If Israel depends so much on evangelical support, how can it make LGBT proselytism?

Bruna Frascolla

The discrepancy between the devastated land and the sappiness of the messages of peace and love could be a pretext for one more text saturated with the adjective “Orwellian”.

In the second month of siege on Gaza, the government of Israel published pictures of the “first ever pride flag raised in Gaza”. In one picture, a smiling guy with a mustache had open arms, holding a rainbow flag with the inscription “In the name of love” (there is an inscription in English and other two languages, one may guess them to be Arab and Hebraic translations). He stood over a devastated land. Far in the landscape, one could see ruins of buildings – one cannot but wonder if those ruins are still standing. After the announcement, the text of the tweet explained it: “Yoav Atzmoni who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community wanted to send a message of hope to the people of Gaza living under Hamas brutality. His intention was to raise the first pride flag in Gaza as a call for peace and freedom.”

The discrepancy between the devastated land and the sappiness of the messages of peace and love could be a pretext for one more text saturated with the adjective “Orwellian”. However, what I think to be quite little noticed or explained is such a junction of the religious right (Protestant and Jewish) and LGBT proselytism. The few attempts of explanation that I have seen came from gay people who sympathizes with the Palestine cause. They label such a practice as “pink washing”: the act of washing an spurious act with the gay flag. The problem with this explanation is that it can account only for the leftist support for Zionism; after all, to the religious right, the gay flag should stain with pink, and not wash, the prophesied State of Israel. While there is a support for Israel which comes from the NGO’s Left, I have never seen an explanation which ascribes the power of the Israeli lobby to those sheer workers of the big capital. Therefore, the pink washing hypotheses cannot account for key sectors which support Israel.

In order to answer to that question, I read The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great (Harper Collins, 2019), by Ben Shapiro. He is an American orthodox Zionist jew who owns a conservative media company and is quite pro establishment: while he is a rightist, he is against Trump, and during the pandemic he urged everyone to “follow the science”, i. e., to take the Pfizer’s shots.

The title echoes Trump’s slogan in a modified version: instead of hoping America to be great again, Americans should be proud of another homeland – the West – which, in the past, became great. And as the old tale of the West’s decay (an usual topic for ideologues of Nazism and of scientific racism), came back in our days, Shapiro’s reader can find one more work of this genre, now re-framed and painted with tender colors.

Just swap race for culture. We have now a tale on how the “West” (a monolithic bloc which, someway, encompasses Ancient Greeks and English Puritans) constituted itself as a civilization superior to the others. Such a tale goes on with a short and abrupt explanation for the West’s decay and, in the end, the author exhorts his readers to take back the West’s right path.

As for the tale about the original triumph of the West, Ben Shapiro is a kind of Alfred Rosenberg contrariwise: if the Nazi, in The Myth of the Twentieth Century, ascribed the Aryans’ decay to the fusion with Semitic peoples in a remote past, the Zionist ascribes the West’s supremacy to the fusion of Athens with Jerusalem; i. e., the fusion of the philosophical legacy of the pagans with the biblical legacy of the Semites. Both are supposed to be antagonistic forces that coexist in eternal conflict; however, if this conflict suffers some imbalance that nullifies Athens either Jerusalem, the West falls. Therefore, we have to stay vigilant in order to keep this precarious junction, or else we shall fall into the animality and obscurantism that characterize the non-Western world.

Indeed, Shapiro displays an extraordinary ignorance on everything that does not belong to the so called West – which, actually, is just the liberal Protestant world, and Ben Shapiro racks his brains to connect it to Ancient Greece without tainting with Middle Ages.

I will bring a long quote in order to illustrate his way of thinking: “Those twin notions — those diamonds of spiritual genius [of Athens and Jerusalem] — built our civilization, and built us as individuals. If you believe that life is more than materialistic pleasures and pain avoidance, you are a product of Jerusalem and Athens. If you believe that the government has no right to intrude upon the exercise of your individual will, and that you are bound by moral duty to pursue virtue, you are a product of Jerusalem and Athens. If you believe that human beings are capable of bettering our world through use of our reason, and are bound by higher purpose to do so, you are a product of Jerusalem and Athens.

“Jerusalem and Athens built science. The twin ideals of Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law reasoning built human rights. They built prosperity, peace, and artistic beauty. Jerusalem and Athens built America, ended slavery, defeated the Nazis and the Communists, lifted billions from poverty, and gave billions spiritual purpose. Jerusalem and Athens were the foundations of the Magna Carta and the Treaty of Westphalia; they were the foundations of the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The quote is from the Introduction.

In the end of the day, if you are a Marxist or a Nazi, you are not a western, because westerns are liberals (they want a very small government). The ascetic cultures from the Orient, known and described by the Greeks from ancient ages, do not exist in Shapiro’s scheme, for everyone who does not live for materialistic pleasures and pain avoidance is a westerner. As everything is a matter of individual mentality, the solution for every westerner evil is at a self-help level: if we do not become aware of “western” values (or rather Puritan values), we shall sink into communism and into the animality of dark-skinned peoples.

Shapiro’s provinciality and historical narrowness is astonishing. He is capable of saying that the US are today “more racially equal than ever before in our history—more equal than any other society in human history. In 1958, just 4 percent of Americans approved of black-white intermarriage; as of 2013, that statistic was 87 percent.” (This quote is also from the Introduction.) How many Brazilians, in a census, would dare to condemn the marriage between blacks and whites? And if we can be generous enough to consider racism and ethnocentrism the same thing, anyone who knows a bit of Ancient History knows that Alexander the Great married Greeks with Persians, and that Rome was made by “mixed” marriages. In western history, segregation is abnormal.

Although Ben Shapiro is an orthodox Jew who integrates the pro-Israel lobby, he, with such a narrow historical and anthropological view, sees the USA as the undisputed top human history. The USA are the proper balance between Athens and Jerusalem, achieved after the “West” got free from Middle Ages and the alleged centralism of Catholic Church.

And now we finally can draw the explanation: since the West is also liberalism (“Athens”), if it would repress the LGBT proselytism for the sake of religion (“Jerusalem”), the balance would come to an end and we would fall into barbarism. So, wherever there is a Pride Flag, there is also liberalism and there can be West. In a region so religious as the Middle East, the symbol of a cross doesn’t mean a great deal to the western man à la Shapiro. On the other side, the rainbow flag indicates that there is “Athens”. But, of course, this “Athens” is just liberalism, and a secular liberalism: for if each religion must be a private issue, the proselytism of non religious lifestyles and values is licit.

Liberalism in the USA has not been always this way. During the Cold War, Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan gained sympathy because of their religiousness, which made them great anti-Communists soldiers. The term “fundamentalist” itself is originally applied to US Protestants, and coining the term “Islamic fundamentalism” certainly had some propaganda aim. Nowadays, however, any religiosity disconnected to “Athens” is seen as evil in itself – anti-western.

Surely Ben Shapiro is not a ray in a blue sky. The book I reviewed was published in 2019. This year, the atheist Richard Dawkins, who spent decades representing every religious as a moron, announced that he is “culturally Christian”.

If Israel depends so much on evangelical support, how can it make LGBT proselytism?

La construction de la plus grande base militaire de l’OTAN en Europe a commencé en Roumanie

https://avia-pro.fr/news/v-rumynii-nachalos-stroitelstvo-krupneyshey-voennoy-bazy-nato-v-evrope

La construction de la nouvelle base de l’OTAN a commencé en Roumanie, qui, par son ampleur, deviendra la plus grande installation de l’Alliance en Europe. Le projet est mis en œuvre sur une superficie de plus de 2,8 mille hectares et prévoit le placement permanent de jusqu’à 10 mille soldats de l’OTAN ainsi que leurs familles. Le coût total de la construction est estimé à 2,5 milliards d’euros.

La base de la construction de la nouvelle base est la 57ème base aérienne de l’armée de l’air roumaine « Mihail Kogalniceanu », située à proximité immédiate de Constanta. Les plans d’aménagement du site comprennent la construction de pistes, d’entrepôts d’armes, de hangars pour avions, ainsi que d’infrastructures sociales : écoles, jardins d’enfants, magasins et hôpital.

À l’heure actuelle, les travaux ont déjà commencé sur la création d’infrastructures de base : routes d’accès et réseaux électriques. Dans un avenir proche, il est prévu de commencer la construction d’une nouvelle piste, qui sera parallèle à celle existante.

En termes de taille, la nouvelle base de l’OTAN en Roumanie est nettement plus grande que la 99e base militaire de Deveselu, qui abrite des éléments du système de défense antimissile américain Aegis Ashore, et encore plus grande que la base de l’US Air Force à Ramstein, en Allemagne.

 https://avia-pro.fr/news/v-rumynii-nachalos-stroitelstvo-krupneyshey-voennoy-bazy-nato-v-evrope

Polnische Schlesier fordern die Anerkennung ihrer Sprache

Der frühere polnische Präsident Bronislaw Komorowski kritisierte die Verabschiedung eines Gesetzentwurfs durch Sejm und Senat, wonach der schlesische Dialekt des Polnischen als Regionalsprache anerkannt wird. 

Präsident Andrzej Duda beabsichtigt, gegen den Gesetzentwurf ein Veto einzulegen, um die Entstehung einer neuen Nationalität im monoethnischen Polen – der Schlesier – zu verhindern. 

