Beyond Any Reasonable Circumstances
Honestly, we were going to mark the date with a spoof report - light in the darkness! - of Israel razing multiple pavilions at the upcoming Venice Art Biennale because they mistook talk of a new hummus place for threats of a new Hamas attack. But Gaza's latest news is too gutting: Hundreds of burned, tied, crushed bodies left at al-Shifa hospital, and seven World Central Kitchen workers murdered delivering food to starving people. WTF. Sorry, but no room for light in this savage "genocidal machine."
Progressive art forum Hyperallergic brought a bleak April Fool's Day to bear on the horrors: Nearly 33,000 dead, most women and children, over 75,000 wounded, many thousands still buried, starvation spreading. In Pavilions Flattened at the Venice Biennale, they reported that international artists and curators woke to find their exhibits leveled by a paranoid Israel that misinterpreted buzz about a new hummus joint as word of a Hamas action; they noted the U.S. quickly offered to pay for rebuilding while congratulating Israeli authorities for "dealing with the threat posed by the local hummus stand, which (they) later sanctioned for its allegorical ties to terrorism as outlined in a haiku provided to them by the Israeli military." Another piece reported that Germany's National Gallery has removed all artwork depicting rivers or seas "to prevent creating the conditions for the probability of the possibility of inadvertently alluding to the chant ‘From the River to Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.'”
Still, it couldn't counter grim real news in the wake of Israel's retreat from al-Shifa medical complex after a brutal two-week assault in which they claimed to have killed 200 "terrorists" and arrested over 500 people "associated with terrorist organizations." Refuting them, aid workers said they executed scores of civilians, including over a dozen children, killed at least 21 patients, and left dozens critically wounded. A journalist reported "hundreds of bodies" outside, many burned, tied up, or crushed by a bulldozer; many more are believed buried under the charred rubble of what was Gaza's largest hospital. Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a volunteer surgeon, charged Shifa's destruction is "a critical component of Israel's plan to genocidally make sure Gaza becomes an uninhabitable place"; he also mourned the murder of a friend and brilliant young surgeon, one of 345 doctors, nurses or paramedics killed by Israel: "Remember their names and remember their stories."
The same goes for seven aid workers, updated from original reports of five, killed by Israel while bringing food to starving people. We repeat: Bringing food to starving people. They were a Polish, Australian, dual US/Canadian worker, three British nationals and a Palestinian translator; all were killed. Volunteers for chef José Andrés' World Central Kitchen, they were in a three-car, IDF-approved convoy hit in succession - by three drone strikes, one after the other, as they ran from car to car; they'd just left a warehouse in Deir al-Bala where they unloaded some of the 400 tons of food delivered hours earlier by a ship from Cyprus at WCK's nearby newly built jetty. The attack was one of many strikes that have killed multiple aid workers and at least 400 hungry people seeking the food they carried. As yet, only the Australian has been named as "effervescent...shining light of comfort" Zomi Frankcom. Here she is, days before with "Chef Oli," happily showing off WCK's Deir al-Balah kitchen.
After the IDF strike, the bodies of five dead were brought to a makeshift morgue at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. A Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic who helped transport them said the bodies were not fully blown apart due to the WCK protective gear they wore; hospital staff displayed the bloodied foreign passports of three. Warning: Here is graphic video of the scene. On the WCK site, Andrés' wrote he was "heartbroken" by the loss of "our sisters and brothers," "angels" he'd worked with around the world: "Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should NEVER be a target. EVER...They are not faceless, they are not nameless." He added Israel must "stop this indiscriminate killing (and) stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost." WCK has paused deliveries, and Gazan media denounced "another Israeli massacre." Australian P.M. Anthony Albanese called the death of Frankcom "completely unacceptable" in what he deemed "beyond any reasonable circumstances."
An Israeli spokesman said the IDF will conduct "a thorough review (of) this tragic incident" and it makes "extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid." Israel has said many things. On the same day last week, the U. N. both passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire and released a draft report, Anatomy of a Genocide, finding "reasonable grounds to believe" Israel is committing genocide in Gaza with "an intent to physically destroy Palestinians as a group...transforming everything and everyone into either a target or collateral damage, hence killable or destroyable." Israel said the report was "an obscene inversion of reality." They also said, as at least 27 Gazan children die of starvation and hundreds of thousands more face it, they will no longer allow UNRWA food convoys into northern Gaza. Now they're murdering others bearing food. You wanna talk obscene? By any "reasonable circumstances" - a shard of humanity, probity, justness, mercy - Israel is it.
