Is this what self-defense looks like?

Is this what self-defense looks like?

    Wednesday, September 25, 2024   No comments

 France's Macron to Israel: stop killing babies

If these are the images and characterization of what Israeli "self-defense" looks like, then what basis is there to condemn other "self-defenses"?

If Israel can kill babies and women, starve two million people, throw injured persons off rooftops, kills medical doctors and aid workers, sexually abuse Palestinian prisoners, and torture detained Palestinians, then what basis is there to condemn others if they do it?

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. 

With US refrained from using its veto this time, 14 UNSC members adopted a resolution calling for a cease fire in Gaza

With US refrained from using its veto this time, 14 UNSC members adopted a resolution calling for a cease fire in Gaza

    Monday, March 25, 2024   No comments

None of the UNSC P5 member States used their NO vote; that is all it took.

For the first time, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, more than 5 months after the Israeli war, as the United States - the main supporter of Tel Aviv - refrained from using its veto this time.

The resolution presented by non-permanent members of the Security Council calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the urgent need to increase aid and demanding the removal of all obstacles to its delivery.

Algeria's representative to the United Nations, Ammar Ben Jama, said that the adoption of the resolution is a message to the people of Gaza that the international community feels their pain and has not abandoned them.

He continued, saying, "We want Palestine to become a full and sovereign member of the United Nations."

The adoption of the resolution came after the Council failed to pass an amendment to the draft by adding the phrase “permanent ceasefire.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said a failure to implement the resolution would be “unforgivable.”

“The Security Council just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable,” Guterres wrote on X.

Last Friday, Russia and China used their veto power to drop a US draft resolution calling for a ceasefire “in the framework of a deal to release the hostages,” a formulation that the Arab countries, Moscow, and Beijing described as “politicized and ambiguous.”

The United States has previously systematically opposed the term “ceasefire” in United Nations resolutions, and has obstructed 3 texts in this context, since the beginning of the war.

The United States, alone, again, blocking a UNSC resolution backed by more than 100 countries calling for a stop to the War on Gaza

The United States, alone, again, blocking a UNSC resolution backed by more than 100 countries calling for a stop to the War on Gaza

    Friday, December 08, 2023   No comments

Not a single country among the current members of the United Nations Security Council sided with the United States to vote against the resolution calling for the end of violence in Gaza on humanitarian grounds. 

The support for the resolution was unprecedented, with more than 100 countries out of 193 sponsoring the resolution.

The resolution was introduced when the UN Secretary General invoked the rarely used Chapter 99 of the UN Charter. Guterres invoked Article 99, which says the secretary-general may inform the council of matters he believes threaten international peace and security. Nonetheless, the US government vetoed the resolution. 

The UK, this time, too, found another reason to abstain from taking a stand. The UK government justified its abstention by the need to condemn Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack as an act of terrorism. During a similar UNSC vote that included language that condemned Hamas, the UK still refused to support the resolution. 

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Powerful countries who habitually abuse their power will always find excuses and justifications for the abuses.

The isolation of the United States in the world community is indicative of the loss of credibility, something that is very hard to recover from at a time when the US and its allies are struggling to find support to counter Russia and China.

Indonesian Foreign Minister: We will pursue "Israel" in the International Court of Justice

Indonesian Foreign Minister: We will pursue "Israel" in the International Court of Justice

    Tuesday, November 28, 2023   No comments

Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, asked today, Tuesday, whether what the Israeli occupation is committing in the Gaza Strip is acceptable from the standpoint of international law, stressing that the international community has “double standards.”

During the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Palestine, Marsudi said that Indonesia would pursue "Israel" legally in the International Court of Justice.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister stressed that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories must end, and also called on the international community for equal treatment to build peace and justice.

I stand before the #UNGA #ESS10 on Palestine (26/10), not only as the Foreign Minister of Indonesia 🇮🇩, but also as a woman, a mother, a grandmother… and to defend justice & humanity

I plead… stop the killing, protect the civilians, let in the humanitarian assistance to #Gaza pic.twitter.com/IBOm4whXoQ

— Menteri Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia (@Menlu_RI) October 26, 2023

She added: "We need a permanent ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian aid, standing for justice, and the resumption of the peace process and the political process."

Marsudi pointed out that Indonesia cannot stand idly by "to see thousands of innocent women and children killed, and to see homes, schools and hospitals razed to the ground and turned into rubble."

