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Left-wing protesters have leveraged their status as reservists for political clout and dressed in military-like outfits, but the IDF cracks down on right-wing officer who attended pro-government demonstration.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A senior IDF officer was ousted from his leadership position and given a suspended jail sentence by a military court for attending last Thursday’s right-wing protest in Jerusalem while wearing his uniform.

The officer, who has not been publicly identified, was captured by TV news cameras participating in the pro-judicial reform march while in uniform, with his service rifle slung across his shoulders. He was seen transporting a speaker on a stretcher, which was also held by other demonstrators.

“The participation of an IDF officer in a demonstration while wearing a uniform is prohibited and completely unacceptable,” the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that the man had been removed from his command position and sentenced to 25 days in military prison, though suspended.

Notably, left-wing reservists opposed to the judicial overhaul have repeatedly waved the flags of the units in which they served, identified themselves as members of the military in critical roles, such as pilots, and leveraged their status as part of their protests.

Images from a protest in early May show protesters from the “Brothers in Arms” groups – whose name indicates a specific reference to its members being part of the military establishment – carrying an Israeli flag on a stretcher, the way they would carry a wounded soldier.

While the demonstrators aren’t in full military uniform, many wear the khaki and green colors associated with active-duty IDF soldiers and are seen sporting hats bearing their units’ insignia, official military backpacks and other Israeli military gear.

In late March, Brothers in Arms organized a protest outside Education Minister Yoav Kisch’s home, during which a man wearing a flight suit with an unfurled parachute camped out in a tree overlooking the residence, calling himself an “abandoned pilot.”

It’s unclear if the man was actually a reservist pilot, but there was no outcry over his use of an Israeli Air Force pilot’s uniform during the political demonstration.

Employees of the Mossad intelligence agency, including senior members, have also participated in and organized anti-reform protests, with the permission of the security body.

The post Double standard? Right-wing officer demoted, sentenced to jail for protesting in uniform appeared first on World Israel News.

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“Siege starvation,” according to Tom Dannenbaum, a Professor of International Law, is “a war crime of societal torture.”

For over 4 months, the indigenous Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in the South Caucuses have endured siege starvation: They are victims of an illegal blockade, causing starvation and mental anguish at the hands of the government of Azerbaijan.

From December 12, 2022 to April 28, 2023, so-called “eco-activists” of Azerbaijan blockaded the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Artsakh with the rest of the world, exposing the Armenian population there to starvation in an attempt to force them to leave their ancestral homeland. Then, On April 23rd, Azerbaijan declared it had established a military checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor. 

However, humanitarian aid shipments to Artsakh have been disrupted by Azerbaijan’s new checkpoint, Armenian media reported: “Artsakh authorities announced that humanitarian assistance delivered by Russian peacekeepers from Armenia to Artsakh could not be transported for three days following the creation of the checkpoint.” Then, on April 28, Azerbaijan announced it “temporarily suspended” the “eco-protest” it orchestrated to blockade Artsakh. 

Azerbaijan does not need the fake “eco-protest” to perpetrate its ethnic cleansing now that it has a military checkpoint. Azerbaijan has thus formalized its blockade through the checkpoint.This blockade has been denying Artsakh’s 120,000 Armenians access to food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies.

In accordance with the 2020 ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia following the 44-day war, “along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation was deployed in the amount of 1,960 servicemen.” The very limited transportation and humanitarian aid shipments between Artsakh and Armenia are currently provided by the Russian peacekeepers and ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross).

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has issued several “Red Flag Genocide Alerts” to Azerbaijan pointing out the fact that “this blockade is part of broader genocidal aims of the Azeri authorities supported by their staunch ally Turkey.”

On February 2, for instance, the Institute announced:

“The blockade of this [Lachin] corridor, the only land route connecting the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) with Armenia itself, has caused a humanitarian crisis isolating 120,000 people, including over 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly people, and 9,000 people with disabilities. Armenians in Artsakh are running out of food, essential medicines (such as insulin), baby foods and necessities, essential hygiene products for women, and other necessities. The serious humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade worsens daily. Additionally, there were constant gas and electricity cuts made by Azerbaijan during the harsh Caucasian winter. The responsibility for this humanitarian crisis lies solely on the Azerbaijani state, particularly with the regime of President Ilham Aliyev.”

Children, pregnant women, and the elderly, many of whom are already suffering from severe illness, are among the worst affected by the blockade. The Artsakh Ministry of Healthcare reports that newborns and their mothers in the region now face dire shortages of baby food, diapers, medicine, and other necessities, according to journalist Jackie Abramian. 

According to a report issued by the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh on April 12th, during the 4-month-long blockade, 1,060 citizens of Artsakh were deprived of the opportunity to undergo surgeries to cure health problems due to postponements of programmed operations in all medical institutions of Artsakh.

