Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2025-09-18 Thursday

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

Democracy Now! Thursday, September 18, 2025

From New York, this is Democracy Now. Amnesty International has released a report demanding of everyone, international communities, states, companies, public to confront the global political economy that is enabling and sustaining Israel's genocide, Israel's apartheid, and Israel's unlawful occupation. As the Israeli military escalates its attack on Gaza City, Amnesty International has accused major companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Palantir, of enabling and profiting from Israel's genocide, we'll speak to Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Kalamar, then to the disappearance of Dr. Hussein Abu Safia. We do not know why we are being bombed and we do not know why we are being targeted in this way, despite us asking the world for international protection.

Nearly nine months ago, Israel seized the acclaimed Palestinian doctor Husam Abu Safia in Gaza. He remains jailed in Israel, where his lawyer says he's been told. tortured. His case is the subject of a new documentary by Al Jazeera. We'll air excerpts and get an update. All that and more coming out. Welcome to Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. Israeli ground forces have advanced deeper into Gaza City, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee under heavy fire from tanks, fighter jets, fighter jets, and naval bombardment. The relentless strikes killed at least 79 Palestinians over the last 24 hours, according to Gaza health officials, with another 228 wounded. Among the dead or a mother

and child killed in an air attack on a residential apartment in the Shati refugee camp, and 13 people killed in an Israeli attack in front of Al-Shefa hospital. This is Yasmin Zakut, who narrowly survived an assault that collapsed her family's home in Gaza City. They pulled me out from under the rubble with my mouth filled with sand. They spent two hours trying to rescue me and my injured husband. My daughter suffocated under the debris. The ruins of the house crushed my legs and the columns were on my chest. My husband and son are in critical condition and my daughter died.

city is under a complete internet and communications blackout for a second straight day after Israel strikes destroyed infrastructure. Meanwhile, an investigation by the new humanitarian has documented the names of nearly 3,000 Palestinians who were killed while seeking food and almost 20,000 others who were wounded by Israeli forces. That includes nearly 1,000 Palestinians killed at or near aid sites operated by the militarized U.S. and Israeli-backed so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In Brussels, the European Commission Wednesday submitted a proposal to suspend the EU's trade agreement with Israel and to sanction far-right Israeli cabinet members Itamar Bem Gavir and Bezal Smotrich, as well as 10 Hamas members.

This is Kayakhalis, Vice President of the European Commission. The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. All member states agree that the situation in Gaza is untenable. The war needs to end. The suffering must stop and all hostages must be released. We must use all the tools we have towards this outcome. In Washington, D.C., the families of U.S. citizens killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers gathered on Capitol Hill this week to demand the Trump administration investigate the killings. This is Osden Bennett, whose sister, Ayshnur-Ezgi, was shocked to death by Israeli forces

in the occupied West Bank a year ago. What will it take for the Department of Justice to live up to its name? Why are some American lives worth fighting for while others are not? Why is it that the U.S. government is swift to take to act? as long as the perpetrator isn't Israel. To see our interview with Austin Bennett, go to DemocracyNow.org. Joining the protests was Cindy Corey, the mother of Rachel Corey, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer

while trying to protect a Palestinian home in Gaza from demolition in 2003. The group was brought together by Washington Congress member Pramila Jayapal. If you are listening, please, step up and do what you said you would do, which is demand transparency, accountability, investigation into the deaths of U.S. citizens. Right now, the Trump administration is continuing to allow U.S. citizens to be killed with impunity, even as the Israeli government commits genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders has announced Israel's assault and siege on Gaza

as a genocide. Senator Sanders wrote in an op-ed on Wednesday, quote, over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas. Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people. Many legal experts have now concluded Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, Senator Sanders wrote. Ukraine and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation have announced they would each invest 75 million. to a joint fund to support Ukraine's reconstruction. It's part of a minerals deal Ukraine signed with Washington back in April. This morning, Russia closed its airport in VolgaGrad and put oil refineries on alert in response to a Ukrainian drone attack. This follows Russia's drone attack

on several Ukrainian cities Tuesday, killing seven people. On Wednesday, NATO conducted military exercises in Poland with tanks, helicopters, and jets in response to Russian and Belarusian war games across the border. ABC has suspended the late-night show of Jimmy Kimmel, after the chair of the Federal Communications Commission threatened to take action against ABC for comments Kimmel made about the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The backlash followed Kimmel's opening monologue Monday. night. We hit some new lows over the weekend with the