I spoke at the General Assembly meeting at UNHQ today (28/11) on Palestine.

Indonesia cannot stand still to see thousands of death of innocent women & children. Indonesia cannot stand still to see homes, schools & hospitals being flattened to rubbles. pic.twitter.com/8ftFp6BTLi

— Menteri Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia (@Menlu_RI) November 28, 2023

media review: Is India being pressured by the West using the human rights claims?

media review: Is India being pressured by the West using the human rights claims?

    Sunday, September 24, 2023   No comments

India and Canada are in a diplomatic crisis at this point, and now made more intense with the US government declaring its support for Canada and reportedly providing the Canadian government with intelligence about the assassination case. Indian media reacted to the US involvement. Like the Guadian newspaper three years ago, Indian media started to produce the list of assassinations undertaken by the US government in other sovereign nations and on official of sovereign nation states.  

The Tribune asked: Look who’s talking, US reveals its bias, double standards:

BACKING Canada’s efforts to vilify India over allegations of its involvement in the killing of pro-Khalistan terror accused Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the US — that inveterate global policeman — has stated that no country can get any ‘special exemption’ for such actions. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said: ‘We will defend our basic principles and consult closely with allies like Canada as they pursue their law enforcement and diplomatic process.’ But has India sought any exemption, special or otherwise? Obviously not. New Delhi has not only rejected Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s claims as ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’ but also asked Ottawa to share relevant evidence, if any. There’s a bigger question: Does the US have the moral authority to grant such an exemption, even if unsolicited, considering its own unenviable history of adventurism in foreign lands? The answer is again an emphatic no.

 

Ukrainian president said he will not talk to Russia until Putin is gone; meet his likely successor—Medvedev?

Ukrainian president said he will not talk to Russia until Putin is gone; meet his likely successor—Medvedev?

    Thursday, June 01, 2023   No comments

Medvedev, a lawyer and former president of Russia, just labeled the Kiev regime a terror entity and said that it must be exterminated because they act as terrorists, and described the attacks on Russia by drones as a “terrorist act”.

The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, DmitryMedvedev, said that the Ukrainian regime is behaving like a terrorist, adding that terrorists must be eliminated.

Medvedev's remarks came during his visit to a military training center in the Volgograd region, today, Thursday.

Medvedev described the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia as a "terrorist act".

He explained, “This is not a military action,” pointing out that it is a type of weapon that cannot harm military installations.

And the deputy head of the Russian Security Council added: “It is clear to everyone that this is a terrorist attack. It does not comply with the rules of war. Its purpose is to harm the civilian population only, because the drones used cannot cause damage to military installations.

He added, "the Kiev regime must be exterminated because it is a hornet's nest, otherwise it will pose a constant threat," noting that terrorist attacks must be responded to as harshly as possible.

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Kiev regime launched a terrorist attack with drones on facilities in the city of Moscow.

In its statement, the ministry indicated that 8 drones participated in the attack on Moscow, and all of them were shot down by the Pantsir-S air defense system.

The Russian defense also confirmed that 3 drones were shot down in Moscow through the use of electronic warfare means, which caused the drones to lose control and deviate from their targets.

The role of the UN and the UNSC in preventing conflict

The role of the UN and the UNSC in preventing conflict

    Saturday, April 01, 2023   No comments

The role of the UN and the UNSC in preventing conflict is non-existent because of its lack of independence from Western hegemony.

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq was asked if the US military presence in Syria is illegal. Listen and watch his answer.

Substitute the questions about Syria with same questions about the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and you get your answers why the world is not up in arms against the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Only the West is, but it was the West that made such actions acceptable.

UNSC failed to get Nord Stream blast international independent investigative commission

UNSC failed to get Nord Stream blast international independent investigative commission

    Monday, March 27, 2023   No comments

The UNSC, which literally stands for the United Nations Security Council, and whose mission “is to maintain international peace and security;” failed to adopt a resolution that “would have established an international independent investigative commission into the September 2022 “acts of sabotage” committed on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.”

The vote, or lack thereof as was the case this time, shows how politicized this UN body has become. If the attack on an asset established to transact trade between a number of nation-states is not of concern to the UN body charged with maintaining peace and security, then what is?

The politics of power and control are not limited to the halls of the UN. The media, too, is deep in the business of writing narratives that are highly political and less informative. This screen capture shows how some of these media outlets reported about the vote: “Russia fails at UN to get Nord Stream blast inquiry” when the fact is clear: the UNSC failed to get Nord Stream blast inquiry.

