Palästina-News No. 48

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Palästina-News Nr. 48 January 2025

What you don't learn in Switzerland

The aim of this newsletter is to improve information about events in Palestine and Israel, with a focus - but not only - on the German-speaking part of Switzerland. For this purpose, articles from English-language online newspapers, online portals, publications, etc., are quoted in abbreviated form.

References provide a link to the original article and / or publication medium. The edited articles have been shortened and may not fully reflect the opinions of the authors. Martin Luzi Büechi (MLB)

Mail: palnews@bluewin.ch

Website: www.palaestina-news.ch

Palestine Talk with Vivian Khalaf

I met Vivian Rasem Khalaf, Chairwoman of the Board of the Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), on the occasion of her appearance at the Cafe Palestina in Zurich on November 15, 2024. The reason for her visit to Zurich was the founding of a new chapter in Switzerland. In the next issue of Palästina News I will introduce the new Swiss chapter from PCRF.

PCRF is a large NGO with 18 chapters in the U.S., as well as chapters in Italy and Jordan. Founded in the U.S. in 1991, PCRF provides free medical care to thousands of injured and ill children who have no access to care within the local health care system. The current focus is on Gaza, where PCRF provides humanitarian aid in the form of basic necessities such as food, water and shelter, and sponsors emergency medical teams of doctors and nurses to provide immediate medical care to children. Since October 7, the PCRF has spent more than $40 million in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. The PCRF

also established two pediatric cancer departments in Palestine, a new pediatric intensive care unit and pediatric cardiology department in Ramallah, and many other critical projects to sustainably bolster the region's healthcare system.

Vivian was born in Jerusalem in 1966 and came to the United States with her Palestinian parents. Her father's intention was to finish graduate school and then return. Because they left just before the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Vivian and her family were not part of the population counted in the Jerusalem

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census that took place after the war. Vivian: we therefore did not have legal status enabling us to return after my father completed his studies. He eventually navigated the U.S. immigration system and after many years obtained U.S. citizenship. Although we visited Palestine often, the U.S. became our home away from home.

Vivian Khalaf during her presentation in Zürich. Credit MLB

Vivian grew up with her three younger siblings in Denver, Colorado. As a teenager she moved back to Ramallah Palestine, where she completed her high school education and returned to the U.S. for university studies and obtained her law degree. She has over thirty years of experience in immigration and nationality law, with a focus on assisting refugees and those seeking political asylum. Notably, she played a significant role in the 2020 Doe v.Trump class-action lawsuit. where she was part of a legal team that filed suit on behalf of U.S. citizens who.

were denied financial assistance during the Covid pandemic, because they were married to undocumented individuals. The Trump administration eventually reversed its policy as a result of legal and political pressure

Although PCRF's focus is on Gaza, I asked Vivian about the situation in the camps in Lebanon. Vivian: The situation for Palestinians living in refugee camps in Lebanon has historically been one of the worst. With approximately 250,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, they face severe socio-economic challenges, including extreme poverty, limited access to services, and few job opportunities. They live primarily in overcrowded camps with limited access to basic necessities. PCRF works in the camps to alleviate the suffering of children in need of nutritional and medical assistance.

There is a lot of pressure in the US on NGOs working on Palestine. PCRF is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States and is therefore exempt from federal income tax. The House of Representatives has passed a bill giving the Treasury Department broad authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits deemed to support "terrorism”. However, it has yet to pass the Senate and be signed into law. I asked Vivian if she sees new problems for NGOs working in Palestine now that Trump is back in the White House.

Yes, if this bill becomes law, I foresee problems and challenges not only for NGO’s working in Palestine but for civil society in general. It would arguably give Donald Trump sweeping powers to crack down arbitrarily on his political opponents in civil society. Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, said it best when she commented that “Americans want checks and balances, not a blank check for any president to label anyone as a terrorist without evidence. With this bill, the only guardrail against authoritarian abuse to any voice of dissent to his agenda will be Trump’s imagination.”

