2021-02-07: News Headlines

MEE and agencies (2021-02-07). Covid-19: Israel begins exit from third virus lockdown. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel begins exit from third virus lockdown | Despite a vaccination campaign, the country has been registering a daily average of 6,500 new Covid-19 cases

| Sun, 02/07/2021 – 15: 48 | While a third of Israelis have received the vaccine, Palestinians living in the occupied territories have been left out of the roll-out (AFP) | Israeli barbershops and some other businesses…

Juan Cole (2021-02-07). Int'l Criminal Court will take up Israeli War Crimes and Apartheid in Palestine. zcomm.org On Friday, the International Criminal Court found that it had jurisdiction to consider war crimes and crimes against humanity and the crime of Apartheid in the Palestinian territories…

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Soldiers Invade Archaeological Site Near Nablus. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Sunday, the archeological site in Sebastia Palestinian town, north of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Mohammad Azem, the Mayor of Sebastia, said several army jeeps invaded the town, before heading towards the archeological site. He added that the soldiers forced the Palestinian away, and closed the site, …

OCHA (2021-02-07). OCHA-OP: "Humsa al Bqai'a | Flash Update #1" imemc.org Report By: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory OCHA-OPT: Posted on 5 February 2021 Highlights During two major incidents in recent days, Israeli forces demolished or confiscated 46 structures in the Palestinian Bedouin community of Humsa — Al Bqai'a in the Jordan Valley, leaving 60 people, including 35 …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Colonists Attack Palestinian Shepherds Near Hebron. imemc.org A group of fanatic Israeli colonists, illegally squatting on private Palestinian lands, attacked many shepherds, Sunday, in the Masafer Yatta area, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Fuad al-Amour, the head of the "Protection and Steadfastness Committee" in Masafer Yatta and Southern Hebron Hills, said the colonists came from Havat Ma'on illegal …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Soldiers Injure Three Palestinians, Abduct Two, In Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Sunday, Jenin city in northern West Bank, and injured three Palestinians, including one who was rammed with an army jeep, in addition to abducting two Palestinians, including one child. Several army jeeps invaded the center of Jenin city and attacked Palestinian protesters with live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs. Medical …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Soldiers Shoot A Palestinian Worker Near Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers shot, on Sunday morning, a Palestinian worker near the illegal Annexation Wall near Barta'a town, southwest of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers fired live rounds at Palestinian workers near the wall, wounding one of them. They added that the soldiers shot Khaled Mer'eb Freihat with a live …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Colonists Cut 30 Olive Saplings Near Salfit. imemc.org Several fanatic illegal Israeli colonists invaded, Sunday, a Palestinian olive orchard near Salfit, in central West Bank, and cut more than thirty olive saplings, in addition to stealing equipment. Eyewitnesses said the colonists invaded the Palestinian orchard near Bruqin village, west of Salfit, before cutting at least thirty olive saplings. They added that the colonists …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Army Abducts Two Palestinians In Hebron And Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, earlier Sunday, two Palestinians from Hebron, in southern West Bank, and in Jabal al-Mokabber, south of occupied East Jerusalem. Media sources said the soldiers invaded Be'er al-Hummus area, in the center of Hebron city, before storming and ransacking homes. They added that the soldiers abducted Haitham Talal as-Sammak, 22, from his home …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Illegal Israeli Colonists Spray Toxins On Palestinian Lands Near Nablus. imemc.org On Sunday, several fanatic Israeli colonists, illegally squatting on Palestinian lands, invaded Palestinian farmlands in Khirbat Tana village, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and sprayed them with chemical toxins. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel's colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the Israeli assailants came from Itamar …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Navy Attacks Palestinian Fishermen In Gaza. imemc.org Israeli navy ships attacked, Sunday, Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza territorial waters, in the southern part of the besieged coastal region, and near Gaza city. Media sources said the navy ships fired many live rounds at the Palestinian fishing boats, in addition to using the high-powered cater cannon against them, near Khan Younis, in the …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Army Halts Construction Of Seven Palestinian Homes Near Nablus. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Sunday, the town of Sorra, west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and handed seven locals military orders halting the construction of their homes. Morad Eshteiwi, the head of the "Wall And Colonization Resistance Commission" in northern West Bank, said the soldiers halted the construction of seven Palestinian homes near …

