March 14, 2024 • 37 mins
Shereen discusses the recent developments in Gaza, the severe starvation Palestinians are experiencing, and the uptick in violence in the West Bank.
Sources:
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/12/israels-war-on-gaza-list-of-key-events-day-158
- https://www.dci-palestine.org/17_palestinian_children_starve_to_death_in_gaza
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/28/west-bank-spike-israeli-killings-palestinian-children
- https://www.palestinechronicle.com/dangerous-precedent-israelerects-barbed-wire-near-al-aqsa-mosque/
- https://nypost.com/2024/03/09/world-news/israeli-protesters-try-to-stop-aid-from-entering-gaza-strip/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/09/world/middleeast/yazan-kafarneh-gaza-starvation.html
- https://jacobin.com/2024/03/israel-flour-massacre-war-crime-gaza
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/its-not-just-israeli-bombs-that-have-killed-children-in-gaza-now-some-are-dying-of-hunger-too
- https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/04/israel-west-bank-settlers-attacks-palestinians
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68514581
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/shocking-spike-in-use-of-unlawful-lethal-force-by-israeli-forces-against-palestinians-in-the-occupied-west-bank/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68557035
- https://www.politico.eu/article/israels-netanyahu-says-he-will-defy-bidens-red-line-and-invade-rafah/
- https://www.npr.org/2024/03/13/1238227682/orphans-gaza-rafah-israel-west-bank-sos-childrens-village-international
- https://en.royanews.tv/news/49895/2024-03-07
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
All Zone Media. Hello, this is it could happen here
and I am Sharene Today we have an update for
you about what is happening in Palestine. There is a
lot that is happening in Palestine, way way too much
to cover in a single podcast episode, but I hope
this at least gives you a general idea of where
(00:23):
we currently stand, just for clarity and context. I am
recording this on Tuesday, March twelfth, so any numbers I mention,
unfortunately and probably are different. Now at this point, there
have been over five months of bombardment and genocide and
this has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with children
(00:44):
starving to death due to malnutrition and dehydration as Israel
has imposed restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza. Five months
of genocide on top of more than a decade and
a half of blockade, have caused relentless mental harm to
children in Gaza. According to a report released by Save
the Children on Tuesday, twenty five Palestinians in Graza including
(01:07):
out these, twenty children and a two month old baby,
have died of malnutrition and dehydration. According to the Palestinian
Ministry of Health, the true death toll due to starvation
is feared to be much higher, as many Palestinians, particularly
in northern Gaza, face famine and are almost entirely cut
off from the severely limited humanitarian aid which is entering
(01:29):
Gaza through the southern Rapah crossing. Many Israelis have also
been blocking aid from entering Gaza. A group of Israeli
protesters have been blocking AID trucks from crossing into the
Gaza Strip for weeks now, vowing that quote not a
single loaf of bread should reach those trapped in the
tiny region of the Gaza Strip until all remaining hostages
(01:51):
are released. The area around Karam Shalom, which is Israel's
only functioning border crossing with Gaza, is a closed military zone,
but the IOF officers and their presence there hardly deters
the dozens of protesters, who are mostly settlers, families of hostages,
and deactivated military reservists. It does not deter them from
(02:11):
trekking through the area and protesting in an attempt to
slow AID trucks from entering Razza. I'm noticing right now
that I'm interchangeably using Gaza and Razza. Raza's just how
you say in Arabic, sofyi if I jump around my apologies.
On the ground, CNN recorded an interview with protester w Sharon.
(02:33):
She pointed to an AID truck convoy and said this
arrives into the tunnels of Hamas, fighting us and holding
our hostages. There is no evidence that the majority of AID,
including food and medical supplies, is going to Hamas. Sharon
and her fellow protesters are demanding that AIDS stop entering Gaza,
(02:54):
where over thirty thousand people have now been killed according
to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, with people at an
increasing risk of starvation. Another protester named Katya said they
should only get the minimum calories to survive if they
are starving to death, give the hostages back. Not a
single loaf of bread should go there till our hostages
(03:16):
are coming back. When questioned about the scale of human
suffering in Gaza, Katya seemed unmoved. She said, even if
there is a humanitarian crisis, and there is not, it
is my right and my duty to prioritize the Kiffeiti
Bibas over any Gazen babies. Kiffitabibas is a one year
(03:36):
old who is being held hostage along with the baby's parents.
So that's what she's referring to, prioritizing Israeli babies over
Palestinian babies. Very little AID has made it into Palestine,
and perhaps nothing captures what the US and Israel actually are.
Then a picture that has been making the rounds on
(03:58):
social media recently. It's a photographs showing US AID drops
and Israeli air strikes targeting civilian areas in northern Gaza,
happening at the same time, falling on the rubble of
destroyed buildings. The AID and the air strikes dropping at
the same moment is dystopian and beyond fucked up. Since
(04:18):
October seventh, Israel has also shut off entry of food, water,
and medicine, as well as other supplies from entering Gaza,
only allowing a trickle of AID trucks through two crossings
in the south. Israel has blamed the starvation that Palestinians
are enduring in Gaza on UN agencies, saying that they
fail to distribute supplies piling up at Gaza crossings. The UNRWA,
(04:41):
which is the largest UN agency in Gaza, says Israel
restricts goods and imposes cumbersome inspections that slow entry of aid. Also,
distribution within Gaza has been crippled. Un officials say. They
say that convoys regularly are turned back by Israeli forces
and that the military often reached fuses safe passage amid fighting,
(05:02):
and that the AD does not get to the people
that need it the most, often being grabbed from trucks
by hungry Palestinians en route to the drop off points.
Recent air drops of aid by the US and other
countries provide far lower amounts of AID than truck deliveries,
which have become increasingly more rare, and they're also sometimes dangerous.
(05:22):
The UNRWA says that Israeli authorities haven't allowed it to
deliver supplies to the north of Gaza since January twenty third.
The World Food Organization, which had paused deliveries because of
safety concerns, said the military forced its first convoy to
the north in two weeks to turn back on Tuesday.
Jarine from the Future is here just for this quick update.
(05:45):
Yesterday Wednesday, Israeli forces hit a food distribution center and
aid's center in Raphach. The UNRWA said that one of
their staff members were killed and twenty two others were injured,
and it said up to sixty people were believed to
have been working there when it was hit. Those killed
were said to be a fifteen year old boy and
four men who were between twenty seven and fifty years old.
(06:07):
Rafai resident Sami Abu Salim said it's a UNRWA center
expected to be secure. Some came to work to distribute
aid to the people in need of food during the
holy month of Ramadan. Suddenly they were struck by two missiles.
The un r WA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a
statement that it was one of the very few UNWA
(06:31):
distribution centers that was still operating in Gaza after these
five months of genocide. He said this attack comes as
food supplies are running out, Hunger is widespread and in
some areas turning into famine every day. We shared the
coordinates of all of our facilities across the Gaza Strip
with parties to the conflict. The Israeli Army received the coordinates,
(06:52):
including this facility yesterday. Since October, the un r WA
says at least one hundred and sixty five of its
eighteen thousand employees in Gaza have been killed, and that
more than one hundred and fifty of its facilities have
been hit by Israeli forces. Here are the latest casualty
figures as of March thirteenth, at twelve forty pm. In Gaza,
(07:15):
there are at least thirty one thousand, two hundred and
seventy two people who have been killed. Of those, there
are twelve thousand and three hundred children who have been killed,
as well as eight thousand, four hundred women who have
been killed. There are more than seventy three thousand and
twenty four people who have been injured, including eight thousand
and six hundred and sixty three children who have been
(07:37):
injured and six thousand, three hundred and twenty seven women
who have been injured. There are more than eight thousand
Palestinians who are missing in Gaza. The latest figures from
the Palestinian Ministry of Health for the occupied West Bank
is as follows. At least four hundred and thirty two
people have been killed, including more than one hundred and
(07:57):
fifteen children. There are more than four thousand, six hundred
and fifty Palestinians who have been injured in the West Bank.
