always another last boyscout for gaza | blood on the sun | Ceravolo: Dirty Benediction

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#haveaniceday #sunset on the mediterranean sea from as seen from #Gaza City. Photo @TomCoex: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 8 June 2018

A boyscout plays the drums during a demonstration in #Gaza Photo @mohmdabed #Gaza: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 8 June 2018
 

Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces today while participating in protests marking 51 years since the Nakba. Israeli forces used tear gas drones and sniper fire against Palestinians, including women and children.: image via the IMEU @theIMEU, 2 June 2018

Un photographe de l'AFP blessé par balle lors de heurts à Gaza #AFP: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr, 8 June 2018

Un photographe de l'AFP blessé par balle lors de heurts à Gaza: AFP, 8 June 2018

Des manifestants palestiniens au milieu de gaz lacrymogènes tirés par des soldats israéliens le 8 juin 2018 dans la bande de Gaza: photo by AFP, 8 June 2018

Un photographe palestinien de l'Agence France-Presse a été blessé par balle à la jambe vendredi après que l'armée israélienne eut ouvert le feu sur des manifestants lors de heurts dans la bande de Gaza, ont indiqué le journaliste et le ministère local de la Santé.

Mohammed Abed al-Baba, qui travaille pour l'AFP depuis 2000, a été atteint sous le genou alors qu'il se trouvait à environ 200 mètres de la frontière à l'est de Jabaliya (nord), revêtu d'un gilet marqué "presse" et d'un casque pour sa protection, a témoigné le photographe.

Le porte-parole du ministère de la Santé à Gaza, Achraf al-Qodra, a assuré qu'il avait été blessé par un tir israélien.

Le photographe a été hospitalisé à Jabaliya. Ses jours ne sont pas en danger.

L'armée israélienne n'a pas répondu dans l'immédiat aux questions de l'AFP sur les faits.
Des heurts ont opposé à distance manifestants palestiniens et soldats israéliens postés le long de la frontière qui sépare Gaza d'Israël. Mohammed Abed al-Baba a été touché par un tir en provenance des lignes israéliennes quand il s'est approché d'un blessé pour le photographier, a-t-il raconté.

La bande de Gaza, soumise aux blocus israélien et égyptien, est le théâtre depuis le 30 mars d'une protestation accompagnée d'affrontements le long de la frontière. Au moins trois Palestiniens ont été tués par des tirs israéliens vendredi, a indiqué le ministère gazaoui de la Santé.

La mobilisation gazaouie est organisée au nom du droit au retour des Palestiniens sur les terres qu'ils ont fuies ou dont ils ont été chassés à la création d'Israël en 1948. Elle dénonce aussi le blocus de Gaza. Israël assure que cette mobilisation sert de couvert au mouvement islamiste Hamas qui dirige l'enclave pour tenter de s'infiltrer et d'attaquer des soldats ou des civils.

Avant les incidents de vendredi, au moins 125 Palestiniens avaient été tués par des tirs israéliens depuis le 30 mars. Aucun Israélien n'a été tué.

Mohammed Abed a couvert les trois guerres qui ont mis aux prises Israël et le Hamas depuis 2008. Ses photos des évènements depuis le 30 mars ont été abondamment reproduites par la presse internationale.

Today my brilliant photographer colleague Mohammed Abed al-Baba was shot in the leg by Israeli fire in northern Gaza. He was around 200 metres from the border fence, wearing a press vest, he says.: image via Joe @joedyke, 8 June 2018



Joe‏Verified account @joedyke

 Baba has been working for AFP in Gaza since 2000, covered three wars and has won multiple awards. Hopefully his leg will be ok and he can return to work soon.: tweet via Joe @joedyke, 8 June 2018


He is a brilliant and incredibly brave photographer. This powerful photo taken in the 2008/9 war was recognised at the World Press Awards.: image via Joe @joedyke, 8 June 2018

The World Press Photo of the Year 2009 contest winners. Palestinian AFP photographer Mohammed Abed wins third prize in the Spot News Stories category with his pictures of the shelling in Gaza in January 2009: photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP, January 2009

At least 129 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since protests broke out along the Gaza border on March 30: photo by Jack Guez/AFP, 8 June 2018 

AFP photographer hit as Israel fires on Gaza protesters: AFP, 8 June 2018

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - An AFP photographer was shot in the leg as Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators along the Gaza border on Friday, the health ministry and the journalist said.