Ajit Singh (2021-02-07). China Detaining Millions of Uyghurs? Serious Problems With Claims by US-Backed NGO and Researcher 'LED by God' Against Beijing. anti-empire.com Text is from December 2019. | The US House of Representatives passed the To drum up support for the sanctions bill, Western governments and media outlets have portrayed the People's Republic as a human rights violator on par with Nazi Germany. Republican Rep. Chris S…

Liberation Staff (2021-02-07). Geneva, NY connects fight for rent cancellation to housing justice. liberationnews.org People from across the Finger Lakes region of New York came to Geneva, New York on the snowy afternoon of Jan 30 to demand housing justice, safe and secure housing, and an end to racism and disrespect of Black women from the Geneva Housing Authority.

_____ (2021-02-07). Palestinian Groups Call On ICC To Take Swift Action. popularresistance.org Palestinian organisations have urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to move swiftly in holding Israel to account for its actions in the Occupied Territories after a landmark decision on Friday. | Judges ruled that it is within the court's remit hear war crimes allegations made against Israel in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. | In a preliminary investigation opened six years ago, chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda focused on 2014's Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip, which left 2,257 Palestinians dead, along with 74 Israeli soldiers. | In December 2019, Ms Bensouda said there was…

bay area anarchists (2021-02-07). Junipero Serra statue vandalized in San Mateo County. indybay.org White supremacist symbol of colonization thoroughly defaced in solidarity with indigenous resistance…

Paul Jay (2021-02-07). The Global Consequences of Jan. 6 and the Mass Base of Fascism — Gerald Horne. theanalysis.news How has the turmoil of Jan 6th and talk of coups affected American ability to control global events, especially as regards to China? The basis for fascism exists in the U.S. as a significant number of people who voted for Trump support a more racist and repressive state. Historian Gerald Horne on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.

Paul Street (2021-02-07). The Anatomy of Fascism Denial. counterpunch.org All hesitation to acknowledge that the United States had a serious brush with fascism under Donald Trump should have disappeared with the Trump-instigated Attack on the U.S. Capital last January 6th. "Donald Trump…is indeed a fascist — an authoritarian willing to use violence to achieve his racial nationalist goals. So are many of his supporters.

RT (2021-02-07). Biden puts US in standoff with Iran, says sanctions won't be lifted until country stops enriching uranium. rt.com In a new excerpt from his pre-Super Bowl interview, President Joe Biden made it clear there is no chance of the US lifting sanctions on Iran unless they "stop enriching uranium first," a step Tehran is not willing to take. | Biden's stance puts him at odds with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said before the US president's comments aired that the US must lift all sanctions if it wants Iran to "return to its commitments." | "It must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification … then we will return to our commitments," he stated, according to local media. | Also on rt.com…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-07). No return to nuclear deal before Iran sanctions lifted, says Khamenei. middleeasteye.net No return to nuclear deal before Iran sanctions lifted, says Khamenei | Supreme Leader says US needs to 'completely lift sanctions… not just on paper' before any return to 2015 deal | Sun, 02/07/2021 – 10: 08 | Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivering a speech in front of air force commanders on 7 February, days ahead of the 42nd anniversary marking the victory of the Isla…

Vishwas Satgar (2021-02-07). Trump May Be Gone, But Neofascism Remains. socialistproject.ca At last, the Donald Trump Presidency has crash landed and he is out of the White House. Now, we can all start dealing with 'Trump trauma' and shock. What did we live through over the past four years? This is a planetary question. It is a question we are all grappling with because the world …

contributors (2021-02-07). Governments mustn't confuse Criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism: British-Israeli Academics. juancole.com Via Israeli Academics UK Call to reject the IHRA's 'working definition of antisemitism' To: Vice Chancellors, Members of Academic Senates, all other UK Academics and Students & Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP Secretary of State for Education RE: The IHRA 'working definition of antisemitism' We, British Academics who are also Israeli citizens, strongly oppose …

