Netanyahu is desperate to keep war simmering along and to draw the USA closer and closer to him. At the same time he cannot send ground forces into South Lebanon where they will take massive casualties.
Israel can assassinate, it can employ indiscriminate terrorism and it can bombard from the air, and it has done all these things against Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. But Israel cannot destroy Hamas nor Hezbollah, cannot get back its hostages from Gaza and cannot make Northern Israel safe for its colonialists.
Nothing Israel is doing in any way advances those declared objectives and in fact makes all of them increasingly unlikely ever to be attained.
But as Biden and Harris accept and reinforce every single escalation and every single illegality, Israel’s stranglehold on its western vassal politicians gets ever stronger. Those have now all (including both UK Labour and Conservative ministers) supported illegality well beyond the stage where there is any going back. They have now to hope that they will be “justified” by military victory.
The Iraq war shows that however illegal the war, if you win you get to write – or at least interpret – the rules of international law. I wish I could come up with good counter-examples. “Justice” is visited only upon losers.
But the problem for Netanyahu, Sunak, Starmer, von der Leyen et al. is that just what victory looks like, nobody seems in the least clear.
We appear to be locked into a hideous distortion of existentialism, where the killing of Arabs of any age and sex is in itself the path of virtue and a reason for living.
Israel’s TikTok army of child-killers, rapists and lingerie-flaunters will take heavy casualties if it advances into Lebanon. It is currently launching intense air attacks, but it cannot destroy Hezbollah that way, not even were it to triple the colossal amount of explosive it has dropped on Gaza.
Netanyahu’s strategy of assassinations and deadly stunts appears to be an attempt to goad Hezbollah out of their own territory into a suicidal advance into Israel. But Nasrullah is not falling for it.
It is worth stressing that, contrary to the propaganda, in the last year Israel has hit Lebanon with five missiles for every one sent by Hezbollah.
Meantime the United Kingdom’s claims to respect international law are exposed as an utter sham as it failed to vote for the UNGA Resolution giving effect to the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territory.
The ICJ’s ruling that the Occupation is itself an illegal act, and that states must do nothing which can assist Israel to maintain it, sets out a clear legal status quo which the UK is equally clearly breaking.
When the ICJ decision came out on 19 July, the FCDO statement was as follows:
We have received the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on Friday 19 July and are considering it carefully before responding. The UK respects the independence of the ICJ.
The promised response has never come; unless you take the failure to vote at the UN General Assembly for the implementation of the ICJ ruling as the response. The decision to suspend 8% of arms export licenses for Israel was framed not in terms of this ICJ ruling – which logically can only require the cessation of all arms sales to Israel – but more broadly in terms of unspecified possible breaches of international humanitarian law.
In its “explanation of vote” at the UN General Assembly, the UK deliberately ignored a key tenet of the ICJ Opinion. The UK stated:
“our abstention reflects our unwavering determination to focus on efforts to bring about a peaceful and negotiated two-state solution,”
This ignores the ICJ ruling that Israel must leave the occupied territories before any negotiations. An occupied people cannot negotiate with, in effect, a gun held at their head. That is explicitly why the ICJ did not accept that the Oslo Accords alienated any Palestinian rights in international law.
The UK is still – directly contrary to the ICJ – attempting to maintain that Palestine’s right not to be occupied was signed away at Oslo.
British military flights, weapons supplies and intelligence cooperation with the Israel occupation continue unabated. Starmer’s total support for Israel is now a fixed part of the governing landscape, as the failure to condemn the terrorist device attacks on the Lebanon makes clear.
The US and UK are now hopelessly yoked to a Netanyahu nihilist strategy of which the primary aim is to retain his own power and immunity from prosecution by permanent conflict, of a kind which makes his allies ever more complicit and which will rope them in to active military support.
That requires constant Israeli aggression against an axis of resistance that has so far refused to be provoked into major conflict. Israel’s plan is to humiliate Iran and its allies to an extent that a full-on regional war becomes inevitable, in which the United States will fight alongside them – and very probably the Sunni Arab regimes too, I am extremely sorry to say.
This is plainly madness that is entirely against the interests of the Western powers themselves. But their politicians, including very directly Biden and Starmer, are so compromised by Zionist-lobby money that there appears to be no escape, short of popular revolt in the West.
The West is bound to Israel by the simple, unalloyed mechanism of cash paid to politicians. That is the truth.
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Given that what looks like a majority of the attendees at the UNGA meeting walked out, who are those people who repeatedly cheered and whooped during war criminal Netanyahu’s “speech”?
My hypothesis is that they were Israelis (and perhaps American Jews) brought in and sitting in the public gallery?
I wonder why the president of the session didn’t suspend the session until the UN police had thrown those disruptive elements out?
Everything Israel say publicly is so scripted to give just the appearance, effect Israel want to achive. This is how Israel win naive supporters throughout the world, by being deceitful by pretending – this time with applause – that what Israel do/say is good.
I believe they were allegedly relatives of the hostages.
It was overboard and annoying.
“The” “hostages”?
The occupiers hold many resistance members captive.
The resistance holds some of the occupiers captive too.
“Hostage” is a propaganda word.
I wish there was a decent English-language Arab or Iranian or Turkish news site with global news. Al Jazeera is OK. I’m glad it exists. It doesn’t make me want to throw up, which is what I feel whenever I see a link to a BBC news page on my screen. But really Al Jazeera is not so great. As for the Palestinian sites, they’ve mostly been running headlines saying “Three elderly men killed at checkpoint” or “Two teenagers dead in ‘price-tag’ attack” or “Homes demolished” for decades. I am on their side, but a fat lot of good this media effort has done them, so maybe it’s time to change it, huh?
In Netanyahu’s latest graphics, Qatar is shown as neither a “blessing” nor a “curse” for Israel (‘El struggles’). Perhaps there’s a message there.
Can’t someone work on the Palestinian side who actually has a clue about propaganda? FFS! Maybe give the child with the watermelon a rest occasionally? Surely some kind of f*cking response to Naziyahoo’s repeated use of graphic cards at the UN could be figured out?
Neither the Turkish regime nor any of the Gulf Arab regimes are likely to help much. The poorer Arab regimes wouldn’t dare, as the money from the Gulf would dry up. As for Abbas, the guy wouldn’t be able to pull his tongue out of Netanyahu’s fundament for long enough to entertain the idea. But what about Iran? Or Hamas maybe?
Came across this comment a bit earlier posted in a thread on JVLs website yesterday:
“These questions, as with all your comments, are piercingly well informed and relevant. You have your finger on the pulse of world opinion, but not on the pulse of world leaders or at least those empowered to stop the ongoing evil and their cowered compliance is a matter of shame to the country and people they are paid to serve. I commented to an elderly cleric how one hoped that those who reached the top in government, the judiciary, the military, to name but three, should possess an accompanying moral code. ‘Dear Lady’, was his disarming reply, ‘the scum always rises to the surface’. indeed!!”
Haven’t heard that one in years, but it’s so true of course. Now I don’t pretend to understand the mindset of the people/politicians who rule us, as they do in most countries, and they are just completely alien to me, and all I know is that they and their ilk created the fucked-up world we live in, as they’ve done throughout history. And, one way or the other, they are leading us down the road to Armageddon and extinction. And on the way there an ever-more dystopian reality (which already exists for tens of millions of people). They are driven by the desire for wealth and power, and that leads to war and conflict, which they undoubtedly relish, and they see the world in the privative terms of only the strong survive. But in the end, their need to protect their wealth and power – i.e. their insecurity – is gonna destroy THEM, along with the rest of us, and quite likely all life on Earth.
