CENTCOM Video Not Enough to Blame Iran for Tanker Attacks

By Staff, Agencies

The alleged video footage released by the US military to blame Iran for the recent attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman was disputed even by Washington’s allies and Western analysts.

Less than a day after the US Central Command [CENTCOM] released the video late Thursday purportedly showing “Iranian sailors” removing a mine from the Japanese-owned Kokura Courageous’ hull earlier in the day, European governments — except for Britain — have so far refused to accept the US’ narrative that Tehran was to blame for the “suspicious” attacks.

They are reluctant to accept the White House’s claims at face value, and do not want to provide Washington with any pretext for war.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday the video is not sufficient to prove the US claim that Iran was behind the attacks.

“The video is not enough. We can understand what is being shown, sure, but to make a final assessment, this is not enough for me,” Maas, who was in Iran earlier this week on an official two-day visit, told reporters in Oslo.

Nathalie Tocci, a senior adviser to European foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini also rejected the US allegations, saying, “Before we blame someone, we need credible evidence.”

Iranians are deeply rational actors, she said. And for Iran to have attacked a Japanese ship when the Japanese prime minister was in Tehran “is not an especially rational thing to do.”

In the released video, a small boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker’s hull. The US claims that the object is likely an unexploded mine.

“At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous,” the CENTCOM said in a statement.

The claim, however, was soon rejected by the Japanese ship’s operator, whose president said on Friday its sailors on board the Kokuka Courageous saw “flying objects” just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn’t damaged by mines.

“The crew told us something came flying at the ship, and they found a hole,” President Yutaka Katada of Kokuka Sangyo told a press conference in Tokyo. “Then some crew witnessed the second shot.”

The video was also disputed by Western investigative journalists and defense analysts.

Investigative historian and journalist Gareth Porter said he had “written to the CENTCOM media desk to ask why the video the command has released does not show what happened before the moment something is removed from the side of the boat.”

The investigative journalism website Bellingcat also wrote that “there’s currently no evidence to verify what was removed from the side of the vessel was a mine, and there’s no evidence at the moment about who placed it there, so claiming it was a mine placed by the Iranians is pure conjecture at this point in time.”

Some analysts and observers even questioned the authenticity of the video, arguing that the US military has edited the video to make it misleading.

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ماذا سيفعل الأميركيون لضمان أسواق النفط؟

يونيو 14, 2019

ناصر قنديل

– ليس من إثبات قانوني على مسؤولية إيران عن أي من الحوادث التي تصيب سوق النفط وتتسبب بالمزيد من التدهور في استقراره والمزيد من الصعود في أسعاره، لكن الأكيد أن ما تشهده منطقة الخليج من حوادث تستهدف سوق النفط يتمّ على خلفية النظر إلى مشهد التوتر الناتج عن الاستهداف الأميركي لقدرة إيران على تصدير نفطها من جهة، والرد الإيراني القائم على معادلة، إذا لم نستطع تصدير نفطنا فإن غيرنا لن يستطيع ذلك أيضاً، والعالم كله ينظر للتصعيد القائم الآن وفقاً لمعادلة أبعد من كيف تثبت واشنطن قوتها، أو كيف تردّ واشنطن على ما تتهم إيران به، فالسؤال الكبير دولياً هو مَن يضمن عودة الاستقرار إلى سوق النفط وإلى أسعاره؟

– إذا سلكت واشنطن طريق الاستهداف العسكري المباشر أو غير المباشر، الضيّق والمحدود أو الأوسع، فإن ذلك سيعني تصاعد الوضع أكثر واستدراج ردود على الردود من نوعها، مباشرة أو غير مباشرة، محدودة أو واسعة النطاق، لكن الأكيد هو أن سوق النفط ستبلغ المزيد من الاضطراب والأسعار ستبلغ المزيد من السقوف العالية، وإذا سلكت واشنطن طريق التجاهل واكتفت بالتحذير والسعي لردود دبلوماسيّة، فإن ذلك يقول إن الخط البياني للأحداث التي استهدفت سوق النفط سيتصاعد وبات هو الحاكم المسيطر على معادلات هذا السوق، وعنوانها، إن لم تستطع إيران تصدير نفطها فإن غيرها لن يستطيع.

– بالتوازي تتبقى ثلاثة أسابيع أمام نهاية مهلة الستين يوماً التي ستبادر إيران بنهايتها إلى التخصيب المرتفع لليورانيوم والتخزين لليورانيوم المخصب، وصولاً لامتلاك ما قالت واشنطن ودول الغرب إنه نقطة الخطر، اي امتلاك إيران ما يكفي لإنتاج أول قنبلة نووية، رغم قرارها بعدم فعل ذلك. والسؤال الموازي ماذا ستفعل واشنطن عندها، أو ماذا ستفعل واشنطن قبلها لمنع بلوغ تلك اللحظة، وبمعزل عن المسؤوليات القانونية التي لا تفيد في مثل هذه الحالات تواجه واشنطن أخطر اختبار لمشهد قوتها على الساحة الدولية حيث تبدو كل الخيارات صعبة، ويبدو الزمن الذي تحتاجه واشنطن لاختبار فعالية إجراءاتها الاقتصادية التصعيدية بوجه إيران أكبر بكثير من الزمن الذي وضعت فيه طهران واشنطن أمام اللحظات الحرجة لضمان استقرار سوق النفط ومواجهة مستقبل ملفها النووي.

– الطريق السالك الوحيد أمام واشنطن لتفادي الأسوأ هو استغلال الوقت المتبقي قبل دخول مهلة الستين يوماً حيّز التنفيذ في الشق النووي، والذهاب إلى قمة العشرين في نهاية الشهر الحالي بخريطة طريق، لتأجيل متبادل أميركي وإيراني للحزمة الأخيرة من الخطوات التصعيديّة لستة شهور تمنح خلالها الوساطات الفرص المناسبة للوصول إلى مبادرات سياسية بديلة. وهذا يعني تراجع واشنطن عن كل ما صدر عنها من عقوبات منذ نهاية شهر نيسان الماضي عندما قامت بإلغاء الاستثناءات الممنوحة على شراء النفط والغاز من إيران لثماني دول، وما تلاها من عقوبات على المعادن والبتروكيماويات الإيرانية، مقابل تراجع إيران عن مهلة الستين يوماً، وتوصل الدول المعنية لضمانات للتعاون في منع أي استهداف لأسواق النفط، وسيتلقف الروس والصينيّون والأوروبيّون واليابانيّون هذه المبادرة وتتجاوب معها إيران، التي كان مدخل خيارها التصعيدي التصعيد الأميركي الجديد.

