Joint statement of the foreign minister of Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, United Kingdom raffirming continued and unwavering support for the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

France Diplomacy

https://x.com/francediplo_EN/status/2108634485566615697

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... ] 

For now, it is Palestinians who are being killed and displaced. But ideologies of supremacy and domination threaten us all- In Gaza, we’ve seen horror unfold with global powers’ support. Is that a blueprint for elsewhere?

Opinion 

Israel 

Ahdaf Soueif 

Fri 11 Sep 2026 

Last week, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s minister of national security, put out an AI-generated video that showed a conveyor belt of overweight Palestinian prisoners – dreaming of food and education – entering one of his prisons; he pops the dream bubbles above their heads and they come out emaciated and crying. Ben-Gvir is building an execution site for Palestinian prisoners with spectator booths, and he recently showed up at Damon prison in northern Israel and taunted female prisoners who complained about the poor conditions. He is digging a moat around a new high-security jail and planning to introduce crocodiles to patrol it. In all this, he has the approval of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, while the law that he championed mandating the death penalty for Palestinians deemed terrorists by military courts and convicted for lethal attacks is built on public support.

Sometime around 2017, many Palestinians and their supporters in the global media felt a change. Articles about Palestine no longer drew the hate mail we’d been accustomed to and events in support of Palestinian rights were hardly heckled. It seemed that people were less and less convinced by the image long cultivated by Israel and its supporters – the bearer of “western values” in the Middle East, the home to the “most moral army in the world”, a country acting only in self-defence – while it regularly assaulted Gaza and continued to expand its illegal settlements in the West Bank.

It had been a widely held tenet that if enough people in the democratic western world knew the reality of what Israel was doing to the Palestinians, they would pressure their governments, and Israel would be made to observe the norms of international law. Eventually, a reality would be born in which Jews, Muslims and Christians would live as equals within some political system that would be as good – and as flawed – as others. South Africa was always cited as the example, where rising international pressure over the decades was decisive.

But what looked like the winning of the moral, rational argument was offset by an acceleration of the processes of occupation, an increase in the frequency and blatancy of settler attacks in the West Bank, and of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacks on Gaza...READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/11/gaza-horror-global-powers-support-blueprint-palestinians-israel

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies here, there- and everywhere]  

POWER ... a 2026 Poem by Anne Selden Annab

                  POWER

Billionaires hoard wealth in part, 

by deploying a small fraction 

of their ginormous wealth to persuade-

persuading leaders to vote for data centers 

and shape public policies 

that build Billionaire wealth 

and increasing political influence:

The VORTEX spins...

Erasing democracy.

Erasing equality.

Erasing justice.

Erasing security for most people, 

excluding, of course, the Billionaires' own personal empires-

the influencers they train, the puppets they prop up, 

the politicians they own,

the armies they build to bully US.

Massive Data Centers

hide Billionaire corruption 

and cover up Billionaire greed

in a trillion different ways...

Human history online is rewritten

bit by bit, to empower

and reward Billionaires even further.

A bloodless coup d'état

to impoverish We The People 

individually and collectively.

A global game of get get get

more wage slaves

to cook the food and clean the toilets

on the mega-yachts and in the McMansions

More wage slaves

for whatever whims and itches

the Billionaires and their

calculating Data Centers might feel.

 

 poem copyright ©2026 Anne Selden Annab

“The power of the Universal Declaration [of Human Rights] is the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity." #StandUp4HumanRights

 United Nations

@UN

 

In every language, everywhere, human rights belong to all of us. They are non-negotiable. Learn about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: https://ohchr.org/en/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

 

via   @UNHumanRights

https://www.ohchr.org/en/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

“The power of the Universal Declaration is the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity."

The original records

The Declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 during its 183rd plenary meeting.

• View the original resolution.

• Explore the meeting record for the historic adoption.

• Examine the voting record.

• And for more information about the history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, discover research guides and resources.

   

 #StandUp4HumanRights

United Nations Geneva

@UNGeneva

 

Human rights belong to all of us. They are non-negotiable. And they are fundamental to our hopes for a world at peace.  

