Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Friday, May 24, that he had decided to “sever the connection” between Spain’s diplomatic mission and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank over Madrid’s recognition of a Palestinian state....
Every time I get close it says “Press X to Interact” but I don’t think my stats are high enough yet. I’m grinding on unattended toddlers until I level a few times.
So I decided to do a week of these posts and then see how it was going. It seems to have gone well enough, but it’s probably time for me to take a break from this format specifically for a while. In true Star Trek spirit though I want to get some use out of the misfit ideas so here’s the memes I didn’t pick each morning...
As Supreme Court justices try to resolve more than a dozen major cases over the next month, including whether Donald Trump must stand trial for election subversion, they appear mired in antagonism and distrust....
If the senior citizens near-ruling the USA from the SCOTUS find that making unpopular and legally questionable decisions is exhausting then they are free to retire. People will care a lot less about luxury RV’s, free vacations, flags, etc. when they’re no longer steering things like national reproductive rights and who actually has to obey the law.
As soon as I hear a name like “Moms for Liberty” I just know they’re going to be a group of brainwashed outrage addicts campaigning for demonstrably harmful things.
And in trying to check the first suggestion Google has is “moms for liberty book ban list” so I have a feeling I’m right.
The article references what you might be remembering:
“The Moms have recently attracted a swell of bad press, thanks to a disastrous 60 Minutes interview in which the co-founders struggled to defend their stances; a chapter leading quoting Hitler in a newsletter last year; some members’ close ties to the Proud Boys; and, perhaps most notably, the group’s national co-founder Bridget Ziegler becoming embroiled in a sex scandal after it came out that she and her husband, Florida GOP chair Christian Ziegler, were involved in a three-way sexual relationship with a woman—even though Bridget Ziegler played a key role in the passage of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which forbade discussion of LGBTQ issues in many school settings. (Christian Ziegler was accused of rape by the other woman in the encounter—an allegation he denied, and which authorities ultimately declined to prosecute—and was booted from his post within the state Republican party earlier this year.)”
I upvoted, but I wanted to add a few thoughts. See, I understand what you’re saying in that US history has been littered with acts ranging from questionable to horrible the entire time. However as a Canadian some of my most treasured people, both personal acquaintances and public figures, are/were American. Even though I criticize policies US policies (a lot more recently), I still feel a kinship to Americans and I like a lot of you.
I think America has an accountability problem where a very few people in power are allowed to COMPLETELY misrepresent the positions of their constituents and make national/state decisions that outrage huge portions of the population (often for money’s sake). In the 20-odd years I’ve been an adult I’ve noticed this about the Iraq war, the 2008 financial crisis + wealth inequality in general, climate, health care, and now of course the situation in Gaza. There’s almost no meaningful consequences applied when leaders act against the wishes of the populace or even your own laws. At worst some are not elected again and have to live on whatever millions they could amass during their years in power. Some say Americans get the government they deserve, but checks and balances don’t work if the few people empowered to check and balance are on the same corrupt/unethical page.
So I’m equally suspicious of anyone who thinks that America has, as a nation, been the greatest country in the world the entire time. I would simultaneously argue though that the US is home to some of the greatest people and that a large % of the population is at least as “good” as most other countries. Of course there are genuine shitheads in America, but that’s universal to every nation IMO. The real problem in my eyes is that your leaders have not been forced to actually put the “representation” in representative democracy. If you read all that, thanks for giving me your time.
Israel will not transfer much-needed funds to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the decision by three European countries to recognize a Palestinian state, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday, as its foreign minister denounced the European moves as giving “a gold medal to Hamas terrorists.”...
Edit: I tracked down a copy of the actual relevant agreement, and it definitely is money collected from Palestinians and on purchases made in Palestine on products that are brought into Palestine. Discussion a few comments down if interested.
I’m not sure if they collect all taxes, but according to the article they do collect at least some (and a meaningful amount):
"Under decades-old agreements, Israel collects customs and import taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Those revenues constitute most of the Palestinian budget, particularly as international aid has declined. "
As best as -I- can tell, Israel is collecting Palestinian taxes. Here’s another article from a different outlet:
What are the Palestinian funds that Israel collects?
Israel collects Palestinian import tax revenue as agreed to in the 1994 Paris Accords signed by the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel. The tax revenue Israel collects is made up of indirect taxes imposed on Palestinian imports. It comes from two primary sources: VAT on goods and import tax on goods brought in from outside Israel.
These are taxes that would normally be collected by a country for transactions within/at their borders, not charity/extra taxes paid for by Israelis. From the Wikipedia article, Israel collects taxes on goods/services that end up in Palestine, and controls/collects tariffs on goods entering Palestine. They tax Palestinian labor both in Israel and in the illegal settlements in OPT. They have also used withholding those taxes as a form of control several times in history and those are listed in the article.
