The Israeli Goverment Has Become The Monster

[Ellie]

House passes antisemitism bill as Johnson highlights campus protests

This was not needed as anti-semitism is already illegal. This stifles criticism of Israel. 70 Democrats voted against it, and the ACLU was opposed to it.

Bye-bye Land of the Free, now you guys are in the same boat as the UK.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Bye-bye Land of the Free, now you guys are in the same boat as the UK.

This is a message vote. It will have no impact on the law.

What it may do is make Democrats less enthusiastic about saving Johnson from a Motion to Vacate.

 

[Ellie]

(Insert joke about saving a huge Christian nationalist prick)

 

[Cristiano]

Such fucking useless virtue signalling and deference to Israel at all costs makes me ill.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Bye-bye Land of the Free, now you guys are in the same boat as the UK.

Can you expand on that, please? It's not clear to me whether you're referring to our prohibition on incitement to racial hatred (which certainly doesn't inhibit robust criticism of Israel) or to something else.

Overall, I think it's a very good thing that the European Convention Human Rights doesn't make freedom of speech and association an absolute right but, instead, allows courts to balance that right against the need to protect other people's convention rights.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

House passes antisemitism bill as Johnson highlights campus protests

This was not needed as anti-semitism is already illegal. This stifles criticism of Israel. 70 Democrats voted against it, and the ACLU was opposed to it.

I'm pretty sure it would be found unconstitutional if challenged. Courts have protected the right to be a full on neo-nazi after all.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Turkey has stopped all trade with Israel - volume around $6.8bn/year - due to the war in Gaza. Israel is fuming with anger, saying Erdogan is violating treaties with denied access to ports.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-says-turkeys-erdogan-is-breaking-agreements-by-blocking-ports-trade-2024-05-02/

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Hamas is sending a delegation to Egypt for further cease-fire talks in the latest sign of progress

Hamas says it's sending a delegation to Egypt as soon as possible to continue talks in the latest sign of progress in the fragile cease-fire process.

apnews.com

There is a glimmer of hope here, but it's going to require Israel abandon its goal of completely eradicating Hamas.

 

[Ellie]

Can you expand on that, please? It's not clear to me whether you're referring to our prohibition on incitement to racial hatred (which certainly doesn't inhibit robust criticism of Israel) or to something else.

Just comparing the passing of H.R. 6090 & current LE suppression of US University Gaza protests to the failry new restrictions on protesting in the UK.

"The new orders can impose a range of restraints on an individual, including preventing them from being in a particular place or area, participating in disruptive activities and being with protest groups at given times. They can also stop individuals from using the internet to encourage protest-related offences."

New laws to clamp down on disruptive protesters come into force

My comment "Bye-bye... was related to news reporting stating " The House voted on Wednesday to pass the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act..."

"The American Civil Liberties Union has called on lawmakers to oppose the bill. In a letter to representatives, the ACLU wrote, “Federal law already prohibits antisemitic discrimination and harassment by federally funded entities. H.R. 6090 is therefore not needed to protect against antisemitic discrimination; instead, it would likely chill free speech of students on college campuses by incorrectly equating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism.”

Both moves appeared to me to be attempts to curtail civil liberties.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Just comparing the passing of H.R. 6090 & current LE suppression of US University Gaza protests to the failry new restrictions on protesting in the UK.

"The new orders can impose a range of restraints on an individual, including preventing them from being in a particular place or area, participating in disruptive activities and being with protest groups at given times. They can also stop individuals from using the internet to encourage protest-related offences."

New laws to clamp down on disruptive protesters come into force

My comment "Bye-bye... was related to news reporting stating " The House voted on Wednesday to pass the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act..."

"The American Civil Liberties Union has called on lawmakers to oppose the bill. In a letter to representatives, the ACLU wrote, “Federal law already prohibits antisemitic discrimination and harassment by federally funded entities. H.R. 6090 is therefore not needed to protect against antisemitic discrimination; instead, it would likely chill free speech of students on college campuses by incorrectly equating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism.”

Both moves appeared to me to be attempts to curtail civil liberties.

