Thursday, March 28, 2024 Last Update: 3:05 PM GMT

In Sharp Reversal, Netanyahu to Send Delegation to Washington

US President Joe Biden (L) with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo: US Embassy Tel Aviv, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

In a sharp reversal, Benjamin Netanyahu decided to send a delegation to Washington just a few hours after explaining that this was a message to Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided on Wednesday to reverse his decision and send two top Israeli officials to Washington as early as next week for talks about a possible military operation in Rafah, the US-based news website Axios revealed.

“It’s a sharp reversal by Netanyahu who on Monday canceled the same trip by the same people in protest over the U.S. not vetoing a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza,” Axios explained.

According to the website, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “the (Israeli) Prime Minister’s office has agreed to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah,” adding that the discussion is “urgent”. 

A Message to Hamas

Earlier on Wednesday, Netanyahu said that he first decided to cancel the planned visit as a message to the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas.

The Israeli prime minister explained his decision during a meeting in Jerusalem with Republican US Senator Rick Scott.

“I thought the US decision in the Security Council was a very, very bad move,” the Israeli prime minister reportedly said. “The worst part about it () was that it encouraged Hamas to take a hard line and to believe that international pressure will prevent Israel from freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas.”

‘Biden is Aligning with Sinwar’ – Ben-Gvir Attacks US President

“It was a message first and foremost to Hamas: ‘Don’t bet on this pressure, it’s not going to work’. I hope they got the message,” Netanyahu said. 

The delegation was supposed to discuss the planned Israeli military operation against Rafah, a city in the south of Gaza. 

‘Unnecessary Drama’ 

The White House has publicly urged Israel against the attack, arguing that this would worsen the situation of displaced Palestinian civilians.

The US State Department called Netanyahu’s decision “surprising and unfortunate,” while the White House described it as “disappointing.” 

The US was “perplexed” by the snub because the Security Council abstention “does not represent a shift in our policy,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. 

An unnamed US official reportedly told Axios that Netanyahu’s decision was “an unnecessary drama on Netanyahu’s part.”

Majority in US Disapprove of Israeli War on Gaza – New Poll

UNSC Resolution

The United Nations Security Council adopted on Monday a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as the United Nations refrained from using its veto power for the first time, after 171 days of war.

The resolution, which was presented by non-permanent members of the Security Council, “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a sustainable lasting ceasefire.

It also “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, stressing the urgent need to increase aid and demanding the removal of all obstacles to its delivery.”

US Abstains – UN Security Council Passes Resolution Calling for Gaza Ceasefire

The resolution, which was written by the ten elected members to the council and was proposed in the council by Mozambique’s representative, passed with 14 votes in favor and the US abstaining.

The United States said the resolution was non-binding. However, the UN Charter stipulates that all Security Council resolutions are legally binding under international law.

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,490 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,889 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Israel Targets Lebanon, Hezbollah Responds | Nasser Hospital under Attack | Ben-Gvir vs. Biden – Day 173

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’ 

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Majority in US Disapprove of Israeli War on Gaza – New Poll

A majority of US citizens disapprove of Israel’s war on Gaza. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

All three major party groups in the US have become less supportive of Israel’s actions in Gaza than they were in November.

A new poll published by Gallup on Wednesday revealed a significant shift in American public opinion regarding the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

“After narrowly backing Israel’s military action in Gaza in November, Americans now oppose the campaign by a solid margin,” according to Gallup.

The latest results, from a March 1-30 survey, revealed that “fifty-five percent (of US citizens – PC) currently disapprove of Israel’s actions, while 36% approve”.

Funding Bill – US Threatens Palestinian Authority to Cut Funding Over ICC Investigation Support

The poll, according to Gallup, was “completed before the U.N. Security Council on Monday passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire during Ramadan”.

According to the survey, a vast majority of US citizens, 74 percent, are following news related to the war, with a 34 percent saying that they are following the situation “very closely”.