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Russia searches for remains of 2 Israelis in Syria. yenisafak.com The Russian army conducted searches in a cemetery near the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees in Syria, in an attempt to find the remains of two Israeli soldiers who went missing 39 years ago during the first Lebanon war, The Times of Israel reported.The Hebrew daily, citing Syrian media reports, named the two soldiers as Tzvi Feldman and Yehuda Katzwent. They went missing during the battle of Sultan Yacoub in 1982, along with Zachary Baumel, whose remains were recovered and returned to Israel in 2019.In 2019, Tel Aviv received the remains of Baumel, who was killed in the same battle with the Syrian army near…

_____ (2021-02-07). Why Israel Is Joining The Pentagon's 'Arab NATO'. popularresistance.org With none of the usual fanfare associated with such a momentous decision, the Pentagon announced last month a major reorganisation to bring Israel – for the first time – inside its military command in the Middle East alongside the Arab states. | Until now, Israel has belonged to the US military's European command, or Eucom, rather than the Middle Eastern one, known as Central Command, or Centcom. The decision effectively jettisoned the traditional wisdom that Israel's inclusion in Centcom would increase friction between the US and Arab states, and would make the latter more reluctant to share intelligence or coop…

Online News Editor (2021-02-07). Israel begins gradual easing of national lockdown. laprensalatina.com Jerusalem, Feb 7 (efe-epa).- Israel on Sunday began gradually easing national lockdown restrictions that have seen people confined to within one kilometer of their homes for more than a month. Although people can once again travel more freely, businesses remain subject to closures or capacity limits. Restaurants can now serve take-out food, national parks can …

Vincent Emanuele (2021-02-07). How to Defeat The White Power Movement. zcomm.org Understanding the White Power Movement and Broader Political Landscape in the United States…

_____ (2021-02-07). How Democracies Die. strategic-culture.org U.S. politics are already reeling from the events of January 6, and now the Biden administration is weakening them all the more. | Sometimes democracies die from corruption, fascism, or a military coup. But other times it succumbs to terminal stupidity. | An example of how this works occurred on Feb. 2 when the State Department announced that "the Biden Administration embraces and champions the working definition" of anti-Semitism put forth by a group known as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. "We applaud the growing number of countries and international bodies that apply it," the department said.

Juan Cole (2021-02-06). In Game Changer, Int'l Criminal Court will take up Israeli War Crimes and Apartheid in Palestine. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — On Friday, the International Criminal Court found that it had jurisdiction to consider war crimes and crimes against humanity and the crime of Apartheid in the Palestinian territories. Israeli politician Abba Eban once quipped that Palestinians never lost the opportunity to lose an opportunity. But Palestinians have carefully, methodically created …

Suadad al-Salhy (2021-02-06). Iraq: Mass funeral of Yazidi victims of Islamic State brings back grim memories. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Mass funeral of Yazidi victims of Islamic State brings back grim memories | Locals in the Yazidi village of Kojo hope the burial of 104 genocide victims can help start a healing process for beleaguered minority | Sat, 02/06/2021 – 13: 44 | The funeral procession in Kojo before the burial of victims killed by the Islamic State group, after the bodies were exhumed from mass graves (Reuter…

Shatha Hammad (2021-02-06). Israeli village demolition leaves Palestinian families desperate and homeless. middleeasteye.net Israeli village demolition leaves Palestinian families desperate and homeless | Residents of Humsa al-Fawqa have repeatedly had their homes in the Jordan Valley destroyed by Israeli forces | Sat, 02/06/2021 – 10: 03 | Aisha Abu Awwad sitting in a tent in the demolished surroundings of Humsa al-Fawqa (MEE/Shatha Hammad) | Aisha Abu Awwad, 57, sat in front of a demolished tent that once constituted h…

Caitlin Johnstone (2021-02-06). The Empire Must Die: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Q: What is a liberal? | A: A liberal is a violent white supremacist extremist who supports and participates in the mass slaughter of brown-skinned human beings overseas while tweeting that white supremacist extremists are bad. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is capitalism? | A: Capitalism is a wonderful economic and political system which has given us powerful technology, a wide assortment of breakfast cereals, and near term human extinction. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is China? | A: China is a large Asiatic nation which westerners use as an emotional punching bag for their capitalism-induced rage, p…

