Another former US State Department official alleges Israeli military gets ‘special treatment’ on abuses

Another former US State Department official alleges Israeli military gets ‘special treatment’ on abuses
Israeli soldiers lead a Palestinian family out of their home during a raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on April 20, 2024. When it came to complaints against Israeli military abuses of Palestinian civilians, US officials usually look the other way, according to a former US State Department official. (AFP)
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Updated 25 April 2024
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Another former US State Department official alleges Israeli military gets ‘special treatment’ on abuses

Another former US State Department official alleges Israeli military gets ‘special treatment’ on abuses
  • “In my experience, Israel gets special treatment that no other country gets,” says Charles O. Blaha, former director of a State Department security and human rights office
  • Late last year, Josh Paul resigned as a director overseeing arms transfers to other countries’ militaries in October in protest of the US rushing arms to Israel amid its war in Gaza

WASHINGTON: A former senior US official who until recently helped oversee human-rights compliance by foreign militaries receiving American military assistance said Wednesday that he repeatedly observed Israel receiving “special treatment” from US officials when it came to scrutiny of allegations of Israeli military abuses of Palestinian civilians.

The allegation comes as the Biden administration faces intense pressure over its ally’s treatment of Palestinian civilians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. And it matters because of who said it: Charles O. Blaha.

Before leaving the post in August, he was a director of a State Department security and human rights office closely involved in helping ensure that foreign militaries receiving American military aid follow US and international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Blaha said his departure from the State Department after decades of service was not related to the US-Israeli security relationship. He is the second senior State official involved in that relationship to assert that when it comes to Israel, the US is reluctant to enforce laws required of foreign militaries receiving American aid.

“In my experience, Israel gets special treatment that no other country gets,” Blaha said. “And there is undue deference, in many cases, given” to Israeli officials’ side of things when the US asks questions about allegations of Israeli wrongdoing against Palestinians, he added.

He spoke to reporters at an event where he and other members of an unofficial, self-formed panel of former senior US civilian and military officials released a report pointing to civilian deaths in specific airstrikes in Gaza. They said there was “compelling and credible” evidence that Israeli forces had acted illegally.

Blaha’s comments echoed those of another State Department official and panel member, Josh Paul. Paul resigned as a director overseeing arms transfers to other countries’ militaries in October in protest of the US rushing arms to Israel amid its war in Gaza.

Asked about the allegations from the two, a State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel, said “there is no double standard, and there is no special treatment.”

Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel consistently says it follows all laws in its use of US military aid, investigates allegations against its security forces and holds offenders accountable.

Israel historically is the United States’ biggest recipient of military aid, and Biden on Wednesday signed legislation for an additional $26 billion in wartime assistance. But Biden has come under growing pressure over that support as Palestinian deaths mount.

The latest Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 34,000 people, according to local health officials.

In coming days, the administration says it will announce its official findings from reviews it did into allegations of especially serious human rights abuses by specific Israeli military units. Those units would be barred from receiving US military aid if the US review confirms those allegations.

Separately, the Biden administration also is expected to disclose by May 8 whether it has verified assurances from Israel that the country is not using US military aid in a way that violates international or human rights law. Both Israel’s written assurance and the US verification were mandated by a new presidential national security memo that Biden issued in February.

The February agreement was negotiated between the Biden administration and members of his own Democratic Party, who had been pushing for the US to begin conditioning military aid to Israel on improving treatment of Palestinian civilians.

Panel members released their report Wednesday to urge the US to scrutinize specific attacks in Gaza that the former officials argued should lead to a conclusion that Israel was wrong when it confirmed it was complying with the laws. If that determination is made, the US could then suspend military aid.

Wednesday’s unofficial report points to 17 specific strikes on apartments, refugee camps, private homes, journalists and aid workers for which the former US officials and independent experts allege there’s no evidence of the kind of military target present to justify the high civilian death tolls.

They include an Oct. 31 airstrike on a Gaza apartment building that killed 106 civilians, including 54 children. Israeli officials offered no reason for the strike, and a Human Rights Watch probe found no evidence of a military target there, the officials said. Israel has said in many of the instances that it is investigating.

