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‘Heartbreakingly Devastating’: US Reportedly Plans to Approve $680 Million in Arms to Israel

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

The Israeli military launched an airstrike on the al-Qassam Mosque and its surroundings in Gaza City’s Nuseirat refugee camp on November 27, 2024.
 (Photo: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The Biden administration seems to be ready and willing to keep piling more and more, despite Gaza descending into what President Biden just yesterday described as ‘hell,'” said Amnesty International USA.

Just hours after a cease-fire between the Israeli government and Lebanese group Hezbollah took effect, the Financial Times revealed that “U.S. President Joe Biden has provisionally approved a $680 million weapons sale to Israel,” which has also spent the past nearly 14 months decimating the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip.

Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the British newspaper reported that “U.S. officials recently briefed Congress on the plan to provide thousands of additional joint direct attack munition kits to Israel, known as JDAMS, as well as hundreds of small-diameter bombs.”

The Biden administration’s decision to advance the sale was subsequently confirmed by Reuters, which reported that “the package has been in the works for several months. It was first brought to the congressional committees in September then submitted for review in October.”

Human rights advocates critical of Israel’s assaults on Lebanon and Gaza—which has led to a genocide case at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—responded with alarm to the new reporting.

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“If these reports are true, it’s heartbreakingly devastating news,” said Amnesty International USA. “These are the weapons that our research has shown were used to wipe out entire families, without any discernable military objective.”

Amnesty highlighted a trio of resolutions from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would have halted some arms sales to Israel. Although they failed to pass the Senate last week, the group was among several that noted over the course of three votes, 17, 18, and 19 senators supported halting weapons sales, “sending a clear signal that U.S. policy must change.”

“Yet, the Biden administration seems to be ready and willing to keep piling more and more, despite Gaza descending into what President Biden just yesterday described as ‘hell,'” Amnesty added Wednesday. “Sending more weapons that have been used to maim and kill with impunity doesn’t just put in jeopardy Palestinian lives and the elusive cease-fire the president is seeking, but also President Biden’s own legacy.”

The Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project declared Wednesday that “President Biden is spending the final days of his presidency going against the will of most Americans, U.S. law, and international law.”

“The weapons included in this package have been used by Israel in numerous apparent war crimes,” the organization noted. “On July 13, 2024, Israel attacked a so-called ‘safe zone’ in al-Mawasi, in which internally displaced Palestinians were sheltering, killing at least 90 people and injuring hundreds more. A CNN investigation found that Israel carried out this attack with at least one JDAM.”

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John Ramming Chappell, an adviser on legal and policy issues at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, similarly stressed that “these are the very same weapons that for months Israeli forces have used to kill Palestinian civilians and violate international humanitarian law.”

“Continuing arms transfers risks making the United States and US officials complicit in war crimes,” he said. “These arms sales are unlawful as a matter of both U.S. and international law. They are immoral. The congressional committees of jurisdiction can and must place a hold on the sales.”

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, pointed out that “aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity is itself a crime for which U.S. officials may (and should) face prosecution at the ICC.”

Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, though Palestine is. Both the Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser have attacked the warrants for Israeli leaders.

In a speech to Israelis on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that one of the reasons for the cease-fire in Lebanon “is to give our forces a breather and replenish stocks. And I say it openly, it is no secret that there have been big delays in weapons and munitions deliveries. These delays will be resolved soon. We will receive supplies of advanced weaponry that will keep our soldiers safe and give us more strike force to complete our mission.”

According to the Financial Times:

U.S. officials have denied there is any explicit link between the cease-fire deal and approval for the latest weapons delivery. While the cease-fire deal includes a so-called side letter from the U.S. to Israel, setting out Washington’s support for a certain freedom of Israeli action, people familiar with the text said it included no guarantees of weapon sales.

U.S. officials also deny that there have been deliberate delays to weapons shipments, aside from shipments of 2,000-pound bombs, which Biden paused earlier this year over concerns about their use in densely populated areas of Gaza.

The Times of Israelreported that Biden’s State Department declined to confirm the advancement of the package but said that U.S. support for Israel in the face of Iran-backed threats is “unwavering” and all weapon transfers are carried out in line with federal law.

