TruthArchive.ai - Tweets Saved By @ajplus
reSee.it AI Summary
I reflect on the sentencing of Mohamed Noor, a Black cop, to 12½ years for the murder of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an unarmed white woman, and the $20M settlement for her family. It’s troubling that it took this tragedy to highlight police brutality, while Jamar Clark's family still awaits justice.
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Mohamed Noor, a Black Minneapolis cop, was just sentenced to 12½ years for the 2017 murder of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an unarmed white woman. The city reached a $20M settlement w/ her family. There's no settlement yet for Jamar Clark's family, a Black man shot by cops in 2015. https://t.co/ePO3z3MQlW
@ajplus - AJ+
"It had to take for a white woman to be killed in South Minneapolis to recognize that police brutality is an issue." Here's a look back at the case of Mohamed Noor: https://t.co/zWNwEo2aV2
Video Transcript AI Summary
It took the killing of a white woman in South Minneapolis to recognize police brutality as an issue. The speaker believes police are being militarized, making people unsafe. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman has never charged an officer in a citizen shooting.
The speaker claims the United States does not address police brutality because historically, it has impacted people of African descent. Justine Daman and Ja'Marr Clark should still be alive. The speaker hopes it doesn't take another white woman being killed for people to recognize this issue.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Unfortunately, it had to take for a white woman to be killed in South Minneapolis to recognize that police brutality is an issue. We are militarizing our police, and people are not safe. Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman has never brought charges against a police officer and a citizen shoot in. I do not believe The United States Of America addresses police brutality at all. And this is mainly because, historically, the people who have been inflicted and really impacted by police brutality has been people of African descent.
Justine Daman and Ja'Marr Clark should still be alive today. It shouldn't take another Philando Castile, another Ja'Marr Clark, another even Stephen Clark for justice to prevail. And so I just hope that it doesn't take another white woman to get killed in any part of America for the masses to wake up and recognize that this is a issue.
@ajplus - AJ+
“If you find yourself believing whatever someone tells you about Mahmoud just because he is Palestinian ... I can only implore you to scrutinize your own soul,” Columbia University prof. Joseph Howley said following a hearing regarding Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest and detention. https://t.co/K5Ba66r2ET
Video Transcript AI Summary
They've already come for asylum speakers and migrant families; now they've come for Mahmoud Khalil. Speaking publicly for Palestinian rights carries the risk of harassment and doxxing. Mahmoud, a student negotiator, faces these risks. The Trump government's actions against Mahmoud are considered obscene.
The Trump administration is betting that Americans will turn a blind eye to the victimization of a Palestinian. Anti-Palestinian groups have been leveling dangerous accusations, and some community members have repeated them. Examples include calling people terrorists for wearing a kafiyah, getting people expelled for their views, and reporting Jewish colleagues for saying "free Palestine." The speaker is disgusted by the ignorant use of language and truth and ashamed that such slander has found currency in their own community in service of the Trump agenda. Trump's claim that this combats antisemitism is insulting. The speaker implores listeners to scrutinize their own souls if they believe accusations against Mahmoud simply because he is Palestinian. What happens to Mahmoud could happen to anyone.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Where exactly are we in the poem that begins when they came for the communist, I did not speak out? Well, they've already come for the asylum speakers. They've come for the migrant families. Now they've come for Mahmoud Khalil. It's not a very long poem.
So how far down the list do you think you are? It is always dangerous to speak in public for Palestinian rights, safety, and freedom with your face uncovered and your name declared. You can be sure you will be harassed, doxxed, terrorized. People will try to get you fired from your job. And Mahmoud, as a student negotiator, took these same risks and many more.
Mahmoud is a man of decency, honor, and kindness. He has distinguished himself in his work as an advocate and negotiator as someone committed to peaceful resolution of difficult situations. He is a consummate diplomat in his disposition and his character. What the Trump government is doing to Mahmoud is obscene. So why do they think they can get away with it?
The Trump administration is betting that Americans will happily look the other way as one more Palestinian is victimized here on American soil. They are betting that when you hear Mahmoud's name or the word Palestinian, the parts of you that make you a thinking and rational and caring person will switch off, and you will believe the worst about him, and you will turn a blind eye to these grave violations of his rights. And after what I've seen over the last year and a half, I'm not sure they're wrong. Anti Palestinian groups have spent all year casually leveling the most dangerous accusations on the flimsiest grounds, and members of our own community have repeated them. Don't like seeing a kafiyah?
Call them a terrorist and call the cops. Don't like their views? Call them antisemitic and get them expelled. Don't like that your Jewish colleague has the chutzpah to say free Palestine? Report him for Jew hatred to a university task force.
Don't like seeing a broad and diverse mow movement of courageous young people standing together against the ethnic cleansing of Gaza? Call your friends and the government and send the feds to their door. As an educator, it disgusts me that anyone who wants to be taken seriously in association with a university would deal so ignorantly with language and truth. But more than that, I am ashamed as a Jewish person that this kind of slander has found currency in some parts of my own community in service of the racist and antisemitic Trump agenda. Trump's claim that this atrocity combats antisemitism is insulting.
We will not take lectures on antisemitism from segregationists and neo Nazis. And if you find yourself believing whatever someone tells you about Mahmoud just because he is Palestinian or because he spoke up against a murderous war that you somehow still support, I can only implore you to scrutinize your own soul. Why are we here? Because we want our friend back. But we are also here because what happens to Mahmud could happen to any of us.
@ajplus - AJ+
Former Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus called transgender service members "patriots" while speaking to hundreds of LGBTQ service members, military spouses, veterans and allies. https://t.co/NEkgAh5EaL
Video Transcript AI Summary
I'm a straight white guy from Mississippi, but that doesn't define my capability to serve in the military. Harvey Milk, a navy diver, was discharged for being gay, and we lost valuable talent because of that. Now, transgender service members face similar exclusion. No one should be barred from defending this country for being who they are, nor should anyone have to hide their identity to serve. You face discrimination that I can't fully understand, but I recognize you as true patriots.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: I'm a straight white guy from Mississippi. I'm right handed. I've got blue eyes, and I'm for the red sox. Now not a one of those things, not one says anything about my ability to be a marine or a soldier or a sailor or an army or a coast guard. Harvey Milk was a navy diver and was kicked out for being gay.
