Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CIX: "war crime news"
war crime news on pause
the rise, fall and rise again
of my newborn's chest
FYI: Israel's Oldest Daily, Haaretz Opinion, Oct. 15: Israel Has Shelved the Rule of Law in War and at Home
Wild conduct by soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza, destruction of property, using Palestinians as "sniffer dogs" and indiscriminate killing of civilians have become accepted norms that draw their legitimacy from being an inseparable part of the holy war in which all is permitted.
The Times of Israel, Oct. 15: US warns Israel that weapon supply at risk if Gaza aid crisis not addressed in 30 days
Middle East Monitor, Oct. 14: Ireland says attack on northern Gaza is a war crime:
Micheál Martin, Ireland’s Tánaiste (deputy prime minister), described the scenes in Jabalia as “horrific” in a statement on Sunday, adding:
An offensive by the Israel Defence Forces, backed by tanks and air strikes, has left dozens of civilians dead, many close to starvation, and access to humanitarian aid extremely curtailed. An entire population is being encircled and forced out, with nowhere for them to go...
Haaretz, Oct. 6: Al Jazeera Documentary Uses Israeli Soldiers' Social Media Footage to Accuse Them of War Crimes: Names and identifying details of soldiers who served in Gaza are used in the film, alongside footage they posted of their own misconduct throughout the war.
ICJP Panel: Israeli soldiers document their own war crimes online
On Wednesday 9th October 2024, The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), hosted a documentary screening of Al Jazeera’s documentary film titled Gaza, followed by a panel discussion featuring eyewitnesses of the war crimes.
And this haiku could be read as a sequel to my tanka prose below:
A Corner of This Broken World
After a long pause, her voice cracking on the phone, my Israeli friend tells me, "I don't know how to calm my two girls. We're near the border, and they're frightened by the piercing sound of fighter jets constantly flying over our community. Sometimes, they can hear the boom, boom, boom from a distance just minutes after fighter jets fly past our house. I can only comfort them by saying that these are good booms. I feel guilty, I... " My friend hangs up the phone.
the sunset
in a blaze of orange and red
across the sky ...
Gazan children's faces raw
with fear of the unknown
Ribbons, 20:2, Autumn/Winter 2024
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CX: "one way"
written in response to Crime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remark:In the Middle East, without the sword there is no forever.
one way forwar(d) fireballafterfireball
FYI: Haaretz, Oct. 10: "We Won't Be Forgiven for Weakness": Golda Meir's Warning Revealed in Declassified Yom Kippur War Tapes
Fifty one years after the Yom Kippur War, the IDF archive releases a recording of a November 1973 cabinet meeting in which there was total consensus: There is no chance for genuine peace with the Arabs
"We'll be forgiven for many things, all but one – and that's weakness. The moment we are marked as weak – it's over. This is an unforgivable sin."
These words, spoken by Prime Minister Golda Meir, were recorded at a cabinet meeting that took place 51 years ago, right after the Yom Kippur War.
The unequivocal conclusion of the meeting was bleak: There is no chance for real peace with the Arabs.
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CXI: "two deaths, Palestinian and Israeli"
One War Story and Two Deaths
a head
severed from the body
grits its teeth ...
moonlight luster on the faces
of young Israeli soldiers
back from Gaza
Ezra couldn't stop the war
in his head ...
our father holds his shroud tight
as he is being buried
FYI: National military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18.
CNN News, Oct. 21: ‘He got out of Gaza, but Gaza did not get out of him’: Israeli soldiers returning from war struggle with trauma and suicide.
CNN News, Oct. 24: The Israeli military has used Palestinians as human shields in Gaza, soldier and former detainees say
The Israeli military has forced Palestinians to enter potentially booby-trapped houses and tunnels in Gaza to avoid putting its troops in harm’s way, according to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and five former detainees
And a Jewish burial shroud is a simple hand-made garment that has no buttons, zippers, or fasteners of any type.
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CXII: "still alive"
a clay oven
made from mud and straw
a generator
assembled from machine parts ...
a Gazan's X post: life goes on
Added: Game Show, 2024, LXVIII
the TV blasts
from fine people on both sides
to the enemies within ...
ten feet higher the fence
between my neighbor and me
