Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked
articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For
anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering
seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/.
Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green.
I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that
is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and
challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.
From thiis week’s news on the war in West Asia, politics & democracy, and international affairs (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published), and noting the conflicts, listed here, for instance, and other global issues, such as those listed here, that may not have made it into this weeks news (please note: this is a cut down and/or version of what I used to do):
the war in West Asia (note: I object to the colonial term “Middle East”), in imperialistic Israel,
Gaza, and adjoining nations:
Note: my usual preamble to these posts can be found on the post at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/04/from-this-weeks-news-on-war-in-west_24.html.
I will omit the full version of that from now on for the sake of
brevity, but the main points are: (i) I do not give violent
extremists/other mass murderers the oxygen of publicity, nor the
satisfaction of using the t word; (ii) _____ have for many years been
identified as genocidal; (iii) I consider Israel must exist because of
the world's collective failures on antisemitism - everywhere,
not only Germany of the 1930s/40s (see full version for more on this -
and the same applies for other groups, such as the Kurds);
(iv) Israel's existence can ONLY be morally justified as part of a two
state solution where Palestine becomes a modern, functional, prosperous sovereign nation-state; (v) I note https://theconversation.com/when-is-criticism-of-israel-antisemitic-a-scholar-of-modern-jewish-history-explains-220995
on when criticism of Israel becomes antisemitic; (vi) Israel’s
conduct since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the collapse of the
Oslo Accords has been both devastating to its victims and damaging of
its standing, and its conduct now risks an even more self-damaging
Pyrrhic “victory”; (vii) note that the ICJ has issued preliminary directions, but not made a formal finding regarding genocide.
- Two thoughtful and thought provoking articles: “Point of No Return” https://jewishcurrents.org/point-of-no-return “Palestinians cannot turn back the hands of time. But we might still imagine a world beyond exile” “Teshuvah: A Jewish Case for Palestinian Refugee Return” https://jewishcurrents.org/teshuvah-a-jewish-case-for-palestinian-refugee-return “Given
our history, how can Jews deny another people the right to return to
their homeland? ... What the establishment Jewish narrative omits is
that the vast majority of Palestinians forced from their homes
committed no violence at all. Their presence was intolerable not because
they had personally threatened Jews but because they threatened the
demography of a Jewish state” and also lessons - including in humanity, on both sides - from history (1929): “Yiddish Anarchists’ Break Over Palestine” https://jewishcurrents.org/yiddish-anarchists-break-over-palestine-1929 “An
exchange in the anarchist newspaper Di fraye arbeter shtime after the
1929 Hebron massacre offers a case study in Jewish discourse and
political reaction after immense violence. ... The next morning,
more Palestinians entered the Orthodox Jewish community of Hebron and
killed 67 Jews of various ages and backgrounds—all of whom were unarmed,
and who had earlier refused to collaborate with Zionist militias on
account of their theological opposition to Zionism. At the same time,
dozens of Palestinian families in Al-Khalil sheltered hundreds of their
Jewish neighbours from the violence.”
- “Israel’s use of US weapons in Gaza likely breached international law, State Dept says” https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240511-israel-s-use-of-us-weapons-in-gaza-may-violate-international-law-state-dept-says “The
United States has issued a stunning criticism of Israel’s use of
American weapons in the Gaza war, after Israeli forces intensified
operations around the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million
displaced people are sheltering.” “Dodging the Issue: The Biden Administration Report on Israel’s Use of US Weapons” https://theaimn.com/dodging-the-issue-the-biden-administration-report-on-israels-use-of-us-weapons/ “Mindful
of the image of an ally, the report is seemingly less concerned by the
staggering civilian death toll than “the impact of Israel’s military
operations on humanitarian actors.” ... Inexplicably, Israel gets a
clean bill of health in terms of section 620I of the Foreign Assistance
Act, which bars military aid to a state that “prohibits or otherwise
restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United
states humanitarian assistance.” “The Arsenal of Genocide: the U.S. Weapons That Are Destroying Gaza” https://www.juancole.com/2024/05/arsenal-genocide-destroying.html “War on Gaza: US to send $1bn more in weapons, ammo, to Israel despite Rafah tensions | Middle East Eye” https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-send-1bln-more-weapons-ammo-israel-despite-rafah-tensions A good perspective: “After More Than 100 Arms Shipments to Israel, Biden Withholds One” https://jewishcurrents.org/after-more-than-100-arms-shipments-to-israel-biden-withholds-one “Experts
say the administration’s attempt to “send a message” to Israel falls
flat as it skirts legal requirements to cut off arms transfers.”