Just ‘Stop Drilling,’ Critics Say After Biden Admin Finalizes Methane Limits
The Biden administration on Tuesday finalized rules that will force oil and gas companies to reduce their methane emissions, but critics say the administration needs to do more to curb a key driver of the planet-warming pollution: fossil fuel drilling.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and the Bureau of Land Management's new rules will require that fossil fuel companies contain methane leaks at oil and natural gas wells that are on federal land, and they will also have to limit how much methane they burn off.
Critics say the only solution that will truly address the climate crisis is to stop drilling entirely. Recently released Interior Department data shows that the Biden administration has approved close to 50% more oil and gas drilling permits on public lands than the Trump administration did during its first three years.
"The best way to eliminate methane pollution from public lands is to stop fossil fuel drilling, period. In the midst of a climate emergency, we need to take the actions necessary to stop pollution once and for all," Food & Water Watch Policy Director Jim Walsh said in a statement. "We look forward to working with climate champions in Congress like Rep. Jan Schakowsky to pass the Future Generations Protection Act to ban fracking on public lands and everywhere else."
Some praised the new rules as needed progress, including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
America’s public lands should be sources of inspiration and joy, not pollution and waste. I applaud @Interior for working to stop releases of methane, a major climate pollutant, on our public lands—something I've been demanding for years with my FLARE Act. https://t.co/D1o26GEc55
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) March 27, 2024
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement Tuesday that “this final rule, which updates 40-year-old regulations, furthers the Biden-Harris administration’s goals to prevent [methane] waste, protect our environment and ensure a fair return to American taxpayers.”
Methane can trap far more heat than CO2, so limiting emissions is a critical part of addressing the climate crisis. Despite pledging to cut methane emissions, oil and gas companies have not significantly reduced emissions in recent years. The U.S. is currently the largest emitter of methane from oil and gas in the world.
The International Energy Agency says major reductions in methane emissions need to be made if the world is going to avert catastrophic global warming.
Boeing CEO's Voluntary Departure Is Not Accountability for Corporate Crime: Watchdog
Embroiled once again in an alarming quality control and safety scandal, the aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing on Monday announced a management shake-up that will see CEO Dave Calhoun step down at the end of the year, the head of the company's commercial airplanes division resign immediately, and the chairman of the board depart after Boeing's annual meeting in May.
Calhoun, who said he decided on his own to resign, took charge at Boeing in the midst of the company's previous high-profile crisis—the grounding of the 737 MAX jet following a pair of crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed more than 340 people.
Robert Weissman, president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said in response to the news of Calhoun's coming departure that "if Boeing had been held criminally accountable after the... 737 MAX disasters, the more recent quality debacles quite likely could have been averted."
Earlier this year, a door plug of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew off the aircraft as it ascended, causing minor injuries and forcing the pilots to conduct an emergency landing. More than 170 MAX 9s were subsequently grounded to undergo inspections.
The incident prompted federal regulators, airlines, and journalists to—once again—closely scrutinize Boeing's manufacturing process, cost-cutting efforts, lobbying against safety regulations, and executive and shareholder payouts.
The Leverreported days after the January 5 incident that "less than a month before a catastrophic aircraft failure prompted the grounding of more than 150 of Boeing's commercial aircraft, documents were filed in federal court alleging that former employees at the company's subcontractor repeatedly warned corporate officials about safety problems and were told to falsify records."
The outlet also found that "operators of Boeing's troubled 737 MAX planes have filed more than 1,800 service difficulty reports—more than one per day—warning government regulators about safety problems with the aircraft since the fleet was allowed to resume flying after two fatal crashes."
Alaska Airlines, the operator of the January 5 flight, said in late January that it found loose bolts on "many" of Boeing's 737 MAX 9s.
"The FAA identified noncompliance issues in Boeing's manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control."
In an update published on March 4, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said its six-week audit of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems—a major Boeing contractor—uncovered "multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements."
"The FAA identified noncompliance issues in Boeing's manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control," the agency said. "To hold Boeing accountable for its production quality issues, the FAA has halted production expansion of the Boeing 737 MAX, is exploring the use of a third party to conduct independent reviews of quality systems, and will continue its increased onsite presence at Boeing's facility in Renton, Washington, and Spirit AeroSystems' facility in Wichita, Kansas."
