COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone
The United States and eight of its allies have suspended funding to UNRWA, the primary humanitarian agency in Gaza, following Israeli allegations that a dozen employees of the 30,000-staff organisation were involved in the October 7 attack by Hamas.
The allegations conveniently sprang up at the same time as the International Court of Justice rulings against Israel in the genocide case brought against it by South Africa, quickly supplanting the ICJ ruling in Western mass media headlines.
The US has continued to dismiss the South African case as unfounded.
- READ MORE: Palestinian agency condemns funding cuts as ‘ collective punishment’
- Israel’s war on Gaza live: Aid cuts are ‘collective punishment’ – UNRWA
- More countries pause funds for UN Palestinian agency
A senior Israeli official told Axios that Israeli intelligence agencies came upon the information about the UNRWA staffers largely through “interrogations of militants who were arrested during the October 7 attack.
Israel has an extensive history of using torture in its interrogations, and there’s no reason to believe it hasn’t been used on captured Hamas fighters in recent months.
So to recap:
Accusations of genocide deemed credible by the International Court of Justice: Preposterous lies. Not worth opposing a single massacre over.
Unsubstantiated claims about UNRWA staff extracted via torture: Gospel truth. Worthy of ending humanitarian support to Gazans for.
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How does ANY unproven claim by the Israeli government get treated seriously by ANYONE anymore? There ought to be a limit on how many lies you can get caught circulating before the entire political/media class just starts laughing at you whenever you make any claim about anything.
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It’s been so surreal watching empire managers issue solemn words in honor of Holocaust Memorial Day while enthusiastically facilitating a modern-day genocide in Gaza.
Commemorating the Holocaust while cheerleading for the current holocaust is next-level dystopia.
2023 and 2024 exposed the true hypocrisy of the West, fake democracy, double standards on international laws, and the rights and protection of women and children. The shameful decision to withdraw #UNHRA funding for Palestinians facing genocide is a testament to this hypocrisy! https://t.co/0vwKoCC7Dl
— Faisal A (@Faisala1371) January 28, 2024
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The IDF shot and killed a Palestinian man who had a white flag in a designated “safe zone” right in front of an ITV News crew, drawing headlines around the world.
It’s been undeniable that the IDF routinely kills Palestinians who are waving white flags ever since last month when they killed three escaped Israeli hostages who were waving a white flag mistaking them for Palestinians. This was just the first time the Western press filmed it.
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A re-election campaign year for a Democrat president coinciding with an active genocide backed by that same president is exposing the true face of the Democratic Party clearer than anything I can remember.
Biden is preparing to send Israel 50 child murder jets and 12 child murder helicopters, but oh no no we mustn’t focus on this too much because it’s an election year and Trump is a very bad person.
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I understand the logic of lesser-evil voting. I just don’t understand the logic of designating a president who backs a literal genocide and engages in nuclear brinkmanship a “lesser evil”.
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A political establishment which tells you you have to choose between two presidential candidates who both want to help Israel murder children by the thousands is a political establishment which must not be permitted to exist.
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Israel has been caught in lie after lie after lie after lie since October 7, yet we’re meant to believe it’s crazy anti-semitic holocaust denialism to think it may have lied about some of the stuff that happened on October 7 as well.
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Young people spent 2020 protesting against racism and injustice and spent 2022 being told that it’s bad for an occupying force to drop bombs on people, but when Israel started a racist and unjust bombing campaign in 2023 older generations were still somehow surprised to see young people stand against it.
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To defend Israel is to defend the US empire, because the military might of the US empire is what makes Israel’s existence possible. You can’t separate the two.
Israel apologists pretend they’re defending a plucky little underdog country in the Middle East and a persecuted religious minority, when really they’re defending the most powerful empire that has ever existed and the most murderous and tyrannical power structure of the 21st century.
Caitlin Johnstone is an independent Australian journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished from Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix with permission.