Complicit in the repression, Germany defunds two Israeli human rights groups

Deutsche Welle (DW) und Zochrot

The German government is not only supplying weapons to Israel, but has also quietly cut funding to the German aid organization Kurve Wustrow, which supports two left-wing Israeli human rights groups. According to Deutsche Welle, the decision is part of a larger pattern by the German government to cut funding to groups critical of the Israeli government and its genocidal military campaign in Gaza. However, the funding freeze does not relate to a future project, but to one that has already been approved and was due to run until the end of next year 2026.

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Zochrot has dedicated itself to exposing Jewish Israelis to the events of the Palestinian Nakba of 1948 and advocating for the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees. New Profile focuses its humanitarian efforts on Israeli anti-militarization, offering support to conscientious objectors who risk imprisonment by refusing to fulfil the compulsory military service. MLB

The German government has quietly cut funding for Zochrot and New Profile, following an earlier defunding of Palestinian NGOs. Some observers fear the move will shrink space for those critical of the Israeli government. DW: Naomi Conrad und Birgitta Schülke, January 5, 2025

Deutsche Welle

The German government "is participating in oppression," said Rachel Beitarie, director of Zochrot. She told DW that she met with German officials before the defunding was made final. "The German past, the Nazi regime was brought up again and again in these conversations," she said. German officials, she added, told her it was important for Germany to support Israel because of Germany's history

Zochrot director Rachel Beitarie in 2018. Credit: Meged Gozani

Sergeiy Sandler from New Profile lives in Be'er Sheva, a town in southern Israel sandwiched between two military airports. The soundtrack of the war in Gaza, which is taking place a mere 40 kilometers from his house, is the incessant roar of planes heading to or returning from the Gaza Strip. "And [New Profile's] work at least helps some people not take direct part in the atrocities," he said, adding that New Profile is getting more and more requests from people wanting to abstain from military service. "I can understand why the Israeli government wants to suppress us," he said. But what, he asked, angrily, "is the German government's business imposing the ideological demands of the Israeli govern-ment on Israeli citizens?"

Statement by Zochrot

A commitment to the idea of a Jewish state, rather than a commitment to the safety and well-being of all people living on this land, is adherence to a supremacist ideology. This is the wrong lesson to learn from the genocide committed by the Nazi regime against Jews, Roma and Sinti. It is especially egregious now, as another genocide is occurring right

Deutsche Welle

Die deutsche Regierung „beteiligt sich an der Unterdrückung“, sagte Rachel Beitarie, Direktorin von Zochrot. Sie sagte der DW, sie habe sich mit deutschen Beamten und Beamtinnen getroffen, bevor die Streichung der Mittel beschlossen wurde. „Die deutsche Vergangenheit, das Naziregime, wurde in diesen Gesprächen immer wieder zur Sprache gebracht“, sagte sie. Deutsche Beamte, so fügte sie hinzu, sagten ihr, dass es für Deutschland wichtig sei, Israel wegen der deutschen Geschichte zu unterstützen.

Sergeiy Sandler von New Profile lebt in Be'er Sheva, einer Stadt im Süden Israels, die zwischen zwei Militärflughäfen liegt. Der Soundtrack des Krieges in Gaza, der nur 40 Kilometer von seinem Haus entfernt stattfindet, ist das unaufhörliche Dröhnen von Flug-zeugen, die in den Gazastreifen fliegen oder von dort zurückkehren. „Und [die Arbeit von New Profile] hilft zumindest einigen Menschen, sich nicht direkt an den Gräueltaten zu beteiligen“, sagte er und fügte hinzu, dass New Profile immer mehr Anfragen von Menschen erhält, die sich dem Militärdienst entziehen wollen. „Ich kann verstehen, warum die israelische Regierung uns unterdrücken will“, sagte er. Aber was, fragte er verärgert, „geht es die deutsche Regierung an, israelischen Bürgern und Bürgerinnen die ideologischen Forderungen der israelischen Regierung aufzuzwingen?“