How much did we lose? How much weaker did it make us as a navy? How much weaker did it make us as a military? How much weaker did it make us as a country to lose that talent? And now the same thing is happening to our transgender service members.
No one no one should be excluded from the honor of defending this country for simply being who they are, And no one should be forced to lie about who they are to serve this country. In your lives, you face discrimination that I can't even imagine. You've been called lots of names, but I wanna call you a name because it's the name that fits people in influencing the best. Patriots.
@ajplus - AJ+
"I'm straight, white, right-handed, and have blue eyes. And not one of those things says anything about my ability to be a Marine," says former Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus. https://t.co/pf3bvktOAC
Video Transcript AI Summary
I'm a straight white guy from Mississippi, but that doesn't define my ability to serve in the military. Harvey Milk, a navy diver, was discharged for being gay, and we lost valuable talent because of it. Now, transgender service members face similar exclusion. No one should be barred from defending this country for being who they are, nor should anyone have to hide their identity to serve. I recognize the discrimination you face, which I can't fully understand, but I want to acknowledge you as true patriots.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: I'm a straight white guy from Mississippi. I'm right handed. I've got blue eyes, and I'm for the red sox. Now not a one of those things, not one says anything about my ability to be a marine or a soldier or a sailor or an army or a coast guard. Harvey Milk was a navy diver and was kicked out for being gay.
How much did we lose? How much weaker did it make us as a navy? How much weaker did it make us as a military? How much weaker did it make us as a country to lose that talent? And now the same thing is happening to our transgender service members.
No one no one should be excluded from the honor of defending this country for simply being who they are, And no one should be forced to lie about who they are to serve this country. In your lives, you face discrimination that I can't even imagine. You've been called lots of names, but I wanna call you a name because it's the name that fits people in influencing the best. Patriots.
@ajplus - AJ+
The United States military has about 750 bases overseas, in 80 countries and colonies. That's more than any other country. So why are there so many U.S. military bases abroad? https://t.co/zS06mmPoqD
Video Transcript AI Summary
The US has about 750 military bases in 80 countries, representing imperialism. Bases are launch pads for war, costing trillions and causing deaths. Closing bases is easy and has been done before. The US must rethink its global role and military force use for peace and security.
Translation:
The United States has many military bases worldwide, reflecting imperialism. These bases are used for war, costing trillions and resulting in deaths. Closing bases is feasible and has been done in the past. The US needs to reconsider its global role and military actions for peace and security.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: The United States military has about 750 bases overseas across 80 countries and colonies. That means that about 4 out of every 10 countries have US bases on them across every continent except Antarctica. But having
Speaker 1: Africa. In world history.
Speaker 0: In fact, only about a dozen other countries even have foreign military bases with just 70 combined between them. That means the US has the other 90%. So why is that? And what would the world look like if the US shut its overseas military bases down? Military bases as we know them today really began popping up during World War 2, following the 1940 destroyers for bases deal between the US and the UK.
Under this deal, the US gave Great Britain 50 World War 1 naval vessels, known as destroyers, in exchange for 99 year leases and pretty much sovereign power over 8 British bases in the Western Hemisphere. These included Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Trinidad. By 1945, the US was building about a 112 foreign bases a month. In the span of only 5 years, the US grew the 1st empire of bases in the world. This empire of bases strategy hasn't changed since World War 2.
Speaker 1: It was this moment that we see the United States become a new and an unprecedented kind of empire, and was indeed a sign of the the transferring of imperial power from the British empire to the US empire.
Speaker 0: Meet David Vine. He's a professor of anthropology at American University. He literally wrote the book about military bases abroad. Over the years, he's been researching and compiling a detailed database of all the US bases around the world. His database is so extensive that a few years ago, one of the Pentagon's research groups used his list for reference for their research instead of their own.
Speaker 1: The fact that that researchers working for the army needed to rely on my list of foreign bases that I've been putting together since 2015 is is a really bad sign. It's a bad sign about transparency, but many researchers believe the Pentagon itself, the military itself, they don't know how many bases they have around the world because there's so many damn bases.
Speaker 0: That brings us to the question at the heart of all this.
Speaker 1: So what's the purpose of this military presence around the globe? It's a great question. In in short, I I think empire is part of the answer.
Speaker 0: And that's why you can't talk about how many bases the United States has without talking about what those bases actually represent. US imperialism. While it's true that US military bases expanded dramatically after World War 2, the US actually started exerting its power and influence outside its borders in the early 1800. In 18/23, the United States adopted a cornerstone of its foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine. This policy opposed European colonization and established the Western Hemisphere as the US's own sphere of influence.
This helped lay the groundwork for the US to develop a taste for militarily intervening and invading, like intervening in the Cuban War of Independence in 18/98 and occupying Spanish colonies, or engaging in a war with the Filipino revolutionaries just a year after that. Now obviously, the US didn't stop there. After World War 2, the American government both expanded military bases and established itself as a dominant power with the self proclaimed right to militarily intervene across the globe. It sent troops to occupy southern Korea in 1945, with the Vietnam war kicking off in 1955. The US kept deploying its military anywhere it felt threatened, often by left leaning governments.
Latin America is an example of this. The region experienced American interventionism and involvement in regime change multiple times. By the end of the Cold War, there were 1,600 US military bases in 40 countries and colonies. Today, the number of military bases is half that, but the number of countries and colonies that host these bases have doubled. Japan and Germany still have a 119 US bases.
South Korea has 76. It's important to note, included in these 750 bases outside the US are US territories, where citizens don't have the same rights as mainland US citizens, like Guam, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.
