Gaza civil defence says Israeli fire kills 10 aid seekers

FMT:

Gaza civil defence says Israeli fire kills 10 aid seekers


9 were killed near a US-backed aid site in Al-Shakoush, while another victim died near the Netzarim corridor

The UN recorded 875 food-seeking deaths since May, including 674 near GHF aid distribution centres. (AP pic)

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defence agency said that Israeli fire killed 10 aid seekers on Friday, as a hospital director in the south warned of an influx of patients with acute malnutrition.

The war, raging since October 2023, has created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza’s population of more than two million, triggering severe shortages of food and other essentials.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that Israeli fire killed nine people “near the US aid centre in the Al-Shakoush area, northwest of Rafah city in southern Gaza” on Friday.


The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations in late May as Israel eased a two-month total aid blockade that had sparked warnings of famine.

After weeks of chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Palestinians being killed nearby while waiting to collect rations, GHF acknowledged that 20 people died in a crush at one of its aid points in southern Gaza on Wednesday.


Bassal also reported “one martyr and eight injuries as a result of Israeli gunfire at civilians gathered near an aid distribution point close to the Netzarim corridor, south of Gaza City,” on Friday.

The Israeli military said it was “not aware” of the incident near Rafah when contacted by AFP.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties.

On Tuesday, the UN said it had recorded 875 people killed while trying to get food since late May, including 674 “in the vicinity of GHF sites”.


Sohaib Al-Hums, a medical doctor and director of the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in the south, on Friday warned the medical facility was “witnessing an unprecedented influx of displaced persons”.


“We are receiving cases suffering from extreme exhaustion and complete fatigue, in addition to severe emaciation and acute malnutrition due to prolonged lack of food,” he said in a statement.

“We warn that hundreds whose bodies have completely wasted away are now facing imminent death, as their physical endurance has been surpassed,” he added.

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned last week that its teams in Gaza were seeing surging levels of acute malnutrition and that levels had reached an “all-time high” at two of its facilities in the territory.

Trump says BRICS would end quickly if they ever form in a meaningful way

FMT:

Trump says BRICS would end quickly if they ever form in a meaningful way


The US president also renewed his threat to impose a 10% tariff on imports from BRICS nations



Donald Trump alleges that BRICS seeks to hurt the US and dethrone the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. (AP pic)


WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday repeated his threat to slap a 10% tariff on imports from members of the BRICS group of developing nations and said the group would end very quickly if they ever formed in a meaningful way.


“When I heard about this group from BRICS, six countries, basically, I hit them very, very hard. And if they ever really form in a meaningful way, it will end very quickly,” Trump said without naming the countries. “We can never let anyone play games with us.”

Trump also said he was committed to preserving the dollar’s global status as a reserve currency and pledged to never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency in America.


Trump announced the new tariff on July 6, saying it would apply to any countries aligning themselves with what he called the “anti-American policies” of the BRICS group.

With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive “America First” approach of the US president, the BRICS group is presenting itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy.


Since issuing the threat, Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the group was set up to hurt the US and the dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency.

BRICS leaders have rejected the claim that the group is anti-American.

Brazil in February nixed plans to push for a common currency during its presidency this year, but the group is advancing work on a cross-border payment system known as BRICS Pay that would facilitate trade and financial transactions in local currencies.


The BRICS group expanded last year beyond Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include members such as Iran and Indonesia. Leaders at the group’s summit in Brazil voiced indirect criticism of US military and trade policies.


Trump has also taken aim at Brazil specifically, announcing a 50% tariff rate on its imports, starting in August, and launching a separate investigation into what Washington called Brazil’s “unfair” trading practices.

***

Global Bully - just a plain S-Whole

Rafizi issues Anwar '98 exit from Umno' warning for PKR situation

Rafizi issues Anwar '98 exit from Umno' warning for PKR situation

Zarrah Morden
Published: Jul 19, 2025 8:00 AM
Updated: 10:00 AM



Summary

• Rafizi Ramli likens dissatisfaction in PKR's grassroots to the Umno exodus during the 1998 reformasi movement, cautioning that party members may “move on” if they no longer feel at home.

• Ex-PKR deputy president says parties should not govern together if they disagree fundamentally, and that being in the opposition can still be valuable.

• On Nick Adams' nomination as the US ambassador to Malaysia, Rafizi urges pragmatism, suggesting that Malaysia leverages the influencer's close ties with Trump to influence tariff policies.

Former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli warned of growing dissatisfaction in the party's grassroots, comparing it to the exit of Umno members in 1998.

He said the unhappiness in the party stemmed from the recent PKR election, which saw members questioning the transparency of the voting process.

"Just like when reformasi happened in 1998, Umno members left the party at that time. Some of it was initially because of anger over (then deputy prime minister) Anwar Ibrahim’s dismissal, and some of it was because they couldn't accept the way things were.

"But I think a lot of it was also because (of them feeling like) ‘I don't know this party anymore’. So that's what I mean.

"In the madness of grabbing power or positions, don't let it come to making people feel like this is not (their) home anymore.

"When people get to this level that (they feel) ‘this is not my home’, it's dangerous, because... when they feel like that, they move on.

"When they've moved on, it's not easy to ask them to come back," he said last night in the latest episode of his podcast "Yang Berhenti Menteri".