 

https://buff.ly/ZIr9tBC 

 

 https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights

 

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

Universal and inalienable

 

Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings - they are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. They range from the most fundamental - the right to life - to those that make life worth living, such as the rights to food, education, work, health, and liberty.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, was the first legal document to set out the fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The UDHR, which turns 75 on 10 December 2023, continues to be the foundation of all international human rights law. Its 30 articles provide the principles and building blocks of current and future human rights conventions, treaties and other legal instruments.

The UDHR, together with the 2 covenants - the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - make up the International Bill of Rights.... READ MORE 

HOPE... a universal need in uncertain times. Let's pause, reflect, and recommit to shared humanity and belief in tomorrow.

United Nations Geneva

@UNGeneva

 

Today is #HopeDay — a reminder that hope, even in hardship, remains a transformative force. It can bridge divides, drive progress, and uplift the human spirit. 

 

Let's pause, reflect, and recommit to shared humanity and belief in tomorrow.

 

 https://buff.ly/OByxUdl

In a world facing growing unrest, widening social divisions, and persistent economic and environmental challenges, the global community continues to seek values that unite rather than divide. Among these, hope stands out as a deeply powerful and universally resonant force. Recognizing this, the United Nations General Assembly has designated 12 July as the International Day of Hope—a day to celebrate and promote hope as a guiding principle for individuals, communities, and nations alike.

This resolution draws upon the enduring values of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which call for peace, dignity, tolerance, and shared progress. It builds on earlier UN initiatives—such as the International Day of Conscience—by highlighting the essential role hope plays in promoting well-being, mutual respect, social stability, and sustainable development.

The declaration of the International Day of Hope is more than symbolic—it is a global invitation to act. It calls on Member States, regional and international bodies, civil society, and individuals to cultivate environments where hope can thrive... READ MORE   https://www.un.org/en/observances/hope-day 

  [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]  

The power of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity...

 United Nations

@UN

 

In December 1948, the UN General Assembly met in Paris to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

 

The principles laid out in this historic document have been key in helping guide humanity toward a world of greater freedom, equality & justice. 

 

 https://ohchr.org/en/universal-d

 

https://www.ohchr.org/en/universal-declaration-of-human-rights 

   [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]   

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, it set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.

Discover the Declaration

The power of the Universal Declaration is the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure that all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity.

• Read the Declaration
• Discover the articles in social media
• Listen to the Declaration
  UDHR Audio/Video Project

The most translated document in the world

The original records

The Declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 during its 183rd plenary meeting.

• View the original resolution.

• Explore the meeting record for the historic adoption.

• Examine the voting record.

• And for more information about the history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, discover research guides and resources.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Exhibit

We maintain a worldwide collection of materials on the Declaration, which is permanently based... READ MORE  https://www.ohchr.org/en/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]   

What is Fringe ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab

 

       What is Fringe

What is fringe-

used to be

abolitionists

used to be

fair wages

used to be

used to be

used to be

freedom

and

ohhhhhh sooooo much more we take for granted now...

human rights

voting rights

equality

diversity

respect

the rule of fair and just laws

used to be.

                                                                                                poem copyright ©2026 Anne Selden Annab 

Dear America - Please stop funding and fueling Israel's wars and the ongoing destruction of historic Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria... and Iran.

https://x.com/nakedpastor

 

letter I just sent my elected leaders 

Dear America,

Life is not a Hollywood movie or a video game where sides are clear and "The End" means it is actually over:  Real life is quite complex, interconnected, and ongoing...  In real life there is no "The End" until all life on earth is gone. 

The rule of fair and just laws, as well as charity for those in need, helps protect our planet and our future- for everyone's sake.

Operation Epic Fury makes America look bad- and be bad.

We should know better. We should be better. 

After the horrors and widespread devastation of WWII, the world came together to form the United Nations & the Universal Declaration of Human Rights... Universal means inclusive- including everyone, even people you do not like or understand.

International law combined with diplomacy and dialogue won the day in 1945, shaping more prosperity & security for more and more people worldwide for decades.

That was then- this in now:  Idolizing Israel and/or war is not good for anyone- except for the political racketeers, religious fraudsters, and corporate scoundrels who profit from greed and corruption.  