Thanks. I see what you mean, but I think it's a bit of a category mistake, I'm afraid. One is criminalising particularly disruptive forms of protest (the measures were introduced when it was discovered that there was little the police could do to stop Extinction Rebellion from gluing themselves to main throughways in central London during the rush hours) and the other seeks to bar the public expression of particular opinions (and would be incompatible with UK human rights law).

 

[Free]

 

[Ellie]

Hmmm....

 

[Free]

*sigh*

Al Jazeera office raided as Israel takes channel off air

The network denies being a threat to security, and says Israel wants "to cover up its crimes".

www.bbc.com

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

This is how fascism gets started.

 

[Ellie]

And most of these moves are intended to preserve Netenyahu's tenuous grip on power, in part to avoid pending criminal changes, and in no manner benefit Israeli citizens, who are beginning to protest more loudly every day.

Some cling to hopes the hostages will be returned under his watch, which is sadly not his priority, especially after the IDF shot 2 on sight, and obeyed Hannibal directive orders to shell buildings they were in with Hamas operatives, killing more of both.

This poll was conducted 4 month ago, bet he's way more unpopular now.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/only-15-israelis-want-netanyahu-keep-job-after-gaza-war-poll-finds-2024-01-02/

 

[Ellie]

"Rafah’s fate hung in the balance on Monday after Hamas said it had accepted a ceasefire-for-hostage deal but Israel responded sceptically and said it would press on with its campaign on Gaza’s southernmost city, carrying out night airstrikes."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/06/gaza-ceasefire-hangs-in-balance-as-israel-carries-out-night-airstrikes-on-rafah

I cannot imagine the suffering of the over 1 million Rafah residents, many of whom are now fleeing carpet bombing, fearing IDF attacks on the road experienced during previous evacuations, or their misery after hope of a ceasefire was snatched away.

 

[Cristiano]

After Hamas Accepts Cease-fire Proposal For Gaza War, Israel Expands Fighting

The move dashed hopes that diplomacy would stop Israel from carrying out its deeply controversial attack on Rafah, the last refuge for 1.5 million Palestinians. A U.S. official questioned whether Israel was acting "in good faith."

www.huffpost.com

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Well known rapper Macklemore has written a free palestine song named "Hind's hall" after the building at Columbia University.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

A son of the Hamas founder thinks the ceasefire proposal is a trap...

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

American assholery by 12 GOP senators against the chief prosecutor of the ICC behavng like low mafia mobsters:

Dear Mr. Khan,

We write regarding the reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may be considering
issuing international arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other
Israeli officials. Such actions are illegitimate and lack legal basis, and if carried out will result in
severe sanctions against you and your institution

The ICC is attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate actions of self-defense against their
Iranian-backed aggressors. In fact, in your own words, you witnessed “scenes of calculated
cruelty”1 conducted by Hamas in Israel following the October 7 attacks. These arrest warrants
would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxy. To be clear, there is
no moral equivalence between Hamas's terrorism and Israel's justified response.

The ICC is also prohibited by its charter from proceeding in any case unless the relevant
government is unwilling or unable to police themselves. You yourself have said that “Israel has
trained lawyers who advise commanders and a robust system intended to ensure compliance with
international humanitarian law.”2 By issuing warrants, you would be calling into question the
legitimacy of Israel’s laws, legal system, and democratic form of government.

Issuing arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel would not only be unjustified, it would expose
your organization’s hypocrisy and double standards. Your office has not issued arrest warrants
for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or any other Iranian official, Syrian President
Bashar al Assad or any other Syrian official, or Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh or any other Hamas
official. Nor have you issued an arrest warrant for the genocidal General Secretary of the
People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, or any other Chinese official.

Finally, neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC and are therefore outside of
your organization’s supposed jurisdiction. If you issue a warrant for the arrest of the Israeli
leadership, we will interpret this not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty
of the United States. Our country demonstrated in the American Service-Members' Protection
Act the lengths to which we will go to protect that sovereignty.

The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and
we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move
to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you
and your families from the United States. You have been warned.

https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000018f-4e0e-d759-a9ff-ff4ee9420000