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Republican and Democratic members of Congress call on FBI to crack down on Palestinian protests

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At a meeting hosted by the self-described ‘centrist’ political group No Labels, nearly 300 attendees, including several university trustees, heard from Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York about how Congress can help further repress student protesters and how the FBI can become more involved.

No Labels promoted Wednesday’s event as a ‘special Zoom meeting’ with ‘leading voices in their party’ who oppose student protests against the war in Gaza, which have spread to more than 150 campuses over the past two weeks, The Intercept reported.

According to a recording of the meeting obtained by The Intercept, both representatives praised the response of universities that called on police to violently suppress the protests and promised that Congress would do more to investigate student mobilisations.

Pro-Palestinian protests blamed on ‘malicious outside actors’

Members of Congress and university administrators have repeatedly claimed that ‘malicious outside actors’ are funding and organising pro-Palestinian encampments on college campuses.

Gottheimer said he had been in contact with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials about the campus protests. ‘Based on my conversations with the FBI – I can’t go into more detail because of my committee responsibilities – but I can say that I think people are aware that this is a problem,’ Gottheimer told the House Intelligence Committee.

I think the key is to follow the money. We need to follow the money. A lot of these universities are not transparent at all about where the money is coming from,’ the congressman said, adding that he could not speak for local FBI field offices, but that ‘everybody has to step up to the plate.

New York University honorary president praises police

Highlights of the debate included greater FBI involvement in investigations on American college campuses and fears that anti-war protests are being fuelled by ‘outside agitators’.

Welcoming the police arrest of dozens of students on his campus this week, New York University President Emeritus and Executive Vice President Bill Berkley claimed that a New York-based Palestine solidarity group was spearheading protests in the city and suggested that the FBI launch an investigation.

Berkley claimed to have ‘decoded messages’ showing that the group was directing people to the Columbia encampment. He also suggested that the demonstrations were being organised from the outside because many of the tents at the campus protests were the same.

This claim has been echoed by many prominent critics of the protest, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams. However, the tents sell for $15 at Five Below and about $30 at Amazon and Walmart.

Berkley then asked why the FBI had not yet taken action against the protests, saying: “By the way, the FBI and terrorist watch groups know about this; why haven’t we seen any action by the federal government?”

Republicans target university funding

House Republicans announced this week that they will investigate federal funding for universities that organise campus protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the plans on Tuesday, along with the chairmen of six congressional committees.

Gottheimer and Lawler are among the leading members of Congress who have worked hard to defend Israel during its brutal invasion of Gaza.

They have led ‘bipartisan’ efforts to silence criticism of Israel and protect Israel from being held accountable for using billions of US dollars in violation of international law.

A familiar labelling in the US: Outside agitators

Writing in The Nation, Dave Zirin points out that the theme of ‘outside agitators’ has been used in American politics since the late 1940s.

It was first used by the anti-communist John Birch Society and Jim Crow supporters against civil rights activists to denigrate the struggle for black freedom.

According to the author, their argument was: ‘Blacks in the South were perfectly happy with white supremacy until a bunch of radical, profiteering communists from the North came along and told them there was something wrong with the world.

MIDDLE EAST

Gallant’s plan for Gaza

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The details of Gallant’s plan on who will govern Gaza after the war, which led to a public debate between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in Israel, have emerged. Netanyahu said he would discuss the issue with Gallant face to face.

The Hayom newspaper wrote about the plan of Defence Minister Gallant, who disagreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the administration of Gaza. Gallant’s plan is to arm local Palestinian Authority figures in Gaza under international supervision. It was noted that these weapons would be electronically monitored by Israel to prevent them from “falling into the hands of Hamas”.

Meanwhile, speaking to the press near the Gaza border in southern Israel, Netanyahu gave an assessment of his disagreement with Gallant. Asked whether he still trusted the defence minister and whether he could work with him, Netanyahu replied: “If you are talking about what the defence minister said yesterday, I will tell him what I will tell him face to face, not here.

