"Today, in this upside-down world, we feverishly await the final vote in the U.N. General Assembly on the genocide in Srebrenica, while Gaza has been destroyed, and its people starved and denied water." (Illustration by Erhan Yalvaç)

Of villains, heroes and the final act

Of villains, heroes and the final act | Opinion (archive.org)

BY FARHAN MUJAHID CHAK - MAY 14, 2024

A UNGA resolution condemning the Srebrenica genocide is developed by countries like Germany and the U.S., despite their complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza by supporting Israel

Ino longer believe in fairy tales, although I once did.

Raised with ideals of sacredness in life, I was taught to honor the sanctity of humanity, to champion international law, and to cherish freedom of speech as the cornerstone of societal progress. I believe the Geneva Conventions were a manifestation of our collective conscience that mandated the rules of war and held nations to account. Women and children; hospitals and schools; the elderly and infirm were inviolable. I was taught that "peaceful protest" was the quintessential liberty of a sophisticated society that understood the relationship between civic activism, social change and progress. I listened, attentively, to the lofty rhetoric and was enthralled. I would utter high-sounding words on democracy, equality and freedom, and those grand glutinous words stuck to my teeth. I was – in a way, smitten.

Head-over-heels over values that deeply resonated in me, yet I slowly became disillusioned. It became evident those hollow words were never meant to be believed, only used to establish authority and reproach others with their inhumanity. Justice was not blind, and race, color and creed mattered in the application of the law. It is in this troubled context that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will vote on whether to declare July 11 "The International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide." The complex intersection of the ongoing genocide in Palestine, the war on students and free speech on university campuses across the United States, Canada and Europe, and the former genocide in Srebrenica deserves closer scrutiny. The U.N. vote on the Bosnian genocide could not come at a more condemnable moment in world history.

On May 1, after considerable delay, a draft U.N. resolution on the Srebrenica genocide was submitted to the president of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly. Recall that in 1995, the town of Srebrenica was a U.N.-declared safe zone promised protection by a U.N. Dutch force. Dozens of able-bodied Muslim men in the town were asked to disarm, which they did. Despite that, fanatical Serb forces overran the safe zone and murdered 8,372 Muslim men and boys. Such is the perverse reality of the world we live in, that a U.N.-mandated safe haven, supposedly protected by U.N. forces, was invaded by terrorist Serb forces and a genocide ensued under their watch.

Bizarre irony

Now, a UNGA resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, partially modeled on a similar resolution for Rwanda, has been developed by several countries including Germany and the U.S. Absurdly, both are collaborators in the genocide currently underway in Gaza by direct military, economic and diplomatic support for Israel. This is the bizarre irony of being complicit in an ongoing genocide and putting forth a U.N. Resolution condemning the same.

What is the point of passing a resolution on genocide and turning a blind eye to one going on for the whole world to see? Sadly, villains need masks and no better cover than virtue. It is politics, not ethics, that is driving the U.N. Srebrenica vote. Of course, this does not diminish the necessity of it or the need to condemn the Srebrenica genocide and its denial. Still, the larger macro-level betrayal of the Geneva Conventions and International Human Rights Law by the U.S., U.K. and Germany is an indictment of the Western-led global order.

It is that outright duplicity, the sheer savagery of the genocide in Palestine, and the silencing of dissent that has provoked a whole generation of young people on campuses throughout the West. After all, they, too, were told stories about diversity, inclusion and pluralism. They were taught to condemn discrimination based on ethnicity, religion or gender. About equality before the law and the inviolability of non-combatants. They were raised to feel empowered and encouraged to peacefully organize and express their opinions. And, that society benefits when individuals exercise their civic duty. Now, they are witness to the flagrant disavowal of the moral archetypes that were instilled in them. They feel duped and are protesting, as heroes do, the enabling of genocide by their universities. Idealistic and courageous, they are sacrificing their education and careers to condemn the genocide in Palestine. Except rather than being celebrated, thousands of students have been beaten, harassed and arrested. Condemned for believing in the values that they were taught.

Now, we seem to be in the final act. One of impunity – if you will, in which we close our eyes to the genocide in Palestine, condemn students who protest it, and negotiate ways to commemorate a past genocide in Srebrenica – when ignoring it while it happened. Today, in this upside-down world, we feverishly await the final vote in the UNGA on the genocide in Srebrenica, while Gaza has been destroyed, and its people starved and denied water.

Yet, no matter the outcome of the resolution, it will not stop future genocides. Still, if nothing else, it will forever be a testament to the twisted dystopian reality in which we live and be a symbol of the urgent need for a new world order. Maybe, one faraway day, we can muster the will – for whatever purpose, and pass a U.N. resolution condemning it. Or name a highway after the martyrs. We will tell noble stories about those who were killed since it seems our twisted world only after their death feigns to honor them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Professor of International Affairs, Visiting Research Faculty at Al Waleed Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University

"Can't be a nice way to die. Hungry, slow… knowing your food source is just out of reach…" "Why do you keep me here?" "I need to know what we're up against. For example, how many of those big hive ships, have you got, and where are they?" "You have nothing to offer me in return." "We could talk about easing your hunger, Steve." "You would never sacrifice one of your own kind. And yet, it is all that stands between you and the information you seek."

The concept of good and evil as a cosmic balance of the universe as a world building thing has always wigged me out since before I could even put my finger on what.