The illegal blockade has also led to mass unemployment and an economic crisis in Artsakh. The Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh has reported that most businesses involved with manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and trade have either completely stopped or almost completely stopped operating due to the impossibility of importing economic inputs as well as insufficient electricity and gas. An estimated 10,300 people have lost their jobs. The businesses that remain open are operating either partially or with governmental support. 

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan keeps deliberately cutting gas supplies from Armenia to Artsakh. All of this in order that Azerbaijan can cause as much suffering as possible to the Artsakh people. By such deliberate deprivation, Azerbaijan seems to grant only two options to Armenians: surrender or starve.

Given Azerbaijan’s callous treatment of Armenians, one could easily conclude that surrender would only lead to death and destruction for the Armenian community; Azerbaijan has unleashed murderous violence against Armenians several times, including during the 44-day war in 2020.

During the short war, Azerbaijani military forces perpetrated war crimes against Armenians. They murdered civilians, injured journalists and targeted homes, forests, hospitals, churches and cultural centers, among other non-military targets. They used white phosphorus and cluster munitions in violation of international law. At least 90,000 Armenians were forced to abandon their ancestral lands in Artsakh as a result. 

Throughout these assaults, Azerbaijan was militarily and politically backed by Turkey, a NATO member and a European Union candidate. Together, Azerbaijan and Turkey utilized modern military technology to complete their century-long goal of ethnically cleansing Armenians from the region; Ottoman Turkey committed genocide against Armenians in 1915, with around 1.5 million Armenians perishing. 

The 2020 war was supposed to have been suspended by the November 9th agreement signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan and brokered by Russia. However, not only did Azeri military aggression never stop, but it has grown worse through a blockade which is currently holding 120,000 Armenians hostage.

As part of its starvation policy, Azerbaijan is also trying to stop the work of farmers in Artsakh. On March 26th, for instance, civilians working in the pomegranate garden of the village of Martakert were fired at from Azerbaijani combat positions, leading to the disruption of harvesting. The use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare is prohibited by international law.

Azerbaijan, however, continues to blatantly ignore the binding International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision on provisional measures issued on February 22nd, 2023, which ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement of goods and people through the Lachin Corridor.

The civilized world, however, keeps watching idly by as another Armenian genocide unfolds before our eyes. Will America also idly observe Azerbaijan’s crimes? The Biden administration should immediately sanction the government of Azerbaijan to stop this ongoing genocide against the Armenian people.

The post Sieged and Starved: 120,000 Armenians appeared first on Providence.

Get a digital subscription to Jacobin today for just $1. Print subscriptions are only $10 today, too. Just follow this link. The people who run the planet have 364 days in their honor (more on leap years!) — the people whose labor makes it run have only one. So happy International Workers’ Day. At Jacobin, in […]

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48-year-old Sarah Hartsfield, a former US Army sergeant, has been arrested and is in Chambers County Jail following accusations of murdering her fifth husband, Joseph Hartsfield.

Authorities have determined Joseph was injected with deadly insulin levels and that his wife delayed calling for help until it was too late.

Hartsfield’s insulin levels were tremendously high for several hours preceding his wife activating for help in January. His glucose monitor gave off a warning before Sarah took any action.

This new incident follows nearly five years after she killed her then ex-fiance, David Bragg, claiming to have done so in self-defense.

Sarah has a long rap sheet full of legal trouble. In March 1996, she was accused of assaulting her second husband, Michael Traxler, at their shared Rio Bonito house.

Though she remained detained for a week, the charges were later denied. Later on, she was up for trial due to the death of David Bragg in 2018. Then Minnesota investigators uncovered enough evidence to reopen the case and enforce justice.

Her first husband, Titus Knoernschild, expressed relief in her ultimate capture, saying, “I am glad she has finally been caught for who she is. I’m just sorry another person had to die to get her caught”.

Her son from her third marriage, Ryan Donohue, expressed his prior knowledge of her behaviors, confessing he anticipated her downfalls.

Sarah Hartsfield remains detained in Chambers County Jail, where she has uploaded two notes to the judge. The first note told him she fired her attorney and requested a replacement; the second asked for her $4.5 million bond to be reduced.

Sarah Hartsfield is accused of a wicked crime, now being accounted for through the justice system. Those affected by her actions, including the families of her ex-fiancé David Bragg and her first husband, can find peace knowing this criminal has been caught and that justice will be served.

The violence endangers regional stability and the normalization process between once-belligerent countries.

By Yoni Ben Menachem, JNS

Israel and the United States were surprised by the outbreak of the war in Sudan. Their working assumption was that an agreement on the establishment of a civilian government would soon be reached, but the negotiations on its establishment failed due to power struggles between Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese army, and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, which turned into a civil war.

