UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Richard Falk issued a statement today blasting an Israeli court for yesterday’s Rachel Corrie civil suit ruling, saying it represented a “defeat for justice and accountability and a victory for impunity for the Israeli military.” The lawsuit was brought by the parents of slain activist Rachel Corrie, and sought only $1, a tacit admission of wrongdoing. The court rejected the case, and the judge declared that Corrie brought her death upon herself. Falk termed the ruling a “sad outcome, above all for the Corrie family but also for the rule of law.” The Corries intend to appeal the case to the Israeli high court, though since the Israeli Defense Ministry has barred most witnesses from the trial the case is seen as more or less a foregone conclusion. more
Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of the novel coronavirus spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with some joking that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario. But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned. "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible