Tag: Relationships

Israel

Biden’s SOTU on Gaza: Israeli Daughter of Freed Hostage & Palestinian American Professor Respond | Democracy Now!

Abdelhadi says that by arming Israel while offering limited aid to the starving population of Gaza, the Biden administration is “effectively holding a gun to Palestinians’ heads, shooting at them with one hand and throwing crumbs at them with the other.” Adding that campaigners plan to hold Biden electorally accountable for his continued support for Israel. “We are going to make sure that the DNC knows where we stand on this issue.”

Neta Heiman Mina, a member of the Israeli chapter of Women Wage Peace, whose 84-year-old mother, Ditza Heiman, was one of the hostages released during the temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in November.  Meanwhile, Mina calls on the Israeli government “to do everything we can” to return the remaining hostages, including an immediate ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners. “This genocide has been going on for 152 days, and it is 100% an American project,”

Source: Biden’s SOTU on Gaza: Israeli Daughter of Freed Hostage & Palestinian American Professor Respond | Democracy Now!

Israel

Former NATO Analyst Jacques Baud on Operation Al-Aqsa Flood: The Defeat of the Vanquisher – ScheerPost

How is it NATO supplies a report significantly different to the one Israel produced and the this report is independent of IDF influence.

Clearly, the aim was not to kill civilians, but rather to obtain a bargaining chip for the release of some 5,300 prisoners held by Israel. Eyewitness accounts in the Israeli press suggest that the original idea was to take only military prisoners (who are “more valuable” than civilians for an exchange). These same accounts show that the Palestinians were surprised to find so few military personnel on site, which can be explained by the fact that part of the garrisons had been redeployed to the West Bank a few weeks earlier. Yasmin Porat’s testimony, mentioned above, shows that Hamas fighters stayed with civilians in their homes, waiting for the security forces to intervene. The testimonies indicate that the Palestinian fighters left with civilian prisoners only after the Israeli military had intervened, firing indiscriminately into the houses with their tanks. It therefore appears that the capture of civilians was more the result of a combination of circumstances than a decision taken in advance.

The death of civilians was therefore not an objective, and the fact that the freed hostages declared that they had been treated with respect, and even in a friendly manner, tends to confirm that this was not a “pogrom” against the Israeli population.

Source: Former NATO Analyst Jacques Baud on Operation Al-Aqsa Flood: The Defeat of the Vanquisher – ScheerPost

Uncategorized

New Zealand’s trading relationship with China is worth $19b and experts say that leaves the country ‘significantly exposed’ – ABC News

NZ dairy cows

“They would be the first to say, ‘look let’s not insult China. Yes, let’s quietly object to their human rights practices, but don’t confront them to the point where they lose face and patience with New Zealand and carry out reprisals,” Mr Hoadley said. “The Australian situation is a kind of lesson to New Zealand of what to avoid.” For those people who rely on trade with China to pay their bills, the feeling is one of pragmatism. “If they were to ever shut their doors, it would have a massive impact,” Chris said. “They’re a major player in dairy exports for New Zealand and we want to keep them on-side.” The expectation among producers in New Zealand is that the Government will maintain the status quo with their Chinese customers. “They’re the face of the country, so we need them to be doing the right role for us,” he said. “All those decisions are out of our control. We just have to ride the wave.”

Source: New Zealand’s trading relationship with China is worth $19b and experts say that leaves the country ‘significantly exposed’ – ABC News

Informed Comment

The incestuous relationship between government, the financial sector, the regulators, and the legal firms they use – » The Australian Independent Media Network

via The incestuous relationship between government, the financial sector, the regulators, and the legal firms they use – » The Australian Independent Media Network