Tyranny and injustice are on the rise right here in America, and all that our forefathers fought to help think through and build is at risk.

The preemptive demolition of the East Wing of our White House foreshadows our democracy's fate and future if we don't change course ASAP.

Please stop funding and fueling Israel's wars and the ongoing destruction of historic Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria... and Iran.

Our taxes should be used for the greater good of more people- not for escalating war and cruelty.  The people's needs here at home, and the people's needs globally should be our highest priority. 

We are all in this together, regardless of what language we speak, or where we live and dream.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

In 1945, 50 nations came together in San Francisco to create a new organization for peace, prosperity & human rights- the United Nations

Israel’s settlement expansion drives mass displacement in West Bank [Palestine] – United Nations report 17 March 2026

Israel is using the ongoing war to intensify multi-layered violations against Palestinians during Ramadan and Easter. Al-Aqsa stands empty. The Holy Sepulchre is sealed for the first time in history. Demolitions, settler attacks, and movement restrictions are surging.

Joe Kent, Trump's counterterrorism chief, resigns, blaming members of the media, as well as high-ranking Israeli officials and lobbyists, for prompting Trump to abandon his America First agenda.

Trump’s Iran war has cost Americans at least $11bn already. And that’s just the start- That $11.3bn doesn’t include any estimate of repairing facilities or replacing losses.- Arwa Mahdawi

Mark S. Singel: "This war is illegal and unconstitutional. It is raining death and destruction on countless innocent civilians who are simply in the way. The war is draining America of resources and costing families billions of dollars in higher prices and declining pension accounts. ​But it may be worse than that. It may be the beginning of a cycle of destruction caused by the deranged vision of one man. "

"There is a reason Jesus spoke Aramaic rather than Sacred Hebrew. Hebrew was the language of the Temple and of the High Priest; it carried prestige and authority. Greek was the language of administration and of the empire. But He chose to speak Aramaic, the language of ordinary men." Camila Rocha

Harvesting Olives in the West Bank, in Photos For 7,000 years, the tradition has been a lifeline for Palestinians. Now, it’s under siege [by Israeli Settlers]...

Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past: The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire to agricultural lands, cars and the walls of an ancient church, hateful and threatening graffiti, livestock released into the village, not to mention the numerous military checkpoints at the entrances to the town.

“War does not solve problems — on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of nations that take generations to heal.” - Pope Leo XIV renewing his call for diplomacy and commitment to peace: “Let diplomacy silence the weapons; let nations shape their future through works of peace, not through violence and bloody conflict.”

The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been nominated for best international feature film... Palestinian actor, Motaz Malhees, who plays the role of a call center operator attempting to help the girl, can’t attend Oscars because of US travel ban

Torture doesn’t create safety: it produces pain, trauma, and hatred. When people deprived of their liberty are abused, society loses its humanity. Torture is always illegal, immoral, and never justified.

MIFTAH: In Gaza, bearing witness has become a deadly act. Those who document the truth are targeted, while the world fails to hold Israel accountable for its crimes.

So the State Department used an emergency authority to give Israel $650 million in 500lb, 1000lb, and Small Diameter bombs. What happens next?

LET AID INTO GAZA: People in Gaza are still living in dire conditions while humanitarian aid is being blocked. On 28 February, the Israeli authorities closed all crossings into the Gaza Strip, raising concerns about food security and fuel supplies needed to sustain humanitarian operations. Although one, at Kerem Shalom, was partially reopened, the others remain closed. UNRWA has never stopped working even if its aid supplies have been blocked for over a year. But we need to be allowed to scale up.

The Art of Occupied Palestine... Palestinian artists: Fedaa Boqaileh & Ibrahim Hazimeh & Rawan Anani & Khaled Al-Maazi & Shehab Kawasmi

It’s time to invest in the architecture of peace, not the tools of war. That means living up to disarmament obligations. Rebuilding trust. And strengthening the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation, testing and use of deadly weapons. Together, we can prevent catastrophes and ensure a safe and peaceful world for all.

