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Negotiations Ceasefire Failed in Egypt Today

by Oui Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 03:34:49 PM EST

Newborns die of hunger and mothers struggle to feed their children as Israel's siege condemns Gazans to starvation | CNN News |

The children in Gaza who survived bombardment "may not survive a famine," World Health Organization (WHO) chief Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus has warned amid reports of surging cases of child malnutrition in the enclave.

The WHO director-general gave the warning in a social media post on Wednesday, accompanied by a video testimony from a doctor based at the pediatric unit in the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.  

"Malnutrition plays a major role in the number of children that come to us and the number of deaths," Dr. Imad Dardonah said in the video. 

Netanyahu policy set 10 days ago ...

Netanyahu says Rafah operation will hand Israel ’total victory' over Hamas 'in weeks' | France24 - 25 Feb. 2024 |

Netanyahu says Rafah operation will hand Israel `total victory' over Hamas 'in weeks'
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday said an Israeli military operation into Gaza's Rafah would hand Israel "total victory" over Hamas within the time span of just a few weeks.

Earlier in the day, Rafah's Emirates hospital said it was lacking incubators so badly that newborns now have to share incubators, even though they are designed to hold only one baby at a time.

More Bloodshed as IDF Massacre in Rafah Continues

Netanyahu promises more bloodshed as military operation continues in Gaza which includes Rafah with a million displaced war refugees.

Hamas envoys leave Cairo, with deadlocked hostage deal talks to resume next week | TOI - 1 hr ago |

Egypt says negotiations at an impasse over terror group's demand for permanent ceasefire, making deal by Ramadan unlikely; Hamas official claims Israel `thwarting' efforts

An official Egyptian source told the country's Al-Qahera News state-affiliated TV channel that negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached an impasse over Hamas's demand for a phased process culminating in an end to the war, but said talks will resume next week.

"Hamas's delegation left Cairo this morning for consultation with the leadership of the movement, with negotiations and efforts continuing to stop the aggression, return the displaced, and bring in relief aid to our people," the Hamas statement said.

But senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Israel had been "thwarting" efforts to conclude a temporary ceasefire deal mediated by Qatar and Egypt during four days of talks hosted by Cairo.

Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Israel was rejecting Hamas's demands to end its offensive in the enclave, withdraw its forces, and ensure freedom of entry for aid and the return of displaced people.

The Egyptian officials said Hamas has agreed on the main terms of such an agreement as a first stage, but wants commitments that it will lead to an eventual, more permanent ceasefire.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Unfortunately Netanyahu reacted just the last hour today ... as promised. Negotiations failed ... the Ukraine playbook.

Netanyahu: Israel will push on with Gaza war on Hamas, including in Rafah | JPost |

Addressing a graduation ceremony at a training school for Israeli army officers today, Netanyahu said Israel must push back against a "calculated attempt" to blame it for Hamas' crimes.

Display:
Negotiations Ceasefire Failed in Egypt Today | 23 comments (23 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
J'Accuse: Senator/VP/President Biden is a Criminal (none / 0)
Joe Biden's long history of pro-Israel statements ... nothing new or original. Must have been tough eight years under President Barack Obama ... 2024 his Waterloo ⁉️

Joe Biden says that Israel is the best 3 billion dollar investment the United States makes, and that if there were not an Israel, the US would have to invent a one to protect US interests in the region.

[Source C-Span Senate Session, June 5, 1986 : After Morning Business, the Senate debate and votes to override the President's veto of the arms sales to Saudi Arabia.]

Have a peaceful cultural summer

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 06:16:50 PM EST
J'Accuse: Senator/VP/President Biden is a Criminal (none / 0)
Senate Heeds Reagan Veto, OKs Saudi Arms by 1 Vote : $265 Million Sale Will Go Through | LA Times - 5 June 1986 |

Cranston told his colleagues, "We believe it ill serves America to sell our most advanced weapons to nations which consistently thwart our fundamental national interests."