They undoubtedly get off on their wealth and power and see themselves collectively as running and owning the planet, the very planet they are in the process of destroying and poisoning. And my point: Imagine if what’s at work in them could be turned around to start working towards creating a planet where we could all live together in harmony with each-other and the natural world, because in the final analysis it is only THEY that could lead us into building and creating such a world, by letting go of what drives them, as it has done for thousands, tens of thousands of years. If they did that, they would be celebrated and exalted and blessed for all time.
So come on guys ffs and get it together! You’ll love it!!
The politician promises you wealth (future tense) if you are prepared to give him/her power (present tense.) History so far shows that the politician welches on the deal.
This should alert us to the language Starmer is now using on a daily basis which amounts to the following: ‘Make the sacrifice and I will make you safer.’ He (and his family) will make no sacrifice and the public will not end up safer.
@Allan – The rulers aren’t moving towards destroying the planet, or even all life on it. There is no “climate emergency”. What the rulers are moving towards is a massive cull of human beings. “Dystopia” is a very vague word, but if you take a country like Britain, in which living standards and security are for most residents much higher than they are for most residents in many other countries, still most people seem to spend most of their time attending to those stupid little microwave tracker gadgets for most of the time their “superiors” allow them to…by “choice”… This counts as dystopic already surely? If their “superiors” flash the right kind of lights to them on their little phone screens, half of the phone-pickers would probably climb into the nearest suicide cabin if that was the instruction, especially if Faecesbook or Shitter spread a bit of democratic “meme” or “Taylor Swift” on the message – a little bit of sugar to help the medicine go down. Which is not intended to mean things won’t get worse.
I feel sorry for the dogs. Imagine being a pet dog and when your owner takes you for a walk they’re picking their phone the whole time.
Those with strong stomachs can try reading this piece by Mr Creepo, aka “Stephen” “Daisley”, a guy who cheers on genocide for money and views himself as a man of ideas and a great Wrightah, in the Spectator:
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/israel-goes-for-hezbollahs-leadership/
Practically every clause in every sentence is hasbara. This creep’s not going to be running out of gigs any time soon.
The way he says “Hezbollah – ‘the Party of Allah’ ” is especially impressive. Missed your chance for balance there, boy. Next time, try “Israel, meaning ‘El Struggles’ “:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(deity)
All civilised people in the world will be behind Iran if Iran responds using the only language the Nazi occupiers of Palestine understand.
Look – Bibi is not doing this for himself he’s doing it so that Israel can run gas/oil pipes through Saudi Arabia to Europe and India either way. The guy’s all heart.
Cheaper energy bills in Europe and India is his slogan. Team that up with Starmer’s British Energy Company – and what’s not to like?
The place was only 33% full by the way when he entered, and even less full when he spoke.
I wonder if the Saudis were consulted before drawing his map?
If his plan is what you say it is, he’ll have to have the Saudis on side surely?
Which Israeli actions are we talking about? And what’s the argument that the aim is gas and oil pipes?
I don’t agree with this position at the moment, but if you can back it up I’m all ears.
Stuff that Satanyahoo does on film in the UN is aimed at western media audiences and at the Jewish market in the US. Some wags even call NYC the capital of Israel (‘El struggles’). This time I understood the black winged demon thing, with its “horns” at the north of Iran, but I didn’t understand the arrow or India on the other graphics card. But I only saw still photos. I didn’t listen to his speech. Wouldn’t want my monitor screen to break.
Like with his past Iranian Plutonium pose years ago of CD’s) (yes that old one) he held up two big cards with the religious blessing/curse stuff and another card with HIS plans for Saudi Arabia and a red arrow sweeping from India (bottom right) to Europe (top left) with his plan to build a crap version of The Belt and Road initiative that resides in his head.
Initially he held one card up upside down – Trump did something similar.
I wonder if the Saudis are up for HIS plan?
I doubt it as they seem to heading to Bricsland already.
What’s the reason for people thinking Netanyahu is the main man making the big decisions?
That seems unlikely. Is there a good basis for thinking it?
Wikipedia (known to be strongly Zionist) lists 36 Israeli citizens who are billionaires, and interestingly it says the richest of them all is … Miriam Adelson. Such lists should always be taken with a handful of salt, but…I didn’t expect Adelson to be top. FWIW Roman Abramovich is in at number five. Alexander Mashkevitch isn’t mentioned. The Rothschilds are of course Christians who pray hard in church, don’t own much in their own names, only have passports issued by the countries they’re born in, and prioritise their humanitarian philanthropic charity commitments above all.
Blinken got the nerve to say this while being the enabler of why 50000 people have been killed and while Israel now wreck Lebanon:
Diplomacy is still possible in the region, and conflict is not the solution, US Secretary of State says.
https://www.trtworld.com/us-and-canada/coming-days-will-decide-future-path-of-the-middle-east-blinken-18213551
Blinken (ukrainian-jewish descent) is a good example why people that have personal interests should not be in power. Considering his provocative support for Israel and also Ukraine it is obvious that he is not putting United States first but those other 2 nations.
Blinken comes from a family of Zionists and staunch supporters of Israel. His grandfather, Hungarian Jewish immigrant Maurice Blinken, founded the American Palestine Institute after the Second World War and was instrumental in convincing the American government that a Jewish state must be established and that it would be easier to support millions of Jews than the 600,000 of that time.
https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/world-int/24380-anthony-blinken-3rd-most-influential-jew-in-the-world-zelensky-dropped-from-the-list.html
Maurice Blinken, 86; Early Backer of Israel
Mr. Blinken was born in Kiev, Russia, and was a graduate of New York University in 1921 and of its law school in 1924.
https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/15/obituaries/maurice-blinken-86-early-backer-of-israel.html
Putting Zelensky on that Jerusalem Post link was absurd. As for Sam Altman, AI is marketing shtick (although the increase in technofascist surveillance and control and deskilling certainly isn’t), but I will check out his proximity to chip implantation tech before opining on his importance.
Propaganda or not, the IDF has confirmed this morning that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was neutralized yesterday in his bunker, together with 2 chief deputies in charge of missiles and drones.
Will Netanyahu take advantage of this significant success to further his “playing chicken”? Will the remaining Hezbollah leaders stay inactive and become sitting ducks? Will a ground incursion in Lebanon be the next episode, as many military experts now believe ?
I fear the killers in Israel are right. Absurd that Hezbollah leadership amass in the alleged HQ during these times. An attack against that housing compound was obvious to happen.
Apparently Hezbollah was not better than this, at the same time, what could they do fighting a much stronger force.
Sad demise for the resistance movements that is unable to strike any real blow against Israel. First Haniyeh – no response and now (most likely) Nasrallah with zero response.
I fear Syria will be next after this.
“Neutralised”….hmmm, akin to Sonderbehandlung under rule 14f13?
No, more like ‘you’re too dumb’ in plain English. But apparently, 40 percent of Lebanese are francophone, so…
Dumb means lacking in the ability to speak.
Hypothesis: the Israeli (“God Struggles”) group may try to provoke Vladimir Putin into using nuclear weapons against Ukraine shortly before they unleash nuclear weapons under their own name in the Middle East.
The narrative could be that conventional bunker busters, as used against the Lebanon, aren’t strong enough to kill ALL the leaders on the other side, some of whom are better at hiding than others. So what’s a defensive God Struggles supporter supposed to do?
Got to admit it is worthy of note that the main financer of Donald Trump’s very “America First” campaign is reported to be the world’s richest Israeli, Miriam Adelson.
That’s an interesting hypothesis, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite fit with Vladimir’s new “Doctrine” on when he may “consider” using nukes.
Besides, living in subterranean shelters for decades is considered viable after a major nuclear attack. Refer to “Doctor Strangelove” for details.