Earlier this month, days after the FAA update was published, a Boeing whistleblower who raised concerns about the company's quality control practices was found dead of what local officials said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Weissman of Public Citizen said Monday that "of course CEO Dave Calhoun should be dismissed" over the company's latest safety crisis.
"But for real and lasting change to occur," he argued, "Boeing must now be held criminally accountable both for the recent safety failures and the... crashes that took 346 lives."
In 2021, Boeing entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid a criminal charge over an alleged conspiracy to defraud the FAA in the wake of the 2018 and 2019 crashes.
Public Citizen noted in a report published Monday that "such agreements now help the most powerful businesses in the world dodge the legal consequences of their criminal misconduct."
"Instead of facing prosecution—which would mean plea agreements or trial in a public court of law—leniency deals are negotiated quietly between prosecutors and corporate lawyers with little or no judicial oversight," the group said. "Proponents say the agreements are a streamlined way to effectively deter corporate crime. Public Citizen research, however, shows about 15% of the agreements historically involve repeat offenders, casting doubt on their deterrent effect."
Islamophobic Smear Campaign Against 'Historic' Judicial Nominee Condemned
A coalition of over 125 rights groups on Tuesday urged the U.S. Senate to vanquish an onslaught of Islamophobic attacks and confirm Adeel Mangi, who would be the first Muslim American to serve on a federal appeals court.
As some right-wing Democrats consider joining with Republicans to block his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, the groups explained in a letter to senators that they came together to support the Oxford- and Harvard-educated attorney, "highlight Mr. Mangi's tremendous qualifications, and condemn the baseless and bigoted attacks being waged against this exceptional and historic nominee."
"Mr. Mangi is fair-minded, brilliant, and has shown throughout his impressive legal career a steadfast dedication to equal justice for all, and he will be a tremendous judge on the 3rd Circuit," the coalition wrote of the Pakistani-born partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, who appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in December.
"History will remember this powerfully important moment for the future of equal justice in America."
Given his "impeccable qualifications" and the historic nature of his nomination, "an outstanding nominee like Adeel Mangi should be celebrated and embraced," the coalition argued. "The anti-Muslim tropes and unfounded assertions against him are the kinds of stereotyping that have long driven Islamophobia, which is on the rise. They also send a dangerous message to communities across the nation and potential future lawyers and judges that their path to the bench and desire to serve our nation will be obstructed by unfounded accusations based solely on their identity."
Since Israel responded to the Hamas-led October 7 attack by launching a U.S.-backed assault on the Gaza Strip that has been widely condemned as genocidal, there have been documented surges in both Islamophobic and antisemitic attacks in the United States. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday that it received 8,061 complaints of Islamophobia nationwide last year—the most in CAIR's 30-year history—and they were largely driven by the war.
"Despite the anti-Muslim vitriol Mr. Mangi endured during his confirmation hearing, he repeatedly while under oath condemned antisemitism and terrorism with tremendous decorum and professionalism befitting the temperament sought for these important appointments to the federal bench," notes the letter. "He did so despite facing unfair, unfounded, and hostile questions, many of which were deeply offensive. Further, since his hearing, there has been a coordinated media campaign to amplify baseless attacks on his character."
"We urge senators to assess Mr. Mangi's nomination based on his credentials and qualifications for the job, not his religion, race, or ethnicity. We ask that senators denounce the Islamophobic attacks on Mr. Mangi and on all Muslims," the letter concludes. "History will remember this powerfully important moment for the future of equal justice in America."
Led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the coalition also includes the American Federation of Teachers, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Center for Constitutional Rights, Disability Rights Advocates, Earthjustice, Human Rights Campaign, Muslim Advocates, NAACP, National Congress of American Indians, National Homelessness Law Center, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Presente.org, and Women's March.
Along with several other national organizations, there are state and local groups such as Equality California, Florida Rising, Maine Conservation Voters, Make the Road Nevada, Progress Iowa, Stand Up Alaska, and multiple arms of the NAACP and National Council of Jewish Women.
The White House maintains support for Mangi. Asked about Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) opposing him, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that "we are doing everything that we can to make sure that he gets through. This Senate should side with qualities that make America exceptional, which Mr. Mangi embodies, not the hateful forces that we're seeing trying to force America into the past."
President Joe Biden's nomination of Mangi was announced on the same day as that of Nicole Berner, who previously worked for Planned Parenthood and the Service Employees International Union before she was confirmed to the 4th Circuit last month.
In a Monday op-ed for The Star-Ledger, Mattan Berner-Kadish—one of Berner's sons with ex-wife Ruti Kadish—wrote: "I am so proud of her and happy that her dream has come to fruition. I am unable, however, to fully celebrate her success."