“All three major party groups in the U.S. have become less supportive of Israel’s actions in Gaza than they were in November,” according to Gallop. In the case of Democrats and independents, the results showed “declines of 18 percentage points in approval”. As “even-point decline” was registered among Republicans.

The majority of Republicans still support Israel’s military action, but the approval went down from 71 to 64 percent.

“Democrats’ widespread opposition to Israel’s actions underscores the difficulty of the issue for President Joe Biden among his most loyal supporters,” according to Gallup.

‘Biden is Aligning with Sinwar’ – Ben-Gvir Attacks US President

In fact, “Biden’s approval rating for his handling of the situation in the Middle East, at 27%, is his lowest among five issues tested in the survey.”

“Though Biden has completely ‘lost faith in Netanyahu’ (..) he continues to support Israel without openly questioning the disastrous outcomes of the war, not just on the Palestinian people, but also on the region and the world, including his own country,” Palestinian journalist and political analyst Ramzy Baroud wrote in a recent article.

“Americans, especially those in Biden’s Democratic Party, must continue to increase their pressure on their administration so that it resolves its cognitive dissonance in Palestine,” Baroud continued.

“Biden must not be allowed to play this deadly balancing act, privately demanding for the war to stop, while openly funding the Israeli war machine.”

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,490 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,889 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Israel Targets Lebanon, Hezbollah Responds | Nasser Hospital under Attack | Ben-Gvir vs. Biden – Day 173

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

 Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

‘Biden is Aligning with Sinwar’ – Ben-Gvir Attacks US President

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and US President Joe Biden. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“I would have expected the president of the United States not to take their line, but rather to take ours.”

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accused US President Joe Biden on Tuesday of aligning with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following the vote on a UNSC resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Presently, Biden prefers the line of (US Representative) Rashida Tlaib and Sinwar to the line of (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir,” he told The New York Times on Tuesday.

Cognitive Dissonance: Perplexed US Foreign Policy is Prolonging Gaza Genocide

“I would have expected the president of the United States not to take their line, but rather to take ours.”

The extremist minister criticized Biden’s approach towards Israel, saying the US president was ‘”enormously mistaken’” in his attempts to pressure Tel Aviv.

Biden “constantly sought to impose restrictions on Israel and talks about the rights of the other side, who include, I remind you, many terrorists who want to destroy us,” Ben-Gvir said.

UNSC Resolution

The United Nations Security Council adopted on Monday a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as the United Nations refrained from using its veto power for the first time, after 171 days of war.

The resolution, which was presented by non-permanent members of the Security Council, “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a sustainable lasting ceasefire.

It also “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, stressing the urgent need to increase aid and demanding the removal of all obstacles to its delivery.”

Funding Bill – US Threatens Palestinian Authority to Cut Funding Over ICC Investigation Support

The resolution, which was written by the ten elected members to the council and was proposed in the council by Mozambique’s representative, passed with 14 votes in favor and the US abstaining.

The United States said the resolution was non-binding. However, the UN Charter stipulates that all Security Council resolutions are legally binding under international law.

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,490 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,889 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Israel Targets Lebanon, Hezbollah Responds | Nasser Hospital under Attack | Ben-Gvir vs. Biden – Day 173

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’ 

(PC, Anadolu)

Funding Bill – US Threatens Palestinian Authority to Cut Funding Over ICC Investigation Support

US President Joe Biden and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Another reason for the limitation of funds would be if “Palestinians obtain the same standing as member states or full membership as a state in the United Nations”.

The $1.2 trillion funding bill approved by the US Congress on Saturday which halts funding to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) until 2025, also threatens to limit funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if it initiates an investigation against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) or obtains full state membership in the United Nations.

“None of the funds appropriated under the heading Economic Support Fund’ in this Act may be made available for assistance for the Palestinian Authority, if after the date of enactment of the Act– (I) Palestinians obtain the same standing as member states or full membership as a state in the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof outside an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians,” the bill signed by President Joe Biden states.

