The Latest:
- Gaza death toll reaches 122, including 31 children and 900 injuries, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health; seven Israeli casualties, including one child. 24 schools have been destroyed in Gaza.
- The U.S. prevents a statement from Security Council. “Israel has asked the Biden administration to block any measures at the UN since the fighting began on Monday, and the U.S. has blocked at least two attempts by other members of the council to publish a statement on the situation.” — Axios.
- Israeli forces continue to bombard the Strip from the air, and by artillery and tankfire. The announcement of a ground invasion of Gaza yesterday was a purposeful effort to mislead the media by the Israeli military, with a tactical aim, the Israeli broadcast station i24 says.
- Palestinian demonstrations against the Israeli government continued across the West Bank; the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 10 deaths, over 500 injuries.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in Lydda/Lod, a mixed Israeli city that has seen attacks on Palestinians and Jews, and decried “a significant minority” of the “Arab” population for the attacks. A curfew was imposed in Lydda and Jaffa was locked down, according to reports on i24.
- Some Israeli attacks have been aimed at protesters crossing the Lebanese and Jordanian borders into Israel and the West Bank. “’Dozens’ of people from Lebanon stormed past border fences on Friday and briefly entered Israel, as hundreds in Jordan sought to do the same,” the Independent reports.
- U.S. envoy Hady Amr, deputy assistant secretary of State, was set to arrive today to seek to mediate an end to violence.
- Several Congresspeople spoke out last night against the use of U.S. aid to fund Israeli attack, including members of the “Squad,” Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush. See our report here. They were led by Mark Pocan (D-WI), who said, “We cannot pick and choose whose humans rights we defend.”
– updated at 5:44 pm GMT
10,000 fled their homes in Gaza
At least 10,000 have sought temporary shelter in Gaza, fleeing intense shelling primarily in northern and eastern regions closest to the border with Israel, according to an estimate released today by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Lynn Hastings. In the statement released today, Hastings said many are taking cover in schools and mosques:
“The United Nations estimates that some 10,000 Palestinians have had to leave their homes in Gaza due to the ongoing hostilities. They are sheltering in schools, mosques and other places during a global COVID-19 pandemic with limited access to water, food, hygiene, and health services. Hospitals and access to water and sanitation services depend on electricity, the fuel for which will run out on Sunday.
The Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups must immediately allow the United Nations and our humanitarian partners to bring in fuel, food, and medical supplies and to deploy humanitarian personnel.”
-updated 6:50 pm GMT
Thousands protest at Jordan, Lebanon borders; at least two killed
Thousands of protesters, many of them reported to be Palestinian refugees, descended on the Lebanese and Jordanian borders with Israel and the occupied West Bank, carrying Palestinian flags, chanting slogans of Palesitnian unity and support for Gaza.
The Times of Israel reported that at least one of the protestors at the Lebanese border was killed at the border by Israeli gunfire after a number of the protesters reportedly managed to cross the border. In Jordan, i24 reported another demonstrator was killed in similar circumstances.
Huge crowds of protesters, reported to be in the thousands, protested near the Jordanian border with the West Bank, carrying Jordanian and Palestinian flags.
Videos showing several hundred of the protesters raising Palestinian flags and running towards the the King Hussein (Allenby) bridge that separates Jordan from the West Bank went viral on social media.
The protesters chanted “With spirit and blood, we shall redeem you, O Aqsa!” as they approached the border. The hashtag #يلا_على_الحدود, which translates to “Lets go! To the borders” was trending on Twitter in the region.
The protesters reportedly clashed for hours with Jordanian authorities, who fired tear gas and other crowd dispersal measures at the crowds.
Several reports claimed that some of the protesters managed to cut through a portion of the border fence, and were making their way inside West Bank territory.
One report from Arabic media claimed that some protesters from Jordan had managed to reach the Palestinian village of Ein al-Baydah in the northern Jordan Valley.
Ayman Ghraib, a local activist in the Jordan Valley told Mondoweiss that Israeli forces were deployed in the area where the protesters were reported to be, and that there was shooting in the area, though he could not confirm where the gunfire was coming from, and who it was aimed at.
Mondoweiss could not independently confirm reports that some of the protesters had managed to enter the West Bank.
Lebanon and Jordan are home to nearly 2.5 million Palestinian refugees.
Yumna Patel reports from the West Bank
-updated 6:39 pm GMT
Ten killed, hundreds injured as protests continue in the West Bank
At least 10 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire so far in the occupied West Bank, as protests continue to rage on in towns, cities, and villages across the territory.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered in various districts across the West Bank on Friday afternoon, following Friday prayers to demonstrate against the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, that has left 122 Palestinians dead including 31 children, and the ongoing Israeli aggressions in Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah, and across Palestinian communities inside Israel.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 10 deaths in the West Bank as of 7:40 pm local Palestinian time (4:40 GMT), and more than 500 injuries.
