[News] Vijay Prashad - Israel’s war crimes

Anti-Imperialist News news at freedomarchives.org
Fri Dec 29 20:03:00 EST 2023 

peoplesdispatch.org 
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/29/israels-war-crimes/>


  Israel’s war crimes

Vijay Prashad
December 29, 2023
------------------------------------------------------------------------
iof-israel-gaza-war-crimes-1536x864.jpg

On the night of December 19, 2023, Israeli military forces surrounded 
the Al-Awda building in Gaza City’s Al-Remal neighbourhood. Four 
families were inside the building, including the Annan family, after 
whom the building is popularly known as the ‘Annan Building’. The 
Al-Remal area, along the Gaza coastline, was a middle-class area of 
apartment buildings. During the early days of the war, the Israelis 
cruelly bombed this residential area, turning this residential quarter 
into rubble. Some buildings—such as the Annan Building—remained intact 
and had become shelters for extended families. Israeli forces raided the 
building, separated the men from the women and children and then shot to 
death about fifteen of the men. According to the United Nations, the 
Israeli military then “allegedly ordered the women and children into a 
room, and either shot at them or threw a grenade into the room, 
reportedly seriously injuring some of them, including an infant and a 
child.”

The United Nations said on December 20 that it had “confirmed the 
killings” although UN officials were still verifying the details and 
circumstances. A day after the UN announced this “war crime”—a phrase 
used by the UN’s Office of Human Rights—the Israeli armed forces said 
that they had destroyed a tunnel network in Palestine Square, which is 
in Al-Remal. The Israelis claimed that these tunnels held the Hamas 
command and control centre as well as the homes of Hamas leaders Yahya 
Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. The Israelis bombed that area, hitting 
several residential buildings. This bombardment left behind an enormous 
crater. The death toll from this bombing is hard to confirm because the 
health system in Gaza has been deeply damaged by the continued Israeli 
assault. Israel says that it has already dismantled the tunnel network 
used by the Palestinian armed factions, although Israeli aircraft have 
not stopped their bombardment.

What happened on December 19 in the Annan Building is merely one 
incident amongst many, but it is indicative of the way the Israelis have 
been operating in Gaza. The death toll is now over 20,000, just about 1% 
of the Palestinian population in Gaza wiped out. A friend who lives not 
far from Al-Remal told me that he believes that the killings in the 
north of Gaza have accelerated over the past few days and that the 
Israelis appear to want to either kill the Palestinians who remain there 
or frighten everyone to leave the area entirely. On December 23, for 
instance, Israel’s bombing in northern Gaza killed 166 people. The next 
day, on Christmas Eve, Israeli jets flew back and forth over the Maghazi 
refugee camp (east of Deir Al-Balah) and the Bureij refugee camp (in the 
central Gaza Strip), bombing residential areas and killing at least a 
hundred people (including a two-week-old child). On December 25, the 
Israelis killed at least 250 civilians. These numbers—166, 100, 250—are 
merely what the Ministry of Health can discern. These are not accurate 
numbers. The Ministry’s spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra says that the 
numbers that they get are only for those whose deaths are confirmed and 
that they are expected to rise as more bodies are unearthed from the 
rubble. It is likely that when the dust settles, the number of those 
dead is far greater than the numbers being circulated now, which are 
already horrifying. It is important to recall that the Israelis had told 
Palestinians to evacuate to and shelter in the Maghazi camp (which had 
been attacked a month ago, with at least fifty people killed by the 
Israelis).

On December 23, the /Washington Post/ ran a story with a clear headline: 
‘Israel has waged one of the century’s most destructive wars in Gaza’. 
The story is based on their analysis of satellite data, airstrike data, 
UN damage assessments, and interviews with UN aid workers on the ground. 
The conclusion by the /Post/ is striking: “The evidence shows that 
Israel has carried out its war in Gaza at a pace and level of 
devastation that likely exceeds any recent conflict.” The /Post/ found 
that the “Israeli military has conducted repeated and widespread 
airstrikes in proximity to hospitals, which are supposed to receive 
special protection under the laws of war. Satellite imagery reviewed by 
/Post/ reporters revealed dozens of apparent craters near 17 of the 28 
hospitals in northern Gaza, where the bombing and fighting were most 
intense during the first two months of war, including 10 craters that 
suggested the use of bombs weighing 2,000 pounds, the largest in regular 
use.” The /Washington Post/ is the newspaper of record for the capital 
city of the United States, whose leadership has prevented a UN Security 
Council resolution calling for a ceasefire.