- “Israel’s invasion of Rafah will not eliminate _____ or end the war. So, what is Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan?” https://theconversation.com/israels-invasion-of-rafah-will-not-eliminate-_____-or-end-the-war-so-what-is-benjamin-netanyahus-plan-229995 “Power
vacuum emerging The longer the war has dragged on, the more it has
highlighted that Israel, which has been under Netanyahu’s almost
continuous rule since 2009, has no long-term strategy for living
side-by-side with its Palestinian neighbours. ... The US deputy
secretary of state, Kurt Campbell, this week warned the current
situation is reminiscent of what the US faced in Iraq and Afghanistan
after invading in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks” “Israel war cabinet split looms as defence minister demands post-war Gaza plan” https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/15/israel-war-cabinet-split-looms-as-defence-minister-demands-plan-for-post-war-gaza “Yoav Gallant, who Benjamin Netanyahu tried to fire in 2023, says he will not allow Israeli rule of Gaza” “Thousands protest in Israel amid anger at Netanyahu over hostages held in Gaza” https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/12/israel-protest-gaza-hostages-netanyahu
on human rights and human suffering (on both sides) aspects:
- “Israel refutes South Africa’s accusations at UN world court” https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1149916 “The
UN International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Friday, heard the response
from Israel on the case brought forward by South Africa requesting
emergency provisional measures to immediately halt Israeli military
operations under way in Rafah” Everyone
must have their say in any good justice system, so Israel must have the
opportunity to be heard. However, in the court of world opinion, Israel
is continuing to shoot itself in the foot ...
- From Human Rights Watch: “With Pause, US Joins Other States Stopping Arms Transfers to Israel” https://www.juancole.com/2024/05/states-stopping-transfers.html “This
partial pause on weapon transfers doesn’t go far enough in response to
Israel’s international law violations and US rules on arms transfers.
Nonetheless, Biden’s decision represents a shift from the unconditional
support the US has offered Israel, particularly since Biden acknowledged
that “civilians have been killed as a consequence of those bombs and
other ways [Israel] goes after population centres.””
on military aspects:
regionally:
internationally:
global:
- “France to declare state of emergency in New Caledonia as unrest turns deadly” https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240515-dozens-arrested-in-new-caledonia-constitutional-reform-unrest “French
President Emmanuel Macron's office on Wednesday said a state of
emergency would be declared after at least three people were killed in
New Caledonia amid violent protests that erupted over the passage of a
constitutional reform that angered pro-independence forces.” “Colonial past haunts latest New Caledonia crisis” https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240516-colonial-past-haunts-latest-new-caledonia-crisis-france “Protests
against a French government plan to impose new voting rules on New
Caledonia have spiralled into the deadliest violence on the French
Pacific territory since the 1980s. The unrest has exposed divisions
between indigenous inhabitants, descendants of colonisers and newcomers
to the overseas archipelago.” “Why is New Caledonia on fire? According to local women, the deadly riots are about more than voting rights” https://theconversation.com/why-is-new-caledonia-on-fire-according-to-local-women-the-deadly-riots-are-about-more-than-voting-rights-230199 “...
they dispute the outcome of the final 2021 referendum which, they
argue, was forced on the territory by French authorities too soon after
the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. This disregarded the fact that Kanak
communities bore disproportionate impacts of the pandemic and were
unable able to fully mobilise before the vote. Demands that the
referendum be delayed were rejected, and many Kanak people abstained as a
result.” In
addition, the article says, female leaders are pointing to the wealth
inequality between Kanaks and colonisers - which has alienated youth.
The views expressed by colonisers about political equity also lack
understanding.
- “Niger Coup Reversing Hard-Earned Gains” https://africacenter.org/spotlight/niger-coup-reversing-hard-earned-gains/ “After
noteworthy gains in the previous decade under democratically elected
governments, the derailing of Niger’s constitutional order by the
military coup in July 2023 has resulted in a deterioration in security,
economic wellbeing, and agency for Nigerien citizens.”
Australia:
- “Corporatocracy” https://theaimn.com/corporatocracy/ “It’s
time we reckoned with what it means to become a corporatocracy. Our
governments exist to enact the desires of their corporate masters.
... The end result will be an uninhabitable world.”
- “Stop funding hate!” https://theaimn.com/stop-funding-hate/ “We
need to urge our representatives to reject that bill, to not wind the
clock back to a time when religions suppressed human rights,
criminalised those who for no fault of their own were different. We
need to deny funding to schools which do not uphold the human rights we
have fought for and have enshrined in our laws.” Well said!
My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal. Note:
as with other mass murderers/serial killers/and the like, violent extremists and other evil people/groups crave publicity, so I
refuse to give that to them - including not using their names (which is a
policy adopted by good
law enforcement and media for other mass
murderers - and I can do as I am a secondary news source [the name(s)
are often in the primary sources if people wish to know them] ).
Assumptions / basis In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following:
- this
blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights
matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume
readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the
post header;
Possible flaws
Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:
- there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan
Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”;
- I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post.
If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.
Remember:
we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all
misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+
lives at risk
& accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor
comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.
Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024 NO AI
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