maggie gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. The abrupt decision to indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kim alive reportedly came from Robert Iger, chief executive of ABC's parent company,

the Walt Disney Company, and Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden. It followed these remarks by FCC chair Brendan Carr to podcaster Benny Johnson. You know, when you look at the conduct that has taken place by Jimmy Kimmel, it appears to be some of the sickest conduct possible. I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead. Carr's comment, contrast with a tweet he wrote in 2022, reading, quote,

political satire is one of the oldest and most important forms of free speech. It challenges those in power while using humor to draw more people into the discussion. That's why people in influential positions have always targeted it for censorship. Brendan Carr wrote in 2022. In 2023, Carr wrote, free speech is the counterweight. It is the check on government control. That is why censorship is the authoritarian's dream, he wrote. Kimmel's removal comes amidst a $6.2 billion merger between Next Star, one of the biggest

owners of ABC affiliates, and Tegna, which requires FCC approval. In a statement, the president of NextStar called Kimmel's jokes offensive and sensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, end quote. The largest of ABC's affiliate groups, the Sinclair broadcast group, said it would suspend Jimmy Kimmel live until formal discussions are held with ABC about, quote, professionalism and accountability. Sinclair also demanded Kimmel make a direct apology to Charlie Kirk's family and for him to personally donate money to Kirk's conservative youth organization, Turning Point, USA.

This comes after CBS announced it was canceling the late show with Stephen Colbert next May amidst a corporate merger between Paramount and Skydance media. President Trump welcomed Kimmel's suspension writing on social media from London, quote, The ratings challenge Jimmy Kimmel's show is canceled. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done, unquote. Trump also attacked other late night hosts saying, Fallon and Seth Myers should also be canceled. In southern Pennsylvania, three police officers were killed and two others seriously wounded by gunfire Wednesday as they were following up on a domestic investigation in rural York County. Investigators did not immediately identify the suspect who they say was shot dead by the officers returned fire.

The former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Susan Menaris, told, a Senate panel Wednesday how she was pressured by Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. to fire top CDC scientists and sign off on vaccine recommendations issued by a panel filled with RFK's appointees. Dr. Monars also recounted how RFK Jr. accused CDC employees of quote, killing children in a meeting with her a week before she was fired. She warned that RFK Jr's actions could cause the return of preventable diseases such as, quote, polio, measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough. The stakes are not theoretical. We already have seen the largest measles outbreak in more than 30 years, which claim the lives of two children. If vaccine protections are weakened, preventable diseases will return. I was fired for holding the line on scientific integrity, but that line does not disappear with me. It now runs through every parent deciding.

whether to vaccinate a child, every physician counseling a patient, and every American who demands accountability. Meanwhile, RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Advisory Committee is set to vote today and tomorrow on changing recommendations on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B, and chicken pox. Two former senior officials at the CDC say the panel could vote on delaying the hepatitis B vaccine currently administered to newborns to age four. The panel, could also vote on restricting access to the COVID-19 shot for people under the age of 75. On Wednesday, the West Coast Health Alliance, comprised of California, Oregon, Hawaii, and Washington State issued their own COVID-19 flu and RSV vaccine recommendations. California Governor Gavin Newsom also signed a law allowing California to set up its own vaccine schedule apart from CDC guidance.

The Federal Reserve is voted to lower interest rates for the first time this year, lowering them by a quarter of a percentage point. This comes as President Trump's tried to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and has repeatedly tried to pressure the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. White House advisor, Stephen Myron, was sworn in as a Fed governor just minutes before the Central Bank meeting. He voted to lower interest rates. The Fed's move to lower interest rates comes after the Bureau of Labor Statistics, revised jobs. numbers for 2024 through March of this year, finding the U.S. economy had close to a million fewer jobs and previously reported. The record comes as President Trump politicizes the work of the BLS. Last month, Trump fired its commissioner over revised jobs numbers. On Tuesday, Erica McIntyrefer

made her first public remarks since her removal. Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like, it has serious economic consequences. The lists of countries that have gone down this route, it's not a good list. Argentina, Greece, Turkey. The resulting loss of trust in economic statistics led these countries to worsening economic crises, higher inflation, and higher barring costs. Here in New York, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday to improve conditions at the notorious ice jail inside 26 federal plaza in Manhattan. Immigrants have described being in prison for days or weeks at a time and overcrowded cells without access to medication and proper sanitation, being forced to sleep on the concrete floor

and left Hungary without outside contact. The ACLU's National Prison Project said in a statement, quote, ICE's conduct at 26 federal plaza is inhumane, illegal, and a direct violation of a constitution. No person should be denied medical care, access to a lawyer, or basic dignity when they're held in government custody, they said. An immigration judge in Louisiana Wednesday ordered the deportation of Columbia University graduate Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to Alger to Algeria or Syria, ruling that he failed to disclose certain information on his green card application. Khalil's lawyers say they plan to challenge the order, Khalil remains free after a federal district court ordered the government not deport him as his federal court case proceeds.