At least one of the Palestinians killed on Friday was shot by Israeli settlers in the village of Iskaka, in the Salfit district of the central West Bank, according to testimony from locals.
The ministry said that the majority of injuries it has recorded today are from live ammunition. At least 13 people were reported to be in serious condition.
Protests are expected to continue into the night, as Palestinians across the West Bank called for more presence at demonstration sights after the evening’s Maghrib, or sunset prayers.
Yumna Patel reports from the West Bank
–updated 5:45 pm GMT
Previous Reports:
- Live blog: Israel threatening ground invasion in Gaza, mobilizes army to police Palestinian citizens (May 13, 2021)
- Live blog: Israel kills two Palestinians in West Bank raids, Gaza death toll rises as airstrikes continue (May 12, 2021)
- Live blog: Israel levels apartment buildings, dozens dead in Gaza as Netanyahu government vows to step up strikes (May 11, 2021)
- Israel kills 20 Palestinians in Gaza, injures hundreds in Jerusalem as Al-Aqsa tensions flare (May 10, 2021)
- Hundreds injured as Israeli forces attack Palestinian worshipers in Jerusalem (May 8, 2021)
Indeed and correct, Misterioso.
The Israel/Zionist Lobby, Biden administration branch, is just another lickspittle for Israel, constantly beating the drum for Israel, no matter what its war crimes against Palestinians are.
See Walt and Mearsheimer’s book “The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy”. (2006), which evoked howls of protest from Israel’s supporters, who of course all called it antisemitic. Haim Saban on the Democratic side says Israel is his issue and gave $4 mil to Biden, just as Sheldon Adelson did on the Republican side to Trump.
Biden has long been an Israel sycophant, saying he’s a Zionist and loves Bibi. Biden, Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken complain about repressive regimes in China and Russia, but out of the other side of their mouths say they’re resolutely against the civil society Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement, which seeks civil and political rights for Palestinians and oppose Israel’s war crimes. Talk about hypocrisy! But, drip, drip, drip, things are slowly changing as witnessed by the recent Human Rights Watch report on Israeli apartheid.
No surprise!! When “push comes to shove,” Biden chooses to remain the Zionist lobby’s puppet.
The American people better wise up soon. The Zionists have been playing them for suckers for over 72 years.
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Although hardly a surprise, it seems “President” Biden is unaware of the fact that “Israel” has in effect occupied the Gaza Strip for years:
A reminder:
To quote the independent and highly respected human rights organization Human Rights Watch: “…Israel will continue to be an Occupying Power [of the Gaza Strip] under international law and bound by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention because it will retain effective control over the territory and over crucial aspects of civilian life. Israel will not be withdrawing and handing power over to a sovereign authority – indeed, the word ‘withdrawal’ does not appear in the [2005 disengagement] document at all… The IDF will retain control over Gaza’s borders, coastline, and airspace, and will reserve the right to enter Gaza at will. According to the Hague Regulations, ‘A territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised’. International jurisprudence has clarified that the mere repositioning of troops is not sufficient to relieve an occupier of its responsibilities if it retains its overall authority and the ability to reassert direct control at will.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): “The whole of Gaza’s civilian population is being punished for acts for which they bear no responsibility. The closure therefore constitutes a collective punishment imposed in clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.” The ICRC thus unequivocally stated that Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law embodied in the Geneva Conventions. The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, ratified by Israel, bans collective punishment of a civilian population. (cont’d)
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To quote Dov Weisglass, PM Ariel Sharon’s senior adviser:
“‘The significance of the [then proposed] disengagement plan [implemented in 2005] is the freezing of the peace process,’ Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s senior adviser Dov Weisglass has told Ha’aretz. ‘And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda….’ Weisglass, who was one of the initiators of the disengagement plan, was speaking in an interview with Ha’aretz for the Friday Magazine. ‘The disengagement is actually formaldehyde,’ he said. ‘It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.’” (Top PM Aide: Gaza Plan Aims to Freeze the Peace Process, Ha’aretz, October 6, 2004)
Biden is Israel’s puppet. He’s long been boxed in. Much like the vast majority of politicians. Its interesting to note, however, that most don’t like it. They resent having a bit in their mouth. A set of factors, keep this dance going. Money, media, religion, narrative, PR manipulation, a keen understanding of politics, political savvy about how groups are influenced and a stunning lack there-of.
Recently we had the situation where a great many Members of Congress were ready to get on board politically to oppose storming of Al-Aqsa, especially at Ramadan, and the unequal legal framework that has been employed to take homes. Probably one of the most fertile political moments in a long time. Palestinian equality and respect were on the table. Then, macho foolishness leaped to the fore and negated the political opportunities. How to understand this carrying of Netanyahu’s water and wound to the cause of Palestine?