YEMENIS SUE US DEFENCE CONTRACTORS FOR ‘AIDING WAR CRIMES’
A group of Yemeni nationals has filed a lawsuit in the US against defence contractors Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics, accusing them of “aiding and abetting war crimes and extrajudicial killings” by supplying arms to the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen. The lawsuit, filed in the district court of Washington DC, also names the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, respectively, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. “Year after year, the bombs fell – on wedding tents, funeral halls, fishing boats and a school bus – killing thousands of civilians and helping turn Yemen into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” reads the lawsuit. “Weapons supplied by US companies through sales unlawfully approved by US officials, allowed Saudi Arabia and the UAE through the named Defendant officials to pursue an indiscriminate and brutal bombing campaign.”
ASSAD REGIME BOMBED N-W SYRIA OVER 84 TIMES SINCE QUAKE
The Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad has bombed north-west Syria over 84 times since last month’s earthquakes struck that area of the country, as well as across the border in south-east Türkiye. Syrian regime forces and affiliated militias bombed the Bab Al-Hawa highway in the north-western province of Idlib on February 28, launching over 30 rockets and artillery shells towards various villages in the rebel-held province. They were part of over 84 attacks on the north-west since the quake, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, which cited local sources. Despite those attacks, the transport of goods and aid from across the Turkish border were not severed or disrupted, allowing convoys to continue flowing into the province. Those repeated attacks barely a month after the devastating earthquake on February 6 mark a strikingly different tone by the Assad regime in comparison to its constant calls for international assistance and guarantees to distribute aid to all affected areas of Syria. They also went against calls for a ceasefire in the ongoing Syrian civil war. Damascus had initially demanded that all aid from abroad should be given to the regime for distribution following the quake, but after significant international criticism, proof that regime authorities were stealing the aid and diverting it, and a request by the United Nations, it agreed to the re-opening of two more border crossings into north-west Syria.
GAZA CHILDREN’S ARTWORK REMOVED FROM LONDON HOSPITAL
A London hospital was compelled to take down a display of artwork created by Palestinian schoolchildren – from Gaza – after complaints raised by UK Lawyers for Israel on behalf of “vulnerable” patients, reports Alarabinuk. A display of decorated plates, along with illustrations of their significance, was reportedly designed by kids at two UNWRA schools in Gaza. Chelsea & Westminster Community Hospital school children painted the designs on the plates and displayed them in the “Crossing Borders – a Festival of Plates” exhibit by the outpatient department entrance. The caption for one of the display plates was: “The olive branch is the symbol of peace and is used to express the wish for an independent Palestinian state.” The display in the lobby of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital left some patients feeling “vulnerable, offended and harassed,” according to UKLFI. A hospital spokesperson stated, “I can confirm that these pictures have been taken down. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention”.
ERDOGAN PLEDGES TO PRESERVE FABRIC OF QUAKE-HIT PROVINCES
Türkiye’s president on February 27 promised not to allow major changes to the fabric of the country’s southern regions amid efforts to rebuild from the devastation caused by twin earthquakes. “We cannot ignore structural changes to our (quake-hit) cities, where we’ve been living in brotherhood and which have been home to civilizations for thousands of years,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press briefing on a visit to Adiyaman, one of the provinces badly hit by the earthquakes. Calling on local residents, Erdogan said: “Protect your city. Never permanently abandon your motherland. We will provide you with better, more beautiful, safer, newer homes for every one that collapsed.” Erdogan noted that the government was “doing whatever is necessary,” with soil surveys already complete at sites where a total of 309,000 new homes are to be built and construction ready to begin.
FOSTER FAMILY APPLICATIONS INCREASE IN TÜRKIYE AFTER QUAKE
People have shown interest in the foster family programme after the deadly February 6 earthquakes that devastated the south-eastern region of Türkiye, the Ministry of Family and Social Services said. According to the report, children who survived the earthquake and lost their families are taken under the protection and care of the Ministry, and all their needs are met. Some 896 people in the country’s north-western province of Kırklareli have applied to participate in the foster family programme, so far, after the devastating earthquakes affected 11 provinces.
US COURT DISMISSES LAWSUIT AGAINST ACADEMICS WHO ENDORSED BDS
A United States court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against several academics and rights advocates over their endorsements of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The Superior Court for the District of Columbia on March 2 granted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and further dismissed the 10 counts charged against the academics. “I welcome the judge’s decision to dismiss this long-running lawsuit as a waste of time and money,” Steven Salaita, a Palestinian-American academic and one of the defendants in the case, said in a statement. “I am happy to finally be freed of this burden and hope that the ruling will deter pro-Israel outfits with no means of winning a debate beyond harassment and defamation from trying to impoverish those of us committed to the wellbeing of the Palestinian people.” The case arose out of a 2013 resolution endorsed by the American Studies Association (ASA), a scholarly organisation in the US that was in favour of joining a boycott of Israeli academic institutions as a part of the BDS movement.
THE FIRST JUDGE TO WEAR A HIJAB ON THE BENCH IN NJ
Nadia Kahf, a family law attorney from Wayne, has become the next Muslim woman to serve as a state Superior Court judge in New Jersey. The New Jersey Senate voted to appoint Kahf and a dozen other people as judges on February 27. Kahf, who is the first judge to wear a hijab on the bench, will serve in Passaic County. Gov. Phil Murphy nominated Kahf a year ago as part of a slate of 15 nominees. Muslim leaders who supported her nomination raised concerns when the process appeared to stall while others advanced. In May, 90 community leaders, including mayors, council members, school board members and leaders of the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, signed a letter urging state Sen. Kristin Corrado to act to advance the nomination. More than 700 people also signed an online petition in support of Kahf. Supporters say Kahf will bring a wealth of experience and needed representation to the bench. At her law practice in Haledon, Kahf specialises in family law and immigration. Two other Muslim women, Sharifa Salaam and Kalimah Ahmad, serve as Superior Court judges in Essex and Hudson counties, respectively.