A special State Department panel told Secretary of State Antony #Blinken that the U.S. should restrict arms sales to Israeli military units that have been credibly accused of human rights abuses. He has not taken any action.
BREAKING: Secretary of State #Blinken Is Sitting on Staff Recommendations to Sanction Israeli Military Units Linked to Killings or Rapes
A special State Department panel told Blinken that the U.S. should restrict arms sales to #Israeli military units that have been credibly accused of human rights abuses. He has not taken any action.
US Secretary of State Antony #Blinken warns that #Israel risks becoming #indistinguishable from #Hamas if it continues to fail to protect civilians amid the Gaza war.
“What happened after October 7 could have ended immediately if Hamas had stopped hiding behind civilians, released the hostages and put down its weapons,
but Israel is not Hamas.
Israel is a democracy;
Hamas, a terrorist organization. Democracies place the highest value on human life, every human life.
As it has been said, whoever saves a life, saves the entire world,” Blinken says during a press conference in Brussels, quoting a Jewish proverb.
“That’s our strength. It’s what distinguishes us from terrorists like Hamas.
If we lose that reverence for human life, we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront.”
Sec of State #Blinken reiterated the msg in Brussels on Thurs. & Sen #ChrisCoons, a close #Biden ally & a staunch supporter of #Israel, said the #UnitedStates is “at that point” where #conditions must be placed on #MilitaryAid to Israel.
The changing dynamic comes as Israel plans to invade the southern #Gaza city of #Rafah, where up to 1.5M #Palestinians are sheltering in decrepit conditions after fleeing there under Israeli orders. #US ofcls have warned Israel against a major campaign in Rafah.
Israel killed 5 World Central Kitchen workers today.
Israel needs to be cut off and stopped. Whatever defense support they may have had is gone.
I hated what they were doing before, but now I am actively against Israel.
They are on their own.
Let the world work together to stop Netanyahu.
#POTUS Joe Biden said on Fri the US will impose costs for Russia's "appalling attempts" to use Americans as bargaining chips in a stmnt to mark the 1-yr anniversary of WSJ reporter Gershkovich's arrest in Russia.
Gershkovich, 32, was the 1st US #journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the #ColdWar when he was detained by the #FSB on Mar 29 last yr.
In their stmnts, #Biden & Blinken also condemned the detention of #PaulWhelan, an ex-Marine arrested in Moscow in 2018 & sentenced to 16 yrs in prison on spying charges in 2020. He & the US govt deny the charges.
"To Evan, to Paul Whelan, & to all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad: We are w/you. And we will never stop working to bring you home," Biden said.
"The U.S. has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza that is tied to the release of Israeli hostages, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said."
#Blinken should end up in The Hague, with Netanyahu, Biden and the rest
By amplifying ZAKA's unsubstantiated claims without corroborating evidence from impartial sources, Blinken tacitly lent credibility to an infamously unreliable organization. However, Blinken's and others' willingness to broadcast selectively curated information aligns the U.S. stance with Israeli propaganda efforts to reframe defensive Palestinian resistance as unwarranted aggression. Blinken's actions normalized the marginalization of Palestinian perspectives and enabled the systemic information asymmetry that nurtures the cyclical perpetuation of the Israeli occupation's oppressive status quo in Gaza, which is reaching its worst possible conclusion right before our eyes.
Bassem: THEY LIED . THEY LIED . THEY STILL DO. They lied so the world can accept the atrocities they are doing now . They lied . Their media said they lied . And the western media didn’t even bother reporting on that . Shame on you @cnn@bbcnews@skynews@msnbc@foxnews@france24@dwnews