Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza; reactions to Biden’s departure, a look at Kamala Harris – Day 288

Waleed Shahid, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement — which has garnered over 700,000 people nationwide casting protest votes against Biden’s hard-line support for Israel: “While by no means a champion of the cause, I’ve heard numerous people note that Vice President Harris exhibited a deeply different emotional reaction to the stories of Palestinian suffering than President Biden.

While the Vice Presidency is limited, many feel that she would be an improvement from Biden’s severe lack of empathy for Palestinians and his ties to the AIPAC old guard in the party. However, challenging AIPAC’s power within the Democratic Party establishment remains a formidable task regardless of who the nominee is.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog: I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Joe Biden for his friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades long career. As the first US President to visit Israel in wartime, as a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, and as a true ally of the Jewish people, he is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples.” 

NOTE: Conflating Israel with “the Jewish people” leads more or less directly to conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

Some 1,200 Jewish university professors signed a statement in May that warned against “the dangerous notion that Jewish identity is inextricably linked to every decision of Israel’s government… Far from combating antisemitism, this dynamic promises to amplify the real threats Jewish Americans already face.”

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett: “President Biden is a true friend of Israel who stood by us in our most difficult moments,” he wrote on X. “During my tenure as prime minister, I witnessed his unwavering support of the State of Israel. Thank you for everything.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant: “Thank you for your unwavering support of Israel over the years. Your steadfast backing, especially during the war, has been invaluable. We are grateful for your leadership and friendship.”

NOTE: Biden’s “unwavering support” for Israel has led him to support genocide, dismiss international law, and disregard the global justice system. It also flies in the face of American public opinion – which he chose to ignore throughout his campaign.

Israeli Settlers Brutally Attack Palestinians and Int’l Volunteers One Day After ICJ Rules Israeli Occupation, Settlers Illegal

International Solidarity Movement reports: On the heels of the ICJ decision pronouncing Israeli occupation illegal as a whole and pointing out to systematic lack of accountability for settler violence, three international volunteers were evacuated to a hospital in Nablus after being attacked by settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus.

Settlers who descended from the extremist Esh Kodesh south of Nablus, attacked Palestinian farmers tending to their lands, as well as international volunteers accompanying them for protection against such attacks. The Israeli settlers carried out the attack using metal pipes, batons and threw stones at the people from close range.

Three of the international volunteers sustained wounds requiring hospitalization with suspected fractures. A German national was hit in the face and arm with a metal pipe, and two American volunteers were clobbered using wooden batons. A fourth American volunteer suffered more minor injuries after being hit by stones thrown at her by the settlers, who also stole her phone.

Soldiers who arrived at the scene failed to carry out any arrests. Additionally, the Israeli Police emergency hotline refused to dispatch forces, telling the volunteer who called them for help that “the army notified them there is no need to send forces.”

(Read the full incident description here, see video below – TW.)

Such attacks have gone on for years. For example, see: “Heroism in the Holy Land,
Chris Brown Beaten for Walking Children to School”  and the video below:

View another recent settler attack below.

NOTE: The first moments of the video below show the actual attack; after that is a slightly longer clip showing the context – which included a conversation with an Israeli soldier.

Violent settlers must be held accountable. As Israel has proven unwilling or unable to bring them to justice, other countries must do so.

One of the implications of the ICJ AO is that UN member states may now be under an obligation to disclose the list of their nationals… https://t.co/NSWJedh4lM

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) July 21, 2024

Israel’s Ben-Gvir threatens to dismantle Palestinian Authority if US imposes sanctions on him

Al Jazeera reports: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has warned that if the US imposes sanctions on ultranationalist ministers including himself, they would respond by “completely dismantling the Palestinian Authority, including all its institutions and economy”, Israeli media has reported.

Reports suggest the Biden administration has been considering imposing sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in response to their policy of expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank.

“The very act of imposing sanctions on Israeli citizens by the American administration, which has already begun, constitutes a severe violation of Israeli sovereignty,” Ben-Gvir said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

NOTE: ABC News describes Itamar Ben-Gvir: Ben-Gvir has been convicted eight times for offenses that include racism and supporting a terrorist organization. As a teen, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service.

Ben Gvir gained notoriety in his youth as a follower of the late racist rabbi Meir Kahane. He first became a national figure when Ben-Gvir famously broke a hood ornament off then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car in 1995.

“We got to his car, and we’ll get to him too,” he said, just weeks before Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed to his peace efforts with the Palestinians.

He was first elected to parliament in 2021.

Ben-Gvir has called for deporting his political opponents, and in the past has encouraged police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers. As national security minister, he has encouraged police to take a tough line against anti-government protesters.

Ben-Gvir has been a magnet of controversy throughout his tenure — encouraging the mass distribution of handguns to Jewish citizens, backing Netanyahu’s contentious attempt to overhaul the country’s legal system and frequently lashing out at U.S. leaders for perceived slights against Israel.

French lawmaker says Israelis ‘not welcome’ at Olympics