/status

Hala Jaber sur X :
▻https://x.com/HalaJaber/status/1851721918279221740

Despite Israeli leaks of drafts about their vision of a ceasefire with Lebanon, none of it has been agreed & the alleged draft as it stands which some Israeli media are circulating will be rejected.

Here is a translation of the stance of Hezbollah according to Al-Akhbar newspaper:

“Firstly, the party asserts that President Berri represents him in any negotiations on the dossier of war and ceasefire, that it is in constant coordination with Berri, & also has channels of communication with Prime Minister Najib Mikati & others in the State concerned with the dossier of negotiation

“Second, communication between Hezbollah & some external actors working on the negotiating line, from Egypt, Algeria, Qatar & France, has not ceased. The party reiterates before these parties its first & foremost basis that the complete cessation of aggression is a compulsory requirement for any research on what is supposed to happen later.

“Third: Hizbullah does not consider that what the enemy has done gives it any preference to impose any modification on the status of the 2006 aggression. Under no circumstances will Hizbullah accept any amendment either to the provisions of resolution 1701 or to the implementation mechanisms; it did not originally oppose the increase in the number of international forces or Lebanese Armed Forces as originally planned in the resolution 1701 But the party refuses to add any new country to the international forces, & it demands that Germany be permanently removed from the work of the international forces after becoming an enemy partner in the war.

“Fourth, the party does not bet on dramatic changes in the American position, so it deals quietly with everything the Americans leak, & believes that the enemy wants to continue the war for longer, which means that the resistance must prepare to face further Israeli strikes, prepare well to strike the occupying forces & thwart the targets of aggression.

“Fifth, Hizbullah continues to put in its military statements the words: “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza” in addition to, “and in defense of Lebanon & its people.

It (Hezbollah) made no commitment, to any party in Lebanon or abroad, to accept the disengagement between the Lebanese Front & the Gaza Front. While Israel’s brutality in Gaza continues, the party does not consider it logical to leave Gaza, nor does such a position run counter to all its ideological structure & political thinking, & its close knowledge of the genuine interdependence of all fronts of resistance against the enemy.

« Sixth, the enemy’s insistence on negotiating under fire reflects the fact that Israel is betting that the resistance will break or weaken Hezbollah, & the party is acting on the basis that it may be prone to new assassinations, but the mechanisms of action within the party, especially in the jihadist body, have taken a path unaffected by any assassination of a party leader.

“The party does not deal tensely or emotionally with all internal reactions that have shown hatred against the resistance, or even those that appear to be partners with the enemy, & believes that maintaining civil peace is a central task, although it will not deal indifferently with any attempt to undermine its political presence or its social base.

“Eighth, Hezbollah believes that the government must fulfil its duties towards the citizens in terms of securing the requirements for their steadfastness & providing a supportive environment for the displaced, knowing that it is prepared to face any challenges in this regard, & when it promised the people reconstruction, it has all the financial & material capabilities to accomplish this as soon as possible after the cessation of the aggression.

“Finally, Hezbollah hopes that all Lebanese will understand that the resistance weapon will not be negotiated with anyone, & that after this war, the resistance is a compulsory option & Hezbollah will work with everything at its disposal to preserve it.”

Zeina Khodr sur X :
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/1079907

Mouin Rabbani sur X :
▻https://x.com/MouinRabbani/status/1852085101112479787

Reports of “significant progress” towards a Lebanon ceasefire agreement are accurate. The problem is that this concerns significant progress in negotiations between the US and Israel, and particularly those Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty Washington is prepared to accept and support. Dead in the water.

Mouin Rabbani sur X :
▻https://x.com/MouinRabbani/status/1849930422316302746

Judge Iulia Motoc, a member of the International Criminal Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber assessing the applications submitted by the Prosecutor for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, on 25 October 2024 requested to be excused from the case “based on medical grounds and the need to safeguard the proper administration of justice”.

The request was granted and her replacement, Judge Beti Hohler, will now presumably consume several weeks, if not months, to review the relevant case files.