So much of it, when improperly done (ie, good vastly outweighing the bad, evil must be eradicated entirely) is just... The thinnest veneer of a plot device that makes it so hard to develop any good sense of nuance or even real understanding. It reeks of propaganda, and self righteous at that, even when in universe it's a hard proven fact. And it's always the bad/evil being unnatural, inherently wrong, the mere existence irredeemable.

Even when there's a bit more thought put into it, something like 'there is evil in every heart, but we must learn to understand it, and accept it, so we are not overcome' still has, like, that black and white binary to it, like sure there's shades of grey, but it's still... Based around the morals of the creator? It's an entirely objective concept, this good and evil.

Even today, cultures and religions around the world can have wildly varying ideas on what are virtues and what are cardinal sins that'll get you punished forever (even the words there are from one religion that famously cannot agree within itself). In the past global values were even more extreme as people learned more about the world over thousands of years (ye olde sexism is a big example).

Yes, it might not be true of reality, but even in fiction I still find works that explore the concept of a world order that incorporates good and evil physically or spiritually just... Off. Like that one terry pratchet quite from death I am going to quote very loosely - 'grind this universe down to its very building blocks, and show me one speck of justice. One atom of mercy'. The response is 'but people - we have to believe in these things! We need to believe in something!'.

Of course people need to believe in it. We do. We need justice and mercy and love and kindness. But to make those human concepts integral to the universe itself - magic forces of good and light and purity, and evil and darkness and corruption... It always sort of falls through.

But I'd also love to play with that. I'd love to explore other ways a fantasy world could work that could be misinterpreted by its denizens and good and evil. Something that has atoms or motes or fairy dust to make up its being. Decay and repair, perhaps. Warmth and cold. Light and dark as more than the presence or absence of radiation. The dark as a radiation of its own.

To say something is evil for its mere physical existence, I find that very hard to believe.

It is very important to read this and share it

Today the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor Observatory stated that Israel dropped over 25,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip as part of its ongoing extensive war since October 7th, equivalent to two nuclear bombs.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, based in Geneva, highlighted the Israeli army's acknowledgment of targeting more than 12,000 objectives in the Gaza Strip, setting a record in the number of bombs dropped, surpassing 10 kilograms of explosives per person.

With the advancements in bomb quantity and effectiveness, while maintaining a consistent amount of explosives, the quantity dropped on Gaza could be equivalent to twice the power of a nuclear bomb.

Additionally, Israel deliberately employs a mixture known as "RDX" (Research Department Explosive) commonly referred to as "the science of complete explosives," with a power equal to 1.34 times that of TNT.

This means that the destructive power of the explosives dropped on Gaza exceeds what was dropped on Hiroshima, taking into account that the city of Hiroshima covers an area of 900 square kilometers, while Gaza's area is no more than 360 square kilometers.

Furthermore, Israel has been documented using internationally banned weapons in its attacks on the Gaza Strip, particularly cluster and white phosphorus bombs. White phosphorus is a highly toxic incendiary substance that rapidly reacts with oxygen, causing severe second and third-degree burns. The Euro-Mediterranean team has documented cases of injuries among the victims of Israeli attacks that resemble the effects of dangerous cluster bombs, as they contain small high-explosive submunitions designed to penetrate the body and cause internal explosions, resulting in severe burns that melt the victims' skin and sometimes lead to death. These submunitions also cause peculiar swelling and toxin exposure in the body, including transparent shrapnel that does not appear in X-ray images.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory has emphasized that Israel's destructive, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks constitute a clear violation of the laws of war and the rules of international humanitarian law, which stipulate the obligation to protect civilians in all circumstances and under any conditions. Killing civilians is considered a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts and can rise to the level of a crime against humanity.

The 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions, along with the 1949 Geneva Convention in its latest formulation, established fundamental human rights during wartime to limit the deadly health consequences of internationally banned weapons, some of which could lead to the "genocide" of civilians.

Article 25 of the Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land prohibits "attacking or bombarding towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are not defended."

Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that "any destruction by the occupying power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations."

According to Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the destruction of property that is not justified by military necessity and on a large scale is considered a serious violation that requires prosecution. Such practices are also classified as war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory has called for the formation of an independent international investigative committee to assess the magnitude of explosives and internationally banned weapons used and continue to be used by Israel against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

This committee would hold accountable those responsible, including those who issued orders, made plans, executed actions, and took measures aimed at achieving justice for Palestinian victims.

The real issue is that Israel has no right to self-defense against the territory and the people that it occupies. According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, it has a duty and a responsibility to protect those people until the reversion to a status quo ante that preceded hostilities, meaning until sovereignty is returned to the Palestinians. Of course, Israel denies that this is applicable, because it denies that Palestinians are a people, and so they say there is no sovereign to whom to revert. Israel also claims that this territory belongs to them. They claim that they had the right to acquire it by force, which proceeds from their claim that the 1967 War was a war of self defense. Neither of those claims are true. Israel insists that the attack that launched the 1967 War—in which it destroyed Egypt’s entire air fleet while it was still on the ground—was a preemptive strike against an inevitable attack by Egypt. In reality, Egypt was cooperating with the United States as it worked toward a mediated agreement. This was not a defensive war—but even if it was, since the adoption of the UN Charter in 1945, there has been no principle in international law that permits the acquisition of territory under any circumstances. Israel has created and perpetuated legal fictions to deny the applicability of international law. For one, Israel says there is no occupation. It says the territory is “disputed” and applies occupation law on a de facto basis, which allows it to cherry-pick the provisions with which it complies. It has created a sui generis regime that has no analogy or precedent, and thus it neither recognizes Palestinians as part of its domestic order—which would characterize its confrontation with Palestinians as a civil war—nor acknowledges the existence of a regular war against a nascent sovereign fighting for national liberation. Instead, Israel has been creating new law to cover what it calls “armed conflict short of war.” This enables Israel to usurp Palestinians’ sovereignty, and associated policing power, while also using military force against them.

