Latest news with #non-Israeli
CNN
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Two leading Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza
A pair of leading Israeli human rights groups has accused Israel of 'committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,' becoming the first such organizations to make the claim. B'Tselem said in a major report released on Monday that it came to that 'unequivocal conclusion' after an 'examination of Israel's policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack.' A second Israeli group, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), announced it was joining B'Tselem in calling Israel's actions in Gaza genocide. It published a separate legal and medical analysis documenting what it called 'deliberate and systematic extermination of the health system in Gaza.' Israeli government spokesman David Mencer dismissed the report. 'We have free speech in this country but we strongly reject this claim,' he told reporters, adding that Israel has allowed aid into Gaza. Israel has consistently argued that it is acting in accordance with international law and that its war in Gaza following the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 is one of self-defense. When other, non-Israeli, groups have previously accused the country of committing genocide or genocidal acts, the Israeli government has reacted with anger, strongly rejecting the statements and often responding with claims that the accusations are grounded in antisemitism. B'Tselem said in the 79-page report that the reality on the ground in Gaza 'cannot be justified or explained as an attempt to dismantle the Hamas regime or its military capabilities.' Announcing the report's findings, B'Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak said that 'nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us. 'But as Israelis and Palestinians who live here and witness the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. Our genocide has context,' Novak said. The group said that Israel's onslaught on Gaza includes mass killing – both in direct attacks and through creating catastrophic living conditions – large-scale destruction of infrastructure, destruction of the social fabric, mass arrests and abuse of detainees, and mass forced displacement, including attempts at ethnic cleansing. It added that statements made by senior Israeli decision-makers 'have expressed genocidal intent throughout' the conflict. B'Tselem said the report was based on data collected over the past 20 months, including information on 'thousands of cases' allegedly committed by Israel's forces against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israeli territory. The group said it used its own information as well as external data gathered by thoroughly vetted organizations. PHRI added that the evidence it had gathered indicated a 'deliberate and systematic dismantling of the health system in the Gaza Strip and other vital systems for the survival of the population.' 'This is not about collateral damage from war, but a deliberate policy aimed at harming the Palestinian population as a group,' PHRI said in a statement. But while B'Tselem says the Israeli government is responsible for the situation in Gaza, it also accused the international community of enabling genocide. 'Many state leaders, particularly in Europe and the US have not only refrained from effective action to stop the genocide but enabled it – through statements affirming Israel's 'right to self-defense' or active support, including the shipment of weapons and ammunition – which continued even after the International Court of Justice ruled that there was 'plausible risk that Israel's actions amount to genocidal acts,'' it stated. The group said that the sense of fear, rage and desire for revenge which many Israelis felt after the October 7 terror attacks served as 'fertile ground for incitement against Palestinians in general, and Gazans in particular.' Hamas and its allies killed 1,200 people, including children, and kidnapped 251 others to Gaza during the attack – the worst terror attack on Israel since the country's establishment. The report from B'Tselem comes as pressure mounts on Israel over the catastrophic situation in Gaza. Images of children dying of acute malnutrition have provoked global outrage, with the United Kingdom, France and Germany saying last week that the crisis was 'man-made and avoidable.' At the same time, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from all sides domestically – with protests demanding the end of the war and the release of all hostages growing in strength and frequency, and far-right members of his coalition threatening to collapse the government if he ends the conflict. On Monday, the presidents of five of Israel's leading universities published an open letter to Netanyahu, raising concerns over the crisis in Gaza. 'Alongside a growing segment of the Israeli public, we observe with shock the harrowing scenes emerging daily from Gaza, where hunger and disease continue to claim the lives of the most vulnerable,' the university leaders said. They added that they were 'appalled' by statements made by some politicians who were 'advocating for the intentional destruction of Gaza and the forced displacementof its civilian population.' While B'Tselem is the first Israeli organization to accuse the government of genocide, a number of international groups, organizations and governments have reached the same or similar conclusions in the past. The accusations have always sparked reaction, given their seriousness and the sensitivities around the use of the word genocide, which is defined by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as 'acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.' The United Nations Special Committee said last November that Israel's war conduct in Gaza was 'consistent with the characteristics of genocide,' including mass civilian casualties and using starvation as a weapon. Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing 'acts of genocide' against Palestinians in Gaza by depriving them of adequate water supplies last December, while Amnesty International said around the same time that there was 'sufficient evidence' to conclude genocide was happening in the territory. The government of South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel with the International Court of Justice in December 2023, accusing the country of committing genocide in Gaza. Ireland joined South Africa's case earlier this year. The UN's top court ordered Israel to take 'all measures' to prevent a genocide in Gaza in a ruling on South Africa's request for emergency measures, which act like a restraining order while the court considers the full merits of the genocide case, a move that could take years. Several prominent Israeli individuals have also made the same accusation, including leading genocide expert Omer Bartov who penned an op-ed in the New York Times saying that his 'inescapable conclusion has become that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.' Israeli historian Lee Mordechai made a similar point earlier this month, collating a database of what he said were examples of Israel's war crimes in Gaza and saying that the evidence he had seen 'indicates that one of Israel's very likely objectives' was to 'ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip.' CNN's Dana Karni contributed reporting.
