October 22, 2024
Blinken told
Netanyahu to 'capitalise' on Yahya Sinwar's killing and end Gaza war
4 minutes ago
US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem
on Tuesday, for his 11th trip to the region since Israel's war on Gaza erupted
after the Hamas-led 7 October attacks.
"[Blinken]
underscored the need to capitalise on Israel’s successful action to bring Yahya
Sinwar to justice by securing the release of all hostages and ending the
conflict in Gaza in a way that provides lasting security for Israelis and
Palestinians alike,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
The two also
discussed Israel's war on Lebanon and the implementation of UN Security Council
Resolution 1701.
UN rights chief
'appalled' by Israeli strike on Beirut hospital
14 minutes ago
The UN rights
chief said he was “appalled” by an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern
Beirut on Monday that killed at least 18 people.
The UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, demanded a “prompt and thorough
investigation" of Israel's bombing of Rafik Hariri parking lot.
“I am appalled
by the Israeli strike near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut’s densely
populated Jnah neighborhood that reportedly killed at least 18 people,
including four children, and wounded 60 others,” Turk said.
“The fundamental
principles of international humanitarian law concerning the protection of
civilians must be respected".
At least 63
killed in 24 hours by Israeli strikes on Lebanon
21 minutes ago
At least 63
people have been killed in the last day by Israeli strikes on Lebanon,
according to the Lebanese government.
The number
brings the total death toll from Israel's offensive on Lebanon since October
2023, to 2,530.
Jordan's King
Abdullah visits Saudi Arabia, talks Middle East tensions
27 minutes ago
Saudi Arabian
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Riyadh on
Tuesday, according to Saudi news agency SPA.
The two leader
discussed efforts to reduce tensions in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and the need
for continued aid to Palestinians, according to Saudi state media.
Hezbollah rocket
attack kills one Israeli soldier, injures three others
37 minutes ago
One Israeli
soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a Hezbollah rocket attack
on northern Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.
The strike
targeted soldiers belonging to the 7338th “Adirim” Artillery Regiment’s 508th
Battalion from Tel Aviv.
Israel arrests
seven Jerusalem residents allegedly planning assassinations on behalf of Iran
42 minutes ago
Israel has
arrested seven Jerusalem residents over allegations they were planning to
assassinate Israeli officials and carry out other attacks on behalf of Iran,
Israel's Shin Bet and police have said.
According to the
Israeli police, the suspects are residents of the mainly Palestinian
neighbourhood of Beit Safafa in Jerusalem. They planned to target a senior
Israeli scientist and mayor of an Israeli city, that was not named.
Turkey asks
Italy to join arms boycott against Israel
51 minutes ago
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call on Tuesday asked Italian Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni to join an arms boycott initiative against Israel at
the United Nations initiated by Turkey, according to a statement from Erdogan's
office.
Erdogan said
that Israel was expanding its war in the Middle East. Erdogan said Italy's
support for the arms boycott would strengthen its initiative at the UN.
Italy is one of
the top providers of peacekeepers to the UN force in Lebanon and Meloni has
sharply criticised Israel's attacks on UN forces.
Israeli analyst
suggests Israel may annex parts of Gaza if Trump elected
1 hour ago
In a segment on
Israel's Channel 12, Amit Segal, the broadcaster's chief political analyst, was
asked if the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza was possible.
It followed a
high-profile conference on the subject over the weekend which was attended by
far-right government ministers.
Segal suggested
that the complete re-establishment of 25 settlements was unlikely.
However, he
asked, "Is there an opportunity to change the borders of the Gaza Strip as
a punishment for what happened on 7 October?"
"If Trump
is elected, in my opinion, the answer will be positive."
Segal also
discussed Israel's recent siege on northern Gaza.
"We can
keep denying that what's happening is an implementation of the Generals' Plan -
emptying of the Strip, starving the terrorists, eliminating them, capturing
them. That's in my opinion what's happening here," he said.
Shin Bet
confirms that drone hit Netanyahu's home
1 hour ago
Israel's Shin
Bet has confirmed that a drone fired from Lebanon on Saturday struck the
residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu in the seaside town of Caesarea.
Previously, it
was reported that the drone was launched toward his home, but it has now been
confirmed that it hit the structure.
Netanyahu and
his wife were not present at the time, and no casualties were reported.
Earlier on
Tuesday, Mohammad Afif, the head of Hezbollah's media office, said that the
group took "full and sole responsibility for targeting Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu's house".
Israeli
parliament likely to approve bill denying PA from petitioning High Court
1 hour ago
Israel's
parliament is expected to approve a bill which would deny the Palestinian
Authority the right to petition Israeli courts.
The ministerial
committee on legislation is expected to approve the bill on Sunday, which was
put forward by far-right lawmaker Simcha Rothman, chair of parliament's
constitution committee.
It would mean
the PA cannot submit petitions to Israel's High Court, or file lawsuits to
Israeli courts.
