Summer at the beach, Gaza 2024

by Loren McGrail

The dawn left a taste of

blood on my scorched tongue.

Why does August bear so much death?

I have not died yet, but my

children scream at my seared

face. “Dad. Wake up. We

haven’t departed yet.”

                                                                                             Mohammed Moussa, Gaza Poets Society

Promising signs that Palestine advocacy is building political power in Washington
The defeat of Cori Bush in her primary election on Tuesday left a lot of advocates for Palestinian rights in the United States despairing. It’s an understandable feeling.

Cori Bush is a tireless activist, working against injustice, racism, economic oppression, against apartheid and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, and genocide in Gaza. In that last fight, she was successful enough to draw the ire of AIPAC. The pro-Israel lobbying group directly spent at least $11 million between its two affiliated PACs to defeat Bush.

That is a stunning amount of money to spend on an election where only a little over 125,000 people voted. AIPAC’s support made up most of the four-to-one spending advantage to Bush’s opponent, Wesley Bell. Coupled with Jamaal Bowman’s defeat earlier in his primary, this can be discouraging. Here


US weapon used in Gaza City school massacre that killed 100
Israel killed at least 100 Palestinians at a school being used as a shelter for displaced people in central Gaza City on Saturday, according to Gaza officials.

The attack came one day after Israeli tanks pushed back into Khan Younis, the largest city in Gaza’s south, forcing war-weary families to once again flee to the unknown.

Israel dropped leaflets on eastern Khan Younis ordering residents and displaced people sheltering there to “evacuate from an area that has already seen repeated waves of fighting,” Reuters reported. Here


EXCLUSIVE: Biden Administration Sending 6,500 Munitions to Israel, Despite Ongoing Killing Of Civilians in Gaza

The State Department has formally notified Congress of a direct sale of 6,500 joint direct action munitions (JDAM) to Israel — while calls for an arms embargo to the government accused of war crimes grow louder.

JDAMs are guidance kits used to convert non-targeted bombs into more precise “smart” munitions. The order comes after the shipment, valued at $262 million, was reportedly delayed in May, as it was pending under review. Zeteo has learned that the sale will now go through. 

The original review came as the U.S. sought to prevent Israeli forces from pursuing a major ground invasion in Rafah — where Israeli forces have nevertheless bombed multiple targets and had a large ground presence for months.

Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), said it was “mind-boggling” for the administration to move forward with the sale. Here


The ICJ finds that BDS is not merely a right, but an obligation
Israel and its lobby have, for years now, been engaged in a frenzy of activity to further insulate Israel from accountability by using their influence in the West to effectively outlaw organized opposition to Israel. Foremost among these efforts has been the Israeli campaign to penalize calls to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel for its gross violations of human rights. As a result, countless laws and policies are now on the books across the U.S. and the broader West, trampling on core constitutional principles and internationally guaranteed human rights in defense of Israeli impunity. But an advisory opinion issued last month by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should help to turn that around. Here

Responses to the Internal Court of Justice ‘Advisory Opinion’

‘Impunity must end’: World reacts to ICJ ruling against Israeli occupation Here

US criticizes ICJ opinion on Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories Here

The World Court says Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is illegal: 4 steps NZ can take now

Here

In significant reversal, Church of England head says Israeli occupation must end following ICJ opinion

Here

More Resources

NYC Journalist Faces Hate Crime Charge for Allegedly Filming Gaza Protest Action; Police Raid Home Here

Israeli rape of detainees is the result of a society that sees Palestinians as ‘human animals’ Here

Kamala Harris Is Speaking. Is She Listening? Here

Turkey joins genocide case against Israel at the ICJ after months-long delay Here

Reports

Welcome to Hell: The Israeli Prison System as Network of Torture Camps by B’Tselem, Aug. 2024 Here

Thematic report - Detention in the context of the escalation of hostilities in Gaza (October 2023-June 2024) [EN/AR] Here

Palestinian children plagued by lice, scabies and rashes in Gaza’s overcrowded tent camp Here

State of the Occupation, Year 57: A Joint Situation Report Here

Media Resources

Silence is Complicity: A Palestinian Call to Action (Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac) Here

Francesca Albanese: Why Israel ‘should be treated as a pariah state’ – Real Talk Here

This is a section of the UCCPIN August 2024 E-Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, follow this link.