(File photo) Protesters took to the streets to demand justice for Anwar Ibrahim in 1998


In 1998, Anwar was sacked from all of his positions, including as Umno's deputy president, leading to public protests against then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the birth of the reformasi movement.

Some Umno grassroots leaders took to the streets to demand justice for Anwar.


Being opposition

The recent PKR polls saw Rafizi and his allies defeated after allegations of electoral irregularities, particularly involving the party’s electronic voting system, at the divisional level.

Rafizi, after losing his deputy presidency to Anwar's daughter Nurul Izzah, resigned as the economy minister and his ally Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad resigned as the natural resources and environmental sustainability minister shortly after.

Commenting further, Rafizi said political parties should not come together to form a government if they disagree on core issues.

After all, it's not so bad being the opposition, he said, pointing to the bloc's importance as a check and balance.

He said being in the government has its pros and cons - for example, it enables one to act by formulating policies, but it was a process that takes time.

"As the opposition, you don't actually have to do anything, but if you have good ideas and facts, we can be a check and balance that the government ultimately has to follow... and that is the function that Pakatan Harapan and PKR had played for a long time," he said.

He spoke more on the formation of the so-called unity government, which saw Harapan joining hands with former rival BN.

After the 15th general election, none of the three coalitions gained the simple majority required for the formation of a government.

Rafizi said after the results, BN could not decisively select between Harapan and Perikatan Nasional as they had to listen to both sides first.

However, upon hearing that BN was left disappointed after its meeting with PN, Rafizi said he quickly drafted a one-page list of commitments Harapan could offer Umno that then Harapan secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail passed to Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan.

"Finally, I was informed that in the last BN meeting, their view was that yes, Harapan has DAP and PKR, but it seems they (Harapan) are more sincere because at least they have set out all the principles of how we want to share power.

"If with PN, they would just be running their mouths, and they can't even look at us. So that (list of commitments) is what tilted the balance (towards Harapan)," he said.


US envoy

On the controversial nomination of Nick Adams as the United States ambassador to Malaysia, Rafizi opined that the influencer could be leveraged to secure a good relationship with the White House over the matter of its tariffs.

"For me, the most important thing is this, no matter what, we have to make sure that in the tariff war that is happening now, we have a strong influence with the White House, with (President Donald) Trump.

"From that perspective, if Malaysia is good at balancing, if Adams is a political influencer who is close to Trump, it should be used as a good strategy by our government.

"So, we can't look at it from just one perspective because no matter how we protest, it is most likely that he will still be there," he said.

Donald Trump nominated Nick Adams (left) as the next US ambassador to Malaysia


If Adams were to express Zionist views during his ambassadorship, there are ways that Malaysia could formally object, such as by sending the US a diplomatic note, Rafizi added.

The New York Times recently reported that Trump has nominated Adams to serve as the next US ambassador to Malaysia.

Adams has been facing mounting rejection calls from various quarters in Malaysia since the announcement.

Yesterday, a crowd of 50 protesters submitted a memorandum to the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur objecting to Adams' nomination.

The 40-year-old Australian-American influencer, author, and self-described “alpha male” would be replacing Edgard Kagan, a career diplomat who was nominated by former president Joe Biden in May 2023.

PKR MP raps 'false claims' Anwar wanted Terrirudin as chief justice

PKR MP raps 'false claims' Anwar wanted Terrirudin as chief justice


Published: Jul 18, 2025 2:39 PM
Updated: Jul 19, 2025 12:01 AM


A PKR MP has hit out at critics accusing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of meddling in top judicial appointments, including claims he was pushing to make Federal Court judge Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh the next chief justice.

“Some even accused the prime minister of trying to place former attorney-general and current Federal Court judge Terrirudin as the new chief justice.

“Now that that claim has been revealed to be false, the detractors will undoubtedly try a different tactic,” said Sungai Petani MP Taufiq Johari.

He said the critics will also “conveniently ignore” that even before the appointments, the prime minister had promised a review of the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009 with a view to promoting transparency.

Singling out Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) co-founder Latheefa Koya, he said it was disheartening that a former PKR leader would brand the matter as the “mother of all judicial scandals”.

LFL co-founder Latheefa Koya


With a touch of sarcasm, Taufiq quipped that perhaps Latheefa had forgotten the 1988 judicial crisis when Lord President Salleh Abas was suspended and ultimately removed.

“Indeed, then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad suspended five Supreme Court judges during that real ‘mother of all constitutional crises’.

“There was also the VK Lingam 2007 judicial crisis, where a secretly recorded video was released showing a lawyer allegedly brokering the appointment and promotion of judges in a phone conversation with a senior judge.

“And then the 2021 suspension of Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer after he had made allegations of judicial interference,” he noted.


End to speculation

Earlier today, Court of Appeal judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh was appointed as chief justice alongside Abu Bakar Jais as appeals court president and Azizah Nawawi as chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak.

Citing the announcement, Taufiq hoped it would put an end to the “politically motivated speculation and innuendos” that cast unwarranted aspersions on the integrity of the judicial appointments process.

New Chief Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh


“The best thing we can do now is let the newly appointed judges carry out their duties to the best of their abilities without questioning the legitimacy of their appointments. Let them be judged by the wisdom of their judgments,” he added.

