In Gaza 12 premature babies crawl out of a bombed hospital waving tiny white flags. The IDF murders them all. Later an IDF spokesman says "We neutralized the threat. Preliminary reports suggest they were armed. And they might have been wearing suicide vests in their nappies."

Had a dream that the Palestinian diaspora started calling themselves Chelazinians because of the discrimination they face.

I’m going to an Arabic coffee place today that is probably Palestinian owned.

Breaking news: I've just made kasha for the first time. It's sill hot so I haven't tried it yet. As it's my first time I've gone completely plain outside of taking a few minutes to dry toast the seeds before cooking.

Also some side news, I'm hearing through thr grapevine that national guard units around the country are being activated to be sent to the horn of Africa to support USAFRICOM. Sounds like it'll be a few Brigade Combat Team Kampfgruppes getting sent to dick around near Yemen as a show of force.

Edit: I should've added more water and let the kasha cook longer. Kinda soft crunchy. Also kinda savory. Edit 2: I should make a gravy for this next time, maybe mushroom

Maduro: "Imperialism grabbed him poof and threw him in a trash heap in Miami": https://nitter.cz/upholdreality/status/1734709433677017263

Maduro's pretty funny lmao

Health ministry: Gaza death toll tops 18,000

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has released its daily update on casualties since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October, stating that 18,205 Palestinians have been killed, and 49,645 injured. The reported death toll has risen by more than 500 in the two days from Saturday, when it stood at 17,700, the ministry said.

- The Guardian

Oil-reliant Azerbaijan chosen to host Cop29 climate talks

Because of conflict in the region, the group took much longer than usual to come to a decision. On Thursday, Armenia dropped its opposition to Azerbaijan’s bid as part of peace talks between the two.

Russia blocked any European Union member from hosting, which scuppered a Bulgarian bid. Serbia, Moldova and Armenia were also in contention.

Azerbaijan gets two-thirds of its revenue from oil and gas, one of the highest percentages in the world and more than the Cop28 host – the United Arab Emirates.

Very funny, honestly. The sooner that these global institutions pull their masks off, the sooner the reality that reform is impossible will sink in for everybody.

Oh shit I meant to shoot those hamas fighters over there surrendering but I shot israeli hostages instead, mix up at the war crimes factory!

Mearsk and Hapag Lloyd have paused all their red see transists until Monday , when a decicion will be made on how to proceed.

German Source

Latest John Helmer via naked capitalism about Russian involvement in palestine or lack thereof https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/12/russia-and-gaza-one-war-one-election-at-a-time-one-step-forward-for-national-liberation-two-steps-back.html

Basically, Russia is focused on ukraine and the upcoming reelection of Putin, and a long war in palestine that continues to erode US interests is in Russia's interest. Also a statement that russia won't help run the naval blockade with aid, and some legalistic nerd shit about how Russia responds to state requests for help, not liberation movements.

The FBI has been brought in to investigate a hate crime at Harvard University. In the Sheldon Adelson Center for Israeli Studies and the Oppression of the Palestinians somebody wrote "Israelis eat poop! And Sheldon Adelson is dead!" on a restroom stall. This hateful action...

Palestinians displaced by Israeli strikes in Gaza are forced to burn solid waste in attempts to cook and stay warm, in turn prompting health concerns as a result of air pollution.

The Guardian’s Kaamil Ahmed reports:

Wherever trees have been left standing in Gaza, they are being chopped down for fuel. When wood – furniture and doors included – cannot be found, Gaza’s residents burn waste. To cook or heat themselves, people in the Palestinian enclave are burning what they can find in crude stoves they have made of clay, scrap metal or loose bricks to replace kitchen cookers or gas stoves. Israel’s siege means it is no longer possible for people to find gas.

But finding fuel is a difficult task – it can take hours to find a tree to cut and transport home – and comes with health concerns about the smoke released, especially as so many are living in overcrowded conditions. According to the World Food Progamme, 70% of displaced people in southern Gaza rely on firewood for fuel, but the number of those with no fuel at all has doubled over the past two weeks to 15%.

- The Guardian

The article - In Gaza, the fuel has gone - and now the trees are running out

Russian aluminum producers warn of crisis

Russia’s Aluminium Association has issued a grim warning for the industry as it faces Western sanctions, tariffs and a drop in prices for one of the world’s most widely used metals.

In its latest overview of the current state of the industry, the association has warned that the entire sector is on the verge of a serious crisis, adding that several enterprises of Russian aluminum giant Rusal are at risk of closure.

