The Imam of the largest mosque in the Xinjiang Province of China was murdered by three assailants. Jume Tahir was a government-appointed Imam, and the suspicion is that the killers wanted to make a statement about Chinese domination of a province largely populated by Uighur Muslims who wish to protect their identity from the Han Chinese who rule in China. The unrest against Beijing rule is long-standing, but has flared up significantly in recent months.
Israel is coming under increasing criticism for what many see as the disproportionate use of force in the Gaza conflict. In particular, several UN sponsored schools have been bombed, leading to the deaths of many civilians. Israel defends its actions by pointing out that Hamas missiles have been found in UN schools that were empty. It is not clear how this argument justifies the bombing of schools that were occupied, particularly since the UN informs Israel which schools are being used for refugees. The Commissioner of UNRWA issued the following statement after the most recent bombing:
STATEMENT BY UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL PIERRE KRÄHENBÜHL
Jerusalem
Last night, children were killed as they slept next to their parents on the floor of a classroom in a UN designated shelter in Gaza. Children killed in their sleep; this is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame. Today the world stands disgraced.
We have visited the site and gathered evidence. We have analysed fragments, examined craters and other damage. Our initial assessment is that it was Israeli artillery that hit our school, in which 3,300 people had sought refuge. We believe there were at least three impacts. It is too early to give a confirmed official death toll. But we know that there were multiple civilian deaths and injuries including of women and children and the UNRWA guard who was trying to protect the site. These are people who were instructed to leave their homes by the Israeli army.
The precise location of the Jabalia Elementary Girls School and the fact that it was housing thousands of internally displaced people was communicated to the Israeli army seventeen times, to ensure its protection; the last being at ten to nine last night, just hours before the fatal shelling.
I condemn in the strongest possible terms this serious violation of international law by Israeli forces.
This is the sixth time that one of our schools has been struck. Our staff, the very people leading the humanitarian response are being killed. Our shelters are overflowing. Tens of thousands may soon be stranded in the streets of Gaza, without food, water and shelter if attacks on these areas continue.
We have moved beyond the realm of humanitarian action alone. We are in the realm of accountability. I call on the international community to take deliberate international political action to put an immediate end to the continuing carnage.
A 72-hour truce has been declared by the UN. It is likely that the truce had been approved by both Israel and Hamas, but it remains to be seen if it will hold. The truce is a cease-fire in place, and it is unclear what that means for the people of Gaza. Israel has effectively destroyed a 1.8 kilometer perimeter around the Gaza Strip to provide a buffer zone to eliminate the threat of tunnels being dug into Israel. Unfortunately, that perimeter contains about 44% of the Strip.
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