"What is happening to Adeel Mangi... is a travesty, and when compared to my mother's process, puts in stark relief how incredible this nation can be, and how incredibly cruel it can be as well," Berner-Kadish asserted. "This is a kind, sweet, intelligent man who was thoroughly qualified to be a judge in this country—a judgment confirmed by the American Bar Association, which gave him its highest rating."
"I have no qualms saying that I hope 1,000 more judges like my mother are confirmed around the country. I don't mean lesbians, I don't mean Jews. I mean lawyers who are committed to pursuing public interest careers," he stressed. "I want judges who know what a day of work means for the average American, and how their companies and bosses treat them. I want judges who fought to keep innocent people out of jail. I want judges who worked to protect women's right to control their own bodies. I want judges who did not remove themself or their children from public schools, and know what education looks like for those who attend them. I want our judges to reflect America's diversity and experience."
"For all of those reasons, Adeel Mangi should be a judge right now," Berner-Kadish added. " I don't know if I would agree with all of his rulings, and I doubt he'd be as much of a liberal jurist as I would like. But there is no doubting his qualifications, his professionalism, his fairness, or his judicial temperament. Those aren't the things keeping him off the bench. Racism and Islamophobia are."
Advocates 'Crushed' That Biden Import Rules Don't Ban Elephant Trophies
Biodiversity advocates said Friday that the Biden administration had taken "a major step back from true conservation accountability" as it announced new restrictions on imports of elephant hunting trophies—restrictions that did not go as far as banning them outright.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said it was strengthening the African elephant rule under Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act, requiring countries to annually certify that their elephant populations are "biologically sustainable" and that habitats for the animals are stable. The U.S. will continue importing trophies and live elephants from countries that prove sustainability.
The restrictions also require countries to have domestic wildlife laws that meet the requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), but that provision doesn't go into effect until 2026.
The restrictions could eliminate trophy imports from Botswana, Mozambique, and Zambia, which currently have national legislation that may not meet CITES requirements.
A previous proposal from the administration in 2022 required that elephant populations were "stable or increasing" in countries in order for imports to continue.
Tanya Sanerib, international legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), said the new rules will do nothing to solve "a devastating biodiversity crisis that requires an elephant-sized response."
"These are mouse-sized rule changes that continue to treat elephants like commodities," said Sanerib. "We need global change that prioritizes biodiversity over profits."
CBD pledged to "do everything we can to fight threats to imperiled elephants from trophy hunting."
The new restrictions were announced almost exactly three years after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reassessed protections for elephants, and found that poaching for ivory and habitat loss over several decades had pushed two elephant species closer to extinction.
The African forest elephant is now "critically endangered" and the African savanna elephant is now listed as "endangered." Before 2021, the two kinds of African elephants were treated as a single species and were listed only as "vulnerable."
The Obama administration in 2016 imposed a near-ban on the elephant ivory trade.
The following year, then-President Donald Trump infuriated conservation groups by reversing the ban on imported elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia, a decision he quickly reverse due to the uproar it caused. In 2018, the Republican president said the FWS would begin issuing permits "to import a sport-hunted trophy on a case-by-case basis."
Sanerib on Friday said she and her organization were "crushed this rule doesn't ban trade in elephant hunting trophies to the United States, and it doesn't even require stable elephant populations to allow trophy imports."
"These magnificent animals are globally cherished but under threat," said Sanerib, "and it's high time we stop letting wealthy trophy hunters turn them into décor."
'Indictments Now,' Says UN Expert After Israel Massacres World Central Kitchen Workers
The United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories demanded criminal consequences for Israeli officials on Tuesday after the country's forces attacked a World Central Kitchen convoy in the Gaza Strip, killing seven workers and sparking global outrage.
"Israel is crossing every possible red line, still with full impunity," Francesca Albanese wrote in a social media post, noting that the Israeli military's attack on the WCK convoy came on the same day that it bombed Iran's consulate in Syria.
"Sanctions now," Albanese wrote. "Indictments now."
The International Criminal Court, the global body tasked with trying individuals for war crimes, is currently investigating alleged Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Early accounts described the Israeli attack on the WCK convoy on Monday as a singular strike, but reporting and on-the-ground testimony have since made clear that Israeli forces launched three successive strikes on the vehicles.
