Our new mini-documentary from the Middle East shows again the kind of reporting that no Western media either can or will do.
We hope to visit Damascus where Western media is giving entirely sycophantic and false coverage to the new HTS regime, praising the return of Pringles to the shops while ignoring massacres.
But we are completely out of funding. I have made an overall loss now in five figures on our work in the Middle East since October.
There has been not one mainstream journalist here showing the truth of Israeli bombing and occupation in Lebanon. There are some excellent local journalists but we have a far greater reach in the West, with some of our individual videos getting millions of views there.
The days when the MSM would employ honest foreign correspondents like Robert Fisk are sadly long gone. The likes of the BBC and the CNN cover Lebanon and Syria through an exclusively Zionist lens from Tel Aviv.
I hope to pave the way for citizen activism journalism that does not merely analyse from afar, but reports from the ground, even and perhaps especially in difficult or dangerous locations. If it goes well I entertain the dream of establishing a permanent centre here, employing local staff, which could then host star visiting “new media” journalists for extended periods.
Unfortunately to date I have not been able to make a voluntary donation and subscription funding model work, even for the low-cost guerilla-filming approach Niels and I have been adopting. That may be because the model is not possible, or just reflect my own limits of reach and my lack of fundraising ability.
It is certain that there has been extreme social media suppression of our output, but we have still gained a wide audience. I am therefore making an attempt to appeal for support for what I believe to be not just worthwhile but vital work, as historic changes unfold in the Middle East.
I do not back away from the avowed aim of defeating Imperialism and the Greater Israel project, with the weapons of truth and light.
But if this appeal does not work quickly, we will be forced to give up and return to Europe.
Unless you are so wealthy it does not matter to you, I would much prefer you not to give again if you already have supported. We really need to widen the number of financial supporters, and perhaps instead you can recommend to others.
I absolutely do not want anybody to give anything if it causes them the least financial hardship.
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Imperialism and capitalism can’t be fought using the internet as a primary tool. Sorry, guys.
The internet makes people stupid and basically speak the rulers’ language.
For example, look how “knife crime” is functioning as code in Britain at the moment.
There’s no better way than conditioning people to accept their oppression than getting them to participate in it.
Look who set up the early internet and who continue to encourage participation. That includes things like Tor, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and everything to do with VPNs.
When was the last time you heard someone on the internet notice that Google publishes scam advertisements practically wall to wall. It also profits from selling banned items such as zombie knives. But no government will stand in the way of billionaires and their profits. For all the limited pseudo-critique of Elon Musk, has a single government even stopped using his main publicity machine, X? Has a single major “news” outlet stopped referring to garbage posted on that machine in almost every article they put out, as though that’s where everything happens nowadays?
The Zionists have killed at least 859 Palestinians on the West Bank since Oct 2023. They are continuing to burn houses
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/22/741388/Palestine-Israel-forces-militray-offensive-Jenin-West-Bank-Gazified-Breaking-the-Silence-group-
Donald Trump has lifted Joe Biden’s executive order (no.14115) that put sanctions on supremacist thugs carrying out such acts in that region:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/21/741319/Trump-lifts-US-sanctions-violent-Israeli-settlers
https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/932576/download?inline
So is it too soon, or can we already start a new meme and call out Genocide-Donald?
Should it be Brainwashed Biden rather than Genocide Joe, if the reason for Biden’s unstinting support of Israel was blackmail and brainwashing together by the Zionist lobby making him over decades impervious to the Palestinian point of view? Though the younger generation are less vulnerable that way.
Aww blessed old Genocide Joe, protector of the oppressed and hammer of oppressers. One of the great opponents of predatory capitalism, imperialism, racism, corruption and Republicans.
Meanwhile the leftmost figure in the ultra-Zionist, corporate-owned US party you shill for just voted to confirm genocidal neo-con Marco Rubio as Blinken’s successor.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/bernie-sanders-marco-rubio-vote/
Okay, you can always try ‘Genocide-Bernie’, but I’m not sure it’ll stick.
Politics are complicated. What about the other 98 votes for little Mario? And last time I checked, Sanders wasn’t a member of the party I do not shill for. Complicated.
Every Democrat senator voted to confirm Rubio. Bernie Sanders says there is no genocide. Good people, whom it’s entirely normal for others to shill for, especially British people.
So sorry. It will probably be much better whenever we can live on Mars!
Heil Elon, whose right arm is already waving towards a better future (and not a bitter führer).
Nothing to see here.
Recall, Miriam Adelson gave Trump $100 million to clean out the west bank. Donny is just doing the job he was paid to do. It’s just business.
Now they have displaced ~2000 people from their homes in Jenin.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/22/deadly-israeli-raid-in-jenin-leads-to-mass-displacement-destruction
“UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese condemned what she called Israel’s ‘death machinery’ and its attacks on Jenin. ‘If it is not forced to stop, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words,’ she said on X.”
(Note to Ms Albanese: your words are very welcome, but maybe think about using a distribution channel that doesn’t belong to Elon Musk?)
Anyway, here we have it: the UN’s special rapporteur is warning that Israel will commit genocide on the West Bank unless it’s forced to stop what it’s doing.
