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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Israel’s war crimes</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Vijay Prashad</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">December
29, 2023<br>
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<img
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<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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).</p>
<p>On December 23, the <em>Washington Post</em> 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 <em>Post</em> 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 <em>Post</em> 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 <em>Post</em>
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 <em>Washington Post</em>
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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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<sup>st</sup> 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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em><strong><span>Vijay</span> Prashad</strong> is an
Indian historian, editor, and journalist. He is a
writing fellow and chief correspondent at
Globetrotter. He is an editor of <a
href="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"
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moz-do-not-send="true">LeftWord Books</a> and the
director of <a
href="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"
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moz-do-not-send="true">Tricontinental: Institute
for Social Research</a>. He has written more than
20 books, including <a
href="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"
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moz-do-not-send="true">The Darker Nations</a> and
<a
href="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"
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moz-do-not-send="true">The Poorer Nations</a>. His
latest books are <a
href="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"
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moz-do-not-send="true">Struggle Makes Us Human:
Learning from Movements for Socialism</a> and
(with Noam Chomsky) <a
href="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"
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moz-do-not-send="true">The Withdrawal: Iraq,
Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S.
Power</a>.</em></p>
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