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has destroyed close to 40,000 
structures, including hospitals, schools, and homes. Some of these 
structures had been funded by the United States government. A year ago, 
the US Congress funded the upgrade of the Gaza Sports Club, which had 
been built in 1934. The provision of USD 519,000 allowed the Club to put 
in place new sports facilities, including an AstroTurf field for 
football. When the Club was refurbished, Dalia Nassir (age 21) said that 
she could not play in the old basketball court because it used to be 
flooded with rainwater. All that had been repaired. During Israel’s 
bombardment, it flattened the Club’s roof and destroyed the field. Even 
US-funded projects, in other words, have not been spared by the 
Israelis. Howard Sumka, who was the USAID mission director for Gaza and 
the West Bank between 2006 and 2010 said that this destruction “causes a 
bit of cognitive dissonance.” The US government funds a sports’ club, 
and it also funds the Israeli military (to the tune of USD 3 billion per 
year) to, well, destroy the club. “It is a bit Sisyphean,” said Sumka.

Michael Lynk, who was the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the 
Palestinian territories from 2016 to 2022, says of the killings, “The 
scale of Palestinian civilian deaths in such a short period of time 
appears to be the highest such civilian casualty rate in the 21^st 
century.” This is a powerful statement. Every time the UN can get more 
aid into Gaza, the Israeli bombardment of civilian areas intensifies, 
and the civilian deaths increase. There has been no remorse from the 
Israeli government, led by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding 
this enormous civilian toll. In fact, Netanyahu visited the troops in 
Gaza on December 25 and said to his parliamentarians on his return to 
Tel Aviv, “We are not stopping. We are continuing to fight, and we are 
deepening the fighting in the coming days. And this will be a long 
battle and it is not close to being over.”

The Egyptian and Qatari governments have put a peace plan together that 
calls for a ceasefire, for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, 
for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well 
as for the creation of a new government in Gaza. Hamas and Islamic Jihad 
rejected an earlier proposal that they cede political power in Gaza, 
although they are willing to join with other Palestinian factions to 
form a new government. Netanyahu’s cabinet continues its schizophrenic 
policy of negotiating with Hamas over hostages and trying to eradicate 
Hamas. Whether Israel will accept any peace plan is to be seen. 
Netanyahu’s attitude in the past few weeks has been utterly 
pertinacious, which makes the possibility of any deal less than likely.