Four Israeli conscientious objectors (left to right) Evyatar Moshe Rubin, Einat Gerlitz, Nave Shabtay Levin, and Shahar Schwartz, are seen outside the Tel Hashomer induction base before their planned announcement to refuse to enlist in the Israeli army, September 4, 2022. (Oren Ziv)

Erklärung von Zochrot

Das Bekenntnis zur Idee eines jüdischen Staates und nicht das Bekenntnis zur Sicherheit und zum Wohl-ergehen aller Menschen, die auf diesem Land leben, ist das Bekenntnis zu einer suprematistischen Ideologie. Dies ist die falsche Lehre aus dem Völkermord, den das Nazi-Regime an Juden, Roma

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before our eyes. Germany is not only complicit in the ongoing genocide but is also actively involved in anti-Palestinian racism, as evident from its suppression of Palestinian expression in Germany.

Its rejection of the right of Palestinians who have been forcibly displaced to return to their homes is yet another manifestation of this racism. The right of return is enshrined in international law. Specifically, the right of return for Palestinians was recognized by the UN decades ago. Not only does the German government neglect its obligation to uphold this right, it also collaborates in silencing voices that advocate for it within Israeli society

Reiterating the phrase “a Jewish and democratic state” cannot mask Israel’s undemocratic characteristics, nor can it conceal the fact that whatever limited freedoms some Israelis enjoy are being eroded at an escalating pace. Among these are the right to freedom of speech and the right to protest and organize. By withdrawing support from Zochrot and other Israeli organizations, and by failing to support Palestinian organizations, the German government is as complicit in this erosion as it is in the attacks on Palestinian lives

und Sinti begangen hat. Sie ist jetzt besonders ungeheuerlich, da sich ein weiterer Völkermord direkt vor unseren Augen abspielt. Deutschland macht sich nicht nur mitschuldig am laufenden Völkermord, sondern ist auch aktiv am antipalästinensischen Rassismus beteiligt, wie die Unterdrückung palästinensischer Äusserungen in Deutschland zeig

Die Ablehnung des Rechts der gewaltsam vertriebenen Palästinenser auf Rückkehr in ihre Heimat ist ein weiterer Ausdruck dieses Rassismus. Das Recht auf Rückkehr ist im Völkerrecht verankert. Insbesondere das Recht auf Rückkehr für Palästinenser und Palästinenserinnen wurde von den Vereinten Nationen vor Jahrzehnten anerkannt. Die deutsche Regierung vernachlässigt nicht nur ihre Verpflichtung, dieses Recht aufrechtzuerhalten, sondern trägt auch dazu bei, Stimmen in der israelischen Gesellschaft zum Schweigen zu bringen, die für dieses Recht eintreten

Der Satz „ein jüdischer und demokratischer Staat“ kann nicht über die undemokratischen Merkmale Israels hinwegtäuschen, und er kann auch nicht über die Tatsache hinwegtäuschen, dass die begrenzten Freiheiten, die einige Israelis geniessen, in immer schnellerem Tempo ausgehöhlt werden. Dazu gehören das Recht auf freie Meinungsäusserung und das Recht, zu protestieren und sich zu organisieren. Indem sie Zochrot und anderen israelischen Organisationen die Unterstützung entzieht und palästinensische Organisationen nicht unterstützt, macht sich die deutsche Regierung an dieser Aushöhlung ebenso mitschuldig wie an den Angriffen auf palästinensisches Leben

Gaza Diary: A Red Glow at Sunset

Institute for Palestine Studies

Hend Salama Abo Helow

Credit: Getty Images / Institute for Palestine Studies

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Hend Salama Abo Helow is a researcher, writer, and medical student at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. She is also a writer with We Are Not Numbers and has published in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. She believes in writing as a form of resistance; a silent witness to atrocities committed against Palestinians; and a way to achieve liberation. January 02, 2025

With every sunrise, after a harrowing night echoing unabatedly with explosions, we renew our unyielding grip on life. We gather the remnants of our feelings, trying to create an optimistic beginning to a day that feels as long as a year. A day we hope will be free of massacres, loss, and cries for help. We dream of securing food, filling water tanks, and most of all, avoiding sudden ‘evacuation' orders from the Israeli Occupation Forces. But reality offers the stark opposite of our dreams.

