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Category: human rights violations

  • US Wields ‘Hand of Genocide’ by Vetoing Yet Another UN Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

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

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

    “This latest shameful U.S. veto—one in a long list—gives Israel the green light to continue its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” said the head of Amnesty International.

    For the fifth time since Israel launched its genocidal assault and siege of the Gaza Strip—and for the first time during President Donald Trump’s tenure—the United States has vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire, a move that came as Palestinians continue to suffer daily massacres, mass starvation, and ethnic cleansing in the embattled enclave.

    U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea—a former political officer at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel—was the lone vote against the Security Council draft resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent cease-fire” in Gaza and the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups.

    “Any product that undermines our close ally Israel’s security is a nonstarter,” Shea explained after sinking the resolution. In addition to diplomatic cover, the U.S. provides Israel with tens of billions of dollars in armed aid, including weapons that have been used in some of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) deadliest massacres in Gaza.

    The resolution was put forth by the 10 non-permanent Security Council members—Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, and South Korea—who explained Wednesday in a joint statement that the measure was “prompted by our deep concern over the catastrophic situation in Gaza, which deteriorated further after the resumption of hostilities in March.”

    According toThe Palestine Chronicle, Hamas—which governs Gaza and led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel—said the U.S. veto shows “Washington’s blind bias towards the occupation government” and support for Israel’s “crimes against humanity in Gaza.”

    At least hundreds of Gazans, mostly children, have recently died from malnutrition and lack of medical care amid Israel’s tightened siege, according to local officials. Israeli airstrikes continue to kill and wound scores of Palestinians—and sometimes more—daily, and upward of 100 Gazans have been shot dead while desperately trying to secure humanitarian aid in recent days.

    “This latest shameful U.S. veto—one in a long list—gives Israel the green light to continue its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” Amnesty International secretary general Agnès Callamard said in a statement. “It allows Israel to continue starving Palestinian civilians and creating conditions of life meant to bring about their destruction.”

    In addition to vetoing five Security Council cease-fire resolutions, the U.S. last year used its veto power to block Palestine’s bid to become a full U.N. member. The U.S. also abstained from voting on two Security Council cease-fire resolutions during the Biden administration.

    “The U.S. has squandered yet another crucial opportunity to demand that Israel ends civilian bloodshed,” Callamard added. “What possible justification can there be for blocking action by the U.N. Security Council that could help to end the harrowing starvation and suffering, free hostages, and lift Israel’s suffocating aid restrictions?”

    All told, more than 194,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded—including over 14,000 people who are missing and believed dead and buried beneath rubble—during 606 days of an onslaught for which Israel is facing a genocide case at the World Court and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity including extermination and weaponized starvation.

    Upward of 2 million Palestinians have also been forcibly displaced, often multiple times, most recently during Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the IDF’s ongoing campaign to indefinitely occupy and ethnically cleanse Gaza, possibly to facilitate Israeli recolonization, as pushed by far-right figures.

    On Wednesday, International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric said conditions in Gaza are “worse” than last month, when she described them as “hell on Earth.”

    All this, as a cease-fire proves as elusive as ever due to what pro-Palestine critics say is Netanyahu’s desire to prolong the war in order to delay his own criminal corruption trial and Hamas’ demand for a guaranteed end to Israel’s onslaught.

    “The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded, or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,” Tom Fletcher, the U.N.’s top humanitarian chief, said Wednesday. “We must be allowed to do our jobs. We have the teams, the plan, the supplies, and the experience.”

    “It’s simply unconscionable to stand in the way of this resolution.”

    Amnesty International USA executive director Paul O’Brien said: “Once again, the U.S. government, this time under Trump’s leadership, is on the wrong side of history. While it’s not a surprise the U.S. vetoed this resolution, it’s nonetheless devastating.”

    “The language is focused on the urgency of the unconditional release of all hostages and unfettered access to humanitarian aid,” O’Brien added. “When children are dying of starvation and the fate of the hostages is uncertain, it’s simply unconscionable to stand in the way of this resolution.”

