"Human rights don’t change with the seasons, political winds, or trends. They are timeless. In an increasingly polarised world, they help to unite us. No matter where we live or what we believe, we all want safety and peace for ourselves & those we love." Volker Türk #United Nations #GoldenRuleThinking

Volker Türk

@volker_turk

Human rights don’t change with the seasons, political winds, or trends. They are timeless. 

 

In an increasingly polarised world, they help to unite us.  No matter where we live or what we believe, we all want safety and peace for ourselves & those we love.

 

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |

@UNHumanRights

Chief 

 

 #StandUp4HumanRights

 

https://www.ohchr.org/en/topic/terrorism-and-violent-extremism

Terrorism and violent extremism

OHCHR and terrorism and violent extremism

Special Rapporteur on terrorism

Terrorism involves the intimidation or coercion of populations or governments through the threat or perpetration of violence. This may result in death, serious injury or the taking of hostages. These acts must be prevented, and the financing, movement and activity of terrorist networks stopped, in order to prevent future violations of human rights.

The victims of terrorism must also have access to an effective remedy and reparations. Victims of terrorism and extremism can play a crucial role in building stronger, more resilient societies.

Terrorism and violent extremism violate the human rights and fundamental freedoms of groups and individuals. However, States define terrorism in different, sometimes ambiguous ways, so domestic legislation does not always protect the human rights of citizens.

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]

Dutch intelligence report identifies Israel as a foreign threat for first time. Israel conducted disinformation campaigns to influence public opinion and politics in the Netherlands, says report by security and counter-terrorism agency. The report also voiced concerns over mounting threats from both Israel and the US toward the International Criminal Court in The Hague

The report also voiced concerns over mounting threats from both Israel and the US toward the International Criminal Court in The Hague, pictured in November 2024 (Laurens van Putten/AFP)

MIDDLE EAST EYE

By MEE staff

Published date: 28 July 2025 14:37 BST 

The Netherlands has named Israel as a foreign threat to the country's national security for the first time, citing disinformation campaigns endangering the lives of Dutch citizens.

A report published by the National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism (NCTV) says that Israel attempted to influence public opinion and politics in the country by circulating documents directly to Dutch journalists and politicians instead of using the official diplomatic channels. 

The alleged disinformation campaign occurred after the clashes that followed the football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam last November. 

Close to 30 people were wounded as Israeli fans were caught on video vandalising property, threatening and assaulting people, as well as chanting racist, anti-Arab slogans. 

The Israeli authorities branded the riots as antisemitic and ordered two rescue planes to the Netherlands to evacuate the fans.

A week later, the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, took back her comments describing the violence as a "pogrom", saying that Israel "bypassed" Dutch authorities regarding the details of the events and their framing.

The NCTV report said that the document circulated by Israel-affiliated agencies also contained "unusual and unwanted personal details" about Dutch citizens. The country's ministries of justice, security and foreign affairs warned that these individuals could face threats, harassment and even physical attacks.

The NCTV further voiced concerns over mounting threats from both Israel and the US toward the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The report said that this could potentially disrupt the court’s work.

Last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over their role in alleged war crimes in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The court has since faced significant pressure from the US and Israel to drop the investigation.

The Netherlands hosts key international legal institutions, such as the International Court of Justice, and bears a special responsibility to protect them from external influence. 

The NCTV  report comes as the Dutch government - a traditional Israeli ally - has become increasingly critical of the country over its war on Gaza and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.

Along with Ireland and Spain, the Netherlands has urged the European Union to reevaluate its ties with Israel due to its war on Gaza, accusing the country of violating the human rights provisions in the EU-Israel association agreement.

In February 2024, The Hague court of appeals ordered the Dutch government to stop the export of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel.

The court raised concerns that the weapons may be used to breach international humanitarian law.

