The situation in Jenin “continues deteriorating” as it enters its third day under Israeli military siege; meanwhile, in Gaza, displaced Palestinians face frigid temperatures under heavy rainfall.
Writing stories about Gaza does not come only from interviewing and observing but most importantly they come from being a central part of it, as I experience them as any local living here.
Impeding Gaza’s ability to move beyond its own destruction, the blockade is being exacerbated by climate change, and even an hour of rain floods Gaza’s neighborhoods.
As the global climate crisis continues to worsen, many families in Gaza are feeling the devastating effects of climate change. These impacts are compounded by Israel’s 14-year siege on the territory as well as repeated attacks, including the war last May. Hussni Mohanna, the spokesperson for Gaza City’s emergency committee, tells Mondoweiss that the city tries its best to alleviate the infrastructural issues caused by the wars, but the odds are stacked against them. With the limited budget and resources it has, it cannot keep up with the rapidly changing climate.
There are conflicting reports whether the Sierra Club has canceled plans for educational trips to Israel that were supposed to begin this month. It was originally reported that the environmental organization made the decision to cancel the trip after discussions between members of its board and a coalition of Palestine advocacy groups. But now, the Times of Israel is reporting the environmental organization has buckled under pressure from the Israel lobby.
The biggest obstacle to saving the fragile ecosystems of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea is Israel.
Israeli settlement expansion is not only illegal, it is also destroying Palestine’s environment through the urbanization of the West Bank.
On the sidelines of COP26, Israel’s Prime Minister met with Bill Gates to discuss forming working group to study potential cooperation around combating climate change. Gates’ obsession with ‘innovation’, however, might have blinded him from addressing other issues that Israel is also ‘known for’ – namely, being the world’s leading human rights violator and the destruction of the Palestinian environment.
U.S. exceptionalism is ubiquitous in the American psyche, even on the left. It needs to be overcome if we are to deal with the existential crises before us.