Gestapo clarifying their role on Saturdays protest to their paymasters.
“It has emerged that the day after the protest the Met Police chief Mark Rowley addressed a meeting of the Board of Deputies in which he boasted he had “used conditions on the protests more than we ever have done before”, and that his team imposed “sharper and stronger conditions” on the organisers of the demonstration.”
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/01/21/met-police-palestine-march-inquiry/
Compare this with the way the media are reporting the protest in London against the screening of the Hindi-language film “Emergency”:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/met-police-masked-men-vue-cinema-india-emergency-film-harrow-b1206210.html
They quote Rashmi Chaubey, a man whose connection with the events they don’t explain, but who seems rather skilled with media buzzphrases, as saying
“They were finally able to shut the movie. Police could not do anything and said it is their right to protest. It marks a sad day where the right to protest was weaponised to suppress freedom of expression.”
The line that “the police couldn’t do anything” is straight outta Musk and Yaxley-Lennon and Farage world.
As also is the reporting of the Southport case complete with choice of photograph.
I really can’t see the Starmer government lasting to 2029.
Did the Standard ask the police whether they did in fact say “it is their right to protest” and if so in what context? (Isn’t that how “journalism” is supposed to work?) Or do we just have to believe this because the Standard quote some c*** on Facebook, a guy who may not even have been there?
Basically say “Down with India” and the police do nothing (according to the media), but say “Down with Israel” and you are a suspected anti-Semite and supporter of terrorism, in breach of every law under the sun.
Syria to dismantle Assad-era socialism, says foreign minister.
HTS transitional government intends to privatise state-owned ports and factories, airports, railways, roads and is studying privatisation of oil and cotton facilities per HTS foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani to Financial Times.
https://www.ft.com/content/43746784-4e14-4c70-a6be-1aa849cd66ee
News from the West Bank
Zionist military forces have besieged the Government Hospital in Jenin with 600 patients and staff trapped inside.
According to a report, they have demanded that Palestinians evacuate from the hospital.
They have also besieged Jenin refugee camp.
They seem to be using explosives to close many roads.
Meanwhile the Palestinian Authority has banned Al Jazeera websites from accessibility on the West Bank.
Comment
AJ is funded by the Qatari dictatorship, but one might have hoped the PA could think of something better to do with its time and resources at this time.
But wait…the Zionists collect tax for the PA and I am told that having withheld money for a while they release some (held in Norway) earlier this month.
Those who say the Palestinians won in Gaza, that they were so strong that the Zionists were scared of them and backed down, that Gaza proved to be “a graveyard for the invaders”, are not doing the resistance as great a service as they may believe.
NATO now has an office in Jordan, and the king of Jordan visited NATO in Brussels last month.
Atleast the former so called High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU Joseph Borell voiced criticism against Israel during his term. The new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, a hothead anti-russian estonian have not said a single critcizing word about Israel, not before or under her term as the EU rep. This is a woman that at the same time never miss a chance to blast Russia for just about anything.
As pro-palestinian MP in the EU parliament said last year:
“At Kallas’ presentation to the EP committees ahead of her confirmation, Botenga said he questioned her: “She considers Russia a terrorist state for its actions in Ukraine. But what about Israel? Over 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza. Would you call Israel a terrorist state and its army a terrorist army? Will you finally sanction Israel, as we have imposed 14 sanctions packages on Russia, yet there is not one against Israel?”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241120-eu-fails-to-denounce-genocide-as-israel-tries-to-hide-the-truth-bloc-lawmaker/
..and Israel cheer:New chapter in Brussels: Estonia’s Kallas succeeds anti-Israel EU foreign policy chief
https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/11/28/new-chapter-in-brussels-estonias-kallas-succeeds-anti-israel-eu-foreign-policy-chief
For comparsion, some 800 children have died in Ukraine during almost 3 years of war. 800 is of course a horrible number but if the EU think that number is high and call for sanctions on Russia – why are the EU then dead silent on the 16000 palestinians children killed in just about 1+ year?!
Absolute sickening these people ruling the EU, totally devoid of basic important human traits like compassion, empathy, diplomacy, honesty etc.
Has Google’s cooperation with Zionist terrorists been covered here? “Cloud” i.e. remote data services, plus artificial intelligence are known.
The company is in such a strong position that it appears to have started a minor pissy little pseudo-opposition to itself, a trick known to have been done by Facebook in the past.
I don’t know of any political party in the western world that has the cojones, taste, sense, and understanding to be opposed to Google.
The billionaire oligarchs supported Biden, now they are all supporting Trump. The, not so hidden, power behind the throne. Everything changes, nothing changes, Plus ça change, …
https://consortiumnews.com/2025/01/21/caitlin-johnstone-trump-is-the-empire-unmasked/
Talking of billionaire oligarchs, bill gates has been very noticeable by his absence from the silicon valley Trump cheerleaders. Meanwhile.
