How serious is the killing of US citizen outside US? It depends on who does the killing

How serious is the killing of US citizen outside US? It depends on who does the killing

    Friday, September 06, 2024   No comments

When US citizens are killed by Muslims, US administrations exact bloody revenge swiftly and decisively, and the media always finds the way to explicitly name the persons who killed them and emphasize their being Muslim. But not when American citizens are killed by Israeli forces. The reaction to the recent killing of a US citizen by Israeli forces in West Bank is one example in a series of many including the killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and going back all the way to the gruesome killing of Rachel Corrie.

Here is how the media reported on the killing and how some Western officials, including UN officials reacted: generally, wanting the accused to investigate themselves.

US-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was shot dead by Israel in the West Bank during settlement protest.

Social media users, including Scotland’s first minister, Hamza Yousaf, have criticized the BBC for not including the perpetrators of Eygi’s death in their headline.

The pattern of shielding the killer is clear; NPR reported on Israeli troops shooting of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in West Bank echo's BBC's:

Eygi was participating in a protest against illegal Israeli settlement expansion in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, the Palestinian Wafa agency reported.

An activist who was with Eygi at the time told Middle East Eye that she and other volunteers from the International Solidarity Movement had been attending the weekly demonstration at Beita.

"When she was shot, she was standing there doing absolutely nothing with one other woman - it was a deliberate shot because they shot from a very, very, very far distance," said the activist, who did not want to be identified.

US officials' reaction, mostly muted

The only voice in the US to demand serious action to address Israel's killing of a US citizen was US Senator Chris Van Hollen.

On Friday Van Hollen urged Biden administration to do more to hold Israel accountable for killing of American citizens.

"The Netanyahu Government - including racist extremist like Smotrich and Ben-Gvir - has fueled settler violence in the West Bank at the same time that it has announced new illegal settlements.

"The United States cannot turn a blind eye to these actions – including the killing of American citizens," Democrat senator said in a statement.

His remarks came after Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot dead by Israeli forces on Friday during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita in the Nablus district of the occupied West Bank.

Van Hollen said the US has not received "satisfactory responses" from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Government about the two other Americans killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7, adding the Biden administration has "not been doing enough" to pursue justice and accountability on their behalf.

"The Biden Administration must do more to hold the Netanyahu Government accountable and use American influence to demand the prosecution of those responsible for harm against American citizens.

"If the Netanyahu Government will not pursue justice for Americans, the U.S. Department of Justice must," he added.

When UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was asked about the killing of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, he replied, "We would want to see a full investigation of the circumstances, and that people should be held accountable. And again, civilians must be protected at all times."

A long history of bias

In the case of Corrie, even after 21 years, US media, including NPR, continue to deny her justice, using headlines that says, "the death" instead of the killing, and living the name of the actor who did the killing out.

Media Reports: Israeli troops kill an American citizen in West Bank

Media Reports: Israeli troops kill an American citizen in West Bank

    Friday, September 06, 2024   No comments

An American citizen was killed on Friday by Israeli army gunfire in the town of Beita in the Nablus Governorate, north of the occupied West Bank.

Fouad Nafaa, director of Rafidia Governmental Hospital, told Anadolu Agency that an American citizen arrived at the hospital with a bullet wound to the head (...) She underwent resuscitation but was martyred.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli army fired live ammunition at Palestinians while they were participating in an activity denouncing settlements on Mount Sabih in the town of Beita, south of Nablus.

In turn, the official Palestinian news agency “Wafa” reported that the activist holds American citizenship and volunteers as part of the “Faz’a” campaign to support and protect Palestinian farmers from violations by the occupation and settlers.

The residents of the town of Beita organize a weekly march after Friday prayers to denounce Israeli settlements, demanding the evacuation of the Avitar settlement built on the summit of Mount Sabih.

AP reported on the same event today, Friday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Media Review: The world mourns 6 dead and ignores 40,000 dead--Haaretz

Media Review: The world mourns 6 dead and ignores 40,000 dead--Haaretz

    Thursday, September 05, 2024   No comments

Israel and the world are mourning the six Israeli detainees who were killed, and their names, photos, life stories and families are making the news, even though they are only the tip of the iceberg of the war in Gaza, and only a small part of its victims. This is how Gideon Levy began his column in Haaretz, saying sarcastically that Hirsch Goldberg Polin and Eden Yerushalmi became celebrities despite their captivity and after their death, just as the world mourned the dead Israeli prisoners, “How could it not be when they were six beautiful young men who went through the hell of captivity before being brutally executed,” Levy added.

Levy was surprised by the astonishing contradiction between the wide coverage of their lives and deaths, and the ignoring of the similar fate of people of their age who are no less innocent, honest and beautiful, and who represent innocent victims on the Palestinian side.

Although the world is shocked by the fate of Gaza, it has never shown similar respect for the Palestinian victims. Neither US President Joe Biden has invited the relatives of the Palestinians who were martyred, even if they hold American citizenship, like the Goldberg and Pullins families, nor has the United States demanded the release of the thousands of kidnapped Palestinians who are being held by Israel without trial.

It is strange that a young Israeli woman killed at the Nova Festival arouses more sympathy and compassion in the world than a teenage refugee from Jabalia, as Levy says, commenting that Israelis are more like “the world.”

They also have names and hopes

If everything has been said about the neglect and concealment of the suffering of the Palestinians in the Israeli public discourse, what has been said is not enough - according to Levy - because the Palestinian killed in Gaza had a face, a name and a life story, and because the 17,000 children killed in the Strip since the beginning of the war also had hopes, dreams and families destroyed by their deaths.

However, the deaths of these people do not matter to the majority of Israelis, and some even rejoice in them, while the world outside Israel views them as horrible victims who have no names or faces, which is astonishing and indicates a loss of humanity, according to the writer.

It is not difficult - as Levy says - to imagine the feelings of the people of Gaza in the face of a world shaken by the deaths of 6 Israeli detainees without any interest in the 40,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, and without any talk about the non-Israeli detainees.

"What about the hundreds and thousands of Palestinian abductees from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank? What about the administrative detainees who are being held without trial? What about the 'illegal combatants' and innocent workers who were caught and are being held in hellish conditions?" the writer asked.

They too, says Gideon Levy, have anxious families who do not know what has happened to them for the past 10 months. They too are denied visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and some of their stories are no less telling than the video of Eden Yerushalmi, which Hamas released this week.

Source: Haaretz

Media review, CNN: "Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble"

Media review, CNN: "Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble"

    Sunday, September 01, 2024   No comments

For the first time since the Israeli military began ground operations in Gaza in October, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has sent out messages to people’s phones and on social media saying that the residents of some areas can return to their neighborhoods.

The IDF posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday that people who had been ordered to leave three neighborhoods of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza could go home.

CNN interviewed a number of families who had returned to find scenes of destruction.

One man, Abdulfattah Al Bourdaini, said: “We came home and found nothing, no power, no gas, no house, and we cannot change our clothes.”