Netanyahu said that the meeting with Gallant on the administration of Gaza, on which he had a disagreement, would take place soon, and reiterated his opposition to the transfer of the administration of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority following the Israeli attacks.

The details of the plan drawn up by Gallant on who will govern Gaza after the war, which led to a public debate between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in Israel, have emerged. Netanyahu said he would discuss the issue with Gallant face to face.

The Hayom newspaper wrote about the plan of Defence Minister Gallant, who disagreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the administration of Gaza. Gallant’s plan is to arm local Palestinian Authority figures in Gaza under international supervision. It was noted that these weapons would be electronically monitored by Israel to prevent them from “falling into the hands of Hamas”.

Meanwhile, speaking to the press near the Gaza border in southern Israel, Netanyahu gave an assessment of his disagreement with Gallant. Asked whether he still trusted the defence minister and whether he could work with him, Netanyahu replied: “If you are talking about what the defence minister said yesterday, I will tell him what I will tell him face to face, not here.

Netanyahu said that the meeting with Gallant on the administration of Gaza, where he and Gallant disagreed, would take place soon, and reiterated his opposition to the transfer of Gaza’s administration to the Palestinian Authority following Israel’s attacks.

Debate on Gaza administration

Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Gallant said they had been saying for a long time that it was necessary to work towards finding an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, but had received no response. “The army’s plan has not been put up for debate, and worse, no alternative has been put forward. A military-civilian regime in Gaza is a bad and dangerous alternative for Israel”.

Stating that he would not accept the establishment of a military administration in Gaza, Gallant called on Netanyahu to make a decision on the issue and declare that Israel will not have a civilian-military regime in Gaza and to promote an alternative administration to Hamas.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, on the other hand, responded to Gallant’s criticism in the video he shared by saying, “As long as Hamas exists, no other actor will be able to govern Gaza, certainly not the Palestinian Authority”. Netanyahu argued that until Hamas is defeated, the “next day” discussions are “meaningless” and claimed that “no actor will be willing to accept the civilian administration of Gaza alone, for fear of their own security, until it is clear that Hamas is not running Gaza militarily.

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Israeli casualties rise as it expands attacks

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Expanding its military attacks in the Jibaliya camp, Israel announced that 5 soldiers were killed by “friendly fire” and 7 were wounded. Hamas’ military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, said it had killed 12 Israeli soldiers in the operation it organised in the camp.

According to the Times of Israel, 5 Israeli soldiers were killed by friendly fire and 7 were wounded, 3 of them seriously, in the Jibaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, where the Israeli army said it had “expanded its ground offensive”.

The Israeli army’s preliminary report said that an Israeli tank, acting in conjunction with paratroopers, targeted a building housing the soldiers twice last night. It was stated that the tank unit arrived in the area before the paratroopers and deployed in the building in question after the paratroopers reached the area.

In the evening, it was stated that another paratrooper unit arrived in the area and informed 2 Israeli tanks that they had entered the same building.

It was stated that the tank unit opened fire twice on the building after detecting a gun barrel in one of the windows of the building in question.

In a written statement, the Israeli army identified the soldiers killed as Captain Roy Beit Yaakov (22), Sergeant Gilad Arye Boim (22), Sergeant Daniel Chemu (20), Sergeant Ilan Cohen (20) and Sergeant Betzlel David Shashuah (21) of the Paratroopers Brigade.

The Israeli army announced yesterday that it had expanded its military offensive in the Jibaliya camp, and eyewitnesses said Israeli soldiers had forcibly evicted “hundreds of displaced Palestinians from their shelters west of Gaza City”.

Palestinian factions also engaged in fierce clashes with the Israeli army, which stepped up its attacks.

Hamas announced that it had hit 12 Israeli army vehicles, including 7 tanks, 4 bulldozers and 1 unidentified military vehicle.

