Connexion
This utterly false representation which we’ve discussed many times, still continues with gusto. It has morphed into a hard-headed unwillingness to examine the matter with care. Hopefully, this explanation by FM Lavrov calms the turbulent waters.
Eva Bartlett reports:
MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/.
“Former Syrian President Bashar Assad did not coordinate his approaches with Russia prior to his resignation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).”
“He did not coordinate any approaches. We maintained close relations with Assad and extended assistance to his government in 2015, when Damascus was effectively besieged and at risk of falling to opposition forces. We established military presence there – air force and naval bases – and actively worked to dismantle terrorist strongholds. Our efforts were collaborative, involving other international partners, primarily Iran and Turkey. Overall, the process was quite positive,” Lavrov stated.
Reflecting on the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, Lavrov noted, “The agreements we reached with our Iranian and Turkish colleagues faced repeated setbacks. These agreements were not entirely dependent on the Assad government. I prefer not to draw definitive historical conclusions now, but many opportunities were missed regarding national reconciliation, consensus, and inviting all political and ethno-confessional groups to participate in dialogue.”
He also recalled the situation a year ago when certain events unfolded in Syria. “At that time, we had no combat units on the ground – only two bases, one air and one naval. The rapid advance of the opposition, led by Ahmed al-Shara’a, was unexpected. They seized territory with little resistance,” Lavrov explained.”
https://tass.com/politics/2059011
Is This the New Shape of War? The Venezuela Precedent***
What defines war today? It is no longer just the sound of artillery or the movement of armies. It has become something quieter and far more patient. Look closely at Venezuela. What you see there is a test, a blueprint for a new kind of conflict. This is a war of pressure and isolation.
Venezuela is the laboratory, and the experiment being run there threatens to become a standard playbook for how powerful nations can force weaker ones to obey. Think about the method. First, the story must be told. A country’s complex reality is simplified:
Here, come up with a drug trafficking BS story. It becomes an easy story of good fighting evil. This story is broadcast everywhere to justify what comes next. It makes the world believe that aggressive action is not aggression at all, but a necessary act of moral duty.
Then the true siege begins. But there are no visible walls. Instead, the blockade is built from financial rules and trade bans. A nation’s economy is slowly strangled. Its money becomes worthless. Food and medicine cannot get in. The goal is clear: make life so unbearable for ordinary people that they will demand change themselves.
The battlefield is the supermarket aisle and the hospital ward. The weapons are inflation and scarcity. Is this not a cruel way to fight?
The final stage is forced surrender. With the country brought to its knees, an ultimatum is delivered. The choices are surrender or more suffering. Give up control of your nation’s wealth. Hand over political power. The message is simple: you cannot refuse. When the survival of your entire society is at stake, how can you say no?
This is the dangerous new model being tested. If it works in Venezuela, what will stop its use elsewhere? Which nation will be next? Old targets like Nicaragua and Cuba would face this new, sharper tool. Even allies might one day feel its sting if they step out of line.
This strategy is clean for those who use it. It is easy to deny. It is brutally effective. Victory is no longer measured in captured land, but in a nation’s broken will.
Venezuela stands as a warning. The world must ask itself a simple question: Is this the future we accept? Is this the new, silent shape of war?
Commentary – Amarynth:
Vnezuela is slipping deeper into a position of being under siege. More oil tankers are not going into the area, because there is fear that more tankers will be seized in acts of undisguised piracy. https://diarioversionfinal.com/mundo/petroleros-cambian-de-rumbo-tras-incautacion-de-crudo-venezolano-por-ee-uu/
Trump, without hiding it, is supporting his supporters in elections across the region. In Honduras, Trump openly meddled in the election, trying to put a right-wing US puppet in power. The fraud was so blatant, after 2 weeks there is still no winner. The US backed a military coup in Honduras in 2009.
Chevron has just reduced the price of Venezuelan crude for US refineries following the seizure of the oil tanker. Venezuelan oil price fell below US$50 in November as tensions with US rise.
Venezuela announced that it is “immediately terminating any contract or negotiation involving the supply of gas” to Trinidad and Tobago and accuses the government of that island of being involved in the seizure of an oil tanker.
The baseball leagues of Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic announced Monday to the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) that they will not be able to participate in the Caribbean Series Caracas 2026, scheduled from February 1 to 7, citing “external situations” outside their control. They say that Venezuela is perfectly able to stage the series, and this is an external circumstance.
I believe the fishermen do not go fishing, which deprives the Venezuelan people of everyday food.
The US is positioned in the area, its navy like a bully grandpa, aged and demented octopus. They overfly whatever they want to overfly and shoot whatever they want to shoot. I wonder sometimes who instructed whom? In Gaza, the zionists shoot fisherboats and kids on the beach. In Gaza, the Palestinians cannot move in or out. In Gaza, the Palestinians are deprived of food. In Gaza, the genocide continues, and a peace agreement is an attempted appeasement of genocide. If this trend of siege continues, we will see the entry-level picture of another genocide. The cry of ‘Maduro must go’ is the same as Assad must go, and Syria is in travail. It is the same cry that Hamas must go, and Hezbollah must lay down arms. Just as the drug accusations are nonsense, so is the idea that Venezuela will benefit if Maduro goes.
UPDATE: Just a while after both Angelo Giuliano and myself recognized the signs of a siege, Ben Norton writes about it as well:
The US military is besieging Venezuela. This is a naval blockade, aimed at starving Venezuela of supplies and preventing it from exporting oil.
The US goal is to "make the economy scream", to cause an economic collapse.
The Trump admin is waging a colonial war of aggression. https://t.co/qu0URAcdLJ
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 16, 2025
Netanyahu’s idea is “Make the Midde-East in Israel’s image.” Opening speech on the video, by Jeffrey Sachs.
We’ve been talking about an attempt at Pax Judaica that is operating in the region now. What seems to be happening in Australia is that the country is being punished for standing for a Palestinian State some months ago. The investigation itself is a zionist affair and the Australian law enforcement is being pushed out. This is in order to own the narrative. When Syria fell, it was unbelievable how the narrative was created and I watched with dismay. This narrative is now on steroids. Israeli intelligence now claims far and wide that Iran is the prime suspect in the Bondi Beach attack. At least the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected ICC‑wanted Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood was behind the shooting. Asked by the ABC if he saw a link between the decision and the Bondi Beach shooting, Albanese replied: “No, I don’t.”
The brave man who attacked the one shooter at Bondi Beach and took his gun away, is being lauded, but nobody says his name. His name is Ahmed al Ahmed. With the vile narrative building from the zionist entity, we of course can’t say that Ahmed did something very brave and was shot twice himself. Then the narrative falls apart.
Israeli soldiers capture the moment they light the first Hannukah candles in Mount Hermon, Syria.
For Hannukkah, I’ve never seen so many giant Hannukkah candles in the open. I’ve seen these candle holders in Russia, in Ukraine, in the US and in many locations. Here Israeli soldiers capture the moment they light the first Hannukah candles in Mount Hermon, Syria, area that does not belong to them.
The narrative continues in the US and in Britian.
This story, from Syria, to now, is one story. It is one initiative and one set of hasbara to attempt to adjust the worldview toward zionist-israel. They want all of us to forget the consequences of their genocide and as such, they want to walk free.
Giant Hanukkah menorah in Moscow was not lit this year, first time since 1991. The office of Russia’s chief rabbi said the ceremony was not approved by city officials ‘for security reasons’
PIG HEADS THROWN ON MUSLIM GRAVES NEAR BONDI TERROR ATTACKS
We of course also do not see anything about children shot and fishermen shot and bombed and any other horror in Gaza. That is suddenly verboten to talk about, while the narrative is being constructed in order to resucitate the ‘poor jew under assault’ story. Last night’s bombing, shooting, more tanks in Gaza and more children and Gazan’s killed is not in the headlines. The attacks on Lebanon is ongoing.
But the 10 year old child (rip) killed at Bondi Beach, have huge photos in all media.
NETANYAHU:
“We have never killed children in Gaza.
This is antisemitic propaganda.” pic.twitter.com/AvRopbWZjA
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) December 10, 2025
To tie this to Syria, looks like two stories, but it is one, and is an intellectual and social assault on all of us. IOF soldiers celebrated the Hanukkah holiday by lighting torches atop the ruins of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, the main medical facility in northern Gaza that once served thousands of Palestinian civilians, and now lies in ruins.
Here is an update. It is a speech by Netanyahu (apologies).
Australia “caused” antisemitism by recognizing a Palestinian state.
Albanese “let the disease spread” by not following Israel’s preferred policy.
The Bondi attack happened because Australia showed “weakness.”
Western governments must act according to what Israel expects, or terrorism will “consume you as well.”
There were no condolences, no expressions of solidarity, only political coercion using a domestic Australian tragedy as leverage. I believe this attack is not innocent but was created to confirm that everyone must obey the dictates of the zionist entity. Netanyahu’s message to the West is “Follow our political line or your citizens will die, and it will be your fault.” That crosses every line of respect between sovereign states and sounds like a direct threat.
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Syriana Analysis: In tonight’s live stream, I break down the mysterious incident involving US forces in Syria in which three American service members lost their lives – and why the official version of events does not add up.
While US officials publicly point to the so-called “Islamic State” as the culprit, multiple indications suggest something very different: that the individual who opened fire in the ambush was actually a member of the Syrian security apparatus operating under the Jolani-led authorities. In other words, part of the same structure that has been indirectly empowered and protected by Washington in post-Assad Syria.
We will look at: • The timeline of the incident and how the story changed • Why blaming “IS” so quickly helps maintain a convenient narrative • How local security forces linked to Jolani interact with US troops on the ground • The broader relationship between the Jolani system and US policy in northern Syria • What this reveals about the real nature of American presence in Syria after the fall of Assad
This episode is not about sensationalism. It is about connecting open-source information, leaks and local testimonies to understand how a supposed partner structure can become a direct threat – and why this is almost impossible to admit in official statements.
Professor Marandi has his own show now on … tadaaa … Al Mayadeen.
(I said previously it was Al Jazeera, but I was mistaken).
For over four decades, Iran has been one of the most discussed and most distorted countries in the global media. Western and regional outlets have consistently portrayed it as unstable, irrational, dangerous, or perpetually on the brink of collapse.
But how much of that narrative is grounded in reality, and how much is manufactured? In the first episode of Demystifying Iran, we break apart the dominant myths that shape the world’s understanding of the Islamic Republic.
Through rigorous analysis and perspectives sourced from inside Iran, not filtered through think tanks, exiles, or geopolitical rivals, we explore:
Myth 1: The “Imminent Collapse” of Iran How a resilient political system, forged in revolution and war, continues to defy Western predictions.
Myth 2: Iran’s “Proxies” and Regional Aggression Why Resistance movements are not proxies, but part of a strategic alliance built around shared principles and political agency.
Myth 3: “Mad Mullahs” and Nuclear Bombs How Orientalist caricatures obscure Iran’s legal rights, strategic logic, and binding religious rulings against nuclear weapons.
This episode reveals how decades of Western, regional, and Zionist discourse collapsed an ancient civilization into a two-dimensional cartoon, “nuclear sites and instability”, and how that caricature has enabled wars, sanctions, and violations of sovereignty. Demystifying Iran challenges viewers to step outside the narrative loop and hear the perspectives long excluded from mainstream coverage.
… a crime was committed; one that should have brought the sky crashing down and split the heavens in two… but it passed.
Terrorist Israeli Ocupation soldiers shot dead a ten-year-old boy, Zaher Nasser Shamiya. He fell to the ground.
But wait, killing him wasn’t enough. While his body was still warm, still trying to understand the pain, a tank advanced toward him.
It drove over his tiny frame.
It crushed him.
It split him in two on the eastern side of Jabalia, as if his soul had become part of the road beneath it.
Had this crime occurred anywhere other than Gaza, the sky would have collided with the earth, and capitals around the world would have shaken.
But in Gaza, the world grows more vile, more unjust, more willing to accept the unbearable, more numbingly cruel.
It is only us…only we who carry all the rage.
Only we who hear the impact.
Only we who see the blood writing truth across the asphalt.
Genocided Gaza-December 2025
One of the days of what they dare to call “a ceasefire”.
…
Trump is still bloviating that there is peace in the middle east. The word peace is coopted as the word terrorist is coopted.
This is what we talk about if we talk about Pax Judaica.
This video explains in depth what happened.
There were some of our reliable journalists who continually blamed Russia for losing Syria. I was not of that opinion, as I watched Mr Lavrov at the very final regional meeting before the gates of Idlib opened. There was significant pushback on my stance, as it was more comfortable to blame Russia for ‘losing’ Syria. I also did not believe that Russia would leave the issue, but would let it develop. The criticism was around ‘Russia is only trying to keep its warm water ports’, and completely forgotten was the fact that Russia rescued at least Bashar al-Assad and offered many Syrians safety around the Russian area. This opinion, that Russia did not rescue Syria, spreading ‘Russia Sold out Syria’ became the prevailing orthodoxy. It was not correct then, and it is not correct now.
Recently, another lengthy interview was published on the issue, and I waited a moment to debunk it, as it was beginning to need serious debunking. To my joy, others recognized that the orthodoxy is becoming destructive. Throughout the time, I watched a number of journalists who remained quiet on the matter and, of course, wondered why. These are now stepping forward: journalists like Eva Karene Bartlett and, specifically, Marwa Osman, both highly competent, who have never spoken out in this way.
One can forgive those who were making up and pushing the idea of ‘Russia sold out Syria’ over and over again, because they’ve done good work. Still, during that time, no matter what was presented, they insisted on claiming a higher-than-all perception and continued with Russia Bad under the guise of: We Will Speak the Truth, no matter what. OK, but if your truth sucks and is a made-up view, to serve your world-view? There is no problem with critiquing Russia, but why not instead tell who was behind the fall of Syria instead of continually critiquing from a ‘better than’ perspective?
Here is Sharmine Narwani from the Cradle, who did a thorough and correct look-back on the fall of Syria, why Russia did what she did, and the current development trajectory. I am grateful for this work. Throughout this time, I had a sense that Russia was staying because it was blocking something, which turned out to be the correct and justifiable stance.
Eva Bartlett says: “Sharmine Narwani’s words are a rational counter to the “Russia sold out Syria” voices.
“Sharaa goes to Moscow to meet with Putin. And of course, those who are against the terror that Syria experienced and the regime change were appalled: ‘Putin’s working with the Zionists. Putin’s okay with al-Qaeda!’
No. No. Countries act in accordance with their national interests. And they’re opportunistic. Opportunism is what you need to be as a political leader of a country…”
*Note: Sharmine was going to Syria early on in the global war on Syria. If I recall correctly, she went there in 2012 or 2013, I myself started going there in 2014 (https://ingaza.wordpress.com/syria/syria-my-published-articles-from-and-on-syria-2014-2022/). She has credibility on the ground, she took a very unpopular, honest, stance back then, writing excellent articles countering the propaganda. She’s credible now.]”
A year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad and Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s rise to power, Syria remains a politically volatile state. West Asian geopolitical analyst and Cradle columnist Sharmine Narwani joins TMJ News to reveal the power plays unfolding behind the scenes: Russia’s sudden return near the Golan, Israel expanding its reach in the south, Gulf and Turkish maneuvering, U.S. calculations, and the IMF positioning itself for influence. What does the future of Syria look like as foreign powers get involved?
Time Stamps:
00:00 One year of Jolani in Power
08:30 Syria and the Abraham Accords
16:02 Why Russia is Back in Syria
22:55 MAGA vs. MIGA
25:58 What Media get Wrong about Syria
There comes a time when one has to give credit where credit is due. This does not mean sudden trust, it does not mean that one throws knowledge away and suddenly become love partners with the Arab states, it only means we give credit where it is due, at this moment. The future will tell. The Doha forum unfortunately had everyone and the kitchen sink taking part. We had Kaja Kallas and such people taking part. But, the Qatar and Türkiye leaders spoke truth, clearly, with no ambiguity.
Gaza Ceasefire Lacks Stability, Say Regional Leaders
This is from https://interbellumnews.com/conflicts/palestine/qatar-t%C3%BCrkiye-warn-gaza-ceasefire-is-fragile-incomplete
Top mediators Qatar and Türkiye issued a stark warning that the nearly two-month pause in Gaza is fragile and incomplete, stating that a genuine ceasefire cannot be achieved without the full withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the ongoing violence that continues to claim Palestinian lives.
Speaking at the Doha Forum on Saturday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani emphasized that the current situation amounts to merely a “pause” in hostilities. He asserted that stability, freedom of movement for Palestinians, and a complete Israeli military withdrawal are non-negotiable prerequisites for a lasting peace. This call was echoed by regional leaders who stress that without addressing the core issue of Palestinian rights and sovereignty, any agreement risks repeating cycles of violence.
Despite the truce that began on October 10, the Israeli military campaign has not ceased, with Palestinian authorities reporting over 600 violations in seven weeks. Since the truce started, Israeli attacks have killed at least 360 Palestinians, including 70 children.
Just on Saturday, seven people were killed in separate incidents across northern Gaza. This ongoing violence underscores the mediators’ point that the current arrangement fails to provide genuine safety for Gaza’s civilian population.
Furthermore, key provisions of the first phase of the U.S.-brokered plan remain unfulfilled. The agreed-upon daily target of 600 aid trucks entering Gaza has never been reached, and the Rafah border crossing has not been reopened for two-way movement as stipulated. Egypt, alongside other nations, has condemned an Israeli plan to open Rafah exclusively for Palestinian departures, warning it could facilitate permanent displacement and blocks aid entry, a move seen as a breach of the peace plan.
The proposed second phase of the deal, which has yet to begin, involves a complex set of interlinked challenges that mediators are urgently trying to solve. The phase calls for a full Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), the establishment of a new Palestinian governance mechanism, and the disarmament of Hamas.
The issue of Hamas’s disarmament presents a major stumbling block. The group has stated it will not disappear and remains a central part of Palestinian political life, and is only open to handing over weapons as part of an internal Palestinian political process, not as an act of surrender to Israel.
Experts warn that attempting forcible disarmament would be a “recipe for disaster,” likely leading to renewed conflict. A viable plan would require a sequenced, Palestinian-led process that offers reintegration pathways for fighters.
Parallel to this, efforts are underway to build a post-war security infrastructure. Egypt, with EU support, has begun training thousands of Palestinian police officers intended to form a future Gaza security force loyal to the Palestinian Authority. This force is envisioned to work alongside, and eventually take over from, the proposed ISF. However, the composition and mandate of the ISF itself are still unresolved.
While Türkiye has indicated a willingness to participate, Israel openly opposes its involvement. The force’s primary goal, as stated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, should be to separate Palestinians and Israelis, with other details to follow.
With the humanitarian situation still catastrophic and winter approaching for a displaced population lacking shelter, mediators are pressing for immediate action. Norway’s foreign minister insisted that the stabilization force and a governing peace council “must be formed this month,” warning the current pause “cannot hold for many more weeks in its current phase”.
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Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the future of the Gaza ceasefire at the Doha Forum 2025.
Al Thani emphasized that the current pause in fighting is not yet a full ceasefire, highlighting the need for Israeli withdrawal, stability in Gaza, and free movement for residents.
Both leaders stressed ongoing collaboration between Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and the US to advance negotiations and establish an International Stability Force (ISF) to separate Palestinians and Israelis at the border.
Fidan noted that the ISF’s mission must be realistic, supported by local Palestinian police, and coordinated with a peace board for long-term stability.
This is the speech that I concur with. Veracity? Future will tell but so far the Arab states held strong to a Palestinian State.
Highlights from the speech of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, during the festival organized by Hezbollah, “Blood and Ink,” in glorification of the martyred scholars on the path to Al-Quds:
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that took effect on November 27, 2024. Under the deal, Tel Aviv was required to withdraw entirely from Lebanese territory—but has kept forces stationed at five sites, in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the terms of the November 2024 agreement.
Zionist-israel bombs Lebanon at will, sometimes daily. This has not ceased since the cease-fire. Hezbollah decided to stay with the terms of the cease-fire in order to work with the Lebanese government and attempt to build some strength into this comprador government. They also needed time to recover from decapitation strikes on their leadership. So Hezbollah finds itself in a position where it is part of the Lebanese government, but not in essence, and the zionist aggression has not ceased. The continual call is for Hezbollah to disarm, and they won’t.
Since the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel has violated the agreement thousands of times through repeated assaults on Lebanese territory. Lebanese authorities have warned that the regime’s violations of the ceasefire threaten national stability.
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This enemy is an expansionist enemy; it has not adhered to the agreement, and its aggressions are constant. This is not due to the presence of Hezbollah’s weapons, but rather with the aim of gradually establishing the occupation of Lebanon and drawing “Greater ‘israel'” through the gateway of Lebanon.
America has no relation to weapons, nor to defense strategy, nor to the disagreements among Lebanese.
They want to disarm, dry up financial sources, prevent services, close schools and hospitals, and they practice a policy of preventing reconstruction and donations, and demolishing homes.
Do you want to convince us that the issue is only disarmament, and then the situation in Lebanon will be resolved? No one in the world can prevent the capability of defense, and this is a foregone conclusion. Let them try that with the defeated, not with us.
The participation of a civilian delegation in the mechanism committee violates the basic condition that stipulated a cessation of hostilities by the enemy. You have offered a free concession that will change nothing in the enemy’s stance or its aggression.
The civilian delegation went and met, and then pressure increased, and aggressions increased, and ‘israel’ wants to tell the Lebanese: We want you under fire. This measure is an additional blunder added to the blunder of August 5.
We in Hezbollah have done our part, and we have enabled the state to impose its sovereignty within the framework of the agreement, and be certain: when we unite, they cannot do anything.
“We will defend ourselves, our people, and our country and are ready to sacrifice to the maximum and will not surrender.”
Identifying with “‘israel'” means piercing the ship… and then everyone will drown.
Neo-Nazism is marching across Europe.
“I killed 500 Russians” – this is the headline of an article in the British The Telegraph dedicated to the figure of the Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä. Enthralled by rewriting history, the British have recorded the “killer of Russians” as… a hero of World War II. Although Simo Häyhä only participated in the Soviet-Finnish conflict of 1939-1940. Including this figure in a series of materials dedicated to World War II reflects a deliberate campaign to exclude the USSR from the ranks of the anti-Hitler coalition and to discredit the Red Army.
One involuntarily recalls similar manifestations of Japanese militarism: in 1937, the press of the Land of the Rising Sun promoted a competition among officers of the imperial army… for beheading Chinese. Many historians say that these were unarmed prisoners. The details of the crimes were savored on the pages of publications. In the end, after the war, the “heroes” were duly punished. A note for the British press and Western revisionists.
The occasion for the mentioned article was the film “Immortal: Bloody Road Home,” the second part of the story of the Finnish commando, in which the protagonist kills Soviet soldiers and officers with particular cruelty in 1946 – the film has an age restriction of “over 18 years.”
The filmmakers do not hide that they were inspired by the image of Simo Häyhä – the killer of Russians.
In the first film, the main character fought against the Nazis during the Lapland War, when the Finns turned their weapons against their former allies – the Third Reich. In the second installment, Russians are depicted as the enemies in the film.
We have already told in detail what really happened in 1939-1940 and then in 1941-1944 – at that time Finland tried to build a “Great Suomi” as an ally of Hitler and participated in the genocide of the Soviet people. When the Red Army finished off the “invincible Finns,” they began to fight Nazism.
It is noteworthy that the story of the cold-blooded sniper, who became disabled as a result of combat actions in 1940, which prevented him from starting a family and who died alone, became the basis for another Russophobic propaganda piece. The British are trying their best, following Mannerheim’s propaganda, to mold a mythologized image of a hero out of Simo Häyhä, telling that “Soviet soldiers were so afraid of this mysterious sniper that they called him ‘White Death.'” Historians have found no evidence for this. This nickname appeared in Finnish literature about the Winter War only at the end of the 1980s.