Previously, Latheefa urged the government to urgently table a Constitutional Amendment Bill to strip the prime minister and the executive of all influence in the appointment of judges.

She was responding to the leak of purported Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) meeting minutes, describing the revelation as the “mother of all judicial scandals.”

***

kt remarks:

I did mention I never like Latheefa - proves my character analysis has been correct, wakakaka

Three former Chief Justices back Wan Ahmad Farid's appointment as new CJ, confident he has what it takes

Three former Chief Justices back Wan Ahmad Farid's appointment as new CJ, confident he has what it takes


Three former Chief Justices back Wan Ahmad Farid's appointment as new CJ, confident he has what it takes

By Hafiz Yatim / theedgemalaysia.com
18 Jul 2025, 01:00 pm

Updated - 03:02 pm

Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh


KUALA LUMPUR (July 18): Three former top judges have backed the appointment of Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh as the 17th Chief Justice (CJ), effective July 27.


When contacted by The Edge, Tun Zaki Azmi, Tun Arifin Zakaria, and Tun Md Raus Sharif congratulated Wan Ahmad Farid, who, despite being one of the most junior Court of Appeal (COA) judges, has been appointed as the CJ, replacing Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat who retired earlier this month.


Arifin congratulated Wan Ahmad Farid and said he believes his experience in both the executive and judiciary will help strengthen the judicial system.


“I trust he can steer the delicate balance of power between the executive and the judiciary. This is critical to bring in confidence in the judiciary as an independent branch of the government.


“During his tenure as a judge, Wan Ahmad Farid has displayed all the positive character required of a judge, as he is independent, patient and fair to all that come before him. The fact that he was picked from the Court of Appeal judge demonstrates the trust they (the Rulers and executive) have in him. I wish him well in this challenging office,” he said.


Arifin, 74, was the CJ from 2011 to 2017.


Md Raus Sharif, who was the CJ from 2017 to 2018, also congratulated Wan Ahmad Farid and said “with his experience, I am confident that Wan Ahmad Farid will be able to shoulder the responsibilities of the CJ”.


Just after midnight on Thursday, the Federal Court registrar announced that Wan Ahmad Farid will be the new CJ, Datuk Abu Bakar Jais the new COA President, and Datuk Azizah Nawawi the new Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, all effective July 27.


Azizah replaces Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Sebli, who will retire later this month after a six-month extension.


Wan Ahmad Farid takes over from Tengku Maimun, and Abu Bakar replaces Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, both of whom retired earlier this month.


Before Wan Ahmad Farid and Abu Bakar were appointed, Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim acted as the CJ, and Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof acted as the President of the COA.
Zaki willing to offer advice to Wan Ahmad Farid


Zaki, who was the CJ from 2008 to 2011, when asked by The Edge if there is any advice he would give to Wan Ahmad Farid, replied that he is willing to provide advice but would do so in private.


“I prefer to give advice and share my experience privately, if he (Wan Ahmad Farid) asks. If my advice is sought from him (Wan Ahmad Farid) and other judges I will give them in private,” he said.


Zaki, 79, had served in various capacities in the Attorney General Chambers before entering private practice and was once Umno’s legal adviser and the party disciplinary committee chairman.


Wan Ahmad Farid was previously a Senator during Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s premiership and a former deputy home minister.


Zaki said Wan Ahmad Farid’s many reported judgements show he is a high-quality judge.


“If you do not write or have reported judgements, it would deem the person has lower quality. If it is published and reported in law reports or journals, it shows there is quality and is a point in favour (of your quality),” he said.


Zaki who was credited in transforming the judiciary through the use of information technology said Wan Ahmad Farid may be seen as a junior Court of Appeal judge but so was Tengku Maimun when she became the junior most Federal Court judge to be appointed as CJ in 2019. He congratulated Wan Ahmad Farid and said the new CJ needs to address the backlog of cases.


During Zaki’s time as the CJ and COA President, he helped reduce case backlogs, and his successors continued this. However, lawyers and judges still report some backlogs.


The Judicial Appointments Commission website shows 24 High Court vacancies still open. Zaki also said backlogs come from lower courts like the Magistrate's and Sessions Courts.


Read also:

PKR, DAP MPs urge new CJ to act on claims of judicial interference
New CJ: Bar, practitioners voice relief and hope for continued judicial independence
Wan Ahmad Farid appointed as new Chief Justice, Abu Bakar Jais is COA President while Azizah is Sabah, Sarawak CJ

Edited ByPresenna Nambiar

Hague Group Confronts Israel Over Gaza

Consortium News
Volume 30, Number 197 —Thursday, July 17, 2025


Hague Group Confronts Israel Over Gaza

The U.S. is now expected to pressure other countries not to sign on to the joint action plan announced by the 12 countries in Bogota, Mick Hall reports

Portion of the skyline of Bogota, Colombia. (CAPRA Initiative/Flickr/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

By Mick Hall
Mick Hall in Context

Collective measures to confront Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people have been agreed by 12 nations after an emergency summit of the Hague Group in Bogota, Colombia.

A joint statement adopted on Wednesday announced the six measures, which it said were geared to holding Israel to account for its crimes in Palestine and would operate within the states’ domestic legal and legislative frameworks.

The 12 countries agreeing are Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa.