Re. Greg’s reference to the Torygraph earlier :
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/26/civilians-must-be-ready-to-fight-as-army-so-small-say-lords/
Perhaps a functioning NHS might enable the UK – as a nation – to be fit for the job? Maybe a few more cycle paths, less junk food, encouraging healthier living rather than fatter profits for sugar suppliers… a better work/life balance, more social equality …
Everything that might make a nation healthier, and more inclined to feel it’s something worth fighting for, instead of “fuck it”, which is what I – for one – feel about the entire place and the rotten, corrupt Establishment that run it right now.
That rather reminds me of 1970, which is unlikely to be Liarbour policy, since it is keeping Britain in the 1870s.
Its increasingly looking like the Zionists have killed Nasrallah – the leader of Hezbollah – in the huge air strike in a residential area in Southern Beirut – in which many civilians died. Hamas spokespersons tacitness on the subject, points to the air strikes as being successful in that respect.
The Lebanese resistance movement – said it fired a barrage of Fadi-3 missiles at the Ramat David base and airport, about 20 km southeast of Haifa on Saturday morning in response to the attack.
Re my above comment – I suppose we have to take into account, that Israel had, claimed to have killed Nasrallah in 2006 – only for him to appear three-days later – on live tv, to announce open war on the Zionist entity known as Israel.
It’s good. We must never surrender to fake news. Even when they’re disheartening. In this case, it is reported that Nasrallah‘s daughter Zainab was also killed in the bombing. Maybe will they both reappear in 3 days ? Even though, 3 days later, it vaguely reminds of something else, but what ?
Apparently Israel set to kill as many resistance leaders before next week (7th of oct).
I think one also should keep the idea open that Israel also killed the Iranian president and the iranian FM in that airplane “crash” some months ago.
They’ve struck 140 [sic] “terror targets” in Southern Lebanon overnight – in reality indiscriminate bombing of Shia communities and civilian housing/public infrastructure.
Anyone hate the way the Israelis abuse the English language in an attempt to justify their unjustifiable actions. It’s seemingly open season on anything some Israeli IDF spokesperson designates as a ‘terror target’. Civilian housing, cities; hell even whole countries? It’s as if they think prepending or appending with ‘terrorism’ or “terror targets’ makes it all okay? This language is clearly aimed at the US. It all stems from the ludicrously ill-defined Bush-era “war on terror,” which was itself an attempt to provide some casus belli for their own unprovoked wars of aggression against countries that had nothing to do with 9/11.
Exactly, and what is rotten is that Israel could freely defame the killed and blame or rather concoct whatever accusation of an alleged crime the “terrorist” had commited.
These are extrajudicial killings, who said it was right to kill Hezbollah members to begin with?! Amazing how western media just take everything Israel say as right, correct, legal etc. Even the israeli media (like Haarez) is more critical!
It is like we are indeed stuck in the Bush-era, west have not move 1 step. In fact it is worse since the claims by Israel gets amplified thousand fold.
May prove a pyrrhic victory for Israel, despite the sick online gloating. If Israeli politicians start being crossed out in similar fashion, would anyone be surprised?
The Shia number some 200 million across the region and beyond, Netayahu’s silly map at the UN, presented all Shia as a dark blight on the entire ME, it was racist – Shia-phobic – if you will. Unlike most of Israel’s first generation, dual national white European settler population, the Middle East is at least their ancestral and only home. Judging by the comments from spokespeople stating, ‘this changes the rules of the game” Netanyahu’s irresponsible reckless behaviour has placed a target on the back of every Israeli minister, and their families; their homes etc… Every ambassador, diplomat could be viewed by Hezbollah as a legitimate target. This could play out over decades when Netanyahu isn’t even around and the US is no longer the preeminent power.
The US have understandably tried to distance themselves from this ‘made in the USA’ attack involving an F-35 and 5000lb JDAM, but is their claim of ignorance really plausible? It’s impossible to believe Israel took such an action without consulting the country that provides its military hardware. The US are obviously wary that US bases don’t have the Iron Dome and any concerted attack, on numerous soft targets, possibly aided by Russia(?) could cause major problems.
Hezbollah now confirmed, Nasrallah killed.
War on Gaza, Lebanon: Hezbollah confirms death of leader Hassan Nasrallah
https://www.newarab.com/news/gaza-war-hezbollah-confirms-death-leader-hassan-nasrallah
Hezbollah appears to have confirmed the death of Nasrallah. But let us remember that Hezbollah are not angels. Their predecessors tortured and murdered CIA agent William Buckley in the 1980s, and the torture was carried out by Aziz al-Abub, a psychiatrist, i.e. a medical doctor who perverted his knowledge to evil ends. The account of Buckley’s torture is not pleasant reading.
Why do people who would have taken the Hippocratic oath in ancient times depart from its ideals so much? Ayman al-Zawahiri of Al-Qaeda was a medical doctor, so is Bashar Assad.
All that said, Israel has the blood of over 40,000 Gazans on its hands, not including those buried and missing which could make the figure much higher. But it remains to be seen whether any planned ground invasion of Lebanon will be successful.
That invasion obviously won’t happen as soon as the few remaining leaders of Hezbollah could wish. They will wait until the perimeter is clear, they will continue their carpet-bombing as long as necessary. So they can eventually invade without any resistance. They do remember 2006.
Our gracious host, like always, showed exceptional foresight by claiming “Netanyahu plays chicken”. And indeed, in a singular fight, he would certainly have lost in front of Nasrallah. So he chose flight, and went to New York.
You think that’ll be effective?
Carpet-bombing has far less utility against dug-in troops than a targeted assassination strike, and considering Lebanon is more hilly & tunnel-ridden than Gaza. So they won’t clear anything in that manner.
Plus they don’t have limitless bombs nor economic padding; Israel is acting rashly. Because it’s currently facing pressing socioeconomic problems.
It’s so great to keep faith in spite of all the hardships. Hold on tight to your beliefs.
But you may be right in sensing that Israel has a weak point in its economic frailty.
Yes, Israel faces a grim economic future now. Firstly, the Third World isn’t what it was. It’s becoming a significant market for the multinationals and quite a bit of it is Muslim. Those companies aren’t likely nowadays to indulge some executive who fancies setting something up in Israel when the consequence is going to be losing a big potential or current market. Secondly if you were a Jewish person with some talent and an American or European passport, would you feel safe for your family if its younger members might be sent at any time into some new mad war? Or would you feel safer staying in or returning to America or Europe. “Shutdown Nation”, as they say.
“All that said, Israel has the blood of over 40,000 Gazans on its hands, not including those buried and missing which could make the figure much higher. ”
MJ.
Not forgetting – the murdered civilians in Lebanon killed by the Zionists who, gave no indication of the severity of the strikes, that were coming to the residential areas – sorry that’s not quite correct – they gave a warning of the bombings, on their military radios a few minutes beforehand – that no Lebanese would’ve heard.
When did Bashar Assad depart from the ideals of the hippocratic oath?
I believe old Basher is an optician.
When he dropped barrel bombs on Aleppo? (Though he denied it, and Amnesty International affirmed it (https://www.amnesty.org.uk/circle-hell-barrel-bombs-aleppo-syria).
The relevant section of the Hippocratic oath might be:
“Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help the sick, and I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm, especially from abusing the bodies of man or woman, bond or free. ”
Or even “I will use those dietary regimens which will benefit my patients according to my greatest ability and judgment, and I will do no harm or injustice to them.”
But I understand from wiki that the phrase “First do no harm” is a part of the original Hippocratic oath. That may be the most fundamental thing.
I wouldn’t place too much credence on what amnesty international says. They are infested with security service shills, particularly Mossad. Their reports tend to supporting the western agenda. I’d place them up there with the white helmets.
What’s the difference between a bomb in a “barrel” and a bomb in a “cylinder”?
“Why do people who would have taken the Hippocratic oath in ancient times depart from its ideals so much? ”
I suggest you place that question with the NHS. How many have they killed in the last five years ?
