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It’s been another heartbreaking week in Gaza as Israel continues its indiscriminate bombing of residential areas, especially in the south. The killing of innocents and the destruction of the infrastructure that sustains them is an abomination and it is difficult not to feel a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness in providing you with this Update. I have seen things that my sensitive temperament is not suited to: the photo above is among the least distressing I could find. It is difficult to know what’s going on militarily but the continuing murder of civilians is well documented by organisations such a Al Jazeera. Today the UN Security Council is meeting (see below) and I can only hope that humanitarians carry the day and force a ceasefire. At the time of writing there has been some sort of delay.
Guterrez Invokes UN Article 99 of the UN Charter
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterrez has invoked the seldom used Article 99 of the UN Charter. This allows the UN General Secretary to “bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security”. He is concerned that the situation in Israel and Palestine ‘may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security’ — according to Al Jazeera.
US Behind Gaza Conflict
Retired IDF Maj. General, Yitzhak Brick, said in an interview earlier this week:
All of our missiles, the ammunition, the precision-guided bombs, all the airplanes and bombs, it’s all from the U.S. The minute they turn off the tap, you can’t keep fighting. You have no capability. … Everyone understands that we can’t fight this war without the United States. Period.
So, if the US tries to absolve itself of complicity in genocide and ethnic cleansing it simply won’t wash.1 12,000 bombs and 57,000 shells have been provided and most of these will have killed civilians.
UK Also Has Blood On Its Hands
Craig Murray has pointed out that the UK is openly admitting that it is assisting the Israelis in finding targets.
The Great Mosque of Omar
Israeli aircraft almost completely destroyed the Great Mosque of Omar in Gaza City. The mosque was built in 1344. For most of us, it’s simply a destroyed building but think of what it must mean to people who have been worshipping in it for generations. One of the biggest problems the ruling elites of Western world have is their incapacity to place themselves in the shoes of others, so some people say.
Erdogan
Recep Erdogan has been pushing for the ‘two state solution’, in interviews with reporters, suggesting that trying to eliminate Hamas is not practicable. ‘The exclusion and destruction of Hamas is not a realistic scenario’, he said. To his credit, he refused to call Hamas a terrorist organisation but insisted on labelling Israel a ‘terror state’ - according to RT. Conveniently labeling Hamas a terrorist group has the added advantage of eliminating the very possibility of negotiations (‘you can’t negotiate with terrorists’) so allowing the ethnic cleansing and genocide to continue. But anyone familiar with the history of terrorism will know that governments have always negotiated with groups they have labeled ‘terrorist’ in public.
Weaponised Anti-Semitism In A Woke World
Someone once said that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ and in some cases it can be. But nothing demonstrates this as much as political correctness or Woke. I have had the misfortune to follow it through many years of academia and as a Constituency Chair in the UK’s Labour Party. It even affected me as a song writer, but that story is too long. Political Correctness, which we all laughed at on University campuses in 1990, has had the last laugh really. It has persuaded people to believe in chimeras, it has created alternative realities and it has made people bow (or kneel) to the power of the word. Anti-Semitism is such a word. The Israelis have done a good PR job over the years, backed with the bribery of politicians, in persuading the UK populace that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic. The Jews certainly have a bigger claim to victimhood than almost all people, though the Native Americans, may have a comparable claim, perhaps. No one denies that the Jews have been wronged over centuries, especially during the 20th century at the hands of the Nazis. But that does not oblige us to be uncritical of this nation that contains around 9 millions Jews. This isn’t even the largest Jewish population in the world because there are 15 millions Jews enjoying the catastrophe that is the Biden Administration.
Anyway, it is debatable whether criticism of Israel can count as criticism of Jews because most of them live elsewhere. Those who criticise Israel but do not criticise Jews in the US are being a little inconsistent in their anti-Semitism are they not. It has to be said that people are judged to be anti-Semitic (in the Labour Party at least) based on a single criticism of the Israeli State without any evidence being required that the so called ‘anti-Semitism’ is in evidence elsewhere in the life of the ‘accused’. But Israel has spent a lot of time and money on British politicians, including Labour politicians, to promote Israel and deflect from its persecution of the Palestinians. This was always going to be a hard sell but most people don’t think about these things deeply so the Israelis have done reasonably well, until now.
When the pro-Palestinian and dirty socialist, Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party all the stops were pulled out to clobber him with accusations of anti-Semitism. Shamefully, some political commentators who disliked Corbyn and his politics, went along with these accusations, not because they were convincing, but because they were damaging an opponent. Honestly, it is amazing how some commentators and politicians who appear to be quite intelligent allow personal biases, prejudices, loyalty, duty or even an ideology to get in the way of their reasoning. They may be intelligent but they are also poor thinkers.
