US won’t follow through on sanctions against IDF units; Netanyahu calls for crackdown on American students; Emory president defends police violently arresting female prof who tried to stop police beating students; some Gazan dead show signs of possible organ theft; Israeli police arrest rabbis marching to Gaza; Israel gives Hamas a “last chance” for hostage deal before Rafah invasion; one UNRWA employee case closed; Freedom Flotilla updates…
By IAK staff, from reports
US holds off on sanctioning Israeli military units accused of gross human rights violations
ABC News reports: The Biden administration has determined that three military battalions with the Israel Defense Forces committed “gross human rights violations” against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank – but will remain eligible for U.S. military aid regardless because of steps Israel says it’s taking to address the problem, ABC News has learned.
The administration assessment, which has not yet been made public and could change if Israel doesn’t take specific steps, was outlined in an undated letter by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to House Speaker Mike Johnson obtained by ABC News.
Under a federal measure known as the Leahy Law, the U.S. military is required to withhold weapons, training and other military assistance to any foreign military unit that commits gross human rights abuses.
[READ: Leahy Law would cut aid to Israel, but no one wants to enforce it]
The law, however, allows an exception for countries that have taken steps “to bring to justice the responsible members of the unit,” according to Blinken’s letter. Blinken insists that Israel has not been given preferential treatment.
According to a person familiar with the process, the U.S. and Israel also have a special agreement that requires the U.S. to consult with the Israelis before making any decisions related to the Foreign Assistance Act.
The person said those consultations with Israel remain ongoing and that if a military unit is found not to take “satisfactory remediation or accountability measures,” US aid would then be restricted.
Israel has “acknowledged” that an IDF battalion (the Netzah Yehuda battalion) had engaged in “conduct inconsistent” with Israel’s rules. As a result, the unit was transferred from the West Bank to the Golan Heights in 2022, Blinken noted.
However, Blinken wrote, “The Israeli government has presented new information regarding the status of the unit and we will engage on identifying a path to effective remediation for this unit. But this will have no impact on our support for Israel’s ability to defend itself against Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, or other threats.”
Blinken noted that no other units were found in violation of the Leahy Law.
The secretary spoke with top Israeli officials this week following reports by Axios and ProPublica that the U.S. planned to “sanction” IDF units.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would fight the Biden administration on such a move, calling it a “moral low.”
ESSENTIAL NOTE: Israel is in violation of a White House directive requiring recipients of American military assistance to comply with international humanitarian law and permit the unimpeded delivery of U.S.-funded humanitarian support, USAID officials concluded in a confidential United States paper reviewed by Devex.
In a submission to Blinken, USAID “assesses the government of Israel (GOI) does not currently demonstrate necessary compliance” with the memo’s requirement that it facilitate and not impede “the transport of delivery of United States humanitarian assistance” as well as U.S.-backed international efforts to provide relief.
The USAID paper also voiced “serious concerns that the killing of nearly 32,000 people, of which the GOI itself assesses roughly two-thirds are civilians, may well amount to a violation of the international humanitarian law.” But it added that a final determination would be subject “to detailed analysis” by U.S. government lawyers. The current death toll has risen to over 34,000, according to U.N. estimates, which are based on figures compiled by Hamas-run Health Ministry.
The paper was cleared by 10 USAID officials, underscoring its widespread backing of the findings.
Devex also cited a separate memo to Blinken from experts at USAID and the Department of State, which assessed international observers will declare “ongoing famine” in Gaza at the beginning of next month.
Israeli police arrest rabbis marching towards Gaza crossing
JTA reports: Israeli police arrested Ayelet Waldman, a Jewish American author, while she was with a group trying to deliver relief to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Waldman, who is Israeli-born, was one of seven people arrested Friday morning at a protest action organized by Rabbis for Human Rights, and one of five Americans. Two were released before Shabbat, organizers said, but Waldman was still in custody at the police station in Ashkelon, a city near the Gaza border.