_____ (2021-02-06). ICC Clears Way For War Crimes Probe Of Israeli Actions. popularresistance.org Jerusalem – The International Criminal Court said Friday that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, potentially clearing the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions. | The decision was welcomed by the Palestinians and decried by Israel's prime minister, who vowed to fight "this perversion of justice." The U.S., Israel's closest ally, said it opposed the decision. | The ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a "reasonable basis" to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions in the Gaz…

Juan Cole (2021-02-06). In Game-Changer, ICC Will Take Up Israeli War Crimes and Apartheid in Palestine. commondreams.org Palestinian victims of Israeli war crimes from various generations will gain the right to seek justice after decades of occupation. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2021-02-06). Canceling their own? NYT's lead Covid-19 reporter resigns after reprimand for use of 'N-word' fails to appease co-workers. rt.com Donald McNeil Jr., the New York Times' top reporter on the Covid-19 pandemic, has resigned after management's decision not to fire him for innocuously using the "N-word" left many staffers at the newspaper "outraged and in pain." | The episode began when a student on a Times-sponsored trip to Peru in 2019 asked McNeil whether he thought her classmate should be suspended for using a racial slur on a video made years earlier. The reporter, who was on the trip as an expert to inform the students, repeated the slur when asking the girl about the context in which it had been used. | Allegations regarding McNeil's c…

RT (2021-02-06). Splintered SCOTUS gives California churches partial win, rules state can't ban indoor services, but can limit capacity over Covid. rt.com In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court denied California's ban on indoor church services, but did say the state has the right to limit capacity to 25 percent amid the Covid-19 pandemic. | Religious organizations have been battling with California for months now, as the state's lockdown restrictions have meant that indoor services have been banned across most of the state — a move that has drawn criticism, in particular, because Hollywood productions have been allowed to move forward. | The Supreme Court ruled late Friday night in two cases where churches were suing the state over indoor-services bans, but it…

RT (2021-02-06). $60 billion court battle: Russian deputy Justice Minister says Yukos oligarchs seeking 'legal protection for illegal behavior'. rt.com A long-running legal battle over the legacy of defunct energy giant Yukos, has resumed in the Netherlands, this week. RT spoke to Russia's Deputy Justice Minister about the landmark case and why it also matters for other nations. | Speaking exclusively to RT, Mikhail Galperin outlined how the Russian defense team has several arguments, but the one with particular precedent-setting ramifications concerns its contention that international law should not be abused to protect criminals. | On Friday, the Supreme Court in The Hague started hearings over a complaint brought against Russia in 2005 by former shareholde…

RT (2021-02-06). NYPD launches probe into 'domestic terrorist' cop wearing 'political patch' amid calls for purges & cleansing of 'Trump's Army'. rt.com A New York City police officer was caught on video wearing pro-Trump patches, leading to an investigation after liberals claim the entire force is "Trump's Army" and label the cop a "domestic terrorist." | At a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Brooklyn on Friday evening, video was captured of the officer in uniform with two Trump badges attached to her vest. One is of a skull styled after the comic book character The Punisher — which some have called for to be retired — with Trump's hair, while the other has a similar image along with Trump's name and the phrase "make enforcement great again." | "

Staff (2021-02-06). Republicans Have Already Introduced Over 100 Voter Suppression Bills This Year. truthout.org Since former President Donald Trump failed to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, Republicans in more than two dozen states have introduced over 100 bills to restrict voting access, an alarming development that voting rights advocates have pointed to as yet another reason for Democrats to

_____ (2021-02-06). NY Times' Pseudo-Expert Accusing China of Genocide Worked for Far-Right Cult Falun Gong's Publicity Arm. strategic-culture.org The New York Times recycled flimsy claims by a right-wing apocalyptic extremist to accuse China of "genocide," in an op-ed by an American with 1/8th Uighur heritage who worked for Epoch Times, a far-right, pro-Trump outlet backed by cult Falun Gong. | By Ben NORTON | The New York Times published a factually challenged op-ed accusing China of committing "genocide" against its Uighur minority. The article sourced its spurious accusations to a right-wing operative who insists his research is part of a divine "mission" against Beijing that is "led by God." | The author of the New York Times op-ed, Amelia Pang, happen…

