Iran retaliates: Israel's miscalculation allowed Iran to sideline US and attack Israel at the same time

Iran retaliates: Israel's miscalculation allowed Iran to sideline US and attack Israel at the same time

    Saturday, April 13, 2024   No comments

It may take time before the world learns that Biden's angry 30-minute call with Israel's pm, Netanyahu, two weeks ago, was not really triggered by Israel armed forces killing aid workers, for Israel had already killed more than 250 aids workers in Gaza before this event, but it was about the attack on the Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria. The next few days and months will reveal how costly Israel’s miscalculation was and that would explain Biden's anger.

Biden's anger was not motivated by his respect for Iran's or Syria's sovereignty, of course. It is motivated by the fact that no other State, ever, had deliberately attacked diplomatic facilities even when two states were at war. This global consensus is enshrined in several treaties and protocols. So, for the State of Israel to be the first to attack a diplomatic facility, violating two sovereignties in one strike, other states were put in a very difficult position, and that opened a window for Iran to re-assert its sovereignty and claim self-defense, the same international principle that has been used by Israel to destroy Gaza and kill more than 41,000 of its people after Hamas launched its own attack on October 7, 2023.

So, on Saturday evening, Iran launched its expected attack on Israel, in response to the bombing of its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in early April, by launching dozens of drones and missiles into Israel.

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the army and air force are prepared for the expected Iranian threats, he said.

He added that the army will try to prevent the Iranian drones from reaching Israel, and will deal with them as soon as they arrive, "but we warn that the defense will not be 100%."

ABC quoted a senior American official as saying that he believes Iran will launch between 400 and 500 drones and missiles at Israel.

CNN also reported that an Israeli military official reported that he expected Iran to launch additional waves of drones over time.

This American news network also said that President Joe Biden has now met with his national security team in the White House Situations Room.

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will protect itself from any threat, and that it will do so calmly and with determination, he said.

Netanyahu added, "Israel is strong, its army is strong, its people are strong, and whoever harms us, we harm him," stressing that "Israel is prepared for any direct targeting from Iran."

He continued by saying, "Our defense systems are deployed, and we are prepared for any scenario, whether in defense or attack."

  

UN Security Council rejects US draft resolution on War in Gaza

UN Security Council rejects US draft resolution on War in Gaza

    Friday, March 22, 2024   No comments

 Algeria, the country that proposed an earlier UNSC resolution to stop the war on Gaza, rejected the US-drafted resolution. It was joined by both China and Russia, whose vetoes sunk the US resolution.

Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, said the text was inadequate and failed to address the immense suffering endured by the Palestinians. “Those who believe that the Israeli occupying power will choose to uphold its international legal obligations are mistaken,” he told the council. “They must abandon this fiction.”

Last February, it objected to the use of the term “immediate” in the draft resolution submitted by Algeria.

Since blocking the Algerian draft resolution, which calls for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza at the end of last February, US officials have been negotiating an alternative text that focuses on supporting diplomatic efforts on the ground for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of the hostages.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said that children, women and men are “living an endless nightmare,” stressing that there is no effective way to distribute aid without a ceasefire.

US rejection of three previous UNSC resolutions made some members skeptical and worried that US intentions have been thus far about shielding Israel and not about stopping the bloodshed. They want to see a clean resolution that orders an immediate cease fire and the unhindered delivery of food, water, medicine, and shelter to end the starvation of civilians in Gaza. Other issues can be addressed in separate resolutions.

China insists on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire not linked to the release of the captives

China's Permanent Representative to the Security Council, Zhang Jun, said: "We voted against the American draft resolution because it does not request an immediate ceasefire, even though the Secretary-General used Article 99 of the Charter for that purpose," adding that "the Council wasted a long time and did not request a ceasefire." Fire after."

The Chinese delegate believed that “the American draft resolution is ambiguous and does not meet the aspirations of the international community,” and that it is “unbalanced because it does not explicitly oppose the attack on Rafah,” and “it does not warn of the dire consequences that could result from such an attack.”

He continued: "The Council now has before it a clear draft resolution requesting an immediate ceasefire, and China supports it," expressing his hope "that it will gain the support of member states," because it "requests an end to the conflict and the immediate release of the hostages."

The Chinese delegate also indicated that “China rejects the accusations of America and Britain” related to its positions, considering that “if the United States is serious about a ceasefire, it should support this draft resolution.”

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, offered further explanation about China's voting position and relevant considerations after the vote.

