USCMO – October 17, 2023
American Muslims condemn Israeli Bombing of Gaza Hospital
(Washington, D.C. - 10/17/2023) – The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), condemns in the strongest possible terms the Israeli government’s unconscionable war crime—the bombing of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, today, killing 500 to 800 patients, doctors, healthcare workers, and hundreds of displaced children and families seeking shelter there, with nowhere else to go.
USCMO calls on President Biden to cancel his plans to stand alongside Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and endorse his government’s ongoing war crimes against Palestinians.
“President Biden’s support for the Israeli government’s indiscriminate mass bombing of Palestinians must end,” said Oussama Jammal, USCMO secretary general. “American Muslims and all people of conscience now call upon the President to repudiate the systematic Israeli mass slaughter of thousands of Palestinians, demand a ceasefire, and take steps to pursue a long-term peace by ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) immediately condemned the deadly Israeli strike on the full Gaza hospital, which it said was “operational with patients, health- and care-givers, and internally-displaced people sheltering there.”
USMCO, along with a rising tide of international and humanitarian organizations, calls upon the U.S. and global community of nations to intervene immediately to stop the blatant, ongoing indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and threats of ethnic cleansing.
Our nation cannot morally stand by while the far-right Israeli apartheid government under Benjamin Netanyahu uses U.S.-provided weapons to besiege, bomb and ethnically cleans Gaza. We cannot become complicit in this annihilation.
UN Security Council votes down Russia resolution calling for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza
BY EPHREM KOSSAIFY
NEW YORK: A resolution proposed by Russia calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza and the release of “all hostages” has failed to receive enough votes to be adopted by the 15-member UN Security Council, with members who voted against it or abstained citing its failure to mention Hamas and condemn the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israeli towns.
On Monday, Russia, China, the UAE, Gabon and Mozambique voted in favor, while the US, UK, France and Japan voted against. Brazil, Malta, Albania, Switzerland, Ecuador and Ghana abstained.
The resolution had been backed by the UN Arab Group of countries, whose ambassadors were all present at the council meeting.
A vote on a rival, draft resolution from Brazil was delayed until Tuesday, Arab News has learned.
Russia’s resolution, seen by Arab News, expresses “grave concern” at the escalation of violence and the deterioration of the situation, in particular the resulting heavy civilian casualties, underscoring the need for both populations to be protected.
It also expressed grave concern at the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called for “an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian ceasefire.”
The draft also condemns “all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism,” and calls for the “secure release of all hostages.”
Russia also called for the unimpeded provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance, including food, fuel and medical treatment as well as creating conditions for the safe evacuation of civilians in need.
Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, after the vote claimed the council had once again been held “hostage” to the “selfish intentions of the Western bloc of countries.”
He said: “Today, the entire world waited with bated breath for the Security Council to take steps in order to put an end to the bloodletting. But the delegations of the Western countries have basically stomped on those expectations. We believe that today’s vote in the Security Council is very, very demonstrative. It clearly shows who are in favor of a truce to stop the indiscriminate bombing and provision of humanitarian assistance and who is still in favor of blocking a single common message from the Security Council for purely selfish interests and political interests.”
Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US’ permanent representative to the UN, said that by failing to mention Hamas, Russia has dishonored the victims of the Oct. 7 attack.
“By failing to condemn Hamas, Russia is giving cover to a terrorist group that brutalizes innocent civilians. It is outrageous, it is hypocritical, and it is indefensible,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
She blamed Hamas as solely responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and said “we cannot allow this Council to unfairly shift the blame to Israel and excuse Hamas for its decades of cruelty. Period.”
The US envoy said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the White House are engaged in “intensive discussions” with the Israeli government and countries in the region to secure the “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages and facilitate humanitarian access and relief.
“It is critical that civilians have access to essential food, water, medicine, and shelter. Let me repeat: It is critical,” Thomas-Greenfield said, as she called on countries in the region to allow “full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access in Gaza — in line with the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.”
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s envoy, who voted for Russia’s resolution, reiterated her country’s condemnation of the murder of innocent Israeli civilians and the taking hostage of children, and said that Hamas does not represent the people of Gaza who are “suffering tremendously today.”
“And that is why Council unity is so desperately needed on this file,” Nusseibeh said, as she emphasized the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. “We believe this council should be able to find unity on two things: International humanitarian law must be upheld, indiscriminate attacks must be rejected and are unjustifiable, and the cycle of violence overall must end.
“The events of the last nine days have made it painfully clear that without a determined political horizon, the specter of bloodshed will continue to haunt both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Evoking the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, she said that “a life only defined by the absence of its antithesis, death, is no life at all.
“Palestinians and Israelis deserve not only to live which is the bare minimum, but to thrive, side by side in their own independent, prosperous and secure states.”
China’s UN representative Jhang Zun, who also voted in favor of Russia’s resolution, expressed regret that council members failed to vote on the draft which had garnered support from the UN Arab Group.