I wanna tease PTM Jade so baaaaad just to hear his thoughts cause he's just so CUTE!

Like imagine Yuu trying to get back ar him by purposefully doing the most basic teasing! I like to imagine once Yuu calms down a bit around Jade, they use their mind reading as a form of kinda revenge to make Jade the flustered one.

Like just a casual touch of the arm or doing a heart dhaoe with fingers while Jade is over there like "CUTE CUTE CUTE" and becomes distracted and does something dumb. Or if they want to get just a bit spicy maybe purposefully like... Imagine Jade sitting at a table and Yuu leans over it to give a hint of cleavage and Jade is trying to stay calm and not day anything so he can keep staring.

I just love how Yuu can distract Jade by being cute and can make Jade do a horny grip so easily. Maybe Yuu picks up on what types of things get Jade's mind going and doing things that look so innocent to everyone else while Jade is trying to keep a biner hidden.

Bonus: I know clowns will be the thing for Halloween but if Yuu had some kind of made like outfit going on Jade would combust

I know a lot of people want PTM Yuu to take advantage of their telepathy to tease Jade by doing things that they know will fluster him or make him horny grip, but I think there's something much funnier. Yuu tries their hand at making Jade flustered, maybe a beach day where everyone goes to the beach near Foothill Town. It's a bit too close to Royal Swords for them, but it is what it is.

Getting a burst of confidence, they decide to wear very simple, but sheer pants to wear over their bathing suit. It leaves little to the imagination, mostly because it's a sheer beach cover up…but also they're at the beach anyway. So there's not much you're hiding anyways. But, for some reason, there is something much more appealing about the black mesh fabric against their skin, combined with the lack of a top. It's the same sort of appeal as wearing lingerie instead of being completely naked. They way the fabric hugs against their skin, leaving little to the imagination, and a gift to unwrap.

Unfortunately, give Jade an inch, and he'll take a mile, as now he's thinking about the downright nastiest things he's gonna do to Yuu. He's thinking about the messiest, most backbreaking fucking he's gonna give them. Something absolutely delicious, vile, and godforsaken sex that you two will have to add a whole new section to the Geneva Conventions. :)

Yeah, after hearing that Yuu promptly goes back to change into a baggy shirt and cargo packs, They're sitting under an umbrella in the sand far, far away from the water as they scream into the sand and think about the consequences of their actions. Let's hope for their sake that Jade doesn't get the urge to grab their ankle and drag them into the water, cause now he's not even horny gripping, he's just fucking insane.

VH - Locked & out

“I’m sure,” simpered Villain to the chained Vampire Hero between two bodyguards, “that you’d love to know what happened to the last Hero who went against me.”

“Well, now that you mention it -”

“You’re here to rescue them, aren’t you ? You’ve nicely played the part of the naive newcomer, but I know who you are, vampire. I’m sorry to say that you’ve been betrayed. The other Hero was very cooperative.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sure you’ve realized that you can’t hypnotize my guards. They all have charms around their necks.”

“I noticed.”

“You’re trapped for good.”

“All right.”

“I’m sure you’d love to meet the one who betrayed you.”

“I do.”

“Perfect. You will be in the same prison.”

Without further commentary, the henchmen threw Vampire Hero in a small cell. Another person was already there, curled up in a corner. They were not in a good state. Even the blood stains around them looked unappealing. The smell was bland, characteristic of a lack of nutriments.

“Can you talk ?” asked Vampire Hero after a moment.

“It’s all my fault”, whispered the other.

Vampire Hero scratched his head and looked around, a little embarrassed. His job was dealing with villains. He was good at that. He only had to hold back a little. Dealing with Not-Evil People was another matter altogether. He was making progress – he had pinned to his fridge the Geneva Convention to be sure not to forget it during his job, it seemed like a good starting point – but still, he wasn’t the best person to deal with this situation. He was vaguely aware that threats or mocking wouldn’t do much good, so he awkwardly shrugged, his hands in the pockets of his tattered jeans. The other hero ignored him. Their eyes were glued on the ground, the iris wide.

“I tried. I tried not to crack. But – they broke me. They really, really broke me. And I – if they told you I’ve betrayed you, it’s true. I’ve told them everything they wanted to know.”

“Well yeah. Torture is torture and you only have one body. Seems logical to me.”

“You don’t understand. They know who you are.”

“I’m in a cell, buddy. I understand fine.”

Hero burst in tears.

“I’m a failure. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You can – you can do whatever you want to me. I’ll understand.”

Once again, the vampire was at a loss. He knew of a hundred ways to make things worse and one of them was the silent treatment, but he didn’t want to do it. He’d read somewhere that physical contact could help, but Hero was covered with undressed wounds.

So he booped them on the nose.

“Chill. You look like you’ve been scorched alive and you can still lament about your situation. You’re fine. You’ve succeeded the most important thing. Crucial, really.”

“What ?”

“You’re still breathing. Keep doing that. I don’t have to, so I’ll get us out of here. All right ?”

“You’re not angry with me?”

“I don’t see why. ”

He crouched to examine the bars of the cell:

“And the sooner the better, I don’t want to be late for tonight.”

“What’s happening tonight ?”