Speaker 1: We can think of these bases as kinds of colonies. These are sort of mini microcolonies from which the US government and to a certain extent US corporations can exert power in the world.
Speaker 0: You're looking at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Large bases like Ramstein are often referred to as Little Americas. Ramstein has American schools, apartment complexes, American fast food restaurants like Popeye's and Taco Bell, and many other American products. Over 400 overseas US bases are large bases, with more than 200 military personnel. The rest are small bases, or lilypads, that usually hold drones, surveillance aircraft, or pre positioned weaponry and supplies.
These are largely found in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Professor Vine argues US foreign bases are simply launch pads for war, like this drone site in Niger, this airstrip in the Galapagos Islands, and this base in Djibouti, which is used to launch air strikes in Somalia. This strategy of exerting power comes at a cost. Since 2,001, the US has spent close to $6,000,000,000,000 on wars. To put the spending in perspective, it could have housed the entire homeless population in the US and ended world hunger.
And it's not just financially costly. Over 800,000 people have died due to post 911 wars in the Middle
Speaker 1: East. It needs to be dismantled. We need to dismantle the system of war, and we need to dismantle the power of the military industrial complex. And unless we do, we are in deep, deep trouble because I'm most of all fear that the United States will end up in even more catastrophic wars than the catastrophic wars that we have been waging since 2001.
Speaker 0: This brings up the looming possibility of a new war with China over Taiwan. US troops have been secretly training military forces in Taiwan even though the US formally recognizes Taiwan as part of China.
Speaker 1: Future wars should be simply unthinkable for our nation. There is widespread belief that anything the US military does in the world must be good and must be protecting the United States and protecting people around the world. And unfortunately, the the opposite is all too frequently been the case.
Speaker 0: And that is part of a bigger problem. US foreign bases have displaced millions of people. For example, Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia is a US base in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The US government conspired with the UK to illegally remove the entire local population in order to build the base.
On top of that, many people in other host countries have consistently protested the presence of the US military. In Shannon, Ireland, residents have been protesting to halt the US military's use of Shannon Airport to transport arms. In 2009, the president of Ecuador refused to renew the license for a US base, stating the US military had too much control in his country. No problem. Now contrary to what the Pentagon portrays, closing overseas bases is relatively easy, because congress doesn't need to be involved in the closures.
Previous presidents have done it. Both Bushes and Bill Clinton closed hundreds of bases in Europe and Asia in the nineties and 2000. This means the Biden administration could easily close 100 of unnecessary military bases abroad, if it wanted to, that is. But it's not just a matter of closing a few bases, it's about questioning the role the United States plays in global politics, and how it uses its military force to get what it wants.
Speaker 1: I think the world would be more peaceful, and I think the US people would be more secure if the United States had fewer military bases abroad. And after 20 years of disastrous warfare, this is, a state of affairs that that really should bring us all deep, deep pause and fundamental transformation in our approach to engaging with the rest of the world.
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Israel is accused of stealing organs from dead Palestinians. Medics and relatives in Gaza have reported bodies being returned with missing hearts, kidneys and livers. But this isn’t the first time Israel has been accused of organ theft. https://t.co/wB5GzzGvfC
Video Transcript AI Summary
Israel is accused of stealing organs from dead Palestinians for research and transplants. Reports from medics in Gaza suggest missing organs in returned bodies. Israel has a history of holding onto dead Palestinian bodies and even keeping unidentified bodies in cemeteries of numbers. Palestinian activist Dr. Mustafa Berghouthi claims Israel keeps deceased Palestinians in jail, even after death. This highlights a broader issue of how Israel mistreats Palestinians, even in death.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Let's talk about organ theft. Israel is not just killing Palestinians on a scale never seen before. Medics on the ground are reporting that Israel is stealing organs from bodies of people they've killed. These allegations might sound unbelievable, but they're actually not new. Let's listen to this Israeli researcher.
She said that between 1996 and 2002, she saw organs taken from dead Palestinians to be used for medical research at Israeli universities. The organs were then transplanted into Israeli patients' bodies in their medical facilities. And she isn't the only Israeli to confirm that this has happened. In 2000, Yehuda Hiss, the former chief pathologist at Israel's only forensic institute, said that he and his team had harvested organs from dead Palestinians without permission, that they had taken skin, corneas, heart valves, and even bones. And accusations go back to a 1992 case when Israeli forces shot and killed 19 year old Bilal Rahaneh, then took him to a hospital in Israel.
But when they returned his dead body to his family, it was all stitched up. His family suspects that some organs had been removed. Now Israel said it ended this practice in 2000. But when we look at Israel's latest attacks, medics in Gaza have reported bodies being returned with missing hearts, kidneys, and livers. But there's an even broader issue here, which is how Israel treats many Palestinians in death.
The Israeli Supreme Court said it was lawful for the Israeli army to hold on to dead Palestinian bodies for as long as it deemed necessary. But sometimes Israel doesn't even return the bodies to Palestinian families. Listen to what doctor Mustafa Berghouthi, a Palestinian physician, activist, and politician said previously on. Anjazeera.
Speaker 1: Israel not only imprisons Palestinians who are alive, they are also imprisoning dead people, martyrs. 398 Palestinians who have already died in Israeli jails or in in, because they were shot by Israeli army are kept in jail. Those who die in Israeli presence because of a sickness or because of torture have to stay in prison, in refrigerators to complete their sentence.
Speaker 0: There are actually entire cemeteries filled with unidentified bodies. They're known as the cemeteries of numbers because the bodies are just given numbers, not names. Some of them date back to the 1967 war. And this is just one of the ways that Israel not only targets Palestinians, but has a system in place where even in death, their rights are violated.