– تبريد التصعيد سيفتح الطريق للبحث عن سقوف منخفضة لتسويات واقعية في سورية واليمن بعيداً عن المطالب الأميركية الوهمية والخيالية. ويفتح طريق تجميد النزاع حول الملف النووي الذي لا يزعج إيران خروج واشنطن منه ولا يريح واشنطن عودتها إليه، ويصعب على الطرفين التنازل في بنوده، وإلا فإن الرعونة الأميركية التي كانت وراء الخطوات الأخيرة في التصعيد تحتاج لخريطة طريق نحو الحرب والفوز بها، وادعاء واشنطن بامتلاكها كذبة ستفضحها كل محاولة للعب بالنار في منطقة تقف على برميل بارود، ربما تكون كلفة الحروب فيه أعلى بكثير من كلفة التسويات، مع فارق أن بين خاسر وخاسر سيختلف الوضع كثيراً. فهناك مَن سيخسر مكانته العالمية كحال أميركا ووجوده كحال «إسرائيل» ونظام حكمه كحال أنظمة الخليج، فوق الخسائر البشرية والمادية المؤلمة التي سيتساوى فيها مع إيران وحلفائها.

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Weekly report on israel’s terrorism on Palestinians (30 May – 12 June 2019)

PCHR Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations  (30 May – 12 June 2019)

Israeli forces continued with systematic crimes, in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), for the week of 30 May – 12 June, 2019.

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child while attempting to enter al-Aqsa Mosque, to perform prayers. 17 civilians, including 6 children, were wounded in the West Bank. Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protesters in the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian ambulance officer succumbed to his wounds. 50 Palestinian civilians, including 11 children and a paramedic, were wounded on the 60th Friday of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege.

Shooting:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces continued to use lethal force against the participants in the peaceful protests organized within the activities of “Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege” in the Gaza Strip, which witnessed the 60^th Friday of the peaceful protests along the eastern and northern border area of the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, the Israeli forces used force against civilians who participated in the demonstrations organized against the Israeli incursions into the West Bank cities and villages.  In the West Bank, the Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child and wounded 17 civilians, including 6 children, in separate incidents.  In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces wounded 50 Palestinian civilians, including 11 children and a paramedic, during their participation in the Great March of Return.

In the West Bank, on 31 May 2019, in a new crime of excessive use of force, Israeli forces killed ‘Abdullah Loay Ghaith (16) while attempting to enter al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the last Friday Prayer in Ramadan.  When he attempted to sneak into the city along with his cousin for not obtaining an entry permit, the Israeli police officers (Border Guard) opened fire at him, wounding him with 2 bullets to the lower back of the thorax.

In the same context, Israeli forces wounded 17 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.  Ten of them, including 2 children, were wounded during their participation in Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest, northeast of Qalqiliya.  Six of them, including 4 children, were wounded while protesting against the Israeli forces’ incursion into Nablus to secure the entyry of hundreds of settlers into the eastern area of the city to perform rituals in Josef Tomb.  Moreover, a civilian was wounded in Romanah village, west of Jenin, with a bullet which was fired from the side of the annexation wall.

In the Gaza Strip, at approximately 13:00 on Monday, 10 June 2019, Palestinian medical sources announced the death of ambulance officer, Mohammed Sobhi Salamah al-Judaili (36), from al-Buraij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, succumbing to wounds he sustained at approximately 18:10 on Friday, 03 May 2019. Al-Jadili was hit with a rubber bullet to the nose, causing fractures to the nose and skull, while on duty within the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) team, east of Abu Safiyah Hill in the northern Gaza Strip. Mohammed attempted to put 2 wounded civilians in the Great March of Return inside an ambulance which was around 200 meters away from the western side of the border fence.

In the same context, the Israeli forces wounded 50 Palestinian civilians, including 11 children and a paramedic, in excessive use of force against the peaceful demonstrators on the 60^thFriday of the Great March of Return in the eastern Gaza Strip.

As part of targeting the Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Sea, the Israeli forces continued to escalate their attacks against the Palestinian fishermen, indicating an ongoing Israeli policy of targeting fishermen’s livelihoods.  During the reporting period, PCHR documented 3 incidents off the northern and southern Gaza shores.  It should be noted that the Israeli forces declared on 11 June 2019 that the allowed area for fishing decreased to 6 nautical miles under the pretext of incendiary balloons fired from the Gaza Strip.  Next day afternoon, the spokesperson of the Israeli Forces, Avichay Adraee, declared a total naval blockade off the Gaza Strip shore until further notice; thus, fishermen are not allowed to sail or fish in the sea.

Incursions:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 83 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 7 other incursions into Jerusalem and its suburbs. During those incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 37 Palestinians, including 2 children and a woman, in the West Bank, while 45 other civilians, including 3 women, were arrested from Jerusalem and its suburbs.

In the Gaza Strip, on 04 June 2019, Israeli forces moved 100 meters into al-Shokah village, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.  They combed lands in front of the Return encampment before redeploying along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Israeli authorities continued to create a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.

As part of settlement expansion, demolitions and house demolition notices, on 10 June2019, Mervat Jamal Abu Kaf self-demolished her house in Qisan area in Surbaher village, south of occupied East Jerusalem, to implement the Israeli Municipality order, under the pretext of non-licensing. Mervat said that she was forced to demolish her house after a decision issued by the Israeli court because she could not pay demolition costs estimated at NIS 70,000 for the Israeli Municipality. She added that the court’s decision was issued after she paid a construction fine estimated at NIS 60,000.  Mervat lived in her 125-sqaure-meter house along with her 6 children.

On the Same day, the Israeli forces forced a Palestinian civilian to self-demolish his residential building, which was under-construction, in Sho’fat refugee camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of non-licensing.

On 11 June, the Israeli forces demolished a house and a residential building in addition to 2 commercial facilities in the villages of sour Baher and al-Mukaber Mount village, south of occupied East Jerusalem.

On 12 June 2018, Israeli bulldozers demolished a residential building, 7 stores and a gas station in the vicinity of Qalendia checkpoint, north of occupied East Jerusalem.