“Leaked documents show that Microsoft has significantly increased its operations with Israel’s military since 7 October 2023. ”
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/01/23/leaked-documents-reveal-microsoft-is-instrumental-in-israels-genocide/
Current CEO of Google that have been very vocal in in his support, collaboration with Israel and do not want to hear any criticism from his workers:
Sundar Pichai tells Google staff he doesn’t want any more political debates in the office after firing 28 employees over Israeli contract protest
https://fortune.com/2024/04/22/sundar-pichai-google-staff-no-political-debates-office-firing-28-employees-israeli-contract-protest/
And the former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt is also pro-Israel:
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt accepts offer to join Israeli AI forum
https://www.jns.org/u-s-israel-business-technology/eric-schmidt/23/9/21/321033/
There is more to be said but perhaps a bit off topic.
I’m old enough to remember when Google published a page at google.com / explanation.html, which is archived here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20040724051825/google.com/explanation.html
(^ Worth your time clicking on, @Jack, if you haven’t seen it before.)
Wow had not seen that before, thanks, quite disturbing, reads like Israel or Aipac wrote it.
And today one read::
Google sold AI tools to IDF after Hamas attack – WaPo
The US tech giant has reportedly been rushing to provide the tech to beat out its competitor Amazon
https://swentr.site/news/611496-google-ai-israel-gaza-war/
Also back in 2014 the CEO of Google Eric Schmidt was praised by ADL:
ADL Honors 9th Israeli President Shimon Peres and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt with its Highest Honors
https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adl-honors-9th-israeli-president-shimon-peres-and-google-chairman-eric
Did you see that ADL (like Netanyahu) came out in support for Musk by the way after his fascist-like salute? If Musk were pro-palestinian and made the same arm gesture one can bet that ADL, Netanyahu would not have supported Musk.
And still they come …
“An Israeli military delegation led by Major General Oded Basyuk visited Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) today,
Basyuk was joined in London by Brigadier General Elad Goren, who is coordinating the “humanitarian effort” in Gaza, intelligence officer Lieutenant Colonel Yuval Litvin, and five other military officials.”
https://www.declassifieduk.org/israeli-general-on-secret-trip-to-london-questioned-over-war-crimes/
So now Israel has declared it will jail October 7th denialists for 5 years if they don’t say Hamas caused all the deaths. (Hannibal must be silenced?)
Rest assured, these type of “denial” laws will pop up in the west now
Back in 2023 it was reported in israeli media that an “immense amount” of “friendly fire” occured on 7th of october
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-admits-immense-amount-friendly-fire-7-october
There is no need to enact “denial” laws since facts speak for themselves, obviously the facts are lacking for the official narrative that Israel is now trying to cover up.
Resistance soldiers from Hamas (the Al-Qassam Brigades) are fighting with occupation forces on the West Bank in villages southwest of Jenin.
Abbas is an absolute disgrace of a man. He is no better than the leaderships in Amman or Cairo.
It seems pretty likely that in 2025 the Zionists will attempt to “Gazify” the West Bank:
* The difference being that for all the talk of “Greater Israel”, the West Bank is viewed differently by the supremacists from how Gaza is viewed. Occupation military commanders are referring right now to “Judea and Samaria”, and as far as I am aware Zionist propagandists are not speaking of e.g. “West Bankers” as they do refer to “Gazans”. Even the implication that some Palestinians may have a right to live on the West Bank may be vanishing before our eyes.
* With the proviso that we haven’t yet seen what the Zionists will do next in Gaza itself.
* With the main resistance on the West Bank – albeit by no means the whole of the resistance – coming from Hamas.
“Occupation military commanders are referring right now to “Judea and Samaria”. Its worse than that, just confirmed United States UN Representative Stefanik was definitive when asked if she shared the view of far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir that Israel has a “biblical right to the entire West Bank”.
“Yes,” she replied during the exchange with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen.
It gets worse the evangelical Preacher Mike Huckabee appointed US Ambassador to Israel said in an interview in 2017 with the CNN news network, he said: “There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria (the territory’s biblical name). There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation.”
There, right away are two nutcases who will guarantee violence well into the future.
Bad omen for the future. And this will happen thanks to whom?
Genocide-Donald and Genocide-Elon. Brothers in Crime.
It could be significant that Mike Huckabee the Trump nominee for US ambassador to Israel is an evangelical Christian minister. There is a lot of evangelical money in the USA that is very pro-Zionist and also well into the notion of Armageddon.
(Bearing in mind that it is not clear how the fall of the Assad government in Syria was brought about.)
Abbas and the rest of the 20+ arab states are nothing but fifth-column type of leaders. What Abbas is, is nothing less than a modern day “Quisling” (infamous norweigan nazi puppet Vidkun Quisling).
They spend so much on security in the West Bank, security for Israel:
2017:“The security sector consumes more of the PA’s budget than education, health, and agriculture combined “
https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/the-palestinian-authority-security-forces-whose-security/#resource-summary
More on the security coordination between PA and US/Israel:
https://al-shabaka.org/policy-focus/focus-on-palestinian-israeli-security-coordination/
Just look at the news today, the arab leaders line up at the elite gathering in Davos trying to appease the West/Israel with suits and ties calling for PA/Mahmoud Abbas to rule in Gaza, not a word about the genocide, not a word of condemnation against Israel, the West:
Qatar PM hopes Palestinian Authority will return to Gaza when war ends
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250121-qatar-pm-hopes-palestinian-authority-will-return-to-gaza-when-war-ends/
PA is hated in the West Bank and surely even more hated amongst regular people in Gaza so calling for Abbas to rule in Gaza makes no sense at all.