Egypt Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Two leading Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza
A leading Israeli human rights group has accused Israel of 'committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,' becoming the first such organization to make the claim. B'Tselem said in a major report released on Monday that it came to that 'unequivocal conclusion' after an 'examination of Israel's policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack.' A second Israeli group, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), announced it was joining B'Tselem in calling Israel's actions in Gaza genocide. It published a separate legal and medical analysis documenting what it called 'deliberate and systematic extermination of the health system in Gaza.' CNN has reached out to the Israeli government and the military for comment. Israel has consistently argued that it is acting in accordance with international law and that its war in Gaza following the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 is one of self-defense. When other, non-Israeli, groups have previously accused the country of committing genocide or genocidal acts, the Israeli government has reacted with anger, strongly rejecting the statements and often responding with claims that the accusations are grounded in antisemitism. B'Tselem said in the 79-page report that the reality on the ground in Gaza 'cannot be justified or explained as an attempt to dismantle the Hamas regime or its military capabilities.' The group said that Israel's onslaught on Gaza includes mass killing – both in direct attacks and through creating catastrophic living conditions – large-scale destruction of infrastructure, destruction of the social fabric, mass arrests and abuse of detainees, and mass forced displacement, including attempts at ethnic cleansing. It added that statements made by senior Israeli decision-makers 'have expressed genocidal intent throughout' the conflict. PHRI added that the evidence it had gathered indicated a 'deliberate and systematic dismantling of the health system in the Gaza Strip and other vital systems for the survival of the population.' 'This is not about collateral damage from war, but a deliberate policy aimed at harming the Palestinian population as a group,' PHRI said in a statement. But while B'Tselem says the Israeli government is responsible for the situation in Gaza, it also accused the international community of enabling genocide. 'Many state leaders, particularly in Europe and the US have not only refrained from effective action to stop the genocide but enabled it – through statements affirming Israel's 'right to self-defense' or active support, including the shipment of weapons and ammunition – which continued even after the International Court of Justice ruled that there was 'plausible risk that Israel's actions amount to genocidal acts,'' it stated. The group said that the sense of fear, rage and desire for revenge which many Israelis felt after the October 7 terror attacks served as 'fertile ground for incitement against Palestinians in general, and Gazans in particular.' Hamas and its allies killed 1,200 people, including children, and kidnapped 251 others to Gaza during the attack – the worst terror attack on Israel since the country's establishment. The report from B'Tselem comes as pressure mounts on Israel over the catastrophic situation in Gaza. Images of children dying of acute malnutrition have provoked global outrage, with the United Kingdom, France and Germany saying last week that the crisis was 'man-made and avoidable.' At the same time, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from all sides domestically – with protests demanding the end of the war and the release of all hostages growing in strength and frequency, and far-right members of his coalition threatening to collapse the government if he ends the conflict. First Israeli group While B'Tselem is the first Israeli organization to accuse the government of genocide, a number of international groups, organizations and governments have reached the same or similar conclusions in the past. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press after meeting with US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 8. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images The accusations have always sparked reaction, given their seriousness and the sensitivities around the use of the word genocide, which is defined by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as 'acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.' The United Nations Special Committee said last November that Israel's war conduct in Gaza was 'consistent with the characteristics of genocide,' including mass civilian casualties and using starvation as a weapon. Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing 'acts of genocide' against Palestinians in Gaza by depriving them of adequate water supplies last December, while Amnesty International said around the same time that there was 'sufficient evidence' to conclude genocide was happening in the territory. The government of South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel with the International Court of Justice in December 2023, accusing the country of committing genocide in Gaza. Ireland joined South Africa's case earlier this year. The UN's top court ordered Israel to take 'all measures' to prevent a genocide in Gaza in a ruling on South Africa's request for emergency measures, which act like a restraining order while the court considers the full merits of the genocide case, a move that could take years. Several prominent Israeli individuals have also made the same accusation, including leading genocide expert Omer Bartov who penned an op-ed in the New York Times saying that his 'inescapable conclusion has become that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.' Israeli historian Lee Mordechai made a similar point earlier this month, collating a database of what he said were examples of Israel's war crimes in Gaza and saying that the evidence he had seen 'indicates that one of Israel's very likely objectives' was to 'ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip.'
