CrossFireArabia
In front of my destroyed home in Gaza
This bright morning, filled with hope, I stood before my ruined house and shouted with all my heart: I swear to you, we will rebuild it stronger than ever. I swear to you, our homeland will bloom again. I swear to you, the sun of freedom is on its way.
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CrossFireArabia
Over 350 rabbis and Jewish fugures have called for an end to US President Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza, stating “Jewish People Say No to Ethnic Cleansing!”
The group made the call on Thursday in a full-page ad in The New York Times entitled, “Jewish People Say No to Ethnic Cleansing!”
Actor Joaquin Phoenix, playwright Tony Kushner, and comedian Ilana Glazer also joined the call.
The rabbis who signed the ad include those from Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal and Kohenet movements working in congregations, campuses, hospitals, rabbinical seminaries, and community organisations around the world.
“Donald Trump – like Pharaoh in the Bible – seems to believe he is God with authority to rule, own, and dominate our country and the world. Jewish teaching is clear: Trump is not God and cannot take away Palestinians’ inherent dignity or steal their land for a real estate deal,” rabbi Yosef Berman of the New Synagogue Project in Washington, DC, said.
“Trump’s desire to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza is morally abhorrent.”
Actor Glazer said it is imperative to stand with Palestinians.
“We, Jews, and all of us who care about basic human rights must speak up and stand up to ensure Palestinians remain on their land so they can rebuild their homes and lives in Gaza after the genocidal destruction they have endured,” she said. “All of our safety is intertwined.”
At least one thousand additional leaders and members of the Jewish community from around the globe have signed the call since the ad was published on Thursday, according to reports.
The move comes after Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and forcibly expel its more than 2 million Palestinians.
Trump has also called on Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries to take in Palestinians – a proposal that has been met with widespread criticism and rejection from Arab countries and other allies while being condemned as an ethnic-cleansing plan.
In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier at the weekend, Trump also said he would “own” Gaza and said it would be a “real estate development for the future”. Asked whether Palestinians would have the right to return, Trump said: “No, they wouldn’t.”
“In the meantime, I would own this,” Trump – a former real estate developer – added, saying: “Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent.”
Peter Beinart, editor-at-large of Jewish Currents, who also signed the ad, said: “It is utterly horrifying to see the degree to which people who enjoy great legitimacy and respect in our community are willing to support something that would be considered one of the greatest crimes of the 21st century.”
CrossFireArabia
An 80-Year-Old Palestinian was used as a Human Shield with an Explosive Cord Around His Neck; he was then shot dead.
Hours Later a senior officer in the Nahal Brigade tied an explosive cord around the neck of an elderly Gazan man, forcing him to clear houses in the Zeitoun neighborhood.
For hours, the man was used as a human shield until the soldiers ordered him and his wife to leave the neighborhood.
Minutes later, both were shot and killed. Source: Hebrew Ha-Makom.
CrossFireArabia
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi is set to travel to Washington on Sunday for talks with US military officials, the army said.
A military statement said Halevi will meet with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), and other senior officials to discuss key strategic and operational issues.
Halevi “will take the opportunity to express his gratitude to his counterparts for their support, commitment, and personal ties,” the statement said.
The three-day visit comes a few weeks before Halevi steps down.
Last month, the army chief of staff said he would resign as of March 6.
The visit comes as a ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave according to Anadolu.