What the F is wrong these arab leaders? Beyond stupid, zero intelligence.
All that money on security contracts, but zero security for Palestinians who live there, either against pogromist terror gangs not wearing uniforms or regular occupation forces. (The difference between them having mainly to do with the kind of job that’s being done.)
It’s going back a long while now, but the way the Oslo agreement had as a big feature a casino (in Jericho) was just taking the piss, and made it clear that the world the PA leadership live in – and middle-ranking figures too – is very removed from the one that most Palestinians live in. Not very many Palestinians on the West Bank had the kind of living conditions even in the 1990s which would have had allowed them to gamble money away in a casino.
Many of the top PA creeps even made money out of deals with Egypt for cement that went to build the wall, which is the main reason that many Palestinians shifted their support to Hamas.
No Palestinian authority deserves respect if it “cooperates on security” with the Zionists.
Justice at last,
Three men prosecuted for participating in a peaceful protest at arms manufacturer General Dynamics in Hastings were found not guilty of all charges at Brighton Law Courts on Wednesday.
They put their bodies on the line to try to stop a genocide. They did what they could to prevent the senseless slaughter of thousands of innocent Palestinians. General Dynamics are the criminals. It was telling that while our friends held their heads high and spoke openly of their motives, the head of security was hiding behind a screen. Perhaps he is ashamed of defending merchants of death.
All three men were physically dragged from the protest and held in a cell for thirteen hours before being charged under a Section 69 order of failing to comply with an order from the police to move off land when directed to do so.
The court heard evidence from the two arresting officers as well as General Dynamics’ UK Head of Security – a Mr Hoffman – who gave his evidence behind a screen claiming he feared repercussions if the defendants saw his face. A Palestinian supporter said “General Dynamics are the criminals. It was telling that while our friends held their heads high and spoke openly of their motives, the head of security was hiding behind a screen. Perhaps he is ashamed of defending merchants of death”.
https://skwawkbox.org/2025/01/23/hastings-3-found-not-guilty-in-arms-company-protest-case/
It is to be hoped that justice will prevail when defendants are prosecuted on the ludicrous political charge of support for terrorism, when the accused have the right under UN resolution 3246, Here is United Nations resolution 3246 November 29th [1974]
“Affirms the legitimacy of armed resistance by oppressed peoples in pursuit of the right to self determination, and condemns governments which do not support that right”.
Zionist abduction of Palestinian babies in Gaza:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/22/741385/lost-childhood-unknown-fate-gaza-children-abducted-israeli-forces-war
Stealing babies to sell to the barren, godless western whores and stealing organs from prisoners to extend the evil lives of the western rich. Israel and Ukraine act in unison, goosestepping onwards to hell.
Most Arab states are vassals of the US/Israel they are either Dictators or family inherited Kings/Emir’s, these are facts of life and until they are toppled they will continue in their vassalage, they know how to survive. Many who challenge them, lose their heads, literally. That being the case most of us are urinating in the wind. Of course the ‘arc of resistance’ could target the vulnerable oil terminals and glass palaces of the Gulf Sattraps and put economic destruction of the west in the crosshairs, but they [the resistance] will not even target the vital infrastructure of Israel [the major source of the problem]. Hezbollah even agreed with the one sided ceasefire, and voted for Joseph Aoun, who was supported by the US and Saudi Arabia, and whose mandate includes disarming Hezbollah and its infrastructure and insuring only the Lebanese army are the only people who can carry guns as per UN Resolution 1701. Hezbollah now the opposition in the Lebanese parliament are now under tremendous pressure from the US/Saudi Arabia who are Lebanon’s major sources of financial backing. Both of whom are against Hezbollah. This may be true unfortunately……Thucydides — ‘Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.’
Chairman Mao was right “Political power does grow out the barrel of a gun”
When our host talks about the fear caused by drones overhead in Lebanon, and, our esteemed leader Herr Starmer talks about all the wonderful uses AI can be put to in suppressing liberty, then it’s good to know that the technology has been developed by the creme de la creme working hand in hand with the IDF.
“what is really being enabled by MIT’s research for the Israeli military is the ability for drones to engage in tracking, in facial recognition, in targeting of Palestinians.”
For the UK we can surmise that the same technology will eventually be used against us.
https://consortiumnews.com/2025/01/23/the-chris-hedges-report-americas-academic-gulag/
Stevie Boy.
No expert at all vis: with weaponry but it strikes me that nearly all the technology over
the years by the scientists tends to be for military purposes.
The race to space was nothing to do with ambition or even pride as once the Sputnik satellite
was launched by the USSR the US had to match it or do it better.
Then spying from outer space became the norm.
Moon Landings the same.
Experiments paid for by the people but the benefits did not go to the people.
they went to the Corporates.
the Atom Bomb was a wonderful technology in Liberal eyes, as long as only the US had it and ‘ foul’ was cried when the USSR matched that.