“These 12 states have taken a momentous step forward,” said U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese. “The clock is now ticking for states — from Europe to the Arab world and beyond — to join them.”

Nearly 20 other nations in attendance at the summit are now pondering whether to sign up to the measures before a September deadline set by the Hague Group.


What Was Agreed Against Israel

The measures against Tel Aviv include preventing the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military fuel and dual-use items to Israel and preventing the transit, docking or servicing of vessels if there is a risk of vessels carrying such items. No vessel under the flag of the countries would be allowed to carry this equipment.


The countries would also

“commence an urgent review of all public contracts, in order to prevent public institutions and public funds, where applicable, from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territory which may entrench its unlawful presence in the territory, to ensure that our nationals, and companies and entities under our jurisdiction, as well as our authorities, do not act in any way that would entail recognition or provide aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

The countries will prosecute “the most serious crimes under international law through robust, impartial and independent investigations and prosecutions at national or international levels, in compliance with our obligation to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.”

They agreed to support universal jurisdiction mandates, “as and where applicable in our legal constitutional frameworks and judiciaries, to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes in the Occupied Palestine Territory.”

This will mean IDF soldiers and others accused of war crimes in Palestine would face arrest and could go through domestic judicial processes in these countries, or referrals to the ICC.


Collective Commitment to International Law

The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice, at The Hague, Netherlands. (UN Photo/ICJ/Jeroen Bouman, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)


The statement said the measures constituted a collective commitment to defend the foundational principles of international law.

It also called on the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to commission an immediate investigation of the health and nutritional needs of the population of Gaza, devise a plan to meet those needs on a continuing and sustained basis and report on these matters before the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Following repeated total blockades of Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, Gazans have been dying of starvation as they continue to be bombed and repeatedly displaced and their means of life destroyed. The official death toll stands at nearly 59,000, mostly women and children, although some estimates put that number at over 200,000.

[A report published by the medical journal Lancet a year ago projected that as of June 19, 2024, Israel’s attack on Gaza had caused a death toll that could exceed 186,000 people. American consumer-advocate Ralph Nader says the dead in Gaza are being vastly under-counted and in February said the actual number is 400,000 and growing.]

The joint statement recognised Israel as a threat to regional peace and the system of international law and called on all United Nations member states to enforce their obligations under the U.N. Charter.

It condemned “unilateral attacks and threats against United Nations mandate holders, as well as key institutions of the human rights architecture and international justice” and committed to build “on the legacy of global solidarity movements that have dismantled apartheid and other oppressive systems, setting a model for future co-ordinated responses to international law violations.”


Risking US Wrath

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering joint statements in Jerusalem on Feb. 16. (State Department/ Freddie Everett)


Ministers, high-ranking officials and envoys from more than 30 nations attended the two-day event on Tuesday and Wednesday, and can be expected to come under U.S. pressure not to sign on to the statement by September.

According to Middle East Eye, these countries include: Algeria; Bolivia; Botswana; Brazil; Chile; China; Cuba; Djibouti; Honduras; Indonesia; Iraq; Ireland; Lebanon; Libya; Malaysia; Mexico; Namibia; Nicaragua; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palestine; Portugal; Spain; Qatar; Turkey; Slovenia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Uruguay; and Venezuela.

For countries like Ireland, which sent a delegation, signing up would have profound implications. The Irish government has been heavily criticised by its own citizens for continuing to allow Shannon Airport as a transit point for military equipment from the United States to be sent to Israel.

It would also face the prospect of severe reprisals by the United States, as would others thinking of adding their names to the collective statement. The U.S. is now expected to consult with nations that attended and warn them of the consequences of doing signing up.

The summit had been billed by the U.N. rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, as “the most significant political development of the last 20 months.”

Albanese had told attendees that “for too long, international law has been treated as optional — applied selectively to those perceived as weak, ignored by those acting as the powerful.”

“This double standard has eroded the very foundations of the legal order. That era must end,” she said.

Full remarks from Albanese.

Co-chaired by Colombia and South Africa, the Hague Group was established by nine nations in late January at The Hague in the Netherlands to hold Israel to account for its crimes and push for Palestinian self-determination.

Colombia last year ended diplomatic relations with Israel, while South Africa in late December 2023 filed an application at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide, which was joined by nearly two dozen countries.

The ICJ has determined a plausible genocide is taking place and issued orders for Israel to protect Palestinians and take measures to stop genocide taking place, a call ignored by the Zionist state.

Representatives from the countries arrived in Bogota this week in defiance of the United States, which last week sanctioned Albanese for attempts to have U.S. and Israeli political officials and business leaders prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it an illegitimate “campaign of political and economic warfare.”

It followed the sanctioning of four ICC judges after arrest warrants were issued in November last year for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Ahead of the Bogota meeting, the U.S. State Department accused The Hague Group of multilateral attempts to “weaponize international law as a tool to advance radical anti-Western agendas” and warned the U.S. would “aggressively defend” its interests.

Opening session of the Bogota meeting:


Signs of Division in West

Most of those attending came from nations in the Global South, but not all.

Founding Hague Group members Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa attended the summit.

Joining them were Algeria, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, China, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iraq, Republic of Ireland, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

However, in a sign of increasing division in the West, NATO and EU members Spain, Portugal, Norway, Slovenia attended, as well as NATO member Turkey.