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Israeli forces are abducting and torturing Palestinian health care workers. An exclusive AJ+ investigation with @HCWWatch and @GazaMedicVoices found that at least 110 medics have been detained. Their families don’t know if their loved ones are still alive. https://t.co/1pQun1lVdo
Video Transcript AI Summary
An investigation by AJ Plus reveals that Israel has been abducting and torturing Palestinian medical workers. Over 110 healthcare workers have been detained since October 7th. Testimonies from some medics who were released describe being tortured and mistreated. Families of the missing medics claim they were detained without reason. The World Health Organization witnessed a medic being forced to kneel at gunpoint, and 70 healthcare workers from Kamal Adwan Hospital were taken to an unknown location. The Israeli Channel N12 shared an image believed to show detained healthcare workers. This systematic targeting of healthcare workers is seen as a strategy of war. Detaining and torturing healthcare workers is illegal under international law. The Israeli army has not responded to requests for comment.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: An AJ Plus investigation has found evidence of Israel abducting and torturing Palestinian medical workers. Information obtained by AJ Plus shows that at least 110 health care workers have been detained since October 7th.
Speaker 1: My cousin, doctor Salih Helua, is an emergency junior your doctor, and he was abducted on November 18th, and we have not heard from him since. And we believe that he is being tortured, and we do not know if She you've been it's still alive.
Speaker 0: AJ Plus has also heard multiple testimonies from some Palestinian medics who were deducted, tortured, and then released. In one case, a Palestinian nurse in Gaza said he was tortured, handcuffed, and blindfolded for 5 days before he was finally
Speaker 2: Shreed.
Speaker 0: Relatives of some of the missing medics say they were detained without any reason. Another nurse from the occupied West Bank was abducted from her home by Israeli forces. She also said that she was tortured by Israeli soldiers during interrogations. The World Health Organization says they witnessed a Palestine Red Crescent Society Shmediq being forced to kneel at gunpoint at a checkpoint in Gaza. Separately, a UN office says some 70 healthcare workers from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza were taken to an unknown location after being detained on December 12th.
It is still not known where they are. But this image of Palestinian men who were also reportedly detained on December 12th was shared by Israeli Channel N12. And it is believed to show some health care workers, like doctor Khaled Hamouda, who was a general surgeon in Kamal Adwan Hospital, right here. He was identified by Friends and Healthcare Workers Watch. AJ Plus also with Gaza Medic Voices and Healthcare Workers Watch, who have been documenting the disappearances of Palestinian medical workers.
They believe that Israel's attack on medics is a strategy of war.
Speaker 3: It is absolutely horrifying and shameful that the Israeli occupation forces would decide to detain after bombing them. And this is unfortunately the status quo. We have the systematic targeting of health care facilities, the bombing of the bombing of children's cancer wards, and the next testing for them when they can't bomb is they legally detain.
Speaker 0: Health care workers, including doctor were passing through what Israel misleadingly calls a safe corridor before they were detained on November 18th. And doctor was rounded up with other doctors after being forced to leave Al Shifa hospital by Israeli forces. On the same day, the director of Al Shifa hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, was also taken by Israeli forces. Like doctor Aleywa, his whereabouts are still unknown.
Speaker 2: We know that that Medical students who had been picked up in the door by the Israelis who are working as all the tears in one of the hospitals have been tortured and have been photographed, in an attempt to basically show them as combatants. It's all part of the same narrative, narrative that Tries to justify the destruction of the hospital.
Speaker 0: Detaining and torturing health care workers is illegal under international law. AJ plus has reached out to the Israeli army for comment, but they had not responded by the time of publication.
@ajplus - AJ+
"They hanged wounded patients and beat doctors." Bisan Owda spoke to survivors about what they witnessed inside the Indonesian Hospital during the Israeli army's siege in November. https://t.co/iF0a3CXZBz
Video Transcript AI Summary
I will summarize the video by providing a concise transcript:
In this video, the speaker raises concerns about the safety of hospitals in Rossopp. They express the need to find witnesses who can share their experiences inside the hospitals before something happened.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: I'm talking about the hospitals. Are the hospitals safe in Rossopp? Are we safe inside the hospitals? We will try to find, some, witnesses to tell us what happened in the immediate hospital before they did it quickly.
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This 7-year-old Palestinian girl dug herself out from underneath the rubble of a collapsed building. https://t.co/lBhUXuasek
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People wearing black and white keffiyehs have been taking to the streets calling for Palestinian rights. But the scarves they’re wearing have a long history as a symbol of resistance. https://t.co/Ft2PXJnvHY
Video Transcript AI Summary
The kefail scarf, also known as kefaya, has been a symbol of Palestinian resistance since British rule. Palestinians used it to hide their identities and resist arrest during their revolt against British troops in 1936. Despite Britain's failed attempt to ban the scarf, it became even more popular among Palestinians, replacing class markers like the fez. During the Israeli occupation from 1967 to 1993, when the Palestinian flag was banned, kefails became a sign of resistance. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's consistent wearing of the kefail further solidified its symbolism. In 1974, Arafat addressed the UN wearing the scarf, advocating for an inclusive Palestinian state. Today, the white and black checkered kefail represents the call for Palestinian freedom and sovereignty.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: These checkered scarves have long stood for Palestinian resistance. But to understand why, we have to go back. They're called kefails, and the status assembled to Palestinian resistance starts where else but with British rule. After World War one, the victors put the UK in control of Palestine. Britain had declared its support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, resulting in mass Jewish immigration.
Palestinians used boycotts and civil disobedience to try and prevent being displaced. And in 1936, they revolted. At the time, kefei was commonly worn by Bedouins and farmers. But Palestinian revolutionaries adopted the headscarf as a tool to conceal their identities and resist arrest while fighting British troops. That's when Britain tried and failed to ban the scarf.
At this point, kefails became even more popular among Palestinians. They ditched class markers like the fez in large numbers, and instead adopted the workers' kefaya in solidarity. The scarf's place as a symbol of revolution was further cemented in the sixties seventies. Israeli occupation forces banned the Palestinian flag from 1967 until 1993. So kefeis took their place as a sign of resistance.
