Rachel Corrie Foundation

Olympia continues to gather to gather every Friday to support peace and end war. This week the Golden Rule was in town and joined our efforts to abolish nuclear weapons.

"As a former IDF soldier and historian of genocide, I was deeply disturbed by my recent visit to Israel."

– Omer Bartov

The Guardian: https://tinyurl.com/35m7h27e

A school hosting hundreds of displaced families was struck by the Israeli military, resulting in mass casualties.

More than half of schools used as shelters have been directly hit.

To date, about 84 per cent of the Gaza Strip has been placed under evacuation orders.

Since 1 August, about a third of aid missions within Gaza were denied access by Israeli authorities.

Read more here: 👉🏽Humanitarian Situation Update #203 | Gaza Strip | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - occupied Palestinian territory (ochaopt.org)

"This fiction of serious diplomatic efforts is nurtured and broadcast by the US to provide cover for the Israeli regime’s actions, as well as to ease domestic tensions at home. The US has both the power and the leverage to pressure the Israeli regime into a ceasefire deal, but this is clearly not a priority for either nation."

Haniyeh's Assassination & Israel's Charade of Diplomacy | Al-Shabaka Al-Shabaka analysts offer their insights on the impact of Ismail Haniyeh's assassination and Hamas's future.

"The lesson that any use of a nuclear weapon will have catastrophic humanitarian consequences.

The lesson that the only path to eliminate the threats posed by nuclear weapons is to eliminate them altogether.

The lesson that the use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable.

The lesson that a nuclear war cannot be won — and must never be fought."

And the lesson that we need disarmament now.

Secretary-General's message to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial on the 79th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima | United Nations Secretary-General The world joins together to mark the day that a nuclear weapon devastated this city — and we resolve to spare no effort to ensure the horrors of that day are never repeated.

Since October 7th, Israel has instated a systemic policy of abusing and torturing thousands of Palestinians in its custody.

In “Welcome to Hell”, B'Tselem's new report issued today, dozens of testimonies reveal a reality of harsh, arbitrary daily violence, sexual assault, humiliation, starvation, inhumane hygiene conditions, sleep deprivation, denial of medical care, and more.

The testimonies present the outcome of a speedy process in which the Israeli Government turned Israeli prison facilities into a network of camps dedicated mainly to abusing Palestinians.

The Israeli government has driven us to an all-time moral low, proving again its utter disregard for human lives – of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, of Israelis and Palestinians living through an ongoing war with countless victims, and of the Palestinians held, at this very moment, in torture camps.

Full report available now:
https://www.btselem.org/publications/202408_welcome_to_hell

"Washington has long aspired for Saudi Arabia to embrace Israel officially. The bipartisan Israel Relations Normalization Act, passed by Congress in March 2022, underscored this objective, mandating the State Department to further Arab normalization with Israel based on the Trump-era Abraham Accords."

The Perils of a Looming Saudi-Israeli Normalization Deal | Al-Shabaka Tariq Dana examines the mutually reinforcing interests of the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel that fuel the prospective agreement.

"Since the ICJ binding ruling on 26 January, Israel has continued its genocide on Gaza, including ongoing ground invasions, such as in Rafah since May, and bombardment and massacres targeting shelters, hospitals, and designated “safe zones” across the Strip."

Six Months on ICJ Order: International Community Fails to Stop Israel’s 295-Day Genocide - PIPD PIPD releases monthly briefs on Israel’s key violations of the ICJ order issued on 26 January 2024. For last month’s brief, click here. This brief covers violations from 27 June to 26 July. On 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined the plausibility that Israel is ca...

From the letter: Israel has killed at least 108 journalists and media workers since Abu Akleh’s killing in 2022. Israel’s failure to identify the perpetrators, open a criminal investigation, and to cooperate with external investigations further compounds Israel’s impunity in targeting journalists in the region.