In the military sphere when wars are conducted I suspect a lot of experimental weapons are used.
A lad called Damo ( Youtube ) passed on an article by a Group of Palestinian Medics who said that in many instances bodies had been turned into liquid or possibly vapourised.
In other words, ( if true of course?) you can’t count what you can’t find.
This is the exploitative and gruesome aspects of technological wars.
Experiments.
Of course if you are going to do such inhuman things to people you had better
win the war otherwise it could be your turn in The Dock and I hope I live long enough to see that happen.
Towards another subject which I know very little about.
Berners Lee’s intentions were admirable and his wish seemed to be to use the Internet as a sort of Democratic Forum for discussions of ideas and science.
Like Einstein and splitting the atom it has obviously got out of hand as the Corporates have de- democratised the Net.
But if you remember the young internet warriors and their encrypted sites ( mainly music and videos) they connected as a net through their own laptops – PC’s etc to make their own connections.
In other words a certain percentage of you hard drive was donated to the collective internet effort.
They were all Law fared if I remember but I am surprised that with new sophistication and knowledge that they don’t have a crack at making their own internet for communication away from Musk and his fellow drones.
My brain is too old to think about it but, who say’s that Zuckerberg and Musk should be the only Internet game in town?
Might happen – because, just because the young can be naive it doesn’t mean they are stupid.
The stupid one’s are the adults who believe that things can always be/remain the same.
The MAGA supporters are in for a very nasty shock on that score.
as are the Liberal Western leaders.
@Mark –
1. Timothy Berners-Lee is about as establishment as it is possible to get. Please don’t get drawn in by his image as Mr Openness and Humanity.
2. Advertisers and those involved in behavioural change know that it’s the young they gotta aim at most, because the young are more gullible. They tend principally only to be “rebellious” against their parents. That’s been very useful to, and encouraged by, advertisers for generations. See the whole way that brands such as Apple, Google, Nike, Coca-Cola – and musician brands too – are crafted.
3. The thing to look for is young people rejecting the whole f***ing show. There’s little or none of that happening in western countries at the moment. I am more optimistic about Japan, South Korea, and perhaps China.
This is an interview with Palestinian movie director Cherien Dabis whose work I don’t know. The problem here, she doesn’t address the real issues. Only once very indirectly. I assume she is aware that nearly 90% of the Israeli population are behind the genocidal conduct and that it is NOT just the politicians who failed them, as she says. But there are things that you cannot say on Variety. And if you do you can’t even do the little work that you have been doing and she would not be invited to US festivals ever again.
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/all-thats-left-of-you-director-israel-hamas-war-sundance-cherien-dabis-1236281694/
“Fun fact”: As she started to shoot the movie around Oct. 7th (in the interview it is labeled “Israeli-Hamas War”) she had to relocate and chose – Cyprus.
And this is unclear to me:
Mark Sleboda suggested that the IDF is exhausted.
here around min. 8:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSt9d22TELI
Norman Finkelstein however contradicts saying the Israelis are not tired at all and hardly putting their lives to danger, instead fighting a “video game” war.
around min. 20:30
https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/dr-norman-finkelstein-international-law-the-u-s-israels-weaknesses/
I am not sure if Finkelstein is not underestimating this. He admitted in the past to not be an expert in military matters.
But both views can be found with sensible people talking about this.
IMO, it’s not so much about deaths of IDF troops on the front line but rather the impact that has on the Israeli families. When someone loses a family member it tends to focus the mind, much like the hostages have done. Maybe some families are beginning to think is all this worth it, is this the life we want.
Zionist propagandists (and for Zionists, everything is military) may be helping to spread the idea that the colonial entity is worn out and not up to more fighting.
The IRGC (part of the Iranian armed forces) are putting out a similar message, but presumably for different reasons:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/24/741508/Israeli-officials%E2%80%99-resignations-obvious-sign-of-defeat-in-Gaza-war,-says-IRGC-chief
You gotta assume that the occupation’s political and military leaders have good intelligence about morale on their own side, including in their military. And they’re still going on in their media about a multi-front war. More specifically they are going on about a seven-front war. (They do like their numerology!) The “fronts” are supposed to be against Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and the West Bank.
They’re attacking on the West Bank right now.
To keep an open mind on whether their morale has gone for a burton or not (personally I think it hasn’t), we should look at how things go on the West Bank over the next week or so.
Joseph Massad is professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia University, New York. Has a rather depressing article in Middle East Eye. He gives a potted history of the Palestinian Authority, why it was set up, and why the US and EU invested so much capital in it. He points out that Abbas always regarded security cooperation with Israeli occupiers as “Sacred”. His job then as now is to prove to his masters that he and the PA collaborators are the best force to root out any opposition to US/Israeli hegemony, i.e. Willing slaves.
«The Oslo Accords were followed by the Cairo Agreement of May 1994, which created the 9,000-strong Palestinian police force whose main task was to “act to prevent terror against Israelis in the areas under their control”.