Settlement activities and settlers’ attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property

• As part of the house demolitions and notices, The Israeli authorities issued a military order to confiscate 80 dunums belonging to Palestinian civilians in order to build a new settlement street for “Alon Moreh“ settlement established in northeast of Nablus. The street is 12 kilometers long and 13 meters wide.
• On 11 June 2019, Israeli forces uprooted 550 forest trees and fruitful olive trees in addition to destroying 2 wells in Kherbet Abu Kbaish, east of Tamoun village, southeast of Tubas. Most of those trees were donated by the Brazilian Consulate.

• On the same day, the Israeli forces destroyed an under-construction house comprised of 2 floors and 4 residential apartments in addition to a roof of 500 square meters. They also backfilled a well of 150 cubic meters in Khelet al-Surbati area near Jabal Jawhar neighborhood in southern Hebron.  The demolition came under the pretext of non-licensing in Area C.

• On the same day, the Israeli authorities issued 2 military orders; one to change the boundaries in order to seize Palestinian agricultural lands in ‘Asirah al-Qibliyah village, southeast of Nablus, and another to confiscate 1.5 dunums from the Palestinian agricultural lands in Burin village, southeast of Nablus. This order was on grounds of building a new security street in favor of Barakha settlement established in northeastern Burin village, east of Nablus.  On the same day, the Israeli forces destroyed a residential room and 4 barracks for grazing sheep and horses in Beer ‘Onah village, north of occupied East Jerusalem.

• On 12 June 2019, Israeli forces demolished 5 residential tents, 5 tents used for sheltering livestock, a tent used as a kitchen, livestock barn and water tanks in addition to backfilling a well in Kherbet al-Ras al-Ahmar in the northern Valleys in eastern Tubas.

• On the same day, the Israeli forces demolished a tin-plate house of 30 square meters in Um al-Kheir village, southeast of Yata, south of Hebron, under the pretext of non-licensing.

• On the same day, the Palestinian Civil Liaison handed the head of Burin village, southeast of Nablus, a military order which was given by the Israeli liaison about the confiscation of 1.5 dunums from the Palestinian agricultural lands in favor of building a new security street, which is 1.5 kilometers long, for Barakha settlement established in northeastern Burin village.

As part of settlers’ attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property, on 05 June 2019, Israeli settlers, from “Ahiya” settlement, which is established in the southern side of Jaloud village, southeast of Nablus, attacked the village outskirts from the southern side. The settlers threw stones at Jaloud Secondary School, broke 2 windows and set fire to olive fields. As a result, over 1000 olive trees planted 65 years ago were completely burned.

On 06 June 2019, Israeli settlers seized agricultural lands in al-Makhrour area in Beit Jala, under the pretext of owning them. Hasan Barijiyah, Head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance in Bethlehem, said that the settlement association “Kern Kemet” seized, reclaimed and planted 4 dunums from Palestinian lands in Beit Jalaand in addition to setting barbed wires around them to place mobile homes on them.

On 08 June 2019, settlers attacked a land belonging to the heirs of the late Ismael Mousa in Al-Khader village in southern Bethlehem. Maryam Mousa, one of the heirs, said that her family was surprised with raiding her 8-dunum land by settlers in Wad Abu Bajeer area in al-Khader village. She also added that the settlers placed water pipes and planted the land with hundreds of olive, apricot, and peach trees.

Ambulance Officer Succumbed to his Wounds:

• At approximately 13:00 on Monday, 10 June 2019, Palestinian medical sources announced the death of Mohammed Sobhi Salamah al-Judaili (36), from al-Buraij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, succumbing to wounds he sustained at approximately 18:10 on Friday, 03 May 2019, while on duty east of the Return encampment, east of Abu Safiyah Hill, northeast of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Al-Jadili, who was an ambulance officer at Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), was hit with a rubber bullet to the nose fired by Israeli soldiers. As a result, he suffered fracture to the skull while he was transferring 2 civilians wounded in the Return March inside the ambulance, which was around 200 meters into the west of the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

According to the testimony of his colleague, (Y. A), after Mohammed was injured, he was taken to the medical point belonging to the Ministry of Health and then transferred to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to receive medical treatment. Doctors found out that Mohammed suffered from fracture to the nose and skull. He was later transferred to al-Quds Hospital of the PRCS in Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City. Mohammed stayed at al-Quds Hospital waiting a medical referral for treatment in a hospital in the West Bank. Mohammed left the hospital to spend Eid al-Feter holiday with his family on Sunday, 02 June, 2019. On the same day evening, Mohammed suffered a seizure and fainted and then his heart suddenly stopped. He was then taken to al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip where he stayed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) until receiving a referral to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron, West Bank. Mohammed death was announced at approximately 13:00 on Monday, 10 June 2019 succumbing to his wounds.

• House Demolitions:

• At approximately 14:00 on Monday, 10 June 2019, Mervat Jamal Abu Kaf self-demolished her house in Qisan area in Surbaher village, south of occupied East Jerusalem, to implement the Israeli Municipality order, under the pretext of non-licensing. Mervat said that she was forced to demolish her house after a decision issued by the Israeli court, because she could not pay demolition costs estimated at NIS 70.000 for the Israeli Municipality. She added that the court’s decision issued after paying a fine estimated at NIS 60.000. Mervat said that the demolition decision was unjust and deprived her of living in conditions of safety and stability with her 6 children. Mervat clarified: “ My blind husband, Hasan Khalil Abu Kaf, died after suffering from incurable disease and I paid the fine in installments and took care of  my children alone, but the Israeli Municipality did not take into account this”  Mervat added that she lives in her 125-sqaure-meter house along with her 6 children 6 years ago. Her house was comprised of 4 rooms, a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. She pointed out that she was forced to live in one room in her father- in-law house because she became homeless. Jaber ‘Omirah, Head of the organizing committee of Dir al-‘Amoud, al-Mentar and al-Qisan in Surbaher village, said that the abovementioned areas are located within the Jerusalem municipal boundaries, but their lands are not organized. He added that the Jerusalem municipality staff demolished several houses in these areas and around 250 Jerusalemites are suffering from paying construction fines, under the pretext of non-licensing. He clarified that  Dir al-‘Amoud, al-Mentar and al-Qisan areas are built on an area of 5000 dunums and around 5000 people are living in these areas. He pointed out that the committee called upon the Jerusalem Municipality years ago to organize these areas, but in vain.