“We have made clear that Israel must comply with international humanitarian law, has a moral obligation and strategic imperative to protect civilians, investigate allegations of any wrongdoing, and ensure accountability for any abuses or violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law,” the State Department said.

As of Wednesday, officials in Gaza said the death toll had hit at least 44,282 Palestinians with another 104,880 people injured.

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

Continue Reading‘Heartbreakingly Devastating’: US Reportedly Plans to Approve $680 Million in Arms to Israel

Israel’s chemical weapons stockpile is a global threat, Iran warns

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Original article by Abdul Rahman republished from people dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Source: IRNA

Israel is one of only four countries in the world that refuse to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention. It has also been accused of using banned substances against civilians in Gaza and Lebanon

Iran raised the issue of Israel’s refusal to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Monday, November 25, claiming that this lack of accountability poses a grave risk to global peace and stability.

Iran’s Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, addressed the 29th session of the Conference of the State Parties to the CWC, which began in The Hague on Monday. He also called for international action against Israel for using chemical weapons, which are banned by international conventions, in Palestine and in Lebanon.

The CWC prohibits the development, production, storage, and use of all types of chemical weapons. It came into force in 1997 and has been signed and ratified by 193 countries. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in The Hague, serves as the implementing body of the CWC.

Gharibabadi alleged that Israel has used chemical weapons and other hazardous substances, including white phosphorus and depleted uranium, against Palestinians in Gaza and against people in Lebanon during its ongoing genocidal war. He called on the OPCW to conduct an investigation and take necessary steps to protect civilians.

“This regime, with the unconditional support of some Western countries, especially the United States, continues its crimes and enjoys immunity,” Gharibabadi said.

Israel is one of only four countries in the world that are not party to the CWC. While it has signed the convention, it has refused to ratify it. Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan have neither signed nor ratified the treaty.

There have been several instances where international investigations have established Israel’s use of chemical weapons against civilians in Gaza and Lebanon. During the ongoing war, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported Israel’s use of white phosphorus, a highly toxic substance, against civilians in Gaza. Although white phosphorus is not banned under the CWC, its use against civilians is considered illegal. Similarly, in September, the Syndicate of Chemists in Lebanon accused Israel of using depleted uranium during the bombings in Beirut. The use of depleted uranium is prohibited under international law.

Iran called for immediate UN sanctions on Israel for its continued violations of international humanitarian laws, as well as a complete economic, political, and military boycott of the Zionist regime.

The CWC should be universal

Iran emphasized the need for the universality of the CWC, claiming that Israel possesses a chemical weapons arsenal that threatens global peace and stability. It demanded the establishment of mechanisms to hold Israel accountable. Iran urged the international community to pressure Tel Aviv to join the CWC and place all its chemical weapons under the supervision of the OPCW.

Gharibabadi also rejected allegations made by the US and other Western countries regarding Iran’s alleged use of chemical weapons. He asserted that Tehran has fully complied with its obligations under the CWC and has placed all its chemical weapons under OPCW supervision.

The US has repeatedly accused Iran of developing chemical weapons. In July this year, the US imposed sanctions on an Iranian company, alleging that it was assisting the Iranian government in developing such substances.

In turn, Iran accused the US of violating the CWC on multiple occasions, including during its 2003 invasion of Iraq and by supplying weapons to Israel that are prohibited under OPCW regulations. The US has supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023, despite acknowledging that their use by Israel may have violated international humanitarian laws.

Gharibabadi claimed that the allegations against Iran are intended to divert global attention from the repeated use of chemical weapons by Israel or by groups supported by the US in the Middle East, such as armed factions fighting against state forces in Syria and Iraq, IRNA reported.

He also highlighted the US support for Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein during the war against Iran in the 1980s, despite being aware of Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Iranian forces. Estimates suggest that over 7,000 Iranians were killed as a result of these attacks. Nearly 75,000 Iranians are still receiving treatment for injuries caused by chemical weapons during the Iran-Iraq war.

Gharibabadi called for accountability for all countries, including the US, that supported Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Iran. He demanded that they be held responsible for their “illegal actions” and urged them to “take steps to compensate” Iranian victims.