‘Funding for Weapons and War’ – Biden Signs Budget Bill into Law

Another reason for the limitation of funds would be if “ (II) the Palestinians initiate an International Criminal Court (ICC) judicially authorized investigation, or actively support such an investigation, that subjects Israeli nationals to an investigation for alleged crimes against Palestinians.”

The Secretary of State “may waive restriction” on this clause “if the Secretary certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that to do so is in the national security interest of the United States, and submits a report to such Committees detailing how the waiver and the continuation of assistance would assist in furthering Middle-East peace.”

The bill, which ended the threat of a partial government shutdown, was approved with 74 votes in favor and 24 against.

War Profiteering

Besides halting funding to UNRWA, it reportedly provides $886 billion in funding for the Defense Department, including a raise for US troops.

The bill, now signed into law, comes at a time when senior UN officials have warned of imminent famine in the besieged Gaza Strip, urging immediate action to avert a humanitarian disaster.

‘Catastrophic Food Insecurity’ – UN Officials Warn of Famine in Gaza

In a speech on the House floor on Thursday when the bill was introduced, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib reportedly accused Israel of committing “some of the most horrific crimes against humanity” in this century.

“The Israeli government has been intentionally starving the Palestinian people,” she said.

“It’s disturbing that many of my colleagues in this chamber are actively profiting financially when they vote to pass more funding for weapons and war,” Tlaib said. “Literally every bomb dropped makes them money.”

UNRWA lost millions in funding at the end of January, after dozens of countries, led by the US, suspended its financial support following allegations by Israel that some of its employees were involved in the October 7 resistance operation. Israel has yet to provide evidence for its claims.

Following ICJ Ruling, Washington Suspends UNRWA Funding

Over 32,400 Killed

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,490 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,787 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in the enclave.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Israel Targets Lebanon, Hezbollah Responds | Nasser Hospital under Attack | Ben-Gvir vs. Biden – Day 173

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Escalating Violence – Israeli Forces Storm Jenin, Kill Three Palestinians

Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israeli forces, reinforced with military vehicles, raided several neighborhoods of the city as well as the outskirts of the camp, amid armed clashes with Palestinian Resistance fighters.

Three Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded following an Israeli attack on the occupied West Bank town of Jenin.

Hamza Arrawi, 27, from Al-Ain camp in Nablus, and Mohammad Nasser Al-Sabti, 19, from Jenin camp, were killed in the early hours of Wednesday after an Israeli drone bombed a group of young men in front of a house in the Al-Damj neighborhood, according to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency. Seven others were injured in the attack.

At dawn, Israeli forces stormed Jenin amid heavy gunfire, in which Ayman Youssef Hassan Azouqa, 19, was injured. He was then transferred to Jenin Governmental Hospital before succumbing to his wounds, reported WAFA.

Al-Jazeera reported that the Israeli forces, reinforced with military vehicles, raided several neighborhoods of the city as well as the outskirts of the camp, amid armed clashes with Palestinian Resistance fighters.

Also on Wednesday, a Palestinian man was injured by Israeli forces’ gunfire during a military raid on the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem.

Local sources told WAFA that Israeli forces fired towards the young man while he was inside his vehicle, injuring him in the right foot. He was transferred to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Another Palestinian man was detained his home was raided in the town.

Mass Arrests

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have detained 20 Palestinians in an ongoing mass arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS).

PPS said that the arrests took place in the governorates of Ramallah, Hebron (Al-Khalil), Nablus, Salfit, Tulkarm, and Jenin, reported WAFA.

The total number of Palestinians, including children, women and elderly men, detained since the October 7 resistance operation has risen to about 7,820, reported WAFA.

Ramallah Protest

Dozens of Palestinians on Tuesday formed human chains in the city of Ramallah in rejection of the massacres and war of genocide waged by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, according to WAFA.

The human chains, organized by civil society institutions and youth movements, ran along Al-Manara Square in the center of the city to Al-Irsal Street.

Protestors held photos of Palestinians killed by Israel as well as photos of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, in addition to banners condemning the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.