All he had been able to salvage was a teddy bear for the son he hoped one day to have.

“I am penniless like the day I was born,” Al Bourdaini said. “I have nothing. I came to check on my house, didn’t find a house or anything, nothing is left… There is nothing left to cry about.”

‘Nothing is left’: Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble.

The colonial pillaging and plunder continues

The colonial pillaging and plunder continues

    Friday, August 30, 2024   No comments

In 2022, Josep Borell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, triggered a controversy by saying that Europe was a garden of prosperity and “most of the rest of the world” was a jungle. 

Some accused him of tone-deafness and racism. He defended his statement saying that his "reference to 'jungle' has no racist, cultural or geographical connotation." But he never explained how the "jungle" has become, in his mind, a jungle and how the garden of prosperity has become a garden of prosperity and how has it been kept a garden of prosperity. That task was left to the French president who, in a different context, identified the systems by which the Western world accumulated wealth and siphoned it from the rest of the world causing not only a desert of capital in the Global South, but also created a brain drain that continues to pillage and plunder the human resources of the rest of the world, turning them into the "jungle" they describe. 

The plunder and pillaging continue without direct war, allowing the pillagers to plunder and claim the moral high ground at the same time, which, the moral posturing that is, too, can be used to suppress resisters and attract willing collaborators.

Here is France's president explaining how the Russian citizen, who is now worth $15 billion, became a French citizen, a member of the garden of prosperity:

"It's a decision we made in 2018, which I fully stand by," Macron said Thursday. He added that it was "part of a strategy to allow women and men when they are artists, sportsmen, entrepreneurs, when they make the effort to learn the language, when they create wealth, when they ask for it, to grant them French citizenship. I did it for Mr Durov, who took the trouble to learn French, just as I did it for Spiegel. I think it's good for our country," he declared as reported Politico.

... excerpted from The colonial pillaging and plunder continues.

The White House spread false optimism about a cease fire deal for a political reason

The White House spread false optimism about a cease fire deal for a political reason

    Thursday, August 22, 2024   No comments

Israeli military analyst Amos Harel said on Thursday that Washington may have deliberately spread false optimism about the possibility of achieving progress in the prisoner swap negotiations to persuade Iran to postpone its revenge against Israel, noting that Iran and Hezbollah may finally launch their attack after the chances of concluding a deal began to evaporate soon.

In an article published in Haaretz, Harel wrote that it is difficult to know the extent to which Washington is convinced of the possibility of achieving progress in recent weeks, but the end of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to Israel heralded a new phase in which the chances of concluding a deal have declined, according to him.

He added that despite this, the visit achieved its goal of ensuring that there would be no attack by Iran and Hezbollah with the opening of the Democratic Party conference in Chicago, in his opinion.

He stated that the administration of US President Joe Biden deliberately published optimistic estimates of the possibility of achieving progress, in an attempt to persuade the Iranians not to launch their attack, but this may have backfired on them, as the basic problems have not been resolved and the negotiations are stalled after Washington introduced amendments to the draft deal that serve Israel.

*

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that the death toll from the Israeli strikes has risen to 40,265 deaths and 93,144 injuries since October 7, 2023.

The ministry monitored in its daily statistical report that the occupation committed 4 massacres against Palestinian families, of which 42 martyrs and 163 injuries arrived at hospitals during the past 24 hours.

The ministry indicated that a number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.

  

Richard Medhurst: I was arrested at Heathrow Airport as a “Terrorist” for My Journalism

Richard Medhurst: I was arrested at Heathrow Airport as a “Terrorist” for My Journalism

    Tuesday, August 20, 2024   No comments

The British journalist revealed on X his treatment by the authorities after being arrested under Section 12 of the U.K.’s Terrorism Act.

The arrest on Aug. 15, came eight days after the F.B.I. raided the home of journalist and CN columnist Scott Ritter in the United States. 

Section 12 of the British Terrorism Act criminalizes holding certain opinions or beliefs. It reads: 

“12 Support.

(1) A person commits an offence if—

(a) he invites support for a proscribed organisation, and

(b) the support is not, or is not restricted to, the provision of money or other property (within the meaning of section 15).

[F1(1A) A person commits an offence if the person—

(a) expresses an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, and

(b ) in doing so is reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organisation.]”

US Air Force engineer resigns: “Absolutely appalled by Biden and Pentagon’s complicity in genocide”

US Air Force engineer resigns: “Absolutely appalled by Biden and Pentagon’s complicity in genocide”

    Sunday, August 18, 2024   No comments

The news website, "The Intercept", reported about the resignation of an engineer in the US Air Force, in protest of the complicity of US President Joe Biden and the Department of Defense with the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The website said that the engineer Riley Livermore joined the Air Force 16 years ago, and his subsequent career as a flight test engineer took him to "Israel", where he spent two years conducting missile guidance research, but, shortly after October 7, he decided that he "could not continue anymore."

The website quoted Livermore as saying that he was "absolutely horrified" by the way Biden and the Department of Defense were complicit in the genocide, revealing that since late October he had begun the process of separating from the Air Force, as this path is now in its final steps, stressing that once he officially leaves the army, he will never work again in what he describes as the "military-industrial complex."

Livermore's resignation comes in the wake of a long series of resignations within the Biden administration and the US military, in protest of the US role in the genocide. This protest took its most intense form when 25-year-old US pilot Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington last February.

   

Media review: Understanding Blinken's assessment of when Iran will produce a nuclear bomb and Haniyeh's assassination

Media review: Understanding Blinken's assessment of when Iran will produce a nuclear bomb and Haniyeh's assassination

    Friday, August 16, 2024   No comments

What do media reports and political statements about state-sanctioned assassinations and the war in Gaza mean in the big picture?

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced, Friday July 19th, that Iran is capable of producing fissile material for a nuclear bomb "within a week or two."

Blinken said during a forum in Colorado (west) that "the current situation is not good. Iran, because of the end of the nuclear agreement, instead of being at least a year away from being able to produce fissile material for a nuclear bomb, is now probably a week or two away from being able to do so."

He explained that Tehran "has not developed a weapon yet, but we are watching this matter closely, of course."

Blinken reiterated that "a week or two" is the estimated time for Iran to be able to produce this fissile material for the purpose of making a nuclear bomb.

He said, "What we have seen in recent weeks and months is that Iran is moving forward with this" nuclear program, reiterating the United States' goal of Tehran never having a nuclear weapon, and "preferring the diplomatic path" to achieve this.

CNN, which reported the same news explained breakout time as being "the amount of time needed to produce enough weapons grade material for a nuclear weapon – “is now probably one or two weeks” as Tehran has continued to develop its nuclear program."

The US government statement was made about a month ago, July 18. If that assessment is correct, not only did Iran has more than two weeks to reach that goal, but also was given more reasons to achieve that goal when Israel carried out an attack inside Iran on 31 July 2024, that killed Hamas leader, Ismael Haniyeh who was attending the inauguration of the new president. Blinken assessment is significant for many reasons, including these two important reasons.