Khalil played a prominent role in the Palestine Solidarity protests at Columbia University last spring and was detained in an ICE jail in Louisiana this year for 104 days before being released in June. In a statement, Khalil wrote, quote, it is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me from my exercise of free speech. Their latest attempt through a kangaroo immigration court exposes their true colors once again, he said. To see our interviews with Mahmoud Khalil, visit DemocracyNow.org. President Trump says he's designating the anti-fascist movement, known as Antifa, a terrorist organization.

Writing in the early morning hours after a lavish dinner at Windsor Castle with the British royal family, Trump wrote on a social media site, quote, I am pleased to inform our many USA patriots that I am designating Antifa, a sick, dangerous, radical left disaster as a major terrorist organization, unquote. And Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee rejected a request by Democrats yesterday to subpoena four major banks, J.P. Morgan, B.N.Y., Bank of America, Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank about their connections to the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The subpoena would have looked into $1.5 billion worth of suspicious transactions previously

flagged by the banks. It comes as the committee's ranking Democratic Congress member, Jamie Raskin, grilled FBI director Cash Patel yesterday about the Epstein files. Wait, have you released all of the stuff that the FBI has seized from Epstein? Seen's house, the computers, the emails, the file cabinets, the documents. What about the financial records? Have you released all of that? Everything the court has allowed us to release. Which court are you talking about? Three separate federal courts have come in and said...

We're talking about the evidence you've got. It's got nothing to do with what those courts have. Do you have any idea how the law works? Do you want me to break the law in a federal judge's order to satisfy your... No, I want you to follow your own word, Director Patel. You said up there it was under the direct control of the FBI director. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now. Democracy Now.org, the Warren Peace Report. Coming up, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Calamard on the company's enabling and profiting from Israel's genocide in Gaza. Stay with us. So, so, so, so, so, so, so.

I pass to you, my love, my man, my love, my dearie. I pass at you, my love, my love, my dearie. No, my love, my love, my dearie. I think of my li, I think of you, I think of you. I think of you by the Malian blind singing duo Amadou and Mariam performing in our Democracy Now studio years ago. This is Democracy Now.org. The War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. And I'm Narmine Sheikh. Welcome to our listeners and viewers across the country and around the world.

The Israeli military is escalating its attack on Gaza's city in an effort to erase the city and forcibly remove the city's entire population. Over the past 24 hours, Israel killed at least 79 Palestinians, but the toll could be far higher. Much of Gaza has been in a communications blackout since Wednesday. This comes as the heads of more than 20 aid groups have called on world leaders to urgently intervene in Gaza after a UN commission concluded for the first time that Israel is committing genocide. The aid groups wrote, quote, we are on the precipice of an even deadlier period in Gaza's story if action is not taken. Gaza has been deliberately made uninhabitable, they wrote. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has just released a major

major report on the state's public institutions and companies that have enabled and profited from Israel's genocide and occupation. Companies named in the report include U.S. military contractors, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Israeli arms companies, Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Israel aerospace industries, the South Korean conglomerate Hyundai, and the U.S. tech company Palantir Technologies. The Amnesty Report is headlined, pull the plug on the political economy enabling Israel's crimes to talk about the report and much more. We're joined here in our New York studio by Agnesse Kalimar, Amnesty International Secretary General.

Thank you so much for joining us. What we are seeing in Gaza right now is really troops moving deeper into Gaza City. As Israel continues, its full-fledged military ground invasion, the Israeli defense minister saying Gaza is burning. International condemnation. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee the city. What is Amnesty International calling for right now, Agnes? Well, immediately, a ceasefire. What we need is to end the suffering.

So anything that can allow for the Palestinians some respite, the mother to be able to feed their kids, the wounded to be taken care of, that must be the priority. It's not a priority for amnesty. It must be a priority for all those states coming to New York. It must be the priority for anyone in this world with a little bit of conscience. with still a little bit of love for humanity. Please. That must stop. I mean, the report...