According to
Israeli news outlet Ynet, the bill has the support of both right-wing and
centrist factions.
The amendment
reads: "The purpose of the bill is to correct a distortion according to
which elements hostile to the state of Israel, including those who work
directly and in a declared way to harm its citizens through acts of terrorism,
are considered to have the right to stand before the High Court when they come
to petition against the policies of the Israeli government."
Rothman accused
the PA of paying salaries to the families of "terrorists".
The PA has long
claimed that payments to the families of prisoners are a form of welfare to
those who have lost their breadwinner, and denies the funds seek to encourage
violence.
Israel suspected of using white phosphorous in
Lebanon, wounding 15 peacekeepers
2 hours ago
Israel's
military forcibly entered a clearly marked UN peacekeeper base in southern
Lebanon (Unifil), and are suspected of using white phosphorus close enough to
wound 15 peacekeepers, according to a confidential report seen by the Financial
Times.
The report was
prepared by a country which contributes to Unifil.
Israeli troops
have damaged several UN facilities and wounded peacekeepers in southern Lebanon
in recent weeks.
The report
includes photographs documenting the extent of the damage inflicted by Israeli
forces to bunkers, perimeter walls and observation towers at a number of UN
bases.
On 13 October,
two Israeli tanks broke through a Unifil base, before leaving after 45 minutes.
An hour later,
several rounds were fired around 100 metres from the base, which emitted “smoke
of suspected white phosphorus”, the report said. It wounded 15 peacekeepers.
Israel
considering US firm for biometric screening of Palestinians in Gaza
2 hours ago
Israel is
considering a plan to deploy private US logistics and security companies to
create a "gated community" in Gaza where Palestinians would be
subjected to biometric screenings to receive aid, according to media reports.
Drop Site News
reported on Monday, citing Israeli media, that Israel's war cabinet discussed
the proposals on Sunday, and was set to approve a "pilot" programme
within the next two months.
According to
Israeli news outlet Ynet, Global Delivery Company (GDC), which is run by
Israeli-American businessman Mordechai Kahana, is in talks with the Israeli
government to run the programme.
Israel has long
discussed the idea of so-called "humanitarian bubbles" in northern
Gaza, in which it would allow aid into an area if it deemed there was no
presence of fighters.
Large parts of
northern Gaza, in particular the Jabalia refugee camp, have been under a total
siege over the past 17 days, with Israeli forces not allowing any food, clean
water and medical supplies to enter.
Shockat Adam
presents bill recognising Palestinian state to UK parliament
3 hours ago
Independent MP
Shockat Adam has presented a bill to the UK parliament backed by MPs across
multiple parties for the recognition of the State of Palestine.
If the bill is
passed, Britain will join 146 other UN member states in diplomatically
recognising the State of Palestine.
The bill’s
sponsors include independent MPs Jeremy Corbyn, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Mohamed
and Ayoub Khan - all elected on a pro-Gaza platform in July alongside Shockat
Adam, who has presented the bill.
Also sponsoring
the bill is Sian Berry from the Green Party, Brendan O’Hara and Stephen Gethins
from the Scottish National Party (SNP), and Liz Saville-Roberts from Welsh
party Plaid Cymru.
Backbencher Kim
Johnson is the only Labour MP to sponsor the bill. Ian Byrne, another sponsor,
was recently a Labour MP but lost the whip after opposing the government’s
two-child benefit cap and now sits in parliament as an independent.
Israel's war has
knocked Gaza's development back to the 1950s, says UN
3 hours ago
Israel's war on
Gaza has left nearly all of Gaza's population in poverty, with quality of life
indicators such as health and education knocked back 70 years, the United
Nations' development agency (UNDP) has said.
The UNDP's
Chitose Noguchi said the economy of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank
was now 35 percent smaller than before the war.
By some
measures, the poverty level in Gaza was now close to 100 percent, with
unemployment now at 80 percent, Noguchi said.
"The state
of Palestine is experiencing unprecedented levels of setbacks," she said.
"For Gaza, reversing development by an estimated 70 years to 1955."
Around 3.3
million Palestinians, 2.3 million of whom are in Gaza and 1.5 million of whom
are children, need urgent humanitarian assistance, the report stated.
Repairing
damaged infrastructure would cost an estimated $18.5 billion - nearly the
entire annual economic output of the occupied Palestinian territories in 2022.
Meanwhile,
625,000 students in Gaza have no access to education, with 93 percent of school
buildings severely damaged.
Regarding
healthcare, Israeli forces have killed at least 986 health workers, and less
than half of primary healthcare centres were even partially functional.
Poll reveals
most Germans oppose continued Israel arms sales
3 hours ago
A new survey has
revealed that 60 percent of Germans oppose arms exports to Israel, with a
majority of voters from the country's three ruling coalition partners
supporting restrictions.
According to a
poll by Forsa, 50 percent of Green Party voters opposed weapons sales, while 60
percent of Social Democratic Party supporters and 52 percent of Free Democratic
Party voters also rejected continued arms exports.
