IIRC fragmentation weapons are illegal under international law?
I'm sure the IDF will be undertaking a rigorous and impartial investigation into this allegation.
I’m sure the IDF will be undertaking a rigorous and impartial investigation into this allegation.
Unfortunately Israel has been allowed to mark its own homework for so many years that it will award itself a merit badge as the majority of the western world and its leaders look the other way.
As for the fragmentation bombs, they’ve been reported on since the beginning of the year by the brave medical staff in Gaza, it’s only recently that the evidence is being reported on.
How the UK establishment views Gaza:
https://twitter.com/beckettunite/status/1811819884466131302?s=46&t=0EdQH2VaJpSkNmaw8CsUvg
(the police violently attacking a peaceful demonstrator)
Before this thread slips further from the front page.....
https://www.reddit.com/r/GreenAndPleasant/s/HKwXxX3NFa
This shit ain't happening on the other side of the fence.
[url= https://postimg.cc/mtL3ctxL ][img] https://i.postimg.cc/nc73PD0D/20240629-120815.avif [/img][/url]
I could slightly understand how genocide was allowed to happen in the 1700's or whatever. But the fact the world is allowing it to happen right in front of our eyes in this day and age really baffles me. War crimes caught on the news and still not a thing is being done. I still stand by what I said at the start of the conflict, if it had been any other country in the world that was of different skin colour or religion this would have been nipped in the bud pretty sharply.
But the fact the world is allowing it to happen right in front of our eyes in this day and age really baffles me.
That's not what baffles me most. Unfortunately this won't be the first time that the world stood back and did nothing whilst a genocide was taking place.
What makes this one unique is that many countries are giving political and diplomatic backing to the country carrying out the genocide.
And one country in particular is openly supplying the bombs, missiles, and other weapons, to the genocidal regime carrying out the genocide, whilst at the same time demanding that the genocide stops.
That's what baffles me most. I cannot recall anything like that before.
IIRC fragmentation weapons are illegal under international law?
Not as such. This doesn't prevent their use forming part of a case for war crimes on grounds of proportionality, for example
Lee Fang makes interesting observations about media manipulations but Jones looks, er, unwell.
Israeli must have known it could weather the short-lived media cycle. Now Gaza is just old news. Nobody cares.
different skin colour or religion
This is it — if these were babies with blue eyes and blonde hair being torn to shreds by the Israelis, there'd have been a military intervention months ago.
What the "war" in Gaza has achieved is a grotesque hypernormalization of state-sponsored atrocity. Russia "double tap" attacks in Ukraine? Bombing paediatric hospitals?
This is war is now in the 21st century. This is the new "self-defence".
Fragmentation weapons are not banned, only 'non detectable fragmentation weapons', cluster bombs are banned though.
Was wondering why the below story wasn't discussed on here, widely reported and an absolutely horrific event?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz9drj14e0lo
What the “war” in Gaza has achieved is a grotesque hypernormalization of state-sponsored atrocity.
That happened decades ago. I honestly can't remember any point in my lifetime when some group of people in the Middle East wasn't committing horrific atrocities to some other group.
cluster bombs are banned though
Not if you didn't sign the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. Lithuania decided to withdraw just yesterday because Russia still uses them https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3886616-lithuania-pulls-from-convention-banning-cluster-munitions.html
Small cluster munitions aren't banned at all
some group of people in the Middle East wasn’t committing horrific atrocities to some other group.
Some group of people? Pretty much all of those conflicts listed in your link include European involvement, in fact some like Suez only involved Europeans attacking and killing Middle Eastern people.
Maybe some group of Europeans committing atrocities against the indigenous people and stoking up wars for their own self interest would be a better description?
And currently it is Western backed settlers slaughtering the indigenous people of Palestine because they want their land
Maybe some group of Europeans committing atrocities against the indigenous people and stoking up wars for their own self interest would be a better description?
Isn't that just the last 1500 years?
UK to resume Unrwa funding. Announced in parliament by Lammy...
"I can confirm to the house that we are overturning the suspension of UNRWA funding, Britain will provide £21m in funds"
That's excellent. And I think only the United States hasn't resumed funding now..... what a great Democrat president they have!
He organises airdrops of humanitarian aid after supplying the far-right regime with bombs to drop on civilians.
It would be nice if the UK upped the UNRWA funding btw, I think Germany gives 5 times more to UNRWA than the UK.