At the same time, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat consistently wore Keffei. And in 1974, the scarf itself served as a statement when Arafat addressed the UN, calling for an inclusive Palestinian state that would welcome all, Muslims, Christians, and Jewish people. Cafe. So while cafes can be found throughout the Middle East in a variety of colors and patterns and by many different names. The white and black checkered scarf has become synonymous with the call for Palestinian freedom and sovereignty.
@ajplus - AJ+
What is life like for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation? Here are at least four main ways they differ. https://t.co/zB6FcKZ8Qg
Video Transcript AI Summary
This video highlights the stark differences in daily life between Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis enjoy a high level of education and low unemployment rates, while Palestinians face limited opportunities and a high unemployment rate. Palestinians also face restrictions on movement, with the need for special permits to visit each other and numerous checkpoints in the West Bank. Israeli citizens have more freedom to travel abroad and do not face the same restrictions. Additionally, Israel controls imports and exports into Gaza, determining the cost of essential items like electricity, medicine, and water. Palestinians in Gaza live in poverty, earning only $180 a month, while the monthly minimum wage in Israel is $1400. Palestinians also face daily violence under military occupation, with a higher number of casualties compared to Israeli civilians.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: This viral video sums up just how different daily life has been for young Israelis and Palestinians. Uploaded on October 12th, it shows just how different the 2 places looked. But there's so much more to unpack when you think about how Israelis experience life compared to Palestinians. For starters, Israel is one of the most educated countries in the world. And while most Israeli job seekers can easily find a gig with a 6% unemployment rate, young people in Gaza have very few options and face an unemployment rate of 70%.
After high school, a lot of Israelis choose to attend university broad, but that's nearly impossible for most Palestinians who basically need permission from Israeli authorities just to move around. People in Gaza and the West Bank need to apply for a special permit just to visit each other. And they're often denied. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians face hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints just to get to school, go to the doctor, or visit family. Israeli citizens don't face those same restrictions.
In fact, many young Israelis take a year to travel abroad either before or after entering their mandatory military service. Israeli authorities also control all imports and exports into Gaza. Meaning, Israel dictates the cost of electricity, medicine, construction materials, toys, and even water for Palestinians. The overwhelming majority of people in Gaza live in poverty. Palestinians there make about $180 a month.
That's not even enough to cover basic needs. In Israel, the monthly minimum wage is about $1400. Living under military occupation means Palestinians are exposed to daily violence. Prior to the attacks on October 7th, Israeli forces killed over 65 100 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank over the last 15 years. In that same time frame, 177 Israeli civilians were killed.
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Are there any similarities between the Bosnian genocide and what’s happening in Gaza? This Bosnian journalist says yes. https://t.co/qVc76Z88AS
Video Transcript AI Summary
Rafic Hodac, a journalist and activist, compares Israel's actions in Gaza to the Bosnian genocide. During the Bosnian War, Bosnian Serb forces committed crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing and mass killings. Similarly, Israel's strikes in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. While the Bosnian War ended with international intervention and convictions for war crimes, there is little hope for justice in Gaza. The International Criminal Court must take action to uphold international law and rights. Without pressure, political leaders lack the courage to address the situation appropriately.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: This journalist and activist says that Israel has committed crimes in Gaza that remind him of the Bosnian genocide. That's Rafic Hodac. He says that the reason for killing civilians in Gaza because they're all terrorists has been used before, 30 years ago by Bosnian Serb nationalist militias During the Bosnian War
Speaker 1: Bombardment attacks on civilian infrastructure, depriving them of water, Humanitarian supplies and so on and so forth during the siege of Sarajevo was judged to be a crime against humanity. And what we can see in Gaza clearly corresponds to the elements of those crimes despite these Same justifications that were used.
Speaker 0: After Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence in 1992 from a From bullying Yugoslavia, Bosnian Serbs launched a military campaign to have an ethnically Serb state by violently expelling or eliminating its Bosnian Muslim population. They set out to ethnically cleanse the country of Croats and Bosnian Muslims known as Bosniaks who were the majority. And it was during this war that the term ethnic cleansing came to mean what it does today. Over 100,000 people were killed during the war and Up to 80% of them were Bosniaks, including some of Rafik's family.
Speaker 1: 17 of my my close family members were detained in concentration camps. 8 family members and close friends were killed. Ultimately, it was proven that in fact there was intent to, target civilians, And terrorized him into submission.
Speaker 0: Rafik believes Israel is acting with similar intent to terrorize Enghazad. How would you describe what's happening in occupied Palestine. Does it fit the definition of genocide in your perspective?
Speaker 1: From what we can see and based on what we know In terms of what the threshold of proving genocide in Bosnia was, I think clearly, clearly there are elements, of that in Israel's actions in Gaza.
Speaker 0: Backed by the Serbian regime of president Slobodan Milosevic, Bosnian Serb forces carried out mass killings, forced displacement. And many Bosniaks were tortured in concentration camps during the war. The most brutal incident was the Srebrenica massacre occurred in 1995 when Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys. While Israel's strikes have been much more indiscriminate than this specific massacre, Its war on Gaza has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians in its 1st month. The majority, civilians.
The Bosnian War ended after US led NATO air strikes began targeting Bosnian Serb positions in 1995. But critics said that intervention had come too late As major atrocities had already been committed like the one at Srebrenica. Many of the Serbian and Bosnian Serb leaders responsible were convicted in an international tribunal at The Hague, a forerunner of the International Criminal Court. And as of 2008, more than a dozen Croats and Bosniaks had also been convicted of war crimes in international courts. But in Gaza's case, the US shows no signs of intervening to prevent Israel's military actions against the Gaza civilians, which international organizations believe should be investigated as war crimes.
Instead, it's backing Israel's campaign as self defense. Israel has never faced any legal consequences despite being accused by international organizations of committing war crimes against in its previous military campaigns in Gaza.