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

    Neo-Fascist Climate Science Denier Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
    Neo-Fascist Climate Science Denier Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
    Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
    Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.

  • Morning Star Editorial: Corbyn’s Gaza Inquiry Bill reflects public opinion – Starmer’s pro-war policy does not

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    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/corbyns-gaza-inquiry-bill-reflects-public-opinion-starmers-pro-war-policy-does-not

     People take part in a pro-Palestine march in central London organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, April 13, 2024

    …

    Corbyn’s Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill, tabled the very day that polling shows a majority of the public want a full arms embargo on Israel and even for the country to be expelled from the United Nations for its genocidal war on Palestinians, shows he is still playing that vital role: voicing, in the corridors of power, the views of millions of ordinary people shut out by a suffocating ruling-class consensus.

    His Bill is supported by a range of independent and Labour MPs, as well as some from the Greens, Plaid Cymru and Scottish National Party.

    The numbers should be much higher: Britain’s active role in the genocide runs deep, and too much of it is cloaked in secrecy.

    The bits people know about, such as continuing arms sales to a military killing scores of civilians every single day, have appalled public opinion.

    How much more so if the whole sordid story, the details of what is passed from the hundreds of RAF surveillance flights over Gaza to the Israeli authorities, the troop-training and logistical support, the ways in which our air force’s Akrotiri base on Cyprus supports Israel’s war effort, were to come into the open.

    …

    See the original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/corbyns-gaza-inquiry-bill-reflects-public-opinion-starmers-pro-war-policy-does-not

    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government's support for Israel's Gaza genocide and the UK government and military's active participation in genocide.
    Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.

  • Rule of law in Britain under threat after Palestine activists arrested under counter-terrorism laws, legal organisations warn

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    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/rule-law-britain-under-threat-after-palestine-activists-arrested-under-counter-terrorism

     FW Pomeroy’s Statue of Justice standing atop the Central Criminal Court building, Old Bailey, London

    INTERNATIONAL legal associations and human rights groups have warned that the rule of law is under threat in Britain following the arrest of pro-Palestine activists through the misuse of counterterrorism laws.

    An open letter, signed by 21 groups, relates to the case of Palestine Action protesters known as the “Filton 18,”  who have been jailed over an action targeting a facility in Bristol owned by Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons firm. 

    The activists were detained under counterterror powers, despite being charged with criminal offences including aggravated burglary and criminal damage. 

    The Crown Prosecution Service has, however, said it will submit to the court that the offences had a “terrorist connection,” which could lead to more severe sentences. 

    The activists have consequently been denied bail and subjected to higher security protocols.

    The 21 group’s letter states that the case “is a litmus test for democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights in the United Kingdom.”

    They add that a freedom of information request shows that the government shared the contact details of counterterrorism police with the Israeli embassy during the investigation. 

    …

    Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/rule-law-britain-under-threat-after-palestine-activists-arrested-under-counter-terrorism

    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.

  • Labour MPs visit Israel in middle of Gaza genocide

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    https://www.thenational.scot/news/25213365.labour-mps-visit-israel-middle-gaza-genocide

    Isaac Herzog (centre) with LFI chair Jon Pearce to his left (Image: LFI/Twitter)

    LABOUR MPs have visited Israel on a lobbying trip amid the country’s brutal assault on Gaza. 

    The party’s most prominent pro-Israel group, Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), sent a delegation of parliamentarians including chair Jon Pearce, as well as fellow Labour MPs Cat Eccles, Kevin McKenna, Peter Prinsley and Mark Sewards.

    Former Labour MP and House of Lords member Luciana Berger also joined.

    They were pictured with a host of Israeli politicians over the course of the four-day delegation, which appears to have taken place last week, including president Isaac Herzog.

    Herzog has previously been criticised after photographs showed him signing Israeli bombs set to be dropped on Gaza.

    …

    Article continues at https://www.thenational.scot/news/25213365.labour-mps-visit-israel-middle-gaza-genocide

    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.