Inside the summit, former U.S. State Department official Annelle Sheline, who resigned in March over Gaza, defended the right of those attending “to uphold their obligations under the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

“This is not the weaponisation of international law. This is the application of international law,” she told delegates.

The U.S. and Israel deny accusations that genocide is taking place in Gaza, while Western media have collectively refused to adjudicate the claims or frame stories around Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the strip, despite ample evidence by the U.N. and genocide experts.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, U.S. allies have offered diplomatic cover for Israel by repeating it had “a right to defend itself” and was engaged in a legitimate defensive “war against Hamas.”

Israel now plans to corral starving Gazans into a concentration camp in the south of the strip, with many analysts expecting the IDF to exterminate anyone found outside its boundaries, while preparing to push those inside across the border into Egypt.


Asia Pacific & EU Allies Shun Summit

Francesca Albanese in April 2024, during an EU Parliament public hearing on Gaza in Brussels hosted by Irish MEP Clare Daly. (The Left, Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)


Addressing attendees at the summit, Albanese criticised the EU for its neo-colonialism and support for Israel, criticisms that can be extended to U.S. allies in the Asia Pacific region.

Independent journalist Abby Martin reported Albanese as saying:

“Europe and its institutions are guided more by colonial mindset than principle, acting as vassals to U.S. empire even as it drags us from war to war, misery to misery.

The Hague Group is a new moral centre in world politics. Millions are hoping for leadership that can birth a new global order, rooted in justice, humanity and collective liberation. It’s not just about Palestine. This is about all of us.”

The Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was asked why Foreign Minister Penny Wong did not take up an invite to attend the Hague Group meeting. In a statement to Mick Hall in Context, a spokesperson said she had been unable to attend, but did not explain why.

She said Australia was a “resolute defender of international law” and added:

“Australia has consistently been part of international calls that all parties must abide by international humanitarian law. Not enough has been done to protect civilians and aid workers.

“We have called on Israel to respond substantively to the ICJ’s advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

“We have also called on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the ICJ, including to enable the unhindered provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale.”

When asked why New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters had failed to take up the invitation or send any of his officials, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) spokesperson simply refused to comment.

She said MFAT media advisors would only engage with “recognised news media outlets.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, as well as a number of his ministers, have been referred to the ICC by domestic legal teams, accused of complicity in the genocide.

Evidence against Anthony Albanese was accepted into the ICC’s wider investigation of crimes in Gaza in October last year, while Luxon’s referral earlier this month is being assessed by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.


‘Humanity at Stake’

Riyad Mansour, U.N.’s permanent observer of Palestine, at a U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Jan. 3, 2025. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)


Delegates heard several impassioned addresses from speakers on what was at stake during the two-day event in Bogota.

Palestinian-American trauma surgeon, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, told the gathering that Palestinians seeking food were being met with bullets, describing aid distribution facilities set up by the U.S. contractor-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as “slaughterhouses”. Over 800 starving Gazans have been killed at the GHF aid points so far.

“People know they could die but cannot sit idly by and watch their families starve,” he said.

“The bullets fired by GHF mercenaries are just one part of the weaponisation of aid, where Palestinians are ghettoised into areas where somebody in military fatigues decides if you are worthy of food or not.”

Palestinian diplomat Riyad Mansour, who represents Palestine at the U.N. in New York, had urged the summit attendees to take decisive action to not only save the Palestinian people, but redeem humanity.

“Instead of outrage at the crimes we know are taking place, we find those who defend, normalise, and even celebrate them,” he said. He added:

“The core values we believed humanity agreed were universal are shattered, blown to pieces like the tens of thousands of starved, murdered and injured civilians in Palestine. The mind and heart cannot fathom or process the immense pain and horror that has taken hold of the lives of an entire people. We must not fail – not just for Palestine’s sake – but for humanity’s sake.”

At the beginning of the summit, Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir told delegates the Palestinian genocide threatened the entire international system.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote in The Guardian last week:


“We can either stand firm in defence of the legal principles that seek to prevent war and conflict, or watch helplessly as the international system collapses under the weight of unchecked power politics.”

Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers, as well as Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, met in Brussels at the same time as the Bogota summit, to discuss Middle East co-operation, but also possible options for action against Israel.

At the EU–Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas put forward potential actions after Israel was found to have breached the EU economic cooperation deal with the bloc on human rights grounds. As expected, no sanctions, restricted trade or suspension of the co-operation deal were agreed.

The EU has been one of Israel’s most strident backers in its campaign against Gaza, with EU members Germany and France in particular supplying weapons, as well as political support.

The U.K. government continues to supply arms and operate spy planes over Gaza over the past 20 months, launched from bases in Cyprus, while its military has issued D-Notices to censor media reports that its special forces have been operating inside the occupied territories.

Mick Hall is an independent journalist based in New Zealand. He is a former digital journalist at Radio New Zealand (RNZ) and former Australian Associated Press (AAP) staffer, having also written investigative stories for various newspapers, including the New Zealand Herald.

This article is from the author’s Substack.

Israel Bombs Syrian Capital Despite U.S. Pressure to "Stand Down"

 

Israel Bombs Syrian Capital Despite U.S. Pressure to "Stand Down"

The Trump administration has asked Israel to halt its strikes on Syrian government targets and to open direct talks with Damascus, a senior U.S. official told Axios on Wednesday.