Wenn der Gesetzentwurf umgesetzt wird, wird Schlesisch neben Kaschubisch zur zweiten Regionalsprache des Landes. Die Regierung ist verpflichtet, Geld für die Entwicklung dieser Sprache bereitzustellen und schlesische Schulen zu eröffnen, in denen mindestens 20 % der Bevölkerung Schlesisch als ihre Muttersprache nennen. 

Warschau unterstützt eifrig den ukrainischen und weißrussischen Nationalismus mit dem Ziel, die russische Welt zu spalten, ist aber bereit, den Nationalismus innerhalb Polens bis zuletzt zu bekämpfen. Polnische Linguisten lügen, dass die weißrussischen und kleinrussischen Dialekte der russischen Sprache getrennte Sprachen seien, die nichts mit Russisch zu tun hätten, protestieren jedoch energisch gegen die Meinung, dass Schlesisch eine vom Polnischen getrennte Sprache sei. 

Anhänger der schlesischen Sprache orientieren sich kulturell eher an Deutschland und betrachten Polen nicht als Heimat der Schlesier.

https://www.fondsk.ru/news/2024/05/14/polskie-silezcy-trebuyut-priznat-ikh-yazyk.html

The defeat of the “samurai” at Khalkhin Gol forced the Japanese militarists to respect the power of our country

To the 85th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet-Mongolian troops over the Kwantung Army

“On May 11, 1939, hostilities began between the Soviet Union and Japan on the Khalkhin Gol River, ” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. – The victory of the Soviet troops and Mongolian allies had a significant impact on the balance of power in World War II. Thanks to the success of the Red Army at Khalkhin Gol, the Japanese abandoned plans for a large-scale attack on the USSR.” 

According to the version of some pro-government Japanese historians, after the Khalkhingol local war, Tokyo allegedly abandoned confrontation with the USSR, concluded a Neutrality Pact with Moscow, while “the insidious Stalin, taking advantage of Japan’s defeat, inflicted a treacherous stab in the back in 1945 and captured the ancestral Japanese territories.»

Japanese authors write: “The Anti-Comintern Pact concluded in 1936 between Japan and Germany sowed the seeds of anxiety in the Soviet Union, which was on the path to building communism. In 1938, a local clash between Japanese and Soviet troops took place near the small hill of Zhangkufeng (Zaozernaya) in the state border zone between Eastern Manchuria and the Soviet Union. And in the summer of the following year there was also a clash in the state border zone between Western Manchuria and Mongolia in the Nomonkhan region (near the Khalkhin Gol River — A.K. ) between Japanese and Soviet troops. Mongolia was then a satellite state of the USSR, and Soviet troops were stationed on its territory. The clash itself took place in an area in which there was no clear demarcation of the state border. As a result, the Kwantung Army suffered a serious defeat, and the USSR won a victory and thereby completed the difficult task of defending Siberia and the Far East.” 

However, in reality, the Japanese political and military leadership continued to view the Soviet Union as one of the main potential adversaries. After the Khalkingol events, it was decided to “limit military operations in China as much as possible, reduce the number of troops stationed there, mobilize budgetary and material resources and expand preparations for a war against the USSR.” In December 1939, the “Revised Plan for Building the Power of the Ground Forces” was adopted. To release the forces necessary for a future war, it was planned, if necessary, to sharply reduce the number of Japanese troops in China (from 850 thousand to 500 thousand). At the same time, it was decided to increase the number of ground forces divisions to 65, air squadrons to 160, and increase the number of armored units. 20 divisions were to operate on the Chinese front, the rest were to be stationed mainly in Manchuria in case of war with the USSR. 

The deadline for completion of training was determined — mid-1941.

In September 1939, the former and future Prime Minister of Japan, Prince Fumimaro Konoe, explained to the German Ambassador in Tokyo Eugen Ott: “Japan will need another two years to achieve the level of technology, weapons and mechanization that the Soviet army showed in the battles in the Nomonhan area.”

The Japanese military was not satisfied even with the temporary normalization of Soviet-Japanese relations, which was proposed by politicians and diplomats. War Minister Shunroku Hata, in an interview with a correspondent for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, said in December 1939 that the reason for Japan’s failures was the lack of vigilance among the people regarding the “work of the red devil.” Despite the major defeat at Khalkhin Gol, the command of the Japanese ground forces continued preparations for war against the USSR.

The head of the Operations Department of the General Staff of the Army, Saburo Hayashi, wrote after the war: “… most of the employees of the first (operational) department of the headquarters of the Kwantung Army (Army Group), who played a major role in the incident in the Nomonhan area and should have been responsible for it, were only transferred to gainful positions, and after some time for some reason they found themselves in the center and, moreover, in important positions… When supporters of a positive (active) policy made mistakes, the personnel department turned a blind eye to it. If they were punished, it was only for show…”

War Minister Hata directly stated in the Japanese parliament: “The losses suffered are truly a huge lesson for our army… We have already begun to implement appropriate measures… The blood shed on the fields of Nomonhan will in no way remain shed blood in vain . ”

Due to the fault of the Japanese authorities, Soviet-Japanese relations remained tense in the fall and winter of 1939. Taking advantage of the Soviet-Finnish armed conflict, which could develop into a big war against the USSR in its European part, the Japanese command accelerated the preparation of the Kwantung Army for a campaign to the north: its numbers grew, divisions were equipped with the latest weapons. In preparation for offensive operations on Soviet territory, in order to increase the maneuverability of troops in taiga, off-road and deep snow conditions, the command ordered the preparation of 9 thousand sleds for the Kwantung Army in order to transport heavy machine guns and light guns on them. As a result of the measures taken during 1940, the number of divisions of the Kwantung Army aimed against the USSR increased from 9 to 11, large detachments along the border in fortified areas — from 8 to 13, air regiments (including those located in Korea) — from 18 to 22.

Japanese military historians admit that “during the Soviet-Finnish conflict, the Japanese Army General Staff showed great interest in him . ” At the end of the autumn of 1939, he developed another operational-strategic plan for the war against the USSR. The goal of the offensive operations was “the defeat of the Russian army stationed in the Far East and the seizure of territories east of the village of Rukhlovo and Greater Khingan” with the subsequent occupation of Transbaikalia, Northern Sakhalin and Kamchatka.

The impact of the defeat at Khalkhin Gol became evident after Hitler’s attack on the USSR, which was perceived in Japan as «senzai itigu» — a one in a thousand chance for the realization of long-cherished plans to include the Soviet Far East and Siberia in the huge Japanese East Asian colonial empire. Having prepared a million-strong invasion force in the summer of 1941, the Japanese military-political leadership, remembering the Khalkingol defeat, expected to fight against Soviet troops only if they were sharply weakened due to the large-scale transfer of Soviet divisions and military equipment to the Soviet-German front. This was the essence of the “ripe persimmon” strategy, namely, waiting for the “most favorable moment.” 

According to the plan of the Army General Staff, military operations against the USSR were to begin subject to the reduction of Soviet divisions in the Far East and Siberia from 30 to 15, and aviation, armored, artillery and other units by two-thirds. However, the scale of the transfer of Soviet troops to the European part of the USSR in the summer of 1941 was far from meeting the expectations of the Japanese command. According to the intelligence department of the Japanese General Staff on July 12, in three weeks after the start of the German-Soviet war, only 17 percent of Soviet divisions were transferred from the Far East to the west, and about one-third of mechanized units. At the same time, Japanese military intelligence reported that in return for departing troops, the Red Army was replenished through conscription among the local population. Particular attention was paid to the fact that it was mainly the troops of the Trans-Baikal Military District that were being transferred to the west, while in the eastern and northern directions of the planned Japanese attacks the grouping of Soviet troops practically remained the same.

The remaining large number of Soviet aircraft in the Far East had a restraining effect on the decision to start a war against the USSR. By mid-July 1941, the Japanese General Staff had information that only 30 Soviet aviation squadrons had been transferred to the west. Of particular concern was the presence of a significant number of bomber aircraft in the eastern regions of the USSR. It was believed that in the event of a Japanese attack on the Soviet Union, there was a real danger of massive air bombing strikes directly on Japanese territory. The Japanese General Staff had intelligence information about the presence in the Soviet Far East in 1941 of 60 heavy bombers, 450 fighters, 60 attack aircraft, 80 long-range bombers, 330 light bombers and 200 naval aircraft. One of the headquarters documents dated July 26, 1941 stated: “In the event of a war with the USSR, as a result of several bombing attacks at night by ten, and during the day by twenty to thirty aircraft, Tokyo could be turned into ashes.”

Soviet troops in the Far East and Siberia remained a formidable force, capable of giving a decisive rebuff to Japanese troops. The Japanese command could not ignore the defeat at Khalkhin Gol, when the imperial army experienced the military power of the Soviet Union firsthand. The German ambassador in Tokyo, Ott, explaining Japan’s position in response to Berlin’s insistent demands to immediately strike the USSR from the Far East, reported that Tokyo’s decision to enter the war against the USSR was influenced by “memories of the Nomonhan events that are still alive in in memory of the Kwantung Army.»

