Chen-ou Liu's Translation Project: First English-Chinese Haiku and Tanka Blog

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

War Crime News Haiku

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. 15Israel 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. 15US 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. 6Al 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: "young Israeli soldiers "

a head
severed from the body
grits its teeth ...
moonlight luster on the faces 
of young Israeli soldiers 


FYI: National military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18.


Added: Game Show, 2024, LXVIII

the TV blasts
from fine people on both sides
to the enemy within ...
ten feet higher the fence 
between my neighbor and me