Mohammed Abed al-Baba, who has worked for AFP in Gaza since 2000, said he was shot in the leg while wearing a clearly identified press vest and helmet around 200 metres (yards) from the border east of Jabalia in northern Gaza.

Health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said Baba was wounded by Israeli fire.

The bullet hit him below the knee, with his condition not life threatening, medics said.

Three Palestinians, among them a 15-year-old, were killed by Israeli fire elsewhere along the border as thousands demonstrated, the health ministry added.

The Israeli army said it was dealing with a riot.

Minor clashes were underway east of Jabalia when Abed was shot and he said he was trying to photograph a wounded protester.

He was taken to the Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza for treatment, where a doctor said he would undergo surgery to stabilise a bone.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Abed.

It has accused Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas of manipulating the protests to conceal the infiltration of militants planning attacks.

Abed has been working for AFP in Gaza since 2000, covering three wars between Israel and Hamas.

He has won multiple awards.

Since widespread protests broke out along the Gaza border on March 30, Baba has been covering them daily -- with his photos widely used across the globe.

At least 128 Palestinians have been killed since the protests began on March 30. No Israelis have died.

A wounded Palestinian demonstrator is hit in the face with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops during a protest at the Israel-Gaza border (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT): Photo Ibraheem Abu Mustafa: image via Reuters Pictures @reuterspictures, 8 June 2018

Horrifying images show a Palestinian demonstrator being hit in the face with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops during #AlQudsDay protests in the Israel-Gaza border Photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa @ibraheemgazapix @reuterspictures: image via SundayTimesPictures @STPictures, 8 June 2018 

 

Horrifying images show a Palestinian demonstrator being hit in the face with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops during #AlQudsDay protests in the Israel-Gaza border Photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa @ibraheemgazapix @reuterspictures: image via SundayTimesPictures @STPictures, 8 June 2018

Palestinians get creative about what to do with Israeli army tear gas canisters fired on protesters in Gaza. [Photo: @saidkhatib]: image via The IMEU @theIMEU, 2 June 2018

3,704: That's how many live ammunition gunshot injuries were inflicted by Israeli snipers on Palestinian demonstrators inside the Gaza Strip over a seven-week period beginning on 30 March.: image via the IMEU @theIMEU, 8 June 2018

 

Gaza's health system is crumbling under the weight of thousands of injuries and dozens of deaths. Now Palestinian doctors are being forced to provide service both in the emergency room and in hallways and tents.: image via the IMEU @theIMEU, 8 June 2018

 
A senior Israeli official said he "wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow there were 40 deaths" in reference to the protests in Gaza today commemorating 51 years since the Nakba, when Israel expanded its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.: image via the IMEU @theIMEU, 8 June 2018

Gaza protests: updates: Al Jazeera, 8 June 2018

For more than two months, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been protesting along the fence with Israel, demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 years ago.

The Great March of Return rallies culminated on May 15 to mark what Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or Catastrophe - a reference to the forced removal of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and villages to clear the way for Israel's establishment in 1948.

The mass Friday demonstrations have since continued.

Since the protests began on March 30, Israeli forces have killed 124 Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave and wounded more than 13,000 people.

Health officials in the Gaza Strip say the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during today's protests near the fence with Israel has risen to four.  

Israeli troops shot and killed 15-year-old Haitham al-Jamal east of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency Wafa said, citing the health ministry.

Ziad Jadallah Bureim was also shot dead while participating in protests in the southern Gaza Strip, while Imad Nabil Abu Darabi, 26, was killed east of Jabalia town in northern Gaza Strip, Wafa added.

Yousef al-Fasih, 29, was shot dead while demonstrating in the eastern Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency Wafa said. 

More than 600 people were wounded by Israeli forces, including photographer Mohammed Abed al-Baba, who was shot in the leg.

Al-Baba, who has worked for AFP news agency in the Gaza Strip since 2000, was shot while clearly identified in a press vest and helmet, around 200 metres from the fence east of Jabalia in northern Gaza.

Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from the protests in the Gaza Strip, says Israeli forces are firing teargas at protesters.