• On Monday, 10 June 2019, the Israeli Municipality forced ‘Imran ‘Alqam to self-demolish his residential building, which was under-construction, in Sho’fat refugee camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of non-licensing. ‘Imran ‘Alqam said that he along with his relative started to demolish the building, but the municipality forced him to use a bulldozer while demolishing the building and he refused because his house is adjacent to his neighbor’s house. In this case, the neighboring houses will sustain damage and he will force to pay compensation for them. ‘Imran clarified that he was forced to stop self-demolition because the Israeli municipality insistence to use the bulldozer. The municipality warned him that it will demolish all the building by using a bulldozer within few days. He pointed out that in this case he will force to pay over NIS 70000 for the municipality staff. He added that the building is comprised of 4 apartments, each of them is built on an area of 300 square meters. ‘Imran emphasized that he attempted to license the building, but the municipality refused under the pretext of being close to the annexation wall. It should be noted that the building is adjacent to “Bazat Ze’ev“ settlement, which is established on Beit Hunina village’s lands, and settlers are allowed to build on it .
• On Tuesday, 11 June 2019, Israeli vehicles demolished a residential house, an under-construction building and a commercial facility in Surbaher village and al-Mukaber Mount area, south of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of non-licensing. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli Municipality staff along with Israeli vehicles moved into Surbaher village, under the protection of dozens of infantry Israeli soldiers and police officers. They surrounded an under-construction building belonging to Wesam Jabbour and closed all streets leading to it before demolishing it. They then raided a house belonging to Ahmed ‘Afana and then demolished it. Wesam Jabbour said that the Israeli bulldozers raided his under-construction building and surrounded it without a prior warning. He pointed out that the Israeli Municipality staff raided the building 2 days ago and informed him to stop construction works. Jabbour clarified that the building was comprised of 2 floors, each of them built on an area of 350 square meters.

Ahmed ‘Afana said to PCHR’s fieldworker that he built the house 5 years ago and around 5 persons are living in it. He added that the Israeli forces prevented his family from vacating the house content and then demolished it. The Israeli bulldozers also demolished a commercial facility for selling Aluminum in al-Mukaber Mout area, under the pretext of non-licensing.  The 90-sqaure-meter facility, which belongs to ‘Esam Mohamed Ja’abees, built 7 years ago. ‘Esam said that the Israeli bulldozers demolished large part of the facility, noting that the municipality demolished it despite of giving him until the beginning of July to demolish it.

• At approximately 07:00 on Wednesday, 12 June 2019, Israeli bulldozers along with dozens of infantry soldiers moved into the vicinity of Qalandia checkpoint, north of occupied East Jerusalem. They then demolished a residential building, a petrol station and 7 shops along the main street, adjacent to the checkpoint at the entrance to Qalandia refugee camp, under the pretext of non-licensing.

• Settlement activities and attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians and property

• The Israeli authorities issued a military order to confiscate 80 dunums belonging to Palestinian civilians in order to build a new settlement street for “Alon Moreh“ settlement established in northeast of Nablus. At approximately 10:00 on Monday, 10 June 2019, ‘Azmout and Dir Hatab villages’ council received from the Palestinian Liaison a copy of the Israeli military order to confiscate 80 dunums belonging to Palestinian civilians in order to build a new settlement street. The street is 12 kilometers long and 13 meters wide and it belongs to “Alon Moreh“settlement, which is established in the southeastern side of ‘Azmout village and in northern Dir Hatab village.

• At approximately 06:00 on Tuesday, 11 June 2019, Israeli forces backed by 2 bulldozers moved into Kherbet Abu Kbaish, east of Tamoun village, southeast of Tubas. The Israeli bulldozers uprooted 550 forest trees and fruitful olive trees in addition to destroying 2 wells. The uprooted trees planted 8 years ago. The Israeli authorities declared the area as a nature reserve. The demolition resulted in the uprooting of 240 olive trees belonging to Jehad, ‘Adullah and Mohanad Yousef Mostafa Bani ‘Odah, in addition to destroying an agricultural well belonging to Jehad Yousef Bani ‘Odah. Moreover, 310 forest trees were uprooted and an agricultural well was destroyed. Both of them are donated by the Brazilian Consulate.

• At approximately 08:00, an Israeli force accompanied with a number of military vehicles, a vehicle of the Israeli Civil Administration and 3 diggers moved into Khelat al-Sharbati area near Jawhar Mount neighborhood, in the southern area in Hebron. The diggers demolished an under-construction house, 2 floors (4 apartments), a 500-square-meter roof, and a 150- cubic- meter well belonging to Lafi Zayed Jamal al-Rajbi (49). The demolition was under the pretext of non-licensing in Area classified (C). it should be noted that the Israeli authorities handed Lafi a notice to halt construction in the house on 20 February 2019, a year after he began building the house.

• On Tuesday, 11 June 2019, Israeli authorities issued 2 military orders; one of which was to change borders and seize agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian civilians in ‘Asirah al-Qabaliyah village, southeast of Nablus while the other order was to confiscate 1.5 dunums of agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian civilians in Burin village, southeast of Nablus. At approximately 11:00 on the same day, the Palestinian Liaison in Nablus handed the Head of ‘Asirah al-Qabaliyah village Council a military decision to change borders and seize around 5 dunums and 455 meters to expand the military camp established in al-Shaqa’eq area reaching al-kuroum area in Area classified (B) in favor of Yitzhak settlement in the southern area of the abovementioned village.

• In the same context, Israeli forces demolished a residential room and 4 barracks to raise livestock and horses belonging to Mohammed Mousa Zarinah in Beir ‘Ounah area, north of Beit Jala under the pretext of non-licensing. Eyewitnesses said to PCHR’s fieldworker that the Israeli forces moved into Ber ‘Ounah area on the same morning, closed it and prevented civilians from reaching it. They then demolished 4 agricultural facilities and barracks, each of them was built on an area of 120 square meters in addition to a residential room belonging to Mohammed Mousa Zarinah. The eyewitnesses emphasized that the Israeli forces randomly fired rubber bullets during the demolition process. As a result, Mohammed Mousa was hit with a rubber bullet to the foot. the soldiers also attacked his family members. It should be noted that the Israeli forces demolished several houses belonging to Zarinah family in that area few months ago under the pretext of non-licensing.