Zhang said that more than 160 days have passed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. In the face of this human tragedy in which more than 32,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives and has left millions suffering from famine, the most urgent action to be taken by the Council is to promote an immediate, unconditional, and sustained ceasefire, which is the universal call of the international community. But the Council has dragged its feet and wasted too much time in this regard, Zhang said.

The envoy added that the US has always evaded and dodged the most essential issue, which is a ceasefire. The final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate ceasefire, nor does it even provide an answer to the question of realizing a ceasefire in the short term. This is a clear deviation from the consensus of the Council members and falls far short of the expectations of the international community. 

"An immediate ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for saving lives, expanding humanitarian access, and preventing further conflict. The US draft, on the contrary, sets up preconditions for a ceasefire, which is no different from giving a green light to continued killings, and thus unacceptable," Zhang noted.

Moscow said that the American draft resolution does not call for a ceasefire in Gaza.. Talk about that is a hoax

The Russian Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, confirmed that the American draft resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip does not include any call for a ceasefire.

Polyansky stated that the draft resolution "does not include any call for a ceasefire, as previous drafts did not include. Rather, only a philosophical statement appeared there about its importance, while linking it to the release of prisoners."

 The Russian diplomat believed that talk about the United States including a ceasefire in Gaza in the draft resolution for the first time is “just an American trick.”

In addition, “there is practically a green light for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, while attention should be focused mainly on praising the United States’ own efforts on the ground,” according to Polyansky.

He added, "This is not what humanitarian agencies need," stressing that "no philosophy will be useful in the absence of a direct demand for a ceasefire."

Polyansky pointed out, "We should not give in to Washington's attempts to present the hope as if it were a real thing, as the United States is still not interested in a real ceasefire, and is doing everything in its power not to prevent its closest ally in the Middle East from abusing the Palestinians."

History of the American veto to protect Israel

The United States’ position on UN Security Council resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is consistent with its historical use of the veto to prevent any resolutions criticizing Israel, or calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The United States, Israel's main backer, had previously used its veto power in the Security Council to prevent the international body from calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territories.

Since 1945, one of the five permanent members of the Council - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - has used its veto to stop 36 draft Security Council resolutions related to Israel and Palestine before. Of these decisions, the United States objected to 34 decisions, while Russia and China objected to two of them.

Security Council resolutions after October 7

The US veto blocked the resolution issued on October 18, 2023, which had demanded a “humanitarian truce” and Israel’s cancellation of its evacuation order in northern Gaza.

The US representative to the United Nations said, “Resolutions are important... but the actions we take must be based on facts on the ground and support direct diplomacy that can save lives,” according to what Reuters reported.

On February 20, the United States used its veto power again to stop another draft resolution in the Security Council, blocking a demand for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

13 members of the Council voted in favor of the text drafted by Algeria, while Britain abstained from voting.

This is the third American veto against a draft resolution since the start of the fighting in Gaza.

The draft resolution drafted by Algeria and objected to by the United States did not link the ceasefire to the release of the hostages, but rather demanded this separately.

Washington has opposed the use of the word ceasefire in any UN action on the war between Israel and Hamas, but the American text uses language that President Joe Biden said he used last week in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This is the second time since October 7 that Washington has proposed issuing a Security Council resolution on Gaza. Russia and China had used their veto power to stop its first attempt.

In December, more than three-quarters of the 193-member UN General Assembly voted to demand an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds. General Assembly resolutions are not binding, but they reflect a global consensus on critical matters—More than 150 countries thinking that the war in Gaza should be stopped immediately to address the starvation and killing of civilians leave the US position quite exposed. Only 10 countries voted against this UNGA resolution. The global consensus, if it continues to be opposed by the US alone, will eventually degrade US standing in the world.

A First: More than 800 Officials from ally nations across the Atlantic have united to publicly criticize their governments over the war on Gaza

A First: More than 800 Officials from ally nations across the Atlantic have united to publicly criticize their governments over the war on Gaza

    Friday, February 02, 2024   No comments

More than 800 officials in the US, the UK and the EU released a public letter of dissent against their governments’ support of Israel in its war in Gaza, The New York Times reported on Friday.

According to current and former officials spearheading or supporting the initiative, the letter marks the first time that officials from ally nations across the Atlantic have united to publicly criticize their governments over the war.

The officials argue that they are speaking up because they, as civil servants, consider that it is their duty to help improve policy and to work in their nations’ interests, and that they are speaking up because they believe their governments need to change direction on the war.

“Our governments’ current policies weaken their moral standing and undermine their ability to stand up for freedom, justice and human rights globally,” The New York Times quoted the letter as saying.

There is a “plausible risk” that their governments’ policies are contributing to “grave violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and even ethnic cleansing or genocide,” it added.

