2021-02-08: News Headlines

Staff (2021-02-08). ICC's "Landmark Decision" Could Open Door to Prosecuting Israel for War Crimes in Palestine. democracynow.org In a landmark decision, judges at the International Criminal Court say the body has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories, opening the door to possible criminal charges against Israel and militant groups like Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the international tribunal's decision "pure anti-Semitism" and rejected its claim of jurisdiction, as did the United States, while Palestinian officials and human rights groups welcome the news. Human rights lawyer Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza, says the decision restores "the i…

Staff (2021-02-08). Raji Sourani: Gaza Faces COVID Crisis as Israel Withholds Vaccines While Imposing Inhumane Blockade. democracynow.org The World Health Organization estimates there have been 51,312 confirmed cases and 522 deaths from COVID-19 in Gaza since reporting began in July 2020, and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees warns the Gaza Strip's health system could collapse if the number of cases continues to rise. We get an update from Raji Sourani, human rights lawyer and director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza, on how Gaza has been impacted by COVID-19 as an ongoing blockade has destroyed its health infrastructure. "Our equipment is unable to deal with the emerging situation," Sourani says.

IMEMC News (2021-02-08). Israeli Colonists Attack Palestine TV Crew Near Salfit. imemc.org Several Israeli colonists attacked, Monday, a crew of Palestine TV near the entrance of Ariel colony, which was built on stolen Palestinian lands, near Salfit, in central West Bank. Palestine TV said the colonists attacked its crew members while filming a documentary about the escalating illegal Israeli colonialist activities and the dangerously increasing assaults by …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-08). "Freedom is Never Voluntarily Given": Palestinian Boycott of Israel is Not Racist, It is Anti-Racist. dissidentvoice.org Claims made by Democratic New York City mayoral candidate, Andrew Yang, in a recent op-ed in the Jewish weekly, 'The Forward', point to the prevailing ignorance that continues to dominate the US discourse on Palestine and Israel. Yang, a former Democratic Presidential candidate, is vying for the Jewish vote in New York City. According to …

Staff (2021-02-08). Landmark ICC Decision Could Open the Door for Prosecuting Israel on War Crimes. truthout.org In a landmark decision, judges at the International Criminal Court say the body has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories, opening the door to possible criminal charges against Israel and militant groups like Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the international tribunal's decision "pure anti-Semitism" and rejected its claim of jurisdiction, as did the United States, while Palestinian officials and human rights groups welcome the news. Human…

IMEMC News (2021-02-08). Soldiers Demolish Well, Two Sheds, Near Ramallah And Tubas. imemc.org Israeli soldiers demolished, Monday, an irrigation well near Ramallah, in central West Bank, and two residential sheds near Tubas, in northeastern West Bank. Media sources said the soldiers invaded the al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah, and demolished an irrigation well. Marzouk Abu Na'im, the head of the -Mughayyir village council, said the well is owned …

IMEMC News (2021-02-08). Soldiers Abduct Eight Palestinians In Ramallah. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, eight Palestinians, including five who were kidnapped by undercover forces, in the Ramallah governorate, in central West Bank. Media sources said several army jeeps invaded the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah city, before the soldiers stormed and ransacked many homes. They added that the soldiers abducted a …

The Palestinian News & Info Agency (2021-02-08). WAFA: "African leaders: Israeli settlements on occupied territories are illegal" imemc.org ADDIS ABABA, Sunday, February 07, 2021 (WAFA) — African leaders reaffirmed today that all Israeli settlements erected on the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan, are illegal. In the final statement of the two-day virtual 34th African Union Summit, African leaders stressed that Israel's settlements constitute serious violations of international humanitarian …

IMEMC News (2021-02-08). Israeli Soldiers Abduct Four Palestinians, Including One Who Was Shot In Chest, In Jenin. imemc.org Several Israeli army vehicles invaded, on Monday at dawn, Jenin refugee camp, and Qabatia town, in the northern West Bank governorate of Jenin, before the soldiers stormed homes and abducted four Palestinians, including one who was shot in the chest in his home. Media sources said dozens of soldiers invaded Jenin refugee camp, before the …