Vampire Hero grinned from pointed teeth to pointed teeth, grabbing a bar that broke under the pressure of his fingers:

“ I am a creature of decadence and debauch. Every night, I have a meeting with a pure maiden, a cunning damsel, a fierce lady and a cruel temptress in my room.”

“All of them ? You must have a big bed.”

“All of them what ? I’m talking about my wife. I love my wife.”

“Oh, the evil one!”

Hero stopped themself, horrified by the words that just had come out from their mouth. You do not insult your colleague's spouse – especially if said colleague is currently ripping off metal bars from your own cell and is known for his dubious ethics. That is rude and unwise. The vampire stopped himself and glanced at them.

“I’m so sorry”, they squeaked. “I’ve been tortured and I’m confused and -”

Vampire Hero shrugged:

“No offense taken, mate. She was evil all right, and so was I. We were both a little cringe during our first centuries, like the youth say these days. To be fair, she was really sexy.”

“I’m - I’m sure of it.”

“And now she’s really sexy while dozing off while we watch TV. She’s really sexy when she drinks blood from a plastic bag. She’s really sexy all the time, really. Everything she does is delightful.”

He neglectfully threw a bar behind his back.

“Couldn’t you just destroy the lock ?” shyly asked Hero.

“No, I like doing it that way. It’s like bubble wrap.”

Vampire Hero joyfully kicked another bar that creaked and bent under his knee.

“You know what,” he said, “She’s feeling a little down because she can’t rip off heads as much as before. You should hear her complaining ! “I barely have strength to decapitate a human in a single stroke anymore !” and such. But what do I care ? She’d stay amazing even if she was too weak to pull the guts out of someone, but I keep telling her that and she still doesn’t believe it.”

“That’s really nice” assured Hero, whose smile was very strained. “I’m glad for you.”

The vampire stopped again – although maybe it was because half the bars had been taken off.

“Oh”, he said.

“What ? Have I said something wrong ? I’m sorry ! I didn’t -”

“No, it’s just – I don’t think a human has ever said that to me. I was... surprised.”

He held his hand out:

“Time to go. Thanks for the new experience, I guess.”

This time, Hero’s smile was a lot more genuine. They took the offered arm and painfully stood up:

“You’re very welcome.”

*

Vampire Hero is now a recurring character. His job is to troll current villains. Check the Vampire Hero Masterlist or Tag for more snippets with him.

You can meet his wife here.

Back to Hero x Villain Masterlist

🇵🇸 🚨

STATE OF PALESTINE CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO STOP GENOCIDE IN RAFAH

The State of Palestine today issued a statement Monday, February 12th 2024 calling on all responsible actors to stop Israel's imminent "genocide and destruction of the Palestinian people and prevent mass slaughter" in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

"States must urgently and immediately intervene to stop Israel's blood shed, uphold their obligations under the Geneva Convention and in line with the International Court of Justice's Preventative Measures Order, including by immediately imposing sanctions and an arms embargo."

The State of Palestine calls Gaza a " slaughterhouse" and slams Israel's deliberate mass murder, forced starvation and the displacement of 1.3 million Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, which the Palestinian State points out are composed mostly of children, with Israel's actions in the city of Rafah being described as "the most barbaric and savage of all."

"Israel, the occupying power, and those who provide it with the diplomatic, military and political cover are complicit in this genocide and are defying their obligations under International Law, as well as the ruling of the International Court of Justice."

The administration of the State of Palestine calls on global leaders, who it says have a "historic responsibility" to prevent Israel from launching its immenent genocidal ground invasion of Rafah and the "foreseeable apocalyptic consequences".

The administration added that "expressing concern without taking determined effective" action against the Israeli occupation is tantamount to a "moral and political failure".

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

Craig Mokhiber, who was stepping down having reached retirement age, wrote: “Once again we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes and the organization we serve appears powerless to stop it.”

He said that the UN had failed to prevent previous genocides against the Tutsis in Rwanda, Muslims in Bosnia, the Yazidi in Iraqi Kurdistan and the Rohingya in Myanmar and wrote: “High Commissioner we are failing again.

Mokhiber added: “This is text book case of genocide” and said the US, UK and much of Europe were not only “refusing to meet their treaty obligations” under the Geneva Conventions but were also arming Israel’s assault and providing political and diplomatic cover for it.

guessing game's in the House of Lamentation include:

who ate all of the food again?

who forget to stop the Coffee machine and now it flooded the House?

who left his clothes on the railing and caused somebody to break their neck?(don't worry they are as fine as somebody can be in this household)

who left a slightly gnawed on and not fully melted corpse in the bathroom?

who went against the Geneva convention by using chemical warfare?

the House is covered in shredded pieces of paper that are so small nobody even knew they were there for qeeks and just thought the House got really dusty real fast?

the House is under lock down because somebody somehow managed to introduce an ancient virus that is linked to a curse and nobody knows how to get ride of it?

there is Crow shit every where and nobody has to guess but they also aren't sure if it really was who they were thinking of or if they are getting framed (it has happened before)

Dog Tags (Preview)

Nikto x Reader | SFW | Word Count: 1.4k

Authors Note: Preview/Introduction to the new fic im writing!!

Warnings: Depictions of gore/injury and mentions of medication

It's been over four years. You’ve been trying to catch him. 8 different counties. Your heart was pounding from adrenaline. “I finally got you” you proudly proclaimed as you dug your knee into his back. Nikto groaned. His leg was broken from a failed escape attempt earlier. It was honestly the only reason your squad was able to detain him. You were quick to handcuff him. The other agents from NATO watched. All of them armed and ready to give Nikto the lead if needed. One of the men read Nikto his rights. Wanted on 17 counts of terrorism and suspected war crimes. He was fucked.