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Health
- Saudi Gazette
Leading Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza
JERUSALEM — A leading Israeli human rights group has accused Israel of 'committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,' becoming the first such organization to make the claim. B'Tselem said in a major report released on Monday that it came to that 'unequivocal conclusion' after an 'examination of Israel's policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack.' A second Israeli group, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), announced it was joining B'Tselem in calling Israel's actions in Gaza genocide. It published a separate legal and medical analysis documenting what it called 'deliberate and systematic extermination of the health system in Gaza.' CNN has reached out to the Israeli government and the military for comment. Israel has consistently argued that it is acting in accordance with international law and that its war in Gaza following the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 is one of self-defense. When other, non-Israeli, groups have previously accused the country of committing genocide or genocidal acts, the Israeli government has reacted with anger, strongly rejecting the statements and often responding with claims that the accusations are grounded in antisemitism. B'Tselem said in the 79-page report that the reality on the ground in Gaza 'cannot be justified or explained as an attempt to dismantle the Hamas regime or its military capabilities.' The group said that Israel's onslaught on Gaza includes mass killing – both in direct attacks and through creating catastrophic living conditions – large-scale destruction of infrastructure, destruction of the social fabric, mass arrests and abuse of detainees, and mass forced displacement, including attempts at ethnic cleansing. It added that statements made by senior Israeli decision-makers 'have expressed genocidal intent throughout' the conflict. PHRI added that the evidence it had gathered indicated a 'deliberate and systematic dismantling of the health system in the Gaza Strip and other vital systems for the survival of the population.' 'This is not about collateral damage from war, but a deliberate policy aimed at harming the Palestinian population as a group,' PHRI said in a statement. But while B'Tselem says the Israeli government is responsible for the situation in Gaza, it also accused the international community of enabling genocide. 'Many state leaders, particularly in Europe and the US have not only refrained from effective action to stop the genocide but enabled it – through statements affirming Israel's 'right to self-defense' or active support, including the shipment of weapons and ammunition – which continued even after the International Court of Justice ruled that there was 'plausible risk that Israel's actions amount to genocidal acts,'' it stated. The group said that the sense of fear, rage and desire for revenge which many Israelis felt after the October 7 terror attacks served as 'fertile ground for incitement against Palestinians in general, and Gazans in particular.' Hamas and its allies killed 1,200 people, including children, and kidnapped 251 others to Gaza during the attack – the worst terror attack on Israel since the country's establishment. The report from B'Tselem comes as pressure mounts on Israel over the catastrophic situation in Gaza. Images of children dying of acute malnutrition have provoked global outrage, with the United Kingdom, France and Germany saying last week that the crisis was 'man-made and avoidable.' At the same time, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from all sides domestically – with protests demanding the end of the war and the release of all hostages growing in strength and frequency, and far-right members of his coalition threatening to collapse the government if he ends the conflict. While B'Tselem is the first Israeli organization to accuse the government of genocide, a number of international groups, organizations and governments have reached the same or similar conclusions in the past. The accusations have always sparked reaction, given their seriousness and the sensitivities around the use of the word genocide, which is defined by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as 'acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.' The United Nations Special Committee said last November that Israel's war conduct in Gaza was 'consistent with the characteristics of genocide,' including mass civilian casualties and using starvation as a weapon. Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing 'acts of genocide' against Palestinians in Gaza by depriving them of adequate water supplies last December, while Amnesty International said around the same time that there was 'sufficient evidence' to conclude genocide was happening in the territory. The government of South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel with the International Court of Justice in December 2023, accusing the country of committing genocide in Gaza. Ireland joined South Africa's case earlier this year. The UN's top court ordered Israel to take 'all measures' to prevent a genocide in Gaza in a ruling on South Africa's request for emergency measures, which act like a restraining order while the court considers the full merits of the genocide case, a move that could take years. Several prominent Israeli individuals have also made the same accusation, including leading genocide expert Omer Bartov who penned an op-ed in the New York Times saying that his 'inescapable conclusion has become that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.' Israeli historian Lee Mordechai made a similar point earlier this month, collating a database of what he said were examples of Israel's war crimes in Gaza and saying that the evidence he had seen 'indicates that one of Israel's very likely objectives' was to 'ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip.' — CNN
Middle East Eye
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
'Unprecedented': Israeli directive bans dozens of Americans, Europeans for advocacy