WCK described the attack as "targeted," given that the convoy coordinated its movements with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the vehicles were clearly marked with the humanitarian aid group's logo. Photographs released in the wake of the attack show that an Israeli missile tore through the WCK logo on the roof of one of the targeted vehicles.
(Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According toHaaretz, "an Israeli drone fired three missiles one after the other" at the convoy, reportedly believing that a suspected "terrorist" was traveling with the aid workers.
"At some point, when the convoy was driving along the approved route, the war room of the unit responsible for security of the route ordered the drone operators to attack one of the cars with a missile," the Israeli newspaper reported, citing unnamed IDF sources.
After the first car was hit, survivors attempted to flee and transfer the wounded into the other cars—at which point Israeli forces launched missiles at the two remaining vehicles.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes "unintentionally" killed innocent WCK staffers, but the Haaretz reporting indicates the IDF knowingly launched several lethal attacks on the aid convoy.
"Netanyahu is killing journalists, doctors, and humanitarian workers indiscriminately (or maybe discriminately) and doing everything in his power to provoke a war with Iran, but Biden is just sending more fighter jets."
Rescue teams from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society
recovered the seven bodies from the gruesome scene and transferred them to nearby hospitals. The victims included a Palestinian WCK worker and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada as well as Australian, Polish, and British nationals who had just unloaded 100 tons of food aid.
Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement that he was "extremely saddened and appalled by the Israeli army's multiple airstrikes" on the WCK convoy and emphasized that the attack was "not an isolated incident."
"As of 20 March, at least 196 humanitarians had been killed in the occupied Palestinian territory since October 2023. This is nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict in a year," said McGoldrick. "All parties to the conflict, including the government of Israel, must respect international humanitarian law, which prohibits the targeting of humanitarian personnel. The role of aid workers is to alleviate the suffering of people in crisis. Their safety, along with that of the civilians they serve, must be guaranteed."
Israel's deadly attack forced WCK and other aid groups to pause their operations in Gaza at the worst possible moment, with famine spreading and taking lives across the territory. Israel's blockade has restricted the entry of food, medical supplies, and other necessities.
"We feel that it's very hard for us to continue," said Naser Qadous of the American Near East Refugee Aid, which partners with WCK. "The humanitarian assistance people need to be protected."
Qadous went on to warn that the aid disruptions caused by Israel's attack would have devastating consequences for ordinary Gazans.
"The starvation in Gaza will be unbelievable," he said.
Sky News reported Tuesday that cargo vessels bound for Gaza from Cyprus were turned around following the attack on the WCK convoy.
This was the point. https://t.co/XFfb5JXXs4
— Fahad Ali (@fahad_s_ali) April 2, 2024
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the aid workers killed by Israeli forces as "heroes" and said they "have to be protected."
Blinken said Biden administration officials have "spoken directly" with the Israeli government about the attack and urged a "thorough" and "impartial" investigation.
"These people are heroes. They run into the fire, not away from it... They have to be protected."
WATCH: U.S. State of State Antony Blinken comments on an IFD strike Monday that hit the World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, killing 7 people. pic.twitter.com/1KLREIdmLW
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 2, 2024
But Blinken did not do what many aid organizations and U.N. officials have urged the U.S. and other countries to do for months: cut off arms sales to Israel.
Hours before Monday's attack, CNNreported that the Biden administration is "close to approving the sale of as many as 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel, in a deal expected to be worth more than $18 billion."
"Netanyahu is killing journalists, doctors, and humanitarian workers indiscriminately (or maybe discriminately) and doing everything in his power to provoke a war with Iran, but Biden is just sending more fighter jets," Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, wrote in response to the CNN story.
"Madness," he added.
Ugandan Court Upholds 'One of the Most Extreme Anti-LGBTI Laws in the World'
"It is shocking that an opportunity was missed to revoke a law that undermines the rights of LGBTI persons in Uganda, their allies, human rights defenders, and activists," said one Amnesty International campaigner.
Human rights defenders on Wednesday condemned a ruling by the Constitutional Court of Uganda upholding most of the African nation's so-called "Kill the Gays" law criminalizing sex between consenting adults of the same sex and imposing the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality."
The court's five justices largely affirmed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023 (AHA)—signed into law last year by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni amid widespread condemnation from Western nations and international human rights groups—as being consistent with the country's constitution.
However, the justices struck down four sections of the law that criminalized renting properties for use in same-sex sexual acts and failure to report such acts to the authorities, finding that those provisions violate portions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights related to health, privacy, and religious freedom rights.