However, despite the court’s decision, there have been reports that the Netherlands is still supporting the supply chain of Israel’s version of the F-35 fighter jet.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/netherlands-intelligence-report-identifies-israel-foreign-threat 

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"And yet we watched as those subtle, innocent, beautiful nuances of our tongue were twisted into indicators of suspicion. In an American discourse so heavily imbued with anti-Palestinian racism and so rife with Islamophobia, Palestinians or those who dare see them as human are not allowed to have legitimate intentions or legitimate grievances. They are to be constantly seen as suspicious. Even if they speak of human rights, equality, dignity, they can never really be trusted to mean those things because of who they are — sneaky shapeshifters with deeply held, murderous, ulterior motives. It is quite remarkable how much this echoes antisemitism throughout history, and that should surprise no one. All forms of racism are connected" Yousef Munayyer

 ... An Era of Being Exogenously Defined 

On a nightly basis after September 11, 2001, so-called terrorism experts who knew next to nothing about the language, religion, or cultures of the region would appear on news broadcasts — indoctrinating our friends, neighbors, classmates, and coworkers to treat our language as suspicious.

We watched as those subtle and innocent nuances of our tongue were twisted into indicators of suspicion.

I remember hearing an Arab-American elder once explain to a curious neighbor, “In Arabic, God is in every conversation.” At the time, I thought it was a bit overdramatic. It is undoubtedly true that it is hard to imagine an Arabic conversation where Allah is not uttered. Whether in our bismillahs, alhamdulillahs, mashallahs or inshallahs or our yallahs or wallahs, God makes routine appearances. But these are not necessarily religious conversations at all. Even the non-religious use these terms; it is just the nature of how we communicate in our language due to its historic ties to faith. It is also one of the many things that makes the Arabic language beautiful.

And yet we watched as those subtle, innocent, beautiful nuances of our tongue were twisted into indicators of suspicion. In an American discourse so heavily imbued with anti-Palestinian racism and so rife with Islamophobia, Palestinians or those who dare see them as human are not allowed to have legitimate intentions or legitimate grievances. They are to be constantly seen as suspicious. Even if they speak of human rights, equality, dignity, they can never really be trusted to mean those things because of who they are — sneaky shapeshifters with deeply held, murderous, ulterior motives. It is quite remarkable how much this echoes antisemitism throughout history, and that should surprise no one. All forms of racism are connected.

A Shoe on the Other Foot

Imagine for a minute subjecting words or phrases in a different language, or about a different people, to the same unfair treatment. Consider the Hebrew phrase Am Yisrael Chai. The literal meaning of the phrase is “the people of Israel live,” and there are plenty of instances where the use of this phrase is mundane. However, the phrase is routinely chanted by murderous Israeli settlers as they engage in mob violence against Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Recently, it has been shouted by Israeli soldiers as they commit heinous war crimes in Gaza and shared widely and proudly by those same soldiers on social media. Thus, one could argue that Am Yisrael Chai is a genocidal slogan and must be banned, and that all those who use it or have used it must be criminalized and viewed with deep suspicion.

Surely, this is absurd. And yet this is the absurdity Palestinians and those who support their freedom are constantly subjected to. Still, too many cannot see the glaring double standard... READ MORE

https://theintercept.com/2025/07/10/mamdani-globalize-intifada-democrats/

Zohran Mamdani Shows Democrats How Not to Take the Bait

By refusing to capitulate on "globalize the intifada," Mamdani rejected a long tradition of demonizing Arabic language.

by 

Yousef Munayyer

July 10 2025

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"If your God demands you shred kids & execute people trying to rescue them, then maybe you should seek a new God!"

Mike Hanini Odetalla

  If your God demands you shred kids & execute people trying to rescue them, then maybe you should seek a new God!

Israel military razed Gaza perimeter land to create ‘kill zone’, soldiers say- Combatants’ testimonies describe how areas were destroyed to create ‘a death zone of enormous proportions’

"One of the soldiers who provided testimony to Breaking the Silence on condition of anonymity said their unit was told to shoot anyone in the perimeter area on sight. The mentality in their unit, they said, was that there was no such thing as a “civilian” and everyone who walked into the perimeter would be considered a “terrorist”..."