And, let’s not forget the HIV infected blood scandal and the Liverpool Pathway.
Like Democracy, Justice and the Geneva Conventions, the Hippocratic oath nowadays is meaningless.
“Like Democracy, Justice and the Geneva Conventions, the Hippocratic oath nowadays is meaningless.”
What, like the British Constitution? LOL
One enterprising publisher has actually brought out “The Constitution of the United Kingdom” (ISBN 1774261200), evidently intended to look a bit like printed hardback editions of the Constitution of the United States. Nice try.
A mere 30% of the lebanese people showed support for Hezbollah i a poll conducted some months ago.
Despite the group’s growing popularity, the poll found that relatively few Lebanese support it, with just 30 percent saying they had a great deal of trust in Hezbollah, while 55 percent of Lebanese said they had no trust at all in the group.
The levels of trust varied widely by sect, according to the poll, which found that 85 percent of Shias in Lebanon trusted the group, while just nine percent of the country’s Sunnis, nine percent of Lebanese Druze and six percent of Christians agreed.
https://www.newarab.com/news/support-hezbollah-growing-lebanon
One thought the lebanese could come together against outside threats but apparently not, especially considering how many times Lebanon have been attacked by Israel, US.
It feel hopeless, the arab population do not understand what a tremendous force, power they could be if they were just a minumum of united against outside threats instead of seeing everything by the secterian lens. Especially among the sunnis seems to be way too caught up in this idiocy.
What do the sunni-secterian-Hezbollah-hating lebanese think is next for Lebanon if Israel indeed managed to destroy Hezbollah? What will happen is that Israel would occupy even more area of Lebanon and eventually, like in the West bank, Gaza, move in and annex the area and when that happen the corrupt sunni-population, groups, nations could bemoan that they did not support Hezbollah more when it actually mattered.
The New Arab is not an entirely reliable source. It was set up in London to oppose Al Jazeera, and run by a Palestinian Christian. Lebanese Christians, notably Maronites, are often fanatically anti-Shi’a, as they feel their rightful “ownership” of Lebanon has been taken away from them (the country was set up for them by the French, who got it wrong by including too many Muslims in its borders). If they had anything to do with this poll (quite likely), I would expect them to downrate Hizbullah.
Is this Mearsheimer´s realism?
I guess not.
He did say of course that Israelis are insane.
But Americans would do the exact same thing would they enjoy the same level of superiority towards Russia e.g.
So where/how does Mearsheimer´s concept actually work?
BRICS?
So far.
But for a theory to be viable it has to prove itself under the worst of conditions.
And right now it is failing utterly.
So how much is too much?
Andrei Martyanov speculated that Houthis might have received a shipment of medium range RU Oniks missiles, which can sink cruisers and might fly distances of 800 km.
The concept of proxy war could be extended this way to stop Israel at some point.
But then such a move would be agreed on behind closed doors by Russian allies: And as those go – do Indian politicians, Chinese care enough?
One of RUs main tasks in October´s meeting will be trying to settle disputes between those two powers.
That is more important than any number of killed civilians in Gaza or Beirut if an intervention there might upset Indian and Chinese sentiments.
Eventually it´s the common people who have to suffer.
If they had the means to call for arms. What would happen?
Who will most likely give into Israel´s never-ending provocation and demand for a big war?
A different, unexpected reaction could be an assassination of Bibi. Either by someone from Israel – homegrown killers are not new to Israel. Or from foreign powers, which however is rather unlikely.
Any reason to believe it would end after the US-election is settled?
AG
Your own German Foreign Minister, Annaleena Baerbock, spoke at the UN, in support of Israel’s actions. She talked about 140,000 Hezbollah rockets that were pointed at Israel – just where do they get that figure from, an Israeli briefing, perhaps? If they had that many rockets they certainly haven’t now, and it’s not as though the Israelis would exaggerate the threats they face, is it? /S For context : Netanyah has been scaremongering about Iran being only “months away” from acquiring nuclear weapons since 1982.
Israel is clearly trying to goad a non-nuclear armed Iran into attacking them, to unleash a catastrophic war; presumably in the belief, it’s better to fight now, than later, when Iran becomes nuclear-armed or deepens defence relations with Russia. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has forbid the development of nuclear weapons; seeing them as a sin against God (Allah), and as Supreme Leader, his word is final. But Khamenei is 85 years old and the next Supreme Leader is unlikely to share the same reservations – being more likely to be receptive to deterrence arguments.
Both Trump and Netanyahu are threatening to destroy Iran’s major cities and there’s little doubt both are ruthless (mentally sick) and uncompassionate enough to carry that threat through. But Iran has a population close to 90 million citizens. Does Germany wish to absorb another 10 million refugees from the failed state that would be post-war Iran? This is what is so incredibly stupid with Baerbock’s and von der Leyen’s Israeli cheerleading. And Lammy et al at the FCDO ought to be pondering this risk too.
It took the Soviet Union three years to produce an A-bomb once they knew it was possible. The technology is far more widely known now and it seems rather unlikely that Iran doesn’t already have nuclear weapons. We know they have hypersonic missiles able to penetrate that Iron Dome. The obsession with whether Iran has or can enrich uranium to some particular level looks awfully like a smokescreen. The usual route is via plutonium, which doesn’t require any enrichment at all. That’s the route the UK took with those two reactors at Windsc.. er, Sellafield.
If they were determined to acquire they’d have likely done so in the 1990s, when India and Pakistan officially joined the nuclear club. Iran also share missile technology with North Korea, so the know-how is available. Iran is obviously a theocracy, and were it not for central role religion plays in the form of the Supreme Leader, they would indeed likely already have them.
The safest, quickest route would be via that mooted mutual defence pact with Russia, they’ve supposedly – according to reports -been offered something similar to that offered to Belarus. This would end Netanyahu’s and US hawks’ sick dreams of bombing the country back into the stone age. Quite frankly, were I in their position I’d give Russia anything they demand for such protection: a land base, a naval base, … anything. Much as the Russian naval facility in Tartus, Syria protected Assad’s regime.
Could well be since the 1990s, maybe even earlier. That whole enrichment thing should be ringing alarm bells with any sceptical observer – the only compelling use for it is in the Hiroshima-style gun devices that are simple but too heavy and inefficient to put on missiles. Another sign was the unguarded remark by an Israeli minister that if the public could listen in on Cabinet discussions, there’d be four million at Ben Gurion Airport trying to get flights out.
Steve Hayes
I honestly doubt it. The CIA /MI6 and Mossad would know were that the case. There are multiple ways to detect these things and Iran, along with Russia , China and North Korea are probably one of the most intensively ‘satellite surveilled’ countries in the world. Then there are informants.
A fatwa by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, against the acquisition, development and use of nuclear weapons dates back to the mid-1990s.
They may have so-called ‘break-out’ capability, from enrichment research and other academic efforts related to civilian use, i.e. they’d be able to quickly develop/ produce warheads, should 85 year old Khamenei die and the position change. But the way military and religion are so entwined in Iran, with the Council of Guardians and the highly ideological Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, I honesty think the Supreme Leader is the one who decides and woe betide anyone disobeying his edicts.
Of course Mossad et al would know. That’s exactly the point I’m making. It’s the public that’s being gulled with this irrelevant guff about uranium enrichment. My theory is that tiny, vulnerable Israel and its client states in the West fear the four million at the airport if the truth comes out. Iran and its allies may well see no advantage on balance in saying anything either. They can keep it as a trump card. After all, Israel is yet to acknowledge its weapons, having reputedly jointly tested with South Africa in the mid 70s in the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. Now I’m open to any other interpretation of all these facts but it needs to address them at least as well as mine.