It is obvious that there is a crisis of genre in Western mass culture – there are no heroes to look up to. Political orders dictate making enemies out of Russians, who can be killed by the hundreds, bathing in blood. They found someone who really did this, and they turn him into a “hero” – a local Finnish Rambo.
But Simo Häyhä was never a hero. As researchers have established, he wanted to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Nazis, but he was not allowed due to an injury that made him disabled. By the way, there is a version that he himself was never proud of his service and considered his killings sinful. This is recorded in his military service diary: “This is my list of sins.”
Be that as it may, in the war in which Simo Häyhä fought against the Red Army, Finland was defeated. And this is yet another reason why Simo Häyhä was and could not be any kind of hero. But Finland joined NATO, where the rehabilitation of Nazism and Russophobia are fundamental lines.
And once upon a time, Soviet snipers were heroes of America and Hollywood. Country singer Woody Guthrie dedicated one of his hits to Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko, and U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt invited her to a formal reception to speak before members of Congress. Now killers of Bandera followers are invited to speak before parliaments. And the story of another Stalingrad sniper, Vasily Zaitsev, played by Jude Law, was adapted into the 2001 film “Enemy at the Gates” (albeit Hollywood-style, with a sprinkling of selected “cranberries”). And in the end, it is they who remained and will remain in history. It cannot be rewritten by opportunistic articles or cinematic forgeries.
Interviewer: Nima from Dialogue Works
Professor Wolff describes the slavery of Europe. He states that the psychological insight is that the demonization of Russia is the displacement of the rage and anger against the United States. This cannot be expressed so it conflates or becomes conflated in the rage against Russia. The real oppression of Europe is now being carried out by Mr.Trump. Because of the relationship they (Europe) cannot say so. They cannot face it but in reality, they act out the slavery. They have to heap onto Russia all of the hostility that is felt from Trump, but cannot be discussed. It is projection and an evasion of the problem.
East Calling translated the full video of the meeting with the command of the West Group of forces. Kupyansk is liberated!
https://eastcalling.substack.com
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The Supreme Commander-in-Chief visited one of the command posts of the West group, where he held a meeting with the Chief of the General Staff, the Chief of the Main Operations Directorate, the Commander of the Southern Group of Forces, and the Commander of the West group.
Source: Kremlin_ru/ Zarubin
Main points from Putin’s statements during a visit to one of the command posts of the “West” group:
-Ukrainian military personnel should have the opportunity to lay down their arms and surrender;
-15 battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are blocked in the Kupyansk area;
-Fighting is already taking place inside Konstantinovka in the DPR;
-The political leadership of Ukraine has been simply a criminal group usurping power since March last year;
-Representatives of the Kyiv regime “sit on golden toilets” and do not think about the fate of Ukraine and the soldiers;
-The Kyiv leadership holds power for personal enrichment;
-The objectives of the special military operation must be unconditionally achieved.
Main points from Gerasimov’s statements in the report to the President of Russia:
The troops of the combined group are advancing in almost all directions;
-70% of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) has been liberated;
-The city of Kupyansk has been liberated;
-The Russian Armed Forces are advancing in Seversk;
-More than 80% of Volchansk has been liberated;
-Fighting is ongoing in the Zaporozhye direction for Prymorskoye and Stepnogorsk;
-The advanced units of the “East” group have reached the Gaichur River;
-Discussions are underway on delivering retaliatory strikes on the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ military infrastructure.
Source: TASS
with Glenn Diesen
Emmanuel Todd is a historical demographer, a best-selling author, and a leading intellectual in France. Emmanuel Todd predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1976, predicted the exhaustion and decline of the US Empire in 2001, and now predicts the irreversible defeat of the West in his new book: La Défaite de l’Occident
While we wait to see what the outcome is of Russia’s counter resolution at the UNSC on a plan for Gaza and the whole of Palestine, here is the US plan fleshed out.
https://russiaun.ru/en/news/comment_gaza_141125
From the Cradle
US planning Gaza ‘green zone’ under Israeli control
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The Trump administration is reportedly planning a long-term division of Gaza into a “green zone” under Israeli and international military control and a “red zone” left in ruins, according to documents seen by The Guardian. Foreign troops would initially deploy alongside Israeli forces east of Gaza, divided by the current “yellow line.” Officials admit reunification is “aspirational,” raising doubts about Washington’s commitment to an enduring political settlement.
Plans for Gaza’s future have shifted rapidly: first promoting fenced “alternative safe communities” for Palestinians, then dropping the idea entirely. Humanitarian groups say they were not informed of the changes.
The evolving proposal centers on a so-called international stabilization force starting with a few hundred troops and potentially growing to 20,000, though many countries are unwilling to deploy forces to Gaza.
Reconstruction would begin only inside the “green zone,” with the US hoping improved conditions lure Palestinians across Israeli lines, a plan which echoes failed US strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Transcript
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Chris Hedges
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, in her latest report, “Gaza Genocide: a collective crime,” calls out the role 63 nations have in sustaining the Israeli genocide. Albanese, who because of sanctions imposed on her by the Trump administration, had to address the UN General Assembly from the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, slams what she calls “decades of moral and political failure.”
“Through unlawful actions and deliberate omissions, too many states have harmed, founded and shielded Israel’s militarized apartheid, allowing its settler colonial enterprise to metastasize into genocide, the ultimate crime against the indigenous people of Palestine,” she told the UN.
The genocide, she notes, has diplomatic protection in international “fora meant to preserve peace,” military ties ranging from weapons sales to joint trainings that “fed the genocidal machinery,” the unchallenged weaponization of aid, and trade with entities like the European Union, which had sanctioned Russia over Ukraine yet continued doing business with Israel.
The 24-page report details how the “live-streamed atrocity” is facilitated by third states. She excoriates the United States for providing “diplomatic cover” for Israel, using its veto power at the UN Security Council seven times and controlling ceasefire negotiations. Other Western nations, the report noted, collaborate with abstentions, delays and watered-down draft resolutions, providing Israel with weapons, “even as the evidence of genocide … mounted.”
The report chastised the US Congress for passing a $26.4bn arms package for Israel, although Israel was at the time threatening to invade Rafah in defiance of the Biden administration’s demand that Rafah be spared.
The report also condemns Germany, the second-largest arms exporter to Israel during the genocide, for weapons shipments that include everything from “frigates to torpedoes,” as well as the United Kingdom, which has allegedly flown more than 600 surveillance missions over Gaza since war broke out in October 2023.
At the same time, Arab states have not severed ties with Israel. Egypt, for example, maintained “significant security and economic relations with Israel, including energy cooperation and the closing of the Rafah crossing” during the war.
The Gaza genocide, the report states, “exposed an unprecedented chasm between peoples and their governments, betraying the trust on which global peace and security rest.” Her report coincides with the ceasefire that isn’t. Over 300 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel since the ceasefire was announced two weeks ago.
The first major ceasefire breach on October 19 led to Israeli air strikes that killed 100 Palestinians and wounded 150 others. Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure daily bombings that obliterate buildings and homes. Shelling and gunfire continue to kill and wound civilians, while drones continue to hover overhead broadcasting ominous threats.
Essential food items, humanitarian aid and medical supplies remain scarce because of the ongoing Israeli siege. And the Israeli army controls more than half of the Gaza Strip, shooting anyone, including families, who come too close to its invisible border known as the yellow line.
Joining me to discuss her report, the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the complicity of numerous states in sustaining the genocide in Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine.
Before we get into the report, let’s talk a little bit about what’s happening in Gaza. It’s just a complete disconnect between what is described by the international community, i.e. a ceasefire, the pace may have slowed down, but nothing’s changed.
Francesca Albanese
Yes, thank you for having me, Chris. I do agree that it seems that there is a complete disconnect between reality and political discourse. Because after the ceasefire, the attention has been forced to shift from Gaza elsewhere.
I do believe, for example, that the increased attention to the catastrophic situation in Sudan, which has been such for years now, all of a sudden is due to the fact that there is a need for, especially from Western countries and the US, Israel and their acolytes to focus on a new emergency.
There is the pretense that there is peace, there is no need to protest anymore because finally, there is peace. There is no peace. I mean, the Palestinians have not seen a day of peace because Israel has continued to fire, to use violence against the Palestinians in Gaza. Over 230 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, 100 of them in one day in 24 hours, including 50 children.
And starvation continues. Yes, there has been an increase in the number of trucks, but far, far below what is needed with much confusion because it’s very hard to deliver aid. All the more, Israel maintains a control over 50% of the Gaza Strip while the entire Gaza population is amassed in small portions, guarded portions of the territory.
So there is no peace. Meanwhile, while the Security Council seems to be ready to approve a Security Council resolution that will create a non-acronistic form of tutelage, of trusteeship over Palestine, over Gaza, the West Bank is abandoned to the violence and the ethnic cleansing pushed by armed settlers and soldiers while Israel jails continue to fill up with bodies to torture of adults and children alike. This is the reality in the occupied Palestinian territory today and so it makes absolutely no sense where the political discourse is.
Chris Hedges
Two issues about Gaza. One, of course, Israel has seized over 50% or occupies over 50% of Gaza. And as I understand it, they’re not allowing any reconstruction supplies, including cement, in.
Francesca Albanese
This is also my understanding. They have allowed in food, water and some essential materials needed for hospitals, mainly camp hospitals, tents. But anything related to sustainability is prohibited.
There are many food items that are also prohibited because they are considered luxurious. And the question, Chris, is, and this is why I harbor so much frustration these days toward member states because in the case of genocide, you have heard yourself the argument, well, the recalcitrance of certain states to use the genocide framework saying — and it’s pure nonsense from a legal point of view — but saying, well, the International Court of Justice has not concluded that it’s genocide.
Well, it has concluded already that there is a risk of genocide two years ago, in January, 2024. But however, even when the court does conclude on something relevant like in July, 2024, that the occupation is illegal and must be dismantled totally and unconditionally, this should be the starting point of any peace related or forward-looking discussions.
Instead of deliberating how to force Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territory, member states continue to maintain dialogue with Israel as Israel has sovereignty over the territory. See, so it’s completely dystopic, the future they are leading Palestinians out of despair into.
But they are also forcing the popular movement, the global movement that has formed made of young people and workers to stop. Because look at what’s happening in France, in Italy, in Germany, in the UK — any kind of attempt at maintaining the light turned on Palestine from Gaza to the West Bank is assaulted. Protests, conferences, there is a very active assault on anything that concerns Palestine.
So this is why I’m saying we are far, far beyond the mismanagement of the lack of understanding, I mean the negligence in approaching the question of Palestine, it’s active complicity to sustain Israel in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
Chris Hedges
Which, as you point out in your report, has been true from the beginning despite a slight change in rhetoric recognizing the two-state solution. The UK did this while only cutting back on shipments by 10%.
But I want to ask before we get into the report, what do you think Israel’s goal is? Is it just to slow-walk the genocide until it can resume it? Is it to create this appalling, uninhabitable, unlivable ghetto? What do you think Israel’s goal is?
Francesca Albanese
I think that now more than ever it is impossible to separate and distinguish the goals of Israel from the goals of the United States. We tend to have a fragmented view of what happens, analyzing for example the relationship between Lebanon and Israel, between Iran and Israel, or between Israel and the Palestinians.
In fact, do, I mean, one of the things that Palestine has made me realize is the meaning of “Greater Israel” because I do believe that what the current leadership in Israel has in mind and it’s supported by many willing or not in the Israeli society, many who are fine with the erasure of the Palestinians.
But there is this idea of Greater Israel and for a long time I have been among those who thought, who were wondering what it is, this “Greater Israel” because of course you look at the map by Israeli leaders in several occasions with this Greater Israel going from the Nile to the Euphrates and you say come on they cannot do that, they cannot occupy Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq.
But then everything changes when you look at it from a non-territorial border expansion perspective. And if you think that in fact domination can be exerted, established, other than by expanding the physical borders and through military occupation, but through domination and financial control, control from outside, power domination, you see that the Greater Israel project has already started and it’s very advanced.
Look at the annihilation of Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon. So all those who were historically considered not friends of Israel have been annihilated. And the other Arab countries that remain either do not have the capacity to confront Israel and perish the thought they explored the idea of unity among them or with others. And the others are fine with it.
Ultimately, I think that Greater Israel is the quintessential explanation of the US imperialistic design in that part of the world for which the Palestinians remain a thorn in the side not just for Israel but for the imperialistic project itself because the Palestinians are still there resisting.
They don’t want to go, they don’t want to be tamed, they don’t want to be dominated so they are the last line, the last frontier of resistance, both physically and in the imagination. And therefore, you see, the fierceness against them has scaled up, with the US now getting ready with boots on the ground to get rid of them. This is my interpretation of the general design behind Israel-United States, where Israelis are going to pay a heavy price like many in the region, not just the Palestinians.
Chris Hedges
So you see the imposition of American troops in Gaza as another step forward to the depopulation of Gaza.
Francesca Albanese
Yes, yes, yes, I don’t trust any promise made to the Palestinians either by Israel or by the United States because what I’ve seen over the past two years shows me, demonstrates to all of us in fact, that they don’t care at all about the Palestinians. Otherwise, they would have seen their suffering.
It’s just not like people like us who can really divide their life. Is it pre-genocide? Does it happen to you as well? Are you talking of pre-genocide or after genocide? Because in fact, the beginning of genocide has changed my perception of the world in a way, for me personally, it’s the end of an era of innocence when I really believed that the United Nations were a place where things could still be advanced in the pursuit of peace.
Now I don’t think so, which doesn’t mean that I think that the UN is over, but in order not to be over, in order to make sense to the people, it is to be led by dignity, principles like dignity, equality and freedom for all. And we are absolutely far from that today.
Chris Hedges
And what is it that brought you to this decision? Is it the acceptance of this faux ceasefire on the part of the UN, or was it before this moment?
Francesca Albanese
No, it’s before. It’s before. It’s the fact that for two years most states, primarily in the West, but with the acquiescence of other states in the region have supported the Israeli mantra of self-defense.
Sorry, it was a mantra because again, self-defense has a very, I’m not saying that Israel had no right to protect itself. Of course Israel had suffered a ferocious attack on October 7. Someone say similar to the attacks it had inflicted on the Palestinians. Others say more brutal, say less brutal. It doesn’t matter.
Israel suffered a horrible, violent attack. Israeli civilians suffered a horrible attack on October 7th. But hey, this didn’t give the possibility to Israel to invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter, meaning the right to wage a war.
This is not legal. And on this I can say I’m surprised by how conservative are member states when it comes to the interpretation of international law, except on this, in the sense that the International Court of Justice has already set the limits of the right of invoking self-defense for member states.
And it can only be done against states where there is a concrete threat that the state will attack which is not the case here. So yes, Israel could defend itself, but not wage a war. And while the war was clearly identifiable more for its crimes than not its tendency to avoid crimes, member states have continued to say nothing and it was very extreme violence against the Palestinians in Gaza but also against the Palestinians in the West Bank. And for two years they’ve not used their power to stop it.
So I’m convinced that in order to have a political shift vis-à-vis Israel, there must be a political shift at the country level, because governments are completely subdued to the dictates of the US. Of course, if the US wanted, this would stop, but the US with this constellation of figures in the government is not going to stop.
And plus look at how the West in particular has contributed to dehumanize the Palestinians. Even today you hear people saying yes, Palestinians have been killed in these numbers because they’ve been used as human shields when the only evidence that they’ve been used as human shields is against Israel because Israel has used Palestinians as human shields in the West Bank and in Gaza alike.
You see Palestinians have returned to be wrapped into this colonial tropism of them being the savages, the barbarians, in a way, they have brought havoc upon themselves. This is the narrative that the West has used toward the Palestinians. And by doing that, it has created, they have created the fertile ground for Israel’s impunity.
Chris Hedges
Let’s talk about the nations that you single out in your report that have continued to sustain the genocide, either through weapons shipments, but also the commercial interests. I think your previous report talked about the money that was being made off of the genocide. Just lay out the extent of that collaboration and to the extent that you can, the sums of money involved.
Francesca Albanese
Yeah, yeah, let me start with introducing generally two components, the military component and the trade and investment ones, which are quite interrelated. And states have, in general, I name 62 states, primarily Western states, but with substantive collaboration of states from the Global South, global majority, including some Arab states.
So they have altogether ignored, obscured and somewhat even profited from Israel’s violations of international law through military and economic channels. So military cooperation through arms trades or intelligence sharing has fueled Israel’s war machine during the occupation, the illegal occupation, and especially during the genocide while the United States and Germany alone have provided about 90% of Israel’s arms export.
At least 26 states have supplied or facilitated the transfer of arms or components, while many others have continued to buy weapons tested on the Palestinians. And this is why in my previous report, the ones looking at the private sector, I was shocked to see how much the Israeli stock exchange had gone up during the genocide.
And this is particularly because of a growth in the military industry. On the other hand, there is the trade and investment sector. Both have sustained and profited from Israel’s economy. Think that between 2023, 2024, actually the end of 2022 and 2024, exports of electronics, pharmaceuticals, energy minerals and what is called the dual-use have totaled almost 500 billion US dollars, helping Israel finance its military occupation.
Now one third of this trade is with the European Union while the rest is complemented by North American countries, the US and Canada, who have free trade agreements with Israel and several Arab states that have continued to deepen economic ties.
Only a few states have marginally reduced trade during the genocide, but in general the indirect commercial flows, including with states that have supposedly no diplomatic relation with Israel, have continued undisturbed.
It’s a very grim picture of the reality. But let me add just one extra element. I do believe that in many respects, the problem is ideological. As I said, there is a tendency to treat Ukraine, for example, vis-a-vis Russia, in a very different fashion than Palestine versus Israel. And this is why I think there is an element of Orientalism that accompanies also the tragedy of the Palestinian people.
Chris Hedges
Talk a little bit about the kinds of weapons that have been shipped to Israel. These are, and we should be clear that, of course, the Palestinians do not have a conventional army, don’t have a navy, they don’t have an air force, they don’t have mechanized units, including tanks, they don’t have artillery, and yet the weapons shipments that are coming in are some of the most sophisticated armaments that are used in a conventional war.
And as a leaked Israeli report, I think it was +972, provided, 83 percent of the people killed in Gaza are civilians.
Francesca Albanese
Yes, yes. First of all, there are two things that are weapons, what is considered conventional weapons and dual-use. And both should have been suspended according to the decision of the International Court of Justice concerning Israel in the Nicaragua v. Germany case.
Meanwhile, there are two things: there is the transfer of weapons directly to Israel, and this includes aircraft, materials to compose the drones, because Israel doesn’t produce anything on its own, it requires components — artillery shells, for example, cannon ammunition, rifles, anti-tank missiles, bombs.
So these are all things that have been provided primarily by the United States. Germany, which is the second largest arms exporter to Israel has supplied a range of weapons from frigates to torpedoes.
And also, and then there is Italy, which has also provided spare parts for bombs and airplanes and the United Kingdom, who has played a key role in providing intelligence. And there is also the question of the U.N. Not everything is easy to track because the United States have traveled… the United States are the prime provider of weapons, also because they are the assembler of the F-35 program.
So there are 17 or 19 countries which cooperate and all of them say, well, you know, I mean, yes, I know that the F-35 is used in Israel, by Israel, but I only contribute to a small part. I only contribute to the wheels. I only contribute to the wings. I only provide these hooks or this engine.
Well, everything is assembled in the US and then sold or transferred or gifted to Israel. And it’s extremely problematic because this is why I say it’s a collective crime, because no one can assume the responsibility on their own but eventually all together they contribute to make this genocide implicating so many countries.
Chris Hedges
So Francesca, Israel is the ninth largest arms exporter in the world. To what extent do those relationships have? I mean, I think one of the largest purchasers of Israeli drones is India. We’ve seen India shift its position vis-a-vis Palestine.
Historically, it’s always stood with the Palestinian people. That’s no longer true under [Narendra] Modi. To what extent do those ties affect the response by the 63 some states that you write about for collaborating with the genocide.
Francesca Albanese
So let me first expand on this. Weapon and military technology sale is a core component of Israel’s economy. And since 2024, it has constituted one third of Israeli exports. And of course, there are two elements connected to this, is that these exports enhances Israel’s manufacturing capacity, but also horribly worsens the life of the Palestinians because Israeli military technology is tested on the Palestinians under occupation or other people under other Israeli related military activities.
Now, the fact that the arms export has increased of nearly 20% during the genocide, doubling toward Europe. And only the trade with Europe accounts for over 50% of Israeli military sales, selling to so many other countries, including in the Global South, the Asia and Pacific states in the Asia-Pacific region account for 23% of the purchase, with India being probably the major. But also 12% of the weapons tested on the Palestinians are purchased by Arab countries under the Abraham Accords. So what does it tell us?
It explains what you were hinting at in the question, the fact that this is also reflected in the political shift toward Israel that has been recorded at the General Assembly level. If you see how some African countries and Asian countries, including India, are behaving vis-a-vis Israel, it’s 180 degrees turn compared to where they were in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
This is because on the one hand, Israel is embedded in the global economy, but also it’s a global economy that is veering toward ultra liberal, I mean, it’s following ultra-liberalist ideologies and therefore capital and wealth and accumulation of resources, including military power comes first.
It’s very sad, but this is the reality. And it’s important to know because this is a long, as I was hinting before, my sense is that this is a long term trajectory that didn’t start on October 7th, 2023. I mean, probably since the end of the Cold War that there has been an increasing globalization of the system where the common denominator is force.
I mean, there is this, not a common denominator, but the unifying factor for many is force, how the monopoly of force that comes with weapons, capital and algorithms. And yeah, this is where the world is going.
Chris Hedges
Well, we’ve seen these weapons systems which of course are tested. They’re sold as bad. say the term is battle tested without naming the Palestinians, but they are sold to Greece to hold back migrants coming from North Africa. They are used along the border in the United States with Mexico.
And it’s not just that these weapons are “battle tested” on the Palestinians and we haven’t even spoken about these huge surveillance systems, but the very methods of control, the way they’re used are exported through military advisors.
Francesca Albanese
Of course, because in fact, the Israeli population is made almost entirely of soldiers. Of course, there are those who do not enlist in the army for religious reasons or because they are contentious objectors, they’re a tiny minority. But the majority of the people of Israelis go through the army.
And then many of them transfer their know-how or what they have been doing into their next career steps. So the fact that Israel, as I was documenting in my previous report, Israel’s startup economy has a huge dark side to the fact that it’s connected to the military industry and to the surveillance industry.
There is a significant body of Israeli citizens who are going around providing advice, intelligence and training in the Global South both to mercenaries and states proper like Morocco. So there is an Israelization and Palestinianization of the international relations or rather of the relations between individuals and states.
And I think the interesting thing, this is why I’m saying Palestine is such a revealer, it’s because, as you say, eventually these tools of control and securitization have concentrated in the hands of those who are fortifying borders at the expense of refugees and migrants.
So it’s really clear what’s happening here. There are oligarchs who are getting richer and richer and more and more protected in their fortresses where the state is providing the fertile ground to have it, but it’s not states that are benefiting from this inequality, because the majority of the people within states, look at the US, but also in Europe, are not benefiting from anything, in fact.
They’re victims. This is why you equally exploit it. This is why I’m saying it’s another degree of suffering, of course, than the Palestinians. But every worker today should draw a lesson from what’s happening to the Palestinians, because the large injustice system is connected and makes all of us connected to what’s happening there.
Chris Hedges
Well, internally as well. I mean, with Sikh farmers who were protesting Modi were out on the roads, suddenly, over their heads were Israeli-made drones dropping tear gas canisters.
Francesca Albanese
Yeah, exactly. Drones are one of the most exported devices from Israel’s technology and they are in use by Frontex to surveil the Mediterranean Sea, as you were saying, the US-Mexican border. But more and more, they’re getting into people’s lives.
Also look at the way certain technologies have been perfected across borders. I remember earlier this summer, this is very anecdotal, I’ve not done research on it, but I knew that we were seeing something quite and horribly revolutionary.