It is because of media bias and the ineptitude of the UNSC that countries are invaded, peoples exploited, and resources and pillaged by the rich and powerful.

Abe's memoirs after his assassination: I met Putin despite Washington's objection...and rejected sanctions against Moscow

Abe's memoirs after his assassination: I met Putin despite Washington's objection...and rejected sanctions against Moscow

    Saturday, February 11, 2023   No comments

The memoirs of the late Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, were issued seven months after his assassination, and revealed that his visit to Russia in 2016 angered the then US President, Barack Obama.

Abe said in his memoirs: “When I visited the United States in 2016 to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit, I told Obama that I would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi in May, and soon signs of discontent appeared on his face, and he answered me angrily: If I was in your place, when you did that."

He added, "I visited Sochi, and met Putin, despite Washington's objection."

Abe also pointed out that Obama's position stems from the United States' desire to keep intensifying the efforts of the Group of Seven countries, collectively, on the issue of pressure on Moscow, following the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation.

Abe mentioned in his memoirs that Obama's sudden proposal, during the "G7" summit in Brussels in 2014, to impose sanctions against Russia, due to differences over Ukraine and the accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation, sparked reactions and reservations by some European countries. Like France, which was planning to export amphibious ships to Russia, and Germany, which relies mainly on Russian gas.

Abe confirmed that "Obama was strict in raising the issue of sanctions" against Russia, and he distributed himself, surprisingly and contrary to diplomatic norms, the list of sanctions to the participants in the summit, although this list was not passed to experts, for study before it was presented.

Abe said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked him about Tokyo's position on sanctions, and he replied, "Japan will not participate in sanctions against Russia, because that would strain negotiations between the two countries, but we can issue a document of condemnation in the form of criticism."

He pointed out that Merkel suggested that everyone issue a statement condemning Russia, and leave the discussion of sanctions at the administrative level of each country, as it deems appropriate.

Abe noted that "everyone felt relieved," because the issue of sanctions against Russia was not agreed upon among the countries of the group, and it was adopted to issue a statement, collectively condemning Russia, instead of sanctions.

Likewise, Abe touched in his memoirs on the peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo in 2018, and considered that it was not "considered a concession by Tokyo," because according to the joint Soviet-Japanese declaration on October 19, 1956, the Soviet Union pledged at the time to return Shikotan Island, and many The uninhabited islands adjacent to the Lesser Kuril Mountain Range, to Japan, upon the conclusion of a final peace treaty, between the two countries.

He described Japan's demand to Russia to return all the islands of the southern part of the Kuril Islands at once as illogical, and means that these islands will never return to Japan.

It is noteworthy that Abe's memoirs include 18 press interviews, in a question and answer format, for a total of 36 hours. It was not published before due to its very sensitive nature, and it was put up for sale in Japan this week.

It is reported that Abe (67 years old) was subjected to an armed attack on July 8, 2022 while he was giving a speech at an election event in the city of Nara, in the west of the country, where he was shot with a gun from behind, after which he was transferred to the hospital, and died of his wounds.

What is the prospect of negotiation with Russia after Merkel's recognition? The erosion of Western credibility

What is the prospect of negotiation with Russia after Merkel's recognition? The erosion of Western credibility

    Tuesday, December 13, 2022   No comments

Former German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in an interview with the German newspaper "Zeit" recently, considered the Minsk agreement of 2014 as an attempt to give Ukraine enough time to prepare for war against Russia. She expressed doubt that the then NATO countries could have done everything they are doing now to help Ukraine.

The Minsk Agreement is a series of international agreements signed between 2014 and 2015 by the Tripartite Contact Group on Ukraine, which consists of Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, mediated by the leaders of France and Germany, with the aim of ending the war in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

China reacted to the Merkel's revelation by issuing statements contending that the "Real intention behind Minsk agreements further destroys credibility of the West".

China's international media outlet, GT, which is aimed at communicating Chinese point of view to the West concluded that "They were just a stopgap to buy time for Ukraine and the West, and Western countries have never put real effort into resolving the differences with Russia over the Ukraine crisis."