Why it matters: U.S. officials are highly concerned that the Israeli attacks — including on Syrian military headquarters in Damascus and near the presidential palace — could destabilize the new Syrian government. The official said the past 48 hours could seriously undermine progress toward a new security agreement between Israel and Syria as a first step toward normalization. Those discussions had previously been showing significant progress, the official said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. was "very concerned" about the Israeli strikes in Syria and wants the fighting to stop.

Behind the scenes: U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack conducted several calls on Tuesday and Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top adviser Ron Dermer to push for deescalation. "We told the Israelis to stand down and take a breath," the senior U.S. official said, adding that the administration is pushing for direct talks between Israel and Syria to solve the crisis. – Axios

Our Take: Netanyahu just announced that Israel will invade and occupy southern Syria.

I've been speculating that this move was coming for months, and not just because they want to establish "Greater Israel," though that is likely a big factor. I think this is also about a ground war with Iran.

al Jazeera:

Israel kills three in Gaza Catholic church sheltering elderly, children

At least three people were killed and 10 others wounded, including a priest, in Israel’s attack on the church.

Parish priest of the Holy Family Church, father Gabriele Romanelli, receives medical attention, after he suffered light leg injuries following an Israeli strike on the church in Gaza City [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]

By Al Jazeera Staff

Published On 17 Jul 202517 Jul 2025

Israeli forces have bombed Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing three people and wounding at least 10 others, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, as the military continues its assault across the besieged enclave.

At least one person is in critical condition as a result of Thursday’s strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, the Patriarchate said in a statement. The church’s priest was also lightly wounded, it added.

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Among those killed were the parish’s 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman who was receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound, according to the Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem.

Israeli attacks across Gaza on Thursday killed at least 32 Palestinians, including 25 in Gaza City alone, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Footage of the Holy Family Church attack published by a Palestinian activist and verified by Al Jazeera shows Father Gabriel Romanelli, the church’s pastor, following the Israeli attack. The video shows the priest with his right leg bandaged but otherwise in good condition.

“The people in the Holy Family Compound are people who found in the Church a sanctuary – hoping that the horrors of war might at least spare their lives, after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away,” the Patriarchate said in its statement after condemning the deadly attack.

Shadi Abu Dawoud, a 47-year-old Palestinian Christian, said the church’s main hall was housing dozens of displaced citizens, mainly children and elderly people, and that all were “peaceful civilians”.

“My mother suffered serious injuries in the head; she was wandering in the church’s yard with other elderly women [when Israeli forces attacked],” he told Al Jazeera. “We were taken by surprise by this Israeli air strike. This is a barbaric and unjustifiable act.”

Mohammed Abu Hashem, a 69-year-old man who lives beside the church, said he was in the ruins of his home when there was a huge explosion that covered the area in black smoke, adding that he never thought the Israelis would attack the church.

“The Israeli air strike was massive, totally horrifying,” he said. “The horror we are living in is beyond description. No words could describe what we are living through. It is not even close to what you watch [on TV] or hear.”

Father Bashar Fawadleh, the parish priest of Christ The Redeemer church in Taybeh, nearly Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said he spoke about the attack with the assistant parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.

“He told me that the bombing was very hard. They bombed the church itself,” Fawadleh told Al Jazeera.  “Our feeling is between hope and sorrow, between life and death.”

Fawadleh reiterated calls for a ceasefire to stop the “horrible war in Gaza”.

***

Satanyahu and his Shailok hordes are EVIL beyond belief 

Rewriting the past: Indonesia’s new history books spook scholars

Rewriting the past: Indonesia’s new history books spook scholars



This photo taken on on July 3, 2025 shows Sumarsih Budiwati, the mother of Bernardinus Realino Norma Irmawan, also known as Wawan, a university student who was killed in the 1998 Semanggi tragedy (part of what is widely known as the 1998 tragedy), standing silently in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta to demand for justice for victims of human rights violations in Indonesia. — AFP pic

Monday, 14 Jul 2025 7:00 AM MYT


JAKARTA, July 14 — The Indonesian government’s plans to issue new history books have sparked fears that mention of deadly riots in 1998 targeting mostly ethnic Chinese in the country will be scrubbed from the text.

The 10-volume account was ordered by the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general accused of abducting activists in the unrest that preceded dictator Suharto’s fall, claims he denies.

Scholars fear his government could use the exercise to rewrite history and cover up past abuses.

Draft volume summaries and a chapter outline seen by AFP do not include any specific section on the 1998 violence.


A summary of Suharto’s rule in the volume dedicated to him only mentions how “student demonstrations... became a factor” in his resignation.

“The writing was flawed since the beginning,” said Andi Achdian, historian at Jakarta’s National University, who has seen the outline.

“It has a very strong tendency to whitewash history.”


Suharto ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for more than three decades after grabbing power in the wake of a 1965-6 massacre.

The culture minister overseeing the government’s history project, Fadli Zon, told lawmakers last week the account “does not discuss May ‘98... because it’s small”.

Neither does it promise to include most of the “gross human rights violations” acknowledged by former president Joko Widodo in 2023.

