11/03/23 11/03/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> this is an official state documents, essentially recommending the government to carry out an ethnic cleansing of gaza. it has been written in a time when these ideas are making their way into the israeli mainstream discourse and media.

amy: as the death toll from israel's bombardment of gaza has topped 9200, one israeli government ministry is recommending the forcible transfer of the entire population of gaza to egypt. we will speak to an israeli journalist who helped expose the story. then as secretary of state tony blinken visits israel, we will speak to josh paul. he recently resigned from the state department where he oversaw arms transfers to israel and other foreign nations. >> i resigned from the state department two weeks ago because i believe u.s. arms should never be used to commit gross violations of human rights or contribute to civilian casualties. and we know that is what is happening in gaza today. i also believe that for 20 years we pursued a dead-end policy that has not led to security for palestinians or israelis. when i try to raise these issues, there was no appetite for any debate.

amy: plus, we will go to boston where 23 people were arrested thursday as hundreds of faith leaders and clergy rallied to demand a ceasefire in gaza. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. israel's army says it has encircled gaza city as international condemnation continues to grow over its 28-day assault on gaza. more than 9200 people have been killed, including at least 3800 children. among the dead and injured are palestinians sheltering at a united nations-run school in the jabalia refugee camp, where at least 27 were killed in an israeli strike on thursday. >> nowhere is safe. they hit the schools.

they targeted the schools. where are the leaders? amy: a group of seven senior united nations human rights experts warned thursday "time is running out to prevent genocide and humanitarian catastrophe." the palestine news agency reports journalist mohammad abu hattab was killed in an israeli strike on his home in the southern gaza strip on thursday, along with 11 members of his family, including his wife, son, and brother. he was a reporter for palestine tv. his last on-air report was about deadly israeli airstrikes in and around his neighborhood in khan younis. his colleague, journalist salman al-bashir, burst into tears during a live broadcast upon learning of hattab's killing. as he spoke, al-bashir tore off

his helmet and protective vest labeled "press" and threw them to the ground. >> these are just slogans we are wearing. they don't protect any journalist at all. these shields don't protect us. we are victims directly on live television. we are losing souls one by one. amy: he tore off his press gear and the anchor who was talking to him also wept. according to the committee to protect journalists, at least 36 reporters and media workers have been killed since the conflict erupted on october 7. israeli forces killed at least nine more palestinians during overnight raids in the occupied west bank. one of the victims, ayham

al-shafei, was just 14 years old. separately, another 14-year-old named hamdan omar hamdan died thursday of injuries sustained earlier this week from israeli army gunfire. elsewhere, settlers have attacked palestinian homes and stores in the town of deir sharaf west of nablus. the u.n.'s humanitarian affairs office warns vigilante-style settler attacks have killed 29 people across the west bank this year. 145 west bank palestinians have been killed in israeli attacks since october 7. in lebanon, hezbollah fighters launched simultaneous attacks on 19 israeli positions along israel's border on thursday, prompting israel to respond with warplanes, helicopter gunships, artillery, and tank fire. at least two people in the israeli town of kiryat shmona were wounded in the exchange of fire, the largest skirmish since hamas's surprise october 7 attack. the cross-border violence came

as hezbollah's leader hassan nasrallah is set to make his first public remarks today on israel's assault on gaza. in the united states, the house of representatives approved a $14.3 billion military aid package for israel, largely along party lines. senate majority leader chuck schumer says democrats won't take up the bill after house republicans excluded funding for ukraine's military and proposed slashing irs funding to pay for the weapons to israel. president biden has asked congress for a $106 billion emergency spending package that includes funding for israel, taiwan, and ukraine. the request includes an unprecedented provision to entirely waive congressional notification of the future sale of military equipment and weapons to israel, including stocks of ballistic missiles and artillery shells. this is vice president kamala harris speaking from london thursday after talks with british prime minister rishi sunak.