Smoke rises over a ruined building in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli bombardment last week, as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border. Photograph: Amir Levy/Getty Images

Israel’s military razed huge swathes of land inside the perimeter of Gaza and ordered troops to turn the area into a “kill zone” where anybody who entered was a target, according to testimony by soldiers who carried out the plan.

Israeli combatants said they were ordered to destroy homes, factories and farmland roughly 1km (0.6 miles) inside the perimeter of Gaza to make a “buffer zone”, with one describing the area as looking like Hiroshima.

The testimonies are some of the first accounts by Israeli soldiers to be published since the latest war started in October 2023 after Hamas’s attack on Israel. They were collected by Breaking the Silence, a group founded in 2004 by Israeli veterans who aim to expose the reality of the military’s grip over Palestinians. The Guardian interviewed four of the soldiers who corroborated the accounts.

Titled “The Perimeter” and published on Monday, the report said the stated purpose of the plan was to create a thick strip of land that provided a clear line of sight for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to identify and kill... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/07/israel-military-gaza-perimeter-land-testimony-report

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State sponsored violence is not the way to convince vulnerable people to veer away from arming religious tyranny and terrorism.

Dear America (letter I just sent to my elected officials)

Support civilization- not bulldozers and bombs destroying homes and farms and families.

Support security for all human beings- not sniper bullets killing children. 

Support the rule of fair and just laws with full respect for universal basic human rights- NOT ISRAEL.

NOT ISRAEL!  Not the way the political entity called Israel has been as it systemically denigrates, displaces, and destroys the indigenous men, women, and children of historic Palestine.

An extensive echo chamber of dangerous Israeli lies and propaganda clouds your thinking and your ability to be fair or wise. Slow down- stop, look and listen. 

I abhor HAMAS and Hezbollah. What they did and do was wrong and evil. Knowing that I also know that state sponsored violence is not the way to convince vulnerable people to veer away from arming religious tyranny and terrorism.

We live in a modern age with computers, maps, books, the internet and citizen journalists with cellphones and so many other advantages, including the tools to shape a just and lasting peace. 

Please stop choosing violence and injustice. 

Listen to the witnesses, listen to the people who know what they are talking about, and think. Think about how you would feel and what you would think if you were a child in an Israeli prison being tortured.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

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

James J. Zogby: What investment and freedom would have meant for Gaza

 "Yasser Arafat, speaking of Gaza’s future, would say that with investment and freedom from occupation it could become Singapore; if denied both, it could become Somalia. Israel did everything it could to guarantee that Gaza would become Somalia—and they appear to have succeeded."

UNRWA chief confident he is on 'right side of history' Geneva (AFP) – UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini acknowledges that it has been "stressful" leading the embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees, but says he is confident he is "on the right side of history".

'The violence in the occupied #WestBank is alarming. Since January nearly 40,000 Palestine Refugees have been displaced by air strikes, armoured bulldozers and controlled detonations. People cannot return and the demography of camps is being permanently altered.' - @UNLazzarini

"Letting @UNRWA implode because of the fierce disinformation campaign, the Knesset legislation, and the suspension of funding by key donors will have grave consequences. 

 

 It would create a dangerous vacuum in the occupied Palestinian territory. 

 

It will also send shockwaves through Jordan, Lebanon and #Syria. 

 

This would create an environment in which children are deprived of #education + people lack access to basic services. 

 

Such an environment would be fertile ground for exploitation & extremism. 

 

This is a threat to peace & stability in the region + beyond. 

 

Dismantling UNRWA abruptly will only deepen the suffering of Palestine Refugees, it will not cancel their refugee status."

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: "Ultimate depravity, entirely unconscionable. How can bombing besieged, starved, helpless families in their sleep be justified by perverted, psychopathic minds? Israel has already slaughtered 50,000 & injured 113,000 victims in Gaza while destroying 75% of all homes & infrastructure using American weapons & funds. Is this the US version of peace?"

