“Bismillaahir-rahmaanir raheem”
(In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful)
Watermelon Wednesday is a weekly brief shared with our elected officials to ensure they are aware of Israel’s aggression, the Palestinian experience, and our country’s complicity in this genocide and international war crimes.
TL;DR:
- Numbers in Palestine continue to worsen, with >700 killed near aid sites over the past few weeks.
- Israel’s aggression expands elsewhere, including scores evicted/locked in the West Bank, while calling for diplomacy and insisting on Golan Heights.
- The UN calls for a financial cutoff from Israel, making a master list of >60 complicit companies.
- Trump has continued to support Netanyahu, attacking his corruption trial and inviting him to the White House again.
Takeaways:
- Israel is consistently increasing its killing in the Middle East — in Gaza, the West Bank, and elsewhere.
- Tens of companies that have a strong presence in America are supportive of Israel’s illegal activities.
- Our President supports Netanyahu’s corruption and policies, even inviting him to the White House.
As your constituents we urge you to:
- Publicly condemn Israel’s expanding crimes.
- Combat Trump’s support of Israel.
- Divest from Israel-supporting businesses.
Expanded Escalation
- Even as Israel claims to investigate and call for ceasefires
- 6/29 – Israel ordered evacuation of northern Gaza. [CBS]
- 6/29 – >66 children have starved to death since Oct. 7th. [Al Jazeera]
- 6/29 – Since May 27th, >583 have been killed near GHF aid sites. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/4 – ~714,000 displaced since March, >640 killed near aid; 1.9M displaced and >57,012 killed since Oct. 7th. [UNRWA]
- Gazan deaths in the triple-digits, Israeli hostages in the double-digits.
- 6/29 – >72 Gazans killed, many near aid sites. [Al Jazeera]
- 6/30 – >95 Gazans killed, at a cafe, a school, and a suburb north of Gaza. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/3 – >300 Gazans killed within 48 hours; Israel has committed “26 bloody massacres” in that period. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/4 – >613 killings at GHF aid points. [Reuters]
- 7/5 – >700 Gazans killed near aid sites over the past few weeks. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/2 – Israeli strike on residential building in Gaza killed director of Indonesian Hospital. [BBC]
- 7/3 – US security contractors say live rounds and stun grenades were used on Palestinians at aid sites run by unqualified guards. [AP]
- Israel’s oppression expands in the West Bank, with isolation and killing.
- 7/1 – The director of GHF is a fundamentalist Christian who shares Israel’s objectives. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/1 – Israel has killed >1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since Oct. 7th. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/2 – Members of Netanyahu’s Likud party called for Israel to annex the West Bank before the end of the month. [Reuters]
- 7/4 – >50 Palestinian families were forced out of their West Bank homes after years of harassment from Israeli settlers. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/4 – 5-meter-high metal fence, steel gates, and roadblocks but off the West Bank town of Sinjil. [Reuters]
- Israel shows hypocrisy as it works for diplomacy while insisting on injustice.
- 6/29 – Jerusalem District Court cancelled its hearing on Netanyahu’s corruption trial. [Haaretz]
- 6/30 – Israel, despite wanting diplomacy with Syria and Lebanon, is insistent on owning Golan Heights. [Reuters]
- 6/30 – Israeli settlers attack IDF soldiers in a West Bank riot for trying to contain settler violence against Palestinians. [Al Jazeera]
- 7/5 – Netanyahu planned on sending a negotiating team to Qatar for ceasefire talks, as Israel killed >78 Gazans within 28 hours. [Al Jazeera]
>613 have been killed near GHF aid sites in Gaza. [Reuters]
Corporate Complicity
- Israel’s aggression on Iran left scores dead.
- Various organizations call for a financial cutoff of Israel, including a master list of complicit companies.
- 7/1 – >170 NGOs called for the GHF aid system in Gaza to be dismantled. [Middle-East Eye]
- 7/1 – UN has named ~48 companies in a report alleging their support of Israeli settlements and militarization in Gaza, including… [Al Jazeera]
- Caterpillar
- Alphabet (and Google)
- Microsoft
- IBM
- Amazon
- Booking.com
- Airbnb
- Lockheed Martin
- Chevron
- BP
- 7/2 – GHF said it would shut down its branch in Geneva after Swiss authorities launched proceedings against it. [Haaretz]
- 7/3 – UN expert called on states to impose an arms embargo and cut off financial ties with Israel. [UN]
UN Special Rapporteur issued a report naming several US giants aiding Israel’s crimes. [Al Jazeera]
Tyrants Together
- Trump’s administration supports injustice overseas and at home.
Trump has called against Netanyahu’s corruption trial, and invited him to the White House. [Reuters]