Breaking The Stories: January 2025
curated by the Rev. Loren McGrail
and the Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals,
UCC PIN Steering Committee
'Jabalia Camp' by Muftah Elsheref
‘Children are freezing to death in Gaza’
At a camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir Al-Balah in the Central Gaza Strip on November 26, 2024 (Omar Ashtawy/AP Images)
On Thursday, December 26, Al-Fasih and his wife huddled together with their children in their tent in the Mawasi area of the Gaza Strip. It was one of the coldest and most frigid nights they had seen thus far this winter, with temperatures dropping down to 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit), and the tarps of their tent doing little to protect them from the cold air. With Sila snuggled close to her mother’s side, the family fell asleep. When they woke up, they woke up to a nightmare. Read more here.
'US House votes to advance bill to sanction ICC over Israel arrest warrants
In May, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant [Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters]
The United States House of Representatives has voted in favor of a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) in retaliation for its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Legislators in the lower chamber of the US Congress passed the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” by an overwhelming margin, 243 to 140, on Thursday in a signal of strong support for Israel. Read more here.
'Pro-Palestine Action and Trump's Return'
End Aid to Israel demonstration in Washington on Nov. 4, 2023, during the Israeli assault on Gaza. (Consortium News)
As President Joe Biden green lights another $8 billion in weapons to Israel in his last days in office and Secretary Blinken gives a parting New York Times interview in which he denies that a genocide is taking place in Gaza, many pro-Palestine activists are anxiously counting down the days until “Genocide Joe” and his crew exit the White House. But what will activists have to contend with under the Trump presidency? Read more here.
Further Reading
From Gaza to California: The Flames that Connect Us All Here
US Pediatricians Ask Blinken to Intervene as Israel Extends Detention of Gaza Doctor Here
Lancet Study Finds Official Gaza Death Toll Likely a 41% Undercount Here
Genocide: The New Normal (by Chris Hedges) Here
Another Expert Report Finds Israel is Committing Genocide. The West Yawns. Here
'My Hands are Paralyzed from Torture': Gazans Reveal Horrors of Ofer Camp Here
'I lost my wife and my land': A deadly olive harvest season ends in the West Bank Here
Israelis Must Ask Themselves if They're Willing to Live in a Country That Lives on Blood (by Gideon Levy) Here.
Indicators of the BDS Movement's Global Impact Here
This excerpt is from the UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here: UCCPIN January 2025 E-Newsletter.