I hadn’t really thought about that, but it’s certainly an interesting theory. M.A.D for the Middle East would certainly affect the attractiveness of Israel as a place to build a new home and life for some Jewish families thinking of moving there. Israel clearly wants as many white settlers as possible, to cement both their existing claim and their drive for territorial expansion. Part of that drive involves hyping the threat Jewish communities face in the West, as we experienced with the Labour antisemitism scam hysteria. Were Israel to face a Cold War type M.A.D standoff, with the Iranians, Israel’s population may indeed be hollowed out, as dual nationals returned to the ”safer’ US and Europe.
Goose – the provocation is relentless – but Iran still has to wait for Israel to strike its sovereign territory first. They signed the agreement and, much as it must grieve them to see so much devastation all around, the agreement states that Russia will support whichever of them is attacked first. They need to hold their nerve, and be ready for Israel or the US to blinken first.
Recall that the Houtis hit Tel Aviv recently, although reports appear to have been downplayed.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/19/houthi-drone-strikes-tel-aviv-how-significant-is-the-attack
Only if by recently you mean last July, as shown by the date of the piece you link to. You may have seen though It’s been reported that another Houti drone was flown towards Tel Aviv yesterday, but suffered a malfunction and landed somewhere on a deserted strip of freeway.
Apparently Hezbollah’s number two survived Friday’s attacks – its thought that he is a man more inclined to attack Israel – than hold back.
Even as we speak, Israel has placed several hundred tanks along the border. It’s unclear whether the assault will take place in the coming days, or whether it will wait for further aviation preparations.
According to Israel some 10 high rank Hezbollah command/leaders have been killed by now:
https://swentr.site/news/604867-hezbollah-leadership-eliminated-israel/
Will Israel go house to house in Lebanon too? Causing a genocide not only in Gaza but also in Lebanon? These people..so depraved.
It has already begun. Reports show dozens of thousand civilians fleeing Lebanon, many of them trying to escape bombings and find shelter in Syria. It sounds as if Southern Lebanon is unfortunately bound to become a new Gaza.
For the the last few months, Israel had made believe, through their secret envoy, that they would spare among their foes the top leadership (a new form of appeasement), only to suddenly renege on their promise and strike it with maximum prejudice.
In around 2006-2008 Norman Finkelstein visited Lebanon, making clear he embraced Hezbollah’s resistance to Israel and in his own calm, fact-based style pulverizing the sectarian arguments being brought forward by the Lebanese interviewer. As he said, the lebanese/arab people could either choose to be slaves to Israel/US or fight the oppression.
Norman Finkelstein Hezbollah, the Honour of Lebanon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAGVQF-Kys8
Finkelstein looks like a remarkable man, judging from the wiki article on him. There is also a film on Youtube, American Radical which I look forward to seeing.
I have noticed that many (though not all) Jewish anti-Zionists appear to have been sympathetic to Communism or even been members of local Communist parties, such as Ronnie Kasrils, Ilan Pappé, Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky.
The British – or their assets in Beirut – almost certainly provided Hasan Nasrallah’s location to Israel.
https://x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/1838189623769518383
UK has sent 74 war planes from Cyprus to Lebanon since March.
Number of RAF aircraft landed in Beirut by Britain, a key backer of the Israeli military, has surged in recent months amid threats of a new offensive, but their purpose remains unclear.
https://www.declassifieduk.org/uk-has-sent-74-war-planes-from-cyprus-to-lebanon-since-march/
From the link:
Double cross: how Lebanon’s military intelligence spies for London
Torchlight, a British security contractor with high-level security clearances from the UK government, has access to the Lebanese Army’s military intelligence unit and its data files on Lebanese citizens. Why would a sovereign nation tolerate this foreign penetration of its most sensitive intel establishment?
No doubt, the whole arab world is filled with collaborators working for Israel, US. It is like western colonialism still rule in that region, where they playing off one group against another. Just look at the non-response by the lebanese government. So shameful to watch.
frankywiggles @17.16pm
Thank You for that – its been said before – that Israel wouldn’t exist without the likes of the US and UK – aiding and abetting them – as well being complicit in their war crimes.
What do we call a state that aids and abets another state in genocide and terrorist attacks?
The most depressing thing, is in how Israel’s chief weapon supplier, the US, doesn’t even attach any proportionality requirements on the usage of said powerful weapons. The US blathers on about Israel’s “right to defend itself,” but defending itself surely shouldn’t mean unlimited, disproportionate retaliation against those with no means of defending themselves. Our societies don’t operate on the basis of unlimited retaliation being permitted at a domestic law level, nor does international law.
It’s as though America’s leadership have lost all good sense and morality, by allowing what’s happened to Gaza for the last 12 months and by now allowing Israel to use similar primitive, indiscriminate mass casualty methods now in Lebanon. The US is forfeiting any claim to global leadership and respect. If the US empire fades, what sort of example and precedent will have been set?
The US economy is built on never ending wars. They may have been a technology leader in the past but now they can only produce war machines, and the fact is their war technology is now more hype than performance. Quantity is no substitute for quality – ask Boeing.
America is effectively bankrupt; this will become more apparent as the saner nations move away from the dollar.
America needs war, which is why they will never stop or impede Israel.
It’s never over. Allegedly, in a new strike this morning, the top Intelligence officer for Hezbollah has been killed. Another major blow for the resistance. Without adequate intelligence, the organization becomes a lame duck.
Reportedly, out of an abundance of caution, Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been hidden in a secret place, to prevent his assassination. If true, this shows the fear of all the ME in front of the terrible threat unfolding.
Be in no doubt who is driving the conflict in the Middle East. A statement from Mike Johnson, the House Leader on Saturday:
“Hassan Nasrallah’s reign of bloodshed, oppression, and terror has been brought to an end. A puppet of the Iranian regime, he was one of the most brutal terrorists on the planet, and a coward who hid behind women and children to carry out his attacks. Thanks to the brave men and women of the Israeli military, justice was delivered for Israeli victims of his heinous crimes, their families, and the United States. The world is better off without him.
“We call on the Biden-Harris Administration to end its counter-productive calls for a cease-fire and its ongoing diplomatic pressure campaign against Israel. Nasrallah’s death is a major step forward for the Middle East, and today’s victory for peace and security should be used to reassert America’s ironclad support for Israel as it fights for its very right to exist.”
And from Joe Biden:
“The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023. Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a “northern front” against Israel…
The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.”
And they claim they want peace. There was only one sentence in Netanyahu’s speech yesterday that I agreed with.
Enough is Enough.
It looks like – the British could’ve informed the Zionists as to the whereabouts of Nasrallah – Hezbollah must recover quickly – for, I suspect the ground invasion of Southern Lebanon won’t be that far-off.
Not to mention that the US has a huge embassy complex, situated, just eight miles from the centre of Beirut.
With both these things in mind – I think its pretty safe to say – that in Lebanon there’s more leaks – than you can find in a Welsh fruit and veg shop (Leeks).
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/12/middleeast/massive-us-embassy-middle-east-mime-intl/index.html
“As we appear to be heading into all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel, worth reflecting on how Beirut’s military, security and intelligence agencies are heavily infiltrated by British assets, personnel and technology. Talk about fifth columnists…”
https://x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/1838189623769518383
I wouldn’t rule out the French neither.
Interesting point possibly re: Netanyahu’s plans?
He seems to have finished his speech earlier than he should as someone whispered something in his ear and he left quickly.
This morning on the BBC I think someone was interviewed and his view was that the Triumvirate of crazy (Smodrich, Givir and Himself) were not in favour of upping the ante at this moment in time.
From memory, the guest said that Galant and his faction may have overridden the three’s orders not to strike yet.
I think that Galant is the US’s new favourite and if this is true ( fog of war and all that) this may mean that despite all the peace rhetoric that the US gave Galant the OK over and above Netanyahu.
Interesting move – if true of course?
