DAILY TRIFECTA: What If Bibi Went To Glastonbury?
These standards are in "dubly"
THE SET-UP: This is a tale of two investigations.
The first story comes from the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. Known around the world simply as “Glastonbury,” the four-day event is famous for attracting a wide array of musicians to its various stages. This year’s lineup drew a crowd of over 200,000 music lovers. It also courted controversy … and a criminal investigation. During two separate performances, Irish rap band Kneecap and the English punk-rap duo Bob Vylan slammed Israel for committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
Booked back-to-back on the same stage, Bob Vylan was up first and they denounced Israel’s War On Gaza and led the crowd in chants of “Free, Free Palestine” and “Death, Death to the IDF.” They also exhorted the crowd to chant the controversial slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free.” The BBC livestreamed their performance, chants and all. It’s a decision they now regret.
On Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Bob Vylan for “urging ‘death’ to Israeli troops,” which he labelled "appalling hate speech." In fact, Starmer has been outspoken on the issue of pro-Palestinian rap performers. He criticized Glastonbury’s decision to book the next band up on the West Holts Stage as “not appropriate.” Led by Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Northen Ireland’s Kneecap is no stranger to controversy. Ó hAnnaidh is currently out on bail after being charged under the UK’s Terrorism Act for “supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November.” That likely contributed to the BBC’s decision to not livestream Kneecap’s performance. A BBC spokesperson said “the BBC doesn’t ban artists,” but their “plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines.” BBC News summarized Kneecap’s performance thusly:
"We understand colonialism and we understand how important it is to support each other internationally," Mr Ó hAnnaidh said.
Accusing Israel of genocide, he then led the crowd in a chant of "free, free Palestine".
Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide relating to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Kneecap also voiced support for Palestine Action, a protest group that the UK government intends to proscribe under anti-terror laws, after some of its activists broke into an RAF base and spray-painted two military planes red.
This led to a further chant against Sir Keir, as the band criticised the UK's sale of arms to Israel.
The “further chant” was “Fuck Keir Starmer.” But it’s the “Death to the IDF” refrain that has Bob Vylan under police are investigation for a potential hate crime. The US State Department quickly joined the fray by cancelling the duo’s visas, which puts their upcoming US tour in doubt. Of course, it was announced by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on the platform formerly known as Twitter:
The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.
They were also dropped by the United Talent Agency. Deadline reported that “UTA declined to comment, but the band’s page has been scrubbed from the agency’s website.”
And now comes the irony.
It comes in the form of yet another investigative report from Haaretz on the troubling conduct of the IDF in Gaza … conduct that not only merits investigation into accusations of genocide and war crimes, but also exposes the hypocrisy of the US State Department, among others.
Published last Friday, IDF soldiers and officers explain how the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid sites have become “killing fields.” As in previous reports, Haaretz doesn’t name the soldiers or officers who seem motivated to unburden themselves. But also in keeping with previous reports—along with investigations by AP, Reuters, The New York Times and 972+—it paints a bleak picture of a battlefield where every Palestinian’s life is a hair-trigger away from being extinguished.
Even bleaker is the link between Israel’s use of food as a weapon of war and how months of hunger have forced Palestinians risk their lives at “aid” centers. They’ve been gunned-down by the dozens on an almost daily basis.
The story is excerpted below, but it’s worth highlighting these comments from a “veteran fighter,” who explained one of the sinister dynamics playing out in the Strip:
"Today, any private contractor working in Gaza with engineering equipment receives 5,000 [roughly $1,500] shekels for every house they demolish," said a veteran fighter. "They're making a fortune. From their perspective, any moment where they don't demolish houses is a loss of money, and the forces have to secure their work. The contractors, who act like a kind of sheriff, demolish wherever they want along the entire front."
As a result, the fighter added, the contractors' demolition campaign brings them, along with their relatively small security details, close to distribution points or along the routes used by aid trucks.
In order [for the contractors] to protect themselves, a shooting incident breaks out, and people are killed," he said. "These are areas where Palestinians are allowed to be – we're the ones who moved closer and decided [they] endangered us. So, for a contractor to make another 5,000 shekels and take down a house, it's deemed acceptable to kill people who are only looking for food."
Think about what’s being said here. The “veteran fighter” has just exposed a government plan to systematically demolish homes. The veteran fighter calls it “a campaign.” They’ve completely dropped the pretext of targeting a suspected member of Hamas who may or may not be hiding in a basement of heavily-populated apartment building. And their security details are empowered to kill at will … in safe zones … the only real justification is proximity. More damning is the fact that someone in the government came up with the idea of sending private contractors into Gaza to demolish homes for money. That reflects government policy. One of the hurdles in establishing “genocide” is an official decision or plan to commit it.