If US assessment is true, and given the recent development, by Wednesday August 14th, Iran would have had two weeks since the assassination, above and beyond the two weeks between Blinken's statement and the assassination, which is more than the time it needs to reach the stage per US government.  This means that, now, Iran is past the breakout time, and would have enough "weapons grade material for a nuclear weapon". 

If Iran does not produce "weapons grade material" then US assessment is flawed about Iran's ability or wrong about its intention to do so. 

In both cases, this recent development is bad news for Western governments because their next news cycle will be to address Iran with the reality of it possessing the nuclear material or having it and choosing not to build a nuclear weapons. In both cases, the nuclear threat would have moved past it being a threat, since it will be either a reality or a non-threat.

In the light of the nuclear development matter, Iran's delayed retaliation against Israel for the assassination of a Palestinian political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, could be the most strategic response. Iran would have used the timeline floated by high-ranking US official about the breakout time to either make it irrelevant or to create more uncertainty about Iran's capabilities.

The delay froze any conversation about Iran's nuclear program and perhaps allowed the Iranian leaders to add the nuclear option just in case Israel decides to retaliate against Iran's retaliation. Iran does not have to announce that they have a nuclear weapon at this point; Iran could adopt Israel’s strategic ambiguity about its nuclear capability and that would produce the same deterring effects as announcing that it has a nuclear weapon.

Taken in a broader context, the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, in effect, was the best thing that could have happened for Iran for many reasons.

First, Iran now has the legal and moral ground to act on the principle of self-defense.

Second, by holding official religious prayers for the dead Sunni leader, Iran’s brand of Islam, Shia Islam, is no longer a fringe belief, as it has been portrayed by Saudi Salafists. The fact that Hamas leaders agreed to have two formal prayers, one in Tehran and one in Qatar, is remarkable in the view of experts on Sunni-Shia divide.

Third, Iran’s menu of retaliatory options has become more expansive. Iran could strike inside the 1948 border of Israel, since the attack on Haniyeh took place in Tehran. But Iran could hit targets and military concentrations in Gaza, which will highlight the above stated connections, and refocus attention on the primary objective that most governments around the world want to achieve: a ceasefire in Gaza War. Also, Iran could use a surgical strike against an Israeli leader or a military installation. Lastly, Iran’s leaders could forgo a military tactical strike in favor of a strategic decision to adopt a different nuclear posture and use the assassination as a justification for developing a last resort self-defense nuclear option, something it has been unable to do in the past.

When considered from these advantage points, it is clear that assassination is the least strategic statecraft tool, as it tends to diminish the standing and reputation of the state that rely on assassinations and bolster the strategic position of the state whose sovereignty has been violated--long-term. For these reasons, this event may end up being one of the most significant turning points of the century. 

  

Al-Azhar, Sistani, world condemn the "massacre of worshippers" in Gaza

Al-Azhar, Sistani, world condemn the "massacre of worshippers" in Gaza

    Saturday, August 10, 2024   No comments

Al-Azhar condemned the "massacre of worshipers" that claimed the lives of more than 100 martyrs who had taken refuge in a school building in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City. The highest Shiite authority in Iraq, Ali al-Sistani, also condemned the massacre, saying that it is added to the series of crimes of the Israeli occupation.

Al-Azhar said in a statement published today, Saturday, on its official account on the social networking platform "X" that it confirms "that this treacherous criminal act that targeted innocent civilians who were standing before God in performing the dawn prayer, along with their women, children and elderly; is a crime that all human languages ​​are unable to express its cruelty, heinousness and barbarism."

Al-Azhar added that this massacre "is devoid of all meanings of mercy and humanity," as "this enemy has gone too far in killing the weak and innocent, starving them to death, and has become adept at blowing up their homes and bombing their shelters, in full view of the international community that has been paralyzed and unable to stand up to the terrorism of this brutal entity and its supporters."

After expressing his condolences for the martyrs of the massacre, Al-Azhar called on "all free people of the world to continue to pressure this terrorist entity by all means, to stop its crimes and the acts of genocide that it practices daily against the owners of the land in Palestine." He added: "Let everyone know that history will not have mercy on those who are complacent and silent about these heinous crimes."

In the same context, the highest Shiite authority in Iraq, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, condemned today, Saturday, the major massacre committed by the occupation in the Tabi'in School, and said in a statement issued by his office: "Once again, the Israeli occupation army committed a major massacre in the proud Gaza Strip by targeting those sheltered by (the Tabi'in School) of displaced and homeless people... in a horrific crime that is added to its series of crimes that have been ongoing for more than 10 months."

Al-Sistani called on "the world - once again - to stand up to this terrible savagery," and especially "the Islamic peoples... to unite and unite to pressure to stop the war of extermination in Gaza."

By targeting the "Tabi'in School," the number of schools sheltering displaced people that the Israeli army bombed in Gaza City alone in one week has risen to 6, which has left a large number of martyrs and wounded.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described Israel's "fatal strike" on Saturday at dawn on a school housing displaced people in Gaza as "horrific," saying he was "horrified" by the images of the massacre.

"Images coming from a school housing displaced people in Gaza that was hit by a horrific Israeli airstrike, with dozens of Palestinian casualties reported," Borrell wrote on the X platform.

"At least 10 schools have been targeted in recent weeks. There is no justification for these massacres," he added, stressing that "a ceasefire in Gaza is the only way to stop the killing of civilians and secure the release of hostages."

For her part, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, said that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in one school after another in the Gaza Strip, with American and European weapons, amidst the indifference of all "civilized nations."

Arab and international condemnations of the "Fajr Massacre" against worshippers in Gaza

Arab and international reactions condemned the Israeli aggression that targeted worshipers at dawn today, Saturday, in the "Al-Tabi'een" school that houses displaced people in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, which resulted in the death of more than 100 martyrs and dozens of injuries.

Syria: "Israel's" crimes will increase the determination of the people of this region to resist it

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the horrific massacre in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in the middle of the Gaza Strip, stressing that "the entity's persistence in shedding the blood of innocents in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria will increase the determination of the people of this region to resist the occupation and respond to its crimes, despite all the Western support it enjoys."

The Syrian Foreign Ministry saluted this legendary steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of their occupiers over the decades, while affirming its firm and strong support for them in their just struggle.

Lebanon: "Israel" intentionally prolongs and expands the war

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned in the "strongest terms" the occupation forces' targeting of the "Tabi'een" school, which houses defenseless displaced Palestinians in Gaza City.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the deliberate killing of these huge numbers of civilians provides conclusive evidence of "Israel's" intention to prolong and expand the war.

For its part, the Beirut Scholars Association said that the crime of the "Tabi'een" school is a described crime that requires the global conscience to put an end to the genocide that the "Nero of the age" is determined to carry out.

The association stressed that "the cost of confrontation, despite the enormity of the brutality, remains less than the humiliating submission that the Israeli occupation seeks to impose on us by force," stressing that "we have no choice but to confront and resist, no matter how high the price and how great the sacrifices."