“Humanitarian issues should not be politicized,” he said.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2392591/middle-east
Countercurrent – October 17, 2023
Not Hamas-Israeli Conflict: The Palestinian Cause Belongs to the Worldﾠﾠ
by Dr Ramzy Baroud
At one time, the ‘Arab-Israeli Conflict’ was Arab and Israeli. Over the course of many years, however, it was rebranded. The media is now telling us it is a ‘Hamas-Israeli conflict’.
But what went wrong? Israel simply became too powerful.
The supposedly astounding Israeli victories over the years against Arab armies have emboldened Israel to the extent that it came to view itself, not as a regional superpower, but as a global power as well. Israel, per its own definition, became ‘invincible’.
Such terminology was not a mere scare tactic aimed at breaking the spirit of Palestinians and Arabs alike. Israel believed this.
The ‘Israeli miracle victory’ against Arab armies in 1967 was a watershed moment. Then, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Abba Eban, declared in a speech that “from the podium of the UN, I proclaimed the glorious triumph of the IDF and the redemption of Jerusalem.”
This, in his thinking, could only mean one thing: “Never before has Israel stood more honored and revered by the nations of the world.”
The sentiment in Eban’s words echoed throughout Israel. Even those who doubted their government’s ability to completely prevail over the Arabs, joined the chorus: Israel is unvanquishable.
Little rational discussion took place back then, about the actual reasons why Israel had won, and if that victory would have been possible without Washington’s complete backing and the West’s willingness to support Israel at any cost.
Israel was never a graceful winner. As the size of territories controlled by the triumphant little state increased by three-fold, Israel began entrenching its military occupation over whatever remained of historic Palestine. It even began building settlements in newly occupied Arab territories, in Sinai, the Golan Heights and all the rest.
Fifty years ago, in October 1973, Arab armies attempted to reverse Israel’s massive gains by launching a surprise attack. They initially succeeded, then failed when the US moved quickly to bolster Israeli defenses and intelligence.
It was not a complete victory for the Arabs, nor a total defeat for Israel. The latter was badly bruised, though. But Tel Aviv remained convinced that the fundamental relationship it had established with the Arabs in 1967 had not been altered.
And, with time, the ‘conflict’ became less Arab-Israeli and more Palestinian-Israeli. Other Arab countries, like Lebanon, paid a heavy price for the fragmentation of the Arab front.
This changing reality meant that Israel could invade South Lebanon in March 1978, and then sign the Camp David Peace Accords with Egypt, six months later.
While the Israeli occupation of Palestine grew more violent, with an insatiable appetite for more land, the west turned the Palestinian struggle for freedom into a ‘conflict’ to be managed by words, never by deeds.
Many Palestinian intellectuals make a point of arguing that “this is not a conflict”, that military occupation is not a political dispute, but governed by clearly defined international laws and boundaries. And that it must be resolved according to international justice.
That is yet to happen. Neither was justice delivered, nor an inch of Palestine was retrieved, despite the countless international conferences, resolutions, statements, investigations, recommendations, and special reports. Without real enforcement, international law is mere ink.
But did the Arab people abandon Palestine? The anger, the anguish, and the passionate chants by endless streams of people who took to the streets throughout the Middle East to protest the annihilation of Gaza by the Israeli army, did not seem to think that Palestine is alone – or, at least, should be left fighting on its own.
The isolation of Palestine from its regional context has proven disastrous.
When the ‘conflict’ is only with the Palestinians, then Israel determines the context and scope of the so-called conflict, what is allowed at the ‘negotiations table’, and what is to be excluded. This is how the Oslo Accords squandered Palestinian rights.
The more Israel succeeds in isolating Palestinians from their regional environs, the more it invests in their division.
It is even more dangerous when the conflict becomes between Hamas and Israel. The outcome is a whole different conversation that is superimposed on the truly urgent understanding of what is taking place in Gaza, in the whole of Palestine at the moment.
In Israel’s version of events, the war began on October 7, when Hamas fighters attacked Israeli military bases, settlements, and towns in the south of Israel.
No other date or event prior to the Hamas attack seems to matter to Israel, to the West and to corporate media covering the war with so much concern for the plight of Israelis, and complete disregard to the Gaza inferno.
No other context is allowed to spoil the perfect Israeli narrative of ISIS-like Palestinians disturbing the peace and tranquility of Israel and its people.
Palestinian voices that insist on discussing the Gaza war within proper historical contexts – the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948, the occupation of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, the siege on Gaza in 2007, all the bloody wars before and after – are simply denied platforms.
The pro-Israel media simply does not want to listen. Even if Israel did not go as far as making unfounded claims about decapitated babies, the media would have remained committed to the Israeli narrative, anyway.