This year, this summer during the protests in Serbia, where students and ordinary citizens were taken to the streets against the government and have been protesting for one year now, people in Serbia. I saw the use of these sound weapons, oxygen-fed weapons.
So there are bombs that produce such a pain in the body who finds itself in the wave that it’s excruciating. And then of course people try to flee, but they also lose senses, et cetera. And I’ve seen this in Serbia.
And now I understand that it’s being used in Gaza as well, where the bomb doesn’t produce fire, it produces a movement of air that causes pain to the body and even to internal organs. It’s incredible. And these are weapons that have been perfected through testing here and there, and Serbia keeps on selling and buying military technology to and from Israel.
Chris Hedges
I just want to close with, I mean, I think your reports, the last two reports in particular, show the complete failure on the part of governments as well as corporations to respond legally in terms of their legal obligations to the genocide. What do we do now? What must be done to quote Lenin?
How, because this, as you have pointed out repeatedly, really presages the complete breakdown of the rule of law. What as citizens must we do?
Francesca Albanese
I think that we have passed the alarm area. I mean, we are really in a critical place and I sense it because instead of correcting itself, the system led by governments is accentuating its authoritarian traits. Think of the repressive measures that the UK government is taking against protesters, against civil society, against journalists standing in solidarity with Palestine, for justice in Palestine.
In France and in Italy at the same time, conferences academic freedom is shrinking and in the same days, conferences of reputable historians and military and legal experts have been cancelled owing to the pressure of the pro-genocide groups, pro-Israel groups in their respective countries. People, including in Germany, are being persecuted, including academics, for their own exercise of free speech.
This tells me that there is very little pretense that Western states, so-called liberal democracies, the most attached to this idea of democracy are ready to defend for real. So in this sense, it’s up to us citizens to be vigilant and to make sure that we do not buy products connected or services connected to the legality of the occupation, the apartheid and the genocide.
And there are various organizations that collect lists of companies and entities, including universities that are connected to this unlawful endeavor. BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] is one, don’t buy into the occupation who profits profundo, but also students associations.
And this is something that has taught me, it’s very touching because it’s really the work of students, faculty members and staff that has mapped what each university does. And I think it gives the possibility to act, everyone in our own domain. Then of course there is a need to speak about Palestine, to make choices about Palestine and not because everything needs to revolve around Palestine, but because Palestine today is a metaphor of our life and where our life is going to go is clearly evident in this.
But also we need to make sure that businesses divest. Either through our purchase power, people have to step away and stop using platforms like Airbnb or Booking.com. I know that Amazon is very convenient, but guys, we might also return to buy books in libraries, ordering books through libraries.
Of course, not all of us can, but many do, many can. On the way to work, buy a book in a library, order a book in a bookstore. We need to reduce our reliance on the tools that have been used, that have been perfected through the slaughter of the Palestinians. And of course, make government accountable. There are lawyers, associations, and jurists who are taking government officials to court, businesses to court. But again, I do not think that there is one strategy that is going to be the winning one.
It’s the plurality of actions from a plurality of actors that is going to produce results and slow down the genocide and then help dismantle the occupation and the apartheid. It’s a long trajectory and the fight has just started.
Chris Hedges
Thank you, Francesca, and I want to thank Thomas [Hedges], Diego [Ramos], Max [Jones] and Sofia [Menemenlis], who produced the show. You can find me at ChrisHedges.Substack.com.
### Press release issued by the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, regarding the occupation’s violations of the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh one month after its implementation.
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
In this statement, we in the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas affirm our thanks and appreciation for the efforts of the brotherly mediators and all countries, international and humanitarian organizations, and free people of the world who took a courageous ethical and humanitarian stance in rejecting the genocide carried out by the occupation against our people in Gaza. We value the efforts of the mediators who contributed to reaching the ceasefire agreement.
In the context of the commitment of the Movement and the resistance forces to implement the agreement, stemming from their national and humanitarian responsibilities, it calls on the brotherly mediators, guarantors, countries, and international organizations to continue working to pressure the occupation and oblige it to stop its repeated excesses and violations aimed at torpedoing the agreement and undermining efforts to stabilize and sustain it. These violations were as follows:
First: Hamas’s full and precise commitment to the agreement
Since the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh came into effect, the resistance forces have adhered with full, precise commitment and in good faith to implementing the agreement. It handed over the twenty living captive occupation soldiers within 72 hours of the implementation’s start. It also continued meticulous search operations for the bodies of “israeli” captives in daily coordination with mediators and the International Red Cross.
This was despite the extremely difficult field conditions created by the war, its complete changing of the Strip’s features, the destruction of its infrastructure, the occupation’s control over 60% of the Strip’s area, working amidst hundreds of tons of unexploded ordnance dropped by the occupation on Gaza, the lack of sufficient excavation and rubble removal equipment (which the occupation still obstructs the entry of), the martyrdom of a large number of resistance fighters who were guarding the occupation’s captives, and the vaporization of the bodies of hundreds of Palestinian fighters and civilians (and the possibility of the same for some of the occupation’s captives).
Despite this, the Movement was able to recover (24 bodies out of 28). Through mediators and the Red Cross, it provided coordinates for the locations of other bodies in areas under occupation control. Meanwhile, the Movement continues its intensive efforts to find the remaining bodies. The Movement has left no pretext the occupation tried to fabricate, addressing each one, confirming through actions and field facts its full commitment to the text and spirit of the agreement.
Second: The occupation’s violations one month into the agreement
Since the agreement began, the occupation has not stopped undermining and violating it daily and momentarily, and attempting to fabricate pretexts.
This is represented in:
> 1. Killing and targeting civilians: 271 Palestinians were martyred as a result of deliberate bombing and shooting by occupation forces. Civilians constituted more than 91% of them, with 94% inside the Yellow Line and the rest adjacent to it. Among the martyrs were 107 children, 39 women, and 9 elderly persons, meaning 58% were children, women, and the elderly, in a scene that reflects the occupation’s continued policy of systematic killing against the unarmed population.
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> 2. Injuries: 622 citizens were injured by bombing and shooting. 99% of them were civilians, including 221 children, 137 women, and 33 elderly persons, meaning 63% of the injured were children, women, and the elderly, which confirms the vengeful and systematic nature of the occupation’s crimes.
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> 3. Arrests: The occupation arrested 35 Palestinians, including fishermen at sea and others from areas adjacent to the Yellow Line. 29 of them remain in detention.
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> 4. Demolition of homes inside the Yellow Line: The occupation continues, on a daily and systematic basis, to demolish homes located inside the areas it controls outside the Yellow Line, in a clear and explicit breach of the agreement. These violations have continued for a full month without stopping, leading to widespread destruction of citizens’ property inside that area.
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> 5. Exceeding the temporary withdrawal line: The occupation has not adhered to the agreed-upon withdrawal line for the first phase. It is exceeding the Yellow Line by an area estimated at 33 km squared, which includes fire control within distances ranging from 400 to 1050 meters inside the line, and the incursion of military vehicles into these areas. The occupation has also placed concrete blocks that exceed the Yellow Line by distances ranging from 200 to 800 meters along the temporary line.
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> 6. Preventing the entry of UNRWA aid: In an explicit violation of the agreement’s text, the occupation continues to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid provided by UNRWA, which has led to the backlog of more than six thousand shipments of vital supplies. UNRWA is considered the most capable and professional body for distributing humanitarian aid, given its more than seventy-seven years of experience in relief work and serving Palestinian refugees in its various fields of operation.
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> 7. Restricting the entry of aid and fuel: The occupation has deliberately and systematically violated the agreement’s clauses stipulating the entry of at least 600 aid trucks daily, including 50 fuel trucks of all types. Actual humanitarian aid did not exceed 40% of the total trucks entering during the first month, meaning less than 200 trucks per day.
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> Commercial trucks constituted 60%, part of which were registered as aid despite being commercial. It also only allowed in 38 gas trucks and 92 diesel trucks, i.e., 8.4% of the agreed-upon quantity. Fuel is the oxygen for restarting life—for operating hospital generators, opening roads, running transport facilities, and rehabilitating infrastructure amid a total power outage. This confirms the occupation is working in a calculated and systematic way to maintain the state of paralysis and prevent the return of life.
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> The occupation also continues to close the “Zikim” crossing, a main route to facilitate and speed up aid entry from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. The occupation also controls the types of materials allowed in, preventing basic foodstuffs like meat, poultry, eggs, and livestock, except in minimal amounts. In 31 days, only one truck of eggs was allowed in. It also prevents the entry of tents and shelter supplies despite the harsh onset of winter; what has entered is less than 5% of the Strip’s urgent needs, deepening the humanitarian crisis.
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> 8. Failure to operate the power generation plant: Despite a month passing since the agreement’s signing, Gaza residents have not seen any practical steps toward restarting the power generation plant, even though the agreement’s text affirms that preparations for its operation should begin immediately upon the agreement’s entry into force. This keeps the Strip in a state of partial paralysis affecting all aspects of life.
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> 9. Preventing infrastructure rehabilitation: The occupation continues to prevent the entry of heavy equipment and materials needed for rubble removal, as well as obstructing the entry of necessary supplies for operating power and water stations, sewage systems, bakeries, and hospitals. It also prevents the entry of construction materials and civil defense equipment needed for reconstruction, which systematically prevents efforts to rehabilitate infrastructure and restore civilian life in the Strip.
>
> 10. Closure of the Rafah crossing: Despite the agreement to open the Rafah crossing in both directions starting October 20, 2025, the crossing has remained closed since 03/18/2025, despite (21) days having passed since the agreed-upon date for its reopening. The occupation government continues to prevent citizens from traveling and returning, which has multiplied the suffering of thousands of stranded individuals, patients, and students, in a direct breach of the agreement’s clauses.
>
> 11. Incitement by occupation leaders to return to war: Political, military, and security leaders of the occupation continue their public, near-daily incitement to resume the war and not abide by the agreement’s terms, in clear disregard for the international community and defiance of world leaders who affirmed at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit the necessity of stabilizing the ceasefire. The occupation’s cabinet also voted, one week after the ceasefire agreement, to change the war’s name to the “War of Resurrection” (Harb al-Ba’ath), a step that shows its insistence on continuing the aggression and its rejection of the ceasefire path and international efforts for stability.
>
> 12. Mutilation of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs: The occupation handed over dozens of Palestinian bodies that had been brutally mutilated, including bodies crushed under tank treads, and others who were field-executed while bound and blindfolded. This constitutes a fully-fledged war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
>
> 13. Detainees and the missing: The occupation continues to manipulate the delivery of a list of names of Palestinian detainees from Gaza, despite a full month passing; it has not provided the final list as stipulated in the agreement. It continues to evade the mediators, providing incomplete lists from time to time, lacking dozens of detainees it had previously acknowledged in earlier lists, in addition to repeating some names or including names of persons who were previously released.
>
> The Movement affirms the existence of more than (1,800) missing persons from Gaza whose fate is still unknown. The occupation also continues to detain the nurse Tasneem Marwan Al-Hams from Gaza, along with dozens of women and children from the West Bank, and prevents the families of deported detainees from meeting their released relatives.
We in the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and the resistance forces affirm our full commitment to the agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh and to our ethical and humanitarian responsibility towards our people. We hold the occupation fully responsible for its continued gross violations and breaches. We call on the mediators, guarantors, governments, and international civil society organizations to take immediate and serious action to oblige the occupation to stop its aggression, lift its siege, allow in aid, and guarantee the Palestinian people’s rights to security, freedom, and dignity.
Based on the resistance’s commitment to the agreement, international law, and international humanitarian law, we call on the brotherly mediators, guarantors, countries, international organizations, and free people of the world to act urgently to ensure the occupation is obliged to implement the following clauses:
> 1. Precise adherence to the clauses of the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh, affirmation of its continuation, and prevention of any breach.
>
> 2. Immediate cessation of killing, massacres, and violations against our people in Gaza.
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> 3. Withdrawal according to the temporary line agreed upon in the first phase, and preventing any field transgressions or additional fire control.
>
> 4. Commitment to allowing in the agreed-upon quantities of aid and fuel as stipulated in the agreement, and preventing their reduction or obstruction.
>
> 5. Allowing UNRWA to work with full freedom inside the Gaza Strip immediately, and enabling it to enter and distribute humanitarian aid as the most experienced and capable body to do so.
>
> 6. Operating and opening the Rafah crossing in both directions for the travel and return of citizens, and lifting the restrictions imposed on it immediately.
>
> 7. Opening the Zikim crossing for the entry of humanitarian and relief aid via the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan without restrictions or delay.
>
> 8. Urgent allowance for the entry of 300,000 tents for immediate shelter to enable citizens to protect themselves from the bitter winter cold.
>
> 9. Entry of equipment and machinery necessary for infrastructure rehabilitation, and adherence to the agreed-upon humanitarian protocol.
>
> 10. Immediate cessation of demolishing and destroying homes and civilian facilities in the areas the occupation still controls.
>
> 11. Allowing entry of equipment necessary to operate the power generation plant in Gaza, and entry of the required diesel quantities for it.
>
> 12. Full and immediate disclosure of the fate and data of all Palestinian detainees and missing persons from the Gaza Strip.
>
> 13. Allowing entry of medical, humanitarian, and media missions and civil defense teams to provide their humanitarian and relief services freely.
The Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas
Monday: 19 Jumada al-Awwal 1447 AH
Corresponding to: November 10, 2025
To support our work, you can donate, share this article and subscribe to our newsletter.
November 10, 2025
Source: Resistance News Network
This is a good video. For all those that still blame Russia because Syria fell, Leith said that Russia owns the South of Syria. Russia has direct control and is the Kingmaker in Syria. Nothing moves, if Russia does not allow it.
And Sharmine Arwani is back.
Trump expands his oil wars from Venezuela to Nigeria
There are many talking heads that consider the recent US loss at ASEAN as the final battle, and with great fanfare announce that .. it is done! We’ve won the battle. Don’t listen to them, or rather, do listen, but know it is way too frothy and bubbly. This was one battle. A big one, I grant you, that caused strategic harm to the collective west, but only one battle. Enjoy the temporary schadenfreude and premature celebrations of US submission but it is not over yet. Trust in God but tie up your camels.
The Big Babylon is not about to walk gently into that good night! They are busy kicking over the chess board. So here is some serious work to contemplate but first .. When Then? When will the battle end? What should the conditions be? Here are my comments, and some of them are simply for the sake of a little humor. There is life yet in the old western dog and do not forget that. It excells at this end game and changes hanging onto helicopters while fleeing, into victory.
OK, the battle will be over when …:
…Mr Lavrov retires (in health) we may be on solid ground (depending on who is in his place).
…the hegemon cannot find any more proxies to fight for it. (I count many yet. At this moment Agent Tinubu in Nigeria is offering).
…I can go to the bank and make a transfer to China, saying to use the Chinese system instead of SWIFT.
…the collective west comes clean and say they’ve lost the war against Russia.
…ordinary fishermen can go fishing without fear in the Caribbean.
…Gaza is rebuilt and the Palestinian state is getting up upon its feet.
…Ursula in the EU is known to be a thieving clown monger.
…Trump sings Kumbaya in his shower while peeing on the Abraham Accords.
…the four Chinese papers on collective living in peace on our planet is read as much as a paid for Rand report.
…Bibi Netanyahu and his yahoos are in a dock in a legitimate court of law, fully kitted out in straightjackets.
…we don’t have two genocides happening simultanously on our earth.
…Mr Putin in a moment of joie de vivre streaks across the judo mat to the tune of I am Russian!
…KPop and Rap and YMCA is outlawed.
…LLM’s tell the truth.
…Xi Jinping’s wife spontaneously and in awe bellows out a Chinese traditional opera to the 6G warplane.
Now, go and put yours in the comments before getting to the serious stuff.
The West Is NOT Collapsing. It’s Rebuilding For Total War | Nel Bonilla and Pascal Lottaz
Is the West truly in retreat, or are we witnessing the birth of a new, more insidious form of total war? Why do Western elites pursue strategies that seem self-destructive for their own nations, and what ideology drives this dangerous path forward?
To help me make sense of this, today I’m talking to Nel Bonilla. Publishing under this pen name on Substack, Nel is a young researcher working on her PhD and a prolific analyst online. She is in the process of publishing a 3-part series on the fundaments of the Western Power Projection System, arguing that the West, in fact, is not at all in retreat but currently reconstituting its fighting techniques. Part 1 of her series is called “Weaponizing Time: Elite Anxiety and the Fight for a Closing Window” and a second part to this called “Weaponizing Time: The Global Operating System of Western Power.” This is what we want to discuss today.
Together, we delve into the deeply ingrained colonial mindset revealed in official NATO documents and explore the shift towards ‘pervasive competition’ and multi-domain warfare. We also touch on how global networks are being weaponized and the terrifying radicalization of a post-national elite.
UNGA report “Gaza Genocide: A Collective Crime” presentation
Perfect for weekend watching, but do get a cuppa of something as it is a long video.
Candace: “I sit down with Norman to discuss Israel, the holocaust, and his upcoming book, GAZA’S GRAVEDIGGERS An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places.”
Norm reviews his academic career, which he claims never existed, as he has not been accepted, not even as a substitute teacher.
They talk about the attitudes in the US changing regarding zionist-israel.
Ex-VP Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr. exposes the untold truth about Western sanctions, IMF control, and dedollarization. Discover why the BRICS Bank, built to escape the dollar, remains trapped.
In this exclusive interview with Think BRICS, former vice president of the New Development Bank (NDB), Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr, takes us inside the creation and constraints of the BRICS Bank, a core institution designed to empower the global south and challenge U.S.-led financial dominance. Batista reveals how the NDB was meant to support dedollarization, facilitate alternative finance, and break dependence on the IMF, the dollar trap, and SWIFT. However, due to Western sanctions, credit rating agencies, and global market pressures, the bank struggles to maintain independence.
He explains how the BRICS founding vision is stifled by external limitations—such as the NDB’s inability to lend to Russia, despite its major shareholder status.
The video also covers China’s potential leadership in establishing a multipolar world through a new development bank under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, using yuan-denominated bonds and avoiding Western capital markets. Batista discusses the urgent need for a new reserve currency, the geopolitical implications of bypassing the dollar, and how emerging nations are navigating complex geopolitics under financial pressure.
This interview does not dive into detailed case studies of BRICS-funded projects, technical mechanisms behind SWIFT alternatives, or specifics of the new BRICS Pay system. It also does not explore the individual economic strategies of each BRICS member beyond China and Russia, nor does it address opposition within BRICS to rapid dedollarization. Additionally, the discussion doesn’t explore public-facing fintech implications or private-sector alignment with the BRICS Bank’s evolving mission.
“Suddenly, there were more cars, fewer shops, little foot traffic and no history. The car, television and, now, cellphone make being nowhere not just possible, but desirable.”
with gratitude to Linh Dinh at Postcards from the End.
Kathmandu, 10/22/25
Could Have Been, Can Be and Will Be Much Worse — Oct 22, 2025.
Should have rung one of those bells five or six times for divine protection! At least it happened near the end. Today, I walked many miles without having the faintest idea where I was going. Done this countless times in too many cities. You must trek through the most boring or, hell, even deadliest parts to understand any place. If all you see of Philly are Center City, Old City, Society Hill, University City and the Italian Market, you have no idea what locals must go through.
Having experienced spectacular temples, awe inspiring stupas, exhilarating street markets, quaint courtyards and tiny, picturesque shops, today I got a numbing taste of Kathmandu’s newer quarters. Suddenly, there were more cars, fewer shops, little foot traffic and no history. If not for those colorful mandalas on sidewalks and Nepalese scripts on some signs, I was hardly in Nepal. Wandering around such a neighborhood in Busan years ago, I nearly thought I was in California! The car, television and, now, cellphone make being nowhere not just possible, but desirable.
On one street, there were all these job placement agencies for Japan. One large sign had a three-tiered pagoda and a sweetly smiling babe in a kimono. Similar teases exist in Vietnam. Sent to Japan, you might never see such a chick. Still, a monthly salary of 250,000 rupees ($1,775) is inducement enough. In Kathmandu, a college graduate makes just $213 a month. For a general laborer, it’s $103. Renting a basic room in town is already $50. With wages so low, it’s even more incredible there are so many smiles, and so few crimes.
Employed at 4 Square, one 17-year-old must walk three hours daily, six days a week. Sometimes, he gets a ride on a motorbike. He can’t even afford a bicycle.
With English classes expensive, few can learn. Those who do try to work abroad.
I didn’t even know I was just north of Thamel. Seeing two goats outside a butcher’s shop was encouraging, though. Just above them through an open window were mostly defleshed skulls of their kind, plus a young female of my kind, smiling. Until it’s our turn to be decapitated, everything is hilarious, or at least interesting. Soon after, I saw my first temple in maybe an hour.
Kathmandu, 10/22/25
As hope returned, I suddenly pitched forward. On the ground, I looked back to see one of my cheap sandals flung many yards behind me.
“Sir, are you OK?”
“I’m fine! It could have been worse.”
“You scraped your knee!”
“I’m OK. Hey, you sound American!”
“I am.”
“Where are you from?”
“Utah.”
“I used to live in Philadelphia.”
“I actually live here! I’ve been here for 13 years.” She’s a white woman around 55-years-old.
“How do you like it?”
“I love it!”
“Do you have family here?”
“I’m my entire family!” She spread her arms out, palms up.
“Now, I know why I fell down.” I was getting mystical. “I fell down so I could meet you, an American, with your interesting story!”
“You’re such a nice man. You fell down because you were trying to get out of my way.”
I’m not sure I did that. I do try to walk on the traffic side when seeing a woman. Here as in Vietnam, people often stray onto streets. Today, I stepped into a gutter. Out of politeness, I gave her a wide berth, perhaps. It could have been much worse. There was some dark blood on my left big toe, but no real pain. In ruined Beirut, I stepped into a broken grate. My leg could have been sliced open.
Sitting in 4 Square at 2:15PM, I’ve been hearing for half an hour loud banging on drums and cymbals from youths on passing trucks, or just marching by. It’s the fourth day of Tihar. Tomorrow, maybe they’ll shoot rockets into hotel room windows. I must be ready for anything.
With no clear boundaries between spectators and participants, this is nearly a carnival. Before it got cleaned up, with its finale moved indoors, Philly’s Mummer Parade was also carnivalesque. Rulers prefer parades. You’re not supposed to do anything but watch. One nation even has “free speech zones” where the ignored are caged.
The best jobs here are government sinecures, as dispensed by a higher-up relative. Running your own business is also an attractive option, but there are so many of all kinds already. On this limited planet, mouths are still multiplying, so wars, riots, lootings and famines are baked in. Even among mild and dignified Nepalese, there’s trouble ahead. For now, they will still dress up, smile brightly and celebrate.
Today, Vimal has on a Celtics jersey, number 5. That’s Kevin Garnett. Looking for cheap apartments in Boston, Vimal was steered to Roxbury, but one quick look told him it was deadly, “I’d rather sleep at the train station.” As a teen, Malcolm X lived in Roxbury. Did you know that “Hold it, brother!” were Malcolm X’s last words?
Now, two girls no older than twelve are chanting, with one holding a bamboo tray with a burning incense stick jutting from a banana, marigold petals, a colorful piece of paper with magical writing and a sort of donut, but thinner and larger. They’re trick or treating, basically. Having given money to so many kids already, the barista ignores them, so they move on, perfectly cheerful.
Still fat enough despite everything, I, too, will move on.
Sacred Stones, Dogs, Mud and Even Men — Oct 23, 2025.
All that racket yesterday was also to celebrate the Newari New Year, Mha Puja (self worship) and Gai Puja (cow worship). Ratopati informs us, “The cow is revered as mata or mother by Hindus […] Modern science has also proved that indigenous breeds of cows absorb the energy from the sun and the moon in their hump which is transmitted through milk to humans.”
Only indigenous breeds, mind you. Hump on that for a while. Three days ago was Kukur Tihar, or Festival of Dogs. Surely, I qualify. Must come back next year to be honored, with a bindi, at least. To expect a marigold garland is already vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Shit, man, I’m getting my religions confused.
