Latest news with #GazaGenocide


Scoop
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Yousef Aljamal. The War On Memory, And Writing Through A Genocide.
Sitting opposite me in my black leather captain's chair, looking more like a bouncer than a writer, was Yousef Aljamal, co-author of Displaced in Gaza – stories from the Gaza Genocide. His eyes had the strangest mix of distance, sadness, humour and intelligence. I asked my first question. He just looked at me. He said nothing. I know his writing; he is a fine writer. That's what I asked about first: 'I see writing as fighting. Is that how you see it?' After an awkward pause (I think he was assessing me), he said: 'I see writing as an act of resistance, because in times of oppression and injustice, writing is a means of fighting back and resisting, but also documenting and remembering and healing.' The war on memory Yousef, a Palestinian refugee from Gaza, currently living in Turkey, is Coordinator at the Palestine Activism Program at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). He holds a doctorate in Middle Eastern Studies. In 2023 Israel targeted and killed his friend and mentor Refaat Alareer, one of the great storytellers of Palestine (which is precisely why he was targeted). With Israel having killed more writers and journalists than any regime in history, Yousef has a vital role to play. 'When there is a war on our memory, writing and documenting is the way to keep the memory alive. There are many stories that have been lost throughout history because they have not been documented. I've seen this in the Maori history in this country. So it's very important that we keep the memory alive and we document the stories of people on the ground in Palestine who have been subjected to Nakba all the way to today, where a genocide is unfolding in Gaza.' Yousef personalises the most terrible word in the world I have never interviewed anyone who has lost so many friends, colleagues and family. It made visceral for me that word we hear a lot these days: genocide. It was a tough thing to sit and listen to – but Yousef delivered his message with genuine thoughtfulness. 'I just want people to imagine the magnitude of the genocide in Gaza by giving two examples. One: I have lost a total of 40 members of my family. Forty. Killed in Gaza. Two: starvation. I want you to imagine starvation. There are no aid distribution centres left in Gaza, there are kill zones. They are killing Palestinians while they are lining up to receive aid. 'There is no cash in Gaza and everything is crazy expensive. A sack of flour, we're talking about 25 kg of flour, costs $1,000 US dollars. So there is this level of desperation while thousands of aid trucks are at the border but not allowed to enter Gaza. Israel has redefined savagery and brutality.' Writing and the battle for truth We in the West have lived for decades with a crushing anti-Palestinian narrative, a fictionalising of what is really happening in Palestine. Yousef sees his writer's work as providing a truth serum. 'The US-Israeli storytelling was preparation for genocide. They had many plans over the years: they always wanted Gaza without Gazans. The propaganda that followed October 7 against the Palestinian people was unprecedented, and it was so scary because I knew that this language and this discourse used to describe Palestinians as human animals and to say that there should be no water, no fuel and no food for the Palestinian people in Gaza, that this language would definitely lead to a massacre and bloodshed and genocide in Gaza. And it happened.' Bringing Palestinian voices to New Zealand Sitting on my couch listening to the interview are human rights activists Don Carson, Donna McKenna and John Minto. John led the famous 1981 anti-South African Springbok rugby tour campaign that brought New Zealand to civil strife but ultimately led to the long overdue ending of New Zealand's alignment with the racist apartheid regime. Decades later John is working alongside Maher Nazzal as co-chair of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa. PSNA have funded Yousef's tour and hosted him. 'We see our role in PSNA as bringing Palestinian voices to the fore,' John says. 'There is a wall of silence with our mainstream media. So the tour is part of addressing that – bringing Palestinian narratives to New Zealanders. There's been this real sea change which has happened over the last 18 months where so many people's eyes have been opened to the reality of what Israel is and its blind race hatred of Palestinians.' Don Carson, an old colleague of mine from our Radio New Zealand days, chips in: 'The fundamental thing is that Yousef speaks with a personal knowledge of what life is like in Gaza and the connections of people and family in Gaza. Yousef also has a unique understanding of the New Zealand environment because of his long-established contacts in this country.' Yousef visited 10 centres, including Whangarei, Whanganui, Katikati, Tamaki Makaurau, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Thames, Hamilton, Christchurch and Wellington. The New Zealand 'Street' is with Palestine 'I met with the Green caucus and the Labour caucus, and I met with Te Pāti Māori MPs – people from different political parties of the opposition,' Yousef says. 