Goldwater's Protest

But Lugar said the sale needs to go ahead if the United States wants to be "an effective player" in efforts to broker an Arab-Israeli peace treaty.

Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.), who backed Reagan in the vote, said he rose in protest that members of the Senate were under pressure "of other countries to persuade us to vote against our commander in chief and our President.

"I think it is wrong," Goldwater said. "I think we are making a mistake.

"I hope this is the last time we are subject to the intense pressure, money and threats of another country."

Barry ain't seen nothing yet ...

The Arms-Oil Connection: Fueling the Arms Race | Spring 1982 |

Have a peaceful cultural summer

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 06:18:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
J'Accuse: Senator/VP/President Biden is a Criminal (none / 0)
U.S. Policy in Iraq | 31 July 2003 |

Senator Joseph Biden talked about the Bush Administration's handling of reconstruction in Iraq, and offered some of his own ideas on foreign policy issues. The senator argued for a foreign policy of "enlightened nationalism", which would recognize the value international cooperation but not shrink from unilateral action when it was in the national interest. He said that Saddam Hussein's loss of power in Iraq was a positive development, but criticized the Bush Administration for making faulty assumptions prior to the invasion and not being more forthcoming about the human and monetary costs of reconstruction.



Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 07:00:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
J'Accuse: Senator/VP/President Biden is a Criminal (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 10:36:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
US Diplomacy: Won't Forgive Nor Forget (none / 0)

TIME: Beirut Carnage 1983 Marine Barracks bombing

Have a peaceful cultural summer

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 06:58:16 PM EST
Re: US Diplomacy: Won't Forgive Nor Forget (none / 0)
Blinken, Austin say US ready to protect American troops in Middle East | Marine Times |

Similar to the battalion that suffered immense losses in Lebanon in 1983, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is part of II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

"They're in the vicinity of the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and, at the unclass(ified) level, we'll just leave it there," Smith said at the ceremony Monday. "They're there also to come in peace, if called, but they, too, bring within the weapons of war if needed."

Smith's pointed words of warning echoed 2019 remarks by Iraq veteran retired Army Staff Sgt. David Bellavia after receiving his Medal of Honor [Fallujah massacre]: "We don't want war. But if you want war with the United States of America, there's one thing I can promise you, so help me God: someone else will raise your sons and daughters."



Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 06:59:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Poll: Stop Sending Arms and Munitions to Israel (none / 0)
Poll: Majority of Americans Say Biden Should Halt Weapons Shipments to Israel

That's not a historic low, but it is the lowest point since June 2000. Unsurprisingly, the biggest dip is among young adults (64% in 2023, 38% now). 

But more stunning is the poll by YouGov that finds that 52% of Americans want the U.S. to stop sending arms to Israel altogether until it stops its assault on Gaza. 

For Gantz, this highlights the need for him to connect to Washington more directly, to present a different face of Israel that Washington feels it can work with, and which Americans will see in a better light.

Gantz has been silent on what he told the Americans. He met with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. 



Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 07:42:35 PM EST
Jewish State w Impunity Thanking AIPAC Lobby (none / 0)

Replacing Netanyahu with Gantz won't fix the problem | Mondoweiss |

The Biden administration sees Benny Gantz as a leader who can be reasoned with. To his supporters, Gantz sells himself as the "rational" alternative to Netanyahu, but just as iron-fisted in his policies toward Gaza and the Palestinians.

Have a peaceful cultural summer

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 10:31:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Cypriot Strategy Amalthea Initiative (none / 1)
EU explores safe maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza to transport urgent aid | EL PAÍS |

Cyprus and Israel in December announced a humanitarian sea route to the Strip but it failed to materialize despite a successful trial run that shipped 90 tons of aid to Egypt last Christmas

The idea is not new. Shortly after the start of the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave, which have already killed more than 30,000 people, the Cypriot government put forward a strategy known as the Amalthea Initiative, which was presented on December 20 in the port of Larnaca by the island nation's Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and his Israeli counterpart at the time, Eli Cohen.