Of course, we all know that Corbyn was brought down and the anti-Semitism accusations played their part. But he was not the first in the Party to be brought down by dubious accusations of anti-Semitism. Others have also suffered cancelling or worse from such accusations and for some time the Labour Party was infected by a ‘moral panic’ that feared Nazis were under every bed. It was all nonsense of course and was not helped by the Party’s conflation of anti-Israeli State comments and anti-Jewish comments in their revised definition of anti-Semitism. But virtually anything could be judged as anti-Semitism. If someone criticised a Jewish banker because he is a capitalist, this could not be allowed because he is also Jewish. This is similar to the claim that it is not possible to be racist against whites.
You probably know most of this but the point I wish to make is that weaponised anti-Semitism may, yes may, be the subject of what could be described as popular deconstruction. After Gaza 2023, fewer people will accept that justified criticism of the Israeli State amounts to anti-Semitism. One can only hope.
View from the Middle East Eye (Israeli newspaper)
The Middle East Eye is reporting that the Israeli cabinet along with many commentators, including some in the army, believe that Hamas is far from defeated. After claiming that Hamas is already beaten, some commentators are having to eat their words. But none of these accepts the view coming from outsiders that Hamas cannot be beaten.
Israeli public opinion has apparently not yet satiated itself with vengeance and is forcing the government to continue. But this sort of blood lust can backfire. Don’t forget that Hezbollah said that it will intervene if Hamas is close to collapse. So, whether they realise it or not, the Israelis, in wishing for the complete annihilation of Hamas, could be getting something far worse. Hezbollah is a much more formidable force than Hamas, as Alastair Crooke said in his interview with Haiphong.
In the north, prior to the ceasefire, the IDF had a plan to drive the population south and then get at Hamas but now 2.3 million Palestinians are packed into the south and there does not appear to be a plan. The Israelis are trying to prevent supplies entering the city from Egypt but the Egyptians will likely ignore this inhumane Israeli wish simply because they are human. I have heard it reported that the Israelis have cut the internet in Gaza which may or may nor prevent disturbing images reaching the senses of those who support Palestine. The paper (the Eye) conceded that released hostages have criticised the Israeli air force for nearly killing them with its bombing. 134 hostages are still in Hamas’s custody.
Netanyahu, despised by many in the world, has become a hated man among his own people. He is the man who brought this war down upon them and some will suspect that this corrupt excuse for a human being failed to protect them in order to protect himself. He has also been attempting to reduce the power of the judiciary over the government - which is also unpopular because it erodes democracy. Posters of the Prime Minister with a bloody red hand over his face are appearing all over Tel Aviv. Netanyahu will appear in court twice or thrice weekly to answer corruption charges. The court is limiting the trial to several days a week due to Netanyahu’s responsibilities to supervise the war. A poll conducted on the 24th November showed that support for the right wing parties, including Netanyahu’s Likud and the Religious Zionist party have collapsed and neither would be expected to share power if an election were called now. Many Israelis believe that Netanyahu’s days are numbered.
The Eye is reporting that until recently the IDF had only 4 battalions around Gaza while 32 battalions were deployed to the West Bank to protect citizens. But more troops have been sent to Gaza in recent days. However, if Hezbollah increases its involvement (see below) the IDF may become stretched. Meron Rapoport, who writes for the Israeli Eye, based in Tel Aviv, believes that the war will drag on and on; punctuated with ceasefires to exchange prisoners.
Messengers of Truth
Some say that the Israelis have a policy of killing journalists who just might tell the world the truth about what they are doing. Many have been killed in Gaza and some have been targeted and killed in Lebanon - as this short Reuters article explains. The same fate has befallen journalist in other places, including Ukraine and Russia. Legacy media journalists have largely lost the respect of the people they are supposed to be writing for but there are many inside and outside the MSM who are doing a good job. This section is a tribute to them.
Journalists Honour Their Dead
According to Al Manar:
In an emblematic display of international commitment and alliance, the Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU) orchestrated a conference of solidarity in staunch support of journalists operating in occupied Palestine amid ongoing Israeli aggression. Entitled “Messengers of Truth,” the event transpired on the evening of Wednesday, December 6, at the Coral Beach Hotel in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. It was attended by ministerial and parliamentary dignitaries and eminent figures from various political parties. In addition, representatives from both national and International television networks and news agencies joined forces to amplify the message of solidarity, reflecting the collective strength of the journalistic community, and echoing commitment to press freedom
You can read the short article here.
We should also spare a thought for writer and activist Prof. Rafaat Al-Areer and his family. According to Rybar:
Prof. Refaat Al-Areer, a prominent writer, poet, and activist from Gaza, tragically lost his life in an Israeli air strike on his sister's home. The devastating attack also claimed the lives of his brother, sister, and her four children.