"This ruling is wrong and deplorable," said Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda. "Uganda's Constitution protects all of its people, equally. We continue to call for this law to be repealed. We are calling on all governments, [United Nations] partners, and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the Global Fund to likewise intensify their demand that this law be struck down because it is discriminatory."
Tigere Chagutah, a regional director at Amnesty International, said that "it is shocking that an opportunity was missed to revoke a law that undermines the rights of LGBTI persons in Uganda, their allies, human rights defenders, and activists by criminalizing consensual same-sex acts, 'promotion' of homosexuality with all its vagueness as an offense, and contemplates the death penalty for the offense of 'aggravated homosexuality."
"As we mark the 10th anniversary of the African Commission's Resolution 275 on the protection against violence and human rights violations against persons on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation or gender identity, the government of Uganda must repeal the entire Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023 and ensure accountability for the attacks against LGBTI people," Chagutah added.
Amnesty called the Ugandan law "one of the most extreme anti-LGBTI laws in the world."
Human Rights Campaign president Kelly Robinson said in a statement: "For the Constitutional Court of Uganda to uphold such a draconian law in any capacity is a horrific display of hatred that will mean further discrimination and physical harm for LGBTQ+ Ugandans. Over the last year, we have mourned the wave of violence targeting the LGBTQ+ community, and we know that this decision will only result in further damage."
Rightify Ghana, which advocates for sexual minorities in Africa, called Wednesday's ruling "deeply disappointing" and "a significant setback for human rights and democracy in Uganda."
"Human rights and democracy are under attack, not just in Uganda, but across Africa," the group added. "It is crucial that our courts uphold the constitution and protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."
Under the Ugandan law, people convicted of "aggravated homosexuality"—defined as same-sex sexual acts by HIV-positive people or with children, disabled people, or anyone deemed vulnerable—can be hanged to death. The law punishes same-sex acts with life imprisonment and attempted same-sex acts with 10 years behind bars. It also criminalizes the "promotion" of LGBTQ+ rights.
According to the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, a Ugandan advocacy group, 55 people have been arrested under the law, including three who face possible execution. At least eight people have been subjected to forced anal examinations, while 254 people accused of either being or associating with LGBTQ+ people have been evicted from their homes.
Rights groups have also sounded the alarm on anti-gay "witch hunts" and violence targeting LGBTQ+ Ugandans.
The law has sparked international outrage and alarm. In the United States, the Biden administration responded by cutting aid to Uganda, imposing visa restrictions on its citizens, and canceling a planned regional military exercise.
"The announcement that some provisions of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act have been removed by the Constitutional Court is a small and insufficient step towards safeguarding human rights," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday in response to the ruling.
"The United States is deeply concerned about the remaining provisions which undermine public health, human rights, and Uganda's international reputation," she added. "As the president has said time and time again, no one should have to live in constant fear nor be subjected to violence or discrimination. It is wrong. We will continue to work to advance respect for human rights for all in Uganda and also around the world."
The Delegation of the European Union to Uganda also condemned Wednesday's ruling, calling the AHA "contrary to international human rights law."
"The E.U. also regrets the retention of the death penalty, to which the E.U. is opposed in all circumstances," the delegation added.
Advocates have noted the role of European colonization and U.S. evangelicals in demonizing and outlawing homosexuality in Africa.
The Ugandan LGBTQ+ advocacy group Convening for Equality lamented that the Ugandan court missed an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of other African nations including Mozambique, Botswana, Seychelles, Mauritius, Gabon, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Angola that "have recognized anti-gay laws as remnants of colonial rule, and repealed them through law reform processes and court decisions."
"In the summary released describing the basis for their ruling, the court only cited one case by name: the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down the right to abortion, Dobbs v. Jackson [Women's Health Organization], as providing justification for upholding criminalization of [LGBTQ+] Ugandans," the group added. "Advocates noted that this could point to influence on Uganda's judiciary by the U.S. extremist hate groups who funded that U.S. Supreme Court challenge."
White House Spokesman Condemned for 'Absurd' Claim Aid Bombing Wasn't Illegal
"The IDF has an affirmative responsibility to know what it is dropping bombs on," said former Biden official Jeremy Konyndyk. "Kirby confirms they ignored that."
A former official of the Biden and Obama administrations was among those expressing shock late Tuesday at the Biden administration's comments on Israel's conduct in its continued bombardment of Gaza, in which a U.S.-Canadian citizen is now among the tens of thousands of victims.