Hopefully a Labour government will prove to be more generous in alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian tragedy than the previous Tory government.
I think only the United States hasn’t resumed funding now
I think that’s the case, yes.
ICJ gives opinion on Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2x05n7m3xet
Nothing on the BBC page yet but apparently (and perhaps unsurprisingly) it's not going in Israel's favour.
Chris, the link to the live feed is in the front page for me
Edit, do you mean live updates summarising the ongoing event?
Small cluster munitions aren’t banned at all
Phew!! That's a relief!! So the IDF are still the "world's most moral army" 🙂
https://twitter.com/jeremyrh/status/1813106730446037050?s=46&t=0EdQH2VaJpSkNmaw8CsUvg
JUST IN: A CHILD WITH AUTISM AND DOWN SYNDROM WAS EATEN ALIVE BY ISRAELI DOGS AND EXECUTED BY SOLDIERS.
The story of Mohammad Bhar, he was attacked by dogs that were set on him by the soldiers.
He kept patting the dog’s head while saying “that’s enough my dear”
ICJ says Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal
I think we all knew that already but the next obvious question is "what's the international community going to do about that?"
The first step must surely be to implement sanctions. Hopefully the new Attorney General will make the case for sanctions to uphold international law.
Another question must be whether any help or support to Israel to maintain it's illegal occupation from other countries is also an international crime.
Israel simply cannot maintain its illegal occupation of Palestinian land without help from other countries.
Time to get the removal vans into the west bank and kick them all out, give them tents and tell them to **** off, or place a worldwide travel ban and freeze all bank accounts on all 700,000 inhabitants of the West Bank.
In breach of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which means that it constitutes a war crime.
It said other nations were obliged not to “render aid or assistance in maintaining” Israel’s presence in the territories.
Well done the ICJ for sticking to the rule of law. I bet with the US election in swing and the potential backlash against the UN for not siding with Israel there would likely be political pressure on it. But if Trump does win I can see the US using this as an excuse to withdraw from the UN (although I wouldn't put it past the current incarnation of the democrats either).
There will be zero real action. US and UK will continue to supply guns and bombs and to provide a figleaf at the UN.
There will be zero real action. US and UK will continue to supply guns and bombs and to provide a figleaf at the UN.
Illegal occupation of foreign lands by an occupying force?, if so then surely that means the land can be taken back by force?
I’ll bung a few ££ into the fund for the Palestinians
if so then surely that means the land can be taken back by force?
Yeah and as the ICJ also ruled that Gaza was under illegal occupation prior to October 7 last year the attack by the Palestinian resistance wasn't in itself illegal.
So whilst Hamas leaders might well be prosecuted in an international court for war crimes, such as killing civilians (how ironic) they could not presumably be prosecuted for violently resisting and killing Israeli soldiers.
There will be zero real action.
That completely misses the point. The ruling first of all further increases Israel's growing international isolation and secondly it provides a further legal basis for BDS right across the globe.
And those who want to maintain normalised relations with the State of Israel are now in a weaker position.
I think we all knew that already but the next obvious question is “what’s the international community going to do about that?”
And I think we all know the answer to that question. Absolutely nothing whatsoever.
So whilst Hamas leaders might well be prosecuted in an international court for war crimes, such as killing civilians (how ironic) they could not presumably be prosecuted for violently resisting and killing Israeli soldiers.
This is all just delusion. Nobody gives a damn about who is "prosecuted in an International court". Genocide is happening in front of our eyes. People are being killed on a massive scale and nobody is doing anything to stop it. Some soap opera in The Hague is irrelevant.
Some soap opera in The Hague is irrelevant.
I hear this sort of shit from a small minority in the Palestine solidarity movement who insist on always wallowing in endless despair.
The ICJ judgement is massively important and it represents a huge step forward.
The ICJ judgement is massively important and it represents a huge step forward.
I'm sure the widows in Gaza are rejoicing as we speak.
Yesterday I had some muppet telling me that Lammy's announcement that funding is being restored to UNRWA is nothing more than a sticky plaster, ffs
Obviously the halfwit who was unimpressed with £21 million going to UNRWA for food and emergency shelter in Gaza isn't living amongst rubble with no food for themselves and their family.
The clearly spurious nonsense about the oslo accords demolished
Did Palestinian leaders waive these rights with the Oslo accords, which recognized certain Israeli powers in the occupied territory as negotiations were supposed to proceed toward a Palestinian state? No, said the court, citing article 47 of the fourth Geneva convention, which says negotiations between occupier and occupied cannot deprive people of rights under the convention – a wise precaution given inherent power imbalances.
