Israel Accused of ‘Murdering the Messengers’ as Gaza Journalist Death Toll Hits Almost 200
Press freedom group accuses Israel of systematically targeting reporters after five Al Jazeera staff are killed in a strike, calling it “murder, plain and simple.”
Funerals are being held for five Al Jazeera journalists, who were among seven people killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City, according to the broadcaster. The Israeli military says it targeted 28-year-old correspondent Anas al-Sharif, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas", but has produced little evidence to support that claim. The BBC understands Sharif worked for a Hamas media team in Gaza before the current conflict - in some of his social media posts before his death, the journalist criticised Hamas. Another Al Jazeera correspondent and three camera operators were killed in the attack, a sixth victim has been identified as a freelance reporter. The broadcaster called it a "targeted assassination" and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom" - BBC
The UN condemned the killings as a "grave breach of international humanitarian law"
Internationally-recognized journalist and author, Janine di Giovanni, said in a post on Twitter: “I’ve reported 18 wars over 35 years. I’ve been shot at, kidnapped, threatened, nearly raped. I’ve lost friends from Sarajevo to Syria. I thought I’d seen the worst of humanity. I was wrong. Nothing compares to Gaza — or the complicity letting it happen.” Meanwhile, other shocked journalists worldwide reminder their followers and audiences that not only is journalism not a crime - that deliberately targeting journalists, as Israel has done, is a war crime.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says 186 journalists have now been killed since the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in October 2023. CPJ said Israel has a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof. “Israel is murdering the messengers,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Israel wiped out an entire news crew. It has made no claims that any of the other journalists were terrorists. That’s murder. Plain and simple….It is no coincidence that the smears against al-Sharif — who has reported night and day for Al Jazeera since the start of the war — surfaced every time he reported on a major development in the war, most recently the starvation brought about by Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient aid into the territory,” Qudah said, adding that the famine has been independently corroborated by aid workers and medics, despite Israel’s refusal to let foreign reporters into Gaza. Al-Sharif had been one of Al Jazeera’s best-known reporters in Gaza since October 2023, and one of several journalists whom Israel had previously alleged were members of Hamas, without providing evidence.
Australia will move to recognise a state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly next month, with a condition that terror group Hamas play no role in its future governance. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would work with the international community to make recognition a reality. “Australia will recognise the state of Palestine. Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own, predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority," Mr Albanese said. “A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza." The Palestinian Authority has promised Australia it would recognise Israel's right to exist, demilitarise and hold general elections, among other commitments - ABC
With President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin preparing to meet in Alaska on Friday, Ukraine’s sidelined leaders warned that the Kremlin would try to “deceive America” as Mr. Trump pushed to end the war. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is determined to demonstrate that his country is not the obstacle to peace by emphasizing Kyiv’s willingness to accept an unconditional cease-fire, an idea that Russia has rejected. He has cautioned that Mr. Putin will try to drive a wedge between the United States, Ukraine and its European allies by putting forth demands that the Kremlin knows Ukraine cannot accept and then portraying Mr. Zelensky as the barrier to a deal. “We understand the Russians’ intention to try to deceive America — we will not allow this,” Mr. Zelensky said in his evening address to the nation on Sunday night. Ukraine and its European allies are pressing hard for Mr. Zelensky to be included in the negotiations, fearing the consequences of bilateral talks that exclude them, given maximalist demands by Mr. Putin that Ukraine says threatens its survival. European leaders and diplomats joined Kyiv in trying to frame the upcoming discussions in Alaska as a “test” for Russia, which has shown little sign that it is willing to pull back in its pummeling of Ukraine. “On Friday, it is important to see how serious Putin is, and the only one who can do that is President Trump,” the NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte, told CBS News on Sunday - NYT
Donald Trump will join European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an emergency virtual summit on Wednesday. The call, organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, comes ahead of Friday’s summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. The virtual summit will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks, a German government spokesperson told POLITICO. Three diplomats told POLITICO that Merz’s team had been in intensive discussions with other capitals in recent days to organize the virtual meeting.
The White House plans to activate around 800 National Guard troops in Washington to support local law enforcement, according to a senior defense official. They will assist with logistics, transportation, and guarding facilities, similar to the role the California National Guard performed this summer in Los Angeles. The move comes as President Donald Trump pledges to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, despite a decline in recent years. The exact role of the troops has yet to be fully spelled out by the White House, and the Army and Pentagon are working on the details. But a second military official said they expect the deployment to look much like the California deployment. Although crime in Washington hit a 30-year low last year, the president in recent days has seized on violence against a Trump administration staffer to cast the city as dangerous, pledging earlier Monday that “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR.” Last week, Trump deployed federal law enforcement throughout the city. In February, he floated a federal takeover of Washington - Politico
Experts say that social media is fuelling a “copycat effect” in which airline passengers in and out of Hong Kong are imitating disruptive behaviour and aggressive responses they had seen online. Of course contributing factors include confined space, a lack of legroom, stress-provoking boarding procedures and airlines’ cost-saving measures. After another heated dispute on a Hong Kong flight, Hong Kong Airlines issued written warnings to four passengers and alerted Korean law enforcement authorities following a dispute on flight HX628 to Seoul on Friday. A video circulating online shows a man and a woman speaking Mandarin arguing with a Cantonese-speaking pair, and flight attendants trying to break up the fight, which involved pulling and grabbing. The Mandarin-speaking woman is heard in the minute-long clip repeatedly yelling, “he hit my son”, while grabbing another passenger.It was just one of the latest clashes seen mid-air that had authorities involved. Clinical psychologist Amos Cheung Chuen-yih said pre-flight and boarding procedures were stress-provoking, with crowds, security checks and the constant fear of being late all contributing to passengers’ anxiety and making them more reactive subconsciously. Cheung said that being in a confined space like an aircraft, along with air pressure changes, dehydration, alcohol consumption and potentially lower oxygen levels could also heighten people’s stress response and make them more irritable.“Travellers sitting in economy class often feel they are paying expensive ticket prices for a poor level of service that fails to meet their expectations,” Cheung said.“The cramped seats, narrow space and lack of legroom make for an uncomfortable journey. These frustrations, combined with other factors, such as someone bumping your seat or a person in front reclining, create a build-up of tension that can cause people to snap over seemingly trivial matters.” But he said social media might also play a role by amplifying people’s emotions.“For example, if someone does something, it immediately reminds you of a similar incident you saw on social media,” said Cheung, president-elect of the Hong Kong Psychology Society.“There is also a possibility that this social media exposure can lead to a copycat effect. When I see someone do this, I do the same. This applies to both disruptive behaviour and aggressive responses.” - SCMP
Katy Perry has been hit with a hefty fine for shooting a music video in a protected area in Ibiza, Spain. The government in the autonomous island paradise launched an investigation after the singer and her production crew from WeOwnTheCity illegally created the video for LIFETIMES in the Ses Salines Natural Park last July. Its environmental agency clarified that “in no case had the production company” obtained permission to enter the exclusion zone. Now, reports state that a nearly $7,000 fine was handed down for the indiscretion. In the video, a bikini-clad Perry can be seen scaling rocks and jumping into the blue waters in the protected zone. She and the production crew’s presence reportedly rankled locals at the time. Reports in Spain state that the crew settled its bill in February, but the news has only been revealed now. Officials called the breach a “serious” offense, but added that no further penalties will be given. No lasting damage was done to the area, the environmental agency said. Katy Perry’s representatives have been contacted for comment - Daily Beast
The journals….
This must stop
https://cliffwilliams.substack.com/p/free-press-under-siege-gazas-crisis?r=237mn9