  • ‘Genocide Is a Red Line’: Thousands Encircle UK Parliament to Demand Sanctions on Israel

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

    Protesters form a Red Line for Palestine around the U.K. Parliament on June 4, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

    “U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted this week that the situation in Gaza is ‘getting worse by the day’ but has yet to match these words with concrete actions.”

    Thousands of people formed a “Red Line for Palestine” encircling the U.K. Parliament in Westminster on Wednesday to demand an arms embargo and sanctions on Israel for its ongoing genocidal violence against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

    The protesters are also calling for the reinstatement of U.K. aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the government’s support for International Criminal Court investigations, and an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza, according to a statement from organizers.

    The red line protest during Parliament’s “question time” was organized by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Muslim Association of Britain, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Stop the War Coalition.

    “The U.S.-backed aid distribution in Gaza has shut down operations today, citing ‘security risks,’” organizers noted. “This follows widespread criticism over its ties to Israel and alleged downplaying of civilian casualties. Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted this week that the situation in Gaza is ‘getting worse by the day’ but has yet to match these words with concrete actions.”

    While people in the streets took aim at Starmer and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who are both part of the Labour Party, some members of Parliament joined the protest.

    Scottish MP Brian Leishman, a member of Labour’s Socialist Campaign Group, said on social media that he was “proud to stand with fellow MPs and the thousands of people that joined the Red Line for Palestine protest outside Parliament today calling for an end to genocide and for countries to stop arming Israel.”

    MP Colum Eastwood, former leader of Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party, similarly said that he was “proud” to join the protest, while MP Zack Polansky, a candidate to lead the Green Party, said he was “proud to stand with so many fellow Jewish people against the genocide.”

    Party MP Ellie Chowns described her experience participating in the demonstration as “incredibly moving and powerful,” while Independent MP Shockat Adam declared: “Starving children is a red line. Genocide is a red line. When humanity is on the line, silence cannot be the response.”

    Independent MP Adnan Hussain said he was “honored to have joined” the action and shared footage in which he appeared with MP Jeremy Corbyn, a fellow Independent who used to be Labour’s leader. In the Sky News clip, Corbyn talked about the bill he’s introducing to demand an independent public inquiry into the U.K.’s “complicity with active genocide” in Gaza.

    “Many of us remain disgusted by the continued supply of components for the F-35 fighter jet program,” Corbyn told The New Arab. “I am shocked the government openly admits to making ‘exceptions’ to its partial suspension. Does this breach its legal obligations to prevent genocide? One thing is clear: This government still supplies weapons to a state whose leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.”

    The Hague-based tribunal in November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a Hamas leader who has since been declared dead. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its annihilation of Gaza.

    Polling shows Israel’s destruction of Gaza is unpopular with the British public. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign not only was an organizer of Wednesday’s protest but also commissioned a poll from Opinium Research and released the results on Wednesday. The survey, conducted from May 30 to June 2, found that 57% of Brits believe the U.K. should impose a full arms embargo.

    The survey also found that 54% support sanctioning Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, 53% think Israel should be expelled from the U.N., and 50% support boycotting Israeli products in supermarkets. Middle East Eyereported that “the new poll comes after a similar survey showed public support for Israel in European countries had fallen to its lowest recorded level.”

    The polling also comes as the official casualty counts in Gaza—which experts warn are likely significant underestimates—climbed to 54,607 Palestinians killed and 125,341 wounded, with most of the enclave’s more than 2 million struggling to access food, water, shelter, and healthcare in the face of Israel’s bombings and blockade of humanitarian aid.

    U.K. organizers plan to follow Wednesday’s red line action with a National March for Palestine on Saturday, June 21.

    “Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the West Bank are intensifying. Their starvation policy continues,” says the march’s webpage. “The U.K. government has at last accepted that Israel’s actions are unconscionable. Now they must act—words are not enough.”

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

    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspeding 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government's support for Israel's Gaza genocide and the UK government and military's active participation in genocide.
    UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspeding 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.