She also held all supporters of this "criminal Israeli entity that thirsts for murder and is insatiable for bloodshed" responsible for the massacres, saying: "What kind of world do we live in that falsely, hypocritically claims civilization and human rights?"

Yemen: For a strong, deterrent, and earth-shattering response to the occupation

The head of the Sana'a negotiating delegation, Mohammed Abdul Salam, condemned the massacre at the "Al-Tabi'in" school prayer hall in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in the center of Gaza City, saying: "We strongly condemn this Zionist fascism and denounce the United States' continued provision of full support to Israel to continue committing crimes of genocide against the people of Gaza."

The head of the Sana'a negotiating delegation pointed out that this brutal massacre committed by the criminal entity is with full American support.

He stressed that Arabs and Muslims bear a great responsibility towards Gaza, while stressing that "shame and fire will befall anyone who neglects his religious and humanitarian duty, and that this neglect encourages the Israeli enemy to continue its unprecedented crimes of genocide."

The Ansar Allah Political Bureau also condemned the new Israeli massacre against worshipers, pointing out that "Arab and Islamic governments are resorting to silence and helplessness as if they do not see, hear or speak in the face of the massacres of the Zionist entity."

The Ansar Allah Political Bureau confirmed that the Israeli occupation entity is persisting in committing bloody massacres, one massacre after another, in an unprecedented violation of Palestinian blood.

He renewed the covenant with Palestine and its people, and stressed that "Yemen continues to provide popular support and military escalation" and will not stop until the aggression on Gaza stops.

For its part, the Yemeni Scholars Association expressed its condemnation of the massacre, and stressed that the occupation's perpetration of a massacre against worshipers at the "Al-Tabi'een" school imposes on all Arab regimes, peoples and armies to carry out the duty of support and declare general mobilization.

It added in a statement, "We mobilize the human conscience and Islamic affiliation in the face of thousands of bloody massacres committed by the Israeli enemy for 10 months against the people of Gaza."

It called on the Jerusalem, Jihad and Resistance Axis to respond with a strong, deterrent and devastating response to the occupation.

Iraq: The world must stand up to the brutality of the occupation

The Iraqi presidency condemned the "Al-Tabi'een" massacre, noting that after a series of crimes committed by the occupying entity that usurped the occupied Palestinian territories, the usurping entity returns to commit a new massacre, exploiting the silence of the international community and the major countries concerned with maintaining international balance and influencing the United Nations resolution.

The Iraqi presidency also stressed that the blood of the Palestinian people will continue to be shed as long as the occupying entity's hand remains free from accountability and questioning by the international community.

In turn, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the massacre, as did the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, which stressed that these repeated attacks against civilians constitute a flagrant violation of international norms and conventions and demonstrate the Israeli entity's disregard for international initiatives aimed at stopping the aggression on Gaza.

It renewed Iraq's full solidarity with the Palestinian people, stressing the need for the international community and Islamic countries in particular to take a firm and unified position to stop these crimes.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia condemn targeting of Al-Tabi'een School

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli occupation forces' targeting of Al-Tabi'een School, expressing its denunciation of the international community's failure to hold "Israel" accountable for these violations.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed the need to stop the mass massacres in the Gaza Strip, which is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster due to the violations of the Israeli occupation.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned in the strongest terms the occupation's bombing of a school housing displaced persons east of Gaza City, which led to the martyrdom and injury of dozens, stressing that this bombing is a horrific massacre and a brutal crime against defenseless civilians.

It called for an urgent international investigation after the Israeli bombing of the school in Gaza.

Egypt: "Israel" lacks political will to end the war

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry, in turn, indicated that "the deliberate killing of defenseless Palestinians is conclusive evidence of the lack of political will on the Israeli side to end the war in Gaza."

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned, in a statement, "Israel's" bombing of the "Al-Tabi'in" school, which houses displaced persons in the Al-Daraj neighborhood east of Gaza City, and also denounced "the continued Israeli attacks against civilians in the Strip, in an unprecedented disregard for the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law."

It called for "a unified and effective international position that provides protection for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and puts an end to the series of targeting defenseless civilians."

Jordan: Massacre is a violation of international laws

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned in the "strongest terms" the Israeli bombing of the school, and considered it "a flagrant violation of the rules of international law, and a systematic targeting of civilians and shelters for the displaced."

The official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sufian Qudah, said that this targeting, which comes at a time when mediators are seeking to resume negotiations, is an indication of the Israeli government's efforts to obstruct ceasefire efforts.

He stressed "the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities, especially the Security Council, to immediately stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, stop the ongoing and continuous Israeli violations of international law, and hold those responsible accountable."

Iran: The occupation aims to continue the war and thwart the negotiations

The advisor to the leader of the Islamic Revolution for political affairs in Iran, Ali Shamkhani, considered that the sole goal of the occupation entity in killing the worshipers in the "Tabi'in" school in Gaza, and assassinating the martyr Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, is to continue the war and thwart the ceasefire negotiations.

For his part, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, expressed his condemnation of the Israeli aggression on the "Tabi'in" school in Gaza, describing it as "brutal" and a clear example of the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity that are being committed simultaneously.

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry also stressed that "the continuation of these Zionist attacks proves once again that the occupation is not committed to any international resolutions and moral and humanitarian principles."

Kanaani stressed that the only way to confront this murderous entity is "taking firm and decisive action by Islamic countries and the free people of the world in practical support for the Palestinian people and their resistance struggle."

Turkey said, "Israel committed a massacre" Turkey, for its part, condemned the massacre, stressing that "Israel committed a new crime against humanity by slaughtering more than 100 civilians who took refuge in a school."

OIC: Haniyeh's Assassination Threatens to Push Middle East into Wider Conflict

OIC: Haniyeh's Assassination Threatens to Push Middle East into Wider Conflict

    Wednesday, August 07, 2024   No comments

The rotating presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) confirmed on Wednesday that the "heinous assassination" of the former head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, the martyr leader Ismail Haniyeh, "threatens to push the Middle East into a wider conflict."

The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, said during the opening session of the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee at the level of foreign ministers of member states, to discuss the ongoing crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people and its aggression against Iran, that "the heinous assassination only serves to escalate existing tensions that may lead to a wider conflict."

He also stressed that "the sovereignty of nation-states and the integrity of their territories are fundamental principles on which the international system is based."

Israel assassinated Haniyeh in a bombing that targeted the Iranian capital, Tehran, a few days ago, on July 31, 2024. The assassination came during a visit by Haniyeh to Tehran to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian. The OIC declared that the assassination of Haniyeh constituted aggression against Iran.

The OIC released a Final Statement at the conclusion of the meeitng.

"Does [a non-Western government] have the right to defend itself?"

"Does [a non-Western government] have the right to defend itself?"

    Tuesday, August 06, 2024   No comments

 

Why is so difficult for Western governments to answer the question, "Does [a non-Western government] have the right to defend itself?"