Even though this is entirely pointless speculation, since we’ll possibly never know, I could easily bet a full River Thames cruise that Nasrallah‘s whereabouts were confirmed by insider information, in other words a mole. And this wouldn’t be the first time this happened.
Notoriously, not only did the Secretary General live without cellphone, pager or walkie-talkie but it was even strictly forbidden to bring one anywhere near him.
Don’t forget that a significant number of Mossad agents are perfectly bilingual and speak Arabic without any trace of accent. Whereas very few Hezbollah operatives speak fluent Hebrew. No justice in this world…
With all due respect to the talent of French and British agents, I don’t think they could have pulled this one. Whereas for a smart Israeli, getting to reach the close circle of the target may take a year or more, but revenge can be a cold dish, and it’s no more difficult than lacing thousands of electronic devices with explosives using the “hairdryer method”.
Do you think SIS doesn’t have native-language level Arabic speakers? They certainly do.
A lot of this armchair expert speculation about how the Israelis managed to kill Nasrallah is pointless.
Those of us who aren’t extremely well-informed figures in intelligence agencies would be better off spending our time trying to hypothesise sensibly regarding which port, in which country, the pagers might have been in when the Israelis put the explosives in.
Let’s start with one fact:
* no country is kicking up a public fuss saying they had no knowledge of what these Israelis were doing, and they don’t want to get involved in any war, and they’re expelling four Israeli diplomats to underline their point;
If it turns out there was collusion, that country could, shall we say, lose some of its friends.
@Wilshire. Get a grip! Israeli special forces or intelligence officers aren’t always smarter than their French or British counterparts. They possibly do have better humint (and elint too for that matter) in anti-Israeli Arab circles, but that’s different. This attack is unlikely to have had anything to do with revenge. I wouldn’t even assume that killing Nasrallah was the aim.
You say pointless, I say pointless. Let’s call the whole thing off. Don’t be so ticklish. We both have better to do.
Israelis don’t play by the normal rules, as we’ve seen in the past with their use of British passports to conduct assassinations, and more recently with the irresponsible, indiscriminate pager attacks. None exploded here or aboard flights, only due to good luck and not because of any precautions on Israel’s side. Releasing thousands of explosive devices into any society, is the definition of reckless.
You have to consider the fact that Israel doesn’t have to spend exorbitant amounts on defence R&D, as the US provides most of their advanced hardware and munitions free as ‘military aid’. Thus, they can invest heavily in intelligence capability and in manipulating public opinion with social media operations that make any alleged Russian and Chinese state efforts look minuscule by way of contrast. Literally, any critical post about Israel by a senior official or anyone of importance e.g. Humza Yousaf is swamped with, often threatening comments within minutes, such as, “check your pager”. They are menacing our societies. Why X can’t remove these accounts, I don’t know.
They pretty much do whatever they feel like doing, in the knowledge they have the US political system pretty much sewn up to the point where they’ll always be provided with cover.
I wonder who the newly shekelled-up mole was:
https://x.com/UKikaski/status/1839998811785101424/photo/1
I wouldn’t rule it out that Israel has on at least one occasion recruited not just a leading figure in an enemy organisation but THE leading figure…and has eventually killed him anyway.
Just saying.
Nor are they the only regime that this can be said about.
This post aged well…
I won’t be surprised if the Trump campaign is discontinued soon and Haley takes over as the Republican candidate. Haley is the one that wrote “Finish them” on an Israeli artillery shell bound for Gaza – USA-ese for “exterminate the brutes”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d46qxn7rBa8
^ That was Trump earlier tonight. He’s ranting that Kamala Harris is “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled”…while for some reason his hair is purple.
Purple.
And I would not be surprised if the Zionist regime is already planning to disrupt and interfere in Hassan Nazrallah’s last rites, as many of his fellow fighters will want to touch his casket in a l last show of respect and reverence to his family.
These devils think up the worst possible atrocities when they can see a chink of an advantage.
They have massacre brainstem psychosis and are covered in Beelzebub’s blood; may they rot in hell.
There is only one Palestine.
It is striking that western media, editorials could on the one hand condemn Russia for 2 years straight about “war crimes” “crimes against humanity” “disinformation” “human rights violation” and THEN the next day have op-eds that boldy defend Israel’s warcrimes, israel’s crimes against humanity, israel’s human rights violations and even playing down the obvious acts of genocide. That prove that all talk about laws being broken in Ukraine, did not mean one iota for the west! It was all about cheap, geopolitical interests.
And still, still, so many westerners are unable to recognize this hypocrisy, this double standard!?
At the same time, west could keep these fantasies intact because there is no other global bloc of nations calling the west out.
It is also evident that many westerners support Netanyahu, liberals/right-wing extremists alike, because they respect and look up upon strong, brutal, assertive, authtoritarian leaders – just like Mussolini, Hitler got their support.
Just look how the collective west sat down and listening, applauding during Netanyahu’s senseless speech. But when russian reps. are talking the hypocrital collective western reps. leave the room
Watch: U.N. Envoys Stage Walkout As Russia’s Lavrov Begins Address
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViaBYRnWHFM
Same when former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke in the UN some decade ago:
US leads mass walkout of Ahmadinejad speech at UN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LANLxLllzEM
Yes. Schoolyard behaviour, and we’re supposed to respect these cunts !
An excellent article here, on where we are being led by the morally corrupt.
“The United Nations has become a parody of itself. As world leaders gathered in New York this week, Gaza, Lebanon, and Palestine were nowhere on the agenda, but a rammed-through US Pact designed to protect the ‘rules-based order’ was right at the top.”
https://thecradle.co/articles/the-un-wont-protect-gaza-but-can-adopt-a-pact-for-the-future
Perhaps Pact should be spelt “PNAC”.
Good speech by Nizar Banat, a politician/critic of the Palestinian Authority, murdered by Mahmoud Abbas forces in 2021
Nizar Banat killing: The world must stop enabling PA crimes
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/palestine-nizar-banat-killing-world-must-stop-enabling-pa-crimes
Here Nizar Banat blast sunni groups hatred of Iran, Iran that atleast try to do something as far as resistance goes and taking a whole lot flak for that stance, while many sunni-groups and nations themselves putting up no resistance towards Israel themselves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHqSH7Gwc7g
Good piece by Jonathan Cook today: As Israel expands its war across the Middle East, establishment media is intensifying its war on our minds.
“The BBC is weaponising its Lebanon reporting to help disguise Israel’s crimes. Because Israel’s actions are so obviously criminal, so obviously horrifying, so obviously genocidal, language becomes a weapon to hide the truth”.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/bbc-lebanon-israel-reporting-weaponising-crimes-pagers
“[The BBC] is determined to justify the mass slaughter of civilians in Lebanon, just as it earlier did in Gaza, by uncritically broadcasting Israeli propaganda videos of Hezbollah rockets stashed in Lebanese living rooms.”
Tory leadership hopeful, Kemi Badenoch, speaking this morning on Trevor Phillips’ Sky News show, said she’d congratulate Netanyahu and the Israelis on recent attacks. James Cleverly, who followed her, struck a more measured tone; stating, that while Israel does have a right to defend itself, that had to be done in accordance with international law.
There is no way Badenoch and the other pro-Israel extremists vying for the leadership, like Jenrick and Tugendhat, would be so overt in their support had the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued those arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant that Karim Khan requested way back in May. It’s ridiculous how long this process is taking, and how lives continue to be lost to an emboldened Netanyahu, while they delay.
There’s a BBC article on her today, in which she says that she was ‘struck’ by how many recent immigrants hate Israel. ‘That sentiment has no place here.’