/*Vijay Prashad* is an Indian historian, editor, and journalist. He is a 
writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is an editor 
of LeftWord Books 
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5bYDKjx60aVGdsmmAjYMDsvCzKZruO-2FJItY0fXDwim61tvXr_-2FJ85ydmw6EROK0dkbqzMVjFEvLsQ4-2Bl7Xs-2BKkbV3XqWQ-2BOba2PN0n9kyYVbjfpIzsxMDeIxC2kJi9LZTkoXyQ3SHGGK1CChAVXrTBrJ3OCJ-2BUaOkaGhzs5J22uyfb-2FKXSZ5SHCV2RU1SyEmRs0fCo0S1HjvE0U7m-2BWUmlxk6P4fQZcTMSFL7PeodmSyg7vLWPcpEPBjS2LAvwmmZov-2FK3RjgWSmaSo4ZLcIfLVxkW7cHDzQ15MmlbAnOWzVDqy0ylm-2F6Koj3ZZAUtcu7kisXRDBnyf5-2FG3vsNjYT53yPevSwj6OOxt2YxHRXHXOLMgIosWuM-2BZJ3E48sHMoMmfOhRI5ufsfzYIAbb2Z4Lc-2F-2FqKJ96VE9AVV-2BjhJ6MZAUTqQeuTc2xMFsgDz9ejLN8EWYi3VkILBYhlBNK5W4-2FHhTmeBxOF8kNB834lLzSyDfmlX7CDif5nrparpqC0J-2BYOZXH4eQTdV0Q8QGSc-2BG5ozwoTLgUOBo0KMAb5EY45xLA3-2B6Hrh73HwCZ0m5wF8p8-2FtafeiwluuytjWn-2BMBjmFuKIfVP09rHAJqMzyDCKiQKFw8wHYc-2BIkjPuO-2BclcFaBVfu0ChS-2FlSf4yn8Cw3Y3TDUNCWFvtFsl2jaSmbmtrzB-2FzW9NzumfOvGKnd-2FuKgLIkn5nvbs2g5ttJqihlSlWCZ-2BGjiYL2rA4MHHYOhG8groZZcl3xIuRTK8Oa43u8ZUN9bJDeJjQU3Huhx5RahUV0lHzcEJBDwHvTuSg1Pf9CuePEWvlXqUl67yQY3KtY5-2Bb2Et-2BK5VX5u4my4FzIGOcxXoA0WRwz8nProi67mRgjxDrxIca0VaG5wPs-2FKgpVrhPzriFw-3D-3D> 
and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research 
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5TMJ-2FZ8VcHTzKrkg2Ph-2FrJQJqSny9jlsPA8Uwjc4cmVaf9Eb_-2FJ85ydmw6EROK0dkbqzMVjFEvLsQ4-2Bl7Xs-2BKkbV3XqWQ-2BOba2PN0n9kyYVbjfpIzsxMDeIxC2kJi9LZTkoXyQ3SHGGK1CChAVXrTBrJ3OCJ-2BUaOkaGhzs5J22uyfb-2FKXSZ5SHCV2RU1SyEmRs0fCo0S1HjvE0U7m-2BWUmlxk6P4fQZcTMSFL7PeodmSyg7vLWPcpEPBjS2LAvwmmZov-2FK3RjgWSmaSo4ZLcIfLVxkW7cHDzQ15MmlbAnOWzVDqy0ylm-2F6Koj3ZZAUtcu7kisXRDBnyf5-2FG3vsNjYT53yPevSwj6OOxt2YxHRXHXOLMgIosWuM-2BZJ3E48sHMoMmfOhRI5ufsfzYIAbb2Z4Lc-2F-2FqKJ96VE9AVV-2BjhJ6MZAUTqQeuTc2xMFsgDz9ejLN8EWYi3VkILBYhlBNK5W4-2FHhTmeBxOF8kNB834lLzSyDfmlX7CDif5nrparpqC0J-2BYOZXH4eQTdV0Q8QGSc-2BG5ozwoTLgUOBo0KMAb5EY45xLA3-2B6Hrh73HwCZ0m5wF8p8-2FtafeiwluuytjWn-2BMBjmFuKIfVP09rHAJqMzyDCKiQKFw8wHYc-2BIkjPuO-2BclcFaBVfu0ChS-2FlSf4yn8Cw3Y3TDUNCWFvtFsl2jaSmbmtrzB-2FzW9nmiA0pvBZiVmoxT3SzQh3Mds8t4FGnfhtCt5ODyKT7fgyTe1K-2Bqc9jzY9P7ZVruX15TfLeCQTDtzyWQ3MDNChVJbqpwSr6lekWFRa5BrQIFSBWXQeXu6i087wCUpQkSo77yNCz-2Fer2ByOZ-2F7Ox-2F7IMHp68nI2LCyBVPqmOEa0v3ubNcdvVDyeFARiwYkIQ-2FmoknNDCUcHs1VlcRlPp-2FFCw-3D-3D>. 
He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations 