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-02-08). Arabic press review: Palestinians step up efforts to sue Israel at ICC. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Palestinians step up efforts to sue Israel at ICC | Meanwhile, Hamas is reportedly split on decision to participate in elections, and Egypt and the UAE feel alienated after results of UN-sponsored Libyan elections | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 14: 25 | The Bakr family in their house in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on 7 February, with posters of four children from their exten…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-08). Israel's Netanyahu pleads not guilty to corruption weeks before election. middleeasteye.net Israel's Netanyahu pleads not guilty to corruption weeks before election | The premier is the first to be indicted in office after he was charged last year over graft allegations
| Mon, 02/08/2021 – 07: 48 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to a hearing of his corruption trial at the Jerusalem district court, on 8 February 2021 (AFP) | Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin…

Staff (2021-02-08). Rep. Cori Bush Denounces White Supremacist Violence from the Capitol Insurrection to Ferguson. democracynow.org With former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial set to begin in the Senate this week, we feature the speech Democratic Congressmember Cori Bush of Missouri made Thursday on the floor of the House of Representatives to demand accountability for the attack on the U.S. Capitol. "On January 3, we stood together to swear our oath to office, to the Constitution. We swore to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic," Bush said. "It was attacked by a domestic enemy called white supremacy, and we must stand together now, today, to uphold that oath and hold every single person who helped incite it accounta…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-08). Palestinian Authority will use its own postal codes from April. peoplesdispatch.org The services, set to start from April 2021, will soon be extended to the blockaded Gaza strip. The move is expected to provide relief to Palestinians who have seen over 7,000 postal violations by Israel in 2020…

_____ (2021-02-08). The Black Antiwar Movement Demands Biden Take Concrete Steps To End The Wars At Home And Abroad. popularresistance.org President Biden declared early in his presidency that he wants to advance racial equity. The new Secretary of Defense, General Lloyd Austin, the first Black person to serve in that role, announced his intentions to root out racism in the Pentagon. The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) recently launched two new campaigns calling for specific actions the Biden administration can take to end militarization of black and brown communities and to end the 'forever war' on Afghanistan. Clearing the FOG speaks with Ajamu Baraka, the national organizer for BAP, about these initiatives and the imperative to build the antiwar,…

bay area anarchists (2021-02-08). Junipero Serra statue vandalized in San Mateo County. indybay.org White supremacist symbol of colonization thoroughly defaced in solidarity with indigenous resistance…

_____ (2021-02-08). The Foreign Roots Of Haiti's 'Constitutional Crisis'. popularresistance.org As per usual, news on Haiti in the United States remains limited, except for during periods of "crisis." As if on cue, U.S. media began reporting on Haiti's "constitutional crisis" this week. | Sunday, February 7 is the end of Haitian President Jovenel MoàØse's term, according to the constitution. He refuses to step down. This week, the opposition called for a two-day general strike, uniting around a transition with the head of Haiti's Supreme Court stepping in. | Most reporting failed to note the international role, and particularly that of the United States, in creating this "crisis." And nearly all focu…

_____ (2021-02-08). Haiti: Protesters Demand President Moise Steps Down. popularresistance.org Amid ongoing protests, the diaspora watched as journalists reported the arrest of a Supreme Court justice and a police inspector in Haiti on Feb. 7, the day opposition leaders, civil society and human rights groups say President Jovenel Moise should step down. | During the week leading up to Feb. 7, politicians and civil society groups from throughout the diaspora called for U.S. intervention, some citing the need to convene dialogue, while others called for a transitional government. The U.S. State Department has stated that Moise's term ends in February 2022 and has called for elections this year, despite wides…

RT (2021-02-08). Washington ready to rejoin UN Human Rights Council… to shift its attention from Israel's violations. rt.com US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced America will "re-engage" with the UNHRC as an "observer" in a bid to pressure the international body to dispense with what he called its "disproportionate" focus on Israel. | Touting the Biden administration's supposed return toward "a foreign policy centered on democracy, human rights, and equality," the newly-appointed diplomat tore into the council over its efforts to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing violations of international law. | "We recognize that the Human Rights Council is a flawed body, in need of reform to its agenda, membership, and focus,…