Nikto looked around him, a cold gaze on his face which was covered by his mask. He looked for any possible escape. The pain in his leg shot up to his knee and hips. “You got me, but at what cost?” Nikto barked out in a cocky tone. You roll your eyes and put more weight on your knee in the small of his back. He winced but he still managed to force out a chuckle. You gave a quick nod. Immediately after, two men squat down to slide a hand through the gap by his arm pits. You back off as they lifted him up, holding him so he could put weight on his good leg. Nikto swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. He was in so much pain he wanted to cry. Glancing back at him, you turned to one of your men with a radio. “Call the medic for his injuries. I want them on the aircraft before we evac.” You said as you walked away towards the extraction point just outside. The man nods and calls it in on the radio.

Nikto hopped over while being supported by the two men. His wrist ached from the cuffs being put on too tight. Tears prick his eyes from the pain in each jump. They make it to the extraction point where a V-22 can be seen approaching. Nikto lets his head fall down in front of him. He stared at the ground trying to collect himself. He would hide it well but Nikto was panicking. Last time he was caught like this he was tortured. Americans don’t torture, right? He sucked in a sharp breath, noticing he had forgotten to breathe. He felt betrayed by his own leg and how it would make his escape almost impossible.

You walk onto the aircraft talking to the necessary people. They are all asking what information to report back to base. Nikto is forced onto the aircraft. The two men that escorted him seated him down and secured all his limbs except his leg to the seat. They buckle his waist and overhead chest straps. After speaking to at least 10 people, you went and sat across from him. Crossing your legs and arms to glare at him. He returns the look with a cold and dirty look.

A young medic walks over to the two of you. He had just left his schoolhouse, so he was brand new to hitting the fleet. His name tape reads “Pellet”. Nikto watches Pellet closely as he speaks to him. “Good Afternoon Ma’am! I'm here to assess your injuries.” Pellet chirps out. You smile and reassure him youre okay and point to Nikto seated behind Pellet. Pellet basically turns in one hop motion to face Nikto while saying “oh”.

Pellet kneels and smiles at Nikto as he explains to him his rights under the Geneva Convention. Nikto zones out. Occasionally, giving you dirty looks. Pellet clears his voice and says “I'm going to have to cut your pants to assess your leg.” Nikto nods and says nonchalantly “Fine. Just do it quickly.” Pellet nods and pulls out a syringe and fabric scissors. Nikto watches him, his body stiff in fear that hell would bump his injury. Pellet starts with Nikto's ankle and stops cutting at just above his knee. Damn, he's white. You smile thinking about how you could tease him about how he should go get a tan. Pellet continues his work by sliding his pants a bit higher to expose his thigh. He carefully injects the morphine. Pellet moves his attention down to the break. It looked disgusting. All black and blue plus it was swollen. Pellet took down notes and stated that “I'm thinking transverse fracture in the fibula” You both look at him confused. “What” You both say at the same time reacting in a glare towards each other. Pellet lightly runs his finger about 3/4th down Niktos shin. “Clean break right here. I need an X-Ray when we get back for sure.” Nikto winces at the touch.

“This is going to hurt or feel very uncomfortable but the morphine should help.” Pellet states as he takes out a SAM Splint. (A split used in field military care. It looks like a big slap bracelet that doesn't bend.) Nikto looks at the roof and squeezes his eyes shut. He didn't want anyone touching his leg. It hurt to the point where it made him mad. Pellet wiped down Nikto and applied the SAM splints on both sides. Nikto was clenching his jaw so hard he thought he would break his teeth. Pellet quickly wrapped it up with field dressing and some athletic tape to secure it. Pellet stood up admiring his work. “All done.” He said, turning to face you. You dismiss Pellet and stand up to walk away. Pellet injects more Morphine into Nikto. He can feel his body relax. It makes him tiered almost.

The aircraft takes off. Nikto overhears it's a long flight back to the U.K. then they will fly to the states. Pellet comes around periodically to inject more morphine. Nikto falls asleep. Bad dreams and memories still cloud his dreams. Nikto's eyes fluttered open to someone running by. He groans and looks over to the cockpit where a small crowd stands. He can see you talking to the pilots. There were a lot of arguments and beeping noises all at once. Nikto listens to what he can. You grab the radio and speak on it in a serious but worried tone. “This aircraft is on humanitarian order and is carrying civilians. Stand down.” He hears you repeat it multiple times. A man stands next to you barking orders at the other men to take their seats and strap him. The aircraft jerks to the side. You repeat yourself on the radio before the pilots tell you to strap in.

​You rush to sit by Nikto, immediately pulling the shoulder straps over you. “You fucking bastard.” You bark at Nikto, who is looking at you blankly. He says nothing as you buckle the last remaining straps. You look at him disgusted. “Who did you call?!” Niktos' eyes changed to an expression of shock. “Me?! I've been tied to this chair!” He says, annoyed. His accent was getting thicker with anger. You scoff “You aren’t getting away from me again. I'm turning you in no matter what.” You grab the straps on your chest and squeeze your eyes shut as the aircraft jolts. Nikto notices your knuckles turning white from squeezing. You being worried makes him become worried. He goes to poke you but he is quickly reminded his hands are restrained to the seat. “What is happening?!” He demands, looking at the agent and Pellet who is seated across from them. Nikto didn't even notice him buckling in. Pellet was crying…? No one answered him.