According to the newspaper, the document protected the identities of signers as they fear reprisal, said one organizer, an official who has worked in the State Department for more than 20 years.

But about 800 current officials have given approval to the letter as it has quietly circulated among employees at the national level in multiple countries, the official was quoted as saying.

The effort reveals the extent to which pro-Israel policies among American, British and European leaders have stirred dissent among civil servants, including many who engage in foreign policies of their governments.

Noting that some 80 of the signers are from American agencies, with the biggest group being from the State Department, one organizer said the governing authority most represented among the signers is the collective EU institutions, followed by the Netherlands and the US.

Al-Azhar Observatory: The Zionist entity and ISIS are two sides of the same coin

Al-Azhar Observatory: The Zionist entity and ISIS are two sides of the same coin

    Wednesday, November 22, 2023   No comments

The Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism released a note stating that the Zionist entity and the terrorist organization ISIS are “two sides of the same coin.” The Observatory reached this conclusion by comparing the Israeli occupation’s aggression against the Gaza Strip and the terrorist actions of ISIS, as a great similarity between them emerged.

The Sunni religious organization added that the occupation added "a mixture of fascism and Nazism, and produced something uglier than all the terrorist organizations combined, regardless of their names and ideologies."

Al-Azhar Observatory summarized the similarities between the Israeli occupation and the terrorist organization ISIS in the following points:

1- Using religion to achieve political gains: In this context, the Observatory noted that the head of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, cited biblical texts more than once in justifying the Israeli massacres against innocent men, women and children in the Gaza Strip.

2- Achieving the dream of empire and imperial expansion: Here, Al-Azhar Observatory explained that the ambition of the terrorist organization “ISIS” to build a theocratic state, under the name of reviving the caliphate, is the same dream of the extremist Zionists, regarding establishing the “Greater Kingdom of Israel” or the “Kingdom of David” on the land of occupied Palestine. Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, in addition to part of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

3- Racism, arrogance, and expanding the circle of racist conflict: In this regard, the Observatory pointed out that racism and the claim of superiority and the possession of rights are among the common features in the literature of ISIS and the occupation, in justifying acts of violence, killing, and assault on others, which distances itself from using methods Similar in resistance and self-defense. He added that the speeches of ISIS and the occupation perpetuate violence and terrorism in the name of religions.

4- Ethnic cleansing and genocide: Al-Azhar Observatory confirmed that there is a strong similarity between the genocidal operations carried out by ISIS members against the Yazidi nationality in Iraq, and the crimes of the occupation in the Gaza Strip, and Palestine in general. According to him, the international handling of the two cases revealed Western double standards.

5- Excessive violence and the use of brutality: With regard to this matter, the Observatory pointed out that the world has not forgotten that ISIS burned the Jordanian pilot Moaz Al-Kasasbeh alive, nor cut off the heads of members, nor blew up people’s heads with firearms and explosive devices.

According to what he continued, the starting point for these actions by ISIS is the book “Managing Savagery,” by “theorist” Abu Bakr Naji, and how to exploit brutality to “terrorize” the organization’s enemies.

The Al-Azhar Observatory stated that this is embodied in our reality with the Zionist entity, which is following the example of ISIS in “management of brutality,” in an even uglier way and with greater firepower, as we see the remains of children in Gaza every day, bodies without heads and organs without bodies, and the remains of entire families. It collects in a handful, or two handfuls, or a bag, or two bags, as well as destroying thousands of homes.

6- The scorched earth strategy: With regard to this point, the Observatory reported that the displacement policy that the Israeli occupation insists on is preceded by the scorched earth strategy.

ISIS used this same policy in Iraq and Syria, as the Al-Azhar Observatory added. He also pointed out that Jaafar Al-Ibrahimi, the Iraqi government’s advisor for infrastructure, told Reuters that “ISIS has caused losses estimated at about $30 billion in Iraqi infrastructure since 2014.”

Al-Ibrahimi continued: “ISIS used a policy of comprehensive destruction of facilities, factories, and buildings, with the intention of causing the greatest economic damage to Iraq.”

7- Disavowing international laws and conventions: According to the Observatory, ISIS continues to repeat that it does not respect international resolutions and does not respect international conventions.

Likewise, the Israeli occupation did not implement United Nations resolutions, did not respond to the calls of the world order, and did not abide by the texts of international laws and conventions. He does not see, hear, or implement all of them, to the point that many writers see him as above international law and UN resolutions, according to the Al-Azhar Observatory.

