Asma Al Habash, mourns her brother and his family, victims of an Israeli army strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp, at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, December 12, 2024
PALESTINIAN medical officials say Israeli air strikes today killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children.
This came hours after the United Nations general assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The latest Israeli killing spree took place in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah.
Two other strikes killed 15 men, part of local committees set up by displaced Palestinians to secure aid convoys.
The Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis received the bodies.
The hospital said eight were killed in a strike near the southern border town of Rafah and seven others in a strike 30 minutes later near Khan Younis.
Meanwhile the UN general assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions on Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez speaks during a press conference on the impact of the U.S. embargo in Havana on September 12, 2024. (Photo: Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images)
“The world has spoken—it’s time for the U.S. to listen and lift the blockade.”
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday once again overwhelmingly urged the U.S. government to end its decadeslong blockade on Cuba, with just the United States and Israel voting against the measure and Moldova abstaining.
The UNGA’s other 187 members present voted to adopt the nonbinding resolution on “the necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the United States” against the Caribbean island.
This is the 32nd straight year that the U.N. body has approved a resolution against the embargo that began in 1962.
“The U.S. and Israel stand isolated as the only two votes against,” Democratic Socialists of America’s International Committee said after the Wednesday vote. “The world has spoken—it’s time for the U.S. to listen and lift the blockade.”
Though a few other nations have opposed the resolution over the years, Michael Galant of Progressive International and the Center for Economic and Policy Research noted that this vote was “two genocidaires v. the world.”
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its yearlong assault of the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 43,163 Palestinians and injured another 101,510, according to local officials in the Hamas-governed enclave. The U.S. Congress and Biden administration have given Israel billions of dollars in weapons and opposed U.N. cease-fire resolutions.
CodePink’s Medea Benjamin responded to the Wednesday vote with a video shared on social media, saying that Israel “loves blockades, because it’s doing its own blockade of Gaza,” and “is dependent on the United States to carry out its genocide.”
“Now this is not just some idle vote,” she said of the approved resolution. “This blockade that the U.S. maintains is a form of economic warfare. It’s no exaggeration to say that now, when there is an economic crisis in Cuba, the U.S. blockade, which keeps Cuba from using the financial markets, from having normal trade with countries all over the world, is actually leading to deaths, leading to people going hungry, leading to people lacking food and medicine that are essential for their lives.”
“And that’s why the United States must be condemned for this ongoing horrific, inhumane, and illegal blockade,” Benjamin added.
Cuba’s representative delivered similar remarks to the UNGA on Wednesday. As Reutersreported:
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said in a speech before the assembly that what is often referred to as the U.S. trade embargo is a “blockade” because the web of laws and regulations complicate financial transactions and the acquisition of goods and services not just from the United States but internationally.
“The blockade against Cuba is an economic, financial, and trade war which qualifies as genocide,” said Rodriguez, charging the U.S. policies were deliberately aimed at promoting suffering among the Cuban people to force change in the government.
Some international observers praised the countries who did condemn the blockade. Middle East expert Assal Rad declared, “This is the real international community.”
Manolo De Los Santos, a founder of the People’s Forum and a researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, said that “this overwhelming consensus is in contrast with the indifference of the United States, which continues to deny any responsibility for sanctions while tightening its stranglehold on Cuba.”
Earlier this month, the People’s Forum published a letter in The New York Times to U.S. President Joe Biden, warning that he has “exactly 90 days to reverse” former Republican President Donald Trump’s “brutal policy on Cuba.”
Biden was vice president a decade ago when then-President Barack Obama “opened a hopeful new chapter in U.S.-Cuba relations by taking the first steps toward normalization,” the letter details. “People in both countries were optimistic that Cuba and the United States could become neighbors rather than Cold War enemies. However, Trump dismantled that policy, imposing pain and suffering on the Cuban people.”
“Removing the state sponsors of terrorism designation would allow Cuba to engage in financial transactions and restore its electrical grid, as well as address shortages of food and medicine to alleviate the immense hardship faced by the Cuban people, who have endured over 62 years of economic strife under the embargo,” the letter adds. “It’s time to act. Let Cuba live!”
Biden faced similar pressure in August, when hundreds of legal experts and groups called on him “to comply with existing international law by ending the use of broad unilateral coercive measures” particularly in “cases such as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela.”
The U.N. vote comes as early voting is underway for the November 5 election in which Trump is facing Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris.
Neither campaign provided details on each candidate’s position when contacted by Reuters earlier this week, though Morgan Finkelstein, national security spokesperson for Harris, said that the Democrat “stands with the people of Cuba as they fight for their rights after decades of repression and economic suffering at the hands of the communist regime” and “will stand up to all authoritarians—including the very leaders that Trump has praised and embraced.”
Palestinian supporters protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Times Square during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 26, 2024, in New York
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU was accused today of trying to drag Britain and the wider world into Israel’s murderous wars in Lebanon and Gaza.
Large numbers of diplomats from multiple nations walked out as Israel’s prime minister headed to the podium for his speech at the United Nations general assembly meeting in New York.