It all happened in seconds. A loud bang. Heat. Cold air slapped him in the face. The whiplash. Then there was blood in his eyes. His heart felt like it was going to explode. He couldnt breathe, the pressure was so great. Blurring his vision. Sharp pain hitting his leg from getting hit with debris made him scream out in pain. Light. Then dark.

…

Nikto woke up slowly to a red flashing light and silence. A headache hit him. He could feel his head pulsing. He felt strange until he realized he was upside down. The blood rushing to his head didn't help. You were still strapped in next to him unconscious. Across from him Pellet was- Nikto wanted to vomit. He had to look away. Pellet's head was completely gone along with one of his legs. A disgusting blood mess. Nikito's vision starts to blur and blacken. The headache. The blood rush was so uncomfortable, almost painful. His leg was completely numb. A second later, he was unconscious again.

-

Military Lingo Key

V-22 Osprey- its like helicopter half plane. Pretty sketchy. Super loud when flying and bumpy.

Field dressing - softer brace that wraps covered wound or sprang. Its like the stuff they wrap around ur arm after giving blood but fabric.

Israel deliberately militarizes civilian objects, turns schools into military bases

Palestinian Territory - As part of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, ongoing for the seventh month now, the Israeli army has militarized civilian objects, including schools and educational facilities. Israel’s turning of these facilities into military bases is in flagrant violation of international law and the rules of war.   The Israeli army was not satisfied with its systematic and widespread bombing and massive destruction of schools, committing of serious crimes against civilians who were sheltering inside them, and deliberate targeting of these vulnerable people with air and ground military operations, killings, and direct unlawful executions.

Instead, it converted a number of schools into military bases, gathering places for its forces and vehicles, detention and interrogation centres, and torture facilities. This is in violation of both international humanitarian law, which was established to protect civilian objects from the danger of military operations, and the obligations placed on Israel as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which require taking the necessary measures to ensure that children who are orphaned or separated from their families as a result of a war are able to exercise their right to education.     During its field invasion of most of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army converted a number of schools into military bases and detention facilities. One such facility was the Salah al-Din Preparatory School in Gaza City, which in February was used as a detention and interrogation centre for hundreds of locals.   Israeli journalist Amir Bohbut released a video clip on 30 April in which he documents an Israeli military base located inside a Gaza Strip school, which Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reiterates is a war crime. In the video, he states,

“We are in a forward operations base belonging to the 162nd Division in the heart of the Gaza Strip. The video proceeds to display several large containers set up in the centre of the schoolyard, which he says are being used as offices and bedrooms. Bohbut adds: “Raids, ambushes, and other operations will start from here.”   A different video shows Israeli soldiers from the Givati battalion filming themselves inside a school while wearing military gear and carrying weapons; the Israeli and battalion flags are flying proudly behind them.

Additionally, members of the Israeli military have published videos of sniper soldiers firing from inside schools, some of which are United Nations-run schools.   Numerous footage clips have also been released that show Israeli soldiers seizing control of schools after forcibly evacuating displaced individuals who were seeking shelter there, inflicting thousands of injuries and making thousands of arrests.

One such video shows an Israeli soldier recording a message to his mother on a school blackboard in Gaza, written in both Hebrew and Ukrainian. Soldiers have even shared videos of themselves inside classrooms on social media, even going so far as to publicly boast about bombing a UN-run school.  

In its genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, ongoing since 7 October 2023, Israel has destroyed or partially destroyed 80% of the Strip’s schools. In a joint statement released on 18 April 2024, United Nations experts described this as “edu-genocide”, i.e. the deprivation of yet another generation of Palestinians of their educational future.  

Even the UNRWA-run schools, which have served as shelters for hundreds of thousands of civilians who were forcibly displaced, have been the target of intense Israeli attacks, some of which have occurred repeatedly and continually. These attacks have also occurred in areas that the Israeli army has designated as “safe”.  

The Israeli army has been ordering the illegal evacuation of roughly 246 square kilometres, or roughly 67% of the Gaza Strip’s total area, since 7 October. This covers every area north of the Gaza Valley, whose residents were told to leave in late October, as well as certain areas south of the Gaza Valley that have been under constant evacuation orders from the Israeli army since 1 December 2023.   Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip killed over 6,500 students, 756 teachers, and caused thousands more injuries between October 2023 and mid-April 2024. The death toll is expected to rise daily, and over 625,000 students have been denied their right to education over the course of an entire academic year. Additionally, six universities have been demolished, including Al-Israa University, which Israel bombed after first utilising it as a military base for 70 days.   The head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ajith Sunghay, previously declared that the educational system in Gaza “no longer exists at this stage”, citing the destruction of schools by Israeli bombing operations as well as their use by displaced Palestinians as shelters. “Children can no longer find a place to learn.”   In a report published on 13 December 2023, Euro-Med revealed that the Israeli army has turned schools sheltering 10s of thousands of displaced people into military centres and field execution sites as part of its genocide against Palestinians. Euro-Med Monitor received testimonies at the time about Israeli army forces carrying out unjustified field executions and killings of Palestinian civilians after detaining them for days inside the same schools where they had sought refuge from Israeli violence.   The testimonies revealed horrific human rights violations and atrocities against civilians killed after their release. The timing of the killings indicates that there was no reason to shoot them, other than to satisfy the bloody desires of Israeli soldiers or express the comprehensive moral permissibility—in the eyes of Israel’s military—when it comes to slaughtering and humiliating Palestinian civilians.   Around 15 dead Palestinians’ decomposed bodies were recently found in Al-Falujah neighbourhood, west of the Jabalia refugee camp. Based upon its initial investigation, Euro-Med Monitor confirms that these individuals were subjected to field executions after being questioned by members of the Israeli army at the Shadia Abu Ghazaleh government school.   Roughly one hundred leading European academics condemned Israel’s genocide against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip in an open letter in March, citing its physical and cultural liquidation of the Palestinian people and systematic destruction of the Strip’s educational system.   It is crucial to shield schools in the Gaza Strip from Israel’s military assaults. The international community must put pressure on Israel to cease its military operations against and inside schools in the Strip, in order to guarantee Palestinian children’s right to education and to ensure that they return to their classrooms as soon as possible, especially given that these schools will require extensive repairs and reconstruction.   Converting educational buildings into military bases is a practice that continues the colonial legacy of dominance and tearing apart the fundamental components of peoples, particularly their cultural and educational heritage.   The humanitarian community needs to be aware of the terrible conditions that children in the Gaza Strip are living in. Children are among the most vulnerable populations during times of armed conflict, and the ongoing Israeli military assault on the Strip is making their suffering worse.