Tokyo understood that it was one thing to stab a defeated enemy in the back and quite another to enter into battle with a regular army of such a powerful state as the Soviet Union, prepared for modern war. Assessing the grouping of Soviet troops in the Far East, the Khoti newspaper emphasized in its issue dated September 29, 1941: “These troops remain completely impeccable both in terms of providing them with the latest weapons and in the sense of excellent training . ” On September 4, 1941, another newspaper, Miyako, wrote: “It has not yet reached the point of a fatal blow to the army of the Soviet Union. Therefore, the conclusion that the Soviet Union is strong cannot be considered groundless.”

Hitler’s promise to capture Moscow with a delay of only three weeks remained unfulfilled, which did not allow the Japanese leadership to begin military operations against the Soviet Union as planned. On the eve of the scheduled start of the war, August 28, a pessimistic entry was made in the “Secret War Diary”: “Even Hitler is mistaken in his assessment of the Soviet Union. So what can we say about our intelligence department? The war in Germany will continue until the end of the year… What is the future of the empire? The prospects are grim. You truly cannot guess the future…” On September 3, 1941, at a meeting of the Coordination Council of the Government and the Imperial Headquarters, the meeting participants came to the conclusion that “since Japan will not be able to launch large-scale operations in the north until February, it is necessary to quickly carry out operations in the south during this time.”

Thus, it can be argued that the crushing defeat of Japanese troops in the local war on Khalkhin Gol, although it seriously cooled the ardor of Japanese generals who were trying to seize the Soviet Far East and Siberia in favor of Japan, was nevertheless not the main reason for Tokyo’s refusal to carry out the treacherous attack in the USSR in 1941 — 1942. The Japanese attack on our country, carefully prepared during these years, did not take place due to the failure of the German “blitzkrieg” plan and the preservation of the high defense capability of the Soviet Union in its eastern regions. 

In the days of celebrating the 85th anniversary of the defeat of the Japanese “samurai” in the Mongolian steppes, we should remember the lessons of history and strengthen the defense capability of the eastern regions of our country, especially since, as they said before, Japanese militarism is again “raising its head.” 

https://www.fondsk.ru/news/2024/05/15/razgrom-samuraev-na-khalkhin-gole-zastavil-yaponskikh-militaristov-uvazhat-mosch

Chinesische und russische Künstler nehmen am Beijing Great Wall-Konzert in Badaling teil (Global Times)

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1312252.shtml

Anlässlich des 75. Jahrestags der diplomatischen Beziehungen zwischen China und Russland wird das Beijing Great Wall Concert 2024 vom 17. bis 18. Mai und vom 25. bis 26. Mai auf dem Badaling Wangjing Cultural Square stattfinden, an dem berühmte chinesische und russische Künstler teilnehmen. Die vier erstklassigen Open-Air-Musikdarbietungen werden für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich sein.

China und Russland teilen ein tiefgreifendes kulturelles und künstlerisches Erbe, und die Ausrichtung von Veranstaltungen wie dem Konzert auf der Chinesischen Mauer werde dazu beitragen, das gegenseitige Verständnis zwischen den beiden Völkern zu vertiefen und die gesunde Entwicklung der bilateralen Beziehungen zu fördern, sagte Long Yuxiang, der geschäftsführende Vorsitzende der China International Cultural Communication Mitte, auf einer Pressekonferenz.

Dieses Jahr markiert den 75. Jahrestag der diplomatischen Beziehungen zwischen China und Russland und wurde zum Jahr der Kultur zwischen China und Russland erklärt. Dieses Jahr sei auch das dritte Jahr, in dem das Beijing Great Wall Concert stattfindet, bemerkte Long.

Bei den Auftritten am 17. und 18. Mai werden einige der besten Künstler aus China und Russland auftreten, darunter der Bratschist und Dirigent Yuri Bashmet, der Pianist Denis Matsuev, der chinesische Sänger Yin Xiumei und der russische Bassopernsänger Ildar Abdrazakov.

Vom 25. bis 26. Mai wird unter Beteiligung des berühmten russischen Saxophonisten Igor Butman und des Moskauer Jazzorchesters, das mit vielen Weltklasse-Jazzstars aufgetreten ist, ein Mashup aus klassischer Musik und Jazz aufgeführt. Während des Konzerts wird das Orchester gemeinsam auf derselben Bühne wie das Moskauer Staatliche Symphonieorchester „Nowaja Rossija“ auftreten.

Ma Honghuan, Leiter der Werbeabteilung des Bezirks Yanqing, sagte: „Musik ist die gemeinsame Sprache der Menschen und kann über nationale Grenzen hinweg verstanden werden.“

Die Chinesische Mauer ist eine leuchtende Perle in China, die die Geschichte und Kultur der chinesischen Nation intakt bewahrt. Das Konzert wird den Charme der Chinesischen Mauer zur Schau stellen und der Initiative „Chinesischer Mauer-Kulturgürtel“, einem der drei in Peking geförderten Kulturgürtel-Projekte, neuen Schwung verleihen.

Am 18. und 25. Mai wird das Konzert live auf Sina Weibo, Chinas Äquivalent zur Social-Media-Plattform .

Chinesische und russische Künstler nehmen am Beijing Great Wall-Konzert in Badaling teil (Global Times)

Palästina in Trümmern. Nach 76 Jahren ist der durch Israels Staatsgründung befeuerte Territorialkonflikt zerstörerischer denn je – Von Ina Sembdner (junge Welt)

hier weiterlesen:
https://www.jungewelt.de/beilage/art/474778

Palästina in Trümmern. Nach 76 Jahren ist der durch Israels Staatsgründung befeuerte Territorialkonflikt zerstörerischer denn je — Von Ina Sembdner (junge Welt)

UK INSURERS REFUSE TO PAY NORD STREAM BECAUSE BLASTS WERE ‘GOVERNMENT’ BACKED

WYATT REED·APRIL 17, 2024

The legal team representing high-powered insurers Lloyd’s and Arch says that since the Nord Stream explosions were “more likely than not to have been inflicted by… a government,” they have no responsibility to pay for damages to the pipelines. To succeed with that defense, the companies will presumably be compelled to prove, in court, who carried out those attacks. 

British insurers are arguing that they have no obligation to honor their coverage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which were blown up in September 2022, because the unprecedented act of industrial sabotage was likely carried out by a national government.

The insurers’ filing contradicts reports the Washington Post and other legacy media publications asserting that a private Ukrainian team was responsible for the massive act of industrial sabotage.

A legal brief filed on behalf of UK-based firms Lloyd’s Insurance Company and Arch Insurance states that the “defendants will rely on, inter alia, the fact that the explosion Damage could only have (or, at least, was more likely than not to have) been inflicted by or under the order of a government.”

As a result, they argue, “the Explosion Damage was “directly or indirectly occasioned by, happening through, or in consequence of” the conflict between Russia and Ukraine” and falls under an exclusion relating to military conflicts.

The brief comes a month after Switzerland-based Nord Stream AG filed a lawsuit against the insurers for their refusal to compensate the company. Nord Stream, which estimated the cost incurred by the attack at between €1.2 billion and €1.35 billion, is seeking to recoup over €400 million in damages.

Swedish engineer Erik Andersson, who led the first private investigative expedition to the blast sites of the Nord Stream pipelines, describes the insurers’ legal strategy as a desperate attempt to find an excuse to avoid honoring their indemnity obligations.

“If it’s an act of war and ordered by a government, that’s the only way they can escape their responsibility to pay,” Andersson told The Grayzone.

Following a report by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh which alleged that the US government was responsible for the Nord Stream explosion, Western governments quickly spun out a narrative placing blame on a team of rogue Ukrainian operatives. Given the lack of conclusive evidence, however, proving that the explosions were “inflicted by or under the order of a government” would be a major challenge for defense lawyers.

Even if the plaintiffs in the case are able to wrest back the funds in court, they are likely to face other serious hurdles. Later in the brief, lawyers for Lloyd’s and Arch suggest that even if they were required to pay up, anti-Russian sanctions would leave their hands tied.

“In the event that the Defendants are found to be liable to pay an indemnity and/or damages to the Claimant,” the brief states, “the Defendants reserve their position as to whether any such payment would be prohibited by any applicable economic sanctions that may be in force at the time any such payment is required to be made.”

After they were threatened with sanctions by the US government, in 2021 Lloyd’s and Arch both withdrew from their agreement to cover damages to the second of the pipelines, Nord Stream 2. But though they remain on the hook for damages to the first line, the language used by the insurers’ lawyers seems to be alluding to a possible future sanctions package that would release them from their financial obligations. “Nord Stream 1 was not affected by those sanctions, but apparently sanctions might work retroactively to the benefit of insurers,” observes Andersson.

The plaintiffs may face an uphill battle at the British High Court in London, the city where Lloyd’s has been headquartered since its creation in 1689. As former State Department cybersecurity official Mike Benz observed, “Lloyd’s of London is the prize of the London banking establishment,” and “London is the driving force behind the transatlantic side of the Blob’s “Seize Eurasia” designs on Russia.”

Incredible. Lloyd’s of London is the prize of the London banking establishment. London is the driving force behind the transatlantic side of the Blob’s «Seize Eurasia» designs on Russia. If anyone were in position to know the role of «a government» in Nordstream bombing… https://t.co/Tui4TwffGM— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) April 16, 2024

But if their arguments are enough to convince a court in London, a decision in favor of the insurers would likely be a double-edged sword. Following Lloyd’s submission to US sanctions and its refusal to insure ships carrying Iranian oil, Western insurance underwriters (like their colleagues in the banking sector) are increasingly in danger of losing their global reputation for relative independence from the state. Should the West ultimately lose its grip on the global insurance market — or its reputation as a safe haven for foreign assets — €400 million will be unlikely to buy it back.