In light of the US and EU’s principal roles in abetting the Israeli genocide in Gaza, it seems that both powers have given up their erstwhile hypocrisy. During its weeks-long siege of the Jenin refugee camp, the PA asked for more US funds to train its mercenaries to repress the Palestinian people. In mid-December, the PA requested $680m “to boost the training of its special forces and bolster its supply of ammunition and armoured vehicles”.
Ever since the British occupation of Palestine began in December 1917, there has been no dearth of Palestinian collaborators with the foreign occupiers of their country.
Given the continuing intensification of Zionist settler colonialism and Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people, the US, the main sponsor of Israeli apartheid and extermination, has been reassessing who among the many Palestinian collaborators offering their services to Israel and the US would be best suited to carry on the mission of repressing Palestinian resistance.
This reassessment has caused panic in PA circles, who are doing their best to impress the incoming administration of Donald Trump and show that they are up to the task.
the PA political class is in a race to prove its mettle before it is thrown out once and for all.
It is also why all of its rivals are queuing up to offer their services to the US and Israel and why many within the PA are vying to replace Abbas as better collaborators and enforcers of Israeli apartheid.
We will have to wait for Trump to decide which Palestinians (if any), given the availability of an abundance of potential collaborators, will be chosen as the better oppressors of the Palestinians on behalf of the Palestinians’ genocidal Israeli enemy. »
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/palestinian-authority-race-trump-rivals-line-up
What is Massad’s view of Marwan Barghouti?
I take it for granted that one could find UNRWA workers among the palestinians that breached in to Israel on 7th of october and frankly so what? UNRWA is the only real humanitarian organisation in Gaza so by cutting and smearing UNRWA just because some employees of UNRWA pariticpated in the 7th of october event is nothing but collective punishment by many western nations that cut ties with that organisation. What is also a nasty disgrace is arab leaders silence and passivity on the issue:
Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spox:
“My message to the Arab world, particularly to the Gulf, is where are you? Because they’re making billions each day on oil revenues. A tiny fraction of those oil revenues would see UNRWA’s financial problems disappear overnight. This unconscionable gap inflicted by these Western countries would be filled very quickly,” Gunness told Al Jazeera.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/28/which-countries-have-cut-funding-to-unrwa-and-why
The rich leaders of the gulf states seems to be living in some vulgar, fantasy, la-la land like some spoiled children.
This is something Craig ought to be interested in:
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
@efjeurope.bsky.social
In our #SUJ workshop in Vichy 🇫🇷, MEP @leilachaibi.bsky.social takes the stand to explain the Platform Workers Directive and how we can learn from that to better protect European freelance journalists.
If the UK NUJ isn’t interested in freelance journalism, this is a better option
(This is on BlueSky btw)
Yet, the ICC sent officials to meet and greet, the Western/Turkish/Israeli/Nato backed HTS terrorist group – that’s committing unspeakable atrocities in Syria – the ICC is a pathetic captured body.
“International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan has applied for arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials, who have allegedly violated women’s rights in Afghanistan.
There are grounds to believe that the Taliban’s Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Afghanistan’s Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani “bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds,” Khan said in a statement on Thursday.”
I read this too and was I baffled. Note also that ICC allegedly could not find any war crimes or wrong-doing when it came to the US war on Afghanistan, but now the ICC have suddenly become a feminist judicial body – I do not even understand what grave, international crime the taliban’s have commited here? It reads like a joke (even though taliban seems to have an irrational stance on women).
Is this perhaps ICC’s way to make amends to the west for targeting Israel?
Yeah shaking hands with the HTC, which justice minister oversaw the execution of a woman (women?)
New Syrian justice minister ‘oversaw execution of women for prostitution’ in 2015
https://www.newarab.com/news/syrian-minister-oversaw-execution-women-prostitution
Also interesting how ICC rejected taking any legal action against ISIS:
Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, on the alleged crimes committed by ISIS
https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-prosecutor-international-criminal-court-fatou-bensouda-alleged-crimes-committed-isis
Jack.
The West does not want to recognise the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan – just as it does not want to recognise the government of Venezuela – but it does recognise the (HTS) proscribed terrorist outfit that’s murdering with impunity in Syria – nor is the West upset that they’ll be no elections in Syria for at least four years – if at all.
Of course the ICC and it backers couldn’t give toss about oppressed women in Afghanistan – or Syria for that matter – nor Gaza, no its all about political alliances and subservience – and if the government of a country – doesn’t comply then, negative propaganda or actions will be widely spread followed by sanctions and warrants for arrests.
Meanwhile a real war criminal Netanyahu – has said that his forces have no intentions of pulling out of Southern Lebanon – the Lebanese puppet president Aoun, should be okay with that – but he’ll have to try and fake protestations about it, to the media.
High ranking IDF General – asked tricky questions on genocide in Gaza by Declassified – he shot-off quicker than an SNP MSP on a free junket, the (CCM) Corporate Controlled Media, and the pro-Israeli BBC, were nowhere to be seen.
The IDF General was on a secret meeting to London.
https://nitter.poast.org/PulaRJS/status/1882372013677011058#m
Thanks. What a disgusting PoS Stürmer is – always having that feigned, innocent, concerned sad look put on his face but is a complete psychopath behind the scenes, Inviting the(!) very same people involved in starvation, terror and massacre of civilians, children and then have the audacity to claim the visit is meant to generate ‘peace in the Middle East’?!