vice pres. harris: we are not going to create any conditions on the support we are giving israel to defend itself. amy: the white house continues to rule out calls for a ceasefire in gaza a day after biden said israel's military should allow for humanitarian pauses. on thursday, illinois democratic senator dick durbin became the first member of the senate to call for a ceasefire during an interview on cnn. >> efforts should be mage to engage in conversation between the israelis and palestinians. let's face it, it has gone on for decades. it has reached an intolerable level. amy: bahrain has recalled its ambassador from israel in response to the ongoing bombardment of gaza. this follows rare protest demanding that reversal of a diplomatic normalization agreement between bahrain and israel. latin american countries have

also intensified their condemnation of israel's attacks on gaza. the governments of mexico, peru, and argentina all spoke out against israel's bombing of refugee camps in gaza this week. chilean president gabriel boric spoke outside of the white house thursday after meeting with president biden. >> we do not accept we are made to choose between one side or the other. we choose community. these attacks deserve global condemnation. with the government benjamin netanyahu is doing also deserves our clearest condemnation. the right of the state to defend itself has limits and those limits are respecting the lives of innocent civilians, especially children and international humanitarian law. amy: in philadelphia, at least 350 people were arrested after hundreds of faith leaders and activists blocked a train terminal demanding their state and local officials support a ceasefire in gaza. imams, rabbis, reverends, pastors, clerics, and buddhist

monks led the massive crowd in traditional songs and prayers while hundreds of others rallied outside the station. the peaceful action was organized by philadelphia's chapter of jewish voice for peace. in north carolina, dozens of palestinian solidarity protesters blocked a highway in durham thursday during rush hour as they chanted "ceasefire now." here in new york, dozens of students walked out of a class at columbia university taught by hillary clinton protesting the school's role in targeting palestinian solidarity activists. wednesday's action came after photographs of students, who signed a declaration critical of israel's assault on gaza, were featured on video screens on doxxing trucks parked near the campus last week with the words "columbia's biggest anti-semites." the group accuracy and media deployed similar trucks at

harvard, cuny, and upenn in philadelphia. in upstate new york, cornell university canceled classes today after a student was charged this week for making -- posting violent anti-somatic comments "shooting up" the , school's kosher dining hall located at the center for jewish living. this comes as part of a surge in anti-semitic and anti-muslim threats on college campuses in the united states since october 7. in arizona, more than 100 jewish and palestinian solidarity activists held a die-in protest blocking the main entrance of raytheon's office in tucson for over an hour wednesday. protesters condemned what they say is raytheon's complicity in the genocide of palestinians for supplying missiles, bombs, and weapons systems to israel.

share prices of arms manufacturers, including raytheon, have risen sharply since israel began its assault on the gaza strip. raytheon ceo greg hayes acknowledged in a recent earnings call his company stands to profit from increased arms sales to israel and ukraine. >> the next tranche, request, more than $40 billion for ukraine, what you're going to see is the same things we have been seeing but in much higher quantities. i think really across the entire raytheon portfolio, will see a benefit of this restocking on top of what we think will be an increase in the dod top line. amy: russian president vladimir putin officially withdrew russia's ratification of the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. the u.s. has signed but never ratified the global agreement banning testing of nuclear weapons. russia says it will not resume nuclear testing unless the u.s.

does. the united nations general assembly has voted to condemn the united states' embargo on cuba for the 31st consecutive year. on thursday, 187 countries voted in favor of lifting the decades-old sanctions. only the u.s. and israel voted against the motion. this is cuba's foreign minister bruno rodriguez. >> the embargo violates the rights of life, the right to health, and direct education, and the well-being of the cuban and in women. excessively high prices and low salaries. amy: mexico's government has announced a $3.4 billion project to rebuild acapulco a week after hurricane otis slammed into the pacific coast city as a category 5 storm, leaving a trail of devastation. 46 people have been confirmed dead and another 58 remain missing, though some local

officials believe the true toll is higher. extreme weather has killed at least 12 people across france, spain, belgium, germany, the netherlands, and italy. storm kearon brought hurricane-force winds to southern england and france's northwestern coast before dumping record levels of rainfall on large swaths of europe. this year remains on track to become europe's hottest year since at least 1940. here in new york, the fbi raided the brooklyn home of brianna suggs, mayor eric adams' chief fundraiser. thursday's early-morning raid came as part of a federal corruption investigation into whether mayor adams' 2021 campaign received illegal donations from turkey. the raid prompted adams to cancel a trip to washington, d.c., u-turning after he was already en route. he sent an aide to attend meetings with white house officials and the mayors of chicago and denver over what he called the asylum seeker crisis. a manhattan jury has found the disgraced founder of the fallen cryptocurrency exchange ftx guilty of defrauding customers and lenders.