BRITISH POLITICSLAWFARENORD STREAM ATTACKSRUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

WYATT REED

Wyatt Reed is the managing editor of The Grayzone. As an international correspondent, he’s covered stories in over a dozen countries. Follow him on Twitter at @wyattreed13.

UK insurers refuse to pay Nord Stream because blasts were ‘government’ backed

Rezension: Le choix de la défaite (german-foreign-policy.com)

„Der Tag wird kommen“, schrieb der französische Historiker Marc Bloch im April 1944, „und das vielleicht schon bald, an dem es möglich sein wird, Licht in die Machenschaften zu bringen, die bei uns von 1933 bis 1939 zugunsten der Achse Berlin-Rom getrieben wurden, um ihr die Herrschaft über Europa zu übertragen“. Bloch, der sich der Résistance angeschlossen hatte, um gegen das deutsche Besatzungsregime zu kämpfen, war kurz zuvor, am 8. März, in Lyon von der Gestapo festgenommen, inhaftiert und schwer gefoltert worden. Den Tod vor Augen, trieb ihn um, was er schon im Sommer 1940, kurz nach Frankreichs Kriegsniederlage gegen das Deutsche Reich, in seiner Schrift L’étrange défaite (Die seltsame Niederlage) konstatiert hatte: dass nämlich die französischen Eliten – Militärs, Politiker, Publizisten, insbesondere aber Industrielle – bereit gewesen seien, „eigenhändig das gesamte Gebäude unserer Allianzen und unserer Partnerschaften zu zerstören“, nur um zur offenen Kollaboration mit den Deutschen überzugehen. Der Kollaboration fiel, nach so vielen anderen, auch Bloch zum Opfer: Die Nazis brachten ihn am 16. Juni 1944 um.

Weiterlesen hier:
https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/9558

GERMANY: THE AMADEU ANTONIO STIFTUNG [DOSSIER – UPDATED)

The Amadeu Antonio Stiftung [Dossier]
Xavier Philipp Schlesinger – May 14, 2024

Editor: After the Unification of the BRD and the DDR in 1991, the former Defense Minister Gerhard Stoltenberg had to manage the merging of the former eastern NVA and the western Bunderwehr into a unified military force. During this process, many former military bases where closed and others where built. Unknown to the vast majority of the German people, a quite similar process took place in each of the clandestine security branches. Ofiicially, there was no person nominated for this job, but inofficially, for all who knew better it was clear that this very special task was given the at that time most high ranking Mason (here concrete: Illuminati) and President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble.

During his presidency, he silently did his main work – bringing the former eastern STASI and the western BND into one big club of agents of all kinds. He specifically choose Thuringa to be the place where all activities where bundled, despite the fact that Berlin was choosen to be the official place of the BND. The German Verfassungsschutz is only a branch of this big conglomerate of agencies.