Her husband Michael Chabon, also a noted novelist, expressed concern about her status on Instagram. “She was there in the company of a group of American rabbis, #rabbis4ceasefire, to show the world, the people of Gaza, and their fellow Jews in Israel, and around the world what Judaism teaches: justice, lovingkindness, peace, mercy, liberation,” he said.
Israel warns: “Last chance” for hostage deal before Rafah invasion
Axios reports: Israeli officials told their Egyptian counterparts on Friday that Israel is ready to give hostage negotiations “one last chance” to reach a deal with Hamas, but if there isn’t progress soon it will move forward with a ground invasion of Rafah, two senior Israeli officials said.
The Egyptians are increasingly concerned about a possible Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and are making a last minute push for a hostage deal that would lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and stop an invasion of Rafah.
Egyptian officials have raised concerns that an Israeli operation in the city would lead to tens of thousands of Palestinians entering their territory, potentially involving a breach of the border that would endanger Egypt’s security.
One UNRWA staffer probe closed, four other cases suspended: UN
Associated Press reports: UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric has provided an update on the investigation into Israeli claims against 19 staffers at United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Israel had initially claimed that 12 UNRWA staffers took part in the October 7 attacks on southern Israel, with another seven cases later brought to the UN’s attention. The allegations prompted 16 countries to suspend funding to the agency, which aid officials consider essential to humanitarian support in the enclave.
The UN undertook an internal review in the wake of the allegations, and a second independent review was also launched.
Dujarric has now said that the UN investigation has so far resulted in one case against a staffer being closed due to a lack of evidence. Four more have been suspended due with the US saying Israel has not provided enough evidence to move forward with the probes.
The investigations into the 14 other staffers remain ongoing.
West Bank: Two killed, two injured from Israeli army gunfire near Jenin
WAFA reports: Israeli occupation forces dawn Saturday killed two Palestinians and injured two others near Salem checkpoint, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to security sources.
They said the occupation forces fired a volley of gunfire at a group of Palestinian youths in the vicinity of the permanently staffed checkpoint, killing 22-year-old Mustafa Sultan Abed and 21-year-old Ahmad Mohammad Shawahneh and injuring two others.
The heavily-armed soldiers prevented ambulances from reaching the area to recover the bodies of the two slain youths.
World court to rule Tuesday on case accusing Germany of facilitating Gaza genocide
Andalou Agency reports: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday announced that it will rule Tuesday on a case accusing Germany of facilitating genocide in Israel’s months-long offensive on the Gaza Strip.
“On Tuesday 30 April 2024, the International Court of Justice will deliver its Order on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Nicaragua in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the court said in a statement.
According to the statement, a public sitting will take place at 3 p.m. (1300GMT) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Nawaf Salam, the court’s head, will read out its ruling.
Nicaragua initiated proceedings against Germany at the world court accusing Berlin of facilitating genocide in Gaza by providing political and military support to Israel.
At a hearing earlier this month, Nicaragua requested the court issue emergency measures for Germany to stop its arms exports to Israel and reverse its decision to suspend funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA.
Israeli PM says ICC decisions will not affect actions
Benjamin Netanyahu says any rulings issued by the International Criminal Court will not affect Israel’s actions but would “set a dangerous precedent”.
“Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the International Criminal Court in The Hague to undermine its basic right to defend itself,” the prime minister said in a statement shared online.
“While decisions made by the court in The Hague will not affect Israel’s actions, they will set a dangerous precedent that threatens soldiers and public figures.”
View this post on Instagram
Follow the Freedom Flotilla
UN experts have demanded safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, whose ships departing Türkiye will be carrying 5,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid and hundreds of international humanitarian observers to the besieged Gaza Strip. “As the Freedom Flotilla approaches Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, Israel must adhere to international law, including recent orders from the International Court of Justice to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid,” the experts said.