MEE staff (2021-02-08). US rejoins UN rights council, but voices concern over 'focus on Israel'. middleeasteye.net US rejoins UN rights council, but voices concern over 'focus on Israel' | The move reverses the Trump administration's decision to pull Washington from council over its criticism of Israel | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 15: 31 | The empty seat of United States during an urgent debate on 'systemic racism' at Human Rights Council in Geneva, 17 June 12020 | The United States has rejoined the UN Human Rights Council, Secreta…

Yves Engler (2021-02-08). What is Canada's NDP Thinking? dissidentvoice.org Brand a few neo-Nazis in Canada as "terrorists" but train and give military assistance to a much larger and more violent group of them in the Ukraine. What's going on? The New Democratic Party's successful push to list the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization highlights their indifference to imperialism and a decidedly 'North Americanist' …

Susan Price (2021-02-08). United States: Health care, racism and death. greenleft.org.au Physician Susan Moore died of COVID-19 in December, after making a video from her bed describing the racism she experienced from a white doctor when she presented for treatment, writes Malik Miah.

_____ (2021-02-08). Defensive Moves Or Preparation For War With Iran? popularresistance.org The US has decided to deploy the Israeli Iron Dome Missile Interceptor Systems, purchased in 2019, in Eastern European countries and also in the Gulf countries where the US Central Command (CENTCOM) operates and has established operational military bases. This step coincides with the US decision that Israeljoin CENTCOM (with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrein, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Pakistan and more) following the normalisation of trade and diplomatic relations between several Arab and Islamic countries and Tel Aviv.

Jonah Raskin (2021-02-08). Isolatoes: From Natty Bumppo to the Proud Boys. zcomm.org Isolation is part of the problem. The Proud Boys and similar groups have lived on a continent on their own making…

Online News Editor (2021-02-08). Israel PM pleads not guilty as corruption trial resumes. laprensalatina.com (Update 1: Adds plea, alters lede and headline.) Jerusalem, Feb 8 (efe-epa).- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday formally pleaded not guilty before judges at Jerusalem's District Court as the corruption trial against him resumed. A three-judge panel heard the defendants' response to the indictment and set the date for the next evidentiary stage …

alexander (2021-02-08). "Send in the Army": Oppression and the Hunger for Authority. dsausa.org The following is an excerpt from Empire's Endgame: Racism and the British State, an upcoming book co-authored by British academics Gargi Bhattacharyya, Adam Elliott-Cooper, Sita Balani, Kerem Nisancioglu, Kojo Koram, Dalia Gebral, Nadine El-Enany, and Luke de Noronha. Published by Pluto Press, Empire's Endgame engages with recent political movements such as Brexit and Black Lives Matter in order to provide a new and much-needed analysis of the confluence of race, government, and the media during these turbulent times. | Although Empire's Endgame is primarily a study of events in the United Kingdom, this chapt…

WSWS (2021-02-08). Videos tie Trump crony Roger Stone to Proud Boys indicted in Capitol assault. wsws.org Video footage has emerged confirming that Roger Stone, the longtime political crony of Donald Trump, was in close contact with Proud Boy leaders in the run-up to the January 6 assault on the Capitol.

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…

_____ (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…

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 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). 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 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). 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). 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 …

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 …

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…

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). 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 …

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.

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.

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 …

sputniknews (2021-02-07). Israel to Ask Allies to Pass 'Discreet Message' to ICC Not to Open Alleged War Crimes Probe – Report. sputniknews.com The Israeli government previously slammed the ICC decision as "anti-Semitic". So far, only two countries – the United States and Australia – have officially objected to the ICC ruling.

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.

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…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-07). Khamenei: No return to nuclear deal before Iran sanctions lifted. middleeasteye.net Khamenei: No return to nuclear deal before Iran sanctions lifted | Iran's 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 Is…

_____ (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.

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 …