Yet, if Israel continues to define the narratives of war, historical contexts of ‘conflicts’, and the political discourses that shape the West’s view of Palestine and the Middle East, it will continue to obtain all the blank checks necessary to remain committed to its military occupation of Palestine.
In turn, this will fuel yet more conflicts, more wars and more deception regarding the roots of the violence.
For this vicious cycle to break, Palestine must, once more, become an issue that concerns all Arabs, the whole region. The Israeli narrative must be countered, western bias confronted, and a new, collective strategy formed.
In other words, Palestine cannot be left alone anymore.
Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is ‘Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out’. His other books include ‘My Father was a Freedom Fighter’ and ‘The Last Earth’. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
Trump pledges to expel immigrants who support Hamas,
Ban Muslims From the U.S.
By Nathan Layne and Tim Reid
CLIVE, Iowa (Reuters) - Donald Trump promised on Monday that if elected president again he will bar immigrants who support Hamas from entering the U.S. and send officers to pro-Hamas protests to arrest and deport immigrants who publicly support the Palestinian militant group.
On a campaign stop in Iowa, Trump was responding to the Hamas killing of at least 1,300 Israelis that triggered a war in which Palestinian health officials say Israel has killed more than 2,800 Palestinians in Gaza.
Trump, president from 2017-2021, said that if elected to a second White House term he will ban entry to the U.S. of anybody who does not believe in Israel's right to exist, and revoke the visas of foreign students who are "antisemitic."
He also vowed to step up travel bans from "terror-plagued countries." He did not explain how he would enforce his demands, including the one requiring immigrants to support Israel's right to exist under what he called "strong ideological screening."
Many of Trump's immigration policies were challenged in court during his presidency and his newest pledges could also face challenges.
A ban he imposed on immigrants from some Muslim-majority nations was struck down in lower courts but ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Biden ended that ban when he took office.
Trump said on Monday he would ban immigrants from Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen "or anywhere else that threatens our security". Trump also read a poem that he used to liken immigrants to deadly snakes.
Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, described Trump's pledges as Islamophobic, extreme and designed to exploit "fear and anxiety."
Iowa is one of the earliest states to hold a Republican presidential nominating contest. A tough approach to immigrants was a cornerstone of Trump's first term as president.
He is the frontrunner to win his party's White House nomination and take on Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2024 election.
Promising to drastically tighten U.S. immigration laws, Trump said: "If you want to abolish the state of Israel, you're disqualified, if you support Hamas or the ideology behind Hamas, you're disqualified, and if you're a communist, Marxist, or fascist, you are disqualified."
Most of Trump's Republican rivals have condemned Hamas and offered full-throated support for an expected Israeli invasion of Gaza, but none has laid out such a tough series of proposals to keep people out of and expel Hamas sympathizers from the U.S.
The United States along with several other countries have designated Hamas a terrorist organization.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, one of Trump's Republican rivals for the presidential nomination, said on Monday he favored the deportation of foreign students who support Hamas and would bar Gaza refugees from the U.S. if elected president.
Trump last week accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being unprepared for the Hamas attacks and called Hezbollah - the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group - "very smart."
His Iowa remarks appeared to be an effort in part to blunt that criticism.
"We will aggressively deport resident aliens with jihadist sympathies," Trump said.
Iran's Leader: If Israeli crimes continue, no one can stop Muslims, resistance forces
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says if Israeli crimes against Palestinians in Gaza continue, no one can stop Muslims and resistance forces.
Speaking in a meeting with a group of Iranian elites and top scientific talents on Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Muslim nations are angry at the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
“If these crimes continue, the Muslims and the resistance forces will become impatient, [and] no one would be able to stop them,” he said.
“This is a fact that exists. Of course, whatever the Zionist regime does, it will not be able to make up for the scandalous failure it suffered.”
The Leader also said that what is in front of the eyes of the whole world in Palestine is the Israeli regime’s crime of genocide.
Claims by some countries that the Palestinians have killed civilians are false as all those living in settlements across the occupied territories are armed, he asserted.
“Now let’s suppose that they are civilians. How many civilians were killed? This occupying regime is killing a hundred times more civilians; women, children, the elderly and youth. The armed forces are not living in Gaza buildings. They are in their own place. They (the Israelis) know it too. These are all people. They choose crowded sites and hit them… The occupying government of the Zionist regime must be put on trial today.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also noted that numerous pieces of information suggest that the US is formulating the current policy within the Zionist regime.
“The Americans should consider their responsibility [regarding Israeli crimes in Gaza]… The bombings must stop immediately,” he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader urged scholars and scientists not to remain indifferent towards the situation in Gaza.
“Today, in the case of Gaza, all of us have the responsibility to react. We must show a reaction. Some people are hungry, some are under bombardment, and some are being martyred in hundreds. A scholar, a university, or a seminary scholar must try to recognize the truth and stand by it. Looking indifferently [at issues] is not permissible for scholars and scientists,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/10/17/712886/Iran-Leader-Israel-crimes-Muslims
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