Monthly Archives: February 2024

IDF Let Israeli Civilians Film Torture of Palestinian Detainees: Report

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Original article by BRETT WILKINS republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Stripped, blindfolded, and bound Palestinian civilians are taken prisoner and ordered into a line by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza in December 2023.  (Photo: Social media post by Israeli soldier)

“This is beyond military occupation, apartheid, economic exploitation, and all the rest,” asserted one journalist. “There is something extremely sickening happening here.”

Israel Defense Forces officers brought Israeli civilians into detention centers and allowed them to watch and film Palestinian prisoners being tortured, according to survivor testimonies published this week by the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.

Prisoners held at detention centers in Zikim on the northern border of the Gaza Strip and at a site in southern Israel affiliated with Naqab Prison “told Euro-Med Monitor that the Israeli soldiers had purposefully presented them before Israeli civilians, falsely claiming that they were fighters affiliated with Palestinian armed factions and that they had taken part in the October 7 attack on Israeli towns,” the group said.

The former detainees said groups of 10-20 Israeli civilians were brought in and allowed to record torture sessions in which the men, stripped nearly naked, were beaten with metal batons, electrocuted, and had hot water poured over their heads. The ex-prisoners said some of the Israelis laughed while filming their torture.

“I was arrested at the checkpoint set up near the Kuwait roundabout, which separates Gaza City from the central region, as part of the Israeli random arrest campaigns. I was subjected to all types of torture and abuse for approximately 52 days,” 43-year-old Omar Abu Mudallala told Euro-Med Monitor, adding that his IDF captors “brought Israeli civilians to watch our nude torture.”

Abu Mudallala continued:

The Israeli army brought a number of Israeli civilians into our detention centers while beating us and telling them, “These are Hamas terrorists who killed you and raped your women on 7 October,” while the Israeli civilians were filming us being beaten, abused, and tortured while making fun of us.

This happened five times while I was being held. The first time was in Barkasat Zikim, where we were blindfolded. However, one of the detainees who speaks Hebrew told us that the soldiers were interacting with Israeli civilians claiming that we were armed fighters. The other four incidents took place in the Negev detention facility, where successive Israeli groups were taken inside tents to witness our abuse and record the torture methods we were subjected to without allowing us to speak or interact with them. Since we were not wearing blindfolds at the time, I saw them all four times with my own eyes.

“One of the detainees who speaks Hebrew tried to explain to the Israeli civilians that we are civilians and we had nothing to do with any military activities, but that also did not help,” Abu Mudallala added. “However, he was subjected to severe psychological and physical torture. It was really shameful to bring Israeli citizens to record our torture for being allegedly involved in killing and rape incidents.”

Another former prisoner, identified only as 42-year-old D.H., told Euro-Med Monitor that “Israeli civilians were brought to witness the abuse and torture that we were subjected to, which the army deliberately began when they were present.”

“These Israelis sometimes brought their dogs with them to bark at us,” he added. “They also took pictures of us and posted them on social media apps, particularly TikTok, with the soldiers themselves doing the same.”

Euro-Med Monitor asserted that “the vast majority of those arrested from within the Gaza Strip have been subjected to arbitrary detention without being charged or brought to justice, with no legal measures taken against them.”

“They are also denied a fair trial and are subjected to forced disappearance, torture, and inhumane treatment,” the group added. “Israeli practices against Palestinian detainees are blatant violations of international conventions and standards, particularly the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids an occupying authority from transferring prisoners from the occupied territory to detention facilities on its territory, as well as torturing, attacking, or otherwise degrading the human dignity of those detained.”

Israeli forces, with their long history of torturing Palestinian prisoners, have been accused during the current war on Gaza of torturing civilian detainees before executing them. Photos and videos of Israeli troops abusing Palestinians—both alive and dead—have been published by perpetrators on social media. Human rights defenders point to such images and their proud display as evidence of Israeli genocide in a war in which more than 100,000 Palestinians have been killed, maimed, or gone missing.

The International Court of Justice found last month in a preliminary ruling that Israel is “plausibly” committing genocide in Gaza, while ordering Israeli forces to “take all measures” to avoid perpetrating genocidal acts.