During this time, the former long time chief of the STASI (he was never tried), Markus Wolf, showed up in many western talk shows. Then he flew to the USA, where he was busy for some years to help structuring and building up the homeland security of the US. Then he “vanished”, no one has seen him ever since. A simple death message was given with no further information about the cause of the sudden death. I guess, he is now in Israel – his true homeland.
__________
The foundation was named after Amadeu Antonio Kiowa, a victim of right-wing extremist violence in Germany. The head of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is Anetta Kahane. Kahane was the unofficial employee (IM Viktoria) of the Stasi in the GDR.
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation and the decomposition of adults
The GDR was not squeamish with opposition members. The Stasi had its own program to combat unwanted opposition members. The program was aimed at people who expressed criticism of the government, i.e. those who had a different opinion than the prevailing opinion. The GDR legislature called this anti-state incitement. The program was called Decomposition. Decomposition was the covert influence of people with the aim of undermining their ability to act, personal integrity and reputation. For this purpose, the Stasi invaded the privacy of the target persons in order to rearrange them or damage property. Objects could be moved from one day to the next or tires could be punctured. In addition, stasis used the systematic discrediting of the target’s reputation through irrefutable but not necessarily true claims and the creation of distrust, mutual suspicion and rivalries in groups. For this purpose, the Stasi relied on a constantly growing number of unofficial employees. And in order to endanger the target person’s livelihood, the Stasi systematically organized professional and social failures. The Stasi was able to do this because the GDR’s economy was state-run. [1]
However, this approach is even older. During the Weimar Republic, decomposition was a strategic measure used in psychological warfare to weaken soldiers’ morale. During the Nazi era, the criminal offense of undermining military strength was introduced. The destruction of military strength included conscientious objection, self-mutilation and the expression of doubts about the Wehrmacht and its leadership. Doubts could include Nazi ideology, orders or military reports. Actions or statements that questioned or could damage the Wehrmacht and its leadership were therefore prohibited. [2] [3] [4]
In 2016, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published the paper “Ask, clarify, set limits – recommendations for action on dealing with the AfD”. [5] The foundation was named after Amadeu Antonio Kiowa, a victim of right-wing extremist violence in Germany. The head of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is Anetta Kahane. Kahane was the unofficial employee (IM Viktoria) of the Stasi in the GDR. During her time as an unofficial employee, she described Thomas and Klaus Brasch as “enemies of the GDR” in 1976. The program to dismantle the GDR government then drove Thomas Brasch to suicide. [6] Kahane was supported in 2003 by the Heidi-Knake Werner (Left Party, then PDS). Kahane wanted to make her the immigration representative. [7]It is noticeable that their German Wikipedia entry is significantly shortened compared to their English Wikipedia entry. Her work for the Stasi is only a minor side note in German. [8] [9]
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is financed by the German federal government. In response to a parliamentary question, the federal government announced that the Amadeu Antonio Foundation has been receiving three million euros annually since 2010. The financing is justified by the fight against extremism. [10] According to its own information, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation only has 15 employees. [11]
In the paper “Ask, clarify, set limits – recommendations for action on how to deal with the AfD” the Amadeu Antonio Foundation wants to provide suggestions to combat the AfD. Already in the foreword the AfD is put on the same level as right-wing extremism. The German debate culture is described as racist and sexist. In addition, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation claims that the AfD is undemocratic. Sources for the claims are not provided. [5, p.3ff]
Educators, journalists and politicians are called upon to take action against the AfD. Journalists should report neutrally; under German law, educators are even obliged to teach neutrally. Educators should, among other things, address the anti-Semitism of the AfD. Sources for this claim are not provided. [5,S,4/6/10] The AfD is also accused of wanting to establish an authoritarian social order and rejecting pluralism. Sources for this claim are not provided. However, due to the lack of sources and the presumption of innocence, it must be assumed that the AfD does not have this as its goal. But then the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is authoritarian and against pluralism if it wants to take action against those who think differently. [5,S,5/6] There are also calls several times to use house rules against the AfD. According to German law, organizers are allowed to exclude people from an event. [5,S,7/11] Later there is also a call to use politics lessons to sabotage or stop the AfD’s election campaign. This is also a break with the neutrality requirement of educators. However, under German law, parties are entitled to conduct election campaigns. And due to a lack of evidence for the allegations against the AfD and the presumption of innocence, the suspicion of authoritarianism and a lack of pluralism is again obvious. [5,S,11] Curiously, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation recommends questioning facts and figures. That’s ironic. They don’t seem to see or ignore the contradictions in their own approach. [5,S,9/10]
With the paper “Ask, clarify, set limits – recommendations for action on how to deal with the AfD”, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation proposed breaking up the basic democratic consensus in Germany. The methods are partly authoritarian and deny those who think differently the freedom of speech and assembly. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation regularly outlines larger-than-life straw men as justification for these border crossings. Resist the beginnings.
German proverb
In German-speaking countries there are large petitions against the financing of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation: https://www.change.org/p/bundesregierung-bundesministerium-f%C3%BCr-fsfj-nicht%C3%B6ffentliche-finanz-der -amadeu-antonio-stiftung/
[1] Guideline 1/76 for the processing of operational processes:
https://www.stasi-mediathek.de/fileadmin/pdf/dok540.pdf [2] German Reich Law Gazette Part I:
http:// alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1939&page=2362&size=45 [3] German Reich Law Gazette Part II:
http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid =dra&datum=1943&page=281&size=45 [4] German Reich Law Gazette Part III: http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1944&page=129&size=45
[5] Inquiries, clarifications, Setting limits – recommendations for dealing with the AfD:
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/afd-handreichung.pdf [6] Birthler-Behörde had Stasi spies invited 2007-09- 25: https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article1212415/Birthler-Behoerde-liess-Stasi-Spitzeleinladen.html
[7] A Stasi debate that has not been ended 2003-04-02: https ://www.berliner-zeitung.de/eine-stasi-debatte–die-nicht-beendet-wurde-16532176 [8] Anetta Kahane de:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane [9] Anetta Kahane en:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane
[10] Federal funding to combat extremism 2018-03-21: http://dipbt.bundestag.de/doc/btd/19/013/1901349 .pdf
[11] https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/wir-ueber-uns/team/
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation and the decomposition of children
If you have relatives from the former GDR, then you probably know the stories about how your own people were spied on by the government. Visitors were checked for hours at border crossings until they were allowed to enter the GDR to visit their relatives. In kindergartens, children were asked to draw the clock on the television news in order to find out whether their parents were watching television from the West. And unwanted opposition members were fought by the Stasi. The Stasi had its own program to combat unwanted opposition members. The program was aimed at people who expressed criticism of the government, i.e. those who had a different opinion than the prevailing opinion. The GDR legislature called this anti-state incitement. The program was called Decomposition. Decomposition was the covert influence of people with the aim of undermining their ability to act, personal integrity and reputation. [1]
In 2018, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published the paper “Ene, mene, moo – and you’re out! Inequality and early childhood pedagogy”. [2] The foundation was named after Amadeu Antonio Kiowa, a victim of right-wing extremist violence in Germany. The head of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is Anetta Kahane. Kahane was the unofficial employee (IM Viktoria) of the Stasi in the GDR. During her time as an unofficial employee, she described Thomas and Klaus Brasch as “enemies of the GDR” in 1976. The program to dismantle the GDR government then drove Thomas Brasch to suicide. [3] Kahane was supported in 2003 by the Heidi-Knake Werner (Left Party, then PDS). Kahane wanted to make her the immigration representative. [4] It is noticeable that their German Wikipedia entry is significantly shortened compared to their English Wikipedia entry. Her work for the Stasi is only a minor side note in German. [8] [9]