In Israel, officials have revised the death toll from October
seventh from one thousand, four hundred and five to one thousand,
one hundred and thirty nine. As far as the injured go,
in Israel, there are at least eight thousand, seven hundred
(08:18):
and thirty people who have been injured, according to the
latest data from the UN's Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, as well as the
Palestinian government. As of February twenty five, Israeli attacks have
damaged more than half of Gaza's homes. Three hundred and
sixty thousand residential units have been destroyed or damaged. There
(08:40):
have been three hundred and ninety two educational facilities that
have been destroyed, including all universities. Twelve out of the
thirty five hospitals are partially functioning. One hundred and thirty
two ground water wells have been damaged or destroyed. Two
hundred and sixty seven places of worship have also been destroyed.
(09:00):
We want to emphasize how damaging starvation is and famine is.
Starvation causes long lasting damage to the body. Large numbers
of people in Gaza are experiencing malnutrition. Studies of famines
in other countries show that famines can have long lasting
impacts on people's health and even that of their descendants.
(09:23):
A new type of video has been circulating online from
the Raza Strip footage showing families baking quote unquote bread
which is made from bird seed, eating weeds, and giving
newborn babies dat to suck on instead of milk. The
Accountability Program director at Defense for Children International Palestine said,
it is unthinkable that in twenty twenty four, in a
(09:46):
world that produces more than enough food for all people,
that Palestinian children are starving to death. The starvation of
children is a hallmark of genocide and a deliberate political
choice by Israel, backed by the Biden administration. It is
complete madness that Israeli authorities continue to prohibit and restrict
food and other life saving supplies to a starving population
(10:10):
while the international community stands by. Palestinians in Gaza started
to experience chronic hunger within weeks of October seventh. At
this point in time, Israeli strikes have killed more than
thirty thousand Palestinians, and this is according to Gaza's Ministry
of Health. The death tolls that come out of the
Palestinian Ministry of Health. They account for Palestinians who die
(10:33):
at hospitals or whose families report their deaths to the Ministry.
Due to the telecommunications blackout, the collapse of the medical system,
Israeli ground invasion, and continued Israeli aerial bombardment, many Palestinians
are not able to reach hospitals and so this number
is likely far far greater than it actually is. And
as I mentioned, Israeli authorities have repeatedly blocked and severely
(10:56):
restricted any humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. On Tuesday, Israeli
forces attacked Palestinians who were waiting for aid trucks at
the Kuwait roundabout south of Gaza City and they killed
seven people. Keep in mind, this is after what has
become known as the Flower Massacre. On February twenty ninth,
the Israeli Occupation Forces AA the IOF killed at least
(11:19):
one hundred and eighteen Palestinians who were attempting to get
aid from a convoy in Gaza City. In this Flower massacre.
Along with the one hundred and eighteen Palestinians who were
shot and killed, at least seven hundred and fifty additional
Palestinians were injured. They were just trying to get food
from the aid trucks to feed their family. The United
(11:40):
States recently delivered two air drops of aid alongside the
Dardanian military into northern Gaza. The air drops contained a
total of seventy four thousand, eight hundred meals, and this
was widely criticized as a public relations move because the
Biden administration is still clearly complicit in Israel's genocide of Palestinians.
International criminal law prohibits serious atrocities, including core crimes of genocide,
(12:06):
the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes,
and provides for individual criminal responsibility for perpetrators. The crime
of genocide constitutes the deliberate killing of a large number
of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with
the aim of destroying that nation or group in whole
or in part. Genocide can result from killing or by
(12:29):
creating conditions of life that are so unbearable. Intentionally using
starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is an
underlying act of genocide, and it amounts to a war crime.
I've said this before on this podcast. I'll say it again,
but At this point, international law means nothing. I mean,
it hasn't been anything for a long time. Nothing happens
(12:51):
with Israel continues to break international law, so that phrase
is a little empty to me when they are in
violation of international law. But here we are, and it
should be noted that starvation of civilians also contributes and
is an active genocide. I've talked about why this is
genocide in other episodes, but it's a clear ACTI of
(13:12):
genocide what Israel is doing to Palestinians, and many scholars
agree with that. Anyway, let's continue. As weeks of blockades
on food and other aid have turned into months, starvation
has reached historic proportions. One recent report by the Global
Nutrition Cluster, which is a United Nations Children's Fund, a
(13:35):
UNISEF led partnership of humanitarian organizations. It found that in
December of twenty twenty three in January of twenty twenty four,
nine and ten children under the age of two and
more than nine and ten pregnant and breastfeeding women surveyed
had consumed two or fewer food groups in the previous day.
(13:55):
This situation is considered severe food poverty. Two thirds of
households were eating just once a day, if at all.
In the northern Gaza Strip, one in six babies and
toddlers were acutely malnourished. Aid organizations say that these numbers
today are likely to be far, far worse, and that
(14:16):
the rapid onset and complexity of Gaza's food crisis is unprecedented.
Ted Chaiban is the Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action
and Supply Operations at UNICEF. He said in a recent statement,
the Gaza Strip is poised to witness and explosion in
preventable child deaths. If the conflict does not end now,
(14:38):
children's nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths
or health issues which will affect the children of Gaza
for the rest of their lives and have potential intergenerational consequences.
There are nearly two point two million people living in
the Gaza Strip, nearly half of whom are children, nearly
(14:58):
one hundred and sixty million. I mean other people worldwide
are facing hunger, including millions of people in Somalia, Afghanistan
and Sudan. The short term health consequences of food scarcity
have been studied extensively in children, an especially vulnerable group.
Severe acute malnutrition can lead to muscle wasting, stunted growth,
(15:20):
and medical complications including sepsis, meningitis, diarrhea, and severe anemia. Worldwide,
nearly half of all deaths of children less than five
years of age are linked to malnutrition. A growing body
of research is finding that even if these children return
to normal nutrition levels, a period of acute malnutrition can
(15:43):
lead to long lasting damage later in life, and it
may impact future generations. This is one of many examples
of why Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people isn't just
about death and the lives they've destroyed and the land
that they've taken. Israel's genocide is also about robbing Palestinians
of any livable future, affecting generations with Palestinians to come.
(16:07):
And they've done this since nineteen forty eight. That's why
it's no accident when children are targeted by the IOF,
when they're starving or when they're shot. They are murdered
as a way to prevent Palestinians from having a future
or having any hope. We see how the IOF shoots
children with the intention to kill. There are many many
(16:28):
examples of this, but here's a recent example. Two children
were killed in November in the West Bank. Adam Samir
el Rul, eight years old, was shot in the head.