 

Is Western civilization on the verge of collapse?

Is Western civilization on the verge of collapse?

    Tuesday, August 06, 2024   No comments

Human civilization has been a topic for historians, sociologists, philosophers, thinkers, and scientists throughout history. The discussion of the rise and fall of human civilization often leads to a look back at the work of the Muslim thinker Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun who is often described as the originator of the theory of cyclicality of human civilization. Although Ibn Khaldun did not take credit for such idea, and many modern researchers have concluded that that idea was not Ibn Khaldun's original idea, it is nonetheless part of his work and his contribution to the field of social history. Related to this topic, we examine and re-present ideas by a scientist from the modern time, one who used statistical data to predict social trends.

On the New Scientist website, Peter Valentinovich Turchin, a Russian-American scientist specializing in mathematical modeling and statistical analysis, presents his analysis of the decline of Western civilization and its causes by studying mathematical patterns in complex systems and applying them to history. Turchin believes that Western societies are rapidly moving toward the brink of destruction, and that they must make important decisions to avoid this collapse. Here are some of  Turchin's ideas and assertions. 

The collapse of civilizations seems to have been a natural and recurring pattern in the development of cultures throughout history, with a period of decline and weakness often following a period of prosperity. The closest examples of this are what happened to the ancient Egyptian Empire, the Roman Empire, the Mayan civilization (one of the ancient civilizations that emerged in the region of Central and South America*), and the Qing Dynasty in China, which experienced periods of prosperity followed by collapse, and this seems to be the inevitable path of any civilization.

Today, Western civilization may face the same fate, as there are clear signs of a variety of crises, including widening economic inequalities, political divisions, violent conflicts, and environmental disasters. Some observers see this as a sign of a “multiple global crises” that pose a serious, perhaps existential, threat to contemporary societies.

More than two decades ago, I predicted that this was the end of things, based on studying mathematical patterns in complex systems and applying them to history. Using this approach, I discovered that violent political upheavals follow certain time cycles, one peaking every 50 years or so, and the other peaking every two or three centuries.

In a 'Difficult' call, Netanyahu told Biden: "as Prime Minister of Israel, I act solely according to the security needs of the State of Israel"

In a 'Difficult' call, Netanyahu told Biden: "as Prime Minister of Israel, I act solely according to the security needs of the State of Israel"

    Friday, August 02, 2024   No comments

Axios reported that US President Joe Biden asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a "difficult" phone call between them on Thursday, to stop escalating tensions in the region, following the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukr. One US official said that Biden warned Netanyahu that if he escalated again, he should not rely on the United States to save him.

Axios quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Biden raised his voice during the call and told Netanyahu that he wanted him to reach an agreement within a week or two.

A source familiar with the matter told the website that the US president told Netanyahu that the region is currently at a turning point and that every effort needs to be made to end the war in Gaza and achieve regional stability, even if the agreement is not ideal.

In contrast, the website quoted Netanyahu’s office as saying that the Israeli prime minister assured Biden that he is only working according to Israel’s security requirements. His office reported that "Prime Minister Netanyahu told President Biden that he appreciates the American support, and as Prime Minister of Israel he acts solely according to the security needs of the State of Israel."

Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that great tension dominated a meeting Netanyahu held with the Israeli negotiating team on Wednesday.

The head of the Shin Bet internal security service, Ronen Bar, was quoted as saying to Netanyahu during the meeting, “We feel that you are sending us to negotiate, and then you are making changes to the outlines of the deal.”

Meanwhile, The New York Times published a dramatic editorial declaring "Netanyahu has Gone Rogue",  and explaining that by "Ignoring the condemnation of allies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is forcing the pace of the war and feeding the revolt of the far right."

Media review: How did Israel track and assassinate leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah?

Media review: How did Israel track and assassinate leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah?

    Friday, August 02, 2024   No comments

There are many theories now being floated by both government sources and media outlets trying to explain the surgical strikes Israel undertook to assassinate leaders of Hamas and other armed factions. Here is a review of what is now circulating in news outlets and on social media platforms.

Iranian agency: Haniyeh was assassinated by a shell that hit his residence

The Iranian Fars News Agency confirmed that the assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh, was carried out by a shell that hit his residence, destroying part of its roof and windows. 

It added that investigations confirmed that Israel planned and carried out the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.

The New York Times reported that American officials secretly admitted that Israel assassinated Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran, yesterday, Wednesday.

The newspaper explained that the American officials’ statement came despite the fact that Israel did not announce its adoption of the assassination and refused to comment on the incident publicly.

In contrast, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari claimed on Thursday that the army did not launch any airstrikes on Iran or any other country in the Middle East on Wednesday.

In response to a question about the assassination of Haniyeh, he said in a press conference, “We did not attack Iran from the air.”

He added, “We killed (the prominent Hezbollah leader) Fouad Shukr in Lebanon, but there was no other Israeli airstrike in the entire Middle East after that.”

However, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that technical investigations show that Haniyeh's assassination was carried out with a short-range projectile with a warhead weighing 7.5 kilograms, fired from outside the place where the martyr Haniyeh lived.

Was a third country involved in the assassination? 

Initially, an Iranian source revealed that the martyrdom of the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran "was carried out by a missile launched from one country to another, not from within Iran."

For his part, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, confirmed that the relevant Iranian authorities are continuing "the necessary investigations to determine the dimensions and details of this incident."

Kanaani said: "There is no doubt that the pure blood of this mujahid, who spent his life in jihad and honorable struggle against the usurping Zionist entity, and on the path to liberating holy Jerusalem and liberating the Palestinian people, will not go in vain."

He added: "Haniyeh's martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen the deep and solid relations between Iran, Palestine and the resistance even more."

Western Sources' explanations

In parallel, the New York Times and the American website Axios published another story, confirming Israel's responsibility for Haniyeh's assassination, but claiming that the assassination was carried out by an explosive device planted by Mossad agents in his room, and detonated remotely.

Public Data Analasys based explanation

The competing explanations open the door to speculations given the precision and the timing of the assassination. An alternative theory based on available information that is in the public domain suggest that Israel is using the phones of associates to track the persons Israel has placed on its assassination list. Such analysis suggests that, in its recent assassinations, Israel's security forces targeted the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah by tracking the phone numbers of their companions. Because the high value targets who know that they are on the assassination list are not allowed to use mobile phones, Israel was unable to locate and assassinate them in the past. 

However, a security lapse happened after Israel assassinated the children and grandchildren of Ismail Haniyeh few months ago. Hamas sources broadcasted a video of the moment when Haniyeh received the news of the murder of his family members. In the clip, it showed him receiving the call on someone else's phone and listening to it. 

As the primary leader leading the investigation, Haniyeh used his aid's phone to keep in touch with the Qatari leaders. That number was likely used to track Haniyeh's movement.

The same strategy was replicated elsewhere, Israel stopped trying to locate the persons it wanted to assassinate directly, and focused on tracking their aids who are often in close contact with the targeted person.