As you note, this situation was only supposed to last 5 years, instead Israel has enforced it for 30 and according to the UN it’s not because Israelis are “giving them free money”. "However, 30 years later, the financial settlement continues to give the Israeli state what the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has called “a disproportionate influence on the collection of Palestinian fiscal revenue, leading to deficiencies in the structure and collection of customs duties resulting from direct and indirect importing into Palestine”.
I am not an expert. I may be wrong. But none of the sources I’m finding frame the issue as Israel withholding charity or bonus payments or anything similar - they all say Israel is holding Palestinian taxes. I only care about proof, so if you can provide it I’ll check it and if it outweighs the evidence I’ve found and linked I’ll change my mind.
Edit: Just to make sure I was doing my homework, I actually found a copy of the relevant agreement. Read Annex V point 1 (1st page) and Appendix V point 4 (2nd page). Both make it clear that Israel is collecting Palestinian taxes from Palestinians and on purchases made wholly in Palestine with a final destination inside Palestine. Given the very specific language of the agreement, I’m even more sure your assertion that it’s Israeli-sourced money is incorrect.
Your word alone is not enough, and in the absence of requested evidence I’m going to disregard it. I have found MANY sources going back years that state that Israel is collecting Palestinian taxes, as in money that Palestine would be collecting if it wasn’t occupied/was a self-governing nation. Israel also frequently withholds these taxes as a political bludgeon even though they are bound by their own signed agreements to pass that money along to Palestinian authorities. Israel even charges a 3% fee to do this for Palestine. I cannot find a single source that backs up your assertion that it’s actually Israel’s money transferred as an act of charity. Moreover, the idea that Israel is being unnecessarily kind clashes with decades of evidence about how Israel views, controls, and abuses Palestinians.
Those are some mental gymnastics, to try to tell me that when a Palestinian purchases fuel or other products in Palestine and the tax money goes to Israel that it’s not Palestinian taxes. That it’s Israeli money and is only returned (or sometimes not) because Israel is kind to Palestine. Or that when Israel collects the taxes on a Palestinian’s job located in the OPT, i.e. all work is done outside Israeli borders, that it’s not Israel collecting Palestinian taxes.
The Supreme Court upheld a pro-Republican South Carolina congressional map Thursday, rejecting the argument raised by civil rights groups that lawmakers impermissibly used race as a proxy to bolster the GOP’s chances....
Arizona lawmaker uses ChatGPT to help craft legislation to combat deepfakes (www.nbcnews.com)
archive.is...
Germany has too many solar panels, and it's pushed energy prices into negative territory (markets.businessinsider.com)
Israel says it will stop work of Spanish consulate for Palestinians (www.lemonde.fr)
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Friday, May 24, that he had decided to “sever the connection” between Spain’s diplomatic mission and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank over Madrid’s recognition of a Palestinian state....
the rule 🤗 (lemmy.world)
Found in a bin(reddit).
It's hard getting your 10k steps a day on a starship. (lemmy.world)
Misusing Memorable Quotes Pt. 8 - The Leftovers (Compilation Post) (lemmy.world)
So I decided to do a week of these posts and then see how it was going. It seems to have gone well enough, but it’s probably time for me to take a break from this format specifically for a while. In true Star Trek spirit though I want to get some use out of the misfit ideas so here’s the memes I didn’t pick each morning...
A tired, testy and fractured Supreme Court prepares for more drama (www.cnn.com)
As Supreme Court justices try to resolve more than a dozen major cases over the next month, including whether Donald Trump must stand trial for election subversion, they appear mired in antagonism and distrust....
Epic artwork by John Blanche (lemmy.world)
Moms for Liberty is coming for the swing states (www.motherjones.com)
Israel Responds to Move to Recognize Palestinian State by Withholding Funds (www.nytimes.com)
Israel will not transfer much-needed funds to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the decision by three European countries to recognize a Palestinian state, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday, as its foreign minister denounced the European moves as giving “a gold medal to Hamas terrorists.”...
Behold: the Jimono (lemmy.world)
Misusing Memorable Quotes Pt. 7 (lemmy.world)
I remember a lot of this from the 2000’s internet.
Supreme Court approves South Carolina congressional map previously found to dilute Black voting power (www.cnn.com)
The Supreme Court upheld a pro-Republican South Carolina congressional map Thursday, rejecting the argument raised by civil rights groups that lawmakers impermissibly used race as a proxy to bolster the GOP’s chances....
Now we know what's been causing all those problems in MF'ing Engineering. (lemmy.world)
Edit: I misplaced a word - should be “what it is” not “is it”....