They issued the following statement:
“Two hundred days into Israel’s siege and genocidal violence, including an unprecedented starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the situation continues to deteriorate. After a 17-year blockade against Gaza, Israel has now created a famine by cutting off the regular supply of water, food and critical goods into Gaza, destroying livelihoods, the food system and civilian infrastructure. Failing to comply with its humanitarian obligations as the occupying power, Israel is also restricting humanitarian aid, intentionally bombarding humanitarian convoys, and targeting both aid workers and civilians seeking aid.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a civilian peaceful initiative whose ships departing Türkiye will be carrying 5,500 tons of humanitarian aid and hundreds of international humanitarian observers to the besieged Gaza Strip. Comprising a diverse coalition of human rights activists, including lawyers, doctors, nurses, journalists, parliamentarians and politicians, the convoy aims to deliver life-saving aid directly to the besieged people of Gaza, legitimately challenging Israel’s control over the entry of humanitarian assistance. Besieging a civilian population is unlawful…” (Read the full UN statement here.)
NOTE: We will bring regular updates about the 2024 Freedom Flotilla until it arrives in Gaza.
NOTE: Read about the individuals who launched the flotilla movement over 16 years ago here.
CAMPUS PROTEST UPDATE
With eyes on US college campuses, students stress: ‘Gaza is why we’re here’
Al Jazeera reports: Global attention has turned to universities across the United States, where students have erected encampments to demand action to end Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
The growing protests have taken root on the campuses of some of the country’s top academic institutions, including Columbia and Harvard.
And over the past weeks, they have spurred heated debates around freedom of speech, Palestinian solidarity activism in the US, and the use of force to disperse student protesters, among other issues.
But the students at the heart of the movement say the reason they began their demonstrations – the pressing need to end Israel’s deadly bombardment of Gaza – risks being lost amid a cacophony of voices and distractions.
“Gaza is why we’re here. Gaza is why we’re doing this,” said Rue, a student at The New School in New York City who asked to only be identified by her first name due to a fear of reprisals.
Statement from Palestinian Educational Collective: Youth, students, and university workers in Palestine: we stand with our comrades in the campus movement!
We, a group of Palestinian youth, students, and university workers, stand shoulder to shoulder, in solidarity and pride, with our comrades who are protesting on university campuses across the United States, Europe, Egypt, Australia, and other parts of the world. We hear you, we appreciate your struggle, and together we will triumph against oppression.
These protests mark a decisive turning point in the struggle for our collective liberation. Emerging from a long tradition of global struggles for the freedom of colonized and subjugated people, the ongoing protests mark the most significant moment in recent history of people across the world putting their bodies, freedoms, and futures on the line to force an end to the ongoing 76-year genocide and perpetual war against the Palestinian people…
As you erect tents across campuses, as you demand that colleges and universities divest from companies profiting from genocide, as you demand to put an end to academic programs with Israeli institutions, you are making history! Your loud cry for Palestinian liberation is being heard and is slowly but forcefully resonating around the world.
Together, we are collectively making history as we fortify our long tradition of resistance against injustice and fight for a just, free, and liberated future. (Read the full statement here.)
108 arrested during ‘horrific’ police sweep of Emerson College pro-Palestine encampment
GBH News reports: Boston police officers arrested 108 protesters during an overnight sweep of a pro-Palestinian encampment on the Emerson College campus in Downtown Boston. Both students and police say they were injured during the aggressive clash.
Officers surrounded the block during the sweep, according to a student who was arrested and asked to remain anonymous.
“We were trapped, so there wasn’t any way in or out for us,” they said. “They stormed both sides of the alley in full riot gear, with batons. Students were dragged, ripped from the front line. I was thrown to the ground with a knee on my back. Somebody that I was thrown into the wagon with had a bloody nose and wasn’t given medical attention until we were at the precinct. It was horrific. People were screaming that they couldn’t breathe while they were being arrested.”
MEMORABLE QUOTE
Donald Trump has criticized student-led protests at US colleges and universities, describing the peaceful rallies calling for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza as “tremendous hate”:
Charlottesville was a little peanut. And it was nothing compared to – and the hate wasn’t the kind of hate that you have here.