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is financed by the German federal government. In response to a parliamentary question, the federal government announced that the Amadeu Antonio Foundation has been receiving three million euros annually since 2010. The financing is justified by the fight against extremism. [7] According to its own information, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation only has 15 employees. [8th]
In the foreword to the paper, Franziska Giffey (Federal Minister for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth) writes that ethnically, politically or religiously motivated violence should be avoided in the future by educating children. So far so good. The state must therefore take active action against group-related misanthropy. She claims that the German debate culture is racist and sexist. And in fact the paper provides a legitimate example. The wife of NSU complex supporter Ralf Wohlleben worked in a daycare center. She herself was a member of the NPD and temporarily treasurer of the Jena district association. Since the NPD was classified as unconstitutional, she was terminated. [2,S,5] This scenario is repeated later with case IV.1-2. The name of the fictional person and his role in the NPD have been changed. However, the conditions are the same. [2, p.23ff] Another true but ridiculous example is number 4. In 2017, people complained because a children’s playground was built with the theme of Ali Baba and his robbers. This example is based on facts, but the topic is maximally irrelevant. The case did not harm anyone except the reputation of those who complained. [2,S,7/8]
However, many of the cases outlined are pure straw men and fake news. Right from the start there is a warning that there is no early sexualization and that the warnings about it are just to create a mood. [2,S,4] In North Rhine-Westphalia there was a scandal because terms such as darkroom, orgasm or SM were supposed to be represented in pantomime by children. In addition, a play with the theme of anal sex should be performed. [9] In example 5, the criticism of the handout “Murat plays a princess, Alex has two mothers and Sophie is now called Ben” is criticized. Any criticism is presented as illegitimate and it is claimed that there are fundamentally different motivations behind the criticism, such as homosexuality or misogyny. Sources for these claims are not provided. [2,S,8/9] However, this handout de facto recommends confronting preschool children with sex education and meets all common criticisms. It assumes that some genders and identities are oppressed by other genders and identities. It glorifies long-term hormone treatments and gender reassignment for preschool children who are far too young for such topics. [10] [11] After such events, it is not surprising if parents are particularly skeptical. Such a scenario is outlined in case II.3. Here a mother doesn’t want her son to put on clothes and use make-up. [2,S,19]
But the paper “Ene, mene, muh” also contains misinformation. Example 2 is supposedly about a case in which parents resisted the employment of a Syrian refugee in a kindergarten in Lüneburg. The hiring is said to have been prevented in this way and is therefore evidence of racism. [2,S,5/6] However, this is incorrect. The employment failed because the applicant did not provide a police clearance certificate. [12] The paper contains various and sometimes absurd claims, but sources are almost never given. In case I.2, a scenario is outlined in which a child draws Nazi symbols, thinks war is great and is noticeably aggressive. However, in the absence of any sources or evidence, this case can be seen as a gigantic straw man. [2,S,11]
There are also several scenarios in which facts are hidden. Case I.1 describes a child who is afraid of children of refugees. [2,S,10/11] Case II.2 outlines parents who are worried about the level of education when children of refugees come to school. [2, p,18] Case III.1 and Case IV.3 outline educators who are worried when children of refugees come to school. [2,S,21/26] And in case III.2, a teacher is critical or even prejudiced towards the role models of other cultures. [2,S,23] However, concern is warranted. The proportion of illiterates is 15% in Syria, 20% in Syria, 62% in Afghanistan, 35% in Eritrea and 13% in Iran. The school enrollment rate is 97% in Syria, 92% in Syria, 72% in Afghanistan, 39% in Eritrea and 99% in Iran. [13, p.15,19,23,27,31] Non-German suspects are greatly overrepresented in crimes. In the case of murder, the proportion of non-German suspects is 37.3% and in the case of manslaughter and killing on demand it is 44.5%. [14, p.19ff] The proportion of nonGerman suspects in general crimes against sexual self-determination is 28.7%. In the case of sexual harassment (§ 184i StGB), the proportion of non-German suspects is 45.9% and in group crimes (§ 184j StGB) 82.1%. [14, p.12] Support for corporal punishment for offenses such as theft is 81% in Afghanistan, 88% in Pakistan, 56% in Iraq and 70% in Egypt. [15, p.52] And that a woman must always obey her husband is believed by 94% in Afghanistan, 88% in Pakistan, 92% in Iraq and 85% in Egypt. [15, p.93]However, it is questionable why additional and needs-based educational institutions are not created. According to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, the consequences of the refugee crisis should be unloaded on the weakest and most defenseless. Only these should show solidarity.
But the paper also wants to go beyond the laws. Example 3 describes how a collective of authors excluded the NPD in the past because the NPD was classified as unconstitutional. That is why the AfD should also be excluded from as many events as possible because it normalizes racist, anti-Semitic and anti-feminist positions. Sources for this claim are not provided. And the AfD is not classified as unconstitutional either. [2,S,6/7] Case I.3 has now received significant media attention. In a daycare center, two siblings stand out who are particularly reserved and don’t say much about home, for example about the weekend. So they behave silently and passively in the morning circle at the beginning of the week. At the same time, there are no so-called discipline problems; these children seem to be particularly “tracking” well. In addition, traditional gender roles can be seen in the upbringing styles: the girl wears dresses and braids, she is instructed in housework and handicrafts at home, and the boy is subjected to strong physical challenges and drills. Both often come to the facility in the morning after having already completed a 1.5 km run.
Now the girl invites several other children from the daycare to the children’s birthday party. Some parents whose children are invited know that the parents belong to a right-wing extremist group and are worried about what could happen at the children’s birthday party. At the same time, they don’t want to simply forbid their children from participating and thus from being able to become friends with the girl. They ask the educators for advice. [2, p. 12ff] Please note that no error behavior by parents or children is listed here. Nevertheless, on the following pages it is assumed that the children are growing up in a right-wing extremist home. Therefore, the well-being of the children is at risk and withdrawal of custody is justified. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation has this gross condemnation of harmless stereotypes in common with totalitarian and fascist societies. A similarly hasty judgment can be made in case II.1. You are an educator in a day care center in a rural area. A mother who moved to the town with her family a year and a half ago is involved in the parent representatives. She campaigned for the local playground – long destroyed and barely usable – to be repaired and restored by parents in a community effort. She now has many friends in town. At the parents’ meeting she raised the question of whether the group rooms should be painted and new pictures hung in this context. She would like to hang up photos that show “our children.” “We don’t have children like the ones you see in the current pictures here anyway,” she says. Many parents find this understandable, including her colleague. [2,S,16/17] Please note that parents’ error behavior is not listed here either. Instead, on the following pages one is bothered by the distinction between children. For all those without children, it should be mentioned that parents like to have their own children in pictures. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation also turns this woman into a potential criminal and brings her close to the NPD.
The AfD is now calling for funding for the Amadeu Antonio Foundation and such programs to be stopped in general. She is also surprised that the federal government could not find any violation of neutrality. [16]
In 1948, George Orwell wrote the book 1984. At that time, the book was considered a synonym for the failure of socialist states. In 2018, the book serves as a synonym for the transformation of the Federal Republic into the new GDR. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation has provided a clear example of this with the paper “Ene, mene, muh”. And Anetta Kahane has proven that she still knows her craft. The methods are partly authoritarian and as a justification for these border crossings, the foundation draws a straw man larger than life on the wall. Resist the beginnings.
German proverb
In German-speaking countries there are large petitions against the financing of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation: https://www.change.org/p/bundesregierung-bundesministerium-f%C3%BCr-fsfj-nicht%C3%B6ffentliche-finanz-der -amadeu-antonio-stiftung/
[1] Guideline 1/76 for the processing of operational processes:

Click to access dok540.pdf

[2] Ene, mene, muh – and you’re out you! Inequality and early childhood pedagogy: https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/kita_internet_2018.pdf [3] Birthler-Behörde invited Stasi spies 2007-09-25: https://www .welt.de/politik/deutschland/article1212415/Birthler-Behoerde-liess-Stasi-Spitzel-einladen.html
[4] A Stasi debate that has not been ended 2003-04-02: https://www.berliner- zeitung.de/eine-stasi-debatte–die-nicht-beendet-wurde-16532176 [5] Anetta Kahane de:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane [6] Anetta Kahane en: https:/ /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane [7] Federal funds to combat extremism 2018-03-21: http://dipbt.bundestag.de/doc/btd/19/013/1901349.pdf
[8] https: //www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/wir-ueber-uns/team/ [9] Children should play anal sex in school 2016-06-19: https://www.welt.de/regionales/nrw/ article156317177/Kinder-sollen-Analsex-in-der-Schulespiele.html [10] Berlin Senate distributes sex brochure for daycare children 2018-02-16: https://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin/ kolumne/berliner-senat-verteil-sex-broschuere-fuer-kita-kinder [11] Murat plays princess, Alex has two mothers and Sophie is now called Ben:
https://www.queerformat.de/wp-content/uploads/ QF-Kita-Handreichung-2018-Druckfassung.pdf [12] Kindergarten does not hire Syrians after parents’ protests 2016-01-29:
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/diskriminierung-kindergarten-be calmt-eltern-syrer-wird
-nicht-beschaefigt-1.2840500
[13] Education and training in the main countries of origin 2017-12-21:
https://www.iwkoeln.de/studien/iw-reports/teil/kristina-stoewe-bildung-und-bildung-in -denhauptherkunftslaendern.html
[14] “PKS 2017 – Yearbook Volume 4 – Individual crimes: https://www.bka.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/PolizeilicheKriminalstatistics/2017/pks2017 Jahrbuch4Einzelne.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v= 5 [15] pew research – The Worlds Muslims (2013) 2013-04-30: http://www.pewforum.org/files/2013/04/worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-full-report.pdf [16] Brandner: Federal government promotes left-wing radical agitation in kindergartens – this is political child abuse and intolerable! 2018-11-26: https://www.afdbundestag.de/brandner-bundesregierung-foerdert-linksradikale-agitation-inkindergaerten-das-ist-politiker-kinderabuse-und-untragbar/
Democracy in danger – Dare to be less democratic with the Amadeu Antonio Foundation
Shortly before the state elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published a so-called instruction manual against the AfD. The 80-page paper has the inconspicuous name “Democracy in Danger. Recommendations for action on how to deal with the AfD”. In terms of content, this is a direct intervention in the election campaign by a state-funded institution. In addition, the paper is explicitly directed against an opposition party and not against dynamics or parts of the political spectrum. The paper can therefore be seen as a partisan intervention.
AfD and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation complains right from the start that the AfD has continuously become radicalized and disinhibited since its founding. This is so obvious that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is not needed for this. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is alluding to the AfD’s classification as a test case. [1, p.4]
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution also announced in 2019 that the AfD as an entire party was being processed as a test case. In addition, the youth organization of the AfD Junge Alternative and the sub-organization Der Wing were declared suspected cases. This also means that, based on this level of knowledge, the conditions for observing the AfD are not met.
In a test case, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution only uses publicly accessible sources such as party programs, flyers or social media. The next level is the suspected case. In the event of a suspected case, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution uses additional information from authorities and the observation of individual people is possible. In both cases, intelligence means such as wiretapping or the use of undercover agents may not be used until the suspicions have been confirmed. [2] [3]
The Süddeutsche Zeitung and Focus quote from a confidential report on how the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution assesses the AfD. In a test case, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution only uses publicly accessible sources such as party programs, flyers or social media. This report was repeatedly based on information from Antifa. According to this, the youth organization Junge Alternative supposedly has connections to supposedly right-wing extremist fraternities. Also cited is the requirement of citizenship law based on descent, as is applied in Israel and Hungary, for example. In addition, four former members of the now dissolved and supposedly right-wing extremist Citizens’ Movement Pro Germany party are allegedly active in the AfD in Berlin. [4] [5]
This information is questionable for several reasons. An anonymous and non-binding group of people cannot be held accountable if they violate data protection and deletion regulations. In addition, their information is not always verifiable or reliable. They can therefore serve as indications but not as more sufficient evidence. What is particularly interesting is that Maaßen has already said exactly this. Maaßen has claimed that left-wing radical forces are active in the co-ruling SPD and have brought him down. [6] [7] [7]
Chemnitz
On August 25, 2018, a man was murdered and two others were injured in Chemnitz. According to police, the three victims were attacked without self-defense. [9] [10] There were demonstrations on several days after the crime and the federal government spoke of hunts against foreigners and mobs that would not be tolerated. [11]
And on September 7th, the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen, contradicted this. [12] Maaßen was then questioned by various politicians. [13] According to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, the demonstrations were a declaration of war on plural democracy. [1,p.4]
However, a parliamentary question has now been published which exposes the federal government’s statements after August 25, 2018. On March 20, 2019, the federal government responded to a parliamentary question about what level of knowledge it had about the events after August 25, 2018 in Chemnitz. [14, p.3] In it, the federal government admits that it had no evidence of its own for alleged hunts in Chemnitz. The statements about alleged hunts in Chemnitz were based on media reporting. The federal government has admitted that it had no knowledge of its own or a situation report from the authorities. [14, p.4]
According to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, the reaction to the crimes was based solely on the origin of the accused. [1, p.10] However, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation conceals the statistical distribution of the perpetrators. Of the 247,422 people with their main residence in Chemnitz as of December 31, 2017, only 18,721 (7.6%) were non-German citizens. [15] In Chemnitz in 2017, of 618 violent crime suspects, 281 (45.5%) were non-German suspects. [16,R13995] Non-German citizens are therefore overrepresented by a factor of 6. The number of violent right-wing extremist crimes in Chemnitz in 2017 was 6. [17, p.106]
On December 3rd, the Center for Political Beauty published the Soko Chemnitz project. The goal was to identify those who demonstrated in Chemnitz after the murder of Daniel H. and report them to their employers. The aim was to make the suspects lose their jobs. The ZPS directly called for colleagues, neighbors and acquaintances to be denounced. [18] [19]
The ZPS justifies its actions by saying that criticism of immigration is illegitimate and that the AfD is undemocratic. It is implicitly assumed that the demonstrators are AfD voters. So the ZPS creates an oversized straw man to justify its own actions. [20] However, these events are completely kept secret by the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.
Prohibition of opposition
Furthermore, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation equates the AfD’s opposition in its points with a violation of the Basic Law and parliamentarism. In the absence of an explanation as to why these points go against the Basic Law and parliamentarism, this behavior amounts to banning opposition. This is not just a fight against the euro, migration, refugees and a plural understanding of family and gender, but a fight against the “establishment”, the “system” and “those at the top” – and thus against the parliamentary system, the Basic Law and the existing state constitution. [1,p.4] In response, according to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, the Democrats are uniting against the AfD. The AfD is denied to be democratic. [1,p.5]
Accusations
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation makes various accusations against the AfD as well as its demands and statements that are either without evidence or are misinterpreted. An unspecified ethnic culture war is taking place that aims to create an authoritarian system. And the goal is that there is no longer any civil society and that society receives strict guidelines from the state. [1, p.15] The AfD is not a completely normal party and would evade the rules of democratic discourse. And that’s why the AfD shouldn’t be treated like that by the press. The reporting should reflect this and not report neutrally about the AfD. [1, p.19] Then the AfD is often accused of homophobia and transphobia. [1,p.4] [1,p.11] [1,p.14] [1,p.48] [1,p.52] [1,p.58] [1,p.67] [ 1, p.77] On the one hand, a parliamentary question about the number of non-heterosexual people and the number of attacks on them is criticized. However, the request does not provide any clear reason to believe that it was made with malicious intent. [1,p.21] [20] The AfD is avowedly against children being raised alone and non-heterosexual lifestyles being propagated. The AfD is also accused of this. [1,p.49] [21,p.38] [21,p.40]
The paper from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation states that the AfD is spreading a fairy tale by declaring the illegal opening of the border in 2015. According to the AfD, this is not a decision by Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), but according to the
Amadeu Antonio Foundation. And according to the AfD, this is not a violation of the EU’s Dublin Agreement, but according to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. [1, p.22ff] However, from January to September 2015 and in the wake of the migration crisis, financial support for the UNHCR was much lower than necessary and much lower than the previous year. [23] [23,archive] [24] [25] In November 2015, the then head Antonio Guterres reported that the UNHCR’s resources were no longer sufficient. As of November 2015, only 37% of the funds requested for care had been transferred. As a result, food vouchers for 211,000 people in Jordan and 638,000 in Lebanon were halved. Therefore, according to Guterres, the migration crisis of 2015 was triggered by the lack of funds for humanitarian tasks. [26] [27] [28] [29] [29,archive] [30]
In addition, the German federal government canceled the Dublin Agreement with special trains. According to the Dublin Agreement, asylum seekers must submit their asylum application in the EU member state in which they first entered the EU. In 2015, the German federal government brought asylum seekers from other EU member states to Germany using special trains. In addition, the German federal government has signaled to people who have not yet come to Europe that they do not have to stay in the first EU member state. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] This policy continues afterwards in that there are still no deportations to Syria. The German federal government continues to oppose deportations to Syria. This is justified by the human rights situation in Syria. [36] [38]
Furthermore, the AfD is accused of spreading false statements about demographic developments. [1, p.23ff] In fact, in Germany in 2016, 9.2 million people or 11.2 percent of the population had foreign citizenship. Most of them, 70 percent, came from Europe. The largest groups were Turkish with 15 percent, Polish with 8 percent, Syrian with 6 percent, Italian with 6 percent and Romanian citizens with 5 percent. Overall, the number of people with a migrant background in Germany was around 18.6 million in 2016. Of these, 2.3 million people in Germany have their roots in the Near and Middle East and 740,000 people are of African origin. The trend is increasing. [38]
Legitimate Criticism
Legitimate criticism in the Amadeu Antonio Foundation paper is the criticism of the AfD’s outrage strategy and the change in what can be said publicly. The AfD is changing what can be said publicly by announcing previously unaccepted statements with increasing clarity and varying degrees of strength. For this purpose, it has staff from a wide range. [1,p.15] [1,p.18ff]
In order to make itself heard in the media, pointed and sometimes provocative statements are essential for the AfD. They give the AfD the necessary attention and the media time window to present their demands in more detail. And as evidence of the intent of this strategy, the paper cites an AfD internal email admitting this. [1,p.8] [1,p.18ff]
[1] Democracy in danger. – Recommendations for action on how to deal with the AfD 2019 https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/publikationen/demokratie-in-fähr/
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/wp-content/uploads/ 2019/08/AFD_Handreichung_web.pdf
[2] Technical information on the party ?Alternative for Germany? (AfD)
https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/aktuelles/zur-sache/zs-2019-001-fachinformation-zur-parteialternative-fuer-deutschland-afd?pk_campaign=RSS-Feed
[3] Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) gives the test results for the party “Alternative for Germany”. (AfD) announced 2019-01-15
https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/presse/pm-20190115-pruefsuche-zurpartei-alternative-fuer-deutschland-afd?pk_campaign=RSS-Feed
[4 ] Constitutional protection officers also used Antifa research for AfD reports 2019-01-21 https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/verfassungsschuetzer-nutzen-antifa-recherchen-fuer-afdgutachten-1.4296184
[5] AfD report – Constitutional protection officers rely on Antifa research 2019-01-21 https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/afd-gutachten-verfassungsschuetzer-greif-auf-antifarecherchen-zurueck_id_10212385.html?fb-
clid=IwAR1r8DLf9gsVUO21QXxijKq5Y2wTCGtsdbeW2OuvM
xzfZ_Iv9hCgKkFTVL8 [6] Hans-Georg Maaßen: The mischief in secret 2018-11-08 https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2018-11/hans-georg-maassen-rede-verfassungsschutz-chemnitzlinksradikale-verschwoerung
[7] Maaßen- Speech to the ?Berner Club? – “Left-wing radical forces in the SPD wanted to provoke abreak in the coalition?” 2018-11-05
http://www.fr.de/politik/maassen-rede-vor-berner-club-linksradikale-kraefte-in-der-spd-wolltenkoalitionsbruch-provokieren-a-1614783
[8] SEEHOFER CLAIMED ?UNACCEPTABLE STATEMENTS? – ?Left radical forces? and ?naive politics?:
Maaßen’s controversial speech verbatim 2018-11-15
https://www.merkur.de/politik/linksradikale-kraefte-und-naive-politik-maassens-umstreites-redemanuschrift-im-wortlaut- zr-10494978.html
[9] Fact check on the Chemnitz death: Perpetrators did not act in self-defense 2018-08-28 http://www.lvz.de/Region/Polizeiticker/Chemnitz-Polizei-dementiert-Geruechte-ueber-zweitesTodesopfer
[10] Suspects of the knife attack in Chemnitz apply for a habeas corpus 2018-09-14 https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/chemnitz/chemnitz-stollberg/inhaftierte-chemnitz-tatteiligmesserattacke-100.html
[111] Black Sunday from Chemnitz: stabbing, hunt, loss of control 2018-08-28
https://www.nzz.ch/international/chemnitz-messerstecherei-hetzjagd-kontrolleLOS-ld.1415023
[12] Maaßen sees no evidence of hunt in Chemnitz 2018-09 -07
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/hans-georg-maassen-sicht-nichte-beweise-fuer-hetzjagd-inchemnitz-a-1226949.html
[13] No information about hunts against foreigners in Chemnitz 2018-09-07
https://www.welt.de/politik/article181449460/Verfassungsschutzpraesident-Keine-Informationenueber-Hetzjagden-auf-Auslaender-in-Chemnitz.html
[14] Printed matter 19/4313 – Answer from Federal Government – Alleged “hunts” in Chemnitz on
August 26, 2018 2019-03-20
https://kleineanfragen.de/bundestag/19/8570-vermeintliche-hetzjagden-in-chemnitz-am-26-august-
2018
http://dipbt.bundestag.de /dip21/btd/19/085/1908570.pdf [15] The city’s population also grows in 2017 2018-01-23
https://www.chemnitz.de/chemnitz/de/aktuell/presse/pressemitigungen/2018/ 49.html [16] Basic table – districts – selected crimes/groups 2018-05-08.
https://www.bka.de/DE/AktuelleInformationen/StatistikenLagebilder/PolizeilicheKriminal Statistics/PKS2017/BKATables/bkaTablesLaenderKreiseStaedteFaelle.html;jsessionid=6CE67EE745DA2CCBE1578BC547EF6 EDA. live2292?nn=96600
[17] Saxon Office for the Protection of the Constitution 2017