"They are using this in two ways, firstly coming in from jeeps ... to try and disperse the [crowd], [and] they are also using teargas drones," he said. 

"However, the Palestinians have figured out a way of dealing with these drones ... they've figured out that they can entangle a drone into kites, and they have managed to bring down an Israeli drone," he added.

Of those injured, 92 protesters sustained live fire wounds, including seven who are critically wounded. Twenty-six children and 14 women are among the wounded.

The remaining injuries were caused by teargas inhalation.

 

Teargas fired by Israeli troops at Palestinian demonstrators during a protest marking Jerusalem Day: photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters, 8 June 2018

 A Palestinian demonstrator uses a sling to hurl stones at Israeli troops at the Israel-Gaza border: photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters, 8 June 2018

Fire burns in scrubland in Israel near the Gaza Strip; Palestinians have been flying kites and balloons loaded with flammable material across the border between Israel and Gaza.: photo by Amir Cohen/Reuters, 8 June 2018



A wounded Palestinian demonstrator being evacuated: photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters, 8 June 2018

Sheldon Adelson has spent millions on backing Israel and attacking supporters of Palestinian rights in the US.: photo by Kin Cheung/AP viua The Guadian, 8 June 2018

Sheldon Adelson: the casino mogul driving Trump's Middle East policy: The Las Vegas billionaire gave Republicans $82m for the 2016 elections and his views, notably staunch support for Netanyahu’s Israel, are now the official US line: Chris McGreal in Washington for The Guardian, 8 June 2018

In 2015, the billionaire casino owner and Republican party funder Sheldon Adelson spent days in a Las Vegas courtroom watching his reputation torn apart and wondering if his gambling empire was facing ruin.

An official from Nevada’s gaming control board sat at the back of the court listening to mounting evidence that Adelson bribed the Chinese officials and worked with organised crime at his casinos in Macau – allegations that could have seen the magnate’s Las Vegas casinos stripped of their licenses. 

Sheldon Adelson in a Las Vegas courtroom, 2015: photo by The Guardian, 8 June 2018

The case, a civil suit by a former manager of the Macau gaming operations who said he was fired for curbing corrupt practices, was another blow in a bad run for Adelson.

He had thrown $150m into a futile effort to unseat the “socialist” and “anti-Israel” Barack Obama in the 2012 election. His credibility as a political player was not enhanced by his backing of Newt Gingrich for president.

But three years on from the court case, Adelson’s influence has never been greater.

The imprint of the 84-year-old’s political passions is seen in an array of Donald Trump’s more controversial decisions, including violating the Iran nuclear deal, moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and appointing the ultra-hawkish John Bolton as national security advisor.

“Adelson’s established himself as an influential figure in American politics with the amount of money that he has contributed,” said Logan Bayroff of the liberal pro-Israel group, J Street. “There’s no doubt that he has very strong, very far-right dangerous positions and that – at very least – those positions are really being heard and thought about at the highest levels of government.”

As the 2015 court hearing unfolded, the billionaire swallowed his considerable pride and paid millions of dollars to settle the lawsuit, heading off the danger of the graft allegations being tested at a full trial.

The casinos stayed in business and continued to contribute to a vast wealth that made Adelson the 14th richest person in America last year with a net worth of $35bn, according to Forbes.

Adelson has put some of that money toward pushing an array of political interests ranging from protecting his business from online gambling to opposition to marijuana legalisation.

But nothing aligns more closely with his world view than the intertwining of the Republican party and Israel.

Adelson’s considerable support for Republicans is in no small part motivated by what he regards as their more reliable support for the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu, which appear intent on preventing the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Adelson gave $82m toward Trump’s and other Republican campaigns during the 2016 election cycle – more than three times the next largest individual donor, according to Open Secrets.

That commitment bought him an attentive hearing from the new administration as he pushed for the appointment of Bolton as national security adviser knowing that he would be an important ally in getting the White House to kill the Iran nuclear deal. The New York Times reported that Adelson is a member of a "shadow National Security Council” advising Bolton.

The day after Trump announced that the US was pulling out of the Iran agreement, Adelson was reported to have held a private meeting in the White House with the president, Bolton and Vice-President Mike Pence.

