According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the United States is “deeply concerned by reports that the Sudanese militia Rapid Support Force (RSF) intensified shelling in South Darfur and Omdurman.”
But on the same day of Mr. Miller’s claim, President Joe Biden appeared to give the Zionist State of Israel the green light to continue with its incessant bombing of 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza during his appearance in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In the case of Sudan, the U.S. called on the RSF to immediately cease shelling of civilian neighborhoods and to protect civilians, Miller said on October 18. However, Biden appears to take his lead from Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, who stressed that “it will be a long and difficult war, and Israel will need U.S. support for a long period of time,” reported Axios.
There was no pushback from Biden or Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who accompanied the president on his overseas trip. According to the LA Times, Israeli airstrikes continued “after the Biden visit,” pounding locations across the Gaza Strip.
›Why the apparent double standard? Friends of this writer in the U.S. and Sudan said it’s more “American propaganda.” A good Sudanese friend, who wants to remain anonymous, said in the case of Sudan, “it’s more public relations than what’s actually happening on the ground.” In the case of Israel, it’s the upcoming U.S. presidential race and Biden’s long history of “support” for Israel.
Following the bombing of the Al-Alhi Baptist Hospital in Gaza, African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat accused Israel of a “war crime.” Israel and Hamas are pointing the finger at each other for the blast that has reportedly killed hundreds.
“There are no words to fully express our condemnation of Israel’s bombing of a “Gaza hospital today, killing hundreds of people,” Faki said on X, formerly Twitter, calling for the international community to act.
The Egyptian government issued a statement denouncing the hospital bombing “in the strongest terms,” calling on the international community to step in and prevent further violations. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, called the “deliberate bombing” of the hospital a “clear violation of international law,” reported Al-Jazeera.
During a recent Blinken visit al-Sissi said, concerning Israel’s IDF retaliatory strikes, “The reaction went beyond the right to self-defense, turning into a collective punishment for 2.3 million people in Gaza.”
As the death toll due to Israelis’ incessant bombing campaign continues to rise, South Africa’s International Relations Minister Dr. Nalendi Pandor expressed solidarity with Palestinians. She said, in a video posted on X, “The main way to address the Palestinian-Israel conflict is to implement the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state.”
She added, “It had been rendered practically impossible, unless Israel, in negotiations for peace, would be prepared to give up some of the lands on which they have settled (occupied).”
Lately receiving much press, Dr. Pandor, who spoke to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, reiterated the government’s solidarity and support for the people of Palestine and expressed sadness and regret for the loss of innocent lives, both Palestinians and Israelis.
During the exchange, Dr. Pandor and the Hamas leader discussed how to get the necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza and other parts of the Palestinian territories, the statement from her office read. She also pushed back on being accused of offering support for the “Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood” as being “untrue and meant to ‘impugn’ the minister and the South African government.”
At the Oct. 14-18 Dilemmas of Humanity Conference in Johannesburg, the foreign minister began her frank talk exposing “colonial occupiers, using financial muscle … to secure depoliticized support of African countries.” She said this happened at the African Union Executive Council Summit in 2021 where, if not for her and a few other members’ intervention, Israel would have gained observer status.
“Using financial muscle to provide grant in aid to African countries and secure the depoliticized support of African countries for these oppressive nations, among them Israel and Morocco,” she said.
She recounted that when she discovered the violation, she said to herself, “This is not going to happen.” She then expressed she wished to “table a matter,” and that South Africa objected to it. “We want our leaders to discuss it and we will never accept it as South Africa.
And while we appreciate the role that the Organization of African Unity (pre-AU) played in us achieving our freedom as South Africa, this decision of the AU commission chairperson will make us consider whether we can be present in the African Union,” said Dr. Pandor.
Concerning occupied Palestine, she explained that the burgeoning expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian land and growing oppression of the Palestinian people is a gross violation of their human rights.
“The Gaza Strip, being turned into an open-air prison, regularly denied electricity, water and fuel, this current denial is not new,” she said. “It’s been happening time and time and time again for 16 years Gaza has been under siege with its people struggling to survive the ongoing, land, air and sea blockade imposed by Israel with Palestinians denied exit and entry into the strip.” Follow @JehronMuhammad on X, formerly known as Twitter