In other news of no consequence other than pointless symbolism, adidas has dropped Bella Hadid from their advertising campaign because she expressed solidarity with her people.
The Adidas ad was something to do with the Munich Olympics. There is a lot of symbolism around that for Israelis, for sure.
Anyway… if Harris becomes POTUS, a change in USA policy towards Israel is likely, isn’t it? I want to hear more there.
It is likely to be more critical. Unless she has been simply playing bad cop to Biden's good cop.
As Netanyahu gets the red carpet treatment in the USA, here’s Jewish/American doctor Mark Pelmutter speaking about what is going on in Gaza.
Its ****ing sickening, I don’t have/use TikTok but my mates son has and showed me a video of two Israeli snipers with a tally on the wall beside them of successful head/chest/leg shots and taking kill shots as they were filmed. How is this not a war crime?, can these videos/folk ever be traced and put on trial?
https://twitter.com/omarbaddar/status/1815428315915973042?s=61&t=27Xz8oI3pGlaNEQvowJBcg
Anyway… if Harris becomes POTUS, a change in USA policy towards Israel is likely, isn’t it? I want to hear more there.
it’s likely to stay exactly the same whether Harris or Trump get elected. Unless by “policy change” you mean change in the noises made in response to the killings.
Israeli government allocates millions to unauthorised West Bank settler outposts
Some of those outposts have been linked to settler violence against Palestinians and are sanctioned by the US.
The United States, Britain, and the European Union have imposed international sanctions on 13 hard-line Israeli settlers, some of whom are associated with the outpost farms — as well as two affiliated outposts and four groups — over accusations of attacks and harassment against Palestinians.
I am not sure how anyone could deny that Israel engages in state sponsored terrorism, and yet not a squeak suggesting that from US and UK governments.
That level of hugely damaging hypocrisy does not go unnoticed, especially in the Global South. And it will certainly contribute to the United States waning global influence
I know it’s “just words”, but Harris’ statement condemning what is happening in Gaza after meeting Netanyahu feel like a step to me. Echoing Lammy’s after his meeting quite closely.
it’s likely to stay exactly the same whether Harris or Trump get elected
Are you selectively misremembering Trump’s last term or office, as regards what he said he wanted to see happen in the West Bank and Gaza?
Settler who shot Palestinian man yet to be charged 9 months after incident videoed
A West Bank settler who entered a Palestinian village and shot and severely wounded a Palestinian man from point-blank range has yet to be charged, despite the incident being caught on video and the testimony of multiple eyewitnesses.
The man who goes around shooting Palestinians with impunity is an illegal settler on illegally occupied land. And a free man.
Edit: And to be clear there is no Hamas activity in the West Bank so Israeli violence against innocent Palestinians has nothing to do with their "war" on Hamas.
if Harris becomes POTUS, a change in USA policy towards Israel is likely, isn’t it?
Didnt she initially boycott his speech, but only a day later say Israel has a right to defend itself.
Quite a change around, though that might be as a way of not alienating potential voters when put on the spot by the press.
But either way as far as i see it, Israel is an American fort in the middle of a danger zone.And the Americans will do anything to keep that fort supplied.
Are you selectively misremembering Trump’s last term or office, as regards what he said he wanted to see happen in the West Bank and Gaza?
No. I'm just not listening to words and instead paying attention to actions.
Israel sets up 25 illegal outposts in West Bank since October 7: Report
Peace Now Israel, a group pushing for a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, says since the war on Gaza began, Israel has established at least “25 outposts, most of them agricultural outposts”, in the occupied West Bank.
“The cabinet approved the establishment of five new settlements: Evyatar, Givat Assaf, Sde Ephraim, Adorayim, and Nachal Haletz, all illegal outposts intended to become official settlements,” the report said.
It found that far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich instructed ministries and authorities to begin funding “70 illegal outposts, establish public buildings, and connect them to water, electricity, and other infrastructure”.
It added that 1,205 Palestinian structures have been “demolished by Israel”, leading to more than 2,500 Palestinians losing their homes. The majority of the structures, 1,027, were demolished in the West Bank and 178 were in East Jerusalem.
occupations in West Bank since October 7th 2023
It's time to admit the 2state solution is not going to be possible whilst Israel acts with such impunity,