John Kirby, the White House national security communications adviser, spoke to reporters at a press conference less than 24 hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed seven workers with World Central Kitchen (WCK), and made clear that the bombing of the U.S. nonprofit's convoy in Gaza was not an event that would push the administration to halt the delivery of military aid to Israel.
Kirby appeared exasperated as Selina Wang of ABC News asked how the U.S. "can continue to send military aid into Israel without any conditions."
"Is there no red line that can be crossed here?" Wang asked.
Kirby repeated the administration's frequent remark that it is pushing Israel to make sure the IDF is "precise" and ensuring that humanitarian aid can reach Gaza, where parts of the population are now living in famine, according to a United Nations-backed analysis.
But the spokesperson said the U.S. will not "hang some sort of condition over [Israel's] neck" to ensure the nation abides by international law and refrains from violating human rights—suggesting Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, which bars the U.S. from providing military aid to countries that impede humanitarian aid, does not apply to Israel.
U.S. law "is in fact a condition hanging over your neck, John Kirby," said journalist Krystal Ball.
Kirby also chastised a reporter for asking whether "firing a missile at people delivering food and killing them" is "a violation of international humanitarian law."
"There is no evidence" that the IDF deliberately targeted the WCK convoy, which Israel claimed it struck unintentionally, Kirby said, adding that the State Department has not observed any violations of international law by Israeli since it began attacking Gaza in October.
Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International who previously served in the Biden and administrations at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), called Kirby's remarks "absurd and risible" and called for him to be taken "off the podium."
"Apart from the clearly marked aid convoy that had been cleared with the IDF in advance?" asked Konyndyk regarding Kirby's claim that there was no evidence of a deliberate bombing.
Al Jazeera's Sanad Verification Agency on Tuesday found that, based on images taken from the bombing sites in the central Gaza Strip, the WCK vehicles' roofs and windshields were clearly marked as belonging to the nonprofit group.
According to WCK, the group had coordinated its movements with the Israeli military before the aid workers left a warehouse in Deir el-Balah, where it has unloaded 100 tons of aid, and headed toward Rashid Street in the city.
Jose Andres, chef and founder of the group, toldReuters the IDF targeted the convoy "systematically, car by car."
The attack was not a "bad luck situation where, 'oops, we dropped the bomb in the wrong place,'" Andres told the outlet. "Even if we were not in coordination with the [Israeli army], no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians."
Konyndyk added that Kirby's defense of Israel, which the spokesman said did not know it was aiming at aid workers, serves as an admission that Israel violated the internationally recognized laws of war, which requires that parties make a distinction between combatants and civilians.
"The IDF has an affirmative responsibility to know what it is dropping bombs on," said Konyndyk. "Kirby confirms they ignored that."
Zachary Carter, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, added that Kirby's defense of the WCK attack was "embarrassing" considering the readily available evidence of deliberate targeting, and his continued claim that Israel is attempting to avoid civilian casualties.
"Israel has killed more than 200 aid workers in Gaza, at least 95 journalists, and more than 33,000 Palestinians," said Carter. "Israel is in violation of a U.N. cease-fire resolution and Gaza is starving. It is not credible to declare each act of violence an unusual aberration from humane conduct."
'Beyond Parody': Biden Pushing for $18 Billion Warplane Sale to Israel
"Does anyone wonder why Netanyahu ignores Biden's pleas for restraint in Gaza?" asked one critic.
Palestine advocates on Wednesday slammed the Biden administration as it pushes Congress to approve the sale of $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Israel, despite public pronouncements of anger over ongoing Israeli atrocities in Gaza and a federal ban on the U.S. arms transfers to human rights violators.
The New York Times reported that the U.S. State Department has informally asked two congressional committees to begin the legislative review process for the deal, which involves the sale of as many as 50 McDonnell Douglas F-15 fighters to Israel, as well as munitions, training, and other support.
"As Israel is bombing and starving Palestinian civilians, Biden still wants to sell it $18 billion of F-15 fighter jets."
The proposed deal—which would be one of the largest and most lucrative arms sales to Israel in years—comes amid Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, during which more than 115,000 Palestinians have been killed, maimed, or are missing and presumed dead.
The planned sale also comes amid growing frustration among Biden administration officials over what President Joe Biden called Israel's "indiscriminate bombing" of Gaza. On Tuesday, Biden said he was "outraged" and "heartbroken" by Israel's airstrike targeting a World Central Kitchen convoy that killed seven humanitarian aid workers, including one U.S. citizen. Biden acknowledged that the attack was "not a stand-alone incident" while asserting that Israel has "not done enough" to protect Palestinian civilians.