• At approximately 08:00 on Wednesday, 12 June 2019, Israeli forces accompanied with 3 jeeps of the Israeli Civil Administration and 2 bulldozers moved into Kherbit Ras al-Ahmar in northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas. The bulldozers uprooted tents and demolished houses and barns belonging to 4 families. The damage were as follows:

	Name	Damage
1.	‘’Allan ‘Izzat Bani ‘Odah	–         2 residential tents–         2 tents for livestock–         A mobile bathroom –         A 200-sqaure-meter barn –         A water tank
2 .	Baker ‘Allan Bani ‘Odah	–         A residential tent–         A tent for livestock
3.	Jameel Suliman Mofdi Bani ‘Odah	–          A residential tent–         A tent as a kitchen–         A 300-sqaure-meter barn –         20 water tanks
4.	Suliman Jameel Mostafa Bani ‘Odah	–         A residential tent–         A tent for livestock–         10 water tanks

Following the demolition in Ras al-Ahmar area, the bulldozer headed to Kherbit Tayaseer and al-‘Aqabah in northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas. The bulldozers demolished a water well.

• At approximately 09:00 on Wednesday, 12 June 2019, Israeli forces backed by military vehicles and accompanied with a vehicle of the Israeli Civil Administration and a bulldozer moved into Um al-Khair village, southeast of Yatta, south of Hebron. The bulldozer demolished a 30-sqaure-meter house built of tin plates and belong to ‘Ali Issa al-Tabni (39).  Ten persons, including 7 children, were living in the house. The house was demolished under the pretext of non-licensing.

• Around the same time, Israeli forces backed by military vehicles and accompanied with a vehicle of the Israeli Civil Administration and a bulldozer moved into Kherbit Khashem al-Daraj, east of Yatta, south of Hebron. The Israeli Civil Administration staff uprooted and confiscated barbed wire and demolished a 30-sqaure-meter barn built of tin plates and sheds. The barn belongs to Ahmed ‘Odah al-Tebni (44).

• At approximately 11:00, the Palestinian Liaison handed the council of Bureen village, southeast of Nablus, an Israeli military order to confiscate 1.5 dunums belonging to Palestinian civilians in order to build a security street for “Berkha “ settlement established in the northeastern side of Bureen village.

• Israeli settlers’ attacks against Palestinian civilians and property

• At approximately 13:00 on Sunday, 02 June 2019, Israeli forces closed the bypass roads and streets in the vicinity of Al-Walja, Al-Khader, Housan villages and leading to Nahaleen and Fouken villages in western Bethlehem and Bait Fajjar village, south of the city. Moreover, they closed a road near tunnels established on Beit Jala village’s lands. As a result, vehicles’ movement was obstructed for hours in order to secure Marathon organized by dozens of Israeli settlers, from settlements established in western, southern and northern Bethlehem. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces established many military checkpoints on streets to prevent the entry of vehicles and secure the Marathon. The eyewitnesses clarified that this Marathon caused a traffic jam and provoked Palestinian civilians because the Israeli participants raised political banners against Palestinians and called for expelling them from their lands.

• At approximately 10:20 on Wednesday, 05 June 2019, coinciding with the first day of ‘Eid Al-Fitr, about 12 Israeli settlers, from “Ahiya “ settlement, which is established in the southern side of Jaloud village, southeast of Nablus, attacked the village outskirts from the southern side. The settlers threw stones at Jaloud Secondary School, broke 2 windows, and set fire to olive fields. As a result, over 1000 olive tree planted 65 years ago were completely burned. These trees belong to the heirs of the late Ibrahim ‘Abed Haj Mohammed, Tawfeeq ‘Abdullah Haj Mohammed, Ahmed ‘Abd Al-Hadi Hammoud, and Hamza Saeed Issa.

• On Thursday, 06 June 2019, Israeli settlers seized an agricultural land in al-Makhrour area in Beit Jala, under the pretext of owning it. Hasan Barijiyah, Head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance in Bethlehem, said that the settlement association “Kern Kemet” seized, reclaimed and planted 4 dunums from Palestinian lands in Beit Jala, them, in addition to setting barbed wires around them to place mobile homes on them. Barijiyah added that this attack reflects the Israeli plans to target al-Makhrour and al-Qaysar areas, west of Bethlehem. He pointed out that the Israeli settlers claim that these lands are belonging to them, but they could not prove that. It should be noted that the Palestinian lands’ owners have all documents that prove their ownership.

• On Saturday morning, 08 June 2019, settlers attacked a land belonging to the heirs of the late Ismael Mousa in Al-Khader village in southern Bethlehem. Maryam Mousa, one of the heirs, said that her family was surprised with raiding her 8-dunum land by settlers in Wad Abu Bajeer area in al-Khader village. She also added that the settlers placed water pipes and planted the land with hundreds of olive, apricot, and peach trees.

• Recommendations to the International Community

PCHR warns of the escalating settlement construction in the West Bank, the attempts to legitimize settlement outposts established on Palestinian lands in the West Bank and the continued summary executions of Palestinian civilians under the pretext that they pose a security threat to the Israeli forces. PCHR reminds the international community that thousands of Palestinian civilians have been rendered homeless and lived in caravans under tragic circumstances due to the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that has been under a tight closure for almost 11 years. PCHR welcomes the UN Security Council’s Resolution No. 2334, which states that settlements are a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and calls upon Israel to stop them and not to recognize any demographic change in the oPt since 1967.  PCHR hopes this resolution will pave the way for eliminating the settlement crime and bring to justice those responsible for it. PCHR further reiterates that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are still under Israeli occupation in spite of Israel’s unilateral disengagement plan of 2005.  PCHR emphasizes that there is international recognition of Israel’s obligation to respect international human rights instruments and international humanitarian law.  Israel is bound to apply international human rights law and the law of war, sometimes reciprocally and other times in parallel, in a way that achieves the best protection for civilians and remedy for the victims.