Bazez ude Man Abu Edwafa, fifteen years old, was shot
in the chest. These children were both murdered and shot
(16:49):
with the intention to kill. The Israeli military and border
police forces have been killing Palestinian children with virtually no
recourse for accountability for decades. Back in August of twenty
twenty three. Well before October seventh of twenty twenty three,
Bill van Esfeld, who was the Associate Children's Rights Director
(17:09):
at Human Rights Watch, said Israeli forces are gunning down
Palestinian children living under occupation with increasing frequency. Unless Israel's allies,
particularly the United States, pressure Israel to change course, more
Palestinian children will be killed. And that is exactly what
(17:29):
has been happening. Many, many more Palestinian children have been killed,
all preventable. Human Rights Watch researchers and documenting four killings
that happened, interviewed in person, seven witnesses, nine family members
and other residents, lawyers, doctors, staff and field workers at
Palestinian and Israeli rights groups as well as reviews CCTV
(17:52):
footage and videos that were posted on social media, as
well as statements by Israeli security agencies, medical records, and
news reports. In all cases that they researched, Israeli forces
shot the children's upper bodies without, according to witnesses, issuing warnings,
or using common less lethal measures like tear gas, concussion
(18:12):
grenades or rubber coated bullets. I also want to draw
attention to how this genocide is also a mass disabling
event that will harm an entire generation and make them
reliant on infrastructure that does not physically exist. More than
ten children a day lose a limb in Gaza, and
this is from the source to save the children. At
(18:33):
least seventeen thousand children, which is one percent of Gaza's
overall displaced population of one point seven million, have now
been orphaned in the Gaza Strip and the number of
children who have been killed in Gaza. This number is
now reaching thirteen thousand children. The number of children reported
killed in just four months in Gaza is higher than
(18:55):
the number of children killed in four years of war
around the world combined. Let's take an ad break and
we'll be right back and we are back in the
(19:19):
twenty four hours between Sunday, March tenth and Monday, March eleventh,
during which the vast majority of Americans were busy watching
the stupid fucking oscars, seven massacres were committed by Israeli
occupation forces against families in Laza, killing sixty seven Palestinians
and injuring one hundred and six others. This happened as
(19:40):
people were distracted by watching this dumb display of nothing.
Palestinians are continuing to be murdered. And as for where
things currently stand right now, there are more than one
point seven million civilians who are trapped in the Rephah,
which is Gaza's last place of refuge, right on the south,
(20:00):
on the southern border. And this is after Israel kept
telling Palestinians to go south because of these quote unquote
safe zones that were clearly not safe at all. A
massacre is happening in the Dephah right now, and the
world is silent. And to make matters worse, not that
they can get any worse, Israeli Prime Ministers Benjamin and
Yahoo says that he intends to press ahead with the
(20:23):
invasion of the city of Raphach Joe Biden useless warned
that the offensive would be a quote red line. But
as we know, a slap on the wrist for Israel
means absolutely nothing, and they continue to act with impunity,
without any repercussions. When asked on Sunday whether Israeli forces
would move into Nan Yahu replied, we'll go there. We're
(20:45):
not going to leave them. You know, I have a
red line, and you know what the red line is
that October seven does not happen again. It never happens again.
He also dismissed the idea of a ceasefire for Ramadan,
saying that he would like to say, see another hostage release,
because without a release, there's not going to be a
pause in the fighting. And he also doubled down on
(21:06):
his rejection of the possibility of a Palestinian state. He
says the positions that I es bows are supported by
the overwhelming majority of Israelis who say to you, after
October seventh, we don't want to see a Palestinian state.
The Israeli people also support my position that says that
we should resoundingly reject the attempts to ram down our throats.
(21:28):
A Palestinian state that is something they agree. On the
evening of Sunday, March tenth was also the first day
of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. Tarak Ahmad, who
is the UK Minister of State responsible for relations to
the Middle East, to North Africa and the UN, on
Monday he urged Israel to quote allow unhindered access to
(21:51):
Jerusalem's holy sites during Ramadan. What has Israel done since then?
You may ask, well, Israel has put up a barbed
wire fence around Theluxamosque, something it hasn't done since nineteen
sixty seven. Israel erected barbed wire on a fence around
the Lions Gate area adjacent to Theluximosque complex and occupied
(22:11):
East Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Governor's office itself said in a
statement on Monday, this is a dangerous precedent that has
never occurred since nineteen sixty seven. The Lions Gate, also
known as Bab Adasabat, is located within Jerusalem's Old City
and is one of the main gates leading to Theluxamosque.
(22:33):
Israel clearly aims to prevent Palestinians from entering Uximosque during
the holy month of Ramadan. Israeli forces have also imposed
a strict siege on Theluxamosque for the past five months,
preventing entry into it. On Sunday night, Israeli forces prevented
hundreds of Palestinians from entering the Mosque to perform the Tetawekh,
(22:55):
a special night of prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
Be a Palestinian man near Bab a Zehara one of
the gates leading to the mosque before detaining him. Soldiers
also reportedly detained an Eluxamosque guard from the Old City
of Jerusalem. Continuing along with the news from just this week,
(23:16):
on Monday, Israeli forces arrested six Palestinian boys from the
town of Saella, northeast of occupied Jerusalem. Video footage showed
a group of Israeli soldiers tying the Palestinians with a
rope and dragging them in a humiliating manner through the
streets of Essaella. You see this in this footage. They
(23:37):
wrangle them and treat them like fucking cattle. Worse than
fucking cattle. They're treated worse than animals. And the entire
world is witnessing this and what it's absolutely sickening to
me is that so many Americans would probably care more
about a dead dog than about a dead Palestinian. And
if that sentence made you uncomfortable, well it's supposed to.
(23:58):
Palestinians have not been or depicted as human for so
long that it's just become normal. But it is not normal.
In Palestinian life matters just as much as any other.
(24:22):
I want to also take a moment to talk about
what's happening in the West Bank. According to Amnesty International,
Israeli forces have unleashed a brutal wave of violence against
Palestinians and the occupied West Bank in the last five months,
carrying out unlawful killings, including by using lethal force without
necessity or disproportionately during protests and arrest raids, as well
(24:44):
as denying medical assistance to those injured. The organization investigated
four emblematic cases where Israeli forces used unlawful lethal force,
three incidents in October and one in November, which resulted
in the unlawful killing of twenty p Palestinians, including seven children.
Researchers remotely interviewed twelve people, ten of them eyewitnesses, including
(25:08):
first responders and local residents. The organization's Crisis Evidence Lab
verified nineteen videos and four photos in examining these four incidents.
Amnesty International's research also found that Israeli forces obstructed medical
assistance to people with life threatening wounds, as well as
attacked those attempting to assist injured Palestinians, including paramedics. Since
(25:33):
October seventh, Israeli forces have stepped up raids, carrying them
out almost daily across the occupied West Bank and what
it describes as search and arrest operations. In one recent
incident that you may have seen online, Israeli forces carried
out arrayed masquerading as medical staff. In twenty twenty three,
(25:54):
at least five hundred and seven Palestinians were killed in
the West Bank, including eighty one children, making it the
deadliest year for Palestinians since the United Nations Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began recording casualties in two
thousand and five. Erica Guavera Rosas, Amnesty International Director of
(26:15):
Global Research, Advocacy and Policy, said under the cover of
the relentless bombardment and atrocity crimes in Gaza, Israeli forces
have unleashed unlawful lethal force against Palestinians in the occupied
West Bank, carrying out unlawful killings and displaying a chilling
disregard for Palestinian lives. These unlawful killings are a blatant
(26:38):
violation of international human rights law and are committed with
impunity in the context of maintaining Israel's institutionalized regime of
systematic oppression and domination over Palestinians. These cases provide shocking
evidence of the deadly consequences of Israel's unlawful use of
(26:58):
force against Palestinian in the West Bank. Israeli authorities, including
the Israeli judicial system, have proven shamefully unwilling to ensure
justice for Palestinian victims. In this climate of near total impunity,
an international justice system worth its salt must step in.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must investigate these
(27:21):
killings and injuries as possible war crimes of wilful killing
and wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury. The situation
in Palestine. In Israel is a litmus test for the
legitimacy and reputation of the Court. It cannot afford to
fail it. Since October seventh, across the West Bank. Israeli
(27:42):
security forces use of unlawful force during law enforcement operations
has been unrelenting, sowing fear and intimidation among entire communities.