Given the ICC’s atrocious record on the “Situation in the State of Palestine”, this seems like yet another attempt by the Court to kick the can down the road and avoid proceeding with it, so that ICC officials can get back to the more comfortable business of prosecuting Africans and adversaries of the West.

There are entirely reasonable grounds to question whether Judge Motoc is acting in good faith. In fact, there are entirely reasonable grounds to assume that both she and the Court are acting in bad faith.

Judge Motoc, and her medical records, should be required to undergo scrutiny by a panel of independent specialists to determine if her condition is genuinely medical, or alternatively whether her ailment consists of cowardice and/or blackmail.

If it is determined that she does not have a genuine medical condition she and any other ICC officials implicated should be expelled from the legal profession and prosecuted under Article 70 of the Rome Statute ("Offences Against the Administration of Justice").

Postscript: Some have suggested she may have caved in to either blackmail or threats against her and/or members of her family. It is at this point pure speculation, but certainly possible.

Neither blackmail nor threats are recognized medical conditions. More importantly, an individual who submits to blackmail should not be entrusted with the role of judge, and a judge who receives threats is required to report these to the authorities for investigation rather than claim illness.

▻https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-recruiting-african-refugees-life-threatening-operations-gaza

Israel is recruiting African refugees for “life-threatening” operations in Gaza in exchange for settled status in the country, sources have revealed.

Defence officials told Haaretz that the project was being conducted under the guidance of legal advisers from the defence establishment in an organised manner.

There are approximately 30,000 African asylum seekers in Israel. They have faced growing pressure from anti-immigrant politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who regularly refers to them as “infiltrators”.

One man interviewed by Haaretz, who ultimately chose not to enlist, recounted being approached by a security official to join the war effort. The official explained that after a two-week training period, he would be deployed alongside other asylum seekers.

“I asked, ’What do I get?’ even though I’m not really looking for anything,” said the man, identified as A.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

“But then he told me: ’If you go this way, you can receive documents from the State of Israel.’ He asked me to send him a photocopy of my ID and said he would take care of these things.”

According to Haaretz, none of the asylum seekers who participated in the war effort have been granted official status so far, and defence sources said that the ethical concerns surrounding the recruitment of asylum seekers had not been addressed.

The outlet reported that asylum seekers had been used in various operations, citing military sources.

“This is a very problematic matter,” one source said.

“The involvement of jurists does not absolve anyone of the obligation to consider the values by which we seek to live in Israel.”

Haaretz noted that the “manner in which the Israeli army deploys the asylum seekers is barred from publication” due to restrictions imposed by the Israeli military censor.

▻https://archive.ph/mpy2e

Mouin Rabbani sur X :
▻https://x.com/MouinRabbani/status/1835479664380301642

“The manner in which the Israeli army deploys the asylum seekers is barred from publication”. Could help explain Israel’s under-reporting of military casualties

Craig Mokhiber sur X :
▻https://x.com/CraigMokhiber/status/1825527764230811671

According to reports, the proposal now being pushed by Israel & the US abandons the Security Council res. and includes no permanent ceasefire, no full withdrawal of Israeli troops, no free movement of survivors back to the north of Gaza, continued Israeli control of the Netzarim Corridor cutting Gaza in half, no withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor, no withdrawal from the Rafah crossing, no comprehensive release of Palestinian prisoners, no end to the genocide, no accountability for the perpetrators. This is not a ceasefire proposal. It is further cover for a genocide.

After three-hour Blinken meeting, Netanyahu says Israel backs new US hostage proposal | The Times of Israel
▻https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-three-hour-blinken-meeting-netanyahu-says-israel-backs-new-us-h

In addition to demanding an ongoing IDF presence along the Egypt-Gaza border and a mechanism to prevent Hamas fighters from moving north inside the Strip, Netanyahu has also insisted that Israel retain the right to resume the battle against Hamas in order to achieve both of the war’s declared aims — the release of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas.

[…] the US “bridging proposal” has not been published, […]

Nouvelles d’Orient sur X : « Gaza. Les États-Unis cèdent, une fois de plus, à Israël » / X
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/1067014