In coordination with the United States and the United Arab Emirates, Israel took an unprecedented step and is trying to mediate between two generals who are now the rulers of Sudan and who claim to represent the Sudanese people after they deposed the previous ruler, Omar al-Bashir, in a military coup in 2019.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen invited al-Burhan and Dagalo to come to Israel and conduct negotiations on a ceasefire in Sudan under Israeli auspices.

Israel has familiarity with the two sides and can significantly influence both.

Security sources point out that the Israeli Foreign Ministry has a good relationship with al-Burhan, with whom it is working on the issue of the normalization agreement reached in October 2020, while the Mossad has a good relationship with Hemedti on security and counterterrorism issues. It also coordinates operations on the internal situation in Sudan with Gen. Abdel Rahim Dagalo, Hemedti’s brother and deputy in the headquarters of the Rapid Response Forces.

Al-Burhan and Hemedti did not reject the Israeli offer outright but neither did they respond positively, and contact with them continues.

Israel fears that Sudan will fragment into a long civil war that will not only eliminate any chance of reaching a peace agreement between the two countries but will destabilize the region.

A blow to the normalization process

Sudan disintegrating into a long civil war could split and divide it into small countries. If this scenario were to materialize, it could mean that a peace agreement between Sudan and Israel would not be signed, which would damage the mutually beneficial normalization process between Israel and the Arab countries that the “axis of resistance” led by Iran is trying to thwart.

Media sources in Iran and Hamas spread the conspiracy theory that the Israeli mediation initiative is intended to subject Sudan to Israeli control as part of an Israeli-American effort to split Sudan and Arab countries and to create an Israeli leadership that will lead certain Arab countries politically, economically and socially.

Yousif Izzat, the political adviser to Hemedti, gave an interview to Israel’s Kan News a few days ago in which he claimed that the capital Khartoum and the Rapid Response Forces are subject to attack by the Sudanese army just as Israel is subject to attacks by terrorist organizations such as Hamas and other organizations. Izzat was a representative of Sudan at a JCPA conference recently held in Jerusalem.

Hamas cites the ties of Sudanese generals such as Hemedti to Israel to claim Sudanese leaders are hostile towards Palestinians.

Hamas accuses the Arab countries of standing on the sidelines and not acting in Sudan, which makes it difficult for foreign parties including Israel and the United States to intervene in an attempt to create a political reality in Sudan that will serve their interests.

The balance of power is now changing in the Middle East as the United States is gradually withdrawing and the Iranian axis with China and Russia is growing in influence.

Therefore, it is critical that Israel and the United States prevent a protracted civil war in Sudan, which has the potential to destabilize the entire region and undo the normalization process underway since the UAE and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords in September 2020.

The post Israel is willing to mediate in Sudan’s civil war appeared first on World Israel News.

What started as a date-night experiment for two young Israelis is now a full-fledged vegan chocolate company with a recent $3 million US investment.

By Elana Shap,  ISRAEL21c

Although Daniel Bareket grew up in Harduf, a kibbutz known for its excellent vegetarian restaurant, he only stopped eating animal products after he moved to Tel Aviv at the end of his army service.

That he and his future wife would one day develop award-winning dairy-free milk chocolates, produced and sold all over Israel and in the United States, was far beyond his imagination.

It all started after he met Elya Adi, a vegan since the age of 16. On their first official date, Bareket suggested they get into the kitchen to try and make a dairy-free milk chocolate together.

“I knew she was a chocoholic and vegan and this drove me to ask her if we could come up with something,” he recalls.

It was far more challenging than they expected. “The problem is that liquids don’t blend well with oils in the cocoa butter so that ruled out adding a plant-based milk. We tried dehydrated milk and even vegan baby formula, which was disgusting,” says Bareket, who was working in high-tech at the time.

The couple realized they needed to educate themselves and spent hours accessing online resources in order to understand all the variables. At this point, Bareket tells ISRAEL21c, making vegan chocolate was still a hobby, with no business plan even remotely in mind.

It took a year of experimenting to obtain a creamy texture and a delicious flavor. What made all the difference was combining dehydrated soy milk (ordered from Canada) with coconut and feeding it into their new ultra-fine grinding machine.

Successful crowdfunding

With both their careers at a turning point, they decided to do a crowdfunding campaign for upscaling their vegan milk chocolate with the aim of raising 13,000 shekels (about $3,500).

“We landed up raising seven times that amount in only one day. Probably one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns ever,” Bareket says, still with disbelief at the achievement.

With this cash injection, they were able to open their first factory in Jerusalem in 2016. They named the brand Panda, after Elya’s nickname for Daniel.

Made in 14 flavors (including peanut butter cream, caramel & sea salt and cookies & cream) and sold in Israeli health-food stores and supermarkets, the new dairy-free milk chocolate met with such a good response in the local market that the couple decided to investigate the US market.