 


Explosions on buses in Israel as authorities say no one was harmed

Explosions on buses in Israel as authorities say no one was harmed
Updated 20 February 2025
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Explosions on buses in Israel as authorities say no one was harmed

Explosions on buses in Israel as authorities say no one was harmed
  • Police spokesman Asi Aharoni told Channel 13 TV that explosives were found on two other buses
  • Police rushed forces to the scene in Bat Yam, a Tel Aviv suburb, as they searched for suspects

JERUSALEM: Israeli police on Thursday reported a series of explosions on buses in central Israel in what they said appeared to be a militant attack. No injuries were reported.
Police spokesman Asi Aharoni told Channel 13 TV that explosives were found on two other buses. He called on the public to be alert and report any suspicious objects to authorities.
The explosions took place just hours after Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza — the first of eight hostages that Israel believes are dead and to be returned during the current phase of the ceasefire.
Police rushed forces to the scene in Bat Yam, a Tel Aviv suburb, as they searched for suspects. Police spokesman Haim Sargrof says drivers have scanned all buses and trains, and those scans are complete.
“We need to determine if a single suspect placed explosives on a number of buses, or if there were multiple suspects,” he said.
Tzvika Brot, mayor of Bat Yam, said it was a miracle that no one was hurt. He said the buses had finished their routes and were in a parking lot. He said one of the unexploded bombs was being defused in the nearby town of Holon.
Sargrof said the explosives matched explosives used in the West Bank, but he declined to elaborate.
Israel has repeatedly carried out army raids on suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. As part of that crackdown, it has greatly restricted entry into Israel for Palestinians from the occupied territory.
Since the ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Jan. 19, Israel has been conducting a broad military offensive against Palestinian militants in the West Bank. In the past, militants have entered Israel and carried out shootings and bombings in Israeli cities.


UN calls for rapid economic recovery in Syria to reverse losses from 14 years of conflict

A displaced Syrian stands inside her dilapidated apartment, overlooking the destruction in Homs' Khaldiyeh neighborhood. (AFP)
A displaced Syrian stands inside her dilapidated apartment, overlooking the destruction in Homs' Khaldiyeh neighborhood. (AFP)
Updated 6 min 30 sec ago
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UN calls for rapid economic recovery in Syria to reverse losses from 14 years of conflict

A displaced Syrian stands inside her dilapidated apartment, overlooking the destruction in Homs' Khaldiyeh neighborhood. (AFP)
  • UN Development Program says that at current growth rates it will take until 2080 for the country’s economy to return to prewar levels
  • Regional Director Abdallah Al-Dardari tells Arab News Syria’s journey to recovery is arduous, urges countries to understand effects of sanctions and act accordingly

NEW YORK CITY: A newly published report from the UN Development Programme warned that at current growth rates, the Syrian economy will not recover to prewar levels until 2080, leaving the country stuck in a state of prolonged hardship and instability.

It also underscored the urgent need for a rapid economic recovery to help reverse the decades of progress that were lost as a result of the 14-year civil war. The conflict shattered nearly four decades of economic, social and human development, causing irreparable damage to the nation’s infrastructure, economy and social fabric.

The report, titled “The Impact of the Conflict in Syria: A Devastated Economy, Pervasive Poverty, and a Challenging Road Ahead to Social and Economic Recovery,” offers a detailed analysis of the socioeconomic state of the country, and outlines a road map for rebuilding its economy and infrastructure.

According to the UNDP’s preliminary socioeconomic impact assessment, gross domestic product in Syria has halved since the war began in 2011, representing a loss of $800 billion over the past 14 years.

Poverty has reached alarming levels, with the national poverty rate soaring from 33 percent before the war to 90 percent. Extreme poverty has also skyrocketed, with 66 percent of the population now affected, up from just 11 percent prior to the conflict. Three out of four people in the country rely on humanitarian aid and are in urgent need of support for critical aspects of life such as healthcare, education, employment, food security and housing. The country also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, with one in four Syrians jobless.

Achim Steiner, the administrator of UNDP, said that the requirements for Syria’s recovery extend beyond the immediate need for humanitarian aid.

“Restoring productivity for jobs and poverty relief, revitalizing agriculture for food security, and rebuilding infrastructure for essential services such as healthcare, education and energy are key to a self-sustaining future, prosperity and peace,” he said.

The damage to Syria’s infrastructure, which has left many essential services nonfunctional, is among the primary obstacles to recovery. The report highlights a staggering array of damage: nearly 50 percent of schools are closed, one-in-three housing units have been destroyed, and nearly half of the nation’s water-treatment plants and sewage systems are no longer operational. Energy production has plummeted by 80 percent, with power plants and transmission lines heavily damaged. These failures in basic services exacerbate poverty levels and block any meaningful path toward recovery.