Sheldon Adelson attends the opening ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem in May.: photo by Sebastian Scheiner/AP, 15 May 2018

 The casino magnate also pushed hard to see the US embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – an action previous presidents had shied away from because of the diplomatic ramifications.

Adelson was so enthusiastic about the move that he offered to pay for some of the costs and provided a jet to fly Guatemala’s official delegation to Israel for the ceremony. (The Central American country has also announced plans to follow Trump and move its own embassy.)

Daniel Levy, a former member of Israeli negotiating teams with the Palestinians and policy adviser to the then Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, said that Adelson’s money had helped resurface neoconservative policies which had been discredited after the US invasion of Iraq.

“Adelson is a linchpin in bringing together the radical extremists on the Israeli right and this group of hardliners on Israel and neoconservatives,” said Levy, who is now president of the US-based Middle East Project.

The billionaire is also deeply committed to protecting Israel within the US.

 

An example of an anti-BDS poster funded by Sheldon Adelson.: photo courtesy of Robert Gardner via the Guardian, 8 June 2018

He paid for a new headquarters for the most powerful pro-Israel lobby group in Washington (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), spent $100m to fund “birthright” trips for young Jewish Americans to Israel, and funds a group opposing criticism of the Jewish state at US universities.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that Adelson funded an investigation by an Israeli firm with ties to the country’s police and military into the American activist Linda Sarsour, a co-chair of the Women’s March movement who campaigns for Palestinian rights and supports a boycott of the Jewish state.

Adelson also funds Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and his World Values Network which published a full-page personal attack in the New York Times on the actor Natalie Portman for refusing an award from Israel because of its government’s policies.

For his part, the casino magnate does not take criticism well.

In 2015 he secretly bought he Las Vegas newspaper, the Review-Journal,  which had led the way in critical coverage of the billionaire’s business dealings. Several reporters subsequently left the paper complaining of editorial interference and curbs on reporting of the gambling industry. 

 

Israeli intel firm spied on Palestinian-American Linda Sarsour, report says.: photo via The Guardian, 8 June 2018

Right now, Adelson is concentrated on ensuring the Republicans remain in control of Congress, and is pouring $30m into funding the GOP’s midterm elections campaign.

Adelson is no less active in Israel where he owns the country’s largest newspaper, a publication so closely linked with Netanyahu’s administration it has been dubbed the “Bibipaper” after the prime minister’s nickname.

Personal relations with Netanyahu have soured but Adelson remains committed to the prime minister’s broader “Greater Israel” political agenda and to strengthening ties between the Republicans’ evangelical base and Israel.

It’s not always a welcome involvement by a man who is not an Israeli citizen – not least because Adelson’s vision for the Jewish state does not represent how many of its people see their country.

In 2014, he told a conference during a discussion about the implications for democracy of perpetual occupation or annexation of parts of the West Bank without giving Palestinians the right to vote in Israeli elections: “Israel isn’t going to be a democratic state. So what?”

 

EXCLUSIVE: Nearly 1,800 families separated at U.S.-Mexico border in 17 months through February. Track @POTUS policies with #TheTrumpEffect: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 8 June 2018

In the Kingdom of the Goblin King (Zombie Apocalypse)

 

reconstituted cheetoh and medical waste golem sheldon adelson: image via BAKOON! @BAKKOOONN, 28 May 2015

Adelson loses bid to have case tried in Macau (Update): US judge says issue best heard in Vegas: Casinomeister, 29 May 2015

Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson's bid to have a court action heard in Macau rather than in the United States was defeated Friday when US federal Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez ruled that the full case could be heard in the Nevada.

Adelson is being sued by former Macau executive Steven Jacobs, who has alleged that Adelson improperly fired him in part for blocking hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to a Macau legislator and lawyer because he felt these may breach US anti-bribery laws. Jacobs also alleges Adelson opposed his attempts to break links to Asian organised crime triads.

Adelson claims that his company was justified in firing Jacobs because he was incompetent.

The case, in which a combative Adelson spent four days under examination and at times contradicted the evidence of his own executives, has aired questionable decisions allegedly made by the billionaire.

Reporting on the latest developments, The Guardian newspaper speculates that the case potentially has implications for Adelson's Las Vegas Sands casinos because evidence of ties to criminal organisations could cost them their gaming licences.