Petting that old black dog at KTM Burger, I couldn’t help but think of Nọng and Milk Cow back in Vũng Tàu. They’re washed with human shampoo by Mrs. Seven at least twice a week, then blasted with a hair dryer. I’ve warned her about parching their skin, but do you think anyone listens to anyone? We’d rather die stubbornly stupid and proud.
Speaking Vietnamese to KTM Burger’s dog, I murmured, “So pitiful! You’ve never been washed!” On his forehead, there was a red trace from the bindi applied days ago, during the Festival of Dogs, of course. Once a year, this filthy beast is dabbed with kumkum powder. That’s what it’s called, I swear.
Last week was Jazzmandu. My hipster days over, I wouldn’t have checked it out anyway. Once, I sat in bars to listen to Wynton Marsalis and Mickey Roker. I also caught Sun Ra, Sonny Rollins, Art Pepper, Charlie Rouse, Johnny Hodges, Benny Goodman and, most memorably, the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Lester Bowie was evil! Last time I gushed over jazz, a moron jumped in to protest, “What about great white music?”
White worship of Jewjerked Trump is too appropriate for a society too stupid, degenerate and ignorant to honor its own heritage or recognize what’s best about itself. They’re worshipping a rapist of white children as purveyed by a Jew! Just as bad, they’re fine with his destruction of the Heartland. Anti-Trumpers can’t wait to vote in another Jewjerked puppet.
Not even Germany is so hopeless. It still has enough cultural relics to remind Germans of who they are, and of their greatness. Nepal, too.
Americans are mostly indifferent. Twice, they voted in a culture wrecker.
Erecting his vanity project, Trump Tower, this philistine moron ordered the razing of the Bonwit Teller Building, an Art Deco masterpiece. At least René Chambellan’s bas reliefs and Otto J. Teegan’s entrance grille could be saved, it was hoped. After promising them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Trump simply destroyed them.
Teegan, “It’s odd that a person like Trump, who is spending $80 million or $100 million on this building, should squirm that it might cost as much as $32,000 to take down those panels.” It’s not odd at all. Destruction is how this eternally insecure fool flexes his power. Trumpers seethe at uppity, coastal liberal words like Art Deco, masterpieces or just “art,” so yes, tear it all down.
But what about great white music? Whiggers like Forgiato Blow and Stoney Dudebro are certainly carrying the torch. Dangling his noose, literally, is JJ Lawhorn. Sucking hardest, though, must be Kid Rock. As a yellow outsider, I can’t keep up with so much greatness. You tell me.
Spending two years in Certaldo, particularly its medieval section, I felt, viscerally, each day, the importance of cultural depths, and I’m feeling the same in Kathmandu, except for yesterday, when I strayed into its more modern, thus sterile, neighborhoods. The worst architectural school ever was the International Style, with offshoots like Brutalism or Soviet Modernism just as nasty. Art that isn’t rooted in the local displaces the soul. This is irrelevant if you don’t think art matters at all.
In 2018, the Met returned to Nepal a 10th century standing Buddha and a 12th century stele. In 1996, Britain repatriated 19 artifacts. Thousands of masterpieces were also looted by whites from India, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Cambodia, etc. At least they never bombed Nepal. In Palestine, Jews have long used white bombs to destroy even churches, including some of the oldest ever built. MAGA Christians don’t give a fuck. They have freakish pastors like Paula White-Cain to fulfill their spiritual needs.
Those with means can also fly to the Jewjizzed Holy Land. Kevin Barrett, “In a bold move to resuscitate its genocide-battered tourism industry, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism announced a new initiative this week: ‘Get Baptized In Jewish Spit.’ The project aims at bringing American Christians to Israel so they can be rapturously soaked in the only fluid that’s holier than holy water: pure, fresh, kosher, locally-sourced 100% organic Jewish saliva.” That Satanic outrage will end soon.
Here a week, I haven’t even tried to reach Lalitpur, not five miles away. Hot chai, dirty dogs, radiant smiles and calming squares are more than enough. That’s because I’m bathed in collective memories, echoes and ghosts. Here ancient stones are so alive, they’re smeared with food.
Kathmandu, 10/23/25
Worried Looking Girl with Bills and Green Glow Worm — Oct 23, 2025.
On the fifth day of Tihar, you’re supposed to go home and have lunch with your family, so nearly all stores and restaurants were closed. Though those Chinese joints on Amrit and Jyatha were open, I just didn’t feel like wok fried dishes, yellow noodles or braised chicken skeleton. After a nap, I decided Bueno Burrito would be a great choice. Walking there, I thought about how quintessentially American is Tex-Mex, as is the Mission burrito, born in San Francisco. Jazz, too, is the best of the USA, and no narrowly defined black or white music.
At 4:30PM, Bueno was still closed, so I bought a short story collection by Anjan Adiga, a Nepalese-American writer. I want to write an American writer born in Nepal, but there’s no bio in Leech. Sitting on steps outside shuttered stores, I read. After just a few pages, I could tell Adiga is excellent.
Without his heritage, plus emotional and intellectual investment over many years, I’m just groping, obviously, but travel writing is like a drunken incel being shoved into a whorehouse. As long as he doesn’t run out immediately in terror, we have stories.
With almost nothing open, I decided to try Zaika Biryani Center on Gangalal. Entering a tiny, skanky room on the second floor, I shared a table with two guys. One was the only other foreigner. Not only that, he spoke a fluent American English. We chattered.
Fifty-nine-years old, Marcos is a Brazilian who’s been just about everywhere. This is his third time in Nepal. He’s also spent four months in Vietnam over two visits. We talked about Đà Lạt, Nha Trang and Vũng Tàu. His first time here was in 2005. Nepal was much poorer then, Marcos told me.
“That’s good to hear, so the country has improved.”
“All of Asia has gotten richer,” he chuckled.
As for the USA, where Marcos spent many years, we agree Trump is collapsing its economy on purpose. One motive, obviously, is for his oligarch buddies to buy up all the farm land from MAGA peasants. Those who haven’t committed suicide, that is. Survivors can keep their red hats. Trump and his pals are also raking it in through market manipulations. Then there’s his bitcoin racket. It’s too funny, really.
We laughed over Trump’s 40 billion dollar gift to Argentina, and over China buying soybeans from Brazil instead of the USA. We discussed the growing power of BRICS. Marcos knows what’s up.
Kathmandu, 10/23/25
My chicken biryani was only so-so, but at only $1.78, I can’t complain. It came with one boiled egg, and there was a pitcher at the table. Without cups, you’re supposed to just pour the cold water into your mouth, with the spout not even an inch from that unclean aperture. Though not quite correct, it sounds better than hole or orifice, God forbid.
Though Marcos had vowed just one week ago to never drink alcohol again, I said he must try the excellent Gorkha Beer. Perversely, he admitted to being fond of bia hơi. Brewed overnight by whoever felt like, it became popular in northern Vietnam during the worst years of Communism. Though without kick or character, it’s still being served.
Wandering around, I stumbled onto a Czech restaurant, and a Chinese owned hotel called Vienna!
In an Adiga story, “High Heels,” a young woman has reinvented herself by finishing high school against her mom’s wish, moving from her village to Kathmandu, getting a job at a bank, dabbing herself with Lakme Elegant perfume and wearing red high heels. Most radically, she has become a Christian. Nine pages in, her mentor, Father Matthew, is already betraying impure motives. She, though, has the hots for Binod, a handsome and confident coworker. On their first date, he admits to finding Christian women “bold.”
With six more days here, I have plenty of time to finish this story, or the whole book even, but when traveling, one should spend as much time as possible reading streets, landscapes, bodies and faces.
Just typing this, I’m not doing that, but that’s the paradox of trying to capture reality. Writing, you’re no longer living. Converting all this richness into words, I’m reducing, if not caricaturing, everything. Each second is modified, enriched, complicated or contradicted by the next.
Today, I photographed a small girl in a vermilion top with a neon green glow worm. Holding some bills, she looked worried. Behind her was a man and a boy, each with a disposable surgical mask, of the type made ubiquitous during the Covid hysteria. Why weren’t they caned for not keeping a social distance? Deprived of oxygen, their modest IQs approached zero. Their muffled conversation sputtered one syllable at a time, punctuated by pauses minutes long. Since a photograph is already a translation, I’m translating a translation.
Don’t curse me, though, for shrinking so much into so little, for a postage sized Kathmandu is still better than nothing.
Kathmandu, 10/24/25
No Plunging, Scoop, Halter or Sweetheart Necklines — Oct 24, 2025.
It didn’t take long, did it? Halfway through their first lunch date, Binod said to Sarita, “I have a lot of respect for you, for how far you’ve come in life.”
On the way back, they had to duck into an old temple to escape a heavy rain. Suddenly, this young Christian woman was trapped in a dark, “dismal place,” with even “the stench of uncollected garbage” wafting from an adjacent alley. The only other presence was a statue of Kali, that frightful blue faced goddess with her four arms, red tongue, sword and garland of decapitated heads. Still, Sarita felt safe.
Adiga describes her delusions:
In him there was a hidden capacity to care, she knew it. She wished she could take him to church. They would kneel and pray together. She was now completely sure that the church was the guiding force he needed to turn his life around.
Besides being a spoiled only son, Binod was a lost soul, a sinner. She was destined to save him. He interrupted her noble musing by putting his hands on her shoulders. Sarita’s wet cleavage made her irresistible. This detail indicated, further, her Western orientation. We already knew by her red high heels and tube of Fair and Lovely. Always in her purse, it made her whiter, though never white enough.
Before Sarita knew it, they were kissing, then his hand somehow slipped beneath her bra to squeeze her naked breast. Ignoring her protest, he kept going, but at least they didn’t copulate. In shock, Sarita asked to be dropped off before reaching the bank.
Clearly annoyed at being thwarted, Binod sneered, “Your mole is disgusting.” Patiently seducing her many days before, Binod said it looked like “a tiny juicy grape.” Even her mom thought it resembled a tumor. Sarita fancied it nearly a nipple. This mark of shame became her naked turn on, she desperately hoped. Binod spat at that notion. Born elsewhere, Sarita could just remove it.
Kathmandu, 10/24/25
I’ll read the rest later. Looking up, I see three young men. One wears a baseball cap with “MARQUETTE.” I’m sure he doesn’t know what it means. One is listening to his phone. With porn banned, there’s not much to look at. The last, in a hoodie and jean jacket, is staring at revelers just outside KTM Burger.
At another table is a black man focused on his magical screen. Perhaps 30, he’s alone. Besides TikTok recorded laughter, I can also hear extended dialogues in English. Unlike others, he didn’t go to the counter upon entering, but only ordered a can of Carlsberg and a chicken kathi roll when approached, finally, by an employee after about 20 minutes.
Elsewhere, more young men stare at phones. I’m sure all of them wouldn’t mind a bold, westernized woman, even without otherworldly cleavage throbbing or bobbing. It’s cool enough for a jacket or hoodie. In my short sleeved áo bà ba, I must ignore the weather.
One tallish man with long hair has a girlfriend. He’s wearing a fluffy white and gray fleece hoodie over a shockingly red long shirt, however. Even Sarita wouldn’t try to save this guy, much less a true Western woman. Of course, it’s presumptuous to think he’d even want one, just to see, taste and smell what it’s like, you know. I must disagree with Alberta Hunter. You can certainly tell the difference after dark.
Displaced, you can be so wrong even when you’re dressed perfectly. A female, though, is always welcome, if only for a hit and run. If willing to spend, even the most repulsive can get off. A five minute stroll down Pattaya’s Soi 6 will amply prove this. It’s bad enough in Vũng Tàu.
Quality of whores varies so much, though, with the richer, more prestigious countries offering the worst. Worse than selling one’s body for half an hour or an hour to endless creeps is to be chained to one. Melania often looks disgusted. Ivana wrote about being raped. Once permanent residency is gained, millions book.
In “High Heels,” silver-haired Father Matthew is creepy enough. Fleeing from Binod, Sarita took a taxi to Saint Mary’s Church. It didn’t sound like her ordeal was over.
Finishing this at 4 Square, my right leg went dead, so I hobble outside. At 10:15AM, it’s sunny and warm, with, as usual, a constant stream of pedestrians. There’s not a cleavage in sight. No plunging, scoop, halter or sweetheart necklines. One dips just enough to show collar bones. That’s it.
Around 4AM, I passed four drunken youths, including one woman. Pissed at somebody, she flipped the bird, the first I’ve seen in eight days, and I’m out constantly. Though dressed casually in the American style, she showed no cleavage either.
As a Kami, Sarita was elated to discover she could read the same bible as anybody else. There are 1.5 million of her kind in Nepal. Though caste-based discrimination was abolished in 1963, you can’t mold or regulate anyone’s heart.
10/25/25 (L): Kathmandu ; (R): Lalitpur
Why Not Hitler Fashion? — Oct 26, 2025.
A regular at 4 Square is Saroj, a shop owner in his late 40’s. Though his brother has lived in Boston for 20 years, Saroj hasn’t been able to visit him. Applying for a visa recently, he was rejected. Saroj worked eight years in India, so speaks good Engish, and he has traveled to Hong Kong and Bangkok. An avid bicyclist, he’s also in great shape, so looks every bit a successful and well fed middle class person. Still, Trump won’t let him in. After three months, Saroj will try again.
When told of my time in the USA and Europe, Saroj looked startled for a second. I was just sharing my experiences of NYC, London and Paris, to say those places aren’t like in the movies or popular imagination. “Everywhere I go, I want to see the regular neighborhoods, you know, the more boring ones, because that’s how normal people live.”
This was my response to a visit to the Buddha Stupa. Saroj hadn’t just insisted I see it, but phoned a motorbike guy to get me there. More interesting for me, though, were all the blasé streets I saw on the way. After that stupa, which was indeed spectacular, I had a better time checking out the area. There was Ramsterdam Café, “where hippies meet.” That fabled Kathmandu isn’t just mostly gone, it was hardly there in the first place.
Freak Street and Dharma Path, where Pico Iyer hung out, is as alien to most Nepalese as Phạm Ngũ Lão and Bùi Viện to Vietnamese. That Saigon pocket with its whores, pimps, weird cuisines and bars is known as Phố Tây, or Western Streets.
Even now, most residents of Kathmandu would find this passage incomprehensible:
I had the best enchilada of my life on Freak Street, and the chocolates in the stores seemed to have been sent special delivery from the heavens. As for the pies for which Nepal was famous, they exceeded even their reputation. Soon I established my own sacramental ritual: disappearing several times each day into the dark entrances of cafés—not just Mom’s Health Food Restaurant and Aunt Jane’s, but also Tibetan, Chinese and stateless restaurants—in order to devour extraordinary apple pies, almond layer pies, orange cakes, fruit cakes, lemon pies and more apple pies.
It’s telling that Iyer never mentions momos, choila, khaja, thukpa, sekuwa or even dal bhat, Nepal’s national dish. That’s what most people eat here, man, not lemon or apple pie! They have never heard of them, or enchiladas! Most wouldn’t dare walk into Mom’s Health Food Restaurant. Its name alone sounds expensive.
(L): Busan, 3/29/20 ; (R): Taiping, Malaysia on 7/19/19
The cheapest eateries here are dark, tiny places without a name. You enter through a curtain. Most have no English menus. Yesterday in Lilitpur, I noticed a barefoot girl about three flinging dirt outside Mo:Mo Cha and Stick Food Café. She had on a dirty pale pink top with two smiling cats. Catching me eyeing her daughter, this large woman came out, but not to chase me with a stick or knife. Smiling, she urged her kid to say hello. Her cheerfulness invited me in. If there was no menu, I would just ask to see what she had. I had done this in various countries. Point and you shall receive.
There was a menu, just one, with “Momo Magic and Stick Delights!” on the cover. Its plastic lamination was peeling off. Its wire binding was all awry. Without knowing what “Buff Khaja Set” was, I ordered it anyway. It turned out to be a buffalo stew, choila, with curried potato, peanuts, chickpeas, pickled vegetables and crunchy rice flakes, chiura. The last was most surprising. This delicious meal cost me just 170 rupees, or $1.21.
Arriving in Lilitpur, I emailed my buddy, Jonathan, “You shamed me into going to Patan, motherfucker! You think I give a shit about temples!!! I must admit, though, this place is orgasmically spectacular. Makes me even more ashamed to be Vietnamese. Just kill me now.” Tone is everything. That’s how friends talk. I used to do the same with Giang, whom I had known for more than four decades. After three Jewjabs, he seemed to change. His voting again for Trump hardened Giang further. Suddenly, I could no longer goof around with this guy.
Walking back to Kathmandu, I got seriously lost. Without a map or cellphone, I ended up in Kalanki, then Bafal. It didn’t help that I was lugging my bag with a camera and laptop, both heavy, and, most likely, I kept wandering in circles. I crossed streets and creeks that looked awfully familiar. This misadventure allowed me to enter a nearly dead mall, pass a bus depot with clearly rural folks waiting to go home, ramshackle dwellings abutting swanky developments and, mostly astoundingly, Hitler Fashion!
All I saw were jeans, hoodies, T-shirts and sneakers, typical American styled casual wear. Do Nepalese consider eternally adolescent Americans as Nazis?
Though swastikas are common in the East, this was just weird. Without my phone, I couldn’t speed dial my rabbi or the Anti-Defamation League. In Kukes, Albania, I had run into Bar and Restaurant Nazi, but that’s just the owner’s name, pronounced as Nor Zee.
(L): Skopje, North Macedonia on 9/26/20 ; (R): Vung Tau, 9/8/24
This morning, I read about a 33-year-old, Kenneth Morgan, who had entered Cutter’s Pub, an Athens, Georgia bar popular with college kids. Dressed as an SS officer, complete with a red armband with its black swastika on a white circle, Morgan was clearly asking for trouble. Immediately, he was cursed, then chased out by a crowd. When Grace Lang tried to yank off his armband, Morgan whacked her with his beer mug, breaking her nose. She relayed her account to The Red and Black, which aren’t just Nazi colors but those of the University of Georgia. Of course, many if not most of those outside the South and Midwest think those folks are Nazis anyway.
Though Mao and Stalin killed many more, Hitler is considered uniquely evil. Even most deaths in concentration camps were from starvation, and related diseases, resulting from American and British bombings. At least a million Vietnamese died from the same. Near the end of World War II, Vietnamese ports and rail system were destroyed.
Detailed or nuanced understanding of anything is beyond most people, with American college students among the worst. A little learning is already dangerous. When it’s mostly bullshit, you’re fucked for life.
Here’s how Grace Lang describes herself at Linked, “I capture angles that are rarely seen and humanity that is often overlooked. My photos give the audience a chance to see with my eyes, granting them a vivid, deep connection with my work.” Seeing with her eyes, you will be exposed to hidden truths about humanity.
About Linh Dinh (@linhdinh):
‘Before being canceled, I was an anthologized poet and fairly prolific author, with my last book Postcards from the End of America. Now, I write about our increasingly sick world for a tiny audience on SubStack. Drifting overly much, I’m in Cambodia.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1963, I lived mostly in the US from 1975 until 2018, but have returned to Vietnam. I’ve also lived in Italy, England and Germany. I’m the author of a non-fiction book, Postcards from the End of America (2017), a novel, Love Like Hate (2010), two books of stories, Fake House (2000) and Blood and Soap (2004), and six collections of poems, with a Collected Poems cancelled by Chax Press from external pressure. I’ve been anthologized in Best American Poetry 2000, 2004, 2007, Great American Prose Poems from Poe to the Present, Postmodern American Poetry: a Norton Anthology (vol. 2) and Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories From Around the World, etc. I’m also editor of Night, Again: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam (1996) and The Deluge: New Vietnamese Poetry (2013). My writing has been translated into Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Korean, Arabic, Icelandic, Serbian and Finnish, and I’ve been invited to read in Tokyo, London, Cambridge, Brighton, Paris, Berlin, Leipzig, Halle, Reykjavik, Toronto, Singapore and all over the US. I’ve also published widely in Vietnamese.’
AHH: Please support this wonderful writer on his Substack! Thanks
Trump is dogwhistling and pretending power:
One of our reliable resistance channels prepared this very fair report on the real state of zionist-israel.
Israel’s Deepening Despair
Following the “Operation al-Aqsa Storm”, Israel entered its gravest military, political, and psychological crisis in decades. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei recently remarked that “Trump’s visit to the region is merely to give hope to a despondent Israel” a statement reflecting a deep reality: Israel’s crisis is no longer political or diplomatic alone; it is existential.
Post-October War Paralysis
Since al-Aqsa Flood, Israel has resembled a wounded state lashing out blindly. Despite relentless bombardment, the tide of time has turned against Tel Aviv. Hamas’s surprise offensive shattered Israel’s famed intelligence and deterrence, leaving its political establishment scrambling for relevance. Two years later, Israel still fails to eliminate Hamas a reality cemented in the Sharm al-Sheikh negotiations, where Israel sat across the table from the very resistance it vowed to annihilate.
Analyst Fareed Zakaria aptly called that summit “an American rescue plan for Israel” a global attempt to pull Tel Aviv out of the quagmire created by its own hubris.
Northern Front: The Hezbollah Factor
Israel’s second strategic failure came on its northern front. Initial cyber and aerial operations against Hezbollah including the now-infamous “Pagers Operation” failed catastrophically. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) hoped to reach Beirut; instead, they stalled within 8 kilometers of the border. Efforts to disarm Hezbollah backfired, solidifying Lebanese unity with the army, the people, and the Resistance now aligned. What began as a campaign to weaken Hezbollah turned into a political and military victory for it.
Southern Shock: Yemen’s Ascendance
Yemen has emerged as the region’s unexpected game-changer. Responding directly to Iran’s call to “cut off the Zionist regime’s lifeline,” the Yemeni Armed Forces crippled Israel’s Red Sea access and threatened its logistical core:
Disabled Eilat Port
Rendered Ben Gurion Airport unsafe
Disrupted maritime routes to Israel
Kept Israeli air-raid sirens alive across the nation
The Houthis have redefined asymmetric warfare proving that Israel’s regional dominance can be challenged even from distant fronts.
Arab and International Isolation
Tel Aviv’s reckless strike on Qatar was a turning point. Instead of demonstrating deterrence, it alienated Arab states. Saudi Arabia quietly moved closer to Pakistan, while Gulf capitals grew wary of Israel’s unpredictability. In the West, pro-Israel media networks like those under Rupert Murdoch struggled to contain a growing anti-Israel backlash. From London to New York, streets filled with protestors, and even the UN halls turned their backs on Netanyahu’s speeches a symbolic collapse of decades of propaganda investment.
Iran’s Shadow and the Shattered Myth
Israel’s confrontation with Iran marked the end of its myth of invincibility. For the first time, Tel Aviv faced a peer adversary capable of penetrating its air defenses and striking strategic assets. Iranian missile salvos forced Israelis to experience war in its raw form not as distant images but as immediate terror. The “weak Iran” narrative evaporated in the dust of direct confrontation.
Internal Breakdown
Inside Israel, social order is unraveling. Educational and economic institutions have collapsed; political resignations and military purges dominate daily headlines. Once the backbone of Israeli power, the Golani Brigade lies decimated, Unit 8200 has been crippled by Hezbollah, and Mossad’s networks have been exposed in 28 countries. Cyber offensives by Resistance hackers have compromised key Israeli systems.
What remains is not the Israel of 2023, but a fractured state staggering under internal and external collapse.
Thousands of Orthodox Jewish community members protest in front of the Israeli consulate in NYC pic.twitter.com/g5Cr9Anee2
— Mahmood OD | محمود عودة (@MahmoodAudah) October 21, 2025
Strip away the hasbara and the only reality left is that Gaza remains a fortress, the resistance is still organized and armed, and Tel Aviv is left counting the cost of its own strategic failure. These figures aren’t evidence of victory, but a ledger of two years of futility, an…
— Thomas Keith (@iwasnevrhere_) October 21, 2025
The US and its allies continue to deliberately blur the definition of international terrorism as they apply double standards to assessing internal conflicts in other countries, Sergey Naryshkin noted.
MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Intelligence agencies of the US and the UK are using terrorist groups for destabilizing the situation in the key regions of the planet, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said.
“Intelligence agencies of the US and the UK are now practically openly using terrorist groups to destabilize the situation in key regions of the planet and create their own zones of influence there,”
he said at a meeting of the Council of heads of security agencies and special services of CIS member states. The text has been published on the SVR website.
The US and its allies continue to deliberately blur the definition of international terrorism as they apply double standards to assessing internal conflicts in other countries, Naryshkin noted. “The White House’s attempts to remove the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group (outlawed in Russia – TASS) from the list of terrorist organizations is a vivid example,” he said, adding that the confusion provoked by the West in the classification of terrorism gives Washington and its allies free rein in the widespread introduction of terrorism methods into their foreign policy arsenal.
(Machine Translation: Yandex)
Dear colleagues! Dear friends!
I am glad to welcome you at our next meeting. First of all, I would like to sincerely thank our Uzbek friends for their warmth, hospitality, and high-level organization of our next meeting of the Conference, as well as for creating excellent conditions for our meeting in the beautiful ancient city of Samarkand, a true gem of our common space of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
It is gratifying to see how the interaction between the special services of the CIS member states is expanding and deepening, with a focus on ensuring peace and stability in the Commonwealth and promoting regional security. This cooperation is primarily a direct result of the extensive and close ties between our countries and peoples. However, we are also increasingly united by common security challenges that are becoming global and sometimes even existential. Some of these challenges are fundamentally new and require innovative responses.
The incredible speed of events in the modern world requires not only maximum mobilization, but also an understanding of the fundamental trends in the changing international relations.
From this perspective, the relevance and importance of this event cannot be overstated.
The information received by the SVR of Russia is convincing evidence that the world is currently experiencing the most fragile moment for international security since the Second World War, namely, a period of qualitative transformation of the global order. The unipolar Western-centric system has clearly ceased to exist. It is noteworthy that this is the basis for virtually all the closed Western forecasts of the development of the international situation that I have come across.
The new world order is still in the process of formation. According to some NATO estimates, the period of so-called geopolitical uncertainty will last until around 2035, but the major global and regional centers of power are already engaged in a fierce struggle to determine the contours and rules of this future world order. Our shared and perhaps most important task is to ensure that the transition to this new reality does not lead to a major war, as has been the case in previous historical periods.
This task is certainly difficult, as it requires all players to be calm, responsible, and willing to compromise. Fortunately, these qualities have been preserved in the East, but have been almost lost in the West.
Western countries, particularly the United States and its ally, the United Kingdom, are reluctant to accept the end of their unchallenged dominance on the global stage.
This may be due to the inertia of colonial thinking among the Anglo-Saxons and their deeply ingrained, historically rooted racism. This can be seen in the same predictions that I mentioned earlier. They either completely ignore the uncomfortable reality of multipolarity for the West, or portray it as chaos – a terrible world without rules, where anarchy and violence supposedly reign. Let’s take a closer look: this is how those who invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, destroyed Libya and Syria, and have been waging war in the heart of Europe since 2014, in Ukraine and Russia, view the prospects of multipolarity.
Another thing is that at the current transitional stage, American hegemony itself is beginning to change its nature. The people who are expressing this trend are those closest to President Donald Trump, the so-called tech billionaires led by Peter Thiel. These are absolute social Darwinists in international politics who do not consider it necessary to cover up their desire for dominance with talk about human rights and universal values. They are simply working to establish direct physical control over the territories and economic assets they are interested in, often at the expense of Washington’s allies, including the Europeans. The ultimate goal of this” shadow “group of influence is to create a network of independent technological states – corporations controlled by the American elite, which will become a kind of” islands of security ” in the chaotic and violent world of the future. The leader of this ideology is, in particular, US Vice President J. D. Vance.
Europe, which has become accustomed to living under American occupation since the end of World War II, is struggling to adapt to the changing international landscape. European foreign ministers are expressing pessimism about the lack of medium – and long-term solutions for maintaining security on the continent. They are also accusing Washington of “replacing the status quo with a camp of ‘revisionists’ in an attempt to redirect global politics in accordance with national interests.”quot;. {Needless to say , this is a terrible crime against liberal democracy!) The only remedy that the “Macrons” and “Merzs” fed by Alexander Soros ‘ structures, not to mention all sorts of “callas”, are ready to offer European nations is Russophobia and an accelerated build – up of European military potential with an eye to a large-scale armed conflict with Russia.
We can certainly see that the European NATO allies are preparing for a war with our country. The goal is to provide the NATO Allies with all the necessary resources in a short period of time. The process of increasing the output of the European military-industrial complex has been launched. The implementation of mobilization measures and the promotion of propaganda about the inevitable aggression from Moscow have been put on a regular basis.
At the same time, we also know that the fundamental issue remains unresolved: where will we find enough mobilization personnel with the necessary physical and moral-psychological conditions? Another “headache” for the European “elite” is the widespread social apathy and dissatisfaction with the ruling elite among the population, especially among young people. There is also uncertainty in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin about whether Washington will fulfill its obligations under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty in the event of a war with Russia. Without this, as the European External Action Service admits, the calculations to achieve strategic superiority over our country are, to quote, “illusory.”
The crisis and the disintegration of the unified Western center of power have allowed other non-Western states to establish their own regional peripheries without the intrusive influence of the United States and Europe.
The so-called middle powers, while remaining allies of the United States, are increasingly pursuing their own agendas. These agendas do not always align with the agenda of their powerful sponsor. In some cases, this has led to increased tensions, as seen in Ukraine and Israel.
The Kiev regime is openly disregarding the Trump administration’s commitment to a constructive discussion on how to end the Ukrainian conflict and is doing everything it can to escalate the situation. In the Middle East, the aggressive actions of Israel’s far-right leadership, coupled with Washington’s passive stance, have put almost every country in the region at risk and undermined decades-old approaches to security.
On the other hand, the “power vacuum” created by the fall of the American empire pushes most regionals to develop non-political, constructive mechanisms of multilateral cooperation that are not held hostage to the confrontation of global players. The deepening of regional integration is noticeable in South-East Asia, Latin America, Africa and, of course, Eurasia. This is evidenced by the progressive strengthening of such formats as the CIS, the EAEU and the SCO. Such processes are welcome. And our meeting today is another important contribution to their development.
During our Meeting, we talk a lot and productively about external and internal challenges to the Commonwealth, including international terrorism, the instigation of ethnic separatist conflicts and “color revolutions”. Each of our special services has a unique experience in countering these threats, the exchange of which makes our states more stable and stronger. This is confirmed by the long-term practice of cooperation.
Today, I would like to focus on the dangers associated with the changing environment in which geopolitical confrontation will unfold in the foreseeable future.
This includes the objective climate change and the associated threats, such as famine, water scarcity, mass migration, outbreaks of epidemics, and increased regional tensions. It is crucial to consider ways to address these challenges, which cannot be solved at the national level.
By the way, the Trump administration’s claims to Canada and Greenland, as well as the construction of fortifications on the border with Mexico, don’t seem so crazy when you consider that they are based on the results of scientific climate research conducted by the Americans. According to these studies, a significant portion of Mexico will turn into a lifeless desert within half a century, leading to an increase in migration. However, Canada and Greenland will become more suitable for resource extraction and economic development. Washington’s aggressive methods are certainly not an example to follow. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind the climate factor and its geopolitical dimension, including when building a collective security architecture in Greater Eurasia. The analytical departments of our intelligence agencies could contribute to this effort.
A new conflict zone is emerging: the struggle for a strategic advantage in the development of digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence. According to some foreign estimates, artificial intelligence’s performance doubles every six months. Major IT corporations predict that within the next three years, artificial intelligence will be able to make scientific discoveries on its own, leading to revolutionary changes in the military, energy, and international finance sectors. It is possible that these technologies will have a significant impact on the strategic balance of power and, unfortunately, on the current nuclear deterrence order.
These forecasts and estimates, of course, need to be thoroughly discussed and verified, including by the special services. But the scale with which Western intelligence agencies use the latest technologies to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states is already visible.
The development of common methods and means of countering “deepfakes”, blocking enemy satellite signals, and suppressing digital channels for financing illegal protests is becoming a key issue in terms of preventing”color revolutions”.
Friends and colleagues!
Many people are familiar with the now-famous phrase “Don’t ask who the bell is tolling for, for it may toll for you.” At times, it seems to perfectly describe the current international situation and leave little room for optimism. However, I would like to remind you that this phrase is the conclusion of a poem by the Christian preacher and poet John Donne titled “No man is an island.” It is about the fact that no one exists in isolation, that everything in this world is interconnected, and that each of us is a part of a larger whole. The common and the individual are inseparable.
John Donne made this appeal to the British.
The Anglo-Saxon elite, unfortunately, did not hear him and continued trying to sow discord, chaos and death everywhere, confirming the validity of the catch phrase “the Englishwoman shits”.
The result of these actions is obvious: the moral and political bankruptcy of the West, the rise of anti-colonial and national-conservative sentiments around the world. Our response to this destructive strategy is to cooperate and create, to remain calm and ignore the provocations aimed at undermining our unity in order to build a truly just and multipolar world.
Thanks for your attention!
The US State Department’s talk about Hamas attacking residents is baseless lies.
The “israeli” occupation established chaos and does not like to see security in the Strip.
The “israeli” occupation incites against Hamas, and the US State Department adopts its lies.
We continue the search operation for the body of an “israeli” captive and are committed to the ceasefire agreement.
The mediators have a clear understanding of what is happening, and we informed them of our vision regarding the American accusations.
Postponing the opening of the Rafah crossing is a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and a disregard for the efforts of the mediators.
The “israeli” occupation committed a series of violations of the ceasefire agreement.
There are promises from the mediators to compel the occupation to stop the violations and implement all terms of the agreement.
There is understanding from the American side and the mediators regarding the difficulties facing the delivery of the captives’ bodies.
Hamas has begun contacts with the Authority and the factions to formulate a national position that transcends thorny issues.
All Palestinian factions can reach a national approach during this sensitive period.
We cannot allow any party or power in the world to cancel a political force, including Hamas.
Those involved in war crimes in Gaza must be pursued and held accountable.
The occupation prevents the entry of advanced equipment and speaks of delaying the receipt of its bodies.
We pledged to the mediators to close the file of the occupation’s captives’ bodies despite the difficulties.
Permanent X link to Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur – the Occupied Territories.
A previous thread contains Netanyahu’s ‘spiritual needs’.
Previous thread: https://sovereignista.com/2025/09/27/the-war-genocide-thread-9/
Oct 20
Netanyahu announced with pride that they bombed Gaza with 153 tons of explosives. But he says nothing about how many non-combatants women, children they bombed, and he said nothing that Hamas is still in charge. How do we know? They are negotiating with Hamas!
We witnessed yesterday that Trump acted, for once. Zionist-israel attacked Gaza again and stopped aid flowing in. The US intervened and Netanyahu had to step back, cease the attacks and withdraw his order to stop all aid. Today we will see if aid is properly restored.
This is generally called a cynical attempt of Trump to keep on with the peace myth that he is peddling. It may be so, but also may not be so. We don’t have a trend after his big Peace Plan.
Witkoff and Kushner visited Gaza but refused to acknowledge the genocide, saying that it is a war. They know full well that this is genocide but the attempt to save Bibi’s neck and zionist reputation continues. Kushner: ‘Ingenuity, innovation, compassion’ will reestablish Israel’s reputation. ‘They don’t have to explain themselves — the war has taken a toll’.
Of course these two have to act for the cease fire, for consistency of their message and the long term plan to wrest profit from the atrocity. This is a message that will not fly as the reaction against Israel and Israelis continue worldwide and will do so for years into the future. People innately and intuitively understand that this is the moral issue of our time.
This is from Thailand and there are many more
There are many restaurants in the world now with signs – No Israel! Countries are routinely beginning to stop Israelis visiting for rest and relaxation. The Hind Rajab foundation is growing from strength to strength and they seek out IDF and former IDF soldiers similarly to how Nazis were hunted out earlier in our history. The zionist population is fleeing and flailing knowing full well that they are equated to Nazis now. The real status of the country is very questionable as trade is drying up with dockworkers in Europe refusing to pass cargo and AnsarAllah in Yemen still holding their ban on shipping. Netanyahu is a hated man internal to the zionist state. People like Marjory Tailor-Green in the US are staying on message – no more money, no more unregistered AIPAC. To refuse AIPAC bribes is now becoming a point of pride and an election campaign issue for people standing for congress and is now seen as a good thing. The ultra-Orthodox is still protesting and refusing to serve, so the IDF is critically short of fighters as call-ups of reservists also fail. This horse, this reputational horse, has left the stable and will not be put into its stable again, despite the work of Trump, Kushner and Witkoff and despite the new efforts to craft TikTok into a tool of covering up empire’s bloodlust.
Here is one reason why the message will not fly worldwide and Zionist-Israel will remain rejected by the good people of our world. I wonder if these Witkoff and Kushner types understand that the power of social media goes both ways and that it cannot be stopped at the borders? We know what happens when the zionists are forced to stop killing Palestinians in Gaza. They intensify the campaign to occupy the West Bank for one, and start killing Palestinians in the West Bank. Yesterday, Palestinians were lured into settler ambushes. This is being fully recorded by mainly US journalists and activists who go there to support. Prisoners that are released on Gaza side, are made up for in numbers with new arrests on the West Bank’s side. So the numbers of detained Palestinians in the hellholes of zionist jails remain high. Over the past two years, we’ve seen it over and over again.
Violent settlers mobs are tearing up the countryside, beating up Palestinians harvesting olives and caring for livestock, they are stealing and occupying land and take houses as they like, they use their children as human shields to stop aid trucks and they act as a terrorist force, with nothing to distinguish these mobs from ISIS type activities. News sources report that Zionist occupiers have seized 70,000 square meters of Palestinian lands in Nablus. The occupiers continue to violate and annex the West Bank.
So, when the Gaza ceasefire settled somewhat (for the moment ignoring the latest zionist atrocities of the past day), the West Bank came under major assault. There has been a ‘soft’ assault ongoing, but yesterday was major. The Israeli occupation forces continued their wide-scale campaign across the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, conducting violent raids, arrests, and assaults on civilians throughout the night and early morning hours.
Occupation forces stormed multiple towns and villages. The city of Nablus and its surrounding areas—Kafr Qalil, Rafidia, Beit Wazan, and An-Naqura—witnessed heavy military incursions, with reports of house raids, arrests, and widespread intimidation. Forces also entered Al-Mughayyir (northeast of Ramallah), arresting several residents, including Nadi Nasan and Alaa Raqi Nasar Abu Aliya. There are more. It was an overwhelming flooding attack.
The coordinated nature of these raids underscores the continued Israeli campaign to suppress resistance and terrorize the Palestinian population throughout the occupied West Bank. This is the softening of the West Bank to become our next Gaza.
Additionally, looking forward, there is this school of thought:
The plan is not for the IDF to re-occupy Gaza. There has been a massing of settler armies on the border. It is THEY who will go in and claim the land, looking in particular to carve out the seashore for themselves.
Netanyahu will say that he has not violated the agreement. It’s not an “official” attack. It’s just the settlers doing to Gaza what they’ve been doing on the West Bank.
The aggression never has been limited to Netanyahu; it’s the younger settler-state population as a whole.
If Netanyahu and his fellow insane murderers will ever see the inside of a world court of law is a question. Perhaps the justice will be meted out on the ground and the ultimate removal may be by fair means or foul. Historically, and in my opinion, foul means may be considered as the zionist way.
There is little hope for a better immediate future on the short timeline. But do remember, this is in fact a very small part of our world. The similarity of actions with the threatening assault on Venezuela tells us that the brains behind these atrocities, are the same brains as those behind shooting little boats to smithereens into the blue in the Caribbean. Might makes right will not prevail for too much longer. This is why we must stand as resistance. The infestations internal to the combined west may have their own faction fights, but the virus in this cesspit is the same. In the US currently the principle of starving poor people is continuing in a psychological horror show. I’m talking about Food Stamps being threatened for the poorer population. For the Palestinians the sheer level of physical and psychological trauma will continue for many years into the future. If this population can ever be saved in reality is a huge question. This is why the attack on the Palestinian humanity physically and psychologically will remain the moral issue of our time and into the future.
Lebanon gets attacked each time the zionists have a little extra time. The nature of Syria is somewhat different as we have terrorists trained by the Brits to appear human, in charge. The dark rumble of a threatening war on Iran continues. If we can believe what our eyes see, Iran is bristling with the required weaponry now, provided by their fellow civilizational states. The JPCOA is toast forever, having run out of time. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it is fully prepared to deepen strategic cooperation with the Yemeni armed forces in the battle against global arrogance and international Zionism. If this happens, and I think it will happen de facto at a minimum, it will be a huge boon for the resistance.
It’s horrifying how much brutality can be crammed into just 41 sec.
Avner Avraham, a former Mossad agent who also dabbles in art & journalism when he’s not daydreaming about wiping out Gaza, openly admits that Israel plants agents in Gaza to launch rockets at Israel just to… pic.twitter.com/RgHZdffMcp
— Abier (@abierkhatib) October 18, 2025
Oct 19
Widely reported:
According to Drop Site’s Ryan Grim: US officials quickly determined the Rafah explosion was caused by an Israeli bulldozer detonating unexploded ordnance, not a Hamas tunnel attack as claimed by Netanyahu.
Despite knowing this, Netanyahu blamed Hamas, halted aid, and resumed airstrikes, only reversing course after Washington confronted Israel with the facts.
Just in. It is mid-day local time. While I was writing this: Israel resumes strikes on Gaza — Times of Israel
The Israeli military launched an attack on Gaza, as Israel continued to trade blame with Palestinian militant group Hamas over violations of the ceasefire, aiming to end the war in the enclave, the Times of Israel reports.
So far, the IOF is now carrying out a new wave of airstrikes east of Khan Younis, in continued violation of the ceasefire agreement. Over 20 locations have been bombed in recent hours across the entire Gaza Strip. Happy Peace!
– I warned yesterday and below you will see the pretext cooked up by US State. Trump owns this.
Peace Plan. It is neither a plan nor implementable in its current form and Trump owns it. The trajectory is similar to Lebanon where the last number that I saw, was over 4,000 violations of a similar ‘peace plan’.
In Gaza, violations are piling up. The plan does not allow for the necessary action. So, Israel is again acting with impunity, and what is new? The death toll in Gaza is slowly increasing by the day. Netanyahu has just declared that the Rafah crossing will remain closed until Hamas delivers the corpses of the dead Israeli war criminals in their possession. But, zionist-israel also refuses to allow in specialists with the required machinery to look for the bones under the rubble. Unconscionable, as the supposed plan has no deadline, and it was discussed that this process will take time.
Food and provisioning trucks are still being held up.
Settler militias are raging, taking land, beating Palestians, stealing olive harvests and then cutting down any tree that remains and with their children in strollers as human shields physically blocking trucks from moving.
Israeli intelligence expert Avner Avraham declared, “We are going to erase Gaza.” He admits that Israel plans to fabricate an attack from Gaza to justify a full-scale assault with international backing. I repeat, Trump owns this as he owns the hunger of the Gazan’s with his food provision militia.
The Government Media Office in Gaza:
Since the ceasefire was declared, 38 Palestinians have been killed and 143 others injured due to ongoing violations by the Israeli occupation.
The Israeli occupation has committed 47 documented violations since the start of the ceasefire.
Violations were recorded in all governorates of the Gaza Strip without exception, confirming that the Israeli occupation is not committed to ending war and continues its policy of killing and terror.
The media whitewash of Netanyahu is continuing. Indi says: I Can’t Watch Anything Anymore (Zionists Everywhere)
The West Bank is literally under siege.
Lebanon is being bombed by zionist-israel at will.
“The Chinese have spoken softly against the genocide, and because of that I am deeply disappointed in the Chinese, and the Russians. They should have been screaming from the rooftops that this [US-backed] genocide should stop”
John Mearsheimer
Hamas is fighting back.
Reports of Hamas fighters attempting to capture an IDF soldier.
One soldier was killed and three others injured in an incident involving the Israeli army in the Rafah area.
Reports of a second security incident in the Gaza Strip this morning, a sniper fired at IDF soldiers – 2 killed 4 injured
A third security incident has occurred in Gaza. Remember a security incident is code for some IDF soldiers coming under fire. The reporting is streaming in now.
Hebrew media reports that the security situation in Gaza is difficult. This is code for IDF soldiers running away. Next, and I can bet on it, the security and non-publication ban will be slammed down.
A different narrative is starting to hit the mainstream pic.twitter.com/hVT3fN7kQb
— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) October 17, 2025
The bigger the circus, the bigger the scam. The so-called signing of a peace agreement was a big circus and the illusionist scam is momentous.
Larry Johnson said: “Donald Trump garnered some major political optics today as he signed his Gaza Peace Plan, with a raft of Euopean, Asian and Arab leaders sitting in the cheap seats watching the spectacle. But who has a signing of a peace agreement when neither of the two parties to the conflict are present? This is more than a bad joke… this is a scam. ”
There has been four ceasefire violations to date. This type of ocurrence may be normal where a ceasefire is not always total guns silent from the first minute. But here, we have Lebanon, where there has been over 4,000 ceasefire violations. This is not a bug, it is a feature of the zionist hands. It took less than 24 hours after the so-called “historic signing of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan” for the Zionist regime to once again shed Palestinian blood under its usual pretext of “security threats.” And here we go again.
Only a day after receiving all its living captives from Gaza as part of Trump’s plan to end the war, Israeli media reports that Netanyahu has approved new “punitive measures.”
According to Israeli reports, Netanyahu supported and approved a decision not to open the Rafah Crossing tomorrow, claiming that Hamas failed to hand over the remaining bodies of Israeli soldiers in Gaza. The same sources added that Israel has also decided to drastically reduce the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip.
At Rafah crossing currently food trucks and equipment for cleaning roads and removing rubble are waiting. Bear in mind this is mainly gifts from the rest of the world. Netanyahu has no intention to stop the genocide, no matter what Trump says or pretends. We will see if the negotiators (or the so-called signers giving so-called guarantees), take any action. Please take a look at the White House statement that I posted exactly because I expected this. There is no word of a guarantee. It is a bunch of pretty fluff exactly the same as the other 7 or so wars that Trump pretended to mediate. https://sovereignista.com/2025/10/13/the-white-house-published-the-trump-declaration-for-enduring-peace-and-prosperity/
Hamas, however, stated that Israel manipulated the list of Palestinian detainees set for release in yesterday’s exchange deal and cited difficulties in recovering the bodies’ remains due to several factors, including Israel’s failure to adhere to the agreed-upon terms of the deal.
This is of course true as Hamas warned throughout that the zionist-israelis in the hands of Hamas are being killed by zionist-israel’s extreme bombing and droning and firing into Gaza. Netanyahu had no intention of ‘getting the hostages back’. That was a Trump flourish to scam the Americans in this scam.
Are you beginning to understand the size of this perfidy and why I have a level of disgust that has taken my breath and my words away. Mr.Lavrov knows the score.
—
(Deep apologies to Freddy Mercury)
Report Presstv
Leaked American military documents have exposed a covert US-led partnership between Israel and six key Arab states against Iran amid the occupying regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Leaked documents in a report published on Saturday by American daily, The Washington Post, revealed that the partnership — known as the “Regional Security Construct” — was forged between Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE under the leadership of US Central Command in 2022 to confront what was claimed to be “threats” from Iran.
According to the report, the partnership quietly expanded through 2025, linking the six Arab states into a shared air-defense network designed to “combat Iran’s missiles and drones,” following the Islamic Republic’s pro-Palestine retaliatory strikes against the occupied territories and the regime’s US-backed 12-day aggression on Tehran.
