“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:
- Israel has violated the ceasefire 591 times, killing 367 Gazans. It is to open the Rafah border, but only allowing exits, no aid entry.
- >95,000 West Bank Palestinians affected by Israeli forces this week, 2 teens killed. Israel to increase “defense” spending, while trying to prolong the genocide.
- Pope Leo, UN General-Secretary, voice support of Palestine. Several Muslim countries criticize Rafah’s one-way. China provides $100M in aid.
- Trump invites Netanyahu; Ms. Rachel is nominated for “Antisemite of the Year”; a federal judge questions Trump’s disallowing of Ozturk working on campus.
Takeaways:
- The ceasefire is fake, with signs of ethnic cleansing with a one-way Rafah.
- Israel is continuing terrorism in the West Bank, as businesses operate nearby.
- Several countries are calling out for Palestine, with some concrete action.
- America remains an extension of Israel’s war machine.
As your constituents we urge you to:
- Call for a complete end to the killing in Gaza, and a stronger flow of aid.
- Push for free entry in and out of Rafah crossing.
- Support free speech on campuses and in public life; lift sanctions off Albanese.
- Divest from Israeli companies operating on violently occupied land, and use those funds at home.
591 Violations, 367 Dead
- Israel-induced poverty, coupled with ethnic cleansing and human rights violations
- 12/6 – Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 367 Palestinians, violating the truce 591 times. [IAK]
- 12/3 – Israel killed 7 Gazans, including 2 children. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/4 – Israeli airstrike hit al-Mawasi camp in Khan Younis, killing 5 Gazans [Al Jazeera]
- 12/6 – 7 Gazans killed, including an elderly woman. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/2 – UNRWA report: [UNRWA]
- Almost 70,000 Gazans killed since Oct. 7th 2023
- 1,030 West Bank Palestinians killed since Oct. 7th, 2023
- 12/1 – Children in Gaza have resorted to quitting school and taking jobs to make ends meet. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/3 – Hamas handed over the remains of the second-last hostage still in Gaza. [Reuters]
- 12/3 – Rafah crossing will finally open after almost 2 months, only for exit from Gaza, not entry. A sign of ethnic cleansing. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/4 – Israel has badly damaged several Gazan landmarks, including the Pasha Palace Museum and the Omari Mosque. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/6 – Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 367 Palestinians, violating the truce 591 times. [IAK]
- Israel continues terrorism while trying to extend the genocide
- 12/4 – OCHA update on the West Bank: [OCHA]
- “Over 95,000 Palestinians were affected by expanded operations by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank this week.
- “OCHA documented 1,680 attacks by Israeli settlers in more than 270 communities across the West Bank so far in 2025 – an average of five incidents per day.
- “The olive harvest continues to be marked by widespread settler violence, with 178 attacks documented in October and November in 88 communities.”
- 11/30 – Netanyahu asked Israel’s president to pardon his corruption trial. [Reuters]
- 12/2 – Israel killed 2 Palestinian teenagers in the West Bank. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/3 – Netanyahu’s coalition skipped a parliamentary vote to endorse Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. [Reuters]
- 12/3 – Israeli soldiers only gave a family 2 minutes to leave their home before demolishing the apartment block in Nablus. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/4 – Israel escalated attacks across the northern West Bank. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/5 – Israel’s cabinet approved a budget including ~$35B for defence, which is aided by American taxpayer money. [Reuters]
- 12/6 – Jailed figure Marwan Barghouti’s son reported hearing about Israeli guards torturing the leader in Israeli prison. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/4 – OCHA update on the West Bank: [OCHA]
A fire at al-Mawasi camp in Gaza, caused by an Israeli airstrike, killed 5 Palestinians, including 2 children. [Al Jazeera]
Israeli Isolation
- Hundreds speak out in support of Palestine, while calling out Israel’s criminality
- 11/30 – Pope Leo said the only solution to the conflict is a Palestinian state. [Reuters]
- 12/2 – Human rights group say that the genocide in Gaza has not stopped, despite the ceasefire. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/3 – UN Secretary-General: there was something “fundamentally wrong” with Israel’s conduct in Gaza; strong likelihood of war crimes. [Reuters]
- 12/4 – China to provide $100M in aid to Gaza to support reconstruction. [Reuters]
- 12/4 – Voices are growing internationally to free Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli jail. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/4 – Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain have boycotted the next Eurovision due to Israel’s participation. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/6 – Egypt, Qatar, and 6 other Muslim-majority countries have raised concern over Israel’s plan for a one-way gate OUT of Rafah, without access to aid. [Al Jazeera]
Several Muslim and Arab countries have criticised Israel’s one-way potential opening of the Rafah crossing. [Al Jazeera]
Students and Sanctions
- Israel’s political pipeline into America continues to show
- 12/1 – Trump invited the war criminal Netanyahu to the White House in the “near future”. [Reuters]
- 12/2 – Ms. Rachel, a children’s presenter, has been nominated for “Antisemite of the Year” by StopAntisemitism. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/4 – Federal judge says it’s confusing why Trump disallows Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk from working on campus after her release. [Reuters]
- 12/6 – UN rapporteur Francesa Albanese: US sanctions imposed over her Gaza reports have removed her from global economics. [Al Jazeera]
A federal judge is confused as to why Trump refuses to let Ozturk work on campus after her release. [Reuters]