LG

[Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz]

If you deny that Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza, then the onus is on you to provide a convincing explanation for why every human rights group on earth (including the Israeli ones) agrees it's a genocide.

If you hold that there's an antisemitic conspiracy between all human rights groups, then the burden of proof is on you to show that conspiracy taking place.

If you hold there's been an Islamist conspiracy to infiltrate all human rights groups, then you need to provide proof of that conspiracy.

If you hold that there is no conspiracy and it's just a coincidence that all human rights groups happen to think Israel is committing human rights abuses, then you need to provide a convincing argument why every institution of human rights experts coincidentally came to the same conclusion and are still incorrect.

You can't just say "I disagree with their findings" or "That one group made an argument I find weak" or "It's not a genocide because blah blah blah". You need to address the unanimous consensus, because that's part of the debate now.

Even flat earthers and climate deniers who claim all the experts are wrong at least try to provide arguments for why there's a secret conspiracy to amplify faulty conclusions in the scientific community, but deniers of the Gaza genocide somehow seem to think they don't need to address their dissent with the overwhelming consensus of experts in the relevant field.

You don't get to do that, guys. That's not a thing. If you're claiming the experts are lying about one specific country, then you need to provide a detailed and believable explanation for why that might be.

I've yet to encounter a single genocide denier who can do this, online or otherwise. Not one.

[🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 @zentertainerr]

“although it’s unclear exactly to whom” variety i was unfamiliar

[Tharries @TharriesYT]

Possibly my favourite political clip ever

[JO @withlovejohana]

All of Ed Sheeran’s openers have now withdrawn from the Looper Tour. Please realize how big this is. This is what unity looks like. Billionaires are terrified of people realizing how strong they can be when we come together for a cause. Continue speaking out. Support the new artists that are deciding to put their careers at risk to take this stance.

[Margaret Zaknoen DeReus @mzdereus]

It is now "blood libel" for Israeli soldiers to speak about what they did and what they saw.

[Andy Burnham @andyburnham]

In a difficult and dangerous world, a decade on from Brexit, there is a risk that Britain loses the confidence to lead and stand up for its values.

I’m not prepared to let that happen. It is more important than ever that Britain stands for something.

We have called for years for a two-state solution in the Middle East, but we must recognise that those words are meaningless unless we back them up with action.

For too long, we have been hesitant to act, fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel.

Today we are announcing carefully judged, targeted steps that are not aimed at the Israeli people, but at the unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government.

The suffering of the Palestinian people is a scar on the conscience of the world. Innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed in Gaza. And there is still a humanitarian crisis, with far too little aid getting in.

The scale of destruction is hard to comprehend. More than 70,000 people lie dead - at least 20,000 of them children. Families and communities have been torn apart. Millions displaced. And the population of Gaza is now penned into just one third of the territory.

I know that people across the UK feel very deeply about this issue - and so do I.

Before I became Prime Minister, I said our country’s response had been too slow and simply not good enough. That’s why I committed to changing the government’s approach.

I will not stand by as the horrific suffering continues to grow and the prospect of a two-state solution - the best hope for peace and stability in the region - comes under attack.

More settlements have been approved under the four years of this Israeli government than in the previous 20 years. The UN has reported more than 1,500 incidents of settler violence so far this year, aimed at driving out Palestinians. And the situation is growing worse, fast.

The Israeli government has now approved 104 new settlements since it took office in December 2022, and ahead of the October elections in Israel, it is allowing tenders for the construction of the E1 mega settlement to go ahead. This would cut a swathe through the heart of the West Bank - snuffing out the hope of realising a two-state solution. It cannot be allowed to happen.

That’s why we are announcing a new package of tough measures to put pressure on the Israeli government:

First, we will ban the trade in goods with illegal settlements in Palestine.

Second, we have formally changed the view of the British government to say for the first time that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful - independent of, but in line with, the conclusion of the international court of justice.

And third, we will sanction individuals and companies that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlements. That includes any businesses or investors that take part in the construction of the E1 settlement.

In addition, we are announcing a new package of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza.

We are taking these steps because it is the right thing to do.

I have condemned the monstrous terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 in the strongest possible terms - and continue to condemn Hamas. However, it does not justify the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza or the West Bank.

The measures we are taking are about targeting illegal settlements and increasing the pressure on the Israeli government to change course. We are not imposing sanctions on Israel as a whole, which would punish the Israeli people, many of whom disagree with their government’s position.

The Israeli people are not responsible for the actions of their government. And nor is the Jewish community in the UK. Blaming British Jews for the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is wrong, plain and simple. And it is antisemitism, plain and simple.

I met the representatives of the Jewish community just last week. I know the fear they live with day by day. My government will stop at nothing to ensure they are safe and to stamp out antisemitism in every part of our society.

The measures we are announcing today are about protecting the only solution that could see the Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security - something that people up and down the UK desperately want to see.

The government I lead will keep working with our partners around the world to keep that hope alive.

[Emre. @EmreAkn]

turns out Paris Hilton was not the stupid girl she was singing about.

[Matthew Kassel @matthewkassel]

New York magazine says it decided that “genocide” was “an accurate description of the atrocities in Gaza, that accusations of antisemitic intent were in fact obfuscating an overwhelming ­scholarly consensus, and that its use would be allowed in our pages” https://t.co/XF5rlv58ga

[Mark Ruffalo @MarkRuffalo]

The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people. This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel. To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect.  Everything I know about acting, activism, and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life.

This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country. Scrutinizing the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary. The $111 billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for serious national security review, and regulators still haven’t given the public a real answer. Until they do, the merger shouldn’t move forward. Now is the time to dive boldly into all these issues, not step back or concede.

[Bec Shaw @Brocklesnitch]

My column this week is about how fat people can’t win and I’m fucking sick of it !! https://t.co/YzAdjipKWT

[Ang @tracksuitpant]

The casual cruelty people are prepared to direct at exotic dancers, sex workers, whatever term you want to use, is just extraordinary & horrifying. Are there no boundaries they’re allowed to set? Do they have no right to stand up for themselves?

[Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald]

One of the all-time most repulsive NYT headlines:

[jake rhodes @jakebrodes]

I love how optimization culture has reframed and destroyed “fun” and leisurely drug use. Referring to hippyflipping as difficult psychological work comes across as profound to the kind of person who is incapable of having a good time, living in a biohacked prison they built

[Organizermemes @OrganizerMemes]

Caleb truly is the voice of our generation

[W.E.B. DaBoi @Tyre_94]

Not really sure how we explain to later generations how there was a highly televised ethnic cleansing in 4K

[justin serb-ert 🇷🇸🍉 @markocantdunk]

When a European starts talking to me about divorce I sit my ass down and listen

[Slim Dyke @notmaryshea]

i can’t stop saying it’s all corrupt girl but like. it is all corrupt girl

[Tim O'Reilly @TinyTimOReilly]

Sometimes I like to just…create a new persona. Honestly I wish I could be like other people and just not care. But out here in the dance floor, I feel so free.

[Pop Base @PopBase]

Nicole Kidman shares her approach to raving in Ibiza:

“Dinner at 10.30pm, club at 1am. I’ll put on glasses. Sometimes I’ll wear a little dark wig to hide, and then I can just dance. As long as I’m surrounded by people [I take with me], then I’m fine. I need it.

(https://t.co/3CeydJzeoM)

[Martha Ahumuza @MarthaAhumuza]

I think growing up around women who rarely wore makeup, except for special occasions and that definitely shaped how I relate to it. I never really learned to see makeup as a prerequisite for looking presentable, feminine or put together. But beyond that, as I've gotten older,