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5U8kMpYpHNp3U5USUxDx0O26bd8ZmHjIJ32J9TStgSJIddBBz6JemTBIH-2Febp-2BuccAA37a2xKv7LlJrAga5r490x8ViFwcB93TgutNxjNKX-2BHCHYbMcG1jJ-2FJLGyfXC7kg-3D-3D69Mq_-2FJ85ydmw6EROK0dkbqzMVjFEvLsQ4-2Bl7Xs-2BKkbV3XqWQ-2BOba2PN0n9kyYVbjfpIzsxMDeIxC2kJi9LZTkoXyQ3SHGGK1CChAVXrTBrJ3OCJ-2BUaOkaGhzs5J22uyfb-2FKXSZ5SHCV2RU1SyEmRs0fCo0S1HjvE0U7m-2BWUmlxk6P4fQZcTMSFL7PeodmSyg7vLWPcpEPBjS2LAvwmmZov-2FK3RjgWSmaSo4ZLcIfLVxkW7cHDzQ15MmlbAnOWzVDqy0ylm-2F6Koj3ZZAUtcu7kisXRDBnyf5-2FG3vsNjYT53yPevSwj6OOxt2YxHRXHXOLMgIosWuM-2BZJ3E48sHMoMmfOhRI5ufsfzYIAbb2Z4Lc-2F-2FqKJ96VE9AVV-2BjhJ6MZAUTqQeuTc2xMFsgDz9ejLN8EWYi3VkILBYhlBNK5W4-2FHhTmeBxOF8kNB834lLzSyDfmlX7CDif5nrparpqC0J-2BYOZXH4eQTdV0Q8QGSc-2BG5ozwoTLgUOBo0KMAb5EY45xLA3-2B6Hrh73HwCZ0m5wF8p8-2FtafeiwluuytjWn-2BMBjmFuKIfVP09rHAJqMzyDCKiQKFw8wHYc-2BIkjPuO-2BclcFaBVfu0ChS-2FlSf4yn8Cw3Y3TDUNCWFvtFsl2jaSmbmtrzB-2FzW9M8wublyLQRUQ-2FapNafGVcS3vMFSd7-2F3YYmBvFBbpwYbUxeV8kAbOrDAbtcq0ECjKCnOSVlhmjiIlwvLkKvJ8czsJ-2BwW444s65hFZswzmztAM2dCDpEvgXrJoYlmPrw7MAlJLaYA1Q1HbyaMlFtZ7jzxvGB28FnN-2FnIZ5hgP9EHVQYIWrqU3IGpsN9hmgjBOzUFM8ET-2FWBs0VBVfdmqeKrg-3D-3D> 
and The Poorer Nations 
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5U8kMpYpHNp3U5USUxDx0O1Rcga-2Bl5as4keOsZFfHpgAvUpgy-2F2ulz8KUD1ccK4tyCDqrYdj8mpPnXapML71V-2B87g7P-2BrEDdoabivegoQWteuB6VOT4HJrVO3jlkIsE7ew-3D-3Ds8tx_-2FJ85ydmw6EROK0dkbqzMVjFEvLsQ4-2Bl7Xs-2BKkbV3XqWQ-2BOba2PN0n9kyYVbjfpIzsxMDeIxC2kJi9LZTkoXyQ3SHGGK1CChAVXrTBrJ3OCJ-2BUaOkaGhzs5J22uyfb-2FKXSZ5SHCV2RU1SyEmRs0fCo0S1HjvE0U7m-2BWUmlxk6P4fQZcTMSFL7PeodmSyg7vLWPcpEPBjS2LAvwmmZov-2FK3RjgWSmaSo4ZLcIfLVxkW7cHDzQ15MmlbAnOWzVDqy0ylm-2F6Koj3ZZAUtcu7kisXRDBnyf5-2FG3vsNjYT53yPevSwj6OOxt2YxHRXHXOLMgIosWuM-2BZJ3E48sHMoMmfOhRI5ufsfzYIAbb2Z4Lc-2F-2FqKJ96VE9AVV-2BjhJ6MZAUTqQeuTc2xMFsgDz9ejLN8EWYi3VkILBYhlBNK5W4-2FHhTmeBxOF8kNB834lLzSyDfmlX7CDif5nrparpqC0J-2BYOZXH4eQTdV0Q8QGSc-2BG5ozwoTLgUOBo0KMAb5EY45xLA3-2B6Hrh73HwCZ0m5wF8p8-2FtafeiwluuytjWn-2BMBjmFuKIfVP09rHAJqMzyDCKiQKFw8wHYc-2BIkjPuO-2BclcFaBVfu0ChS-2FlSf4yn8Cw3Y3TDUNCWFvtFsl2jaSmbmtrzB-2FzW9s5bk5aqdNnWOLHUkw0Hhq4qmdz9xWpTyBuTOX6PHmhbIBrbU3Z-2FGpW8pMGpf2O4iYQhY7ZSuOIt3ORS9RPSdwx9Cb-2BKX-2Fzzrb5bRxFkaesYYd0-2F-2FzmCDMNcAgrnQc1yJ7PEbUeHJ53wipvB9bWMRkjWEId8-2FFx26WD9sz0s0aoqQ0cRBXewa-2Flupd9-2FXOzK1CQq7ODD38X4YET25aMaG9Q-3D-3D>. 
His latest books are Struggle Makes Us Human: Learning from Movements 
for Socialism 
