(2021-05-01). Dozens killed in crush at Israeli religious festival. wsws.org Despite warnings from Israeli health officials that the mass celebrations could become a super spreader event, the authorities allowed the event to go ahead. It was the largest gathering since the start of the pandemic.
(2021-04-30). At Least 44 Dead After Crush And Stampede At Israeli Religious Festival (VIDEO). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | In the early hours of April 30th, at least 44 people were crushed to death in a stampede at an over-crowded religious bonfire festival in Israel. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a "heavy disaster". | The stampede happened as tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews thronged to the Galilee tomb of 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shim Bar Yochai for annual Lag B'Omer commemorations that include all-night prayer, mystical songs and dance. | Witnesses said people were asphyxiated or t…
(2021-04-30). At Least 44 Dead After Crush And Stampede At Israeli Religious Festival (VIDEO). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | In the early hours of April 30th, at least 44 people were crushed to death when crush took place and a stampede broke out at an over-crowded religious bonfire festival in Israel. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a "heavy disaster". | The stampede happened as tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews thronged to the Galilee tomb of 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shim Bar Yochai for annual Lag B'Omer commemorations that include all-night prayer, mystical songs and dance. | Witnesses…
(2021-04-30). Headlines for April 30, 2021. democracynow.org India COVID Cases Continue to Soar as Arundhati Roy Decries "Crime Against Humanity", Deaths Soar in Latin America; Brazil COVID Death Toll Tops 400,000, 44 Ultra-Orthordox Jews Die in Stampede at Religious Site, Abbas Postpones Palestinian Elections, USAID Watchdog Criticizes Trump's Politicization of Aid to Venezuela, Thousands Flee into Thailand as Burmese Junta Launches Airstrikes Near Border, Florida Approves Sweeping Voter Suppression Bill, West Virginia, Florida & Texas Bills Target Trans Youth, Biden Vows to Close Private Detention Centers in Response to Georgia Protesters, Right-Wing Extremists Face New…
(2021-04-30). "A Threshold Crossed": Israel Is Guilty of Apartheid, Human Rights Watch Says for First Time. democracynow.org 
A major new report by Human Rights Watch says for the first time that Israel is committing crimes of apartheid and persecution in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The international human rights group says Israeli authorities dispossessed, confined and forcibly separated Palestinians. "For years, prominent voices have warned that apartheid lurked just around the corner. But it's very clear that that threshold has been crossed," says Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch. "It's time for the international community to recognize the reality on the ground for what it is — aparthei…
(2021-04-30). Eviction: No Easter in Occupied Jerusalem. counterpunch.org 
For over a week now Muslim Palestinians have not been allowed to celebrate the Iftar (breaking the Ramadan fast at dusk) at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate, as they have done in the past. They have also been denied access to the Al Aqsa mosque and its compound. So much for religious freedom in "The only Democracy in the Middle East."
(2021-04-30). Extremism is on the Rise in Israel. counterpunch.org 
After neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville, North Carolina, and then President Donald Trump responded by saying there were "good people on both sides," people who abhor white supremacism stood up, took notice, and condemned the marchers. Anti-racists would be wise to do the same about the far-right march that took place last week in Jerusalem. The
(2021-04-30). Bottom-up Politics: Grassroots Activism Drive Pro-Palestine Shift in the US. counterpunch.org 
At a recent virtual J Street Conference, US Senators, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren broke yet another political taboo when they expressed willingness to leverage US military aid as a way to pressure Israel to respect Palestinian human rights. Sanders believes that the US "must be willing to bring real pressure to bear, including restricting
(2021-04-30). Documenting a century of resistance in Palestine. greenleft.org.au Alex Salmon reviews a new book documenting one hundred years of war and resistance.
(2021-04-30). Zionist forces raid Palestinians in occupied lands. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 30 (MNA) — Israeli forces re-attacked a rally of Palestinians in Bab al-Amoud area of occupied lands and territories and arrested a number of them.
(2021-04-30). How the US is shielding Israel from Apartheid charges and itself from complicity charges. juancole.com ( Middle East Monitor) — The Palestinians mentioned apartheid in connection with Israel long before B'Tselem used the description. Now it is the turn of Human Rights Watch (HRW) to — rightfully, if belatedly — accuse Israel of apartheid in its latest report titled A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and …
(2021-04-30). Human Rights Watch declares Israel has crossed apartheid threshold. wsws.org HRW draws on years of human rights documentation, case studies and a review of government planning documents, statements by officials and other sources. It documents a catalogue of Israeli abuses committed against the Palestinians.