'who expressed absolute support for the Palestinian people in their struggle. We're navigating ways to materialize this support and this solidarity into actions that will hopefully contribute to changing the injustice taking place in Palestine. The solidarity was overwhelming, and I hope to see a real translation of this solidarity into concrete actions very soon. 'Change is slow, and building a movement takes time but the people – the New Zealand streets – are with us.' If I must die I'll give the last word not to Yousef but to another writer, his great friend, the poet Refaat Alareer whose poem If I Must Die has become a monument to resistance to the US-Israeli genocide. He wrote it to his daughter – about his kite – and released it the month before he was assassinated by an Israeli missile strike. If I must die, you must live to tell my story to sell my things to buy a piece of cloth and some strings, (make it white with a long tail) so that a child, somewhere in Gaza while looking heaven in the eye awaiting his dad who left in a blaze – and bid no one farewell not even to his flesh not even to himself – sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above and thinks for a moment an angel is there bringing back love If I must die let it bring hope let it be a tale. Rest in peace, Refaat. Arohanui. Thank you so much Yousef Aljamal and the great people of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa. Eugene Doyle Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region. He hosts the public policy platform


The Mainichi
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Tokyo man speaks out daily for Gaza in busy streets
TOKYO -- A man stands in front of busy stations in Tokyo almost every day with a handmade sign: "Stop Gaza Genocide." The man's name is Yusuke Furusawa. He is 49 years old. He works building sets for TV shows. After work, he goes alone to places like Shinjuku and Shibuya stations to speak about Gaza. Gaza is a place where many Palestinian people live. Recently, there has been fighting there. Many people in Gaza have died. Furusawa started this activity in October 2023, after getting sick with COVID-19. As he recovered, he watched videos online about the difficult situation in Gaza. He felt he needed to speak up about it. At first, some people were unkind to him in the street. Because of this, he started taking videos of himself and posting them online. Many people around the world saw these videos. Now, he has about 170,000 followers on Instagram. Foreign visitors to Japan sometimes come just to meet him. They say, "Where are you today?" and thank him for speaking up. He often wears a special scarf and uses a bag with the Palestinian flag on it. Followers from social media gave these to him as presents. One time, an Israeli woman met him and said she agreed the fighting needed to stop. Furusawa explained, "I am speaking about the governments, not about normal people." But not everyone is happy with his actions. Sometimes, people tell him, "You are noisy," or "This has no meaning." Furusawa knows some people dislike what he does, but he keeps standing there. He says, "In Japan, people have the right to live safely and speak freely. If someone loses these rights somewhere in the world, I believe we need to speak up. Is meaning important? I think it is just the right thing to do." (Japanese original by Kohei Chiwaki, Digital News Group) Vocabulary genocide: trying to kill many people from a group or country set: background used on TV programs or movies recover: to get better after you have been sick social media: websites or apps like Instagram or Facebook, where people share information and videos online follower: someone who regularly looks at another person's social media posts government: the group of people who make decisions for a country right: something everyone should be allowed to have or do (for example, the right to speak freely and safely)


Fox News
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Taylor Lorenz mocked by Piers Morgan panel after she defends band's 'Death to the IDF' chant
Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz clashed with Piers Morgan and fellow panelists on his show Monday after she adamantly defended a UK band for chanting "Death to the IDF" at a musical festival on Saturday. While performing at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, singer Bobby Vylan of the punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in a "Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]," chant against Israel's military. The band's actions drew swift backlash. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned their rhetoric as "hate speech" and their visas were revoked by the U.S. State Department. The band was also reportedly dropped by the United Talent Agency. Lorenz claimed on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" that the band was not calling for violence against Israeli soldiers but was protesting the actions of Israel's national military in the war in Gaza. "The Israeli army is committing genocide, so I completely understand why people are upset about anyone sort of calling for death, but it's important that the reason they're calling for death for this sort of amorphous military entity is because that military entity is currently slaughtering babies and committing genocide in Gaza," she began. Lorenz argued that the crowd chanting "Death to the IDF" at the concert had a right to be angry about the "genocide." She called for people upset by the band's rhetoric to "advocate for the end of the genocide." "They weren't talking about an entity," Morgan pushed back. "They were talking about the soldiers. They wanted death to the IDF soldiers." Other panelists on the show also picked apart Lorenz's argument. "If you are advocating against genocide, and you don't want people to be killed, how can you turn around and say at the same breath that you think chanting for death should be contextualized somehow?" Tel Aviv Institute senior fellow Hen Mazzig told Lorenz. "Well, yeah, because again, if an army is committing genocide and slaughtering babies and creating the highest rate of child amputees in the world, and if that is what they have done for months and years now, and then the public is rightfully outraged about that," she retorted. "Calling for their death, that's the issue —" Mazzig began as Lorenz interjected. "Calling for the death of a military entity that is currently committing genocide," she insisted. "Of soldiers!" Mazzig disagreed. "It's a compulsory army." Morgan jumped in to scold Lorenz for doubling down on the argument. "Taylor, you can't keep saying that. You don't even believe that when you're saying it. If they said death to the British army, no one's taking that as meaning the institution. They're taking it as meaning British soldiers," he explained. Lorenz compared the situation to people chanting "death to America." "When people say 'death to America,' they mean death to American imperialism that has subjugated them," she claimed. "No, they don't. They mean death to Americans!" Morgan replied. "Oh, come on!" Mazzig sighed. "That's a very generous position," co-panelist and British columnist Esther Krakue laughed. "Ask the Supreme Leader of Iran what they mean, they'll tell you exactly!" Mazzig also mocked Lorenz.


The Mainichi
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Student gives up softball over coach's verbal abuse: Our 5 most-read stories from last week
We've listed our five most read stories on The Mainichi news site, from top to bottom, that were published between June 21 and 29. The first story was viewed by 14.8% of our regular readers. (The Mainichi) Tokyo student gives up softball due to abusive language from middle school coach TOKYO -- A student at a public junior high school in Japan's capital gave up playing softball after a coach verbally abused her, and she graduated without receiving an apology, sources close to the matter have informed the Mainichi Shimbun. Full story. Japan military set up 147 'comfort stations' in Okinawa during WWII; women's fates unknown NAHA -- As wartime Japan fully deployed its troops in Okinawa Prefecture in March 1944, about a year before the ground battle against U.S. forces began, the Japanese military built airbases throughout the prefecture, including on remote islands. At the same time, it set up "comfort stations" for soldiers in the surrounding areas. Full story. Lone Japanese activist attracts attention from foreigners through videos posted online TOKYO -- In late May, a 49-year-old man was seen speaking to passersby in front of JR Shinjuku Station in the Japanese capital, with a handmade sign that read "Stop Gaza Genocide." Full story. Film releases based on Japan soldiers who lived atop banyan tree for 2 yrs after WWII ended FUKUOKA -- A film based on the true story of two Japanese soldiers in World War II who lived hidden in the canopy of a banyan tree on a remote Okinawan island for two years, unaware the war had ended, is now playing in Okinawa Prefecture in advance of its nationwide release on July 25. Full story. Japan Expo volunteer with Down syndrome fulfills dream to help others through English WAKAYAMA -- "Please enjoy the Expo!" says a volunteer at the ongoing Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai to a foreign visitor. Kenshi Nakanishi, 26, wears a badge that says "English," and waves his hand and smiles when he notices guests from abroad. Full story.