In his speech, Kombos described a logistics hub for the safe delivery of a sustained flow of large-volume humanitarian aid to Gaza via a one-way sea corridor. "The aim is for humanitarian assistance for civilians in the Gaza Strip to be collected, stored, secured, and rigorously inspected before loading on a vessel -- all here in Cyprus and, needless to say, the purpose is to complement and scale-up current routes" he stated at the time.

Three months after that announcement, no corridor exists and the initiative appeared to have been forgotten until the announcement of Von der Leyen's visit. In the face of that administrative silence, Open Arms and World Central Kitchen set out to negotiate directly with Israel to open the route. "Our interlocutor is COGAT [Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories of Israel]," Óscar Camps, founder of Open Arms, which is dedicated to the rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean, tells EL PAÍS over the phone. "José Andrés has very good contacts, he has been traveling and negotiating for two months in Israel, Jordan, Egypt ...

The Latest | Biden will announce plans for temporary port for aid in Gaza as hopes for truce dim | AP News |

Have a peaceful cultural summer

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 at 08:12:26 PM EST
Re: Cypriot Strategy Amalthea Initiative Nov. 2023 (none / 1)
'All lives have equal worth': Macron urges Israel to protect civilians at Gaza aid conference | France24 - 9 Nov. 2023 | [The Guardian UK]

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has rejected Israeli plans to push civilians into safe zones in the south of Gaza and said the world must pursue a humanitarian ceasefire as the only way to save lives in the territory. He was opening a hastily assembled humanitarian conference in Paris attended by politicians, NGOs and leaders of the UN humanitarian movement.

The conference did, however, hear support for a maritime humanitarian corridor from Cyprus to Southern Gaza.

Macron was hoping to draw together some of the disparate individual national initiatives to help the people of Gaza, as well as to amplify the call for a humanitarian ceasefire that the UN security council has been unable to support because of political divisions in New York. Proposals for humanitarian aid drops, maritime corridors into the south of Gaza from Cyprus and field hospitals inside Gaza have been proliferating.

Israel rejected Macron's invitation to the Paris conference, but the Palestinian prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, attended.

Martin Griffiths, the head of the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said the escalation of the war was already under way. He said: "War, indeed, is a virus that always wants to expand. The current conflict is a wildfire that would consume the region, that could spread, and that we will think these have been the good days when we see what may happen tomorrow."

He also said proposals for safe zones in Gaza were unacceptable, had not been discussed with the UN and, based on history, would not work. He said the amount of aid reaching Gaza through the Rafah crossing was "a crumb", and that the current 100 trucks a day needed to increase fivefold and become a permanent and reliable supply.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said she backed the call by the Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides, for a one-way maritime humanitarian corridor. [There was fear the corridor could be used to remove Palestinians from Gaza and drop them off on the coast of the Sinai peninsula of Egypt ... Europe does not want refugees]

Christodoulides said the corridor, based at the port of Larnaca, 230 miles (370km) from Gaza, could store 200,000 tonnes of aid to ship to the south-west coast of the territory accompanied by frigates, with the unloading area declared a UN-designated controlled area. He said his plan "for a sustainable and reliable route was gaining traction and political endorsement".

The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said his country was willing to provide naval assets for the corridor as long as the proposal was safe and a landing zone had the necessary infrastructure.

Von der Leyen was silent on the calls made by UN representatives at the conference for Israel to open its closed crossing at Erez.



Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Fri Mar 8th, 2024 at 10:12:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
VDL EU Supports UNRWA ... `till EU Stops Funding (none / 0)
Speech by President von der Leyen at the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza | 9 Nov. 2023 |

[...]
The European Commission knows Gaza very well. For decades, together with the Member States, we have been working with the people in Gaza, we have been one the largest donors to the Palestinian people. Of course, this includes UNRWA - Monsieur le Commissaire général. So, these very close ties that we have established with the people of Gaza pay off today because this increases the possibility to coordinate and to answer the needs. We have started, as European Commission, to immediately work on this humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. And in the run-up to this Conference, we have quadrupled the humanitarian support for Gaza and the West Bank, but it is mostly for Gaza, to up to EUR 100 million.