The UNDP report also highlighted the devastating loss of life during the war, and the decline in health infrastructure. Nearly 618,000 Syrians died during the conflict, and 113,000 were forcibly disappeared, their whereabouts still unknown. Meanwhile, the collapse of the healthcare system has exacerbated the crisis; a third of all medical facilities have been damaged and almost half of ambulance services are no longer operational.

The education sector was also hit hard, leaving 40-50 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 15 unable to attend school. The widespread destruction of housing has left 5.7 million people in need of shelter support.

Essential infrastructure, including water-treatment plants, sewer systems and power plants, has been severely damaged, leaving millions without access to clean water, sanitation or reliable energy supplies.

Syria’s position on the Human Development Index has plummeted to its lowest point since 1990, further illustrating the catastrophic effects of the war on the nation’s development.

The economic outlook remains grim but hope can be found in the potential for robust growth if the correct strategies are implemented, the UNDP said. Its report calls for an ambitious approach to development, as growth rates will need to increase sixfold if they are to recover within a decade.

At the current rate of annual growth, 1.3 percent, it would take more than 50 years to restore GDP to prewar levels. To recover within 15 years, Syria would need to achieve a growth rate of 5 percent, and a tenfold increase in growth would be required for the country to reach the level of development it could have attained in the absence of the war.

Abdallah Al-Dardari, UNDP’s assistant administrator and director of its regional bureau for Arab states, stressed the important need for comprehensive reforms, and said: “Syria’s future hinges on a robust development-recovery approach.

“This demands a comprehensive strategy addressing governance reform, economic stabilization, sector revitalization, infrastructure rebuilding, and strengthened social services.”

He told Arab News that this strategy for recovery will rely on investments and on good management of those investments, as he underscored the institutional requirements Syria will need to meet to attract private investment in infrastructure.

“If you want to invest $100million or $200 million in (a) highway, you need to first of all be sure that you can go to the court, and the court will treat you equally if you have a litigation with your counterpart, which is the government,” Al-Dardari said.

“You need to make sure that there are internationally recognized arbitration systems. You need to make sure that your money can come in and leave the country. You need to make sure that your banking system respects the highest standards of banking.

“I can give you a very long list of things that need to be done and are not there yet. So this is an arduous journey. This is not an easy journey.”

Al-Dardari also told Arab News about the effects of international sanctions, imposed on the Assad regime during the war, on the economy and the ways in which they are hampering recovery progress.

“I'll give you an example,” he said. “Who is going to bring those investments of $36 billion while they are not really sure that the banking sector is free to bring in money, to use the SWIFT (banking system) to transfer funds and to invest?

“How do you make sure that your shipments into Syria of raw materials or semi-manufactured products are protected? How do you make sure that your exports from Syria can arrive at their destinations, and money will be paid for those exports?

“So at every step of the way in recovery, sanctions will play a role. The chilling effect of sanctions, what we call the ‘overload lines,’ will accompany those sanctions. So our core message (to countries) here is: Please understand the impact of sanctions and act accordingly.”

 


Iraqi brick workers risk health, life to keep families afloat

Iraqi brick workers risk health, life to keep families afloat
Updated 20 February 2025
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Iraqi brick workers risk health, life to keep families afloat

Iraqi brick workers risk health, life to keep families afloat
  • Economic hardship has pushed 5 percent of Iraq’s children into labor, often in harsh conditions

AL-KIFL, Iraq: As dawn broke over central Iraq, teenage sisters Dalia and Rukaya Ghali were loading heavy bricks, forced out of school and into a hazardous job to support their family.

Covered in dirt, the sisters toiled for hours at the oil-fired brickworks near Al-Kifl city south of Baghdad, earning just enough to keep their younger siblings at school.

“I’m very tired, but what else can we do?” said 17-year-old Dalia, left with little choice but to work since she was 10, like about one in every 20 Iraqi children according to UN figures.

Her face concealed up to just below her eyes to protect her from the dirt and smoke that hung heavily in the air, Dalia said that if she and her 16-year-old sister had not been working, “our family wouldn’t have been able to survive.”

Babil province, where the Ghali family live, is Iraq’s second poorest, according to the authorities. Nationwide, nearly 17 percent of the oil-rich country’s 45 million people live in poverty.

Economic hardship has pushed 5 percent of Iraq’s children into labor, a UN study found in 2018, often in harsh conditions and at a risk to their health.