The Kassam Brigades’ statement said that the Israeli army’s D9 military bulldozer was targeted with a “Yassin-105” rocket, and that the Israeli forces hiding in a house were targeted with two anti-personnel rockets and clashed.Meanwhile, a Merkava tank was targeted with an explosive device as the rescue force was moving towards the scene, and at least 12 Israeli soldiers were killed in the operation.

More troops to Rafah

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Israeli army has sent additional troops to the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where it is threatening to expand its ground offensive.

The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli army sent a commando unit overnight to join the 162nd Division stationed east of Rafah.

The article noted that an additional military unit had been sent to Rafah at a time when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government had approved the “expansion of Israel’s ground offensive” in Rafah.

In its statement on 6 May, the Israeli army demanded the evacuation of some neighbourhoods in the east of Rafah where displaced Palestinians had taken refuge, and on the morning of 7 May it announced that it had launched a ground offensive in the Rafah area of Gaza, capturing the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt.

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ICJ to hold hearings over Israel’s Rafah attacks

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On Thursday and Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will consider new urgent measures requested by South Africa in response to the Israeli offensive in Rafah.

On 10 May, the Republic of South Africa asked the ICJ to grant new measures on the grounds that the Israeli offensive in Rafah has caused irreparable harm to the rights of the people of Gaza.

The ICJ announced that hearings on 16 and 17 May will consider South Africa’s request to the Court for further urgent measures against Israel for its attacks on Rafah, as part of the ongoing case accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians.

South Africa’s application stated that new measures should be ordered against Israel on the grounds that the ICJ’s orders of 26 January and 28 March did not reflect the deteriorating conditions and new facts in Gaza and Rafah. The application said Israel had persistently failed to comply with the Court’s orders and continued its “egregious violations” in Gaza.

“Israel’s military operations in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza are themselves genocidal,” the application said, stressing that the Court should do more than order Israel to comply with the injunctions and its obligations under the Genocide Convention. The application asked the Court to order Israel to cease its military operations.

In January, the Court did not order Israel to stop its attacks as a precautionary measure.

The request stated that Israel had seized the Kerem Abu Salim (Shalom) crossing, the last place of refuge for civilians in Gaza, and had taken de facto control of entry and exit to and from Gaza, and that Israel had prevented humanitarian aid from reaching 1.5 million Gazans.

The new measures demanded were as follows:

1- Israel will cease its military attacks at Rafah and withdraw immediately.

2 – Israel will immediately take all effective measures to ensure and facilitate unhindered access to Gaza for non-governmental organisations, including United Nations agencies, researchers and journalists, to assess the situation in Gaza and to ensure the preservation and collection of evidence, and to ensure that its army does not act in a manner that prevents access.

3- Within one week of the announcement of the new measures, Israel shall provide the Court with an accessible report describing the measures it has taken to implement both the previous measures and the new measures requested.

Israel has previously dismissed South Africa’s genocide case as unfounded, claiming that it is acting in accordance with international law in Gaza, with Tel Aviv accusing Pretoria of acting as the “legal arm of Hamas”.

Will Egypt intervene?

Egypt announced its intention to intervene in the case after Israel seized the Rafah border crossing.

In a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that the decision to intervene came as a result of the escalation in the severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, the continuation of systematic practices, including direct attacks against the Palestinian people, the destruction of infrastructure, the displacement of Palestinians from their lands, and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has made the Gaza Strip uninhabitable.

Egypt urged Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power, to implement the interim measures issued by the ICJ, and to refrain from any violations against the Palestinian people, a protected people under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the statement said.

The statement also called on the United Nations Security Council and international parties to take immediate action to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, halt military operations at Rafah and provide the necessary protection to Palestinian civilians.

It was previously announced that Nicaragua, Colombia and Libya had requested intervention under Articles 62 and 63 of the Court’s Charter.

Under Article 83 of its Rules of Procedure, the Court had invited South Africa and Israel to submit written observations on Colombia’s application for intervention.

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