Cracking the code

Their research revealed that more than 50 percent of US households include plant-based items in their food purchases. Growth came not mainly through veganism catching on but also through flexitarians who were aiming to reduce animal products in their diet; Meatless Monday followers; and the lactose-intolerant segment.

However, on a research trip to the US, the now-married couple discovered something even more surprising. While supermarkets stocked a wide variety of dairy-free ice cream and plant-based cheese, non-dairy milk chocolate bars and snacks were hardly to be seen.

“Either nobody had cracked the code to make a tasty vegan chocolate or there was no demand from the consumer, which was hard to believe. We went with the first theory,” says Bareket.

To test the US market, an online store was opened in September 2022. Panda was renamed 7th Heaven due to trademark issues, and positive feedback soon started to roll in.

“Customers said they couldn’t believe that something so delicious and creamy was made without a drop of dairy. The market we were looking for was definitely out there,” Bareket relates with pride.

First US investor

Then another lucky break occurred. “We got an email from a man named David who found us online when looking for vegan chocolate for kashrut reasons. He had tried several types of chocolates until he discovered Panda and fell in love with the product and the taste. And, he wanted to invest.”

“David” turned out to be David Schottenstein, a consumer products entrepreneur behind Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits (Sarah Jessica Parker and other celebrities are partners).

He also roped in Peter Hess, veteran agent at Creative Artists Agency that represents A-listers such as Ariana Grande, George Clooney and Harry Styles. Through Hess, negotiations are currently underway to include a celebrity in the next 7th Heaven advertising campaign in the US.

Fair Trade

The $3 million raised from the investment group is intended to get the 7th Heaven line into the mainstream market (at present it is sold only in New York, Miami and California) by the end of the year.

And it has facilitated Panda’s R&D team in Tivon, Lower Galilee, to work on a range of new vegan chocolate products that will be dairy-free competitors to well-loved and well-known chocolate products in the American market.

The company is also focused on retaining its Fair Trade label, sourcing cocoa from ethical suppliers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast and being as sustainable as possible (vegan snacks and bars produce two-thirds fewer the greenhouse gases than do dairy products).

Bareket says the company is constantly looking for innovative ways to make production, packaging and shipping processes more Earth-friendly.

“Because, as far as we know, you can’t find chocolate on any other planet,” he quips.

The post ‘7th Heaven’: How date night turned into a $3m Israeli vegan chocolate company appeared first on World Israel News.

The other day, while flipping through radio channels in my car in an effort to find the latest NBA news, I came upon the conservative radio program Clay and Buck. One of the hosts was warning listeners about the probable presence of FBI provocateurs at pro-Trump rallies. Such agents were easy to spot, he claimed. […]

Kevin McCarthy is heading a 20-member delegation of American lawmakers.

By JNS

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) arrived in Israel on Sunday, where he will meet with top officials and become the second-ever holder of his post to address the full Knesset.

McCarthy is leading a 20-member delegation of Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

He was received at Ben-Gurion Airport by his Israeli counterpart Amir Ohana and then traveled directly to the Western Wall in Jerusalem before heading to the Knesset for a formal dinner.

“Israel, you are a blessed nation,” McCarthy wrote in the Western Wall visitor book, adding: “Our shared values unite a bond that will never break.”

On Monday, the speaker will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and lay a wreath in honor of the 6 million Jews exterminated by the Nazis and their helpers during World War II.

He is also slated to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In the afternoon, Ohana will open the Knesset’s summer session and speeches will commence, including McCarthy’s address in English.

Welcome to Israel, @SpeakerMcCarthy!

(Photo: Noam Moshkovich | Knesset Press Office)

ברוך הבא לישראל, יו״ר בית הנבחרים של ארה״ב קווין מקארת׳י!

(צילום: נועם מושקוביץ | דוברות הכנסת) pic.twitter.com/SR6XMCENZv

— Amir Ohana – אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) April 30, 2023

Ohana earlier this month described McCarthy as a “steadfast supporter and longstanding friend of Israel,” and noted that it would be the top Republican official’s first trip outside the U.S. since assuming his post in January.

“This is a clear expression of the strong and unbreakable bond between Israel and its closest ally, the United States of America,” added Ohana.

McCarthy said the U.S. relationship with the Jewish state remained “as important as ever,” adding that the visit would be special coming on the heels of Israel’s 75th Independence Day.

McCarthy late last month expressed his backing for the Netanyahu government amid an ongoing national debate in Israel over the judicial reform initiative.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman and most importantly, a great friend of the United States,” McCarthy wrote. “Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception.

“I support Netanyahu, and America’s support for Israel’s strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering,” he added.

Newt Gingrich was the only other House speaker to address the Knesset plenum, having done so in 1998.

The post US House speaker arrives in Israel, will address Knesset appeared first on World Israel News.