Israel is setting up a complex system of checkpoints that will prevent men of “military age” from fleeing Rafah in preparation for its offensive on the southern Gaza border city, a senior western official familiar with Israel’s plans has told Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity.
The checkpoints are designed to allow some women and children to leave Rafah ahead of an expected Israeli offensive, but unarmed, civilian Palestinian men will likely be separated from their families and remain trapped in Rafah during an expected Israeli assault.
The previously unreported disclosure of Israel’s construction of a ring of checkpoints around Rafah underscores how Israel is pushing ahead with plans to attack the city where over one million displaced Palestinians are sheltering in tents and makeshift camps.
The creation of gender-based checkpoints around Rafah would put a spotlight back on Israel’s practice of stripping and forcibly detaining male Palestinian men and children, as it faces rising scrutiny in the West of its conduct in the war.
The rounding up of Palestinian males in Gaza and photographing them stripped to their underwear drew condemnation in December, with the US calling the images “deeply disturbing”.
Relatives of many of the men photographed recognised them and said they had nothing to do with Hamas. Israel's military was later accused of staging footage of men surrounding weapons.
“Israel considers every male a Hamas fighter until proven otherwise,” Abbas Dahouk, a former senior military advisor at the State Department and military attache in the Middle East told Middle East Eye.
“It’s not a sound move. Cordoning Rafah is a daunting task and good luck separating fathers and sons from their families.”
Students at 26 campuses have occupied their universities protesting genocide in Palestine.
Over 1000 arrests have been made, multiple videos have shown the acts of police brutality by campus police against anti-war protestors. At the University of Illionois students were able to kettle attacking police officers and at UT crowds were able to peacefully push back police encirclement. UCLA has staged a walk out in which the faculty supported the students and also protested. In many campuses faculty have been arrested for protesting alongside students, sometimes putting themselves between students and the police.
Hundreds of students at UT have retaken their campus after 57 protestors were arrested by campus pigs.
Speaker Mike Johnson a Fascist Republican has called for the Biden administration to send in the National Guard. This violent repression of freedom of speech and assembly resembles the Kent state Massacre in which 4 anti war protestors were shot by National Guardsmen while protesting the Vietnam War. The media has demonized protestors when the source of violence and conflict is the police. The Biden Administration has not commented on the campus protests and has instead opted to limit speaking engagments at campuses with protests against genocide. Joe Biden won his last election based on the votes of 18-35 year olds and could lose support in potential swing states due to his support of genocide in the 2024 presidental election. I don't think voters will vote for Trump however it is very likely that we see an increase in non-voters and third party voters in 2024.
"This is a movement, an anti-war movement. We have sparked similar Gaza solidarity encampments across the nation and even across the globe," Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil said,
These ziopigs are really doing what the Nazi did, and they're offended when people slapped them with that fact. Fuck off with zionism, fuck it with a flaming shovel.
The ziopigs are so barbaric, even cavemen are more dignified than them
On February 21, 1980, the Israeli embassy took up residence in Cairo. The embassy's neighbors in the balconies are watching in disbelief, and as soon as they see the flag, you can hear a scream!!
The October 1973 war lasted six years and five months.
Congratulations, they're the last people to know that.
So they just came right out and said it...
It was never about data harvesting. They think its fine when American companies infringe on our privacy (facebook/meta). It was about being able to control the narrative.
"And for the first time in our lives as Palestinians, we hear a voice louder than [the occupation], louder than their bombs, and even stronger than their control in every aspect of our lives."
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