Al Jazeera – December 10, 2023
No captives will be released without negotiations: Hamas
In a pre-recorded message, the spokesperson for Hamas’s Qassam Brigades says Israeli captives will not be released by military force.
“We tell the Israelis that Netanyahu, Gallant, and others in the war cabinet cannot bring back their captives without negotiations. The latest killing of a captive they tried to take back by force proves that.”
Abu Obaida was referring to an Israeli man held captive, whom Israeli special forces in the Gaza Strip tried to rescue. He said the group repelled the attempt, inflicting several military casualties, and the captive also died in the assault.
He also said in 10 days fighters from Beit Hanoon to Khan Younis “managed to destroy more than 180 military APCs, tanks and bulldozers partially or totally. Our fighters carried out operations that included attacking foot soldiers from close range and dozens of sniper attacks along with anti-personnel weaponry.
“These led to a large number of deaths and injuries among the enemy ranks,” he said, adding:
Qassam Brigades struck several Israeli cities, including Ashkelon and Ashdod.
We continue to push back against the Israeli aggression.
The enemy’s only claim to victory is its attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Israel’s talk of crushing Hamas is for public consumption.
We urge people in the Arab and Islamic world to protest and not to be bystanders.
Thousands of our fighters remain steadfast and are waiting for a chance to fight.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/10/israel-hamas-war-live-no-safe-place-in-gaza-as-severe-hunger-spreads?update=2547421
Daily Sabah – December 10, 2023
Palestinian toll crosses 17,700 as Israel kills 10 in southern Gaza
At least 10 Palestinians were killed and many others injured when the Israeli army bombed a house in southern Gaza Strip's Khan Younis on Sunday, according to the WAFA news agency.
Israeli artillery units also targeted the vicinity of European Hospital in Khan Younis.
The recent deaths take the Palestinian toll in the besieged strip to at least 17,700, while over 46,480 people were injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.
Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause, taking the war into its third month.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/palestinian-toll-crosses-17700-as-israel-kills-10-in-southern-gaza
Daily Sabah – December 10, 2023
Erdoğan renews UN reform call after US veto to cease-fire in Gaza
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's oft-repeated call for reform in the U.N. Security Council found a new meaning after the U.S. blocked the call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Erdoğan reiterated the call among notorious move by Israel's chief supporter he accuses of complicity earlier in atrocities in besieged Gaza
"The world is bigger than five." "A fairer world is possible." These are the slogans President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly been using in the past years in his struggle for reforming the United Nations. The Turkish leader reiterated them as he addressed a World Human Rights Day event in Istanbul over the weekend.
Erdoğan's call followed a session of the United Nations Security Council where the United States, a backer of the Netanyahu administration in its brutal massacre of civilian population in Palestinian enclave Gaza, vetoed a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.
"Due to a veto by the U.S., no decision was reached. It is essential for the U.N. Security Council to be reformed,” Erdoğan told the event on Saturday.
"We have lost our hope and expectation from the U.N. Security Council,” he said. "Since Oct. 7, the U.N. Security Council, whose mission is to establish global peace, has turned into a protector of Israel."
Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after the end of a week-long humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.
Around 17,500 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged enclave in Israeli air and ground attacks since the offensive by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Erdoğan stressed that the Israeli government, backed by the full support of the West, is committing atrocities and massacres in Gaza that shame humanity as a whole. The "butchers of Gaza” must be held accountable for crimes against humanity, Erdoğan said, adding that they will be held accountable "sooner or later.”
He said a fair world is possible, but not with the U.S. because it sides with Israel.
The Turkish president said the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being blatantly violated in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
"We see the declaration as a cornerstone of humanity's dignified struggle for life, even though it has not been able to put an end to human rights violations. We believe that the declaration has made significant contributions to the creation of global awareness regarding the protection and improvement of human rights,” Erdoğan further said.
'Poisonous vine'
Stressing the "undeniable reality” that Dec. 10 Human Rights Day is observed in many parts of the World even as human rights are trampled upon, Erdoğan said: "Islamophobia and xenophobia, like a poisonous vine, stand at the forefront of threats to human rights, entwining Western societies."
"The majority of those most affected by xenophobic, racist, discriminatory and fascist practices are undoubtedly Muslims, who make up the majority of immigrants. The terms 'terrorist' and 'terrorism' have been turned into a guise for attacking Islam, demeaning Muslims, and massacring the innocent,” Erdoğan added.
President Erdoğan reiterated that attacks on places of worship, business centers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and associations belonging to Muslims have been increasing day by day.