This was his last tweet2:
Eva Bartlett
For those who don’t know, Eva is a Canadian war reporter who has been covering the Donbass situation on the ground for years. But she was also living in Gaza between 2008 and 2013 and in this article she explains that what is happening now is nothing new - but now it is ‘exponentially worse’. I found the article hard going so I didn’t finish it. I read enough to confirm my view of Israel as a terrorist state. I should say that I admire people like Eva, Graham Phillips, Patrick Lancaster et al because they provide information from the horse’s mouth that cannot be disputed and they put their lives on the line for that.
Israeli Settlers Attempt to Storm Al Aqsa
It was reported here that a group of settlers attempted to enter the Al Aqsa compound. Al Jazeera is also reporting this story. Some settlers called for an end to Jordon’s authority over Al Aqsa while others wanted the mosque destroyed.
Israel Plans To Flood Hamas Tunnels With Seawater
If this is done, it would cause permanent damage to freshwater supplies and damage infrastructure in Gaza, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Fighting
Gaza
UNICEF has said that the bombardment of Gaza since the ceasefire broke down, is the worse of the war, according the Middle East Eye. 300 were killed at Shujaiya alone. On December 4th, Al Jazeera reported that the Israelis have expanded their ground operations to include south Gaza. Gaza health ministry said that it it is having to deal with an influx of dead bodies: 800 have been killed since the 2nd December. At this point Palestinian casualties were approaching 16,000.
Israel is asking families in Gaza to move but there is nowhere they can go that is safe and has much needed amenities, such as sanitation and clean water. And sometimes, when they try to move they are bombed or shelled by the Israelis. Save the Children Director, Jason Lee, who is in Gaza, explained:
To move when there are ongoing air strikes, shelling and fighting. And through roads so badly damaged and littered with debris of fallen buildings that travelling with the elderly, sick or people with disabilities is all but impossible. To move to areas that are not safe. Because the reality is that nowhere is safe in Gaza. Rather than ensuring the safety and survival of families, Israel’s orders to move are just giving them the option to die another way, elsewhere. The Israelis have expanded ground operations in the south and are targeting cities such as Khan Younis which will have catastrophic consequences for innocents in Gaza.
On the 4th December, the Israelis pushed deeper into Gaza city in the north and continued clashes elsewhere in the north and in the north west of the strip. Fighting continues in the Sheikh Radwan area , Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and the Gaza Supreme Court building.
According to RT, the IDF has said that its operations in South Gaza will be ‘no less powerful’ than those in the north - which means that many more thousands of civilians will be killed. But it is not clear to me how many Hamas militants they have killed in the north. I have not been able to find reports on this. The White House has asked Israel to avoid civilian casualties which it must know is a bit like asking a fox not to kill all the chickens in the hen house. They are simply trying to cover themselves.
On the 4th December, the Israelis re-occupied the north and their tanks took up positions on the road between Khan Younis in the south and Deir al-Balah in the centre - according to Kommersant. It looks as though the IDF will push towards to sea and thereby divide south Gaza in half. On the 5th December, the IDF reported that it had reached the centre of Khan Younis, the largest city in south Gaza. According to Hamas, several Israeli soldiers were killed in attacks on the city and Israel has sustained more than 2,200 casualties in Gaza altogether, according to South Front. According to Al Manar, the destruction of residential buildings and the murder of civilians continued on the 6th December and on the 7th when the Israelis attacked the Maghasi refugee camp (central Gaza) killing 17 and injuring dozens of others. Further south, Shaboura camp was attacked and six civilians lost their lives while many more were injured. Jabalia camp was also attacked with banned phosphorous bombs causing many casualties and igniting fires. The intensity of the attacks made it difficult for rescue workers and ambulances to operate. Khan Unis and Deir al-Balah were also bombed. The Israelis are arresting hundreds of Palestinians in these attacks.
Israel will find it increasingly difficult to justify civilian deaths to the international community which is losing patience with the Israelis. Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor has visited the West Bank but has not managed to get to Gaza - which is where he should be going. But Israel has not signed up to the ICC anyway. Volker Turk, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, is getting impatient with the Israelis who are asking for civilians in Gaza to move. He makes the same point as Jason Lee above: there are no safe areas in Gaza.
By the morning of the 8th December, 132 UN workers had been killed in Gaza since October 7th and the number of children killed is now well over 7,000 with many more buried under the rubble.
West Bank
Israel has increased the intensity and number of raids on the West Bank, according to Al Jazeera. These continued throughout the week with the most intense clashed taking place at Qalandiya, Qalqilya, and Jenin. The West Bank has a long history of (illegal) Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians. This Palestinian family, which has suffered attacks in the past, now fears a massacre. Al Jazeera reported that by the 8th December, 262 Palestinians had been killed on the West Bank. 3670 Palestinians have been detained since October 7th.