Speaker 1: Will Palestinians get justice anytime soon? I have to say with a heavy heart But I don't see it happening. The International Criminal Court has to act in this case to save itself and to save the the principles upon which The international legal and rights framework has been built over the last several decades. Without that pressure, we can see that the political leaders simply don't have the courage to do, what needs to be done.
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These Palestinians are using social media to break through Israel’s communication blockade and document the horrors of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. https://t.co/S0aS99f0zw
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In this video, the speaker shows the massive destruction in Sahara city and highlights the impact on the people who have lost their homes. They mention the remains of a rocket and describe it as a massacre affecting families from different areas. The speaker also mentions the challenges faced in Gaza Strip, where people have to wait in long lines to buy bread or make it at home. They emphasize the need for someone to stop the suffering and bring an end to the situation. The video ends with a plea for help.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: And I will show you the massive destruction that happened to the Sahara city in the middle of the street. Imagine how many people have been homeless and lost their the
Speaker 1: places. Remains of a rocket. It's very heavy.
Speaker 0: It's
Speaker 1: the all
Speaker 0: to a massacre for different families from different places in, the middle area.
Speaker 1: But right now, we're literally losing our whole homeland, and no one knows anything about us. The I'm standing right now inside the 1st refugee camp in Gaza Strip. But even if a victory is working, you literally have stand in line for 3 hours or more to be able to buy bread. So those who can, they do bread in in their homes. This is thing you will see, but this is the reality world.
You need to see this. She lost her mother. Her father is injured To an an other room, and she's alone.
Speaker 0: The
Speaker 1: Here is how people are showering. No options
Speaker 0: that. Please someone stop this. Please someone end this. Please. Please.
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“Is half of me only worth living?” This Palestinian Ukrainian has a message for U.S. politicians over their support for Ukraine, but not Palestine. https://t.co/2BKhAJtNdl
Video Transcript AI Summary
The speaker expresses their frustration with the unequal treatment of Palestinians compared to Ukrainians. They highlight the dehumanization and lack of support for Palestinians, particularly their own Ukrainian mother working in Gaza. They call for equal treatment and an end to the funding of the ongoing genocide. The speaker also mentions the personal impact of losing family members and waking up in fear every day. They direct their plea to President Biden, urging him to address the issue and stop hiding from the reality of the situation.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Free free Palestine. You're trying to save half of me let one arm live, but do you know what? Yeah. The other one is a terrorist. The other one, like, yeah, deserves to die.
They kept funding and funding and funding our genocide, funding our blockade. And then suddenly last year, when my other country, me. My other hometown where I was born, Ukraine, was similar things were happening, ethnic cleansing, land theft, murdering, killing kids. Suddenly, the government was trying its best to save them, to protect them, which is what should be happening. Sinning.
But doing that to Ukraine and seeing how it's the opposite in Palestine, I it put me in this dilemma, like, is half of me only worth living? Right now, my Ukrainian mother is in Gaza. If she was in Ukraine, the US government, the people, my college, everyone would have been doing their best to and glorifying her as a doctor. But just because with all her Ukrainian genes and all of your her Ukrainian blood, She's working in Gaza, in her refugee camp in Gaza. It's the opposite.
She she's not considered a human. And if she dies right now, she's a number. And it's just very devastating how we are dehumanized and how is the how there are preferences between human lives. With you End this battle. First of all, to treat us as human beings just like they treat Ukrainians, just like they treat Americans here, especially white Americans.
Takendu fall there. This genocide that they are funding, 1,000,000,000 of dollars that they are funding, I want them to use that to use that for the sake of their own country. Provide health. You can solve healthcare. It's just student debt.
After being in this country, I saw the many issues and I interacted with a lot of, minorities here, and I do see and understand the the issues in their country, but they are choosing to use all that money to kill my family, to kill me, and to kill the people of Gaza who are people as well. We've lost some, cousins, my dad's cousins a lot. Today, actually, I woke up to the news of, a new one. During these times, every day I Whenever I manage to fall asleep, I wake up panicking, terrified. Who's that?
Looking at the family's group chat and I find every time someone you did. Biden. Biden. You can't hide. Biden.
Biden. You can't hide. We search human genocide. We search human
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The U.S. has long been aiding Israel financially and politically — and enabling the Israeli government’s abuse of Palestinians.
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Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza is backed by the US, allowing Israel to avoid accountability for its human rights abuses. The US has vetoed UN resolutions critical of Israel over 50 times since 1972, including those addressing illegal settlements and war crimes. Financially, the US provides $3.8 billion in military aid annually and even dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean. While the US used to mediate peace talks, recent administrations have escalated support for Israel and ignored the plight of Palestinians. The US defends Israel's actions, even as it kills more people in Gaza than Hamas kills in Israel. This gives Israel a pass on potential war crimes.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Israel's massive bombing campaign on Gaza is being carried out with full US support. Actions like these. Are the latest in a long line of human rights abuses by Israel against Gaza. And American backing is crucial to Israel's continuing conduct. The international community has condemned this kind of abuse many times over the past several decades.
But rhetoric like this means Israel can continue to dodge accountability.
Speaker 1: The United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back.
Speaker 0: And this isn't the 1st time the US has provided cover for some of Israel's worst abuses. In fact, the US has used its veto power on the UN security council to strike down resolutions critical of Israel at least 53 times since 1970 2. This includes blocking resolutions that challenge Israel's building of illegal settlements, and thwarting attempts to hold Israel accountable for previous war crimes in Gaza. The US even opposes the International Criminal Court's investigation into Israel's alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. That is, The West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.
It's not just public support that the US gives to Israel, but financial support as well. Each year, the US gives Israel $3,800,000,000 in military aid. After Israel's latest bombardment of Gaza, The US even dispatched an aircraft carrier that's been called the world's largest warship to the Eastern Mediterranean. Some analysts See moves like this to be more motivated by domestic political concerns rather than military strategy. Especially since Israel doesn't need US military support in its attack on Gaza.