“A number of Rusal enterprises are already operating on the verge of zero or even negative profitability,” the association said on Monday, adding that further deterioration of the economic situation or an increase in the fiscal burden may lead to the need to shut them down.

It warned that the crisis could affect 5,000 jobs in the sector, while up to 30,000 jobs in related sectors may also be lost. The union highlighted that aluminum prices had dropped to their lowest level since March 2021, while the US and EU markets have been almost entirely closed to Russian exporters.

Oh no! It looks like the state may have to step in and nationalize it! What a tragedy!

An IDF spokesman: "During the fighting in Shegaia, the IDF force accidentally identified a number of hostages - the force fired at them and they were killed."

one of the ones shot was a Bedouin worker (not IDF)

Ukrainian "ISIS" is already starting up, what a complete, total, utter non-surprise

Europe is gonna be dealing with this shit for decades

Wild to me that Donald "Immigrants are poisoning the blood of our nation" Trump is less of a WWIII risk than Joe "I like ice cream" Biden.

Market in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp turned into gravesite

A video posted on social media by Al Jazeera Arabic shows how people in Gaza have been forced to convert a bombed-out market area into a makeshift gravesite for the many killed by Israel’s bombardments.

Some of the graves are marked with signs in Arabic; others with rocks and broken concrete.

Video - Nitter

[Translation: The Israeli siege of the northern outskirts of the Gaza Strip forced residents of the Jabalia refugee camp to turn the market’s courtyard into a site for a mass grave.]

- Al Jazeera

Congress approves bill barring presidents from unilaterally exiting NATO

Congress this week approved a measure aimed at preventing any U.S. president from unilaterally withdrawing the United States from NATO without congressional approval. Passage came amid long-standing concerns that Donald Trump may try to exit the alliance if he returns to office.

The provision was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill detailing defense policy, which was passed by the House on Thursday and is awaiting the signature of President Biden.

Under the measure, advocated by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the president would be prohibited from withdrawing from NATO without the approval of two-thirds of the Senate or separate legislation passed by Congress.

Kaine and Rubio had tried to advance similar measures since 2021. Passage of the defense policy bill this week marked the first time the House had embraced the tactic.

The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee did not respond to questions about why the chamber accepted the provision. The office of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declined to comment.

The bipartisan attempt to add checks and balances highlights the lengths Congress is willing to go to protect the U.S.-NATO relationship amid ongoing Russian aggression and following years of criticism of the military alliance during Trump’s presidential tenure.

President Biden has sought to reassert the leadership role of the United States in global diplomacy, helping galvanize NATO member countries in support of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and encouraging efforts to expand the alliance to include Finland and Sweden.

During his presidency, Trump frequently lambasted the alliance, accusing its members of being “delinquents” and questioning the wisdom of NATO’s collective defense clause.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which formed the legal basis for NATO, states that an armed attack on one member of the alliance will be viewed as an attack on all of them, and that they will defend one other.

In 2018, Trump publicly mused about why the United States might come to the aid of NATO member Monte­negro, saying that sending troops from the alliance to defend an “aggressive” ally could result in World War III.

Former Trump aides, including former national security adviser John Bolton, have said they feared at times that Trump could pull the United States out of the alliance. But Trump and his allies argue that his tough approach to NATO pushed member states to boost their defense spending obligations and strengthened the alliance.

Kaine, in a statement, said that the provision in the defense policy bill affirmed “U.S. support for this crucial alliance” and sent “a strong message to authoritarians around the world that the free world remains united.”

Rubio said in a statement: “The Senate should maintain oversight on whether or not our nation withdraws from NATO. We must ensure we are protecting our national interests and protecting the security of our democratic allies.”

While the defense policy bill is set to be signed into law by Biden, it’s unclear how exactly a scenario might play out in which the president and Congress are at odds over NATO membership.

Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, pointed out that there is precedent for presidents withdrawing unilaterally from treaties without consulting Congress. A chief executive conceivably could push back on efforts to restrict that — particularly if the treaty addresses the United States’ defense posture abroad.

A “future president might challenge such an effort and invoke the president’s authorities as commander in chief under Article 2 of the Constitution,” O’Hanlon said in an email. “It would, I think, be uncharted territory if this issue were forced to a confrontation.”

A Kaine aide said that while the Constitution is clear about the process to enter a treaty — including ratification by the Senate — it is silent on withdrawal. The provision offered by Kaine and Rubio was an attempt to offer specific guidance about the process, said the aide, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the legislation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

If a president violates the law, Congress can seek recourse in the courts, the aide said.