That's the immediate demand. Of course. And we'll get into the other demands that you list specifically in this report. I mean, we gave an outline of the companies that you've named. In particular, let's talk about the U.S. military companies. You talk about Boeing and Lockheed Martin in particular, which is, as the report, says the, quote, backbone of the Israeli Air Force, which has been used extensively during the bombardment of the occupied Gaza Strip. So if you could talk about the number of companies,

military companies in particular, which are, of course, the most immediately destructive, the companies who are involved, and what responses you've received from any of them? Okay. So I think the first message must be very clear. 50 more than, you know, years of unlawful occupation. Decades of apartheid, 24 months of genocide, that cannot happen in a vacuum. That cannot happen without the support of many actors, hundreds of actors, thousands of actors, powerful actors, that are sustaining an economy grounded. based on international crimes.

When it comes to the genocide, we all know that Israel's, you know, bombing, eradication of Gaza has been made possible through weapons manufactured outside Israel, against international law, by the way, including the genocide convention. We in the report that you are mentioning are naming two of those companies. I want to be very clear. They are illustrative of a global trend. They are illustrative of a global political economy of oppression and of killings. Those two companies are Boeing and are Lockheed Martin.

We are also naming three Israelis companies that are at the heart of Israel's military operations. We are naming them because we have the evidence of their contribution to, of their link to the genocide. Others have named other companies. I want to be very clear, we're just part of a global movement that want to denounce all of these economic complicity that are sustaining the worst possible crimes. Well, I mean, of the companies that you've named, what's striking in the report, there are many things, but there are very few that have responded to the report, despite the fact that amnesty is, of course, the biggest human rights organization in the world. One of the Israeli companies, Elbit Systems, responded, one of the few

to respond, said that their sales to the government, the Israeli government, were, quote, they were lawfully selling because Israel is a sovereign, unsanctioned government recognized by the international community and that there is, quote, no legal basis for restricting our sales. Is there any response, correct? But is there any company, any response that you've received where they have said that they will at least minimally investigate? If they are named, no. There are companies that may have been withdrawn from our original list. Okay. But if the 15 companies that are named have taken no actions and have committed to no actions that we believe will allow for them not to contribute, profit, link, or to be linked

to any of those crimes. Just to highlight again the fact that under international law, there are at least a large number of provisions which demonstrate that those companies are violating the laws and the state that allows those companies to do so are also violating the law. The Genocide Convention and the obligation to prevent genocide means an obligation not to sell weapon to a state that is likely to commit genocide. There are arms treaty that prohibit the sale of weapons when those weapons are known to be used to commit international crimes.

There is the apartheid Convention. There is the international occupation law. In fact, we are celebrating the one-year anniversary, sadly, of a General Assembly resolution last year, which demanded that all government ceased to support Israel unlawful occupation. And what does that mean? It means that everyone is duty-bound not to recognize the unlawful occupation. And that the duty of non-recognition, the duty of non-recognition, entails the duty of no trade, the duty of no economic relations, the duty of no political

relations that are in relation to the occupation. So on many grounds, range of companies are implicated in sustaining, in prolonged international crimes. The reason why we have issued this report, too, is that we need to understand this is not a two years, this is not just a one-year problem. We are talking about decades of unlawful occupation, decades of apartheid, and now 24 months of genocide. I wanted to go to Netanyahu, clearly feeling the pressure, who announced on Tuesday, Israel will create an independent arms industry that can withstand international constraints, he said.

So we are going to produce an independent arms industry, very powerful, very strong, that can withstand any kind of international political constraints and will provide security for the state of Israel. This is what I envision for the state. It's going to continue to grow. It's going to continue to innovate. And it's going to continue to provide for our security and our prosperity. So if you can respond to what Prime Minister Netanyahu said

and talk more both about the level of support that the Israeli arms industry, in particular gets from the United States and how the arms manufacturers here are, some might say, making a killing. And also what this means to shore up the Israeli arms industry, even beyond the companies that you've named, Elbeid, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries. So the statement from Netanyahu indicates, one, that he has in mind an economy of war. that's what he wants to build

and two that he wants to build a society predicated on war and on weapons and on everything that is linked to that. So I leave that to the Israeli people to think that through a bit more. Look, an autarchy

system, it's just silly, it's a political statement. It won't make those Israeli companies legal their actions lawful. whether or not they are just doing that for the Israeli government or whether they are exporting abroad. It is very clear that the production of weapons that is meant for the Commission of International Crimes is a crime in itself and by itself.