[...]
Finally, we also think that, as we have to deal with the urgency of today, we must make the effort to think about tomorrow. How to break the current spiral of violence. And how hope can be re-established for Israelis and Palestinians. For that, they need a political perspective. And this perspective is the two-state solution. And we have to work intensively on this. Of course, it is Israelis and Palestinians who will, in the very end, have to agree on a way forward. But we, as part of an international effort, must also contribute, in very close coordination with our friends and partners.

Canada returns to funding UNRWA ... were the accusations by Israel once again false ... or "evidence" through harsh interrogations [Abu Ghraib style torture of prisoners].

US intel has 'low confidence' in Israel's UNRWA claims

Have a peaceful cultural summer

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Mar 8th, 2024 at 10:37:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Genocide Joe and Starvation As Weapon (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 03:51:20 PM EST
Re: Genocide Joe and Starvation As Weapon (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 03:52:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Genocide Joe and Starvation As Weapon (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 03:53:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Genocide Joe and Starvation As Weapon (none / 0)

Israeli Destruction, Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will Require $90bn | Anadolu Agency |

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, adjacent to the border with his country, will require $90 billion.

In a speech at the Cairo Convention Center, Sisi said he "requested an estimate (from Egyptian state institutions) for the cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli bombing it witnessed," stressing that it "needs 90 billion dollars," according to the Cairo News Channel.

He pointed out that "what happened in Gaza is a challenge to Egypt and the entire region."

"The Rafah crossing is open 24/7, and we are keen to bring aid into the Gaza Strip," he added.

He also noted that Egypt "airdrops aid into the Gaza Strip because of the difficulties facing the process of bringing it in by land."

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates carried out a fifth joint airdrop humanitarian aid mission Friday for Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip, according to the Emirati news agency WAM.

For more than a week, Arab countries, namely Egypt, the Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain have continued to carry out joint operations to drop food aid in Gaza, in addition to similar operations by the US.

 

Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 03:54:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Eye On Palestine True Heroic Scenes (none / 0)
Israel's Forever Wars because "We Can!"



Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 05:13:11 PM EST
Re: Eye On Palestine True Heroic Scenes (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 05:14:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Eye On Palestine True Heroic Scenes (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 05:15:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Friday Prayers Ahead of Ramadan (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 05:41:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Rafah Devastation Pending .. Netanyahu's Victory (none / 0)
.

Israel strikes landmark residential tower in southern Gaza's Rafah

Israel struck one of the largest residential towers in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, residents say.

The 12-floor building, located some 500 meters from the border with Egypt, was damaged in the strike. Dozens of families were made homeless though no casualties were reported, according to residents.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident.



Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 06:01:38 PM EST
Rafah Devastation Pending .. Netanyahu's Victory (none / 0)


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Mar 9th, 2024 at 06:09:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
As Gazans Starve, Joe Tip Toes Around Bibi (none / 0)

'US should pressure Israel'

Gaza resident Samir Abo Sabha told BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline radio that he believed the US should do more and put pressure on its ally Israel for a ceasefire.

"As a citizen of Gaza, this stuff is of no use," he said. "What we want [is] America to pressure Israel into a ceasefire and to stop giving Israel weapons and missiles."

Some aid workers have echoed this sentiment.

Last week, Scott Paul of Oxfam America wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Instead of indiscriminate airdrops in Gaza, the US should cut the flow of weapons to Israel that are used in indiscriminate attacks, push for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and insist that Israel uphold its duty to provide humanitarian aid, access, and other basic services."



Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Mon Mar 11th, 2024 at 09:29:32 AM EST
Re: As Gazans Starve, Joe Tip Toes Around Bibi (none / 0)
.


Have a peaceful cultural summer
by Oui (Oui) on Mon Mar 11th, 2024 at 10:09:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Negotiations Ceasefire Failed in Egypt Today | 23 comments (23 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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