It has also been used to disperse rallies and protests
held in solidarity with Gaza and demanding the release of
Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Between October seventh and December thirty one,
(28:04):
of twenty twenty three, two hundred and ninety nine Palestinians
were killed, marking a fifty percent increase compared to the
first nine months of the year. At least sixty one
to more Palestinians, including thirteen children, have been killed so
far in twenty twenty four as of the end of January,
according to the numbers reported by OCHA. Israel has a
(28:27):
well documented track record of using excessive and often lethal
force to stifle descent and enforce its system of apartheid
against Palestinians, leading to a historic pattern of unlawful killings
committed with impunity. In one illustrative case investigated by Amnesty International,
Israeli military and border police forces use excessive force during
(28:49):
a thirty hour long raid on nous Chemi's refugee camp
on October nineteenth. During the operation, Israeli forces killed thirteen Palestinians,
including six children, four of them under the age of sixteen,
as well as arrested fifteen people. Israeli military sources quoted
in media reports said that one Israeli Border police officer
(29:12):
was killed and nine were injured after an improvised explosive
device was thrown at them by Palestinians. Residents told Amnesty
International that during the operation, Israeli soldiers stormed more than
forty residential homes, destroying personal belongings and drilling holes in
the walls for sniper outposts. Water and electricity to the
(29:33):
camp was cut off, and soldiers used bulldozers to destroy
public roads, electricity networks, and water infrastructure. Among those killed
during the October nineteenth raid was fifteen year old Taha Muhammad,
who Israeli forces shot dead in front of his house
when he came out to check whether Israeli forces had
left the area. Taha was unarmed and posed no threat
(29:57):
to the soldiers at the time he was shot. Based
on eyewitness testimony and videos that were reviewed by Amnesty International,
a video filmed by one of his sisters and verified
by Amnesty's Crisis Evidence Lab chose Taha walking on the street,
peeking to check for the presence of soldiers, and then
collapsing on the street outside of his house after the
(30:18):
sound of three gunshots. Faltima, Taha's sister, told Amnesty International
they did not give him a chance. They did not
give him a chance. In an instant, my brother was eliminated.
Three bullets were fired without any mercy. The first bullet
hit him in the leg, the second in his stomach,
the third in his eye. There were no confrontations, there
(30:42):
was no conflict. An eyewitness told Amnesty International that went
Toaha's father, Ibrahim Muhammad, then attempted to carry his injured
son to safety. Israeli forces shot him in the back.
A verified video filmed by one of Taha's sisters immediately
after the shooting chose Taha's father lying on the ground
next to him before limping away. My father raised his
(31:06):
hands showing the soldiers that he had nothing in them.
He just wanted to take his son. They shot him
with one bullet and my father fell next to Taha.
I want to mention that one example, but many, many
more have happened since then and before then, Protests and
solidarity with Palestinians and Razza have been held frequently across
the occupied West Bank. Since October seventh, some protesters have
(31:29):
been seen throwing stones in response to the presence or
forceful intervention of the Israeli forces. The iof's use of
lethal force in response to rock throwing is not new,
even if the rock throwing is done by children. In theory,
lethal force and law enforcement can only be used when
there is an eminent threat to life. Its use is
(31:51):
not a proportionate response to stone throwing. In another egregious
case that happened on October thirteenth in Tokaram, two I
witnesses described to Amnesty International how Israeli forces stationed at
a military watch tower both at one of the main
entrances to the town, as well as on the roof
of a nearby home, and then they opened fire on
(32:12):
a crowd of at least eighty unarmed Palestinians who were
peacefully demonstrating in solidarity with Gaza. Two journalists who were
at the scene separately told Amnesty International that they saw
Israeli forces firing two tear gas canisters at the crowd
and shortly afterwards opening live fire at them without any
warning shots. The two journalists saw four people being shot
(32:34):
and injured as they tried to run away from the shooting.
A few minutes later, Israeli forces then opened fire in
the direction of the journalists, even though they were both
wearing vests clearly marked as press. They hid behind a
wall along with three children and had to remain there
for about two hours as the operation continued. During this time,
(32:56):
they also witnessed a Palestinian man who was riding past
them on a bike being shot by an Israeli soldier.
One of the journalists also saw another demonstrator being shot
in the head. She described how the victim was suddenly
shot and fell to the ground. The obstruction of medical
assistance by Israeli forces during operations like this across Palestine
(33:17):
is unfortunately a routine practice. An Amnesty International has documented
this for years, saying it is a part of Israel's
system of apartheid. Under international law, Israeli forces have an
obligation to ensure anyone injured by their forces is able
to access medical treatment. Amnesty International investigated five occasions where
(33:40):
the Israeli forces hindered or prevented those who were seriously
injured in demonstrations and raids from receiving critical medical assistance.
They also shot at Palestinians trying to help, including medics
tending to the wounded during the raid I mentioned earlier
on Nourshem's on October nineteenth, three eyewitnesses, including a paramedic
(34:01):
on the scene said two ambulances were stopped at the
entrance of the camp and prevented from reaching the injured.
The witnesses said the residents were forced to transport the
wounded to a hospital in private cars. Since October seventh,
according to the UN, more than four hundred Palestinians have
been killed, one hundred and seven of those being children
(34:23):
in the West Bank. I also want to mention the
settler attacks on Palestinians, not just by the IOF, because
these settler attacks have also become routine. Settlers have burned
cars and houses, blockaded roads, damaged electricity networks, seas farmland,
severed irrigation lines, attacked people in their fields and olive groves,
(34:45):
and killed people, all without repercussion. The UN has recorded
five hundred and seventy three attacks by settlers in the
West Bank since October seventh, with Israeli forces the IOF
accompanying them half of the time. At least nine people
have been killed by settlers and three hundred and eighty
two have been killed by the IOF. According to these
(35:06):
numbers by the UN, human rights groups in Israel and
the West Bank allege a long pattern of violence that
has been enabled by the IOF. The army, however, of course,
denies this. Human rights groups in Israel and the West
Bank allege a long pattern of violence by settlers that
is enabled by the occupation forces. The army of course
(35:29):
denies this. As I mentioned earlier, the IOF has a
long history of using unnecessary lethal force, and we're seeing
that increasingly happen in the West Bank. I want to
end this episode with a quote from the Israeli Group
B seven. They told the BBC. Since the beginning of
the war in the Gaza Strip, Israel has continued to
(35:50):
implement a lethal open fire policy in the West Bank.
Of the almost four hundred Palestinians killed by Israeli forces
since October seventh, many did not pose a threat at
the level that would justify the use of lethal force.