Dalia uses the $80 a week she earns to cover tuition for two of her siblings, so they can escape a fate similar to hers even though the family needs the money.

Her uncle Atiya Ghali, 43, has been working at brick factories since he was 12.

Despite the hard labor and the low pay, he said he was willing to work his “entire life” at the factory, where he now supervises dozens of laborers, as he has no other source of income.

Brickworks run on heavy fuel oil, producing high level of sulfur, a pollutant that causes respiratory illness.

The factories produce dust that also harms workers’ lungs, with many suffering from rashes and constant coughing.

Authorities have asked brickworks to phase out their use of heavy oil, and closed 111 factories in the Baghdad area last year “due to emissions” that breach environmental standards.

Adding to the polluted air that they breathe, laborers face the ever-present threat of work-related injury.

Sabah Mahdi, 33, said he is anxious when he goes to work every morning.

“Some have been injured and others have died” at the factory, he said.

One co-worker was killed trapped in a brick-cutting machine, and another was burnt, said Mahdi.

Medical sources said that 28 brick workers died in central and southern Iraq in 2024, and another 80 were injured.


UN envoy says creating an inclusive Syrian govt could help lift sanctions

UN envoy says creating an inclusive Syrian govt could help lift sanctions
Updated 20 February 2025
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UN envoy says creating an inclusive Syrian govt could help lift sanctions

UN envoy says creating an inclusive Syrian govt could help lift sanctions

DAMASCUS: Creating an inclusive government in the Syrian Arab Republic in the coming weeks will help determine whether Western sanctions are lifted as the country rebuilds after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad, the UN special envoy to Syria said on Thursday.

“What I’m hoping is that with a truly new inclusive government in place on the 1st of March, this will help us in lifting sanctions” imposed on Syria by Western countries during Assad’s rule, Geir Pedersen said in an interview during a visit to Damascus.

After Assad was toppled in a lightning rebel offensive in December, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, the group now in control of Syria, set up an interim administration comprising mainly members of its “salvation government” that had ruled in northwestern Syria.

At the time, the country’s de facto authorities said that a new government would be formed through an inclusive process by March. 

In January, former HTS leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa was named Syria’s president after a meeting of most of the country’s former militant factions.

In recent weeks, a committee has been holding meetings in different parts of Syria in preparation for a national dialogue conference to chart the country’s political future, the date of which has not yet been announced.

Pedersen said that in his first meeting with Al-Sharaa in December, Al-Sharaa had insisted that the interim government would rule for only three months. 

However, Pedersen warned him the timeline was tight.

“I think the important thing is not whether it is three months or not, but it is whether they will deliver on what they have said all along, that this is going to be an inclusive process where all Syrians will be included,” Pedersen said.

The US and European countries have not lifted sanctions that were imposed on the Syrian government under Assad’s rule, which the new authorities have said is handicapping their ability to rebuild the country after nearly 14 years of civil war and restore essential services like state electricity. 

Officials from some Western countries have said they want to see if the interim rulers will follow through on their promises of inclusive governance and protecting minorities.

Organizers of the national dialogue have said the conference will include all segments of Syrian society except for Assad loyalists and the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led force in the northeast that has so far refused to dissolve and be absorbed into the new national army. 

The SDF is currently negotiating with the central government, and Pedersen said he hopes to see a “political solution” to the impasse.

Pedersen said he is also concerned about a security vacuum following the country’s new rulers’ disbanding of the former national army and security services.

“It’s very important that the new structures of the state are coming in place quickly and that there is an offer to those who are no longer in service of the army or the security services, that there are other job opportunities, and that people do not feel that they are excluded from the future of Syria,” he said.

The UN envoy said he also remains concerned about Israel’s incursions into Syrian territory since the fall of Assad. The Israeli army has seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria and has also made forays beyond the buffer zone. 

The UN has said that Israel is violating the agreement.

Israeli officials have said they took the action to protect Israel’s security and that their presence would be temporary.

Pedersen said the security concerns are being addressed, and “there is really, in my opinion, no argument for why the Israelis should be staying.”

“The solution is very simple. The Israelis need to withdraw,” he said.