The export of those weapons, those three companies that we are naming are, you know, big exporter. I was at the NATO summit a couple of months ago. I mean, the fact that we need to understand that for decades, our defense, our Western defense community, the surveillance community, the IT community has been completely embedded with the Israeli companies. It was very clear at the NATO summit. So those companies are major actors globally. We therefore have the tools. And that's where Netanyahu got afraid. Because we do have the tools not only not to export to Israel, which we must do,

but we have also the tool to sanction those companies, Israeli companies. This is what we call for. We demand that state and other companies stop purchasing from Erbil and the others. We demand that they divest from those companies. We demand that they are barred from attending anything related to our market. That's because the power of sanction is indeed very, very important. And we the people, we the people must make sure that our governments deliver on their obligations. Well, I mean, there's also the question which you highlight in the report of the political, extraordinary political support,

that has enabled this, as you say, genocide to continue for now almost two years. You're here for the 18th session of the UN General Assembly. Now, Netanyahu announced earlier this week that he's coming again to the White House for the fourth time, as the U.S. simultaneously earlier this month announced that they're suspending visas for Palestinian passport holders, including the Palestinian officials who were expected to attend. the UN General Assembly session. So first and foremost, let's highlight the fact that the United States is holding all of us hostage of the fact that the General Assembly is taking place in New York.

And that, frankly, should be unacceptable to the UN and to all member states of the UN. The U.S. political support to Israel for many years, but particularly for the last 24 months, is what has sustained the genocide. There are other support. Germany is one of them. The EU as an institution, until very recently, that is last week or two weeks ago, has failed to take action against Israel. The political support has been there all along. Let's not, however, suggest that behind the good denunciation of some governments, including in the Arab world, there were actions. No, there were no actions. And this is what we are insisting upon.

You know, you can denounce as much as you want if you do not take actions, including economic actions. then your words are empty. And yes, Kalamard, you are here in New York for this 80th session of the UN General Assembly. The theme is better together, 80 years and more for peace, development, and human rights. This at the same time that the world is watching this live streamed assault on an entire population in Gaza. The brutal footage on their phones every day might think the UN is totally useless. What are your thoughts on this and your recommendations for reform of the UN? You even mention people are talking about moving the UN out.

If they're going to impose who can come to the UN the countries they like and who cannot come, why should it even be in New York? But the rules themselves. Yeah. Look, Amnesty has made a number of recommendations regarding the multilateral system and the UN in particular. We need to insist that the UN is a word that describe many things, political bodies, operational bodies. We know that UN agencies are doing a great deal of important work in Gaza or in Ukraine or in Sudan, and that's what we must sustain. The political system of multilateralism is that we need to protect and we need to transform.

That begins with the Security Council. Amnesty International support the notion of an extended participation to the Security Council, but we are insisting that the veto must be addressed. The right of the veto must be addressed. It is paralyzed at the moment. It is unable to deliver what should have been expected in the case of Gaza because of the veto power, as it is unable to deliver on other crises, such as it is unable to deliver on other crises, such as such as in Ukraine. So the political bodies that are at the heart of what was created in 1948, including the Security Council, are unable to perform their role. Why? Because the member state are making it so. Because they intend on destroying what is left of the multilateral system. So what I'm hoping for is that, you know, we need to continue because we are there.

We have the majority of state in the world that want to protect the multilateral system. You have one state in particular, the United States, that is doing everything in their power to destroy it because it is not serving the U.S. interest. But time and time again over the last two years, the international community has said we need a multinational system. We need laws that bind us together. We need rules. extraordinarily, the Hague group that has been formed to put pressure on the international community's action on Gaza, the Hague groups has also demanded that the International Criminal Court be protected. And there are governments in this Hague group that are no friends of the International Criminal Court, by the way.