Original article by BRETT WILKINS republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

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Dozens of professional athletes sign “Athletes for ceasefire” letter

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Original article republished from peoples dispatch

John Carlos, who raised a fist during the playing of the US national anthem at the 1968 Olympics, was among the signatories of the “Athletes for Ceasefire” letter

The statement was signed by several celebrated athletes, including John Carlos, who raised a fist during the playing of the US national anthem at the 1968 Olympics

John Carlos, who raised a fist during the playing of the US national anthem at the 1968 Olympics, was among the signatories of the “Athletes for Ceasefire” letter

“In the wake of an unfolding genocide in Gaza, as described by countless legal scholars, human rights experts and international organizations across the world, we, as athletes, recognize our moral responsibility to utilize our platform for a higher purpose – to save human lives and to raise awareness about this ongoing tragedy,” reads a statement signed by 29 professional athletes, published on February 12. “We call for humanity, empathy and an immediate ceasefire.”

The statement was signed by several celebrated current and former athletes, including John Carlos, former track and field athlete who raised a fist during the playing of the US national anthem at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, at the height of the Black liberation movement. 

“In signing this letter, we continue a long legacy of athletes speaking up for the human rights of all people, such as Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith who raised their fists at the 1968 games in part to demand that apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia be held to account,” reads the letter. “We stand in the proud tradition of ‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali who stood for Palestinian freedom throughout his life both in word and deed.

The letter was also signed by former NBA player Tariq Abdul-Wahad, who gave an interview about his support for a ceasefire with Dave Zirin on The Real News Network. In the interview, Abdul-Wahad implores other athletes to also speak out, “This is one of those where you might have to sacrifice something, but something must be said. And as exceptional as you are, you only —And I’m talking to these athletes—As exceptional as you are, you are only as exceptional as your moral fiber.” 

Original article republished from peoples dispatch

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Federal Police investigate Bolsonaro and allies for alleged coup attempt; Liberal Party president arrested

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Original article republished from Brasil de Fato.

Advisors to former President Jair Bolsonaro were arrested this Thursday morning (8) – Douglas Magno/AFP

On Thursday (8), Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) carried out an operation to investigate the involvement of former President Jair Bolsonaro, some of his former ministers and advisers in a criminal organization that allegedly planned a coup d’état in 2023. Two of Bolsonaro’s former advisers were arrested, and multiple search and seizure warrants were executed.   

The country’s Federal Police carried out 33 search and seizure warrants, four preventive arrest warrants and 48 additional precautionary measures. These measures included restrictions on contact with other individuals under investigation, travel bans (with an order to surrender Bolsonaro’s passport within 24 hours) and suspension of public functions. Notably, during the 2022 presidential campaign, organized groups allegedly spread misinformation about election fraud, intending to make it easier for military intervention.   

The investigation focuses on two main aspects:   

Dissemination of falsehoods: The first axis targets the spreading of lies about electronic voting machines, whose supposed “hacking” and “fraud” occurred during the 2022 elections, which Bolsonaro lost.   

Acts to undermine democracy: The second axis involves planning actions to overthrow democracy, including the invasion of the National Congress on January 8, 2023, with military support.   

The alleged offenses under investigation include criminal organization, the violent undermining of the democratic state and an attempted coup.  

Original article republished from Brasil de Fato.

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South Africa makes ‘urgent request’ to top UN court over Israeli attacks on Rafah

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/south-africa-makes-urgent-request-top-un-court-over-israeli-attacks-rafah

Smoke rises after a bombardment in the Gaza Strip, February 12, 2024

SOUTH AFRICA said it had lodged an urgent request with the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) over Israel’s assault on Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The South African government is asking the ICJ to consider whether Israel has committed a “further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza” following the provisional orders the court handed down last month.

This comes as progress is reportedly being made in securing a ceasefire deal between Hamas and the Israeli government.

In December, South Africa instituted proceedings at the ICJ accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Among its six orders, the ICJ said that Israel must do all it can to prevent the deaths of Palestinians and the destruction of Gaza.

…

A statement released by the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said: “The South African government was gravely concerned that the unprecedented military offensive against Rafah, as announced by the state of Israel, has already led to and will result in further large-scale killing, harm and destruction.

“This would be in serious and irreparable breach both of the Genocide Convention and of the court’s order of January 26 2024.”

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/south-africa-makes-urgent-request-top-un-court-over-israeli-attacks-rafah

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Oil and gas lobbyists have deep pockets and access to politicians, but an EU ban could be in the pipeline

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Original article by Will Dinan republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives licence.