Perhaps that’s why Netanyahu and his government accused Haaretz of spreading a “blood libel.” The mayor of the town of Arad agreed and issued a decree “banning” the iconic newspaper. But, despite initial denials, it turns out that Haaretz correctly reported that the Military Advocate General is investigating these incidents.
But that’s not all.
Late today the IDF made a stunning admission. Per Reuters:
The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions following what it called "lessons learned".
Reuters quoted an “Israeli military spokesperson”:
"Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned.”
The spokesperson added that “incidents in which Gaza civilians were harmed were under review.”
And far from being “blood libel”:
It followed a Friday report in the newspaper Haaretz that Israel's Military Advocate General had ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near the sites.
But don’t hold your breath waiting for this story to take-off like the controversy at Glastonbury. Or for the State Department to respond to the actual genocidal violence being committed at the behest of the Israeli Prime Minister—who repeatedly refers to Palestinians as Amalek—or the exhortations to violence and extermination made by members of Netanyahu’s cabinet and by commentators on Israeli television.
“Death to the IDF” is not something I would say or recommend an artist say on-stage at a music festival. I think incendiary language is a gift to the perpetrators. By the same token, Bob Vylan and Kneecap also accused the IDF or war crimes and genocide. And now there’s a growing body of work that shows those rappers are not far from the truth. - jp
TITLE: 'It's a Killing Field': IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-27/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-soldiers-ordered-to-shoot-deliberately-at-unarmed-gazans-waiting-for-humanitarian-aid/00000197-ad8e-de01-a39f-ffbe33780000
EXCERPTS: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid centers began operating in the Strip at the end of May. The circumstances of the foundation's establishment and its funding are murky: it is known to have been set up by Israel in coordination with U.S. evangelicals and private security contractors. Its current CEO is an evangelical leader close to U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The GHF operates four food distribution sites – three in southern Gaza and one in the center – known in the IDF as "rapid distribution centers" (Mahpazim). They are staffed by American and Palestinian workers and secured by the IDF from a distance of several hundred meters.
Thousands, and at times tens of thousands, of Gazans arrive daily to collect food from these sites.
Contrary to the foundation's initial promises, distribution is chaotic, with crowds rushing the piles of boxes. Since the rapid distribution centers opened, Haaretz has counted 19 shooting incidents near them. While the shooters' identities are not always clear, the IDF does not permit armed individuals in these humanitarian zones without its knowledge.
The distribution centers typically open for just one hour each morning. According to officers and soldiers who served in their areas, the IDF fires at people who arrive before opening hours to prevent them from approaching, or again after the centers close, to disperse them. Since some of the shooting incidents occurred at night – ahead of the opening – it's possible that some civilians couldn't see the boundaries of the designated area.
"It's a killing field," one soldier said. "Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars. Then, once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire."
The soldier added, "We open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away, and sometimes we just charge at them from close range. But there's no danger to the forces." According to him, "I'm not aware of a single instance of return fire. There's no enemy, no weapons." He also said the activity in his area of service is referred to as Operation Salted Fish – the name of the Israeli version of the children's game "Red light, green light".
An officer serving in the security detail of a distribution center described the IDF's approach as deeply flawed: "Working with a civilian population when your only means of interaction is opening fire – that's highly problematic, to say the least," he told Haaretz. "It's neither ethically nor morally acceptable for people to have to reach, or fail to reach, a [humanitarian zone] under tank fire, snipers and mortar shells."
Another senior officer familiar with the fighting in Gaza said the normalization of killing civilians has often encouraged firing at them near the aid distribution centers.
"The fact that live fire is directed at a civilian population – whether with artillery, tanks, snipers, or drones – goes against everything the army is supposed to stand for," he said, criticizing the decisions made on the ground. "Why are people collecting food being killed just because they stepped out of line, or because some commander doesn't like that they're cutting in? Why have we reached a point where a teenager is willing to risk his life just to pull a sack of rice off a truck? And that's who we're firing artillery at?"
"They talk about using artillery on a junction full of civilians as if it's normal," said a military source who attended the meeting [at Southern Command, where it emerged that troops had begun dispersing crowds using artillery shells]. "An entire conversation about whether it's right or wrong to use artillery, without even asking why that weapon was needed in the first place. What concerns everyone is whether it'll hurt our legitimacy to keep operating in Gaza. The moral aspect is practically nonexistent. No one stops to ask why dozens of civilians looking for food are being killed every day."
SEE ALSO:
Senior IDF officers admit 'uncalculated' fire on Gaza aid seekers after Haaretz expose
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-30/ty-article/.premium/senior-idf-officers-admit-uncalculated-fire-on-gaza-aid-seekers-after-haaretz-expose/00000197-c136-da62-a9ff-e37fbbab0000
Israel acknowledges Palestinian civilians harmed at Gaza aid sites, says 'lessons learned'
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-acknowledges-palestinian-civilians-harmed-gaza-aid-sites-says-lessons-2025-06-30/