Israel continues GENOCIDE in Gaza with massive bombardment after repeated violations of ceasefire... BUT This is what the media manufacturing consent for genocide looks like:

ALL EYES ON PALESTINE: The Israeli military is resuming its all-out assault on Palestinian families in Gaza, drastically escalating its violations of the ceasefire, killing and wounding hundreds. The Israeli military is attacking Palestinians after already relentlessly targeting them after over 17 months of genocide, mass killings, and forced starvation.

‘They lock us in like sheep’: new Israeli checkpoints and barriers raise fears in the West Bank. Israel’s growing network of roadblocks are cutting off communities from major transport routes, disrupting work, education and aid supplies

The US assault on free speech is not going to end with Mahmoud Khalil - Arwa Mahdawi in The Guardian: "It’s 2027 and you’re doom-scrolling in your apartment while eating a single egg for dinner. (Eggs are now $30 a dozen.) You fire off a few angry tweets about abortion rights and go to bed. In the middle of the night armed police break down your door and arrest you for destabilizing the security of the state. You are detained and then – if you hold citizenship elsewhere – deported...."

In Growing Gardens for Palestine: What is Home? a poem by Mosab Abu Toha

Poem A Day - Academy of American Poets @POETSorg Mosab Abu Toha's [You were so small in my hands]

Western Media Whitewashes Genocide... Please follow Assal Rad @AssalRad to see her obvious and honest rewrites of our media's misleading headlines, ommisions, and "scare quotes" when it comes to Israel's war on Palestine

Key context on the Palestinian activist arrested by ICE: I Was a Columbia Student Journalist. Here’s What to Know About Mahmoud Khalil. By Irie Sentner 3/13/2025

"The New York Times, which has warned its writers to not use “words like ‘slaughter,’ ‘massacre’ and ‘carnage’” when reporting on Gaza, the same NYT that has systemically obfuscated the genocide in Gaza, is reporting that Columbia is warning its students not write about Gaza" Mohammed El-Kurd

Mahmoud Khalil: When Speaking for Palestine Becomes a Crime Mahmoud Khalil is a political prisoner and his unlawful detainment is being used to set precedent implementing facisct policies reminiscent of McCarthy Era First Amendment restrictions

Criticizing Israel is not Anti-Semitic. Calling for respect for human rights and the rule of fair and just laws is not Anti-Semitic. Countering the poisonous propaganda of a very foreign rogue nation state that interferes with our elections and our free speech is not Anti-Semitic... Americans should not be funding, arming, and/or excusing Israel in any way, shape, or form.

Please do not demonize and silence or destroy people who speak out peacefully against corruption, injustice, racism, bigotry, and violence of every type.

Please stop fueling corporate corruption, WAR, and escalating suffering for countless men, women, and children.

Israel, armed with American made weaponry and political support, invests in religious extremism and sets up families to be canon fodder for religious wars.... Israel claims to be Jewish, but what it really is is a cruel war machine that has been aggressively grabbing land, rights, and peace from the people of historic Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

Hate crimes are escalating here in America with people primed by Zionism to think, say and do horrible things...

Slavery, Segregation and Forced Displacement are wrong. Wrong then and wrong now

My Letters https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/letters

 

"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

Francesca Albanese: Imagine if people stopped telling the Palestinians what to do and instead focused on Israel's LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

Building a Culture of Peace

Diversity, equality, and inclusion

In the aftermath of the ceasefire in Gaza, 1.9 million displaced people urgently need shelter, aid, and psycho-social support.⁣ ⁣UNRWA plays a vital role in fostering stability and resilience during this critical time.

In 1948 Albert Einstein along with 28 other prominent Jewish leaders wrote a letter to the New York Times… It stated that the Israeli political party resembled the Nazi Party in its ideology and methods. Einstein went on to say that he opposed the state of Israel and it was against the religion of Judaism

Albert Einstein passionately argued against the creators and creation of Israel. He called it a terrorist organisation.