"Does anyone wonder why Netanyahu ignores Biden's pleas for restraint in Gaza? Netanyahu sees them as empty words because, as Israel is bombing and starving Palestinian civilians, Biden still wants to sell it $18 billion of F-15 fighter jets," former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth
said Wednesday, referring to right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Some congressional progressives have also come out against the proposed sale. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked: "The United States wants Israel to let in more humanitarian aid, stop bombing civilians, and not invade Rafah. Netanyahu has ignored all of it. Why are we still sending him taxpayer dollars and weapons and expecting a different outcome?"
William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, noted that the "signs of hope in the Biden administration's recent shift in rhetoric" and the U.S. abstention from the most recent United Nations Security Council cease-fire resolution have "been destroyed by the administration's recent actions," including the proposed F-15 sale.
"Although the planes might not be delivered for years, agreeing to provide them in the midst of Israel's war on Gaza sends a signal of support that runs contrary to the administration's claims to be pressing the Netanyahu government to avoid civilian casualties and clear the way for humanitarian aid shipments," he wrote.
Hartung continued:
The sad truth is that there have been zero consequences from Washington for Israel's crimes in Gaza. Regardless of the rhetoric, the weapons keep flowing and the killing continues. The Biden administration's argument that it is simply giving Israel the means to defend itself willfully ignores the fact that killing over 32,000 people and attempting to deny them food and other essential goods goes far beyond defense, to the point that the International Court of Justice has suggested that Israel's actions could "plausibly" be considered a campaign of genocide.
"Even worse," Hartung added, "the tragedy in Gaza has been compounded by Israel's attack on Iran's consulate in Syria, which has increased the chances of a wider Middle East war which could easily draw in U.S. personnel."
Hartung and others have also voiced alarm over the Biden administration's approval of the transfer of munitions including 2,000-pound bombs, which Israel has used extensively in Gaza with devastating results. In one of the deadliest bombings of the war, Israel dropped multiple 2,000-pound bombs on the Jabalia refugee camp on October 31, killing at least 126 civilians including 69 children.
Some of the worst Israeli atrocities perpetrated during the 180-day war have involved aerial attacks by missiles, drones, and warplanes. Robert Pape, a U.S. military historian and University of Chicago professor, said in December that Israel's bombardment of Gaza "sits comfortably in the top quartile of the most devastating bombing campaigns ever," and that by some measures, surpasses the Allied "terror bombing" of German cities during World War II.
An analysis published Tuesday by the World Bank and United Nations found that the Israeli onslaught on Gaza has caused approximately $18.5 billion in damage to essential infrastructure in the embattled strip, equivalent to nearly the entire gross domestic product of both Gaza and the occupied West Bank in 2022.
Human rights and Palestine advocates have called for an arms embargo on Israel. However, the Biden administration is seeking an emergency military aid package for Israel worth more than $14 billion and has repeatedly bypassed Congress to fast-track armed assistance to Israel—which already receives nearly $4 billion in U.S. military aid annually. Israel imports nearly 70% of its arms from the United States.
Since the passage of the Foreign Assitance Act of 1961, and later the Leahy Laws, the U.S. government has been statutorily prohibited from providing assistance to foreign security forces who commit gross human rights violations. However, this has not stopped Washington from supporting rights violators—including dictatorships like Saudi Arabia and Egypt and the perpetrators of genocides in Paraguay, Guatemala, Bangladesh, East Timor, Kurdistan, and Gaza—since these laws were enacted.
The Biden administration—which earlier this year reaffirmed the ban on arms transfers to human rights violators—says Israel is not violating international law in Gaza. During a contentious Tuesday press conference, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was asked by Niall Stanage, the associate editor of The Hill, if "firing a missile at people delivering food and killing them" is "a violation of international humanitarian law."
Kirby replied: "The State Department has a process in place. And to date, as you and I are speaking, they have not found any incidents where the Israelis have violated international humanitarian law."
Last month, 25 humanitarian groups urged the Biden administration to comply with U.S. law by suspending arms sales to Israel.
"U.S. weapons, security assistance, and blanket political support have contributed to an unparalleled humanitarian crisis and possible war crimes in Gaza," the groups wrote in a letter to the president. "We demand that you urgently comply with U.S. law, end U.S. support for catastrophic human suffering in Gaza, and use your leverage to protect civilians and ensure the impartial provision of humanitarian assistance."