What goes through my my mind when I read the news with my morning coffee. …Or for the Simon's Rockers in the group, this is my response journal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told New Zealand’s foreign minister that his country’s sponsoring of the UN anti-settlement resolution was a “declaration of war”.
Benjamin Netanyahu ‘warned UN settlement vote a declaration of war’ | The Independent
Oh, fuck off Bibi. The only person trying to start a war here is you.
The United States representative to the United Nations , Samantha Power, gave an impassioned speech last week asking Russian and Syrian representatives whether they felt “any shame at all” for their actions in Aleppo, and whether there is “no execution of a child that gets under [their] skin?” For Syrians, these statements were infuriating. Americans should be asked the very same questions. You, too, have blood on your hands.
Message from Syria to the United States: We’ll never again believe your lofty rhetoric – LA Times
You may not be the only ones…
Syrian seven-year-old Bana Alabed, who tweeted about life in Aleppo, meets Turkey’s President Erdogan.
Bana Alabed, Aleppo’s tweeting girl, meets Turkey’s President Erdogan – BBC News
hmmmm
UN Security Council backs a call to end illegal Israeli settlements after the US refuses to veto it.
Israeli settlements: UN Security Council calls for an end – BBC News
hmmm
Two hijackers reportedly from Al Fateh Al Gadida on board Libyan aeroplane with 111 people and seven crew, including one infant, on board touches down in Malta
• Negotiators include Libyan transport minister Milad Matoug
• Reports of a Libyan MP being on board
LIVE Hijacked Libyan Afriquiyah plane in Malta
hmmm
Letter delivered in Damascus urges Syrian president to ensure international humanitarian law is fully respected
Pope Francis appeals to Assad to protect Syria’s civilians | World news | The Guardian
hmmmm
Activists and rebels in the besieged city say mass executions have begun and children are burned alive as Assad’s Iranian- and Russian-backed forces move in.
Women in Aleppo Choose Suicide Over Rape, Rebels Report – The Daily Beast
hmmmm
Traces of explosives were found on victims of an EgyptAir crash in May, investigators say.
EgyptAir crash: Explosives found on victims, say investigators – BBC News
hmmm
Israel parliament lifts dress code rules after staff protest against ban on skirts deemed too short.
Israeli parliament lifts dress code after protest over short skirt ban – BBC News
hmmm
and they didn’t lift it, they just sent it back for review before implementing.
Social media was supposed to make our world connected. But tragic Aleppo tweets weren’t enough to change policy
Aleppo and the empathy gap: We read the tweets, but did nothing while a city died – Salon.com
Sigh…
The area, now fully under the control of the government, had been badly damaged in the fighting.
In Aleppo’s war-ravaged Old City, visitors pose with selfie sticks – The Washington Post
hmmmm
Residents of a Jewish outpost in the occupied West Bank vote in favour of an evacuation proposal.
Jewish settlers agree to leave Amona site in occupied West Bank – BBC News
hmmmm
After deadly ambush, Iraqi army units moved from southern positions to city’s east where most of the fighting is.
Army shifts forces to east Mosul as ISIL hits back | Iraq News | Al Jazeera
hmmmm
Syrian rebels say a deal to evacuate the rebel-held part of Aleppo is back on and will begin soon.
Aleppo battle: Evacuation agreement ‘back on’ – BBC News
hmmmm
Kurdish TAK militants say they carried out an attack that killed 38 people near an Istanbul stadium.
Istanbul stadium attacks: Kurdish TAK group claim attacks – BBC News
Sigh…
Syrian town had gained much attention under ISIS rule because of the many priceless artifacts destroyed there
ISIS recaptures Palmyra in Syria despite Russian bombs – CBS News
Sigh…
Dozens are reported killed in air strikes and a suspected gas attack in IS territory in Syria.
Palmyra: ‘Chemical gas attack’ hits IS-held Syrian area – BBC News
Jeezus…
Thousands of civilians are now trapped in a tiny area of the city under heavy bombardment
BBC World Service – Newsday, The ‘final messages’ from people in eastern Aleppo
Heart-wrenching
The current struggle by religious Zionist rabbis against the integration of women in combat units is another sign of a radical process underway that aims to bring religion into every walk of life.
…The rabbis who object to women serving in tanks as combat soldiers are threatening Israel’s democratic character and seeking to further undermine equality among its citizens.
…The current struggle by religious Zionist rabbis is another sign of the fact that Israeli society is neck-deep in a radical process of religionization, whose purpose is to bring religion into every walk of life. If it isn’t stopped, it will ultimately affect the entire public’s family life, and especially women’s status and freedom.
While religious Zionism fiercely guards its own boundaries, sending its children to separate schools and promoting the establishment of towns and neighborhoods for religious people only, it doesn’t hesitate to insert its long arms into every area of secular life. Orthodox organizations that seek to inculcate Judaism operate in schools via religious girls doing civilian national service; diligent Knesset members try to insert Jewish law ever deeper into Israel’s law books; and the Chief Rabbinate dares to impose ever stricter requirements on the secular community, a large portion of which still (and wrongly) feels that it must turn to the rabbinate for marriage and divorce.
Declaring war on Israel’s secular public – Opinion – Israel News | Haaretz.com
hmmm
A 7-year-old Syrian girl caught the attention of people across the globe with her tweets about life in war-torn Aleppo. On Sunday, as the Syrian army pushed into eastern Aleppo, her Twitter account mysteriously disappeared.
hmmmm
The two-state solution is on life support, but there is one thing Obama can do to keep the hope of a peace deal alive.
…The simple but vital step this administration must take before its term expires on Jan. 20 is to grant American diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, as 137 countries have already done, and help it achieve full United Nations membership.
Jimmy Carter: America Must Recognize Palestine – The New York Times
hmmm
Israeli officials have been making “profoundly disturbing statements,” John Kerry claimed.
Kerry takes harsh tone on Israel, suggests opening for action at UN | TheHill
hmmmm
How one Afghan migrant woman was followed by her allegedly abusive husband to the gates of Europe.
Afghan migrant woman ‘hunted down to Europe by abusive husband’ – BBC News
Jeezus…
Bana Alabed’s account went viral for its descriptions of the horrors of daily life
A Young Syrian Girl’s Twitter Account Was Deleted. Her Followers Are Worried | TIME
hmmmm
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