Albert Einstein Letter to The New York Times published December 4, 1948

Internet Archive  pg 2-3

https://archive.org/details/AlbertEinsteinLetterToTheNewYorkTimes.December41948/page/n1/mode/2up

Topics

Einstein, Arendt, anti-fascism, Zionism, Palestine, Irgun, Israel

NOTHING justifies violent extremism ... United Nations plan of action to prevent violent extremism

https://www.un.org/sites/www.un.org.counterterrorism/files/plan_action.pdf

 

Dear America- PLEASE don't let American weaponry or words inspire even more religious extremism, terrorism, and state sponsored brutality world-wide 

Segregation is the act or process of separating individuals or groups based on characteristics such as race, class, or ethnicity, often resulting in unequal treatment and access to resources. It can occur through enforced laws or voluntary actions, leading to distinct living, educational, and social conditions for different groups.

State Sponsored Segregation is OPPRESSION and INJUSTICE

Segregation In The  1950s America 

The Ku Klux Klan burning a cross in Tennessee, 1948.  The Ku Klux Klan employed terror in pursuit of their white supremacist agenda

1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I HAVE A DREAM

"Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. 

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt..."

meanwhile

Israeli imposed Segregation in what had been historic Palestine 1948-2025 so far

Nakba means "Catastrophe" in Arabic. It refers to the destruction of Palestinian society in 1948 when approximately 750,000 Palestinians fled or were forced into exile by Israeli troops. Because the Palestinians were not Jewish, their presence and predominant ownership of the land were considered obstacles to the creation of a Jewish state. Their exodus, or Nakba, was already nearly half-complete by May 1948, when Israel declared its independence and the Arab states entered the fray.

In 1948 United Nations Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte pointed out that "IT WOULD BE AN OFFENCE AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE IF THOSE INNOCENT VICTIMS [Palestinian men, women, & children] COULD NOT RETURN TO THEIR HOMES WHILE [Zionist] IMMIGRANTS FLOWED INTO PALESTINE TO TAKE THEIR PLACE"

2 years later

UNWRA the United Nations agency to provide education, healthcare, relief and social services to officially displaced Palestinian refugees began operations 1 May 1950.

75 year later & counting Israeli racism, injustice, supremacism, and violence is only becoming more entrenched and dangerous.

2025 ‘Branded’: Satellite images show Star of David carved into Gaza

The symbol, apparently created by Israeli tanks, can be seen from space in the Palestinian enclave.

2025 in Gaza: Palestinians re-entering their abandoned neighborhoods have found the bodies of loved ones crushed beneath the ruins of their homes.

"A humanitarian official told CNN that organizations are concerned about foreign powers like China and Russia using the US aid freeze to increase their own soft power overseas. And there are concerns that non-state actors, like terrorist groups and child soldier recruiters, could gain influence in areas where US funding currently supports refugee camps, the official highlighted."

The US Agency of International Development (USAID) has issued 'stop-work orders' impacting multiple sectors following a directive from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pause most US foreign aid.

J. David Ake/Getty Images/File

US foreign aid freeze is upending global aid and the work of contractors

By Lauren Kent, CNN

The extent of the impacts of the Trump administration’s sudden 90-day freeze of almost all foreign aid is still unclear almost a week on, as officials and aid workers overseas try to make sense of which activities must be suspended.

The suspension of foreign aid was outlined in a diplomatic cable from Secretary of State Marco Rubio last Friday.

In addition to widespread confusion around ongoing aid projects, the suspension means some aid contractors are not being paid for contracts and work that they have already completed, one aid industry source told CNN, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution.

Contractors working with USAID – many of them US-based companies and small businesses – often front the money for aid work, then submit invoices and get reimbursed later.

Now, some are not being paid for millions of dollars’ worth of services already rendered, the aid industry source said. That means there will be significant furloughs of staff at many aid contractors and subcontractors...  READ MORE  https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/30/world/us-foreign-aid-freeze-intl-latam/index.html