Mr Netanyahu opened his speech by saying he wanted to “set the record straight” against the “lies” that other nations were telling the meeting of the bloc.
He said that Israel has the right to defend itself from “savage murderers” and claimed that supporting Israel was in the “interest of all of us.”
…
A Stop the War spokesperson said: “Netanyahu is trying to drag the wider world, including Britain, into the murderous wars he is waging in Lebanon and Gaza.
“The British government must use all possible pressure to force Israel to stop the killing and agree a ceasefire in both wars.”
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In response to Mr Netanyahu’s speech, Green Party co-leader and Bristol Central MP Carla Denyer said: “No-one is winning while Israel turns down ceasefire proposals, more die in Gaza and Lebanon, and hostages are not released.
“The UK government must revoke all arms licences and use all diplomatic power to bring an end to the killing.”
At the UNGA, world leaders condemn Israel for committing genocide in Gaza and provoking a regional war, calling for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation
The General Debate of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, an annual meeting of heads of state and government, began on Tuesday, September 24, in New York City. This year’s theme, “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations,” framed the discussion.
So far, the ongoing genocidal war waged by Israel against Gaza, Lebanon, and the occupied West Bank, as well as Israel’s repeated assaults on Palestinians, dominated the interventions of heads of state from all continents in this year’s session.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the debate by emphasizing the growing climate of impunity that allows governments and political actors to violate international laws and human rights conventions, including the UN Charter. “We see this age of impunity everywhere—in the Middle East, in the heart of Europe, in the Horn of Africa,” Guterres stated.
He described the mass killings and destruction in Gaza as unprecedented, noting that 200 United Nations staff members had been killed, many slain alongside their families. “The speed and scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza are unlike anything in my years as Secretary-General,” Guterres said. He called for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages, and a committed effort toward a two-state solution. Guterres also warned that Lebanon is on the brink of becoming “another Gaza,” stating that the world cannot afford that. “Meanwhile, Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it,” he stated.
Philémon Yang, President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, echoed these concerns. “For almost a year now, the people of Gaza and Israel have been caught in a spiraling cycle of conflict and retribution,” he said. “Indeed, only a two-State solution can end the cycle of violence and instability, ensuring peace, security and dignity for both Palestinians and Israelis.”
Brazilian President Lula da Silva was the first head of state to address the Assembly, describing the Israeli assault on Gaza and the West Bank as one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, with the conflict threatening to spill over into Lebanon. He condemned Israel’s actions as genocide and collective punishment that has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, stating: “The right to defense has turned into a right to vengeance, which prevents an agreement for the release of hostages and postpones the ceasefire.”
US President Joe Biden, whose administration has provided financial and military aid to Israel used to massacre Palestinians, claimed that his country has been working with Qatar and Egypt on a ceasefire and hostage deal with the support of the UN Security Council. “Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home, and secure security for Israel and Gaza,” Biden said, reiterating support for a two-state solution with “Israelis enjoying peace and security” and “Palestinians living in security, dignity and self-determination in a ‘state of their own’.”
While calling for diplomacy, Biden’s remarks were contradictory, as the US has supported Israel’s expansion of the conflict into other parts of the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. Despite this, Biden claimed that “a full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest” and that “a diplomatic solution is still possible.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Israel of turning Gaza into “the largest cemetery for children and women in the world.” He condemned the United Nations for its inaction, saying that, as children die in Gaza, the UN system is dying too. He asked: “Are those in Gaza and the occupied West Bank not human beings? Do children in Palestine have no rights?”
Erdoğan also held the United Nations Security Council accountable for failing to prevent the genocide in Gaza. “What are you waiting for to prevent the genocide in Gaza and to put a ‘stop’ to this cruelty, this barbarism?” he asked. “How long are you going to be able to carry the shame of witnessing this massacre?” He further criticized countries that offer Israel unconditional support and blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for escalating the conflict and dragging the ‘Middle East’ deeper into a regional war.
Arab and Latin American leaders demand justice for Gaza
Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein accused Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians and UN workers, stating, “The UN is under attack, both literally and figuratively.” He criticized the blockade preventing UN aid convoys from reaching Gaza, as aid trucks “sit motionless just miles away from starving Palestinians.” King Abdullah also highlighted the ongoing killings and forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7. He added that the Arab world had extended its hand to Israel through “the Arab Peace Initiative” for years, but Israel rejected peace and chose confrontation instead.
Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, whose country has been mediating efforts for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “crime of genocide” and “the most barbaric and heinous and extensive in breaching human values, international charters and norms.” He reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to securing a permanent ceasefire and ensuring Palestinians gain their legitimate rights, above all an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro reminded the international community that Colombia had called for a peace conference for Palestine a year ago, before 20,000 Palestinian children were killed by Israel. He condemned the global community’s double standards, based on a foundation of racism. “The democratic project of humanity is dying,” Petro said, “while those who stupidly believe that the Aryan race should dominate the world prepare to do just that through bombs and terror.”
“This is what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon,” he added. “When Gaza dies, humanity will die.”