They marched towards the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the city of Al-Bireh in Ramallah. The protestors condemned the ICRC’s “failure to have an adequate follow-up” on the cases of Palestinians who were detained by Israel following Israel’s attack on Gaza after the October 7 operation, reported WAFA.

(PC, WAFA)

‘Totally Unacceptable’ – 130 Parliamentarians Urge UK Government to Ban Arms Sales to Israel

130 parliamentarians signed a letter urging the British government to ban arms sales to Israel. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The British parliamentarians wrote in the letter that “business as usual” for arms exports to Israel is “totally unacceptable” amid the ongoing war on Gaza.

130 parliamentarians signed a letter urging the British government to ban arms sales to Israel, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

The move reportedly came “ amid signs that Israel intends to ignore the UN security council resolution passed this week calling on all sides to commit to a ceasefire.”

“The letter, coordinated by the Labour MP Zarah Sultana, was signed by 107 MPs and 27 peers including the former Labour Middle East minister Peter Hain (…) the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the Conservative peer Nosheena Mobarik,” The Guardian reported.

According to the paper, the parliamentarians wrote in the letter that “business as usual” for arms exports to Israel is “totally unacceptable” amid the ongoing war on Gaza.

Noting that the UK government had suspended its arms sales to Israel, in two previous wars on the Strip, the letter reportedly concluded that “the scale of violence committed by the Israeli military is vastly more deadly, but the UK government has failed to act”.

UN Resolution in Gaza is Binding – China Challenges US at Security Council

UNSC Resolution

The United Nations Security Council voted on Monday for a resolution demanding “an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a sustainable lasting ceasefire.”

The resolution, which was written by the ten elected members to the council and was proposed in the council by Mozambique’s representative, passed with 14 votes in favor and the US abstaining.

The United States said the resolution was non-binding, but “the UK does not share that interpretation,” according to The Guardian.

‘Anatomy of a Genocide’

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights Situation in the Palestinian territories, said in a report on Monday that there are “reasonable grounds” to determine that Israel has committed several acts of genocide in its ongoing war on Gaza.

“I find that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide against Palestinians as a group in Gaza has been met,” Albanese told the UN rights body in Geneva, presenting a report called ‘The Anatomy of a Genocide’.

Damning UN Report – Israel Crossed ‘Threshold’ of Genocide in Gaza

In the report, the Special Rapporteur urged “member states to enforce the prohibition of genocide in accordance with their non-derogable obligations”.

Therefore it recommended to “immediately implement an arms embargo on Israel, as it appears to have failed to comply with the binding measures ordered by the ICJ on 26 January 2024”.

ICJ Ruling

On January 26, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in its ongoing war in Gaza.

“The state of Israel shall (..) take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the genocide convention,” the ICJ said.

‘Decisive Victory’ – ICJ Delivers Ruling on Genocide in Gaza

An overwhelming majority of the ICJ’s 17-judge panel voted to order urgent measures, which covered most of South Africa’s request, aside from ordering a halt to the Israeli war on Gaza.

The court ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the genocide convention and also ensure that the Israeli army do not commit any genocidal acts in Gaza.

Genocide Continues

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.  

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,490 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,889 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

GAZA LIVE BLOG: Israel Targets Lebanon, Hezbollah Responds | Nasser Hospital under Attack | Ben-Gvir vs. Biden – Day 173

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(The Palestine Chronicle)

‘Over-Reliance on Israeli Sources’ – Australia’s ABC Staff Raise Concerns over Gaza Coverage

Australia’s ABC staff warn about ‘an over-reliance on Israeli sources’ in its Gaza coverage. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“We’re worried the language we’re using in our coverage is askew, favoring the Israeli narrative over objective reporting.”

Staff at Australia’s national broadcaster have warned that its coverage of the genocidal war on Gaza indicated “an over-reliance on Israeli sources and explicit distrust of Palestinian sources” as well as language that “favoured the Israeli narrative over objective reporting.”

A three-page summary of a meeting obtained by the Al-Jazeera news network through a freedom of information request, detailed concerns raised by staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) about pro-Israel bias by the channel.

