Agencies – January 4, 2024
Thousands attend the funeral of a top Hamas official killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut
In Beirut Thursday thousands of people attended the funeral of Saleh Arouri, top commander of the Palestinian group Hamas, who was killed earlier this week in an apparent Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital.
The coffins of the three, Arouri, Azzam al-Aqraa of the Hamas military wing Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and Mohammad al-Rais, were draped in Palestinian and Hamas flags. A machine gun was laid on top of each coffin and heavy gunfire rang out as the funeral procession made its way to the cemetery, drowning out chants of “Allahu akbar” (God is Greatest) by mourners waving Palestinian flags and those of Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.
They were carried to the Palestine Martyrs Cemetery where top Palestinian officials killed by Israel over the past five decades have been buried. Arouri’s automatic rifle was placed on his coffin at the prayer service.
Lebanese officials and state media said an Israeli drone fired two missiles Tuesday at an apartment in Beirut’s southern Musharafieh district, a stronghold of Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah group instantly killing Arouri along with six other Hamas members, including military commanders.
Arouri, who was the deputy political head of Hamas and a founder of the group’s military wing, had been on Israel’s radar for years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill him even before Hamas carried out its deadly surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the ongoing brutal war in Gaza.
Hamas and Lebanese security officials accused Israel of launching the attack, with one high-level Lebanese security official saying they were targeted by guided missiles.
A US defence official told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that Israel was behind the attack. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
Arouri is the most senior Hamas figure to be killed since the Gaza war broke out on October 7 after Hamas attacked Israel.
“The assassination of Saleh al-Arouri and of any other Palestinian is a failed act because the resistance will continue to produce new leaders,” one of the mourners, Oman Ghannum, told Agence France-Presse.
In a speech Wednesday evening, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah promised revenge, repeating his group’s statement that “this dangerous crime” of Arouri’s killing will not go “without response and without punishment.” But he specified neither when or how this would happen.
Nasrallah said Hezbollah had so far been careful in its strategic calculus in the conflict, balancing “the need to support Gaza and to take into account Lebanese national interests.” But if the Israelis launch a war on Lebanon, the group is ready for a “fight without limits.” “They will regret it,” he said. “It will be very, very, very costly.”
Israel hit Gaza with 3 times more firepower than Hiroshima nuke
Israel has battered the Gaza strip with over 65,000 tons of explosives that yielded over three times more firepower than the U.S. nuclear bomb that destroyed Japan's Hiroshima.
The Gaza Media Office said Wednesday that the Israeli army has bombarded the Gaza Strip with more than 45,000 missiles and bombs.
"Occupation aircraft dropped over 45,000 missiles and giant bombs, some of them weighing 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms), during the comprehensive genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, deliberately targeting entire residential areas," it said.
"The weight of the explosives dropped by the army on the Gaza Strip exceeded 65,000 tons, which is more than the weight and power of three nuclear bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima (during World War II)."
The office said about "two-thirds of the bombs and missiles ... are unguided and imprecise, commonly known as dumb bombs."
It pointed out that the use of such bombs indicates "the deliberate targeting of indiscriminate and unjustified killing by the occupation, a clear and explicit violation of international law and various international conventions."
Earlier last month, a U.S. intelligence assessment had also confirmed that nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions used by Israel were unguided "dumb bombs."
The assessment, compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, estimates that about 40-45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions used by Israel have been unguided, with the remainder being precision-guided munitions, according to CNN.
The Gaza Media Office also documented Israel's use of around nine internationally banned bombs and missiles against civilians, children and women.
They included "bunker-busting bombs of types (BLU-113), (BLU-109), (SDBS), the American type (GBU-28), guided by GPS systems to destroy infrastructure, white phosphorus, smart bombs, and Halberd Gudum missiles," the media office added.
It noted that the bombs caused "mass killings and injuries within seconds, in addition to causing permanent damage to the injured, such as deformities and disabilities, along with the environmental risks resulting from the release of toxic radiation."
The media office urged the international community and international organizations to "stop the comprehensive genocidal war waged by the army against civilians, children, and women for 89 days of continuous aggression."
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/israel-hit-gaza-with-3-times-more-firepower-than-hiroshima-nuke
Israeli Army Arrests 51 Palestinian Women From Gaza
On Thursday, the Palestine Liberation Organization's Detainees and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club denounced that 51 Palestinian women were being held in Israel's Damon prison.
They said the detainees included an 82-year-old woman and several of her relatives. The actual number of female detainees from Gaza was higher, but they only had clear data on those in Damon prison.