"The tragicomic aspect of the issue is that all of this happens in countries marketed as the cradle of democracy and human rights. Perhaps there has never been a time when the gap between words and actions has widened so much. Those who do not leave a trace of ash in the grill when it comes to talking are, in practice, writing a veritable book on double standards, lack of principles, and hypocrisy. Apparently, these countries believe that the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations (U.N.) are only applicable to those they deem acceptable humans,” the president maintained.
"In their view, non-Western and non-white individuals have no real opportunity to fully benefit from these rights, or in some cases, any opportunity at all. Without explicitly stating it, they reveal the warped mindset of the West by turning a blind eye to cultural racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia,” he added.
Erdoğan also said that Türkiye will resolutely continue to fight against the PKK terrorist group. "We will not let go of the struggle against these lowlifes who have been shedding blood, spilling the blood of our citizens, without throwing them into the trash bin of history," he concluded.
https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/erdogan-renews-un-reform-call-after-us-veto-to-cease-fire-in-gaza/news
Common Dreams – December 10, 2023
Biden Administration Bypasses Congress to Rush Tank Shells to Israel
By Julia Conley
Hours after United States Ambassador Robert Wood on Friday acted alone to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the Biden administration again illustrated its growing isolation in continuing to back Israel’s onslaught as it bypassed Congress to send more weapons to the country’s extreme right-wing government.
The U.S. Defense Department posted a noticeﾠonline Saturday saying U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had informed Congress that a government sale of 13,000 rounds of tank ammunition was moving forward, even though Congress had not completed an informal review of the transaction.
The State Department invoked an emergency provision of the Arms Control Export Act to bypass the review process generally required for weapons sales to foreign nations. The sale, which Congress has no power to stop now that the provision has been invoked, was valued at more than $106 million.
“Rushing deadly weapons to the far-right and openly genocidal Israeli government without congressional review robs American voters of their voice in Congress, emboldens Netanyahu to kill more Palestinian civilians, and furthers stains our nation’s standing in the world,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Mitchell noted that the sale was finalized as media outlets confirmed Israeli tanks have “deliberately targeted and slaughtered journalists in Lebanon.”
“The Biden administration’s decision is an affront to democracy and an act of moral insanity,” he said.
The State Department notified congressional committees of the sale around 11:00 pm EST Friday, hours after a new Pew Research poll showed that only 35% of Americans support the Biden administration’s backing of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces have now killed more than 17,700 Palestinians in Gaza in just over two months, while claiming they are targeting Hamas.
Thirteen members of the U.N. Security Council on Friday voted in favor of a humanitarian cease-fire, while the U.K. abstained from voting. The U.S. vetoed the resolution in a move CAIR condemned as “unconscionable.”
“It is not clear what level of suffering by the Palestinian people would prompt our nation’s leaders to act in their defense,” said CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad.
Also on Saturday, the global charity Save the Children warned that at least 7,685 children under age five in Gaza are now so malnourished—a result of Israel’s total blockade of the enclave that began in October and the delivery of just a small fraction of the aid that is needed—that they require “urgent medical treatment to avoid death.”
“The repeated failure of the international community to act signifies a death knell to children,” said Jason Lee, country director for Save the Children. “I’ve seen children and families roaming the streets of what hasn’t been flattened in Gaza, with no food, nowhere to go, and nothing to survive on. Even the internationally-funded humanitarian aid response—Gaza’s last lifeline—has been choked by Israeli-imposed restrictions.”
“Gaza’s children are being condemned to further bombardment, starvation, and disease,” said Lee. “We must heed the lessons from the past and must immediately prevent ‘atrocity crimes’ from unfolding.”
The intensifying opposition to Israel’s U.S.- and U.K.-backed bombardment of Gaza was made apparent by an estimated 15,000-20,000 people who marched through London on Saturday to demand a cease-fire.
“We will continue to march,” saidﾠthe Stop the War Coalition, “until there’s a cease-fire and justice for the Palestinians.”
Julia Conley is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-2666509472
The Conversation – December 9, 2023
Why Yemen’s Houthis are Intervening in the Israel-Hamas Conflict & how it Could Disrupt Global Shipping?
By Leena Adel, Curtin University; and Ben Rich, Curtin University
In recent days, three Israeli-linked commercial vessels were targeted by ballistic missiles and drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, marking a clear escalation in maritime attacks in the critical Bab el Mandab strait between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for two of the attacks, as well as an earlier hijacking of a Japanese-operated cargo ship by helicopter last month.
On Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree reemphasised that all Israeli-affiliated vessels travelling along the Yemeni coast would be fair game if Israel does not cease its attacks on Gaza, which have claimed the lives of at least 15,500 Palestinians since October 7.
Who are the Houthis?
The Iranian-backed Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are insurgents that control most of Yemen’s north, including the nation’s capital, Sana’a.
The group emerged in the 1980s as a political-religious revivalist movement out of the Zaydi sect from Yemen’s northern highlands, namely the ancient city of Saada. The movement’s broad motivations emerged from longstanding grievances that left many Zaydis feeling like second-class citizens within the wider Yemeni social and political order.
Many in the Houthi leadership received religious education in Iran before returning to Yemen in the early 2000s and becoming more politically active. The Houthis are not mere Iranian “proxies”, however. Attempts to portray them as such tend to overemphasise this connection and ignore the indigenous nature and causes of the movement and its ideology.
The group engaged in ongoing struggles against the Ali Abdullah Saleh-led Yemeni government throughout the 2000s, ultimately contributing to its collapse following the 2011 Arab revolts.
Following the Arab Spring and increasing chaos in Yemen, the Houthis gained significant momentum. In 2014, they were able to oust the Saudi-backed transitional government and seize power over much of Yemen, rapidly blitzing into the country’s south – a move that shocked international onlookers in its brazenness and efficacy.
In response, a Saudi- and Emirati-led coalition launched a military intervention, which they believed would rapidly overwhelm the insurgents with their technological superiority.
The operation went awry, however. Thanks to their own tenacity, along with increasing support from Iran, the Houthis were able to bog down the coalition forces into a bloody stalemate. This brought untold misery to the wider Yemeni population, but allowed the Houthis to hold onto power over much of the country’s north. A series of backchannel negotiations led to a halt in the fighting in 2022.
Although peace talks officially commenced in April, Yemen remains in a state of precarious peace. Because this is such a critical time for the Houthis, it begs the question: why are they risking their hard-won gains over a conflict thousands of kilometres away that doesn’t directly involve them?
Why Israel?
The Houthis are part of the so-called “axis of resistance”, an alliance of proxy militant and insurgent groups that Iran has built throughout the region, including in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.
Within this wider context, Israel has attempted to implicate Iran in Red Sea attacks, but Tehran denies it.
To interpret the Houthi attacks on Israel as solely an extension of Iran’s wider geopolitical manoeuvring would be overlooking a crucial Houthi political strategy. The group’s support of the Palestinians is also a way of garnering domestic and regional support for its own position in Yemen.
While many countries in the region have sought a detente with Israel in recent years, it’s clear that support for the Palestinians remains high among the wider Arab population. As such, the Houthis clearly see an opportunity to step into the vacuum and generate positive public opinion for their cause.
This not only strengthens the Houthis’ authority at home, but is also critical to reinforcing the legitimacy of the Houthis as Yemen’s governing authority in the eyes of the international community.
Why is the Bab el Mandab Strait important?
Yemen has always been at the centre of regional geopolitics due to its strategic location on the Bab el Mandab Strait, also known as the “Gate of Tears,” which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean beyond.
Because vessels need to traverse the 30-kilometre-wide strait to travel between Europe and Asia (via the Suez Canal), it serves a pivotal role in global trade and energy security. Oil and natural gas shipments pass through the strait from the Middle East to Europe and North America.
Historically, the strait is no stranger to conflict. In 1973, for instance, Egypt blockaded the strait to prevent ships from reaching Israel during the October war.
The Houthis are aware of how critical this waterway is. And its attacks on the vessels, which may seem to be a nuisance for now, could potentially cause larger problems for Israel and its allies.
For Israel, diverting its shipments to Asia around the southern tip of Africa – instead of through the Red Sea – would significantly increase shipping costs and transit times.
Any disruption to this trading route would have serious global economic costs, as well. Global maritime insurance companies are already hiking their prices and limiting their coverage of high-risk shipping as a direct result of the Houthi attacks.
The Houthi threat also serves to ratchet up the wider tensions in the region, potentially changing the calculus of the US and Israel, who might become more cautious in their actions as a result.
For the Houthis, these provocations are ultimately low cost and high return. Given the insurgent, battle-hardened and dispersed nature of the group, for example, it would be difficult for Israel or its allies to try to respond to the attacks. So, as long as the war in Gaza drags on, the Houthis will likely continue to play a disruptive role and look for new ways to create uncertainty and risk in the region.
Leena Adel, PhD Candidate, Political Science and International Relations, Curtin University and Ben Rich, Senior lecturer in History and International Relations, Curtin University
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