Since the early morning, my brother Montaser ventured out, searching for daily essentials in markets drained of goods, their shelves left bare. My father, holding himself together, worked tirelessly — filling water tanks alongside his grandchildren, who waited eagerly for a fleeting moment to play. Later, he went to console neighbors mourning loved ones. My mother cleaned flour infested with worms, a grim luxury in our unforgiving reality. Even though the flour was polluted, we pretended it was fine, convincing ourselves it wouldn't lead to a health crisis. Psychological tricks, they say — but what else can we do?

By evening, as my nephew Ahmed and I stood in the kitchen, the shattered window and missile-pierced walls framed a red glow that blinded us. The menacing sound of a drone buzzed in the background. I thought it was another strike and crouched, shielding Ahmed as best as I could. But it was only the radiant sunset. Even in moments of beauty, war haunted us.

Mit jedem Sonnenaufgang, nach einer erschütternden Nacht, die unablässig von Explosionen widerhallt, erneuern wir unseren unnachgiebigen Griff nach dem Leben. Wir sammeln die Überreste unserer Gefühle und versuchen, einen optimistischen Anfang für einen Tag zu schaffen, der sich so lang anfühlt wie ein Jahr. Ein Tag, von dem wir hoffen, dass er frei von Massa-kern, Verlusten und Hilfeschreien sein wird. Wir träu-men davon, Lebensmittel zu sichern, Wassertanks aufzufüllen und vor allem plötzliche Evakuierungs-befehle der israelischen Besatzungstruppen zu ver-meiden. Doch die Realität bietet das krasse Gegenteil unserer Träume.

Seit dem frühen Morgen war mein Bruder Montaser unterwegs, um auf den leergefegten Märkten mit leeren Regalen nach dem Nötigsten zu suchen. Mein Vater, der sich zusammenriss, arbeitete unermüdlich - er füllte Wassertanks, während seine Enkelkinder sehnsüchtig auf einen kurzen Moment zum Spielen warteten. Später tröstete er Nachbarn, die um Ange-hörige trauerten. Meine Mutter reinigte Mehl, das von Würmern befallen war - ein grausamer Luxus in unserer unbarmherzigen Realität. Obwohl das Mehl verunreinigt war, taten wir so, als ob es in Ordnung wäre, und redeten uns ein, dass es nicht zu einer Gesundheitskrise führen würde. Psychologische Tricks, sagt man - aber was können wir sonst tun?

Am Abend, als mein Neffe Ahmed und ich in der Küche standen, umrahmten das zerbrochene Fenster und die von Raketen durchlöcherten Wände einen roten Schein, der uns blendete. Im Hintergrund surrte das bedrohliche Geräusch einer Drohne. Ich dachte, es sei ein weiterer Angriff und ging in die Hocke, um Ahmed so gut wie möglich abzuschirmen. Aber es war nur der strahlende Sonnenuntergang. Selbst in Momenten der Schönheit verfolgte uns der Krieg

This is the dichotomy of our lives in Gaza;

We cling to life, but we are killed.

We mourn our dead, but we carry their legacy.

We run, but we are amputated.

We fly, but we are besieged.

Our hearts are shattered by grief, yet we find reasons to celebrate.

We deserve to live fully, love deeply, and be free entirely. But we are suffering.

How can desperation and hope coexist?

That is the story of every day — not just today.

By Hend Salama Abo Helow

Maisara Baroud: we are still alive

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Israeli Lawmakers Call on Military to Destroy Food, Water and Power Sources in Gaza

Mondoweiss

In a report published on December 19, 2024, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses Israel of extermination and genocide, as the Israeli authorities have deliberately denied the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip access to water since October 2023. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 15 liters of water per person per day are required for drinking and washing in prolonged emergency situations. However, between October 2023 and September 2024, the Israeli authorities denied the majority of the more than 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip access to even this minimal amount of water. This has led to thousands of deaths and widespread disease, thus fulfilling the crime of extermination and genocide. MLB