1. PCHR calls upon the international community to respect the Security Council’s Resolution No. 2334 and to ensure that Israel respects it as well, in particular point 5 which obliges Israel not to deal with settlements as if they were part of Israel.
2. PCHR calls upon the ICC this year to open an investigation into Israeli crimes committed in the oPt, particularly the settlement crimes and the 2014 offensive on the Gaza Strip.
3. PCHR Calls upon the European Union (EU) and all international bodies to boycott settlements and ban working and investing in them in application of their obligations according to international human rights law and international humanitarian law considering settlements as a war crime.
4. PCHR calls upon the international community to use all available means to allow the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to self-determination through the establishment of the Palestinian State, which was recognized by the UN General Assembly with a vast majority, using all international legal mechanisms, including sanctions to end the occupation of the State of Palestine.
5. PCHR calls upon the international community and United Nations to take all necessary measures to stop Israeli policies aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem and at voiding Palestine from its original inhabitants through deportations and house demolitions as a collective punishment, which violates international humanitarian law, amounting to a crime against humanity.
6. PCHR calls upon the international community to condemn summary executions carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinians and to pressurize Israel to stop them.
7. PCHR calls upon the States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC to work hard to hold Israeli war criminals accountable.
8. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their obligations under article (1) of the Convention to ensure respect for the Conventions under all circumstances, and under articles (146) and (147) to search for and prosecute those responsible for committing grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions to ensure justice and remedy for Palestinian victims, especially in light of the almost complete denial of justice for them before the Israeli judiciary.
9. PCHR calls upon the international community to speed up the reconstruction process necessary because of the destruction inflicted by the Israeli offensive on Gaza.
10. PCHR calls for a prompt intervention to compel the Israeli authorities to lift the closure that obstructs the freedom of movement of goods and 1.8 million civilians that experience unprecedented economic, social, political and cultural hardships due to collective punishment policies and retaliatory action against civilians.
11. PCHR calls upon the European Union to apply human rights standards embedded in the EU-Israel Association Agreement and to respect its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights when dealing with Israel.
12. PCHR calls upon the international community, especially states that import Israeli weapons and military services, to meet their moral and legal responsibility not to allow Israel to use the offensive in Gaza to test new weapons and not accept training services based on the field experience in Gaza in order to avoid turning Palestinian civilians in Gaza into testing objects for Israeli weapons and military tactics.
13. PCHR calls upon the parties to international human rights instruments, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to pressurize Israel to comply with its provisions in the oPt and to compel it to incorporate the human rights situation in the oPt in its reports submitted to the relevant committees.
14. PCHR calls upon the EU and international human rights bodies to pressurize the Israeli forces to stop their attacks against Palestinian fishermen and farmers, mainly in the border area.

Fully detailed documnet available at the official website of the Palestinian Centre for Human rights (PCHR).

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The War Crimes That Don’t Get Punished

By Ron Paul
Source

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) found himself in hot water recently over comments he made in defense of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who faces war crimes charges over his alleged conduct while serving in combat overseas. Gallagher is charged with stabbing a 15 year old ISIS member while in custody, of taking photos posing with the corpse of the teen, and with killing several civilians.

Defending Gallagher recently, Hunter put his own record up next to the SEAL to suggest that he’s an elected Congressman who has done worse things in battle than Gallagher.

That’s where Hunter’s defense earned him some perhaps unwanted attention. While participating in the first “Battle of Fallujah” in early 2007, by Hunter’s own account he and his fellow soldiers killed hundreds of innocent civilians, including women and children. They fired mortars into the city and killed at random.

In the sanitized world of US mainstream media reporting on US wars overseas, we do not hear about non-combatants being killed by Americans. How many times has there been any reporting on the birth defects that Iraqis continue to suffer in the aftermath of US attacks with horrific weapons like depleted uranium and white phosphorus?

Rep. Hunter described his philosophy when fighting in Iraq:

“You go in fast and hard, you kill people, you hit them in the face and then you get out…We’re going to hurt you and then we’re going to leave. And if you want to be nice to America, we’ll be nice to you. If you don’t want to be nice to us, we’re going to slap you again.”

This shows how much Duncan Hunter does not understand about war. When he speaks of hitting people in the face until they are nice to America, he doesn’t seem to realize that the people of Fallujah – and all of Iraq – never did a thing to the US to deserve that hit in the face. The war was launched on the basis of lies and cooked-up intelligence by many of the people who are serving in the current Administration.

And that brings us to the real war criminals. Rep. Duncan Hunter and his fellow soldiers may have killed hundreds of innocent civilians and even felt justified. Their superior officers, after all, established the rules of engagement. Above those superior officers, going up and beyond to the policymakers, the lie was sold to the American people to justify a war of choice against a country that could not have threatened us if it wanted to.

Vice President Dick Cheney knew what he was doing when he kept returning to the CIA headquarters, strong-arming analysts to make the intelligence fit the chosen policy. John Bolton and the other neocons knew what they were doing when they made claims about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction they knew were false. The Pentagon’s Office of Special Plans played its role in selling the lie. So did the media.

Edward Gallagher will face trial and possibly jail for his actions. Rep. Duncan Hunter may even face punishment – though perhaps only at the ballot box – for his admitted crimes. But until those at the top who continue to lie and manipulate us into war for their own gain face justice, the real criminals will continue to go free and we will continue pursuing a suicidal neocon foreign policy.

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SMOKING GUN? FALSE FLAG? U.S. RELEASES VIDEO ALLEGEDLY SHOWING IRAN’S MINE ON TANKER HULL

https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2-1.mp4?_=1

Just hours after remarks blaiming Iran for the recent incident in the Gulf of Oman by US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, Central Command issued a statement claiming that it has evidence confirming these accusations. The statement claimed that Iranian forces were spotted removing “a probable unexploded limpet mine” from the M/T Kokuka Courageous.

The video released by Central Command shows a boat coming up to the side of the tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and removes some object from the tanker’s hull. The US says that the object is likely an unexploded mine.

The full text of Central Command statement:

“U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local time from the motor tanker (M/T) Altair and a second one at 7a.m. local time from the M/T Kokuka Courageous.

Both vessels were in international waters in the Gulf of Oman approximately 10 nautical miles apart at the time of the distress calls. USS Bainbridge was approximately 40 nautical miles away from the M/T Altair at the time of the attack, and immediately began closing the distance.

At 8:09 a.m. local time a U.S. aircraft observed an IRGC Hendijan class patrol boat and multiple IRGC fast attack craft/fast inshore attack craft (FAC/FIAC) in the vicinity of the M/T Altair.

At 9:12 a.m. local time a U.S. aircraft observes the FAC/FIAC pull a raft from the M/T Altair from the water.

At 9:26 a.m. local time the Iranians requested that the motor vessel Hyundai Dubai, which had rescued the sailors from the M/T Altair, to turn the crew over to the Iranian FIACs. The motor vessel Hyundai Dubai complied with the request and transferred the crew of the M/T Altair to the Iranian FIACs.