Just recently Stürmer blasted Tommy Robinson which of course was correct. But this is the issue. How could you blast a nobody racist like Tommy Robinson and then support the racist genocidal regime and invite the very same culprits for the genocide? Why not invite Robinson too to that meeting? Does it not bother Stürmer & co that they have the same view on Israel like the extreme far-right racists?
“Starmer regime hosts Israeli generals in ‘secret’ talks – including one accused at ICC”
The MoD claimed the visit was “part of the concerted UK effort to reduce the risk of escalation in the Middle East and to achieve a peaceful resolution”. However, on Sunday – within hours of the supposed ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza, Keir Starmer’s government sent further military ‘spy flights’ from Cyprus over Gaza, continuing the UK’s active support for Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian people. Israel’s then-chief of staff Herzi Halevi was granted immunity from arrest to make a similar visit to the UK last November to discuss “the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza” with senior UK MoD and Foreign Office officials.
https://skwawkbox.org/2025/01/22/starmer-regime-hosts-israeli-generals-in-secret-talks-including-one-accused-at-icc/
And of course there is no criticism politically since Labour have drifted so far rightward, all to Tories delight.
I cannot believe not more people have left Labour by now, I am sure if Corbyn started a new political party he would have gained a whole lot of support and reduced that disgraceful Labour party to insignificance. There seems to be no chance to reform Labour by now, after they purged Corbyn & co.
I read how Trump despise Stürmer and seek to sideline him, hopefully true.
Of course Starmer won’t blast the genocidal Jews and he won’t blast the Pakistani rape gangs he also won’t blast the khashoggi killing saudi headchoppers or the HTS, but he will blast, so called, right wing racists like Trump, TR and the Southport protesters. That is NOT correct, unless your definition of a right wing racist is a white guy exercising their free speech rights.
Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté have an hilarious time on the Grayzone attacking CNN coverage of the State dept incident when both Blumenthal and Husseini were ejected from the briefing room. Blumenthal complained that he was on CNN 20 years ago but now when he is on again with his expulsion CNN’s audience has no viewers, and has plummeted to about 20 boomers. Must watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOrFGxEm4eY
Thanks for the link, yes look how CNN framed the legitimate questions and protests by Husseini and Blumenthal as “cringeworthy”. Journalists defending crackdown of journalists. I just shake my head and that is of course the same smug liberal political/media class that will claim for four years on now that Trump is a menace to free journalism.
Hamas need to find a better translator:
https://www.deccanherald.com/world/hamas-releases-list-of-200-palestinian-prisoners-to-be-released-by-israel-3372604
“The Palestinian fighters of freedom will always be the victories” (!)
I mean what is the problem. Many Anglophone supporters of the Palestinians would be happy to do the translation work for free.
What are the heraldic-looking symbols on the stage wall??
Hamas are undoubtedly brave guys, and it is good to see some of them standing strong and armed after this round of conflict.
But the only “victory” at the moment is staying alive.
See the Palestinian Christians’ PR effort in Bethlehem:
https://artandtheology.org/2023/12/08/roundup-jesus-rubble-gaza-dragon-at-nativity-more/
See also William Wilberforce bringing a model of a slave ship to the House of Commons in 1789.
See the Kim Phuc photo from Vietnam.
See previous efforts to turn the enemies’ propaganda back on the enemy.
I’m not saying copy any of these, but look at the options and think about them properly, and take the best from wherever.
Don’t just think “defiant soldiers in a legitimate army” is the only required image and it’s easy.
Hamas should have had one slogan – only one – maybe of less than 10 words.
Many people do things for free, but are they always really qualified ?
As you must realize, quite a few regular commenters on this blog cannot write in proper English themselves, but of course it doesn’t really matter as long as they have interesting things to say.
By the way, ‘anglophone’ being a descriptor in your sentence, it should not be capitalized…
Let’s first do whatever we can to help Palestinians survive the calvary they endured, we can correct their spelling later!
It doesn’t look like we’ll get any joy from the ICJ either.
“Julia Sebutinde stood alone in rejecting South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Now the court’s president, the Ugandan judge suggests her motives for protecting Israel can be found in the Old Testament.
With new countries joining South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, and a ceasefire potentially enabling war crimes investigators to gather fresh evidence of Israeli atrocities, a leadership shakeup at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) threatens to undermine the campaign for legal accountability.
The ICJ’s President Nawaf Salam resigned on January 14, 2025 to become Prime Minister of Lebanon, and was succeeded by Justice Julia Sebutinde of Uganda. Many observers were stunned when Sebutinde voted “no” on all six resolutions introduced by South Africa in January 2024, placing herself in opposition to all ICJ judges, including her Israeli colleague, Aharon Barak.