So everyone is suddenly realizing, wait a minute, we are going to disson. destroy something that at least has protected us from the worse. This is what has been happening for the last two years. This is a litmus test for humanity. This is why we're saying, please, humanity must win. And that also includes protecting a little bit of what has been there for the last 80 years and transforming what is not working. International Financial Institution need an in-depth reform,

which were actually put forward and adopted a year. ago during the General Assembly with the contract for the future. Well, I mean, you know, amnesty is just one of, you mentioned this international, the multilateral system, the international legal framework under which this genocide is occurring. There have been so many reports, findings, decisions, concluding that a genocide is occurring in Gaza by many of precisely these institutions, including most recently this UN inquiry, Also judicial bodies, the International Court of Justice, the ICC, human rights organizations, amnesty, which became the first in December, academic organizations, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Humanitarian Organizations, medical organizations, medicine, frontiers. Now, we speak to people in Gaza regularly. It's absolutely beyond reason that none of these statements, which they mention, all of these decisions come out, organizations, very powerful ones, make statements. And yet it's going to be next month. It's going to be two years that this

has been happening. And as you mentioned, these international organizations were born in the wake of the worst genocide in history, or at least in modern history. And they were, you know, responsible for ensuring nothing like this would happen again. Now, of course, it did in Ronda and Srebrenica and in Cambodia. But in this case, as against all those others, the most powerful countries who were responsible for setting up these institutions are actually backing this genocide, on top of which, as the Irish lawyer who was advising the South African government at the International Court of Justice, as she said, this is the first live-streamed genocide. So, you know, if you could comment on that, what is, in fact, the utility

of people making these statements beyond symbolic or rhetorical? And second, What is Resolution 377 at the United Nations and why has it not been invoked in this case, the one, the Uniting for Peace Resolution that enables the General Assembly to make a decision when the Security Council is deadlocked, which would in fact go so far as to necessitate call for peacekeeping forces in a situation precisely like this one? First question, NGOs don't stop genocene. Doctors don't stop genocide. Human rights investigators don't stop genocide. State stop genocide. Companies can stop genocide. The International Civil Society, for the last 24 months, I think, has played its role. The last one being the Commission of Inquiry. The people of Gaza, the Palestinians human rights organization, have played their role. They denounce, we denounce, investigate. report, but we cannot stop the genocide.

It's not something that we can, you know, it's not something that we can do. What we can do is highlight the complicity is highlight the fact that states are failing to do what they should do under international law, and that too we have done. But when you are, I think what Gaza is showing us is that when the most powerful, powerful state, that is the United States and many states in Europe, are prepared to completely vandalize their own commitment and what they champion 80 years ago. When Russia could not care less because they want to do whatever they want to do in Ukraine and when China is thinking, oh, this is probably nothing good for me, nothing to gain from

it, I won't. it goes on. It goes on and it goes on. And the 80, 90% of the global community that has repeatedly demanded ceasefire an end to the genocide. We are the global majority. We, not in a racial term, not in an ethnic term. We are the global majority. We have demanded an end to the genocide. States, the majority of states, and yet nothing is happening because the most powerful state, coming, starting with the United States, is making it impossible. And that resolution that you are mentioning has been used. The problem with the GA resolution is that they are not binding. But yes, it is remarkable that the General Assembly has on two or three occasions over the last two years taken upon its own, you know, has grown into saying, well, if the Security Council is paralyzed, we won't be paralyzed. And this is when you realize that it is, largely 90%

you know at the last resolution a week ago it was on the two state solution we had a handful of states voting against it we are the global majority demanding an end to the genocide so why isn't it happening

well it is not happening because that global majority made up of state is not acting they know they should do but are they prepared to do the right thing Are they prepared to divest from Israeli's company? Are they prepared to sanction those that are feeding the genocide?

You know, if 80% of the global community was actually acting on their words, I think the genocide will have stopped. So yes, we are confronting a very powerful enemy of humanity, but sadly we have not been helped by the future. here, by the cowardies, by whatever it is that is currently animating most governments in the Arab world, in Asia and in Africa. They are not rising to the challenge in terms of actions. Well, and yes, just, you know, last, you mentioned many European states who are backing Israel. The EU is the largest trading partner of Israel. What would it mean, it's highly unlikely,

if this plan to limit trade with Israel were to actually go. through what the EU announced? I think it may, it may go through, actually. It will have, that's why Netanyahu is talking about creating an economy, a self-reliant economy. It will have an impact. This is why Amnest International and others have spent the last 24 months lobbying at the European Union.

That has been an absolute shameful 24 months, the president of the EU, has made a mockery of any principle upon which the European project has been built. It is not just a market project. It is not just an economic project. It is a value-based project. And she has pitted on it for the last 24 months. So we are continuing to demand that the EU act on its founding text, act on its principles.