With extremely rare exceptions that usually involve low ranking soldiers.
(36:10):
No one is brought to justice for the killing of Palestinians.
This reflects Israel's profound disregard for the lives and bodies
of Palestinians. And that is our episode for today. As usual.
Please please keep talking about Palestine. Please keep raising awareness
about this ongoing genocide that's happening in both Gaza and
(36:33):
the West Bank. And yeah, just they'll stop talking about it.
Pre Palestine. It Could Happen Here as a production of
cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from cool Zone Media,
visit our website cool zonemedia dot com or check us
(36:54):
out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to podcasts. You can find sources for It Could
Happen Here, updated monthly at coolzonemedia dot com slash sources.
Thanks for listening.
All Zone Media. Hello, this is it could happen here
and I am Sharene Today we have an update for
you about what is happening in Palestine. There is a
lot that is happening in Palestine, way way too much
to cover in a single podcast episode, but I hope
this at least gives you a general idea of where
(00:23):
we currently stand, just for clarity and context. I am
recording this on Tuesday, March twelfth, so any numbers I mention,
unfortunately and probably are different. Now at this point, there
have been over five months of bombardment and genocide and
this has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with children
(00:44):
starving to death due to malnutrition and dehydration as Israel
has imposed restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza. Five months
of genocide on top of more than a decade and
a half of blockade, have caused relentless mental harm to
children in Gaza. According to a report released by Save
the Children on Tuesday, twenty five Palestinians in Graza including
(01:07):
out these, twenty children and a two month old baby,
have died of malnutrition and dehydration. According to the Palestinian
Ministry of Health, the true death toll due to starvation
is feared to be much higher, as many Palestinians, particularly
in northern Gaza, face famine and are almost entirely cut
off from the severely limited humanitarian aid which is entering
(01:29):
Gaza through the southern Rapah crossing. Many Israelis have also
been blocking aid from entering Gaza. A group of Israeli
protesters have been blocking AID trucks from crossing into the
Gaza Strip for weeks now, vowing that quote not a
single loaf of bread should reach those trapped in the
tiny region of the Gaza Strip until all remaining hostages
(01:51):
are released. The area around Karam Shalom, which is Israel's
only functioning border crossing with Gaza, is a closed military zone,
but the IOF officers and their presence there hardly deters
the dozens of protesters, who are mostly settlers, families of hostages,
and deactivated military reservists. It does not deter them from
(02:11):
trekking through the area and protesting in an attempt to
slow AID trucks from entering Razza. I'm noticing right now
that I'm interchangeably using Gaza and Razza. Raza's just how
you say in Arabic, sofyi if I jump around my apologies.
On the ground, CNN recorded an interview with protester w Sharon.
(02:33):
She pointed to an AID truck convoy and said this
arrives into the tunnels of Hamas, fighting us and holding
our hostages. There is no evidence that the majority of AID,
including food and medical supplies, is going to Hamas. Sharon
and her fellow protesters are demanding that AIDS stop entering Gaza,
(02:54):
where over thirty thousand people have now been killed according
to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, with people at an
increasing risk of starvation. Another protester named Katya said they
should only get the minimum calories to survive if they
are starving to death, give the hostages back. Not a
single loaf of bread should go there till our hostages
(03:16):
are coming back. When questioned about the scale of human
suffering in Gaza, Katya seemed unmoved. She said, even if
there is a humanitarian crisis, and there is not, it
is my right and my duty to prioritize the Kiffeiti
Bibas over any Gazen babies. Kiffitabibas is a one year
(03:36):
old who is being held hostage along with the baby's parents.
So that's what she's referring to, prioritizing Israeli babies over
Palestinian babies. Very little AID has made it into Palestine,
and perhaps nothing captures what the US and Israel actually are.
Then a picture that has been making the rounds on
(03:58):
social media recently. It's a photographs showing US AID drops
and Israeli air strikes targeting civilian areas in northern Gaza,
happening at the same time, falling on the rubble of
destroyed buildings. The AID and the air strikes dropping at
the same moment is dystopian and beyond fucked up. Since
(04:18):
October seventh, Israel has also shut off entry of food, water,
and medicine, as well as other supplies from entering Gaza,
only allowing a trickle of AID trucks through two crossings
in the south. Israel has blamed the starvation that Palestinians
are enduring in Gaza on UN agencies, saying that they
fail to distribute supplies piling up at Gaza crossings. The UNRWA,
(04:41):
which is the largest UN agency in Gaza, says Israel
restricts goods and imposes cumbersome inspections that slow entry of aid. Also,
distribution within Gaza has been crippled. Un officials say. They
say that convoys regularly are turned back by Israeli forces
and that the military often reached fuses safe passage amid fighting,
(05:02):
and that the AD does not get to the people
that need it the most, often being grabbed from trucks
by hungry Palestinians en route to the drop off points.
Recent air drops of aid by the US and other
countries provide far lower amounts of AID than truck deliveries,
which have become increasingly more rare, and they're also sometimes dangerous.
(05:22):
The UNRWA says that Israeli authorities haven't allowed it to
deliver supplies to the north of Gaza since January twenty third.
The World Food Organization, which had paused deliveries because of
safety concerns, said the military forced its first convoy to
the north in two weeks to turn back on Tuesday.
Jarine from the Future is here just for this quick update.
(05:45):
Yesterday Wednesday, Israeli forces hit a food distribution center and
aid's center in Raphach. The UNRWA said that one of
their staff members were killed and twenty two others were injured,
and it said up to sixty people were believed to
have been working there when it was hit. Those killed
were said to be a fifteen year old boy and
four men who were between twenty seven and fifty years old.
(06:07):
Rafai resident Sami Abu Salim said it's a UNRWA center
expected to be secure. Some came to work to distribute
aid to the people in need of food during the
holy month of Ramadan. Suddenly they were struck by two missiles.
The un r WA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a
statement that it was one of the very few UNWA
(06:31):
distribution centers that was still operating in Gaza after these
five months of genocide. He said this attack comes as
food supplies are running out, Hunger is widespread and in
some areas turning into famine every day. We shared the
coordinates of all of our facilities across the Gaza Strip
with parties to the conflict. The Israeli Army received the coordinates,
(06:52):
including this facility yesterday. Since October, the un r WA
says at least one hundred and sixty five of its
eighteen thousand employees in Gaza have been killed, and that
more than one hundred and fifty of its facilities have
been hit by Israeli forces. Here are the latest casualty
figures as of March thirteenth, at twelve forty pm. In Gaza,
(07:15):
there are at least thirty one thousand, two hundred and
seventy two people who have been killed. Of those, there
are twelve thousand and three hundred children who have been killed,
as well as eight thousand, four hundred women who have
been killed. There are more than seventy three thousand and
twenty four people who have been injured, including eight thousand
and six hundred and sixty three children who have been
(07:37):
injured and six thousand, three hundred and twenty seven women
who have been injured. There are more than eight thousand
Palestinians who are missing in Gaza. The latest figures from
the Palestinian Ministry of Health for the occupied West Bank
is as follows. At least four hundred and thirty two
people have been killed, including more than one hundred and
(07:57):
fifteen children. There are more than four thousand, six hundred
and fifty Palestinians who have been injured in the West Bank.
In Israel, officials have revised the death toll from October
seventh from one thousand, four hundred and five to one thousand,
one hundred and thirty nine. As far as the injured go,
in Israel, there are at least eight thousand, seven hundred
(08:18):
and thirty people who have been injured, according to the
latest data from the UN's Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, as well as the
Palestinian government. As of February twenty five, Israeli attacks have
damaged more than half of Gaza's homes. Three hundred and
sixty thousand residential units have been destroyed or damaged. There
(08:40):
have been three hundred and ninety two educational facilities that
have been destroyed, including all universities. Twelve out of the
thirty five hospitals are partially functioning. One hundred and thirty
two ground water wells have been damaged or destroyed. Two
hundred and sixty seven places of worship have also been destroyed.
(09:00):
We want to emphasize how damaging starvation is and famine is.
Starvation causes long lasting damage to the body. Large numbers
of people in Gaza are experiencing malnutrition. Studies of famines
in other countries show that famines can have long lasting
impacts on people's health and even that of their descendants.
(09:23):
A new type of video has been circulating online from
the Raza Strip footage showing families baking quote unquote bread
which is made from bird seed, eating weeds, and giving
newborn babies dat to suck on instead of milk. The
Accountability Program director at Defense for Children International Palestine said,
it is unthinkable that in twenty twenty four, in a
(09:46):
world that produces more than enough food for all people,
that Palestinian children are starving to death. The starvation of
children is a hallmark of genocide and a deliberate political
choice by Israel, backed by the Biden administration. It is
complete madness that Israeli authorities continue to prohibit and restrict
food and other life saving supplies to a starving population
(10:10):
while the international community stands by. Palestinians in Gaza started
to experience chronic hunger within weeks of October seventh. At
this point in time, Israeli strikes have killed more than
thirty thousand Palestinians, and this is according to Gaza's Ministry
of Health. The death tolls that come out of the
Palestinian Ministry of Health. They account for Palestinians who die
(10:33):
at hospitals or whose families report their deaths to the Ministry.
Due to the telecommunications blackout, the collapse of the medical system,
Israeli ground invasion, and continued Israeli aerial bombardment, many Palestinians
are not able to reach hospitals and so this number
is likely far far greater than it actually is. And
as I mentioned, Israeli authorities have repeatedly blocked and severely
(10:56):
restricted any humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. On Tuesday, Israeli
forces attacked Palestinians who were waiting for aid trucks at
the Kuwait roundabout south of Gaza City and they killed
seven people. Keep in mind, this is after what has
become known as the Flower Massacre. On February twenty ninth,
the Israeli Occupation Forces AA the IOF killed at least
(11:19):
one hundred and eighteen Palestinians who were attempting to get
aid from a convoy in Gaza City. In this Flower massacre.
Along with the one hundred and eighteen Palestinians who were
shot and killed, at least seven hundred and fifty additional
Palestinians were injured. They were just trying to get food
from the aid trucks to feed their family. The United
(11:40):
States recently delivered two air drops of aid alongside the
Dardanian military into northern Gaza. The air drops contained a
total of seventy four thousand, eight hundred meals, and this
was widely criticized as a public relations move because the
Biden administration is still clearly complicit in Israel's genocide of Palestinians.
International criminal law prohibits serious atrocities, including core crimes of genocide,
(12:06):
the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes,
and provides for individual criminal responsibility for perpetrators. The crime
of genocide constitutes the deliberate killing of a large number
of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with
the aim of destroying that nation or group in whole
or in part. Genocide can result from killing or by
(12:29):
creating conditions of life that are so unbearable. Intentionally using
starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is an
underlying act of genocide, and it amounts to a war crime.
I've said this before on this podcast. I'll say it again,
but At this point, international law means nothing. I mean,
it hasn't been anything for a long time. Nothing happens
(12:51):
with Israel continues to break international law, so that phrase
is a little empty to me when they are in
violation of international law. But here we are, and it
should be noted that starvation of civilians also contributes and
is an active genocide. I've talked about why this is
genocide in other episodes, but it's a clear ACTI of
(13:12):
genocide what Israel is doing to Palestinians, and many scholars
agree with that. Anyway, let's continue. As weeks of blockades
on food and other aid have turned into months, starvation
has reached historic proportions. One recent report by the Global
Nutrition Cluster, which is a United Nations Children's Fund, a
(13:35):
UNISEF led partnership of humanitarian organizations. It found that in
December of twenty twenty three in January of twenty twenty four,
nine and ten children under the age of two and
more than nine and ten pregnant and breastfeeding women surveyed
had consumed two or fewer food groups in the previous day.
(13:55):
This situation is considered severe food poverty. Two thirds of
households were eating just once a day, if at all.
In the northern Gaza Strip, one in six babies and
toddlers were acutely malnourished. Aid organizations say that these numbers
today are likely to be far, far worse, and that
(14:16):
the rapid onset and complexity of Gaza's food crisis is unprecedented.
Ted Chaiban is the Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action
and Supply Operations at UNICEF. He said in a recent statement,
the Gaza Strip is poised to witness and explosion in
preventable child deaths. If the conflict does not end now,
(14:38):
children's nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths
or health issues which will affect the children of Gaza
for the rest of their lives and have potential intergenerational consequences.
There are nearly two point two million people living in
the Gaza Strip, nearly half of whom are children, nearly
(14:58):
one hundred and sixty million. I mean other people worldwide
are facing hunger, including millions of people in Somalia, Afghanistan
and Sudan. The short term health consequences of food scarcity
have been studied extensively in children, an especially vulnerable group.
Severe acute malnutrition can lead to muscle wasting, stunted growth,
(15:20):
and medical complications including sepsis, meningitis, diarrhea, and severe anemia. Worldwide,
nearly half of all deaths of children less than five
years of age are linked to malnutrition. A growing body
of research is finding that even if these children return
to normal nutrition levels, a period of acute malnutrition can
(15:43):
lead to long lasting damage later in life, and it
may impact future generations. This is one of many examples
of why Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people isn't just
about death and the lives they've destroyed and the land
that they've taken. Israel's genocide is also about robbing Palestinians
of any livable future, affecting generations with Palestinians to come.
(16:07):
And they've done this since nineteen forty eight. That's why
it's no accident when children are targeted by the IOF,
when they're starving or when they're shot. They are murdered
as a way to prevent Palestinians from having a future
or having any hope. We see how the IOF shoots
children with the intention to kill. There are many many
(16:28):
examples of this, but here's a recent example. Two children
were killed in November in the West Bank. Adam Samir
el Rul, eight years old, was shot in the head.