The subdivision of al-Azhar, the observatory outlines its mission as follow:

Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism seeks to consolidate the teachings of the true Islamic religion, and to maximize its message based on moderation, moderation, tolerance, and human brotherhood by providing moderate and purposeful content in various languages, emphasizing the universality of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and enhancing Egypt’s global position in the field of combating extremism and building societal peace.

  

Former US official: Killing 4,000 Palestinian children is “not enough”

Former US official: Killing 4,000 Palestinian children is “not enough”

    Wednesday, November 22, 2023   No comments

To understand why US foreign policy in the Middle East was a complete failure, listen to this former US official, talk to a NYC food cart operator and tell him how he really feels about Muhammad, Quran, Muslims, Egypt, and the war in Gaza.

Stuart Seldowitz, a former US State Department official under President Barack Obama, said that the killing of 4,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip is “not enough,” in a scene that sparked great criticism and reactions.

Seldowitz served as the acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate under the Obama administration. He also worked as a senior political officer in the State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs.

Seldowitz appeared in a video clip circulating on social media platforms, harassing a young Egyptian man who works as a street food vendor in New York by calling him a "terrorist."

The young man documented, via a video clip, that this former official came to him several times and provoked him in many ways. Among them was his inappropriate talk about Islam, and he also threatened to deport him from America.

The United States provides unlimited support to Israel during its war on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for more than 6 weeks and has left, to date, more than 14,000 martyrs, including about 5,800 children, in addition to tens of thousands injured and displaced due to the violent Israeli bombing.

Some excerpts:

Scenes posted on the “X” platform show the street vendor repeatedly explaining to Seldowitz that he is currently working, asking him to stay away from him. However, the latter refused and insulted him, calling him ignorant because he did not master English.

Seldowitz, after continuing to harass the street vendor, accusing him of supporting the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and "terrorism," told him, "Do you know? If we kill 4,000 Palestinian children. That's not enough, it's not enough."

In other scenes, Seldowitz also appears harassing the seller by uttering provocative and insulting words toward the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the Holy Quran.

"What do you speak? You speak Arabic, the language of the Quran, the holy Quran that some people use as a toilet. What do you think of that, people who used the Quran as a toilet? Does it bother you?" Seldowitz asks mockingly.

"That’s why you're selling food in a food cart, because you’re ignorant. But you should learn English. It’ll help you when they deport you back to Egypt and then the Mukhabarat wants to interview you.”

In another video, he harasses the same vendor but is interrupted by a bystander who tells him to leave, saying "It's not right; you are harassing."

 

In an Open Letter, 100s of American journalists criticize coverage of the war on Gaza and the killing of journalists

In an Open Letter, 100s of American journalists criticize coverage of the war on Gaza and the killing of journalists

    Friday, November 10, 2023   No comments

More than 750 journalists signed an open letter condemning Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza, and criticizing Western media's coverage of the war, according to the Washington Post on Friday.

The American newspaper said that more than 750 journalists from dozens of news organizations signed an open letter condemning Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza, and criticizing Western media coverage of the war.

The letter stated that newsrooms (Western media) are responsible for the inhumane rhetoric that served the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

The letter includes “signatories from Reuters and the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Washington Post” and reflects “the divisions and frustrations within newsrooms.”

The newspaper noted that signing the letter to some journalists was a bold and even dangerous step, adding that journalists in media organizations had been expelled because they adopted public political positions that might expose them to accusations of bias, according to the newspaper, without specifying these means.

The Washington Post pointed out that many writers, artists, researchers and academics criticized the media coverage of the Israeli war on Gaza.

The letter's authors said it was a call to recommit to justice and not abandon it.

In turn, Abdullah Fayyad, a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2022 and a former member of the Boston Globe editorial board, who signed the letter, said, “I hope that after this letter, the culture of fear around this issue will be reversed, and that decision-makers, reporters, and editors will be made to think twice about language.” that they use."

“This is about demanding that journalists do their job: hold power accountable,” said Sohana Hussain, a labor reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

The letter stresses that journalists should use words such as “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “genocide” to describe Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, terms that the petition’s signatories explain are used by international human rights organizations.

It also focuses on journalists who were killed by Israeli forces, and their number reached 39 media workers.

A journalist is killed daily

The Washington Post confirmed yesterday that one journalist is killed in Gaza every day, and described this as a terrifying rate.

The newspaper said that the latest petition comes after a series of petitions signed by media professionals, academics and artists calling for an end to the war and not to obscure what is happening in Gaza.

She also mentioned that another petition signed by hundreds of Jewish writers called for stopping the war and saving civilian lives, and added, "We are horrified when we see the battle against anti-Semitism used as an excuse to commit war crimes with declared genocidal intent."