"It could also have a bearing on the 81-year-old billionaire's considerable political influence," the Guardian report continues. "He is estimated to have spent $150m in a failed bid to secure a Republican victory over Barack Obama in the last presidential election and is being vigorously courted by Republican candidates in the next race."

In deciding against Adelson in the case, Judge Gonzalez commented: "This matter has been pending in Nevada courts for almost five years. Judicial economy would be served by continuing this litigation in Nevada."

Adelson's company is expected to appeal against the decision.

jncatron: Sheldon Adelson To Host Secret Anti-BDS Summit for Jewish Donors via jdforward: image via Sheldon Adelson @VegasGoblinKing, 2 June 2015

reconstituted cheetoh and medical waste golem sheldon adelson: image via BAKOON! @BAKKOOONN, 28 May 2015

 

Arab_America: Sheldon Adelson To Host Secret Anti-BDS Summit for Jewish Donors #TCOT: image via Sheldon Adelson @VegasGoblinKing, 5 June 2015

My new comic is a Tale of the Zombie Apocalypse in @tnr: image via Eli Valley @elivalley, 14 May 2015

The Great Hypocrisy Behind Sheldon Adelson's Anti-#BDS Summit | @AliGharib | @jdforward: image via JewishVoiceforPeace @jvplive, 3 June 2015

 

Sen. Ted Cruz calls on US government to cut off funds from universities supporting the Boycott Israel (#BDS) movement: image via Israel News Flash @ILNewsFlash, 31 May 2015

 

I Am the Goblin King!: image via Sheldon Adelson @VegasGoblinKing, 3 June 2015

Opinion: #Israel's problem isn't #BDS - it's the occupation: image via Haaretz @haaretzcom, 3 June 2015

They always get their meatsack

 @realDonaldTrump waves as he arrives at the Canadian Forces Base Bagotville La Baie, Quebec for the G7 Summit.: image via Doug Mills @dougmillsnyt, 8 June 2018


 @realDonaldTrump meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec. #G7Summit.: image via Doug Mills @dougmillsnyt, 8 June 2018



@realDonaldTrump gets a handshake from French President Emmanuel Macron as they take part in a G7 "family photo". #G7Summit.: image via Doug Mills @dougmillsnyt, 8 June 2018
 

Untitled #042 [Haifa, Israel]: photo by Never Edit, 28 August 2015

Untitled #042 [Haifa, Israel]: photo by Never Edit, 28 August 2015
  

Untitled #042 [Haifa, Israel]: photo by Never Edit, 28 August 2015 

 BRO_7616: photo by Bronfer, 4 June 2018

 BRO_7452: photo by Bronfer, 2 June 2018

 BRO_6458: photo by Bronfer, 31 May 2018

 BRO_6458: photo by Bronfer, 31 May 2018

  
 BRO_6458: photo by Bronfer, 31 May 2018

  Untitled: photo by Ilan Burla, 15 April 2017

  Untitled: photo by Ilan Burla, 15 April 2017

  Untitled: photo by Ilan Burla, 15 April 2017

   
FOTOGRAFIA: photo by Sona Maletz, 10 November 2016

FOTOGRAFIA: photo by Sona Maletz, 10 November 2016

 FOTOGRAFIA: photo by Sona Maletz, 10 November 2016

About women [L'viv, Ukraine]: photo by Tetyana Bunyak, 2 June 2018

About women [L'viv, Ukraine]: photo by Tetyana Bunyak, 2 June 2018

About women [L'viv, Ukraine]: photo by Tetyana Bunyak, 2 June 2018

DSC06322: photo by torsak panjasuparak, 20 May 2018

DSC06322: photo by torsak panjasuparak, 20 May 2018

DSC06322: photo by torsak panjasuparak, 20 May 2018

Joseph Ceravolo: Dirty Benediction
      September 1984

 

My head falls on the dirt

It rains on my body
under the tree
Am I here with you?

You are not here.
There's bread in the grass

while the eyes wander endlessly

Joseph Ceravolo (1934-1988): Dirty Benediction (September 1984), from Collected Poems (2012)

 Untitled [Såo Paulo]: photo by Vitor Damasio, 6 June 2018

 Untitled [Såo Paulo]: photo by Vitor Damasio, 6 June 2018

 Untitled [Såo Paulo]: photo by Vitor Damasio, 6 June 2018