Iran also highlighted how illegal US sanctions, imposed over time, have hindered the treatment of Iranian victims affected by chemical weapons attacks. It called on the OPCW to intervene and assist the victims.

Original article by Abdul Rahman republished from people dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingIsrael’s chemical weapons stockpile is a global threat, Iran warns

Despite Netanyahu arrest warrant, UK keeps sending arms and intel

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https://www.declassifieduk.org/despite-netanyahu-arrest-warrant-uk-keeps-sending-arms-and-intel/

At large: Benjamin Netanyahu. (Ohad Zwigenberg / Alamy)

International Criminal Court’s stance on Gaza should trigger an end to British military ties with Israel, critics say.

Britain’s ongoing involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza “opens the UK up to charges of complicity in war crimes”, an opposition politician has told Declassified.

Liz Saville Roberts MP spoke out after seeing UK spy flights continue to surveil Gaza despite Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu now being wanted for war crimes.

Flight tracking data shows Royal Air Force surveillance planes over the besieged enclave have not been interrupted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants.

Although ministers claim the flights, which began last year, are solely looking for hostages, Saville Roberts said “there is a clear risk that the information shared with Israel from these flights may have been used in attacks on civilians.”

Labour has also refused to implement a complete arms embargo on Israel. Spare parts for Israel’s most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, can still be shipped to Tel Aviv if they go via the US.

Human rights lawyers say this loophole is “unconscionable”. General Herzi Halevi, the Israeli army’s chief of staff, was even allowed to visit the UK on Monday for talks with military officials.

Sharing intel with war criminals?

UK contact with Israel’s military has come under increasing scrutiny since the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant last week.

Both men are accused by the ICC of “the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population” and using “starvation as a method of warfare”.

Britain is sending surveillance flights over Gaza almost every day to gather intelligence for Israel, claiming it could find hostages held by Hamas.

…

article continues at https://www.declassifieduk.org/despite-netanyahu-arrest-warrant-uk-keeps-sending-arms-and-intel/

dizzy: Israel’s genocides should be regarded as a joint pursuit involving the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel.

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.
Continue ReadingDespite Netanyahu arrest warrant, UK keeps sending arms and intel

Israeli army chief visited Britain this week, UK confirms

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https://www.declassifieduk.org/israeli-army-chief-visited-britain-this-week-uk-confirms/

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and chief of staff Gen.Herzi Halevi visit the Netzarim corridor in Gaza, 19 November 2024 (Credit: Abaca Press/Alamy Live News)

Exclusive: Days after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, its top general flew to London.

Israel’s top soldier, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, visited Britain earlier this week, the UK government has confirmed to Declassified.

The visit came three days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes”.

Those include “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”, as well as “intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population”.

Halevi was initially reported to have been included in the ICC’s arrest applications for the crime of having “deliberately starved Palestinians in Gaza”. He was also forced to apologise in April after the Israeli military killed seven international aid workers including three Britons in Gaza.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told Declassified: “As part of the concerted UK effort, along with allies and partners, to reach a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, the Chief of the Defence Staff hosted his counterparts from Israel and other European partners”.

The spokesperson added: “Discussions included the UK calls for an immediate ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza and the need for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law while recognising Israel’s right to security”.

A ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was announced on Tuesday.

…

Article continues at https://www.declassifieduk.org/israeli-army-chief-visited-britain-this-week-uk-confirms/

dizzy: Israel’s genocides should be regarded as a joint enterprise involving the United States, United Kingdom and Israel.


Continue ReadingIsraeli army chief visited Britain this week, UK confirms

Israel Agrees to Cease-Fire With Lebanon’s Hezbollah—But What About Gaza?

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

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon on November 25, 2024. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

“It has long been clear that a cease-fire in Gaza is crucial to sustain any lasting cessation of hostilities across the region,” said one group.

Peace advocates on Tuesday cautiously celebrated Israel agreeing to a cease-fire with the Lebanese political and paramilitary group Hezbollah while also stressing the need for an immediate end to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

Despite concerns about whether the truce will actually happen, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), a U.S.-based Quaker group, welcomed the plans for it and called on “all parties to ensure this agreement is swiftly enacted.”