They are no longer protected in any way by international law, and the Israeli army has turned them into direct and intentional targets of murders, executions, and deliberate and indiscriminate targeting.

They have also been subjected to crimes such as starvation, siege, denial of health care and basic necessities for survival, and prolonged denial of education, which will negatively impact their ability to exercise their other rights and leave them vulnerable to poverty, unemployment, and exploitation.

Finally, there is a risk that future generations will not have the knowledge necessary to rebuild Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli military attack is over.   It is important to allow investigative committees and specialized technical committees to visit the Gaza Strip in order to look into the horrifying crimes Israel has committed and to hold it responsible for its repeated violations of the International Convention to Prevent and Punish the Crime of Genocide.

These violations include the systematic persecution of Gaza Strip residents due to their Palestinian heritage, including killing and abusing them physically and psychologically, undermining their ability to survive, and forcing them to flee their homes by crushing and militarizing civilian property.

by Michael Rubin

On Jan. 7, an Israeli airstrike killed two Al Jazeera journalists in the Gaza Strip. The Qatar-run news outlet immediately accused Israel of targeting journalists and labeled their death an "assassination."

No serious journalist, diplomat, or human rights activist should give Al Jazeera benefit of the doubt. Terrorists have long used media to amplify reach. Chechen rebels would cancel missions rather than move without cameramen to leverage their attack into effective propaganda.

During the Iraq War, U.S. soldiers became accustomed to seeing Al Jazeera journalists pre-positioned to film booby-traps meant to maim and murder Americans. Legitimate journalists do not know about attacks before they occur; terrorists do.

Al Jazeera has a long history of crossing the journalistic line. Al Jazeera journalist Fahad Yasin, for example, used Qatari cash to propel himself to become Somalia's intelligence chief, a position he used to fund terrorism further.

Were Hamza Wael Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuria, the two Al Jazeera employees Israel killed, illegitimate targets? No. Both were traveling in a vehicle with a terrorist. They were operating a drone to surveil Israeli forces and enable Hamas attacks. To knowingly travel with a terrorist with the purpose of supporting that terrorist forfeits one's immunity, just as medics or school teachers lose their immunity if they transport terrorists or give cover for their operations. If press freedom groups are angry, they should not blame Israel but instead launch lawsuits against Al Jazeera for violating the Geneva Conventions in a manner that imperils all war correspondents.

It is in not only Gaza, however, where Al Jazeera violates the norms and ethics of journalism in pursuit of terrorism, violence, or espionage, but also on Capitol Hill. As Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) has pointed out, Congress credentials 136 Al Jazeera "journalists" to enable them into House and Senate galleries and expansive access to senators, members of Congress, and staff. Compare that to the New York Times that credentials only 82 members. The discrepancy in coverage — the New York Times produces far more — suggests that something other than journalism may motivate Al Jazeera.

The danger is multifold. The Justice Department has designated Iran's PressTV, Russia's RT, and Turkey's TRT to be foreign agents. Al Jazeera is no different. They are agents of a foreign power that flirts dangerously with terrorism sponsorship even if the State Department and Pentagon are reticent to designate the emirate formally, often for narrow bureaucratic reasons such as the lavish lifestyle servicemen enjoy in Qatar or access to sheikhdom's strategically superfluous al Udeid Air Base.

Al Jazeera may cynically resist measures to bring its credentialed staff in line with journalistic needs by citing First Amendment protections, nevermind that Qatar does not respect any such privilege domestically, nor does it allow open access to its palaces. That Al Jazeera has violated journalistic ethics by conducting surveillance on alleged opponents of Qatar's pro-Hamas, anti-Israel policies simply underscores it is a network of operatives operating under the cover of journalism.

House Resolution 189, introduced by Bergman, is a commonsense measure that should appeal across the partisan spectrum. It plugs a loophole in which foreign agents can claim press credentials to avoid compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Perhaps its only flaw is it does not go far enough: All journalists receiving access to roam not only the halls of Congress but also the Pentagon and State Department should undergo background checks, whether they are American citizens or not. In addition, the access foreign journalists receive should be proportional to that which American outlets enjoy in their countries.

Democracies and liberal societies rest upon a basis of rule of law. Too often, illiberal opponents shield themselves behind their opponents' idealism and mirror imaging without subscribing to it. With Hamas, this has meant corruption of protected institutions such as schools and hospitals and treating journalism as a shield for terrorism and espionage.