Opposition was
particularly high in the former East Germany, where 75 percent of respondents
rejected arms sales to Israel.
Last week,
German media reported that several German leaders blocked the sale of weapons
to Israel, despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s insistence that arms sales would
continue.
According to a
report by German tabloid Bild, Green politicians, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck
and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who are in the governing coalition with
the Social Democrats, withheld approval for weapons exports, demanding assurance
that they would not be used on civilians.
Ron Paul
When you take on
the role of the world’s policeman, don’t be surprised when countries who cannot
fight their own wars call “911.” That is exactly what is happening to the
United States on two fronts and it is bankrupting our country, depleting the
military that should serve our own national interest, and threatening to drag
the US into World War III.
Last week,
Ukraine’s “president” Vladimir Zelensky publicly presented his “Victory Plan.”
It was delusional: immediate NATO Membership for Ukraine, NATO strikes against
incoming Russian missiles, and permission to use Western long-range missiles
for strikes deep into Russia including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The real intent
was not hard to understand. Ukraine is on the verge of losing its war with
Russia and is desperate to draw the United States military into the fight.
There were numerous opportunities to avoid this bloody war but at every step
the Ukrainian leadership listened to western neocons (like Boris Johnson) and
decided to keep fighting Russia down to the last Ukrainian.
But now that
they are nearly down to the last Ukrainian, they are calling on us to step in
and fight the country with the most nuclear weapons on earth – Russia – in a
battle that could not be more unrelated to our actual interests.
Washington’s
answer should be simple but firm: “No more weapons, no more money. You’re on
your own. Make peace.”
Would the US be
mortally wounded if the people in Eastern Ukraine were allowed to secede from
Kiev and join Russia? Would anyone except the Russia-obsessed neocons in DC
think tanks even notice?
Likewise with
Israel. Tel Aviv has, in response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack,
launched a war to annihilate Palestinians from Gaza, invade and occupy southern
Lebanon, degrade the military of Iraq and Syria, and take on Iran. But the
Israeli military has nowhere near the capacity to fight so many wars on so many
fronts, so it has increasingly demanded US involvement in the conflicts.
Already the US has provided some $23 billion in additional military aid to
Israel and has employed US military assets in the region to shoot down missiles
and provide increased weapons and intelligence.
But it’s still
not enough for Israel. To fight Iran, with its significant military
capabilities, Israel appears desperate to drag the US military into the battle.
The stationing of one or perhaps two THAAD air defense systems, each with 100
US troops to operate them, is part of that effort. These 100-200 US troops are
illegally engaged in combat, but what’s worse is that they are being used as a
tripwire. US and Israeli leaders understand that they will be considered
legitimate targets for any additional Iranian missile attack, but as soon as
American troops start getting killed in Israel there will be a massive push for
further US involvement. Imagine the mainstream media war propaganda if such a
terrible thing happens.
That is no way
to use members of the US armed services. It is the opposite of supporting our
troops.
Washington’s
response to Israel trying to drag us into its war with Iran should be just like
with Ukraine: “No more weapons, no more money. You’re on your own. Make peace.”
That is what a pro-America foreign policy looks like. Our Founders understood
it very well and wrote about it often. It’s called “non-intervention.”
Gary Wilson
October 21, 2024
On Tuesday, Oct.
15, a large-scale military exercise named Kamandang commenced in the
Philippines. The exercise, scheduled to run until Oct. 25, involves over 2,300
military personnel from the United States, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea,
Australia, and Britain.
Kamandang
coincides with a separate naval exercise taking place in northern Luzon Island,
Philippines.
The exercise
will include live fire drills, amphibious landings, and training for possible
chemical and biological warfare. It will take place in Burgos, Ilocos Norte,
and Basco and Itbayat in Batanes, areas facing the Taiwan Strait.
The United
States has been increasing its military operations in the Asia-Pacific region,
including:
· Deploying more
aircraft carriers, bombers, and submarines
· Introducing the
Typhon mid-range missile launcher system
· Expanding
military bases in the Philippines from five to nine under a new defense
agreement
The U.S. has
also been conducting joint exercises with South Korea and Japan.
The trilateral
military alliance of AUKUS—Australia, Britain, and the U.S.—is bringing Japan
in for military drills as well as increasing NATO involvement in its regional
military strategies. North Korea and China have observed these developments and
accused the U.S. of trying to create an Asian version of NATO. The newly
elected Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has recently proposed that such
a formation of a “collective self-defense system,” referring to NATO, is
“essential.”
The United
States is gearing up for a potential war on China.
Adm. Lisa
Franchetti, the Chief of Naval Operations and the highest-ranking officer in
the U.S. Navy, revealed a strategic plan on Sept. 18 to achieve preparedness
for a conflict with China by 2027. This initiative reflects the U.S. military’s
belligerent intent to incite war with Beijing.
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