?”

Mr. Miller responded, “We have been briefed on the results of the preliminary investigation by the Government of Israel, and they have told us they are conducting a full criminal investigation.

“We are going to wait to pass any judgments about [what to do] until we’ve received the results of that investigation.

“We think that investigation needs to be thorough, it needs to be prompt, and it needs to be transparent, and then we’ll make any determinations at the conclusion of that investigation.”

NOTE: Israel’s self-investigations consistently whitewash its crimes and fail to appropriately punish the perpetrators. Israeli sources, including the government itself, have a long track record of lying (for example,this and this and this.)

West Bank: UN staffer shot dead by Israeli sniper

The Cradle reports:

An Israeli sniper murdered a Palestinian UN staff member while having coffee on the roof of his home in the occupied West Bank, the UN announced on Friday.

Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad, who worked as a sanitation worker in El Far’a Camp in the West Bank, “was shot and killed on the roof of his home by a sniper during an overnight Israeli military operation in the early morning of September 12,” the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement.

The Israeli sniper shot Jawwad three times in the chest “while on the roof of his house having a coffee,” Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director, told CNN on Friday.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, spokesperson for the Israeli military, confirmed Friday that Israeli troops killed Jawwad in an operation in the West Bank’s Far’a area but claimed he was “hurling explosive devices that posed a threat to the forces operating in the area.”

Israeli troops killed nine other Palestinians during their invasion of El Far’a Camp.

Israel has repeatedly targeted UNRWA during its war on Gaza [Getty] (photo)

Hostage video is a reminder of Israel’s failure to forge a ceasefire

Ha’aretz reports:

The family of murdered hostage Alex Lobanov, whose body was retrieved by the IDF two weeks ago along with the bodies of five other hostages, approved the publication of a video footage filmed by Hamas while he was in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas published the video footage on September 4.

Israeli minister accuses top EU diplomat of antisemitism – for talking about a two-state solution

Al Jazeera reports:

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has responded to criticism leveled against him by his Israeli counterpart while he attends talks with Arab and other European officials in Madrid to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying it “makes no sense”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Katz blasted Borrell for taking part in the gathering, writing on X: “Borrell supports establishing a Palestinian terror state controlled by Iran, and the axis of evil against Israel, moderate Arab states, and Europe.

“This is Borrell’s legacy – anti-Semitism and hatred towards Israel.”

Asked about Katz’s comments, Borrell responded: “Accusing those who disagree with a government’s position of anti-Semitism makes no sense.”

“There have unfortunately been examples in history of what it means to be anti-Semitic, and I don’t think we should play with big words that have had a tragic dimension in history.”

Previously, Katz refused to permit Borrell to visit Israel

But the top European diplomat told Israel’s ambassador to the EU, Haim Regev, that he decided to cancel his visit to Israel after Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, refused to permit it, Israeli daily, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Pope Francis decries deaths of Gaza children in Israeli bombings

Reuters reports:

Pope Francis on Friday decried the deaths of Palestinian children in Israeli military strikes in Gaza, calling bombings of schools “ugly”.

Francis was speaking in a press conference with journalists after a demanding 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. He said he speaks on the phone with members of a Catholic parish in Gaza “every day” and “they tell me ugly things, difficult things”.

“Please, when you see the bodies of killed children, when you see that, under the presumption that some guerrillas are there, a school is bombed, this is ugly,” the 87-year-old pontiff said. “It is ugly.”

The pope spoke as Israel continues to bomb schools [Getty] (photo)

IMEMC Daily Reports.

Andalou Agency: West’s complicity in Israeli crimes goes way beyond just weapons: Legal expert

+972 Magazine: How Haifa University’s Students’ Union conspired against Palestinians

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 13:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – September 13, 2024: at least 41,819* (41,182 in Gaza* – 11,308 women (30%), 16,715 children as of September 5. [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 701 in the West Bank (~148 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 49,032 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 300,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza.

At least 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 23 from West Bank).
At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition (at least 37 of them children)**.
About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are currently displaced.
Almost 500,000 Gazans are currently experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – September 12: at least 100,825 (including at least 95,280 in Gaza and 5,700 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, 2023 – September 13, 2024: ~1,452 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 288*** military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 25 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis 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.

***Approximately ten of the deaths listed above were Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah in fighting at the Israel-Lebanon border. The figure does not include the reportedly 53 Israeli soldiers – nearly 16% of the total Israeli military deaths – killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents.

† 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

Saturday, 14 September 2024

Biden administration coddles human rights abusers as Gazans die, Americans protest – Day 342

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

Man reportedly lit himself on fire outside Boston’s Israeli consulate to protest Gaza genocide

RECOMMENDED READING: Ignoring Immolators Lulls the Society to Sleep: Aaron Bushnell at the Israeli Embassy: “FREE PALESTINE!”

Witness to Aysenur Eygi’s murder says, ‘The message is no resistance to Israeli colonialism will be tolerated’

U.S. Army Is Paying to Upgrade an Israeli Base for New Boeing Jets that U.S. Paid For

RECOMMENDED READING: Most Americans Want to Stop Arming Israel. Politicians Don’t Care.

Biden administration decides to violate US law by giving Egypt $320M in aid

NOTE: The Leahy Laws require the US to withhold aid to countries that commit Gross Human Rights Violations. Biden and Blinken initially planned to make some aid to Egypt contingent on Sisi improving human rights, but then made an exception.

In spite of overwhelming proof of human rights abuse by Israel, our politicians have thus far declined to cut off military support there. The US provides Israel an estimated $38 million a day in military aid, which is mostly used to purchase weaponry from the US.

The US has made special efforts to create loopholes for Israel, and has bypassed Congressional oversight on at least two major weapons transfers since October 7th, and “quietly approved and delivered more than 100 separate foreign military sales to Israel since the Gaza war began.”

Dozens killed during Hezbollah’s August attack on Israel’s Unit 8200 HQ: Report

American survivor shot in West Bank by Israeli soldier tells his story

State Dept spokesman dismisses Washington Post investigation on Aysenur Eygi’s murder

NOTE: Israel’s self-investigations consistently whitewash its crimes and fail to appropriately punish the perpetrators. Israeli sources, including the government itself, have a long track record of lying (for example,this and this and this.)

West Bank: UN staffer shot dead by Israeli sniper

Hostage video is a reminder of Israel’s failure to forge a ceasefire

Israeli minister accuses top EU diplomat of antisemitism – for talking about a two-state solution

Pope Francis decries deaths of Gaza children in Israeli bombings

IMEMC Daily Reports.

Andalou Agency: West’s complicity in Israeli crimes goes way beyond just weapons: Legal expert

+972 Magazine: How Haifa University’s Students’ Union conspired against Palestinians

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 13:

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