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5QYLixvod1-2Byl0klufGl9B-2Fwc7CmBhItbAltY3EQowDbzLkfmnKjEaLr79wl5oZL-2FoyhX0MV4tqzqYQRcsjGKlo-3DjpPS_-2FJ85ydmw6EROK0dkbqzMVjFEvLsQ4-2Bl7Xs-2BKkbV3XqWQ-2BOba2PN0n9kyYVbjfpIzsxMDeIxC2kJi9LZTkoXyQ3SHGGK1CChAVXrTBrJ3OCJ-2BUaOkaGhzs5J22uyfb-2FKXSZ5SHCV2RU1SyEmRs0fCo0S1HjvE0U7m-2BWUmlxk6P4fQZcTMSFL7PeodmSyg7vLWPcpEPBjS2LAvwmmZov-2FK3RjgWSmaSo4ZLcIfLVxkW7cHDzQ15MmlbAnOWzVDqy0ylm-2F6Koj3ZZAUtcu7kisXRDBnyf5-2FG3vsNjYT53yPevSwj6OOxt2YxHRXHXOLMgIosWuM-2BZJ3E48sHMoMmfOhRI5ufsfzYIAbb2Z4Lc-2F-2FqKJ96VE9AVV-2BjhJ6MZAUTqQeuTc2xMFsgDz9ejLN8EWYi3VkILBYhlBNK5W4-2FHhTmeBxOF8kNB834lLzSyDfmlX7CDif5nrparpqC0J-2BYOZXH4eQTdV0Q8QGSc-2BG5ozwoTLgUOBo0KMAb5EY45xLA3-2B6Hrh73HwCZ0m5wF8p8-2FtafeiwluuytjWn-2BMBjmFuKIfVP09rHAJqMzyDCKiQKFw8wHYc-2BIkjPuO-2BclcFaBVfu0ChS-2FlSf4yn8Cw3Y3TDUNCWFvtFsl2jaSmbmtrzB-2FzW9mAzi5L-2FbKT8-2FizcvnXsDcE2YdeBmaJ8z-2BUDieemSPCzcLCgQf8jf2nPHY8FpgGmVkqHZoRDlh6jmRCfLy4gwx9RHMcqCeuk9XKR1IsVr2Q-2FN9wPtmNr2dDuE5ziOg0RYPTb3UaMmBgl7oK0Y8KvIbYcx8Cpr8ElLICHYP1DW6X6xCsw6KNq5x4HL5ACJ9nbrauFpAnJoYkgQMWDJWKv8Nw-3D-3D> 
and (with Noam Chomsky) The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and 
the Fragility of U.S. Power 
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5XQj17YJd3V7XSrzGXuRHGpcPRZcyiRR5mlrDqnhy-2Fo-2BSrzpI6C4bMG0qhKUTwGB8w-3D-3DvtpS_-2FJ85ydmw6EROK0dkbqzMVjFEvLsQ4-2Bl7Xs-2BKkbV3XqWQ-2BOba2PN0n9kyYVbjfpIzsxMDeIxC2kJi9LZTkoXyQ3SHGGK1CChAVXrTBrJ3OCJ-2BUaOkaGhzs5J22uyfb-2FKXSZ5SHCV2RU1SyEmRs0fCo0S1HjvE0U7m-2BWUmlxk6P4fQZcTMSFL7PeodmSyg7vLWPcpEPBjS2LAvwmmZov-2FK3RjgWSmaSo4ZLcIfLVxkW7cHDzQ15MmlbAnOWzVDqy0ylm-2F6Koj3ZZAUtcu7kisXRDBnyf5-2FG3vsNjYT53yPevSwj6OOxt2YxHRXHXOLMgIosWuM-2BZJ3E48sHMoMmfOhRI5ufsfzYIAbb2Z4Lc-2F-2FqKJ96VE9AVV-2BjhJ6MZAUTqQeuTc2xMFsgDz9ejLN8EWYi3VkILBYhlBNK5W4-2FHhTmeBxOF8kNB834lLzSyDfmlX7CDif5nrparpqC0J-2BYOZXH4eQTdV0Q8QGSc-2BG5ozwoTLgUOBo0KMAb5EY45xLA3-2B6Hrh73HwCZ0m5wF8p8-2FtafeiwluuytjWn-2BMBjmFuKIfVP09rHAJqMzyDCKiQKFw8wHYc-2BIkjPuO-2BclcFaBVfu0ChS-2FlSf4yn8Cw3Y3TDUNCWFvtFsl2jaSmbmtrzB-2FzW9cakhMWA4uM8PwwfAsSPy8Fb35n0CdGzRCG6gvkEJHT-2FKd-2BtOQdF9IkQiMZwaZH-2FB9QrEdJRU8qmEdiGlc-2FN7orGN-2Bz-2FZMN7WMPD6srqGiRW5OrvTWGN55WEg21cfAW-2F3svAu7BjU2EObqnvPUmX1ieqgBCfXB6N0EJPFqhiwszRa4XcqwxJugdDXwTa9hliBSrMz7k7Fvpblyb8YSq-2BL5A-3D-3D>./

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20231229/b04488dc/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: iof-israel-gaza-war-crimes-1536x864.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 99945 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20231229/b04488dc/attachment-0001.jpg>

More information about the News mailing list