A new directive from the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has banned dozens of political and legal advocates from the US, UK, Canada, and Europe from entering Israel due to their "intentional delegitimisation of the State of Israel and its defence forces", the document said. Entry visas will no longer be granted to those who "knowingly" and "publicly" called for a boycott of Israel; disseminated Holocaust denial content; denied the impact of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023; or "supported or publicised" initiatives to hold Israeli citizens or soldiers accountable in a non-Israeli court of law, according to the text. Among the targeted organisations is the Hind Rajab Foundation, named after the five-year-old girl in Gaza who was killed by a spray of Israeli gunfire as she waited for first responders. She had spent hours inside a besieged vehicle as the only survivor among the dead bodies of her relatives. The group has been instrumental in tracking down members of the Israeli military, using their social media accounts and alerting international governments as to their whereabouts so they may be apprehended. According to the document, the Hind Rajab Foundation "has submitted complaints against soldiers in at least eight countries, and filed information with the International Criminal Court accusing over 1,000 soldiers and officers of war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The directive also listed Al-Haq Europe, the Brussels-based arm of the Palestinian legal organisation, which has pushed for ICC accountability for Israel on the charge of "apartheid" long before the current events stemming from the 7 October 2023 attacks. 'What is Israel afraid of?' Two UK-based groups, Law for Palestine and Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR), are also named in the document. Canadian law professor Michael Lynk, the former United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, currently serves on the board of LPHR and was specifically named in the text. 'One has to ask: What is Israel afraid of?" Lynk said in a written statement provided to Middle East Eye. Genocide happens when Israelis believe they're above the law, Holocaust scholar says Read More » "We created modern international law after the Second World War to ensure that basic human rights would be respected and enforced, and conflicts would be resolved through established rules, councils and courts, rather than by wars. Banning myself and the others who work for these peaceful organizations shows contempt for the rule of law," he said. In Washington, DC, eight senior staff members at Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn), founded by former Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi, have also been banned from entering Israel. Key among them is John Paul, the first senior official to resign from the US State Department in October 2023 over the Biden administration's handling of Israel's response to 7 October 2023. Paul is now an adviser at Dawn. The former director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, Sarah Leah Whitson, is also listed, and now serves as the executive director at Dawn. "The pursuit of justice and accountability is not a crime, and the United States should not tolerate as a partner a country that treats it as one," Paul said in a statement shared on his LinkedIn account on Wednesday. 'Oppressive authoritarian regimes' Raed Jarrar, the only Palestinian American on staff at Dawn who is also named in the ban, told MEE that the organisation's push for international legal mechanisms against Israel "definitely threatens Israel's apartheid [and] definitely threatens Israel's genocide. It threatens Israel's racism. And that is what we are hoping for, and that's why they're scared." "Attempts to stifle free speech in the US and harass international activists gives a thumbs up and the green light to many abusive regimes around the world, including Israel, to embolden their similar moves," Jarrar said, referring to the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestine activists and the revocation of their student or work visas. Dawn is looking into how it can challenge the directive, given that a blanket ban on several American citizens may potentially conflict with the 2023 US-Israel visa waiver programme. 'Israel has landed in a place that has put her among the most oppressive authoritarian regimes in the region and the world' - Raed Jarrar, Dawn Jarrar called it "unprecedented". The programme permits overseas visitors to remain in the US for up to 90 days without a visa, reciprocating the same privilege to US citizens in participating countries. For decades prior, Israelis were not able to come to the US without visas, as Americans of Palestinian descent were routinely interrogated and disallowed entry into Israel and the occupied West Bank. That changed just days before 7 October 2023. 'The designation of Israel into the Visa Waiver Program is an important recognition of our shared security interests and the close cooperation between our two countries,' Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in late September 2023. 'This designation, which represents over a decade of work and coordination between the United States and Israel, will enhance our two nations' collaboration on counterterrorism, law enforcement and our other common priorities... [it] will make both of our nations more secure," he added. However, the programme is "not supposed to be denying US citizens based on our political views and political activity", Jarrar told MEE. "Israel has landed in a place that has put her among the most oppressive authoritarian regimes in the region and the world."
South Wales Argus
20-06-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Residents line streets to welcome home Israeli-American hostage
Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding 'Welcome Home Edan' signs, lined the streets of Tenafly to greet his passing vehicle. A smiling Mr Alexander held his arm out the passenger-side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd. The militant group Hamas released Mr Alexander, 21, on May 12 after 584 days. He has been in Israel since he was freed. Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly, the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives. People in Tel Aviv watch a live broadcast of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander's release from Hamas captivity (Oded Balilty/AP) Mr Alexander was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. He was among the 251 people taken hostage in Hamas' attack on October 7 2023. Mr Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. Since his capture, there's been a huge outpouring of support for him in Tenafly, located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population. The community held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages. Many gathered in May to celebrate his release. 'Edan's return is the return of everybody's child, every organisation, every family, every Israeli family, and non-Israeli, and non-Jews,' Orly Chen, a Tenafly resident, told CBS News New York on Thursday.
