A US surgeon claims he treated children who were purposefully shot in Gaza and that he is the subject of testimony to the UN Security Council. Additionally, Feroze Sidhwa addressed Al Jazeera and described the horrifying wounds that Israel is inflicting on people.
The US has announced that it will start systematically robbing Chinese students of their visas and putting more strain on potential applicants. According to Katrina Yu’s report from Beijing, China has responded and has said it opposes any changes to existing student exchange arrangements.
Pro-Palestinian protests in response to the Gaza war have raised questions about how universities respond to human rights issues in the UK. However, there are other areas where people’s concerns about connections between British higher education and human rights violations.
Members of foreign security forces, including those who serve some of the world’s most oppressive regimes, are receiving postgraduate security and counterterrorism education from UK universities, according to a recent investigation by Freedom from Torture. Without examining their human rights records or taking any time to consider how British expertise might be used to silence, surveillance, or torture, these institutions are providing training to state agents.
According to the investigation, British universities could be exposing themselves to human rights abuses as well as risking providing training for some of the perpetrators. Some universities have even forged partnerships with foreign police forces that have witnessed widespread abuses of teaching in their own countries. People from nations where torture is a common tool of state control have been welcomed to courses offered by organizations that are geared toward serving security professionals. Without much oversight of the risks to human rights, all of this occurs.
These are not abstract issues. They prompt prompt, serious inquiries. What happens when dissidents are later hunted down using covert surveillance methods taught in British classrooms? Why don’t universities look into applicants’ backgrounds from regimes where “counterterrorism” is a common pretext for torture and arbitrary detention?
According to the investigation conducted by Freedom from Torture, universities across the UK  are accepting applications for security degrees from some of the most oppressive nations on the planet. Only one university in the study stated that it is screening applicants who they believe have “intend to” or “have committed human rights violations.
Torture survivors in the UK have spoken out about their shock that foreign nationals who have fled the country can access UK security education without conducting meaningful human rights checks. British universities, which have long been viewed as beacons of liberal values and intellectual freedom, appear to overlook the possibility that the knowledge they produce can be used to advance oppression and state violence.
Meanwhile, student activists nationwide are steadfastly establishing themselves as stakeholders in their institutions’ human rights records. Students will not hesitate to hold universities accountable when they believe their conduct in accordance with their values, as evidenced by the recent protests in Gaza.
The global student body has a rich history of activism, spread out all over the world. Young people have long been at the forefront of struggles against repression, from anti-apartheid solidarity campaigns to the student protests that started Myanmar’s uprising in 1988. The generation of today is no different from the one that is frequently referred to as the most socially conscious and connected generation in history. Universities should not come as a surprise that the young people they serve are interested in their performance in terms of human rights.
Businesses are now primarily judged on their human rights records in the corporate world. Business practices include terms like “ethical sourcing,” “responsible investment,” and “human rights due diligence.” No lower standard should be applied to universities, which take pride in being forward-thinking and socially responsible. It is inadmissible that many countries have no policy at all regarding international human rights risks.
That needs to change over the coming years.
Torture survivors who seek safety in the UK should not be concerned that the country’s educational institutions are training the same regimes that they fled. Universities should be able to comfort anyone who is truly concerned, whether it is their own students or those who have personally witnessed the worst abuses of power.
The university sector must get its house in order to accomplish this. This requires first implementing transparent human rights laws across the sector and conducting due diligence in order to control risks. The sector runs the risk of unintentionally contributing to global human rights violations if it doesn’t take these necessary steps.
Who is sitting in our classrooms, asks the universities? Who benefits from our training? And what effects might our teachings have? Despite the fact that this is one of the many urgent questions, the sector appears to be asking.
Universities in the UK must take decisive actions to prevent unintentionally advancing the tools of international repression and work toward establishing a human rights record that is respectable. It’s the right thing to do because it will appeal to a new generation of students who are activists.
*Here are full details of FfT’s investigation, including responses from universities.
Instead of settling down in a displacement camp following the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, 73-year-old Aref Shamtan, opted to build a tent close to his destroyed home in northwest Syria.
Sipping tea at a tent close to his field, Shamtan said, “I feel good here, even among the rubble.”
Shamtan discovered the severely damaged village of al-Hawash, which was situated amid farmland in central Hama province, when he returned with his son after al-Assad was ousted in December.
His home’s walls and roof had shattered. However, according to Shamtan, “living in the rubble is better than living in the camps” close to the Turkish border, where he had resided since fleeing the conflict in 2011.
The International Organization for Migration reports that 1.87 million Syrians who were internally displaced or refugees have returned to their homes of origin since al-Assad’s downfall almost 14 years ago.
The greatest challenge facing returnees is attributed to the “lack of economic opportunities and essential services.”
Shamtan, who cannot afford rebuilding, recently made the decision to leave the camp with his family and his young children, and has since begun planting wheat on his property.
Al-Hawash had been under al-Assad’s control and had a border with the province of Idlib, which had become a haven for opposition fighters who helped launch the offensive that overthrew the then-president.
Even though “the village is all destroyed… and life is non-existent, lacking basic services and infrastructure, Shamtan argued, “we cannot stay in the camps,” he continued.
“We made the decision to remain here until things get better. He continued, “We are waiting for the state and organizations to assist us.” “Life is difficult.”
Abdel Ghafour al-Khatib, 72, a local official, has also reappeared after escaping from a camp close to the border in 2019.