The Ugandan judge not only rejected the court’s call for the Israeli military to halt deliberate assaults on civilians, end its policy of forced displacement, and cancel its planned invasion of Rafah, but insisted that Palestinians had not been subjected to any military occupation whatsoever. Sebutinde concluded that, in fact, Israel may have the right to maintain a permanent presence in the West Bank and the whole of Jerusalem on the basis of purely biblical claims.”
https://thegrayzone.com/2025/01/24/icj-president-christian-zionist-end-times/
Thanks, unbeliavable – she is a fanatical christian zionist, I had never really read up on this woman. How on earth did this woman even get her law degree, from the cereal box? Let alone how did she climb to now charge the top judicial body?
While I knew she turned down the genocidal claim I thought that was “it”, but no, this woman speak like a representative for Israel, take this claim below that is factually wrong and outright disingenuous, she claim that Israel alleviate civilian suffering while the truth is of course that Israel imposed a harsh blockade 18years ago, a blockade that are directed against the whole of the population with the obvious intent to make the population suffer, alleviate suffering? Is she nuts?
“The reality of the humanitarian situation in Gaza is far more complex than South Africa
suggests in its fourth Request. While the war in Gaza has undoubtedly had devastating humanitarian
consequences on innocent civilians, the responsibility for the suffering of the Palestinians of Gaza
does not lie only with Israel and nor is it correct to say that Israel has failed to act to alleviate that
suffering”
I recommend everyone to read the 8page statement by her, very disturbing read:
https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/192-20240524-ord-01-01-en.pdf
Check the footnotes too, she is using overwhelmingly sources from IDF/Israel.
The Zionist project is a cult whose existence is growing more and more problematical, Trumps latest appointee has an interesting take on Israels usefulness to the empire, this offsets marginally the Zionist nutcases in his government,
“The Trump administration has appointed a new Middle East policy chief in the Pentagon who believes the US should scale down its military presence in the region.
Michael DiMino, a former CIA analyst, was sworn in early this week as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.
Comments DiMino made during a webinar last year where he said the Middle East does “not really matter” for US interests.
“Vital or existential US interests in the Middle East are best characterized as minimal to non-existent. And I think if you look at America’s experience as the primary security broker for the region… it has not rendered any lasting political, economic, or security benefits in service of US interests or the American people,” he said. https://www.zerohedge.com/military/pentagons-new-mideast-policy-chief-wants-scale-down-us-presence-region
These three US security firms – (Blackwater types) – one a shell company, have been given the contract to set to form a “multinational security consortium” – which will oversee the inspection of Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled Netzarim corridor, in Gaza, following the ceasefire, and possibly oversee the return of some Palestinians to Northern Gaza.
https://thegrayzone.com/2025/01/24/gaza-checkpoint-contractor-wealth-management-firm/
Zionists like Nazi’s need to be rooted out – it would appear they infest just about every field.
“Donald Trump’s nominee for United Nations Ambassador Elise Stefanik says she agrees with the view that “Israel has a biblical right to the entire West Bank.””
https://nitter.poast.org/prem_thakker/status/1881768141317190108#m
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Elise_Stefanik
A one minute video – on the complete difference in how Israeli’s treat Palestinian prisoners – compared to how Hamas treats Israeli prisoners – the difference is stark to say the least.
https://nitter.poast.org/UsefulIdiotpod/status/1881733660317307371#m
Trump, cracking down on anyone who criticises the Zionists.
“President Trump just executed an executive order allowing the deportation of those non-citizens, including foreign students, who have been supporting U.S. designated terrorist organizations, Hamas and Hezbollah on American soil.
The World Betar Movement has initiated a campaign to identify these foreign students in the United States who have participated in anti-Israel activities on college campuses. The group is preparing a list of names to provide to the incoming Trump administration, aiming to facilitate the deportation of these individuals.
Ross Glick, director of the U.S. chapter of Betar, stated, “We have started lists of Jew-hating foreign nationals on visas who support Hamas.” The organization is utilizing facial recognition software and advanced database technology to compile the list, which currently includes approximately 30 students from countries such as Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Canada, and the United Kingdom. These students are enrolled in prestigious institutions, including Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, Syracuse University, UCLA, The New School for Social Research, Carnegie Mellon University, and George Washington University.
This initiative aligns with President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to revoke the student visas of individuals engaging in antisemitic activities. In October 2023, Trump stated, “Come 2025, we will find you and we will deport you.””
https://nitter.poast.org/TrackAIPAC/status/1882590448252010790#m
I doubt Washington, cares much about the fate of, American, pro-Palestinian doctors and nurses.
“Israel denying 11 American physicians & nurses from leaving Gaza. They’re from Texas, Florida, Colorado, Ohio, Arizona.
Some have surgeries for Americans back in the US they may miss.
Source says Israel gave no reason for denial—nor for doctors supposed to *enter* yesterday.”
“Dr. Nimr Ikram (TX)
Dr. Omair Ilyas (CA)
Dr. Aslam Akhtar (CA)
Dr. Tarik Elmohd (FL)
Dr. Mohamed Kuziez (CO)
Dr. Sameer Ahmad (CA)
Dr. Omar Malas (OH)
Dr. Asad Khan (TX)
Dr. Shehzad Batliwala (TX)
Nurses: Nor Rizek (AZ) & Marie Zhang (OH)”