sam bankman-fried faces up to 110 years in prison at a hearing scheduled for march, when he'll be sentenced for convictions ranging from wire fraud to money laundering. he faces another criminal trial in 2024 on charges he committed bank fraud and bribed chinese officials. in tennessee, a former memphis police officer pleaded guilty to two felony charges in federal court for the beating death of tyre nichols, a 29-year-old black father. video footage shows five police officers from the elite scorpion unit brutally beating, tasing, and pepper-spraying nichols, who died three days later. as part of a deal for his guilty plea, desmond mills, jr. will cooperate with state prosecutors in their separate cases against the officers, which include second-degree murder charges. and domestic abuse survivor tracy mccarter is suing the city of new york and five new york city police officers for her wrongful prosecution over her husband's death. tracy mccarter, a nurse and grandmother, was holding a knife during a violent encounter with

her abusive husband, who fell and impaled himself. mccarter called 911 and unsuccessfully administered first aid. new york police officers falsely claimed she confessed to intentional homicide and she was sent to rikers jail to await trial on second-degree murder charges. the charges were eventually dismissed after a public pressure campaign and intervention from manhattan d.a. alvin bragg. this is tracy mccarter speaking at a press conference thursday. >> i just want for them to have accountability for all of the losses that followed. i was not able to work for three years. i missed the births of my grandchildren. i could not go to funerals of my grandmother and my aunt. i lost a lot. for the troubles had to start, the charges were dismissed. even though i know the prosecutors know they did not have a case. amy: to see our interview with tracy mccarter, go to

democracynow.org. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. coming up, as the death toll from israel's bombardment of gaza tops 9200, we will look at how one israeli government agency is proposing the forcible transfer of the entire population of gaza to egypt. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: "borders & promises" by haya zaatry. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. israel is facing growing international condemnation for its 28-day assault on gaza. more than 9200 palestinians have been killed in gaza over the past four weeks, including at least 3800 children. this according to the health ministry in gaza. on thursday, a group of u.n. experts released a statement to express their "deepening horror" over israel's repeated strikes on the jabalia refugee camp. the largest in gaza. the air strikes have killed at least 9500 people in recent days. the group of experts said -- "the israeli airstrike on a residential complex in the jabalia refugee camp is a brazen violation of international law, and a war crime. attacking a camp sheltering civilians including women and

children is a complete breach of the rules of proportionality and distinction between combatants and civilians." residents in jabalia say entire sections of the refugee camp have been leveled. >> the area has been completely destroyed. there are no hamas fighters here. these are all civilians. they are all innocent people. no resistance here. there was a bakery here and houses. one of them had 100 people inside and another had 50 people. this is destruction. this is a war against god and his prophet, a war of extermination. amy: as israeli troops encircle gaza city and intensify its aerial bombardment, there are growing questions over israel's long-term plan for gaza. one israeli government office, the israeli ministry of intelligence, has proposed the permanent transfer of gaza's 2.3 million residents to egypt's sinai peninsula.

in a document dated october 14, the small government body stated the forced displacement of gaza civilians to egypt would "yield positive and long term strategic results." it lays out a three stage process -- the establishment of tent cities in sinai and the opening of a humanitarian corridor, followed by construction of permanent cities in northern sinai, and the creation of a "sterile zone of several kilometers within egypt" and says "the return of the population to activities/residences near the border with israel should not be allowed." many palestinians in northern guys have refused to follow israeli orders to vacate their homes out of fear they will never be allowed back. it is unclear how israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu or his cabinet have responded to the proposals, but the biden administration has publicly opposed plans for the mass transfer of palestinians. secretary of state tony blinken is in israel where is seeking a humanitarian pause to the bombing.

blinken is also planning to travel to jordan where he is expected to assure jordan that the u.s. opposes transferring palestinians to egypt or jordan. for more, we are joined by yuval abraham, an israeli journalist based in jerusalem who reports for +972 magazine and local call . he helped expose this proposal in his piece headlined "expel all palestinians from gaza, recommends israeli gov't ministry." yuval has also reported on the growing number of attacks on palestinians by israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied west bank. he joined us during a rain storm wednesday in jerusalem. i asked him to talk about how he knows the document from the israeli ministry of intelligence is real. >> i know it is true because i verified it. as you said, the documents that essentially asked the question, what will happen to gazan civilian population after the war? this intelligence industry rights --

as you have mentioned, the 10 page documents goes quite into detail and explicitly recommends this process of forced transfer. it also goes to frame it in front of the international community as a humanitarian -- something that is better than the alternative, which is that the population will stay and die. i think it is important to stress this ministry is a small ministry. despite its name, it does not actually deal with classified information and is not responsible for an israeli intelligence organization and is not considered a very influential ministry in israel. however, this is an official state document essentially recommending the government to carry out an ethnic cleansing of