This theory explains the precision and speed with which Israel carried out the recent assassination.

 Theories that suggest the use of human intelligence and agents presence on the ground cannot explain the speed and precision. The above theory is bolstered by the unusual step taken by the Israeli government limiting the use of phones by government officials, as reported in Israeli media.

Israel distributes special phones to ministers

The Israeli government has decided to distribute satellite phones to ministers and senior officials. The move aims to limit security threats and to ensure that ministers stay connected in the case of damage sustained by the regular communications network during an attack from Iran and Hezbollah. The latter explanation was opined by the media. The government did not comment.

The Maariv newspaper said: "The government is taking an unusual step, for fear that the communications networks will be damaged in an Iranian attack."

  

Media Review: The Impossible Defeat.. Why Did 2,700 Israeli Assassinations Fail to Make Israel Secure?

Media Review: The Impossible Defeat.. Why Did 2,700 Israeli Assassinations Fail to Make Israel Secure?

    Thursday, August 01, 2024   No comments

Israel often claims that it carries out assassinations to ensure Israel's security. Since its founding in 1948, Israel has carried out more assassinations than any other nation-state during the same time period. What has this strategy achieve and why? 

Many observers and experts in global affairs think that assassinations are not a strategy and should not be adopted instead of a national strategy that is necessary for nation-building. A national project cannot be dependent on one or a handful of leaders. If a state-actor relies on assassinations to secure itself, then it cements its status as a renegade entity while fostering the image of the people whose leaders it assassinates as people with legitimate claims. Israel's increased rate of assassination after achieving a stalemate at best with the Palestinians in this recent war erodes its image as a normal nation-state, which defeats the purpose: national security. Aljazeera TV provided some insight into the history and outcomes of Israel's assassinations. 

Media review: 'You criminal, you murderer': Residents berate Israeli official at site of deadly rocket attack in Occupied Golan Heights

Media review: 'You criminal, you murderer': Residents berate Israeli official at site of deadly rocket attack in Occupied Golan Heights

    Sunday, July 28, 2024   No comments

As Israeli leaders try to use the deaths among the Druz community to widen its attacks on Hezbollah, Majdal Shams residents expel Smotrich...and refuse to receive Netanyahu. News media reported that the families of those killed in occupied Golan Heights are refusing the meet with Israeli leaders and warn against more violence. Media outlets in the region provided wide coverage of this development which can trigger a regional war. Here is a summary of regional and global media reports on this matter.

The families of the victims of Majdal Shams refused to meet with the Prime Minister of the occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, today, Sunday, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli Channel 13 reported that residents of the town of Majdal Shams "attacked members of the Israeli Likud party who participated in the funeral of the victims of the attack that the town was subjected to yesterday, Saturday."

The Israeli website "Walla" reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich faced protests upon his arrival in the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights to participate in the funeral of the victims.

The participants' protests against the Israeli minister's presence continued until he was expelled from the funeral.

The people of Majdal chanted slogans against Smotrich, saying: "Leave here.. We don't want you here, you murderer. You want to dance on the blood of our children."

Jumblatt commenting on the Majdal Shams incident: We are on the lookout for the occupation’s sedition alongside the resistance

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt stressed on Saturday the need to be aware of what the Israeli occupation is doing to ignite sedition, offering his sincere condolences to the families of the martyrs who died in the occupied Syrian Golan.

Jumblatt said that, in light of Hezbollah's statement denying the Islamic Resistance's involvement in what happened, everyone must be aware of what the enemy is doing to sow sedition, calling on everyone in Lebanon and the occupied Golan to beware of "any slippage or incitement in the context of the enemy's destructive project."

He pointed out that the occupation has been working for a long time to ignite sedition, fragment the region, and target its components, adding: "We have previously thwarted the Israeli project," but "it is rearing its head again, and we are on the lookout for it alongside the resistance and all the resistance fighters."

Jumblatt pointed out that the history and present of the occupation are full of massacres against civilians, adding that what is required is "not to expand the war, and an immediate cessation of aggression and shooting."

He stressed that targeting civilians is unacceptable and condemned, whether in occupied Palestine, the occupied Golan Heights, or in southern Lebanon.

This statement comes after the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah - categorically denied the allegations reported by several Israeli media outlets and various media platforms regarding the targeting of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

The incident that took place in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights yesterday, Saturday, and resulted in the death of 12 people, sparked numerous international and regional reactions ranging from condemnation and calls for restraint to warnings of the expansion of the war in the region.

Despite Hezbollah's denial of responsibility for the incident and its statement that an Israeli interceptor missile fell on Majdal Shams and that it had informed the United Nations of this, Tel Aviv insisted on holding the party responsible and threatened it and Lebanon with "paying a heavy price."

The White House spokesman also accused Hezbollah of carrying out the attack, noting that Washington has been holding ongoing discussions with the Israelis and Lebanese since the incident occurred yesterday and is working on a diplomatic solution to stop the attacks on the Lebanese-Israeli border.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had confirmed earlier today that the United States does not want the conflict to expand, saying "we are in dialogue with Israel" on the matter.

He added, "All indications point to the rocket that struck the Golan Heights being from Hezbollah," stressing his country's commitment to supporting Israel's right to defend its citizens against what he described as "terrorist attacks."

He also said that the ceasefire in Gaza would be an opportunity to achieve lasting calm along the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon.

Avoiding escalation

France, in turn, announced its condemnation of the attack, and called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any military escalation.

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed - in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - that Paris is "fully committed to doing everything possible to avoid a new escalation in the region," according to the Elysee.

For his part, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the raid on the occupied Golan Heights, expressing his "deep concern" about the risk of further escalation.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also warned of the risk of opening a new war front with Lebanon following the Majdal Shams strike.

Iran warns

With the escalation of the Israeli threat and intimidation of the Lebanese Hezbollah, and the raids launched by the Israeli occupation army on the Bekaa and southern Lebanon yesterday evening and today at dawn, Iran warned Israel today, Sunday, against attacking Lebanon.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued by its spokesman Nasser Kanaani that Tehran "warns of unexpected repercussions of any new adventures by the Zionist entity towards Lebanon under the pretext of the Majdal Shams incident."

The statement added that "any foolish step by the Zionist entity could lead to the expansion of the scope of the crisis and war in the region."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry continued that Israel seeks, through presenting imaginary scenarios, to confuse public opinion regarding its crimes in Gaza, noting that the Lebanese Hezbollah denied responsibility for bombing the village of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan.

Netanyahu and Galant authorized to respond to Hezbollah after Majdal Shams incident

Hebrew sources reported that the Israeli security meeting to discuss the response to Hezbollah has ended, indicating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant have been authorized to make the decision to respond.

This meeting comes in the context of the incident in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights yesterday, Saturday, where 12 boys were killed in a missile attack that Hezbollah denied any connection to.

According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the security cabinet has determined the target that will be attacked in Lebanon, and said that estimates indicate that it will be limited but its impact will be strong.