The Palestinian women faced "torture and humiliation" and were detained in "tragic conditions" like all Gaza detainees, said the Detainees and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club.
Israel prevented lawyers from human rights organizations from visiting the detainees, and also denied access to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Israeli Prisons Administration only disclosed that there were 661 Gaza detainees, whom it labeled as "unlawful combatants."
According to Ramy Abdu, the chairman of Euro-Med Monitor, the list of women at the Damon Prison includes names such as Nivin Al-Najjar, Iman Mahfouz, Zeinab Al-Ramlawi, Namaa Abu Alkhair Saadallah, Afnan Nasrallah, Aseel Abu Zaydah, Yasmin Marshoud, Lina Tabeel, Sahar Adnan Mohammed Al-Khawli, and Shaimaa Adnan Mohammed Al-Khawli.
On Thursday, the Euro-Med Monitor chairman also posted a message in X showing a list of 374 doctors and nurses who were deliberately targeted and killed by Israel from October 7, 2023, to January 1, 2024.
The Middle East Eye – January 3, 2024
Turkey Backs South Africa ‘Genocide’ Case Against Israel at ICJ
Ankara says Israel's crimes against humanity in Gaza should not go unpunished in another deterioration in ties between the two states
By Ragip Soylu in Istanbul
Turkeyﾠhas officially backed South Africaﾒs case against Israelﾠat the International Court of Justice, which accuses the state of genocide in its ongoing war on Gaza.
Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said in a statement that Ankara welcomes the South African case, which says Israel has violated its obligationsﾠunder the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
“Israel's murder of more than 22,000 Palestinianﾠcivilians, the majority of whom were women and children, in Gaza for nearly three months should not go unpunished in any way," Keceli said.
"Those responsible for this must be held accountable before international law,” he continued, adding: “We hope that the process will be completed as soon as possible.”
South Africa filed the case last month and wants an order calling on Israel to halt its military operations in the besieged enclave.
It said such an order is "necessary in this case to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people".
"Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza," South Africa's application said.
Interim injunction
South Africa has requested that the ICJ declare "on an urgent basis that Israel is in breach of its obligations in terms of the Genocide Convention, should immediately cease all acts and measures in breach of those obligations and take a number of related actions".
Keceli said Turkey also expects that the court will issue an interim injunction ordering Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, adding that Ankara would follow the implementation of such a decision.
War broke out in Israel and Gaza on 7 October, when Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis and other nationals, according to the government death toll.
Meanwhile, Israel has killed more than 22,000 Palestinians in its aerial bombing campaign and ground assault, with the majority killed being women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Israel's military forces have targeted many types of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, residential neighbourhoods, ambulances, and mosques.
Entire neighbourhoods in the besieged enclave have been completely levelled.
The UN's Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court define genocide as acts "committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".
Legal experts, UN officials, and more than 800 scholars have already warned that Israel is potentially committing genocide against Palestinians.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-turkey-south-african-backs-case-israel-icj
Anadolu Agency – January 4, 2024
US 'doesn't see' acts of genocide committed by Israel in Gaza
The U.S. is not seeing any acts that constitute genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday, criticizing South Africa's decision to file a genocide case against Israel for its crimes since Oct. 7.
"We don't think it's productive," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
"Genocide is, of course, a heinous atrocity, one of the most heinous atrocities that any individual can commit," Miller said, adding that those are allegations that "should not made lightly."
However, Miller said the U.S. is "not seeing any acts that constitute genocide."
Asked if the U.S. sees any acts of war crimes, Miller said: "We continue to collect information and gather it as we always do, but I don't have an assessment to offer."
The White House, for its part, said it found the submission "meritless, counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever."
South Africa last week filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel before The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The application is about alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide concerning Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the ICJ.
"Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” the African country said.
It sought provisional measures, alleging that Israel violated the 1948 U.N. Genocide Convention with its actions in Gaza since Oct. 7.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/us-doesnt-see-acts-of-genocide-committed-by-israel-in-gaza
World Socialist Web Site – January 3, 2024
US draws up plan to attack mainland Yemen as Middle East spirals into war
by Andre Damon
The US military has “prepared options” for attacking Yemen, the Wall Street Journal reported, amid a major escalation of war throughout the Middle East.
The Journal reported that “potential targets could include launchers for antiship missiles and drones, targeting infrastructure such as coastal radar installations, and storage facilities for munitions.”
In a threat to Yemen, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday the US will not “shrink from the task of defending ourselves, our interests, our partners, and the free flow of international commerce.”
