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
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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 (when I remember) 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”.
There have been some significant developments with regard to Gaza this week - none good.
The first is a letter in “The Lancet”, a key British medical magazine, which assesses the likely number of deaths of Palestinians in Gaza as around 186,000.
Key points include:
- “The Ministry’s [deaths] figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services [Ref. 2] , the UN, and WHO” Ref. 2 details are: “Israeli Intelligence has deemed Hamas-run health ministry’s death toll figures generally accurate.” https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3w4w7/israeli-intelligence-health-ministry-death-toll
- “Armed conflicts have indirect health implications beyond the direct harm from violence. ... The total death toll is expected to be large given the intensity of this conflict; destroyed health-care infrastructure; severe shortages of food, water, and shelter; the population's inability to flee to safe places ...”
- “An immediate and urgent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is essential, accompanied by measures to enable the distribution of medical supplies, food, clean water, and other resources for basic human needs. ... It is also a legal requirement.”
The letter’s details are:
“Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential”, by Rasha Khatib, Martin McKee, Salim Yusuf, pub. 5th July, 2024, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01169-3 URL https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext
The second is some key content in the following article:
“Palestinians told to leave Gaza City as Israel steps up offensive” https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/10/palestinian-civilians-told-to-leave-gaza-city-as-israel-steps-up-offensive “Evacuation order follows deadly airstrikes on locations including schools and shelters in past few days”
The content that caught my attention was:
“The Israeli military said it was reviewing reports that civilians were harmed. It said the incident occurred when it struck with “precise munition” a Hamas fighter who had taken part in the 7 October raid on Israel that precipitated the Israeli assault on Gaza.
The area hit was crowded at the time of the attack, according to witnesses who spoke to the BBC.
Wednesday’s attack was the fourth on or near schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in four days. Israel has said that in every instance the sites were targeted because they were being used as bases by Hamas fighters, police officers or politicians.”
Police officers or politicians.
By Israel’s own admission, it seems this is not solely a war against a genocidal violent extremist organisation, it is also a war that includes elements of politicide ...
Politicide, and other likely applicable terms such as urbicide, domicide, ecocide, educide and scholasticide, and culturcide are described in:
“Genocide, urbicide, domicide – how to talk about Israel’s war on Gaza” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/3/genocide-urbicide-domicide-how-to-talk-about-israels-war-on-gaza
Also see:
“The destruction of GazaŹ¼s historic buildings is an act of ‘urbicide’” https://theconversation.com/the-destruction-of-gaza-s-historic-buildings-is-an-act-of-urbicide-223672
“Urbicide: ‘Even if Israel stops bombing Gaza tomorrow, it will be impossible to live there’” https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240628-urbicide-even-if-israel-stops-bombing-gaza-tomorrow-it-will-be-impossible-to-live-there “Eight months of war have destroyed more than 55% of the structures in Gaza, according to the latest report from the UN Satellite Centre. The enclave's main towns have been devastated by Israeli bombardment, rendering them almost uninhabitable. The destruction has been called an example of “urbicide” – the deliberate, utter destruction of an urban area.”
The third item is Australia’s decision to appoint an official, tax-payer funded envoy against antisemitism, with a non-specific statement of appointing an anti-Islamophobia envoy in the future.
There are specific concerns about the person chosen for this role.
See:
“Australia appoints special envoy to combat anti-Semitism” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/9/australia-appoints-special-envoy-to-combat-anti-semitism
“Appointment of Israel lobbyist as antisemitism envoy will only drive further division” https://www.jewishcouncil.com.au/media/appointment-of-israel-lobbyist-as-antisemitism-envoy-will-only-drive-further-division
“Jillian Segal is an envoy for Israel, banking misconduct, and not much else” https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/07/10/jillian-segal-antisemitism-envoy-labor-banking-nab-israel-palestine/ “Jillian Segal has criticised ceasefire calls in Gaza and defended bombing hospitals. That, and her record at NAB, makes her a poor choice for a government role.”
“Trendy Appointments: Australia’s Special Antisemitism Envoy” https://theaimn.com/trendy-appointments-australias-special-antisemitism-envoy/
“Australia has its first antisemitism special envoy, with an Islamophobia special envoy to follow. What will this mean?” https://theconversation.com/australia-has-its-first-antisemitism-special-envoy-with-an-islamophobia-special-envoy-to-follow-what-will-this-mean-234359
Despite Prime Minister Albanese’s call for unity, I consider this action is likely to cause the exact opposite of that. The anger over an active mass atrocity in circumstances of such egregious imbalances of military power is palpable (including within his party), and the PM’s downplaying of what is being done to Gazans to a few things “of concern” does nothing to engender confidence in his ability to assess the situation objectively and equitably, and respond appropriately - or even in line with the human rights, ICJ, Genocide Convention, and two state philosophies of Doc Evatt, who was so crucial in the early days of the UN - and also was a member of the PM’s party.
And one day Israel will wake up and be paralysed with horror at what it has done - including to itself ...
PS - since publishing this, I have come across the following, which, in my opinion, further supports the points I am making above:
“Killing of Hind Rajab” https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Killing_of_Hind_Rajab&oldid=1234699387
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.
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