Israeli Army Radio reported that security officials have confirmed to the political leadership that the plans in place can be implemented immediately.

It added that Israel is not interested in a comprehensive war with Hezbollah, but rather in dealing it a painful blow only.

Israeli Army Radio had previously said that the army had formulated several possible scenarios for an attack on Lebanon and presented them to the political leadership.

In the same context, the municipal councils of the Upper Galilee and Western Galilee advised residents to stay near shelters after the developments in Majdal Shams.

Türkiye: Erdogan denounces Congress' reception of 'Hitler of our time'

Türkiye: Erdogan denounces Congress' reception of 'Hitler of our time'

    Friday, July 26, 2024   No comments

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the US Congress' hosting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Erdogan said on Friday during an introductory meeting on the high-tech promotion program at the Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul, "Imagine that Congress applauds a murderer who has killed nearly 40,000 children, women and elderly people," in full view of the entire world.

He described Netanyahu as "a murderer and perpetrator of genocide against the Palestinian people," in the war that the occupation has been waging for nearly 10 months on the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan added that those who "have always taught the world lessons in democracy and human rights" "did not feel an ounce of shame while celebrating the Hitler of our time."

On Wednesday, Netanyahu delivered a speech before Congress amidst mass demonstrations against his visit to Washington and denouncing the Israeli war of extermination against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu focused on attacking the demonstrations against him and the war, claiming that "Iran is funding the demonstrators outside Congress now" and that they also want to destroy the United States" during a large part of his speech.

 

Media review of Netanyahu's visit to the US: He may have expedited US declining support Israel's War instead of increasing it

Media review of Netanyahu's visit to the US: He may have expedited US declining support Israel's War instead of increasing it

    Thursday, July 25, 2024   No comments

Israeli political leaders may not have wanted to see so many protesters in the street and in congress, but that is what Netanyahu have achived by his visit to the US: For the first time, American public displayed public displeasure with Israeli conduct. This is clear when even the most friendly TV channels, like Foxnews, give a fail review of his performance.

Fox News: Has Netanyahu Lost America?

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back in Washington, and in his fourth address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, he broke the record of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. For years, he has been a fixture in American and Israeli politics, but that seems to be changing,” Fox News wrote in a report. “Things seemed different today, not just because Netanyahu is a controversial figure who has drawn thousands of anti-Gaza protesters to the streets of Washington, but because he has become increasingly marginalized,” the website added in a report by its correspondent Joshua Keating.

Fox News confirmed that Netanyahu’s speech to Congress offered little indication of a plan to end the war in Gaza, and likely undermined ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve this. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described Netanyahu’s speech as “the worst presentation by any foreign dignitary before Congress.”

According to the site, Netanyahu’s speech was remarkably defensive, devoting itself more to rebutting criticism of Israel than charting a path forward out of the quagmire it finds itself in.

He continued by recounting the horrors of Hamas’s attacks on October 7, and vowing that Israel would fight until it destroyed the movement’s military capabilities and rule in Gaza “and returned all the captives to their families.” However, these families are not inclined to believe him and are urging him to accept a ceasefire agreement to secure the release of their relatives.

Fox News was surprised by Netanyahu's attack on anti-Israel protesters in the United States, accusing them of being "useful idiots for Iran" and criticizing university presidents, and the site commented sarcastically, "This is likely to be the first speech on Middle East policy that includes a shout-out to the brothers at the University of North Carolina."

The report said, "Netanyahu may have gotten what he wanted today: a standing ovation, even if it was mostly from Republicans. But more than 70% of Israelis now say Netanyahu should resign."

He continued, "In the past, Washington was a safety valve for Netanyahu, a place where he could count on strong support. But today, the magic is gone and the era of the man who mastered verbal acrobatics is over," said Nimrod Novick, a member of the "Israel Policy Forum" and a senior foreign policy adviser to former Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

The Fox News correspondent concluded by saying, "Netanyahu has become accustomed to being a controversial figure in the more than 40 years since he came to Washington. Perhaps he should get used to being an insignificant figure."

Protesters greet Israeli leader inside and outside US Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has harshly criticized pro-Palestinian protesters in the United States, saying, “Iran is funding the protesters… You have officially become useful idiots for Iran.”

Reacting to the Israeli leader's characteraization of Americans protesting what they see as a genocidal war, the Biden administration reacted with dismay. White House officials dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s description of Americans protesting Israeli attacks on Gaza as “useful idiots for Iran,” calling it “a sad and wrong idea.” White House National Security Adviser John Kirby said they do not find it right that Netanyahu has described Americans protesting Israeli attacks on Gaza as “useful idiots for Iran.”

Kirby said that the long-running demonstrations in the United States, criticizing the policies of the Netanyahu administration, are a reflection of people's real concerns, adding that "democracy is exactly that."

For his part, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “We recognize that the vast majority of protesters in the United States are not taking their orders from Iran.”

Miller added that they strongly support the right of protesters in the United States to demonstrate, stressing that the vast majority of people who have demonstrated in the streets of Washington since Wednesday in protest of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington are patriotic Americans expressing their opinions, and we support their right to do so.

In response to Netanyahu’s use of the term “idiots” and “morons” to describe the American protesters, Miller said, “As always, I will adopt a rule of not responding to specific things that the Israeli prime minister says.”

Instead of joining thousands of anti-genocide protesters outside, Rashida Tlaib chose to confront Netanyahu in Congress with keffiyeh and 'war criminal' sign

Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib objected to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress on Wednesday, holding him responsible for the genocide in the Gaza Strip. During Netanyahu's speech, Tlaib wore a keffiyeh and a Palestinian flag, and held up a black-and-white sign with the words "War Criminal" on one side and "Guilty of Genocide" on the other.

Trump's hot potato characterization of the Gaza War: Do what you want but do it fast!

Even Trump does not want to handle this hot potato if he wins the election and take over the White House in 2025. He wants this war to end fast, so that he does not want to deal with it.

Former President Donald Trump – one day before meeting Benjamin Netanyahu – called for a swift end to Israel’s war on Gaza and the return of its captives, stating that the US ally is "getting decimated" by bad publicity.

"I want him to finish up and get it done quickly, he’s got to get it done quickly," Trump told Fox News.

"For whatever reason you have Jewish people out there wearing yarmulkes and they’re, you know, pro-Palestine. You’ve never seen anything like this… They’ve got to get this done fast because the world is not taking lightly to it, it’s really incredible."

Presidential candidate Trump did not attribute his demand for an end to Israel's genocide of Palestinians over the past nine months, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 100,000. Instead, he attributed his demand to Israel's negative reputation.

Middle East Media Coverage

Media outlets in the Middle East, including those published historically West-friendly nation states in the Gulf (Alkhaleej Online), concluded that the visit caused more damage and achieved nothing. Other outlets, including the Lebanese paper Alakhbar, summarized the visit with this headline, "Half of Democrats Boycott Speech: Israel's 'Sanctity' Is Not Okay", and explained it further in editorials like these.