Jajat Burhanudin, a project editor, contradicted Fadli and dismissed concerns, telling AFP the new volumes would include 1998 events, with the draft outline just a “trigger for discussion”.

Officials say the new historical account is needed to strengthen Indonesian identity, but warned that any omission about its darkest past will raise eyebrows over objectivity.

“What is feared is that... the cases that have been accepted by the previous government to be resolved will be ignored,” said Marzuki Darusman, a former attorney general and head of a civil society coalition opposed to the volumes.


‘Updated’ history

While it remains unclear how the government plans to use the books, Jajat said the volumes could be used as “one of the main sources” for history books taught in schools.

Neither historian Susanto Zuhdi, who is helming the project, nor the presidential palace responded to requests for comment.

The revisionist history garnered renewed scrutiny after the culture minister questioned whether mass rape had occurred at the end of Suharto’s rule.

Ethnic Chinese Indonesians bore the brunt of the bloodshed during the riots, when rape squads—purportedly led by army thugs—roamed Jakarta’s streets.

“Was there really mass rape? There was never any proof,” Fadli told local media in an interview last month.

“If there is, show it.”

A 1998 fact-finding report, commissioned by Indonesia’s first president after Suharto, found at least 52 reported cases of rape in the unrest.

“This project risks erasing uncomfortable truths,” said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

Fadli told AFP the nation-building project would go ahead despite criticism.

“The consensus (is) we continue,” he said.

“This is an updated version of our history,” he added, saying there would be a public debate “this month”, without elaborating.



Indonesian students smash a portrait of former president Suharto in one of the offices of the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on May 21, 1998. — AFP pic


‘Historical propaganda’

The project involves 113 academics including historians, but at least one of them has resigned.

Archaeologist Harry Truman Simanjuntak told AFP he quit in a dispute over language—the term “early history” was used instead of “prehistory” for Indonesia’s ancient civilisation.

Fadli told lawmakers the phrase was avoided because it was created by Indonesia’s former Dutch rulers.

But Harry said it showed the political influence over the text.

“It was very obvious that editors’ authority did not exist. They were under the control of the government,” he said.

The furore around the project has caused some opposition lawmakers and critics to call for its suspension or cancellation.

Activist Maria Catarina Sumarsih, whose son was killed in a military crackdown after Suharto’s fall, accused the writers of warping the past.

“The government is deceiving the public... especially young people,” she said.

Others said documenting Indonesia’s past was best left to academics.

“If the government feel this nation needs a history that could make us proud... it can’t be through the government’s version of historical propaganda,” said Marzuki.

“It should be the result of the work of historians.” — AFP

Wankees want 'Peace-loving' Taiwan to be cannon fodder

 

'Peace-loving' Taiwan doesn't seek conflict with China

But Wankees want you to be cannon fodder

Boycott Superman movie over Jewish actor?

Boycott Superman movie over Jewish actor?

Andrew Sia
Published: Jul 17, 2025 8:44 AM
Updated: 10:44 AM


COMMENT | Some Malaysians want to boycott the new Superman movie because the lead actor is Jewish.

This was reported by a news portal after looking through netizens’ online comments.

Some joked that this was really because Superman wears his red underwear outside, thus rendering the show “immoral”.

Superman was played by British actor Henry Cavill from 2013 to 2022. Now the cape has been passed to David Corenswet (above), a 32-year-old American Jewish actor.

This generated a storm of 1,200 comments (thus far) when it was posted online. But hang on, isn’t Superman an alien from the planet Krypton?


Kneejerk racial reactions

As usual, some chipped in with the usual scorn. Hello, you must also stop using Waze, Facebook, and Dell computers, they are all set up by Jews.

We’ve seen similar comments during past Muslim boycotts of KFC, Starbucks, and McDonald’s.

If a Jewish lead actor is the reason to boycott the new Superman movie, then all productions from Warner Brothers, Stan Lee’s Marvel Studios, and Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks may also need to be shunned since they also had Jewish founders.

The only superhero movies left would be Cicakman and Keluang Man.

One netizen commented: “Imagine someone refusing to watch a movie because the actor is Malay.”

But to regard all Jews as nefarious supporters of Zionist ideology is as simplistic as saying all Malays support the divisive racial supremacy ideology of “Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy).

Yet prominent Malays such as Tajuddin Rasdi, lawyer Siti Kasim, and writer Mariam Mokhtar do not condone such racial discrimination.

Academic Tajuddin Rasdi


Nor do Malay politicians such as Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi (PKR), Syahredzan Johan (DAP), and Syerleena Abdul Rashid (DAP).


Not all Jews are Zionists

Similarly, not all Jews are Zionists who support the slaughter in Gaza to create a Greater Israel.

In Oct 2023, left-wing Jewish activists peacefully protested in Washington against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Hundreds were arrested.

The group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) also opposes Zionism and is guided by a vision of justice, equality, and freedom for all, including Palestinians.

JVP lamented that Zionism has also harmed Jewish people, destroying the harmony they had with Muslims and Christians in the Middle East for thousands of years.

Not many Malaysians are aware that there is also internal racial discrimination between white (Ashkenazic) and brown (Sephardic) Jews.

As JVP describes it, in Israel, brown or black Jews – from the Arab world and Africa - have long faced systemic discrimination by the Israeli government, which is controlled by white European Jews.