U.S.: Publish Interim Report on Investigation into Killing of U.S. Citizen Shireen Abu Akleh Washington, D.C., July 29, 2024 – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has failed to inform the public about progress into its two-year-old investigation of the killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israel Defense Forces, said DAWN today. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, D...

"The ICJ decision is an even harsher indictment of the Western powers that have allowed a brutal, illegal occupation and land heist to take place, while fatuously claiming to seek 'peace.'"

The ICJ Ruling on Israeli Occupation Is an Indictment of Israel’s Western Enablers The International Court of Justice's decision demonstrates precisely what Palestinians have said for decades.

The annual Arab Festival in Seattle

"we are on the same side for justice, for equality, for dignity, and we shouldn’t be seeing it only as Israelis versus Palestinians."

“The Only Answer Is Peace”: Israeli and Palestinian Activists Share Vision of Coexistence As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, many Democratic lawmakers skipped the speech and held an alternative event on Capitol Hill to promote peace. The panel discussion featured Maoz Ino...

the majority of dead and injured are women and children

Israeli Snipers Firing at 'Anyone Who Is Moving' in Khan Younis | Common Dreams The southern Gaza city is the latest region where Israeli forces have issued an evacuation order, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

🚨🚨 On the eve of Netanyahu’s meeting with President Joe Biden, who sanctioned violent settlers and illegal farms, we reveal that Netanyahu's government is funding them!

Yes, you heard right: The Israeli Government financed 68 illegal farms with NIS 15 million.

Here are the main findings of our report (link in the first comment), which was featured in AP earlier today (link in the second comment):

🔴In 2023, the Israeli government financed 68 settler farms in the West Bank with an amount of NIS 15 million.

⚫️ The funds were used for financing vehicles, drones, cameras, electric generators, electric gates, lamp posts, fences, and more.

🔴 The IDF and the Central Command were involved in planning and approving the funds, including deciding which farms and outposts would receive funding and which components would be financed in each farm and outpost.

Peace Now: “Not only does the Israeli government allow settlers to take over lands, establish outposts and farms in violation of the law, and attack and displace Palestinians without any response, it also funds and assists them. Settler violence is not a bug; it is a feature. It is part of an ongoing effort by the Israeli government to systematically expel Palestinians from their homes and lands in Area C in the West Bank.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules: Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem is illegal under international law.

The international community must now force Israel to end its illegal occupation.

"More children were killed in the first four months of Israel's Gaza onslaught than in all the world's wars over the past four years"

'I Am Not a Terrorist': Letters From Gaza Children Decry Daily Horrors of Israeli Assault | Common Dreams "We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety, with shells accompanying us around the clock, reaping lives, sparing only those fortunate enough to survive," one Palestinian girl wrote to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/15/clearing-gaza-of-almost-40m-tonnes-of-war-rubble-will-take-years-says-un

Clearing Gaza of almost 40m tonnes of war rubble will take years, says UN Assessment puts cost at $500m-$600m and underlines immense challenge of rebuilding after months of Israeli offensive

End the war on children

Israeli weapons packed with shrapnel causing devastating injuries to children in Gaza, doctors say Surgeons who worked in European and al-Aqsa hospitals describe extensive wounds caused by ‘fragmentation’ shrapnel experts say is designed to maximize casualties

"After nine months of endless displacement, killing, and starvation, Maher Mamdooh said life long ago became unbearable. 'How many times do we have to die? There are no ways left for Israel to kill us. No one in the world can feel what I feel now.'”

Israel ordered thousands to ‘safe’ areas in Gaza City — then bombed them After fleeing west at the Israeli army’s instruction, Palestinians quickly found themselves encircled and under fire from tanks, drones, and snipers.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, in the town of Silwan, monitors and documents violations in the city of Jerusalem, and is in an area near the south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, threatened by "settlement projects"

Established before the occupation of Jerusalem…A decision to demolish the headquarters of Wadi Hilweh Information Center Established before the occupation of Jerusalem…A decision to demolish the headquarters of Wadi Hilweh Information Center

"The declaration at Evyatar is one of five state land declarations made since the beginning of the year, encompassing a total of 23,572 dunams (5,879 acres). The year 2024 marks a record in declarations; in fact, in 2024 alone, approximately half of all the land declared since the Oslo Accords in 1993 has been declared as state land."

