Israel’s military says it prohibits using civilians as shields, a practice it has long accused Hamas of using UK ministers are under pressure from inside and outside Labour to recognise Palestinian statehood at a UN conference next month, with party grandees arguing it would bolster prospects for peace and demonstrate moral leadership amid escalating tensions. Alf Dubs, the veteran Labour peer and Holocaust survivor, said the symbolic recognition of a Palestinian state would offer Palestinians “the self-respect they’d have if they had a proper state,” and provide them a stronger footing in any future peace negotiations. “Even if it doesn’t lead to anything immediately, it would still give Palestinians a better standing,” Lord Dubs said. “Symbols matter.” The former cabinet minister Peter Hain echoed the call, warning that “delaying recognition until negotiations are concluded simply allows Israel’s illegal occupation to become permanent”. Lord Hain argued that formal recognition should be “a catalyst, not a consequence” of peace talks. The two Israeli soldiers who spoke to the AP – and a third who provided testimony to Israeli non-governmental organisation Breaking the Silence – said commanders were aware of the use of human shields and tolerated it, with some giving orders to do so. Some said it was referred to as the “mosquito protocol” and that Palestinians were also referred to as “wasps” and other dehumanising terms. The soldiers said they first became aware human shields were being used shortly after 7 October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, and that it became widespread by the middle of 2024. Orders to “bring a mosquito” often came via radio, they said – shorthand everyone understood. Soldiers acted on commanding officers’ orders, according to the officer who spoke to the AP. He said that by the end of his nine months in Gaza, every infantry unit used a Palestinian to clear houses before entering. “Once this idea was initiated, it caught on like fire in a field,” the 26-year-old said. “People saw how effective and easy it was.” He described a 2024 planning meeting where a brigade commander presented to the division commander a slide reading “get a mosquito” and a suggestion they might “just catch one off the streets”. The officer wrote two incident reports to the brigade commander detailing the use of human shields, reports that would have been escalated to the division chief, he said. The Israeli military said it had no comment when asked whether it received them. One report documented the accidental killing of a Palestinian, he said – troops did not realize another unit was using him as a shield and shot him as he ran into a house. The officer recommended the Palestinians be dressed in army clothes to avoid misidentification. He said he knew of at least one other Palestinian who died while used as a shield – he passed out in a tunnel. In a statement to the AP, the military said it also bans otherwise coercing civilians to participate in operations, and “all such orders are routinely emphasised to the forces.” The military said it is investigating several cases alleging that Palestinians were involved in missions, but would not provide details. Continue reading...

Haitians with HIV are defying stigma as they publicly denounce USAID cuts implemented by the administration of U.S.

We are tottering on the edge of dictatorship. Powerful voices across institutions, from politics to academia and religion, must speak out