(2021-04-30). Right-Wing Extremism Is on the Rise in Israel. commondreams.org "We would be wise in the aftermath of last week's 'death to Arabs' march in Jerusalem to also speak out against Kahanism in Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/israel-2.jpg …
(2021-04-30). Middle East coordinator calls for new and timely‚ÄØPalestinian election‚ÄØdate‚ÄØ. news.un.org After…
(2021-04-29). How Syria Acted as a Regressive Force in the Lebanese Civil War. orinocotribune.com By Yanis Iqbal — Apr 27, 2021 | April 9, 1976. The Syrian military intervened in Lebanon to fight against the National Movement (NM) and Palestinians. Kamal Jumblatt — the leader of the NM — was too radical for the liking of Damascus. With his anti-Zionist leanings, he could easily provoke Israel into invading Lebanon — increasing the strategic vulnerability of Syria. Thus, Hafez al-Assad — with the tacit consent of the US — proceeded to thwart any possibility of a leftist regime coming to power in Beirut. Tokenistic elections are held on May 16, 1976 under the watch of Syrian t…
(2021-04-29). Headlines for April 29, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Urges Congress to Back Vast Expansion of Social Safety Net & New Taxes on Rich, India in Public Health Catastrophe as Deaths & Infections Reach New High, Hate Crimes Charges Filed Against Georgia Men in Ahmaud Arbery Murder, NC Judge Delays Release of Police Footage of Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting, Video: Chicago Police Shot Anthony Alvarez Dead as He Was Running Away, FBI Raid Rudy Giuliani's Home & Office, Mass Protests in Colombia Held to Protest Iván Duque & Proposed Tax Reform, U.S. Contractors Are Still Helping Maintain Saudi Warplanes Used in Yemen War, Israel Faces Call to Free Alaa al-Rimawi, Palestin…
(2021-04-29). Why Jerusalem is Sacred to Muslims, and why even the Emirates are Rebuking Israel for Persecuting Palestinians There. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began Monday, April 12, and for the succeeding week and a half there was trouble at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate. Muslim youth were used to gathering in the square in front of the the gate, which had been built by the Ottoman Sultan Suleyman …
(2021-04-29). Defend Jerusalem, Rally for Return and Liberation: Take Action for the Week of Palestinian Struggle 15-22 May. samidoun.net 
Defend Jerusalem Freedom for the Prisoners Resistance Toward Victory Return and Liberation Take Action! Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges organizations, activists, social movements and friends of Palestine everywhere to take action to defend Jerusalem, rally for Palestinians' right to return, and act for justice and liberation for all of Palestine. We join in the call for the Week of Action for Palestinian Struggle, 15-22 May 2021: take action, march, rally, protest, organize and struggle for Palestine! Read the call from the Masar Badil (Alternative Palestinian Path) here As we approach the…
(2021-04-29). Halt Israel's Genocidal Policies is Quds Day Message. orinocotribune.com By Iqbal Jassat — Apr 18, 2021 | As global solidarity movements in support of Palestine's freedom struggle begin preparations for the annual Quds Day commemoration, America's new administration, under president Joe Biden, remains stuck in the mud. | Each year during the month of Ramadan, the last Friday is dedicated to raising awareness on the illegal dispossession, occupation and ongoing atrocities perpetrated by the apartheid regime. Quds Day, as it was called for by the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini, has galvanized civil rights movements across the world to support and sustain action p…
(2021-04-29). Sullivan: US and Israel Have a Policy of 'No Surprises'. news.antiwar.com National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan When asked if he would prefer that Iran's nuclear sites not come under attack, Sullivan said, "We certainly believe that there are certain kinds of activities that are unhelpful to diplomacy.
(2021-04-29). Israeli Minister: Our Warplanes Can Reach Iran. news.antiwar.com An Israeli cabinet minister stepped up the threatening rhetoric against Iran, warning that a US return to the nuclear deal would mean war, and said that Israeli warplanes can reach the Islamic Republic. | "A bad deal will send the region spiraling into war,"
(2021-04-29). Palestinian Prisoners — An Ongoing Struggle for Justice. globalresearch.ca Today 04.27.2021,