North Sea oil rigs in Cromarty Firth, Scotland. Credit: joiseyshowaa (CC BY-SA 2.0)
North Sea oil rigs in Cromarty Firth, Scotland. Credit: joiseyshowaa (CC BY-SA 2.0)

A public interest ban on big oil and gas companies engaging with and influencing politicians could be in the pipeline as the European Parliament is hosting a hearing on fossil fuel lobbying on February 14.

Something similar is already in place for the tobacco industry in order to safeguard public health. The European Parliament is set to examine what lessons can be learned to protect the environment from the harms associated with continued use of fossil fuels.

The context here is important. Restrictions on tobacco lobbyists, known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), came into force in 2005 and are legally binding in 182 countries. Among other relevant restrictions, Article 5.3 of the convention states that: “Parties shall act to protect [their public health] policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.”

The restrictions were promoted by the World Health Organization to protect public health, in the wake of class action lawsuits in the US demonstrating clearly that the tobacco industry had misled governments and regulators, and covered up the scientific evidence pointing to tobacco harms.

Tobacco-style regulations in the pipeline? ssuaphotos / shutterstock

The parallels with Big Oil are increasingly obvious. Litigation in the US has shown that some of the major oil companies actively engaged in deception, denial and increasingly now delay tactics. But delaying policies to address the climate emergency pose a huge societal risk. This is what is at stake in Brussels.

The oil industry insists on its right to democratic participation. But the European Parliament hearing will consider whether the industry has acted in bad faith, and whether it is time to develop new laws and guidelines to manage the risks and harms associated with fossil fuels.

Dominating discussions

There is increased awareness that current climate policies are not addressing the scale of the climate crisis. Fossil fuel interests dominated recent COP meetings, promoting a number of industry-friendly narratives such as an emphasis on reducing emissions rather than fossil fuel production itself, and a commitment to tackling only “unabated” fossil fuel use. This is code for continuing to burn fossil fuels, but to try to abate some of the emissions using as yet unproven carbon capture technologies.

Many leading climate scientists are growing increasingly concerned about the continued influence of oil and gas lobbyists. The industry still enjoys privileged access to the highest reaches of decision making in Europe. The EU’s delegation to the recent COP28 included over 130 oil and gas industry lobbyists.

For the past few years some of the leading environmental groups in Brussels have been boycotting events where oil and gas lobbyists are participating, to try to disrupt what they term the capture of energy policy by fossil fuel interests through sponsorships, partnerships and official collaborations. Lobbying disclosures on the EU’s Transparency Register show that fossil fuel interests are among the biggest spenders and most active lobbyists in Brussels.

The industry has unfettered access to senior officials and politicians, and has the deepest of pockets to pay for lobbyists, event sponsorships and employ experts to participate in technical and regulatory meetings in Brussels that inform EU policy. It is therefore little wonder that environmentalists and some Members of the European Parliament want to rethink the relationship between the fossil fuel industry and politics.

There were at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists at COP28, outnumbering every national delegation bar two. Martin Divisek / EPA

Those working for oil and gas interests in Brussels are unlikely to welcome parallels being drawn between their sector and the tobacco industry. They insist that all interests have the right to legitimately participate in policy making (and in so doing they are defending their privileged position), and that the technical expertise of oil and gas companies is needed in the energy transition.

Recently, the industry has used concerns about energy supply since the conflict in Ukraine to propose renewed gas exploration within Europe. This is part of a new policy agenda that prioritises Europe’s “strategic autonomy” on energy issues, and in the view of oil and gas lobbyists necessitates increased reliance on fossil fuels – and existing infrastructure – in the short to medium term.

Another parallel with the tobacco industry is perhaps instructive here. The tobacco industry has been accused of promoting vaping as a health tool (since it claims vaping is an effective smoking cessation technology). But vaping has had the impact of hooking a huge number of young people into a new habit and creating another generation of tobacco industry customers.

Similarly, the fossil fuels industry has been heavily promoting the idea of gas as a transition fuel, and lobbying for the continued investment in gas exploration and exploitation, which will mean continued use of pipelines and industry infrastructure for many years to come.

With industry lobbyists working to “lock in” fossil fuels, and environmentalists considering how to “lock out” fossil fuels from policy making, the hearing in the European Parliament should be instructive. What happens with lobbying will give a sense of how Europe will grapple with the challenges of the transition to low carbon energy.

Original article by Will Dinan republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives licence.

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Continue ReadingOil and gas lobbyists have deep pockets and access to politicians, but an EU ban could be in the pipeline