Assal Rad- Good reminder: The language of manufacturing consent:

Under the cover of war, the cooperation between the military and Israeli settler militias is deepening the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank. This is what has been happening on the ground since the start of the Israeli-American offensive in Iran

Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, says the ongoing border closures have pushed civilians “to the limit of their strength.” With no electricity, scarce water, unaffordable food, and medical evacuations blocked, he warns: “We cannot go on like this. It is not humane.”

"The war launched against Iran by the United States and Israel is a war of choice and of hubris. There is scarcely even the pretence that it was compelled by evidence of an Iranian dash for a bomb or an imminent attack. Such claims do not survive scrutiny; they barely withstand repetition. We are witnessing the realisation of a long-cherished ambition, a neoconservative fever dream that Benjamin Netanyahu has lobbied for, in one form or another, for decades." Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi

Spain’s MEP Irene Montero: “No woman has ever been freed by American bombs or illegal aggression. Not in Syria. Not in Iraq. Not in Lebanon. Not in Afghanistan. And it will not happen in Iran either. They hide behind women’s rights to justify their colonial wars.”

“The Middle East has become the deadliest place in the world: - to be a medical worker - ⁠to be a humanitarian - ⁠to be a UN team member - ⁠to be a journalist & one of the deadliest to be a civilian. This cannot be normalised. International humanitarian law matters. Accountability matters.” Philippe Lazzarini of UNRWA

B'Tselem: Since 10 October 2025, when the so-called ceasefire was announced, the Israeli army have killed 631 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The international community is enabling Israel’s policies and the ongoing genocide. The genocide in Gaza is not over.

The consequences of urban warfare cannot easily be reversed. Under international humanitarian law, parties to conflict must take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

"US military commanders have been invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about biblical “end times” to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops, according to complaints made to a watchdog group..."

‘We’ll run out of food this week’: Israel’s Iran war brings new Gaza siege: “I don’t have enough money to buy and store food before prices increase, as some others have done,” said Um Mohammed Hijazi, a 49-year-old mother of five. The family home was destroyed in the war and they were displaced five times.

Christianity has been central to Palestine’s political imagination, cultural production and moral vocabulary. It is precisely this reality that Israel and its Christian Zionist patrons seek to obscure

Dear America- War and terrorism are for tyrants, not for freedom or justice. Bully tactics teach all the wrong lessons.

Billionaires want Ballrooms. The rest of us want clean water; safe neighborhoods; good schools, libraries, & museums; National Parks; playgrounds; PBS; good job opportunities for ourselves and our children; affordable heath-care; AND PEACE.

Funding and arming terrorism and violence is evil and wrong: America should not be funding, arming, defending, or trusting today's Israel in any way, shape or form.

A barbaric new era has already begun as Americans are duped into being wage slaves for billionaires who have no respect for basic human rights and the rule of fair and just laws.

Golden Rule Thinking IS GOOD

Our land and resources are being gobbled up for AI data centers for what purpose? Is it for the greater good of tax paying citizens- or is it to feed the greed of corporations and companies that already use our data to charge us as much as they can at every turn.

Real freedom, justice, and democracy are being embezzled by corporate greed and political corruption to empower Israel and war.

"ISRAEL SAYS" is not God talking.

Israel has a right to exist, but Israel has no right to starve and displace the men, women and children of historic Palestine.

The vast majority of Americans are not wealthy & the taxes that We The People pay are being diverted into funding religious bigotry and terror via Israel's cruel war on the native non-Jewish men, women, and children of historic Palestine. HAMAS cruelty and stupidity echoes Zionist cruelty and stupidity and on and on it goes. Neither approach will build peace or security.

The weapons industry and a global war machine- AND INJUSTICE- burgeon with American tax payer funds.

Violence is a problem- not the answer.

"The United Nations is the only place on Earth where all the world's nations come together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. This intergovernmental organization born out of the ashes of the Second World War remains indispensable to the pursuit of world peace, justice, equality and sustainable development" https://www.un.org/en/

The right of refugees to return to homes and lands they were expelled from is an individual right and cannot be unilaterally abrogated by third parties.  https://imeu.org/resources/resources/fact-sheet-palestinian-refugees-the-right-of-return-under-international-law/441

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

DEAR AMERICA