Concerns such as accepting “Israeli facts and figures with no ifs or buts”, Palestinian viewpoints being questioned and the avoidance of the word “Palestine” itself, Al-Jazeera said.

‘This Story is False’ – New Video Challenges New York Times’ Sexual Violence Investigative Report 

Although the document is undated, its contents are said to correspond with a meeting held in November with 200 staff members.

The summary “contained extensive detail about the staff’s concerns and also previously unpublished examples of alleged pro-Israel bias,” Al-Jazeera further said.

Addressed to “managers and colleagues,” staff reportedly said in the document that “We’re worried the language we’re using in our coverage is askew, favoring the Israeli narrative over objective reporting. This is evident in our reluctance to use words such as ‘War crimes’, ‘Genocide”, ‘Ethnic cleansing’, ‘Apartheid’ and ‘Occupation’ to describe the various aspects of the Israeli practices in Gaza and the West Bank, even when the words are attributed to respectable organisations and sources.”

The document was signed “Concerned ABC journalists and staff.”

Damning UN Report – Israel Crossed ‘Threshold’ of Genocide in Gaza

‘Contextualize the Conflict’

The summary further documented that staff said: “Meanwhile, we’re quick to use ‘terrorist’, ‘barbaric’, ‘savage’ and ‘massacre’ when describing the October 7th attacks. Similarly, we regularly quote sources referring to highly contested claims made by Israel, but not those made by Palestinians and their supporters.”

Staff said while ABC could not make accusations of genocide or war crimes taking place, the broadcaster “should be more proactive in reporting them to properly contextualise the conflict”.

They felt it was “especially the case as we are far more comfortable in labelling Hamas’s actions ‘terrorism’ yet lack the language to correctly describe Israeli aggression in the region.”

Israel is ‘Losing Support’ and Must ‘Finish Up’ the War – Donald Trump

Staff were also concerned about ABC having “several correspondents on the ground in Israel, but none in Gaza. This, invariably means that the number of voices that get included tilt the audience’s understanding of the situation.”

“We believe our editorial policies/guidance need updating to reflect more objective, balanced reporting, by addressing the aforementioned concerns,” the document stated.

Ombudsman’s Office

In response to the concerns raised by staff, an ABC spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the broadcaster refrains from commenting on confidential staff matters.

The spokesperson reportedly said: “All major stories are subject to robust internal discussion and we listen to and respect staff input.”

The spokesperson further said that the ABC Ombudsman’s Office affirmed the outlet’s coverage of the war in Gaza to be “professional, wide-ranging and reflective of newsworthy events.”

According to the Al Jazeera report, “tensions continue to simmer at the ABC over the conflict,” months after the staff meeting.

(PC, MEMO)

‘This Story is False’ – New Video Challenges New York Times’ Sexual Violence Investigative Report 

The New York Times has revealed that new video footage challenges its own sexual violence investigative report. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

New footage, taken by an Israeli soldier who was in Be’eri on October 7, “shows the bodies of three female victims, fully clothed and with no apparent signs of sexual violence, at a home where many residents had believed the assaults occurred.”

The New York Times has revealed that new video footage challenges the account of an unnamed Israeli military paramedic that the paper interviewed who claimed that two teenagers, killed in the October 7 resistance operation, were sexually assaulted.

The paramedic, from an Israeli commando unit, was interviewed along with dozens of other people for an article that the US paper published on December 28 entitled “‘Screams Without Words’: How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on Oct. 7”.

He had claimed that the bodies of two partially clothed teenage girls in a home in Kibbutz Be’eri “bore signs of sexual violence,” the paper said on Monday.

However, footage taken by an Israeli soldier who was in Be’eri on October 7 “shows the bodies of three female victims, fully clothed and with no apparent signs of sexual violence, at a home where many residents had believed the assaults occurred.”

The paper said that although “it is unclear” if the paramedic was referring to the same scene, residents of the kibbutz, in response to the new footage, reportedly said there was no other home in Be’eri where two teenage girls were killed.

