Tens of thousands rally against Netanyahu government in Jerusalem

Reuters
March 31, 2024


JERUSALEM, March 31 (Reuters) -- Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday against Benjamin Netanyahu's government and against exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service, in scenes reminiscent of mass street protests last year.

Protest groups, including some that led the mass demonstrations that rocked Israel in 2023, organized the rally outside parliament, the Knesset, calling for a new election to replace the government.

The protesters also want a more equal share in the burden of army service that binds most Israelis.
Around 600 soldiers have been killed so far since the Hamas attack of Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, the military's highest causality toll in years.

Israel N12 News said it appeared to be the largest demonstration since the war began, Haaretz and Ynet news sites said it drew tens of thousands of people.

More:
https://reuters.com/world/middle-east/tens-thousands-rally-against-netanyahu-government-jerusalem-2024-03-31/

Why Biden Won't Put Conditions on Military Aid to Israel

Voice of America
March 29, 2024


WASHINGTON --- President Joe Biden has steadily ramped up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to allow more humanitarian aid and rein in it's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
That includes increasingly public criticism of Israel and the recent U.S. abstention vote at the U.N. Security Council that allowed for a cease-fire resolution to pass.

However, Biden has stopped short of using what may be his strongest leverage -- conditioning U.S. aid for Israel.
The U.S. provides Israel with nearly $4 billion a year, most of it in the form of military assistance.

Lawmakers from his own party have voiced dissent.
Both Senate and House Democrats have demanded that Biden comply with the Foreign Assistance Act and cut off military aid if Israel continues to block U.S. humanitarian aid to Gaza.

His constituents have signaled their outrage -- hundreds of thousands voted "uncommitted" in Democratic primary elections in various states.
The latest polls show 75% of Democrats now disapprove of Israel's war conduct.
Fifty-six percent of them say continuing to give military aid to Israel would make them less likely to support a presidential candidate.


More:
https://voanews.com/a/why-biden-won-t-put-conditions-on-military-aid-to-israel-/7549438.html










Related:
"Why Biden Can't Force a Truce on Israel -- or Won't"
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/03/28/biden-netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-ceasefire-war/

Sign Petition: Justice For Cats Tortured and Dismembered On Camera For Fun

Lady Freethinker.org

PETITION TARGET: Xie Feng, Ambassador of China to the United States


Cats in China are being force-fed acid, burned alive, thrown from heights, and doused in boiling water for videos then posted online, according to news reports.

Earlier this year, a person in China reportedly bragged about butchering several cats and said he planned to adopt more and live stream their deaths, according to an article on Vice.

The man reportedly belonged to a group of cat torturers who used Chinese social media to compare notes on how to kill the felines for "fun," according to news.

View Petition + more:
https://ladyfreethinker.org/sign-justice-for-cats-tortured-and-dismembered-for-online-views/












Related article on cat and dog abuse in China:

Zhao Wanping, an agricultural scientist and delegate to China's National People's Congress, has proposed the introduction of animal cruelty laws as well as a crackdown on the slaughter of dogs and cats and the sale and consumption of their meat across the country, citing how the illicit trade could be a public health risk.

[snip]

"China still lacks a comprehensive and effective set of animal protection laws, " Suki Deng, director of the China Cat and Dog Welfare programme at Animals Asia, told Vice World News.
"While some municipalities prohibit animal abuse in local regulations on dog management, they lack details and are not enfortced effectively."

More:
https://vice.com/en/article/m7bq53/animal-abuse-china-cat-abuse-suzhou

Former Vermont state trooper pleads guilty to sexually assaulting an 11-year-old child - gets only 30 days in jail

Brattleboro Reformer
March 28, 2024


BRATTLEBORO -- A former Vermont state trooper pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually assaulting a child under 16 years old.

According to court documents, Todd Chisholm, now 59, had an affair with the child's mother which ended in 1998, during which time he started sexually "grooming" the child.

About four years later, he sexually assaulted the victim, the first time in Vernon, at 11 years old and a second time, also in Vernon, at 14, acts he admitted to in court in front of Windham County Judge John Treadwell.

Chisholm was originally charged with four counts, including repeated sexual assault of a child under the age of 16, two counts of sexual assault and one count of lewd and lascivious behavior.

On Wednesday, Chisholm, of North Brookfield, Mass., pleaded guilty to a lessor charge of lewd and lascivious behavior with a child, accepting the state's offer of four to five years, all suspended except for 30 days, and six years probation with no early termination.


More:
https://reformer.com/local-news/former-vermont-state-trooper-pleads-guilty-to-assaulting-a-child/article_d8faf812-ec5d-11ee-adb3-ab8db6853a6a.html

Ireland to Intervene in South Africa's Case Against Israel at the World Court

New York Times
March 28, 2024


Ireland plans to file an argument in South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, according to the Irish government, making the move as the country has strongly condemned Israel's actions against civilians in Gaza

South Africa has brought a case against Israel in the I.C.J., the United Nations' highest court, arguing that Israel is committing genocide, a claim Israel has denied.
Ireland did not outline the argument it planned to advance, but the country's lawmakers have made repeated calls to prioritze the protection of civilians in Gaza.

The United Nations allows countries to "intervene' in proceedings if they are parties to the United Nations 1948 Genocide Convention.
Micheal Martin, the Republic of Ireland's foreign minister and deputy leader, said that officials were working on a "declaration of intervention" in the case that, if approved by the Irish government, would be filed with the court, in The Hague.

"It is for the court to decide whether genocide is being committed ," Mr. Martin said on Wednesday. "But I want to be clear in reiterating what I have said many times in the last few months: What we saw on 7 October in Israel, and what we are seeing in Gaza now, represents the blatant violation of international humanitarian law on a mass scale."

More:
https://nytimes.com/2024/03/28/world/middleeast/ireland-south-africa-israel-genocide-icj.html

"I Could Not Stay Silent": Annelle Sheline Resigns from State Dept. over U.S. Gaza Policy

Democracy Now
March 28, 2024


A State Department official working on human rights issues in the Middle East resigned Wednesday in protest of U.S. support for Israel's assault on Gaza.
Annelle Sheline, who worked as foreign affairs officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, was not planning on publicly resigning, but her colleagues ask her to "please speak out" against the Biden administration's unconditional support for Israel.

"At the end of the day, many people inside [the State Department] know that this is a horrific policy, and can't believe that the United States government is engaged in such actions that contravene American values so directly, but the leadership is not listening," says Sheline.
"I'm trying to speak on behalf of those many, many people who feel so betrayed by our government's stance."

Sheline describes being moved by the words of Aaron Bushnell, the active-duty airman who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in protest of the war on Gaza, who implored everyone to take a stand against genocide.
"I have a young daughter, and I thought about, in the future, if she were to ask me, 'What were you doing when this was happening? You were at the State Department.' I want to be able to tell her that I didn't stay silent."

More:
https://democracynow.org/2024/3/28/annelle_sheline

Badfinger -- Baby Blue

The Failed Experiment -- Episode One -- How We Got Here

White House Daily Briefing March 27, 2024

Today's White House Briefing (3/27/2024)

(Fast forward to 27 minutes into video)