“I only wanted to go home,” I said. I returned and pitched a stale tent because I was so excited. He asserted that living in my village is crucial.
He noted that “everyone wants to return.” In a nation where 90% of the population lives in poverty, many people are unable to afford transportation.
As he sat in his tent near what remains of his home, al-Khatib said, “There is nothing here – there are no schools, no health clinics, no water, no electricity.”
More than 500,000 people were killed and half of Syria’s pre-war population was displaced either internally or abroad, with many seeking refuge in Idlib province as a result of al-Assad’s brutal suppression of antigovernment protests in 2011.
Palestinian officials and rights groups decried the Israeli government’s decision to legalize some so-called “outposts” that were already built without government authorization.
The decision was made on Thursday by Israel Katz, the minister of defense, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, who said using an Israeli term for the occupied West Bank to describe it as “strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria.”
He continued, “a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would put Israel at risk.”
Smotrich praised the “historic decision” and praised the settlement’s “historical decision” as he advocated for Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party described the decision as a “once-in-a-generation decision,” citing its strategic significance in fortifying Israel’s hold on the eastern border with Jordan.
Around 500, 000 settlers live in Israel’s more than 100 illegal settlements spread throughout the occupied West Bank. Small outposts to larger communities with modern infrastructure are the size of the settlements.
More than three million Palestinians reside in the West Bank under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority governing only a few areas.
Along with occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza, the Palestinians view the area as a crucial component of a future state.
The Israeli government’s decision was criticized by Palestinian officials and human rights organizations, warning that the expansion of illegal settlements would harm the chances of a future Palestinian state.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the president of Palestine, criticized the decision, calling it “a dangerous escalation” and “a challenge to international legitimacy.”
He claimed that Israel was causing the region’s instability, and that it was breaking international law. According to him, “This decision goes against all international resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 2334,” adding that all settlement activity continues to be unlawful and illegitimate.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas official, criticized calls for action from the United States and the European Union.
Abu Zuhri told the news agency Reuters that the Israeli government’s decision to build 22 new settlements in the West Bank was a part of the Palestinian people’s conflict.
The West Bank will be dramatically altered and further enshrined, according to the Israeli NGO Peace Now.
The Israeli government no longer feigns to realize that its main objectives are the expansion of settlements and the annexation of the occupied territories, according to a statement.
According to Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim from the occupied West Bank, “this is the largest batch of illegal Israeli settlements to be approved in one decision.”
According to Ibrahim, “Palestinian communities are being strangled by Israeli settlements in the West Bank.” A future Palestinian state almost cannot be established on the ground because of these new settlements, which “fill the gaps.” Israel is using this situation to strengthen its occupation while Gaza is the focus of the world’s attention.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hind al-Khourdary claimed that the GHF’s distribution of 8, 000 food boxes on Tuesday, which totaled 462, 000 meals, would not be enough to last long for families.
Khoudary described a typical box that contained four kilograms (8.8 lbs. ), two cans of fava beans, two tea bags, and some biscuits. Lentils and soup were present in small quantities in other food packages.
“We have been starving for a long time. We must provide food for our children. What other options do we have? A Palestinian father told Al Jazeera, “I could do anything to feed them.” Even if it meant taking a risk, we ran into people, and it was frightening. Fear, however, is not as bad as starvation.
By the time Abu Sa’da, the mother of three, reached Rafah, she had already accomplished her best efforts.
The experience was viewed as being incredibly humiliating by Abu Sa’da. She displayed inferiority and shame.
“I wore a scarf to the top of my head the entire time.” She continued, “I didn’t want anyone to recognize me getting a food parcel.”
Abu Sa’da claims she will do it again if necessary.
In Gaza, access to scarce water and electricity is almost nonexistent, making it nearly impossible for people to use the few resources they can get.
Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum, who was reporting live from Deir el-Balah, stated that it is “impossible to cook any dry food in Gaza, including lentils, rice, or even pasta,” without having water.
Additionally, he said, “You would also need electricity or a fuel source, which have both been completely disconnected from Gaza.
A newly established, US- and Israeli-approved organization that is distributing food to Palestinians in Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Following Israel’s three-month supply blockade in Gaza, the organization has already experienced delays and difficulties, with the UN claiming the organization is unable to deal with the dire humanitarian situation there.
Israel has attempted to present a solution by distributing aid via the US-backed GHF in response to growing pressure to lift the blockade on Gaza and allow essential supplies in. Jake Wood, a US military veteran who is in charge of the organization, has already resigned, claiming that it would not be able to uphold the values of “humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”
Last week, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated at the Security Council that the GHF “restricts aid to only one portion of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet.” It places political and military goals before aid. It provides a bargaining chip for starvation. It’s a cynical sideshow. a deliberate disorientation. A recipe for displacement and further violence.
Working with the GHF would compromise values and put the teams and people who received aid in danger, according to the UN and other humanitarian organizations. According to them, Israel could rely on the GHF to forcefully relocate the population by requiring them to move nearby a few distribution centers or face starvation. Additionally, the UN has opposed facial recognition for assessing the status of those receiving aid.
Israel’s nearly three-month-long blockade of the Gaza Strip has left one in five Palestinians in need of food. The euphemism of hunger that grips Gaza is illustrated by the chaos at the distribution point.
1.95 million people in the enclave, or 93 percent of the population, are experiencing acute food shortages, according to the most recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report.
North Gaza and other governorates are experiencing higher levels of hunger.