Article: ‘Not all cultures equally valid, says Kemi Badenoch‘
It’s almost a year now, Goose. Will you ever acknowledge the British role in the Gaza Genocide (spelled out very clearly by Matt Kennard in that EI interview I linked you to more than once) and now in what is being done to Lebanon.
https://www.declassifieduk.org/uk-has-sent-74-war-planes-from-cyprus-to-lebanon-since-march/
If not then kindly explain why you won’t. Do not keep pretending you’re completely unaware of all the evidence.
I don’t mention it much, because what can I, or anyone here for that matter, do about it?
The British position is clearly a product of the US position. Where they lead, our politicians follow. I’d prefer the UK,# and our political class to take the position of Ireland or Spain, but it is what it is.
Anybody who adherred to that logic would never comment on anything unrelated to their own life. That is not you.
In any event, the outsized role Britain is playing in this genocide is one issue that you very much can do something about, even if that is simply commenting on it here or elsewhere. You can help spread awareness in the face of uniform media suppression; a suppression so scrupulous and complete it has left most citizens entirely unaware of British involvement – let alone the extent and importance of it – after a full year! You can confront any deniers with the facts.
This year of genocide is the most heinous crime the UK political-media class has committed in your lifetime. Why would you single out their involvement as the one development in British politics and media there is no point mentioning?!
Has anyone heard anything from the Archbishop of Canterbury – the supposed head of the Church of England, regarding potential UK complicity in genocide? Justin Welby, as far as I can tell, has said hardly anything about Gaza generally. He could certainly use his position to trigger wider debate.
How about members of the royal family?
Point being; there are lots of more important, influential people than any of us on here, who aren’t fulfilling their moral obligations to speak out.
Exactly. Gaza has seen the mask fall from so many elite figures who had carefully cultivated compassionate images: Welby and the Windsors, E Miliband, S Fry… Across the pond, Trudeau, AOC and Sanders.
Lebanon is half Christian and not a peep out of Welby.
I’ve always wondered how he, as a former oil exec, rose so rapidly up the Church’s hierarchy?
“The PM and the PM’s office is intimately involved in deciding who runs the Church of England – as a member of the cabinet told me” – Robert Peston
Cameron allegedly picked Welby to give the govt an easier ride over poverty. If you remember, previous holders of the post, like Rowan Williams and before him, George Carey, were very outspoken. Welby even joined in the antisemitism witch-hunt against Corbyn.
In other words, even the Church has been corrupted by sinister British politicians.
Somewhat related:
From last week: UK bishops say Israel ‘acting as if it is above the law’
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240923-uk-bishops-say-israel-acting-as-if-it-is-above-the-law/
Yes, the stupid Western journalists keep being used by Israel and their apparent disinformation campaign. First they defamed Palestinians with all kinds of lies: as a matter of fact, the exact same lies Israel used against Gaza that proved to be BS are now used once again against Lebanon – and still the stupid journalists keep buying it!?
And yeah, while the West dehumanize and legitimize/cover Israeli “self-defense”, another senior Hezbollah-affilated clerk was murdered:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-senior-hezbollah-official-nabil-qaouk-killed-in-beirut-airstrike-last-night/
Imagine the reaction in the West if Hezbollah took out Jewish rabbis like this. But no, Muslims have zero worth according to the Western elite and media, and therefore could be killed without any concern. For crying out loud, how long will the Muslim world look upon the slaughter and humiliation of their own ethnic group before they will step in?! Are they all lacking heart and even brain?
They know the truth as well as anyone else. They are paid to distort, conceal, confuse and to justify the unjustifiable. At the BBC specifically, look to its Board and the influence of Jewish Chronicle owner Sir Robbie Gibb (identified by fellow zionist Emily Maitlss as the individual who most calls the shots on BBC news and current affairs output and how it is framed).
Yes the apparent pro-israel bent is in some cases no coincidence, there are not only useful idiots at play in western media taking for granted what Israel is saying is true, but also the more calculated pro-israel individuals that work full time looking over how articles on Israel is to be framed. On top of that BBC probably have informal ties to various shady pro-israeli propaganda media/task-forces directing them what to write.
I’m not convinced that ties to Israel are informal. The BBC overseas propaganda services are controlled by spooks (MI6/CIA/Mossad), so the links back to national propaganda services are probably the same.
Jack, there are no journalists or politicians in Britain who do not know better. It was the same in the UK with the Labour antisemitism ‘crisis’ that they manufactured and promoted throughout the Corbyn years. These people are cynical to the core and unfortunately in Britain we are stuck with them.
When I was at school studying for O-levels in short trousers, in History we were taught about the Second World War and I was always dumbfounded that the German public went so far along with the concepts of Herrenrasse (Master Race), Untermenschen (rabble – including us) and Lebensraum. I never reached any level of understanding what happened.
Witnessing a similar state of affairs in our present times is alarming, and the end results potentially even more catastrophic than that of the 3rd Reich. The corporate looking the other way, support and cheerleading in the UK, EU and USA (especially) of Netanyahu’s unconditional butchery of innocent women and children “Untermenschen” is gutwrenching.
One way to slow Netanyahu down would be to cut off his limitless supply of weapons and support from the US, Germany and the UK. However our leaders could not give a monkey’s – all we hear is that Israel has the right to defend itself – when it is the aggressor and no-one else has any right to self-defence. How BBC newsreaders can read their autocue with this relentless baloney is shocking.
The conditions for WW2 and its build up was created by TPTB. Probably the same for WW1. We are now in a similar position with essentially the same people creating and supporting the build up to WW3.
It is like west is infatuated with Israel, they are so taken by the assertive israelis, how easily they could wipe out people that they feel jealousy and envy. It feels like Israel could send a missile towards europe and the west would claim that “Israel have the right” to strike us.
It is like there is no end to the perverse acceptance west shows towards Israel.
One wonder also, what rights do the arabs have according to the western politicians? If we had journalists they would have asked that obvious question by now. If sending multiple bunker busters right into a capital of another state, what is that if not an act of war, how could one deny the attacked nation from defending itself? If someone sent multiple bunker busters at Tel Aviv, that state would be wiped off the map instantly and the west would have gladly joined Israel in such an event. But such rights are only for the west/israel.
Amazing that this BS logic is not quesitoned more.
The Germans never went along with the nazis, in every national election, including the half-bent March 1933 election the German people rose to the challenge and rejected the NSDAP. It was because Germany had a democratic election system and the Reichstag deputies would never vote for the cost of the depression and rearmament (which began in 1930) being put on the working class. The respectable fascists needed to job Hitler into office to overthrow the Weimar republic. In the west European and transatlantic slave empires legislatures were not democratic so there was no need to subvert them.
Meanwhile:
“Should a war break out in Lebanon, whatever is left of attention towards Gaza would be directed to Lebanon. This distraction will provide Israel with a perfect cover to continue its campaign of killing, injuring, starving, and displacing Palestinians in Gaza.…” [The Middle East Eye:]
That is exactly what is happening right now!
And the west want to be part of the escalation.
US mulls boosting its forces in Middle East – NBC
Earlier this month, the Pentagon already moved to reinforce its military presence in the Middle East as tensions between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel were soaring. There are currently around 40,000 US troops in the region, including over a dozen warships.
https://swentr.site/news/604898-us-mulls-boosting-military-middle-east/
Amazing how west went from we-should-not-become-involved-in-another-war-in-the-middle-east type of reasoning to this, amassing and sending thousands of troops to defend not themselves but… this nasty regime of Israel??
This proves once again what a tremendous power the israeli lobby/israel-firsters have on america. The neocons never left.