RT (2021-02-06). 'Best thing to ever happen to the Premier League': Football 'super-agent' hails Roman Abramovich's impact on English football. rt.com Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is the "best thing to ever happen to the Premier League" – that's the verdict of football super-agent Jonathan Barnett, who counts Welsh supremo Gareth Bale among his galaxy of clients. | Abramovich has pumped in countless millions since assuming control of the cash-strapped West London club in 2003, delivering a two-decade spell of (mostly) success during that time which has seen Chelsea claim five Premier League trophies, a Champions League title and numerous domestic cups. | The success under Abramovich's rule has seen the club assume a seat at European football's top table bu…

RT (2021-02-06). Zlat's that: Milan football star Ibrahimovic 'AVOIDS racism charge' after bizarre 'voodoo' comments to Serie A rival Romelu Lukaku. rt.com Evergreen Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be charged with any manner of racist abuse after his heated confrontation with ex-Manchester United colleague Romelu Lukaku at last month's Milan derby at the San Siro. | The two marksmen squared up to one another just before half-time in January's pivotal Italian Cup tie between the two Milanese arch-rivals, with what began as a verbal exchange developing into the two players butting heads with one another. | As the

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-02-06). 'Better Late Than Never': Palestinians Welcome ICC Decision Enabling War Crimes Probe of Israel. commondreams.org An investigation "would not, for sure, bring my kids back to life," said a survivor of an Israeli airstrike. "However, I am certain that I need to continue to try to find some sort of justice." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-06). US can't fool Yemenis by claiming end of support to Saudis. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 06 (MNA) — Yemen's Supreme Political Council said that Yemenis will not be fooled by US claim on the decision to stop supporting the Saudi invasion.

yenisafak (2021-02-06). Over 45 Palestinians arrested by Israel in January: NGOs. yenisafak.com Israeli forces rounded up 456 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in January, according to Palestinian organizations that monitor the conditions of Palestinian prisoners.Ninety-three minors and eight women were among those detained last month, the Palestinian Authority's Prisoners' Affairs Commission, the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a joint statement.According to the statement, 105 administrative detention orders were carried out by occupation authorities, including 30 new orders along with the extensio…

yenisafak (2021-02-06). At least 456 Palestinians arrested by Israel in January: NGOs. yenisafak.com Israeli forces rounded up 456 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in January, according to Palestinian organizations that monitor the conditions of Palestinian prisoners.Ninety-three minors and eight women were among those detained last month, the Palestinian Authority's Prisoners' Affairs Commission, the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a joint statement.According to the statement, 105 administrative detention orders were carried out by occupation authorities, including 30 new orders along with the extensio…

sputniknews (2021-02-06). Biden Set to 'Put a Little More Distance' in Relations With Israel, Focus on Iran – Reports. sputniknews.com The approach of the new US administration will reportedly be different from what former president Donald Trump had pursued – namely, embracing ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel.

_____ (2021-02-06). India's Farmers' Protests: 'This Is History In The Making'. popularresistance.org On January 26, 2021, India observed its 71st Republic Day under historically unprecedented circumstances. On an occasion meant to commemorate the adoption of the Indian Constitution, two fiercely antagonistic visions of the country locked horns with each other in the capital of Delhi. | On the Rajpath ceremonial boulevard in the heart of Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s homegrown Hindu nationalist proto-fascism was on full display. It was no coincidence, for example, that the winner of the Republic Day Parade's tableaux competition was the state of Uttar Pradesh, w…

Jason Stanley (2021-02-06). Movie at the Ellipse: A Study in Fascist Propaganda. zcomm.org Scholars on the Nazis and anti-Semitism have seen this before…

WSWS (2021-02-06). Federal indictments allege coordinated planning by Proud Boys in January 6 coup attempt. wsws.org At least eight Proud Boys have been charged for their role in the fascist assault on Congress.

Dr. Zuhair Sabbagh (2021-02-06). Israel Elections: Competition Among Right-Wing Zionist Parties for Arab Votes. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Introduction | It is noteworthy to mention that at the beginning of …