It's done that many times on its own to devastating effect. The US has a long history of getting involved in the Middle East. The US has been one of Israel's biggest supporters and has been heavily supplying weapons to Israel for the last 50 years. In the past, the US at least attempted to be a mediator in peace talks Between the Israelis and Palestinians. But in recent years, the US has escalated its support of Israel, and largely ignored the plight of Sinians.
The Trump administration recognized Israel's illegal annexation of East Jerusalem, and even moved the US embassy there. The Biden administration continued Trump's Policies and avoided confronting Israeli apartheid. Even while many voices within Israel are blaming actions by Netanyahu's right wing government For the calamity Israel suffered on October 7th. This critique is much rarer in the US. The US has condemned Hamas for killing at least 1200 people in Israel.
But offer this defense of Israel even as that country has killed more than a 1000 people in Gaza.
Speaker 1: Israel has the right to defend And his people. Full stop.
Speaker 0: Effectively giving Israel a pass for whatever actions and potential war crimes the country might commit going forward.
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This Palestinian American mother is stuck in Gaza. She is pleading with the U.S. government to help her return home.
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A Palestinian American mother, Na'ilah Sharafa, is trapped in Gaza and pleading with the US government to help her return to her family. She had gone to Gaza to visit her sick mother but got stuck due to the bombardment. Israel's military bombed the only open road out of Gaza, leaving hundreds of US citizens stranded. Na'ilah tried to contact the US embassy but received no response. The current bombardment by Israel has resulted in the deaths of at least 1,500 Palestinians, including nearly 500 children. Gaza is facing a complete siege, with limited access to electricity, water, and food. Na'ilah fears for her children's safety and urges the government to evacuate her soon.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: I'm asking my government, US government, please take me out from here. I wanna go back to my family.
Speaker 1: This Palestinian American mother is stuck in Gaza. Na'ilah Sharafa has been trying to escape Israel's bombardment for days.
Speaker 0: I came to Gaza for 9 days only. I came to see my mom because she's 85 years old, and she was sick.
Speaker 1: On October 10th, Na'ilah went to the Rafah border crossing to try to leave Gaza. It was the only open road out of Gaza, And it leads to Egypt.
Speaker 0: I went to the Palestinian side, and I, I enter. They sign my my Passport, everything is ready to me. I pick I tried to pick my passport and the bump happened.
Speaker 1: Israel's military bombed the crossing 3 times in 24 Hours that day.
Speaker 0: Outside, bombing, I found the car, the last car in the border to take me Gaza and to back to Gaza. And the whole time from the border to Gaza, Bumping, bumping, bumping.
Speaker 1: There are currently hundreds of US citizens stuck in Gaza. US citizens are also being held as hostages by Hamas.
Speaker 0: I tried to call The, US embassy, nobody called me. Nobody reached me from the embassy.
Speaker 1: Naidah's son says he's heard back from US officials, But nothing has happened yet.
Speaker 0: There is no place safe in Gaza. We try our best to be safe, but I don't know till when.
Speaker 1: The current bombardment on Gaza is the most intense by Israel since its creation as a state. At least 1500 Palestinians have been killed in less than a week, almost 500 of them children.
Speaker 0: We don't have shelters. No shelters like underground. We make him all all all that time. And we hug each other. And me, like, I slept next to my mom.
When the bump happened, I just told her. And everybody, like, slept 1 hour and bam, the whole house wake up. They slept again few minutes. Everybody wake up, and that's it. We don't sleep 1 hour without, you know, a bomb.
Speaker 1: Israel has put a complete siege on Gaza. It has cut off fuel, electricity, and food for the 2,300,000 Palestinians trapped inside.
Speaker 0: Now no electricity. Like, 2 hours electricity and sometimes 1 hour, but no water. The food, it's gonna be, like, finished, and Gaza, it's gonna be in a really bad situation.
Speaker 1: Gaza is considered the largest open air prison in the world by many human rights organizations, and UN experts are calling Israel's bombardment after the Hamas attack A collective punishment.
Speaker 0: We don't wanna die now. Believe me. I I don't worry about myself. I worry about my kids. They just lost their dad a few months ago, and they cannot lose their mom too.
And this is really very bad situation. I'm really asking the government to take me out from here soon, as soon as they can.
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A Palestinian woman confronts a BBC reporter over the mainstream media’s spin on Israel’s war.
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A Palestinian woman confronts a BBC reporter about the biased coverage of events in Israel and Gaza. She criticizes the mainstream media for ignoring the Palestinian deaths caused by the occupation. The woman shares her personal experience of having family members trapped in Gaza and highlights the humanitarian crisis there. She accuses Western media of dehumanizing Palestinians and giving preferential treatment to Israelis. The video also mentions the spread of unverified information by mainstream media outlets, which fuels hatred and supports Israel. The woman calls for people to be critical of the language used in news reporting and to recognize the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Watch this Palestinian woman confront a BBC reporter. It's over the mainstream media spin on the events in Israel and occupied Gaza.
Speaker 1: Since January 2020 3 up to the middle of August, 200 Palestinians have been killed by this merciless occupation, by this settler colonizer state, and no one batted an eye. And now they're batting an eye when Israel is impacted. Now we're making headlines.
Speaker 2: Just that you feel justified in talking about, the repression of people within Gaza. There'll be those who look at videos that were shot on Saturday of 260 youngsters being murdered At a at a music festival and and and and talk equally of of barbarism there. Presumably, you can't support the actions of Hamas this weekend.
Speaker 1: Before I answer you, before I got on this call, I asked whoever practiced with me, to not ask a trap question, to paint us as demons on this call because I'm here to tell my story and the story of millions of Gazans that are currently trapped. And this this is the problem of of mainstream media.