And there are states in Europe. I have mentioned, of course, Germany, Hungary, as supporting Israel. But let's not forget the role played by Ireland, the role played by Spain, the role played by Belgium. I mean, here, at least we have some European states that have spoken loudly and that have acted according to their world. Agnescalamara, we have to go. But we are going to do a post-show with you. Put it online at DemocracyNow.org. to talk about Ukraine, to talk about Sudan, to talk about Afghanistan, and more.

Agnes Kalamar is the Secretary General of Amnesty International. Coming up, the disappearance of Dr. Husam Abu Safia. Stay with us. meh, my and I'ma'n'n'i, Allah. I'm a girl who

I'm a man, I'm a ven-von- a-o-o-bany I'm-ha-am-efon-a a-mapar-a-a-ha-o-ha you know-haw-a-von-von-von-von-von-von-von-a Benposed something to say by the Malian singer Fatumata Diwara performing in our Democracy Now studio.

This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman with Nirmine Sheikh. We turn now to the story of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, an acclaimed Palestinian pediatrician and director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. As the situation around him became increasingly dire over the course of Israel's bombardment, Dr. Abu Safia began recording videos for the world to see what was happening in northern Gaza

and to plead for help. This is Dr. Abu Safia on December 22nd, 2024. We do not know why we are being bombed and we do not know why we are being targeted in this way. Despite us asking the world for international protection, we continue to appeal to the world and remind them that there are Geneva conventions that the world sings praises of. This includes the protection of the health care system and the protection of hospital staff. Up until this moment, unfortunately, we are being targeted in full view of the entire world, but unfortunately falling on deaf ears.

When Dr. Abu Safir recorded that video, the Kamel-Edwan Hospital was the last functioning hospital in the north of Gaza. Just days later, Israeli forces storm the medical complex and the doctor was detained and imprisoned. He remains an overprisoned to this day without charge or trial. A powerful new film produced by the documentary program, Fault Lines, on Al Jazeera English, tells his story. The film is called The Disappearance of Dr. Abu Safia. We'll be joined by the film's director and a colleague in just a few minutes, but first to the film itself. they detained him and a few other doctors in the outpatient clinic they interrogated them he was beaten three times in the chest with the butt of a soldier's gun and by hand too

he was insulted he was interrogated about trivial things why won't you leave the hospital why are you staying in the north The situation is catastrophic in every sense of the word. They told him, Dr. Hussam, don't connect with journalists. They didn't want him to tell the world what was happening in Gaza and in the north. In the early morning, when the army withdrew from Kamala-Ewan Hospital, my father went to check on the hospital and the martyrs. He found my brother, Ibrahim, among the martyrs. He collapsed. He was crying for six or seven hours. He didn't stop because he was very, very close to his son, Ibrahim.

In the next clip, we hear from Dr. Abu Safia, his wife, Abina, and again from his son, who we just heard from Elias. They burned our hearts over the hospital. They burned them completely. They killed my son. Because we deliver a humanitarian message. He was a young man, only 20 years old. He had his whole life ahead of him. He wanted to study medicine and become a doctor like his father. We buried my son next to the hospital, just outside the hospital,

and said goodbye to him. during the burial my father was called to the ICU and he responded he left my brother abraham during the funeral he couldn't even take the time to grieve my brother abraham he took his tears with him into the operating room this made him more determined because my father treated all his patients like they were his sons the second raid on the kamal adwan hospital occurred on december 27th twenty 24 in the following Clip, nurses Rawia Tanbura and Abdul Monaym al-Sherfi describe what happened. We also hear from Dr. Abu Safia's wife, Al-Bina, describing his arrest and Israeli military

personnel issuing orders. The tanks began to encircle the hospital. There were so many tanks and vehicles. Me and the guys were joking that they moved all of Israel to us. everyone in the hospital the army surrounds you you are surrounded a big tank

entered and stood by reception and it started firing forward firing and turning and then they pointed the muscle through the reception door and it was going like this at patients I thought it was the last day of my life

when the army arrived with a tank and a quadcopter, they called him. Doctor, lift your shirt, doctor, lift your shirt. He was going to them confident that he had not done anything wrong. He went to them in his white coat. Come doctor, come doctor, come doctor. Good morning. How are you? Everything good? Come on in. The Army ordered Dr. Hassan to get all the people out.