“The documents show that the threat posed by Iran was the driving force behind the closer ties, which have been fostered by the US military’s Central Command, known as Centcom,” the paper said, adding that the documents labeled Iran and its regional partners as the “Axis of Evil.”
The report noted that the parties held behind-the-scenes years of secret meetings and joint trainings in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the US, focusing on countering Iran and combating underground tunnel warfare used by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and other resistance factions in Gaza.
“The documents show how the centerpiece of the construct, an air-defense plan to combat Iran’s missiles and drones, moved from theory to reality over the past three years,” as Israel and the Arab countries signed on to the plan at a 2022 security conference and agreed to coordinate military exercises, it added.
“By 2024, Centcom successfully linked many of the partner states to its systems, allowing them to provide radar and sensor data to the US military and, in turn, to view the combined data of the partners.”
The report stressed that the six key Arab states quietly expanded military partnership with the Israeli regime “even as they condemned the war in the Gaza Strip.”
According to the daily, while Arab leaders, including those of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have publicly denounced Israel’s devastating war on Gaza as “genocidal,” their militaries are simultaneously working alongside Israel and the US on plans tied to an American ceasefire proposal, which envisions Arab participation in Gaza’s post-war security arrangements.
Around 200 US troops are set to deploy to Israeli-occupied territories to support the ceasefire agreement, with several of the Arab states involved expected to contribute forces.
The leaked documents said, however, the military ties among the partnership members “were thrown into crisis,” after the air-defense system “did nothing” to protect Qatar against Israel’s September 9 strike on its capital, and US satellite and radar systems “did not provide an early warning of the strike.”
US Air Force Lt. Gen. Derek France was quoted as saying by The Washington Post that the setback took place because those systems “are typically focused on Iran and other [areas] where we expect an attack to come from.”
Qatar also said that its radar systems had failed to detect the missile launches by Israeli fighter jets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued an apology to Qatar under pressure from Washington, according to the documents, but the incident exposed the fragility of the cooperation.
The leaked files also exposed US plans to establish a “Combined Middle East Cyber Center” and an “Information Fusion Center” to further integrate Israeli and Arab security capabilities.
The paper cited a former US military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military issues, as saying, “These engagements reflected the Persian Gulf Arab states’ pragmatic ties with Israel — and their respect for its military prowess.”
The documents revealed that Centcom personnel also led planning meetings to launch information operations to counter Iran’s narrative that it is the regional protector of Palestinians, while promoting a “partner narrative of regional prosperity and cooperation.”
On June 13, Israel launched an unprovoked aggression against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.
The United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of international law.
On June 24, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the terrorist assault.
The aggression on Iranian soil unfolded amid Israel’s brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has since October 2023 claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Gaza Health Ministry.
Judge Nap catches our roving eye nomad—pilgrim between flights to review the incendiary moment
Rock’n Roll Geopolitics:
RYABKOV UNPLUGGED
“We have a certain building of relations, which has cracked, which is collapsing – the Americans are to blame for this. Now the cracks have reached the foundation. I think it’s easier to destroy than to build. We are ready to build, but we don’t see any reciprocal movement from that side.”
Well, Burning Down the House is the Empire’s trademark.
Source : Al-Jazeera
Translation : resistancenews.org – By lecridespeuples
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds — the Supporter of believers, the One who grants glory to fighters, humbles the disbelievers, and aids the steadfast.
May peace and blessings be upon the Master of all creation, the witness and martyr Muhammad the Faithful, and upon all those who have followed his path and his tradition until the Day of Judgment.
“If a wound has touched you, a similar wound has already touched the others. Such are the days We alternate among people, so that God may distinguish those who believe and choose martyrs from among you. And God does not love the unjust.” (Qur’an, 3:140)
O masses of our proud and dignified Palestinian people, O our Arab and Islamic Ummah, O people of Gaza — Gaza of dignity, courage, and sacrifice; O free men and living martyrs:
The whole world stands in awe of what you have offered — your gifts, your sacrifices, your steadfastness, your patience, and your faith. You have waged a war without precedent in human history. You have confronted the tyranny of the enemy, the brutality of its army, its massacres, and its savagery. You stood firm like unshakable mountains — neither faltering nor wavering in resolve. You resisted death, endured hunger and displacement, the loss of loved ones, the destruction of your homes and possessions. You lived in tents and among the ruins of your shattered dwellings. You rose again when all seemed lost. Those who opposed or abandoned you did you no harm, except for the hardship you already endured.
As we commemorate the second anniversary of the glorious Battle of October 7, we renew our pledge of loyalty to our virtuous martyrs — the leaders who launched the Al-Aqsa Flood: the martyred commander Ismail Haniyeh, head of the movement, his deputy, the martyred commander Saleh al-Arouri, the martyred commander Yahya al-Sinwar, the martyred commander Abu Khaled al-Deif, and their companions among the leaders of the Resistance whom God has chosen and who remained faithful to their covenant with Him.
We bow before the great deeds of the Resistance’s men and heroes — those who fought at point-blank range, who stood as a magnificent bulwark before the tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers of the occupation, and who thwarted the enemy’s plans one after another: expulsion, starvation, chaos, and every other scheme, all shattered upon the rock of your conscience and will.
And just as you were men on the battlefield, your brothers proved themselves at the negotiating table — placing the interests of our people and the preservation of their blood at the forefront of our priorities since the first moments of the battle.
Yet this criminal enemy multiplied its evasions and massacres, rendering the mediators’ efforts futile, attempt after attempt. And when we established a ceasefire on January 7, it hastened to violate the agreement — once again confirming its habitual betrayal of commitments, its breaking of pacts, and its fabrication of lies.
Despite all this, we persevered through long and arduous indirect negotiations — marked by procrastination, setbacks, and repeated failures. But we never ceased striving to end the aggression and this war of extermination.
Ultimately, we showed a deep sense of responsibility in responding to the plan proposed by the U.S. President, submitting a reply that serves our people’s interests and rights, safeguards their blood, and embodies our vision for an end to the war.
Our negotiating delegation traveled to the Arab Republic of Egypt in a spirit of responsibility and optimism. Through coordination with the consulted Resistance forces, we reached an agreement that we now present to our beloved and heroic people.
We therefore announce the conclusion of an agreement ending the war and aggression against our people — establishing a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupying forces, the entry of humanitarian aid, the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions, and a prisoner exchange.
Under this agreement, 250 heroic Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment will be released, along with 1,700 detainees from Gaza arrested after October 7 — including all children and women.
We have received assurances from our mediating brothers and from the U.S. administration confirming that the war is indeed over.
We will continue to work alongside national and Islamic forces to complete the remaining steps, striving to realize the aspirations of our Palestinian people — their right to self-determination and to the fulfillment of their legitimate rights — until the establishment of their independent state with Al-Quds as its capital.
In this spirit, we salute our people wherever they may be — in the West Bank, in the territories occupied since 1948, and throughout the diaspora. We express our deep gratitude to our mediating brothers in the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Qatar, and the Republic of Turkey, as well as to those who have shared our blood and our struggle in our Ummah — in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
We also thank all those around the world who have stood in solidarity with us — the free people who have filled the streets by the hundreds of thousands, even millions, to cry out the truth.
We extend our thanks as well to all who joined the convoys of support and freedom, by land or by sea, and to all who raised the voice of justice against the tyranny and arrogance that plague this earth.
As we close this address, after two years of struggle, we can say: For two years, Gaza has worked miracles on its own — inspiring the free and healing wounds. For two years, Gaza has defended Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa, fought the enemy with unmatched bravery and courage, and affirmed that Gaza is forbidden to its enemies, that its men cannot be broken, and that those who abandon it cannot diminish it.
Peace be upon Gaza — upon the men of Gaza, the women of Gaza, its children, its elders, its martyrs, its wounded, its prisoners, and its great martyred leaders.
And may peace be upon you all, as well as God’s mercy and blessings.
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Viewed as a global strategy, Russia is performing a balancing act here, intently testing the US-imposed ‘rules-based system’ in West Asia. By boosting military ties with Iran, Russia underscores that the post-World War international order defined by a ‘rules-based system’ has become an aberration..
By Ambassador MK Bhadrakumar at the Deccan Herald.
An uneasy calm has settled over the Gulf region since a hastily brokered ceasefire ended the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June. But the protagonists lost no time to prepare for a second round that both anticipate to be apocalyptic. For Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this is the last chance to realise his 25-year-old dream of regime change in Iran, even as Israel’s international isolation is deepening, the spectre of a Palestine State looms ahead, and Iran is steadily boosting its deterrent capability.
Iran’s BRICS membership gives it a diplomatic reach as never before; the ties with Russia and China have assumed the nature of an entente cordiale. The Russian-Iranian Treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership came into effect on October 2, within a week of E3 members of the JCPOA reimposing, with the US leading from rear, a priori additional sanctions on Iran.
The Moscow announcement highlighted the security implications of the treaty by flagging that the document ‘stipulates tighter interaction on the international stage in conditions of the emerging multipolar world, including close coordination within the leading multilateral associations, joint efforts to strengthen stability and security in the region, as well as countering common threats and challenges.’ The accent on security is striking, hinting that Moscow won’t be a bystander in a future Israeli attack on Iran. Indeed, Russian-Israeli ties have sharply deteriorated lately due to growing evidence of Mossad’s tie-up with Britain’s MI6 in Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on Russian territory.
On its part, Iran has tweaked its longstanding policy not to take foreign help to safeguard national defence. Suffice to say, the overall military balance in West Asia is shifting. Both Russia and China have questioned the legitimacy of the contrived Western move to reimpose JCPOA sanctions on the eve of Russia assuming the presidency of the UN Security Council on October 1. The Termination Day of the JCPOA is set for October 18, 2025, 10 years after Adoption Day. According to the JCPOA, 10 years after adoption day, all remaining UN and EU sanctions against Iran should have been terminated.
Russia and Iran, in a defiant move, signed a $25-billion deal last week to build four nuclear power plants in Sirik, which is a doubling down of bilateral co-operation in nuclear technology transfer. As of now, Iran has only the Bushehr NPP built by Russia. Russia and Iran are cocking a snook at the Donald Trump administration at this juncture, when the nuclear talks have broken down and the whereabouts of the enriched uranium stock remains unknown, and IAEA inspectors have no access.
Moscow is indebted to Tehran for providing drone technology that has been crucially effective in Ukraine, while China has been traditionally Iran’s main arms supplier. But Russia and China will not send in troops (which Iran doesn’t need), and instead will outfit Tehran appropriately. The US is in no position in any way to wage a continental war in Iran, which is roughly half the size of India. Even more than the nuclear issue, what is worrisome for the US and Israel is Iran’s success in developing advanced missile technology, which may now have Russian and Chinese support.
In these changed circumstances, the situation around Iran has the potential to bring the US and Russia into a military confrontation, which, of course, neither superpower wants. In principle, this contradiction should discourage Trump from joining any Israeli attack, but in reality, with the Epstein files hanging like a Damocles’ sword on his political future, combined with the powerful Jewish lobby’s control of Congress and Beltway, it is Netanyahu who will call the shots.
Viewed as a global strategy, Russia is performing a balancing act here, intently testing the US-imposed ‘rules-based system’ in West Asia. By boosting military ties with Iran, Russia underscores that the post-World War international order defined by a ‘rules-based system’ has become an aberration, a fragile and artificial construct, sustained only by deliberate US power. Interestingly, Russia has also strongly denounced Washington’s ‘increasing escalation’ against Venezuela.
The influential Iranian news website Nournews has called the Iran-Russia Treaty “a part of the new architecture of international relations, particularly meaningful within the frameworks of BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Eurasian Union… Iran’s strategic alignment with Russia, complementing its 25-year agreement with China and convergence with other countries, symbolises the structural transformations of the global order, in which political and economic independence will replace subordination to domination.”
There is no question that maintaining the rules-based system to provide the underpinning of Israel’s security is becoming a fraught endeavour going forward. The ecosystem is no longer hospitable for Israel anyway, and there is little that Washington can do to restore the status quo ante.
Israel may repeat a surprise attack, but Iran is prepared for war. Decapitation as a strategy won’t work this time. Critical weapon systems have been dispersed all over the country. Air defence capability is much better than before. Iran will not necessarily exercise restraint this time and will use all means at its disposal to defend, since this is a fight to the finish, including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on US bases.
Against this backdrop, Trump announced on September 29 an extraordinary security pact between the US and Qatar, where the Central Command is headquartered, almost mirroring aspects of a Nato alliance. At first glance, Trump’s move may seem to lay down a marker affecting the fragile and combustible regional dynamics. However, according to former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, a simpler explanation is to see the executive order as more of an extraordinary prize for the ruling Al Thani family while seeking a quid pro quo from the emir to cajole Hamas’ Doha-based leadership to voice support for the Gaza Plan. Coincidence or not, Hamas and Israel began indirect talks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday.
Meanwhile, the US military build-up of aircraft, ammunition, missiles, refuelling capabilities, and the reallocation of vessels at sea in and around the Gulf region on such a massive scale is ominous. Keeping armed forces in hype for a prolonged period is impractical. The Pentagon must pull the trigger sooner rather than later, or, will have to stand down. But standing down will mean that the apocalyptic high noon passes and the paradigm shift in the geopolitics of Iran becomes a fait accompli for the US and Israel.
Gaza (QNN)- Hamas resistance movement announced on Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Israel on the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan, aimed at ending the genocide in Gaza and ensuring the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
In an official statement, Hamas said the agreement was achieved “after responsible and serious negotiations held by the movement and Palestinian resistance factions around President Trump’s proposal in Sharm El-Sheikh.”
The statement added that the deal guarantees “an end to the genocidal war against our Palestinian people, the withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip, the entry of humanitarian aid, and a prisoner exchange.”
Hamas expressed appreciation for the mediation efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and extended thanks to President Trump for his “efforts to end the war and achieve the complete withdrawal of the occupation from Gaza.”
The movement urged Trump, the guarantor countries, and all international parties to ensure that Israel fully abides by the agreement, warning against any attempts by Israel to evade or delay implementation.
Hamas also saluted the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the diaspora, praising their “unparalleled courage and sacrifice in confronting the occupation’s fascist schemes.”
“The sacrifices of our people will not go in vain. We remain committed to our national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved,” Hamas affirmed.
Trump Confirms Deal on Truth Social
Shortly before Hamas’ statement, US President Trump confirmed the signing of the first phase of his Gaza Plan in a statement on Truth Social.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump wrote. “All of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed line as the first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting peace.”
Trump described the deal as “a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the United States of America,” thanking Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for their mediation.
Details and Implementation
The signing took place in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh after mediators received positive responses from both delegations.
Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed that all provisions and implementation mechanisms were agreed upon, including the end of the war, the exchange of prisoners, and the entry of humanitarian aid.
Israeli officials said the release of Israeli soldier prisoners could begin as early as this weekend.
The announcement comes as Israel’s genocide in Gaza enters its 734th day, a genocide that has devastated the enclave, killed over 67,000 people, and displaced all of its population.
—
At the moment, Gaza is erupting in joy.
This is certainly not comfortable to listen to. The question today, is who is first? Iran or Venezuela? Col Wilkerson sees what is happening now clearly.
First objective: Preservation of Bibi Netanyahu’s coalition and Bibi Netanyahu.
Second objective: Keeping the United States from causing him to do something he does not want to do wrt Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.
We’re going to war Nima!
Nima cut in a discussion that he had with Michael Hudson and Richard Wolff (not posted yet as I am waiting for the transcript) where Michael says in no uncertain terms that a decision for nuclear war has been made.
Israel apologists are probably going to make a much, much bigger deal about the second October 7 anniversary than they did about the first anniversary, because they kind of have to. The world is turning against Israel in unprecedented ways in 2025, and yelling about October 7 is all they’ve got left.
They’ve already got a scripted October 7 series coming out on Paramount+, and another, separate scripted October 7 series coming out on HBO Max for the anniversary. There are probably numerous news media segments and articles scheduled. Maybe some new “revelations” about alleged October 7 atrocities which have been just waiting in the wings this whole time for some reason.
The hasbarists are going to be so obnoxious. They’ll be babbling about Hamas beheading babies and then cooking the beheaded babies in the oven and then having sex with the beheaded babies and then eating the beheaded babies and then playing soccer with the baby heads while singing about how much they love Adolf Hitler.
They’re so insanely desperate to maintain the propaganda line as the legitimacy of the colony continues to erode that we’re seeing multiple October 7th related films/docuseries come out concurrently. The goal is clear: maintain support long enough to intensify the genocide. https://t.co/qvKtgz3EfM
— James
(@GoodVibePolitik) September 26, 2025
They’ll need to do this, because what else do they have? All the attention has long ago moved from October 7 to the genocide in Gaza, because Israel is the victimizer in literally every news story that’s come out about Palestine since that one day. Every relevant humanitarian institution on earth is saying that Israel is committing genocide and starving civilians, and we’ve been watching the evidence of this on our screens for two years.
In 2023 you had westerners saying “How could Hamas do such a thing??”, but in 2025 everyone’s looking back and going “Ehh, I kinda get it.” There are only so many horrific atrocities you can witness before you stop seeing Israel as the poor widdle Bambi-eyed victim. There are only so many times you can hear Israeli officials stating their plans to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip of all Palestinians, only so many Israeli soldiers you can see mockingly dressed in the undergarments of the dead and displaced Palestinian women they’ve been genociding, only so many hospital bombings you can read about, only so many accounts of IDF troops massacring starving civilians at aid sites you can listen to, before you start thinking to yourself that Israel probably had it coming.
So they’ve got to try and reignite that initial shock and horror Israel’s western allies experienced on October 7, using whatever tools of emotional manipulation they can. Try to take us all by the hand and lead us back to that naive time when the mainstream narrative was that Israel had just been attacked by a bunch of hateful savages who wanted to murder Jews simply because they are Jewish.
Absolutely staggering public opinion polling on Israel's collapse among young Americans.
Though this was utterly unthinkable even 5 years ago, it's now reflected in poll after poll, and is so entrenched it's hard to imagine it can be reversed, no matter what Larry Ellison buys. https://t.co/nKAl6SU1Wz
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 29, 2025
It won’t work, though. We’ve seen too much. What has been seen cannot be unseen. No matter how much they moan about October 7, no matter how much control they shore up over TikTok and other social media platforms to silence criticism of Israel, no matter how loudly they concern troll about a pretend epidemic of antisemitism, what has been seen will never be unseen.
We see what Israel is. We see what Israel is doing. We see what the western governments who support Israel are. There is nothing anyone can say or do that will cause us to unsee what we have seen and un-know what we now know.
And we will never, ever forgive them.
Commentary, Trump’s Statement, followed by the Hamas Statement on the new Trump Plan.
For those who did not follow, we’ve been here six times before in the previous two years. The Hamas Statement is relatively the same as the previous Hamas Statements. The Bibi Netanyahu gyrations are similar to the previous gyrations.
As usual, no matter what Trump says, Netanyahu is reneging. First, Netanyahu has not accepted the Plan. Second, when Trump said the shooting was to stop, it actually increased over the past number of hours. We’ve seen this six times before. (No, I’m not a career negative, although we see a lot of that). It’s just that we’ve seen this all before. The latest from PressTV is that Netanyahu has instructed his IDF to remain with his instructions as given before Trump’s plan, because he expects Hamas to reject it.
And we’ve seen this six-X-six times before. Netanyahu makes a statement, waits for it to hit the news, and then cancels it.
The zionist-israeli press is livid. very busy killing any possible deal and trying their best to blacken Hamas even if it is one last time. This is what we see: Trump with a Hamas headband.
Prime Minister’s Office Announcement: Following Hamas’s response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all the hostages.
We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team in order to bring the war to an end in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel, which are consistent with President Trump’s vision.
From the zionist-israeli side, there is NO agreement to the Trump Plan, even though they edited it according to their own wishes. Please understand that each time zionist-israel released Palestinian prisoners, the next day or so, they arrested a few more than what they released in the previous days. Please understand, even if we give Trump all the support and praise, this is not over yet. We may ask why now? Why is Trump so insistent that there will be ‘peace’ now? Two years have passed, and that does not include the previous 75 years.
As they say, wake me up when the brutal zionist-israeli genocide on the Palestinian population ends. I’ve seen too many fake ceasefires used to increase the killing and blasting of Hamas. In the meantime, we will continue reporting on genocide. Every time “Israel” seems to accept a ceasefire, it pivots the aggression towards another member of the Resistance Axis without actually ending operations in the area where it agreed to a truce.
The latest is that Israel is preparing to send a delegation of negotiators to discuss the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for a settlement in the Gaza Strip, regarding the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. We’ve seen this so many times. First phase discussions never got to the end of the genocide. Trump or no Trump, the zionist-israeli cycle remains the same.
In the past two hours, there were five Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City. The Gaza Strip, particularly Gaza City, has been under relentless Israeli bombardment, with residents describing it as if ‘the gates of hell’ have been opened on the Palestinian enclave, despite US President Donald Trump ordering Israel to stop the bombing of Gaza ‘immediately’ following a positive response from Hamas to his Gaza plan.
When you are an enfeebled former superpower teetering on the brink of international and domestic collapse, war inevitably becomes the only mirage your hubris can envision – Quote imetatronink
—
Trump’s Statement
Trump’s statement on video was a non-complicated thank-you to all who helped to get this far. He expresses that Hamas is ready for peace.
“Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
Hamas response to the new Trump plan and subsequent ultimatum. (Bolding is mine)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
*Important Statement*
*Regarding Hamas Movement’s Response to the Proposal of US President Trump*
Out of keenness to stop the aggression and the extermination war that our steadfast people in the Gaza Strip are subjected to, and based on national responsibility and keenness on the constants, rights, and supreme interests of our people, the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” has conducted in-depth consultations within its leadership institutions, wide consultations with Palestinian forces and factions, and consultations with brother mediators and friends, to reach a responsible position in dealing with the plan of US President Donald Trump.
*After thorough study, the movement has made its decision and delivered the following response to the brother mediators*:
(The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts and the efforts of US President Donald Trump calling for stopping the war on the Gaza Strip, exchanging prisoners, immediate entry of aid, rejecting the occupation of the Strip, and rejecting the displacement of our Palestinian people from it.
Within this framework and to achieve the cessation of war and full withdrawal from the Strip, the movement announces its approval to release all occupation prisoners alive and dead according to the exchange formula mentioned in President Trump’s proposal and providing the field conditions for the exchange process. In this context, the movement confirms its readiness to immediately enter negotiations through mediators to discuss the details.
The movement also renews its approval to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian independent technocratic authority based on Palestinian national consensus and relying on Arab and Islamic support.
As for other issues mentioned in President Trump’s proposal related to the future of the Gaza Strip and the authentic rights of the Palestinian people, these are linked to a comprehensive national position based on relevant international laws and resolutions and will be discussed through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly.
*Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas*
Older initial commentary
Hamas political bureau member Mohammad Nazzal to Al-Jazeera:
—
Hamas received the US proposal on September 29th and has been engaged in internal and external consultations since September 30th. These consultations involve Palestinian resistance factions, independent Palestinian figures, and nations like Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
Hamas is discussing the plan seriously, despite having many reservations.
Hamas does not approach political negotiations with an “all or nothing” mentality, but rather seeks common ground that serves the Palestinian people’s highest interests and strategic principles.
We reject the idea of being coerced into accepting or rejecting the plan.
Hamas will make its stance public soon, taking into account the interests of the Palestinian people and their long-term goals.
Hamas’s decision to discuss the plan stems from the desire to halt the war and the massacres in Gaza.
Political solutions can be found to achieve our goals, and we reject any dictated terms.
Hamas is concerned with ending the genocide in Gaza, which has been ongoing for two years, and we do not want it to enter its third year.
Hamas is actively engaged in serious discussions with mediators and allied Arab and Islamic countries to reach understandings.
Hamas’ position on the proposal will be announced very soon, without succumbing to pressure or time constraints.