But, but, you’ve got it wrong. They are peacekeepers, only there to evacuate their poor assets, and to stop the nasty arab types from attacking the chosen people, who are only defending themselves …
Last year Netanyahu also put up childish map/cartoon to get his evil ideas out:
Palestinians must not have veto over Arab-Israel deals, Netanyahu tells UN
Both maps showed the occupied Palestinian territories – the West Bank and Gaza – as well as Syria’s occupied Golan Heights as being part of Israel.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/22/palestinians-must-not-have-veto-over-arab-israel-deals-netanyahu-tells-un
And who do not remember this cartoon back in 2012, a bomb.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/analysis-netanyahus-cartoon-bomb-gimmick-wasnt-meant-for-world-leaders-and-not-even-for-obama/
But let’s not whinge about it. Opponents of Israel need to hold up some graphics or maps too, even better ones. It’s not difficult to draw a sequence of maps of Palestine showing what’s been happening since ~1900 or since 1948 in a way that the settler “God struggles” regime doesn’t like one bit. Indeed our host has done precisely this in the article that we are posting comments on. 👍
Other famous Israeli military cartoons:
https://lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com/news/2009/03/the-smaller-they-are-the-harder-it-is-its-not-just-a-slogan-on-a-tshirt-8.html
https://en.ammonnews.net/article/1218
“One shot, two kills” (pregnant Palestinian woman in gun sights)
“Bet you got raped” (Zionist soldier next to bruised Palestinian woman)
“The smaller they are, the harder it is” (small Palestinian child in gun sights)
“Better use Durex” (depiction of dead Palestinian baby)
Zionists are absolute barbaric scum, and they are laughing at the world as they keep the LIE going that the reason they act the way they do is because so many non-Jews are “anti-Semitic” and prone to “single them out”, want to kill them all, etc. People choose to act like this. The only people to blame for how they act is them.
Jack
According to Netanyahu’s ‘curse vs blessing’ map, Modi’s India is apparently a blessing.
Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been electorally successful largely by stoking division and playing up fears that India’s Muslim population (> 200 million) could somehow take over India. Ludicrous stuff, as India has 1.1 billion Hindus.
Netanyahu seems to have bonded with these Hindu nationalists, presumably in their shared hatred of Islam. Many of the pro-Israel social media accounts appear to be based in India, they probably have call centre type operations, posting 24/7 pro-Israel stuff lol. We are seeing Hindus promoted over Muslims, in political parties in the West, for the same reason.
Yes India is a mess under Modi, back in 2002 Modi was responsible for letting hindu extremists kill some 2000 muslims under his watch:
Indian PM Narendra Modi ‘directly’ responsible for the 2002 Gujarat massacre of Muslims
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L2Nws_atCU
Typical right-wing extremists hatred:
Modi Calls Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ Who Would Take India’s Wealth
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/world/asia/modi-speech-muslims.html
India: why Hindu nationalism and Zionism are ideological cousins
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/india-why-hindu-nationalism-zionism-120210665.html
There are also reports that indian jews are fighting inside Gaza and being one of the most extreme ones.
@Jack
“Everything Israel say publicly is so scripted to give just the appearance, effect Israel want to achive. This is how Israel win naive supporters throughout the world, by being deceitful by pretending – this time with applause – that what Israel do/say is good.”
Yes – and this applies not just to what they say under their own name. See for example this piece
by SISin the Financial Times:https://archive.is/rdIgu
It reads like a well-written but fanatical advertisement for Israeli surveillance technology and software.
Figures in different regimes around the world will read such articles and think “Wow, that’s amazing. We’ll buy some of that!”
All capitalist war is about profit.
And the only future that capitalism offers anywhere is technofascist.
(I wouldn’t be surprised if Nasrallah was killed by luck or even possibly by accident. Let’s not believe everything we read in the media. But speculating on such specifics is by the by.)
Yes such an awful but typical article where Israel’s brazen war crimes is exotified and looked upon with awe and admiration. The western dehumanization of non-westerners, especially arabs, muslims is nauseating. If Hezbollah managed to kill Netanyahu we will sure not read such a glorification in the Financial Times.
A couple of years ago there was a whole book (750 pages!) released that candidly and braggingly focused on the many assassinations Israel carried out past couple of decades. In the book, through interviews, the responsible murderers, in a psychopathic way, recollect and tell the stories of their serial killing:
“You get used to killing. Human life becomes something plain, easy to dispose of. You spend a quarter of an hour, 20 minutes, on who to kill.”
Shin Bet Leader Ami Ayalon
The book was met but nothing but excitement and praise by the western journalists.
Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations
https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Kill-First-Targeted-Assassinations/dp/1400069718
“…cash paid to politicians” is not the only mechanism by which Israel/Mossad influence/control the policy, statements, and actions of other countries. The exploits of Jeffrey Epstein show that extortion is a very useful “stick”, especially when combined with the “carrot” of continued access to fulfillment of otherwise forbidden sexual desires.
When it all went off in Gaza I don’t remember a big group of MSM reporters putting their hands up to cover the situation.
Initially the BBC had a youngish man who was from Gaza I assume – and it was he alone that did the reports.
From the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv side the worthy reporters, who had allowed themselves to be ’embedded’ (a euphemism for doing and speaking as you are told), stood on hills and rooftops in the very safe areas of Israel. Not exactly gruelling in-depth reporting, and I’ll bet amongst the Hell of War that a Four Star Hotel was waiting for them once the awfulness of what they call ‘War’ had been commented upon to the Israel governments liking. These are not old school do-or-die reporters anymore – not even Bowen, who used to be fairly good but is now just a mouthpiece, and to be fair to him he may not want to endanger his BBC Pension by living a bit too dangerously.
The BBC Roadshow has now moved to South Lebanon and Beirut, and the established tradition of Israel (truth) v Hamas (be careful) is operating the same. Because The News Roadshow has moved North, then the Gazans can be destroyed with relatively less reporting.
My view is that no reporters with self-worth would ever bow to embedding, and if they do they are no longer honestly reporting and may as well not be there. I would prefer to hear/see nothing rather than outright lies.
Nobody of any integrity would be a journalist for the BBC.
I’ve never watched TV, but I don’t even read their stuff now. Last I heard their enforced line was that some men can get pregnant, and basically anyone who doesn’t pretend to believe it isn’t welcome. One of their functions has always been to help with the British state’s soft power abroad. I just wouldn’t take them seriously if I were you. “BBC Verify” – yeah right.
Nationally the BBCs role (and other MSM) is to keep the population in a state of perpetual fear, such that there is minimal opposition to government ‘actions’ to address the ‘threats’.
In between the reports on moronic TV shows and fawning Royals stories there is a continuous conveyor belt of fear laden reports on: Russia, China, Iran, N Korea, Right-wingers, covid, climate, Trump, immigrants, etc. etc. All with the theme that we’re doomed if we don’t do ‘something’. No in-depth, balanced analysis and reporting, just doom.
For those who may not have seen it, there was a photo went round on social media a while back. It was Jeremy Bowen somewhere in Ukraine, crouched down as if under fire and speaking into a microphone. Behind him was a bemused looking Ukrainian woman walking past carrying two bags of shopping.
Worth following up the back story on that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gd6A95N-zU
That was her worldly possessions in those bags, not shopping.
That video and explanation proves the whole thing being staged.😂
When the pretending started.
I can not find better video at the moment so you have to
enjoy this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWtwjDhgN3Q
I remember better quality ones.
Israel will only allow journalists to enter Gaza with an IDF ‘escort’. Unsurprisingly most find this condition unacceptable.
Over 120 journalists have been killed in Gaza so far. Don’t hear anybody here volunteering.
I haven’t heard either London or Washington condemning the mass murder of journalists in Gaza. Have you? In fact people like Blinken have been condemning mistreatment of journalists everywhere else in the world while his bombs and bullets kill record numbers of journalists in Gaza. The targeting of journalists in Gaza is no cause celebre among British or American journalists either.
Those were not West Accredited journalists and as such do not count.
Now Al Jazeera is banned from the West Bank.
Lastly , I don´t think there is a safe 5* Hotel with a roof top to rapport from.
IDF is right. You will be killed .