You must follow instructions and gather in the central courtyard. Everyone in the hospital. The Army surrounds you. Dr. Hassam got them out under the Army's order, under threat. In the next clip, Kamala-Dwan nurse Raviya Tanbura describes how they were forced to evacuate the hospital. Then we hear from nurse Abdulmaneim al-Shafi about how male medical staff, including Dr. Abu Safia, were treated by the Israeli military. They evacuated us women, including the female medical staff. Of course, every time the Israeli soldier speaks to us, he's yelling, wait here, you son of a, we followed his orders and stood without a word. We're scared.

We asked them, what about the men? They said, you're going to go and they'll join you after. There's no one left inside? No, there's no one left. The entire hospital? Yes, the entire hospital. Since the start of the raid, we suspected Dr. Hussam would be arrested because they had already threatened him.

The army finished what they needed to do, and Dr. Osam said goodbye to them. As Dr. Osam is walking away, they called from Hussam. Hussam, come, Tel Aviv wants you. They blindfolded him. They also tied his hands, and then they made him walk. And then they threw him to the ground and started beating him. That happened to all of us. They were treating us like we're terrorists.

Their message was, we are in control of everyone. They kept us in handcuffs. They humiliated and hit us. They covered our faces and told us to walk like this. They removed our clothes. We stayed in our underwear. We were walking in a straight line behind each other. Dr. Hussam at the start and the medical staff behind him.

I could see Dr. Hussam, but I pretended I couldn't see him because I didn't want him to feel deflated. I didn't want to see him like this. Now to a final clip from the disappearance of Dr. Abu Safia, including his wife Albina and his attorney, Reid Kassam. It begins with footage from Israel's Channel 13, where Dr. Abusafia was seen for the first time since his imprisonment. Sufian, how are you? You were a doctor of Kamaraduan, right? Everything that a detainee eats per day does not exceed 1,000 calories.

His weight was around 90 to 95 kilograms. His lawyer told us that he now weighs 60 kilograms. What did they do to him for him to get to this point? There is a deliberate policy inside prisons to starve people there. They want to make an example out of them. I don't know if the prison administration deals with the detainees like they're truly human beings. You have seen the hostages, our hostages, Israeli hostages. What is he saying?

Did you see the Israeli hostages? No, no, no. My work is mainly with the children. I'm a pediatrician. They interrogated the doctor a lot. Most of the questions that they asked Dr. Hussam in the interrogation were about, his work at Kamala Duan and about the hostages and fighters. After all the beating, all the torture and all the interrogation, they still weren't able

to pin anything on him. Even when the intelligence services come to talk to him sometimes, they say, we have nothing on you, but despite this, you are being held, detained, and we're still interrogating you. I don't know. I really don't know. All over that. Excerpts from Al Jazeera's fault lines documentary,

The Disappearance of Dr. Abu Safia. We go right now to Amel Guthatvi, who is the director of this film. We only have a few minutes. If you can talk about last time the doctor was seen ahead of the Kmel Adwan Hospital, particularly known for its care for children, and how it's possible that he has been held

without charge, without trial, and what you know of his whereabouts now and his condition. Of course. Dr. Abu Safia now is in Aufr Prison. That is a prison in Occupied West Bank. According to Islam there, there's clearly a policy of torture and beating and abuse at the prison there. He's been held for over 250 days without formal charges and without any due. trial. The only person that's been able to visit him is his lawyer, and that's because she's fighting very, very hard to get those visitations. He has really awful conditions that have been documented by multiple organizations that show you that there is an organized and declared policy of the prison authorities to treat the 2,600 detainees that are inside these

prisons poorly. Well, Dr. Azra Ziyadh, you were in touch with Dr. Abu Safia every day for months. Your final thoughts, both on the film as well as on his condition now? So I think the film really exposes and captures the process and the blueprint that Israel uses to attack and decommission hospitals. and I think the film is the most pertinent at this moment in time because this blueprint is being used right now across Gaza. However, it's not really under the limelight

and it's not as exposed as it was when Dr. Abbasofia was in Kamala, Adwan. I want to thank you both for being with us, Dr. Azra Ziyadh. We thank you so much, London-based medical doctor, healthcare systems analysts, whose help gather evidence of war crimes from Gaza and has been in touch with a network of doctors and health care workers in Gaza, including Dr. Abu Safia.

And thank you so much to Emel Guthatfi, who is the director of this documentary. The disappearance of Dr. Abu Safia, which is available online, will link to the whole documentary. That does it for our show. Democracy Now is produced with Mike Burke, Nicole Salazar, I'm Amy Goodman with Nermaine Sheikh.