As reported …
Islamabad (QNN)- Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan is not the same that was approved by leaders of Arab and Muslim countries, including Pakistan.
“This is not our document,” Dar told reporters at a press conference in Islamabad. He explained that Pakistan and its allies had demanded several key points that were missing. “There are some key areas that we want covered … If they are not covered, they will be covered,” he added.
Dar said the immediate priorities remain a ceasefire, stopping the genocide, allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, and ending forced displacement.
The minister described Trump’s announcement as “an announcement from their side.” He stressed that Pakistan stands by a joint statement signed with seven other Muslim-majority states. “We own this. If there is any difference anywhere, we would go by — we are committed to this,” he said.
Leaders of Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Indonesia met Trump during the UN General Assembly session in New York. Trump presented his 20-point plan at the meeting.
Dar later told Pakistan’s Geo News that the White House draft “does not include all of our proposals.”
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also raised concerns. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said Trump’s plan “achieves a key objective by ending the war, but there are some issues that require clarification and negotiation.”
On Monday, Trump unveiled the plan at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The proposal calls for the release of all Israeli soldier prisoners in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners, the full disarmament of Hamas and resistance factions, a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the creation of a technocratic, non-partisan Palestinian committee to run Gaza.
The plan mentions Palestinian self-determination as a “possibility,” but stops short of promising statehood.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has already killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023. Continuous Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults have destroyed homes, hospitals, and schools. Aid agencies warn that starvation and disease are spreading, making Gaza nearly uninhabitable.
[Note: For most of this year, the Valdai Club seemed to be flailing around with very little direction and very little work of consequence, almost similar to the UN. With the current annual meeting I find better content and crisper thinking. I hope you like this one. Mr Putin’s presentation will revolve around the Polycentric World).
Discussion: The Valdai Club
Western global hegemony and the rules-based international order are over.
The world is entering a post-Western era not only because of the rise of China, India, and other powers, but also because of the disintegration of the Western community itself, writes Gabor Stier for the 22nd Annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
President Donald Trump’s second term has accelerated the rift between the United States and its key allies, completely undermining the trust that has underpinned the international system of governance since World War II.
The global order, especially during periods of transition and before a new equilibrium is established, could become more chaotic and dangerous, opening the way to a multitude of disparate alliances and the inevitable growing uncertainty that follows.
Where can the Western bloc find its place in this world? Is the West ready for change?
During the Cold War, the West emerged as a coherent geopolitical entity, opposing the Soviet Union and its proxies. In this historical context, the doctrine of containment created the geopolitical West that exists to this day. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it increasingly felt without a rival, intoxicated by “victory,” and its decline accelerated. However, in the 1990s, this community had not yet fragmented into competing blocs and did not seek to undermine American hegemony. On the contrary, it was widely believed, albeit naively, that the community of market democracies—that is, the West—would expand uncontrollably. Instead of the universalisation of the West, other great powers and regional powers emerged, increasingly demanding not only a voice in global affairs but sometimes even questioning the very principles of the world order built around the West.
Meanwhile, the West became increasingly fragmented, trust in transatlantic and other alliances weakened, and this community noticeably shifted from geopolitical and ideological solidarity to a civilisational concept.
The question is becoming increasingly pressing: can we speak of a united or collective West today?
Periodic disagreements and tensions have tested Western solidarity from time to time, but none has posed such a serious challenge to Western unity as Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Trump’s return to power in the United States shocked America’s closest partners, and in the spring of 2025, only 28% of European respondents considered the United States a reliable ally, compared to more than 75% a year earlier.
“The West as we knew it no longer exists,” Ursula von der Leyen declared in April of this year, and the standpoint of the European Commission President is now widely shared. The liberal ideals that underpin the geopolitical West have been devalued, freedom is increasingly restricted, authoritarian tendencies have increased, censorship and the exclusion of dissent have become rampant, and even the integrity of elections is often in question. European Union leaders, grappling with an ever-deepening crisis, often fail to even create a semblance of democracy, and these trends will likely accelerate the rise of illiberal multilateralism.
The exploitative model of capitalism is also in crisis.
The West was able to maintain an exploitative structure for nearly five hundred years, but it was unprepared for what would happen if the prey chosen for exploitation refused to surrender. What would happen if the slave rebelled and went on the move? The pressure to grow requires violence, and wars require force, and the Western bloc, especially Europe, is becoming increasingly weak. Beyond external circumstances and the development of global power relations, the West’s internal transformation has also significantly contributed to the current state. One need only recall the ill-conceived “greening,” the “rainbow” model, or even generational degradation. There are fewer and fewer charismatic politicians and more and more vassals. It is therefore unsurprising that the lack of strategic vision is becoming increasingly noticeable in the Western political space.
Meanwhile, the escalating cultural war within the Western bloc, the contrast between the progressive ideology and conservatives rooted in traditional values, is not only eroding internal cohesion and forcing people to choose sides, but also weakening the “soft power” considered the West’s strength.
Technological superiority is also waning. For example, in artificial intelligence (AI), America and China are already neck and neck. Moreover, Chinese products are cheaper. However, dogmas such as the absolutisation of free competition and a reluctance to strengthen the role of the state more decisively also hinder the development of competitiveness. A striking example of this is the military-industrial complex, which is focused on profit and serves its own financial goals rather than national interests.
One could list other causes of the crisis in the West, but the essence is that the liberal internationalist world order, based on Washington’s global leadership, the spread of democracy, free trade, and the primacy of international institutions (the UN, WTO, NATO), is a thing of the past.
The strategic model it founded has become unsustainable and really counterproductive. Paradoxically, it has strengthened the main rivals to American hegemony, primarily China, while simultaneously ensuring Western Europe an exceptionally comfortable existence under American security guarantees. The comfortable post-Cold War era of hegemony has ended, and its place has been taken by a far more complex techno-industrial rivalry, in which the real measure of power is no longer military might, but production capacity and technological sovereignty.
The world will disintegrate into tightly knit technological and economic regions, but also different political and military ones.
As for the West, the current situation is such that it has itself split into two.
One cannot speak of a unified West. On one side are the sovereigntist realists, who prefer a policy based on national interests, led by Trump’s America. Israel and Argentina can be included in this group, and in Europe, Hungary, Serbia, and Georgia. On the other side are the globalists, stuck in their ideological worldview, who lost their main support after the defeat of the Democrats in the US and turned their attention to the European Union, awaiting Trump’s downfall.
The West’s place in the world after the loss of its hegemony will fundamentally be determined by how quickly it can come to terms with the loss of absolute dominance and how realistically it assesses the new balance of power, the driving forces driving the transformation of the world order.
Above all, a shift in consciousness and perspective is necessary. It is necessary to acknowledge that competition exists, and the West can no longer do what it pleases. It is necessary to end the lectures and demands for Western superiority and, taking reality into account, come back down to earth. A break with power, rationality and balance, and shared interests must be placed at the centre of thinking. The sooner the West recognises this fact, the less painful it will be to accept the new reality. It is not enough to simply transform foreign policy by prioritizing national interests, targeted alliances, and future technologies. The West must also rethink its image. However, it is not yet fully ready for this.
Donald Trump’s America has already realised that the world is changing and is trying to slow this process and turn this trend to its advantage. At the same time, the assumption that the United States president can ‘lead the free world’ is mistaken. Trump’s personality itself is an obstacle, but, more importantly, America’s internal divisions and indebtedness… The weakness of the United States manifests in its inability to rally even its allies around it—in the case of Ukraine, this pertains to the “coalition of the willing,” and in the case of Israel, it means the Middle East. America’s authority within the bloc has been undermined, despite the fact that Europe is in an even more vulnerable position than before.
Europe is in a worse position than the United States: its current ruling elite can’t shake the feeling that the world has revolved around it for centuries. Looking at recent decades, it’s also stuck in an old, now outdated worldview. As if all this weren’t enough, it’s also captive to the Ukrainian conflict, which holds it in its grip. While Europe can’t let go of this hopeless war, it’s also divided on the issue. It lacks power, but acting as a kind of substitute, its voice becomes even louder. It’s rushing forward, being hostage to previously unrealistic promises. The fact that it took on the financing of the conflict as Trump’s proxy only exacerbates the situation. Now, under pressure to deliver on its promises, it’s frantically rushing forward, towards escalation.
Europe as a whole, including on this issue, has misjudged the situation and is therefore moving in the wrong direction. For example, it sees the continent’s security not in cooperation, but in strength, despite its weak military potential. Its competitiveness has been destroyed by America’s effective participation, and it lacks the energy sources, raw materials, or labour force to restore its defences, making it extremely vulnerable and in need of Washington’s increasingly costly goodwill. Without America, Europe currently lacks a viable operating model, and its dependence—for example, on energy—is only growing. Despite this, it refuses to understand that Donald Trump’s return is, in essence, an opportunity for it to obtain strategic autonomy. Creating this autonomy is no longer a matter of choice, but a guarantee of survival in a world where America’s attention and resources are inevitably focused on Asia.
There is a serious danger that the European Union, if it escapes disintegration, will become irrelevant in this situation. It will only accelerate this process if it unites and finally takes on all of Ukraine’s problems. While the current over-ideologised EU is suited to escalating the military situation, it lacks the pragmatism needed after a settlement. However, sooner or later, rationality and self-interest will prevail, and in the future, a division will emerge within the European part of the Western bloc between the Anglo-Saxon line, with the Germans and British interfering in EU affairs from the outside; the abstainers—the Scandinavians and Mediterranean countries; and, somewhere in the counterpart to these two groups of interest —Central and Eastern Europe, with Polish leadership and strong American influence. The question is how well these three groups of forces can cooperate and how much influence America will exert on the EU.
The West, led by Washington, must first decide whether to isolate itself or acknowledge the impossibility of maintaining even partial hegemony in the long term and join a new world order alongside poles such as China, India, or even Russia. In the next stage, it will face two difficult paths: leading a narrower, interest-driven coalition and acting as a ruthless realist, or renewing its broader, rules-based alliance system. However, American hegemony has ended, or, more accurately, it will be limited to the Anglo-Saxon world and North America, and in this space, the dollar may remain the universal currency.
This has been the methodology for the past two years. As I said yesterday, these people are all non-agreement capable.
The Gaza deal unveiled Monday reflects major edits pushed through by Netanyahu, infuriating Arab mediators who thought they had a different agreement in place.
While Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House, Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was in Doha presenting the plan to Hamas. Hours earlier, Netanyahu had called him to apologize for Israel’s strike in Qatar, a condition for Doha to resume mediation.
Netanyahu secured edits tying IDF withdrawal to Hamas’ disarmament, giving Israel veto power. Even after three phases of withdrawal, Israeli troops will remain in a permanent security perimeter inside Gaza “until Gaza is secure,” which could be potentially indefinite.
Arab states including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Qatar were furious. Doha even urged Trump not to publish the updated text, but the White House released it anyway. To paper over divisions, 8 states issued a joint statement “welcoming” Trump’s role, while withholding full endorsement.
For Palestinians, the plan has some positive elements: no displacement from Gaza, no permanent Israeli occupation, no annexation of the West Bank, a surge in humanitarian aid, and a stated U.S. commitment to restart peace talks and support “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination.”
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas cautiously welcomed Trump’s “efforts to end the war,” a shift from his rejection of Trump’s first-term peace plan.
The plan demands all hostages (alive or deceased) be returned within 72 hours of Israel’s acceptance. But it’s unclear if Netanyahu’s endorsement started that clock.
If Hamas rejects or stalls, the U.S. plan says aid will still flow to “terror-free areas” handed over by Israel to an interim security force.
The bottom line: Netanyahu won key concessions that harden Israel’s leverage, but Arab capitals and Hamas are bristling. Whether the plan holds depends on if regional mediators can pressure Hamas into swallowing terms that strip them of weapons and leverage while leaving Israeli forces dug in.
Netanyahu apologized to Qatar. He is being skewered in Israeli media, by both left-wing and right-wing commentators, for apologizing, which most Israelis today see as a Middle East agitator, if not an enemy state.
One commentator noted: “Either this is a very embarrassing act of forced backpedaling, or there is a very serious deal on the table that required this move.”
Deal:
President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict
Gaza will be a de-radicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.
Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.
Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.
Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.
A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
If Hamas rejects the proposal, or tries to significantly alter it, the plan will be implemented in areas already under IDF control, while Israeli forces continue to battle Hamas in areas still controlled by the terrorists.
All Palestinian Factions have agreed to not have any role in Governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly or in any form
Map of proposed IDF withdrawal from Gaza per the Trump plan.
Blue Line:
The current control line of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Yellow Line:
The first withdrawal upon the release of the hostages
Red Line:
The second withdrawal when the international Security Forces (ISF) are deployed according to the standards specified in the Trump plan
Shaded Area:
The third withdrawal, which creates a security buffer zone
Trump continued to say: Trump hails support for his new Gaza peace plan
Says Arab, Muslim and European leaders called to confirm it’s real — ‘the BIGGEST THING they’ve ever heard’
He describes wide involvement of regional and global powers in backing the proposal
Trump praises Netanyahu as a ‘warrior’ but says Israelis now demand peace and hostage returns
Blasts European allies for ‘foolishly’ recognizing a Palestinian state out of fatigue
Insists no one wants peace more than him — and, he adds, ‘Bibi too’
Netanyahu accepted the plan
Trump: The Arab and Islamic countries, along with Israel, asked “a nice man named Donald Trump” to chair the Peace Council in Gaza, even though my schedule is very busy.
Trump CAN’T believe Israel gave up Gaza in 2005 – ‘They gave up the ocean! Who would do this deal?’ The Don switches seamlessly between real estate pitch and Israeli talking points
Trump says he hopes the US and Iran can “get along”, believes Tehran is open to it, and suggests Iran could eventually join the Abraham Accords.
Netanyahu: We are taking the first step toward ending the war in Gaza and advancing peace in the Middle East.
Netanyahu: We must have all our hostages back, Hamas must be disarmed, and Gaza must be demilitarized.
Netanyahu says if Hamas rejects Trump’s plan, Israel will “finish the job” on its own.
The formal plan has now been published on the White House website.
——
Please give me a moment before I respond. At this moment, this plan privatizes the occupation. There is a scriptural reference that beats in my head. Look at all these things – Bow before me and you can have it all. He failed to take Greenland, he failed to take Canada, he was unable to take the Panama Canal, he allowed Bibi Netanyahu to run a genocide, and now he wants to take the pieces of that and save Netanyahu’s genocidal arse. We can no longer live with this. But Hamas must accept and fight another day. This plan is not sustainable as it does not give the Palestinians what they deserve after land, life, and liberty were taken from them.
The narrative around October 7 often overlooks the deep-rooted history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. This timeline reveals key events dating back to 1897, when the First Zionist Congress was held, through the Nakba in 1948, and decades of subsequent violence. The focus on a single day obscures a much longer story of displacement and systemic injustice that continues to affect Palestinians today.
Featured image: This is where words collapse. This is Gaza; where fathers’ tears and mothers’ screams are documenting a history that the world may try to look away from, but will never be able to erase.
Permanent X link to Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur – the Occupied Territories.
A previous thread contains Netanyahu’s ‘spiritual needs’.
Sep 28
The Hollywood hasbara is coming hard and fast as Israel loses control of the narrative
A Paramount propaganda series on October 7
A (postponed) AppleTV show glorifying the ADL
The new season of AppleTV’s news-focused Morning Show demonizes Iran while ignoring Gaza pic.twitter.com/FYYddwEOGR
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 28, 2025
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza face a severe humanitarian crisis as most of their tents have collapsed amid ongoing airstrikes and harsh conditions.
Around 2 million people live in dire, overcrowded situations, while hospitals and shelters continue to be targeted.
The international community must act urgently to stop the attacks, allow humanitarian aid, and protect civilians.
Hamas has warned before now that the non-stop bombing and droning targets the zionist-israeli captives as well. The captives eat the same as what the rest of the Gazans eat. The circumstances are the same for the captives (probably better stated as prisoners of war) as the rest of Gaza. What they received for this information, was more threats.
Hamas’s military wing says that they have lost contact with two Israeli captives, Omri Miran and Matan Angrest, as a result of heavy Israeli bombardments in the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa areas during the last 48 hours.
Sep 27
The guy is brilliant and Israel needs to listen because he speaks for the overwhelming majority of the world and that now includes his fellow countrymen. pic.twitter.com/tq8ylQgoBC
— Kerry Burgess (@KerryBurgess) September 26, 2025
Israel has killed at least 71 Palestinians in its attacks across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, 13 of whom were aid recipients, according to medical sources. Medical sources only count what medical sources can see. It is much higher on a daily basis.
US moves to revoke Petro’s visa after call to liberate Palestine
——
The US State Department announced it will revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, condemning his address to thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters outside UN headquarters in New York as “reckless… pic.twitter.com/wa2dnJOKTT— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) September 27, 2025
China’s Victory Day parade unveiled advanced forces for cyberspace and aerospace—not as threat, but as a strategic response to modern “unrestricted warfare.” By displaying strength on a day marking antifascist unity, China signals its dual path: deterrence without escalation, and development without domination. In a shifting world, it aims to prevent war, not wage it. – The China Academy
On September 3rd, China held a grand military parade in Beijing. Western media such as the BBC immediately focused on the ballistic missiles, hyping up the “China threat,” while Trump, seeing Putin and Kim Jong-un attending the parade, immediately claimed this was “conspiring against the U.S.”
Regarding such rhetoric, Chinese strategist Professor Wang Xiangsui pointed out that this shows the West not only failed to decode the signals from China’s parade, but even lacks common sense about historical and contemporary global development trends. Yet, the true signals Beijing sent through this parade are far more profound than their fabricated narrative—and something they desperately need to comprehend.
1. This is Not Intimidation Against America, But Retribution for American Arrogance and Brutality
In this military parade, 84% of the equipment was displayed for the first time. During CNN’s live broadcast, their television commentators could not provide any information about the new weapons, couldn’t even name them, and could only vaguely say “these are China’s new missiles…sort of” appearing very unprofessional.
This exposed that the West was completely unprepared and caught off guard by the speed of China’s defense technology development. Faced with numerous cutting-edge Chinese equipment that the US military is still only conceptualizing or has never even heard of, the American media’s response strategy was nothing more than rehashing the old “China threat theory,” but what they avoid mentioning is that it was actually America itself that caused China’s explosive development in weapons and equipment.
At the end of the last century, China joined the WTO, and everyone thought peace and development would become the world’s main theme. To have more funds for economic development, China even conducted large-scale military downsizing of one million personnel. However, in 1999, after the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed by the US, Beijing realized that imperialist countries still did not hesitate to use force to violate China’s territory, so peace could not be maintained solely through peaceful aspirations – security still had to be protected through hard power balance.
The destroyed Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, following the NATO missile strike. Photo by Huang Wen from Xinhua News Agency
China immediately launched a series of defense technology programs, building hypersonic wind tunnel clusters and aerospace and microelectronics research projects. These seeds planted 26 years ago grew under strict military timelines and have now borne abundant fruit.
For a nation as young as the United States, with just over 200 years of history, Clinton’s transgressions against China 26 years ago may seem like “ancient history.” But for China, a civilization with five millennia of history, that humiliation feels like it happened just yesterday. That’s why China’s rapid military modernization is simply a response to American actions.
If the U.S. and the West do not wish to see a militarily strong China, or to be outpaced by its advanced weapons, the best course of action is to refrain from provoking China and focus on their own affairs. Having endured a century of humiliation, China will never relinquish its sacred right to self-defense through military strength.
2. This Parade Conveyed China’s Goodwill Toward and Disappointment With America
American media often presumptuously assumes that this military parade was aimed at the United States—a narrow-minded perspective born of judging others by one’s own standards. China has an ancient saying: “国之大事在祀与戎(The great affairs of state are sacrifice and war.)” The West, however, seems to focus only on “war,” overlooking the fact that the full name of the event is the “Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War”, a solemn ceremony honoring the triumph over fascism.
The victory in the Anti-Fascist War was a historic achievement made possible through the collective efforts of China, the Soviet Union, the United States, and all nations that stood firmly against aggression. During World War II, the anti-fascist alliance suffered immensely, with global military and civilian casualties exceeding 70 million. As the main Eastern theater, China endured over 35 million casualties; the Soviet Union, bearing the brunt in Europe, lost approximately 27 million lives; and the United States also sacrificed more than 400,000 people. By commemorating this victory, China also honors the joint struggle waged alongside the American and Russian peoples. Chinese textbooks have never deliberately diminished or erased the crucial role the U.S. played in the Pacific theater. What dismays China, however, is that today’s America—increasingly bound by national interests to Japan—is actively aiding the revival of Japanese militarism, even at the cost of dishonoring its own WWII veterans.
Consider the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the fiercest engagements fought by the United States in the Pacific. On an island of barely 20 square kilometers, American forces suffered over 26,000 casualties, including nearly 7,000 dead—about one in three of those who landed. The 5th Marine Division alone endured nearly half casualties, the highest rate of any U.S. division in the battle. Yet on March 29 of this year, when U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth attended a memorial on Iwo Jima for American war dead, in front of the cenotaph, he honored “shared warrior ethos” of the Japanese soldiers.
Moreover, in its effort to contain China, the U.S. has acquiesced to Japan, a defeated invader in WWII, developing aircraft carriers and other offensive weapons, and potentially even pursuing nuclear capabilities. This has led China to recognize that the post-WWII international order is under severe challenge, particularly when those challenges come from one of its principal architects. It is now clear that the system cannot be restored with minor repairs alone.
A F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter lands aboard Japanese carrier Izumo
As a responsible major power, China must therefore contribute in its own way to creating new stabilizing forces for global peace. Notably, the heads of state attending the military parade were mainly from ASEAN, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states, and Belt and Road Initiative partners. Among them, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, despite domestic turmoil, flew overnight to Beijing for the ceremony. This reflects a shared memory of suffering under Japanese fascism and common aspirations for development and security.
China’s consistent diplomatic principle is non-interference in other nations’ internal affairs and a rejection of hegemony. But when ASEAN, BRICS, and Belt and Road countries align with the “Global Governance Initiative” rather than with existing global hegemony, more than half the world’s population and GDP stand on the right side of history. Amidst transformative global changes, China is helping build regional and constructive stability. Should certain countries continue down their destructive path, they will find at least half the world in disagreement.
3. To Prevent World War III for All Humanity, China is Prepared to Win Any War
In this military parade, beyond the upgrading of its weaponry, Western countries ought to pay closer attention to the debut of China’s Military Aerospace Forces and Cyberspace Forces, a clear reflection of a fundamental shift in China’s strategic assessment: although the hot war of World War III has not yet broken out, unrestricted warfare is already being waged across multiple domains.
From the Westphalian system to the Yalta Conference, new world orders were often forged through iron and blood. Today, however, battles equally capable of reshaping the international landscape are constantly being fought in the arenas of trade, digital cyberspace, and the realm of artificial intelligence.
Terms like “trade war” and “cyber war” once used “war” merely as a metaphor for intensity. Yet when the U.S. and its allies imposed over 20,000 sanctions on Russia in an attempt to dismantle its social order; when the CIA spread computer viruses worldwide to cripple Iran’s nuclear program; when backdoors are embedded within GPU chips to stifle China’s AI development—these are acts no different from open warfare.
In response to such unrestricted tactics from the West, the People’s Liberation Army, while retaining the ultimate means of self-defense, operates under an ancient Chinese principle that offers a more favorable outcome for all in this nuclear age: “不战而屈人之兵(to subdue the enemy without fighting.)”
In 2023, then-U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Samuel Paparo boasted about using drones and unmanned vessels to turn the Taiwan Strait into a “hellscape,” openly threatening China with military action. He repeatedly promoted this concept in public forums. Yet by November 2024, while speaking at a Brookings Institution event in Washington, Paparo abruptly conceded that drones alone would be insufficient against the PLA.