Report HRW: Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water

Palestinians returning to Khan Younis after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, pull water containers to meet their vital needs under catastrophic conditions on May 6, 2024. © 2024 Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images

Am 31. Dezember schickten acht Abgeordnete der israelischen Regierungskoalition aus dem Ausschuss für auswärtige Angelegenheiten und Verteidigung ein Schreiben an Verteidigungs-minister Israel Katz, in dem sie ihn aufforderten, die Belagerung des Gazastreifens zu verstärken - nicht nur im Norden, sondern im gesamten Gebiet. Jonathan Ofir January 4, 2025

Referring to the north, where Israel is con-ducting a tight siege and ethnic clean-sing campaign, they bemoan that “the IDF does not regard, as is custom in international law and all western armies, those who remain as enemies”. In other words, they suggest shooting everyone who is there, after the so-called “humanitarian evacuation” is supposeedly complete. This is the euphemism for the ethnic cleansing campaign.

Unter Bezugnahme auf den Norden, wo Israel eine strenge Belagerung und ethnische Säuberungsaktion durchführt, beklagen sie, dass „die IDF nicht, wie es im internationalen Recht und in allen westlichen Armeen üblich ist, diejenigen, die dortbleiben, als Feinde betrachtet“. Mit anderen Worten, sie schlagen vor, jeden zu erschiessen, der sich dort aufhält, nachdem die so genannte „humanitäre Evakuierung“ angeblich abgeschlossen ist. Dies ist der Euphemismus für die Kampagne der ethnischen Säuberung.

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They demand three basic points of action, after the “encirclement and evacuation of the population:”

1.

Remote elimination of all energy sources, that is fuel, solar panels and any relevant means (pipes, cables, generators etc.)

2.

Elimination of all food sources including warehouses, water and all relevant means (water pumps etc.)

3.

Remote elimination of anyone who moves in the area and does not exit with a white flag during the days of the effective siege.

“After these actions and the days of siege upon those who remain, IDF must enter gradually and conduct a full cleansing of the enemy nests.” The “remote elimination” apparently means the usage of aerial bombings without a physical presence on the ground.

Sie fordern nach der „Einkreisung und Evakuierung der Bevölkerung“ drei grundlegende Handlungs-punkte:“

1.

Fernbeseitigung aller Energiequellen, d.h. Treibstoff, Sonnenkollektoren und alle relevanten Mittel (Leitungen, Kabel, Generatoren usw.)

2.

Beseitigung aller Nahrungsquellen, einschließlich der Lagerhäuser, des Wassers und aller einschlägigen Mittel (Wasserpumpen usw.)

3.

Eliminierung aller Personen, die sich in dem Gebiet bewegen und es während der Tage der effektiven Belagerung nicht mit einer weissen Flagge verlassen.

„Nach diesen Aktionen und den Tagen der Belagerung derjenigen, die bleiben, muss die IDF schrittweise eindringen und eine vollständige Säuberung der feindlichen Nester durchführen.“ Mit der „Fernbeseitigung“ ist offenbar der Einsatz von Luftbombardements ohne physische Präsenz am Boden gemeint.

The Zionist myth of the Jewish genome designed to usurp Palestine

MLB (various sources from scientific literature)

In order to prove that the 'Land of Israel' truly belongs to the Jewish people and that the world's 13 million Jews have a right to the land - from the river to the sea - Increasing efforts have been made to identify the genotypic common denominators of the biblical Israelites by analysing various phenotypes, blood types, diseases, DNA sequences, etc. One could say that this kind of modern research - biological determinism (or scientific racism) – is a consequence of the Age of Enlightenment with the establishment of the notion of human equality. But this equality doesn't fit into the Zionist paradigm of the exclusivity of the identity and culture of Jewish society.