Amidst a broad boycott by members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, especially from the Democratic Party, the Prime Minister of the occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, tried to send a message to American officials, stating that the “fate” of the United States is linked to the fate of Israel, and that the two parties are facing one hostile “axis” and are fighting the “same battle,” and therefore, the “victory” of the latter will be a victory for the former. Apart from the “lies” that Netanyahu adopted, especially regarding the number of Palestinian martyrs in Rafah, as he claimed, when asked about the number of civilians killed there, that “no one was killed,” “except for one incident, when shrapnel from a bomb hit a Hamas weapons depot, killing twenty people,” Netanyahu’s speech, according to observers, did not carry anything new, and did not add any changes to the division within the United States regarding the war in Gaza. According to a report published by the Atlantic Council, although Netanyahu only mentioned the Lebanese front relatively quickly in his speech, the “framework” in which he placed the threat posed by Hezbollah seemed striking; he classified the latter as an “existential threat” to Israel, which cannot be separated from “Israel’s struggle against Hamas, the Houthis, and Iran.” According to those who hold this view, one of the possibilities raised is that “the speech aims to pave the way for a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, and to soften global public opinion regarding such a decision.” The report adds that “opening a new active front against Hezbollah would be disastrous for several reasons, both humanitarian and strategic,” noting that “for the besieged (Israeli Defense Forces),” such a scenario “means entering into a large-scale war against a well-armed opponent,” and increases the possibility of the war expanding regionally. In his speech, which lasted about an hour, Netanyahu stressed the need to strengthen American support for Israel and lift the ban on some weapons, considering that “fast-tracking American military aid could greatly accelerate the end of the war in Gaza and help prevent a wider war in the Middle East,” and claiming that “Israel is participating in intensive efforts to secure the release of the hostages.” Regarding his vision for “the day after,” which remains a point of contention between him and Washington, Netanyahu said that he wants “a demilitarized and non-extremist Gaza,” led by Palestinians “who do not seek to destroy Israel.” After focusing on attacking the axis of resistance with all its components, Hamas responded by issuing a statement about the speech, in which it considered that the latter “reflects the depth of Netanyahu’s military, security, and international crisis,” stressing that “his talk about intensive efforts to return the hostages is a complete lie and misleading of Israeli, American, and international public opinion, while he is the one who thwarted all efforts aimed at ending the war and concluding a deal to release prisoners (...) which holds him fully responsible for the repercussions of this position and for the fate of the prisoners in the Gaza Strip.” The movement also stressed that “the war criminal Netanyahu’s perceptions about the future of the Gaza Strip are mere illusions and fantasies that he is trying to market,” considering that “his attack on the axis of resistance reflects the depth of his military and security crisis due to the open fronts.” The movement concluded by calling on the “United Nations,” the “League of Arab States,” and the “Organization of Islamic Cooperation” to “declare their position of rejecting the occupation and working to end it by all means, and to support the steadfastness of our Palestinian people and their resistance.”

At the Capitol complex, protests were held in which thousands of people opposed to the visit of the occupation prime minister and his speech before the joint session of Congress participated, while American media reported that the Secret Service is looking into reports that the demonstrators managed to reach the hotel where Netanyahu is staying in Washington, DC, where they released insects in the hotel and “activated the fire alarms.” These demonstrators had their “share” of the attack in Netanyahu’s speech, in which he described them as “idiots who benefit from Iran” and who are funded by them, claiming that “when the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and kill women for not covering their hair praise you, promote you and fund you, you have officially become idiots who benefit from Iran,” he claimed. As for inside the Capitol, approximately 100 Democrats from the House of Representatives and 28 Democrats from the Senate attended, according to a tally conducted by Axios. This means, in practice, that about “half” of the Democrats in both chambers were absent from the speech, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, making the boycott much wider than the one Netanyahu faced in 2015, when 58 Democrats were absent from his speech. However, even some officials who attended the session were keen, in one way or another, to “annoy” Netanyahu and express their opposition to the genocide being committed in Gaza. For example, among the attendees were a number of critics of the occupation prime minister, including progressive Jewish representatives Jamie Raskin (Democrat of Maryland) and Jerry Nadler (Democrat of New York), who was carrying—and sometimes reading—a book titled “The Netanyahu Years,” which criticizes the “failures” of the latter’s rule, in a photo that was widely circulated on social media. Also in attendance was Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American in Congress and a vocal critic of Israel, wearing a keffiyeh and holding a small sign reading “Guilty of Genocide” and “War Criminal.” Today, Netanyahu is expected to meet with former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to a post on his Truth Social platform, in their first meeting since relations between them deteriorated since the 2020 elections. Trump’s post also included: “During my first term, we saw peace and stability in the region, even signing the historic Abraham Accords,” “and we will do it again,” stressing that the wars in Ukraine and Gaza must end through the implementation of the “peace through strength” agenda, adding: “Millions are dying, and Kamala Harris is in no way capable of stopping it.”

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Consensus of International media outlets: Netanyahu's rhetoric will not garner support without resolving the Gaza crisis

International newspapers focused on the repercussions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in the US Congress and his pressure on the White House to approve a specific list of weapons in the upcoming presidential elections. The British newspaper "The Times" saw that Netanyahu had resorted for decades to giving a speech in Congress when he was facing a decline in the voting rate, noting that the speech did not provide clear answers to those wondering about victory in the Gaza war and the threats accompanying

She pointed out that "the most difficult thing Netanyahu will have to face after his trip to Washington is the Israeli public, which is accustomed to his speeches."

In the same context, the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" said that Netanyahu's eloquence will not mobilize support for Israel without a final solution to the crisis in Gaza, adding that "Netanyahu's words have no weight since he is in no hurry to free the prisoners and continues to refuse to discuss a clear plan for the day after the war in Gaza."

The newspaper stressed that the Israelis are more interested in the return of the prisoners and the end date of the war, not Netanyahu's popularity at home.

On the Israeli-American relations front, Politico revealed that the delegation accompanying Netanyahu during his visit to Washington is putting pressure on the administration of US President Joe Biden to agree to provide Israel with a specific list of weapons. According to the newspaper, Israel is trying to boost its transfers and weapons stockpile before the presidential elections, and quoted a source familiar with the weapons list as saying that Israel is concerned about the possibility of a larger confrontation with the Lebanese Hezbollah.

In turn, the French newspaper "Le Monde" said in its editorial that Biden has a good chance to save the two-state solution and fight forcefully against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank after announcing that he will not run for the upcoming elections.

Biden has a historic opportunity to match his words with his actions, according to the newspaper, especially since the extremist policy pursued by the ruling coalition in Israel is in stark contrast to the official American position.

As for the American newspaper "New York Times", it focused on a British study that concluded that the death toll and injuries provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza during the first weeks of the war are credible.

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> Content was updated to include media reactions after Wednesday's speech, and subsequent developments.

Sampling reactions on social media, newspapers commentaries, and government officials' statements