Hezbollah/South Lebanon
Fighting between Hezbollah and the IDF continued on Friday after the ceasefire ended. After Hezbollah attacked Israeli military facilities the IDF responded by attacking villages in Lebanon with artillery and tank fire, according to Tass. Two Lebanese civilians sustained injuries but according to Hezbollah, the Israeli military also suffered casualties. Clashed continued throughout the week and there is a danger, from Israel’s point of view, that Hezbollah could attack Galilee. This Article from a Lebanese news outlet, Al Manor, provides detail of Israeli and Hezbollah attacks carried out on December 7th. It is clear that the Israelis are facing stiff resistance in the north.
Houthis
On December 3rd, the Houthis hit a British cargo ship with a rocket in the Red Sea. The ship remained seaworthy, according to SouthFront. The Pentagon reported that one of its warships along with other commercial vessels also came under attack in the Red Sea on the same day but they have not been able to identify the attackers. USS Carney is operating near the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb which separate Yemen from the Arabian peninsular - a gap of some 16 miles. Ships passing through the straits are vulnerable to attack. The White House has predictably accused Iran of being behind the Houthi attacks on shipping and on Israel.
Can I leave the last word to Refaat Al-Areer, another martyr: ‘If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale’. I could not ask more from my own death. All of our lives are simply tales, some worth telling more than others.
That’s it for this week. Many thanks for your views, subscriptions, likes and kind comments.
Non subscribers can view Updates on Telegram: https://t.me/UWUupdate.
Thanks to b on the MoA (December 5th) for the quote.
Thanks to b once again for the link.
Response to Dr. Rob Campbell's "Israel-Palestine Weekly Update - 8th December 2023"
Another excellent recap, many thanks.
As for Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, someone said this past week that his only purpose in going to Israel was to gather evidence to charge Hamas with terrorism, not Israel. The ICC apparently is considered a tool of the West.
Most of the military commentators, like Ritter, are essentially saying that Israel is losing the conflict, as they are taking heavy casualties while killing very few Hamas. Israel claims a thousand or so dead Hamas out of 20-30,000 Hamas fighters after two months. Do the math. At that rate, the war will go on for years. Israel doesn't have years.
The only advantage Israel gets from that is by demonstrating that they can't take out Hamas, they avoid having to deal with Hezbollah, which has said they won't go full-on war unless it looks like Hamas is being destroyed. However, if the mass murder of Palestinians continues, Hezbollah may be forced to intervene earlier, despite Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah having to consider the effect on his own people in Lebanon if Israel with the help of the US conducts an air war against Lebanon.
It appears that efforts are being planned by Russian and China and the Middle East nations to bring the issue to the UN Security Council again and put forth a draft Resolution which will force the US to either abstain or stand alone against the rest of the world. Personally i view this as irrelevant. If the rest of the world can't force Israel to stop - or force the US to force Israel to stop - then what does it matter if Israel and the US are geopolitically isolated?
The only way Israel will be stopped is by military force. This is the bottom line. Someone is going to have to defeat Israel militarily on the battlefield or by destroying enough of Israel's infrastructure and economy to force Israel to surrender. Only Hezbollah has that capability, possibly with the assistance of other regional states.
As for "anti-Semitism", I posted a comment at Antiwar.com that it's time to consider making "anti-Semitism" a valid position. "If you have the Devil's name, play the Devil's game", as they say. If critics of Israel are going to be called "anti-Semites" regardless, then accept that. Make it clear that no one wants to tar all Jews as Zionists or be in alignment with white racists - but if Jews world wide can't make it clear that they reject Zionism - like many Jews did back in the first half of the 20th Century, including prominent Jews like Albert Einstein - then they will just have to live with the consequences.
It is a valid principle that the only way to deal with criticism is to accept it and own it and reflect it back on those criticizing you. As ex-SEAL Richard Marcinko quotes a Chinese miliary in history, "Always treat the enemy as the enemy, because he will invariably treat you that way." While it is important to make technically correct conceptual distinctions, these distinctions are lost and are useless when engaging in public debate where there are no rules of debating.
So anti-Zionists are going to have to accept that they are going to be accused of anti-Semitism and if anti-Zionism is going to be equated with anti-Semitism, then anti-Zionists are going to have to equate "pro-Semitism" with "pro-Zionism". And if Jews don't like that, they can either step up and reject Zionism or accept that they will be equated with Zionism.
For the record, I have no ethnic or racial bias. I despise most of the human species. I don't have time for any other distinctions. The only classes of people I exempt from my disgust are 1) scientists and engineers who are doing actually useful work to advance the species, and 2) hot babes. Everyone else can drop dead as far as I'm concerned. I'm being rather hyperbolic, but you get the point.
Thank you very much for all your Work to compile everything in a good readable manner. I am looking every week for your writings.