Obviously, what kept Jews identity were their language, culture, tradition and religion. Whatever their biological hereditary relationships, therefore, are secondary consequences. Jews maintained a vertical genetic continuity over generations of socio-religious-cultural relations and intensive horizontal genetic relations, not only between Jewish communities but also with the "gentile" environment. Thus, despite considerable consanguinity, there is no identifiable Jewish genotype. Aram Yardumian and Theodore G. Schurr’s study of Jewish Ethnogenesis reveals what common sense already knew: the Jewish population is not simply a body of genetically related people descended from a small group of common ancestors, but rather a "mosaic" of peoples of diverse origins, like all modern humans.

Eran Elhaik politically controversial John’s Hopkins University genome study from 2012 investigated the hypothesis that "modern Jews are descended from the ancient Israelites, as the Zionist primordialists claim, or from people who converted to Judaism". The results show that the 45% or so of Israeli Jews who identify as Ashkenazi have about as much "people of the land" DNA as some Europeans have Neanderthal DNA. But Europeans have never claimed Africa as their "ancient homeland", except for the former colonialists before conditions drove them into exile.

The Zionist uproar is obviously great when a study disproves the myth of exclusivity, thus destroying the Zionist myth of the Jewish genome designed to usurp Palestine. Eran Elhaik argued in the genome study that most Ashkenazi Jews are descended from the Khazars, a Central Asian people who ruled a large kingdom on the Black Sea and apparently converted to Judaism in the 8th century. The story (or myth) of their conversion to Judaism has captured the imagination of many writers, including a 12th-century classic,

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The Kuzari of Judah ben Samuel Halevi (c. 1075-1141), the leading Hebrew poet of his generation in medieval Spain. Modern writers often don't base their usually politically motivated conclusions on serious research. Eran Elhaik, however, is an accomplished scientist who has reached his conclusion through sophisticated statistical analysis of significant genetic data.

The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. Gustave Dore, 1866.

In his vision, the prophet Ezekiel sees himself standing in the valley full of dry human bones. He is commanded to carry a prophecy. Before him, the bones connect into human figures; then the bones become covered with tendon tissues, flesh and skin. Then God reveals the bones to the prophet as the people of Israel in exile and commands the prophet to carry another prophecy in order to revitalize these human figures, to resurrect them and to bring them to the Land of Israel. Chapter 37 of the Book of Ezekiel.

Although his paper was published in 2012, it comes as it must: Zionist organisations are still fighting Elhaik's findings in 2024. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), "the world's leading anti-hate organisation" (as it calls itself), writes in February 2024 “One of the most insidious claims used to discredit both Jews and Israel is that Ashkenazi Jews have no historical or genetic relationship to Jewish antiquity in the land of Israel - making Jews “colonizers” with no legitimate claim to the land that makes up the Jewish state. Ashkenazi Jews have scientifically confirmed genetic links to the land of Israel and claims otherwise constitute a dishonest and antisemitic attempt to delegitimize the state of Israel and the Jewish claim to the land”.

In his review article from 2015 Genetic markers cannot determine Jewish descent Raphael Falk writes. Still, in spite of repeated efforts, there is no agreed upon criterion to identify Jews, and samples examined for the distribution of biological or molecular markers all depend on the preconceived biases of the investigators.

Waldman et al. write in their paper, published 2022 in the journal CELL: The mean admixture proportions (for Ashkenazy Jews) over all of our plausible models were 65% South Italy, 19% Middle East, and 16% East-Europe.

What says the “market”? Sequencing.com, an international company providing whole genome sequencing services worldwide, makes the following comment on its website: Jewishness is more difficult to identify in genetic testing than other ethnic groups. This is because there is no specific gene that makes a person Jewish. Straightforward DNA examination cannot conclusively tell a person whether or not they’re of Jewish descent or part of the Jewish population. (© 2025 Sequencing.com) .

How to Hide a Genocide: The Role of Evacuation Orders and Safe Zones

Al-Haq

As we enter 2025, and Israel’s genocidal violence against Palestinians in Gaza continues to increase in both scale and intensity, Al-Haq published a new report. “How to Hide a Genocide: The Role of Evacuation Orders and Safe Zones in Israel's Genocidal Campaign in Gaza” examines the central role played by unlawful “evacuation orders” to alleged "safe zones", which constitutes the war crime and crime against humanity of forcible transfer, in Israel's genocidal acts. Al-Haq, January 01, 2025.