Russia Today
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Is Berlin planning a strike on Moscow? Merz wrote the justification
Forget the fog of war. Even in war, and sometimes especially in war, some things are exceedingly clear. Regarding the so-called 'Hamas-Israel War', for instance, it is obvious that in reality it is not a war at all but a genocide, namely the Gaza Genocide, carried out by Israel against the Palestinians whose unbroken resistance will be the stuff of legends, and of history too. Likewise, in the case of Israel's current assault on Iran – really, of course, a combined US-Israeli attack from the get-go – there is no room for doubt that it is criminal and a 'blatant act of aggression,' as multiple experts in international law agree. That's because in essence, Israel is not acting with a UN mandate – which it would not have received – or in self-defense. The legal basis for this compelling assessment is not complex and there is no room for good-faith debate: Israel's attack violates Article 2 (4) of the foundational UN Charter, which is recognized universally as jus cogens, that is, a binding norm: no pick and choose. The few generally accepted, narrowly defined potential exceptions to this article's comprehensive prohibition on the use of force, such as an erroneous incursion, certain operations at sea, or a rescue of nationals, clearly do not apply. The Israeli onslaught also does not have the blessing of the UN Security Council, and it cannot possibly count as lawful self-defense under Article 51. So far, so simple. If anyone tries to make this look complicated by flagrantly misapplying and abusing the notion of a 'preemptive strike', you are dealing with Israeli or Israel-Lobby disinformation and propaganda. That too is anything but surprising. Yet what is more puzzling than the above is the response of the governments, and often the mainstream media of the West, to this clearly criminal Israeli attack. After years of invoking international law to go after Russia, it turns out that the same leaders and talking heads will tie themselves into 5-D pretzels to let Israel get away with whatever Israel feels like doing on any given day. This is not really news either, of course: Western 'elites', with Washington always in the lead, have behaved no better when serving as accomplices in Israel's Gaza Genocide. But there is something peculiar and noteworthy about how exactly some important Western politicians and their media and 'think tank' experts spin the attack on Iran. Take, for instance, Germany. Its chancellor Friedrich Merz has gone out of his way to loudly endorse the assault on Iran. He has even exposed himself to ridicule and some – if far too little – criticism by employing revoltingly indecent language. Calling Israel's actions 'dirty work' (it sounds even worse in the original German: 'Drecksarbeit') that must be done and for which we all should be grateful, Merz has revealed his double racism: As a German and a historian, I can only say that a German leader praising Jews for doing 'our' dirty work is, to put it very mildly, extremely boorish. Defining the criminal killing of Iranians as that 'dirty work' adds a very nasty 'colonial' flavor reminiscent of say, Kaiser Wilhelm II gloating over massacring Chinese during the so-called Boxer Rebellion. While Merz has been clumsy enough to couch his obnoxious ideas in equally obnoxious language, he has by no means been alone. All too many prestigious German publications, such as the staid Frankfurter Zeitung or the also important Merkur newspaper, have hurried to either simply agree with Merz or at least to excuse and relativize his vile statement. In addition, rather overworked all-purpose 'experts', such as the reliably conformist and rarara-russophobic Christian Mölling, have used their perma-perk in Germany's streamlined talk shows to cynically diminish international law and help dress up Israel's newest crime as so necessary that it trumps all law anyhow. Mölling was self-unaware enough to openly argue that some countries (read: Israel) can't afford the 'luxury' of accepting 'normative limits' and that international law, anyhow, might be 'protecting the wrong ones' (read: Iran). It's breathtakingly brazen and intellectually primitive, and also historically speaking, very German in the worst sense: If we or our friends (read: Israel) feel constrained by international law, then that's a problem not for us or our friends but for international law. And now, let's take a step back and think for a moment like a German who was not a conformist intellectual mediocrity: Enlightenment giant Immanuel Kant. For those with ears to hear and brains to process, Kant has taught us that reason and ethics demand that the justifications for our actions ought to be generalizable in good conscience. In short, when we act, we should be able to show that we are acting according to a fair and reasonable rule. Let's generalize into such a rule, then, what German leader Friedrich Merz has just said and what all too many German mainstream representatives agree with: A country (here: Israel) that feels sufficiently afraid (as judged by that country) of another country (here: Iran) has a right (that trumps international law) to attack that other country without provocation and even during ongoing negotiations. Interesting. Consider that German elites have been fanning war hysteria relentlessly. Not a day seems to go by without some German general, spy, or politician warning their fellow Germans that Russia is at least likely, really almost certain, to attack within the next five years or so. Evidence: zero. Indeed? So, if we are all supposed to be so afraid of Russia in Germany, does that now mean that according to Merzian logic we may as well one day launch a preemptive strike on Moscow? After all, we could then say we felt threatened and our military and the intelligence services were telling us that the Russians were coming. And moreover, we'd probably claim that we, the Germans, were proudly doing the 'Drecksarbeit' for all of NATO (minus, most likely, the US). And isn't doing the 'Drecksarbeit' now officially a good thing in Germany, again? Absurd, you say? Yes, absolutely. Exactly as absurd as Israel's pretexts for attacking Iran. And yet those have been officially endorsed by a German chancellor, including self-revealing dirty language. Let's hope that Moscow does not take seriously what Merz says. Because if Moscow did take it seriously, then by Merzian logic, it should feel very threatened indeed by Berlin – and again by Merzian logic, who knows where that might lead.