MST sends another donation of 11 tons of food to families in Gaza

Another shipment of food produced by members of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) left Brazil for families suffering under the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip due to Israel’s almost complete blockade of the enclave. In total, the MST sent 11 tons of food, in its latest contributions to international humanitarian assistance efforts.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/11/mst-sends-another-donation-of-11-tons-of-food-to-families-in-gaza/

Houthis enforce embargo on ships heading to or leaving Israel

The Ansar Allah, or the Houthis, who lead the Yemeni government in capital Sanaa, declared that they had forced an Israel-bound ship to turn back on Sunday, December 10, as it was sailing through the Red Sea in violation of the warnings issued a day before.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/11/houthis-enforce-embargo-on-ships-heading-to-or-leaving-israel/

British workers organize to defeat the Tory anti-strike laws

Trade unions and left-wing sections in the UK are gearing up to challenge the anti-strike laws of the Tory government.

The anti-worker legislation effectively thwarts strikes by enforcing minimum services and penalizing strikers in three key sectors — the ambulance service, rail network, and border security.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/11/british-workers-organize-to-defeat-the-tory-anti-strike-laws/

🇵🇸 Death toll in Gaza from Israel’s genocidal war crosses 18,000

The genocidal Israeli onslaught on Gaza has led to the deaths of over 18,000 Palestinians with the number of injured crossing 50,000 as of December 11.

According to reports, at least 300 Palestinians were killed and thousands of others injured in the 24 hours preceding Monday due to the intense Israeli bombardment. Egypt and Mauritania invoked the United Nations Resolution 377 to pressurize Israel to end its assault on Gaza and agree to a ceasefire. The UN General Assembly will be holding a special session on Tuesday to discuss the urgent need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/12/death-toll-in-gaza-from-israels-genocidal-war-crosses-18000/

WHO Executive Board adopts resolution calling for unimpeded flow of aid into Gaza

Members of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board successfully adopted a resolution on the health conditions in the Occupied Palestinian territories during a rare special session of this body.

The work behind the consensus was substantial, involving revisions of an original proposal brought forward by the representatives of Afghanistan, Morocco, Qatar, and Yemen. The final resolution calls for “the immediate, sustained, and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief, including the access of medical personnel,” among other things. It also refers to the invocation of Article 99 of the UN Charter by the Secretary-General António Guterres last week.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/12/who-executive-board-adopts-resolution-calling-for-unimpeded-flow-of-aid-into-gaza/

Thousands of people from the Basque city of Guernica hit the city center in a stunning display of solidarity with the people of Gaza who are facing Israel’s genocidal attacks.

The thousands who assembled at the Pasialeku Market Place in Guernica formed a human mosaic depicting the Palestinian flag and part of Pablo Picasso’s famed anti-war painting, Guernica.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/12/guernica-stands-in-solidarity-with-gaza/

After years of pressure from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which has intensified in recent months, the German company Puma announced on December 12 that it will drop its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association.

Puma’s stores have been the target of protests in recent weeks, such as a picket line outside of a Boston store on Black Friday, and an occupation of a store by demonstrators in Manchester, England.

“We thank the hundreds of grassroots solidarity groups, athletes and teams across the world who supported the call from 215 Palestinian teams to boycott PUMA,” BDS stated.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/12/puma-drops-israel/

International pressure on Israel continues.

On December 11, people in dozens of cities across the world participated in a general strike for Palestine to demand the end of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.

The United Nations General Assembly just voted overwhelmingly in favor of a humanitarian ceasefire. On Friday, the United States exercised its veto power to block a resolution in the Security Council calling for the same. 153 countries voted in favor of the UNGA resolution, 23 abstained, and 10 voted against, including the United States and Israel.

US President Joe Biden warned in an address to donors in Washington that it appears the world has turned against Israel. “They’re starting to lose that support,” said the President.

Biden also urged Netanyahu not to “make the same mistakes,” that the United States did in the wake of the September 11 attacks, referring to the long war in Afghanistan. “There’s no reason we did so many of the things we did,” Biden said.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/13/is-israel-losing-its-biggest-ally/

Family members of the Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza are among the loudest voices opposing the carpet bombing of the besieged strip by the Israel Occupation Forces (IOF), killing over 18,000 Palestinians, about 70% of whom are women and children.

“We were in tunnels, terrified that it would not be Hamas, but Israel, that would kill us, and then they would say Hamas killed you,” protested a former Israeli captive at the meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet on December 5.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/13/contradictions-deepen-in-israel-as-genocidal-war-on-gaza-enters-third-month/

🇵🇱 The short-lived third Law and Justice (PiS) party government led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki lost the confidence vote in the Polish Parliament, effectively ending the eight-year-long rule of far-right party in the country.

Following that, Donald Tusk, leader of the liberal Civic Coalition (KO), was elected to lead the new government in the country, with the support of the centrist and left-wing parties represented in the parliament. Donald Tusk received 248 votes in support in the 460-seat lower house of the parliament, the Sejm.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/13/donald-tusk-returns-as-polish-premier-after-eight-years-of-pis-rule/

Trade unionists from all over Europe protested in Brussels at the meeting of finance ministers.

People reject budget cuts from governments while corporations make record profits.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist who has received much criticism for his unwillingness to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, finally released a statement on December 13 calling for President Biden to “stop funding this war and to support UN efforts for a humanitarian ceasefire.”

While Sanders’ statement began with a denunciation of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation carried out on October 7, the bulk of his statement criticizes Israel’s disproportionate military response, mass human rights violations, and violations of international law.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/13/after-months-of-war-and-over-18000-gazans-killed-us-senator-bernie-sanders-calls-for-a-ceasefire/