“The time for peace is now—not just in Lebanon, but in Gaza and across the region,” FCNL declared on social media. “We urge U.S. officials to ensure this agreement brings an immediate end to the Israeli government’s devastating and indiscriminate bombing and attacks against Lebanese civilians, which have been fueled by U.S. weapons.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the National Security Cabinet approved the cease-fire in Lebanon with a 10-1 vote—only far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted no. The office added that “Israel appreciates the U.S. contribution to the process, and reserves the right to act against any threat to its security.”

Netanyahu said in a speech to Israelis that “the length of the cease-fire depends on what happens in Lebanon. With the United States’ full understanding, we maintain full freedom of military action. If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack. If it tries to rebuild terrorist infrastructure near the border, we will attack. If it launches a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck carrying rockets, we will attack.”

Speaking from the White House Rose Garden, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden said that he worked with French President Emmanuel Macron to negotiate the cease-fire, which is set to begin at 4:00 am local time on Wednesday. The United States has spent at least tens of billions on Israeli military operations and related U.S. operations in the region since the Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas led the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

“As Biden spoke tonight, Israel was raining U.S. bombs down on Lebanon and Gaza,” notedDrop Site journalist Jeremy Scahill.

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Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday thanked France and the United States for negotiating the truce, which he said is “a fundamental step towards establishing calm and stability in Lebanon” and “helps to establish regional stability.” He also reiterated his government’s intention to “strengthen the army’s presence in the south.”

Cross-border battles between Israeli forces and Hezbollah over the past nearly 14 months have displaced tens of thousands of people in Israel and over 1 million in Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Tuesday that Israel’s assault—which has intensified since September—has killed at least 3,823 people and injured another 15,859.

In Gaza, the death toll is at least 44,249, with 104,746 wounded, according to local officials. Israeli forces have also decimated civilian infrastructure and displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents, who are struggling to access necessities, due to limits on aid. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court last week issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a Hamas leader.

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“It has long been clear that a cease-fire in Gaza is crucial to sustain any lasting cessation of hostilities across the region,” said FCNL. “More violence and suffering in Gaza will not make Israel, the U.S., or anyone safer or more secure. It must end now. We reiterate our calls for our government to use all U.S. leverage to bring about a full regional cease-fire to end the horrific suffering of Palestinians, protect all civilians, return all hostages home, de-escalate regional tensions, and begin the long road toward healing.”

“That must include prohibiting more offensive weapons shipments and U.S. military involvement, which would send a message of impunity to the Israeli [government] in the face of repeated and grave violations of U.S. and international law in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, and beyond,” the group added—just days after a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate rejected a trio of resolutions from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would have halted some arms sales to Israel.

Nancy Okail, president and CEO of the U.S.-based Center for International Policy, responded similarly to the Tuesday development, saying in a statement that “we welcome news of a cease-fire agreement in Lebanon and hope that it can be implemented and sustained to prevent further harm to civilians who have been under threat of attack or suffered other great loss during the fighting.”

“This agreement nonetheless comes too late. While Israel has the right to legitimate self-defense against Hezbollah, the Netanyahu government’s deliberate escalation of the conflict in September resulted in disproportionate harm to civilians, hundreds of whom have been wounded or killed, with hundreds of thousands more displaced,” Okail said. “Mixed messages and prevaricating by the Biden administration on its position on Israel’s escalation and the need for a cease-fire [have] further prolonged the fighting and exacerbated the death and destruction it has brought.”

“The U.S. and its partners must ensure that the terms of this agreement are fully honored so that civilians on both sides of the border can safely return to and rebuild their communities,” she added. “What remains of the utmost urgency, however, is also ending the war in Gaza, where the U.S. arming of the Netanyahu government’s campaign of displacement, starvation, slaughter and—per the repeated vows of senior Israeli officials—settlement continues in violation of American and international law.”

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

Continue ReadingIsrael Agrees to Cease-Fire With Lebanon’s Hezbollah—But What About Gaza?