gaza. it has been written in a time when these ideas are making their way into the israeli major public discourse and media. i think a lot of people in israel are feeling shock. they feel they need that things not return to the way they were before october 7. they talk about security, especially all of the atrocities were committed by hamas on october 7 and the people legally kidnapped and taken to gaza and murdered. i think politicians who have no political vision for the future, they are unfortunately using the sense of wanton security to commit horrible and terrible war crimes in gaza and killing more than 3000 children. i think this document and this bombing campaign are both a reflection of a worldview that only has forced in the disposal to try and deal with political

problems. the dangerous thing about this worldview is that it always failed. when it has failed, they use more and more force. if you push this worldview to the extreme, you will eventually end up with ideas like the ideas we are reading about in these documents. this is the final thing that i will say, as an israeli, it is very important for me that i don't think we can have security if palestinians do not have freedom. if we do not have a long-term political vision for the future, it will end where have rights and freedom of movement into which a vote and palestinians don't. we're not going to have security. i am very worried that -- i feel this war on gaza will not bring us security. it will end even if we topple

down hamas by killing so many palestinian civilians, we will create the next hamas and i think that killing is unjustifiable. i worry the next war will come and they will say, did not work, now we have to use even more and more force. even the documents may not seem feasible right now, i think this is a dangerous route we are currently in. this is why it is so important to contextualize things and talk about the long-term political solutions to the problem. our leaders are not doing this right now. amy: can you talk about where this document comes from? who it went to? and how real it is? >> the documents came from the intelligence industry, which has a very small budget. it seems like they have initiated it. they usually send out their documents to the israeli government offices and two intelligence organizations and the israeli security

establishment. amy: can you talk about what it means to have exposed it and how they are responding? >> for me, this is very worrying and troubling because the government has not really acknowledged the paper at all. and none of us really know what the endgame of the government is in gaza. i think in israeli media, it has been downplayed as something that is going to harm israel's legitimacy for the war abroad. a lot of people are not taking it seriously. this ministry is not considered a very influential ministry, but we did not hear any clear cut rejections of the document by the government. amy: can you explain what the right wing israeli institute is who has a similar proposal? >> sure.

it is very interesting and strange story. this right wing think tank, who is headed by a very close associate with prime minister netanyahu and a very senior former israeli security figure, published a little over two weeks ago a report that has the same identical conclusion that israel needs to transfer, forcibly transfer all the civilians in gaza to egypt. this report was written by an al-qud member who wrote a report with the same conclusion. these connections are also apparent because a month ago, the ministry of intelligence

hired this institute to carry out research and a freelancer for the government ministry. officially, the ministry of intelligence, they are claiming this document, we completely stand behind the recommendation and we offered it independently. if you ask me, it is very clear there is a mixture between the government ministry and this extreme right wing think tank and it all seems to be coming back to different sorts of officials in the ruling party of al-quds. amy: what about the role of egypt? earlier this month, egypt's president el-sisi said he would reject the forced displacement is a millions of palestinians into sinai, which is egypt. this is what he said. >> egypt rejects any attempt to resolve the palestinian issue by military means or through the

forced displacement of palestinians from their land, which would come at the expense of the country of the region. the idea of displacement of palestinians from the gaza strip to egypt simply means a similar situation will occur by the displacement of palestinians from the west bank to jordan. this means the idea of a palestinian state we are discussing and that the international community is discussing will no longer be possible. amy: so that is what president sisi said, the egyptian president. this just came in, middle east eye reported on the israeli news outlet saying israel is proposing writing off a significant chunk of egypt's international debt through the world bank to entice the cash-strapped sisi government to open its doors for displaced

palestinians. again, that is according to the israeli ynet new site. >> it is clear -- the fact egypt is refusing to open its borders is one of several reasons why this forced transfer plan will not benefit. it is a feasible scenario if they do open their borders and tens of hundreds of thousands of palestinians leave gaza. at least some of them will not be allowed to return. this happened in 1967 and 1948. the documents which, by the way you can read in full on the +972 magazine website, actually deals with this. it says in the documents that egypt will have an obligation under humanitarian law to allow for palestinian civilians to flee and enter refugee

territory. it calls on enlisting the united states and other western countries to pressure egypt to do this. now, everything -- we're in a situation of extreme fog and it is unclear how this will develop, but the fears are completely justifiable. amy: i want to thank you for bearing through this rainfall in jerusalem. but i wanted to go through -- go to another piece you have written saying, "settlers take advantage of gaza war to launch west bank pogroms." while the u.s. government, before hamas's surprise october 7 attack that killed up to 1400 israelis, the u.s. government, jake sullivan, the national security advisor, something like 10 days before, said