“And they concluded from the video that the girls had not been sexually assaulted,” said The New York Times.

It also quoted Nili Bar Sinai, a member of a group from the kibbutz that investigated claims of sexual assault at the house as saying, “this story is false.”

Key Testimony Debunked

The paramedic, whose testimony was a key component of the paper’s December 28 report, “declined to say whether he still stood by the account, saying he would like to put the attacks behind him,” The Times said. An Israeli military spokesman later said the medic in question stood by his testimony, “but might have misremembered the place where he saw the teenage girls.”

The Associated Press, CNN and The Washington Post were among the news media who reported similar accounts attributed to an anonymous military paramedic.

‘The Black Dress’ – Palestinian Documentary Challenges NYT Report on Oct. 7 Mass Rape (WATCH)

The Times said the paramedic had been allowed, by the Israeli military, to speak with reporters on the condition that he remained anonymous “because he serves in an elite unit.”

The paramedic had claimed that he saw signs of sexual violence on the bodies, such as “bruises by her groin” on one body, and “her bottom exposed and semen smeared on her back” on the other.

The new video reportedly shows “the bodies of two female victims in a corridor outside a safe room, with blood stains on their clothing and the floor. In a nearby room, a third person was filmed on the floor in a pool of blood, wearing pajama pants and a sweatshirt.”

Bar Sinai and three members of the kibbutz who knew the family confirmed the identities of the deceased, the paper said, as two sisters and their mother.

‘They Weren’t Sexually Assaulted’

The residents first learned of the video on February 12, when Israeli soldiers in the unit that had found the sisters’ remains returned to the kibbutz for a tour, said the paper.

Debunked by Palestine Chronicle – Co-author of of NYT Report on Sexual Assaults Exposed (VIDEO)

Troops shared the “eight-second video clip” after being taken aback by the discussions from residents about the sexual assault allegations.

“What happened to them was horrifying, but it was a great relief to find out they weren’t sexually assaulted,” Bar Sinai is reported as having said.

Co-Author Investigated

The New York Times has launched an investigation into an Israeli freelancer, Anat Schwartz, one of the original report’s co-authors.

The news emerged last month after a report by Mondoweiss exposed Schwartz’s online record, which was reportedly scrutinized by independent researchers.

Mondoweiss raised doubts about the credibility of the Israeli filmmaker.

‘We Can’t Find Witnesses’: Israeli Police Contradicts NYT Report on Oct. 7 Sexual Assaults

“You would expect the paper to look for someone with actual journalistic experience, especially for a story as sensitive as this one, written during the fog of war,” the report stated.

The Black Dress Investigation

The December 28 report was brought into question only seven days after its publication, with Israel’s own media and police seeming to contradict the allegations as expounded upon in this Palestine Chronicle feature report.

The Palestine Chronicle and Friends of Palestine Network, conducted a joint investigation, based on media reports, in addition to historical and political analyses into this report.

‘’The Black Dress’: Unveiling the Truth about Rape, Sexual Assault on October 7, an 18-minute documentary, is the result of that investigation.

Commenting on the topic in the documentary was Palestinian intellectual, Ramzy Baroud, who said sexual violence by the resistance “is just not part of Palestinian culture.”

Rape in Gaza – UN Experts Demand Investigation into Israeli Sexual Assaults on Palestinian Girls

“As a historian who has been writing about the history of Palestinian resistance within the context people’s history of Palestine, covering all periods of Palestinian history, from the Nakba to the two Intifadas, the current war and everything in between, I haven’t run into anything of this nature, it’s just not part of Palestinian culture,” Baroud said.

Baroud emphasized that even though there was “absolutely not only no real evidence,” of sexual violence on October 7, what has to be kept in mind is “the context and the function of these kinds of allegations.”