The Israeli Government Declared 66 Dunams as State Land to Legalize the Evyatar Outpost - Peace Now On July 8, 2024, the Custodian of Government and Abandoned Property signed a declaration designating approximately 66 dunams of land in the villages of Beita and Qabalan, south of Nablus, as “state land.” Landowners have been given 45 days to appeal the declaration and attempt to prove before th...

"The Al-Awda school massacre, as it has become known, occurred as Israel’s assault on Gaza enters its tenth month, and almost ten years to the day since four young boys in Gaza were killed by an Israeli bomb while they played soccer on the beach, on July 16th, 2014."

In Gaza, Playing “the Beautiful Game” Amidst Slaughter As the Olympic Torch arrives in Paris later this month to open the Summer Games, let’s remember the flames outside the soccer pitch at the Al-Awda School in Khan Younis, and the children playing the Beautiful Game in Gaza, amidst the ugliness of war.

'There is no sound technical or strategic rationale for spending tens of billions of dollars building new nuclear weapons'

Hundreds of Scientists Urge Biden to Cancel $100 Billion Nuclear Weapons Boondoggle | Common Dreams "There is no sound technical or strategic rationale for spending tens of billions of dollars building new nuclear weapons," an expert said.

"Their official position is that if it’s the democratic will of the Palestinian people, they will accept a two-state arrangement along the 1967 borderlines. But they also point out, “Tell me where the borders of the current state of Israel even are,” because of all of the illegal annexations, the expansion, the land grabs, the expulsion of Palestinians from land that the whole world recognizes as Palestinian territory."

“On the Record with Hamas”: Jeremy Scahill Speaks with Hamas About Oct. 7, Ceasefire Talks & Israel With the war on Gaza now in its 10th month, we speak with journalist Jeremy Scahill about the state of negotiations for a possible ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. Scahill recently spoke to senior Hamas officials about the ongoing ceasefire negotiations and the group’s broader ...

All the people in this photograph by Emil Salman are now facing eviction proceedings.

Today, the Jerusalem District Court will hear a petition from the Ateret Cohanim settler organization seeking to evict two families from their homes in Batan Al-Hawa, Silwan. Another hearing will take place at the Jerusalem District Court (on Wednesday at 8:30) regarding eviction claims filed by settlers against 11 Palestinian families in Batan al-Hawa. These claims are part of a broader strategy involving multiple lawsuits initiated by settlers affiliated with the Ateret Cohanim association, targeting over 80 Palestinian families in Silwan with demands to vacate their homes.

All these claims are based on the assertion that the land on which the Palestinian homes were built was originally owned by Jews who, in the late 19th century, dedicated it for the benefit of impoverished Yemenite Jews in Jerusalem. Now, a century later, in the name of this same endowment, settlers are seeking to evict the Palestinian families and replace them with Jewish settlers.

In Israel, there is one law for Jews and another for Palestinians. One law applies to Jewish properties in East Jerusalem lost in 1948, allowing them to be reclaimed; another law applies to Palestinian properties in West Jerusalem lost in 1948, preventing their reclamation.

This legal disparity underpins the settlers' petitions against an entire community of over 700 Palestinians in East Jerusalem, whom the settlers are determined to displace and replace in their homes.

Today, we stand with those seeking justice from the court and hope for a decision that will prevent this injustice. What will the court decide?

We will keep you updated.

https://fscluster.org/state-of-palestine/document/damage-cropland-due-conflict-gaza-strip

Damage to cropland due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip as of 20 May 2024 | Food Security Cluster We are about enhancing cooperation and partnerships. Committed to saving lives through the coordination of the food security response in major emergencies.