Bazez ude Man Abu Edwafa, fifteen years old, was shot
in the chest. These children were both murdered and shot
(16:49):
with the intention to kill. The Israeli military and border
police forces have been killing Palestinian children with virtually no
recourse for accountability for decades. Back in August of twenty
twenty three. Well before October seventh of twenty twenty three,
Bill van Esfeld, who was the Associate Children's Rights Director
(17:09):
at Human Rights Watch, said Israeli forces are gunning down
Palestinian children living under occupation with increasing frequency. Unless Israel's allies,
particularly the United States, pressure Israel to change course, more
Palestinian children will be killed. And that is exactly what
(17:29):
has been happening. Many, many more Palestinian children have been killed,
all preventable. Human Rights Watch researchers and documenting four killings
that happened, interviewed in person, seven witnesses, nine family members
and other residents, lawyers, doctors, staff and field workers at
Palestinian and Israeli rights groups as well as reviews CCTV
(17:52):
footage and videos that were posted on social media, as
well as statements by Israeli security agencies, medical records, and
news reports. In all cases that they researched, Israeli forces
shot the children's upper bodies without, according to witnesses, issuing warnings,
or using common less lethal measures like tear gas, concussion
(18:12):
grenades or rubber coated bullets. I also want to draw
attention to how this genocide is also a mass disabling
event that will harm an entire generation and make them
reliant on infrastructure that does not physically exist. More than
ten children a day lose a limb in Gaza, and
this is from the source to save the children. At
(18:33):
least seventeen thousand children, which is one percent of Gaza's
overall displaced population of one point seven million, have now
been orphaned in the Gaza Strip and the number of
children who have been killed in Gaza. This number is
now reaching thirteen thousand children. The number of children reported
killed in just four months in Gaza is higher than
(18:55):
the number of children killed in four years of war
around the world combined. Let's take an ad break and
we'll be right back and we are back in the
(19:19):
twenty four hours between Sunday, March tenth and Monday, March eleventh,
during which the vast majority of Americans were busy watching
the stupid fucking oscars, seven massacres were committed by Israeli
occupation forces against families in Laza, killing sixty seven Palestinians
and injuring one hundred and six others. This happened as
(19:40):
people were distracted by watching this dumb display of nothing.
Palestinians are continuing to be murdered. And as for where
things currently stand right now, there are more than one
point seven million civilians who are trapped in the Rephah,
which is Gaza's last place of refuge, right on the south,
(20:00):
on the southern border. And this is after Israel kept
telling Palestinians to go south because of these quote unquote
safe zones that were clearly not safe at all. A
massacre is happening in the Dephah right now, and the
world is silent. And to make matters worse, not that
they can get any worse, Israeli Prime Ministers Benjamin and
Yahoo says that he intends to press ahead with the
(20:23):
invasion of the city of Raphach Joe Biden useless warned
that the offensive would be a quote red line. But
as we know, a slap on the wrist for Israel
means absolutely nothing, and they continue to act with impunity,
without any repercussions. When asked on Sunday whether Israeli forces
would move into Nan Yahu replied, we'll go there. We're
(20:45):
not going to leave them. You know, I have a
red line, and you know what the red line is
that October seven does not happen again. It never happens again.
He also dismissed the idea of a ceasefire for Ramadan,
saying that he would like to say, see another hostage release,
because without a release, there's not going to be a
pause in the fighting. And he also doubled down on
(21:06):
his rejection of the possibility of a Palestinian state. He
says the positions that I es bows are supported by
the overwhelming majority of Israelis who say to you, after
October seventh, we don't want to see a Palestinian state.
The Israeli people also support my position that says that
we should resoundingly reject the attempts to ram down our throats.
(21:28):
A Palestinian state that is something they agree. On the
evening of Sunday, March tenth was also the first day
of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. Tarak Ahmad, who
is the UK Minister of State responsible for relations to
the Middle East, to North Africa and the UN, on
Monday he urged Israel to quote allow unhindered access to
(21:51):
Jerusalem's holy sites during Ramadan. What has Israel done since then?
You may ask, well, Israel has put up a barbed
wire fence around Theluxamosque, something it hasn't done since nineteen
sixty seven. Israel erected barbed wire on a fence around
the Lions Gate area adjacent to Theluximosque complex and occupied
(22:11):
East Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Governor's office itself said in a
statement on Monday, this is a dangerous precedent that has
never occurred since nineteen sixty seven. The Lions Gate, also
known as Bab Adasabat, is located within Jerusalem's Old City
and is one of the main gates leading to Theluxamosque.
(22:33):
Israel clearly aims to prevent Palestinians from entering Uximosque during
the holy month of Ramadan. Israeli forces have also imposed
a strict siege on Theluxamosque for the past five months,
preventing entry into it. On Sunday night, Israeli forces prevented
hundreds of Palestinians from entering the Mosque to perform the Tetawekh,
(22:55):
a special night of prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
Be a Palestinian man near Bab a Zehara one of
the gates leading to the mosque before detaining him. Soldiers
also reportedly detained an Eluxamosque guard from the Old City
of Jerusalem. Continuing along with the news from just this week,
(23:16):
on Monday, Israeli forces arrested six Palestinian boys from the
town of Saella, northeast of occupied Jerusalem. Video footage showed
a group of Israeli soldiers tying the Palestinians with a
rope and dragging them in a humiliating manner through the
streets of Essaella. You see this in this footage. They
(23:37):
wrangle them and treat them like fucking cattle. Worse than
fucking cattle. They're treated worse than animals. And the entire
world is witnessing this and what it's absolutely sickening to
me is that so many Americans would probably care more
about a dead dog than about a dead Palestinian. And
if that sentence made you uncomfortable, well it's supposed to.
(23:58):
Palestinians have not been or depicted as human for so
long that it's just become normal. But it is not normal.
In Palestinian life matters just as much as any other.
(24:22):
I want to also take a moment to talk about
what's happening in the West Bank. According to Amnesty International,
Israeli forces have unleashed a brutal wave of violence against
Palestinians and the occupied West Bank in the last five months,
carrying out unlawful killings, including by using lethal force without
necessity or disproportionately during protests and arrest raids, as well
(24:44):
as denying medical assistance to those injured. The organization investigated
four emblematic cases where Israeli forces used unlawful lethal force,
three incidents in October and one in November, which resulted
in the unlawful killing of twenty p Palestinians, including seven children.
Researchers remotely interviewed twelve people, ten of them eyewitnesses, including
(25:08):
first responders and local residents. The organization's Crisis Evidence Lab
verified nineteen videos and four photos in examining these four incidents.
Amnesty International's research also found that Israeli forces obstructed medical
assistance to people with life threatening wounds, as well as
attacked those attempting to assist injured Palestinians, including paramedics. Since
(25:33):
October seventh, Israeli forces have stepped up raids, carrying them
out almost daily across the occupied West Bank and what
it describes as search and arrest operations. In one recent
incident that you may have seen online, Israeli forces carried
out arrayed masquerading as medical staff. In twenty twenty three,
(25:54):
at least five hundred and seven Palestinians were killed in
the West Bank, including eighty one children, making it the
deadliest year for Palestinians since the United Nations Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began recording casualties in two
thousand and five. Erica Guavera Rosas, Amnesty International Director of
(26:15):
Global Research, Advocacy and Policy, said under the cover of
the relentless bombardment and atrocity crimes in Gaza, Israeli forces
have unleashed unlawful lethal force against Palestinians in the occupied
West Bank, carrying out unlawful killings and displaying a chilling
disregard for Palestinian lives. These unlawful killings are a blatant
(26:38):
violation of international human rights law and are committed with
impunity in the context of maintaining Israel's institutionalized regime of
systematic oppression and domination over Palestinians. These cases provide shocking
evidence of the deadly consequences of Israel's unlawful use of
(26:58):
force against Palestinian in the West Bank. Israeli authorities, including
the Israeli judicial system, have proven shamefully unwilling to ensure
justice for Palestinian victims. In this climate of near total impunity,
an international justice system worth its salt must step in.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must investigate these
(27:21):
killings and injuries as possible war crimes of wilful killing
and wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury. The situation
in Palestine. In Israel is a litmus test for the
legitimacy and reputation of the Court. It cannot afford to
fail it. Since October seventh, across the West Bank. Israeli
(27:42):
security forces use of unlawful force during law enforcement operations
has been unrelenting, sowing fear and intimidation among entire communities.