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Since the very first week of its genocide, Israel has methodically cleared vast stretches of the Gaza Strip of its inhabitants through its unlawful issuance of evacuation orders. These are presented to the public as proof of its efforts to minimise civilian casualties and to support its alleged compliance with funda-mental principles of international humanitarian law (IHL).

However, they achieve the direct opposite. Over 90 per cent of Gaza’s population (including the elderly, disabled, sick, injured, and

Seit der ersten Woche seines Völkermords hat Israel weite Teile des Gazastreifens systematisch von seinen Bewohnern und Bewohnerinnen geräumt, indem es rechtswidrige Evakuierungsbefehle erliess. Diese werden der Öffentlichkeit als Beweis für die Bemühungen Israels präsentiert, zivile Opfer zu minimieren und die angebliche Einhaltung grundlegender Prinzipien des humanitären Völkerrechts (HVR) zu belegen.

Sie bewirken jedoch genau das Gegenteil. Mehr als 90 Prozent der Bevölkerung des Gazastreifens (darunter Alte, Behinderte, Kranke, Verletzte

expectant and breastfeeding mothers) has been forcibly displaced from their homes and temporary shelters, the majority countless times, to alleged “safe zones”. Contrary to their label, these zones only further endanger Palestinians in Gaza. With insufficient space, shelter, sanitation facilities, food and water sources, or medical care, these “safe zones” are intentionally designed to ensure the destruction of all life sheltering there.

Despite being unilaterally established by Israel, the Israeli military routinely targets both the zones themselves as well as the routes it has instructed forcibly displaced Palestinians to use as they flee in search of ever-evasive safety. Crowded together with no place of refuge, Palestinians are either killed by Israeli strikes, severely physically and mentally injured by the Israel Occupying Force (IOF’s) physical and psychological warfare, or subjected to a slow death from the environment of total deprivation into which they have been plunged.

sowie werdende und stillende Mütter) wurden gewaltsam aus ihren Häusern und Notunterkünften vertrieben, die meisten davon unzählige Male in angebliche „Sicherheitszonen“. Entgegen ihrer Bezeichnung gefährden diese Zonen die Palästinensische Bevölkerung in Gaza nur noch mehr. Diese „sicheren Zonen“, in denen es nicht genügend Platz, Unterkünfte, sanitäre Einrichtungen, Lebensmittel- und Wasserquellen oder medizinische Versorgung gibt, sind absichtlich so angelegt, dass alles Leben, das sich dort aufhält, zerstört wird.

Obwohl die Zonen einseitig von Israel eingerichtet wurden, nimmt das israelische Militär routinemässig sowohl die Zonen selbst als auch die Routen ins Visier, welche die zwangsumgesiedelten Palästinenser und Palästinenserinnen auf der Suche nach immer grösserer Sicherheit zu benutzen haben. Die zusammengedrängten Menschen, die keinen Zufluchtsort haben, werden entweder durch israelische Angriffe getötet, durch die physische und psychologische Kriegsführung der Israelischen Besatzungsarmee (IO)F körperlich und geistig schwer verletzt oder sterben einen langsamen Tod durch die totale Entbehrung, in die sie gestürzt wurden.

References

Deutsche Welle (Die Deutsche Welle (DW) ist der Auslandsrundfunk der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, finanziert durch Steuergelder des Bundes): Zochrot und DW

Zochrot (is an Israeli nonprofit organization based in Tel Aviv, its aim is to promote awareness of the Palestinian Nakba): Zochrot

Institute for Palestine Studies (1963 gegründetes unabhängiges Forschungseinrichtung, um die Geschichte Palästinas zu dokumentieren; Washington, Ramallah, Beirut; nonprofit): Gaza Diary

Mondoweiss (a news website devoted to covering American foreign policy in the Middle East, chiefly from a progressive Jewish perspective, USA, nonprofit): Israeli lawmakers

Al Haq (an independent Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation based in Ramallah, West Bank) hide a genozide