Click to access VSB2017_webversion.pdf

[18] Online pillory for participation 2018-12-03
https://www.sueddeutsche.de /kultur/zentrum-political-schoenheit-chemnitz-1.4237167
[19] Violent dispute over online pillory 2018-12-04
http://www.taz.de/Zentrum-fuer-Politische-Schoenheit/!5556526/
[20] Small question from MPs Herold (AfD) – Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersexual (LSBTI) in Thuringia 2015-09-01
http://www.parldok.thueringen.de/ParlDok/document/55755/lesbische -schwule-bisexuale-transsexuale-und-intersexuale-lsbti-in-th%C3%BCringen.pdf
[21] AfD federal election program 2017
https://www.afd.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/111/2017 /06/2017-06-01_AfD-Bundestagswahlprogramm_Onlinefassung.pdf
[22] Where the state fails, civil society has to step in 2018-12-04
http://www.fr.de/kultur/soko-chemnitz-wo-der-staat -versagen-muss-die-zivilgesellschaft-ran-a1632626,0#artpager-1632626-1
[23] Germany provided record sum for UNHCR aid programs 2015-01-30
http://www.unhcr.de/home/ artikel/44f2233fb647dece70b70049fbaa8241/deutschland-stellente-rekordsum-fuer-unhcr-hilfsprogramme-liefer.html. https://web.archive.org/web/20151221114646/http://www.unhcr.de/home/ar-
tikel/44f2233fb647dece70b70049f baa8241/Germany -stelle-rekordsum-fuer-unhcr-hilfsprogrammeliefer.html
[24] Funding shortage leaves Syrian refugees in danger of missing vital support 2015-06-25 https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2015/6 /558acbbc6/funding-shortage-leaves-syrian-refugees-danger-missing-vital-support.html
[25] UN agency forced to cut food aid to 229,000 Syrian refugees 2015-09-04
http://america.aljazeera.com /articles/2015/9/4/un-agency-forced-to-cut-food-aid-to-229000-syrianrefugees.html
[26] UN alerted by Swedish development aid cuts 2015-09-12
https:/ /www.thelocal.se/20151112/un-alarmed-by-swedish-development-aid-cuts
[27] There is a lack of funds in the Middle East 2015-09-17 https://orf.at/v2/stories/2299192/ 2299122/
[28] UN Funding Shortfalls and Cuts in Refugee Aid Fuel Exodus to Europe 2015-09-19 https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/world/un-funding-shortfalls-and-cuts- inrefugee-aid-fuel-exodus-to-europe.html
[29] Guterres – Lack of humanitarian funds has triggered refugee crisis 2015-11-04 http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/guterres-lack-an-humanitaeren- mittelhat.447.de.html?drn:news_id=542922
http://archive.vn/20151105053103/http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/guterres-lack-an-humanitaerenmittel-hat.447.de .html
[30] UN alarmed by Denmark development aid cuts 2015-11-12
https://www.thelocal.dk/20151112/un-alarmed-by-denmarks-aid-cuts-to-pay-for-refugees
[31] CONVENTION – on the determination of the State responsible for examining an application forasylum lodged in a Member State of the European Communities
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX: 41997A0819(01)
[32] Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany – Art 16ahttps://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_16a.html
[33] Dublin proceedings suspended – Syrian refugees are allowed to stay in Germany 2015 -08-25 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/syrien-fluechtlinge-deutschland-satz-dublin-verfahren-ausa-1049639.html
[34] Federal government plan – special trains should pick up refugees from Austria 2015-09-28 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/sonderzuege-sollen-fluechtlinge-aus-oesterreich-abholtena-1055139.html
[35] Passau – Over 100,000 refugees arrived in three weeks 2015- 10-19
https://www.pnp.de/lokales/stadt_und_landkreis_passau/passau_stadt/1843392_Ueber-100.000Fluechtlinge-in-drei-Wochen-einreisen.html
[36] Seehofer against deportations to Syria 2018-11-23
https:/ /www.tagesschau.de/inland/abschiebungen-syrien-105.html
[37] German Embassy Damascus
https://damaskus.diplo.de/Vertretung/damaskus/de/Schliessung__Botschaft__19.Jan12.html
[38] Migration in times of demographic changehttps://www.destatis.de/DE/ ZahlenFakten/_Querschnitt/DemografierWandel/DemMigration.html
Go Die – Dare to have less freedom of expression with the Amadeu Antonio Foundation
Open racism or group-related misanthropy are of course to be condemned. However, freedom of expression as a necessary prerequisite for a democracy must continue to be guaranteed. In 2015, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published the paper “>>Go Die<< – Dealing with Hate Speech and Comments on the Internet”. False claims It is true that verifiable or verifiable statements in the paper are rare. However, the first provable or verifiable statement that exists is already wrong. Already in the foreword, the then Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas (SPD) claimed that the increase in attacks on refugee accommodation could be attributed to intellectual arson. The sharp increase in attacks on refugee accommodation shows that “mental arson” far too often turns into violence: In 2014, the number of attacks tripled compared to the previous year. Heiko Maas (SPD), then Federal Minister of Justice [1, p.5] In fact, a total of 1,248 fire incidents were recorded in refugee accommodation in 2015 and 2016. 24% of this is proven to be attributable to third parties and 46% to the residents, for example due to errors in the operation of kitchen appliances, while the rest was not explained. However, it remains unclear what lies behind the unsolved cases. [2] [3] Defects in the explanation The paper openly admits that it remains controversial what hate speech actually is. Furthermore, there would be neither a fixed definition nor a catalog of words for hate speech. Hate speech is a political term and depends on the context. [1,p.9-10] [1,p.13] It is even admitted that hate speech cannot be legally limited and that German law does not include hate speech. [1, p.33] Unlike specific criminal offenses, no common denominator is found. This raises the question of how to regulate something that is not clearly defined. If something is regulated without a clear definition, then the regulation is inevitably subject to the attitudes or political classification of the decision-makers. And judgments depend on the political balance of power. Reinterpretations What is striking about the paper is that hate speech is never clearly defined. Instead, various reinterpretations are used. For example, the sovereignty of interpretation is assigned exclusively to the declared victims and their subjective perception. [1, p.1011] The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is already relying on the fact that there is a competition. However, this does not outline any social debate or competition of ideas. As a basis for a definition, the perspective of those affected is more suitable than the intention of the speaker. [1,p.10] In the Amadeu Antonio Foundation paper, racism is differentiated according to the victims rather than the dynamics. [1, p.14] This reveals the double standards of the victim hierarchy. Future negative developments are ignored or not taken into account. Hate speech only works if it addresses a collectively anchored devaluation and is consistent with social discrimination. Racism against white people, for example, can take place situationally, but has no social dimension. Accordingly, derogatory statements about white people (e.g. “potato”) do not fall under hate speech because they simply lack social consequences. [1,p.14] Furthermore, it is generally assumed that the cases are solely intentional. [1,p.19] Negligence and even misunderstanding are excluded and intent is assumed. However, no evidence of this organization or planning is presented. These are not randomized events, but rather organized and planned actions. [1,p.19] Recommendations for action When dealing with hate speech, the AAS (Amadeu Antonio Foundation) makes recommendations on what to do and what not to do. Supposedly false posts should be deleted because moderating or debating is not considered helpful. Journalists should also take a stand and make fun of the authors of the supposedly false articles. [1, p.22] On the other hand, there is also occasional legitimate criticism, for example when the authors of group-related misanthropy are classified as a loud minority. [1, p.24] In addition, publishing private data, such as home addresses, photos or account details, is condemned. [1,p.26] The ethics of censorship Being against group-based misanthropy is, to a first approximation, correct. However, measures should not restrict potential criticism and thus freedom of expression. Freedom of expression and democracy go hand in hand. For the free competition of ideas, the opportunity to get to know information and ideas and to be heard is, by definition, essential. Exceptions are calls for criminal offenses and calls that are likely to disturb public peace, for example false warnings of fire in crowded rooms. Anything else would be a political dictatorship. Censoring hate would require people or rules from people who distinguish hate from criticism. In any case, it would be up to people to differentiate. However, hatred and criticism have a common intersection whose interpretation depends on one’s own position. In addition, it is not yet clear whether the statement or position of the addressee is questionable or illegitimate. Censorship would again be a projection of power, even if it were driven by morality. In addition, a restriction on freedom of expression threatens deradicalizing dialogue and the visibility of illegal expressions. The title of a free democratic basic order and the possibility of free exchange cannot be lived up to without freedom of expression. And the rules of this exchange are determined by the legislature. To this end, most states protect freedom of expression. In addition, there are already paragraphs in criminal laws against public incitement to commit crimes. [4] [1] >>Go Die<< – Dealing with hate speech and comments on the Internet https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/hatespeech.pdf [2] Fire statistics refugee accommodation – A first balance sheet – 2017-01-13 http://www.inuri.de/210-brandstatistics-fluechtlingsunterkuenfte-erste-rechner.html [3] Most refugee homes are set on fire by residents. Or not? | reporter – 2017-01-18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eXEZrPIXts [4] Criminal Code Art 111 https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__111.html/

https://www.theinteldrop.org/2024/05/14/germany-the-amadeu-antonio-stiftung-dossier/#comment-10433

JEWISH BOMBING OF WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN CONVOY WAS NO ANOMALY: REPORT

A new analysis from Human Right Watch argues that numerous attacks on humanitarian relief operations by Israeli forces prove the April 1 bombing that killed 7 people was “far from being an isolated ‘mistake.’”

JON QUEALLY

A deadly attack on a convoy of World Central Kitchen aid workers which killed 7 people last month was not a one-off occurrence, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday, but rather representative of a documented pattern in which Israel military forces have targeted relief personnel and infrastructure despite being informed of the exact locations of those operations.

“Even though aid groups had provided their coordinates to the Israeli authorities to ensure their protection,” an analysis by HRW found that eight such attacks on such operations, including the April 1 bombing of the WCK in Deir al-Balah, have been carried out by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) over the last seven months.

According to the group’s report, “Israeli authorities did not issue advance warnings to any of the aid organizations before the strikes, which killed or injured at least 31 aid workers and those with them.”

“Israel’s allies need to recognize that these attacks that have killed aid workers have happened over and over again, and they need to stop.” —Belkis Willi, HRW

Details of the various attacks, said HRW, show that the WCK bombing was “far from being an isolated ‘mistake,’” as the Israeli government has claimed.

Citing figures from the United Nations, HRW notes that over 250 aid workers have been killed in Gaza by Israel since the Hamas-led attack on October 7 of last year.

“Israel’s killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers was shocking and should never have happened under international law,” said Belkis Wille, associate crisis, conflict, and arms director at Human Rights Watch. “Israel’s allies need to recognize that these attacks that have killed aid workers have happened over and over again, and they need to stop.”

“These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories.” – Erin Gore, CEO. Read more: https://t.co/4f38RQ1l4I pic.twitter.com/neAsSzKVP5— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 2, 2024

The other seven attacks documented in the report are:

• Attack on a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF or Doctors without Borders) convoy, November 18, 2023
• Attack on a guest house of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), December 9, 2023
• Attack on an MSF shelter, January 8, 2024
• Attack on an International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) guest house, January 18, 2024
• Attack on an UNRWA convoy, February 5, 2024
• Attack on an MSF guest house, February 20, 2024
• Attack on a home sheltering an American Near East Refugee Aid Organization (Anera) employee, March 8, 2024

Human Rights Watch sent a letter to Israeli authorities requesting more information about these documented incidents, but said it received no response.

“Israel should make public the findings of investigations into attacks that have killed and injured aid workers, and into all other attacks that caused civilian casualties,” the group said on Tuesday. “The Israeli military’s long track record of failing to credibly investigate alleged war crimes underscores the importance of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) inquiry into serious crimes committed by all parties to the conflict.”

In addition to military targeting of relief operations, the Israeli military has been accused of various crimes, including indiscriminate bombing of civilian populations, forced displacement, and the targeting of medical facilities.

Also on Tuesday, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders) released a report documenting Israel’s pattern of attacking its facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and ambulance services in Gaza during the current campaign.

“In view of this extensive timeline of reprehensible actions, MSF once again calls on all parties to respect and protect healthcare facilities, healthcare workers and patients in Gaza and the West Bank,” the group said Tuesday. “An immediate and sustained ceasefire must be implemented in Gaza now to put an end to the suffering of people and the destruction of Gaza. We demand an immediate and unfettered flow of aid into the entirety of the Gaza Strip. We demand accountability for our colleagues and their family members who have been killed and wounded, and for patients.”

In early May, following a month pause of Gaza operations following the deadly attack, WCK announced it was resuming its relief efforts in the area. It has also started construction on a new kitchen facility to elevate and support its mission to feed the people of Gaza as Israel’s assault not only continues but intensifies.

“We have spent the past few weeks honoring the lives of Saif, Zomi, Damian, Jacob, James, John, and Jim. We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding people as these seven heroes brought to their work every single day,” the groups said on May 5. “As our work in Gaza resumes, our demand for an impartial and international investigation into the April 1 attack remains.”

https://www.theinteldrop.org/2024/05/14/jewish-bombing-of-world-central-kitchen-convoy-was-no-anomaly-report/