Blinken Says U.S. Will Aid Gaza Without Helping Hamas

Source: Huffpost

JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Tuesday to “rally international support” to aid Gaza following a devastating war there while keeping any assistance out of the hands of its militant Hamas rulers, as he began a regional tour to shore up last week’s cease-fire.

The 11-day war between Israel and Hamas killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused widespread destruction in the impoverished coastal territory. The truce that came into effect Friday has so far held, but it did not address any of the underlying issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something Blinken acknowledged after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges. And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild,” he said.

“The United States will work to rally international support around that effort while also making our own significant contributions.” He added that the U.S. would work with its partners “to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance.” Blinken will not be meeting with Hamas, which does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and which Israel and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/blinken-us-aid-gaza-without-helping-hamas_n_60acd8f3e4b09604b5272aa5

Bernie Sanders: Progressives Should 'Tone Down' Calling Israel An 'Apartheid' State

Source: Huffpost

Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday that his fellow progressives should “tone down the rhetoric” when it comes to language ― such as “apartheid” ― used to describe Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

The Vermont left-leaning independent sat down with CBS’s John Dickerson on “Face the Nation.” Dickerson pointed out that a number of progressives, some in the House, have called Israel an apartheid state amid the violence between militant group Hamas ― which has power over Gaza ― and the Israeli government.

Dickerson pointed out the rising anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S., with the Anti-Defamation League reporting 193 incidents this week, an increase from 131 the previous week. The correspondent also said that American Jewish Congress Executive Director Joel Rubin ― who handled Jewish outreach for Sanders’ campaign ― has said that using the word “apartheid” is a contributing factor to the increased attacks.

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Sanders, like other progressives and advocates for Palestinian human rights, has said that it is possible to be a critic of Israeli policy without being anti-Semitic. The senator told Dickerson that it is extremely important to combat the rising anti-Semitic attacks both in the U.S. and around the world, just as it is extremely important to combat hate crimes directed at Asians, Latinos and Black people.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-progressives-tone-down-israel-apartheid_n_60aaeedee4b031354798b3aa

Hamas' Haniyeh vows to destabilize Jerusalem, thanks Iran for support

I always had a nagging feeling that Rudy reminds me of someone, but could never put my finger on it.

I finally did.



Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes

An observation: DU posts condemning Hamas are curiously few and far between.

In the midst of a barrage of posts condemning the destruction of a single building in Gaza with no human casualties, it appears we are selectively disregarding certain aspects of the current conflict far more worthy of condemnation and outrage.

So far, over 1500 missiles, each one of them a violation of the Geneva Conventions, have been launched from the Gaza strip aimed directly, without any pretense to the contrary, at the civilian population centers.

Certain military resources are, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, being methodically co-mingled among the civilian population, deliberately exposing them to military threats.

The fact that Iran has turned the whole Gaza Strip into one huge ammunition dump is not even being mentioned.

While Israel takes much greater care to protect their civilian population, casualties, including women and children, are mounting on both sides.

I see little merit in taking sides when the fight between right wing zealots and professional militants gets murderously vicious, especially in light of all the civilian casualties that follow (actually, I find any such attempt a bit ridiculous), but I couldn't help but notice the inequity in dispensing outrage here on DU.