He added, “To accomplish these goals we have established and will continue to maintain a significant force presence in the Middle East. This includes an aircraft carrier strike group centered around the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, with its embarked air wing of some 80 aircraft, as well as an amphibious ready group with its embarked 26 Marine Expeditionary Unit.”
These ships, Kirby said, contain “more than 4,000 sailors and more than 50 aircraft.” He added, “These ships and their Marines are augmented by three additional squadrons of fighter and attack aircraft that are based ashore and additional highly capable warships at sea.” These ships, Kirby said, represent “offensive … military power.”
The belligerent statements cap two days of major escalations of tensions throughout the Middle East. On Tuesday, Israel carried out a strike in Beirut, Lebanon, killing Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas’s political committee. While Israel denied its responsibility for the strike, US officials later confirmed to Al Jazeera that the attack was conducted by Israel.
The US effectively endorsed the murder of al-Arouri, with White House spokesman Kirby declaring that Israel “has a right and responsibility to go after the threat that Hamas poses, which means they have a right and a responsibility to go after the leadership of Hamas.” He added, “I would just tell you that al-Arouri was a noted ‘designated global terrorist.’ And if he is, in fact, dead, nobody should be shedding a tear over his loss.”
Then, on Wednesday, over 100 people were killed at a memorial ceremony for Maj. Gen. Qassemi Soleimani, the Iranian general murdered by US President Donald Trump while on a diplomatic mission in Iraq four years ago. While Israel has for years carried out a string of bombings throughout Iran, in this case both the United States and Israel denied responsibility.
Mojataba Zolnouri, Iran’s deputy Parliament head, said that it was “clear from the style of the attacks that it is the Zionist regime” which is responsible for the bombing. But White House spokesman Kirby declared, “We have no indication that Israel was in any way involved in this.”
Last week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed that Israel is at “war” with multiple countries. “We are in a multi-front war. We are being attacked from seven fronts—Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Iraq, Yemen and Iran,” he said. “We have already responded and acted on six of those fronts,” in a clear threat to Iran.
The US media continues to incite direct war against Iran. On the day in which 100 people were killed in a terror attack on Iran, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial calling Iran “the fulcrum of Mideast violence,” and declaring, “Sooner or later the US and its allies will have to reestablish deterrence if they want a more stable Middle East, and that means dealing with Iran.”
This week, Israel announced that thousands of troops would be withdrawn from Gaza, raising the prospect that they will be used in an attack on Lebanon. Israel has evacuated 70,000 residents from its northern border with Lebanon and has amassed troops and tanks there. Israeli forces have launched daily bombardments across the Lebanese border since October 7.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart Thursday to the Middle East, including a trip to Israel. The death toll in Israel’s genocide is quickly nearing 30,000, with Gaza’s Government Media Office declaring that 29,313 people in Gaza are either killed or missing since October 7.
Against the backdrop of escalating war throughout the region, the US has been thrown into crisis by the Israeli regime’s openly genocidal rhetoric. In a statement on Tuesday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield declared, “There should be no mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and we reject the recent inflammatory statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.”
In a separate statement, the US State Department declared, “The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible. We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately.”
Regardless of what the United States claims it was told in private, Netanyahu has categorically endorsed the ethnic cleansing of Gaza in public, telling a meeting of his parliamentary faction, “Regarding voluntary immigration… This is the direction we are going in.”
Of course, these statements do in fact represent the policies of the Israeli government, which is engaged in a conscious genocide and ethnic cleansing campaign against Gaza. The United States, which declares it has no “red lines” on what Israel is allowed to do, is fully complicit in this genocide.
On Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that it will hold public hearings January 11 and 12 on South Africa’s accusation that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. The United States, however, continues to deny that Israel is committing genocide and that the US is an accomplice to it. “We have not at this point seen acts that constitute genocide,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Asked to comment on the filing by South Africa with the ICJ, White House spokesman Kirby called the submission “meritless, counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever.”
(Unlike the International Criminal Court [ICC], which hears charges against individuals, the International Court of Justice hears charges by UN member states against other states. The US government does not recognize the ICC but does recognize the ICJ, and its current chair, Joan Donoghue, is an American.)
Public denunciations of Israel’s genocide by human rights experts are mounting. In a statement on Twitter, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, declared, “Forcible transfer of Gazan population is an act of genocide especially given the high number of children.”
On Wednesday, the Euro-Med Human Rights monitor declared in a statement that “Israel is determined to carry out the forcible displacement of civilians in the Gaza Strip, beyond the bounds of international law.”
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