Speaker 0: We spoke to Salma Shawwa about this experience.
Speaker 1: I found it very, hurtful and very insulting. Salma lives in
Speaker 0: the US, but her mother, Father and brother are trapped in Gaza. So far, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed over 1800 Palestinians and is growing schools and hospitals. Residents are blocked from leaving and have limited access to electricity and clean water. To raise the alarm on the humanitarian situation, Salma agreed to a radio interview with the BBC.
Speaker 1: There was a huge discrepancy between what I was asked as a Palestinian, versus what Israelis were asked, they were asked about how they were coping with, the barbaric people of Gaza. They were asked about their feelings. I was not asked any of these things because Western media does not see Palestinians as humans worthy of sharing those feelings. In another interview, a BBC presenter appeared to justify Israel's attacks to the president
Speaker 0: of the US Middle East project, Daniel Levy. And Levy's response.
Speaker 3: The Israelis would say, well, look, you know, we are defending ourselves. We are targeting Hamas targets in Gaza. We are trying to put an end to what we believe is a terrorist organization once and for all.
Speaker 4: Do you really keep a straight face when you say that? Do you think terrorist organizations embedded in populations who are denied their most basic rights are ended once and for all in a military I
Speaker 0: Mainstream media outlets have also been spreading unverified information from the Israeli government. CNN and these British newspapers ran a story that 40 babies were beheaded during the Hamas led operation into Israeli territory. An Israeli reporter originally made this Claim. While an undisclosed number of children were among the more than 1300 Israelis killed since October 7th, the country's military now says it can't confirm From the 40 beheaded babies story, which was even cited in president Biden's speech. But why does this all matter?
Speaker 1: It reinforces and fuels Western hatred towards through us, all that's happening now is that
Speaker 0: the West is aiding and supporting Israel. This isn't something new. Israel has a history of Spreading false information to gain support and shape a positive image.
Speaker 1: People that are consuming news just like me and you, they need to be thinking about this language and thinking about how it's actually used to rationalize the ongoing genocide of my people.
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This Palestinian journalist is showcasing to the world what a day under occupation looks like.
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A Palestinian journalist, Leila Warah, documents the daily struggles of living under occupation in the West Bank. She highlights the normalization of checkpoints and the dehumanization of Palestinians in the media. Warah aims to educate people outside of Palestine about the reality of life there, disregarding the occupier's perspective. Despite the risks faced by Palestinian journalists, Warah believes in the importance of her work. She emphasizes that being Palestinian is seen as problematic and can make her a target. Warah has experienced challenges from Israeli forces and acknowledges the danger of being a journalist in the region.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: This Palestinian journalist is showcasing to the world what a day under occupation looks like.
Speaker 1: This is
Speaker 2: what Israel's checkpoint 300 looks like at 5 in the morning. People start gathering in Beit Lahim around 3 AM for their long and humiliating daily commute. And the fact that people really think these checkpoints are to stop terrorists Blows my mind.
Speaker 1: The occupation does not like to be filmed. The occupation doesn't wanna be caught on camera.
Speaker 0: That's Leila Warah, A young Palestinian journalist who lives in the occupied West Bank.
Speaker 1: Here I
Speaker 2: am in the most tear gas place in the world.
Speaker 0: She focuses her work on parts of the occupation that have become so normalized at to Palestinians.
Speaker 1: People living here, they don't they almost don't see the occupation in some ways. Like, it's just become so normalized and so part of an everyday life. It's Like, oh, yeah. Of course, we just drove past some soldiers pointing our guns at people. But you show that to a foreign audience and their mind will be blown.
They're not gonna be like, oh, this sucks. They're gonna be like, What the what's going on?
Speaker 2: Come to Jerusalem with me to talk to a lawyer to see how hard it is for me to get a Palestinian ID. Spoiler alert, it is very hard.
Speaker 0: Journalists and activists have been calling out the bias in Western media for decades. That's why Warah wants to focus on voices and at Experiences from the ground.
Speaker 1: My goal with reporting is really to open the eyes of people outside of Palestine, both people from the diaspora And also foreigners who have never been to Palestine to show what life is like like here. Objective journalism has dehumanized Palestinian so much with taking into account the occupier's thoughts and opinions.
Speaker 0: Despite Israel's constant attacks and threats on Palestinian journalists, Warah sees this work as critical.
Speaker 1: What brought me into the field of journalism wasn't journalism itself. It was rather my identity as a Palestinian, so being Palestinian came first because as the daughter of a refugee, I've spent my entire life educating myself so that I could educate everyone else about what's going on here.
Speaker 2: I'm standing in the ruins of the village my Palestinian grandparents fled in 1948. On my way to find our village, an Israeli woman pulled over and asked me if I needed any help. I said no, but I wish I said yes. Yes. I need help understanding why is my family banished to a refugee camp while your kids run through the trees that we planted and jump on trampolines.
Speaker 1: My identity as a Palestinian is problematic, and I will be targeted for that.
Speaker 0: Even after the killing of Al Jazeera journalist at Shireen Abuaqle Warahua's steadfast.
Speaker 1: When Shireen was murdered in cold blood while reporting it, definitely, it was scary and it was shocking. But at Israel kills Palestinians in cold blood every other day. And I think it almost propels me forward more because if her work was powerful enough for her to Oher. We need more voices like that. Like, whatever Israel is scared of is exactly what we should be doing, and it just means it's on the right track.
Speaker 0: At Wara has been reporting from the ground for 8 months. During that time, she's faced many challenges from Israeli forces.
Speaker 1: It is still dangerous to be a journalist here at best, you get pulled over and you get stopped for hours and your whole day is derailed. Maybe you get to your gas. At worst, you get shot and killed.
Speaker 0: Warah says even with the privilege of her light skinned American accent and passport, Israel can still target her at any time.
Speaker 1: We even saw that with at. When she was shot and killed, it doesn't matter that she was an American. She was a Palestinian first and foremost.