Happy Friday!

It has been a very long time, the news is terrible, work is busy and I’ve been distracted but here are some links. It’s not that cheerful…

The Shoah after Gaza. This is from the London Review of Books and long but worth a read

This was not an accident, it was deliberate. Seven Gaza aid workers including UK, US and Australian citizens killed in Israeli strike, charity says. I’ve been outraged since October, Hamas are a terrorist organisation, I think they are wrong but they are terrorists, I don’t ever expect them to do the decent thing. Israel cannot says ‘what about Hamas?’ they are a state and their army is killing civilians in a territory it occupies. We’ll ignore for right this minute, the support they received from Israel to undermine the PLO. The most moral army in the world? If you believe that, I have a flying pig to sell you with those magic beans.

Jacques Chirac is alleged to have said to Netanyahu. “I do not believe a word that comes out of your mouth. Your entire policy consists of provoking the Palestinians.” I hear that every time I hear an Israeli spokesman talk about Gaza. Right now, no matter what it says it regrets, Israel is getting away with whatever it likes, without consequences. It’s up to the West, to impose some. This would be a start. Former supreme court judges say UK arming Israel breaches international law. Will it stop them, I don’t know, but we should not be selling them weapons

Biden calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza. This is all well and good but what is Biden going to do when there is no ceasefire. They don’t care, they don’t have enough respect for the superpower that has funded them for years, not to shout in meetings Top Israeli official Ron Dermer began yelling during a meeting with U.S. officials about Gaza, officials say. Consequences, they need some…

Unfortunately, Gaza isn’t the only place that’s a bin fire.

There’s Haiti. Top UN expert warns of deteriorating situation in Haiti: ‘It’s apocalyptic’

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean president declares state of disaster due to drought

Ukraine. Ukraine war briefing: Russia warns France against deploying troops to Ukraine. 771 days in.

Sudan. What caused the civil war in Sudan and how has it become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises?

There are untold horrors everywhere at the moment, you can see why I’ve not done this for a while, can’t you?

‘They kept us alive for thousands of years’: could saving Palestinian seeds also save the world?

Neglected, derided and exploited more than ever: why won’t the UK protect those who rent a home?

Do you leave your home town or stay behind? It’s a question at the heart of British politics. I’m one of the lucky people who by virtual of the decisions of my grandparents and parents happened to be born in London. However, London isn’t the only place in the country and there’s no point in growing London if the rest of the country is stunted.

England’s ludicrous experiment in privatised water is coming to a messy end. Ma and I have been whinging about this for a while. In 2018 my water bill was £242.51, this year it’s £359.75. Thames record on sewage is bad enough but in the last 6 months I’ve lost water for the day on 3 separate occasions, which has never happened before. Shareholders have taken massive dividends and leveraged debt on Thames Water and it should not be on the taxpayer to bail them out, if we have to pay for the work that needs to be done, then it needs to be re-nationalised. In fact, while we’re at it, do the same for trains and energy!

The Zone of Interest is a portrait of guilt. No wonder it has divided opinion in Germany.