Al Jazeera may mourn its journalists, but they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. For too long, Al Jazeera has played the outside world for fools. Enough is enough.

Al Shifa Hospital

At first Gazans were told to evacuate to a safe zone in the south. And then they were forced to evacuate to so-called “safe zones,” farther and farther south, until they finally arrived at Rafah, the southernmost point in Gaza. And now Gazans are being bombed in Rafah.

Some Gazans have evacuated and relocated more than 5, 6, and 7 times. These evacuees include noncombatant civilians who are the sick, the starved, the elderly, children, pregnant people, nursing mothers and their children, disabled people and those who are otherwise unable or unwilling to keep repeatedly being forcibly displaced.

And they have been bombed by Israel at every step of the way of their forced displacement, their Nakba.

Literally everywhere that Israel has directed Palestinian civilians to evacuate to, the IDF has subsequently bombed those “safe zones” where civilians were told to evacuate to.

Israel has bombed civilians in safe zones, Israel has bombed civilians en route to safe zones, Israel has bombed civilians in churches and mosques, Israel has bombed civilians in refugee camps, in food lines, in UN schools, in ambulances, and in hospitals. Israel has murdered its own unarmed citizens waving white flags, because they thought they were unarmed Palestinians. Israel has violated practically every Geneva convention regarding the human rights of civilians in a war zone. Israel is indiscriminately targeting, attacking and killing noncombatant Palestinian civilians no matter where they are in Gaza. There is no “safe area” from Israel’s bombing. Israel is committing ethnic cleansing, war crimes and genocide, in plain sight of the entire world.

Now, under cover of darkness, Gazans are once again being fired upon as they are forcibly expelled from yet another Geneva convention and UN recognized “safe zone” - this time a hospital. In the dark. With no food, no water, no electricity, no heat, and no medicine.

This is collective punishment.

It’s barbaric and uncivilized.

It’s disproportionate, and it’s not self-protection, it’s sadistic revenge.

It’s cruelty and inhumanity that isn’t justified, not even by the Hamas attacks on October 7th. I am not siding with or trying to excuse Hamas, because Hamas is NOT Palestine, and regardless of how you might feel about Hamas, Israel has now murdered well over 31,000 unarmed noncombatant Palestinian civilians in retaliation, most of whom were very young children—Israel has gotten its eye-for-an-eye, tens of thousands of murders ago.

Simply saying, “Hamas! Hamas! Hamas!” doesn’t excuse Israel’s ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This has to stop.

One of the blogs here condemning Taz had reblogged a few months prior a list of legit palestinian organizations that we could donate to. One of the links in the list was the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), I even clicked the link and verified that it was their official website.

Fast forward to the present day. This person is condemning and canceling Taz for donating to the British Red Cross (BRC) under the claim that this organization is neutral as well as funding Israel, and that Taz should be cancelled because he didn't do any research before donating. This gave me a serious whiplash because... The BRC is an official part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements, which the PRCS is also an official part of. Both work under the exact same international committee (they're just different branches I suppose?) and are currently working together to aid Gaza.

I visited the link this blog had provided for the PRCS, and confirmed that they were indeed part of the ICRC and that they are also claiming "neutrality" because this what the Geneva Conventions state (Geneva Convention IV Article 18). In other words, this person condemns the BRC for claiming "neutrality" despite having previously invited people to donate to the PRCS, who are also claiming "neutrality" and are an official part of the same international committee; and also condemns others for not researching charities before donating when this information is clearly stated in the PRCS and BRC websites.

Yesterday I've sent a message to this person regarding this and expressing my concerns. I hope I can get a reply soon. I'm genuinely concerned because I'm Pro Palestine, but assuming and accusing others who are trying and doing their best to help is just going too far.

I'm sure they'll have some excuse to cover their ass. There seems to be a lot of confusion about the RC situation but even before this war, it was MY understanding that they had to remain neutral in order to render aid to the civilians that are in dire need. But then others have said "it's not the charity, it was his tweet that pissed me off" but my stance is firm in that his whole "agree to disagree" was in response to the criticism in his choice of who to donate to. And him deleting it and going private was probably what he was advised to do.

Okay. So.

I learned from a random tiktok that the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke will get a fourth book in 2023 (at least in German, idk about other languages). (Which itself is… uhhh,,, idk didn’t have time to think about it).

They also announced that because of the fourth book, the whole series will be re-released with a new cover.

Here is how the current covers are looking:

(Correction: apparently mine are very old and in the current version the first one is red, the second green and the third one I have is the current one. But the differences are minor and I’m too lazy to search them up in the internet)

They are beautiful and classy and carry a very fantasy-esque vibe with them that fits the actual story perfectly.

This is how the new books will look like:

This… this is a war crime. I should be protected from this under the Geneva convention laws.

I already thought the current American covers are so damn ugly that I would never pick them up unless you put a gun to my head. (Sorry not sorry those are an atrocity.)

BUT THIS. Why are they just random primarily colors? What are the random scribbles? Why those the unicorn have a septum piercing?

I hate it so much I could literally cry. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but I KNOW that I love the books and wouldn’t pick them up in a bookstore. How am I supposed to recommend these books when they look like this?

Even without the frankly ridiculous amount of nostalgia I have for the books and the original covers these are just UGLY.

My mum even suggested I should write a letter to Cornelia Funke and tell her that it’s a bad idea. (Thanks mom, I’m sure that will work…)

26€ for a book no one wanted and it’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. An insult to all books I own.

Anyway. Just needed to rant