The daily added:

What the former German leader stated tears down the last remaining bit of the "friendly" mask some Western countries put on with Russia. In the eyes of some Western countries, Russia is just a diplomatic and political "alien." Moreover, under the influence of Washington, some view Moscow as a so-called threat due to its huge military power and political system that does not meet the "Western standard." As a result, these countries have never stopped suppressing Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Merkel's confession about the Minsk agreements also showed that some Western countries, particularly the US, do not honor contractual obligations at all. They can go back on their words so easily. 

After Merkel's statements, Putin said that her statements were "disappointing," pointing out that "trust at the present time is almost non-existent, but after Merkel's statements it became unclear how to negotiate."

He explained that "it turned out that no one intended to implement the Minsk agreements," according to the recent German statements, and the statements of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, stressing, "Only we were working sincerely."

 

Likewise, Putin considered Merkel's remarks to mean that "we were right to initiate the special military operation."

The Russian president said, "We are ready and open to negotiation, but the statements prompt us to think about guarantees and confidence-building measures," adding that "there is no general military mobilization, but rather some formations that can be replaced."

It is noteworthy that Merkel said, earlier, that she does not see a reason for her participation in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, and stressed that it "will be resolved through negotiations one day."

This came in response to a question put to her by the German newspaper "Zeit" about the possibility of resolving the Ukrainian crisis, noting that "all conflicts end at the negotiating table."

Merkel indicated that her previous attempts to settle the crisis between Russia and Ukraine "were aimed at preventing a clash between the two countries," pointing out that "the failure of these attempts does not mean that they were wrong."

Other Russian officials are now less motivated to negotiate any deals with Ukraine. Russian Senator Olga Kovidetti commented on Merkel's statements by saying: "The geopolitical collusion of Britain and the United States and their obedient vassal Ukraine on the deliberate delay in implementing the Minsk agreements with the aim of preparing Ukraine for conflict with Russia undermines the credibility of any subsequent negotiations and any agreements with these personalities Western politics.”

In turn, the State Duma Speaker said that Merkel's confession holds Germany and France, the guarantors of the Minsk Agreement, responsible for what is happening in Ukraine, morally and materially.

Even some European leaders were taken aback by Merkel’s revelations. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed his surprise at the statements of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Serbian president said that these are statements that change the position on what happened in Ukraine since 2014, adding that former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko previously indicated that they never intended to implement the agreements.

This European position is not limited to the Minsk Agreement. Rather, it is a repeat of what happened with the nuclear agreement with Iran. When US withdrew from the agreement, which was backed by the UNSC, European states essentially joined the US, in practice, and denied Iran all the rights given to it by the terms of the agreement.

   

Esper's diary: Trump relied on fabricated and misleading information to target Soleimani

Esper's diary: Trump relied on fabricated and misleading information to target Soleimani

    Tuesday, May 10, 2022   No comments

Former US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, in his memoirs, asserts that "Trump greatly exaggerates his statements, and often makes unreliable and fabricated statements."

Former US Defense Secretary Mark Esper confirmed that he "opposed" former US President Donald Trump's decision to target the commander of the Quds Force, the martyr Qassem Soleimani, after Trump claimed "Soleimani was involved in targeting 4 US diplomatic missions."

Esper's newly released memoirs, titled "A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Defense Secretary During Difficult Times", stated that "the daily intelligence briefings, which he reviewed, did not include any evidence to support the theory of accusing Soleimani of an attack on American embassies," adding that "Trump Adopt a pattern of behavior based on lying.

"Trump greatly exaggerates his statements, often making unreliable and fabricated statements," Esper wrote in his memoirs.

Esper was directly attacked by President Trump, who accused him of dishonesty, and was subsequently dismissed from office in November 2020.

Earlier, Esper revealed, in his memoirs, that Trump suggested shooting demonstrators who demanded racial justice, when the demonstrations approached the White House.

Redacted quotes in a new book by former US defence secretary Mark Esper suggest that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on US President Donald Trump to take direct military action against Iran's nuclear programme. 

In the book, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, Esper notes that Trump seemed firm in his commitment not to enter a war with Iran, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday.

He writes: "The president often had others in the room, and foreign leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling him [REDACTED]."

Esper wrote that Milley told him that Robert O'Brien, Trump's national security adviser, had called to say that "the president wanted to strike a senior military officer who was operating outside of Iran".

"But why now? What was new? Was there an imminent threat? What about gathering the national security team to discuss this?

"Milley said he was 'stunned' by the call, and he sensed that O'Brien 'put the president up to this,' trying to create news that would help Trump's re-election."