At 11:05 a.m. local time USS Bainbridge approaches the Dutch tug Coastal Ace, which had rescued the crew of twenty-one sailors from the M/T Kokuka Courageous who had abandoned their ship after discovering a probable unexploded limpet mine on their hull following an initial explosion.

While the Hendijan patrol boat appeared to attempt to get to the tug Coastal Ace before USS Bainbridge, the mariners were rescued by USS Bainbridge at the request of the master of the M/T Kokuka Courageous. The rescued sailors are currently aboard USS Bainbridge.

At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous.

The U.S. and our partners in the region will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves and our interests.  Today’s attacks are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce.

The U.S. and the international community, stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation.

The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.

– attributable to Capt. Bill Urban, Lead Spokesman for U.S. Central Command”

Click to see the full-size image

Click to see the full-size image

While the statement seems to be pretty anti-Iranian, in fact, the US appears to be have no evidence to confirm that the supposed “mine” was Iranian. Bloomberg:

Senior administration officials said that at least one of the ships was attacked by mines. In a briefing with reporters, they showed a photo of a tanker, the Courageous, with a hole in its side caused by a mine that exploded, they said, and an undetonated mine lodged inside.

The officials said they didn’t know for sure whether the mines were Iranian. The U.S. concluded that Iran was responsible for the attacks based on intelligence sources and the absence of any better explanation, the officials said. They declined to elaborate on the intelligence sources.

On June 14, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that Washington should stop playing a blame game through “suspicious” attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East, describing the US behavior as “worrying”.

“The suspicious nature of incidents for oil tankers is not a joke. It is not only not funny, but it is also worrying and alarming,” Mousavi said in a statement.

The US and its allies have just got a fresh formal pretext for further economic and maybe even military agression against Iran. Who may have been interested in this?

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Pompeo: U.S. Believes Iran Is Responsible For Attack On Tankers In Gulf Of Oman
• Mysterious Attacks On Oil Tankers Near Persian Gulf Continue (Photos)

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Not Every Jewish Woman is Gal Gadot

June 11, 2019  /  Gilad Atzmon

Deconstruction by Gilad Atzmon

Introduction by GA: The DC Jewish Dyke march has been immersed in controversy,  its organisers banned marchers from carrying  rainbow Star of David flags. In the following interview Jill Raney a “mildly radical Southern queer Jewish feminist”  interviews  IfNotNow DC, a community partner of DC Dyke March. I have provided commentary for the interview, deconstructing and exposing the duplicitous nature of the Jewish anti Zionist argument. This interview is a crucial window into the Jewish Identitarian discourse and it provides proof,  yet again, that not every Jew is an Einstein and as the documentation of the march reveals, not every Jewish woman is Gal Gadot.

 Jewish dykes are welcome at DC Dyke March! Nationalist symbols are not.

https://medium.com/

Q: Are Jewish dykes welcome at DC Dyke March?

 A: Absolutely!

 GA: The question is whether Goyim are also welcome at this Purim celebration.

 Q: Why does it sometimes seem as though liberation for Jews and liberation for Palestinians are at odds with each other?

 GA: The obvious answer is that the two calls have nothing in common.  Jews are liberated and Palestinians are oppressed by the Jewish state. ‘Jews’ and Palestinians have little or nothing in common politically.

 A: Because white supremacy wants to divide us! Antisemitism structurally makes intersectional organizing more difficult by making Jews feel afraid of non-Jews. Zionism and the State of Israel are important to some Jews, but the particular way that the State of Israel was founded caused catastrophic harm to Palestinians. Antisemitism and white supremacy have pitted Jews and Palestinians against each other, and we say enough!

 GA: Did  “antisemitism and white supremacy” pit Jews and Palestinians against each other? NO! It is the Jewish State that commits crimes against the Palestinians in the name of the Jewish people and with the almost universal support of world Jewry and its institutions. It is blatantly duplicitous to blame  ‘White’ goyim for Israel’s crimes, although the accusation is symptomatic of the Jewish Left call.

 Q: What is antisemitism?

 A: “Originating in European Christianity, antisemitism is the form of ideological oppression that targets Jews. In Europe and the United States it has functioned to protect the prevailing economic system and the almost exclusively Christian ruling class by diverting blame for hardship onto Jews.”

— Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), Understanding Antisemitism

 GA: When you refer to  the ‘Christian Ruling class’ who do you have in mind? Are you thinking of Goldman Sachs, or perhaps you mean George Soros or the Kushner Family, or might you mean Haim Saban, a major funder of the Democratic Party or perhaps  you are thinking of  Sheldon Adelson who takes care of both Bibi and Trump’s campaigns?  Who,  I wonder do the IfNotNow’s Dykes intend to fool by this deception?

 Q: What is Anti-Zionism?

 A: “‘Anti-Zionism’ is a loose term referring to criticism of the current policies of the Israeli state, and/or moral, ethical, or religious criticism of the idea of a Jewish nation-state. There has been debate, criticism and opposition to Zionism within Jewish thought for as long as it has existed…

 GA: This is revealing. In the good old days, anti Zionism was understood to be opposition to the ‘right’ of the Jewish State to form a Jewish homeland at the expense of others. But as a result of the domination by Jewish groups of the anti Zionist discourse anti Zionism has been diminished into just  “criticism of the current policies of the Israeli state.”  Here, we are treated to an exposition of the controlled opposition apparatus.

 There are also many non-Jewish anti-Zionists whose perspectives may be informed by moral criticism of the policies of the Israeli government, problems with the impact of Zionist thinking in Israel on non-Jewish residents, and/or a criticism of ethno-nationalism more broadly.”

— Jewish Voice for Peace, “Our Approach to Zionism.”

 Q: What is the difference between antisemitism and Anti-Zionism?

 A: Antisemitism is hatred of Jews for being Jews, also known as bigotry.

Anti-Zionism is criticism of the actions and policies of the State of Israel and/or criticism of the idea of a Jewish nation-state.

 GA: Once again, under her definition, Anti Zionism is not the rejection of the Zionist agenda i.e., the erection of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It is merely criticism of Israel’s policies.

 Q: What is IfNotNow’s position on Zionism?

 A: A principle of our movement is: “We focus on what unites rather than what divides us…We do not take a unified stance on BDS, Zionism or the question of statehood. We work together to end American Jewish support for the occupation.”