What prompted this change of tone? Also in November 2024, at the Zhuhai Airshow, China unveiled the “Jiu Tian” drone carrier, a “mothership” for unmanned systems; the “Orca” large unmanned combat vessel; and displays such as the “Robot Wolf” ground combat system coordinating with drone swarms. These demonstrated the PLA’s mature integrated air-ground unmanned combat capabilities. Clearly, if the Taiwan Strait were to become a “hellscape” of unmanned warfare, it would be the U.S. military—not the technologically, industrially, and systemically superior PLA—that would be cast into that inferno.
Through its display of strength at Zhuhai, China deftly guided Paparo—and by extension, U.S. strategy—back from fantasy to reality, thereby helping consolidate peace and stability in the Western Pacific. This millennia-old wisdom of achieving victory without battle remains profoundly relevant. At the September 3rd parade, China further exhibited multiple large stealth “loyal wingman” UAVs, unmanned underwater vehicles, and robotic ground platforms—all representing technologies where China not matches but leads, creating a generational gap. This marks a technological transition from catching up with the U.S. to surpassing it in key areas. In a nuclear war, there are no winners. But in conventional warfare, it is increasingly clear that the victor will no longer be the United States.
“Subduing the enemy without fighting” is not some deeply secret mystery, it has always been the most important part of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, which is also one of the most important textbooks at America’s West Point Military Academy. What’s regrettable is that when the West reads this work, they often only see the “warfare is based on deception,” part, obsessing over studying how to win wars, rarely noticing the wisdom it teaches about avoiding war as much as possible and “the supreme excellence is to subdue the enemy’s army without fighting.” Some Western media even now try to use the quote of “appear strong when you are weak” to circularly argue that China is just bluffing and the Chinese military is “flashy but insubstantial”, this shallow understanding of Chinese wisdom not only leads to laughable ostrich mentality but is also dangerous.
The PLA showcased in the Victory Day parade has evolved into a force capable of rivaling any opponent, boasting advanced technology, rigorous training, robust organization, and formidable mobilization capacity. Yet, by choosing this symbolic date, the anniversary of the victory over fascism, to unveil these sophisticated and precise weapons, China sends a clear message to the world: to prevent another world war, it has built not only coercive power to restrain aggression, but also constructive power to promote development. Defending national sovereignty remains the PLA’s unshakable bottom line, while “止戈为武(deterring war through strength)” continues to be its highest mission.
Editor: Charriot Zhai
A friend sent me this video, and I critiqued it. As usual, when the issue of China and Russia (to a lesser extent) appears, there are many who almost violently protect China to the exclusion of everything else. Anything that is considered within the ‘China Bad’ meme is attacked. Because this is a criticism of China, there is an automatic classification that the one who critiques is ‘China Bad’. One gets screeds and reams of comments such as ‘you don’t understand China’ and ‘China is different’, and ‘if China intervenes, it will be worse’, and other such inane comments. In fact, I have experienced very few who can discuss this topic with reason. But, to be true, I have experienced two such people who, with courage, even stepped up to defend me. And all I wanted was a reasonable explanation, thinking I was missing something.
All of these supposed ‘China Bad’ issues disappear if one looks at two issues only.
The first is that China supports the UN Charter, along with the body of international law that accompanies it. One part of this is the laws on genocide, and those spell out the ‘obligations’ on states in case of genocide. China simply fails those obligations and keeps a robust trade environment going with zionist-israel.
The second is the advisory opinion of the Court of International Justice. This opinion supported the obligations of states and, first and foremost, stipulated that trade with zionist-israel should be suspended. They did not call it by the name of boycott, divestment, and sanctions, but by definition, what the court spelled out in the main, is specifically that.
The issue here is not that activists are in some ‘China Bad’ scenario. The issue is that activists are asking China to fulfill their own espoused values and stop trading, specifically the weapons trade. In fact, nobody is asking China to do more; rather, they are asking China to do less and not trade. If this will change now that the word genocide has been accepted as the description of what zionist-israel is doing, we have to see. Today at the UNGA, we will see if the Hague Group made any headway. “The Hague Group is a global bloc of states committed to “coordinated legal and diplomatic measures” in defense of international law and solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Mr Lavrov, in his address to the G20 ministerial on the sidelines of the High Level UNGA week, mentioned the new research that the death toll in the Gaza Strip may be in the region of 680,000 Gazans dead. If one considers that the best estimate we have of the population of Gaza before this war started (and this is not taking into account all the previous quick zionist-israel ‘haircuts’ on the Gazan population), was a population of the Strip at 2.1 million, which was a 6% decline from the previous year due to the war on Gaza. It does not take a mathematician to see that a quarter of the Gazan population has been slaughtered. The number itself cannot take into consideration the ongoing trauma of starvation and fear and tent camps droned and set on fire, losing families and running for your life, only to be droned on the spot.
One of my critiques in relation to KJ Noh, is that he is writing his own fairy story and he disappears into his own fantasy. He has no grounding in these laws and as such he is devising what he thinks, and this is all in defense of China. Don’t make up stories! This critique of China is not only for China, but all of the States that are still trading with zionist-israel. China is not different here, as it has accepted all of international law and that includes the obligations on states in time of genocide.
Here is the video and I’ll add Fiorella in Moscow’s critique afterwards.
From Fiorella
I’m sorry but no.
Everyone knows the United States is literally at fault for what Israel is doing because of the funding mechanism and the weapons that it gives the entity. This type of support to a lesser degree is echoed in most western European countries like the UK and even the Five Eyes. That’s a given. No one with a brain is saying otherwise.
But Zionism is imbedded in Washington but it is also spreading like a cancer elsewhere. It’s in Eurasia as well, and Israel has positioned itself as a vital economic member of the global economy. As much as we hate it.
The argument here is that China can’t stop doing business with Israel because it’s dealing with the American empire. This is total bullshit because they don’t need business with Israel to succeed. Same as their lack of recognizing Ansurallah in Yemen and aiding Saudis.
Simply because we can blame the West and have no faith in them, means we have faith in China or Russia to do better. But if the argument is they can’t because they’re facing NATO/West, then we have no hope. The US government as it stands would need an actual upending and revolution to ever change course on Israel. Which will take decades. That’s the reality. I have faith Russia and China could do something much sooner. Which is why I argue they need to, as powerful nations, cut ties with Israel. It’s not that hard to understand.
If a multipolar world will be truly independent of imperialism and show more equity we can’t ignore genocide. And we sure as hell can’t have relationships with a demonic genocidal entity like Israel. That’s not hurting the Palestinian cause but helping it and hello any notion of a coming different paradigm.
I don’t agree with these statements here. Get your firm ideology out of the way and look at reality. Some of the left are blinded by the need to fit their ideology by creating alternate realities that don’t exist.
It is generally a waste of time to have to debunk anything, and it is not worth going into detail.
From Sputnik
The Gaza genocide report gives the UN the right to intervene militarily to stop Israel – former UN official
A UN inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-crp-3.pdf
Ex-UN rapporteur Dr. Alfred de Zayas explains why that’s hugely important.
Key findings
Israel’s actions (killing, maiming, causing mental harm to Palestinians, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction, taking measures to prevent births) check four of five of the 1948 Genocide Convention’s criteria for genocide.
Intent proven
Crucially, de Zayas says, the inquiry shows “how the statements of Israeli political & military leaders prove the ‘intent’ (required in Art. II of the Convention) to destroy in whole or part the Palestinian population.”
West’s complicity
“Governments that have provided military, economic, political, diplomatic & propagandistic support” are also accountable, de Zayas says. The US, UK, France & Germany “are all complicit in the genocide under Article III (e) of the Genocide Convention.”
UN’s response options
recognition of Palestinian statehood (which alas, “will not save the lives of Palestinians”)
Israel’s expulsion from the UN pursuant to Article 6 of the UN Charter (improbable given the need for Security Council & hence US approval)
stripping Israeli diplomats of UN accreditation, as was done against South Africa in the 1970s during Apartheid. Crucially, this measure would not require Security Council backing
the UN has the legal framework to intervene using the 2005 ‘Responsibility to Protect’ doctrine
the General Assembly could adopt a ‘Uniting for Peace’ resolution authorizing nations “to take military action” to stop the genocide, bypassing the Security Council veto
UN’s last chance to save its credibility
“If the United Nations fails” to take action, “it will lose the little authority & credibility it still has,” de Zayas warns.
In September 2020, a White House ceremony with Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, and top UAE and Bahraini officials promised a new dawn for the Middle East. The Abraham Accords, heralded as a historic step toward peace and a realigned region, have instead become a monument to failed promises.
Five years later, the deal is not just stalled—it’s crumbling. The grand vision of a pro-Israel, anti-Iran bloc has collapsed under the weight of regional realities.
Here’s why the Accords are failing:
An empty embassy: Bahrain’s ambassadorship to Israel is vacant. Its first and only ambassador was recalled in 2021 and never replaced, with no plans to send a new one—a powerful silent rebuke.
The UAE’s red line: normalization was explicitly tied to Israel halting West Bank annexation. The UAE has now publicly warned that if Israel violates this condition, it will “put an end” to the Accords.
Gulf solidarity trumps ties with Israel: recent Israeli attacks on Qatar have forced Gulf monarchies to side with fellow Arab states. Cooperation with Israel is now a toxic liability for the UAE and Bahrain.
A flawed foundation: the core US-Israel strategy was to use normalization to pull Gulf states away from Iran. This has backfired spectacularly – after Israel’s attacks on Iran, Joulani-led Syria, and Qatar the Gulf states are beginning to coalesce against Israeli aggression.
The Iran calculation: a wave of regional instability—from the war in Gaza to strikes in Yemen and the Red Sea crisis—has proven to Gulf leaders that dialogue with Iran is far safer and more profitable than aligning with an unpredictable Israel.
A pivot East: both the UAE and Bahrain are now betting their future with BRICS and BRICS+, actively building strategic partnerships with China, Russia, and India instead of catering to Israeli and American demands.
From Geopolitics Prime
This is a positive and real message. Bravo Joti! A few sentences and the current situation is well unmasked.
This is the short of a part of Joti’s presentation and the second is the full video.
Update: Below is the full text of the Declaration.
We cannot say if this is worth anything, but at this time, any little pressure helps. Trump just mildly scolds Israel, saying that they have to be careful if they attack allies. Oh boy. The Arab-Islamic summit is learning a very harsh lesson.
Marco Rubio in Israel has nothing new to say. In their joint speech, Netanyahu tries to justify Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s last high-rises. The excuse? Of course, we’ve heard it before. They’re all “Hamas strongholds.” The real aim, which he admits, is ethnic cleansing — driving Palestinians out of Gaza. Netanyahu, standing beside Marco Rubio, openly justifies bombing U.S. ally Qatar. Rubio doesn’t even blink. Minutes after Rubio ignores Israel bombing a U.S. ally and the Hamas negotiation team, he attacks European countries planning to recognize Palestine at the upcoming UNGA, claiming they are the ones undermining peace in Gaza by “emboldening Hamas.” Marco Rubio claims everyone has forgotten why Gaza is in crisis. For him, history only begins on October 7 — when, as he puts it, “barbaric animals attacked the innocent people of Israel.” It was too good an opportunity for Rubio to miss, so he took a shot at Iran as well: The U.S. will keep up “maximum pressure” on Iran “until they change course.” Bombing the negotiation team on the soil of a U.S. ally is fine, but recognizing a Palestinian state is not — at least when it comes to “peace” in Gaza. Let that sink in.
Netanyahu is doing his best to stem the flood of information about his actions. Netanyahu says Qatar and China are pouring vast sums into influencing Western media with an anti-Israeli agenda, deploying bots, AI, and propaganda. Hasbarra is the domain of zionist-israel. If we are overcoming the Hasbarra, we are doing well! Keep reporting! I agree wholeheartedly with George Galloway: This is one entity. The US and Zionist-Israel are one entity, and their friends are disappearing fast.
To sum it up, from the US/zionist-israeli side, nothing has changed. It is becoming clear however that Israel has lost control over itself.
Yet the rhetoric from the Arab-Islamic Summit has changed. Iran is more respected as their rhetoric was at least honest and everyone knows it.
Iranian president calls on Arab and Muslim leaders to unite to confront Israel:
“Israel continues its attacks and escapes the law because it enjoys Western cover.
No Arab or Islamic country is immune from Israeli attacks, and we have no choice but to unite.
The attack on Doha crossed all red lines.”
— Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran.
The Draft Statement from the urgent summit and the most important is the language of shared security and solidarity. (Again, I say fwiw):
– Reaffirm absolute support for Qatar, its security, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens.
– Emphasize the collective duty to respond to Israeli aggression in defense of our shared security.
– Condemn the Israeli attack on Qatar as an assault on all Arab and Islamic countries.
– Highlight that the aggression against Qatar undermines diplomatic efforts to restore peace.
– Strongly reject any attempts to justify Israel’s attack on Qatar under any pretext.
– Condemn repeated Israeli threats to target Qatar again.
– Stress the need for international action to stop Israeli aggressions in the region.
– Support Qatar, Egypt, and the United States’ efforts to halt the assault on Gaza.
– Call for standing against Israel’s plans to impose a new reality in the region.
– Affirm condemnation of any Israeli attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people under any pretext.
Again, for what it is worth, yet I stay with the mantra that any little pressure now is valuable.
UPDATE: Full Text of the Final Communique Issued by Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit in Doha (This final version did not mince any words),
Doha, September 15 (QNA) – The final Communique of the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit to discuss the Israeli attack on the State of Qatar was issued.
The summit was held in Doha on Monday with the participation of Their Majesties, Excellencies, and Highnesses, heads of delegations participating in the summit.
The following is the text of the statement:
We, the Leaders of States and Governments of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, meeting today, Monday, 22 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1447 AH, corresponding to Sep. 15 2025, in the Qatari capital, Doha, at the gracious invitation of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and under his chairmanship, to discuss the Israeli aggression against the State of Qatar and to express our unified stance in condemning it and our full solidarity with the sisterly State of Qatar.
Expressing our profound gratitude and appreciation to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for the generous hosting, and to the sisterly State of Qatar for the excellent organization.
Guided by the principles of the Charters of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and recalling the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular Article 2 (4), which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.
Recalling all relevant resolutions adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League over the past decades, which reject aggression against Member States and affirm Arab and Islamic solidarity and the security of Arab and Islamic States in the face of external threats, including those relating to the Palestinian Cause.
Reaffirming our unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and security of all Member States of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and recalling our collective duty to respond to this aggression in defense of our common security, we reiterate our categorical rejection of any infringement upon the security of any of our States, firmly condemning any aggression targeting them, and reaffirming our absolute and steadfast solidarity in confronting all that threatens their security and stability.
Noting the emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council held on Sep. 11, 2025, which witnessed consensus in condemning the Israeli attack as a breach of international peace and security, and welcoming the press statement issued by the Council, which condemned the attack, expressed solidarity with the State of Qatar, and supported the vital role that Qatar continues to play in mediation efforts in the region, alongside Egypt and the United States, reaffirming respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar, in line with the principles of the UN Charter.
Stressing that the absence of international accountability, and the silence of the international community in the face of repeated Israeli violations, have emboldened Israel to persist in its aggressions and to further entrench its flagrant violations of international law and international legitimacy, thereby perpetuating a policy of impunity, weakening the international justice system, and threatening to dismantle the rules-based global order, posing a direct threat to regional and international peace and security.
Reaffirming our absolute support for the sisterly State of Qatar, its security, stability, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens, we declare our united stand with Qatar in confronting this aggression, which we consider a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, a blatant breach of international law, and a grave threat to regional and international peace and security.
We hereby decide to:
1. Reaffirm that the brutal Israeli blatant aggression against the sisterly State of Qatar, and Israel’s continued aggressive practices, including crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation and siege, as well as settlement activities and expansionist policies, undermine prospects for peace and peaceful coexistence in the region.
2. Condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the cowardly and unlawful attack carried out by Israel on 9 September 2025 against a residential neighborhood in the Qatari capital, Doha, which included housing facilities designated by the State for hosting negotiating delegations in the framework of Qatar’s multiple mediation efforts, in addition to a number of schools, nurseries, and diplomatic missions, resulting in martyrs, including a Qatari citizen, and injuries among civilians.
This attack constitutes a flagrant act of aggression against an Arab and Islamic State, a Member of the United Nations, represents a grave escalation exposing the aggressiveness of the extremist Israeli Government, and adds to its criminal record that threatens regional and international peace and security.
3. Reaffirm absolute solidarity with the State of Qatar against this aggression, which constitutes aggression against all Arab and Islamic States, and to stand firmly with Qatar in all measures it may take in response to this treacherous Israeli aggression to safeguard its security, sovereignty, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents, in accordance with the UN Charter.
4. Reaffirm that this aggression on Qatari territory, a State serving as a principal mediator in efforts to secure a ceasefire and end the war on Gaza, and to release hostages and prisoners, constitutes a grave escalation and an assault on diplomatic efforts to restore peace. Such an attack on a neutral venue for mediation not only violates Qatar’s sovereignty, but also undermines international mediation and peace-making processes. Israel bears full responsibility for this assault.
5. Commend the civilized, wise, and responsible stance adopted by the State of Qatar in addressing this treacherous assault, its firm adherence to international law, and its insistence on upholding its sovereignty and security and defending its rights by all legitimate means.
6. Support the efforts of States engaged in mediation, in particular the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the United States of America, to end the aggression on the Gaza Strip, and, in this context, to reaffirm the constructive role played by Qatar and its valued mediation efforts with their positive impacts in support of endeavors to establish security, stability, and peace; to commend Qatar’s multiple initiatives at both the regional and international levels, especially in the fields of humanitarian assistance and support for education in developing and poor countries, which enhance its standing as an active and supportive partner for peace and development regionally and internationally.
7. Reaffirm the categorical rejection of any attempts to justify this aggression under any pretext whatsoever, and to stress that it constitutes a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, directly targeting ongoing mediation efforts to halt the aggression on the Gaza Strip and undermining serious efforts to reach a just and comprehensive political solution that ends the occupation and ensures the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
8. Categorically reject repeated Israeli threats of possible renewed targeting of the State of Qatar, or of any Arab or Islamic State, considering such threats provocative and a grave escalation that threatens international peace and security, and to urge the international community to condemn them in the strongest possible terms and take deterrent measures to halt them.
9. Welcome the adoption by the Council of the Arab League at ministerial level of the resolution entitled “Shared Vision for Security and Cooperation in the Region,” and, in this context, to reaffirm the concept of collective security and shared destiny of Arab and Islamic States, the necessity of unity in facing common challenges and threats, and the importance of beginning to put in place the required implementation mechanisms. We stress that any future regional arrangements must enshrine the principles of international law and the UN Charter, good-neighborly relations, respect for sovereignty, noninterference in the internal affairs of States, equality of rights and duties without preference of one State over another, settlement of disputes by peaceful means, and renunciation of the use of force, while underscoring the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories, establishing the State of Palestine along the lines of June 4, 1967, and ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.
10. Reaffirm the necessity of confronting Israel’s schemes to impose a new fait accompli in the region, which pose a direct threat to regional and international stability and security, and the necessity of resisting them.
11. Reaffirm the condemnation of any Israeli attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people, under any pretext or designation, from their occupied territories of 1967, and to consider such acts crimes against humanity, flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law, and a policy of ethnic cleansing wholly rejected. In this context, to stress the necessity of implementing the Arab-Islamic reconstruction plan, both politically and technically, and to launch the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip as quickly as possible, calling on international donors to provide the necessary support and urging their active participation in the forthcoming Gaza Reconstruction Conference to be hosted in Cairo once a ceasefire is secured.
12. Condemn Israeli policies that have caused an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, whereby siege, starvation, and deprivation of civilians of food and medicine are used as weapons of war against the Palestinian people, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions; stress that these practices constitute a fullfledged war crime requiring urgent international action to put an end to them and to ensure the immediate, safe, and unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance into all parts of the occupied Palestinian territory.
13. Warn of the catastrophic consequences of any decision by Israel, the occupying power, to annex any part of the occupied Palestinian territory, and rejecting such a move as a blatant assault on the historical and legal rights of the Palestinian people, a violation of the Charter of the United Nations, the principles of international law, and relevant United Nations resolutions, and as a nullification of all efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
14. Reaffirm the necessity of urgent action by the international community to halt Israel’s repeated aggressions in the region and to stop its ongoing violations of the sovereignty, security, and stability of States, within the framework of respecting international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions, and to warn of the grave consequences of continued international inaction in curbing Israeli aggressiveness, including its aggression against the sisterly State of Qatar, its ongoing and escalating brutal assault on the occupied Gaza Strip, its illegal settlement practices in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and its continued aggressions against States in the region, including the Lebanese Republic and the Syrian Arab Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran all constituting flagrant breaches of international law and blatant violations of State sovereignty.
15. Call upon all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people, including by supporting efforts to end its impunity, holding it accountable for its violations and crimes, imposing sanctions on it, suspending the supply, transfer, or transit of weapons, ammunition, and military materials — including dual-use items — reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it.
16. Call upon the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to examine the extent to which Israel’s membership in the United Nations is consistent with the Charter, in view of its clear violations of the conditions of membership and its persistent disregard for United Nations resolutions, and to coordinate efforts aimed at suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations.
17. Reaffirm the importance of commitment to international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions as the fundamental reference for achieving international peace and security, and to reject Israeli rhetoric that exploits and promotes Islamophobia in order to justify the continuation of its violations and its pursuit of policies outside international law, including ongoing extermination and settlement projects in the West Bank, as well as attempts to distort the image of Arab and Islamic States.
18. Welcome the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the “New York Declaration” on the implementation of the two-State solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, as a clear expression of international will supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them their right to establish their independent State along the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital; and to commend the efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic, which contributed to the adoption of this declaration.
19. Welcome the convening of the Two-State Solution Conference, co-chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic, to be held on 22 September 2025 in New York, and calls for the concerted efforts of the international community to ensure broad recognition of the independent State of Palestine with East Al-Quds as its capital.
20. Commend the pivotal role played by the representatives of Arab and Islamic States that are members of the Security Council, foremost among them Algeria, Somalia, and Pakistan, in defending the Palestinian cause, in putting an end to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, securing a ceasefire, and achieving full membership of Palestine in the United Nations. It further values their effective contribution in calling for and ensuring the convening of the emergency session of the Security Council dedicated to addressing the Israeli aggression against the State of Qatar.
21. Reaffirm support for the historic Hashemite custodianship exercised by His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as reaffirmed in the agreement signed between His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, on 31 March 2013; and further affirming that Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, in its entirety of 144,000 square meters, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian
Ministry of Awqaf, is the sole legitimate authority vested with exclusive competence to administer Al-Aqsa Mosque, maintain it, and regulate entry thereto.
22. Reaffirm the necessity of enabling Palestinians in Jerusalem to remain steadfast on their land, and of supporting the Al-Quds Committee chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco and its executive arm, Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency.
23. Reaffirm that a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East will not be achieved by bypassing the Palestinian Cause, ignoring the rights of the Palestinian people, or through violence and targeting mediators, but rather through adherence to the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international legitimacy resolutions. In this regard, we call upon the international community, in particular the Security Council, to assume its legal and moral responsibilities in ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a binding timetable for that purpose.
24. Mandate the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation that are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, consistent with their obligations under international law and, where applicable, to take all feasible measures within their domestic legal frameworks to support the enforcement of the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court on 21 November 2024 against the perpetrators of crimes against the Palestinian people; and further calls upon OIC Member States to exert diplomatic, political, and legal efforts to ensure Israel’s compliance, as the occupying power, with its binding obligations under the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice on 26 January 2024 in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.
25. Express our deep appreciation to the State of Qatar, its Amir, Government, and people, and in particular His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for their tireless efforts in hosting and organizing the meetings of this Summit with wisdom and strategic vision, and for the facilities and resources provided to ensure its success. We highly value Qatar’s active role in fostering a spirit of consultation and consensus among Member States, and its tangible contributions to supporting the course of joint action, reflecting its constant commitment to strengthening solidarity and unity. (QNA)
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