It has also been used to disperse rallies and protests
held in solidarity with Gaza and demanding the release of
Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Between October seventh and December thirty one,
(28:04):
of twenty twenty three, two hundred and ninety nine Palestinians
were killed, marking a fifty percent increase compared to the
first nine months of the year. At least sixty one
to more Palestinians, including thirteen children, have been killed so
far in twenty twenty four as of the end of January,
according to the numbers reported by OCHA. Israel has a
(28:27):
well documented track record of using excessive and often lethal
force to stifle descent and enforce its system of apartheid
against Palestinians, leading to a historic pattern of unlawful killings
committed with impunity. In one illustrative case investigated by Amnesty International,
Israeli military and border police forces use excessive force during
(28:49):
a thirty hour long raid on nous Chemi's refugee camp
on October nineteenth. During the operation, Israeli forces killed thirteen Palestinians,
including six children, four of them under the age of sixteen,
as well as arrested fifteen people. Israeli military sources quoted
in media reports said that one Israeli Border police officer
(29:12):
was killed and nine were injured after an improvised explosive
device was thrown at them by Palestinians. Residents told Amnesty
International that during the operation, Israeli soldiers stormed more than
forty residential homes, destroying personal belongings and drilling holes in
the walls for sniper outposts. Water and electricity to the
(29:33):
camp was cut off, and soldiers used bulldozers to destroy
public roads, electricity networks, and water infrastructure. Among those killed
during the October nineteenth raid was fifteen year old Taha Muhammad,
who Israeli forces shot dead in front of his house
when he came out to check whether Israeli forces had
left the area. Taha was unarmed and posed no threat
(29:57):
to the soldiers at the time he was shot. Based
on eyewitness testimony and videos that were reviewed by Amnesty International,
a video filmed by one of his sisters and verified
by Amnesty's Crisis Evidence Lab chose Taha walking on the street,
peeking to check for the presence of soldiers, and then
collapsing on the street outside of his house after the
(30:18):
sound of three gunshots. Faltima, Taha's sister, told Amnesty International
they did not give him a chance. They did not
give him a chance. In an instant, my brother was eliminated.
Three bullets were fired without any mercy. The first bullet
hit him in the leg, the second in his stomach,
the third in his eye. There were no confrontations, there
(30:42):
was no conflict. An eyewitness told Amnesty International that went
Toaha's father, Ibrahim Muhammad, then attempted to carry his injured
son to safety. Israeli forces shot him in the back.
A verified video filmed by one of Taha's sisters immediately
after the shooting chose Taha's father lying on the ground
next to him before limping away. My father raised his
(31:06):
hands showing the soldiers that he had nothing in them.
He just wanted to take his son. They shot him
with one bullet and my father fell next to Taha.
I want to mention that one example, but many, many
more have happened since then and before then, Protests and
solidarity with Palestinians and Razza have been held frequently across
the occupied West Bank. Since October seventh, some protesters have
(31:29):
been seen throwing stones in response to the presence or
forceful intervention of the Israeli forces. The iof's use of
lethal force in response to rock throwing is not new,
even if the rock throwing is done by children. In theory,
lethal force and law enforcement can only be used when
there is an eminent threat to life. Its use is
(31:51):
not a proportionate response to stone throwing. In another egregious
case that happened on October thirteenth in Tokaram, two I
witnesses described to Amnesty International how Israeli forces stationed at
a military watch tower both at one of the main
entrances to the town, as well as on the roof
of a nearby home, and then they opened fire on
(32:12):
a crowd of at least eighty unarmed Palestinians who were
peacefully demonstrating in solidarity with Gaza. Two journalists who were
at the scene separately told Amnesty International that they saw
Israeli forces firing two tear gas canisters at the crowd
and shortly afterwards opening live fire at them without any
warning shots. The two journalists saw four people being shot
(32:34):
and injured as they tried to run away from the shooting.
A few minutes later, Israeli forces then opened fire in
the direction of the journalists, even though they were both
wearing vests clearly marked as press. They hid behind a
wall along with three children and had to remain there
for about two hours as the operation continued. During this time,
(32:56):
they also witnessed a Palestinian man who was riding past
them on a bike being shot by an Israeli soldier.
One of the journalists also saw another demonstrator being shot
in the head. She described how the victim was suddenly
shot and fell to the ground. The obstruction of medical
assistance by Israeli forces during operations like this across Palestine
(33:17):
is unfortunately a routine practice. An Amnesty International has documented
this for years, saying it is a part of Israel's
system of apartheid. Under international law, Israeli forces have an
obligation to ensure anyone injured by their forces is able
to access medical treatment. Amnesty International investigated five occasions where
(33:40):
the Israeli forces hindered or prevented those who were seriously
injured in demonstrations and raids from receiving critical medical assistance.
They also shot at Palestinians trying to help, including medics
tending to the wounded during the raid I mentioned earlier
on Nourshem's on October nineteenth, three eyewitnesses, including a paramedic
(34:01):
on the scene said two ambulances were stopped at the
entrance of the camp and prevented from reaching the injured.
The witnesses said the residents were forced to transport the
wounded to a hospital in private cars. Since October seventh,
according to the UN, more than four hundred Palestinians have
been killed, one hundred and seven of those being children
(34:23):
in the West Bank. I also want to mention the
settler attacks on Palestinians, not just by the IOF, because
these settler attacks have also become routine. Settlers have burned
cars and houses, blockaded roads, damaged electricity networks, seas farmland,
severed irrigation lines, attacked people in their fields and olive groves,
(34:45):
and killed people, all without repercussion. The UN has recorded
five hundred and seventy three attacks by settlers in the
West Bank since October seventh, with Israeli forces the IOF
accompanying them half of the time. At least nine people
have been killed by settlers and three hundred and eighty
two have been killed by the IOF. According to these
(35:06):
numbers by the UN, human rights groups in Israel and
the West Bank allege a long pattern of violence that
has been enabled by the IOF. The army, however, of course,
denies this. Human rights groups in Israel and the West
Bank allege a long pattern of violence by settlers that
is enabled by the occupation forces. The army of course
(35:29):
denies this. As I mentioned earlier, the IOF has a
long history of using unnecessary lethal force, and we're seeing
that increasingly happen in the West Bank. I want to
end this episode with a quote from the Israeli Group
B seven. They told the BBC. Since the beginning of
the war in the Gaza Strip, Israel has continued to
(35:50):
implement a lethal open fire policy in the West Bank.
Of the almost four hundred Palestinians killed by Israeli forces
since October seventh, many did not pose a threat at
the level that would justify the use of lethal force.
With extremely rare exceptions that usually involve low ranking soldiers.
(36:10):
No one is brought to justice for the killing of Palestinians.
This reflects Israel's profound disregard for the lives and bodies
of Palestinians. And that is our episode for today. As usual.
Please please keep talking about Palestine. Please keep raising awareness
about this ongoing genocide that's happening in both Gaza and
(36:33):
the West Bank. And yeah, just they'll stop talking about it.
Pre Palestine. It Could Happen Here as a production of
cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from cool Zone Media,
visit our website cool zonemedia dot com or check us
(36:54):
out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to podcasts. You can find sources for It Could
Happen Here, updated monthly at coolzonemedia dot com slash sources.
Thanks for listening.
It Could Happen Here News
Host
Robert Evans
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