RSS
Mark Pocan Rips AIPAC as ‘Dark Money’ Group, Claims Netanyahu Plotting to ‘Destroy Gaza’
US Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) speaking at a press conference at the US Capitol. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
US Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) slammed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, intensifying the rhetoric of some lawmakers in Washington, DC against the Jewish state and its American supporters.
“The hypocrisy of [AIPAC]. Netanyahu refuses to support the ceasefire/return of hostage plan, as his real plan is to destroy Gaza,” Pocan posted on X/Twitter. “Yet they claim Hamas missing a meeting as supposed failure. Both should support the plan. Just dark money [AIPAC] supports Netanyahu, not Israel.”
The stated mission of AIPAC, the foremost pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, is to seek bipartisan support to strengthen the US-Israel relationship.
Pocan’s comment came in response to an earlier post by AIPAC in which the organization criticized him alongside other progressive US lawmakers — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Summer Lee (D-PA), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — for remaining silent about Hamas’ refusal to participate in a final round of negotiations brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Total silence from the ‘Ceasefire Now’ squad. Where’d you go, [Ocasio-Cortez], [Pocan ], [Sanders], [Lee], [andPressley]?” AIPAC posted. “Their silence speaks volumes. It was never about a ceasefire, only about demonizing Israel.”
Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that runs Gaza, announced on Sunday that it would not attend the ceasefire and hostage negotiations, demanding that the talks be based on previously discussed conditions. Israel immediately accepted last week’s invitation by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to attend the meeting, which is to take place in either Cairo or Doha on Thursday. Organizers hope the meeting will help end the 10-month war sparked by Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7.
AIPAC further criticized Pocan on X/Twitter, accusing him of repeating “tired lies” against Israel. The organization blasted the progressive lawmaker for refusing to assign blame to Hamas for refusing to negotiate with Israel.
“More of the same tired lies and deflection from [Pocan] who will say just about anything to avoid unequivocally calling out Hamas. Why is it so hard for him and the ‘Ceasefire Now’ Squad to single out Hamas for refusing to join the US-backed talks?” AIPAC wrote.
Monday was not the first time that Pocan leveled harsh condemnations at AIPAC. He has called on the pro-Israel group to condemn Netanyahu for committing a “genocide” and suggested the organization wants the Israel-Hamas war to continue for fundraising purposes.
In the months following Hamas’ Oct. 7 slaughter of roughly 1,200 people throughout southern Israel, Pocan has positioned himself as a strong critic of the Jewish state. He has condemned Israel’s defensive military operations in the Gaza Strip, accusing the Jewish state of causing “devastation” and engaging in “indiscriminate killing.” Pocan has also voted against sending additional offensive arms shipments to Israel, claiming that the Jewish state has inflicted unjustifiable atrocities “upon innocent civilians in Gaza.”
Mediators are still planning to hold ceasefire discussions despite Hamas’ expected absence.
An Israeli official told Axios that the terrorist group’s refusal to attend the next round of negotiations is “a tactical move ahead of a possible attack by Iran and Hezbollah and in an attempt to get better terms for the deal.”
Iran and its chief terror proxy Lebanese Hezbollah are expected to launch some kind of attack on Israel in the coming days as revenge for the killings of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Jewish state plans on sending mediators to the Aug. 15 ceasefire talks in either Doha or Cairo.
“Pursuant to the proposal by the US and the mediators, Israel will — on Aug. 15 — send the negotiations team to a place to be determined in order to finalize the details of the implementation of the framework agreement,” the Israeli premier’s office said in a statement.
The post Mark Pocan Rips AIPAC as ‘Dark Money’ Group, Claims Netanyahu Plotting to ‘Destroy Gaza’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
PA Security Forces End Standoff with Jenin Battalion, Enter West Bank Camp
Illustrative. Palestinian demonstrators call for an end to clashes between Palestinian security forces and terrorists in Jenin, in the West Bank, Dec. 16, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
i24 News – The Palestinian Authority on Friday reached an agreement with the jihadists of the Jenin Battalion, ending a six-week standoff in the northern West Bank terror hotbed.
The Jenin Battalion is a local jihadist militia affiliated with Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
The PA’s engineering and civil defense crews will begin dismantling explosives planted across Jenin, Palestinian media reported.
A Palestinian security source told i24NEWS that not a single weapon has been handed over by the Jenin Battalion to PA security forces.
The post PA Security Forces End Standoff with Jenin Battalion, Enter West Bank Camp first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
With Hamas Yet to Name 3 First Hostages to Be Released, Netanyahu Slams Violation of Agreement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Hamas violated the terms of its agreement with Israel even before the ceasefire went into effect, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out on Saturday.
The jihadist group failed to submit to Israel the names of the three hostages slated to be freed on Sunday, in contravention to the terms of the ceasefire stipulating that this information be communicated 24 hours in advance.
“We will not move forward with the outline until we receive the list of hostages to be released, as agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement,” Netanyahu said some three hours after the names should have been submitted. “The sole responsibility lies with Hamas.”
The post With Hamas Yet to Name 3 First Hostages to Be Released, Netanyahu Slams Violation of Agreement first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
US Slaps Sanctions on Yemeni Bank with Ties to Houthis
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The US on Friday imposed sanctions on a Yemen-based financial institution that Washington accused of financially supporting the Houthis, as President Joe Biden’s administration sought to further pressure the Iran-backed jihadists before Biden leaves office.
The US Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on Yemen Kuwait Bank, accusing it of helping the Houthis exploit the Yemeni banking sector to launder money and transfer funds to allies, including fellow Iranian proxy Hezbollah.
In addition to numerous attacks on Israel’s civilian centers since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships, sinking two vessels, seizing another and killing at least four seafarers. The intensity of the attacks has disrupted global shipping and prompted route changes.
The attacks have disrupted international commerce, forcing some ships to take the long route around southern Africa rather than the Suez Canal, leading to increases in insurance rates, delivery costs and time that stoked global inflation fears.
The Houthis, a fundamentally antisemitic jihadist group, seized power in Yemen in late 2014 and control most parts of the country including the capital Sanaa.
The post US Slaps Sanctions on Yemeni Bank with Ties to Houthis first appeared on Algemeiner.com.