“It is there to create a distraction from the horrific things that Israel has done to Palestinians. Horrific beyond anything, only comparable to the Nazis…That’s what Israel has done to the Palestinians in Gaza.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)

‘In Response to Zionist Massacre’ – Israel Attacks Ambulance Center in Lebanon, Hezbollah Responds

The seven paramedics who were killed in the Israeli airstrike on an ambulance center in southern Lebanon. (Image: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The Lebanese Resistance group Hezbollah said that it fired dozens of rockets at the Kiryat Shmona settlement, in response to Israeli raids on an ambulance center that led to the killing of seven paramedics.

The Kiryat Shmona settlement, in northern Israel, was targeted on Wednesday morning by dozens of missiles from Lebanon.

Hezbollah announced that it bombed the 769th Brigade command in the settlement. The group said in a statement that the attack “comes in response to the massacre committed by the Zionist enemy in the town of Habbariyah.”

The Israeli ambulance services confirmed that one settler was killed and several buildings were damaged.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that more than 30 missiles were launched from Lebanon towards Upper Galilee, causing damage.

Massacre at Ambulance Center

Seven people were killed in an Israeli raid that targeted a medical center in the town of Al-Habbariyah, in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Air Force targeted an ambulance center belonging to the Islamic Emergency and Relief Authority, completely destroying it, while paramedics were inside it.

The Lebanese Ambulance Association condemned the attack in a statement and called on the international community to force Israel to stop targeting ambulance crews.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hezbollah announced the killing of three of its members in Israeli airstrikes near two towns in northeastern Lebanon.

The army said that it carried out raids on military facilities of a Hezbollah air unit in the Tal Wardin area in the Lebanese interior. It added that its fighters raided the Wadi Afra area in the Bekaa, eastern Lebanon, and Hezbollah military buildings in Aita al-Shaab and Kafr Kila, and an observation point in Maroun al-Ras, southern Lebanon.

For its part, Hezbollah announced carrying out 10 attacks on Israeli sites and targeting the Yardun Barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan with more than 50 Katyusha rockets in response to an Israeli raid in the Bekaa.

Tensions Running High

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.

According to Hezbollah sources, the movement has carried out 169 military operations in the first 120 days of war, killing over 2,000 Israeli soldiers.

Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and has only left the country in 2000, following stiff Lebanese resistance under Hezbollah’s leadership. 

It attempted to re-occupy Lebanon in 2006 but failed in what Lebanon considers a major victory against Israel. 

Israel, however, continues to occupy parts of Lebanon, namely the Sheeba Farms region.

Hezbollah has vowed to recover every inch of Lebanon that has been occupied by Israel contrary to international law.

(PC, AJA)

Gaza Genocide – Civilian Casualties Mount as Hospitals are Under Attack

Israeli forces continue to carry out massacres in Gaza. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Scores of Palestinian civilians were killed and others injured on Wednesday, in the ongoing Israeli occupation bombing of the Gaza Strip.

At least 11 people were killed and others injured in Israeli raids that targeted several residential buildings in Khirbet Al-Adas and in the Al-Shaout neighborhood in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, according to Al–Jazeera.

A number of citizens were killed, and others were injured, in an Israeli bombing of a gathering of citizens near Al-Mintar commercial crossing (Karni) east of Gaza City.

The occupation warplanes bombed a house in Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, killing two people and wounding others.

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A number of citizens were injured after Israeli warplanes bombed a house near Al-Sousi Mosque in the Beach Camp in Gaza City.

In the northern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian was killed and others were injured after Israeli forces bombed a gathering of citizens while they were trying to obtain aid east of Beit Hanoun.

One civilian was killed, and others were injured, in an artillery shelling on al-Amal city, west of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Hospitals under Attack

In Khan Yunis, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the Nasser Medical Complex, west of Khan Yunis, and arrested a number of medical personnel and displaced persons after imposing a siege with tanks and military vehicles.

Al-Jazeera reported that Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a group of displaced young men after ordering them to evacuate the Nasser Medical Complex.

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An Israeli artillery shelling targeted the western areas of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

Moreover, clashes and Israeli artillery shelling also occurred in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City.

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,414 Palestinians have been killed, and 74,787 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

 The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

(PC, WAFA, AJA)