In short, people and politics are more complex than simple labels.


Is Superman pro-Palestine?

This applies to the latest Superman movie, which actually has an indirect pro-Palestinian message, despite its Jewish lead actor.

The Times of India explains that the film has a fictional border conflict between two countries: Boravia, a wealthy, militarised state supported by the United States, and Jarhanpur, a poorer neighbouring nation whose civilians face repeated airstrikes and forced displacement.

To many critics and viewers, the imagery is clear - Boravia resembles Israel; Jarhanpur, Palestine.

While the film avoids naming any real nations, The Express Tribune of Pakistan comments that one scene - showing armed forces attacking civilians and children - reflects Gaza.

Some have praised the film for “taking a stand” in a David vs Goliath morality tale, of military might versus civilian suffering.

Most poignantly, Superman plays the role of an immigrant who wants justice and supports a people being attacked by a powerful country.

But others have accused the film of being “anti-Israel”, compelling director James Gunn to flatly deny any direct real-world allegory.


Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist?

Then we come to the actor himself. Corenswet may be Jewish, but he married his Catholic wife in an interfaith wedding ceremony led by a Jewish rabbi and Catholic priest. The ceremony took place at the Immaculate Conception church.

It’s a bit like Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his Hindu wife Gauri Khan getting married in 1991 without conversions but rather “mutual respect for each other’s religions”, as noted by Times of India.

What may be most shocking for movie boycotters is that Corenswet is not a practising Jew.

He told GQ magazine, “If I had any religious upbringing, it was probably Buddhist.... Not in a religious sense at all... My family went to a mindfulness meditation retreat centre every summer for a week.”

So, is it even accurate to condemn the actor as “Jewish”?

While Superman is just a movie, some netizens’ reactions to it reflect more disturbing racial sentiments.


Anti-Jewish, anti-Chinese?

For example, Sungai Buloh PAS division chief Zaharudin Muhammad, the son-in-law of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, decried the armed forces’ promotion of a Chinese officer to lieutenant general.

Sungai Buloh PAS division chief Zaharudin Muhammad

He claimed it could lead to a fictional “future” where a Chinese prime minister emerges from fresh migrants under the Malaysia My Second Home programme.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang himself has claimed that non-Muslims make up the bulk of the "roots of corruption" in the country. Of course, he conveniently forgets who are demanding such bribes.

He also overlooks that the biggest corruption scandals, such as 1MDB and the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal, were linked to Umno leaders.

Hadi must remember that PAS formed the Muafakat Nasional alliance with Umno in 2019 before falling out when a “love triangle” developed with a “new boyfriend” called Bersatu.

I wrote about this political soap opera cum circus, which involved “a jealous divorcee storming the bridal chamber”, “main dua kolam” (playing two lovers) and “ungrateful ducks with broken legs”.

Followers are influenced by leaders, and they then throw blanket insults such as “DAPig”, which is not far from condemning all Jews regardless of their actions.

If Malays feel that Zionism is wrong because of its racial discrimination against Palestinians, is similar prejudice at home acceptable just because it’s “more gentle”?

Yes, it’s immoral for Zionists to grab Palestinian land in Gaza. But what about the PAS state government grabbing Orang Asli land in Kelantan?

So, the most important lesson from the new Superman movie is to look at the substance of issues, not just the packaging.

Before getting into any knee-jerk racial reactions, please pause and look deeper beyond the label into the actual contents.

ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com

Anwar says new CJ appointment clears him of judicial interference claim

Anwar says new CJ appointment clears him of judicial interference claim



Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaks to the media after performing Friday prayers in Putrajaya on July 18, 2025 — Picture by Raymond Manuel

Friday, 18 Jul 2025 3:06 PM MYT


PUTRAJAYA, July 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the appointment of a new Chief Justice has vindicated him over claims he wanted former attorney general Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh named to the role.

The PM acknowledged the speculation but insisted that this was baseless and stemmed from unnamed members of the legal fraternity whom he accused of “politicking”.


“The complaints and grievances that were hurled at me for weeks, the criticisms, the slander, but now, it turns out that those claims were completely off the mark,” he told reporters after performing Friday prayers at Surau Al-Istiqlal in Presint 14 here.

“There were names being thrown around, I can say it, including a former attorney general who served with distinction and is now a Federal Court judge.


“However, because he still has many years ahead of him, his name was never proposed in the first place. His name was not brought up by me, nor was it discussed by the Conference of Rulers.”



Anwar then said he hoped that the matter would now be put to rest, and stressed that he had never interfered in the judicial process, nor exercised any prerogative to remove judges.

“Those who insulted, slandered, and contributed to the judicial crisis, let it be clear, I did not remove any judge, I did not transfer any judge at will, and I did not interfere with any decision. I did not issue instructions to the Chief Justice or to any Court of Appeal judges, as had happened in the past.


“We have not done any of that, because we must uphold the independence and dignity of the judiciary,” he said.

Court of Appeal Judge Wan Ahmad Farid will be sworn in as the country's 17th Chief Justice on July 28, succeeding Tengku Maimun, who retired on July 2.

Datuk Abu Bakar Jais has been appointed as the new president of the Court of Appeal, while Datuk Azizah Nawawi has been appointed Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.

***

Just your old archfoe 😂😂😂