 GA: IfNotNow could not be clearer, it is not even anti Zionist. It only opposes the occupation. In other words, it supports the existence of the Jewish State, and criticises only some of it policies.

 Zionism in practice causes many harms, but Zionism as a conceptual movement for Jewish liberation, and Israel as a place where Jewish people live and visit, are dear to many Jews. Most mainstream Jewish institutions assume all Jews must be Zionist and even hide from young Jews the reality of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians, so many Jewish dykes are unfamiliar with the harms Zionism has caused to Palestinians. We can take seriously the harms Zionism causes to Palestinians and to some Jews, and also welcome Jewish dykes who hold a variety of perspectives on Israel and Zionism.

 GA: This is consistent with the Likud Party’s philosophy. Making plain that IfNotNow is a left field Jewish Hasbara project. We do not need Jewish “progressives” to advise us that “Zionism as a conceptual movement for Jewish liberation, and Israel as a place where Jewish people live and visit, are dear to many Jews.” This is what the ADL are there for .

 Q: I want to show that I’m a proud Jewish dyke! Are there things I should think about?

 A: Jewish dykes deserve to be proud of their Jewishness at DC Dyke March. Certain symbols of Jewishness have been co-opted by the pinkwashing movement, an effort to conceal Israel’s harms against Palestinians. Palestinian dykes deserve to be proud of their Palestinian-ness at DC Dyke March too, and we believe that Jewish and Palestinian dykes can celebrate shared liberation at DC Dyke March. Is it frustrating that Jews are uniquely expected to consider another marginalized group’s needs before showing our own pride? Absolutely! It is very frustrating that Israel violates Palestinians’ human rights in the name of Jews around the world.

 GA: Just out of  interest, is the notion of ‘Dyke’ a form of sexually orientated stance on human rights or is it a well informed position on global politics?  Would the DC Jewish Dyke organisers who are defined sexually (as queers)  and racially (as Jews)  welcome Aryan Dykes to their kosher protest? If not, why not?  

 Q: What happened at Chicago Dyke March in 2017 and why were people upset about it?

A: A few Jewish dykes who were associated with A Wider Bridge, an Israel lobbying organization that engages in pinkwashing, brought a rainbow flag with a Star of David in the middle of it, which looks a lot like an Israeli flag, a Zionist symbol. These dykes purposefully disrupted the march and harassed attendees during the rally. Organizers of the march, including other Jewish dykes, asked them to stop their disruptive, harassing behavior and to put the flag away. They told press that they felt as though they could not be openly Jewish at Chicago Dyke March. This caused many Jewish dykes who heard about the event to worry that they would be unwelcome or asked to hide their Jewishness in dyke spaces. The dykes associated with A Wider Bridge took advantage of common public misunderstanding of the difference between being proudly Jewish, and carrying a flag that represented Zionism. This can be confusing because the Jewish star has been co-opted by Zionism and the State of Israel.

GA: What entitles these Jewish Dykes to decide for other Jewish (Zionist) Lesbians how  to identify and what symbols represent them? Their statements here provide a window into the tyrannical and vile nature of the Jewish Identitarian discourse.

 Q: What is pinkwashing?

 A: Pinkwashing is the practice of a country or corporation presenting itself as queer-friendly and progressive in order to downplay their negative behavior. The State of Israel practices pinkwashing by promoting itself as a safe haven for queer and trans people. This distracts attention from Israel’s denial of Palestinian human rights, erases queer and trans Palestinians and some queer and trans Jews who don’t have a safe haven in Israel, and promotes the Islamophobic and anti-Arab racist narrative that Palestinian queers must be saved from Arab and Muslim society.

 GA: Is this true? Do we really turn a blind eye to Israel’s criminality simply because it pretends to be gay friendly? Do we fail to see that Israel locks Palestinians in open air prisons because Israel pretends to be LGBTQ paradise? Sorry to deliver the news. The Anti Israeli Pinkwash campaign is a classic controlled opposition apparatus. It is there to rehabilitate the moral validity of the Jewish Identitarian Left and it does so at the expense of the Palestinians. It diverts the struggle from the essential Palestinian cause of the right of return to irrelevant Jew-related issues to do with queer politics. 

 Q: Why is IfNotNow cosponsoring DC Dyke March?

 A: One of IfNotNow’s principles as a movement is “We show up for others. We stand with other movements, such as those working for racial, economic, and gender justice. We are building a world in which American Jews use our unique position to fight for the liberation of all people.” We are also here to show up for ourselves: there are a lot of Jewish dykes who are members of IfNotNow DC, and our work for queer and trans liberation and for Jewish liberation are deeply connected.

 GA: Since when do people who care for ‘all people’ dictate to others how they may or may not identify and what symbols to avoid? IfNotNow ought to be honest and admit that they really care for the Jews who think as they do. We are dealing here with an Orwellian synagogue. 

 Q: Can we talk more about the rainbow flag with the Star of David in the middle? What’s wrong with bringing that flag to DC Dyke March, and what are my other options?

 A: The flag that caused so much consternation back in 2017 was a rainbow flag with a Star of David in the middle that used the same proportions and line art as the Star of David in the middle of the Israeli flag. It was very specifically an Israeli flag and a rainbow flag merged together, a specifically Zionist symbol, not a neutral symbol of Jewish pride. DC Dyke March is a liberatory space for all dykes, and that includes liberation from violence, from cops, from militarism, and from nationalism. “We are asking people to not bring nationalist symbols because violent nationalism does not fit with our vision of queer liberation,” says a recent piece from DC Dyke March organizers.

 So DC Dyke March welcomes Jewish dykes and does not welcome nationalist symbols. What symbols of Jewish dyke pride are available to us? Paint a rainbow Star of David on your face! Scrawl the words YIDDISHKEIT DYKES across a rainbow flag, or a lesbian pride flag, a bi pride flag, an ace pride flag, a trans pride flag!

 Or if Yiddishkeit isn’t your thing, take your pride flag of choice and put a big menorah on it, or a Hamsa or a chai or a pomegranate, or a cool dinosaur wearing Star of David sunglasses and eating a bagel!

Wear a yarmulke, your rainbow tallis, maybe booty shorts that say Jewish Dyke across the ass! There are so many options! Go wild! See you there!

 GA: The Jewish Dykes certainly provide a list of kosher symbols. I could add a few: what about putting matzo balls in your bikini? Or gefilte fish in the bra? Maybe noodles dripping from armpits? I better stop now before I get too exited.  

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The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!