Pro-Hezbollah outburst at Beirut airport sparks tension

Pro-Hezbollah outburst at Beirut airport sparks tension
Updated 20 February 2025
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Pro-Hezbollah outburst at Beirut airport sparks tension

Pro-Hezbollah outburst at Beirut airport sparks tension
  • Passenger’s display of party symbols and criticism of authorities sparks arguments among travelers
  • Yemeni minister calls on Lebanese authorities to arrest Houthi representatives at Nasrallah’s funeral

BEIRUT: A passenger’s display of support for Hezbollah after her arrival at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport caused tension and resentment among other travelers.

The woman, whose actions were recorded on video and shared on social media, was criticized “inciting trouble in the airport.”  

She claimed that a security officer at the airport prevented her from raising a Hezbollah flag and pictures of former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on airport premises.

Her reaction led to an altercation among travelers and those waiting at the airport.

The woman claimed that a military intelligence officer requested her not to display the pictures inside the airport, saying: “Raise them outside.”

Ensuing developments then caused tension among the passengers arriving at the airport.

As seen in video clips recorded by passengers at the airport and circulated on social media, the woman held up a picture of Nasrallah.

She said: “This is Lebanon’s airport; this is the real Lebanon. We are here in our airport, and you are not the one to stop us from raising or placing the picture wherever we want.”

She continued shouting, accusing those preventing her from displaying the pictures of “taking orders from the Israelis.”

She added: “They should be the ones to leave, not us. If anyone does not like it, they can leave Lebanon. This is our homeland.”

Some returning passengers supported her stance, chanting: “At your service, Nasrallah,” further escalating tensions.

This incident came just days after Hezbollah supporters staged protests on the airport road after the authorities’ refusal to grant landing permission to an Iranian civilian aircraft.

The ban remains in effect due to Israeli threats to target Iranian planes and the airport in Beirut.

The protests included roadblocks in Beirut and turned into riots as protesters burned car tires and dumped rubbish in the streets, and even intercepted a UNIFIL convoy, assaulting the UNIFIL deputy commander and his escort, who were both taken to hospital.

The demonstrations culminated in clashes with the Lebanese army, leading to the arrest of dozens of rioters.

Public Prosecutor Jamal Al-Hajjar is expected to conclude preliminary investigations into the actions of detainees suspected of attacking three UNIFIL military vehicles and setting one on fire.

He received initial reports from the military Intelligence Directorate concerning 30 people held for questioning.

A judicial source told Arab News that 10 detainees had been identified as participants in the attack.

The case will be forwarded to the Military Prosecutor's Office to file charges against those involved in crimes that may include attempted murder, vandalism, destruction of military vehicles, arson, and rioting.

Also on Thursday, officials said there had been an unusual influx of flights carrying passengers returning to Lebanon at the airport, some arriving via Iraq to attend the funerals of Nasrallah and his successor Hashem Safieddine.

The two men were killed in September and October during Israeli airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs. The war delayed their funeral processions.

The funeral is scheduled for next Sunday at Camille Chamoun sports stadium at the southern entrance to Beirut.

Nasrallah will be buried on a plot of land owned by Hezbollah on the old airport road, parallel to Beirut’s southern suburbs, and Safieddine will be buried in his hometown in the south.

Beirut airport announced the suspension of flights during the funeral processions, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, with all flights for that day being rescheduled.

Hezbollah said that participants from 79 countries would attend the funeral, including Iran, Iraq and Yemen.

Hezbollah delegations continue to send invitations to Lebanese officials and party leaders, including Hezbollah’s opponents.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani called on the Lebanese state to arrest the Houthi leaders who will attend Nasrallah’s funeral and hand them over to the Yemeni government.

Al-Eryani said in a post on social media that “the participation of the Houthi officials in the funeral affirms their unwavering support for Iran, and their ongoing involvement in the Iranian project in the region, while the Yemeni people suffer from war, hunger, poverty, and disease due to their destructive policies.”

The Yemeni official believes that “this is not a mere participation in the funeral, but an attempt to gather all the leaders of the Iranian axis and assess the situation after the blows they received.”

He emphasized the importance of “ensuring that Lebanon doesn’t become a safe haven for the leaders of the armed group, in compliance with international resolutions.”

During a press conference, Nasser Akhdar, the head of Hezbollah’s media committee for the funeral procession, confirmed that Hezbollah will go ahead with the funeral regardless of the circumstances.

“This includes any security issues arising from the ongoing Israeli occupation in the south, as well as any adverse weather conditions if the meteorologists’ predictions are accurate,” he said.

“Preparations are ongoing, invitations are being distributed, and the funeral will take place as scheduled.”